Innocence Taken (11 page)

"How does that involve us?” Westerly questioned.

"They don't remember what the man looked like, but they do remember seeing a plain brown van drive away."

Three words in his statement made both occupants sit up promptly. They looked first at each other, then at the man leaning against the camper. Those three words, words said after a previous session, were ... plain brown van.

"Shit"

The man saw the sign over the highway. It was the sign used in Florida for amber alerts. It told people about someone missing. Right now, it told of a missing girl. It also told of a plain brown van. He knew it was talking about his van. He had been careless in his venture to get The One.

He had to get back to the cabin in a hurry so he could find out if she truly was the one he sought. Deep inside, he knew this girl was The One. He saw it in her eyes, or at least thought he had when they were last opened.. They remained closed. In his enthusiasm to get her, he had hit her head against an oil drum. She was still unconscious.

He was close to the state line. He hoped that once he crossed it, he would be okay, that he would not have to ditch the van. He liked it. It suited his purpose well. Twenty minutes later, he passed the Georgia state line. He relaxed a little, but not much. He still had a long way to go. He decided to take the other route home, the one he traveled on less frequently. It would take him longer, though he did not think the people on the lookout for him would find him as easily.

He merged onto Highway 16 before entering Savannah. The more time passed, the more miles he put away, the more he relaxed. The girl was his. He was not about to give her up. He was surprised that he had not wanted to sample her yet. She was sweet and she was young. Two qualities he liked in his women. He pulled into a rest area, before taking the detour, to restrain her and to remove her clothes. He did not want the synthetic material spoiling his pleasure. This time, he put a rag in her mouth before taping it shut. He hated the idea of taping her beautiful mouth, but it was necessary until he arrived at the cabin.

A state trooper drove past on the other side of the highway. He tensed. He watched it in the mirror. He maintained his speed. The car did not pull a sudden u-turn; it did not turn on its lights; it did nothing out of the ordinary. It kept going down the road, oblivious to his presence. He smiled. He started to think about home, about how he would gain untold pleasure from the girl, about how she was The One he had sought for so long. He glanced down at his lap. He saw he was hard. Making sure no one could see what he did; he pulled his penis out and began to stroke it. The more he stroked, the more he thought of the girl. The more he thought of the girl, the more he smiled. He continued to smile for many miles.

Nature stood on the boardwalk, looking at the ocean beyond. Westerly was beside her. He did not touch her. He remained professional. She grabbed the railing with her gloved hands. She watched as a cruise ship made its way across the water. She wished she was on it, but knew she would not be able to take so many people, no matter what size the ship was. Deputy Spangle walked up to her. He stopped a respectful distance away. He too would not touch her. Another man was with him.

"Mrs. Kranderson, this is Officer Myristate. He's with the local police department. He's the one who took the report."

The officer tipped his hat. “Ma'am."

Nature glanced at him. He looked like he should be still in high school with his boyish appearance. She nodded acknowledgement before returning her gaze to the water.

"How old was she?” she asked.

"Excuse me?” Myristate asked.

'How old was she?"

"Eighteen."

Nature closed her eyes. She wished the visions coming to her mind would disappear. The ideas of what that monster had planned for this girl were something that no child should ever have to endure. She faced the officers.

"Did the person who abducted her touch anything?"

"I'm not sure of all the places,” Myristate said. “But the witnesses do remember him touching some stuff."

"Can you show me all the places where he stood?"

"Right here for one."

Nature looked at the railing. Nothing but wood was visible. She saw Westerly stand back and took a deep sigh. She did not like it, but she was going to have to follow through. She removed her gloves and grabbed the rail. Feelings of happiness flowed through her, along with feelings of wonder, joy, love, and delight. Nothing resembled the feeling of the man here.

"Where else?"

"This way."

Myristate moved toward the parking lot. She followed. Westerly was behind her. Spangle brought up the rear. The officer stopped at an old rusted oil drum. It sat next to another one with trash in it.

"The witnesses said there was one trash bin here earlier. They noticed two after he left. They thought he must have worked with the sanitation department and didn't think much of it at the time."

Again, Nature inhaled deep. She released the breath before touching the drum. With her eyes closed, she gripped the rim and immediately felt a zing shoot through her body. She recognized it. She saw the man as he loaded it in his vehicle. He remained shrouded like the last time. She felt his lust. She felt his need to hunt. She felt sick. She let go with a shudder. Moving her hand around the drum, she tried to detect the girl. She found it half way down on one side. It was a small trace. She could see her smile, her lovely face, her innocence.

She turned away from the drum. Her legs were wobbly. She felt hands hold her. They guided her to a bench and forced her to sit. She heard someone retching. She realized it was herself.

"It was him, wasn't it?"

Westerly was kneeling in front of her. When she was finally able to look into them, she saw his eyes were once more filled with concern. She nodded her head yes, unable to bring words past her constricted throat.. His face became grim. Standing, he turned to the officers.

"You need to fingerprint the drum. The man who kidnapped the girl touched it."

Officer Myristate stared at Nature, “Are you sure?"

Westerly answered for her. “Yes, she's positive."

"I don't know."

Myristate was skeptical. He did not know who this woman was. He did not want to base an entire manhunt on her say so, just because she touched an oil drum supposedly touched by the kidnapper. If the information were wrong, his superiors would have his ass. Not to mention the lawsuits that would arise.

"What's taking you so long ... move!” Westerly took a step closer to the officer. He was angry.

Deputy Spangle moved in front of Westerly. He faced the hesitant officer. “Can I see you for a minute?"

Both men moved away. Westerly remained where he was. He watched as they talked. He saw the beach officer cross his arms in front of his chest. He saw the deputy wave his arms toward the north. He saw the officer frown. The deputy frowned. After a few minutes of heated discussion, the officer moved toward his car. He reached in, removed the mike, and spoke into it. Spangle walked their way.

"I convinced him to do as you asked."

"What was his major malfunction?"

"He doesn't know about Mrs. Kranderson, about her reputation. I filled him in."

Movement caught Westerly's attention. He watched as a vehicle pulled into the lot. Another officer got out, a fingerprint kit in his hand. He moved to the drum, completed his task quickly, and returned to his vehicle. The drum was placed in the back of a pickup. It followed the previous vehicle.

Nature remained where she was. She had not watched anything. Her thoughts were on the man, and the girl in his possession. What was it that made him impossible to see? Was it the evil she felt? Was it the need driving him? What? She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

"Let's get something to eat."

She was not hungry, but knew Westerly was right. She had to eat, whether she liked it or not. The image of Sandy nagging her came to mind. Her secretary constantly reminded her of the fact that she would be of no help to anyone if she starved herself to death. She missed Sandy and again wondered about her decision to leave the woman behind. She would call her when they returned to the motel.

Westerly guided her to the camper. He tucked her inside before he got in. Starting the engine, he asked, “What you want?"

"I don't care whatever you want."

"I saw a Steak ‘N Shake on the way here."

"Sounds good. We can go there if you want.” Her voice sounded so drained.

He put the camper into drive and pulled onto the road. Spangle stayed at the scene to coordinate things with Officer Myristate. This was not Westerly's territory. He did not have jurisdiction here. He glanced at the woman next to him. She was focused on the scenery as it passed. He returned his attention to the road. It was getting late, but the traffic had not thinned. In fact, it was heavier due to people going out to eat or party, whichever, he didn't care. All he wanted was food and sleep.

They picked up drive thru and continued on to the Best Western. Nature did not want to have to deal with so many people, especially after having to deal with the feelings of the hidden killer. The smell of the food caused her stomach to grumble. She was not sure if it was because of hunger or nausea. She cracked her window to get some fresh air.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be. I just need to take a shower.” She thought about having him stop at a music shop to get a CD but decided against it. She needed the shower more than she needed the music. She stared out the window at the lights of the businesses.

They parked in the closest spot to the room, got out, and made their way upstairs. Nature was tired. She stumbled a couple of times. Westerly tried to help her, but she shrugged his hands off. She did not want anyone touching her, not even Web.

Once in the room, Westerly sat in a chair near the small table. He turned on the television and pulled out his portion of the food. He ignored her as he started to eat. Nature knew he was mad, but she could not help it. She needed a scalding hot shower immediately. She needed to feel fresh again, not tainted. Her food remained on the table, untouched.

She made it to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Leaving the lid down, she moved to the toilet and eased herself onto it. Hiding her face with her hands, she cried quietly for several minutes. When she recovered enough, she got up and turned the water on. She had to pull her hand back when the water became too hot to keep it there. She adjusted the temperature slightly before shedding her clothes. She stepped under the water. It turned her skin red. She ignored the feeling. She immersed herself under the strong stream coming from the showerhead.

The emotions that Alice experienced ... the innocence, the joy, the loss, the fear, and especially, the pain, flooded through her. Those, and the feeling of the evil consuming the man they sought, so soon after the Alice session, caused her to crumple into a heap. The water hit her. It felt like a thousand tiny needles. She tried to block the emotions, to get them to go away. She couldn't. They filled her every fiber. They threatened to consume her completely. She threw her head back and screamed.

Web bolted to the bathroom when the screams started. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He pounded on it. The screams continued. He yelled. He threw his shoulder at the door several times. It held. The screams continued. Finally, he stood back and kicked the door. It flew open, slamming into the wall. Before it had a chance to bounce back, he was inside the room.

The shower curtain was shut. The screams echoed in the tiny space behind it. He yanked it open. Nature lay curled into a tight ball. Her skin was beet red from the scalding water hitting it. His entrance went unnoticed.

He stepped into the shower, blocking her from the hot water. He grabbed her, pulling her against his body. He sat down, ignoring how wet he was getting. He wrapped his arms around her. He whispered soothing words. He kissed her wet hair. He held her tight.

Nature felt the arms wrap around her, but she was lost, lost in the feelings of Alice. She heard the words. She struggled to regain control. She turned her thoughts to Brad. She used his love to help her as she had so many times before. She felt Alice's grip on her loosen. She relaxed into the arms holding her.

Westerly felt Nature relax. He watched as she looked up at him. He saw her brown eyes. He realized he loved those eyes, their depth, their color, everything about them. He bent over and kissed her. She responded, kissing him back. He did not realize she was lost in the rapture of her lost husband, that she did not really see him.

He kissed her lips, her face, her neck. He moved his lips to her breasts. She sighed with pleasure. He sucked on them. She moaned. He moved his lips back to hers. They kissed with a hunger both had not felt in a long time.

He rose to his feet and picked her up in his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck. He carried her to the bed. She gripped the material of his shirt tight. The feelings of Brad ran through her. She knew deep inside that he was dead, but he was so alive right now. She did not want that feeling to leave. She felt the bed under her. She felt the lips on her body. She knew to whom they belonged. She knew they were not Brad's. She didn't care.

Westerly threw his wet clothes onto the floor. He knew it was wrong to do this, that they were working partners, but the feelings running through him overpowered any rational thought. He lay on her. He guided his hard penis toward her. He felt her legs spread. When he entered her, he felt her stiffen.

Nature experienced an unexpected jolt when Web entered her. She felt his love. She also felt the loss he had experienced, the loss of his child. She could not handle it, not with everything else that had happened today. She struggled. She pushed against his chest. She tried to get him off her, out from inside her.

Westerly felt her struggles. He wanted to stay where he was, but knew it was impossible. She was rejecting him. He withdrew. Sitting up on the side of the bed, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He stood, moved to the suitcase, and grabbed some dry clothes. He went to the bathroom. He shut the door quietly.