Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (32 page)

“
What’s so interesting in here? You said last night it was just being used for storage.”

This was evident as she looked about. Boxes of things lined one wall, and antique furniture stood in one corner of the room. An old train set, still set up and waiting for a conductor, stood in another corner. She touched it, seemingly saddened.

“
Was it yours?”

“
No. It was my fathers, but I used to play with it when I visited. It was set up in the game room downstairs. I put it in here when I did the renovations.

“
Now, you must be careful in here. If you remember, I told you this room was left as it was, so some of the boards are a little soft.”

“
Why didn’t you rebuild it with the rest of the house?”

“
I don’t like this room. It has bad memories for me.”

“
Then why did you bring me here?”

He looked at her with confusion. “Because, what I want to show you is in here.”

He touched another button hidden under a picture frame. Another panel sprang to life. An appalling smell floated from within the hidden room. Jessica instinctively stepped back, holding her hand over her nostrils. Phillip didn’t seem to notice the smell.

“
Oh, Phillip, what is this place?” Jessica asked, repulsed.

He walked abruptly to her, his face mere inches from her own. “You read the diary, didn’t you?”

She was at first shocked, then ashamed. She hung her head. “Yes, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry. It was just there, and I became so absorbed in it that I couldn’t put it down.”

“
It’s okay. I wanted you to read it. I hoped you would. I loved my grandmother very much. I loved her so much that I would have done anything to make her happy. Did you wonder what happened to Elizabeth?” She nodded, speechless. “Follow me and I’ll show you.”

A person’s curiosity can cause her to do odd things. It is what made her follow him that day. She had become obsessed with the characters in the diary, and had to know what became of them, especially Elizabeth. So she did follow him, and when the door slammed shut behind her, she jumped. Phillip calmed her by placing his arm around her shoulders, crooning to her.

“
Don’t worry, I can open it again.”

She smiled uncertainly at him, but allowed him to guide her.

“
This is where Elizabeth spent the last part of her life.”

She surveyed her surroundings, her eyes wide with fright.

“
What are you telling me?”

“
I put her in here. She was nothing but trouble. She hated Grandmother and made her terribly unhappy.”

“
No, I don’t believe it. You couldn’t possibly have done such a thing. You were only a child when Elizabeth disappeared. That’s what your grandmother says in her diary.”

“
Oh no, Elizabeth really did go away for a while. She went abroad with my parents, but she came back and wanted to start seeing grandmother again. I couldn’t let her do that because she always upset her so. I asked her to go away again but she wouldn’t, so I put her in here.”

“
What happened to her?”

Sorrow briefly touched his eyes, a fleeting moment of remorse. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I only meant for her to get scared enough so she would want to leave, but she got very sick, and nothing I did for her made her better. She begged for the doctor, but I really thought she would get better. I was really scared by then, so I ran for grandfather, but it was too late. By the time I found him, Elizabeth had died. He said we should bury her, and tell everyone she went away. We found an old blanket and wrapped her up in it. Then grandfather carried her down the back stairs and through the secret passageway. However, while he was carrying her, he had a heart attack and died. I couldn’t let them find Elizabeth, so I dragged grandfather into his study, turned the lamp on low, and put the phone in his hand. I wanted to make it look as if he had been working late when he had his heart attack.

“
Then I went back to the passageway and got Elizabeth. I took her out and buried her myself, and then I went back in and called the police. The ambulance came, but of course, by then, it was too late.”

He stared hard at her, trying to read her expression but couldn’t.

“
That was the night I went to Grandmother’s room, crying. I told her what happened. She was the one who decided that I must go away. She understood that I was only trying to help her.”

“
But why did she write in her diary that she didn’t and wouldn’t ever know where Elizabeth was?”

“
Because she didn’t, not at first anyway, and then I think the whole thing was too much for her. It was like a miracle, and she snapped back to her old self. It was as though my grandfather’s death had broken some kind of spell. She said I should go away, and she said she should stop writing in her diary because she had a hard time hiding words, and if someone were to find it, they would know what I had done.”

“
Why are you telling all this to me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell someone?”

He looked sharply at her. “I know you wouldn’t do that; you love me. I wanted you to know all of this because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. We can’t start our new life together if we have secrets.”

His horrifying revelation staggered Jessica and left her feeling like a stupid fool. Then suddenly it all made sense to her. He had brought her here because he honestly felt she had fallen in love with him. She had to tell him the truth.

“
Phillip, have you forgotten that I’m going to marry Brandon?” She tried to smile. “I can’t marry both of you.”

He snapped at her. “I know that.” Then he softened. “You’ll get over him in time. I know you truly love me. He is only a distraction. You have brought so much joy into my life. I can’t wait to start our life together.” He caressed her cheek. “You remind me so much of Grandmother. She made me happy, too. Then she had to go away from me. But now I have you, and we can spend our whole lives together.”

He smoothed back her hair from her face and tried to kiss her on the lips. She pulled back.

“
I can’t. I have to marry Brandon. I promised him I would. And besides, I really love him.”

She was unprepared for the rage that ignited inside him as he grabbed her roughly by the wrists. “You don’t understand. I need you here with me. You are not going to leave me like Grandmother did.”

He looked around in desperation, striking Jessica with terror. Suddenly, a horrifying realization struck her. He means to keep me here, just like Elizabeth. Then I, too, will die of some horrid disease, locked away in this tiny room, and no one will ever know. When I die, he will bury me in the garden—just like his aunt.

She sought desperately for a way out. “You’re right,” she pleaded. “I do love you, and I want to be with you. But first, I have to tell Brandon I can’t marry him. He will be angry, but I think I can make him understand.” She tried not to let the fear show in her eyes, but deep inside it cut through her, causing pain in her head and behind her ears.

“
No!” he bellowed. “I can’t let you do that. You betrayed me already. I won’t risk it again.”

“
But surely you realize people will miss me. Remember, I didn’t come here alone. What will John think when I don’t come to dinner.”

“
I admit, they will miss you for a while, but after some time passes, they will come to accept your disappearance and give up searching for you.” He swept the room with his hands. “So you see my love, this unsightly room will only be your home for a short time. As soon as your friends realize that finding you is hopeless, they will go home, and we can be free to start our life together.”

She groped maddeningly for words, but found none. The horror of the situation began to creep in. She tried to plead with Phillip some more, but no words came out. She watched in desperation as the door opened and Phillip walked through, leaving her alone in the dark, dank room. She ran to the door, pounding on it, repeatedly screaming his name.

“
Phillip! Phillip! Phillip! Please let me out! I demand you let me out!” But it did no good. She couldn’t even hear the echo of his footsteps. The room must be soundproof.

In hopeless abandon, her eyes scanned the room for a way out. There was a window high on one wall, which let a scant amount of sunlight through. It was much too high to reach, she admitted, as she stared dismally at it. It was cool in the room, despite the hot sun that shone through the window. She feared what the room would be like once the sun went down. She shivered at the thought of it, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

She looked around in shocked amusement, thinking, this is something out of a horror movie. Surely, Phillip couldn’t be serious about leaving me in here.

She began to slowly circle the room, running her hands against the paneled walls, hoping to find another exit from the room. The walls were cool to the touch. She circled the room twice but found nothing remotely resembling a way out.

Her foot touched a board and sank. She pulled back quickly, realizing she had stepped on one of the boards of which Phillip had warned her. So, he wasn’t lying about everything.

She crossed carefully to the bed on the far side of the room and sat down cautiously on it. She looked up at the window. The sun had begun to cross over the house. The shadows took over where the sun had once been on the wall.

She thought of the note she had intended to send to Brandon. It conveyed her assurance that she was all right and would be returning at the end of the week. If only she had been able to get that letter to him.

She thought about the note she had slipped under John’s door. She had told him she was going into town. She had told Mrs. Grayson she was leaving, as well. Phillip had been out at the time. No one would even suspect she had not left the house. They weren’t likely to suspect Phillip. She watched the sun disappear from the room and wept with dismay.

**********

CHAPTER 17

Mrs. Grayson sobbed hysterically into her handkerchief. Her husband stood behind her, soothing her. “It’s my fault,” she moaned, “I never should have let her leave the house alone. Lord only knows what trouble she has gotten into.”

“
Mrs. Grayson, please tell us exactly what Jessica said, and where she was going,” John said.

“
She said she had a letter to mail, and she would be back momentarily. She was in quite a hurry to get back before Mr. Stewart. I begged her to let Mr. Grayson accompany her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Oh, I feel just awful.” She began sobbing again.

John rose from the sofa and paced the floor. “I think it’s time we call the police.” He hesitated at the surprised look on Phillip’s face. “Phillip, it’s been hours since she left. No one has heard from her. I’m worried sick.”

Phillip relaxed. “Yes, of course, you’re right. It’s just that by calling the police, we’re admitting something has happened to her. I just can’t bear that thought.” He crossed to the phone, lifted the receiver, and dialed the police station. After informing the officer on the other end of the situation, he came back to sit opposite Mrs. Grayson. He mustered up his most concerned expression.

“
Now, Mrs. Grayson, are you sure she didn’t mention anything about having any other errands to run? Perhaps something that might have taken some time.”

“
No sir, I’m sure. She was just going to mail the letter and come right back. I wanted Mr. Grayson to go with her so she wouldn’t get lost, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

Phillip held his hands out in front of him. “That’s it then. She must have gotten lost, in which case we should probably hear from her any time now. Perhaps she feels foolish for not having taken Mrs. Grayson’s advice and is too embarrassed to face us.”

“
I can’t believe you’re taking this so lightly,” John protested. “Jessica has been gone over eight hours. Christ, she didn’t even come home for dinner.”

Phillip lowered his head. “I am only trying to hold on to hope, John. I would much prefer to think she will walk through that door at any moment, than to think something has happened to her.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Why didn’t I think of it before? What if she’s hurt and lying in some hospital and they don’t know who she is. Mrs. Grayson, do you know if Jessica took her pocketbook with her?”

“
I don’t know, sir. She didn’t have it with her when she left the kitchen, but I didn’t actually see her leave the house.”

He rose and crossed to the phone again. “I’m going to call a few of the hospitals and see if they’ve admitted anyone matching her description.”

“
Good idea,” John said. “I’ll go upstairs and see if she left her pocketbook behind.”

Phillip picked up the phone and began dialing. Relief flooded over him when John reemerged with Jessica’s pocketbook. He frowned, showing his concern.

After several attempts to locate Jessica through the hospitals, Phillip gave up trying. Mrs. Grayson had left the room and reentered with Lieutenant Marks from the police department.

“
Can someone tell me what has happened here?” he asked as he entered the room.

Phillip extended his hand in greeting. “Good evening, Lieutenant Marks. I’m afraid it appears as if one of my house guests has vanished.”

“
What do you mean by vanished?” he asked with a look of puzzlement on his face.