Deadly as the Driven Snow

by Agnes Alexander

  I couldn’t believe her attitude. No wonder Allen was ready to get out of this marriage. “Well, Gwyn, I just wanted to let you now I care about both of you. I know sickness is almost as hard on the family member as it is the patient.”

  “Why, thank you, June. You’re the first person to say they care about what I’m having to put up with. I appreciate it.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I repeated myself. “I know something like this can be as hard on the family as it is the patient.”

  “You’re so right.

  “I’ll let you go and if I can do anything for you, let me know.”

  “Thanks, again.” She hung up.

  Though I would’ve liked to talk to Aunt Nadine about the woman’s attitude, I didn’t mention it. Knowing Jackson was out with her sister, my aunt would have a lot of ammunition about the family to throw at him. I decided the best thing to do was keep quiet about it.

  • ♥ •

  Later that night, I was still awake when I heard Jackson come in and go to his room. I had no idea what time it was, but I figured it was close to midnight because the last time I looked at the clock it was a little after eleven.

  I had cried until I didn’t think I could cry any more. Questions kept flooding my mind. Of course, paramount was were my husband could be. Was he cold and starving? Was he hurt and needing me to help him? Was he as lonely for me as I was for him? What had they done to him? And the questions that I couldn’t keep back no matter how hard I tried… Was he alive, and would I ever see him again?

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The next day crept by. Mom and Dad came over to check on me and to bring me some clean clothes and my wedding album, which I’d requested. They stayed for supper, but it wasn’t a very jovial meal. I spent most of it staring into space and praying for Jason.

  Charles called to tell me they were sure whoever attacked Allen had lured him into the woods and then had taken the patrol car. They were also sure they had taken Jason away in it. The dogs confirmed this.

  Later, he called back to say they found the car hidden near Sandstone Creek. There was nobody around, and again, the dogs picked up Jason’s scent, which they thought was transferred to another car. They lost the scent on the main road.

  It was early when I went to the room I was using at Aunt Nadine’s house. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts and go through the wedding pictures and the ones Jason and I had taken on our Hawaiian honeymoon.

  I traced his strong features in the close-up of us eating fresh pineapple. I remembered how he’d let me wipe his chin, then kiss it with my sticky lips. There was one of us against a palm tree. Jason had his arms around me from behind and my head rested against his chest. I remembered his feel, his smell, and the way he’d pulled me against him and told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  The one of me getting ready to dive in the lagoon brought back how he’d told me my bikini turned him on so much he felt he should hide in the bushes. I told him to dive in with me and cool off.

  There were so many pictures and so many memories. I devoured each one, and thought of how it was for him to hold me in his arms in that luxury hotel bed at night. I never dreamed I could be so happy, but it seemed the longer we were together the happier I was, and the more I loved him.

  “Oh, Jason,” I muttered aloud. “You’ve got to come back to me. We have so much living to do, and I want to have your babies and raise them with you. I don’t want to pine for you the rest of my life the way Aunt Nadine has for Raymond. And if you don’t come back, I know that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

  I knew it was getting late when I finally put the book on the table by the window and lay on the bed. I didn’t bother to put on a nightgown. I just wanted to rest a few minutes and think about Jason. I didn’t know I’d doze off, but I did.

  • ♥ •

  I was awakened by a noise in the hall. I sat straight up, and my first thought was that Jason had come to be with me. Doors burst open, then slammed shut. I knew then it wasn’t Jason.

  Before I could react, my door opened, and the light flipped on.

  “Well, well. I finally found you, pretty June.”

  I gasped. I didn’t recognize the man. “Who are you and what are you doing here.”

  About that time Aunt Nadine came running into the room. “Leave her alone!” She came at him with a crystal vase in her hand.

  He laughed and hit her on the side of the head with his fist. She went sprawling across the room and I heard the vase shatter. Her head hit the floor with a loud thud.

  Jumping to my feet, I started for her, but the man grabbed my arm. “Let her be. That weird son of hers will find her when he comes home. Where’s your coat? You’re coming with me.”

  “I don’t want to go with you.”

  “Do you think what you want matters?” He opened the closet and grabbed my coat. Throwing it at me, he grabbed my arm again and pulled me out the door and down the stairs.

  There was a black SUV sitting on the driveway. I knew he intended to take me away in it. I screamed at him and scratched and flailed my fists at him. I was fighting as hard as I could. He only laughed and pushed me forward because he was stronger, and I made little headway in in getting away from him.

  When we got to the car, the backdoor opened. A hand reached out, clasp my arm like a vice and pulled at me. I stumbled as I fell inside.

  “Come on in and relax, June. I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time.”

  When the man who abducted me opened the front door, the light game on and I gasped. “J.T. Goodman.”

  He grinned. “Get us out of here, Guy. I don’t to be here when old silly J. J. gets home.”

  “He wants to be called Jackson.” I don’t know why I said that, but I did.

  J.T. laughed. “What the hell do I care what he wants to be called? All I know is that I want to call you mine, and at last, I’m going to do it.” He put his arm around me and pulled me close to him on the back seat.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!” I slapped him as hard as I could.

  He grabbed my hand. “Well, well. I see you still have the fire in you. Can’t do much damage with that pretty, soft hand. Too bad you don’t have on your high heels tonight. You should have taken time to put on some kind of shoes, though, whether or not they were high heels. Don’t you know your tootsies are going to get cold?”

  “Let me out of this car this very minute, J.T. Goodman.”

  “Now, June, don’t be a spoil sport. I won’t let your feet get too cold. Anyway, if they do, don’t they say something about cold feet, warm heart? That’s what I want from you – a warm heart for me.”

  “You’re crazy. I can’t stand you.”

  “Who knows, you might change your mind. I’m a good lover, you know. A lot of women tell me so. Why don’t you ask Allen’s wife, or your friend, Sadie? Neither of them have any complaints.”

  Though I was shocked at what he was saying, at the moment I was only interested in getting away from him. “I said, let me out of this car. If you don’t, Jason will kill you when he finds out what you’re up to.”

  “Hear that, Guy? She thinks her husband is going to save her. Ain’t that a kick in the head?”

  “It sure is, J.T.”

  I glared at him. “Did you do something to Jason?”

  I heard Guy chuckle and J.T. leered at me. “I haven’t hurt him much, sweetheart. He’s still alive, for now. You and I are going to have a little fun and I’m going to let him watch us. Then, I’ll make him dead. I’ll let you watch while I do that, too.”

  “No! Even you’re not that evil.”

  “Oh, June, June. It’ll be so easy to do what I want with the two of you. I guess you never realized how much I like to kill people. Haven’t you enjoyed watching your bumbling husband chase around looking for the man who has been leaving bodies on the frozen ground?”

  I was flabbergasted. “I can’t believe this. You might have been an offensive b
ack in high school, but I didn’t realize you’d turn out to do something so horrible.”

  “Oh, baby, I’m not horrible. Didn’t you hear me say I’m a lover?” He grinned an evil grin at me, then without warning he grabbed my head, pulled me to him, and crushed my lips with his. I wanted to throw up.

  When he pulled away, he said, “I bet old Jason never kissed you like that.” He sounded proud of himself.

  “No, he hasn’t,” I said. “Jason knows how to kiss to turn me on. You only leave me disgusted.”

  He slapped me.

  I slapped him back, and he laughed. “Go ahead and fight. I like it rough, June. Especially when I know I’m going to win.”

  It dawned on me that I needed to temper my actions if I wanted to get out of this situation. Jason would tell me to play it cool and use my head instead of reacting with anger. I decided I’d try to follow his advice.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me I’m not going to win?” He gazed at me.

  “No.”

  “Then, you’re accepting your fate?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “Okay, June March. I know you’re devious. What are you thinking?”

  “My name is June Striker.”

  “Ah, yes. The wife of our illustrious sheriff. The woman who shoots at men who try to come in her house. You’re in no position to do anything to save yourself this time are you, June Striker?” he jerked my arm. “Why aren’t you talking now? You were full of words a little while ago.”

  “I was wondering what happened to that football hero in school. The one who had so much going for him. How could he turn into a person so warped and filled with hate?”

  “If you hadn’t stabbed him in the eye, he’d probably be fine today.” He was showing his anger now. “When I got home from seeing the doctor with my injured eye, my old man beat the hell out of me. He told me I wasn’t a son of his or I would’ve never let a girl get the best of me like that. He said I had to get her back someday, no matter how long it took. Then, he said maybe he’d let me be his son again. So, you see, June, you kept me from making love to you that night in high school, but things have changed. I’ll make love to you before this night is out, and I’ll do it in front of your husband.” He chuckled. “I guess that makes me a Goodman again instead of that sissy mama’s boy my dad called me because I couldn’t subdue a girl and have my way with her.”

  “For heaven’s sake, J.T., your father has been dead for a long time. Does it really matter if you—”

  He interrupted me. “Of course, it matters. As he was dying, I made the promise to him that I’d get you someday. It has taken a while, but here we are together at last.”

  “What a stupid promise to make to a dying man.”

  J.T. laughed again. “Guy, do you think we ought to tell her the circumstances under which I made that promise?”

  “I don’t see why not, boss. Who’s she going to tell?”

  “You’re right. She’s not going to be here long enough to tell anyone anything, is she?” J.T. leaned toward as Guy swerved the car onto a dirt road. “Why don’t I wait until we get to the house to tell her? Old Jason might like to hear about it, too.”

  “You’re right. I bet he would. He’ll have the answer to an old crime he didn’t know existed and he won’t be able to do a thing about it when he finds out.” Guy shifted in the front seat. “J.T., I’m hungry. Can’t we go by a drive-through before we get back to the cabin?”

  “Guy, you fool. Somebody might see us.”

  J.T. laughed. “Then can we make the pretty lady cook us something at the cabin before you have your fun? I could eat some good home cooking.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I bet June is a wonderful cook. I’d like to try her food, among other things I intend to get from her.”

  I had no intention of cooking for these two fools, but I decided not to argue the point at the moment.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  My feet were freezing, and I stumbled on the cold cabin steps. J.T. jerked me up as we went onto the porch of the small log cabin. It was a neat place with a well-trimmed yard and rockers on the porch. I wondered if it belonged to him.

  He unlocked the door and shoved me inside. The first thing I saw was a straight chair at an oval table. Jason was tied in it. There was a gag across his mouth.

  “Jason,” I cried and ran to him. I fell on my knees beside him and jerked the gag off his mouth. “Darling, are you all right?”

  He raised his head and looked at me through swollen eyes. He frowned. “Oh, June, I didn’t want them to find you.”

  I was reaching for him when Guy seized my arms. “None of that. Leave him alone. Your hugs and kisses belong to J.T. now.”

  “My hugs and kisses will never belong to anyone except Jason!” I yelled as he pulled me away from my husband.

  “Don’t hurt her!” Jason demanded.

  “Shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it for you,” Guy said, and hit Jason across the mouth.

  Jason flinched.

  “Don’t hit him!” I kicked Guy in the shin and he began to dance around. I couldn’t help grinning a little because I didn’t realize I could do that much damage with bare feet.

  He started to strike me, but J.T. intervened. “Don’t mark her up. I want her pretty and soft when I decide to take her. When I’m through with her, you can do whatever you please.”

  “Can I take her, too?”

  “Sure. Why not? Give Jason another show before we kill him.”

  “Thanks, Boss.”

  “In the meantime, like you said earlier, I’m hungry.” J.T. took hold of my arm. “Get to the stove and fix me something to eat.”

  “What?” I glared at him.

  “You heard me. Make something good. I hear you cook great meals for your loving husband, so use your imagination.” He shoved me toward the kitchen area of the room.

  I decided I’d better cooperate for the time being.

  The kitchen was well equipped. I found a pack of chicken breasts in the freezer and decided I could do something with them. All the time I was keeping an eye on Jason.

  He had taken a severe beating and his breathing was a little uneven. I wondered if he had some cracked ribs. Though I wanted to run and put my arms around him, I knew I would do him more good if I figured out how to get us out of this mess.

  It wasn’t going to be easy. J.T. sat at the table and eyed me. I ignored him, because I knew in my heart I’d make him kill me before I let him molest me in front of my husband.

  Guy had moved to the other side of the room and taken a seat in a green recliner. I saw him nod and this pleased me. I was sure he’d go to sleep soon. That would make it a little easier for me to do something to help Jason overpower them.

  Jason watched me, too. I caught his eye and tried to communicate with him. Maybe if he caught on to what I was up to, he’d be able to help subdue J.T.

  “Okay, you two quit making eyes at each other,” J. T. commanded. “You look like two moon sick cows. No matter how much you think you love each other, it’ll do you no good now.”

  “Do you want some coffee?” I asked in an angry voice. If he accepted my offer, as I hoped he would, I knew hot coffee could be used as a weapon.

  “Sure. Coffee on a cold night is a good thing.” He glanced at the sitting area. “Guy, wake up and get your butt over here. I think we promised pretty June a story.”

  Guy pulled the recliner into a sitting position and came to the kitchen. He took a chair at the table.

  “Want to come sit with us, June?” J.T. winked at me. “You can hear my story better.”

  “Yeah, come on over here so Jason can see you close to J.T.” He smirked at Jason. “J.T. said I can have her when he’s through, lawman. Ain’t that gonna be fun for you to watch?”

  Jason was seething. I wanted to shout, “Keep your cool, baby. We’ve got to stay focused. You taught me that. Remember?” But I didn’t say it. Instead, to diffuse the situation, I said, “I have t
o watch the chicken. I can hear from here.”

  “That’ll be fine, sweetheart. I like to see a woman in the kitchen, where she belongs.” J.T. gave me an evil smile. Nobody said anything and he went on. “I know we all remember the high heel incident. Hell, everyone in town still remembers it.” He turned to Jason. “I told June that my pa beat me good when he found out I’d been subdued by a girl. He told me I was a fool for letting it happen. I decided then and there I’d never let a woman get the better of me, and without him knowing, I also decided he’d never beat me again, no matter what.”

  “He didn’t either, did he, J.T.?” Guy sounded excited. I wondered why.

  “No, he didn’t and keep your mouth shut, Guy. This is my story. I’ll invite you to tell your part whenever the time comes.”

  Guy nodded, and J.T. went on. “A couple of days after the incident, I came home in a foul mood because everyone at school had made fun of my eye bandage. I was ready to bust something. Of course, that was the day Mama decided to whine and complain because Dad was going to have to work late. I knew he wasn’t working, but was probably laid up somewhere with his secretary. Anyway, she told me go out to the building site and help him, so he could get home at a decent hour.” He looked at Guy. “Now you can talk.”

  “Well, J.T. came by and picked me up. We went to the convenience store and got a six pack. J.T. had it in good with the woman who worked there, and she’d let us buy beer when nobody was around. We then rode out to the site because J.T. said it was a good place to drink since it was deserted after the workers went home. Well, lo and behold, his dad was there, because some of the workers had made a mistake and he decided to correct it before he went on his date. He was on the second story of the building and was close to the edge beating some wedge into place to shore up a section that might otherwise fall.”

  J.T. took up the story. “When I told him what Mama said, he laughed at me. He said I not only let a girl get the best of me, making me a sissy, but I was now acting out my role as a mama’s boy and to trot along home and he’d be there when he was good and ready. I couldn’t stand the way he looked at me and I grabbed his arms and pinned them behind him.” He looked at Guy.