Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters)

by Satin Russell

  Her sock!

  Desperately, Olivia toed her sneaker off and reached down her leg, wrenching the fabric off her foot. It was a hassle, but she took another moment to grab the shoe with her toe and wrestle it back on. She didn’t want to be without a shoe if she got a chance to run.

  Cautiously, she fed the cotton fabric into the hole, nervous that she might drop it straight through. Instead, she ended up overcompensating and gripping the fabric tightly with the other hand.

  Finally, the length of the sock was hanging out of the trunk. She jiggled it frantically, hoping the small, white flag would catch someone’s attention and she’d get some help.

  After all the effort it had taken for her to get this far, it was a little disappointing when she didn’t get any results after five minutes. Disheartened, she kept at it, limply shifting the sock back and forth.

  Her head was one giant ball of pain, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes open and focused on the task she’d set for herself. Tears welled up behind her eyes as the weight of her situation came back to the foreground.

  What if no one saw her distress signal? What was she going to do?

  She thought longingly of the little pink canister of pepper spray her sister had given her. Too bad it was attached to her keys, which were probably still hanging from the ignition in her car.

  With one hand grasping her sock, she wrapped the other one around the reassuring weight of the tire iron. At least she’d managed to find some sort of weapon.

  Her mouth firmed. The minute she felt the car stop, she would pull the sock back in and get ready to fight. He was not going to find her an easy target.

  With that thought in mind, she felt slightly more comforted and lay her head on the pillow of her bicep. The best thing she could do right now was keep trying to get someone’s attention and conserve her energy.

  Minutes dragged on, blurring into each other. She tried to stay alert, but caught herself drifting off a few times. Her mind followed along with the lyrics of the newest song. “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me…”

  She hoped she’d be home for Christmas, too. If she didn’t get out of the trunk, though, she doubted she’d ever make it back home again.

  Stop it! You have to stay positive! Silently, she admonished herself and fought to stay as aware of her surroundings as possible.

  If it hadn’t been for the cold, she probably would have fallen asleep a long time ago. Instead, with nothing but a light jacket, t-shirt, and jeans on, she was suffering violent, full-body shivers…which wasn’t doing anything good for the throbbing in her head.

  Every few minutes, she alternated the hand holding the sock and blew on her frozen fingertips. They must have been driving for at least a couple of hours now, hadn’t they? Where on Earth was he taking her?

  Just as the thought crossed her mind, the car began to slow down again. It was nearly to a stop when he took a sharp ninety degree turn to the right.

  The tires beneath her rumbled as the car began to jounce up and down fitfully. Wherever this side road was, it was unpaved.

  Olivia had seen lots of roads like this in Maine, especially farther north, where there was a whole lot of forest and very few people. That would also explain why her sock flag of desperation hadn’t caught anyone’s attention.

  The ride got rougher as the road got worse, and she found herself using both hands just to keep from being tossed from one side of the trunk to the other. At some point, she realized she’d let go of the sock and it had fallen out of the trunk.

  The water runoff from the previous snows had created a washboard effect on the road they were on. It would help if the bastard would slow down a little, but it seemed the longer they traveled the faster he went.

  Olivia wondered how close his destination was when one particularly bad bump had her smacking her head against the underside of the trunk lid. Her temple landed down on the end of the tire iron.

  Pain and blackness enveloped her once more.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Mason hopped back in his truck. He really wished he had thought about filling his tank up before he was running ten minutes late. Sighing, he adjusted his rearview mirror and was just about to pull out of the lot when a white Mercedes cut him off.

  “Watch it, jerk!” He muttered under his breath, and then reminded himself to calm down. It wouldn’t do to arrive in Boston stressed out.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. The whole day, he’d been feeling a little off. Hopefully, it wouldn’t affect him during the session. Hell, it was probably today’s appointment that was causing him to feel so disconcerted.

  Trying to shake off the eerie feeling, Mason cranked up the radio. With any luck traffic wouldn’t be too bad and he could make good time. With that thought in mind, he floored the gas pedal. By the time he reached the city, he had barely enough time to park his car and rush to the office.

  An hour later, he had a pounding headache and felt like he’d just been put through the emotional wringer. How many more times would he have to recount what had happened between him and his partner before he’d be able to do so without getting choked up? Mason strode down the hallway, the soles of his shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor.

  The fact that the very same man was now stalking Olivia left him feeling raw and angry. At least now he had enough evidence that people believed him. It had been even worse when everybody thought he was jumping at ghosts.

  He didn’t like being this far away from Olivia with the situation being what it was. However, if he had to be in Boston he might as well see if there had been any new breaks in the case and make the visit worth something. With that thought in mind, Mason shifted directions and headed towards Captain Field’s office.

  Giving a perfunctory knock, Mason poked his head through the doorway and watched as the older man hung up the phone and waved him in.

  “Mason! Speak of the devil. That was Dr. Patel. He said the meeting went well, and if your other sessions go as well as today, you should be set to come back first thing after the holidays.”

  The thought should have had him feeling a bit more excited, but Mason was surprised to find he felt vaguely ambivalent about it.

  “Well, glad to hear it. Sorry for dropping in on you like this, but I wanted to talk to you about the case.”

  The captain gave him a knowing look. “Of course you did. How is Olivia holding up so far?”

  Mason sat down in the chair across from the other man. “As well as one can hope. She’s anxious and feeling antsy, as you would expect.”

  “Well, I can understand that. You let her know we’re doing everything we can to find this guy.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. I have to tell you, I don’t feel comfortable leaving her in this dangerous situation to come back to work, assuming he’s still out there after Christmas.”

  The captain leaned back in his chair, the springs protesting loudly. He pinned him with a steely look. “Mason…”

  Mason’s jaw hardened and a determined gleam entered his eyes. He respected this man, and appreciated the amount of time he’d already been given, but this was too important.

  Sensing an argument, the captain hesitated. He’d seen that stubborn expression on the younger man’s face enough times to know a brick wall when he saw one.

  “Look, let’s cross that bridge if we get to it.”

  “’That bridge,’ as you put it, is next week. Christmas is fast approaching and I don’t see us making much headway,” Mason pointed out.

  The captain sighed. “The best thing we can do for her is focus on catching this guy before it becomes an issue.”

  Mason couldn’t fault the logic behind that. “So, what have you got for me? Anything new?”

  “Actually,” he reached over and grabbed the omnipresent manila folder, “yes. I’m glad you stopped in before heading back up. Apparently, his mother owned a cabin in Maine.”

  “What? Why didn’t we know this before?”

&nb
sp; The captain raised his hands. “It was under her maiden name, so it took some digging. She must have inherited it from her father’s estate when he passed away. We suspect that’s where he’s been holing up.”

  Mason began to get a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. This was the right track, he knew it. He stood up. “What’s the address, sir?”

  Captain Fields handed the folder to Mason. “Take this one, it’s your copy. Well, technically, it’s the Bath, Maine police department’s copy. See that they get it.”

  Nodding, Mason gave the other man a terse smile. “Thanks. I appreciate all you’ve done for me regarding this case. Not a lot of people would have let me stay in the loop like you have.”

  His boss looked Mason directly in the eye. “Detective Ryan was a good man. He deserves some justice, and you deserve some peace. I expect to hear a report on whatever happens at that address, you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And, you will be coming back after the holiday, correct?”

  “Assuming this is finished, you can count on it, sir.”

  Giving a harrumph at the equivocation, the captain accepted Mason’s answer and nodded. “You should probably get going then.”

  Mason eagerly strode out of the office and down the hallway towards the parking garage. Now that they had finally found their first good lead on where this guy might be, he was anxious to get back up to Maine as soon as possible.

  Mason had pulled into the small town about twenty minutes from his sister’s house when he fished his phone out of his jacket and turned it on. He’d forgotten he’d turned it off for his meeting with the shrink. Surprised, he noticed there were missed calls from his sister, and from an unfamiliar number.

  Melody answered immediately. “Mason, thank goodness. Where have you been?”

  “What’s up, Mel?”

  “Didn’t you get my message? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all afternoon. Olivia is missing.”

  “What? She was supposed to go directly over to your place after I left.”

  “I know. When I spoke to her she was just leaving the house. I told her I was going to run down to the basement to grab some ornaments and she could help me decorate the tree this afternoon.

  “Thirty minutes later, I still hadn’t seen her. I tried to call, but she didn’t answer. That’s when I noticed her car was parked out front. Mason, the door had been left open and the keys were still in the ignition.”

  Fear balled in Mason’s stomach and the drumbeat of doom that had been plaguing him all day began to pound in earnest in his chest. He pulled to the side of the road and dug the address out of the folder sitting on the passenger seat beside him. “Have you contacted Brad?”

  “Yes, he’s out canvasing the area, but hasn’t found anything yet. I called Liz, as well. She’s here with me. I haven’t been able to reach Fiona.”

  Aw hell. “Okay, I may have a lead on where Robert has been staying. He probably took her there. I need to call Brad and let him know what’s going on. When was the last time you talked to her?”

  “It was just after you left, so…a little after noon? Oh, Mason. What if that son of a bitch got ahold of her?”

  “I think we can safely assume that’s happened. I’ve got to go. Call me if you hear from her.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and frantically plugged the cabin’s address into the GPS. After looking at the map, he wrenched the steering wheel around and headed north out of town. With one hand on the wheel, he dialed the local PD and reminded himself to pay attention to his driving as he barreled down the highway.

  “Bath Police Department.”

  “Is Officer Brad Thompson available? This is Mason Clark; it’s an emergency.”

  “I’ll patch you through. One moment please.”

  “Officer Thompson.”

  “Brad? Mason. I just spoke to my sister and found out Olivia is missing.”

  “Mason, I tried calling you, but your phone was off.”

  “I was in a meeting. I think I may know where he’s taken her. I’m on my way there now.”

  “What? Where?”

  Mason told him about the cabin they’d only just discovered. “I’m on the highway headed north now.”

  He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. “Technically, this is a police matter, and as much leniency as I’ve allowed, you don’t actually have jurisdiction here…”

  Mason opened his mouth to protest. “Brad…”

  “I know. I’m going to inform my captain about what’s going on and give him the location of the cabin. He’ll contact the department up there and see if we can’t get some eyes on the address. I’m right behind you.”

  He felt better knowing there would be a number of law enforcement personnel helping to find Olivia, but he still felt a grinding, raw sensation when he thought about her in that sicko’s hands.

  Brad heard the silence from the other man and realized what he must be thinking. “Don’t worry, Mason. We’ll get her back.”

  “That’s not what’s concerning me. I know we will. But what damage will be done before we do?”

  “You can’t think like that, man. It’s not going to do anything but hurt you and interfere with your concentration. The best thing you can do for Olivia right now is focus on the task at hand.”

  “Will do.” Mason hung up. Luckily, traffic was light. There was another storm slated to pass through later that night, and most people had scurried home early from work in order to be off the roads.

  Driven by a sense of urgency, Mason gunned the truck and shot down the two lane highway. He only hoped he could get there in time. If his calculation was correct, then Mendez had nearly three hours on them by this point.

  His phone’s navigator indicated it took a little over two hours to get to the cabin, so maybe Olivia was still in the car, or had just arrived. There was still hope that he could stop her from being hurt.

  Some part of himself that he couldn’t afford to acknowledge was wailing at the thought of her in the hands of that madman. The knuckles on his fingers turned white as he gripped the steering wheel and strained to control his urge to howl.

  Night came early in northern Maine during the winter, especially with another snowstorm projected to hit the region the next morning. The few cars on the road already had their headlights turned on, and the woods on both sides of the road were shrouded in shadows.

  Cruising down the road, Mason ran through the list of events again through his mind, wondering how any of this could have been prevented.

  The shrill ring of his phone pierced his ruminations. “Yeah?”

  “It’s Brad. I spoke to my captain and he’s aware of the situation. He said there’s been a major accident and most of the officers up there are tied up dealing with it. I’m about thirty-five minutes behind you. I’m hoping my siren will help me catch up.”

  “Damn.” Mason sped up a little more. “Look, I appreciate everything you’re doing, and keeping me in the loop. But I want you to know, if I see something happening, I’m not waiting to go in.”

  Silence filled the air for a moment. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. If Olivia is in danger or being hurt, you absolutely should go in.”

  A tone of authority infused Brad’s voice. “But, remember, this isn’t vigilante justice for your partner. I expect Mendez to be taken into custody.”

  Mason’s gorge rose when he thought about the guy who had killed his partner getting a chance to live out his years in prison. Or worse, what if he got off on a technicality and walked free?

  Sensing his hesitation, Brad continued. “You swore to uphold the law when you became a cop. The system only works if we all agree to abide by it. Especially the ones who are expected to enforce it. I need your word, Mason.”

  Mason knew the other man was right, even if he didn’t like it. He’d have to trust the system to give Robert the justice he deserved. “You have it. I will do everything I can to deliver him safely into your custody.
”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  Mason hung up the phone. He’d been pushing twenty miles over the speed limit, but began to slow down slightly as night deepened around him. The last thing he needed was to hit a deer out here.

  Or worse, go flying past the turn-off.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  The first thing Olivia became aware of was the vise grip of the pain throbbing in her head. Her whole world was surrounded by the misery emanating from her skull. Even her groan of pain caused pain.

  Her arms were stretched up above her and she could feel her fingertips tingling from lack of circulation. She tried to pull them down and realized there was something chafing her wrists, preventing her from doing so. With that, her eyes popped open and she moved her head to look up.

  Big mistake.

  Spears of agony split her head in two and skittered down her neck. The wave of pain was so intense it made her stomach roll. Carefully, she let out a breath and fought to keep the nausea at bay.

  How was she going to be able to fight when she wasn’t even able to open her eyes or turn her head?

  Panic threatened to drown her as she thought about her options. If only she’d managed to stay conscious in the trunk, at least there she’d had a tire iron.

  Tears seeped out from under her lids and ran down towards her temples. Even crying hurt. The pressure behind her eyes began to build and throb as she took a moment to wallow in her sense of helplessness.

  Pull yourself together. You’re not going to beat this guy simpering like that! The part of her that was a survivalist ruthlessly berated her tears and urged her to fight. After another moment, she took a deep breath and began trying to calm herself once more.

  She knew that Mason had to have realized something was wrong. He probably had gotten out of his evaluation hours ago. He was probably looking for her right now.

  The best thing she could do was keep her wits about her and look for an opportunity to get away. Barring that, maybe she could hold the bastard off long enough for someone to rescue her.