Dark Illusion: A Psychological Thriller Novel (20 page)

T
he gray Toyota
slowed down when they arrived at Kelly’s street. Its headlights illuminated a
spectacular mansion. Sharon rolled down the window as they got closer and tried
to listen carefully. It was quiet outside and she could hear the crickets
chirping. Nothing out of the ordinary, so far.

“I think we’re here,“ Rob said.

“Great! Now, let me out.“ Sharon
reached for the door.

“Hold on a second, let me park
and we’ll go in together.“

“Rob, there’s no time, we might
already be too late.“

“Sharon,“ Rob turned to face her.
“I’m worried about you. Do you really think you can face Kelly on your own?“

“But I won’t be alone. You’ll be
there in a few minutes. Call for backup. I’m heading out.“

“Shouldn’t we–“

There was no point in completing
the sentence. Sharon had already slammed the car door behind her.

                                
 * * *

As much as Andy enjoyed listening to Chopin’s piano
concerto, which was further enhanced by the beautiful acoustics of the room, he
was getting impatient.

Perhaps I should go downstairs
and check out what’s going on?

The doorbell rang. Luckily, he
heard it over the crescendo of the orchestra. Andy walked to the door and
opened it. In front of him stood a young woman with a determined look in her
eyes, but without any bags of takeout food. Instead, she held a gun and
presented him with a police badge.

“Detective Davis. New York Police
Department,“ she whispered.

“What’s going on here?“ Andy
asked. Instinctively he lowered his voice as well.

“I need you to tell me, right
now, where Gloria and Kelly are.“

“They went down to the basement
studio about ten minutes ago. Why? What’s happening?“ he asked again.

“Gloria’s in great danger. Now, I
need you to cooperate and do exactly as I say.“

                                
 * * *

While Kelly passed the knife back and forth along Gloria’s
bare skin, she told her about all of her previous victims. Every now and then,
when she got excited, she jabbed the knife into the model’s flesh, covering
Gloria’s fair skin with tiny red stains. Kelly enjoyed the sight of Gloria’s
dripping blood, but she stopped herself from going too far. She would not let
Gloria be stabbed to death; she could not let her die in such a mundane way.
Oh, no, she had planned something far more cruel and excruciating for her . . .

                                
 * * *

 
“I need you to show
me where the basement is,“ Sharon ordered in a hushed voice.

The stunned Andy pointed to his
left, toward the large, wooden door.

“Alright. Now I need you to stay
here. Another detective named Rob will be here shortly. Ask him to call for
backup and point him to the basement. And please,“ she looked into his eyes,
“don’t try to be a hero and follow me.“

“But you said Gloria is in
danger!“ The fear in his voice was reflected in his eyes.

He couldn’t lose Gloria; after
all, he had just found her.

“And I will do everything in my
power to make sure she comes back up those stairs safe and sound. But it will
happen only if you do exactly as I say.“

Andy nodded his head in
agreement.

Sharon entered the elegant foyer.
She crept in utter silence toward the basement door and tried to open it.

As she suspected, it was locked.

                                
 * * *

The knife continued piercing Gloria’s body. Kelly reminded Gloria
why she deserved to die. Her eyes glistened as she recreated those dark moments
in the house of mirrors. When Kelly blamed Gloria for sending the three savage
boys after her, Gloria shook her head vigorously in opposition and her eyes
widened in shock.

“Even now you still won’t admit
the truth?“
 
Kelly snapped. “You won’t
let me have peace of mind? I think you need an immediate attitude adjustment.“

Kelly placed the knife under
Gloria’s eye.

“If you can’t see the truth, then
I guess you’ll no longer need these.“ She smiled an evil grin.

But then a smashing sound
interrupted her cathartic, torturous ritual.

That idiot photographer.

She pulled away from Gloria and
picked up her pistol, pointing it at the gloomy flight of stairs.

“Prepare to see your boyfriend
die,“ she whispered fiendishly.

Kelly heard the sharp sound of
the door breaking and deduced that someone had shot the lock. She barely heard
the quiet steps descending down the stairs, but she was more alert than ever.

No one would prevent her from
executing Gloria McIntyre.

K
elly intended
to shoot the moment she spotted a human silhouette, but the vision that
appeared before her eyes momentarily paralyzed her. That was exactly what
Sharon needed.

They faced each other; the gun of
one aimed toward the other. They were equals.

“What are you doing here?“ a
bewildered Kelly asked, quickly adding, “I thought that I’d already gotten rid
of you.“

“I guess it’s not as simple as
you thought,“ Sharon kept her composure.

“Trust me, this time I won’t
leave any room for doubt.“

“Just try me.“ Sharon’s fingers
locked on the trigger.

If I’m going down, you’re
going with me.

“I’m not done yet,“ Kelly smiled
an evil grin and placed her hand on Gloria’s shoulder.

“Let her go,“ Sharon commanded.

“Keep dreaming.“

“Listen, you’ve got no choice.
The house is surrounded. Backup will be here any minute,“ Sharon lied, halfway
hoping it really was true. “And then all it takes is just one wrong look from
you and one of the snipers fixed on you will take the shot, without even
thinking twice.“

Kelly didn’t know if Sharon was
lying or not, but fear began to take root within her. She took a slow step
back.

“I am giving you the opportunity
to end this peacefully. Put the gun on the ground!“

“Now you listen to me. You’re in
no position to haggle with me; I’ve got a hostage.“ Kelly did not even bat an
eye toward Gloria, who seemed flushed and frightened. Sharon noticed the blood
stains on her skin. “. . . And if you don’t want me to blow her head off, then
you
put the gun down, Detective.“

Sharon hesitated. She had to
stall until Rob got there. “Kelly, if you don’t put the gun down in the next
thirty seconds, I will have to shoot you. And believe me, it won’t be
especially hard for me to do so. Save yourself and put the gun down!“

Kelly acknowledged the bitter
truth. The odds were stacked against her. If she aimed the gun at Gloria,
Sharon would shoot her; and if backup really was on its way, she might not even
get the chance to fulfill her dark desire.

And she had to try.

“Okay,“ Kelly said coolly.

“Okay,“ replied Sharon, somewhat
relieved by Kelly’s decision.

Kelly took advantage of that
spilt second when Sharon momentarily let her guard down and turned the pistol
back to Gloria. Sharon detected Kelly’s sudden movement and instantly responded
by pulling the trigger three times, but it was too late; Kelly’s pistol had
already fired.

Kelly’s body hit the same chair
that Gloria was bound to before collapsing on the floor. A large puddle of
blood began to encircle the two.

Sharon couldn’t believe her eyes,
which were bombarded by intense shades of blazing red. She had focused every
ounce of her being into stopping Kelly in time, but had failed at the last
minute. She could not tear her eyes away from the growing crimson pond.

Having uncovered step by step the
painful tale of the two women, she simply could not shake off the tragic ending
of their lives; even in death the two were intertwined.

“Sharon!“ she heard Rob’s voice
calling from upstairs.

“I’m okay, Rob,“ she called, and
then took a deep breath. “It’s all over.“

S
haron advanced
cautiously toward the bodies. Kelly’s pistol was lying at a safe distance,
probably blown out of her hands from the impact of the shot.

“Gloria? Are you okay?“ The echo
of Andy’s quick steps seared through Sharon’s heart. She’d promised him that
she wouldn’t let Gloria die.

“Wait,“ she heard Rob’s voice
stopping Andy from getting any closer.

“
Nooooooo
!“
Andy’s scream pierced through the air. “No . . . it can’t be . . . Please, let
me see her.“

“Stop,“ said Rob. “Sharon? What’s
going on there?“

Sharon moved Kelly’s lifeless
body aside. The blood stained her hands. She looked at Gloria, all covered in
blood. Her eyes were closed.

Even in death she was
breathtaking.

Sharon suddenly thought she
noticed breathing. It was faint, but Gloria was breathing. She gently placed
two fingers on her neck.

“There’s a pulse! Call for an
ambulance!“

Andy sprang back upstairs.

Sharon untied the knots that confined
Gloria to the chair and placed the wounded body in her lap, gently stroking
Gloria’s hair and whispering: “You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay.“

Rob approached and checked
Kelly’s pulse. “She’s dead.“

Sharon knew she shouldn’t be
glad, but that was exactly how she felt.

As she stroked Gloria’s hair, she
noticed that Kelly had missed her heart only by an inch, probably because
Sharon’s shots had caused her hands to swerve.

Suddenly Gloria’s eyes squinted
open; she seemed hazy.

“It’s okay. It’s all over. Kelly
is dead,“ Sharon told her.

“No . . .“ Gloria whispered.

“Yes, I promise you. Kelly Danes,
or Whitesporte, or whatever her name is, she’s gone.“

“No . . .“ Gloria struggled to
finish the sentence. “I know that woman, and she wasn’t Kelly.“

D
etective Davis
sat beside the most famous model in the world, who was lying motionless in the
hospital bed. Andy sat on the opposite side of the bed, slumped over and fast
asleep.

The doctors had made it clear that
even though Gloria’s condition was stable, the painkillers would keep her
sedated for the most part of the day; but that didn’t matter to Sharon. She had
to know who that woman was, the one who had claimed to be Kelly Danes.

Sharon recollected what had
transpired in the past twenty-four hours. It seemed as though a lifetime of
events had been compressed into one day. Thoughts on top of thoughts ran
through her mind, but what was the point in agonizing over it when the key
witness was unconscious?

Her gaze caressed the frozen
features of the global icon. They radiated beauty even against the dull
background of the hospital bed.

Sharon realized that she wasn't
going to solve the mystery in the next few hours; she felt so useless. The
realization did not improve her already bleak mood. She took a deep breath: she
would have to be patient since it didn’t look like Gloria was going to wake up
anytime soon. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.

Now here’s a model I really do
want to see get back on her feet . . .

                                
 * * *

Kelly Danes’ estate, the previous day

“I know that woman, and she
wasn’t Kelly.“

“
What?
Are you sure? Then
who the hell did I just shoot?“

But Gloria had already closed her
eyes. For a moment, Sharon feared that Kelly had completed her mission.

The medical crew made their way
to the basement and moved Sharon aside. After a few long minutes of
resuscitation attempts, the paramedic announced, “She’ll pull through. We need
to get her to the hospital immediately, but she’ll be okay.“

Sharon heaved a sigh of relief.

Finally, there’s a happy
ending to this story . . .

And yet, she could not shake off
Gloria’s striking revelation. Should she believe it?

The studio began to fill with
local police officers and Sharon felt she could use the rest. Her eyes were
looking for Rob when she spotted him standing in the corner of the room,
talking on his cell phone and looking distressed.

She approached him, trying to
figure out what the heck could be making him worry so much, when only ten
minutes ago a deadly gunfight had taken place in here.

Rob turned around, his face was
pale.

“There was a match to the body
they found at Kelly Danes’ house in New York,“ he said grimly. “It’s Kelly
Whitesporte.“

Sharon looked at him without
saying a word, trying to form the pieces of information into something
coherent. She was only further confused.

“For heaven’s sake, they’re
supposed to be the same woman . . .“ he murmured to himself, trying to figure
out how this was possible.

“I heard the same thing from
Gloria. She told me she knew the woman I shot, and that it wasn’t Kelly
Whitesporte. She knows who it is.“

“Who? Tell me!“ The color began
returning to his face.

“She passed out before she could
answer.“

“Damn it,“ Rob blurted. “So what
are we supposed to do now?“ he asked bitterly.

“We go to the hospital, and we
wait.“

                                
 * * *

 
“I thought you could
use this.“

Sharon was surprised to find
herself at the hospital. Rob was standing in front of her, holding a cup of
coffee and a butter croissant. She’d somehow fallen asleep without even
realizing.

“Thanks.“ She bit hungrily into
the croissant and finished the coffee in one gulp.

“Need a break? I can take the
next shift,“ he offered.

Sharon glanced at her watch.
Gloria was supposed to wake up in the next few hours. She could not afford to
miss it.

“No thanks, I’m good.“

Rob looked at her despairingly
and sighed. By now he could tell when he was facing a losing battle.

“I’ll go get more coffee.“