Un-Sweet Dreams (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Shawn Wall

  “Yes, sir,” Tray and Seth said simultaneously.

  There were at least twenty armed officers and five volunteers, whom Tray said he recognized most as off duty cops from Eldorado. At first, they took the road for at least a mile, and then began through the woods to the left. The forest was thicker here, dark even in daylight, filled with one hundred foot tall pine trees and pine needles two feet thick below each.

  The detective glanced back over his shoulder. “We’re getting close, boys. I am sending officers behind the house to survey the area. We will slowly approach. This guy could very well be armed, and I don’t want this to become a standoff. You both will stay in the shadow of the woods. I am responsible for your safety as well as Suzanne’s. Don’t try to play hero. Let me do my job, and everything is going to turn out okay.”

  Tray and Seth nodded in agreement. Without a doubt, Seth knew from the look in the detective’s eyes that arresting them was no idle threat. The detective meant business. Beyond, no more than forty feet ahead in a clearing, was a huge plantation house. The yard was so shaded from the ancient pine forest that no ray of sunshine was visible. The structure was three stories tall with classic pillars, and the house white with green shutters. He didn’t see a vehicle in the circle drive, but there was a light from a lamp peering through a second floor window. The setting was beautiful. Could she be here or was this only another dead end? It was already late morning now, and his vision was hours ago. Nonetheless, he racked his brain for any clue as to the time and setting, but nothing came up. The light had been dim, and in this colonial mansion, it would be like that all day. There was no vantage point for the sun with the forest surrounding the mansion on all four sides. They squatted, watching as officers slipped through the forest behind the house and on each side. Detective Brown only trusted himself and two of his best men to sneak through the back and search the house for Suzanne. As Seth watched them leave his sight, he knew in his gut this was the place. She was here. And everything hung on what they found and how it played out. He knew she must still be alive because their bond was so deep, he would feel it if she were gone.

  Chapter Nine

  She tried to open her eyes to no avail. Her nose burned, and there was a metallic taste in her mouth nauseating her. Where was she? There was only silence, dead silence. She couldn’t remember anything. What was wrong with her? She could smell now, pine definitely pine. There was an old, musty odor, too. The air was so stale. Something heavy was covering her. Her body wasn’t cold, but she could feel cool air on her face. Her head was clearer now. Oh goodness, what happened?

  As she opened her eyes, she could faintly make out a dark, intricate, wood headboard above her head. The heaviness on her body was a patchwork quilt with every color from the rainbow. Now that her eyes were more focused, she saw it was in a huge room with antique furniture scattered throughout. What time of day is it? Tilting her head, she noticed the only light came from two windows flanking each side of the bed.

  What place was this, and how did I get here? Suzanne tried to move and throw the heavy cover off, but her arms wouldn’t move. Her wrists and ankles had something tied to them. She tried to slip her hand out, but it was too tight. Realizing she was stuck, she stared at the stained, yellow ceiling. What was the last thing she could remember?

  She remembered the bell tower, the light. Where was Seth or the girl? It all came rushing back. He took her. He grabbed her instead of the girl. She couldn’t scream or fight. He was so strong and something knocked her out. He drugged her like the others, chloroform or ether on that cloth. That was the taste in her mouth. Seth must not have seen him. The rapist saw her hide behind the bush. She was so stupid. Seth warned her over and over, and they argued so many times. He had been so terrified that this very thing would happen. Seth had practically rearranged their lives to protect her, and she just handed herself over on a silver platter. What was Seth going through? When he couldn’t find her, she could only imagine his thoughts and the look of devastation on his face.

  She had to be smart. How long had she been here? It was dark by the time he took her, and now it was light. She’d at least been here all night. She didn’t feel any pain, so he hadn’t hurt her yet. The other victims were only alive for a day, and Suzanne was not sure how many hours were left for her. Certainly, Seth would have the police looking. What if they couldn’t find her?

  She had never seen this room in her dreams. This was not where he had brought the others that she was sure of. This was an old house, and she could just barely see the tops of trees out of the edge of the ceiling high windows. She was not on the first floor. Should she scream? Would anyone hear her? Would it bring the rapist to her sooner?

  Suddenly, she could hear footsteps creaking boards outside the door. When the doorknob turned, it felt like her heart stopped, and she could barely breathe.

  “Ah, you’re finally awake. You slept all night. I misjudged your tiny frame. I’m afraid I overdid the dose of chloroform. I’m sure glad it didn’t kill you.”

  His mouth curved into a grim smile, and she knew his face. How could this be?

  “Suzanne, I never noticed you to be without words. Cat got your tongue?”

  She couldn’t speak, her throat closed, and her mouth was wide open. She swallowed hard.

  “Peter?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “You can imagine my surprise to see you in the courtyard. I certainly hadn’t planned for you to be in the middle of this. But the temptation was just too great. Seth Griffin’s little piece of strawberry tart, I just couldn’t resist.”

  He brushed the back of his hand against her left cheek while he spoke. Her body shivered in utter disgust, and his eyes widened with anger.

  “You’d better learn quickly to appreciate my touch.”

  “What are you going to do with me?”

  “I don’t know yet. I really don’t want to kill you, but I don’t think I have any other choice. It’s not like you’d keep my secret.”

  She had to keep him talking. What was it they said in Psychology class? He needs to feel she’s a person, feel she was human. She had to buy herself some time.

  “Peter, I know you’re not a bad person. You helped me when I hurt my knee. You don’t have to do this.”

  His eyebrows were almost touching then he sighed.

  “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you. You’re not going to be able to tell anyone anyway. I didn’t mean to kill them. Well, no, that’s a lie. I didn’t mean to kill the first one. She just wouldn’t play along with my game, just wouldn’t cooperate. You’d be good to remember that. I used the chloroform on her too, but it didn’t keep her out. I had to switch to ether and keep giving it to her. It ended up being too much. If she hadn’t kept fighting, none of it would have escalated to that point. It’s her fault, you know. I only wanted to make love to her. She kept vomiting. I’m not a bad-looking guy. I have plenty of assets to please a woman, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, Peter, I’m sure you do.” She had to stay calm. There was no one who could hear her scream anyway.

  “Damn straight I do. I just wanted to show her a good time. I hate her, and I punished her for misbehaving.”

  Oh, my God in heaven. She had forgotten he had mutilated the body.

  “The second girl was smarter. She fought at first. I knew she would be a feisty little number, and she was good. When I was finished with her, I just didn’t have a choice, but since she tried to cooperate toward the end, I didn’t let her suffer. She never knew what happened. I am not without a heart you know, although my father thinks so. That’s who I’d like to murder. And, when the time is right, I’ll take care of him. He’s why I’ve had to work in that cesspool of disease. I hate that hospital. Why you would want to work there I will never know. I will do the same for you. I would never let my Suzanne suffer, never.”

  He brushed her cheek again. Inside, she cringed to the very core, but she kept her wits, and she didn’t flinch even once.

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nbsp; “That’s a girl. You see you may have a little fun yourself.” His voice had cheerful, eerie tone. There was suddenly a noise from the hall, the floorboards were creaking. Was someone else here? Had someone found her?

  He spoke through gnashed teeth. “I have to take care of something.” He was out the door quickly. Then, she could hear voices. They were arguing. Did he have a partner? Was there another victim? Oh, if he did, it was far worse than she thought, if that was even possible.

  “I’ll do whatever I want to you. Keep out of it.” Peter growled.

  Then, she heard a loud slap. The sound was skin on skin. Suzanne shivered as a chill settled inside her.

  “You’ll get worse than that if you’re not careful,” Peter said.

  Then, everything was quiet, and the doorknob turned again.

  He smiled. “Sorry we were interrupted. Where were we?”

  “Peter, is someone else here?”

  “No, why would you say that?”

  “I thought I heard another voice.”

  “No voice, we’re alone. I don’t like an audience for my work. Ah, back to the others. You can see none of this was really my fault. I knew the water at the lake would wash away some of the evidence. I saw that on a crime show on cable. Besides, the lake was convenient and gave me enough time.”

  “You could still turn yourself in. I believe you. You could tell the police what you told me.”

  “Your mind games won’t work on me, Suzanne. I’m not mad at you though. I know you’re smart, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. That’s what makes you so appealing.” He licked his lips after he spoke.

  “Did you know the other girls?”

  “I watched them for weeks. You can see everyone and everything from the bell tower. No one ever goes in there.”

  “You mentioned Seth’s name. You never told me you knew him.” She tried must remain calm and swallow the utter revulsion. A distraction was the key, so she tried to keep him talking.

  “I had Chemistry with him. How can you stand him? He thinks he is all that, thinks he’s the smartest. He even thinks he is something for stealing you away from that football player. He is just controlling you and using you for sex, Suzanne. I don’t know why you can’t see it.”

  “You’re right. Seth has had me locked up for months, never letting me have any freedom. You know, I’ve been thinking about breaking up with him for a while. Did I ever thank you for being so nice to me the night I scraped my knee?” Inside, she recoiled and fought the mounting hysteria. Finding courage from deep within, she looked into his eyes and didn’t blink. Would he buy it?

  He looked at her intently. She couldn’t read his face, and his eyes looked lifeless and empty like a bottomless pit. In that moment, she believed he may not even have a soul.

  “No, you never did thank me. Seth seems like a tyrant. Aren’t you embarrassed by how controlling he is?”

  “Sometimes I am. He won’t even let me walk myself to class. I am never alone.”

  “Except at night when you’re in your bed.”

  “No, not even then, he stays in my room or makes me stay with him.” She didn’t have to be convincing since this was true.

  “I bet he’s a sorry lay, too. Oh, you deserve so much more. Are you hot? It got cold last night. That cover is really heavy.”

  She didn’t want him to uncover her, fearful of what she was or wasn’t wearing. She could feel her panties and bra, but she was still for so long her feet and legs were numb. He pulled back the heavy quilt, leaving it at the end of the bed. She was glad to see she still had on her jeans and top. Thank God he had only removed her coat and shoes. But his eyes changed, and he licked his lips again.

  “You know it’s really warm in here to me. Maybe taking off the cover isn’t enough. We could have a little fun right now.”

  Think Suzanne. What should she say? She didn’t want him to touch her, but if she resisted, he would kill her for sure. If she went along and let him rape her maybe she could convince him not to kill her. Maybe that would give the police time to find her.

  “Well, I’m a safety girl. I always use protection.” She tried to grin.

  “That’s no problem. I’ll be right back.”

  He was out the door in a flash. Oh God, she prayed the Lord would give her the strength she needed. She had dreamed of Seth being the only man she would sleep with for the rest of her life. How could she stand this? This didn’t count though. She didn’t have a choice. If the police found her, would Seth even want her? She would be used goods. She didn’t need to think that way, Seth loved her.

  She could hear voices again. Definitely a woman’s voice, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. The doorknob turned again, and Peter strolled in smiling. He had a box of condoms in his hand. Oh, my God let her live through it once.

  “We need to get you undressed first.” He grinned.

  As he unbuttoned her jeans, she forced herself to be as still as possible. Bile roared up the back of her throat, and it took every ounce of willpower not to vomit. The first victim definitely had the right idea. He placed both of his hands on her hips and slid her jeans down slowly to her ankles as he gawked and stared. She closed her eyes, unable to bear anymore. Feeling his touch was bad enough, but she couldn’t look at his sick face. Then, she felt his hands on her chest unbuttoning her shirt. Suddenly, she remembered wearing a special bra and panty set Seth had given her for Christmas. It was his favorite, and she wanted to shudder at the thought of Peter seeing her in them. Even worse was the thought of him removing them. How could she bear this? He was trying to remove her shirt, but the wrist ties were in the way. At that moment, she opened her eyes. This could be her chance. Maybe she could convince him to loosen the ties. He thought she was playing along after all, and he was caught up in the moment. This was the right time.

  “I could take it off if you untied one of my wrists.” She winked and forced herself to smile.

  “You must think I’m crazy. You would try to get away.”

  “I haven’t fought you at all, have I? You said I would enjoy this.”

  “Well, maybe you’re right. I want to see all of you anyway.”

  He reached down and started to untie the knot that held her left wrist as she watched intently. The knot was released, but before she could even move, he wrapped his large hand around her wrist.

  “I believe you, but I’m not stupid.”

  He slipped the sleeve off her left arm and retied her wrist.

  “I think that’s enough. We’ll leave that other sleeve on.”

  Then, he stood up and undressed himself.

  “I’m gonna rock your world. You won’t even remember who Seth Griffin is when I’m through with you. Keep your eyes open. I want to look at them.”

  Oh, please let Seth forgive her for not fighting this monster. She didn’t know what else to do. Peter climbed on the bed, trying to get on top of her. She couldn’t stand it. She was just not strong enough.

  “Stop, please, stop!”

  Suddenly, there were noises from downstairs. Then, she heard the sound of glass shattering and doors opening. Peter was off her instantly. Thank you, God in heaven, thank you. He dressed quickly and was out the door without saying a word. Was it the police? Had Seth found her? Had anyone found her? She listened intently, too scared to even breathe, unable now to speak or call for help. There was definitely more than one person because the old house didn’t allow anyone to go unnoticed. The footsteps came closer, and doors to other rooms close by were being opened. Finally, the footsteps were by her door, and the doorknob turned again. She prayed it wasn’t Peter. Just let him kill me. Lord, she was not strong enough.

  “Are you Suzanne?” A voice spoke that she had never heard.

  It was a man, not dressed in a police uniform, but his badge and gun were in plain sight. She was saved.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Detective Brown. Everything is going to be all right. Do you know where you attacker is?�
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  “He ran out of the room when he heard the footsteps. I don’t know where he went.”

  A young, uniformed, female officer stepped beside Detective Brown. Goose bumps feathered over her arms and legs as a light breeze whistled through one of the old windows. In that instant, she realized she was still lying in her underwear.

  “Officer Riley is going to take care of you.”

  Detective Brown moved aside and ducked back into the hall. She saw him raise his gun, and knew they were on the hunt for Peter. Officer Riley stepped in the room and closed the door behind her.

  “Suzanne, I am Officer Riley. Let’s get you untied and dressed.”

  She untied her ankles and wrists. It felt so good to move. Suzanne tried to sit up, but her head was swimming, sending her back onto the bed. Officer Riley placed her hand gently behind Suzanne’s head, and with the other hand, swung her legs off the side of the bed.

  “You’ve been lying for too long. Your body needs to adjust to the change in position. It’s going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you. You are safe now.”

  The officer didn’t let go of her, and she was thankful. After a couple of minutes, she did feel better. She wasn’t light-headed anymore, and she could feel her legs again.

  “How’s your head?”

  “It’s much better now.”

  “Let’s get you dressed.”

  Officer Riley gently helped her stand, and the dizziness came back. She held her firmly, supporting her weight, and after a minute, Suzanne was fine. It felt wonderful to be covered. Although she hadn’t been naked, she felt so violated and exposed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Suzanne realized although she had slept for many hours from the chloroform, she was still exhausted.

  “Are you in any pain?”

  Oh no, now come the questions.

  “No, he didn’t hurt me.”

  “Are you sure? Anything you say will be kept in the strictest confidence. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.”