Authors: Priscilla Poole Rainwater
****************************************************
Brett stood watching Karen interact with the child, amazed by her patience. Women like her were meant to be mothers, because of their loving and nurturing nature.
Maybe
someday
……
he thought, but knew, deep in his heart that if he had her, he wouldn’t want to share her with anyone, not even a child.
She would be all I need. Children would only spoil things, they would take her attention away from me…
he amended. He had
come
to get her for their scheduled dinner, but decided not to disturb her as she was trying to lure the little girl out from under the table. He liked watching her when she didn’t know he was, he had done it countless times before.
He had brought Karen to the Sisters of Hope home for children to recover from her attack, and had worked with the nuns himself, counseling the troubled children there. Like the little girl Karen was reaching out to at the moment. The girl came from the home of a mentally unstable
mother;
the woman had tried to drown the child, thinking that she was a demon. Luckily, Amy had managed to break free and run to a neighbor’s house for help. She was staying in the home until other immediate family members could be located, but at the moment it seemed as if her mentally disturbed mother had severed all ties with her family, and locating them was proving to be a difficult task.
“She’s wonderful with the
children;
I think being with them fills some sort of void in her.” Sister Katherine said to him as she watched the child nodding at something Karen said.
“Perhaps you’re right.” he replied, careful to keep a pleasant look on his face as dread welled up within him. After a certain phone call he had received earlier, he knew time was running out. The truth would be exposed, and he had to find a way to convince Karen to give up her life and leave with him. It was the only way he could keep her…
Desperate times call for
desperate
measures. I need to start working on her, soon…
he thought as he clutched the bottle of medication in his jacket pocket. He had used it before, and had to be very careful, because too much could be fatal. It had happened before, to another woman, but it had been an accident. He would genuinely prefer to not give her such a large dosage at one time, but he had to act fast…
.
****************************************************
Raidon Bishop, a private detective, showed the resort owner a photo of Cassandra Mortenson. “She would have been here in the month of May, about three
years
ago.” he said.
Giving the photo a cursory glance, she looked at him and rolled her eyes. How did he expect her to remember that far back? It wasn’t as if the woman had been a celebrity or anything. How could she possibly be expected to remember an anonymous face from three
years earlier? She was used to sleazy tabloid reporters, coming around and trying to find out about the people that stayed at the exclusive adult resort. “Sir, I really don’t remember this woman. Besides, due to our patron’s desires for privacy, we can’t give out any information of any type, anyway.” she replied in a haughty and dismissive tone.
Tucking the picture back inside his leather jacket, he reflected on the fact that, thus far, the case had been one false lead after another. But he had at least managed to trace Cassandra Mortenson’s credit card to the swanky adult resort. It surprised him, because from what he had learned of the woman during his research, she would never have been caught dead in a place such as this. She had too much class. This place was strictly for people who had some of the most deviant sexual tastes out there. He had snuck onto the grounds the day before, and snooping around, had discovered the resort had
its
own dungeon, and he also knew that high-priced prostitutes, both men and women, plied their trade here.
Time to do a little arm-twisting
…. he thought.
“You're still here?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
“Listen, Miss, my client is a very wealthy man, very powerful, and his wife went missing here. He wants answers, and he told me to use any means necessary to get the information. Now, as much as I would hate to disturb your guests, I can and will get the police and some news crews here, asking your ‘patrons’ if they knew that a woman, the wife of a very important and wealthy man, seemingly vanished off the face of the earth, from RIGHT HERE. How would that be?
”
he asked, letting the question hang. Then, snapping his fingers, said, “Oh yeah, I almost forgot…I also managed to snap some very interesting photos of some important people, doing some very naughty things here. Involves lots of leather, some whips and gags, hell, maybe even a Collie and a treadmill here and there. All I know is, it was so nasty my mind has blocked it out. But my camera remembers, of that you can be certain. And you
DO
know pimping is a big no no, don‘t you?” he finished, praying the bluff would work.
Suddenly paling, her eyes grew wide. Her business was built on privacy and anonymity for her customers, in order to live out their darkest fantasies without fear of being exposed. If just one rumor got out, she could lose a very profitable business, and she wasn’t planning on going to jail anytime soon. “May…maybe I can check the computer. What was the name again?” she asked, suddenly eager to oblige and be rid of the fly in the ointment.
“Cassandra Mortenson. Although it’s possible she could have registered under the name Cassandra Ames.” he said, relieved that his ploy had worked.
Something about the name sounded vaguely familiar to her, but at the moment she was too rattled to place it. Her long red nails moved quickly over the keyboard, and moments later she spotted the name. “Ok, you’re right, the woman was here alright. She had booked one of our best suites, one for customers who prefer more privacy than the average patron. People
who…we shall
say…. desire the more intense experiences we can offer here.” she finished,
and then
looked at him with a wicked smile that looked more like a snarl.
Freak
!
He
thought.
Continuing, she told him about the room. “There’s a private entrance that’s separate from the rest of our normal guests. She had booked the suite for two weeks, but stayed only one night. It’s six thousand a night, and non-refundable.” she said, trying to pitch the room, but his disinterest was clear.
Well, he probably couldn’t afford it anyway..
She
thought sourly as she returned her gaze to the computer screen.
Absorbing the information, he stood silently, contemplating his next move.
“Hey, wait a minute, there‘s something else here…
”she
said, interrupting his thoughts. “There’s a comment that was left by … a former manager here, it seems personal items of hers had been left behind. They were requested to be packed and shipped to an address in ….Windsor Virginia. I‘ll print up the list of things that were shipped, I guess he was being thorough, and wanted proof, in case she claimed it was never sent.” she explained, then pressed the command key to print up the information.
Feeling the hairs stand up on the back of his neck, he knew something was very wrong. He knew women very well, and very few of them, especially wealthy ones, ever left anything behind unless they had no choice. “I’ll need that manager’s contact information also.” he said, still disturbed, yet pleased that he would have something positive for a change to report back to Granger Mortenson. He knew finding this woman would mean a huge bonus. A ‘go out and pay cash for brand new Corvette’ sized bonus, at that.
“I can give you the information, but it won’t do you any good. Around the same time, he was killed in a botched carjacking. He was found on a country road, stabbed multiple times. I tell you, drugs make people do horrible things.
His murder is still unsolved.”
But he didn’t need to hear more. He would bet his last dime that the death of the ’manager’ had something to do with Cassandra Mortenson’s disappearance.
“Will that be all…?” she asked hopefully.
Nodding his head, he thanked her, then turned and left.
*****************************************************
“Karen, you have to believe that I only want what’s best for you.” Brett said as he moved closer to her and touching her arms, causing his own body to tingle in anticipation.
She was stunned he was asking her to leave with him, to go overseas, where he was planning on doing research work on a depression drug.
Desperate to convince her, he said, “The business trip I have to go on will only be for one day, and when I return we could get your passport. I have connections, so we could have everything you need in a matter of days. We could be on a plane to France by the end of the
week.”
Speechless, she shook her head and her body stiffened in shock. She would never have expected him to ask her to leave the home she had made here, especially since he knew how hard it was for her build something. He had to know she wouldn’t want to leave, after all, he had been by her side while she struggled to begin a new life. “I can’t leave, you know how much the children need me.” she stammered, and felt guilty immediately afterwards when she saw the crestfallen look on his face. She owed him so much for caring for her, but she wasn’t willing to give up what little life she had. She wished she could actually love him, it would make it so much easier to accept, but deep inside, something unknown to her, made her feel unable to commit to him, or any other man.
Touching her arm again, his eyes flashed with a hint of impatience. “Please, just think about it.” Smoothly changing the subject, he held up a bottle of wine he had brought with him and said, “How about a drink before I leave?”
Without waiting for an answer he stood, and being very familiar with her small apartment, went directly to the cupboard where she kept her wineglasses, and took down two. Opening the bottle, he poured into both glasses, making certain her view of them was obstructed. Pulling a bottle of clear liquid from his pocket, he quickly emptied the contents into her glass.
Rejoining her, he handed her the glass. “Alright, no more talk about moving, for now, anyway. Let’s enjoy our wine.”
Smiling gratefully, she took a sip and wrinkled her nose, not liking the bitter taste.
Sipping from his own glass he carefully studied her reaction, then said, “I hope you like it, a friend of mine sent it to me from Italy, for my birthday. I understand it’s a very expensive brand.” he finished, knowing that after telling her that, she would never waste the gift he shared with her. It was in her very nature to be both kind and trusting, she had a never-ending need to please him, and others around her.
Putting on a false smile, she said nothing, took several more sips, and felt her eyelids suddenly become very heavy. Seemingly in slow motion, she set the glass on her coffee table, fearing she would drop it. Feeling her face heat up, she put her hands on her burning cheeks, and felt her entire body go numb. Dropping her hands, she tried to get up, and found it was impossible. It felt as if there was a heavy weight pressing her into the seat.
“Karen, are you feeling well?” he asked as he placed his own glass on the table, then gently pushed her back to prevent her from falling over.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, she slurred, “Tir…tired…can’t keep my eyes open.”
When her eyes finally closed, he smiled. Gathering her into his arms, he held her snugly to him, kissed her neck and began his work. Using the tips of his fingers, he gently turned her
face towards him. “Karen, I want you to listen to my words very carefully. Do you understand?” he whispered directly into her ear.
“I..un..stand…” she mumbled.
He nibbled on her ear, then continued. “Very good. You must remember this, this could protect you. Remember the man, the one with blue eyes? He wants to hurt you. Don’t trust him, don’t trust anyone but me. Everyone else, they’re going to help him hunt you down, hurt you. Remember the name: Granger. He is the one who tried to kill you. Do you remember the horrible and unbearable pain he caused you, Karen?”
A nearly inaudible whimper of fear was her only reply.
“Karen
, I’m the only one you can trust. Say it. Brett is the only one I can trust. Do you understand?” he instructed, his smile growing more wolfish when she nodded her head weakly.
“Brett..only…trust. Trust….” she mumbled
Slowly, he ran one hand up her thigh, gave it a gentle squeeze, and felt his manhood grow hard with excitement. As the drugged woman whimpered and acknowledged a few more of his questions and instructions, he marveled at how easily she bent to his will, and, unable to control himself any longer, gave her a passionate kiss.
Standing, he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, all the while whispering to her that she would forget about what happened this night. All she would remember was that she had dinner with him, went home, and suffered another one of her blackouts.
Chapter 4
Raidon knocked on the office door of Sister Katherine, and heard a soft voice telling him to enter.
Opening the door and stepping inside, he was greeted by a rather thin white woman who was seated behind a large desk, the nun who had been running the home for twenty-seven years. He had been surprised to find out that the address given to him by the owner of the resort hadn’t been Doctor Parker’s office, but
children’s
home ran by nuns.
“Yes, may I help you?” she asked.
“Sister Katherine, I’m Raidon Bishop.” he said as he smiled politely and shook her hand, then handed her a business card. “I‘m a private investigator. I’ve come to talk to you about a young woman you may have cared for three years ago, an African American woman.”
“I see, please, have a seat.“ she replied.
Taking a seat in front of the desk, he withdrew a brown envelope from his jacket pocket, took out a photo, and slid it across her desk. It didn’t escape his notice that the woman’s initial warm, friendly smile was suddenly replaced by a guarded look when she saw the photograph.
Removing her glasses slowly, she sat back and studied the tall Asian man for a moment before speaking. “
Who
are you inquiring about, and who sent you here to gather this information?” Giving the photo another cursory glance, she slid it back across the desk.
Damn, this nun has a killer poker face…
he thought, knowing now that he was on the right trail. He had been here for all of forty seconds, and already the woman was ducking and weaving so much he had to have hit a sensitive nerve. “I was hired by the woman‘s husband, Sister.” he replied. “The woman’s name is Cassandra Mortenson. I can’t disclose my sources of course, but someone did tell me a privately owned ambulance brought her here, along with a nurse, sometime in the summer. August, to be exact. A Dr. Parker was the one who paid for both the ambulance service and the nurse. He was with her when she was brought to a secluded area on these grounds. I believe you do have apartments on the grounds, am I correct? My source also told me she was in pretty bad shape, should have been in an ICU unit at a hospital, matter of fact. Face bruised and battered, face swollen, broken bones, and comatose.” He had already pieced together that this place was in fact where she had been brought not long after the attack, but he had yet to figure out where she had been prior to that. But he knew it had to have been a medical facility, her injures had simply been too extensive for her to not have had around the clock medical care.
Still silent, she remembered the day the woman had
arrived;
her face had swollen to three times its normal size. Her head had been wrapped in gauze from a recent operation, and she had had to undergo three more operations in the months to follow. She also remembered the constant warning from Dr. Parker, that a day may come when the monster who had almost killed the sweet woman would come back around, looking for her. The warning still ringing in her head, she thought,
So, the man who did this to her is not only a crazed lunatic, but wealthy and powerful as well. He won’t stop until she’s dead.
She also remembered promising to do all she could to protect the young woman, who in a short amount of time had
become
like the daughter she never had.
“Sister, please.” his voice cut through the silence.
Focusing once more on the matter at hand, she cleared her throat awkwardly and said, “Mr. Bishop, if the young woman had been here, well, we offer safe haven for people who really need it, and I can’t betray that trust, I’m very sorry.”
BINGO!
He
thought, but knew the old girl wasn’t going to give up anything more. Putting the photo and envelope back in his pocket, he stood to leave. “Very well, thank you for your time, Sister.” he said, giving her his best smile, then turned and left.
Leaning back in her seat again and drumming her fingers on her desk, she wondered if she should discuss the visit with Karen, but fearing it would be a little too overwhelming and
frightening to her, decided against it. Instead, she would wait until the doctor returned, and let him know instead, he would know best what to do. “Father, please watch over Karen, protect her from the evil that stalks her.” she whispered.