Deadly Obsession (4 page)

She subtly picked the lock and let herself inside. Everything was perfectly organized but not for long. Carol snooped through Carmen’s belongings as they were her own. In a jewelry box on her dresser, Carol made an extraordinary discovery. A beautiful diamond ring much resembling an engagement ring was carefully placed inside. She removed it and put it on her finger. She admired it for a few moments and then carried out her initial plan.

Caressing her stomach, her attention momentarily belonged to her unborn child. “So your daddy thinks he can just throw us away and marry someone else. Don’t you worry baby, mommy won’t let him push us away. I’ll make him love us. We’re his family and he belongs with us.” She spoke out loud.

Absolutely content with the results of her intrusion, Carol let herself out the same way she had entered. She couldn’t wait until Carmen came home and found the disarray she’d created. She’d be furious! She’d make a report with the police but once again there was no evidence proving Carol’s guilt. She was much too clever to leave behind a trace of her presence as she’d worn gloves during the commission of the vigilante act.

The day had been long for Carmen as

she was sick for the majority of it. She was convinced that she had picked up a virus somewhere. Hopefully she’d feel better tomorrow. As she pulled into her drive, the sight of Dexter’s truck excited her. He was waiting for her; she greeted him with open arms.

Carmen’s sickness instantaneously returned with the opening of her front door; only this time it was much worse than it had been all day. She was in disbelief.

“Will she ever give up? I hate her!” Carmen shouted.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Is someone playing a joke on us?” Dexter wondered.

He was fuming. He had no doubt in his mind that Carol was responsible for this obtrusive visit. He felt an overwhelming need to confront her but had to call the police first. They were on their way.

“Are you crazy? How could you wreck Carmen’s house?” he shouted angrily.

“What are you talking about Dexter? You can’t prove anything. Leave me alone.” Carol said as she abruptly ended the call.

Dexter then turned to Carmen.

“I’m so sorry Carmen. I know she did this. Why can’t she just go away?”

“She’ll never go away Dexter. She’ll terrorize us until we die.”

The police came and made a report. Though Carmen and Dexter made known their suspicion of Carol, there was no proof. The policeman did, however; suggest a restraining order to keep her away. Carmen and Dexter thanked him for his time and service and showed him to the front door.

They began to clean up the disorganization around them; nothing was in its rightful place. Pictures were knocked off the wall and broken, tables over turned and left on their sides, drawers were emptied and scattered. Carmen was more upset concerning her missing engagement ring than anything else.

“It’s okay Carmen. Please don’t cry. I’ll buy you a new one with the insurance money.” Dexter assured her.

“I don’t want another one; I want mine. Why won’t she leave us alone? What did we ever do to deserve this? I don’t understand!” she cried.

Suddenly Dexter’s cell phone rang; it was Aunt Ruth.

“Dexter, you need to get to the hospital right away; there’s been an accident, it’s your mother.” Ruth told him.

“Is she okay? How bad is she?” he asked nervously.

“We don’t know yet. They haven’t told us anything; just come as quickly as you can Dexter.”

“I’m on my way.”

He hadn’t expected the call from Aunt Ruth at all. His mother had to be okay. He loved her so.

“What’s wrong Dexter? Who was that

on the phone?”

“My mom’s been in a car accident. I have to get to the hospital.”

“I’ll come with you.” Carmen told him.

The house instantly lost priority with the news of Dexter’s mom. They rushed out the door without hesitation. Upon their arrival they went straight to ER. Aunt Ruth met them. He knew by the sad look on her face and the many tears flowing from her eyes, the news couldn’t be good. He braced himself.

“How is she; how’s mom? Is she okay?” Dexter asked, desperate to learn the extent of her condition.

“The doctor spoke with us moments ago; her prognosis isn’t good. She’s on life support. There’s no chance of recovery, her brain waves are absent. You have to make a decision.” She informed him sadly.

Dexter hit his knees; he couldn’t believe it. Not his mom; not this way. His heart was breaking in two as he tried to imagine the rest of his life without her. He loved her so. She was the one person in his life he could always depend on no matter what. She couldn’t leave him, what would he do without her? Carmen embraced him as she wanted desperately to ease his pain. She felt horribly for him. She knew too well how much Dexter’s mom meant to him.

“How did this happen?” Dexter questioned as he scrambled to make sense of it.

“We’re not sure. She was traveling the mountain when she lost control, or we assume she lost control. Strangely enough there are no skid marks at the accident site. It’s as if she meant to drive over the guard rail.” Ruth explained.

“I want to see her.” Dexter said.

The nurse led him to her room. The sight of her condition saddened him so. She was so helpless; not a sign of life in her. Her body had suffered insurmountable injury. He knew right away what he must do. He approached her bedside, taking her hand firmly.

“Oh mom, I’m so sorry. I love you and I’ll miss you so much. I don’t know how to let you go. You’ve always been there for me and now it’s my turn to do something for you. I’ll never forget you; I’ll always carry you in my heart. Rest in peace sweet angel, I love you.” He said as he hugged her for the last time, baptizing her with tears. His pain was unbearable. This was the woman who had given him life and sacrificed much of her own to take care of him and now she was gone. He wiped the tears from his eyes and went to find the doctor.

“Are you sure she won’t recover?” he asked.

“She has no sign of life; her brain is dead. There’s no chance of recovery.” The doctor confirmed.

“She deserves peace and that’s what she’ll have. Unplug the machines and let her go.”

This was  the  hardest  decision  Dexter

had ever faced. He selfishly wanted to hang on to his mom but knew it wasn’t best for her. She’d done so much for him; he couldn’t ask her to sacrifice her quality of life just to lessen his pain. If it was God’s will for her to live, it wouldn’t matter when they unplugged the machines, she would live.

There was time for Ada’s family to bid her a final farewell. They surrounded her bedside with love as her monitor flat-lined. Sadly she was gone. They became extremely emotional at the realization of her life’s completeness.

The next day was extremely hard for Dexter as he made arrangements at the funeral home to have his mother laid to rest. He just couldn’t come to terms with her passing; she was so full of life. He gave her dress to the funeral home director and chose a beautiful casket with pink lining embroidered with doves as they were Ada’s favorite. When outside the funeral home, Dexter was approached by a policeman.

“Mr. Crane?” he asked.

“Yes sir, can I help you?” Dexter enquired.

“I’m here concerning your mother’s accident. We’ve determined the cause.”

“Yes sir, and what was it?”

“Her brake lines were cut. Do you know anyone who would purposely sabotage your mother’s safety?” the officer questioned.

Dexter could only think of one person who would do something so mean and devious. The thought absolutely enraged him.

“Carol Avery; I guarantee she’s the one who did this. She has a sick obsession with me. She won’t leave me alone. She’s been a constant nuisance to us lately; Carmen and me. She needs to be locked away somewhere. She doesn’t deserve to live in society. No one’s safe with her on the streets. She did this, you have to prove it.” Dexter insisted.

Chapter Four

Carol was reaching for a towel when her phone rang. She hurried out of the shower to answer it.

“You got the money? The old lady’s dead.” Nick informed her.

“You’ll get your money don’t worry. I’ll leave it at the park in the trash can behind the merry-go-round at noon.”

“It had better be there. Ten-thousand dollars like we agreed or else.” He warned.

“Don’t threaten me Nick, I said the money will be there and it will.”

Nick Dasher was Carol’s old boyfriend. They hadn’t been together in years but Carol never lost touch with him. He was a low-life with no standards. He was willing to do anything for a price. His drug addiction and out of control gambling debts forced him to resort to any means necessary to support his bad habits.

Today  was  Ada  Crane’s   funeral and

Carol planned to be in attendance. She felt her involvement in Ada’s death would be less obvious if she showed up. After all, why would she attend a funeral for someone she’d killed? The arrangements were scheduled for two o’clock in the funeral home chapel.

Dexter and Carmen stood at the door greeting everyone as they arrived. They wanted to express appreciation for the show of condolences. Unbelievably, Carol’s car was entering the parking lot. Dexter couldn’t believe it; he wouldn’t stand for it.

“You’ve really got nerve Carol. You should be in prison right now, not here at my mother’s funeral. I know what you did and somehow I’ll prove it. You better get out of here right now before I call the cops.”

She attempted to open her door but Dexter quickly slammed it shut. She decided it best to leave as she would only make a spectacle of herself otherwise.

“This isn’t over; you can’t treat me this way. I didn’t do anything.” She proclaimed.

Dexter’s aggressive behavior triggered Carol’s memory of her father and the way that he often snapped on her. Just like her father, Dexter had no right to treat her so badly. He had no proof that she had anything to do with his mother’s death. Who did he think he was? She was the mother of his child; she had done nothing but love him and yet this was the thanks she received. She would make him wish he had never been born; his days were numbered.

“Can you believe her? She actually thought she would attend the funeral. She makes me sick; I absolutely despise her.” Dexter said.

Carmen put her arms around him, hoping to calm him. He was under a great deal of stress, especially today, and the sight of Carol only worsened things. If she was responsible for Ada Crane’s murder as Dexter was totally convinced then what would she do next. The reality of what was happening was beginning to sink in for Carmen, causing her to be alarmed. Carol will stop at nothing to get what she wants and since Dexter is what she desperately wants, Carmen may very well be in danger also.

The confrontation between Carol and Dexter only fueled Carol’s need to taste of sweet revenge. He’s made his bed and now he’ll lie in it. All hope that Dexter would ever love Carol because he wanted to, completely disappeared.

“It’s Carol, where are you? Have you left town yet?”

“I’m on my way, why?” Nick enquired.

“Don’t go too far, I need you to help me tie up some loose ends. I’ll be in touch.”

Carol was furious with Dexter; even more so with Carmen as she was the reason things had gotten so out of control. If Carmen refused to surrender and walk away then Dexter would pay the price for her stubbornness.

Back at the grave side, Dexter stood quietly, head dropped, tears running down his face, as he stared at the mound of dirt that now covered his mother. This was the saddest day he could ever recall in his entire life, set aside from the day he stood at her bedside the day of her accident. This precious woman meant so much to him; he just couldn’t understand why someone would take her life in such a cruel manner. She’d never done anything but good and yet she was dead. Why her?

Guilt was eating him alive as he felt he was to blame. It was his affair with Carol Avery that caused his mother’s death; it was nothing more than an act of revenge. How could he have been so stupid? If only he hadn’t slept with Carol. What ifs wouldn’t bring her back; the unfortunate outcome of his decision was permanent, his mother was gone forever. As he pondered the thought of what he could have done differently, Carmen came to mind. He was forced to face the fact that Carol may be planning an attack on her too. She wouldn’t catch him off guard this time. He would be waiting for her.

Two weeks had gone by since Ada Crane’s funeral and Dexter was still having trouble coming to grips with what had happened. Her death was officially determined a homicide but police had no promising leads. Dexter remained adamant that Carol Avery was the perpetrator but had no proof to confirm it. She appeared to be the model citizen; her background turned up no priors but he refused to give up until she was behind bars for what she’d done.

Ada’s tragic death had only brought Dexter and Carmen closer together. Carmen’s health was seemingly declining as she was experiencing constant nausea often accompanied by vomiting. She’d missed several days of school as a result of her sickness. Dexter feared her condition was serious and encouraged her to see a doctor. She was all he had now; he didn’t want to lose her.