Along Came A Prince (22 page)

“You weren’t
shocked enough last time?”

“I have to know,”
she said.

“It read,
Are
you ready to be screwed again, Audra, before you die?”

♥♥

The next couple
days passed slowly and quietly. No new letters from the stalker surfaced. Stacia
was beginning to tire of being a prisoner in her own home. The drapes in her
condo had to be drawn at all times. The only light she saw was artificial. Even
the skylights had plywood nailed over them. She couldn’t go out on her patio,
although that restriction she understood.

Ryan was gone for
a few hours. When he came back, she intended to talk to him about how long she
had to live this way. Even though she knew his answer would be, “until the
stalker is behind bars.”

Maybe whoever was
sending the letters was bluffing. Perhaps all he intended to do was to frighten
her, and he’d certainly succeeded in doing that. But holding up filming on
London
Affair
had to be putting Nathan and Arthur over budget, and she’d never
done that before on any movie she’d worked on.

Because she had
nothing but time, she practiced meditating two or three times a day. Her
dedication to it rewarded her by making it easier for her to relax and enter
her special place. The rest of her days were spent thinking about Clay and
wondering what he was doing. How she wished she was at SwissDen instead of here.
But that was impossible until the right time ventured into her life. And the
way her nightly dreams kept revealing themselves to her, she doubted the right
time would ever be a reality. Each one kept reinforcing her belief of a life
composed of no marriage...or a short one ending with disaster, and she wondered
if this could be the disaster they were foreshadowing.

Ryan suggested
they leave town, but she wouldn’t. She had to get back to the movie set as soon
as the stalker was caught. Besides where could she go? Home to Wisconsin? And
run the risk of him following her there, and putting her parent’s lives in
jeopardy? Absolutely not. So, she and Ryan had come to a compromise which was
actually more like an impasse. She agreed to stay home under his protective
custody, and he quit his campaign to force her to leave town.

Days and nights,
more or less, faded into one another. She’d peek out the side of her drapes in
the bedroom once in a while just to see the sunshine or the moonlight.

It was strange
thinking someone wanted her dead because she resembled Audra and was filming
the same movie the deceased actress once had. She had so much to accomplish yet
in her life. She’d barely begun to live, and now everything she’d hoped,
dreamed or wanted to do in the future could be snuffed out as fast as blowing
out a candle. Was that all there was for her in this lifetime?

Tears collected in
her eyes. She swiped at them angrily with the back of her hand. She wasn’t
going to let some psychopath dictate when her life would end. She had Ryan to
protect her, and he would now just as he always had in the past.

She could hear the
low hum of voices in the living room. She opened her bedroom door and saw her
brother was on the phone. His back was to her, and he hadn’t seen her enter the
room.

“How many men can
you spare?” Ryan asked. “He has to be stopped, Chief, one way or the other. If
we can’t do it, I’ll have to find someone who can.” Ryan began to pace the room
as he talked. “He’s through playing games and ready to go for all the marbles. He...”
Ryan stopped talking as he turned around and saw her. His face replicated the
Grim Reaper’s.

Stacia’s heart
began to pound. A sudden burst of heat rushed to her face.

“I’ll call you
back, sir,” Ryan said as he tossed his phone on the nearest chair. “How much
did you hear, Stace?”

“What happened?”

“He’s through
toying with us now.”

“Another note?”

“It’s not only the
note this time, it’s where he put it. Somehow he managed to slip past security and...”
Her brother paused as if he didn’t want to continue. “They were watching the
area on cameras, and the security people got there fast, but they were too
late, he was gone.”

“Where, Ryan? Where
did they find the note?”

“It was taped
inside your elevator, folded up with the word ‘Audra’ on it. One of the
security guards gave it to me when I came here just now.”

Stacia panicked. “My
private elevator? How did he find out...” Pressure mounted from her hot face
and spread itself to her throbbing forehead. A cold, clammy feeling washed over
her body. Everything seemed to be turning black around her. Why were her legs
shaking so much?

“Sit down,” she
heard Ryan say, his voice sounding as if it were coming from Mars.

Why is there a
wet cloth on my forehead?
She moved slightly and realized Ryan was holding
her. She fought against opening her eyes to reality. It was better to drift in
this feeling of peace enveloping her. What was she doing sitting on the floor
in her brother’s arms?
Don’t remember
, her mind ordered, but it tricked
her into remembering anyway.

Ryan was holding
her close to his chest. She could feel his heart thundering against her ear. “It’s
okay, Stace. You’re safe here with me.”

She opened her
eyes and looked at him. Why hadn’t his words of comfort convinced her
everything was all right? How could they when his face was lined with worry? “I
fainted, didn’t I?” she asked. Her voice came out fluttery and weak, yet she
was surprised she could talk at all.

“Yeah, you did,”
he confirmed.

She tried to
stand, and Ryan guided her to an upright position. Her legs miraculously held
her up. She steadied herself as she leaned against him for support. “I’m fine
now.” He let go of her, and she decided to sit down anyway. “You didn’t tell me
what the note said before my little disappearing act.” Her body might be weak,
but her brain was as strong as ever in the memory department.

His phone rang. Ryan
answered it. “Good,” he said a few moments later as he ended the conversation. He
turned to Stacia. “The chief’s dispatching as many detectives and police
officers as he can spare to question everyone entering, leaving or working inside
the building, and to inspect the grounds and building for clues. So now all we
have to do is wait.”

“For him to strike
again?” Stacia said, her words edged with cold resignation. “It seems weird to
wait for one’s death.” A déjà vu´ feeling raced through her mind and disappeared
instantly. “Once, I prayed for death,” she said, unaware the spoken words had
even come from her mouth.

“What?” Ryan asked.
His expression was one of confusion before he chose to ignore her last remark. “Stace,
A good chunk of the police force will be here shortly. There’s nothing to fear.
They’ll be making a full investigation.

“And what if he dresses
up in a police uniform? He’s cunning enough to get one, you know. What if –”

“Stop it, Stace.”

Ryan might be able
to stop her from speaking out loud about her fears, but she wished he could
also stop her mind from thinking about it. Her instincts screamed,
death any
second.
Suddenly, in the distance, the sound of sirens became audible. She
listened as they screeched louder and louder, like a beacon light searching for
a distressed ship at sea. The piercing sounds stopped at their peak.

“They’re here,”
Ryan announced.

“Along with the
media,” she remarked dryly.

“Get over this
hang-up you have about publicity. I don’t give a damn how much your face is plastered
over TV or the newspapers. Just as long as that face is living and breathing.”
He stomped out of the room.

He’s right, as
usual,
Stacia thought.
I only hope I live long enough to change.

♥♥

“I’m sorry, Stace.
I shouldn’t have left you in a huff,” Ryan said when he returned a short time
later. “Guess I’m more stressed out than I realize.”

“Did you find out
how he got by security?”

“We should have
some answers shortly. They’re investigating everyone here.”

“And in the
meantime...”

“We wait.” Ryan shifted
his gun slightly.

“You haven’t told
me what the last note said.” She hadn’t asked before because of the debate
going through her mind on whether or not she wanted to know the latest message.
She finally decided she again needed to know.

“I’d rather not
say.”

“It’s that bad?”

“What good does it
do to keep telling you everything? We’ll catch the bastard soon, and it’ll all
be over.”

“You’re talking
about my life here. I have a right to know.”

“And maybe in my
professional role, I have a right not to tell you.”

“That’s not good
enough,” she said flatly. “What right do you have
professionally
not to
tell me when my life is involved?”

“Maybe the only
right I have is I’m your brother, and I love you, and I’m watching out for you
the best I can. Did you ever think of that?”

“I still have the
–”

“You’re not going
to leave me alone until I tell you, are you? You passed out awhile ago. What
makes you think you won’t again when you hear the note? How much more can you
take, Stace?”

She stood up in
front of him, her hands stuffed in her jeans’ pockets. “Fear is ignorance of
the unknown. I need to know his latest move. I’ll still be afraid but, unlike
you and your bullets, it’s the only ammunition I have.”

Ryan stared at her
for a long time. “Okay, you win.” He took the envelope from his pocket and
yanked out the letter. “This one says, ‘
The game is over, Audra, and so is
the wait. Step out your door, and you’re mine. Bang! You’re dead.’”

Stacia sat down
hard on her sofa, terror rushing through her like a dam had broken free. “He
couldn’t have chosen any other words in the dictionary that would have scared
me more. Why does he think I’m Audra? There has to be more to this than what
the notes have said.”

“We’re working on
all the angles, but so far...” Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

Someone knocked on
the front door, and the man guarding it looked through the peephole. “It’s
Chief Brannigan.”

Ryan started for
the door. “Let him in,” he said.

The man opened it,
and a solemn-faced Brannigan walked in.

“Saunders. Stacia,”
he said and nodded toward the two of them.

“What did you find
out?” Ryan inquired.

“Not anything
good,” Brannigan stated gruffly. “We’ve also questioned the guard at the gate. He
reported he knew everyone who’s entered with the exception of a man who came
home with a Mrs. Melbourne who lives here. The security guard downstairs
reported the same thing as the one at the entrance. He said the victim told him
the man was her cousin from Utah. Since he knew her and she lived here, he
figured she was telling the truth and didn’t question her further.”

“Could this be our
man?” Ryan asked.

“I’m getting to
that,” Brannigan said. “May I sit down? Never mind, I’d rather stand.”

Why did the chief
seem so ill-at-ease?
“I know Mrs. Melbourne,” Stacia said. “She’s been a
widow since before I moved here. She’s a lovely lady.”

“A widow, lonely
and vulnerable, evidently,” the chief said, compassion and pity written on his
face. “We went to her condo immediately because it was the logical place to
start. We hit pay dirt, except it’s not the kind we like to find.”

“Wait, sir. Maybe
my sister should leave the room. I don’t like what you’re leading up to.”

“I’m not going
anywhere, Ryan,” Stacia said firmly as she crossed her arms. “Go ahead, sir,”
she said to the chief.

Brannigan looked
at Ryan, who nodded his consent. “Mrs. Melbourne was murdered. She was shot in
the head in her living room, among other things.”

What other
things?
Stacia wondered, but she knew better than to ask. She didn’t want
to know.

Ryan moved toward her
and put his arm around her.

“I’m okay,” she
whispered as she clenched her brother’s arm.

“Was it our man or
a coincidence?” Ryan asked.

“We’re running a
check on the killer’s M.O. We’re also checking out every angle, including the
camera footage from when he came here with the victim. You know how we work,
Saunders.”

“And I know how
long it takes.”

“Unfortunately, we
have to follow certain procedures and regulations.”

“Yeah, red tape,”
Ryan mumbled. “Well, I’m going to cut through that tape right now.” He stood up
and headed toward the door.

“I don’t know what
you’re planning, Saunders. We’ll get him, you know that.”

“Before or after
my sister ends up like Mrs. Melbourne?” Ryan yelled out as he slammed the door.

Ryan sat in the
dark inside his car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He could think
of no other plan for Stacia’s survival. He’d reached the dead-end road people
in his profession hated most.
Red tape waiting time,
when the bad were
protected by the law, and the good were unjustly abandoned. He could no longer
follow the rules dictated to him by law and his superiors because the words,
dead
and
end
, were not how he wanted to describe his sister. He had to use
his brotherly instincts to make certain that didn’t happen, and he only knew
one quick way to do it.

He pulled out his
cell phone and tapped in a number.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Clay. This
is Ryan Saunders, Stacia’s brother. I wouldn’t be calling you if this weren’t
an emergency. Stacia has –”

“Is she all
right?”

“For the present,
yes. But her life’s in jeopardy, and I intend to keep her
all right.
”

“If Stacia’s in
danger, I’ll be there in hours.”

“You can’t.”

“You
can’t
stop me.”

“Clay, this has to
stay confidential between us. You have to trust me. I’m with her every possible
second, and I’m always armed.”

“If Stacia’s life
is in danger –”

“She –” Ryan
interrupted.

“If her life is in
danger,” Clay interrupted back. “I could come get her and bring her to SwissDen.
She’d be safe here.”

“How would you get
her out of her condo? She won’t listen to me, and some psycho’s been sending
her notes threatening her. The last one said if she stepped out of her door,
she’d be dead. We have to believe that for the time being. We believe this
stalker is hiding somewhere close waiting to gun her down. He’s already killed
one woman to get closer to Stace. No, Clay, she’s safer here where I can
protect her.”

“What about
disguises? She could dress like a man and we could sneak her out.”

“A disguise? You’re
not thinking rationally here. If I remember right, the last time you two tried
disguises, the media recognized you anyway. Do you want to gamble her life
against a disguise? I don’t.”

“I can at least
come there to help protect her.”

“No, Clay, you
can’t.”

“You already said
that,” Clay replied stubbornly. “I won’t agree with you no matter how many
times you repeat yourself.”

“Let me put it
another way then. Not only do I need professionals guarding her, my sister
wouldn’t approve of me calling you. I doubt she would talk to either of us for
a long time. I learned years ago I can only push Stace so far. Even though
she’d know I was trying to save her life, calling you is a line I should not be
crossing. And I’m doing this solely because of who we’re dealing with,” Ryan
admitted. “And she wouldn’t approve of the reason I called you either.”

“Which is...”

 “As I said, some
psycho’s been sending her threatening notes. He seems to think she’s Audra
Parker.”

“The actress from
London
Affair
?”

“That’s the one.”

“Do you know who
he is?”

“We don’t have a clue,
and the notes keep coming. Each time one’s delivered, he gets bolder and bolder.
I know he means what they say, and that’s where you come in.”

“Me? How?”

Ryan hesitated
before continuing. “Since you’ve had your ice exhibit here, there’s been talk
going around the precinct about you and your father. And...this is difficult
for me to say...”

“Go ahead.”

“Well, rumors have
linked your father with the Mafia. You don’t have to confirm or deny it.”

“I won’t.”

“Let’s just
hypothesize here, Clay. I’m really desperate, or I wouldn’t be talking to you
like this.”

”Keep going.”

“In my scenario,
if your father does have connections with the mob, I was hoping he could
somehow quietly find out who’s threatening Stacia. I believe the person is in
some way connected to Audra Parker. Otherwise, it makes no sense why he would
call Stacia by Audra’s name. But then psychos never do make sense, so maybe I’m
not even in the same ballgame. My sister told me the story about Audra’s death,
and I know at the time she died, the studio had connections to the mob and took
care of the three guys involved.”

“And...?”

“That’s about it. Except
I don’t want a repeat of what happened to them. No rough stuff, understand?
Just let me know his name, or his whereabouts, or have him taken to any police
station and mention my name. He’s here in L.A. and has been in her building. The
guy’s dangerous, and he’s no amateur.” 

“You know I’ll do
anything for Stacia, right?”

“I thought so. That’s
why I called you.”

“Then, I’ll talk –”

“Don’t incriminate
yourself by admitting something to me you may be sorry for later. I don’t want
to know if your father is connected to the mafia. I just want this killer
behind bars. And Clay, one more thing.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t normally
work this way.”

“Neither do I.”

♥♥

Ryan returned to
Stacia’s condo after his call to Clay. The chief and Stacia were sitting in the
living room the same way as when he left.

“Did you cool off,
Saunders?” Brannigan asked.

“I did what I had
to do,” Ryan said emphatically.

“And what was that?”
Stacia questioned.

“Don’t ask,
because I have no answer for you.”

“Do you have one
for me?” Brannigan inserted.

“Not this time,”
Ryan said and walked to the bar. “Anyone want something to drink?” He grabbed a
bottle of beer out of the refrigerator, opened it and took a big swallow. “Got
a bad taste in my mouth,” he stated as he wiped his mouth off with the back of
his hand. He set the bottle down.

Stacia wondered
what Ryan could have done that suddenly gave him this air of belligerence,
which was so out of character for him.
I did what I had to do,
he’d said.
What did he mean by that? Such small words to have such a large impact on his
change of attitude. Did he go see Mrs. Melbourne’s body? If he did, why would
that make him belligerent? Stacia shivered as she thought about the woman’s
demise.

Brannigan stood up.
“I’m going back to the victim’s place. Care to come along, Saunders?”

“No thanks. You
can handle that end of it.”

The chief left,
and Ryan drank a few swallows more of his beer.

Stacia was still
puzzled by the way her brother was acting. “I’ve never suggested this before,
but perhaps when this is all over, you should think of changing your profession.
I know I’d feel better if you did, and I’m sure Josie would too.” she said
quietly.

Ryan walked over and
sat next to her. He looked directly into her eyes and placed his hand over
Stacia’s. “I got into police work because I cared about helping people, and I
wanted to make a difference in their lives. But when someone you love’s in
danger, and you realize not enough is being done to keep that person safe, your
values and decisions can change drastically. Instead of being detached as you
must be in this line of work, you’re attached, and it affects your emotions in
such a way that it controls everything you say or do.” He slapped his knees and
stood up. “Well, that’s it, Stace. End of lecture.”

And the end of
asking him to change jobs for a safer one. She was so proud of him as her
brother, and as a man dedicating his life to help other people.
Stacia felt
tears slipping down her face. “I love you.” she said. “And I know I’d feel the
same way you do if I were in your position. But, we won’t let him win, Ryan. We’ll
fight him together...somehow.”

♥♥

“You know I don’t agree
with everything you do, nor am I interested in knowing some of your
activities,” Clay said to his father as they sat behind the closed doors of his
office.

“And I didn’t
involve you in any of these – as you call them – a
ctivities
. You also
know there’s only one reason why I’m involved in them.”

“I don’t understand
your reason. Why do you want your crown back? You have more riches now, and
have had for years, than when you were king.”

“There is a
certain honor at stake here. The royal blood runs thick in our veins and has as
far back as anyone can trace. To have our country snatched away by rebels who
share only dirty blood running through them is not acceptable and never will be
as long as I’m alive. Our people deserve better than that.” He shook his head. “Royalty
is royalty. Peasants are peasants. You cannot change this. The blood lines
should not be mixed.”

Clay could see his
father getting angrier by the second. He was sorry he’d ever brought the
subject up. He should know better because their conversations always ended the
same way, with his father getting incensed and him being repulsed. Clay didn’t
have his father’s strong competitive demands, instead, he’d inherited his
mother’s more subdued desires. Like her, he’d learned to accept what his father
did because he loved him. He just couldn’t condone it.

“And what will you
do, son, when you become king? How will you run your kingdom differently?” His
father seemed to have cooled down and adopted a different strategy.

 “First of all,”
Clay said, “I don’t intend for you to die for a long time. And also, there’s no
kingdom to run as far as I can see.”

“But there will be
– and sooner than you think. One of these days you’re going to have to take the
responsibility you were born to assume.”

“You had me just
to be king?”

“Of course not. That
choice was made when you became my son.”

“You’re forgetting
one thing, Father. I also have a mother, and unfortunately for you, I am more
like her.” What good did it do to re-hash this same argument over and over
again? He had more important things to discuss with him. “I need your help. It’s
about Stacia.”

“A lovely girl. Too
bad she doesn’t have royal blood running through her.”

“Forget about that.
I love her and I’ll marry her if she’ll have me, which doesn’t seem to be the
case at the present time. Her life is being threatened. About five minutes ago,
her brother called and asked for your help.”

“In what way? Do
you want to bring her here to SwissDen?”

“He seems to think
it would be unsafe for her to leave her condo.”

“Then what does he
want?”

“Rumors of your
connection to Marcellini have made their way to California. And Ryan wants you
to use them to find the man who’s been stalking Stacia.”

“Aha! My
connections are fine for you and Stacia when you’re in trouble, but not good
enough at any other time.”

“Stacia knows
nothing about this. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do
to protect her, even begging you to use your connections, the same as you would
for mother or me in the same situation.”

“You’re right, son.
I’m sorry. I’ll do what I can. Now tell me everything you know.”

Clay filled his
father in with all the information Ryan had given him. “Remember, he said very
explicitly,
no rough stuff.
Just take him to any police station and
mention Ryan Saunders’ name.”

His father snorted.
“You don’t know the mafia at all, do you, son? I can tell them your message,
but they’ll still do whatever they want.”

“You have a good
enough relationship with Marcellini to make certain Ryan’s instructions are
followed.”

“I’ll do what I
can.”

“Thanks.” Clay
stood up. “I’ve got the jet ready to go.”

“Going? Where?”
his father asked.

“To Stacia, of
course,” Clay said as he rushed out the door.

♥♥

“I have more
details on the Melbourne case,” Chief Brannigan said the next day when he
telephoned Ryan at Stacia’s condo. “I decided to discuss them with you over the
phone. I didn’t know how much you wanted your sister to hear.”

“I appreciate
that, sir,” Ryan said, checking to see if Stacia was out of hearing range. “She’s
in the kitchen making us lunch right now.”

“We talked with
many of the victim’s friends, neighbors and relatives. She lived alone after
her husband died. One day, she was in the grocery store when a guy approached
her, asking her advice about which brand of laundry soap she used. He said he had
some tough stains to get out of clothes that had gotten soiled from his job.
One thing led to another, and he kept talking to her. As you can safely assume,
he was much younger than she was, and she was obviously flattered by his
attention. They went out several times, but she met him at the restaurant, the
bar, or wherever they were going. She wouldn’t bring him home. She talked about
him to everyone, telling them about the great man she was dating. But
evidently, she told only one person, her closest friend, how young he was. No
one saw him or met him. She didn’t want to bring him to her place, because she
thought people would think he was a gigolo. But one time she did...and you know
the rest.”

“Obviously, he’d
staked her out first and knew where she lived,” Ryan said.

“It seems that way.”

“Does the coroner
know whether the time of death occurred before or after the note was taped in the
elevator?”

“He believes she was
killed first sometime during the night. The time recorded on the security
camera when the note was placed there also substantiates this.”

“So he kills her,
plants the note and scrams.”

“That’s what I
figure,” Brannigan said.

“Any prints?” 

“None. The
security camera picked up a man’s hand in a glove reaching inside the elevator.
He had no other items or marks that could identify him. Just fingers taping the
note to the wall. The cameras showed he did it in a split-second. He knows
exactly what he’s doing.”