Moments later, and Juliet was driving away.
They had no sooner stepped back into the house, when Jessica’s phone rang.
“It’s Juliet,” she said. “Hi honey, did you forget something?”
“No...um, Jessica, I’m out here by your mailbox... there’s another bouquet of flowers, along with another card.”
“Don’t touch anything; the police will want to test it for prints,” Jessica said, before covering the mouthpiece and quickly filling her husband in on Juliet’s discovery.
“I haven’t touched anything, but the card is pinned on top and I can read it.”
“What’s it say?”
“Well, it looks like it was written with a black marker and it says, NOW MY LOVE, NOW!”
CHAPTER 27
Jack Dent showed up with Traci Vargas at his side and they were both wearing civilian clothing.
It was Sunday, and the chief explained that they had the day off, but that he wanted to look into things personally. Jessica stood beside her husband as the chief talked to them.
“I know I asked you this before, but is there anyone that you suspect could be doing this, anyone at all.”
Jessica relayed her concern about Officer Callaway.
“Dave Callaway?” Vargas said. “Dave doesn’t strike me as the stalker type; he’s a pretty straight forward guy.”
“You say that as if you speak from experience,” Jessica said.
“When I first joined the force he asked me out, he told me that I was beautiful and that he liked me. When I told him that I didn’t want to date, he never took it personally or held it against me. In fact, I think of him as a friend.”
“He also told me that he thought I was beautiful.”
“And then what?” Vargas said.
“Well... then nothing, actually, we haven’t talked since.”
“That’s what I’m getting at. Callaway said you were beautiful because that’s what he thinks, but I doubt he meant anything by it.”
“You may be right, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing him, but I would feel better if someone questioned him.”
Dent nodded.
“I’ll stop by and talk to him tonight. He’s home on paid leave. Shooting that old woman really tore him up.”
Jessica’s husband pointed at the branch of a nearby tree.
“I’m going to install a camera here. The next time we get a delivery of flowers, we’ll have our stalker on film.”
***
The following afternoon, while her husband was out for a run, Dave Callaway showed up at the house. When he parked near the porch, he came very close to hitting the stairs with his bumper as he screeched to a halt.
Jessica walked outside onto the porch to greet him with the dog at her side and a gun tucked into the back pocket of her jeans.
When Callaway got out of his car, he sent her a short little wave of hello.
“What do you want, Officer?”
“Dr. White, Chief Dent told me about what was going on with the flowers, and I just want to assure you ma’am that I had nothing to do with it.”
Callaway was talking slowly, and seemed to be carefully enunciating his words; when he swayed a bit after speaking; Jessica realized the truth.
“You’re drunk.”
“No, now, I have been at the whiskey a bit, but I’m okay to drive.”
Jessica took her phone out.
“Why don’t we let the chief decide that, hmm?”
“You’re calling the chief? Why do you keep trying to get me into trouble?”
“I’m not, and the business with the flowers aside, I don’t think you’re in any condition to drive.”
“I don’t know anything about any damn flowers, and as far as saying you were beautiful, well, you are, I mean look at you. You’re as pretty as they come.”
Callaway placed a foot on the bottom step and Jessica brought out the gun.
“Don’t come near me.”
Callaway backed away with his hands in the air.
“You’re crazy!”
He got back in his car. When he put it in reverse, he went too far and clunked into a small tree, before fishtailing along the driveway and out towards the road.
Jessica punched a number into her phone and soon had her call answered.
“Chief, Jack, there’s a problem,”
***
Callaway was pulled over a mile from his house. When they tested him, his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
Chief Dent arrested Callaway and had him sleep it off on the sofa in his office, and then later released him when his sister came to pay the thousand-dollar fine. It was his first offense, but as an officer of the law, the repercussions would be serious.
After dinner that night, Jessica discussed Callaway’s visit with her husband.
“I’ll go have a talk with him, and one way or another I’ll get the truth from him about those flowers.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“You may become too... enthusiastic in your questioning.”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
The phone rang; it was Rob Stevens.
“Hi Jessica, I heard about Callaway’s little visit, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Rob, but tell me, have you had a chance to look into Callaway’s record?”
“I did. Before joining the force here, Callaway worked on the Springfield, Illinois’ force, he did a year on the bomb squad and then moved to vice. When his parents died in a car crash, he moved back here to take care of a younger sister.”
“He sounds like a good cop, and Chief Dent says that this DUI is the only trouble he’s ever been in.”
“Maybe so, but you never can tell. I’m on my way now to have a talk with him. I’ll let you know what happens.”
“Thank you, Rob, and give my love to Juliet.”
When she hung up the phone, she filled her husband in on the call.
“Maybe it’s better that he questions Callaway. You were right, if I go see him, my... enthusiasm might get the better of me.”
Jessica stood up from the sofa and offered him her hand. When he took it, she guided him to stand.
“This enthusiasm you feel, perhaps we can direct it towards other purposes?”
He smiled.
“Most definitely,”
Jessica laughed, a moment later she found herself being lifted into his arms and carried up the stairs to their bedroom.
***
Just after midnight, they awoke in a tangle, as the alarm system warned them of an intruder.
He ran downstairs in just his boxers with a gun in his hand and found the dog scratching eagerly at the door. He opened the door and the dog bolted up the driveway, as he followed close behind.
When the dog reached the end of the drive, he sniffed frantically at the mailbox post, as atop the box, a new bouquet awaited.
Jessica joined him with shotgun in hand, just as he was reading the card.
YOU REFUSED MY LOVE, AND NOW YOU’ll PAY!
“Do you have your phone on you?” he asked her.
Jessica reached into the pocket of her robe and brought it out.
He pointed up at the tree.
“We can access this camera with the same code we use for the others; it’s listed as camera twelve.”
It took her a minute, but soon they were watching video of her stalker’s arrival. A figure clad in black entered into view carrying a bouquet. The figure continued down the drive and out of the view of the camera, but once the security lights were triggered, it drifted back into sight and sat the flowers atop the mailbox, before turning and staring directly into the camera.
However, no face was revealed, as the hooded figure hid their visage behind a black mask that kept even the eyes hidden.
Next, the figure pointed up at the camera in a menacing fashion, before stomping off out of camera range.
Jessica shook her head.
“I don’t understand. If he’s so angry with me, then why bring me more roses?”
“Take another look,” he said.
Jessica gave the roses more attention, and this time she saw it.
The flowers were wilted, wilted and dead.
CHAPTER 28
When the police arrived at Callaway’s house they found the lights on, the front door open, and Agent Rob Stevens lying bloody on the living room floor.
Stevens stirred as one of the cops touched him, and then moaned from the pain of the wound on the side of his head. Scattered on the floor, were the broken pieces of what once was a heavy glass vase.
Stevens told Chief Dent his story while sitting in an ambulance, as a paramedic treated his wound.
“I came to talk to him, and he was calm at first, that is, until I mentioned the flowers. I must have hit a nerve because he went into this tirade about women and how they like to look good, but only to tease. When I tried to calm him down, he punched me. We struggled some after that... and then I woke up and saw your officers.”
“We tracked his phone, which did us no good. It’s inside there on his bedside table. Now we have an ABP out on him and I sent Officer Vargas over to talk to his sister.”
“You’ve got to find him, Chief; he’s out of his head.”
“We’ll find him; sooner or later we’ll find him.”
***
Days passed and there was no sign of Callaway.
Wedding day arrived amid bright sunshine and the melting ice of Lake Sherman glistened as it faded under spring’s resurgence. Still, the remaining ice was too much for the old island ferry, and so as planned, the wedding guests were flown from the roof of their hotel, to land near the grounds of an old chapel that had been on the island since it was first settled by a Catholic sect in the 1700’s.
The building sat upon a hill facing the water and its stained glass windows were works of art.
Rob was already in attendance, along with all the guests, while Juliet was to make a grand entrance on the arm of the man giving her away, Jessica’s husband.
***
Rob and Juliet had kept the guest list small, and as Jessica chatted with the dozen or so other guest waiting for Juliet’s arrival, she was approached by one of the servants from the main house, a young woman in dark slacks and a beige jacket.
“Excuse me, but are you Dr. White?”
“Yes, I am,”
The woman handed her a manila envelope.
“This arrived with yesterday’s mail along with instructions to deliver it to you here today.”
“It did? That’s odd,”
“Yes ma’am,”
“Well, thank you for bringing it to me.”
“You’re welcome,” the woman said, as she departed.
Jessica opened the envelope as Rob walked over.
“What do you have there?”
Jessica whispered, “Oh no,” as a card fell onto the floor face up, upon it were written eight words in big block lettering.
YOU’VE RUINED MY LIFE, NOW I’LL RUIN YOURS
Rob took the envelope from her and scooped the card back into it.
“It looks like Callaway has resurfaced.”
Jessica took the envelope back from him and stuffed it into her purse.
“To hell with him and his stupid games; this day belongs to you and Juliet. I’ll make sure that the chief gets this when I get back.”
“Thank you,” Rob said. “Now, where’s my bride-to-be?”
Jessica took out her phone and called her husband. When he answered, she could barely hear him.
“What’s that noise?”
“We’re about to get in the chopper. We’ll be there in a minute or so.”
Jessica hurried outside and gazed off towards the mainland, up above, in the distance, she could see the roof of the hotel. She shouted into the phone.
“I’ll see you soon, love you,”
“I love you too,” he shouted back, and she put her phone away, as Rob walked out to stand beside her.
As they gazed across the lake, a small shape lifted off the roof of the hotel and soon grew larger as it approached the island.
Rob Stevens gestured up at the helicopter. “Here comes my future.”
Jessica smiled, while reaching over and giving Rob’s hand a squeeze.
An instant later and they watched in horror as the helicopter began to drop like a stone towards the icy water. When it crashed, it broke through the thin ice and sank.
Jessica clutched onto Rob and moaned, “Oh God, no,” as tears began rolling down her cheeks.
***
12:47 a.m.
Jessica stood between Rob Stevens and Traci Vargas upon the shore of Cove Island and watched as the searchlight on the rescue ship went dark.
Hours into the search, they located the doomed chopper with the pilot’s body still aboard, however, there was no sign of either Juliet or of Jessica’s husband.
“Why are they turning the light off? They haven’t found them yet,” Jessica said.
Chief Dent walked over with the head of search and rescue.
“Jessica, Rob, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we have to suspend our search for the night.”
“What? But you haven’t found them?”
The leader of the rescue teams was a man named Burns. He looked over at Jessica and Rob with a sorrowful expression.
“I’m sorry, folks, but my dive teams have been in the frigid water so long that they’re beginning to suffer from exhaustion and hypothermia, and with the darkness... it’s just too dangerous to keep going.”
“But you’ll continue your search at first light, right?”
Chief Dent went to Jessica and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Jessica, honey I’m sorry, but we’ve searched every inch of the shoreline and found nothing but debris.”
“What are you saying, Jack?”
“I’m saying, I’m saying they’re gone. Honey, I’m so sorry, but they’re gone. No one could survive this long in that water.”
Jessica stepped backwards while shaking her head vehemently.
“No! no, no, no... nooooo...”
A moment later and she collapsed to her knees in the sand and released a great wailing sob of grief, as the truth sank its fangs into her heart, and despair clawed at her soul.
THE END
TAKEN! - BREAKOUT!
by
REMINGTON KANE
Opening Quote
“All stories, if continued far enough, end in death, and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you.”
Ernest Hemingway
CHAPTER 1
Chief of Police, Jack Dent looked up to find Sarah Callaway standing in the doorway of his office; she was wearing jeans and a red, short-sleeved sweatshirt.
Sarah Callaway walked in and tossed a newspaper atop Dent’s desk, and he glanced down at the headline—Local cop believed responsible for deadly helicopter crash
“Have you read this?” Sarah said.
“I saw it.”
“And?”
“And it’s true, Dave is a suspect.”
“My brother would never do something like that. Just because he used to work on a bomb squad doesn’t mean that he would make a bomb to kill innocent people, and this crap about him having an obsession over Jessica White, that’s nuts.”
Dent motioned to the set of chairs in front of his desk.
“Please, have a seat,”
Sarah sat down and Dent began counting off on his fingers.
“One, Dave did show interest in Dr. White. Two, we found his thumbprint on the last note. Three, Dave was torn up over having killed that old woman and was drinking to excess. Four, when questioned about his interest in Jessica White by Rob Stevens, Dave assaults Stevens, who by the way is a federal agent, and then runs off. And finally, five, the lab says that the two devices that disabled the helicopter were r
elatively simple bombs, something that Dave was more than knowledgeable enough to assemble.”
Sarah Callaway stood and leaned over Dent’s desk. She was twenty-four, and like her brother, she had dark hair, but lacked her brother’s height. Although shapely, she carried twenty pounds more than she should have, the result of a raging sweet tooth. Her blue eyes burned into Dent’s as she spoke.
“My brother is being framed and he didn’t run off, he’s missing. Something has happened to him, something horrible, and whoever is responsible for killing the people on that helicopter is also the one who’s responsible for Dave’s disappearance. You’re looking at the wrong man. Who else had something to gain by the crash? Have you looked into Dr. White? Maybe she wanted her husband dead and sent the flowers and notes to herself.”
Dent shook his head.
“Jessica White isn’t behind this; she’s a victim, pure and simple.”
“What makes you so sure of that?”
Dent sighed.
“All you have to do is look at her. The woman is devastated by her husband’s death.”
“Alright, then what about this Rob Stevens?”
“The groom? Hell, Sarah, there are easier ways to cancel a wedding.”
“I know, but we only have his word that Dave hit him and as far as we know, he was the last one to see Dave.”
“Still, why would he do it? What would he gain?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve been thinking...”
“Yes?”
“Dr. White’s husband and the bride to be, Juliet Hamden, have you found their bodies yet?”
“No.”
“Isn’t that unusual? I mean it’s been nearly a week.”
“It’s unusual, but that lake is large and there’s only one dive team searching for them now that it’s considered a recovery and not a rescue.”
Sarah sat back in her seat.
“I have another theory.”
“Such as?”
“Maybe the reason that no one has found their bodies is because they were never on that chopper in the first place.”
The chief leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face as his fingers began drumming atop his desk.
“Hmm...,”
***
The TAKEN! Series - Books 1-4 (Taken! Box Set) Page 33
