The Taking of Eden

by Robin Alexander

Al smiled and rubbed his weary brow. "As you know, Eden is like a daughter to me. As a mother, I'm certain you can understand why I'm so concerned for her well-being, so if I'm abrupt sometimes, please excuse this old man."

  The detective paused for a moment and looked Al in the eyes. "That's precisely why I came here in person to deliver the news, Mr. Pittman. If that was one of my children out there, I would kill or die to make sure she was returned safely." She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I have an idea of what you may be going through, and I can assure you that finding Eden is my top priority."

  Al held up his arm, and Detective Salamoni grinned as she looped her arm with his, continuing their walk.

  Jamie coughed as she inhaled the sweet smoke from the pipe she had been puffing on. Eden sat across from her with one clamped in her teeth, giggling.

  "It's not a cigarette, but it's kind of calming anyway," Jamie said with a snort. "I'm glad Donald left one of his pipe kits here."

  "I can't picture you as a cigarette smoker," Eden said with a grin.

  "I quit about three years ago," Jamie said as she enjoyed the aroma of the cherry tobacco. "This smell brings back memories of working with Donald. I miss him."

  "I'm afraid I don't remember that much about him, but the way you look when you talk about him tells me that he's more than just a former co-worker."

  "He taught me so much," Jamie said with a sad smile. "He took me under his wing and was like a father to me. Whenever I faced a difficult situation, he was always right there behind me, gently encouraging."

  Eden stared off into the distance for a moment. Jamie's description of Dr. Briggs stirred something within her. Hazy images flittered through her mind, and she was filled with sadness and longing but unable to identify why.

  Jamie watched as myriad emotions displayed on Eden's face. "Are you okay?" she asked when Eden looked as though she would cry.

  "I remember more each day, but sometimes...I feel more than I remember. Just a second ago, I had such a feeling of homesickness when you were talking about Donald. I guess he just reminded me of someone I can't place yet."

  "You told me about your grandfather the other day, maybe it's him you miss," Jamie offered.

  "No, he passed away a long time ago. This person is in my life now."

  "Well, we'll just have to keep talking to jog your memory."

  Eden relit her pipe and puffed it for a moment. "Okay, we have coffee and nicotine; it's time to tell me your story."

  "I've already told you about my family, that just leaves my love life, and it's null and void at the moment. So, no, there's no one waiting at home for me."

  "Here's to the single life," Eden said as she raised her cup in a toast. Jamie clanked her cup with hers.

  "So you like being single?" Jamie asked. "Are relationships too complicated for you?"

  "I'd love to be in a relationship," Eden answered wistfully, "with someone who made my heart flutter each time she walks into a room, but I've nearly given up on such romantic notions."

  "Did you feel that way about Laura when you first met her?"

  Eden grimaced and looked away. "When we first met, I was actually intrigued by her arrogance. I admired how she brazenly took control of every situation and made it her own."

  "How did you meet her?" Jamie asked.

  "An acquaintance of mine knew someone she dated. One night, we were at dinner and Laura stopped at our table to say hello. She wound up sitting with us and having a few drinks. She was charming and extremely good looking, and before the night was over, she asked me out."

  Jamie felt a twinge of jealousy when Eden admitted that Laura was good looking. It was that moment she came to terms with her attraction to Eden. She was hooked. "What's the last memory you have of Laura?"

  "I remember her being very hurt and angry."

  "How does that make you feel?" Jamie asked, hoping it wasn't obvious that she was prying.

  Eden thought for a minute. "I felt sorry for her because I didn't mean to hurt her, but the other side of me felt relieved for telling her the truth. I just couldn't make myself feel anything for her."

  "Was there anyone else who may have stolen your interest?"

  Eden sighed. "No, I just wanted out."

  The green-eyed monster of jealousy was rearing its ugly head, but Jamie could not stifle the desire to learn more of the woman who had shared Eden's bed. "Was the companionship you spoke of strictly sexual or was there something more?" The words were out of her mouth as quickly as they swirled through her brain, causing Jamie to look away in embarrassment.

  Eden grinned with a twinkle in her eye. "Ah, you want to know if I stayed with her because the sex was great."

  Jamie's face flushed red. "That was extremely personal, and I'm sorry."

  Eden threw back her head and laughed. "Well, we're baring our souls here, so there's no need to be embarrassed. Yes, the sex was great. Laura was a voracious lover, but even mind-blowing great sex was not enough to make me stay with her."

  The image of Eden in the arms of another woman flittered through Jamie's mind. Hands roaming over the smooth body that she had gotten a good look at filled her with jealousy and arousal. "I'm getting a little tired, how about we call it a night?" Jamie said abruptly.

  Eden noticed the change but said nothing. Instead she simply gathered their things and followed Jamie inside, with a knowing smirk on her face.

  As they walked in, Jamie looked up at the loft and thought of the bed. "If you're feeling strong enough to make it up the ladder you can have the bed tonight. I'll be happy to take the couch."

  "That couch has some very uncomfortable spots in it. We can share the bed. I promise not to bite," Eden said with a grin.

  Jamie's heart rate sped up upon considering sharing a bed with Eden. "That's all the more reason you should have the bed to yourself. You'll sleep much better up there."

  "I won't sleep any better knowing you're down here on that couch or chair."

  Jamie laid her head on the pillow, careful not to get too close to the middle of the bed. Eden had already turned on her side facing away from her, and her deep breathing assured Jamie she was asleep.

  Jamie lay there for a long time thinking about Holly and wondering if she was safe. When the anger cooled, the feeling of loss and sadness filled the void. She said a silent prayer for her safety just before slipping off to sleep.

  When the first few rays of the dawning day fell across the bed, Jamie awoke with a start. She opened one eye and realized that her hand lay in the middle of Eden's chest. She could feel the steady heartbeat underneath her fingertips, and the urge to run her fingers over soft skin startled her. Quickly, she pulled the hand that betrayed her close to her body. She lay there for a long time looking at Eden's profile before drifting back to sleep.

  Eden counted to three hundred forty while waiting for Jamie to fall back to sleep. She awoke just before Jamie and was enjoying the feel of her touch, even if she wasn't aware of it. When she felt Jamie awaken, she controlled her heartbeat by counting, afraid to give away the fact that her touch excited her.

  Slowly, she crept out of bed, dressed, and made her way down the ladder with an ear-to-ear grin.

  "Our pantry is looking a little bare," Jamie said as she joined Eden at the breakfast table a little later. "I hope Paul pays us a visit soon. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of soup."

  "Do you like fish?" Eden asked.

  "Yeah, I do, and Donald has several rods and reels in the closet. You want to try catching our dinner?" Jamie said with a smile.

  "What else do we have to do with our time?" Eden replied with a wicked grin.

  When Detective Salamoni and the interrogation team assimilated the pieces of the puzzle that tied Laura and Susan to Eden's disappearance, both women turned on each other. Susan was the first to confess that Laura came up with the scheme and she was the unwitting accomplice.

  Laura, the more manipulative of the two, wove a tale that made he
r look like a lovesick fool. "I was hurt, so I went along with Susan's idea. I thought it would be a great payback for her to wake up one morning in a mental health facility." Laura paused for effect and dabbed at the tears under her eyes. "I know it was malicious, but she broke my heart. I never dreamed Susan would take it to the level she did."

  She could see the empathy in the eyes of the two male detectives who questioned her, and it spurned her act on.

  "After Eden was tucked away in the clinic, Susan and Carmen took over. Susan threatened to tell Eden that I had done it all, and I was afraid Eden would sue my father, so I went along with the plan," Laura said, sounding like a frightened child.

  One of her attorneys rubbed the back of his emotional client as she gave her statement.

  "Then one morning, Susan called and told me to get to the clinic because there was an emergency. I was terrified something bad had happened to Eden. When I arrived, I found Susan in Carmen's office. She was covered in blood and Carmen was on the floor. Susan cleaned up and gave me her clothes to dispose of while she told me that two nurses had taken Eden." Laura broke into sobs.

  One of the detectives handed Laura a box of tissues while the other poured her a glass of water. They waited patiently for her to continue. Laura composed herself, silently feeling that she had them in the palm of her hand.

  "Susan told me that she killed Carmen so there wouldn't be any fear of her caving in and confessing that she had taken part in our plan. She told me if I didn't continue to go along, she would kill me, too. I was so scared!" Laura screamed.

  "So what did you do with her clothing?" One of the detectives asked calmly.

  "I put it in a plastic bag and hid it in my house for the day when I felt I could tell the truth." Laura continued to sob as the detectives made notes and recorded the rest of her statement.

  Detective Salamoni watched the conversation in disgust. She despised Laura the minute she laid eyes on her. She had heard once that it takes a genius to play a fool, and she was certain that Laura was not the innocent pawn she pretended to be.

  With the damning evidence stacked against her, Susan took matters into her own hands. They found her one morning in her cell with a sheet tied securely around her neck. She never told a soul about her deal with Mason. That secret went with her to the grave. Their plan was irreversible now. Mason would not stop until Eden Carlton and her rescuers were dead.

  Eden watched as the shiny spinner returned to her once again without a fish. She sighed and cast it out again. "Are you getting anything over there?" she called to Jamie, who stood at a safe distance on the bank. She rubbed at the small cut on her arm, where the spinner bait had caught her on one of Eden's many casts.

  "No, you're the only one who has hooked anything," she called back with a frown.

  "I'm sorry!" Eden yelled back as something hit her line. "Oh, shit!" she screamed as she began to struggle with the fish. Jamie dropped her pole and ran to her side.

  "Don't let it go, Eden, keep reeling," she said excitedly as she readied the net. "Get it close to the pier and I'll grab it."

  The fish flopped around on the dock, as they both stared at it in awe. The only thing keeping it from going back into the water was the net it was tangled in.

  "You take it off the hook," Eden said as she avoided the flopping creature.

  "You caught it; you take it off the hook."

  "I'm not touching that thing. What if it bites?" Eden asked as she circled it warily.

  "Okay, okay, here's what we'll do. I'll hold its mouth with the pliers. You take the hook out."

  "Did you miss the part about it biting me?" Eden said as she backed away.

  Jamie put her hands on her hips. "Eden, they don't bite!"

  "Then how did it get the hook in its mouth, and why did you ask me if I had a bite earlier?"

  "Here, you take the pliers, and I'll get the hook," Jamie huffed in frustration. She wasn't about to let her dinner slip away.

  "Again, that puts me at the mouth of the fish!" Eden shot back.

  Jamie stomped up to the fish and put her foot on top of it. She snatched the pliers and slowly reached down, dislodging the hook. Lifting up her prize triumphantly, she looked at Eden. "I don't suppose you know how to clean one of these?"

  Eden watched the spinner closely as she listened to Jamie squeal in disgust while she attempted to clean their dinner. Eden had landed a good-sized bass. The fish fever had taken hold of her as she waited for her next victim to take a bite.

  After a pleasant dinner of broiled bass and biscuits, the two retired to the porch with coffee and pipes, complete with cherry tobacco, which was becoming a tradition for the duration of their stay.

  "Do you suppose Holly is somewhere safe?" Eden asked as she stuffed her pipe with the rich-smelling tobacco.

  "I hope so," Jamie said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I hate that we parted on bad terms. I think I let my nerves get the best of me and I took it out on her. She's a resourceful woman, though, and I believe in my heart that she's tucked away somewhere safe and sound."

  "What will you do when and if our lives return to normal?" Eden asked.

  "Assuming I'm not in prison and I still have my nurse's license, I intend to find another job. Maybe in another clinic."

  "You have my word that I'll make sure you have the finest attorneys to represent you if it should come to that." Eden raised her hand to forestall the protest she knew was coming. "It's the least I can do, Jamie."

  Jamie bowed her head, slightly embarrassed by the kind gesture. "Thank you," she said softly.

  "I've been thinking about hiking a little to boost my energy level, if you think I'm physically ready," Eden said, sensing Jamie's discomfort.

  "As long as you don't push yourself too hard when just starting out, I think that would be a great idea."

  "Excellent." Eden grinned. "I'll start tomorrow morning."

  Mason walked through the empty house, surveying each room to confirm he was indeed alone. Satisfied with his findings, he sat at Paul's desk and opened the humidor, choosing the finest cigar of the lot. He leaned back in the high-backed leather chair, lit the cigar, and blew out the smoke, pleased with his find. Occasionally, he would flick the ashes into the fine rug that surrounded the desk, ignoring the ashtray.

  He emptied each drawer and picked through the contents; his anger mounted as he came up with nothing. The answers he sought obviously lay with the owner of the house. He glanced over at the answering machine and for the first time, noticed the flashing red light. He pressed the playback button and relaxed as he listened to the messages.

  His scowl deepened as the voices droned on with each message until her heard her voice.

  "Paul...I'm getting a little worried that I haven't heard from you. Holly left us today in the van...Please call me as soon as you get this message. "

  Perhaps it would be worth his time to wait until Paul returned.

  Chapter Ten

  "Wait up," Jamie called breathlessly as she followed Eden up the trail. "For someone who has been off her feet for a while, you have one hell of a stride."

  Eden turned and grinned. "You have yet to see my stamina."

  Jamie blushed at the implications of that statement. Her attraction grew for Eden every second of the day, and now that she was no longer considered a patient, Jamie found her feelings of inappropriateness slipping away with the breeze.

  "I've noticed your legs; you're not a couch potato, Jamie," Eden called over her shoulder as she resumed her pace.

  "Be that as it may, I can't match the stride of your long legs. I'm taking two steps to your one," Jamie answered with a grin, pleased that Eden had taken notice.

  Eden paused at the top of a hill and looked out over the lake. "It's so beautiful up here. I can't believe I never bothered to explore what my home state had to offer."

  Jamie joined her and rested against a tree. "You were probably cooped up in a stuffy office most of the time."

  Eden turned
and looked at her for a moment. "You're right, I was. I remember a lot more about where I worked and lived, but I still have a hard time putting two and two together."

  "It'll all become very clear to you soon. Just give yourself some time."

  "How much time do we have? We're like sitting ducks up here until my memory decides to come home from its holiday."

  "No one knows we're here. As you can tell, there's no one around for miles. I think we're as safe as we can be right now." Jamie tried to reassure her, but the same feeling gnawed at her gut.

  Al Pittman watched Eden's face as it flashed across his television screen. He hoped that someone would recognize her and call the police, but as the days passed, his hope began to wane. He reached for the phone and dialed the number that he had memorized in the past week.

  "Detective Salamoni, have you heard anything yet?"

  "No, sir, I'm sorry to say we haven't gotten a response. I haven't given up, though, and all my caseload has been delegated so that I can focus on locating Miss Carlton."

  "I know I'm putting a lot of pressure on you, Melanie. I'm sorry," Al replied sadly.

  The detective smiled upon hearing him address her so casually. "Never apologize to me, Mr. Pittman. I know you're on pins and needles. I'll call you the minute we hear something."

  Detective Salamoni looked at the picture on her desk, smiling at her two children. She could not fathom what it would be like to be in Al Pittman's shoes.

  "What's your favorite color?" Jamie asked as they strolled along.

  "Black," Eden said with a grin.

  "That's not a color."

  "Sure it is." Eden chuckled. "I love black cars and black clothes. What's your favorite color?"

  "I like green, all shades."

  Eden stopped again and grabbed Jamie's arm as she struggled with Donald's old boots. "I'll be so glad to wear my own clothes again," she said as she tugged the boot off and pulled her sock back into place.

  Jamie stiffened at the physical contact. Maybe it was being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with an attractive woman, but her libido was kicking in double time. She silently chastised herself for the images that flashed through her mind but still wondered if Eden had any of the same urges.