Fatal Desire, Teen Edition (12 page)

Eventually Olivia stopped crying. The girls
got to their feet and walked back to the car hand in hand.

“Amber, thanks for coming,” Olivia said. “You
don’t know how much I needed you.”

“I do know, Olivia. You were there for me
when my parents died, and I will be there for you through this,”
Amber replied.

“Thank you,” Olivia said.

Instead of climbing back into the car, the
girls walked around town for awhile chatting and catching up. Amber
filled Olivia in on some of the details of her life she had
previously left out and Olivia talked about married life. It was a
healing process for both girls.

♥
Chapter 10
♥

Amber and Derek stayed in town for two days
before heading back to Atlanta. Amber was glad for the time she had
with her friend and the time she spent in her hometown but was
ready to get back to Atlanta. She had changed since leaving Alma
and she no longer fit into the slow small town lifestyle the Alma
towns people still maintained.

It wasn’t until the drive back that Derek
questioned Amber about her uneasiness around Olivia’s husband.

“What do you mean,” she asked Derek.

“I just noticed you seem to be upset when the
guy hugged you,” Derek replied.

“I just don’t know him,” Amber said.

“Really, I assumed he grew up in Alma,” Derek
said.

“No, he moved to town about a month after I
left. He got a job at the hospital and he and Olivia started
dating. Two years later they married. I met him one time at
Olivia’s wedding,” explained Amber.

“Hmmm,” said Derek. “He acted as though he
has known you for some time.”

“Just through what Olivia had told him I
imagine,” replied Amber.

Derek drove in silence for awhile mulling
over this new piece of information. While the two had been in Alma,
no one had paid Amber any extra attention or notice that set alarms
off in his head. Other than the shy Patrick, everyone they met had
known Amber since childhood. And Patrick didn’t come to town until
after Amber had left. Something was still not adding up. He had
been sure Amber’s stalker would be there in Alma.

Lost in her own thoughts, Amber watched the
scenery go by. She wondered if going home would bring her stalker
out into the open now. She had only been in Atlanta for a few
weeks, too soon to alert him to where she was unless he was
listening to Olivia’s phone line. Would people start getting hurt
because of her?

Amber looked at Derek. He was so tall and
very muscular. She knew he would be able to take care of himself
but what about the ladies she worked with? Would the maniac go
after one of them now?

Amber and Derek had been back in Atlanta for
two weeks before the first note came. Derek had already filled his
brother in on what he had learned in Alma, which wasn’t much and
they seemed to be no closer to Amber’s stalker than when they first
arrived in Atlanta.

Finishing her shift at the hospital, Amber
walked to her car in the parking deck. She pushed the button on her
key fob that unlocked the car door and heard the echo throughout
the garage. Just as she was about to grab the door handle, Amber
spotted a note tucked in her windshield. Hand shaking she reached
out.

Time’s up my darling. I am tired of these games
we

are playing. After I get rid of the cowboy, I’m
coming

for you. Be ready. Now we can live happily ever
after.

Amber screamed. She climbed into her car,
dropped the note into the passenger seat and put the car in
reverse. She had to get to the house. She needed to talk to Derek.
She tried pulling her cell phone out of her purse as she was
driving out of the parking garage, but everything just spilled into
the floor. In too much of a hurry to get home, she ignored the mess
and drove as fast as she dared.

Amber pulled into the driveway and ran into
the house. Neither Derek or Matt was home yet but then she always
got home before they did. Amber took a deep breath. Calm down, she
told herself. Derek will be fine. She ran back to her car and
gathered up her purse and the stuff she had spilled. She located
her cell phone and dialed Derek’s number.

When Derek didn’t answer, Amber tried to call
Matt. He answered on the second ring and she asked him where his
brother was.

Hearing the panic in Amber’s voice, Matt
tried to find out what was wrong but she wouldn’t talk to him. She
simply told him she needed to find Derek. Matt explained that Derek
had left earlier that day to follow up on a lead he had and would
be back some time after dinner.

Amber tried to calm herself. She thanked Matt
hung up the phone and decided to cook. That would sooth her nerves.
Derek was fine. He could take care of himself, she continued to
tell herself. He would call her.

Amber gathered supplies and ingredients and
began making lasagna from scratch. After an hour she forgot about
the note that sent her tearing home and lost herself in the
cooking. She made some vegetables to compliment the meal and even
whipped up a chocolate cake for desert.

Looking at her watch and wondering why
neither of the men had shown up, she again tried to call Derek. His
cell phone went straight to his voice mail. Amber was trying not to
panic. She again called Matt and he told her he was just leaving
the office. Amber waited.

Derek had eaten lunch with his brother then
decided to follow up on a lead he had from Amber’s case. It was an
angle neither brother had thought to look at before but the
information that just came in made sense. He knew it would take a
few hours and not wanting to alert Amber, he decided not to tell
her where he was going. He told Matt to let her know it would be
late before he made it back home.

Derek drove to the college Amber and Olivia
had attended and spoke to one of Amber’s former professors. It
seemed there was a young man in Amber’s class that had a crush on
her, but Amber, still grieving from her parents' death, had not
given the young man a second glance. Dale Genson had contacted
Derek after hearing he was looking into Amber’s past. The professor
had some disturbing papers the young man had turned in for an
assignment. The student had written a paper about how to hurt
someone and make it look like an accident.

The assignment was how to spot abuse in young
patients or battered women but this student had taken it a whole
other direction. After hearing the FBI’s request into anyone
associated with Amber, Professor Genson called Derek.

Derek arrived at the campus a few hours after
leaving Atlanta. He shook hands with Professor Genson and followed
him into his office.

“I don’t normally keep things like this
around, and I don’t involve myself in student affairs but I held
onto these papers because of the very nature of the subject matter.
They were very disturbing and graphic and I almost had the young
man kicked out of my class,” the professor told Derek.

“Why didn’t you if you were that concerned,”
Derek asked.

“Because I was afraid of what he might do to
the girl,” he said.

“Why is that,” Derek asked.

“Let me show you.” Professor Genson pulled
the papers he had been saving from his filing cabinet. On top was a
folder with lots of graffiti and scribbling on the front. “I found
this folder left on the student’s desk one day. I was
concerned.”

Derek took the folder from the professor’s
hand and saw disturbing images of one man stabbing another. Amber’s
name was written all over the folder in red. It looked as though
the names had been written at first with love and hearts and then
later slashes were added to the hearts to make them look as if they
had been broken. Angry drawings covered the loving hearts. There
was rage and anger. Derek opened the folder and saw the student’s
name. His face turned white.

Taking the papers from Professor Genson,
Derek began to read. His stomach flipped as he read a college
student's paper that seemed eerily familiar to the actual events
that happened to Amber in Alma.

Thanking the professor for contacting him and
assuring him he would take care of the matter, Derek walked out of
the professor’s office and down the hallway of the college. Jumping
into his car, Derek tried to call Matt only to find his cell phone
dead.

Derek drove for an hour then pulled over for
some supper. Although he wanted to get home and talk with his
brother about this latest discovery, he was not anxious to face
Amber. She didn’t need to know what he had discovered until he and
Matt had further proof.

Spotting a small diner, Derek stopped in and
ordered. When the waitress brought his food, Derek sniffed
appreciatively. He was starving. It would not be as good as
whatever home cooked wonder Amber had whipped up tonight, but it
would be satisfying. He would be sure to heat up some of the
leftovers from Amber’s meal when he got home.

When Derek finished his dinner, he asked the
waitress to bring him a cup for his drink to take on the road. He
then went to the bathroom and washed his hands while the waitress
ran his debit card. Pouring his drink into the cup the waitress had
brought, Derek left a tip on the table and headed to his car.

He continued to think about the college
student who had a crush on Amber and realized he fit the profile
his brother had given perfectly. He was sure they had the right
person. Now, all they need to do is trap him. He would need his
brother's advice for that. He didn't want the maniac anywhere near
Amber.

Derek had driven just a few miles before
starting to feel sleepy. Vision blurring, he tried to roll down a
window to keep awake. It wasn’t that late and he shouldn’t be so
tired he thought to himself.

He was driving down a country road and was
coming up on a steep hill when he saw headlights coming too fast.
Just before impact Derek caught a glimpse of the man stalking
Amber. Now he had proof was his last thought before everything went
black.

At home, Amber was worrying about the fact
that Derek hadn't arrived yet and she couldn’t get in touch with
him. Matt tried to calm her but it was no use. When he suggested
she go on to bed, Amber complied reluctantly.

Matt was still up when the telephone began to
ring a few hours later. It was nearly midnight and he was mad as
hell that his brother had not checked in.

Matt snatched up the phone and said, “You had
better have a good reason for not calling sooner, brother.”

“Mister Stevenson,” the voice on the other
end sent a chill down Matt’s spine.

“Yes,” he replied. “This is Matt
Stevenson.”

“This is the DeKalb County Sherriff’s
department. Seems there’s been an accident involving your
brother.”

“Is he alright? Where is he,” asked Matt.

“Looks like he will make it, he’s a little
banged up and will need to stay overnight in the hospital for
observation. Just thought I’d let you know.”

“I appreciate the call, Sherriff,” Matt
replied. He got the information he needed and was preparing to go
to the hospital when Amber came down the stairs.

“What’s wrong,” she asked.

“Derek was in an accident. Sherriff says he
will be fine but I’m going to the hospital to get him.” Too
concerned for his brother to notice the blood drain from Amber’s
face, Matt told her to go back to bed and they would be home before
she was awake in the morning.

Matt drove to the hospital in a panic. He
wouldn’t believe Derek was okay until he saw him with his own eyes.
He didn’t want to spook Amber so he shrugged it off, but he was
really worried. He wanted more details of the accident.

When Matt arrived at the hospital, Derek was
sleeping. Matt sat down in a chair and watched his younger brother.
Derek had a bump on his forehead and a bruise on one cheek. There
were some scratches on his arms but that was all the damage Matt
could see. After a few hours, Matt left to find a nurse or doctor
to tell him more about Derek’s injuries.

Locating a nurse on Derek’s floor he
requested information on his brother’s accident.

“I don’t know much, sir. I just got here, but
I’ll ask around and see if I can get some information for you,” she
said.

“Thanks,” Matt replied and went back to his
brother’s room to wait. He paced the floor for awhile before a
doctor showed up to brief him.

Waving him out of the room, the doctor walked
to the end of the hall before turning to Matt. “The Sherriff wants
you to go to the station when you can. He will have a little more
information than I will about the actual accident. As far as
injuries, your brother has a concussion and a few minor cuts and
bruises but other than one hell of a headache in the morning, he
should be fine. You can take him home when he wakes and the nurses
have taken his vitals.”

“Thanks, doc,” Matt replied as he shook the
doctor’s hand.

Matt decided to go ahead and stop at the
Sherriff’s office and then return for Derek. Driving the small
distance between the hospital and the Sherriff’s station, Matt
sighed with relief. Derek would be fine.

Matt walked into the Sherriff’s department.
Shaking hands with the deputy behind the desk, Matt explained why
he was there.

“Yes sir. I’ll get the Sherriff for you,” the
deputy said.

Matt took a seat and waited.

“Come on back to my office,” the Sherriff
waved Matt back.

“Seems your brother may have been drugged
before his accident,” the Sherriff told Matt slapping the file
against his desk.

Matt picked up the file, perused through it,
and laid it back on the desk. He raised an eyebrow at the drug
found in his brother’s drink. That was not like Derek to be so
sloppy.