Deadly Obsession (6 page)

He couldn’t believe it, there he stood in the bathroom on his wedding day, being held at gun-point by Carol Avery; of all days to be held hostage.

“Are you kidding me, what do you want Carol; why are you doing this? The ceremony is about to begin, I need to be out front.”

“There’s not going to be a ceremony, not today, not for you, not ever. I told you this would never happen but you had to try it anyway; you belong to me, not her.”

“But I don’t love you Carol, don’t you understand that, I love Carmen. Why do you want to be with someone who doesn’t love you? Don’t you deserve better than that?”

“It doesn’t matter if you love me now, you’ll learn to love me in time.”

“This is crazy Carol, what do you plan on doing with me?”

“I’m taking you somewhere away from here, somewhere that only you and I will be, alone.”

“How do you plan to kidnap me from a crowded church in broad daylight? Someone will see us; you’ll be locked away for a long time for this.”

“I know my way around this church like the back of my hand. I attended many services here as a child. There’s a back way that only few people know about, now let’s go.” She said pointing the gun deeper in his back.

Dexter was horrified, what a moment ago was the happiest day of his life just turned into the worst ever. How would Carmen feel, thinking that he just abandoned her by choice, she would be devastated. What about their son, would he be forced to grow up without his father? He had to leave some kind of clue behind, one that would be obvious to Carmen.

Carol discreetly eased her head out the door, checking to make sure the coast was clear. She then led Dexter out the back entrance and down an alley to her car. She opened the trunk and forced him to get in; unwillingly he did as she commanded. Meanwhile, the ceremony was beginning without him.

“Carmen, the preacher’s ready to begin but we can’t find Dexter anywhere, have you seen him?” Dave Haines, her father asked.

“No, isn’t he out front, has anyone checked the bathroom, maybe he’s in there?’ Carmen suggested nervously.

“Good idea, I’ll check right away.”

“Hurry dad!”

A sudden nauseated feeling came over Carmen, she quickly ran to the bathroom. Where was Dexter, had he suddenly changed his mind, she couldn’t very well be a bride without a groom. Her happiness was without warning crashing down around her, someone had to find Dexter quick. Her dad returned.

“Where did you find Dexter’s wallet dad?”

“It was lying on the bathroom floor but there was no sign of Dexter at all, where do you suppose he is?”

“Something’s wrong, Dexter would never leave his wallet behind, it stays clipped to his side. Something’s terribly wrong, I can feel it.” Carmen began to cry.

She had an eerie feeling about this; she couldn’t help but think that Carol may be involved in Dexter’s mysterious disappearance. She’d already killed his mother; did she intend to kill him also? She was sick to her stomach with worry. They had to find Dexter and find him quick before Carol had an opportunity to harm him.

“Someone call the police, now; Carol is responsible for this, we have to find Dexter before it’s too late!” she cried hysterically.

Dave Haines immediately dialed 911 as his wife consoled their daughter. He wasn’t sure why Carmen was convinced that Carol had something to do with Dexter’s disappearance but she seemed adamant that something was wrong with Dexter.

“The police are on their way, why do you think Carol has done something to Dexter? Why would she harm him?” Dave asked his daughter.

“Oh daddy, I know this has something to do with Carol. She’s been harassing us; she keyed my car, broke into my house and took my engagement ring. She’s obsessed with Dexter; she wants to be with him but he keeps refusing her. Dexter even thinks that she may have killed his mother. She’s a dangerous woman, she’ll do anything to get what she wants and she’ll stop at nothing.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Are you Carmen?” the officer asked.

“Yes sir, you have to find Dexter, that woman is crazy.”

“What woman ma’am?”

“Carol Avery, she’ll kill him if you don’t find him right away.”

“What makes you think that this Carol Avery has done something to Dexter?”

She gave the officer a detailed explanation. She was careful not to leave anything out.

“Calm down ma’am, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t worry; it’s not healthy for your condition.”

The officer gathered all necessary information pertaining to Dexter and launched an investigation. His truck was still in the parking lot along with all his belongings. The policemen’s first assumption was that Dexter had pre-wedding jitters and simply skipped out on his wedding but now it seemed highly unlikely. Dexter’s whereabouts were unknown as well as the reason for his mysterious disappearance.

Dexter had been bouncing around wildly in the trunk of Carol’s car for hours. The fumes from the exhaust were beginning to get to him. Suddenly the car came to a halt and the lid opened. Carol ordered him out of the trunk. She led him inside an old abandoned cabin.

“Where are we Carol, what do you plan to do with me? Do you think you can keep me here from now own? Someone will eventually find me; it’s only a matter of time.” He hoped.

“Our closest neighbor isn’t for five miles in either direction; no one will find you here. There’s no escape.”

Dexter hadn’t the slightest where Carol had brought him as his surroundings bore no familiarity at all. They were surrounded by nothing but mountains and trees.

“Well, what do you think? This is your new home, I hope you like it. We can finally be a family, just you and I.”

“How did you find this place? What if the owners return?”

“My family owns this property, I used to come here all the time as a child; this was my family’s vacation spot in the summer. I loved going swimming in the lake.”

Dexter suddenly realized the seriousness of his trouble. He was in the middle of nowhere with a crazy woman who insisted on being with him and was unwilling to accept the fact that he didn’t love her. His fiancée had no idea where he was and he had no idea how to return to her. Playing along with Carol’s sick twisted plan seemed to be his only hope for escape.

“I see why you love it here so much; it really is a beautiful spot.”

“I’m glad you like it. We’re going to be very happy here, I know we will. I know you don’t love me Dexter but you will in time and we can be a real couple, we can even have a child.”

“I’m sorry about the baby, I know I said some harsh things to you but I didn’t mean them. I would have been there for you; I just needed time for things to sink in.”

“Oh Dexter, do you remember the night we spent together at the lake? I’ve never felt that way before, the way you touched me with such tenderness, as if nothing else mattered.”

“You’re easy to love Carol, you’re beautiful and sexy and any man would be pleased to have the opportunity to make love to you.”

“That’s why I love you Dexter, you’re the most considerate man I’ve ever known; not like the other men in my life. My father was a violent alcoholic. He beat my mother and then he would beat me; he beat me so badly I could hardly sit down. It didn’t take much to set him off either. One time I spilled my milk on the floor and he put my face in it and told me to clean it up, I couldn’t have been more than five. He beat me with his leather strap until I was nothing but a bloody mess. Later that night he came into my room to apologize, wanted to make the pain go away he said but it didn’t, not the way he tried. He pulled the covers back and slid my panties down. He climbed on top of me and forced himself inside. It didn’t make me feel better, only caused me more pain. I couldn’t say a word as I knew what the outcome would be. He finished his business and left my room. Night after night, from then on, the abuse continued until I left home. I hated him, I still hate him and I hate my mother too. How could she not know what was going on; why didn’t she stop him?”

Dexter didn’t know what to say. He had no idea that Carol had suffered such trauma; he suddenly found himself feeling extremely sorry for her. At least now he somewhat understood why she was so screwed up. His feeling of hopelessness was more now than ever as he had a deeper understanding of Carol’s driving force.

“Oh Dexter I want to feel your touch again.” She said moving closer.

She wrapped her arms around him with a desperate need to quench her passionate desire. Firmly grinding her body against his, she kissed his lips. Rejection was not an option for Dexter as Carol wouldn’t take kindly to being pushed away once more. He submitted to her demand.

Chapter Six

After crying herself to sleep, Carmen spent much of the night tossing and turning. Dexter still seemed to be missing without a trace, as if he’d somehow dropped off the face of the earth. She desperately hoped to learn it was all a terrible nightmare and Dexter would be beside her when she awoke this morning, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case at all.

“Carmen, breakfast is ready.” Her mother called.

“I’m not hungry mom, it’s too early.”

“You must eat something dear; you have to keep your strength up for the baby.”

“I’ll grab something later; my stomach feels sick right now.”

Carmen had to find out the latest news on Dexter.

“This is Carmen Haines; I need to speak with someone concerning my fiancée’s disappearance please.” She told the officer.

“Who is your fiancée ma’am?”

“Dexter Crane, he’s been missing since yesterday. Do you have any new leads in his case?”

The officer put her on hold.

“Officer Smith here, how may I help you?”

“I’m Carmen Haines, Dexter Crane’s fiancée, is there anything new concerning his case?”

“No ma’am, unfortunately we have nothing to go on. I went to Carol Avery’s apartment but it was vacant, her landlord said she moved out a few weeks ago. Her mother hasn’t heard from her either. It seems as though Mr. Crane isn’t the only one to disappear.”

“If she moved out of her apartment weeks ago, she must have been preparing to move forward with her plan then.”

“That could be a possibility but there’s

no way to know for sure until we’ve located

her.”

The new information only upset Carmen more. Dexter’s disappearance wasn’t just a spur of the moment decision after all. She feared the worst.

Meanwhile, Dexter awakened to an overwhelming sense of guilt this morning. Although, survival was his priority at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel as though he’d betrayed Carmen once again. He didn’t know anything else to do but play along with Carol until the opportunity arose for him to make his escape. The sound of running water caught his attention. Carol must be taking a shower. He slowly and quietly got out of bed to investigate.

It was too easy, not only was she in the shower but she’d left the car keys on the fire mantle. He got dressed and opened the front door, careful not to make a sound. He turned the key in the ignition but nothing happened.

“Get out of the car Dexter, now!” she screamed pointing the gun at him.

He knew it was too good to be true; his escape attempt was a failure.

“Did you really think that I would be that stupid?” she asked, holding what appeared to be a spark plug wire in her hand.

“I just wanted to go to the store to get you some flowers and surprise you.” He lied.

“Sure you did, you were planning to leave me. You were going to the police and have me, put away; weren’t you?” she said with a shaky voice.

“No, I wasn’t, I swear, I just wanted to do something nice for you, honest.”

“Why are you lying to me? I know it’s her you’re thinking of; it’s her you want to be with, not me.”

Dexter’s frustration level was building. He did love Carmen and was sick of playing games with Carol. His son was due to be born and he wanted to be there with Carmen, at her side, for his arrival.

“You’re right Carol, it is Carmen I’m thinking of so why won’t you just let me go? You know I don’t love you; why are you doing this?”

“Shut up Dexter! I don’t want to hear anymore. We’re going to pretend this never happened. Don’t force me to do something we’ll both regret.” She warned.

Dexter couldn’t stand it any longer, it was about time someone put Carol in her place.

“What are you planning to do Carol; are you going to kill me like you did my mother?”

“It’s your fault she’s dead, you should have listened to me, I had to do something to get your attention.”

“But why, why did you have to kill her, she never did anything to you? Did you really think killing the person most important to me would make me love you and want to be with you; did you?”

“Obviously not, that’s why I had to take this approach. It looks like the only way to be sure that you will stay away from Carmen is to kill her too, maybe it should have been her instead of your mother to begin with.”

Dexter was outraged by her response; he fiercely lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. Unfortunately his head hit the corner of the glass table, he was unconscious. Carol restrained his arms and feet with rope as she wanted to insure no further attempts to escape.