Worth Any Price

by Jacqueline DeGroot

  —buying sanitary products? Could this guy simply be a clerk in a drugstore? But that wouldn’t necessarily mean that the women were menstruating at the time, some were organized and planned ahead, some probably stocked up when there were sales.

  —disposing of the used product? Where? How? In a bathroom, possibly in a public restroom?

  —emitting the pungent telltale odor that accompanied the discharge of blood and ammonia from the body? He once knew a kid in college who swore he could always tell when a woman was menstruating. He’d always had phenomenal luck in the bars. Was it possible The Voyeur got that close to his victims before targeting them?

  —being astute enough to notice the subtleties a woman’s body went through, like bloating, the tummy paunching, the irritability? Or were those symptoms experienced just before the onset?

  He decided he needed to talk to a woman, so he dialed Laura’s number. How the hell was he going to talk to her about this, he asked himself as the phone rang. He was actually relieved when she didn’t answer. He decided not to leave a message about this subject on her machine.

  He started his cruiser again. He sure had plenty of things to check into now.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Laura was at Dillard’s Department Store browsing around the cosmetic counters and towing a restless Kayla in her firm grip. “Don’t you like looking at the lipsticks and polishes sweetheart? I love to try all these new things. When I was your age I even had play makeup made by a company named Tinkerbell. Then I graduated to Bonnie Bell.”

  Kayla wasn’t paying a bit of attention. She didn’t like this smelly stuff. In preschool she dressed up with her friends, and sometimes she even wore some of her mom’s lipstick, but she could never sit still long enough for nail polish to dry, so it never stayed on. “I want to get some cookies.”

  “We will, just let me look around for a few minutes.” Then she looked down and smiled at Kayla, “and sniff, too. This is where I buy my perfume.”

  “I like your perfume. You smell nice.”

  “Thank you sweetheart,” Laura said as she led her over to the men’s fragrances section. Something about Kel’s smell intrigued her. Her mind had made a scent memory of him and whenever it returned it made her knees week. Now she wanted to know exactly what his essence was comprised of—a little male sweat for sure, some spicy scent from his deodorant, but then what? She sniffed the tops of several testers trying to find one that might be similar. She picked up others, one at a time, from the back row of the display and brought the spray nozzles to her nose. She was on the second to the last one when her nose twitched and memories of burying her face in his neck came hauntingly back to her. She could almost feel his skin against her lips. She turned the small white bottle around and read the name on the aftershave bottle: Kouros. Mmmm, this was definitely it. She sniffed it again and smiled. Then she motioned to the salesclerk. “I’d like to buy this please.”

  “We have it in a larger size if you’d like,”

  “No, this is fine.” How much do I need if I’m just going to put it on my dresser and pathetically sniff the top, she thought with chagrin. But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted reminders of him. She didn’t know why, but it was comforting to be taking a piece of him home with her. His fragrance was something she could wallow in when she needed to feel him close. Sometimes the memories of her behavior with him that first night in the motel room were so embarrassing that she wanted to die, but when she remembered how excited she had been, how thrilled she had been by his touch, she had to marvel at life’s ironic twists. She had been taken unaware to a place of pleasure that was not of this earth. He had made her feel wonderful and now she finally understood what it meant to be a woman.

  The saleswoman took her charge card and rang up the sale. When she handed Laura the bag and her card, she said, “I really admire you Mrs. Wyndham, I’m glad your little girl is all right.”

  Laura smiled at her and graciously said, “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”

  Laura turned to Kayla and said with a big smile, “C’mon baby, let’s go get some cookies.”

  “Yeah! I want chocolate chip. Three of them.”

  “Two. They’re big. I’ll eat the other,” she said with a chuckle.

  The man sitting at a table in the food court watched her pay for the cookies the little girl picked out, then watched as they sat down at a table to eat them. She was even lovelier than the last time he’d seen her.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Harold Satterfield followed the little mother and her charge from the food court to the parking lot. He stayed thirty feet back and tried not to stare. He was spiraling away from all the precautions he normally took. He knew he shouldn’t be stalking her like this, he knew it was dangerous to even walk on the same side of the mall as she was. But he couldn’t help himself, he wanted to be close to her. He wanted to be so close that her pheromones overtook him. To smell her musky fragrance would be Heaven, to see her soft, warm flesh quiver for him, would be sublime, to taste her, he couldn’t even imagine the thrill that would be, as she had captivated him so completely. This waiting was agony, he wanted her as badly as he thought he’d ever wanted a woman, and that was saying something, because at one time, his Gloria had owned him body and soul. As he watched Laura strap Kayla into her car seat, he cursed the man who controlled his destiny with her, the man who supplied the fuel for his insatiable lust, those tiny, powerful, little pale blue pills. Tonight, maybe he’d have some for him tonight.

  Before going home, Laura stopped by her parents’ house in Landfall. They fawned over Kayla and insisted on keeping her for the night. When their maid took Kayla to the kitchen to have her help make a cake, they told Laura that they wanted to discuss her future and the effects the kidnapping were having on the upcoming charity events. Laura stopped them cold.

  “Mother, Father, please hear me out first. This whole mess has made me do some serious thinking about my future, and Kayla’s, too. Now that the media has been somewhat appeased and everything has calmed down a little, I’ve decided that I want to try my hand at actually doing some volunteer work instead of doing the fundraising all the time. I have an appointment with one of the doctors on staff at the hospital to discuss helping out on a few of the hotlines. It will keep me out of the public eye for a while and Kayla can come with me. Anyway that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to counsel women who have been raped or abused, after I’ve had some training of course. You two can do the symphonies and the theater and all the events in between. I need a break. Kayla needs me with her right now, and I need her.”

  “You aren’t doing this just because you don’t want to leave Kayla are you, because we’re always happy to baby-sit.”

  “No Mother, I’m not. I just want to do something different, something significant to help people. In fact, later tonight I’m meeting one of the mothers who also had her child taken. Sort of a group therapy session if you will, only with two of us.”

  “Oh, Laura, are you sure that’s wise?”

  “Yes, Mother. I’m sure, very sure. We can help each other get over this.”

  “I hear Ryan’s being a jerk about all this,” her father interrupted.

  “So what else is new?”

  “Is he causing you trouble?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle, Dad, but thanks.”

  “I had a talk with your brother today.”

  “Oh? What did he have to say?”

  “He says he wishes you’d return his calls.”

  “I will.”

  “He’s not mad at you anymore. He understands what you did at the Hilton and why you had to do it.”

  “Well, he should have had more faith in me. Really! How could he possibly think I’d do something like that just for the fun of it!”

/>   “He’s sorry for the things he said, the messages he left on your machine.”

  “He is?” You could hear the wistfulness in her voice.

  “Yes. He wants you to call him. Here,” her father said as he picked up the phone on the end table and dialed his son’s number. He handed the phone to Laura and then they both left the room to give her some privacy.

  A few minutes later a teary-eyed Laura found them in the study. “We’re okay again. It’s just been a hard time for all of us. Apparently his fiancé isn’t sure we’re a fit family to marry into now.”

  “Her loss,” her mother said, then mischievously she whispered, “I hear her tatas are enhanced.”

  “Men who’ve apparently seen both, say yours are much nicer, my dear.” After the initial shock of what her father had just said passed, they all laughed.

  It was the first time since Kayla had been taken that she knew everything was going to be all right again.

  When Laura arrived home there was a message on her machine from Meggie Ryan. Kel had given Meggie Laura’s number in case she needed someone to talk to. On the message, she sounded like she had been crying. She quickly punched in the number Meggie had left.

  Meggie was crying when she answered the phone. “Meggie this is Laura. Honey, what’s the matter, other than the obvious, of course,” she added with exaggerated sarcasm. They had not met, but there was already a bond. Laura could feel it.

  “It’s my ex. He’s being horrible. He’s talking about going in front of the hospital review board and bringing Rand up on morals charges.”

  “Can he do that?”

  “I don’t know,” she wailed.

  “Have you told Rand?”

  “No!” she sobbed. “I’m afraid Rand will kill him.”

  “Honey, you’re going to have to tell him. It’s his career that will be affected.”

  “I know.” This time there was a long, drawn out sigh. “I know,” this time a low whine. “I’m in trouble Laura.”

  “Worse than this?”

  “Yes. I think I’m in love with Rand.”

  “Jeez Meggie, that was quick. I thought you had just met.”

  “Where’d you hear that?”

  “From Kel. Isn’t it true?”

  “Yeah, it’s true. I just didn’t know how much you knew.”

  “I guess since we’re kind of in the same boat, Kel shared some of your story. Hey, you want to come over to my house tonight. Paige, one of the other mothers whose son was taken, is coming over. We could, uh . . . .”

  “Compare notes?”

  They both laughed.

  “Yeah,” Laura said breaking into a big smile.

  “Sounds like fun. Where are you staying? The papers say you moved out of your house.”

  “I’m staying on Wrightsville, a place my parents own. It’s really easy to find. Bring your bathing suit, and we’ll take a dip.” She gave Meggie the address and told her to come over whenever she liked.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Paige and Meggie showed up at the same time. They met coming up the walk. Laura was waiting for them and eagerly opened the door. The three women tentatively hugged each other, then the tears began to flow. Laura led them into the house and to the family room. Then she took the bottle of champagne she had put in an ice bucket into the room and placed it on Kayla’s tea table that was still set up in the room.

  “I hope Kayla doesn’t mind that I’m using her table for something other than tea tonight,” she joked.

  Laura popped the cork as only a true debutante can, quietly and slowly, so as not to waste a single drop. Then she filled a flute for each of them. She handed one to Paige, then one to Meggie before lifting her own in a toast.

  “To the best mothers in the world!”

  “Here! Here!” They both seconded. They all drank it down and Laura refilled each glass.

  “Paige, I know Cayce is with Josh, Kayla is with her grandparents, is Toby with Rand?”

  “No, he’s with his father,” Meggie said between sips. “Hey, Laura this is good stuff.”

  “Thank you, I take a bottle or two from my dad’s wine cellar whenever I’m there. He never says anything so I guess he doesn’t keep inventory. Today, I took four,” she said with an impish grin.

  “Woo-whee!” Paige exclaimed. “Time to party! I sure could use a nice long happy hour.”

  “Well ladies, we don’t have to go anywhere, the kids are safe and being taken care of, and I have plenty of bedrooms if we drink too much. Let’s celebrate us! We deserve a big pat on the back.”

  “Yeah, not the disdain we’re getting . . . .”

  And so it began, three hours of letting off steam, sharing stories and fears, baring raw emotions, and drinking. Lots of drinking.

  After the second bottle Laura put a pizza in the oven. She had ordered it from Michaelangelo’s off of Eastwood Road but asked them not to cook it all the way. They ate their fill of pizza while continually guzzling champagne. Then they put on their suits and went out to the pool. Laura had forgotten to call Paige back to tell her to bring one, so she loaned her one of hers.

  Together they sat on the ledge in the shallow section, talking and sipping their drinks from plastic cups. The camaraderie was wonderful and the women found they had a lot to talk about outside of their recent experiences.

  Laura was smiling and watching the women laugh and taking pot shots at each other when suddenly something occurred to her.

  “Paige, Meggie, I think I’ve seen you somewhere before. In fact, I’m almost certain of it. And Meggie, I think I’ve even seen you in that bathing suit before.”

  They both turned to stare at her. Then it clicked for all three of them.

  “Oh . . . my . . . God,” three separate voices intoned at the same time.

  “Jesus, the spa,” Meggie whispered.

  Then no one spoke for a full minute as their minds raced to connect the dots.

  “He saw us there! It all makes sense now,” Laura breathed. “That’s how he knows so much about us, where we live, about our kids. The women are always talking!”

  “Except there was no he,” Paige said. “Men aren’t allowed there. Never have been.”

  “But still, that’s the tie that binds. That’s the connection Kel’s been looking for.” Laura jumped out of the pool, stumbled a little on her wobbly legs, and made her way to the kitchen where she’d left the phone. But it wasn’t there, and she couldn’t remember where she had left it.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Kel was dozing in front of the TV when his pager went off. The desk sergeant told him that there were two gentlemen at the desk looking for women.

  “Well, aren’t we all?” Kel quipped.

  “Specific women sir, Paige Lawson and Meggie Ryan. I thought you’d want to know.

  He sat up straight in his seat. “Who are the men?”

  “Dr. Cheswick and the Reverend Cayce Braxton. They say you know where these women are.”

  “Give me one of them.” He waited until one was put on the line.

  “Kel?” It was Cayce.

  “Yeah?”

  “Paige and Meggie were supposed to be at Laura’s tonight for a support meeting. We haven’t heard from them and no one’s answering at the number they gave us. It’s past midnight. Can you give us Laura’s address? It’s been a bitch trying to get anybody in this town to give it to us.”

  “I’ll be right there. I’ll take you to them.”

  He hung up the phone and grabbed his keys and badge, tossing the remote back to the sofa.

  He connected with Cayce, who had a sleepy Joshua on his shoulder, and Rand in front of the station and they formed a convoy. He was
in a strange mood, and just to make it interesting, he ran his blue lights until they crossed the bridge to Wrightsville Beach.

  It was dark on the beach and along the main boulevard. There were only a few lights on in some of the houses, but when they pulled up in front of Laura’s, you could tell from the road that the backside of the house was lit up. As the three men exited their cars, Kel said, “They must be outside by the pool.”

  The sight that met them when they walked around the house to the pool shocked them all. The three women were asleep in their wet bathing suits, sprawled on the padded loungers, snoring.

  “Well, doesn’t this beat all?” Rand said as he walked by each one, stopping to take their pulse. Shaking his head ruefully, he said, “My professional opinion is that they are intoxicated.”

  Kel bent over Laura, and gripping her jaw, he moved her head back and forth, trying to wake her. “Laura, wake up,” he called. “C’mon babe, open your eyes.” She made soft mewling sounds of protest, then blinked and gave him a lopsided smile.

  Cayce, with Joshua still sleeping in his arms, straddled the chair Paige was on, in effect, straddling her also. He made a circling motion with his hips and whispered so only she could hear, “Well, now that your inhibitions are down the tube, baby, ride this cowboy!”

  “Are you sure you’re a real pastor?” Kel asked with a wide grin as he looked over at Cayce while he was doing his little pelvis thing. Apparently he’d overheard.