I was unsure how long I had been walking when I saw a used car lot in the distance. Actually, there were several used car lots up ahead. I passed the first lot – it was either out of business or closed because of the storm. The second one looked open, so I headed up to the old trailer that was serving as their sales office. A tall man in a checkered sports jacket opened the door for me. “You, my boy, are wet,” he observed.
I held back a sarcastic response that was dangling on my tongue and said, “My car broke down a few miles back.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that. Do you want to use my phone and call a tow truck?”
“No, I’m fed up with that piece of junk. I was hoping you might have a reliable cheap car I could purchase.”
“Oh! Sure, sure. I’ve got several. But don’t you want to get that other one in here as a trade-in? I can’t give you much on a broken down car, but every little bit helps, right?”
“That car isn’t in my name. I’ve been borrowing it. I’ve already called the owner so he could have it picked up. I don’t need anything fancy – just something reliable.”
“Why don’t we do a credit check and see what you might qualify for?”
When did buying a used car get to be such a hassle? “I’ll be paying cash.”
I hadn’t really taken the time to look at this guy before, but now I couldn’t help but notice his nose, which looked like a weasel’s snout, and his bug eyes. He also had a bushy brown mustache and a bald head. I was at least a foot taller than him, and probably ten years his junior. I imagined that I could knock him down and take any car in his lot. Look at me – only a few minutes on the run and I was already starting to think like a felon.
“Sir, I’m not sure we have a car that you could afford for cash,” he said. Was he looking nervous or just disappointed to lose a sale?
“Right. I didn’t mean cash. I want to put it on my credit card. You do accept American Express?”
He looked mystified. “I do accept those when people have work done on their car – I have a little mechanic shop out back. But I’ve never had anyone try to pay for a car with one before.”
“Trust me; I can afford any car on your lot. The card has no limit.” I was pretty sure he was nervous now, so I added, “Look, how many criminals come in with an American Express card? I’ve got ID to prove it is mine. And you can always call them to make sure I’m on the level. You’ll get your money.”
He finally agreed that he would call the number on the card once I had found a car to my liking. We walked outside and I quickly decided on a two-year old Jetta with low mileage. The car purred when I cranked her up, and I was sure that the car could move. The V6 engine coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission would keep me ahead of the cops. A shiver ran down my spine at my nefarious thoughts, but I told the salesman that I’d take the car.
Inside the trailer, Jerry, the salesman, called and confirmed that my card was authorized for the amount of the car plus tax, tags, and title. At least my car would be legal. We completed the necessary paperwork, and I was about to be on my way, when I remembered to ask if I could change my clothes in his restroom. He agreed and even presented me with a towel to dry off with. It felt good to be dry and warm. As I was leaving, I thanked Jerry for everything. The whole process had taken more than an hour, and the weather had escalated considerably during this time.
I realized that Brandy was probably wondering when I was going to call to meet her at the airport. She was probably getting worried about me driving around in this weather. The police had thwarted my plans to buy a ring, but now I was more determined than ever to propose to her. I dialed her cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail.
Brandy had given me her parents’ phone number, so I called the number. A man answered the phone, “Moretti Funeral Parlor. You kill ‘em, we chill ‘em.”
I stifled a laugh – good to know I could still find humor in things. “Mr. Moretti? This is Adam Considine.”
“Oh, hello, Adam! Brandy has told us all about you. I’m very anxious to meet you. I have a few questions for the man that’s in love with my only daughter.”
I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious, but it didn’t matter. “Mr. Moretti, I need to find Brandy. She’s not answering her cell phone. Is she there?”
“No. She left early this morning to go see her friend Alicia. I’m sure Brandy is telling her all about you. They’ve probably forgotten the time.”
“Thanks, sir…”
I was about to hang up when he added, “That reminds me of something. I was so excited to see Brandy last night that I forgot to ask her about that pig.”
“Pig?”
“Yeah, the pig that was looking for Brandy. Did you know about that?”
I tried to believe that Brandy’s father wasn’t insane, but it was difficult. “I’m not sure which pig you are talking about,” I replied. I didn’t know what else to say.
“Is there more than one? The big fellow. I think his name was Jack. Alicia said he was from Mississippi. All I know is: that boy can eat.”
The light bulb inside my head finally lit up. “Are you talking about a cop?”
“Naturally. You didn’t think I meant a real pig, did you?”
“No, no, of course not. Why was he looking for Brandy?”
“I’m not sure. All he said was that he needed to talk to her. When Alicia brought him here, they were worried about Brandy. Maybe he was just helping Alicia.”
“Probably,” I told him. That was highly unlikely, but I didn’t want to alarm Mr. Moretti. I felt like this was connected to the police looking for me. “I’ll see you later tonight, sir. Thanks for the information.”
“Not at all, son. And listen, don’t worry too much about those questions I have for you. I’m actually pretty anxious to get Brandy married off. I don’t want her to be an old maid.”
He was laughing as he hung up the phone. I hoped that we would still be able to laugh once this thing was over.
The Jetta didn’t have a navigation system so I had to find Alicia’s house on my own. Of course I had been to her house so many times now that I didn’t really need a navigation system.
It was well past noon when I pulled into the drive next to Alicia’s apartment. Brandy’s car was pulled on one side of the apartment, and a green Accord was in the drive. The Accord was pointing out towards the main road as if it had been backed in. I had no idea whose car it was, but I assumed it belonged to Alicia or one of her parents. I switched off the engine and sat in the car to think for a moment. This whole day had been such a whirlwind.
I still didn’t know why the Sheriff’s department was looking for me, and now I had to wonder why a policeman from Mississippi had been looking for Brandy. I did think of a possible explanation: this had something to do with Fisher Perry. It was possible that he had filed assault charges against me for breaking his nose, although I found it hard to believe that the police department in Biloxi would send an officer all the way to Pensacola on a hunch that I might be here. It would have made more sense for one of the officers that worked the vandalism case to try to reach out to me. I had given them my cell phone number – or at least I thought I did. Even if I hadn’t, they could have found some way to contact me without starting a manhunt. There was also a remote possibility that Brandy was needed for something relating to Fisher’s vandalism of her car, but that seemed unlikely. I honestly couldn’t even be certain that the cop looking for Brandy was even connected to the deputies looking for me, but it seemed extremely probable. Otherwise, this was one hell of a coincidence.
I finally decided that I would call the police once I talked to Brandy. Running was the stupidest thing I could have done. Other than assaulting Perry, I hadn’t broken any laws. Why had I panicked? Why had I bought this stupid car, and why had I been fantasizing about an elaborate getaway? I guessed that seeing a deputy asking for my room number had spooked me. Too many TV shows and movies had situations like that leading to disastrous ends. I
had just let my paranoia take over. I needed to take care of this before it got any more out of hand.
As I approached Alicia’s door, an ominous feeling came over me. I shook it off as best I could and sprinted to Alicia’s front steps. As the rain pelted me, I huddled under the small awning over the entrance as I knocked on the door. After a few seconds, I knocked again since no one had answered. I was now engulfed by this terrible feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. I tried the doorknob. It was locked. I looked in through one of the windows and I was terrified by what I saw. There was a large man lying on the ground and blood was everywhere. Then I saw Alicia. She was lying on the couch and there was blood coming from her head. I went back to the door and kicked it hard several times. The lock finally gave way and the door banged open. I rushed to Alicia. She was moving a bit – trying to find her way back to consciousness. She had clearly been hit in the head with a large bloody bookend that was lying on the couch beside her. She turned her head and looked into my eyes. “Adam?” she asked dreamily.
“Are you okay, Alicia?” I asked her.
“I…I think so.” She tried to sit up, but she was obviously still faint from the blow to her head.
I took a look at her wound. It didn’t look life-threatening, so I said, “Keep still for a few minutes. I’m going to check on this guy on the floor.”
“Huh? What guy?”
“I don’t know who he is, but he’s hurt.”
I moved from the couch and tried not to step in the blood that was surrounding the man on the floor. I managed to get close enough to check his carotid artery for a pulse. I couldn’t find one. I noticed that there was a gun on the floor next to him, but I left it there. I was in enough trouble without putting my fingers on this guy’s gun.
Before going back to Alicia, I looked around the apartment for Brandy. The place was small, so I was already fairly sure that she wasn’t here, but I had to convince myself completely. Brandy’s car was outside; she must have been here when this happened. I even checked outside around the apartment, but Brandy was nowhere to be found.
I went back inside. Alicia was now sitting up. I wasn’t sure she could answer questions, but I had to try. “Alicia, what happened here? Where is Brandy? I think you probably need a doctor.”
“No…no doctor. We’ve got to save Brandy. Terry’s got her.”
“Slow down a minute. Why would Terry have Brandy?”
“Adam, where’s Jack? We need him. He’s a cop and he can help. He has a gun. Did Terry knock him out too?”
“Is Jack a friend of yours?” I didn’t want to just blurt out that his was dead – if that was Jack on the floor.
“Sort of. Well, he was yesterday. But today, he wasn’t.” Alicia wasn’t making sense. I wasn’t sure if this was due to the bump on her head or if it was just normal Alicia.
“Alicia, I don’t know what you are talking about. Is Jack a big guy?”
“Yes, and he’s very handsome,” she seemed to be enthralled as she said this. Then she shook her head – I was afraid she was going to make herself even dizzier than she already had to be. “He is big – tall, I mean. And did I mention he’s a cop?”
“I hate to have to tell you this…I think Jack is dead. There’s a big guy lying over here in a puddle of blood, and he’s definitely not waking up again.”
Alicia looked stricken. “Jack…dead? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” Her mind had already made the choice for her: tears were running down her cheeks. “Just yesterday, I thought I might be falling for him. Today, I actually hated him…”
“It’s okay, Alicia. We can’t help Jack now. We’ve got to concentrate on Brandy. Tell me everything that happened.”
“Jack is a policeman from Mississippi. He came here last Friday night looking for Brandy. But he was really looking for you. He thinks…thought that you killed Fisher Perry…You didn’t, did you, Adam?”
So there it was. Someone had killed Perry and I was the top suspect. No wonder the police were tracking me down. “No, Alicia, of course I didn’t kill him.”
“Good…good. Anyway, Brandy was missing, so Jack and I have been looking for her. But today, he came in here and put Brandy in handcuffs. He said she was an accomplice to you because she concealed your location. She tried to call and warn you that the police were coming to the hotel, but you didn’t answer – this was before Jack arrested her, of course. Then Jack found out that you had escaped from the police, and he had a plan to wait here for you. He knew you’d come for Brandy. But then Terry came instead.
“I’m having trouble remembering the whole thing. I know Terry came busting in here – Jack had left the door unlocked for you. Terry had a gun, and he was pointing it at Jack. I think Jack was trying to calm him down, but Terry was like a madman. He was talking fast and crazy. Terry kept walking around the room, pointing the gun first at Jack and then at me. I guess I kind of remember Terry shooting Jack. I remember freaking out, and it was around that time that Terry hit me in the head. I don’t know what happened after that. He hit me hard enough that I lost consciousness. I also remember that Terry was saying that he had to take Brandy away and protect her. I don’t know where he meant to take her, but we’ve got to find her.”
“Alicia, I really think you need a doctor. We’ve also got to call the police about Jack.”
“No, we can’t. They’ll take you into custody. You and I are Brandy’s only hope.”
“But we don’t know where he’s taken her. We just have to pray that he won’t hurt her.” Ignoring Alicia’s plea, I pulled out my cell phone and proceeded to dial 911. Unfortunately, my phone didn’t have a signal. It must have been the weather.
“I’ll bet he took her to their house. Adam, that house is really close to Perdido Bay. Even if Terry isn’t planning to hurt her, she could get killed by the storm.”
“We can’t just drive over there without thinking this through. Wouldn’t that area be evacuated?” I headed towards Alicia’s house phone to try the police from there.
“Don’t underestimate Terry. He’s crazy. He’ll find a way.” When she saw me about to pick up her phone, she yelled, “Don’t call them Adam. They’ll get Brandy killed.”
I ignored her. I wanted to help Brandy, but I knew the police were better prepared. I picked up the phone and put the receiver to my ear. “I guess you win,” I said as I returned the phone to its cradle. “The phone is dead. So how do we get into Brandy’s neighborhood? If we run into the police, we can have them check out the house.”
“We can’t involve the police. If they see you, they’ll arrest you once they figure out who you are. I say we just drive over there and see if we can locate Terry’s car. If he could walk in, we can too. But first, I’m going to wash this blood out of my hair and conceal my wound. We’ll need to go over to Mom and Dad’s to make sure they don’t come over to my apartment and find Jack’s body. They also have a large assortment of rain jackets that we can make use of.” I finally agreed, but I planned to keep my eyes out for the police. They had guns and they were trained for these types of emergencies. Brandy’s safety was my utmost concern, and I didn’t care if I got arrested.
I was completely amazed by Alicia’s calm in all of this. Especially since someone she had known was lying dead on her living room floor. I had never even met the man and I was close to crying over him. Of course, I had never seen a murder victim before, and my emotions were raw from my concern for Brandy. I still couldn’t understand what I perceived as Alicia’s callousness. I should have known better. She suddenly said, “Adam, please say a prayer over Jack’s body. I realized yesterday that I wasn’t really in love with him, but I still liked him well enough. Well, maybe not. He was mostly a rude jerk. But I didn’t want him dead.”
Alicia held my hand and we prayed. Not just for Jack but also for Brandy, Terry, and each other. We were going to need God’s help if we wanted to find Brandy and save her from Terry and Ivan. I wasn’t sure which one was the worst. After the pra
yer, Alicia concealed her head wound and took several aspirin to relieve the pain. Unless someone looked closely, Alicia’s wound was barely discernible. As an added precaution, she put a headband on in such a way as to completely cover up her injury.
Mr. and Mrs. Meyers were happy to see me, but Alicia and I didn’t have time for niceties. Alicia began talking and refused to let either of her parents get a word in. She told them that Terry had taken Brandy to the bungalow to get some things out before the storm hit. She didn’t let on that Terry had forced Brandy, and she didn’t mention the dead body in her apartment. She then told them that Terry’s car had stalled out and that Brandy had called to ask me to come and pick them up. She told them that she had locked up her apartment so that it would remain safe while she went with me. She assured them that we would be back long before the hurricane caused any problems.
When she went to grab us each a rain poncho, I asked Mrs. Meyers if I could use her phone. I still hoped to reach the police and get them involved in this rescue. “No, I’m afraid you can’t, Adam. The phone went dead almost an hour ago. I’m sorry.”
I decided that I would have to give up on the police unless Alicia and I met one on the way to Brandy’s. Alicia soon returned with some ponchos, and we left. I hated that we had to lie to her parents, but it was for the best.
As we started out the door, Mr. Meyers stopped us. “We heard on the radio that there is a curfew. No one is supposed to be out driving on the roads.”
“I know, Dad, but this is Brandy. We can’t leave her stranded out there. We’ve got to go now. I love you.”
Her father tried to protest, but she pulled me out the door and ignored him. When we got into the Jetta, I said to Alicia, “If we see any police on the road, I’m stopping them. They are bound to be patrolling, and they can help with Brandy. Even if they arrest me, you can make sure they help Brandy too.”
“Adam, you can’t! We can’t take the risk. Brandy needs us.” It was useless to argue with Alicia, so I gave up. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there for Brandy; I just feared that I would be helpless to save her. I let Alicia believe that she had won this round. We backed out of the yard, and Alicia began leading me towards Terry’s house.
For The Least Of These Page 22
