by Curry, Edna
Their food arrived and he smiled. “Ah, this looks delicious. No wonder you like this restaurant so much.”
Loni thought she would gag, but somehow she got through dinner. She pushed her food around on her plate and even managed to swallow a couple of bites.
Hank acted like he was having a great time. He smiled and talked about his latest successes all through the meal, not even seeming to notice that she hardly answered.
“The sunset over the lake is gorgeous, isn’t it?” Hank said. “That’s another reason you like this place, isn’t it?”
She was going to throw up. He was obnoxious. Would anyone back in Canton miss her? How could they with all the crowds in town? It would be impossible to miss anyone.
Was Matt still unconscious? Or in the hospital with a concussion? She dare not count on him being awake enough to send help to her. How could he know where they were, anyway?
If she got up and ran to the kitchen or somewhere, would Hank dare shoot her here in front of witnesses? Yes, he probably would.
She thought of various shooters she’d heard of who’d shot lots of people at random. Hank was probably capable of doing that. The restaurant was filling up with customers now. She couldn’t chance getting others hurt.
Maybe she could say she needed to use the ladies room. She’d heard of people leaving notes saying, “Help, call police,” in lipstick on the mirror for the next person to find. Or maybe she’d get lucky and someone in the ladies room would have a cell phone she could use to call for help.
“I need to use the ladies’ room,” she said, starting to rise from her chair.
“Forget it,” he said, gripping her arm painfully. “You can hold it until we get to your house.”
“My house?” she asked, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper.
He smiled and laid some bills on the table to cover the check. “Yes. We’re going to make love in that lovely bedroom of yours.”
“No! I won’t go with you.”
“Oh, yes, you will, darling.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice to whisper in her ear, “Remember the fantasy I wrote you about in that note? The one I left under your favorite yellow rose?”
He tightened his grip on her arm until she winced and nodded.
“Tonight, you’re going to make my fantasy come true right in that pretty bedroom. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
Chapter 14
As they walked to the entrance, Loni sent a last, pleading look to their waitress, hoping Jean would realize something was very wrong.
But Jean only smiled and said goodnight. No one tried to stop them as they walked out to Hank’s blue Mercedes. Once again, he pushed her in from the driver’s door and pressed the button to lock all the doors as he got in.
Where was Matt’s psychic ability when she needed him? Or was he hurt too badly to use it? Anyway, he didn’t seem to be able to control it, so she’d better stop counting on him and help herself.
Perhaps she could blow the horn or otherwise draw attention to them as they went through Canton. The parade was surely over by now, but the street dance would run until midnight or later. Somebody would be sure to notice them if she made a lot of noise.
Then she noticed Hank was taking a different route back to Canton.
“Why are we going this way?” she asked. “You should have turned back there.”
He turned and smiled at her. Why had she ever thought his smile attractive? It only seemed to make him look more evil now.
“We’re taking the long way around to avoid the crowds around the festival,” he said. “So don’t get any ideas about alerting someone.”
“But that’s thirty miles farther,” she protested, seeing her last hope of alerting someone evaporate.
He smiled happily. “Are you anxious to get in bed with me?”
“Never!” she snapped, feeling her face grow hot.
He shrugged and taunted, “Most girls like my lovemaking just fine.”
“So go find one of them, then, and leave me alone!”
“No way.” He grinned at her and teased, “I’m going to get you all naked and then do what I should have done the first time I saw your lovely naked body. Tie you down, then kiss you all over until you come. Then I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll come so many times you’ll never think of making love to another man.”
“You can do whatever you want by force, of course. I know I’m not strong enough to stop you. But nothing will ever, ever make me want to stay with you or care for you. I hate you and that’s the only emotion I’ll ever, ever feel for you. Do you hear me?”
Sending her an evil smile, he said, “Do you have a death wish?”
She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at him. “You can kill me, but you can’t make me love you.”
“I can make you wish you were dead, though.”
“I’d rather be dead than make love to you.”
He frowned, then glared at her, but didn’t reply and turned back to watch the traffic.
They came to a shopping strip along the highway and Hank pulled into the gas station.
“I’m running low on gas and the stations in these little burgs will probably be closed later, so I’m going to fill up here.” He pulled up to the pump and got out.
“Damn, it’s one of those where you have to pay first and I’m not using a credit card. They’re too easy to trace. Come on, you’re coming inside with me. I don’t trust you out here alone.”
Loni got out willingly, hope soaring. Surely she could do something to get the attendant’s attention.
He took her arm and, as they walked to the door, growled in her ear, “Behave, now, if you know what’s good for you.”
There were several other people inside so they had to wait a bit. At last it was his turn to pay. Finished, Hank glanced furtively around at the other customers.
While he turned away, Loni saw the clerk looking her way. She quickly reached out and grabbed an instant camera from a display and slipped it into her pocket, then smiled at the shocked look on the clerk’s face. Hank pulled on her arm and she turned and walked out with him.
Yes! The clerk had seen her take it and would call the sheriff to report a shoplifter! She hoped the clerk would just call the police and not try to stop them or alert Hank to what she’d done. Hank still had his gun under his jacket and she didn’t want anyone hurt.
Hank pushed her into the car. She heaved a relieved sigh as they drove off.
* * * *
Matt felt a pounding pain in his head. He opened his eyes. A crowd of people were standing around him, looking concerned.
He groaned and attempted to rise, though everything seemed to be moving in circles around him.
“Are you okay?” A man reached out a hand to help Matt to his feet.
Matt stood there, weaving unsteadily, and put a hand to a throbbing spot on his head. “Oh, my head! I think so,” he said. He looked at his hand and was satisfied to see no blood on it. He looked around. “Did you get the guy who hit me?”
The man shook his head. “I didn’t see who it was. I just saw you fall down on the sidewalk. Anyone else see who hit him?”
The other people around them shook their heads, too.
“Where’s Loni?”
No one answered. Matt realized the people around him were strangers, only in town for the celebration, so had no idea who he meant. They began moving off, convinced the excitement was over.
Matt rubbed the back of his throbbing head. He had to find Loni. He’d bet anything it was Hank who had hit him. He’d probably succeeded in taking Loni with him this time. If not, Loni would be here with him. She’d never have left him of her own volition.
Still woozy, Matt moved to sit on a bench outside a food booth and pulled out his phone to call the sheriff. A deputy answered, saying Ben was still out managing traffic on the parade route. Matt left a message and hung up.
Then he made his way with unsteady steps to the drugstore and bought some aspirin and washed
it down with soda.
Not feeling steady enough to drive he walked on down to the sheriff’s office to wait for Ben to return.
Why couldn’t his psychic ability tell him where she was now? Or if she was all right? Would Hank hurt her? Where would he take her? Probably back to his place? And where was that? In Minneapolis? If so, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They had no idea where he lived.
Matt had never felt so helpless in his life.
* * * *
Maria and Jolene were eating dinner in the Flame. The restaurant was crowded and it took a while to get their food, but they welcomed the chance to relax.
“Did you hear about Matt getting hit by some guy on the street?” Maria asked.
“Yeah. He and the sheriff are out looking for the guy now. Wonder where Loni is? I thought she was planning to meet us here?”
“Maybe she’s with Matt.”
“I don’t think so.”
A tall redheaded man stopped by their table. In a booming voice, he said, “Hello, Maria and Jolene.”
Maria looked up, searching the man’s face, then smiled. “Is it Jon or Jim?” she asked, reaching out to shake the hand the man offered. “I never could tell you Saunders boys apart.”
“Jim. How’s the dress shop going?”
“Fine. Your mother tells me you’re into computers now.”
“Yes, I am and I love it. Amazing to get paid for doing stuff I love to do, isn’t it? Speaking of my mother, have you seen her?”
Maria shook her head. “Not today. Why?”
“She was supposed to meet me here for supper. I drove past the library, but it was closed. Her car’s still parked out back of it, though, so she’s probably walking over.”
“Well, she’s probably found someone to talk to in this parade crowd. She’ll be along soon,” Maria assured him.
“I hope so,” Jim said. “But it’s not at all like her to be late.” He moved on to find a table.
A half hour later, they’d finished eating, but Maria noticed Jim was still sitting alone at his table.
“Mrs. Saunders still hasn’t come in. Do you suppose something is wrong?” she asked Jolene, nodding toward Jim, who was sitting at his table with his laptop computer open in front of him and his cell phone to his ear.
“I’m sure Jim will find her.”
“Yes, but she dotes on those boys. It’s not like her to not show up when they come to visit. She was complaining to me one day that she rarely sees them now,” Maria said, worriedly.
“He’s probably calling someone to help him look for her. Let’s go join the street dance.”
“All right.”
Maria and Jolene moved out to join the crowds already dancing to the band in the roped off side street. Harvey and Cindy were there already and waved as they danced by. The night was warm and clear. Colored spotlights bounced over them as they moved to the lively music.
A friend asked Maria to dance and soon Jolene found a partner as well.
Meeting up again an hour later, Maria and Jolene moved to the snack bar where Harvey and Cindy were having a cold soda.
“Are you doing okay?” Maria asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Harvey said.
“You’re still staying with your sister?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to get back into our own house. Two women in the same kitchen is not a pretty sight,” Harvey said ruefully.
Maria laughed. “I suppose. When do they finish the repairs?”
“They should finish in two more weeks,” Harvey said. “Teri loves having her cousins to play with every day though. She thinks it would be fun to stay.”
“They’re becoming closer, then? That’s good. I always wished I had more family my own age to play with when I was growing up,” Maria said.
“That’s right; you were an only child, weren’t you?” Jolene asked.
“Yes,” Maria said. “It was kind of lonely at times.” Embarrassed at revealing intimate details of her past, she turned to gaze out over the crowd.
The sheriff’s car whizzed by with its siren blaring. Everyone turned to watch to see where it was going.
“It’s stopping at the library,” Harvey said.
“Oh dear,” Jolene said. “Jim was looking for his mother earlier. He said the library was closed.”
They hurried down the street to the library along with many others.
“What’s going on?” Harvey called to Ben as the Sheriff got out of his car.
Ben shook his head at them. “Keep the people back out of the way,” Ben growled at his deputy and disappeared inside.
“You heard Ben,” the deputy said.
A second police car pulled up and Matt got out with another deputy.
“There’s Matt. Hey, Matt, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just got a knot on my head and a headache.”
“Did you and Ben find the guy that hit you?” Harvey asked.
“No, we didn’t find Hank. Ben got a call from Jim Saunders. He’s been looking for his mother and couldn’t find her. He finally got a key from the city clerk and went into the library. He found her there, dead.”
A crowd of people from the street dance had formed around them, all murmuring at once.
“Dead?” Cindy exclaimed. “I didn’t even know Mrs. Saunders was ill.”
“Neither did I. And why was the library closed if she was still inside?” Maria asked, frowning.
“She wasn’t ill. Someone killed her,” Matt said grimly.
“Oh, how awful!” Maria said.
“A murder, in our little town?”
The deputy began putting up yellow crime scene tape as another police car pulled up with more officers. Obviously they all thought a murder should get priority attention and wanted in on the action.
“Come on, everybody move along, now. We’ve got everything under control here,” the first deputy insisted. “We can’t have anybody messing up the crime scene. We have to preserve any evidence there might be, you know.”
“Have any of you seen Loni?” Matt asked.
“No, we haven’t,” Maria said. “We thought she might have gone with you to look for the guy that hit you.”
Matt looked from one to another, but Harvey, Cindy and Jolene all shook their heads.
“Damn,” Matt said, closing his eyes. “No, she didn’t go with me. We’ve been looking for her. I think it was Hank who hit me and that he hit me in order to grab Loni while everyone was reviving me.”
Harvey was busy answering his cell phone. He turned and said, “Matt, that was my sister, Jean who works at The Lagoon. She said Loni was there with a dark haired man and acted real strange and scared. They just left the Lagoon.”
“Thanks,” Matt said.
He headed for the deputy. “I have to talk to Ben, now!”
The deputy looked at his grim face and said, “Okay, go to the library door, but don’t touch anything. The BCA guys are on their way here. We haven’t dusted for prints yet.” He talked to Ben into his phone as he let Matt inside the yellow tape.
Matt strode to the door and Ben met him there, a frown of annoyance on his face. “Loni and Hank were at the Lagoon. They just left. We have to go after him.”
“I don’t have time for this, now, Matt, damn it! A murder has to come before a girl having a fight with a former boyfriend.”
“It’s more than that, Ben and you know it.”
“I can’t leave here now, Matt. Can’t you see that?”
“All right. I’ll see what I can do on my own.” He turned and started back down the steps.
“Damn it, Matt. Play it cool. Tom, you go with him to check it out,” Ben called after him.
The phone rang again. Deputy Tom answered and called, “Wait!”
Matt paused impatiently, but his sixth sense told him this was important and made him pay attention.
“It’s a shoplifter at the gas station out on the highway,” Tom said. “A young blonde gal was in there with
a dark-haired man. The girl took a camera and let the clerk see her on purpose. The clerk thinks she was trying to attract attention. Doesn’t that sound like Loni?”
Matt grinned. “It sure does. Did the clerk see where they went?”
“They went west on Highway eight in a blue Mercedes.”
“That was what Hank was driving.”
“Let’s go. I’ll call and tell Ben on the way,” the deputy said, hurrying down the library steps.
Matt nodded and they raced for the deputy’s car.
They got in and flew down the highway with siren blaring. Traffic wasn’t very heavy now that they’d left the town behind. The deputy was on his phone, asking any other police cars in the area to help look for a blue Mercedes.
“It’s a good thing he’s driving an unusual car,” Tom said. “Not too many people out here can afford one of those, so it should stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Yeah, but it’s getting dark. It won’t be so easy to spot him in the dark.”
Matt held his breath and prayed they’d find Loni before Hank hurt her. He knew Loni would be terrified. He remembered her white face at just seeing evidence that Hank had been in her bedroom. Being with him in person was sure to be much worse.
“A car has spotted him a few miles east of the bridge on the Wisconsin border,” Tom said. “Set up a road block at the bridge,” he said into the phone. “Don’t let him cross the bridge.”
“How far are we from there?”
“About a mile,” Tom said, speeding up. “Hang on.”
* * * *
“It’s getting dark. Where are we?” Loni asked as Hank drove along. Would the clerk call the police? She hoped so, or she didn’t have a prayer of being rescued. Maybe Hank would get picked up for speeding? She glanced at the speedometer, but he stayed under the posted limit.
“Just coming up to the border,” Hank said. “What the hell?”
Loni saw flashing lights ahead. Hope flared as they got closer and she saw several police cars parked sideways on the other end of the bridge. Another car was stopping traffic, which was now stopped on the other side of the bridge.
She could see a long line of headlights stopped in the opposite lane.
“Maybe there’s an accident,” Loni said.
