Winter's Destiny (20 page)

Amy rubbed her eyes. She was tired. No, way beyond tired…exhausted. The road blurred and the SUV slipped onto the shoulder. She swerved back onto the asphalt. Her body screamed for rest, but her mind wouldn’t allow it. The need to find Jamie was a driving force pushing her on relentlessly.

Amy forced her thoughts back in time once more.
Mom and Dad
were killed right after Alesha’s telephone call, sixteen years ago.
Soon after, two men attacked Gramps at his cabin and drove over his legs. Then, they threatened Grams with my life.
Had those brutal, horrific crimes been committed by Eickher, or his goons, sixteen years ago?

Now, sixteen years later, the cycle is repeating itself. Like the last time, Alesha has appeared. And once again, our family is in the middle of a nightmare: Dan has left, taking Jamie with him; Nita and Brandon are nowhere to be found; Gramps’ house was burned down, likely with him in it; Grams was pushed in front of a car; and the only reason I’m alive is because of Dallas.

What horrific evil surrounds this man, Helmut Eickher? What is so important that he will murder to protect it?

The digital clock on the dash read 8:15 p.m. If Dallas had returned to the apartment, and found her gone, he’d be worried.

Pulling out her iPhone, Amy put in his cell number. He answered on the first ring.

“Amy! Where are you? I’ve been going crazy worrying.”

Amy was taken aback by the concern in his voice. “It’s been a long time since anyone besides Gramps has told me that. I went to see Vera Johnstone. I’ll tell you about it when I get back, but there’s a name I was hoping you could checkout. It’s Helmut Eickher.” She spelled it. “He backed his Bentley out of the garage just as I arrived. Thought I recognized him. It seems he’s the owner of the design project I’m currently working on.”

“The twenty million dollar one?

“Exactly. You were right to be suspicious.”

“Describe your client.”

“Thin, short, late sixties, bald…thick glasses…” she hesitated, “and dark eyes. They’re black, but they’re so—“

“Cold.”

“Yes.” A chill went through Amy as she recalled the way he’d looked at her when they’d met. “I only met the man once. I work with the project manager. The project itself is owned by a corporation.”

“Not CellBIX by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s it.” Amy said with surprise. “How’d you know?”

“Saw the Bentley parked in Vera Johnston’s garage, yesterday. Ran the tags. Car’s registered to a company called CellBIX.”

“CellBIX,” Amy repeated thoughtfully. “Vera told me that she and her husband took my twin Alesha to Paraguay right after she was born. They took her to a bio-medical research facility there. Considering Alesha has Eickher’s last name, do you think there might be a connection between the facility and CellBIX?”

“Could be. We’ll see what we can find out.”

“Another thing,” Amy told him, “I think the meat cutter and his friend work for Eickher.”

“Kind of figured that,” Dallas said, “But what I don’t understand is, why Eickher chose
you
to design him a house. We’re missing something.”

Amy agreed. “I can’t figure that out either.” Amy changed the subject, “By the way, did you find George Johnstone?”

“The directions were a dead end. Literally. We spent hours looking, but no luck. I’m on my way back to the apartment now.”

“Me too. See you soon, Dallas.”

Turning off the highway at Sanville, her mind still reeling from her encounter with Vera Johnstone, Amy missed her turn and found herself near Nita’s house. On impulse she turned down the street, switched off the headlights, and let the Sportage roll along the curb until the house was visible.

As Amy expected, the building was dark, most of the blinds drawn. What she didn’t expect was to see Nita’s Camry on the drive.

A narrow shaft of light moved inside the house, near the entry. The front door opened and Nita stepped outside, dragging two huge suitcases. She locked the front door, deposited the luggage into the trunk of her car, backed down the drive, and drove off.

Without switching on her headlights, Amy followed about a block behind. When they reached the main road, she turned on her lights but stayed well back. Nita turned into Burgers’nMore, pulled up to the take out window, and a couple of minutes later, parked on the side of the lot.

Amy made her move. She jumped out of the SUV. A second later, she swung open the car door and slipped into the passenger seat of the Camry.

Nita’s eyes grew large as they settled on Amy. “What the—“

Amy turned toward her. “Put your burger down and start the car." As they left the lot, Amy said, "Now, head for the 101.” 

In shock, Nita did as she was told. “Where are we going,” she asked nervously.

“To your father’s house.”

Nita glanced sideways at Amy, her initial surprise passing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Amy was suddenly furious. “We’re talking about your father, George Johnstone! Who’s not so dead after all. And you’re mother, Vera Johnstone, also very much alive and who has all the warmth of a glacier.”

Nita shrugged. “So you found my parents. So what?”

“You’re father sold his soul thirty-two years ago. He abducted my twin and took her to some bio-medical research facility in Paraguay. What was that about?”

“Never heard about that,” Nita said stubbornly.

“Your parents are criminals, Nita. Both of them.”

Nita swerved into a pull off. “You’ve flipped. All the stress, like Dan said.” Nita taunted. “You don’t even sound like yourself.”

“Could be,” Amy agreed, trying to calm down. “Stress has a strange effect on a woman, especially when her child has been kidnapped.”

“You stupid, ignorant woman,” Nita spat out, “you were doomed the day you married Dan. You inserted yourself into the middle of a lethal situation. There’s no way out now. You’ll never see Jamie again.” She turned on Amy. “I knew it would come to this. Why do you think I spent every minute I could with Jamie, for the last five years? I knew everything would come to a head, and then you’d be out of the picture. Someone would have to raise the boy. I knew he’d be mine one day.”

Amy could barely breathe. “So, you stole my son?”

Nita stared at Amy. “I didn’t
take
Jamie. Dan’s
giving
him to me. Being Jamie’s loving aunt, I’m the logical choice as surrogate mother.”

Amy almost choked. “Just like that? You can’t have a child of your own so you’re stealing mine?”

“It’s not
stealing.
Like I said,
Dan’s
giving
him to me.”

“Well I didn’t give him to you, Nita. Jamie is my flesh and blood.
My
child. Nothing will ever change that.” Amy wondered why she’d never seen Nita for the kind of woman she really was. “You’ll never be Jamie’s mother, Nita. And time won’t change that. Jamie is a part of me, and that bond will never be broken. Even if you lathered him with love and affection for the rest of your life, it wouldn’t make any difference to Jamie. You’ll always be his Aunt Nita and nothing more.”

Nita sneered, “You always had everything. Everything: beauty, brains, money, career, and on top of all that, a wonderful little boy. It made me sick to look at you. Well, things have changed. You’ll never find Jamie. Now, get out of my car!”

Amy lost it. “You snide, self-righteous, pompous, sick excuse for a human being!” Amy grabbed Nita’s hair and yanked her around to face her. “Being the barren woman that you are doesn’t condone kidnapping. I want my son and I want him now!”

Amy was furious. “You’re a viper, just like your mother.” Amy glared at Nita. It was clear she had no intention of telling Amy where Jamie was. There was only one thing left to do. Amy slipped the Beretta from her purse. Her eyes flashed to Nita as she thrust the barrel toward her.

Nita jumped. “A gun! My god! You really have flipped. What are you going to do? Shoot me with that thing?”

“You’d be hard to miss.”

“You’ll never do it. Not with all you’ve had to say about gun violence.”

“You’ve put yourself between my child and me, Nita.” Amy pointed the Beretta at Nita, “and there’s no room for you!”

“You stupid bitch!” Nita spit. "Your life’s not worth a damn. You’re on borrowed time. So, by default I get Jamie. Now, get the hell out of my car.”

Amy let off the safety. “Where’s my son?”

“You wouldn’t dare—“

The explosion was deafening. Amy sat in stunned silence, her ears ringing, the gun shaking in her hand. Nita’s eyes were popping, her mouth agape. Neither woman said a word.

Amy recovered first. “Just be glad I missed. Start the car.”

Nita swallowed hard. “You’re crazy!”

“Start the car.” Amy leveled the gun again.

“No! I don’t care what you do. I’m not taking you to Jamie.”

The second blast seemed to blow out Amy’s eardrums. But that soon proved untrue. Nita’s scream rang in her ears a second later. The driver door flew open and Nita bolted out onto the highway.

Amy walked around the car and slipped behind the wheel. Rain dripped in through the holes in the roof. Turning the car around, she headed back to Sanville making a call on the way.

“Sanville Sheriff’s Department. Is this an emergency?”

“Not yet,” Amy replied.

“What’s the nature of the call?”

“I want to report a woman wandering down the US101 about five miles south of town. I’m a little worried. She doesn’t seem all there.”

“Do you have a description?”

“Short, dark hair, swarthy skin, white sneakers, no coat, and she’s ranting at the top of her lungs."

Dallas opened the apartment door and flipped on the lights. He didn’t bother to call out to Amy. It was too quiet. She wasn’t there. Disappointed, he kicked off his shoes, and dropped his cell, keys, and pocket coins onto the kitchen table and headed for the shower.

With hot water pelting his skin, his thoughts drifted back to Amy. Each passing day she grew more distraught about Jamie. The need to find her son and to resolve the nightmare that had taken over her life was pushing her to close to the edge. It had numbed her senses and sent her body into overdrive.

Worse, the danger to Amy’s life increased every passing hour. The key, at this point, was Dr. George Johnstone, the OB/GYN who delivered her and her twin, but finding the man was proving difficult. It was no surprise that Vera Johnstone’s directions were faulty. Yet, Dallas felt that he and his team had been close. Dallas had returned to Sanville frustrated and weary.

Meanwhile, where was Amy? She should have been back by now.

Several possibilities came to mind as he stepped from the shower and toweled off. Once dressed, he called the car rental agency down the street. Bingo, she rented a blue 2011 KIA Sportage.

Dallas retrieved his keys, coins, and cell phone from the table, noting he had missed a call while he was in the shower. It was Debbie. He called her back.

“Helmut Eickher, Sheriff. No birth records or any other vitals, social, or driver’s license within the US, but I did some digging. He’s listed as a shareholder of CellBIX along with Vera and George Johnstone, and a Doris Eickher.”

“Interesting. Thanks a lot, Deb.” Dallas hung up, tipped a can of chili into a bowl, and stuck it in the microwave. Next, he pulled a loaf of Tuscany bread from the freezer and opening the microwave, he retrieved the heated chili and put in the bread.

Carrying the bread and chili over to the table, he had just sat down when the phone rang again.

“Something just came up, Sheriff,” Debbie told him, “An anonymous call came in concerning a woman seen wandering down the 101, just south of town. Dispatch sent Larson to check it out. You’ll never guess who he’s bringing in. And, I might add, she’s madder than hell.”

Dallas ground his teeth. He hated these
you’ll never guess
routines. “Spit it out.”

Debbie continued, “Nita Williams. Larson says she frying mad and she’s accusing Amy of trying to kill her. According to Nita, Amy fired a gun at her. And not once, but twice!”

“Twice,” Dallas repeated dully, trying to visualize Amy with a gun.

“What was Nita doing on the highway?”

“She says Amy hijacked her car.”

The whole thing sounded bizarre to Dallas. He couldn’t even visualize Amy with a gun, let alone her shooting anyone. “When Nita comes in, hold on the statement. I’ll look after that.” Dallas clipped the cell to his belt, and headed out the door, his uneaten supper still on the table.

Nita was being escorted inside the building when Dallas arrived. By the time he joined her in the interrogation room, she was steaming. “I want Amy Johnson arrested. She’s off her rocker! Tried to kill me!”

Dallas sat down on an old metal chair, leaned back, and put his feet up on the empty chair beside him. He waited her out.

“I want that woman charged with…with…attempted murder and grand theft!”

“Theft of what?”

“Don’t mock me, Sheriff. She stole my car.”

“I drove by your place on my way here. Your Camry’s parked on your drive.”

The door opened a crack and Debbie poked her nose inside, motioning Dallas over to the door. She whispered, “The Camry on Nita’s drive? There are two bullet holes in the roof.”

Dallas’s eyebrows shot up. Debbie gave him a strange look and left.

Nita pounced. “What was that about? You find her?”

Dallas ignored the question. “Amy Johnson is your sister-in-law.”

“So?”

“Any idea why she’d do what you just described?”

“She’s gone mad. That’s reason enough.”

“Give me another reason, Nita.”

Nita slammed the palms of her hands down on the table. “What do you mean,
another reason
? I’m the goddamned victim here, Sheriff, remember? I’m not supposed to analyze why the woman’s gone off the deep end.”

Dallas met her gaze and held it, his cool blue eyes boring into hers.