CRASH (A Logan Brothers Novel) (23 page)

I just thanked God that it was
Alice I was living with and not Tess. I mean, who was to know who
she'd be dragging in after a night out. Frankly, I don't think the
presence of a room-mate would deter her after a few too many drinks
and with a hot guy on her arm.

There were plenty of guys in the
club, all dancing in groups around us and trying to inch their way
closer. Some would make a play but were quickly shot down by myself
or Lexi. As the evening wore on Tess, on the other hand, began to
take the approaches of random guys more seriously. Zack didn't seem
to care a great deal as he sat over with the others, a fact that
probably spurred Tess on to try to make him jealous. I didn't think
there was much chance of that happening.

It must have been getting late
when I started to feel the night blurring around me. I wasn't sure
whether it was the drink or the growing claustrophobia of the dance
floor but I could feel my head beginning to cloud over. It was
probably a mixture of both.

I went over to the table and
told Alice that I was just going to pop outside to get some air,
clear my head. She nodded vacantly, a smile still plastered on her
face, as I migrated towards the door.

I stepped out of the club and
into the cool evening air, filled now with smoke as dozens of people
gathered outside, plumes of cigarette smoke issuing from their
mouths. I moved off further to find some pure air, sucking it in deep
into my lungs. It was so refreshing, so invigorating, my spinning
head beginning to settle.

The noise of the club remained
loud at my back, however, booming and pulsing. I moved off further
down the street, looking for a quiet spot to gather my thoughts. The
sound of the club softened in my ringing ears as I walked, the street
growing quiet and largely deserted.

The alcohol in my body hid any
cause for concern I might have otherwise felt, the street now eerily
silent around me, the club a couple of hundred meters to my rear.

A single car drove past me,
moving slowly down the road towards the club. I heard it slow further
still, the gears changing as it turned back on itself and came
towards me. The sound of the engine grew louder at my back, but I
thought nothing of it.

The noise suddenly stopped, the
sound of wheels rolling on tarmac gone. All I could hear was the
light chug of the engine as the car sat parked at the side of the
road. My heart beat was now rising steadily as I heard the door click
open. I felt an urge to turn around but didn't.

Then there were light footsteps,
their pace quickening behind me. I forced myself around as they got
closer and saw a cloth come straight for my mouth and nose. I
breathed in deep as the cloth was forced on me, a rotten smell inside
it. I could feel my knees weakening immediately as my hearing went
faint and my vision began to blur.

I could only make out the shape
of a man in front of me, his hand strong around my mouth, his body
covered in dark clothing with a hood hanging over his head and
shrouding his face. I tried to scream but the cloth muffled the
sound, only serving to force more of the rotten gas up my nose.

It all happened in a flash: the
car, the man, the cloth. Within seconds I felt the world closing in
on itself, everything going blank.

Then darkness, nothing, as I
fell unconscious.

Crash

The taste of Elle's lips were
lingering in my mind as I woke. I wish I could have stayed there with
her, but I couldn't.

Duty had called, the demands on
my time now growing even more with the development of my new project.
I had to attend a dinner meeting with some of my investors, the
disappearance of Walter Lithgow still heavy on their minds.

I'd made sure, of course, that
his 'disappearance' wouldn't have a major impact on my project moving
forward. I'd waited until he'd played his full role before removing
him from the picture.

It still stuck at me - his
death. I often woke with images of that evening in my head - my hand
gripped tightly on the pistol, my finger locked to the trigger,
Jones' hand removing the task from my own. It was a guilt that I'd
battled with for weeks, and one that might just live with me for my
entire life.

The show would go on though, and
my life was now dominated by my new casino. Plans were well and truly
in progress now, and I was meeting to keep my investors in touch with
everything we were doing.

Yet still, rumors of what had
happened with Lithgow continued to seep into every meeting, with the
conclusion being firmly drawn that he must be dead. I kept my
expression flat during these discussions, trying to press on with the
business at hand.

No one would suspect me, of
course, and I knew Jones will have done a good enough job to ensure
that Lithgow was never found. But still, every time I heard his name,
every time those memories came flooding back, I felt a heavy pang in
my gut.

I lay there now, though, my mind
on other things. Dinner tonight with Elle. It would be the first
proper date I'd been on in years, ever since I was younger and more
innocent. In recent times any time I'd spent with a girl would only
lead to one place. Well two places really - my place or hers.

I hadn't had a date in a long
time where I genuinely cared for the person, where I wanted to get to
know them more and treat them right. The feeling made me quickly
realize why Kyle had fought so hard for Alice. I understood that now.

My phone rang loudly on my
bedside table and reached quickly for it. I didn't recognize the
number. Probably yet another drain on my already limited time.

I picked it up and heard a
woman's voice. It was Alice. She sounded worried.

“
Crash? It's Alice.”

“
Er hey Alice, what's up? Is
everything OK?” I'd never gotten a call from her. Something must be
up.

“
Um, well, probably yeah. I
was just calling to see if Elle was there with you?”

I sat up in bed. “Elle, no
she's not here. What's going on, is something wrong?”

My pulse began rising.

“
I just thought that maybe she
went off to see you or something. I wasn't sure.” She paused
briefly. “It's just that, well, she never came home last night. She
went for some air and I didn't see her after that.”

I real sense of worry was now
invading me, tinged with jealousy.
Did she go home with a guy?

“
Um, was she talking with any
guys last night?” The words came out blankly. It almost hurt so say
them.

“
Not that I saw. She was
hanging out with Lexi and Tess mainly. I never saw her with a guy,
no.”

An odd feeling of relief and
growing concern grew inside me.

“
So she didn't go home with
anyone?”

“
Er, no I don't think so. She
wouldn't do that.”

“
And she wasn't there when you
got back? She hasn't come back yet?”

“
No. She went outside and
didn't come back. I tried calling her but her phone was off. I
thought she'd maybe got a taxi home and just gone to bed, but she
wasn't there when I got back.”

My heart rate was increasing
with every word.

“
Have you tried calling again
this morning?”

“
Lots. It's off or gone dead
or something. I'm kinda worried Crash, I was hoping she was with
you.”

Visions began flashing through
my head. What if she'd been mugged or something...or worse. I
scrunched up my eyes and banished the thought from my mind. Maybe
she'd gotten too drunk and passed out somewhere. What if someone had
found her and taken her...

My voice was rushed now, the
worry taking over me. “Was she drunk? What shape was she in? Tess,
Lexi? Do they know anything? Maybe she stayed with one of them?”

“
She seemed OK, a bit tipsy
maybe. She was dancing most of the night happily, she seemed fine.
No, I came home with Tess and I've called Lexi and, well, she doesn't
know anything.”

“
Look Crash,” she continued,
“I think I'm gonna go to the police. We're all really worried
something's happened to her. It might be that psycho ex of hers.”

I surge ripped through my body.
Brad. No, he wouldn't dare, not after I'd gone to him at the motel.
I'd seen the look in his eyes. He was shit-scared, there was no way
he'd risk it.

“
It can't be him. He's gone
back to California.”

“
But what if he came back?
Like, I know you warned him off and everything, but the guy's a
weirdo stalker. He's not in his right mind Crash. He might have come
back. I have to go to the police, tell them about it, about Brad.”

“
It's too early Alice, they
won't listen to you. It hasn't even been 12 hours yet, they wouldn't
commit any effort to it, especially after she'd been out drinking.”

No, I had someone far more
capable than the police to call upon. Jones would get the job done.

“
Look,” I said, “I'll find
her Alice. Don't worry about the police, they're fucking incompetent
anyway. I'll find her.”

....

My Hummer screeched to a halt in
the parking lot outside the motel and I jumped straight out. I paced
straight towards the door to room 4 and opened it straight up,
storming in. A young couple looked around in shock as they dragged
the bed covers over their naked bodies.

“
Wrong room,” I said,
turning and slamming the door shut.

I walked quickly towards the
reception and saw the same old woman as before sitting behind the
glass.

“
The guy who was here before,
has he come back?”

She looked up at me in that same
detached away as before. “Who?”

“
The guy, that fucking guy I
came to see before. Brad. Has he come back?!” My voice was rising,
but her expression remained placid.

“
I don't know. Maybe.”

I didn't have time for her
bullshit.

I slammed my closed fist down
hard on the counter, causing the entire thing to shake and rattle.
The sound and force of it caused her eyes to widen, some emotion
finally etched into them.

“
Did he come back,” I
growled again, “and don't fucking lie to me.”

She looked fearful now. “No,
he didn't.”

I smacked my fist down again and
roared. “WELL WHERE THE FUCK DID HE GO.”

I knew she wouldn't know. How
could she? But I didn't care. I was venting.

“
I don't know,” she said,
her voice shaking.

Of course she fucking didn't.

I turned and stormed off to
leave the pig to return to her dumb crossword.

“
FUCK IT,” I shouted aloud
as I thundered back towards my hummer.

I ripped my phone from my pocket
and called Jones.

“
He's not at the motel. Have
you traced his cards.”

“
Just done it now. There have
been several transactions in California, nothing in this area since
you forced him out two weeks ago.”

“
So he hasn't been back?”

“
Not with any cards in his
name. But there is something....”

“
YES...”

“
He spent over $150 at a gas
station in the north of the state.”

My blood boiled. “So he was
filling up for a long trip?”

“
Looks like it. He could have
gotten this far on that, and then some.”

“
OK, find out his licence
plate and check if his car's been seen on camera anywhere.”

“
That might be stretching
things a little. Certain contacts of mine have been getting heat for
helping me recently.”

“
Well then maybe a bit of
extra money will help cool them down. I don't care what you have to
do Jones, get me that information. Pay them whatever they need.”

I shut the phone off. I didn't
care what it cost, what Jones had to do. I wouldn't rest until I
found her.

Elle

My eyes slowly opened, my vision
coming back into focus. I felt awkward, my body in an unusual
position. I felt something rubbing at my wrist - it was rope, my arms
securely fastened to the corners of a bed.

My ankles were also tied, my
body spread-eagled on a mattress. I pulled and tugged but my body was
tied fast. A growing fear enveloped me as I gazed around the room. It
was a bedroom, dusty and old fashioned, an old armchair in the
corner, the walls covered in flowery wallpaper, worn and peeling.

The air was heavy and warm, much
warmer than I'd felt it in a while. Light spilled in through closed
curtains, the sunshine bright outside and casting streaks across the
room. They crossed my body, the sun's rays hot against me.

I breathed heavily, screaming
out for help, the dust in the room causing me to cough and splutter.
My eyes ran over my body: I was wearing an old skirt, loose fitted
and frayed, and a light blouse. The dress that I'd been wearing the
night before was hanging up on the door - someone must have changed
my clothes for me.