by Thianna D
Jerry, cautious and prudent as always, insisted she program the clinic’s number into the first spot on her speed dial. During working hours someone would always be available to answer, and could get him for her in a crisis, even if he was with a client. Elly entered Jerry’s cell number as well, but knew from experience not to try it since he turned his phone off whenever he went into an examining room, and he didn’t carry it into surgery. So, Jerry’s cell occupied her phone’s number two slot, and Brent’s work number filled the third. The rest were Elly’s personal choice. Though 9-1-1 was coded into number nine, if she pressed and held any key for over thirty seconds, her phone would place an emergency call. Not sure if her situation constituted an emergency or not, her first thought was to contact Jerry, then she couldn’t think over her pounding heart when a familiar voice purred, “Hello, Eleanor.”
* * * * *
“Corbin’s Bend Pets - Where veterinary medicine is not just a job, it’s our life,” Sally answered. No one replied. “Hello?”
A few seconds later, a woman’s voice said, “Arthur. What are you doing skulking about these woods?”
Sally thought the voice sounded muffled, as though the woman wasn’t holding the phone close to her mouth. “Elly? Is that you?” she asked in whisper.
The woman continued speaking in a calm, controlled manner. “Aren’t you still on parole? If Brent or Jerry catch you, they’ll make sure you’re thrown in jail again.”
“Dr. Douglas!” Sally called. “I think you need to hear this.”
“What is it, Sally?” Jerry demanded as he stepped out of his office, his irritation with Elly causing him to greet his receptionist a bit more brusquely than normal.
But rather than take offense at his tone, Sally put a finger to her lips and whispered, “Listen.”
“They can try, though I have no intention of being apprehended by either of those fine gentlemen. I came to see you, darling.” Jerry recognized that cocky, condescending voice immediately.
“I think it’s Arthur Benson,” Sally said softly.
Jerry knew it was. “Shh.”
A tiny dog growled as though it longed to rip the encroaching threat into shreds. “And I still have a restraining order out against you.” Jerry was torn between relief and fury when Elly’s voice came over the speaker. At least she’d taken the dogs with her, not that Jack would be much help, and though Muffin’s bravado was unequaled, her small size greatly diminished her capacity to protect.
“Did she give any indication as to her location, Sally?”
“She mentioned something about the woods.”
After giving the clock a quick glance, Jerry grabbed his cell phone. “Brent. We have a problem. Arthur Benson has returned to Corbin’s Bend.”
* * * * *
The moment he said her name, Elly whipped around to gaze at the figure of her ex-husband looking as ruggedly attractive as ever. Arthur always had been a handsome man, but his appearance was merely pretty packaging covering an ugly personality. What attracted Elly most about Arthur was his air of undeniable confidence. He never questioned any of his decisions, because he was never wrong. Elly envied her former husband’s authoritative calm even if she wanted nothing more to do with him. She took a deep calming breath. Never show fear to your enemies, she cautioned herself.
“Arthur. What are you doing skulking about these woods? Aren’t you still on parole? If Brent or Jerry catch you, they’ll make sure you’re thrown in jail again.”
He took a step closer. “They can try, though I have no intention of being apprehended by either of those fine gentlemen. I came to see you, darling.”
Muffin’s growls grew louder, but Elly kept her focus on the approaching danger. “And I still have a restraining order out against you,” she reminded, holding her chin up.
“Yes. I know. That was extremely vexing of you.” Muffin made a lunge, and Arthur took a quick step back. Control your dog, Eleanor. This time I won’t hesitate to snap her scrawny, white neck.”
Elly gave Muffin’s leash a sharp tug as a signal for her to sit and be quiet. The poodle obeyed, but couldn’t resist a final growl of protest.
“I’m impressed. You’ve been working with her.”
“Jerry helped me.”
“Ah, yes. The good Dr. Douglas.” Wearing expensive leather gloves, Arthur Benson idly fingered a woodsy vine that hung a few inches above his head and brushed off the collected snow. “I heard you two were still living together. I’m surprised. You were always such a prude with me; the thought of you cohabitating with a man in sin seems oddly out of character for you.”
“We’re getting married Saturday,” she replied, hoping it was still true.
“I heard that rumor, too. Pity.” He gave the vine a sharp tug and casually formed it into loops, like a rope. The fastidious gentleman Elly knew was far more comfortable speaking before a boardroom of executives than breaking twigs or toying with branches, but despite his uncharacteristic actions, his stance remained casual and nonthreatening.
“What do you want, Arthur?”
“What do I want? Why to explain, of course, since we’ve hardly exchanged more than five words after you walked out on me.”
Refusing to take the bait, she retorted, “Explain what? Why you almost kicked me to death?”
“In essence, yes.” He let the vine drop, so the loops hung from the tree like a large wood spring and ventured another step closer until it took all of Elly’s willpower not to retreat in fear. “I totally lost control,” he confessed, his hands stretched out in a gesture of appeal, “which resulted in an unfortunate — consequence.”
Elly wanted to slap him for that understatement. His kicks to her abdomen caused her to miscarry. The fact that neither of them realized she was pregnant at the time was irrelevant to her way of thinking.
“Consequence?” she repeated, her lips tight and her chin held high.
“Yes. It cost me you, but you never allowed me to explain how my kicks were aimed at your mangy rat of a dog. I never meant for you to be harmed in that way.”
Squaring her shoulders, Elly stared at the man she once called husband. “Your actions cost me way more than they ever cost you, Arthur. I’m not interested in your explanations, and you have no excuses to give.”
“I disagree. Though I will accept most of the blame for the subsequent events —”
“Really? You will? How magnanimous of you. The high and mighty Arthur Benson finally admits he made a mistake. Quick, let me mark my calendar.” The distant whine of a rotary motor caught her attention. Helicopters didn’t normally circle out here, since there was no place for them to land.
“You always did possess a sharp tongue, Eleanor, and I find it just as unattractive now as I did when we were married.” He reached out to grip her chin, but she drew back and stomped the heel of her boot on his toe. She doubted her assault did much damage since he wore hiking boots, but his small grunt of pain gave her a measure of satisfaction.
“Bitch,” he murmured softly. “However, I did not risk jail by coming here today to make threats or argue with you. What’s done is done. I actually came to offer you my apologies. I should never have reacted the way I did, no matter how much you and that wretched mutt of yours provoked me. And combined, you two can be most provoking indeed, wife.”
“Ex-wife,” she corrected, but he had a point. She’d managed to provoke Jerry, too, and he was a saint in comparison to her ex-husband.”
“If you insist — ex-wife. I never suspected you were pregnant, Eleanor. I would have found another way to deal with ‘the matter’ if I’d known.” The whining sound grew closer. Definitely a helicopter. A search party? The notion gave her confidence.
“Neither my unborn child nor I was a ‘matter’ to be dealt with, Arthur. I’m a human being who deserves respect and love, not abuse. Your ‘corrections,’ as you called them, were merely cruel devices meant to intimidate me into submission. You didn’t want to help me; you wanted to hurt me
. You enjoyed hearing me cry and beg for mercy. Mercy which you never intended to show.”
He regarded her with a slightly puzzled expression. Had she unsettled him? “That’s not true. I will, however, admit I received a measure of satisfaction from punishing you for your disobedience and disrespect. Your tongue became quite unruly after we moved here, although I’m not sure why. You never spoke to me that way when we lived in Connecticut.”
“That’s because you cared what I thought and felt back then. Given your change in attitude, I now suspect you married me to gain my father’s support for your business. Did you ever love me? Even for one day, Arthur?”
He shrugged as a mask of indifference settled over his features again. “Perhaps. I can’t recall now, it’s been so long.”
“‘Our marriage needs help, Eleanor,’” she mimicked with a curled lip. “‘You’re clearly lacking in discipline and require a firmer hand, so I think we should move to Corbin’s Bend.’ Hah! You didn’t want a partner or a wife, you wanted a submissive to bow and scrape before you, catering to your every whim. And though I tried, I could never measure up to your image of perfection, could I? You were too ashamed of me.”
He smiled. “Unfortunately, that is all too true, my dear. You embarrassed me every time you opened your mouth, so I expressed my displeasure through tangible means. And, despite the volume of your protests, you must have enjoyed my methods. Why else would you persist in doing and saying things you knew would provoke me into taking action?”
Elly longed to scratch his eyes out for that comment, but she held back and glared at him instead. From its diminishing sound overhead, Elly suspected the helicopter was now heading in the opposite direction. She’d either been spotted, the ‘copter was looking in the wrong place, or it hadn’t been searching for her at all. That notion deflated her bravado.
“My reasons were simple. I’m not perfect, Arthur, though neither are you, even if you like to pretend you are. Nothing is ever too good for you, is it? And I was never good enough.”
“Oh, darling, how could you be, when you were incapable of performing the simplest task? You constantly misplaced things, including those endless ‘to do’ lists you struggled so hard not to forget. You’d even stick up reminder notes on the refrigerator as if they were some backward teenager’s art project. You walked about the house in a befuddled daze half the time. Good lord, you couldn’t even keep proper track of what we needed for groceries. Submissive? You don’t understand the meaning of the word. You were so inadequate in everything you did; I even entertained the thought of divorcing you. Did you know that?”
Feeling like she’d been gut-punched, Elly drew in a sharp breath. “No. You should have mentioned it. I would have gladly let you go.”
He chuckled. “No, you were much too needy for me to divorce you.” His movements casual, he took a step back, letting his fingers trail along the looped vine again as Elly’s ears picked up a different sounding motor in the distance. An automobile. There weren’t any paved roads near here, so if it was a vehicle, it had to be four-wheel-drive.
“Poor little Elly. You would have begged to make amends, because you recognized all along that you were to blame for the failure of our marriage. However, rather than confess the error of your ways, you found a hero to rush to your rescue so you could claim over half my assets, which you certainly didn’t earn or deserve.”
Elly drew in another deep breath. “Wow. You really suck at apologies.”
Giving another offhand shrug, he gathered the vine in his hands and gave a few experimental tugs, as if to gauge its strength. “Perhaps. But you suck at everything else. You even sucked at your timid efforts of fellatio, and you were a lousy lay on top of that. A soggy dead weight.”
Her fingers clenching into fists, Elly refused to let him get to her. His opinion shouldn’t matter any longer to her or anyone else, but his words still stung. Glaring at him she murmured, “Yeah? Well I faked every orgasm I ever had with you, whenever you managed to get it up that is.”
His fingers stilled. “Careful, darling, or I may need to prove you’re lying again.”
“That’s right, Arthur, go ahead and threaten me. It’s what bullies do best, and that’s all you are. An overcompensating bully.” Then, without thought or heed of the consequences, she stepped forward and slapped his face.
That’s when he grabbed her and pulled her to him. Believing he meant to kiss her into submission, she turned her face away. But rather than giving her a kiss, Arthur looped the vine around her neck and gave it a sharp tug to draw it taut. Elly scrabbled to get her fingers beneath the rough wood-like plant, but the material was coiled too tightly. Muffin immediately attacked and Jack barked as a loud roaring filled Elly’s ears.
“Get off me, you mangy cur,” Arthur growled as he lashed out with his boot. Muffin yelped while Elly kicked and stomped to get free, but he merely lifted her off the ground until she dangled from the noose he’d made. “Poor little Elly. These vines are a hazard, you know. It’s far too easy to be caught by one, and once they twine around your neck, they grow even tighter. Then again, perhaps you let this one ‘catch’ you on purpose. Too afraid of the past to move into the future. So distraught over everything that happened, you chose to end it all after having a fight with your lover.
“What, darling? I can’t understand you. Your voice is too garbled. Oh, how did I know? I overheard what you and your sin partner said before I followed you here and found you trapped by this vine. Unfortunately, I was too late to save you, though I tried. I really did try.”
Unable to breathe and not strong enough to break free, white stars consumed Elly’s vision as a loud ringing obscured her hearing. All the same, she fought with everything she had until the world slowly went black.
CHAPTER FOUR
Brent Carmichael’s response to Jerry’s revelation regarding Arthur was succinct. “Fuck. How did you find out?”
“Elly called my office phone. I think she’s secured her cell in her pocket. We can hear her and Arthur, but I think she’s blocking the ear piece so he can’t hear us.”
“Smart girl. Do you know where she is?”
“No. And that’s the tricky part. She’s got the dogs with her, but she went walking in the woods.”
“She didn’t tell you where?”
“Uh, no. We had an argument, so she wasn’t being very communicative with me.”
“Today?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago?”
Jerry checked the clock. It was approaching noon. He left Elly around 11:00 AM. “I returned to work about an hour ago, but I’m not sure how soon she left after I did.”
“That helps. Any idea what she might be wearing?
“Probably her powder blue winter parka.”
“Hmm. Not ideal because of the snow, but easier to spot than brown or green from the air. Her phone is equipped with GPS, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Even better. I’m going to see if Jerry, the pilot not you, can circle around in the helicopter for a bit. Perhaps he can track her through her cell. We’ll try. If she’s in the woods, he won’t be able to land close enough to be helpful, so it’s best we take the four-by-four as well. We can cover more territory that way. I’m also going to request back up. I realize this won’t be easy for you, Jerry, but I need you to hold fast for a few minutes. Knowing you, as I do, you’ve already slipped into rescue mode, because your girl’s in trouble, but don’t go running off blindly or else you’ll leave me with two people to search for, which will weaken our efforts. Promise me you’ll stay put, no matter what you hear happening on the phone.”
“Brent —”
“No, Jerry. Wait until I get everyone on the same page. Please. Let me worry about one person at a time. All right?”
“I’ll try.”
“Okay. Give me a call if you must take off, and tell me where you’re going. And let me know if you get any new information. Is your phone charged?
”
Jerry glanced at his battery indicator. “Yeah. Full charge still.”
“Good. When you get a chance, try transferring the call to your cell, or dial in as another party. If you’re able to transfer, go ahead and free your work phone. But if you need to conference in, don’t hang up your office line, or we’ll lose the connection. I need to make some calls now, so hang in there. I’ll ring back as soon as I can.”
* * * * *
Elly awakened to a bright shard of pain that drove into her brain like a spike. Her hands were captured as soothing words and a steady beeping slowly filtered into her consciousness.
“Easy, Elly. You’re safe,” Marcus Devon said, shining a pen light into her eyes before he adjusted the oxygen canula in her nose and straightened. Her throat ached something fierce and her stomach churned as if she were at sea.
“Welcome back. You scared us there for a bit. Don’t try to talk, yet. Your neck is bruised and your larynx has undoubtedly suffered from the ill treatment, even though your trachea didn’t collapse, which is good, since it means we didn’t have to intubate. You are going to be sore for a couple of days, however, and we’re going to keep you overnight for observation.”
“Where…” Her voice was a mere croak, and even making that sound hurt.
