Love Lies Dying (15 page)

Zoe nodded and slapped her hip pocket with her hand. “Yep. I took it from the key holder by the front door as we left. Just like you told me to.”

“Good. And you know how to get home from here?”

She nodded again. “I think so. It shouldn’t be too hard. I found your house once, I can find it again.”

“Okay,” John moved away from the driver’s seat and shut the car door. “Go there now. Don’t stop for anything. Go straight to the house and get inside.”

“Ahuh,” Zoe bit her bottom lip and wound down the window. “But what if they –”

“No ‘what ifs’. Drive the car straight to the house and get inside. We’ve got no other option.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be right behind you in my car. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“We’ll work out some sort of plan when we get home.”

“Okay,” Zoe’s face changed again. “I’m sorry, Johnny.”

John reached through the window and brushed her cheek with his hand. “Stop apologising. It’s not your fault. Just start thinking of ways to fix the problem.”

He smiled at her and she smiled back. But he could tell it was a fake smile. She was worried. And scared.

So am I
, he thought.

“Now go!”

Zoe nodded. She backed the Jeep out of the spot and John watched as she drove it out of the car park.

Helen, where the hell are you?

Once he could no longer hear the Jeep’s engine, he turned and slowly headed back through the hospital and to his car.

Now we’re all in trouble,
he thought again as he walked.
Big trouble.

He pulled the car over to the curb on Painted Hills Drive.

He stared out the windshield at the road in front of him. The sun had set and the evening twilight was giving way to darkness. There was no one on the street in front of him.

He checked his rear-view mirror as well. No one there either.

Since leaving the hospital, John had been extra careful and was on the lookout to see if he was being followed.

As far as he could tell, no one was on his tail. But he knew that if Ricky Fox or any of his thugs were following him, they weren’t going to stand out.

So, he’d taken a detour.

It was a risk, he knew that, but he’d taken it anyway. He had to make sure no-one else got caught up in this mess and got hurt.

And he needed time to think.

He also needed time and silence and an opportunity to put things right in his mind without Zoe around to distract him.

So he sat in the car and tried to put all the events of the last twenty-four hours into some sort of order to find an explanation for it all.

Things had started to go haywire from the moment Zoe had arrived. She’d landed on their doorstep and brought all her troubles with her. First she dragged Helen and then John into this mess.

And now Helen is in danger. Probably more danger than the rest of us
, he thought.
And just what can I do about it?

She had gone to the hospital to help her friend, only to get attacked by the thugs that had been following Zoe.

Helen must’ve believed her story
, he thought.

Don’t you?

Yes, I do, I guess… It’s just so hard to believe!

But now Helen’s missing.

Yeah.

That’s a solid fact!

It is.

Whether you believe her fully or not…

I know, I know. I’ll have to play Fox’s game until it leads us to Helen.

Exactly.

But if they’ll go to those sorts of extremes, what chance do we have to stop them?
he wondered.

“The police should be involved,” he whispered to himself as he looked out the driver’s window to the house directly opposite.

105 Painted Hills Drive.

But getting the police involved will place everyone at risk
, he thought.

And it could mean Helen would be in even more danger. If they’re willing to kidnap a complete stranger to get what they want, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t just kill her and make a run for it if they’re cornered by the police.

“Shit,” John said as he thumped the steering wheel.

They needed a plan.

But there wasn’t one.

Zoe was the key. To everything.

And she was the only one who knew how to play Fox at his own game.

So, she had all the answers too.

John took the keys from the ignition and climbed from the car. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced down both sides of the street.

The street was empty. No sign of anyone.

Slowly, he walked across the road and up the front steps of the house at number 105.

Better make this quick,
he thought.

He rang the doorbell and heard the chimes sound deep within the house.

He turned around on the doorstep to survey the street once more.

No one.

But he knew the longer he stood there, the greater the chance of him being seen.

Don’t make yourself an easy target,
he told himself.
Get back in the car and head for home!

He turned to face the front door once more.

“Come on,” he whispered. “Come on!”

There was no sound of movement from inside.

He rang the doorbell once more and slowly counted to ten.

He glanced up and down the street again.

No one.

“Damn,” he said as he finished counting.

He pulled his wallet from his pocket and grabbed one of his business cards. He slipped the business card into the grill of the front wire door.

He waited a few seconds longer, his ears desperately trying to search out a sound from within the house.

But there was only silence.

“Shit,” he mumbled as he turned and headed back towards his car.

He kept his head down and glanced from side to side, waiting for someone to call his name or run up to him. But the street was still deserted and there was no sign of anyone.

John reached his car and climbed back inside. As he started the engine he looked back across the street to the house. He could see his business card stuck in the wire door and wondered how long it would take to be found.

As he drove from the street and headed for home, he thought about Zoe and hoped she had made it back to his house safely. Leaving her unguarded for even these few minutes was a risk, but it was a risk he had to take.

Because with Ricky Fox or his thugs on the loose, there was no telling how far they would go, or how many risks they would take, to get Zoe back.

Twelve

John knew something was wrong the moment he drove into the street.

The red Jeep was easily recognisable under the glow of the street lights. As John drove closer, he could see that the Jeep was parked on an angle across his driveway and half onto his front lawn. The headlights were still shining and the front driver’s door was wide open.

John’s eyes darted up the street, looking for anything suspicious.

Nothing.

Then he peered around looking for Zoe. He couldn’t see her.

“Shit,” he mumbled as he swung the car into the driveway.

He parked the car just short of the rear of the Jeep and turned off the engine.

Slowly, he opened his door and climbed out. He tried hard not to make a sound; his ears reached into the distance to try to hear any noise in the darkness.

Silence.

Carefully, he walked towards the Jeep.

The Jeep’s headlights illuminated the area and made it easy for him to inspect the car for any sign of trouble. Everything looked normal, except the fact that it was parked at a strange angle and the driver’s door was open. The engine was silent and there was no other sign of danger.

But why leave it like this unless there was trouble?
John thought.

“I shouldn’t’ve left her. Not even for a minute,” he whispered.

Taking one last glace at the Jeep and the area around it, John crept towards the front door of his house. He could see from where he stood that the front door was closed. Light was escaping from the crack underneath it.

At least Zoe’s inside,
he thought.

Then he stopped in his tracks and studied the front door.

“Or someone is,” he whispered.

He unhooked the keys from his hip and searched through them until he found the front door key. Holding the key in his fingers, he started walking towards the front door again.

The night was beginning to get cold as the heat from the day evaporated from the air, and all of a sudden John was conscious of his breath fogging the air in front of him.

He climbed the front step and reached out for the doorknob. Slowly, he turned it.

The door was locked.

The silence seemed heavier now, almost unnatural, and it caused John to turn swiftly to one side and peer out into the street once more. He couldn’t see much from where he was with the Jeep’s headlights shining into his eyes. Suddenly he felt safer for what he couldn’t see.

If I can’t see it, I can’t worry about it,
he told himself.

Turning back to face the door, he inserted the key and turned it.

Slowly, and as quietly as he could, he then turned the knob.

The bolt slid loudly and John cringed at the sound it made. He pushed open the door and stared into the house. Light streamed from the lounge room and into the other end of the hallway.

John stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

He stood in silence and listened to the house.

Nothing. No sound at all.

It was then he realised he was holding his breath, trying hard not to make any noise himself. He let it out in one gush and placed his keys back on his hip. They jangled loudly in the silence.

He wanted to call out for Zoe, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to alert anyone laying in wait that he was there, and he didn’t want to face the horrible prospect of Zoe not answering his call.

I should’ve been here,
he thought.
I shouldn’t’ve left her for even a second!

As quietly as he could, he crept up the hallway towards the lounge room.

The closer he got, the more desperate he became.

The lamp from the corner table first attracted his attention. It was lying on the floor by the table; its shade bent to one side, throwing light at an odd angle down the hallway. The corner table had been turned upside down, its four feet pointing to the ceiling.

John’s pace quickened as he reached the lounge room door.

The phone was strewn on the floor. The receiver by the foot of the sofa while the cord snaked towards the bedroom door where its base lay.

A corner of the sofa was pulled out from the wall and one of the sofa cushions was standing at an angle near the main bedroom door. The book Zoe had been reading earlier was now sitting open, upside down and spine torn, at his feet just inside the lounge room entrance.

“Shit,” he muttered.

Suddenly, he felt weak and scared. The threats that Zoe had warned him about were now becoming real and very dangerous. There was no denying it. Fox was unhinged and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

This is serious shit!

John reached out for one of the dining chairs and pulled it to him. Then he sat down on it with his head in his hands.

What have I got myself into?
he wondered.

Events were starting to spiral out of control and he was powerless to stop them.

First Zoe had appeared on their doorstep, then Helen went missing and now Zoe was gone too. Was there any way to stop Fox? What could John possibly do against him?

John began to shake. He couldn’t tell if it was from rage or fear, but he suspected from both.

Come on,
he talked to himself.
Pull yourself together. Now both Zoe and Helen need you and you can’t let them down. They’re depending on you.

But what could he do? Fox always seemed one step ahead of them and knew what they were planning. He read the game so well, probably because they were playing
his game
. He made the rules, he made the plays, he knew the score.

John lifted his head and surveyed the room again.

And if I were Fox, I’d leave a calling card.

He peered around, looking closely at everything once more. He stood and walked into the kitchen and checked in there too.

Nothing.

No note, no threat, no clue.

Just a bunch of dying flowers, left strewn on the bench-top.

He walked back into the lounge room and stared at the closed door of the main bedroom.

His chest felt heavy and fear crawled up his spine as he stared at the door.

He hadn’t checked out the bedrooms or the bathroom, and his mind told him not to. It told him to get away from there and put as much distance between him and Fox as he possibly could.

But he knew he couldn’t. He knew he had to face Fox in a showdown just as certainly as he knew he’d have to check out the bedrooms and face whatever was inside them; whether that be a note from Fox, or maybe even Zoe’s mutilated body.

He had to.

He owed that much to Zoe and Helen.

He stared at the doorknob of the main bedroom. He focussed on it and walked quickly towards it.

Let’s get this over with,
he thought as he reached the door.

He grabbed the knob and opened the door.

Taking a step into the bedroom, he stared into the darkness and listened to the silence. He could see nothing so he reached across and turned on the light.

The bedroom was unchanged. It looked exactly as it had when they had left it that morning. Zoe’s suitcase was still on the bed and the packages she had bought were beside it, exactly where John had placed them.

Their trip to the shopping centre seemed so long ago now, even though it was just a few hours before. John shook his head when he thought about it. They had acted so
normal
then, as if this threat wasn’t their concern or didn’t affect them. How could they have been so naive and flippant about the whole situation? They had no idea what sort of danger they were all in.

Or maybe Zoe
did
know, and she was living life to its fullest while she could.

She knew Fox would catch up with her,
John thought as he switched off the light and turned to walk back into the lounge room.
She knew. But she wouldn’t let it spoil the freedom she had just grasped.

Suddenly, John felt very tired and ashamed that perhaps he hadn’t taken her seriously enough. None of it seemed real until he had walked in on the mess in his lounge room. Only then did Ricky Fox become real and dangerous in his mind.

And now it might be too late for both Zoe and Helen,
he thought.

John shut the bedroom door behind him and leaned back on it. He couldn’t let Fox walk away so easily. Someone had to show him that he can’t threaten and do these things to normal people in a normal, safe world. He had to fight back and somehow get Zoe and Helen back too.

He had to see this sick game through to the end.

Someone has
got
to stop this bastard,
he thought.
Fox dragged my wife and me into this, and I’m damned if I’m gonna sit back and not make him pay for crossing paths with me.

He sighed deeply as his mind began to spin. Slowly, he let his knees bend and he slid down the bedroom door into a squatting position.

“I can’t let him win,” he whispered.

And then he saw her foot.

First he thought it was just one of her sneakers, but then he realised that it was much more than that. 

He stared closely at the space behind the sofa. He could make out a pair of old sneakers and, above them, a pair of legs and knees pulled up in the tight, dark space. Two arms were holding them all together.

John lifted his eyes further and could now see Zoe’s head, resting on top of her knees, her face burrowed down between them.

His heart raced.

“Zoe?” John whispered as he crawled towards her. “Zoe?”

As he came closer to the space behind the sofa, he realised she was sitting up in a foetal position, slowly rocking back and forth in the one spot. Her breathing was fast and shallow. One of her braids had come undone and looked like a slowly fraying rope, while the other was tucked somewhere between her head and knees.

“Zoe?” he whispered once more as he reached her. Carefully, he lifted the sofa away from her so he could kneel next to her.

“Zoe, are you okay?” he whispered as he reached out to stroke her hair.

As he touched her, she jumped in fright and let out a muffled scream.

“Get away from me,” she sobbed without lifting her head.

“Zoe? Zoe, it’s me. John.”

There was a moment’s silence and then slowly she lifted her head to look at him.

“See? It’s me, Zoe. It’s John.”

Her tear-streaked face tried to smile, but she couldn’t manage it. Her half-smile split into a sob and she reached out and hugged him.

“Oh, Johnny,” she whispered into his ear. “You’re here.”

Fear suddenly gave way to relief as John realised Zoe was probably unharmed. He hugged her back.

“It’s okay,” he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“You’re here,” she said again.

“Yes, I’m here. And everything’s fine.”

“You’re here to protect me.”

“Everything’s okay.”

“Make them go away,” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“Make them go away.”

“Who?” John stared into her eyes for what seemed like minutes. Then, he pulled away from her and got to his feet. “Come on,” he said in a low voice as he helped her stand. “Let’s get to the sofa and you can tell me everything.”

John led Zoe to the sofa and then retrieved the cushion from near the bedroom door. He placed it back on the sofa and then sat down next to her.

He took her hands in his and smiled at her.

“Who are you talking about?” he asked.

Her face was a whirlpool of emotions that changed from fear to sadness to relief and everything in-between.

“They came for me, Johnny,” she whispered. “Ricky’s men,” her eyes burrowed into his soul.

“Here in the house?”

She shook her head and ran a hand through the hair that was continuing to unwind from her braid.

“No, not here,” she continued. “They followed me.”

“From the hospital?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

“What did they do? Did they try to hurt you?”

Zoe’s bottom lip began to tremble. She tried to stop it, but couldn’t. She let out a sob and then leaned forward into John’s arms. He comforted her as best he could while she cried into his chest.

Fox, you bastard,
he thought.
How can you put her through something like this?

After a few minutes, her crying began to ease and John rocked her back and forth in his arms.