Obsessed

by Ashton Blackthorne

  My God, it’s her.

  Brooke grabbed her purse with one hand for her phone. Dammit! The cracked screen showed only the Apple logo.

  Her phone was fucked.

  Cursing aloud, Brooke held tight to the steering wheel swerving in and out of traffic trying to lose her. Chelsea remained on her tail following her every move. Making a swift right turn narrowly missing a semi-truck, Brooke saw that Chelsea was caught behind a stop light.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Brooke continued her drive out to Jax’s house. Confident that Chelsea was gone, Brooke cranked up the volume on the radio. She sang along to one of Jax’s favorite songs as she drove. Flipping the blinker on, she made the turn down the lonely road to Jax’s house.

  As the pine trees whizzed past her, she lost herself in the song thinking about the fabulous dinner she was going to make for Jax when she got to his house. It was one of his favorite dishes: roast pork tenderloin with roasted new potatoes and asparagus. She’d picked up two good bottles of wine to accompany the meal.

  Suddenly, a pair of headlights flashed bright in her rearview mirror temporarily blinding her. She screamed as the car rammed into her from behind making her swerve dangerously across the road.

  Brooke jammed her foot on the accelerator trying to outrun the other car. Fucking Chelsea! It had to be!

  Again, the car revved forward behind her ramming into her. Screaming with fright, Brooke tried desperately to maintain control of her car. The car swerved all over the road.

  Then, Brooke screamed as she found herself in the lane of oncoming traffic. A huge truck was barreling towards her at breakneck speed. Quickly, she jerked the wheel and whipped her car back into her lane. She lost control as the car spun out of control and off into a ditch.

  The truck roared past her as Brooke sobbed with fear. She looked around to find herself stuck in the ditch. Each time she revved the car her tire became more embedded in the mud.

  “Shit!” She slammed her fists against the steering wheel.

  Then, she heard the rustling of dry leaves as someone walked towards her car. She clicked the automatic lock, but it didn’t work.

  Her long brown hair appeared in Brooke’s window. She tapped on the glass.

  “Chelsea!” Brooke cried. She glanced around for anything she could use to defend herself.

  “Who lies beneath the shadow of the pyramid?” Chelsea asked staring directly into Brooke’s frightened eyes.

  “Please leave me alone!”

  “I know you know! Please tell me.” Chelsea was practically pleading with her. Brooke had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Perhaps Chelsea really was going mad.

  “Leave me alone, Chelsea!”

  Chelsea began to kick at the glass of the window. Brooke unbuckled her seat belt and moved to the passenger side. She had no idea what to do. Should she make a run for it? It was dark and cold outside. She was still several miles from Jax’s house.

  Thankfully, another set of headlights appeared on the road. Brooke opened the passenger door and ran towards the road waving her arms above her head.

  The car slowed and a man rolled down his window.

  “Do you need help, Miss?”

  Brooke nodded trying to catch her breath. A quick glance backwards showed that Chelsea was gone.

  “A woman was following me. She ran me off the road.”

  “Who? I don’t see anyone.” The man looked in the direction of her car.

  “She’s…she’s gone now. Please I need a phone. Mine is broken.”

  The man nodded and unlocked the car door. Normally, getting into a car with a strange man would frighten Brooke, but considering the other option of remaining out here alone with Chelsea, she more than welcomed it.

  “Can I call you a tow truck?”

  Brooke nodded.

  After several minutes, a tow truck arrived and pulled her car from the ditch. It hadn’t sustained any major damage and was drivable.

  “How far are you away from your house?” The man asked.

  “About five minutes.”

  “There’s not much down here. Are you going to Reeves Road or Addison Lane?”

  “Addison Lane. My boyfriend lives down there.”

  “I see. Well, I’m headed that way myself. Would you feel better if I followed you? You seem a bit shook up.”

  Brooke nodded grateful for his help.

  21

  As the plane touched down in New York, Jax grasped Brooke’s hand tightly. He knew that the answers they were seeking were close. He could feel it. Looking out the tiny plane window, he was reminded of the last time he’d landed in New York.

  It was the flight home from Cairo with his parents. They’d just returned from their Egyptian excavation. Jax had the beautiful U shaped pin still in his pocket. He knew his parents were looking for it, but he didn’t want to give it up. It was just so beautiful.

  As they disembarked from the plane, Jax held the pin in his pocket fingering it slowly. It seemed to be getting warmer and warmer in his hand.

  “Jax! You’ve been awfully quiet. Are you feeling okay?” His mother asked reaching to brush his hair from his forehead.

  “Yes.” Jax continued to watch the little moving carts transporting the luggage from the plane into the airport.

  “You feel hot. Henry, will you put your hand on his forehead? He’s burning up.”

  His father rolled his eyes at his mother’s dramatics. He pressed his hand to Jax’s head for a moment.

  “You’re right, Sandy. As soon as we get home, we should take his temperature. Jax, you sure you feel okay?” Jax became frightened by the look of alarm in his father’s eyes.

  Jax nodded. Suddenly, his body was wracked with chills making his teeth chatter.

  “My God, he’s got a high fever! Henry, we can’t wait. We need to take him to the ER now!”

  His father knelt down peering into his eyes. Jax started to feel dizzy. His legs suddenly felt like jelly and before he knew it he collapsed to the ground.

  His mother screamed as people surrounded them. His father scooped him up in his arms and rushed him through the airport. In the meantime, someone had called an ambulance.

  Jax’s eyes fluttered open as he watched the flurry of activity above him. Men with white shirts were reaching over him hooking his arms up to bags and tubes. His mother was near his feet crying.

  “Mommy?” He whispered. His voice was so scratchy and strange it frightened him.

  “Jax, it’s okay.” His mother patted his foot.

  His eyes closed again as he felt a needle poke him in the arm. He wanted to cry out in pain, but couldn’t find his voice.

  Several days later, Jax awoke to find himself in the hospital. He was sitting in a hospital bed with white sheets covering him. He looked all around him to see a large TV on the wall. His favorite show, The Smurfs was blaring on the TV. His eyes tried to watch the colorful characters, but he was distracted by all the noise out in the hallway. People were walking back and forth outside his door.

  He took a deep breath infusing his lungs with the aroma of alcohol and Betadine. Jax didn’t like the smell. It meant he was about to get a shot.

  Glancing down at his arms, he noticed long clear tubes extending from a needle taped to his arm. He touched it with the other hand. It should hurt, he thought, but it didn’t.

  Just then, his door swung open. It was his parents.

  “Jax! Oh thank God, you’re awake! Henry, tell them he’s awake.” His mother with her face blotchy red from crying raced to his side.

  “What happened?” His voice rasped.

  “You’re okay, Jax. You had a very high fever. The doctor thinks it’s pneumonia probably brought on by the sand storm in Egypt. They think you inhaled the sand causing an infection.”

  His father walked in with the doctor close behind him.

  “Well, how’s this young man doing today? Decided to wake up and join us?” The doctor was a fat, jolly looking man. He reminded Ja
x of a Santa Claus at the mall.

  “What’s wrong with me?”

  The doctor flipped open his chart hanging off the end of Jax’s bed.

  “Honestly, we don’t really know.”

  “I thought you said it was pneumonia, Dr. Steinman.”

  “We thought that was a possibility, but his x rays showed no visible signs of infection. After all the blood work came back, we still don’t really know.” The doctor smiled at Jax.

  His father grimaced as he stood behind his mother.

  “So, he just developed a very high fever for no reason?”

  “Obviously, there was a reason, but we just don’t know what. We’ll run some more blood work today to rule out any other possibilities, but seeing his temperature is normal as of this morning it may have just been a mystery virus.”

  His mother’s face was a picture of worry.

  “His fever was 105 degrees for two days. Are we sure there’s no brain damage or anything like that?”

  “Like I said, we’ll run a few more tests to be sure, but given the fact you were returning from a foreign country, Jax could’ve picked up any number of unknown viruses. We can begin administering antiviral medication as a precaution, but I don’t think it will be necessary. I’ll send the nurse in with his blood work order and later he’ll need to start eating. If he can hold down food and his blood work comes back normal, he will be discharged tomorrow.”

  His parents looked from him to the doctor and nodded.

  As soon as the doctor left, Jax looked at his parents. They appeared exhausted.

  “My fever was 105 degrees? Am I okay now?”

  “Yes, it was very high, but the doctor says you’re okay now. Maybe it was something you picked up while we were traveling.” His mom held his hand.

  “You’re okay, kid. Besides, we have to get you back in school!”

  “What? I thought I was going to finish out the year with a tutor.”

  His father walked around the hospital room. The TV blared loudly as he watched his father pacing.

  “We’re going to start teaching at the university again, Jax. No more traveling for a while.”

  “What? But you both said you’d rather keep traveling! I thought we were going to Siberia next year. You promised I’d get to ride in a sled pulled by dogs.” Jax couldn’t mask his disappointment.

  His mother smiled down at him.

  “Your dad and I think it’s better if you start school here next year in a regular class. At a regular school, you can make more friends.”

  “But I have friends! Rex, Tony, Cade, and Justin!”

  His father shook his head.

  “Friends closer to your own age.”

  “But Justin is only a few years older than me!” He protested. Jax loved traveling. He thought his life was exciting. He never knew where they were going to be from month to month. The thought of staying in one place and going to school day in and day out horrified him.

  “Jax, we’ve already decided. This is what is going to happen for the next few years. We signed contracts with the university.”

  Jax jerked his arm away from his mother forgetting the IV was in that arm. Pain shot up his arm making him cry out.

  “It’s okay. Just calm down. Don’t get so upset. You’ll like school here. Give it a chance.” His dad smiled at him.

  Jax crossed his arms angrily.

  “You can play baseball and soccer like you always wanted. Rex played soccer when he was a boy.” His mother reminded him.

  Jax had always admired Rex, one of the university students on his parents’ archaeology team. He was a former soccer star for a team in Brazil prior to relocating to the U.S.

  “Can I?”

  “Of course. You’ll see. In a way, your illness was a blessing. It’s making us stay here year round so that you can go to school and play sports.”

  Jax thought a moment. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  His eyes felt heavy. He closed them for a minute to rest them.

  “Let’s let Jax get some sleep. We’ll be back after lunch.” His parents both kissed him on his forehead.

  As they left the room, Jax felt his leg to see if the pin was still there. He was wearing a hospital gown. His clothes were gone!

  He glanced around the room and saw that his jeans were folded on the table in the corner. He wondered if the pin was still in his pocket. He wanted to get up to look, but realized he couldn’t with the IV still in his arm.

  He fell back on the pillow his eyes so heavy he couldn’t stand it. His eyes closed as he fell into a deep sleep.

  “Brooke, I think I’ve found them!” Jax waved his hand at her. She raced to his side.

  “Steven and Marian Goldstein in Manhattan.” Brooke read aloud. She looked down to see an address listed as well.

  “Do you think that’s her parents?”

  “Look like it. Says they’re related to Chelsea Goldstein. There’s another name, Tristan Goldstein. I guess maybe she had a brother as well?” Jax took screenshots of the names and address.

  “Could be, considering the age difference. So, what do we do now?”

  “We’re driving over there now.”

  “Now?”

  “Why not? There’s no time like the present.”

  An hour later, the couple found themselves in front of an elaborate Manhattan high rise. As they found the apartment number, they stood nervously outside the door.

  A small woman with long black hair wrapped up in a bun opened the door. She was wearing a light gray maid’s uniform.

  “May I help you?” She asked with a heavy European accent. Jax detected she was likely Ukrainian.

  “We’re looking for the Goldstein family.”

  “Yes, how can I help you?” Her dark eyes crinkled around the edges as she smiled. Jax could see into the apartment behind her. It was huge with elaborate furnishings. So, Chelsea came from a great deal of money.

  “Is Mr. or Mrs. Goldstein here right now?”

  “Mrs. Goldstein, she die a few years ago. Mr. Goldstein, he here now.” Her English was quite broken. Jax wondered how long she’d been in the U.S.

  “Can you get him please? We’re here to ask a few questions about his daughter, Chelsea.”

  “Chelsea? She not here. Just Mr. Goldstein.”

  “That’s fine. We need to talk to him.”

  The small woman gestured for them to come inside. She directed them to a sitting room with a small velvet chaise lounge and exquisite turn of the century furnishings.

  “Wow. This place is incredible. I guess she grew up wealthy.” Brooke whispered.

  “Obviously. I wonder how she got so crazy?” He mused aloud studying the authentic looking Monet painting above the hearth.

  “Crazy?” A deep male voice boomed behind them. The diminutive maid scampered off down the hall.

  “Hi, Mr. Goldstein? I’m Jax Paulson and this is my girlfriend, Brooke.” Jax extended his hand.

  “Indeed.” He eyed Jax’s hand as he stared at the two of them.

  “Why are you here?” Mr. Goldstein stood in the doorway gaping at them as if they were from another planet.

  “We’re here because of your daughter, Chelsea.” Jax struggled to find his voice. The old man just glared at them. He was dressed formally in a dark gray suit and red tie.

  “Chelsea isn’t here. I haven’t seen here in over ten years. She never even came to her mother’s funeral.” His lips curled into a sneer. His dark hair was peppered with silver which glinted in the light.

  Jax swallowed hard.

  “Sir, we’re here because Chelsea has been involved in some very frightening activities. She’s----“

  Her father held his hand up.

  “Stop right there, young man. I don’t have anything to do with what Chelsea does or doesn’t do. I’ve washed my hands of that girl years ago.”

  The couple was taken aback by his harsh words.

  “Look, Sir, Chelsea has been stalking me f
or months now. I’m an author---“

  “---that doesn’t surprise me at all. And young man, I know exactly who you are. You write all that smut the ladies read nowadays.”

  “So, you’ve heard about the stalking then?”

  “Unfortunately, my son watches all that paparazzi tabloid shows. He’s been living with me since my wife died. Chelsea has always had problems, but I suspect you know that by now.”

  Jax nodded.

  The old man sighed. He collapsed into a large high backed chair in the corner of the room. Despite the warmth of the room, he kept his suit jacket on.

  “I guess you’ll both keep bothering me until I tell you about her. Chelsea was a delight when she was a little girl. She was into ballet and tap dancing. She loved her huge room full of dolls that I gave her. Chelsea was everything my wife and I wanted in a daughter. That is, until she turned nine. That year a great deal of things changed and not for the better.” He leaned over to a corner table pulling out a cigar box.

  “Would either of you care for a cigar?”

  They shook their heads. Jax would’ve loved a cigarette though.

  “I loathe cigarette smoke, but a good cigar is like dessert to me. These are a special blend from Cuba a former business associate gave me.” He drew the cigar beneath his nose inhaling the rich scent. He pulled a gold embossed lighter out and lit the cigar.

  Blowing out a thick ring of smoke, he continued.

  “When she was nine, Chelsea started complaining of hearing things. My wife and I did everything we could. We took her to the doctor to have her ears checked. She had a complete physical even had a CAT scan at the hospital. Nothing was found.”

  “That must have been distressing.” Jax said recalling the trauma he’d faced when he was nine as well after returning from Egypt.

  “My wife and I always enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle though not as lavish as this when Chelsea was young. We traveled often and to exotic locales.” He drew on his cigar puffing out the smoke.

  “Like where?”

  “Oh, all kinds of places. By the time Chelsea was nine and Tristan was twelve, we’d taken them to Paris, London, Edinborough, Dublin, Rome, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Los Cabos, Tokyo, Cairo, and even Australia.”