by L. L. Soares
“Did either one of them ever say anything about having enemies who would want to hurt them like this? You see, I’m desperate for any leads I can get on this case. It’s so horrible, that I want to catch the perpetrator as quickly as possible. When I found out that they both saw you professionally, I thought maybe there might be some clue to what triggered all this.”
“I can’t discuss their sessions here, Detective, but I can say that neither one of them mentioned anyone who would want to do such a thing to them. And I don’t believe they knew each other, although I could be wrong about that.”
“Are you sure they never mentioned anyone who wanted to hurt them? Either one of them? Anything that might be relevant?”
“No, nothing at all. In fact, Mrs. Carlisle had nothing but good things to say the last time she saw me. She had made enough progress so that she was going to stop seeing me for the time being. I was very pleased to hear it, actually. You always hope you can help your patients get back to a healthy, normal life. As for Charlie Jarrold, well, he’d just started coming here. I could tell it would be a long process. It would take me a long time just to gain his trust, you see. But I didn’t get to know him well enough for him to confide anything to me. If he was in danger, he never let me know about it.”
“I see,” Detective Carroll said. “I guess that will do for now. I really appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”
“I haven’t betrayed any confidences here. I just answered your questions. I must admit I find this news very disturbing, though. For such awful things to happen to two people I know. I think anybody would be disturbed by that kind of news.”
“Of course. It’s only natural,” Detective Carroll said, getting to his feet. He fumbled with his wallet and pulled out a business card. “I would like to stay in touch if you don’t mind. Some coincidence that both of them were patients of yours, don’t you think? Chances are I won’t have to bother you again, but I’d like to know that if I need to, I can call on you.”
“If I can help,” Sam said. He took the card.
“Thank you. And please, if you think of anything at all that could help, please don’t hesitate to call me. There’s a very dangerous man out there, and he can strike again at any time. We really need to stop this as soon as possible.”
“Yes,” Sam said. “If I think of anything important, I’ll call you.”
“Good,” the detective said. “I must be going now. You have no idea how much work cases like this are.”
Sam escorted the man to the door, and opened it.
“Good-bye, Mr. Wayne,” Detective Carroll said, holding out his hand. Sam shook it.
“Thanks again for your cooperation.”
Detective Carroll smiled at Carla and then went out the door, leaving the lobby.
“What a spooky guy,” Carla said. “Was it something serious?”
“Just some awful news about Mrs. Carlisle,” Sam said. “It seems she was murdered last night. And Charlie Jarrold is missing.”
“Oh my God.”
“You know, I’ve had this splitting headache ever since I got up this morning, and this news doesn’t help. In fact, I feel awful. Can you do me a favor, Carla?
Can you call all my patients for today and reschedule their appointments? I really can’t do this today.”
“Of course,” Carla said. “I’ll take care of that for you.”
“And after you make the phone calls, you can take the rest of the day off, too.”
“That is awful news about Mrs. Carlisle,” Carla said. “And Charlie. Do they think he was murdered too?”
“It didn’t sound like they had a lot to go by. I hope the boy’s okay.”
“Me, too.”
“I really have to go back to bed,” Sam said, rubbing his temples for added effect. “Let’s try this all again tomorrow, shall we?”
“Sure thing, Dr. Wayne.”
He didn’t correct her. Everyone just seemed to have this need to call him Doctor, even Carla. And he was starting to like it.
He went back into his office to get his briefcase. He thought about Detective Carroll. There was something about the man that made him nervous. It was probably normal to feel that way about a policeman asking questions. Then again, it didn’t help that seeing him again reminded Sam of his trip to the morgue. He could still see Maggie’s lifeless, mask-like face.
And to think I once considered offering to help the police with violent cases, Sam thought. The way he felt right now, the police weren’t people he wanted to spend much more time around.
Then he left, waving to Carla as she talked on the phone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
When the doorbell rang, Colleen’s mother hesitated a bit before answering. She wasn’t expecting company, and didn’t often get any. Unless it was Maryann come to check on her.
She was shocked to see through the window that it was Colleen standing on the front steps, looking fidgety and nervous. Dressed better than her mother had ever seen her before. New, fancy-looking clothes. But even that wasn’t the biggest shock.
The biggest shock was the car idling in front of the house. A big black limousine.
Colleen’s mother opened the door and embraced her daughter.
“Oh, Colleen,” she said. “So good to see you.”
“Hello, Mamma. I can’t stay long.”
Colleen looked around. She hadn’t been here in a long time. It wasn’t a big house, but it was clean. Everything in its place, just like always.
“What happened to you?” her mother said, unable to restrain her curiosity. “You’re like Cinderella going to the ball. And is that car out there for you?”
“Yes, the driver’s waiting, which is why I can’t stay too long. I’m meeting someone for lunch in the city. But I hadn’t seen you in a while and I wanted to stop by on the way and check on you.”
Her mother’s face beamed. “You came to check on me?”
“You’re my mother, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m your mother!”
“So how have you been? Feeling okay?”
“Did you hit the lottery or something, Colly?”
“I met this great guy, Ma. He treats me so good. I’ve been waiting all my life for someone like him. It is like some kind of fairy tale.”
“Who is he? Do I know him?”
“No, Ma. But he was in some magazines awhile ago. He used to go to movie premieres and date models. That sort of thing. His name is Jeremy, and he’s the most wonderful guy.”
“Is he famous, Colly?”
“I guess he was kind of famous for a little while. But I don’t think you would have heard of him. His name is Jeremy Rust.”
“No, I don’t remember him,” her mother said. “How did you meet him?”
“It was all so strange. I don’t have time to go into it now. But I’m happy and he spoils me so much with clothes and jewelry, and limousines. This is what I was born for, Ma.”
“I told you, it’s all like something out of Cinderella,” her mother said. “Let me look at you.”
And she did. She looked Colleen up and down in her new dress.
“It’s just amazing. The last time I saw you, you were living in squalor.”
“Isn’t destiny amazing sometimes?”
“I could have sworn you’d hit the lottery or something, but I hadn’t heard anything about that. When I looked out the window and saw you dressed like that, with a limousine waiting, I didn’t think it could be anything else.”
“How’s Maryann, Ma? I was going to visit her today, too, but I just don’t have time. Has she been doing good?”
“She’s okay. The last time I saw her, all she did was complain about the kids. You know how it is.”
“I really better go,” Colleen said. She didn’t dare go any deeper into the house. She just wanted to make an appearance and be on her way.
“So soon? You have to tell me more about this Jeremy.”
“I’ll call you soon
, Ma, we can talk more then. But I really have to go. The driver’s waiting.”
Her mother looked strangely sad. Her eyes were welling up with tears.
“What is it, Ma?” Colleen asked. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m just so glad to see you doing well. After all these years, I thought you were going to be miserable all your life. And I thought it was all my fault.”
You certainly didn’t give me much of a childhood, Colleen thought, but didn’t say it. Instead, she opened her purse.
“Ma, I know things can be tight sometimes. Do you need any money?”
“Oh, how sweet of you to want to share your good fortune with me.”
Colleen took out her wallet and opened it. She withdrew a hundred dollar bill.
She glanced up and saw her mother staring expectantly.
“How would this be?”
“Oh, Colly, you don’t have to do that,” her mother said. “You’re much too generous.”
Colleen resisted the impulse to agree with her. To put the hundred back in her wallet and give the old woman a ten instead. She really wanted to torment her mother and make her beg, for all the times she’d had to endure the woman’s criticism and abuse. For the awful childhood she’d had, feeling unwanted and unprotected from the lechers that her mother brought into the house on a regular basis. Colleen wanted to humiliate this woman standing before her, to pay her back for all the misery she’d given her throughout her life.
But she didn’t do that. Despite all her bad memories, Colleen couldn’t be that cruel. Somehow, there was a part of her that still loved her mother. To be able to come here, and show off her good fortune, was revenge enough.
Colleen handed her the hundred-dollar bill. Her mother snatched at it eagerly, like a homeless beggar. It would have torn in half in Colleen’s hand, if she didn’t let go of it in time.
“Thank you so much, Colly. You’ll call me soon, won’t you.”
“Yes, Ma. I’ll call you in a few days and we can talk more. But I really have to get going now.”
Her mother stepped forward and hugged her. Really hugged her. If Colleen hadn’t just given her the hundred, she would almost have believed it was sincere. That her mother really loved her.
Colleen hugged her back. Tightly. Wanting so badly for this to be a real mother-daughter moment.
Then Colleen pulled away and went out the door. She walked as fast as she could to the waiting car and got in the back door before the driver could even get out to open it for her.
“Where to, now?” the driver asked.
She gave him the name of the restaurant where she was going to meet Jeremy for lunch. Then she looked out the window as the car pulled away from the curb.
Her mother was still standing in the doorway of her house, waving. Waving as if she would really miss her youngest daughter. As if her leaving really mattered.
Colleen found that she was crying uncontrollably.
* * *
Jeremy looked out the car window, watching the scenery rush past. He glanced ahead at the driver, who had tufts of graying hair sticking out beneath his cap. He turned his attention back to the window.
Imagine, Jeremy thought. Paying for two limos in one day.
It almost made him laugh. There was a time, not too long ago, when he hardly ever left the house. So this had to be an improvement. It felt good to have a reason to spend money again.
All those years cloistering himself in the beach house like some kind of monk, having minimal interaction with the outside world. He had felt so ugly then, so repulsive. He didn’t want anyone to see him. And with his money, he didn’t have to deal with anything. Everything that could be delivered, was. And he had people to take care of his private affairs. That was the one great thing about money, if you wanted to distance yourself from the world, you could.
Even when Viv came to stay, it didn’t give him much inspiration to go outside. Sure, they went to bars a few times. But he always felt strange there. He never enjoyed himself and he never had the courage to approach a woman. Especially one he knew.
He hadn’t wanted anyone to see him this way. Even after five operations, he just wasn’t the same, and he’d had the hardest time confronting that.
Better to not confront it at all.
Which was why this thing with Colleen was so strange. He felt that his time of exile was over. He actually felt the desire to go back into the world again. It was as if fate had brought her to him that morning when she appeared on the beach. Sure, she’d been traumatized and needy, but so had he. They provided something for each other that neither one could explain.
She was the best thing that ever happened to him. She made him want to live again.
He wondered where Colleen was right now. She’d insisted that she had so many things to do before she met him for lunch. She’d mentioned something about seeing her mother. He’d almost half-hoped she would invite him along on that one, but on second thought was kind of relieved. He’d only known Colleen a couple of weeks now, and he certainly wasn’t ready to meet her mother yet.
He’d had things of his own to do, but he’d gotten them done early. Now, he had nothing to do but wait. So he’d had his driver take the roundabout route.
Jeremy found himself wondering about Viv. She’d been rather distant lately, which wasn’t all that strange. There were times when she was there for him, when she was the only one who was. But then there were weeks when he wouldn’t see her at all. She’d come and go without a word of explanation. He’d just gotten used to it over time.
Drifting in and out of sleep the night before, he could have sworn he’d heard a male voice out in the kitchen. Viv wasn’t the kind to bring men home. In fact, she never brought anyone back home with her. He’d have to ask her about that.
He’d noticed that Colleen had gotten out of bed at one point, too. Maybe she’d just gotten hungry in the middle of the night. She had strange sleep habits. She tended to get up in the middle of the night fairly often, from what he could tell. He wondered if she was capable of sleeping through a whole night without interruption. Some people were just like that.
Jeremy looked at his Rolex. Colleen would be meeting him in the city in half an hour.
“What time should we get there, Jack?” Jeremy asked the driver.
“I can take the turnoff here if you want to save some time. It would take about twenty minutes.”
“Yeah, do that. I guess I’ve wasted enough time today.”
“Sure thing.”
Jeremy stared at the other cars, half-hoping to see Colleen’s heading in the same direction.
He hated being apart from her for very long.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Viv sat in the lotus position, trying hard to empty her mind. But it kept going back to Grif. She opened her eyes, and watched him sleeping. He had to be faking by now. Nobody slept that much. Unless he really was as exhausted as he’d said.
She was too distracted to do her morning workout. For some reason she felt uncomfortable doing her exercises with him in the room. She was so used to being alone, that she was very possessive of her privacy.
She thought about the night before. Grif and Colleen. It had made her really nervous at first, seeing the two of them together. That was the exact thing she’d hoped to avoid. But Grif was so impulsive. She never knew what he would do.
She had never warned Jeremy about Grif. She felt bad about that, but she saw Grif
so rarely that she didn’t see the need. And besides, Jeremy hadn’t woken up the night before. So it hadn’t become an issue.
But Colleen. Viv didn’t know very much about her, but what little she did know made her think that Colleen was as flighty and impulsive as Grif was. Which was a bad combination. Grif had a tendency to take advantage of people like that. Despite his promise to her, she knew that he would not be able to resist it if someone too willing came into his orbit. She almost trembled at the thought of what could have happened if she hadn�
��t woken up in time. If she hadn’t intervened.
And then there was the sex. Viv had long since rejected any guilt associated with having sex with her own brother. It wasn’t like they were normal siblings, able to sustain any kind of normal relationships with other people. No, intimacy with them could mean death. And the only partners who were one-hundred-percent safe, without the chance of someone dying, were each other. Viv had come to it from a more cerebral point of view, and Grif had been more than eager to play along.
They’d first made love in their early twenties, the first time they’d been reunited since Viv left home. They’d even lived together for a brief period, but it just didn’t work out.
At first the sex had seemed very strange. Kind of dirty. Viv remembered throwing up after the first time (although she never let him know that). But over the years, it just lost any sense of taboo it could have had. It was something they did out of necessity, a desperate attempt at real intimacy, and it was strange how they’d come to trust one another—to feel more at ease and comfortable with each other’s bodies than with anybody else. Sex with Grif offered Viv a chance to totally let her guard down, to truly enjoy the act itself, and she was sure he felt the same way, although she’d never expect him to articulate it. However, no matter how enjoyable it was, it never reached the levels they felt when they were feeding.
She’d had an ulterior motive in seducing him the night before. To get his mind off Colleen. Viv knew Colleen would have been putty in Grif’s hands. That he could have made her do anything he wanted. And with Jeremy right down the hall.
So she’d seduced Grif to save Colleen. It sounded so noble when she put it that way. But it wasn’t so clear-cut. She’d wanted to fuck Grif ever since he came back. He was good in bed, and it really felt great to not have to worry about whether there was enough pain inside a partner to entice her to kill them.
Because she just couldn’t ignore pain. And if someone had a death wish, she was more than happy to oblige. In fact, it wasn’t even a conscious thing. If they had a self-destructive impulse, then she could not stop herself from acting on it. There was a line that, once crossed in the midst of intimacy, she could not turn back. Even if she wanted to.
