The Hungry House (18 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

While Margaret was gone
Frank paced and drank in his library, with the ever-present cigarette in his hand. Then, he went into Vicky's former room, where he pressed one of her pillows to his face and inhaled her scent. He had never planned to have sex with her. Now that he had, he wanted her more than ever. Why did she have to vanish like that?  Before, when he got up, she was always there. It was her friends. Her meddling friends. They put her up to it.

He mumbled, "
She would never leave me on her own. She loves me, and we're going to be married. Those bitch's. They're going to be sorry. Every last one of them."

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

A few days later, Betts' father Dave drove his Lexus sport utility across the bridge into downtown Portland, chatting and laughing with his two carpool buddies, who also worked downtown and lived in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. They did this every day. His friend, Jack Kapinsky, was a fraternity brother from University of Oregon who was the Chief Executive Officer at the gas company, and the other rider was a fellow partner in his law firm, Bob Hadley.

They had been joking and laughing, as usual, barely taking up a third
of the space in the car's roomy, comfortable interior. Suddenly, the SUV was bumped from the rear, propelling all of them forward in their seats.

"What the hell?
" Dave looked in the rearview mirror. "Just wait a minute, buddy, and you can go around me."

Again, there was a savage bump in the rear
of the car. Dave again checked the rearview mirror, then turned and looked behind him. He planned to pull over the first chance he got. A Mack truck was following closely, a white male wearing sunglasses at its helm. Once they finally got off the bridge and entered the west side of Portland, Dave thought the truck would pass him. It did not. Another Mack truck appeared on the lane next to the car; its driver also wore sunglasses. It banged his car on the driver's side. Once. Then again.

None of the other people in traffic seemed to be paying any atten
tion. Sweat broke out on Dave's forehead.

"Jack, call 911.
" Jack was staring wide-eyed at the truck beside them. "Jack!"

"Okay, okay
. I'm on it." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

Suddenly, the truck behi
nd hit the SUV so hard that Dave became fearful he would run into the Toyota sedan in front of him, with two children in the back seat. He swerved hard to the right to avoid hitting the car, not seeing the utility pole, until it was too late.

Because
Dave had stomped on the breaks after turning, because the Lexus GX was a large, sport utility vehicle, and because the airbags deployed, none of the men were seriously hurt. Dave, however, was furious. He had gotten the license plates of one of the Mack trucks and told the police at the scene.

Jack, remembered the most
. "They were white and wore sunglasses and black sweatshirts. I thought we were going to die."

The police searched in the area for the trucks and drivers, but they se
emed to have vanished. According to the police, the plates were stolen. Dave was convinced that Frank was behind the attack, but he could prove nothing. When he got home that night, he talked about the situation with Diana, behind their closed bedroom door.

Diana had another theory
. "Honey, you're an employment rights attorney. How many corporations have you gone up against in your career?" It was a rhetorical question. "What about that army contractor, the one that works with Special Forces? Could it be them?"

"If they were going to do something, I would've alre
ady had an 'accidental' death. I wouldn't be sitting here talking about it. Anyway, that was two years ago. I guess you're right--that it could be someone else. I just have a gut feeling that her Frank is behind this."

"Usually, y
our gut is right."

"Well, whoever is behind this, I'm taking some time off for a while
. I want to keep an eye on you and the kids this coming week."

"How can you do that, with all the work you have?"

"I'll use my laptop and fax here at home. I can Skype the office meetings. Let's just see what happens."

After much discussion, they decided not to tell
Vicky about the attack. They hated keeping secrets from her, but she was still a little on edge about the incident at the restaurant, and they were concerned that knowledge of the attack would worsen her anxiety. She never went anywhere without an escort, so she seemed safe. As safe as she could be under the circumstances. So, they came up with a story about Tom having problems with his back and needing to relax at home for a while.

CHAP
TER THIRTY-NINE

Prior to the shock of Frank appearing at the restaurant, I had been feeling better. I had felt hopeful about the future. Afterwards, I could not shake my overwhelming feelings of anxiety and panic. I wanted to run away, as far away from Frank as possible. Yet, I knew that, with all the resources available to him, Frank would find me wherever I went. I had the sickening sensation of being a fly in a large web, a web that covered the entire world, with Frank the huge spider at the center.

Exhaustion overcame me
, making it a massive effort to get out of bed and then shower and dress each morning. I could not think straight and forgot a task before it was even begun. I would open a cupboard or closet door and then could not remember the item I had intended to remove. I sometimes stopped speaking in midsentence, unable to continue.

The worse change,
the very worst, was the return of the nausea and vomiting. Prior to seeing Frank at the restaurant, my morning sickness had almost completely abated. After the incident, it returned with a vengeance and worse than before, lasting the entire day. Over the course of the next few days, it gradually increased to the point that I could not keep down liquids. My doctor prescribed a medication, considered safe in pregnancy. Conservatively, he advised me to take it for 3 days only. By then, the cycle of nausea, as he put it, should be over. I could not keep the medicine down.

One evening, Diana came into my
room with a small bowl of broth. I was lying in bed, feeling weak.

"Try some of this
. Eat it very slowly."

I
sat up in bed and took the bowl in my hands. Slowly, I swallowed a spoonful of soup, and then waited. Immediately, I grabbed the basin on my nightstand and retched into it.

"How long have you been unable to keep down liquids?
  Three days, isn't it?"

"I
don't know."

Diana was alarmed
. "Where's your doctor's telephone number. I want to call him."

"Diana, it's eight o'clock at night
. You can call the office in the morning. The card is in my wallet, behind my driver's license."

Diana retrieved the card
. "All right. Try to rest." She telephoned the answering service and described the problem. Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Benson telephoned. At first, from my one-sided impression of the conversation, it seemed that he offered platitudes about how common vomiting is in pregnancy and seemed about to hang up. Not to be put off so easily, Diana pursued the matter and explained in detail what was going on with Vicky.

Later, w
hen I realized I was going to the hospital, I said I could not afford the expense, but Tom and Diana ignored me, which, in my frail condition, frustrated me to the point of hysteria.

"I'm not a child, and I won't have you taking on this responsibility."

"There's no choice," Tom was adamant. "Don't upset yourself.

"I won't go unless you let me check into something first."

"You have to go." Betts seemed on the verge of yelling at me. "Do you want to die?"

Diana gave
Betts a hard look. "Out." Betts left the room.

"She's right, you know
. We're putting you in that car. It's all been arranged." Diana said.

"Okay, then I won't sign anything when I get there.
"

"
As ill as you are, you might not have to." Diana, usually unflappable, had become uncharacteristically frustrated and irritable.

Diana
stopped in her tracks and sighed. "All right. Who do you want to call?"

"My friend John
. I know he will help me. And, he has a lot more money than you and Tom."

I
telephoned John and briefly explained the situation. He insisted upon meeting me at the hospital.

Tom helped
me into the SUV. Diana and Betts were already inside. A bag had been packed. I very much wanted to return to bed but no longer had the strength to argue. Everything had become unreal, as if I were outside my body watching what was happening. The admissions process was tedious, as usual, but much of it had been arranged over the phone by Dr. Benson, and John was already in the business office, signing as the responsible party for the bill.

By the time John came
into my room, I was already hooked up to the intravenous drip, giving me fluids and nutrients.

"
I'm so sorry to impose on you like this, John. I couldn't think of anyone else."

"Don't be silly
. I asked you to call me if you needed me, didn't I?"

Diana turned to her husband
. "One of us needs to get home to retrieve the kids from the neighbor's house. But, we can't leave Vicky alone. Do you want me to stay?" Dave and Diana had left strict instructions at the nursing station that Frank was not to be let in, but mistakes could be made. Visitors could be overlooked.

John answered
. "I don't know what's going on, but I'll stay until tomorrow, if that'll help."

Dave
looked at me. "Are you all right with this?"

"Yes
. I hate to be so much trouble, but I guess there's no way around it."

Dave
shook John's hand. "One of us will be here in the morning. Take good care of her."

"All the time."

As soon as everyone left, John fixed a puzzled gaze on me. "Okay, now explain the big mystery. I'm happy to help you, but why isn't Frank taking care of this?"

"Oh, John.
" I turned my head away from him and tried to gather my thoughts. "I'm not sure how much I want to tell you."

Joh
n removed some bed linens piled on the nearby chair, pulled the chair up to the bed and sat down. "Tell me everything."

When
I had finished my tale, John stood and walked to the window, which gave a view of evergreens growing on the rolling hillsides.

"All this greenery reminds me of my first day at Frank
's, the day I met you. Right now, I'd like to strangle him."

John returned to the chair by
my bedside. "I think you should stay at my house until all this is settled."

"That's just the thing, John
--I don't know when it's ever going to be settled."

"Your friends have their family to think about
. They can't afford to have their children's lives completely disrupted."

Nev
er had John looked more appealing. For the trip to the hospital, he had worn jeans and a black leather jacket, which made him look younger than usual. He absentmindedly put a cigarette in his mouth and got out his lighter, then put both away.

I
summoned the strength to give John a playful smile. "So, now you want
your
life to be totally disrupted?"

"
Vicky, I'm used to this sort of thing. Since I'm in the film industry, every kook in LA is drawn to me like a moth to the flame. I can't tell you the times I've had to hire a bodyguard. Of course, I don't have it nearly as bad as the actors--but still. The only thing that makes Frank particularly dangerous is that he has a lot of money to spend on his obsession. Other than that, he's just your garden variety nutcase stalker."

I
thought for a moment. "Yes, this is terribly unfair to the Tatum's. And, there's no way I can get a place on my own right now. That would be just asking for trouble. All right, I'll take you up on your offer. I hope you know what you're doing." I yawned. "I have to sleep now."

"I have to use the restroom
. I'll be right back."

After John left, I overheard someone say,
"I'm sorry, sir, but it's late, and she has a very limited visitor's list."

Then a familiar male voice answered,
"But surely her father is allowed to visit. I've just gotten in from Seattle. I'll only be a moment. How is she doing by the way?"

"Much better than when she came in, but she still bears watching
. I'll give you five minutes but not a second more."

I opened my eyes to see Frank at my bedside looking down at me.
"I came as soon as I could, my darling."

I
screamed and could not, would not, stop.

"Be quiet
--don't." Frank advanced on me to cover her mouth with his hand.

A couple of minutes later a
highly agitated nurse burst into the room.

Frank had vanished
.