Penalty Clause

by Lori Ryan

  The sedan skidded a bit but then stopped. Jill saw the driver coming toward her and rolled down the window to let the driver know she was safe. The last thing Jill saw before her world went black was the large rock in the driver’s hand. Puzzled as to why the driver would be holding a rock, Jill didn’t even process the fact that the rock was being swung with great force at her head until it was too late.

  Chapter Forty-two

  Well, that was easy. I’m really getting good at this.

  Theresa had taken some confidence-boosting courses online and knew it was important to recognize her own self-worth and affirm that self-worth routinely. Theresa opened the door to Jill’s car and dragged an unconscious Jill from the vehicle. Jill’s body fell to the ground with a thud.

  Thank God for deserted mountain roads, huh?

  Theresa laughed as she hauled Jill up by the arms and dragged her to the back door of Theresa’s sedan. After shoving Jill into the backseat of the car, Theresa hopped back in the driver’s seat and proceeded down the mountain. She hummed as she drove.

  I wonder what song that is? Oh well. Doesn’t matter.

  Theresa hummed her unknown tune for twenty minutes as she drove off the mountain and toward major highways where she could put some distance between her car and anyone who might come looking for Jill.

  When she hit the highway, Theresa spoke to Jill, who lay in the backseat, bleeding from a head wound.

  “Time for you to pay for your little plot against my Andrew, slut.” Theresa looked in the rearview mirror as she spoke to her passenger, as if she were speaking to a willing passenger instead of an unconscious person lying prone along the backseat. Theresa’s tone was calm and conversational.

  “You and I are going to find a quiet place together, where we can have a chat. I’ll get you to admit everything you’ve done to Andrew. All your conniving manipulation.”

  Theresa patted the video camera sitting on the seat next to her.

  “And when I tape your confession and show my Andrew what you truly are, what a fucking performer you are, with all your twisted dishonesty laid out for him, there won’t be any more barriers between Andrew and me.” At that point, an acerbic, petulant tone had crept into Theresa’s speech.

  It was probably the distraction of her ranting at Jill that caused Theresa’s foot to lay too heavily on the gas pedal as she flew down the highway. The burst of red and blue lights behind her came as a complete surprise. When she heard the siren, Theresa pulled to the side of the road and schooled her face into one of innocence and concern.

  Theresa remained calm as she watched the officer walk up to her window. She decided a good offence was better than being defensive and rolled the window down.

  “Officer, I’m so glad to see you. I don’t know where the hospital is. I’ve looked for signs but I don’t know where I’m going,” Theresa cried out in her best help-me-I’m-just-a-poor-helpless-female voice.

  The officer peered into the backseat at Jill, though he stood several feet back from the vehicle, one hand on his gun belt as if poised to make a stand.

  Fool.

  “My friend was in an accident and hit her head. I’m trying to get her to a hospital.”

  The officer appeared to assess Theresa, then made a decision. “Follow me. The hospital is two exits ahead,” he said and turned back to his car.

  Theresa was no idiot. She knew the officer would have called in the stop and she knew if she didn’t follow him now, he would chase her down and she’d really have a problem on her hands.

  Not a problem. I can adapt. It’s important to be able to handle change.

  Theresa smiled and gave herself a mental high five. She was really proud of the way she was handling all of this. Andrew would be proud, too, when she told him about everything she’d had to do to pull her plan together.

  When the emergency room personnel wheeled her ‘friend’ in on a gurney, a nurse turned to Theresa and asked if her friend had any identification on her.

  “Oh, no. I left her purse in her car. I didn’t even think to grab it. I’m sorry. Her name is Christina. Christina Robins.” Theresa offered the name of her nosy next-door neighbor with the smelly cat that was always trying to slip into Theresa’s apartment whenever she opened the door.

  “We’re going to get your friend set up for a CT Scan and run some tests. We’ll let you know as soon as you can see her.”

  Theresa smiled. “I can wait,” she said sweetly to the nurse.

  “Is there family in the area you can call for her? Anyone you can alert?” the helpful nurse asked.

  “No. There’s no one to call. I’m all she has now,” Theresa said with a small shake of her head. She sat down to wait and formulate a new plan.

  Chapter Forty-three

  Andrew wasn’t sure how long he slept. He woke with a start and looked around. He could tell almost immediately that Jill wasn’t in the cabin. Icy fingers of dread crept up his spine but Andrew swept them aside. Nothing could go wrong up here.

  Jill had probably gone out on her snowshoes or was sitting outside on the deck. Andrew sat up but realized the dogs were inside with him.

  That means she’s not just outside. Why the fuck did I fall asleep?

  Andrew rubbed his face with his hands to wake himself up and then walked to the front of the cabin and looked out. The car was gone. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was only two o’clock. He had probably only been asleep about an hour or so.

  Andrew dialed Jill’s phone but it went to voicemail.

  “Hey, hon. Just woke up. Wanted to know where you are. Call me when you get this… I love you.”

  He knew he shouldn’t be panicking, but anxiety swamped his brain. All he could think of was what if Theresa followed them up here? What if they were wrong and Theresa did know about the ski house?

  Andrew walked into the kitchen and saw some of the cabinet doors were open. A wave of relief hit him hard when he saw Jill’s note.

  ‘Jarrod called. They have Theresa! Went to store for groceries. Be back soon.’

  Andrew laughed to himself as he went back to the living room and let the dogs out for a run in the yard. He took a deep breath as relief washed through him. It was over. Theresa hadn’t hurt Jill.

  Andrew watched the dogs play for a few minutes, then called them back into the house. Moments later, his phone rang. He checked call display.

  “Hey, Jarrod, what’s up?”

  “I’m sorry, Andrew. I told Jill we had Theresa in custody. I have bad news. It wasn’t Theresa that they grabbed. We thought it was because the lady they picked up was standing with no ID outside Jill’s house – just watching the house. She was sure as hell acting like a stalker and she fit the physical description to a ‘T.’ When we finally got her to stop crying and talk to us, it turns out she’s been dating Jill’s ex but he dumped her. She just wanted to talk to Jill,” Jarrod said.

  Andrew’s whole body froze as he listened. Jill was out there alone and so was Theresa. The familiar feelings of dread came back in waves.

  “I gotta go, Jarrod. Jill went out alone. I have to find her.” Andrew didn’t wait for an answer.

  He ran in the house to grab his car keys, then realized he didn’t have a car. Jill had her car and the others had taken Jack’s car to the ski resort. As Andrew looked around wondering about the sanity of taking one of the snowmobiles all the way into town to the grocery store, his phone rang. Chad.

  “Chad, you guys need to get back here. I need the car to go after Jill,” Andrew said without preamble.

  “Come down the hill, Andrew. Grab one of the snowmobiles. Kelly was feeling sick so we called it quits early. We were on our way back up. Jill’s car is stopped on the road, but she’s nowhere in sight.”

  Icy fear twisted around his lungs, his heart. Andrew couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move for a split second. A rush of terror coursed through his veins and he began to react. He grabbed the snowmobile keys from the hook on the wall and dashed outside. All
he could think was that he needed to get to Jill. It didn’t take him long to get to where Jill’s SUV sat abandoned. His friends called out Jill’s name as if hoping she might be nearby.

  They had split up and headed in different directions, calling and searching for Jill. Chad approached Andrew.

  “Her purse is in the car. There’s a small dent and some paint transfer on the back bumper. We’ve called Jason Graham. He’s on his way.” Jason was the fire chief and also a good friend. Andrew knew he’d move mountains to help them find Jill.

  Andrew stared at Jill’s empty car and felt sick to his stomach. Kelly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around Andrew’s waist and hugged.

  “They thought they had Theresa. Jarrod called and told her Theresa was in custody, but that was a mistake.” Andrew could hear how thick his voice sounded. He didn’t even recognize his own voice, it was so laden with fear.

  “Hey, we’ll find her,” Kelly said fiercely. “Jason’s on his way. You guys tracked me when I was gone. We’ll find Jill.”

  Jason pulled up in a truck with several other people and a large German Shepherd. Jason made introductions, but Andrew couldn’t process anyone’s name.

  The men discussed several possible scenarios: Jill walking away from the car for some reason; someone driving her away from the car; Jill being thrown from the vehicle. The last was dismissed. There was no evidence of the type of crash that could have caused that.

  While two men began to search the tree line along the road, Andrew watched as the dog was shown the driver’s side of Jill’s car. He sniffed at the seat for several seconds and was then given a quiet command by his handler. The dog began to circle the car then walked about six feet from the car and stopped. The handler took the dog back to the car and the dog repeated the same sequence, going six feet in exactly the same direction and stopping at the same point. This was repeated a third time.

  The handler bent to the ground where the dog stopped and then both handler and dog jogged over to Andrew and Jason. Andrew felt the blow deep in his gut as the handler spoke.

  “Justice began working a track from the driver’s side but then stops. It’s as if the track ends in the middle of the road. There are some spots in the road. A small patch of what may be oil. It’s possible a car was stopped in the road at the spot where Justice stopped tracking. There are also a few drops of what may be blood. Crime scene won’t be here for another thirty minutes to confirm,” the man reported to Jason.

  The handler seemed reticent to draw any conclusions, which Andrew could understand. But, he wasn’t an idiot. Andrew knew Jill was likely put in a car and driven away.

  “Kelly, any luck?” Andrew called.

  “Nothing. No Jill Walshes or Jane Does in any hospitals nearby,” Kelly reported.

  “We’ve got an all points out on Jill. Someone will spot her, Andrew,” Jason said.

  “Jason, you’ve known me for six years. I can’t just stand around and wait. That’s not gonna happen,” Andrew said.

  Chad and Jack closed in around Andrew, waiting for directions, their silent support indicating they understood the need to do something instead of sitting on a fucking mountain to wait. Hell, even if they hadn’t understood, they would stand by Andrew’s decision.

  “Jason, how sure are they that she didn’t walk away from the car or that someone didn’t take her into the woods here?” Chad asked.

  “There’s no evidence of anyone walking into the woods. With the level of snow we still have on the ground, we would see any disturbance clearly. Justice is an extremely capable dog with an experienced handler. He can’t tell us for sure what happened, but I think Jill got into a car.” As Jason finished his assessment, Kelly walked up.

  “I’ve called the Gundersons and the Peters. Jill isn’t at either of their houses and they haven’t seen anything unusual in the area,” Kelly added. The Gundersons and the Peters were the only other families on the mountain.

  “If Jill’s been taken off the mountain, then we need to leave the mountain,” Andrew said.

  Andrew could see Jason struggling with his response. It probably was not at all normal for the fire chief to leave the scene and go looking for a missing person with the missing person’s friends. Most likely Jason was risking his job to go with them. Jason rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and let out a frustrated groan.

  “Fuck it. I’ll drive,” Jason said.

  ***

  Jill’s head was pounding and her eyes wouldn’t open. She moved her head but was immediately rewarded with searing pain that brought on a wave of nausea. She heard a whimper and thought it might have come from her. Then a soft, soothing voice spoke from her side.

  “It’s okay, Christina. You hit your head but we’re doing some tests. I need you to lay still for me. Can you do that?” the voice asked.

  Christina? Who is Christina?

  “Jill,” Jill heard herself croak. Her voice didn’t seem to be working.

  “Shh. Try not to talk, dear. Is Jill your friend? She’s waiting for you in your room. We’ll get you back there in no time. You just relax for one more minute for me.” The voice was so soothing. Jill heard someone ask for a neuro consult. That was the last thing Jill heard before she drifted off again.

  ***

  Jill opened her eyes and tried to take in the room around her. Small. Beige walls. IV in her arm. Hospital. And someone was speaking to her.

  “Wakey, wakey, Jill. Time to go for a ride. Jill felt a bite of pain in her forearm and looked down to see her IV had been ripped out. She turned her head toward the voice and saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar. Where had she seen her before?

  The woman put her arms under Jill and dragged her off the bed. Jill’s body felt like rubber. She couldn’t move her arms or legs as she was dumped into a wheelchair. Panic began to settle in Jill’s belly as confusion washed over her. Something wasn’t right. The woman pushed and pulled until Jill was sitting, albeit slumped over, in the wheelchair.

  Jill felt the chair begin to move and as the chair crossed the threshold of the room, a foggy part of Jill’s brain was screaming out to her to stay. Stay in the room where you’re safe.

  Elevator doors. Sliding open and then closed. Jill’s chair was pushed next to the buttons by the door and the woman spoke again.

  “Hmmm. Up or down? Up or down?” The woman spoke in a sing-songy voice. “I wonder if there’s a furnace in the basement? That’s probably only in the movies, huh? Roof it is then, little whore. You can jump from the roof. Poor Andrew will have to do the obligatory mourning thing for a while, but don’t worry, I’ll be there to see him through it.”

  Jill’s head was beginning to clear and her limbs were coming back to life. The rubbery feeling was slipping away, but she kept her head down, stayed slumped over as she processed. This was the woman who hit Jill with her car. Hit her with a rock. And stability didn’t seem to be in this woman’s repertoire. But what was her connection to Andrew? What was going on?

  Jill knew she needed to stop this woman before they reached the rooftop. Keeping her body still, Jill thought things through. The elevator wouldn’t go all the way to the roof. They’d have to get off at the top floor and then use the stairs. Would the top floor have people on it? Should she wait until they were off the elevator and then call for help?

  Jill was facing the wall of the elevator. The woman stood behind the wheelchair. Could she shove the chair back and fight? No. Better to wait until there were other people around to help her.

  ***

  As they climbed into Jason’s Suburban, Andrew asked Kelly for the list of hospitals she had called. Kelly handed him her iPhone with the search results for nearby hospitals on the screen.

  “You asked about Jane Does and Jill Walshes?” Andrew asked as he scanned the list. Four hospitals. Two to the north and two to the south.

  “Yes. None of them had anyone like that,” Kelly said.

  Andrew punched the number for the first hospital int
o his phone and then tossed Kelly’s phone back to her. “Ask for any unusual IDs,” he said and then began to speak into his phone when someone picked up at the hospital. “Hello. We’re looking for a missing woman. I understand you have no Jane Does there, but can you tell me if anyone was brought into the emergency room with any unusual form of ID? Someone else providing the ID or an ID that maybe didn’t look like the person? An ID that doesn’t look real?

  Kelly gave out phone numbers for the others to call. Andrew heard the woman on the other end of his phone talk to other voices in the background before coming back with an answer for him. ‘No. No unusual identifications.’

  Andrew hung up just as Jack and Jennie were hanging up their phones. They both shook their heads at Andrew. Chad was still on hold.

  “Which way now?” Jason asked Andrew as they approached the highway.

  Andrew had no idea what the hell he was doing. It seemed ludicrous to think that if Theresa took her, Jill would have somehow made it to a hospital. But even so, for some reason, Andrew’s gut was telling him Jill was in one of those hospitals. He could feel it in his bones. Andrew just prayed he was right. Because if Jill really was up on that mountain and he was taking them further away from her, Andrew would never forgive himself.

  “South. The only other hospital is south. Head there,” Andrew said, saying a silent prayer over and over.

  Chad hung up the phone. “I’m getting the runaround at the last hospital. Jason, maybe you can make it an official inquiry?”

  Jason continued speeding down the highway, eating up the road between them and the last hospital. He grabbed his radio and spoke into the mic. “Dispatch, I need you to patch me through to Angels of Mercy Hospital.”

  The radio crackled and the gravelly, female voice of a longtime smoker came through. “I was just about to radio you. I’ve got an Officer Riley on the line. Thinks he saw your missing woman earlier. You want me to patch him through or get you the hospital?”