FOREVER MINE

by Michelle Lee

  I go into the kitchen to get some coffee, and see what kind of progress has been made since I feel asleep last night. I sit down at the table and wait for Patrick to get off the phone. He nods to me acknowledging that he sees me waiting and quickly ends the call.

  “Well, I’m glad you slept. I thought you were going to fall down yesterday.”

  “Yeah, I guess I did need it. How are we doing, any news?”

  “This is where we are at; Shannon O’Rourke was questioned yesterday and he knows something, but won’t speak unless we make a deal to have his sentence reduced. I was just on the phone with Agent Keller, and she is working on that right now. The girls we suspect are also Michael’s work, all fit the same pattern. They all resemble each other. The part that we have confirmed is they were all cut with a surgical scalpel in precise areas to miss all organs. It must have been extremely painful; they would’ve slowly bled to death if the rope around their necks didn’t kill them first. We are trying to pin point any activity Michael had near the area where the other victims were found; so far nothing. But that is why we need O’Rourke to talk. I think if he can give us an alias Michael used we will find that he was in or around the cities where the other bodies were found.

  We went through the things Charlie brought here and found the cameras planted by “the security’ guy and found nothing. The store they were bought at can’t remember the guy and they were bought with cash.”

  “What about Michael’s parents? Did anything ever come of that?”

  “Emma and Douglas Parker; very wealthy family money, they added to it by making all the right investments at all the right times. Doug, worked as a lawyer for a big wig firm, and Emma was a pediatric doctor.

  Emma worked at the children’s hospital in Philadelphia. She was there for a number of years. Everyone loved her. She was good with patients, other doctors, and the cleaning crew. Most important she was good to her staff.

  One day she meets Doctor Benjamin Warren. They talk and flirt and before either one can help it they are head over heels in love. As far as anyone knows the affair was kept quiet, but everyone always knows when these things go on. It lasted years. She was waiting for Michael to get into a certain private school and was going to leave Douglas.

  Douglas was a hard working, hard playing man. He was old fashion in his belief that; his wife should not have been working. It was a sore spot in their marriage. If she needed something to do she should start a charity or a book club. No Parker woman has worked in centuries. The men took care of what was theirs.

  He drank a lot too. There are quite a few almost charges against him. Drunk and disorderly, disturbing the peace, public intoxication, He even got caught getting a blow job form some prostitute but the charges were dropped. He had to have a judge in his pocket.

  This is a little hard to prove but water cooler gossip is that he hit Emma all the time. She started staying in an apartment by the hospital and he started having relations with very expensive escorts.

  The day everything went bad Doug was just released from jail on drug possession charge. He had cocaine on him when he was pulled over for speeding. His firm fired him, finally having enough of his crap. Emma came home to pack bags and ask for a divorce. She brought Ben with her for back up. Doug shot Emma, Ben and turned the gun on himself. Michael, who was 15, was home at the time and was said to have heard the whole thing from his room. He called the police, but never came downstairs.”

  “Well, at least that explains why he thought Charlie was cheating on him all the time. He thinks all women are cheaters. Just out of curiosity, what did Emma look like?”

  I thought you’d never ask. She is 5’9, brown curly hair, and green eyes.”

  “I thought so.” I rub my eyes and the back of my head, I can feel a headache coming on. “You know I’m no psych expert, but Charlie used to have blonde hair when they first met. It seems like it went from bad to worse, when she made it dark. Do you think that matters?”

  “I have no idea; it could have triggered something in him; like he didn’t truly see the resemblance until then. I think the outcome would have been the same either way.”

  “Thanks Patrick, I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here. Is this your case now?”

  “I am working with a couple of detectives from the station, but yeah, it’s all I am working on right now.”

  “Is there anything for me to do?”

  “Not yet but as soon as Agents Keller and French get back, I want you researching the list of aliases Michael used. There has to be something he got sloppy with. This is all too neat.”

  CHAPTER 59

  I can’t see him. I can’t hear him. Where did he go? My back is in the corner, so he can’t sneak up behind me. There are goose bumps on my arms and the little hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end. There is movement and a noise to my left. I turn my head just to look in that direction, and a bright white light explodes in front of my eyes, and then blackness.

  I open my eyes and I am back in the bedroom. I have on the nightie and matching underwear that Michael wanted me to wear. My arms are stiff and hurt. I try to move them and I can’t. I look over at my wrist and see that there is a chain around it, attached to the wall above the bed where I noticed the hooks earlier. Both arms are above my head spread wide, causing my shoulders to throb.

  “Ah, finally, I see you are awake. I put you back in bed but I added a little insurance this time. You will not go without chains again. You can’t get out of here Charlie, so stop trying. No one will find you. Just stop fighting fate. We belong together, you will not leave me.” He reaches over and strokes my face. “You look beautiful, sorry about your head. I will check you out in a bit; make sure there is no concussion.” He leaves me.

  When he leaves I go over what I saw out in the other room. It has no windows, except the small one I can’t reach. I saw trees when I looked out the windows of the bedroom and bathroom. I must be on the ground level. Maybe this isn’t a house at all. All those girls were found in warehouses. What if this is a warehouse? A warehouse made to look like a real house. I have to get out of these chains. Even if he puts the foot chain back, I need my hands.

  I need to find out as much as I can about where I am. I might have one more chance to get myself out of here. When the chance arises I have to take it. I don’t think Brody or anyone will be able to find me.

  Brody. God I miss him. There is so much I wanted to tell him. So much I wanted to do with him. I wonder what he is doing right now. He was coming to pick me up. Does he think I left? Is he trying to find me? I would do anything to go back to that day we found those pictures. I know now he didn’t do anything with that woman. He wouldn’t. I guess it doesn’t matter now. I will probably never see him again.

  I lay there crying. I cry for Brody, for the life I always wanted with him, but was too afraid of. I cry for all the things that I have been too afraid to do. I cry hardest because I am not ready to die. I know I am going to. When I can cry no more I doze off. My tears and emotions leave me spent; so I retreat to somewhere safe, and dream of Brody.

  **********

  We are sitting on a back road, the car is idling, and he is going over what to do again.

  “Push the clutch in and slowly let it up, when it grabs, push the gas pedal; slowly.”

  “Ok. You have told me a hundred times now.”

  “You have stalled ninety-nine times. If I tell you one more time maybe you’ll listen.”

  “I am listening. I just can’t get my feet to work together.” I am getting so mad. I hate that everything Brody does, he does perfect. I struggle at everything.

  “You just need to relax. You’re doing fine.”

  “Yeah, says the guy who’s perfect at everything.” I look out my window; I don’t want him to see the jealousy in my eyes, or the blush that has crept into my cheeks.

  “I am not, and you know it. Now stop being a baby and drive the car.”

  “Baby?” I say thr
ough my teeth. I am so mad. I put the car in gear and drive up the road shifting through the gears effortlessly. When I’m done I pull over, put it in neutral, and get out. “Don’t call me a baby.”

  Brody is laughing so hard he can’t get out of the car. I walk over and rip his door open. “Get out.” He doubles over holding his stomach. Tears pour from his eyes.

  He holds up his hand. “H-Hold o-o-n.” He gets out of the car and composes himself. Wiping his eyes and smiling, he says, “You are so funny when you’re mad, and predictable.” He leans against the open door, putting his arms on the window “I knew if you got angry you would do it.”

  I blush fierce red, “Oh crap. I hate when you do that.” I smack his arm. Careful not to look at where his shirt has ridden up; showing his spectacular abs, or where his pants hang low on his hips showing his bitable hips bones. Um, yes please.

  “Hey, why do you always hit me? It really hurts. You’re tougher than you look.” He rubs his arm and stands up straight. “Ready to go?”

  “No. I want to drive more.”

  “Ok, Get back in I won’t tease you anymore.”

  We get back into the car and drive around for the rest of the day. We go to the park and swing for awhile. When it gets dark we finally head home. Mom has dinner ready when we get there. She made Brody’s favorite; baked ziti, salad, fresh bread. He walks me to the door and is going to leave when he smells the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

  “Mrs. J, did you make my favorite dinner?”

  “I did sweetheart, come on in and set the table. It will be ready in 2 minutes.”

  “How can I resist?” He walks in and kisses her cheek and starts to set the table.

  “How did your driving lesson go?”

  “Good. Chuck had a hard time at first, but she got the hang of it pretty quick. I only had to make her mad once.”

  Mom just laughs at us. She thinks Brody is the funniest person to walk the earth. I just sigh, knowing I’m in for a long night of teasing.

  “Please, don’t call me Chuck.” I glare at him over the salad bowl.

  “Chuck. Chuck. Chuck.” He is grinning like an idiot.

  “I hate you.”

  “No you don’t, you are secretly in love with me, you just don’t know it. Yet.”

  “Ha. You think everyone is in love with you.”

  “They are.” He laughs, knowing that his cockiness drives me crazy. What he doesn’t know is he is right. I think I do love him and it scares me. He is a slut. He doesn’t have girlfriends, he has sex. That’s it. No attachments, nothing long term. I want long term, I want to be attached. I know he can’t give me what I want so I am not going down that road. Besides, if it went bad, I would lose my BFF, and that is unacceptable. We need each other too much.

  “I hope you choke.” I stick my tongue out at him.

  “You shouldn’t stick it out if you’re not going to use it.”

  “Kids, enough fighting at the table.”

  “But mom, he started it.”

  “I said enough, I’ll get the spoon and I will finish it.”

  “You and that spoon, you know I have never even seen you use it. All these years, you threaten and threaten. I think you are all talk, Mrs. J.”

  “Uh, Oh. I think you should say sorry. She is going to get you when you least except it.”

  My mom just looks at him with a gleam in her eye. “Sleep with one eye open, Brody Harrison.” With that she walks away from the table.

  “Ok, I’m scared now. How does she do it, one minute she Betty Crooker, the next she is Mommy Dearest. It’s freaky.”

  We laugh and finish dinner. Then we wash dishes. I shower and go to my room, where Brody is waiting his turn. He showers and comes back in and we lie down for sleep. I am taking my driving test for the third time tomorrow so I need sleep. Brody is taking me.

  The next morning I wake up to maniacal laughter. I crack an eye lid and see Brody cornered by my mom with “the spoon’, she is laughing doing the come on sign with her hands. I laugh under my breath it serves him right. He makes a mad dash for the bathroom just as she swats his butt, connecting loudly with his cheek.

  “I told you I’d get you!”

  “You’re crazy, get that spoon away!”

  Mom, fully satisfied with herself, gives me a quick kiss on the forehead, “Good luck, today, honey.”

  “Thanks mom.”

  **********

  I wake up and turn my head to the windows. I miss him so much. I have to find a way to live through this, even if it means giving Michael what he wants most; me.

  CHAPTER 60

  Michael sits in his apartment watching everyone scurry around Brody’s house. They still haven’t found the cameras he placed there on Thursday. He watches them run background checks on him. They talk about his parents. They will never find his aliases. Shannon O’Rourke is away in prison for a long time. No one knows he came into his ER for stitches. If they did no one would put two and two together. He was a doctor then, he saw a lot of people.

  He watches a lone monitor sitting on another desk on the other side of the room. Charlie is sleeping, she is tossing and turning. He sits remembering how it felt to touch her earlier. He missed her so much more than he thought. She turns and looks out the window and starts to cry again.

  “Oh, Charlie; please don’t cry.” He touches her face on the screen. “I don’t think I can kill her.”

  **********

  Brody is sitting at the table typing away. He is using the FBI’s search engine to look up back ground on Michael, while he waits for Keller and French to get back. It allows him to search more thoroughly for information on people. The government has resources that he could only dream of. It helps that Fitz, has him logged in as an agent. He can go in back doors and look for things that he couldn’t find before.

  So far all he has found out is Michael took his trust fund and cashed most of it out. He left 1.2 million dollars in an account that funds the family business and investments. The original amount was 5 million dollars. What does someone do with 3.8 million dollars in cash? He could buy a lot of identities with that much bank.

  “Patrick, Agent Fitz, I think I have something. Michael was 15 when his parents died. He received his trust fund after and only after he graduated from college. If he chose to not go to school the account would have been rolled over to any children he would’ve had, with the same stipulations. No college, no money.

  So he graduates from college, goes to medical school, starts his internship, and receives 5 million dollars. He never tells anyone. Then six months later, he cashes out and quits his job. He never told Charlie he stopped working at the hospital. What was he doing during that time? The spring after he quit his job is when he attacks Charlie at their home, after a neighborhood barbeque. He would have been out of work for months at that point.”

  “Double check Shannon O’Rourke’s medical records see how close the time line runs to his visit.”

  “It says here that O’Rourke came in on a Saturday morning, 2am, on October 23, 2010. That is five months after he gets his trust fund. He cashes out in November, and in May; after Charlie has a warrant out for his arrest, he goes ghost. Just disappears.”

  “Well, we need to find out what he was doing during the last three years.”

  The computer makes a beeping noise. Brody opens a new tab and checks an e-mail he sent out to the M.E. assigned to Emily Lawrence’s case out west. The M.E says that the drug found in Emily’s system when they did a toxicology screen was called Haldol. It is very regulated by the FDA and very hard to get a hold of. Hospital’s use it to calm down patients that come in and are very agitated or aggressive. If the doctor feels that the patient will harm themselves or the staff they are given a shot to put them to sleep. The M.E. sent a copy of the report to them and to the detective who caught the case in California.