by Leona Fox
“Sir,” one of the officers called.
Scampy soon joined them, scratching at the door. Andy pulled back the dead bolt and opened it. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light Scampy was the first to respond. Andrea was the second. The dog and the mother ran toward Scott, who had been gagged and left tied to the pillar. His eyes lolled in his head and he looked gaunt. Andy and the others checked the rest of the room while Andrea hugged her son, struggling with the thick rope that had been used to bind him. Andy pulled out a penknife and cut through the sinews of the rope, and Scott's arms fell around his mother. Andrea showered him with kisses and hugged him so tightly Ellen was afraid the weak boy was going to be broken in two.
“A happy ending,” Ellen whispered quietly to Andy.
“Not yet. There's no sign of anyone else here,” he said, and peered into the dark corners, afraid that this was a trap.
As soon as Scott was given a chance to breathe and set down on the ground again he pointed to his chest. A note had been pinned to his top. Andy furrowed his brow and looked with curiosity at it, ripping it off of Scott. His eyes scanned the letter, which was typed again, just like all the others.
'Although you found the boy you never will find me. I will slip away unnoticed and you, Mr. Policeman, will have another unsolved case. Another mistake. You think you have won because you found the boy? No, no, quite the contrary, you have lost because I can do this whenever I want. I have outsmarted you at every turn and you do not even have the faintest idea who I am. I could be anyone you meet on the street. I could be the person you bump into when you turn a corner. I am like a whisper in the wind and you never shall know me. All you will know is I am out there, still living, still thriving, and the memory of me will haunt you like a specter. Never forget.'
Andy swallowed hard as he folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. The other officers helped Andrea with Scott and they all walked back to the base of operations. The mother and child were relieved to have been reunited, and everyone cheered when they appeared, yet Andy knew it wasn't over.
Chapter 9
Soon after everything had calmed down May declared she was leaving. She gave Andy some parting words, and also thanked Ellen as well.
“You'll take good care of him,” she said.
She also spoke with Scott and Andrea and gave them her card, in case they ever needed to talk. This trauma was a serious thing and it may not go away as easily as they would like. But, all in all, the town was in good spirits and a party was held in Scott's honor, to celebrate his return. He was fed well and ate so much he soon was burping. Everybody laughed, but it was good to see Andrea smile again. Andy brooded in the corner, though. The words of the letter stayed with him, but he promised Ellen he wasn't going to lose himself again.
In the aftermath the town returned to normal. There were no other kidnappings and the good cheer of the summer returned. Ellen and Kelly went back to planning the wedding.
“I really don't want to spend any more time on this than I have to. I want to get married now. Life is too short and Matthew and I have wasted too much time already. Let's just throw something together and get on with it,” Kelly declared.
Ellen wasn't sure you simply could throw together a wedding but she was only the maid of honor and had to acquiesce to the bride's wishes. They went shopping for dresses and made arrangements to host the reception at The Chrome café. The wedding was to be held in the park, as long as the beautiful weather held out. The closer the day came; the more nervous Kelly became.
“Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Maybe we don't need to be married after all. What if marriage changes me? You hear that all the time, like people become different after they're married even though it's only a little ceremony.”
Ellen repeatedly had to take Kelly's hands and reassure her that she was making the right decision. “You've thought about this too much already. Just let it happen. You both feel strongly for each other and you're going on this journey together. That's the most important thing, that you're together,” and Kelly calmed down a little.
When she slipped into bed, Ellen chuckled to herself.
“How is the blushing bride-to-be?” Andy asked.
“Oh, she's fine, just last minute jitters. It's quite amusing, actually, seeing her so on edge when we all know they're going to work out fine.”
“I can't believe you'd be taking delight in your friend's nerves,” Andy teased.
“We all have to get our kicks somewhere,” she joked back.
Then her tone turned serious. “It'll be nice to have a ceremony, though, after everything that's happened. It'll be like a new beginning.”
“You're assuming the last chapter has ended,” Andy replied, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Ellen pushed herself up.
“You don't think it has?”
Andy closed the book he had been reading and placed his hands in his lap. “We still don't know who that guy was or how he knew to target me. It's like he just disappeared into thin air and if he can do that then who knows what else he can do? He still could be in town for all we know, waiting for another moment to strike.”
“Or he ran away because we scared him off. He must have known we were searching for Scott and that we'd find him eventually. That last letter was just to try keeping you off-kilter. No one else has gone missing and there haven't been any letters. Maybe it's better just to strike a line under it and move on with life.”
She kissed him on the cheek and pulled the covers over her as she drifted off into a sweet slumber, her happy mind filled with thoughts about the wedding day. Andy, however, was unable to rest so easily. He was not consumed with the past any longer, but he was worried that a dangerous person was out there. He didn't feel comfortable in letting his guard down.
But as the week passed, still nothing happened and Ellen was so excited about the wedding that it rubbed off on him. She modeled her dress for him and spoke of how beautiful Kelly looked in hers. On the night before the wedding Ellen stayed around Kelly's to have one last night where it was just the two of them. They reflected on their friendship and all the things they had been through together.
“Listen,” Ellen said after a few glasses of wine.
Her words were slightly slurred, “I know I said marriage won't change much and you'll be fine and I truly believe you will but now you are not just one person you are two. I know that sometimes helping me with these cases is dangerous and I don't want to risk making Matthew unhappy. So I will understand if you do not want to help me with them any longer.”
“Ellen, do not even think about that. I love working on cases with you, even if this one was more serious than I would have liked. That poor mother, I can't imagine what she must have gone through. I invited her to the wedding, you know, and Scott, of course.”
“Really? I thought you wanted to keep it a small affair with just some close friends?”
“Well,” Kelly sighed, re-arranging her dress, “that was the plan but Andy's speech really got under my skin and I was thinking about it a lot. We are a community here and I guess that sometimes I forget that because I get lost in my own little creative world, but I do like being a part of this town. Being around everyone while we were searching for Scott showed me how we all can come together and be there for each other. I'd like to see that continue and I'd love it if we all could become part of each other’s lives. So tomorrow I'm going to welcome as many people as possible.”
While Andy was on his own he ruminated about his own past and future, and was glad Ellen had stood by his side. The last time he had been in a long-term relationship it had been with the wrong woman. He had been wary of entering into another one in case he made the same mistake, but this time he knew he had chosen well, or perhaps it was that she chose him. Despite everything that happened, and his misgivings about the kidnapper still being at large, he was looking forward to Kelly's wedding. It was sure to be a joyous occasion and it would allow him to forget about his duty for a l
ittle while.
But life, of course, was not that fair. Soon after Ellen had left for the night Andy received another letter, which lay there until the morning. There was no stamp, which meant the kidnapper was still in town and had been at his door moments ago. Andy ran out into the road and looked both ways, but there was no sign of anything suspicious. He returned to his office and sat at his desk. He tore open the envelope and slid out the letter. Again, it was typed, just like all the others. His jaw clenched as he read the words this devious mind had concocted. Once again, Andy punished himself for not pursuing the kidnapper after Scott had been rescued. He hadn't run away and he hadn't been scared off. He just was waiting for another moment to torture Andy. No longer. He would end this, once and for all.
'Have you forgotten about me so soon? Perhaps you are not as determined as I thought. I assumed you would come after me, and that nothing short of hellhounds would keep you from your destiny. My last letter was meant as a challenge, but perhaps you are too weak to meet it. You are old now and do not have the strength. Perhaps that is for the best. The world is for the young, after all. Unless the young are taken away. If you truly want an end to this, meet me in the morning on the outskirts of town, on the south side, where the river flows out.'
Andy's hand clenched into a fist and the letter crumpled. Without a moment's hesitation he marched to his car and drove to the edge of town, not caring that he may miss the wedding, or that he may not return at all. Shortly afterward, Ellen arrived at Andy's house only to find it empty. She soon found the crumpled letter, however, and read it with a look of horror encased in her wide eyes. Praying that Kelly would forgive her, she jumped back in her car and went to find Andy.
Andy drove like a demon, speeding through the quiet streets. His car roared and disturbed birds as he passed them. They fluttered their wings and rose in the air, scared of this harbinger of doom. The small town disappeared behind him, giving way to nature. He saw the river and followed its course until he reached the field. He stepped out of his car and walked across the soft grass, squinting into the sun, breathing evenly as he had been trained. His body was tense and primed for action, like a panther who was ready to leap upon its prey.
For years he had been plagued by his past and now it had caught up to him in a major way. There was no turning back from it any longer, no wallowing in the bottom of a bottle. He continued walking until he found a man standing at the edge of the river with his hands folded behind his back, gazing toward the horizon. Instantly, Andy went to draw his gun, but was shocked to find it wasn't there. He cursed. The man turned around, slowly. He was completely unremarkable. He wore plain clothes, narrow glasses, and a half-smile.
“I presume you are looking for this?” he said, his accent clipped and his words soft as he pulled out Andy's gun.
“Where did you get that?” Andy barked.
“For a policeman your home security is lacking. I would make some upgrades if I were you,” he said, and pointed the gun at Andy.
“Who are you?” Andy said, body tense, staring at the kidnapper.
“It saddens me that you do not remember me. I am the other victim of your mistake.”
“The other victim?” Andy said, his brow creasing with confusion.
“You are so consumed with your own guilt you do not remember all the details. That is a poor thing for a policeman, especially one who is so loved and respected around here. But perhaps it is much easier to be a policeman in this small fishbowl than to be in the city.”
“Who are you and why did you kidnap that boy? What do you want with me?”
“I really don't think you are in a position to make these demands,” the man said, laughing loudly.
“But I brought you here to tell you my story. Much of it you will be familiar with. I was a child once, you know, and I had a brother. We were very close. We did everything together, and we were best friends. Then, one day, a man took him. I didn't understand really. We did everything together and, yet, in this we were separated. But no matter. The police were onto it. They promised us they would find my brother and bring him back to us. He would be safe. My parents believed you. I believed you but still my brother died.”
“Mikkel,” Andy gasped.
“Ah, yes. I knew you would remember me after I jogged your memory a little. You see, my brother was kidnapped and killed. After that things were never the same. My parents never looked at me the same way because they always saw my brother. Always there was an empty place at the dinner table. We were incomplete.”
“Listen, I'm sorry about what happened with Sami but--”
“Don't you dare say his name!” Mikkel yelled, his calm façade cracking as he waved the gun at Andy in a threatening manner.
“But why would you do all this? Why would you take Scott and become exactly like the man who took Sa...your brother?”
“I never had any intention of killing Scott. The boy was just a pawn. I had to remind you of your failure, of what it was like to be in a race against time with someone of a far superior intellect. I heard about the movie they are making based on your brother's books and I know about how closely they follow your own career. It is not fair that my family was destroyed because of your mistake while you get to live in this small town away from the rest of the world, away from your mistakes.”
“You're right. It's not fair, but there hasn't been a day go by when I haven't thought about your brother and what happened back then. I hate myself for not being smart enough or good enough to save him. I wish I could go back and do things differently but I can't. I only can move forward, that's all any of us can do. You can as well. Live your life, make your brother proud of what you accomplish.”
“Oh, he will be proud. I only have one thing left to accomplish in life, to make the people of this town see you as you truly are. You have blood on your hands and now everyone will know it.”
As he said this he turned Andy's gun to his head. Andy yelled out, trying to make Mikkel stop, but it was too late. However, Mikkel didn't see Ellen and Scampy running up behind him. Scampy clamped his jaws around Mikkel's leg just as he was about to pull the trigger. Mikkel let out a high-pitched yelp and jerked his leg, trying to shake off the dog, but Scampy only bit down harder. Mikkel's finger did pull the trigger, though. The loud crack of a gunshot thundered through the air, the bullet flying high into the sky. The sound of the gunshot shocked Scampy and he released his grip. Despite the pain flooding through his body Mikkel was of a singular mind, but this time he pointed the gun toward Andy. However, Ellen was quick to move and thumped him around the jaw, sending him flying to the ground. Then Andy rushed forward and forced the gun out of Mikkel's hands.
“Shame you didn't steal my cuffs, too,” Andy said as he slapped them around Mikkel's wrists and told him he was being arrested for the kidnapping. He hauled Mikkel up to his feet and gave an appreciative nod to Ellen.
“I'm surprised to see you here. Don't you have a wedding to go to?” he asked.
“The man I love was in trouble, what else could I do?” she said, and they kissed.
Mikkel groaned but Scampy growled at him. Mikkel went quiet, his leg still throbbing with the pain from Scampy’s bite.
After they dropped off Mikkel at the station Andy and Ellen rushed back to get ready for the wedding. Ellen had about five missed calls from Kelly, so she sent a quick message to say they were on their way. Just before they left, however, Andy pulled Ellen back.
“I just want to say thank you for everything you did for me. I know it wasn't easy and I wouldn't have blamed you if you had left me, but I'm glad you didn't. I couldn't have made it through this without you. I love you, Ellen,” he said, and whisked her into a passionate embrace.
Then the two of them made their way to the park where everyone in the town had turned out for Kelly's wedding. Kelly was standing to the side, waiting for Ellen to arrive. Andy complimented Kelly and then made his way to his seat, nodding at the various people he recognized, including An
drea and Scott. He winked at the boy, and Scott smiled. Finally, after years of torture he was able to put the past behind him and focus on the future and everything good he had in his life. As Kelly began her march down the aisle it wasn't the bride Andy was looking at, it was Ellen, and all the love he had for her flowed through his body.
Ellen, meanwhile, walked proudly behind her friend, enjoying the look on Matthew's face as he looked at his new bride. Kelly took her place beside him and kissed Ellen on both cheeks.
“I'm so happy right now, and even though I know things aren't ever going to be the same after this, I know we're always going to be best friends,” she said.
Ellen wiped the tears from her eyes, then stepped back and watched with delight as her best friend got married.
Find out what Ellen discovers in book 9 of The East Pender Mysteries here: http://amzn.to/2aZMGbs
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