by Rita Ames
“Hey, sorry if I woke you” he said sounding like the old Carl.
I said nothing, looking back at him, waiting for him to continue.
He just looked at me with a sad expression.
“You need to try and love me, Susie. It’s the only way either of us if going to survive this” he sighed and there was a deep sadness in his eyes that called out to me. This was the Carl who was my gentle friend. There was no sign of the monster that lurked within him. He seemed to be warning me. I was about to speak when he ran his hand gently down my cheek and rose to leave the room. I held my words, not knowing which Carl would hear them or if it would even make a difference.
I lay back wondering what that was all about. It was as if he were two separate people fighting for dominance within one body. I shivered, hoping that I could maybe appeal to his gentle side so that I could escape. I went back to sleep resolved not to just wait any longer but to come up with some plan. I either needed to get away by myself, or I needed to delay anything bad happening, long enough for Ben to find me. I knew that he would be searching for me.
The thought of Ben worrying about me was breaking my heart. He had been so strong for me and I knew that I was falling in love with him. I almost laughed out loud. It was ironic that when I finally found someone with whom I could build a proper life, fate seemed to have other ideas. I wondered what awful things I had done in my previous lives to deserve this.
Another thought came to me when I woke up the next morning. “Hari!” Who was going to take care of my cat? I needed to get out of here soon. The thought of Hari going hungry and thinking I had abandoned her was too much.
Carl came into the room with breakfast and we went through the embarrassing ritual of me eating, him taking me to the bathroom, then bringing me back and securing my hands again. At least I was allowed to have a quick wash with the bathroom door just slightly ajar. I felt a little better after that.
When I was finally secured and on the bed again I decided to broach the subject of Hari.
“Carl” he looked at me as he was about to leave the room.
“Speaking to me now?” he smirked. I had not spoken a word since he came in.
“I’m worried about Hari” I said pleading him with my eyes.
He looked surprised “I forgot about the cat” he said frowning “Don’t worry, I am sure one of your neighbours will feed it” he said seeming satisfied with that explanation.
“Not if she was in the apartment” I replied “There is no cat flap so I have to let her in and out”
He considered this and seemed to shrug moving to leave the room.
“Please Carl!” I shouted stopping him “I can’t relax until I know she is safe” I allowed a tear to escape.
He studied me and finally said “I’ll have to go back and get her but it will take a few hours”
“I don’t mind” I said desperately, thinking some time on my own might allow me to get loose from the bindings.
“I need to think about it” he said and left me.
For the next hour I was frantic, wondering if he would take the bait and leave me or if I had just ensured my cat would starve to death.
Finally, he came back into the room carrying a length of chain and a tool bag. I watched as he proceeded to fix metal rings to the wall, through which he threaded the chain. He then looped the chain around one of the legs on the bed and at last, not looking me in the eye, fitted a metal cuff to one of the ankles to which the chain was now attached.
I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. All thoughts of being able to escape were now blown to pieces.
He came back into the room with a bucket and a couple of drinking cups.
“I’m going to get the Cat for you” said Carl “Use this bucket if the need the bathroom and there are a couple of protein shakes on the side there. You can reach them without hands, just use the straws” he smiled as if he had been reading my thoughts.
You bastard, I thought, intending to spend my time planning many ways in which to make him pay for what he was putting me through.
He came near me and placed a kiss on my forehead. I tried to move away and he laughed.
“I will be a few hours, try to miss me” he winked and left me yet again.
I lay back looking at the ceiling. At least I did not have to worry about him coming in again for a while, although I was determined that the bucket was definitely not going to get used.
Carl
I cursed myself yet again for my complete incompetence. Why had I not thought about the cat? I should have known that Susie would be anxious about the mangy animal. She would not forgive me if anything happened to it. I had no love for it, but I couldn’t risk anything that would prevent Susie from being happy and finally accepting me.
I therefore had no choice but to go back to Salisbury and get the damn animal. It was a good thing I was going to retire my previous activities once Susie and I were living in domestic bliss. I honestly believed that my abilities had taken a severe downturn since my accident.
Maybe I would look up the driver of the truck that hit me and pay him a little visit. The thought made me feel much better. I would use the car journey to think up some delightful ways to make the bastard pay for the damage he had done to me.
After setting Susie up with some extra security precautions (she hadn’t liked that one bit) along with some food; I set off, resigned to a 6 hour round trip.
*******
Pulling up down the road from Susie’s apartment I waited and watched for a while to ensure all was clear.
I bounded up the stairs quickly and fished in my pocket for the key. Out of habit I knocked on the door. I laughed, wondering who the hell I thought would open it since Susie was currently in Plymouth.
I was about to put the key in the lock when I noticed the damage to the door. The lock looked different. I tried the key, already knowing it would not fit.
“Damn” I muttered. Someone had broken into the apartment and replaced the lock. “That fucking Detective!” I opened the letterbox and listened. Nothing. I tried softly calling out the Cat’s name. Still nothing.
I rocked back on my heels, considering what to do. I was pretty sure that the cat was not there. I bet Detective Fucker already picked him up. I added that to the list of reasons to adjust Detective Guyers face when I next saw him.
What a waste of a trip. Now I had to return to Susie and admit I didn’t know where the Cat was. I thought about it and decided that I would have to come up with a little story.
I headed back to my car and spent the return journey coming up with a reason why I had no Cat with me.
Ben
We had spent hours going through everything that was brought back from the storage unit. A whole incident room had been earmarked for it. Everything was carefully checked and bagged up to ensure there was no contamination. It was a long and laborious job, but if we didn’t do it right, then it could backfire on us in court.
Many cases were thrown out over issues with the handling of evidence and I was damned if Carl Dawson would get off on any technicalities.
We had sent samples off for DNA testing to try and link the bloodstained clothing and any fibres with any of the victims. This would take a while to come through as usual. I was getting frustrated with the delays because this had become personal for me.
Dave had been great in that he had kept certain things from his reports to our Superintendant so that my personal involvement with Susie was kept out of it. So far it had not had any bearing on our investigation but the Super could be a bit wary and might have pulled me off the case, just on the off chance that it would backfire. There was no way anyone was keeping me out of this.
During the search we did get lucky in that a necklace found in one of the boxes appeared to match what one of the missing girls from Birmingham had been wearing. It was not conclusive proof yet but if the DNA came back positive then we had enough evidence to send Carl Dawson away for several life sentences.
Add to that the fact that ground surveys being done in Aspen Woods had uncovered several older graves with remains. They had been disposed of much more thoroughly than the recent one but until we excavated the site we would not know any more. We were confident that all the pieces were beginning to come together. When this case exploded it was going to be big.
I was currently up to my knees, suited up and gloved sorting through another box when Dave came to the door looking excited.
“We’ve got him!” he shouted.
“What?” I said
“He went back to Susie’s apartment. We had someone watching it and they spotted his car pull up down the road. Our office was smart and kept down in his seat using the side mirror to watch”
“And?” I hated the way Dave liked to build the tension.
“He left quite quickly, probably because you changed the lock so he couldn’t get in. Our guy is tailing him now” Dave finally got to the point.
“Let’s go” I said pulling off my plastic apron and gloves.
“Hell yeah, game on!” Dave was such an adrenaline junky. I punched him in the arm.
“Ouch! Careful, that’s my gun arm” he said grumpily.
“Just make sure the tail knows not to try anything. We just need to know where he is going so that we have a chance to get to Susie” I said.
Dave got on the phone to inform the team that we were heading out to follow after them.
When we got to the car I decided to let Dave drive. My hands were shaking and I needed to get myself together if I was going to be any use to Susie.
Carl
I was about an hour from Plymouth when I noticed the tail.
“Damn!” I had been sure that no-one had seen me at Susie’s apartment. I was definitely losing my mojo and all these stupid errors I was making were beginning to seriously piss me off.
I kept a close eye on him, trying to decide how best to handle it. I would have to either lose him or get rid of him soon. I couldn’t leave Susie for much longer.
After trying several times to lose the car behind without any luck I began to keep an eye out for somewhere I could stop and deal with it.
On the way out of the last town I spotted a travellers Restaurant stop. Pulling into the car park I headed in, deciding to get something to eat while I mulled over my stalker problem.
As I munched on a bacon roll the stupid cop decided to play straight into my hands. He obviously thought he was so clever that I had no idea who or what he was. I, however, had been carefully observing him from my window seat.
He decided to enter the building to use the rest rooms, obviously having noted that I had just received my food. His assumption that I would be sat here for long enough, and that he could take a quick piss, really made me laugh. It was exactly what I was hoping for.
As soon as he entered the rest room I threw my napkin on the table and made my way out of the eating area.
I checked each way to ensure no-one else was heading to the Men’s room. I wouldn’t need long but I still didn’t want any other problems coming my way.
I was very aware that my physical fitness was below par due to my not being completely recovered from my accident yet. I still had some issues with strength and flexibility in my leg.
Spotting a ‘Wet Floor’ sign I grabbed it and placed it in front of the Men’s room door as a deterrent, backing into the room as I did so.
The cop was at the urinals with his back to me. Wasting no time I pulled out the wire I had in my pocket (I had taken it from my dashboard when I parked up), slipped it quickly over his head and pulled. Crossing the wires at the back and twisting them to tighten the pressure, there was no way he could pull it off.
I couldn’t resist watching his face in the mirror, eyes bugging out as his airway was restricted. This method proved remarkably easy for me. It required only upper body strength and most importantly, the element of surprised, both of which I had.
The guy was big, and if it had come down to a physical fight, I might not have been able to overpower him. This way he was halfway dead before his brain even had time to register the danger.
Less than 3 minutes and he was dead. I smiled into the mirror at his lifeless eyes, commending myself on another job well done. As his dead weight then fell, I struggled to hold him up, cursing him for his size.
I pulled him back into one of the cubicles and sat him down. Backing out I used his foot to slightly lodge the door shut so that customers would think it was occupied and leave well alone for a while.
I checked my reflection in the mirror and smoothed back my hair. I looked flushed but alive. Taking a deep and extremely satisfying breath, I left to get back to my love as quickly as possible. I only hoped she would forgive me for not bringing the Cat.
I finally pulled into the driveway about an hour later. I was regretting not having had the chance to finish my food back at the restaurant. Once I had checked on Susie I would cook us a nice meal and we could eat it together.
Susie
It had seemed like forever since Carl had left me alone. I was sure that if he was any longer then I would have no choice but to use the damn bucket.
I had spent the first two hours trying to work the bindings on my wrists free. All I had gained were very sore and swollen joints. I pulled at the metal cuff on my left leg and knew that I had no way of getting it off. Even if I managed to free my hands, I would still be secured by my feet.
About an hour before, I had finally given in to the rumbling of my stomach and drank one of the protein shakes. It had eased the discomfort but the result was that I now needed to relieve myself rather badly.
I was adamant that I would not use a damn bucket. It was beyond humiliating, which I was sure, would please ‘Evil’ Carl. I was referring to Carl’s alter ego as ‘Evil’ Carl as a way to distinguish between them in my head. I refused to believe that my ‘Friend’ Carl would ever put me through such an abhorrent situation.
I heard the front door open and close and, although I had no wish to spend any time with my kidnapper, I sighed with relief that I could use the bathroom soon.
I waited silently, listening to every sound of movement, silently begging him to come and assist me. I was tapping my legs together in an effort to keep my mind off the need to pee. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to think of something else. If Carl didn’t get his lazy butt up those stairs soon I was going to let him have it with both barrels. I laughed at myself for being so angry when it was highly likely I could be dead very soon. That thought sobered me and I lie still, no longer wishing to think anymore.
Finally, he appeared at the door.
“I need the bathroom now!” I shouted at him.
He laughed at my obvious desperation. Laughed!
“I see you are above using a bucket” he stated as he began to unclip the metal cuff.
After freeing my hands he scooped me up into his arms. I really hated that. It was too close for comfort and brought back memories of that horrible Sunday morning when he had overpowered me. I closed my eyes and tried not to inhale his scent. I knew it would make me gag and right now I needed to pee more than anything. I simply endured being carried and sank onto the toilet with a huge sigh of relief.
Outside the door the bastard was still chuckling. I decided I would now torture him before killing him, if I ever got the chance.
I took the chance to freshen up at the sink, not knowing how long before I would get another chance. Catching my reflection in the mirror, I grimaced. What was left of the minimal make-up I had applied the day before now rested mostly upon my cheeks. I washed it off and tried to smooth out the creases which were giving my shift dress a crumpled linen look.
“I look a mess” I said to myself as I looked at my reflection.
Carl was obviously listening a little too close to the door as he chuckled again.
“Don’t worry baby, I have some new clothes for you. We can get you into some when we get you back to the room.” He said.
“Why didn’t you just collect some of mine while you were at my apartment?” I asked “and where is Hari? You did get her?” I realised I hadn’t heard my Cat who was supposed to be here now.
Carl’s eyes widened and I thought I saw nervousness in them, which was quickly replaced by another confident smirk.
“I decided the long journey might be too much for Hari on top of having to get used to a new house. Therefore I left her with one of your neighbours” he said “I gave her some cat food as well.”
I looked at him trying to work out if he was telling the truth. He stared back at me and smirked again. I knew that I would have to accept his explanation. I had no way to check on it anyway so what was the point in arguing?
“Hari had better be hale and hearty when I see her next or else” I said vehemently. He laughed again. “And stop fucking laughing at me!” I had had enough now.
“Okay, Okay” he said picking me up again and carrying me back to the bedroom.
“Can’t I come downstairs?” I asked “It’s pretty boring up here” I tried to look pleading and to hide my anger.
He studied me as if considering.
“Soon. I still have some things to sort out and I am now behind with the work due to my little trip today” he said “I will cook us something nice for dinner and we can have a lovely meal together this evening” he seemed pleased with himself, and left the room without another word.
I flung myself back on the mattress in frustration as I listened to Carl clanking about in the kitchen downstairs.
Ben
We were about an hour behind our guy tailing Carl when Dave answered his phone.
“Yeah” he said “Uh huh” he said.
“What?” I asked impatient for an update.
“You sure?” he said.
“What the fuck is it?” I was losing it and I knew it. My eagerness to get to Susie was overpowering my usual calm thinking.
“Apparently we’ve lost contact with Greg, the guy tailing Carl. The last call said he was sitting in a restaurant car park while our guy was having lunch. He’s 15 minutes overdue for his check-in” Dave sighed.
