Zapped

by Carol Higgins Clark

  So many things happen by chance, Georgina thought bitterly as she lit her cigarette. She inhaled, then sat up. Huck only got to know her roommate because he spent so much time hanging around their dorm room. At first, he’d told Georgina he “didn’t take to that girl.” So if she hadn’t been Georgina’s roommate, then he never would have realized that in fact, he did “take to that girl” quite a bit. And here I am for the first time in the sacred place that he promised to visit with me. He had promised to be by my side and comfort me when I finally stood at the spot where Nana left this earth. Where was he now? Georgina wondered. Where was her roommate now? Georgina ran her fingers through the grass. Did Nana’s blood spill right here? If it did, it’s all been washed away. Like every chance I had of living a normal happy life. She finished her cigarette, stubbed it out on the ground, then angrily threw the butt as far as she could.

  “Well, Chip, it’s time for your initiation into Georgina’s club of cheating losers. I know you were just pretending to like me, like all the others. It always ends up the same way.” She picked up the branding iron. Her hands were shaking.

  46

  Huck Darling and his bride, Isabelle, had been out with friends near his office on Wall Street when the blackout hit. They’d ended up having a great time. It turned into a big party at the restaurant where they were having dinner, and the owner gave them dessert for free. All the melting ice cream you could eat.

  Luckily Huck had driven his car to work that morning. After dinner, he and Isabelle had dropped their oh-so-fabulous, socially connected friends at their pads around town, and were about to pull into the garage of their building when Huck’s cell phone rang. It was his mother in New Jersey.

  “Huck, our lights are back on.”

  “That’s great, Mom. We’re still in the dark. Isabelle and I are just about to pull into the garage and walk up twelve flights of stairs—”

  Isabelle rolled her eyes. “It’s going to be awful. And I’m wearing these heels…”

  She’s beautiful and rich but definitely high maintenance, Huck thought. For him, the whole package was more than worth it.

  “If you’re in the car, why don’t you just drive out here? I’ll turn the air conditioner on in your room. It’ll be nice and cool when you get here.”

  “Mom, thanks for the offer, but it’s already late and I have to get to work early tomorrow. It’s a new job…”

  “You’ll have to go to work if there’s a blackout?”

  “Well, we won’t know that until the morning, now will we?” he tried to joke.

  Isabelle leaned over toward Huck’s phone. “I think we should come to your house,” she called out to her mother-in-law. “The thought of climbing up all those stairs to our hot, dark apartment filled with all those boxes…”

  “You see, dear? Why don’t you just drive on out? Make your bride happy.”

  Which is the worse of two evils? Huck wondered. Putting up with a cranky Isabelle in a hot apartment or facing a tough commute in the morning from New Jersey and risk being late for work?

  Isabelle looked at him with a sour expression. “Well?”

  47

  Clay’s cell phone rang as he and Lorraine were trudging down Sixth Avenue. He answered without checking to see who it was. Not good.

  “Hey, dude, I know you were upset about your bicycle. But what did you do with Diane’s tap shoes?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What do you mean what am I talking about? She took them off in the bathroom, and now they’re gone.”

  “It’s pretty dark in there. Take another look.”

  “We took a lot of looks. If you took them as some sort of joke to get even with her, okay. But bring them back now. She’s very upset.”

  “I’ll be home later.”

  “What is with you? She borrowed your bike because she really needed it. I know you’re mad but you’re overreacting.”

  “No, I’m not!” Clay shouted. “She had no right to use my bicycle without asking!”

  “Clay, this is important. Her agent called. The producers of the show want to see her again first thing in the morning. She’s been going crazy searching all over this apartment in the dark. She won’t be able to sleep tonight if those shoes aren’t back here.”

  Clay hung up and turned off his phone. “My roommate thinks I took his girlfriend’s shoes because I was mad about the flat tire. That’s good. I’d grabbed them before I knew about the flat. Now at least I have an excuse.”

  “Whatever works.” Lorraine sighed.

  In the low Forties they headed west. Fire trucks came racing down the block past them, and screeched to a halt at the end of the block. Flames were shooting out of the windows of the fourth floor of a small apartment building. Tenants were standing on the sidewalk and a crowd was gathering.

  A candle situated too close to a curtain had set it aflame. The apartment dwellers had done their best to get the fire under control but finally gave up and roused their fellow tenants.

  Lorraine and Clay paused to watch the excitement. The flames lit up the night sky.

  A woman near Lorraine gasped. Lorraine turned her head.

  “Didn’t I see you on The Darkest Days?” the older woman cried. She had her hair pulled back in a bun and was dressed in a long nightgown that was partially covered by a lightweight bathrobe. Her feet were stuffed into fluffy bedroom slippers.

  Lorraine smiled. “Yes, I had a nice part on that last year. I was in several episodes.”

  “You don’t have to tell me! That’s my favorite soap opera of all time. They should bring your character back.”

  “Do you live in that building?” Clay asked with concern, trying to change the subject so they could make their exit. Now he was really desperate for the money to get a new apartment.

  “Yes, it’ll be fine,” the woman answered dismissively. “They’ll get it under control. I’m on the ground floor which doesn’t seem to be affected.” She turned back to Lorraine. “I’m going to write to the producers and tell them I saw you tonight, and they should bring you back—”

  Lorraine cringed at the thought of letters to producers.

  “—you were so convincing as a conniving you-know-what.” The woman laughed, then pretended to whisper. “I won’t tell them you were wearing ugly but comfortable shoes.” She held up one foot. “I’m just like you, I love for my feet to feel good. I wear these all day at home. I can’t bear to throw them out no matter how ratty they get.”

  Lorraine smiled through gritted teeth. “Thank you so much, but please don’t write any letters to the producers. I’m about to start a film and will be very busy—”

  “Which one?”

  “Lorraine, we’ve really got to be going,” Clay said.

  “And who are you?” the woman demanded.

  “I’m an actor, too.”

  “I’ve never seen you in anything.”

  “Oh, you will,” Lorraine said quickly. “He’s so talented. We really have to be going.”

  “Please just wait a minute. I want to get a picture with you. Someone around here must have a camera. My mother is not going to believe it…”

  48

  “Daddy, I feel terrible that we can’t find him. No one has,” Alexis said as she hung up her cell phone. She’d called Dodie, who said that there was no news and Chip’s family was getting more and more upset.

  “We’ll keep looking, dear,” Conrad promised as he steered the Rolls-Royce past the area on the West Side where the cruise ships docked. “It’s so dark here at night…”

  Alexis’s cell phone rang. It was always ringing. This time it was her mother. “Alexis, where are you? I called your father’s house and I was surprised you weren’t there yet.”

  “Mom, you won’t believe what happened,” Alexis said, then gave her mother a rundown of the events of the last couple of hours. “Becky is with us. She saw the couple get in a cab in front of the comedy club.”

  “Alexis,
be careful.”

  “We are. By the way, I think I saw Lorraine on the street near the Treetops Hotel.”

  Conrad looked at Alexis. “Did you have to bring that up to your mother?” he whispered.

  “Daddy says I shouldn’t have brought that up to you.”

  “What do I care? She’s out on the street instead of hanging around the bar of the most expensive hotel in the city looking to meet producers? She must be up to something.”

  “Totally.”

  “Put your father on.”

  “Hello, dear,” Conrad said wearily.

  “I’m not going to give you a hard time,” Penny assured him. “I just want to say it’s great that you’re helping search for that poor boy. Just be careful, please. And keep me updated. I’m not going to sleep until I know you’re on your way home again.”

  Conrad felt his heart twinge. Could those words be prophetic?

  49

  As Jack’s car zoomed up the West Side Highway, the tension in the car was increasing.

  “I wonder if Huck ever got married,” Regan said. “We never asked Arthur if there was another name on the real estate documents.”

  “I wonder if he married the roommate,” Kit scoffed.

  “If he is married, then maybe he’s more likely to be home,” Jack reasoned.

  They exited the highway at Seventy-second Street, made a quick left on West End Avenue and raced to the entrance of the Schwab House between Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth. The back of the building overlooked Riverside Drive, the West Side Highway, the Hudson River, and the cliffs of New Jersey.

  Regan and Jack were the first ones to dash out of the car.

  A doorman was sitting in the foyer, two lit candles on the table in front of him. He looked weary.

  Jack quickly identified himself and showed the doorman his badge. “We need to speak to one of your residents, Huck Darling. It’s very important. Do you know if he’s home?”

  The doorman snapped to attention. “You’re in luck. He just got home, but his wife was trying to convince him to drive out to New Jersey. He wouldn’t do it.”

  “What floor does he live on?” Jack demanded. “This is urgent.”

  “The twelfth. When you come out of the stairwell, his apartment is across the hall, first one to your left. But I don’t think I can let a group of people…”

  Jack grabbed Regan’s hand. “Understood. My wife and I are going up. The others will wait down here.”

  They took the steps in the dimly lit stairwell two at a time. When they reached the twelfth floor, they ran out into the hallway, found Huck Darling’s door, and rang the bell. Several times.

  “Who’s there?” a man called out.

  “Jack Reilly from the NYPD. Please open up.”

  The door was opened a crack, but the chain was on. “Show me your badge.”

  Quickly Jack complied.

  The man closed the door, unlatched the chain, and opened it again. “What’s going on?” he asked, alarm in his voice.

  Regan immediately noticed his blond hair. An attractive woman was standing a few feet behind him. Several candles had been lit in the apartment. The lights of New Jersey were visible through the living room window.

  “We’re sorry to disturb you, but this is important,” Jack explained. “Are you Huck Darling?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you know a Georgina Mathieson in college?”

  “What?” the woman asked, stepping closer. “A Georgina who?”

  “Yes, but not for long,” Darling answered nervously, ignoring his wife.

  “Did she tell you exactly where the accident that took her grandmother’s life occurred?”

  “I believe she did,” he said slowly.

  “You believe she did or she did?” Regan asked, already sure that she’d never like this guy. There was just something about him.

  “She did tell me.”

  “Where was it?” Regan asked, her voice clipped.

  He pointed out their living room window. “Right out there. On the West Side Highway just north of Seventy-second Street.”

  “Right there?” Regan asked, unable to hide the astonishment in her voice.

  “Yes, I went to check it out once. That’s what drew my attention to this building. I understand it was a terrible accident. I felt very sorry for Georgina, but I want you to know that Georgina was more than a little off—” he started to explain.

  It was too late. Regan and Jack were gone. What a shameless jerk, Regan thought as she and Jack raced down the steps to the lobby.

  50

  Georgina was heating up the branding iron with her lighter. The black metal was getting hotter and hotter. I’d have made a great little girl scout, she thought, glancing at the words on the brand—I AM A SNAKE.

  She started to get nervous and excited. She was breathing fast and her thoughts were racing. Being here at the spot where her grandmother died was making her even more agitated than she usually felt at this point.

  Georgina positioned herself next to Chip’s right arm. Wait a minute, she thought. He’s a lefty. I noticed that tonight. It’s much worse to have my brand on the arm you use most often. Just above the wrist, with the letters facing out for all the world to see.

  She stood up and walked around the motionless body. “My first lefty,” she whispered to him. “But certainly not my last.”

  51

  “The accident happened on the West Side Highway right behind here!” Regan shouted to Kit, Melanie, and Billy, as she and Jack hurried out the front door of the Schwab House.

  “Behind here?” Kit cried in disbelief. “And Georgina’s ex lives in this building?”

  “His apartment even has a view of the accident site,” Regan said with disgust as she and Jack starting running to the corner, followed by Melanie.

  Billy hesitated. “Kit, I don’t want to leave you alone…”

  “I’ll be okay!” Kit insisted. “Go ahead! I’ll catch up with you.”

  Billy turned and took off, joining the sprint down Seventy-third Street to Riverside Park. The park was a narrow, scenic, four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and Riverside Drive. It began at Seventy-second Street, where the West Side Highway became the Henry Hudson Parkway, and stretched four miles.

  “Wait a second,” Jack instructed after they all reached the park’s entrance at Seventy-second Street, where a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt greeted them. “It’s so dark here it’s impossible to see a foot in front of you without a flashlight. Let’s spread out a little and cover this area just north of Seventy-second Street without losing sight of each other’s lights. If Georgina’s in the park, let’s hope she didn’t wander too far from the scene of the accident, which I gather happened right up there.” He pointed to the highway where cars were speeding past the spot that had changed Georgina’s life.

  Silently, the four of them fanned out.

  She’s got to be very close to here, Regan thought as she hurried down a grassy knoll toward the highway underpass. If Georgina’s grandmother was thrown from a car above, depending on which direction she was traveling, she either landed right around here, or on the other side of the underpass closer to the river. Georgina may have wanted to take Chip down by the waterfront where it’s even more isolated. And if she left him there and he woke up disoriented, he could end up falling in and drowning. I have to look over there now, Regan thought with a sudden urgency. She turned, about to call out to Jack. But a sound, almost imperceptible, made her stop in her tracks.

  Several feet from Regan, behind a cluster of bushes, Georgina was on the ground facing the stone wall that extended up to the side of the highway. She had just flicked off her lighter. Staring at its flame as she heated up the brand and her total absorption in the task had put her into a trancelike state. With her right hand she was holding on tight to the handle of the scalding hot brand. Chip’s left arm was perfectly still on the ground. Narrowing her eyes, Georgina positioned the brand and aimed it at
his skin.

  “Stop!” a woman’s voice screamed as a light from behind suddenly illuminated the sickening sight.

  Startled, a wild-eyed Georgina turned her head toward the source of the light, then quickly turned her attention back to Chip. But it was too late. Arms reached around her torso, pulled her up, and yanked her back away from Chip’s body.

  Thank God, Regan thought, as they both fell backward to the ground, Georgina’s body landing on top of hers. Georgina, holding on to the branding iron more tightly than ever, started screaming as she twisted her body and flailed her arms, desperately trying to break free of Regan’s grasp.

  “Regan!” Jack yelled as he raced toward them.

  “Watch out! The brand!”

  In an instant, Jack, Melanie, and Billy were just feet away.

  “Train your flashlights on them!” Jack ordered.

  “Ahhhh,” Regan yelled as a corner of the brand grazed her left arm. With all her might, her arms around Georgina’s waist, Regan rolled their bodies to the right.

  Georgina extended her right arm outward as they rolled, keeping the brand a safe distance from herself. With lightning speed, Jack lunged forward and forcefully brought his foot down on Georgina’s right forearm, pinning it to the ground. He reached out and grabbed her left wrist, holding it tight.

  “Let go of the brand!” he commanded.

  “You’re hurting me!” she wailed, her fingers grasping the brand.

  “I said let go.”

  Jack’s foot pressed down harder on her arm. She cried out in pain and released her grip. Jack reached down, picked the brand up, and quickly handed it over to Billy. “Regan, are you okay?” he asked as he pulled Georgina to her feet and snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. “Did you get burned?”