“Really?”
“Yeah. He was always leaving with women at the end of the night it seemed.”
Carissa suddenly got the impression that Ben had been trying to fill the void his estranged wife had created. She’d left and taken his daughter away, making him feel empty and alone. The challenge of trying to bed a multitude of women, and scoring, might have eased the pain, if only for a short time.
“Sounds like he was a very busy guy.”
“Yeah. He works here part-time, some evenings and weekends. During the day, he’s a full-time gym teacher at the elementary school, up the road. He also coaches soccer,” said Janet.
That explained how he’d met Amy, the soccer player.
“Is there anything else about Ben that you can remember?” asked Carissa. “Did he have any other family that he might have mentioned?”
“A cousin, I believe. Apparently, they weren’t on speaking terms.”
“Why?”
“I think it had something to do with the man’s wife. Maybe she wasn’t off limits either,” Janet said dryly.
The final piece of the puzzle suddenly snapped into place and she gasped in horror.
“What’s wrong?” asked Janet.
“I have to go,” she said standing up quickly.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Ignoring her, Carissa ran out of the lodge and headed to her SUV.
Chapter 28
BEN PACKED QUICKLY, made a little bed for Faith in the van, and then put both her and Maisie inside.
“It’s going to be a little bumpy,” he said. “Just lie down and try to sleep if you can. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
Faith stared at him with such sadness, that it made his heart heavy. She had no idea how great he was going to make life for her. She just needed to give him a chance.
“Don’t worry, Pumpkin. We’re going to have a wonderful life together,” he said, trying to reassure her. “I promise.”
“I want my mommy,” she replied in a frightened voice.
Sighing in irritation, he slammed the back door and went around. He climbed inside and started the engine, praying that his cousin didn’t show up before they left. He didn’t want to shoot him, but there was no way he’d allow anyone to take Faith from him again.
“And… we’re off,” he said, giving one last look at his in-laws cabin. Barbara’s parents were both long gone and they’d had left it for her years ago. On the run from Ben, she’d never returned to the place, so he’d taken it over. Nobody, but his cousin, knew about the cabin, and assumed his mother’s address, would be the first place he’d check. At least Ben hoped that was the case.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. Someone had just turned down the winding dirt road and was barreling toward the cabin.
“Oh, shit,” mumbled Ben, slamming on the brakes. He could tell by the headlights, and how fast the driver was going, that it was probably him.
He looked over his shoulder and noticed that Faith had tumbled out of the make-shift bed he’d created for her. “Sorry. You okay?”
“Yes,” she replied, crawling back over to it.
“I’m going to be right back,” he said, reaching into the glove compartment for the gun. “Just sit still and everything will be fine.”
Faith didn’t reply.
Ben shoved the gun into the pocket of his hoodie and hopped out of the van.
His cousin, who was now blocking him in the driveway, got out and stormed over with an angry scowl on his face.
“Alex,” said Ben. “You really should just mind your own business.”
He glared at him. “Where is Chloe?”
“Her name is Faith.”
“Jesus Christ, Ben! Faith is dead. Barbara is dead. They were killed in a car accident three years ago! You already know all of this!”
Ben frowned. “No. I told you before - it was staged. Those people were not Faith or Barbara.”
Adam laughed coldly. “Staged? You seriously think that someone else was driving her car the night she left you?”
“She definitely had help. She wanted to leave me well before that night and had enough time to plan her escape,” he replied, remembering how he’d been called in the middle of the night, unaware that his wife and daughter had even left. There’d been an accident and a fire on the interstate. The bodies had been burned to a crisp and identifiable. It had been very convenient, so much so that Ben came to the conclusion that it had been set up. If he believed them to be dead, he’d never go looking for them. But, he was smarter than that.
“For God’s sake! The dental records matched, Ben!”
“Barbara’s parents left her enough money that she could have easily bribed the medical examiner and the dentist.”
“You’re insane! There’s no reasoning with you,” he replied staring at Ben in disbelief.
“Get back into your truck and drive away,” said Ben. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“You killed at least one little girl and there is no way I’m going to let you harm Chloe,” he said. “Now, where is she? In the van?” Alex walked around him toward the back.
Gritting his teeth, Ben took out his gun. “Stop, Alex! Don’t make me shoot you!”
Alex froze.
“Get away from my vehicle,” Ben said, walking over to him with the gun pointed.
“Don’t do this,” begged Alex. “It’s not too late. You can get help.”
“I don’t need help,” he said coldly. “Now, get back into your truck and drive away. This is my last warning.”
Alex stared at him for a minute and then nodded. “Okay. Fine. I’ll leave. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do,” Ben replied, relaxing slightly.
Alex turned, but instead of leaving, he charged Ben, knocking him to the ground. After a short struggle, Alex was able to get the gun from him. He quickly got to his feet and pointed the gun at Ben.
“So, you’re going to shoot me now? That’s it? You never did forgive me did you?”
“You mean for having sex with Patty? No, of course not. But, this has nothing to do with her. This is about the girl you killed and the one in the van.”
“I only did it because I knew she was a tramp and that you couldn’t see it with your own eyes, so I decided to prove it. Patty invited me over for coffee and started making the moves on me.”
“I don’t want to hear about it,” Alex snapped, glaring at him.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out it was me with her that day,” he continued. “You weren’t supposed to come home.”
“So, you did it all for me,” he replied dryly.
“Yes! She let me take naked pictures of her, Alex. I was going to send them to you anonymously.” He took a step closer. “I told her it would be for my eyes only, but I wanted you to see what Patty was doing behind your back.”
Alex shook his head. “You really do need help, man.”
Ben stared at his cousin and knew that he was in trouble. Alex would turn him in and he couldn’t allow that. He thought about the last girl he’d had to kill, and it helped him to tear up. He covered his face with his hands. “You’re right,” he said, pretending to cry. “I feel like I’m losing control. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just miss Faith so much.”
Alex relaxed. “I know,” he said. “But, she’s gone and Chloe isn’t her. I have to get her back to her parents.”
He nodded. “Yes. You’re right. She’s in the van.” Wiping tears from his cheeks, he began walking toward the back. “I’ll help you get her out.”
“Stop,” said Alex. “I’ll get her.”
Ben froze. “Fine.”
Alex, still wary, walked around him.
“Maisie, do you want a treat?” said Ben loudly.
The dog started barking in the back of the van. This distracted Alex and he looked away from Ben.
This time it was Ben who rushed Alex, knocking him into the snow. The gun fell out of his hand and Ben
got it back. He quickly got to his feet and aimed the gun at him.
“Wait,” said Alex, trying to roll away. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Unfortunately, I do,” Ben said, and then pulled the trigger.
Chapter 29
CARISSA FOUND JIM’S business card in her SUV and called him.
“Did you know that Ben and Alex were cousins?” she said quickly into the phone.
“Alex? Alex Richardson?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes.”
“No. I guess he never mentioned anything. Are you sure?”
“Yes. Alex left a little while ago to meet you at Ben’s. Is he there?”
“No, he hasn’t shown up. And Ben isn’t here either. It looks like the place hasn’t been used in a while.”
“Crap. I was afraid of that.”
“One thing we’ve learned, however, is that he was married and had a child. They died in a car wreck, about three years ago.”
Carissa’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh.”
“What?”
She was about to tell him that she believed it may have been one of their spirits who’d led her to Castle Danger, but decided to keep it to herself. She didn’t want to lose him now that he had some faith in her abilities. Some people were turned off by the mention of spirits and she had a feeling that Jim might be one of them.
“I was just going to ask whether or not the child’s name was Faith.”
“Yes. You were right about that. And his wife’s name was Barbara. By the way, her parents had a cabin not far from here. The Feds just found out that the title is registered under Barbara’s maiden name. We’re going to check it out.”
Carissa knew instinctively that it was where Ben had been staying and wondered if that was where Alex had disappeared to. She didn’t know what was going through the man’s head right now, but believed that it had been a shock for him to realize his cousin was a murderer.
“Carissa, let Paul and Rachel know we haven’t given up and are doing everything we can to find their daughter.”
“I will,” she replied. “What about Alex?”
“If he is cousin is with Ben, I hope to hell that Alex didn’t know about this all along. I’ve known the man for many years. I just can’t believe that he’d knowingly let something like this happen.”
“I don’t think he realized it until it was too late,” Carissa said, staring ahead into the darkness.
“Let’s just hope that it’s not too late for Chloe,” he replied grimly.
Chapter 30
CARISSA GOT OUT of her SUV and walked over to Paul and Rachel’s cabin. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later, Paul answered.
“I have some news,” she told him.
His eyes widened. “Come in.”
The atmosphere in the cabin was chilly and it had nothing to do with the thermostat needing adjusting. She could tell that Rachel and her husband had been arguing.
“Ben wasn’t where they thought he’d be, but Sheriff Collins found an address for his in-laws cabin, and the police are on their way right now.”
“Do you think he has Chloe there?” asked Rachel.
She didn’t believe so but kept it to herself. “Hopefully.”
“So, we just keep waiting. Marvelous,” said Paul, sitting down on the sofa.
“Would you like some coffee?” asked Rachel.
An image of Gooseberry falls flashed into her head again. “Actually, I have some things I need to do,” Carissa said, the sudden impulse to leave hitting her hard.
“Okay. Thank you for the information,” said Paul.
“You’re welcome. By the way, Chloe needs you two to be strong for her. No matter what happened in the past or what happens in the future, do not, for the love of God, fight around her. She’s already been through enough and needs your support,” said Carissa.
Paul gave Rachel a look that said, “Can you believe this woman?” “Of course, we know that,” he said coolly.
“You, especially, Mr. Bloom, need to step up and fix what you’ve broken. You let her down and it’s going to take her awhile to trust you again,” she said to Paul.
Her words surprised him. He opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind.
“What is she talking about?” asked Rachel, walking over to the sofa. “You need to talk to me.”
“She’s going to find out pretty quickly,” said Carissa, opening the door to let herself out. “You’d better be the one to tell her.”
“Sit down,” he said, looking defeated. “I’ll tell you.”
Carissa closed the door behind her and the urgency to get in her SUV and drive was almost overwhelming. She raced over to her vehicle, got in, and headed to the falls.
Chapter 31
BEN MOVED ALEX’S Jeep out of the way and hopped back into the van. He felt sick inside that he’d shot his cousin, but the man hadn’t left him a choice.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ben headed away from the cabin, to HWY 61. From there, he turned his van south. He knew the journey to Alaska would take two to three days and that was if he didn’t make any pit stops. Having a little girl and a dog with him, however, he knew it would be impossible not to.
Ben glanced behind him and noticed that Faith was sitting up.
“Are you okay?”
“I have to go to the bathroom,” she said.
He groaned. “Why didn’t you do that when we were at the cabin?”
“I didn’t have to go,” she replied.
Ben swore. He knew that he couldn’t bring Faith to a gas station or anywhere that someone might see her. He couldn’t go back to the cabin either. The only other choice was the great outdoors.
“Can you hold it?” he asked.
“Not very long,” she said, sounding frightened.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find somewhere for you to go.”
“Okay.”
Ben was annoyed but also knew that children were like that and couldn’t hold it against her. If anything, he needed to try and make her trust him and kindness was all he had right now. Thankfully, he’d taken his pills before they’d left and he was feeling much calmer than earlier.
“I bet Maisie has to go, too. Don’t you girl?” Ben asked, smiling.
Hearing her name, Maisie barked.”
“Why don’t you give her a treat?” said Ben. “There’s some in the red canister back there.”
“Okay,” said Faith.
Ben drove for a few miles and when the sign for Gooseberry Falls State Park appeared, he decided that it would be the best place for her to go, especially since it was shut down for the night and far enough away from the main road to not attract attention. He turned at the exit sign and drove down the winding road that led to the Visitor Center.
“You’d better put your jacket on,” he said, after parking the van and turning off the headlights. “It’s cold and the last thing we need is for you to get sick.”
“Okay,” she said in whispery voice.
“You’re still not scared of me are you, Pumpkin?” he asked, watching as she put her jacket on.
Faith didn’t answer and knew that she was too frightened to tell him the truth.
Sighing, he got out of the van and walked around to the back to open the door.
“Yes, you’re coming out, too, Maisie,” he said, grabbing the leash. He hooked it to her collar and then lifted her down into the snow. Next it was Faith’s turn. “Okay, Pumpkin, come here.”
She crawled over to Ben, watching him warily.
“You’re going to have to pee in the snow,” he said, picking her up. “The public bathrooms are closed down at night.”
Her eyes widened. “Outside?”
He set her down. “Yes. Haven’t you ever went camping?”
“My daddy said he was going to take me next summer,” she said.
Ben clenched his jaw. “I’m your father, Faith. Me! Quit talking about that other man. He wasn’t your daddy.�
��
She stared up at him like a frightened doe.
“Just, do what you have to do,” he said.
Faith looked around helplessly.
Ben pointed over to the front of the van. “If you’re that shy, just go over there, raise your nightgown over your legs, so you don’t get it wet, and pee.”
“What about toilet paper?” she asked.
He sighed. Females had to make everything so difficult. “Will napkins work?”
She nodded.
“Hold Maisie’s leash and stay right here,” he said, handing it to her.
“Okay.”
***
Chloe didn’t really have to go to the bathroom. She’d hoped that he was going to take her to a gas station, so she could try and find someone to help her, but he’d brought her to the falls instead. Fortunately, she’d remembered her daddy saying that Gooseberry Falls wasn’t far from their cabin. She just needed to get away from Ben and find help.
Chloe looked toward the Visitor Center and noticed a light on in the building. If she could just get inside and find a telephone, she could call her mommy and daddy.
With her heart pounding in her chest, Chloe watched as Ben walked to the front of the van. When he opened the door and leaned inside to look for the napkins, she released Maisie and ran toward the building as fast as she could.
“Faith!” hollered Ben.
Chloe didn’t understand why he kept calling her Faith, but she did know that there was something very, very wrong with him and it made her run faster. When she reached the entrance of the center, she found that it was locked and began to cry.
Why had the light been on if nobody was inside?
“Faith!” hollered Ben, running toward her.
Panicking, Chloe decided to try and make a run for it. She turned and raced down the path leading toward the falls.
“Stop right there, young lady!” ordered Ben. He suddenly screamed out in pain and Maisie began to bark.
Surprised, Chloe glanced back to see that he’d slipped and fallen. She watched him get up slowly and could tell that he was in pain. Feeling more confident, she continued running.
Searching for Faith - A gripping psychological thriller Page 12
