Eyes (30 page)

Jill didn't think. She just dived into bed and pulled the covers up tightly. She started mumbling, as if she were talking in her sleep. Would Connie believe that she was having a nightmare? Jill said a little prayer and then mumbled even louder as Connie unlocked the door.

CHAPTER 37

He'd missed her call! Doug was so angry, he felt like hurling his answering machine across the room. Of course he didn't. The tape contained Jill's voice, and he listened to it over and over, transcribing every word. Finding her would be very tough, but it was possible. Doug picked up the phone and put in a call to Jill's cellular phone carrier.

It took him more than an hour, but at last he had the information he needed. They hadn't been able to give him an exact location, but it had narrowed the field. The call had originated from the two-one-eight area, and it had been transmitted through four satellite receivers to reach him. By drawing the path of the call on a map, Doug had come up with an area roughly fifty miles in diameter. Within that circle there were over five hundred lakes. Sixty-three of them had islands in the center. Doug knew he had his work cut out for him.

It was useless to hope for another call. A cellular phone technician had listened to the tape and given Doug the bad news. The beep he'd heard at the end of Jill's message meant that her battery had run out of power. She hadn't taken the charger with her. When they'd searched her house, Doug had noticed it next to the coffeepot on the kitchen counter.

But why was Connie keeping Jill prisoner? It just didn't make sense. Thank God he had three weeks to find her . . . didn't he?

Doug's fingers were trembling as he picked up the phone. Jill had told him that Connie had called her doctor to make sure it was safe for her to travel. The doctor wouldn't have given his permission if he'd had any doubts.

Jill's obstetrician sounded sleepy, but Doug identified himself and asked his questions, hardly daring to breathe while he waited for the answers. No, Jill's housekeeper hadn't called to find out if Jill could take a vacation. If she had, the doctor would never have agreed. Due dates were only educated guesses, and Jill could go into labor at any time.

After he'd thanked the doctor and hung up the phone, Doug slammed his fist into the table. His hand was throbbing as he put on his jacket and headed out to his car, but Doug didn't even feel it. He was too worried about Jill and the baby he'd come to think of as his.

* * *

It was difficult, but Jill had managed to pretend that nothing was wrong when Connie had come to wake her. Her nightmare act had worked. Connie hadn't suspected a thing. Now Connie was making breakfast and Jill was seated at the kitchen table. She kept a cheerful smile on her face and watched Connie's every move.

The eggs were safe. She'd seen Connie break them into an empty frying pan. The jam was suspect, though. Connie could have laced it with a sedative when she'd opened the jar.

“You don't want jam on your toast?” Connie looked surprised when Jill declined. “But, Jill, it's blueberry and that's your favorite.”

Jill thought fast. “I know, but I'm saving up calories so I can have another cup of hot chocolate tonight. It was so delicious, Connie. After I drank it, I slept like a baby all night through.”

Somehow Jill managed to keep a pleasant expression on her face during breakfast, and after Connie had cleared the dishes, she turned to her with a question. “What do you want to do today?”

“I don't know.” Jill's answer was perfectly candid. “Did you have anything in mind?”

“I thought we'd just relax and enjoy ourselves. It's a real relief to get away from live television. I don't miss it at all, do you?”

“Not really.” Jill shook her head, although she suspected that Connie had broken the set deliberately. When she'd flicked it on that morning, she'd received nothing but static.

“We can still play movies on the VCR. I brought along some of your favorites.” Connie pointed to the stack of tapes she'd piled on top of the set. “Do you want me to put one on?”

Jill shook her head. If Connie put on a movie, she'd probably sit down and watch it with her, and she really wanted to be alone so she could think about how to escape. “Not now. I think I'd like to sit on the porch and enjoy the sunshine.”

“Good idea.” Connie nodded. “Go ahead. I'll join you in just a minute.”

Jill had no sooner settled down on the porch swing than Connie came out the door. “Let's talk, Jill. We're usually so busy we don't have time. This is a perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better.”

“Okay.” Jill nodded, even though she'd much rather have been alone. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I thought I'd tell you about my boyfriend. He died last Thanksgiving.”

“That's too bad. I'm sorry.” Jill was careful not to react. What Connie had just said directly contradicted the story she'd told about being gay.

“It was awful.” Connie sighed deeply. “I loved him. He was a wonderful man.”

Jill nodded. “I'm sure he was, if you loved him. Tell me about him, Connie.”

“He was handsome, and intelligent, and we were going to be married. The only problem was his parents.”

Jill nodded again. She was learning a new side of Connie, and that might be helpful. “His parents didn't want him to marry?”

“It wasn't that. They wanted him to marry, but they didn't want him to marry me. They're very rich, and they've got social connections. They didn't think I was suitable.”

“That's terrible!” Jill pretended to be very sympathetic. “You're such a nice person. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't welcome you into their family.”

Connie sighed. “Thank you. Part of it was, they didn't give me a chance. They wouldn't even agree to meet me!”

“They sound like awful people.” Jill managed to look outraged for Connie. “You said they were rich?”

Connie gave a bitter little laugh. “Richer than God! That's what Alan used to say. They've got a big fancy estate, with a whole houseful of servants to wait on them hand and foot.”

“Sometimes I wonder how people can possibly make that much money!” Jill was doing her best to keep Connie talking. She wanted all the information she could get. Connie might let something slip and give her a clue as to why she was holding Jill prisoner.

“They didn't make their money, they inherited it. Alan told me all about it. His grandfather was some kind of stock market genius. When the market crashed, he was the only one who made money instead of losing it.”

“So Alan's parents don't have to work?” Jill looked surprised.

“Of course not. His father owns a huge corporation, but all he does is sit in his office and watch the money come in.”

Connie appeared very upset, and Jill led the conversation down another path. “How about Alan's mother? What does she do?”

“Charity things!” Connie fairly spit out the words. “You know how it is, Jill. People like Alan's mother don't do anything. They don't even raise their own children. They hire a nanny to do it for them.”

Jill nodded. “I've heard of people like that, but I've never actually met them. Maybe it's a good thing. Alan's parents sound like horrible people.”

“They are.” Connie stood up and headed for the door. “Just talking about them makes me so upset I'm going to take a couple of aspirin. You said it all, Jill. The Stanfords are truly horrible people!”

Jill's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she was glad Connie wasn't there to see her reaction. There had been a chart on the nurses' desk the night Neil had gone in for his transplant. Jill had noticed the name on it—Alan Stanford. She'd wondered if that was the name of the donor, but when the doctor had told her that it was strictly confidential, she hadn't asked.

Jill's mind raced through the possibilities. If Alan Stanford had been the donor, Connie could be the serial killer. She could be sitting here calmly discussing life and love with her husband's killer!

* * *

“Are you sure, Doc?” Doug stared at the police psychiatrist in shock. When he'd described his crazy theory about how Connie Wilson had lost her baby and had then attempted to get pregnant by the men who'd received part of her boyfriend's body, Dr. Emmerson had said that Doug was probably right.

“It's a reasonable theory.” Emmerson nodded. “Why are you so surprised?”

“Because the last part doesn't fit in. She's kidnapped Jill Bradley, the wife of the last victim, and I think she's holding her hostage until Bradley's baby is born.”

Dr. Emmerson raised his eyebrows. “It
could
fit in with your theory. When did Mrs. Bradley conceive?”

“She's due in three weeks.” Doug did the math quickly. “It had to be sometime in December.”

“And when was her husband's transplant?”

“The day after Thanksgiving. But . . .” Doug stopped in mid sentence as the awful realization sank in. “Oh, my God, Doc! Jill got pregnant
after
her husband's transplant. And now Connie wants her baby!”

Dr. Emmerson nodded. “It fits with your original theory.”

“Doc?” Doug's face was pale as he asked his final question. “What do you think she'll do to Jill, after the baby is born?”

Emmerson winced and glanced down at the table. When he looked up again, he couldn't quite meet Doug's eyes. “I'm sorry, Doug. Your serial killer has a single purpose that drives her. She wants a baby fathered by one of the transplant recipients. Once that baby is born, there's no reason to think she'll leave the natural mother alive.”

* * *

When afternoon had rolled around, Jill had told Connie that she was sleepy. Connie had tucked her in bed for a nap and then had gone back downstairs. But the moment Jill had heard the lock click, she'd tiptoed to the closet, climbed up on a suitcase, and taken her mini cassette recorder out of her briefcase.

Now she was sitting on the edge of the bed, making a recording of everything Connie had told her. When she was finished, she planned to hide it under the floorboard she'd loosened at the back of the closet. If something happened to her, Doug would search the room thoroughly. He'd find the tape, and then he'd know everything that Connie had told her.

“The things she told me reminded me of something. Check with Dave Kramer at my office. He had a case, right after Thanksgiving, a woman who broke into a morgue to see her dead boyfriend's body. I can't remember all the details, but I remember that the boyfriend's parents locked her out of the place where they'd lived and she went a little crazy. Her lawyer pleaded extenuating circumstances, and we didn't prosecute. I'm not sure it was Connie, but part of it seems to fit.”

Jill shivered slightly. There was something else Dave had said, something very important. She wished she could remember, but she couldn't seem to think straight.

“She seems to want to confide in me, and I'm sure I can get more information. I'm going to encourage her to drink and see what happens. When we got here, the rental agent had left a basket of fruit and a case of white wine. The doctor told me I could have a glass of wine with dinner, and I'm going to tell her that. I'll have more to tell you tonight, I'm almost sure of it. She seems to want to unburden herself, and I'm the only one here to listen.”

Jill pushed the stop button, then tiptoed to the closet to hide the recorder. When she was back in bed again, she took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering sigh.

“Find me, Doug.” The whisper was like a prayer. “I'm scared, and I don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade. I'll escape to the woods if I can, but right now she's watching me too closely. Please, Doug . . . hurry!”

CHAPTER 38

“But I thought alcohol was bad for the baby.” Connie frowned at Jill.

“It is, but only in excess.” Jill kept her expression perfectly neutral. “Remember those sedatives the doctor gave me when I was having trouble sleeping?”

“Of course.” Connie nodded. “He told me they were perfectly safe.”

“They are, and so is one glass of wine. I'd certainly rather have wine than a pill . . . wouldn't you?”

Connie considered for a moment, and then she nodded again. “You're right, Jill. We're having chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms tonight, and a glass of white wine would be nice. But I didn't think you could drink, so I didn't bother to bring any.”

“Didn't you say the rental agent left us a case of white wine?”

“That's right!” Connie smiled. “I'll put a bottle in the refrigerator, and we'll have a glass for dinner.”

Jill laughed. “Go ahead. Put in two bottles. I'm restricted to one glass, but you can have all you want. You've been working so hard, and this is supposed to be your vacation, too.”

“Well . . . all right.” Connie headed for the kitchen, but she stopped at the doorway and turned around. “No more than one glass, Jill. We have to think of our baby.”

“That's right.” Jill smiled, but after Connie had left her expression became anxious. Connie had said
our
baby, not the baby or your baby. Perhaps she'd used the same phrase before, Jill didn't remember, but this time it sounded very ominous.

* * *

“Thank you for your help, Sheriff.” Doug was frowning as he got back into his car. He'd checked ten of the lakes that matched Jill's description, but none of them had a rental cabin with a river-rock wall near the driveway.

As he put the car in gear and started for the next location on his list, Doug felt helplessness wash over him in waves. He knew Jill was out there somewhere, but he was getting nowhere.

He had plenty of help. That wasn't the problem. Five two-man teams were scouring the area he'd drawn on the map. But driving around the lakes in the area was tedious and difficult to do at night. Although Doug had a handheld spotlight, it was difficult to see.

There had to be an easier way. He pulled off the road and parked in front of a rustic café. Coffee might help him to think, and he needed food. He'd talk to a couple of the locals and see if they had any ideas. He'd never been in the northern part of Minnesota before. They knew the area.

The waitress, a thin woman who must have been pretty when she was younger, was friendly when she brought his coffee. And when she found out that he came from Minneapolis, she told him all about the trip her daughter's class had taken to the Minnesota Zoo.

“So what are you doing up here?” She stood poised with her order pad.

“It's police business. I'm looking for two women who rented a cabin at one of the lakes.”

“Which lake?” The waitress looked interested.

“I don't know. All I have is a description. It's small, and it has an island in the center with a single tree. The cabin has a river-rock wall by the driveway, and there's a big cabin, directly across the lake from theirs, with a huge green lawn and a flagpole.”

“I don't think there's any lake like that around here.” The waitress frowned. “But if there is, Speedy would know.”

Doug leaned forward. “Speedy?”

“Speedy Harmon.” The waitress nodded. “That's him in the checkered shirt at the end of the counter. Speedy drives around the lakes every day. He's our RFD man.”

“Excuse me?” Doug was puzzled.

“RFD That's Rural Free Delivery, but they don't call it that anymore. The post office changed the name. Now it's a Star Route.”

“The post office!” Doug was so excited, he almost jumped up to hug her. He handed her two twenties instead, then slid out of the booth. “Do you think you could get me a couple of sandwiches to go? I don't care what kind. And keep the change. I'm going to talk to Speedy.”

It didn't take long before Doug was back in his car. In less than a minute, Speedy had eliminated the four lakes on his route and had given him the location of the neighboring Star Route delivery zone. Doug's spirits were high as he drove to the next sheriff's substation. Driving around four lakes would have taken him until dawn, yet he'd accomplished the check in minutes. And the only thing he'd had to do was buy Speedy Harmon a beer.

* * *

“What's the matter, Jill? Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” Jill smiled, though she felt like wincing. “I'm just a little tired. I think I'd better call it a night.”

Connie glanced at her watch. “You're right. It's past midnight. Sleep well. I'll come up in a minute to tuck you in.”

Jill climbed up the stairs and shivered as she opened the door to her room. Connie would lock her in again, and this time it would be for keeps. What she'd hoped was a touch of indigestion had turned out to be her worst nightmare. If she wanted to live to see her baby grow up, she couldn't let Connie know that she was in labor.

* * *

They'd set up a checkpoint at the Bemidgi Station, and Doug was on the phone. Two deputies were helping him, tying up all but one line.

“Detective?” One of the deputies waved him over. “I've got Red Spiers on the line. He delivers to Lady Lake, Elbow Lake, Beaver Lake, and Big Buck Lake. I read him you description, and he says there's a couple of driveways walled with river rock on his route.”

Doug's hands were shaking as he took the phone. “Mr. Spiers? How about a big log cabin with a flagpole and a big green lawn?”

“Yup.” Red Spiers sounded eager to help. “That'd be the Twin Pines Golf Club. It's right across the lake from the old Sherman place, and that's been a rental since Sherm moved to Florida and sold it.”

“Does the Sherman place have a river-rock wall by the driveway?” Doug held his breath as he awaited the answer.

“Yup. It's got river rock. You can go with me in the morning, if you want to see it.”

Doug felt like whooping with joy, but he took a deep breath instead. “I have to see it now, Mr. Spiers. I'm working on a kidnapping case, and I think they could be holed up there.”

“Why didn't you say so in the first place?” Red Spiers was clearly excited. “Sit tight, sonny. I'll throw on some clothes and be there in a flash.”

* * *

“Doug? I'm in labor. She doesn't know, but I can't keep it from her for much longer.” Jill's voice was shaking as she recorded her message. “I got her drunk, and she told me everything.”

Jill took a deep breath as another contraction hit, then let it out in a shuddering sigh. “She was pregnant, and she lost her baby when her boyfriend died. His name was Alan Stanford. He donated organs to Rossini, Turner, Woodard, and Neil. She's got this crazy idea that Alan will live on if she gets pregnant by a man who received a part of him. Rossini wouldn't cooperate. When he called her crazy and threatened to turn her over to the police, she killed him. Turner was next. She rented an apartment in his complex and seduced him. After two months, she found out he'd had a vasectomy, and she murdered him, too.”

“She went on to Reverend Woodard.” Jill took a deep breath and hoped her stomach would settle down. She wasn't sure if it was because she was in labor or if the sick feeling was caused by the awful things Connie had told her. “She said she tried to seduce him when she was being baptized, but he resisted her. He was praying for guidance when she murdered him. And she asked me if I didn't think it was a nice touch that she killed him on an altar.”

Jill took another deep breath. Her hands were shaking, but she knew she couldn't panic. She had to make sure Doug caught Connie, and this tape would help. “She's sick, Doug. You've got to get her. She's like a loaded cannon, ready to fire, and I . . . I know I'm next. She's going to take my baby, Doug. And she's going to kill me. She said it would only hurt for a second and then . . . then I'd be dead.”

“Doug?” Jill was silent for a long moment. “I know this isn't the time, and it isn't the place, either . . . but I just want you to know that I love you. I've loved you for a long time and . . . Oh, Doug, I hope it's not too late for us!”

Jill wiped away a tear with the back of her hand and forced herself to calm down. If she got upset, the baby might come more quickly. The longer she could stay in labor without letting Connie know, the more time Doug would have to find her.

“She told me about Neil. She was his mistress, Doug. Connie was the other woman. She killed him after she went to the doctor and found out she couldn't have any more babies. It all makes sense, Doug. I got pregnant after Neil's transplant. That's why she wants my baby!”

Jill clicked off the recorder and hid it under the floorboard. After taking a deep breath for courage, she timed her contractions. They were forty-five minutes apart. Her baby was coming, and she couldn't wait much longer. The last contraction had been strong. Soon they would become more frequent. Now was the time to try to save the baby. If she delayed, she wouldn't be able to escape.

* * *

Red Spiers was a man in his sixties with a red beard streaked with gray. He arrived with a double-barreled shotgun under his arm, and he shook his head when Doug suggested he leave it at the station.

“Now look here, sonny.” Red patted his shotgun. “I'm a pretty good shot, if I don't say so myself. You said this was a kidnapping case, and you might need some backup.”

Doug nodded. “Okay. Let me drive and you ride . . . uh . . . shotgun.”

“That's the spirit, sonny!” Red threw back his head and laughed. “I like a man with a good sense of humor. Time's wasting so let's get going. Lady Lake's eleven miles to the south.”

* * *

Jill's hands were shaking as she climbed over the balcony rail and grabbed her makeshift rope. She'd knotted her sheets together and secured them to a balcony post, and she'd changed into a dark sweatshirt so she'd be less easy to spot.

Could she climb down the rope when she was so unwieldy? What would happen if she had another contraction and lost her grip? She took a deep breath for courage, grabbed the first knot on the rope, and let herself swing down into space.

The post creaked, and Jill drew her breath in sharply. She didn't dare think about what would happen if it gave way. She just concentrated on letting herself down, one knot at a time, praying that Connie wouldn't hear her.

There were ten knots in the sheets, and Jill had gone past four when something ripped. Her sweatshirt had caught on a nail. She reached up with one hand to pull it free. Her heart was in her throat as she climbed down another knot and then another. Only four more knots to go and she'd be on the ground.

Just as Jill's feet touched solid ground, the lights went on in Connie's room. Connie had heard her. She had to get away!

Jill ducked around the side of the house and headed for the woods at an awkward run, her heart pounding in fear. She was only a few feet from the safety of the trees when she heard an almost inhuman scream.

“My baby!” Connie's voice was a raging howl. “I see you, Jill! You can't escape me! I'm going to find you and cut my baby out of you!”