Wait Until Dark (40 page)

"I know you're dying to see your wedding gown." He smiled.

Her wedding gown?

Val stared at him blankly.

"Now, you didn't think I'd come all this way to marry you and not bring you something special to wear, did you?" He gestured to the door. "Now, come on out here and bring your coffee, and I'll show you. I think you'll love it, Val. It's a designer gown. The woman in the shop said it came from New York...."

Rafferty led Val back into the front room of the cabin and pointed to the fireplace that ran along the outside wall.

"You just stand right there, and I'll show you." He turned his back and for one second Val's eyes searched desperately for something substantial enough to smack him over the head with.

There was only the lamp, and he was between her and it.

"Here we go." He bent over the open suitcase and lifted the plastic garment bag that held the white something she'd glimpsed earlier. "You have to admit, it's a beauty."

He held up the dress for her inspection.

"Yes." She nodded. "It's a beauty."

"And I'm pretty sure it will fit you," he told her. "It's a four. Your size."

How would he know that?

"And of course" he added, "you need shoes."

He handed a shoe box to her. She was startled to see the box was from her own closet, held her own shoes.

"You've thought of everything," she told him.

"I tried to, baby," he said as he dipped back into the suitcase. "Here's your veil. The woman in the shop said this style was suited for long hair worn down. I want you to wear your hair down."

He held up a gossamer veil that was attached to a headdress covered with white silk flowers.

"She said you'd want to pull your hair back from your face," he continued as if he hadn't seen the look of growing revulsion on her face.

"When ... ah ... when is the ceremony?" she asked, wondering how much time she might have. Sky would be picking her up at eight to drive her into town to do some grocery shopping. It was just barely seven.

"As soon as you can get into that dress."

"Wh... Where are you... are we doing this?"

"Well, we could do it right here, in the cabin. But it's such a beautiful day, maybe an outside ceremony would be nicer. I'll even let you pick the place, since you know the area so well."

"Someplace outside?"

"Right. Maybe someplace where we can look out over the valley. Or maybe someplace that overlooks the lake. I walked up there yesterday, by the way. It sure was a breathtaking view.
^”
His face clouded over and his eyes went dark. "Who was the man, Valerie?"

"The man?"

"The one you went to the lake with yesterday." He leaned closer, his jaw tight.

So someone had been watching after all.

"Valerie." Rafferty's voice could draw blood. "I asked you, who was the man?"

"Oh. Him." She waved a hand as if to brush away a fly. "He's just my sister-in-law's brother."

"It looked like you were awfully close there for a while. Too close."

"I... I had a cramp in my leg." She forced a smile. "He helped me to work it out."

"Why were you alone with him?"

"Oh, he's like a brother to me," she said as if to dismiss Sky's importance. "He's Cale's best friend. I've known him all my life."

"You won't see him after today." His voice dropped a few octaves and he reached out a hand to touch her hair. It took all of Valerie's willpower to not slap his hand away and run for the door.

Think,
her frightened brain demanded.
Think...

"Who is going to marry us?" Get him talking about his plans, make him relax.

"Why,
we're
going to marry us. We don't need someone to bless our marriage, Valerie," he told her solemnly; "A love like ours is a blessing unto itself. We'll exchange our own vows." He patted his pocket. "And I have our rings right here."

"I see."

"I knew that you would." Rafferty held up another plastic bag.

"My tuxedo," he announced proudly.

"It would appear that you really have thought of everything."

"Absolutely." Daniel Rafferty reached back into the suitcase and took out a bottle of wine. "To toast each other with after we became man and wife."

"I don't have champagne glasses here," she told him, fighting an urge to retch.

"Anything you have is fine," he assured her. "Sweetheart."

Val gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Well, I think we'd better get started, don't you?" he picked up the garment bag containing the long white dress and handed it to her. "Will you need help getting into this?"

"No, no," she assured him. "I'll be fine."

If she appeared to be a willing participant, would he be more likely to let his guard down?

"Well, you just call me if you do." He gestured for her to go down the hallway to her bedroom as if he were at home there.

The dress bag containing the gown draped over her arm like a lead weight. She was halfway down the hall when he called her name. She turned back at the sound of his voice.

"You forgot your shoes." He walked toward her and placed the box into her hands.

"Thank you," she whispered.

His fingers touched her face and she fought with every ounce of her will to not flinch.

She backed down the hall to her bedroom door. When she finally was able to close the door behind her, she slumped back against it, trying frantically to figure out a way to escape.

"Valerie," he said from the other side of the door, and she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice.

She dropped the dress on the floor and ran to the closest window and sought to open it.

"Don't do that." The cool voice spoke from the door she'd not heard open. "Don't... do ... that."

"I... I need some air." She swallowed hard. "Daniel."

He stared at her, his eyes cold and flat. "You were going to run away."

"No, no ... I..." She backed toward the wall as he stepped into the room.

"Your wedding dress is on the floor, Valerie. That's no way to treat something you cherish."

"It must have slid off the bed when I turned to open the window," she said, forcing down the tremble in her own voice. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get dressed."

"Don't try to run away from me, Valerie," he said stonily.

"I wouldn't do that, Daniel." She met his eyes. "After all, this is our wedding day. Why would I run?"

His smile was very slow in coming. "That's my girl." He walked to her and leaned down, kissing the side of her face. She fought the grimace that threatened.

"It won't take me long," she said through clenched teeth. "I promise."

"All right, then. I'll just be right outside the door, Val." He ran his hands up and down her bare arms, raising gooseflesh every place he touched. "I'll be putting on my tux, right out there on the other side of the door." She nodded, and closed the door gratefully as soon as he passed through it, and cursed the fact that she'd never had locks installed on the inside doors.

Val pulled her T-shirt over her head and unsnapped the top of her denim shorts, then turned to the bed where the white dress lay. Unzipping the bag, she removed the gown. It was beautiful, with rows of seed pearls on lace and a gently scalloped neck. It was a dress that, under other circumstances, would have been a delight. But for Val, it had all the appeal of a shroud. She turned and twisted to zip up the back, all the while looking for something, anything, that she could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. She had nothing but her wits, and they seemed to be failing her.

Think, her voice screamed inside her head. There has to be something. Something...

"How're we doing in there?" Rafferty asked from the other side of the door.

"Fine. Almost ready." She dumped the contents of her handbag onto the bed. Was there nothing there that she could use?

Not even a nail file.

Damn.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost seven-thirty. A half-hour more and Sky would be at the cabin. But Daniel had a gun, and Val had absolutely no doubt that he wouldn't hesitate for a second to use it.

"Sweetheart, are you ready?"

"Almost," she said, the panic beginning to rise within her. She had to think of something. There had to be something...

Without warning, he opened the door.

"You're beautiful." He sighed. "Just as I knew you'd be."

"Thank you," she whispered, her heart sinking.

"Need help with pinning on your veil?"

"I'm afraid I don't have any hair pins."

"The sales lady gave you some. Didn't you look in the box?" His hands slipped into his pants pockets, and she could see that under his tuxedo jacket, the handgun was in place. The groom was apparently taking no chances.

"I... I left the veil in the front room," Val told him.

"Well, slip into those shoes and come on out, and I'll help you with it." He smiled and held out his hand. With a sinking heart she followed him down the hallway.

"Have you decided where you'd like us to exchange our vows?" he asked when he leaned over her to secure the veil in place.

"I... I haven't had much time to think about it."

"There must be a place that's special to you." He dipped his hands into his pockets, and once again she saw the flash of metal.

"Daniel, why do you have a gun with you?"

When he didn't respond, she said, "It isn't the one you had with you when you came to investigate the break-in. That one looked bigger."

"I bought this one special for the occasion," he replied.

Along with the gown and the bouquet? Valerie shivered.

"It's for us, darling." He held up the small handgun.

"For us?" And in that moment, Val realized that neither of them would be coming back down the hill after the ceremony had concluded.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why, Daniel?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's really the only way. You understand."

"No. No, I don't understand."

"Valerie, it's the only way that I can be sure that we'll always be together. We're supposed to always be together."

"But we can be. We can be together... "

"No." He cut her off. "No. They'll always be looking at you. They'll always be wanting you."

"But, Daniel, I won't want anyone but you. I won't look at anyone else. Not ever. We can live happily together...."

"I can't take that chance, Valerie." He shook his head slowly.

She was staring at the door, wishing with all her might that it would swing open and that Sky would come in and rescue her. But the door remained closed, her jacket hanging on the back and her old boots standing on the floor right next to her camera bag.

"Daniel" she said as an idea slowly - oh so slowly - formed in her head.

It was such a long shot.

"Yes, my love?"

"What about pictures?"

"Pictures?" He frowned.

"Pictures of our wedding." She smiled up at him.

"I ... I hadn't thought of pictures." The omission clearly bothered him. He'd been so certain that he'd covered every base.

"Look, I have my equipment here. I can set up the camera on a tripod, and use a remote control to take some pictures. And when Cale sees them, he'll realize that we'll always be happy together."

"Then you do understand."

Val nodded. "It's the only way to keep our love pure. Eternally pure."

He beamed. He knew she'd come around.

"Then certainly, let's take your equipment. Do you have film?"

"I have rolls of film. Enough to fill a whole album." She pointed to the door where the bag stood.

"Great. Let's get going." He paused when he reached the door. "Have you decided on a place yet?"

"I... yes. Yes, I did," she told him.

"Is it someplace special?"

"Oh, it's very special," she assured him.

But how to let Sky know where they'd gone?

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Daniel." Val sighed as if exasperated. "I don't have a bit of makeup on."

"You don't need makeup, sweetheart. You're just naturally beautiful without it."

"Thank you. But I really would like to dash into the bathroom, just for a little lipstick. I don't want to appear pale in the pictures. I'll just be a minute."

"I'll be counting the seconds."

I'll just bet you will,
Val thought as she rushed down the hallway and into the bathroom. She lifted the small basket of makeup from the window ledge and rifled through the tubes and containers for a red lipstick. Finding it, she traced the outline of her mouth, then with shaking fingers, wrote upon the mirror, and prayed that Sky would find it.