Wicked Obsessions

by Marilyn Campbell

  Teri took a slow breath as her stomach threatened to get rid of the food she had just eaten. She was no longer sure she could pretend to understand. The body count was rising, and Teri didn't want to know if she had heard it all, but Selena no longer needed encouragement to speak.

  "My mother had a weak heart, but she also had a weakness for bad men. I thought when I got rid of my father I had protected her from being hurt again. But Tom twisted her around his finger until she believed anything he said, even when she suspected he was cheating on her. I had to protect her from him too."

  She sighed and returned to her chair. "I had hoped that would be the end of it, but not long after Tom's funeral, another man started coming around, playing up to my mother. I realized then that it would never end. She didn't have the willpower to protect herself from them. It was up to me to take care of her, but I couldn't get rid of every man who cast his evil eye on her or her money. Sooner or later someone would have gotten suspicious. So Juliette came up with a way for me to protect my mother from herself." Her broad smile showed how pleased she was with the solution.

  Teri had guessed it before, but having it confirmed was like being dunked naked into icy water. Apparently, Selena took her wide-eyed silence for a question and answered it.

  "Mommy never had reason to deny me anything I wanted, including my request to have a chimpanzee for a pet. She even let me give all the directions for how I wanted this cage built. I hated lying to her, but I had learned from Tom that there were some things she was better off not knowing. She had a bad heart, you know."

  Teri was beyond acknowledging anything. She could only sit there, gripping the bedding at her sides and staring at the white-haired demon through the bars. She ordered herself to think unemotionally and not to react, but it was impossible. Bony fingers of fear coiled their way into her limbs until she felt paralyzed. Despite the voices in her head warning that she didn't want to hear the truth, she could not remain silent. "You put your own mother in this cage? You imprisoned her?"

  Selena's chin rose defensively. "I protected her. And now I'm protecting you. Neither of you understood how terrible men are. But I do, so it's up to me to keep you safe from them."

  Teri stood up on shaky legs and moved to the front of the cage. Clinging to the bars, she dared to ask the one question left hanging. "How did your mother die?"

  Chapter 21

  Selena seemed to curl into herself without moving from the chair, and when she spoke, it was the child who answered Teri. "She sometimes told me her chest hurt. The doctor she went to before Tom died gave me medicine for her without insisting I bring her into his office because of the long trip. But I guess the pain must have been too much for her. One morning I came downstairs and—" She paused and palmed her eyes for a moment. When she removed her hands, her eyes were glassy with moisture. "Mommy used the cord from a lamp to hang herself from the top of the cage. I couldn't protect her from the pain, and she couldn't stand it anymore."

  Teri could not stop herself from glancing at the bars Selena referred to and recalling the day Selena had put her hands around her throat. She had no doubt the woman's captivity by her insane daughter drove her to suicide more than any chest pain.

  "Juliette made me take Mommy down and put her in her old room upstairs before I called the doctor. I still remember those ugly marks on her throat. I changed her clothes to make her look pretty and put a scarf around her neck. The doctor felt sorry for me, being left all alone like that, and he told everyone Mommy died of a heart attack so people wouldn't gossip about me and I could get the insurance money. Things are different here in the country, you know. He was actually kind of nice, for a man."

  "How long, Selena?" Teri asked quietly, afraid of the answer. "How long did you keep her locked up before she died?"

  Selena cocked her head as if that was a very strange question. "Only about three years. But at least I was able to take care of her for a while. When she died, I thought she might need me to go with her. But Juliette told me it wasn't time yet. Someone might still need me." Her contented smile returned. "And she was right, wasn't she? I met you right after I moved to Manhattan and I knew immediately it was you I had to protect next."

  Teri felt they had arrived at a point in the conversation where she should attempt to convince Selena she understood and would never speak to another man again, if she would just let her out of the cage. She knew the timing was right, but she also knew she couldn't keep the hysteria out of her voice if she tried to talk.

  "I think you'll settle in faster than my mother did," Selena said, her voice returning to its adult version. "She was used to going out to work every day at the store, and she never had any hobbies. I brought her books to read and crafts to try, but she never really liked working with her hands. She wanted to watch television, but I would have needed a technician to come out and set it up and I couldn't do that. The person might not have understood the situation. For a while, I would go back and forth to the store to bring her the paperwork to do. But one day she tried to send someone a message—she really never understood, you see—and the people there kept asking to see her, so I had to sell the store for her.

  "It will be different for you. I realized that right away. You're accustomed to being alone and keeping your hands busy. I was getting very concerned when I saw how disruptive Rico was to your painting. And Detective Kidder upset you so much, you practically stopped working entirely. Now you'll be able to work without any interruptions, and I'll be able to pose for you all day long. I'll bet you'll have another fabulous series done in no time."

  "But I like to share my work with others," Teri carefully protested. "It isn't nearly as rewarding to paint if no one will ever see it."

  Selena frowned and worked her mouth back and forth. "I'll have to think about that for a while. Maybe after I'm sure no one is looking for us, I can act as your agent and sell your paintings. Yes, that might work. We'll see. Now, if you're through with your meal, I'll take the tray and you can finish unpacking. Then you can make a list of whatever you're missing. I don't want to leave the house again for some time, but I may have what you want upstairs."

  As soon as Selena was out of sight, Teri slumped onto the bed in a state of shock. She had been wrong to assume she could talk her way out of this cage. It wasn't just Drew and Rico and Detective Kidder. Selena had just calmly admitted to murdering two more men—her father and stepfather. And whether Selena accepted it or not didn't change the fact that she was also responsible for her mother's tragic end. That brought the death toll to six that Teri knew of, but how many more had Selena not told her about?

  Selena's reasons for killing went back too far to be rationalized away in one conversation. And her childhood was so far out of Teri's realm of experience that she wouldn't know where to begin to help Selena work through her problems. Problems? Teri thought she must be getting hysterical even to use such a mild word. A problem was fear of the dark or even drinking too much. A problem was not committing multiple cold-blooded murders. It looked as though she may as well forgetting helping Selena and go straight for finding a means of escape before she became another one of Selena's dearly departed.

  She had no idea how long it would be before someone might question her disappearance and check out her house in White Plains, so she couldn't count on her message being discovered in the bathtub any time soon. Even if someone saw it, she doubted if they would be able to interpret it, since she didn't get to complete it. And if someone found the message, might that person also find what she had not—Rico's hands? Wouldn't it automatically be assumed that she was guilty of his murder, if she was not there to defend herself?

  There was the possibility that Selena would take one of her paintings to a gallery at some point. Perhaps she could figure a way to send a cryptic message on the canvas, but she would be taking the chance that Selena would see it first, as she had with her mother's attempt to contact the outside world.

  The only way escape seemed possible
was if Selena let her out of the cage on purpose. That was the goal Teri would have to work toward. Surely Selena would understand her need for natural light in order to paint, and fresh air to keep her creative juices flowing. Since Selena seemed to care about her painting, playing on that angle seemed the most sensible.

  But first she had to get Selena to trust her and, considering the fact that it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she had aimed a gun at the girl, it would probably take some time to earn her trust again.

  The first thing Teri had to do was block out all thoughts of the violent acts Selena had committed in her life and go back to thinking of her as a vulnerable innocent. At the moment, that felt like a monumental feat.

  On the positive side, as the minutes passed and she still felt clear-headed, she assumed her lunch had not contained a narcotic to keep her complacent.

  * * *

  "It's been three days and there's still no sign of her," Sergeant Parkins told his captain. "I believe a search warrant for the house is justified."

  Captain Hart didn't agree, yet he was as eager as Parkins to break the present status quo. "Marshall's cousin—the one from Forsythe Gallery—said Teri Gambini told her she was taking some time off. She may have simply gone away on an extended vacation."

  "On the same day her friend was attacked? One neighbor is certain she saw Mrs. Gambini earlier that day. It could be another coincidence, but something else hit me in the middle of the night—Teri Gambini was an animal lover. The back yard has a dozen bird feeders, dishes for food and water bowls on the ground. She took care of feeding a flock of birds and who knows how many cats. I don't buy the idea that she would go away without making arrangements for someone else to see to the creatures that depended on her. Neither you nor I believe she's guilty of any crime, so that leaves foul play."

  It was exactly the kind of logic Hart had been waiting for to make a decision. "I think you're right about that. Start the paperwork for a search warrant, but check on Marshall's condition one more time before you go breaking into the Gambini house. This whole situation would probably be cleared up in five minutes if he regained consciousness."

  Parkins nodded grimly. "I know. The nurses at the hospital have promised to notify me if there's any change. At least he's off the critical list."

  "Hmmph. A lot of help that is if he's going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life."

  "They don't know that for sure. The injuries to his head were extreme, but the doctor believed the surgery was successful. We'll just have to cross our fingers that he comes out of the coma sometime soon."

  * * *

  Teri glanced from the just completed portrait to Selena and back. It was hardly one of her better efforts. Given the circumstances, however, it was a masterpiece. The dampness in the basement kept the paint from drying in the manner she was accustomed to and the lighting was atrocious.

  Because Selena had allowed her to keep her watch, Teri was able to keep track of days and nights, and she made up a calendar so she would remain aware of how much time was passing. The watch and that calendar became her anchor to the real world.

  Selena had proven to be a considerate keeper as long as Teri behaved like a grateful pet. Once she got over the initial shock of the circumstances she had been trapped in, and recovered from the monstrous revelations about Selena's past, Teri found that she possessed a fair amount of acting ability herself. She pretended to adjust a little more each day, even thanking Selena for her thoughtfulness from time to time. She forced herself to stand still and paint because that was when Selena was most rational.

  Without overdoing it, Teri made subtle complaints about her environment, always in relation to her painting rather than her captivity. In spite of her desperation to be free, she cautiously spaced hints that she needed natural light to do her best work.

  But as the third day dragged on, Teri was losing her patience. Selena had ignored every complaint and hint. She was happy, therefore Teri was happy. Suddenly Teri realized what her mistake had been. She was too obedient. Selena had no reason to alter their routine. Perhaps it was time to change tactics.

  As she studied the canvas, Teri became aware of something she had unconsciously accomplished. She had finally managed to duplicate the haunted expression she had glimpsed in Selena's eyes. The smile that Teri had always thought of as innocent or serene appeared slightly different in this portrait also. Teri stepped back to judge the whole painting, as opposed to a part, and she saw what had been barely concealed in the past—madness. The smile of a lunatic, the eyes of the damned. Selena was on the wrong side of the cage bars, Teri thought, and came up with phase one of her rebellion.

  Quickly, she mixed a shade of silver gray to match the color of the bars, then painted three vertical stripes down the canvas over Selena's face. The result was a true depiction of what Teri saw when she looked at Selena sitting on her chair outside of the cage, but it looked as though Selena was in a jail cell.

  "Can I see it yet?" Selena asked.

  "Just another minute. I'm adding one final detail." In very small numbers, she painted the date, 7/9, below her signature, blending it in with the background as much as possible. Holding the painting by its wooden stretcher frame, Teri turned it around for Selena to see.

  "You ruined it!" Selena shouted, bolting off the chair. "Give it to me right now!" She tried to reach through the bars, but the space was too narrow for her arm.

  "I can only paint what I see!" Teri shouted back. She propped the portrait on the bed and stepped aside so that Selena would have to come all the way inside the cage if she wanted to get her hands on it. "How can you expect me to be creative in this pit? It's damp and dark and all I'm looking at is bars and endless, barren white. I can't stand this lack of color around me! I need color! Light! Air!"

  Selena's fury tinted her cheeks hot pink. "Give me that painting. Now!"

  "No! If you want it, you'll have to open this door and get it yourself." Teri watched Selena fighting to control her anger. Her chest heaved and her wide-eyed glare darted around the room as if seeking a weapon. For a moment Teri feared that she had pushed too far too fast, but then Selena whirled around and charged up the stairs, her backless sandals clacking away like machine-gun fire. A few seconds later Teri was pitched into darkness.

  * * *

  "It doesn't look good, sir."

  Benjamin Hart had been anticipating the interruption by his desk sergeant. The young man didn't know the meaning of the word "later". In the last eight hours, with his superior's authorization, of course, he had walked the paperwork through for the search warrant for the Gambini house, had enlisted a detective friend of his, John Morris, to enter the premises with him, and had the place dusted for fingerprints. His enthusiasm had Hart on the edge of his executive chair, waiting for each report. "All right. Let's have it."

  Ross Parkins came forward like an Olympic runner hearing the starting gun. "I know something happened at that house, I just don't know what yet. No sign of forced entry. The house was neat as a pin, except for the master bedroom. Someone had been searching for something there. Drawers were left open or dumped on the floor; clothes were strewn all over the place. But it did not appear that a struggle had taken place.

  "Now this is purely guesswork on my part, but I noticed one medium-sized suitcase in the closet—the kind that's usually part of a matched set—but it was the only one there. Then I looked through the drawers and noticed a few of them had been completely emptied, while others, like her underwear drawers were still full. Maybe Teri Gambini went somewhere in a big hurry and only had time to pack part of her wardrobe... or maybe someone else packed for her."

  Hart frowned. "Suppositions don't hold up in court."

  "No, but fingerprints do. And there were four sets picked up in that bedroom. Teri and Rico Gambini, Drew Marshall, and someone else whose prints weren't on record anywhere but in our forensics lab." He waited for the captain to digest that, then said, "They're a match to one picked u
p off the knife they took out of Marshall's chest. On top of that, we found two very long white, or platinum blonde, hairs on the carpet by the bed."

  Captain Hart opened his mouth, but not even a surprised obscenity came out before Parkins continued.

  "I already checked out the cab companies and bus drivers for that area. No one picked up any woman with luggage anytime recently, Teri Gambini's car was in the driveway. If she went somewhere, it looks like someone else drove her."

  "The blonde?"

  "As you said, Captain, that would be a supposition. But we're at least past the coincidence stage, and it's looking more and more like Detective Kidder was right about this having nothing to do with the Irish mob."

  Hart recalled similar conversations he and Bill Kidder used to have. "Tell me something, Parkins. What does your nose tell you? Is Teri Gambini mixed up in all this as a victim or a perpetrator?"

  Parkins shook his head. "I don't know yet, sir, but I can't wait to find out."

  * * *

  Teri dreamed she was running in wet, sucking sand. She had to hurry, but the faster she tried to go, the harder it was to free her feet from the sand.

  Her legs grew heavier with each step until she was barely moving at all.

  Her struggle took on a reality that pulled her into wakefulness. The sheet was tangled around her legs, constricting her movements, but it took her several seconds to figure that out in the dark. She was drenched in perspiration and her heart pounded erratically against her ribs. All the fear she had tried to hold back had surfaced in her dream.

  Before she fell asleep, she had waited for what seemed like hours for Selena to return or at least turn the light back on, but neither had happened.