Blood Red Sundown: Evil Begins (22 page)

CARRYING A TRAY
with
a French Merlot and two glasses the senator moved carefully up the stairway. Setting
the tray on a table beside the door he turned the knob and pushed the door with
his hip as he picked up the tray. He looked at her and immediately felt the love
that he had never known with any other. She sensed his emotion immediately and held
her arms out to him. Placing the tray next to the bed, he lay down beside her.

“I missed you William. Have you taken care of our problem?”

“Not yet Mother, but it will be over soon. I have it
worked out in my head. I’m making sure that I cannot be tied to it in any way.”

“You have done very well in that department in the past.
I have complete trust in your judgment.”

“Mother, may I raise your veil.”

“Yes, my love, but I want you to lie on the other side
of the bed. I know my facial scars are not offensive to you, but for tonight I want
you to remember me as I was without them. You are in contact with young beautiful
women every day and I have always approved of you attending to your natural desires.
Even if you marry again, I will still be here to love you as we have always loved.”

He handed her a glass of wine before moving to the opposite
side and sat on the bed and raised his glass. “I raise my glass to our love that
has endured many difficulties through the years. We, my beautiful mother, have fooled
a great many people.”

Clicking her glass, he sipped and then placed the glass
on the stand next to the bed turned and raised her veil. She turned slightly away
and said, kiss me.”

The kiss lasted and then taking her glass he sat it on
the night stand next to his. She pulled him down beside her and lay on his arm as
he reached with the other and turned her face toward him. He looked into her eyes
and smiled. She knew by his eyes and tender smile that this was the way it should
be right or wrong. She raised her lips to his and they became lost in the sensual
feelings that they had shared through the years and had pledged to each other they
would die sharing that love.

RETURNING TO HIS
hidden
position off the roadway, he again brought the envelope out and leafed through her
photos. He placed them in the order she seemed to be most lost in the surroundings
and unaware of his closeness to her as she walked. He had been so close to her so
many times. There were times he knew that she felt him looking at her and had searched
the area with her eyes trying to see if someone was really there.

She often looked right where he was standing and watching
her through the bushes. The dog always sensed him when he was near.

“She’s lucky, I didn’t dispose of him, when I had the
chance,” he thought.

He looked at his watch and determined there was still
quite a bit of time before the sunset she loved so much. He settled back in the
seat, closed his eyes and held her photos against his chest.

“SLOW DOWN LON,
this
is it,” Anne offered as they approached the turn off.

Lon made the turn and drove along slowly observing the
area as he prepared to find a spot to park. From where he stopped they were able
to look out over the ocean.

“So, this is the paradise that they all rave about? It’s
a little obscure with a very pretty view, but certainly not the earth shattering
views they had created in my mind.”

They parked and began walking down the trail toward the
ocean.

“It is beautiful. I can see why they get all passionate
and stuff. I can see myself coming to a place like this for a getaway.”

Lon looked at her and appreciated her special look when
she was anxious or deep in thought.

“I agree it’s beautiful, but listen, this is important
partner, do not get it in your head that with all that passion you’re exuding that
I’m going to be an easy mark for your sexual advances because we’re here all alone.
I have my morals and …”

“Your morals are as low as the sand we’re walking on.”

She came back with, “The truth is all I would have to
say to you is, I’m really turned on being alone with you Lon and you would be on
me like a bee on honey.”

“Try this imitation for authenticity.”

He raised his arms and flapping them like wings walked
toward her. “Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

“Stop it right now, you idiot. Let’s get to work before
someone shows up.”

He nodded in agreement.

“The Doctor described in her talks with us walking this
way toward the more wooded area of the beach.”

Anne began walking in that direction. She looked back
at him and saw that he was only half listening and was deep in thought and then
as if coming to some conclusion began following her.

The sun was getting lower, but Lon figured there should
still be ample daylight to complete their purpose for being there. As they walked,
they could not help being impressed with the beauty of the water as it broke over
the rocks and the magnificent skyline highlighted by the setting reddening sun.

“How could you not want to come here as often as was
possible, Lon?”

“Yah, yah. Look, I’m going to walk in the tree line for
a distance, partner. You stay close by in case I need you.”

As he entered the woods, Anne walked closer to the shoreline
and became engrossed in the magnificence of what was spread out before her. Why
had she never become a lover of the coast and the ocean? It was all around her and
yet, she chose to spend most of her evenings talking to a bartender with a drink
in her hand.

“I have to admit, Johnny, she said into the air. I do
like talking to you, but I could be persuaded to take a little time off from our
time together.”

Someone was calling her name. It was Lon. Turning and
breaking into a run she headed toward the voice and arriving at his location, he
gave her a peeved look and asked where she had been?

“Look here,” he said, pointing to the ground. “It’s obvious
that someone has been standing here and quite often.”

He headed up the wooded incline toward the road. Anne
followed for a distance then veered off to the left searching for a separate path
or trail someone might have used.

On top of the hill, he had just left the car, and was
walking toward the beach when he caught sight of the woman detective below walking
toward him. He wasted no time hiding behind a tree confident she had not seen him.
He remained totally still, as she walked past and then circled quietly around the
tree using it as a shield.

He had recognized her immediately, but was confused as
to why she was here. Was her partner there with her? His question was answered as
he heard someone moving further to his right and surmised that it must be the other
detective. He knew his best defense was to remain calm, stay hidden and wait for
the appropriate time to get back to his car.

Anne walked out of the tree line and saw the parked car.
She approached carefully with drawn weapon and finding no one in the car retreated
immediately to search for Lon, not wanting to yell for him and alert whoever the
car belonged to.

He watched her careful movements back down the hill searching
for her partner and the possibility of running into him. He remained still waiting
until she was out of sight then stepped from behind the tree and broke in to a run
for the car, started the engine, and drove out on to the highway.

When she found Lon and explained what she had seen they
hurriedly moved to where Anne had made her discovery. As they cleared the hill the
car was gone. Anne became angry and apologetic for her un-professional decision
to let the car out of her sight.

“I should have remained with the car and waited for you.”

“Forget it. I want you to take some time now and replay
the entire scene in your mind, Anne.”

“Picture yourself looking at the car as you approached
it. Try to remember the position it was in, the color, then try to remember the
make, was it a sedan, anything else that comes to mind.”

As she related everything she could recall Lon recorded
her words in his notebook. “We were close to him,” he thought. He looked at Anne
and knew she was disturbed over her actions and decided to let her off the hook.

“Listen partner, we can’t assume that it was our man,
it could have been somebody enjoying the scenery.”

THROWING ALL CAUTION
to the wind, Stephanie decided to take her nightly sunset tour. She had been warned
to take extra precautions and keep alert to what was going on around her and if
possible be sure someone is there with her.

In the car she checked the gas gauge; it was low, but
she decided there was enough for the short trip. Before pulling away from the curb
she was surprised to see a man stepping out of his car just a short distance ahead
and leaving the door open. It brought back the warnings to be mindful of potential
dangers the detectives had given her. He was leaning against the car and smiling
at her as she drove past.

When she checked the rear view mirror he was continuing
to stare in her direction. A sense of, “I have seen him before crossed her mind.”
Searching her memory, it hit her. He was the man she had encountered on the beach
and she remembered they had spoken briefly. Something about him had made her feel
uneasy as he stood in front of her that night. It was his eyes that had made her
uncomfortable. His eyes, she remembered, projected something evil.

Her mind became deluged with questions. Why was he parked
there near my residence? Did he write the notes? Is he the killer? Should I still
go to the shore knowing he could follow me?

She was lost in the moment and didn’t realize that she
had let the car slow down well below the speed limit A horn sounded and a car was
very close to her bumper, so she sped up and waved hoping they would accept her
wave as an apology.

“His being there could have just been a coincidence,
Stephanie,” she said to calm her nerves. She had made a pact with herself when this
mess began she would never give in to hysteria. Get a grip and get to the beach.”

She was a little anxious when she pulled off the road
and parked. She remained in the car and surveyed the beach area below still somewhat
leery of what could occur.

Lon and Anne were exiting the woods onto the beach. When
they heard the sound of a car door closing, they immediately began to walk faster
in that direction. From their lower vantage point on the beach and with the loss
of light from the setting sun they could not see the parking area. Continuing on
they saw a woman walking down the path.

“It’s the Doctor!” Anne exclaimed.

Stephanie turned toward the voices and was surprised
to see the detectives walking up the beach. She waved and stopped to spread the
beach towel. She felt immediate relief knowing they were there.

As they approached her location she asked, “Is something
wrong?”

“No, everything is fine Stephanie. We were checking on
your story to see if there was evidence of your stalker’s hangout and Lon will be
proud to tell you he found it.”

SHE SAT UP
somewhat
confused and called, “William are you still here?” She looked around the room and
saw that he had apparently gone. The fact that it was almost dark told her she had
slept for a long time. When did he leave me? She picked up the message laying on
the night stand next to the bed that simply read,

“I’ll be late. Love William”

The bottle of wine caught her eye and she filled a glass
and toasted her image in the wall mirror and drained the contents. She refilled
the glass and went back to the bed and lay down against the fluffed up pillows.
Then she raised the glass to continue her toast.

“I raise my glass to a wonderful night with my darling
William; now, if I may quote Shakespeare, ‘and so to sleep, perhaps to dream, I
…’ ”

She was unable to complete the quote as the wine and
the addition of several sleeping pills combined to dull her brain causing the arm
raised in a toast to drop to her side emptying the glass. The wine spilled partially
onto her pale blue nightgown and spread quickly into the white bedspread creating
a blood red stain.

She was deep in sleep, so he stepped out from behind
the screen walked to the bed and stood over her admiring her beauty and recalling
the emotions that had flowed between them. She is so lovely he thought as he walked
to the door. Giving a final glance at her turned the handle and walked to the stairway.

AFTER DISCUSSING THEIR
findings with Stephanie, including the parked car incident, the detectives discussed
the note problem with her.

“There is something that happened tonight, I feel I should
mention. As I was leaving the front of my apartment, there was a man standing by
a car a short distance in front of where I park each night. He stared at me the
whole time as I approached him and as I drove past he smiled. I remembered on the
way here that I had seen him once before walking by himself here on the beach. He
spoke to me that night and I remembered feeling uneasy. I remember that his eyes
seemed to exude evil. I know that must sound crazy.”

“Not at all,” Anne said. “I had a similar experience
yesterday with a man I met sitting at the bar. He followed me out, called out to
me and knew I was a cop. I looked in his face and his eyes gave that same warning:
Be careful, this man is evil.”

“Stop it, Lon said, “Can we get on with this? You two
will have each other having nightmares for days.”

“Stephanie, in all seriousness, we need to discuss this
situation in detail as soon as possible. This has the look of a dangerous man you
are dealing with and you need to be on high alert. A man like you’re describing
could be the killer we are searching for. Let’s plan on you coming to the station
after your shift at the hospital tomorrow.”

“Come on, we’ll walk you to your car.”

“No thanks, I know I shouldn’t, but I’m going to stay
a while longer.”

She saw their concern, but she assured them she would
be fine.