Forget to Remember, page 23
part #1 of Carol Golden Series
CHAPTER 38
Minutes went by as she paced the floor. Carol had to do something. She couldn’t stand it any longer. She decided to go outside and look for Ivan. First, she’d call his cell phone. Her cell phone rang before she could punch in his number.
“Hello.”
“He got away. He must have gone out a different door. I used the other card key to get into his room. Empty.”
“I think he’s on his way to North Carolina to kill Grandma—Mrs. Horton.”
“You think so? It’ll be well after midnight when he gets there.”
“He’s impulsive. You said, yourself, he’s not acting logically.”
“All right, we’ll go after him.”
***
Going after him involved filling the gas tank. Otherwise, as Ivan pointed out, they’d never make it to Chapel Hill in the Jeep. While Ivan pumped gas and then negotiated the road system until he was on I-95 southbound, Carol made phone calls. She called the security service that was watching Mrs. Horton’s farm and told the supervisor to be on the alert. He said he would double the patrol.
Next Carol called Paul. He didn’t answer his cell phone, so she left an urgent message. While waiting for what she hoped would be a callback from Paul, Carol worried about how she would get Mrs. Horton away from the farmhouse to where she would be safe. Calling her would only scare her, but Carol knew she couldn’t convince the old woman to leave her house with a phone call. Carol hoped Paul would go over to the farm and physically remove her.
Carol thought about calling the Chapel Hill police, but she had no credibility with them. It would be too complicated to explain the situation. Ivan doubted they would do more than drive by the road to the farm, periodically, which wouldn’t do any good in stopping the cagey Michael.
Meanwhile, Ivan was rolling along I-95 well in excess of the speed limit, passing semis as if they were standing still. If Michael was doing the same thing, they probably wouldn’t catch him, and even if they did, they didn’t have a description of his car. At the motel, he’d parked out of Ivan’s sight. At night it would be hard to tell who was driving a car. Their best hope was to beat him to the farm and be ready for him when he showed up.
Carol’s phone rang. It was Paul. “Paul, where are you?”
“I’m…out of town. What’s happening?”
“We’re on the way to Chapel Hill. We think Michael’s going to the farm to kill Mrs. Horton. I was hoping you’d get her out of the house.”
“I’m not in a position to do that. Have you called Wrightguard?”
That was the name of the security service. “Yes, they’re doubling the patrol.”
“Good. I’ll try to activate the Chapel Hill Police. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Fear gripped Carol. What if Michael beat them there and got past the guards?
***
Carol suspected they’d set some sort of a record for driving between Fairfax, Virginia, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was glad Ivan was a good driver, but even so, at times she hadn’t dared to watch as he maneuvered around other vehicles. She also wished they could go faster. They slowed down while passing through several cities, the last one being Durham. Ivan said it wouldn’t help if he were stopped by a cop or had an accident.
Several times during the drive, when they passed another speeding car, Carol shone a flashlight in the window, aiming at the hair of the driver, trying not to blind him, trying not to antagonize him. She hadn’t seen anybody with hair resembling Michael’s.
As they drove along the dirt road that led to the farm, they didn’t see any sign of life. The gate in the deer fence around the farmhouse was closed. Ivan pushed the button and it opened, agonizingly slowly. Carol chafed at the wait and looked around.
“Nobody’s guarding the fence.”
Where were the guards? Where were the police? They drove through the gate and slowly among the trees. It was like being inside a painting of a night scene. Everything was still. The trees stood like statues. They approached the original house on the property. It was in bad repair, and the dark made it look haunted with its unpainted board frame and broken windows. Maybe it was haunted.
The driveway split just before the old house. Ordinarily, Carol went to the left on the stretch that led to the garage. The problem with that route was the garage was on the side of the house. They would have reduced visibility after they got out of the Jeep. Carol told Ivan to go to the right, which he did. The trees and garden prevented them from getting close to the house in this direction.
Ivan stopped the car with its headlights pointed toward the house on high beam, enhancing the brightness of the outside lights shining from the house. The trees between them and the house cast shadows, however, and there were still plenty of places to hide.
They sat in the car and surveyed the scene. Even with the windows open the only sound they heard was distant traffic noise from the Interstate. Ivan produced a gun from somewhere on his person. “Call the house and see if you can get anybody to answer. Tell them we’re coming in and to turn off the lights.”
Carol entered the number, apprehensive, wondering whether she wanted to know the answer to the question of whether Mrs. Horton and Audrey were all right.
Audrey answered on the fourth ring.
“Audrey, it’s Carol.”
“Is that your car out there with its lights on? We’re frightened out of our minds.”
“Sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”
“Except for being scared. Bob is here with us.”
“Who’s Bob?”
“He’s one of the security guards.”
“You haven’t seen Michael?”
“We haven’t seen anybody.”
“I’m here with a detective named Ivan. We’re coming in. Turn off the all the lights and tell Bob not to shoot.”
They turned off the lights of the Jeep. The house lights went out. It was almost pitch black in the trees. They got out of the car and walked slowly and carefully through the dark with Ivan in front, trying not to stumble on the uneven ground. He kept his gun at the ready. Carol carried the flashlight but didn’t turn it on. They trampled on some of the flowers, but that couldn’t be helped.
They could hear Butch barking as they approached the house. Audrey opened the front door when Carol tapped on the glass. They ducked inside as she closed and locked it. Butch nuzzled Carol. Carol quickly introduced Audrey to Ivan. A flashlight illuminated them from under the stairs. The guard was crouched there with his gun visible.
Carol asked Audrey where Mrs. Horton was. They were keeping her upstairs where she’d be safe. Audrey shifted her gaze between Carol and Ivan. “Bob got a call from his supervisor that Michael might be coming to hurt Mrs. Horton. His boss told him to stay in the house with us in case Michael tried to break in.”
“He told me he was going to put another guard on duty. We didn’t see anyone outside.” Carol looked at Bob.
Bob came out of his hiding place and stood up. “They called Tim to help me. He’s supposed to be watching the gate. I tried to reach him when your car came in, to make sure he knew who you were, but he didn’t answer. I tried him a couple of times after that with the same result. Your car with its lights unnerved me. I was prepared to shoot anybody who came into the house.”
“How about the police? Have they come?”
“No. We didn’t call them, figuring this was too hypothetical and that we had the situation under control.”
Ivan said, “Call Tim now.”
Bob had a two-way radio. He used it to attempt to raise Tim. There was no answer. Ivan took the flashlight from Carol and looked around.
“You’ve got a good defensive setup here. I’m going out to find Tim. It may be nothing. Batteries or something like that. Leave the lights off.”
Carol said she was going with him because she knew the grounds. Audrey started to argue, but Ivan told her they’d stick together. They went out the front door and quickly moved off the patio in the opposite direction from which they’d approached the house. This route took them toward the garage.
They carefully looked around the corner of the house at the garage door. It was closed. Audrey’s car was parked in front of the garage. They walked along that part of the driveway, watching for movements in the dark. Clouds covered the moon and stars. They approached the old house cautiously. It looked eerie.
Carol saw the outline of the well that stood beside the old house and had furnished water for it. Ivan was letting her turn on the flashlight for a couple of seconds at a time, but not long enough for someone to get a bead on it. She flashed it toward the well.
She spoke softly. “It’s supposed to have a cover on it so people don’t fall in. I don’t see the cover.”
They walked the few feet to the stone well. Sure enough, the wooden cover was lying on the ground. Carol shone her flashlight down the well. The hole went down about fifteen feet. The flashlight beam hit something. She turned it off, observing the two-second rule, before she realized what it was. She turned it back on.
A person was jammed into the hole that was too small for his rotund body. Carol saw his white face and unblinking eyes with horror. “Tim.” No answer or movement from the body. She called again.
A shot came from the shadows of the old house. Ivan pulled Carol down behind the well. She had left the flashlight on too long. She turned it off.
“Michael?”
No answer. Carol called again. A strange voice answered.
“It would have worked. The plan was foolproof. It would have worked if you hadn’t screwed it up. Cindy, Cindy, fat and windy. You’ve ruined everything. That’s the story of my life.”
“Michael, are you hurt?”
“It should have worked, anyway. I came in through the gate above the creek. That asshole was between me and the house. Without Grandma, you can’t prove who you are. I snuck up on him with the knife, trying not to make any noise. I stepped on a twig, damn it. He turned and I didn’t get a clean strike, but I hurt him. We wrestled. I tried to dump him in the well. He’s heavy; it’s a good thing I’m a weight lifter. Just as I got him over the edge, he grabbed my knife and…”
His voice trailed off.
“Michael, we’ll get you help.”
A shot went right over their heads. Carol cringed and crowded against Ivan.
CHAPTER 39
“Michael, throw your gun out in front of you.”
Ivan used his most authoritative voice. Michael’s answer was another shot. He wasn’t going to surrender.
Ivan whispered, “He’s still dangerous as long as he has the gun. We’ve got to stop him. Shine the flashlight over the top of the well, but don’t expose your arm. Look around the side with one eye so you can see to focus the light on him. I’ll get him from the other side.”
It was cold-blooded. Strangely, Carol didn’t feel anything, even though it was her brother they were talking about. She peeked around the left side of the well and simultaneously turned on the flashlight, holding it just above the stone surface, so her hand was minimally exposed. It took her a couple of seconds to find Michael and shine the light on him. He was sitting, sprawled, with his back against the side of the house.
Michael fired at the light. Almost simultaneously, Ivan fired. Michael grunted. Carol saw his gun hand drop to the ground. Ivan kept his gun trained on Michael, watching for movement. There was none. Ivan approached Michael and kicked his gun away from him toward the well. Carol held the flashlight while he inspected Michael. He turned to Carol who was standing and leaning against the well for support.
“He’s either dead or close to it.”
There was a groan from the well. Carol shone the flashlight on Tim. “He’s still alive.”
“I’m going to the house to let them know what happened. They’ll have heard the shots. We’ll call the police and the rescue squad.”
“I’ll stay here and comfort Tim. Do you want the flashlight?”
“No, you keep it. I’ll be fine.”
“Be careful. The ground’s rough.”
“The danger should be over. If Michael moves, grab the gun and shoot him. Otherwise, don’t touch it.”
Ivan walked toward the house. Soon Carol could see only a faint silhouette to tell her where he was. Then even that disappeared. Tim groaned again. Carol told him everything was going to be all right. She hoped so. How were they going to get him out of the well? She shone the flashlight down the well so he’d know she was there.
She saw the light from another flashlight before she heard footsteps.
“I see you’ve taken care of the problem of Michael.”
“Paul.” Carol recognized his voice as he came around the old house even before she had him in the beam of her flashlight. “Did you just get here?”
“Yes. I see I missed all the fun.” He ran his flashlight over Michael’s body.
“I didn’t see your car come in.”
“I parked outside the gate. I didn’t want to spook anybody. Congratulations.”
“I don’t feel like celebrating. We killed my brother.”
Paul’s flashlight found the gun in the grass and he bent to pick it up.
“Shouldn’t you leave that alone? It’s evidence, isn’t it?”
Paul laughed. “You’re telling an attorney about evidence? It’s okay. I’m using a handkerchief.”
“Ivan’s going to call the police.”
“Good.”
“I thought you were going to call the police before.”
“I didn’t have a chance. You see, I had to come as far as you did. Maybe farther.”
“Where were you?”
“I was in Fairfax, just like you were.”
Carol didn’t understand. “What were you doing there?”
“After you and Ivan talked to me this morning—I should say yesterday morning; it’s after midnight—I realized that since you’d outed Michael he was no longer a problem, at least to me. He wouldn’t be pulling the strings of the foundation anymore. So I called Katherine Simpson and made an appointment with her.”
“You drove to Fairfax and talked to Katherine?”
“You catch on fast.”
“Did you reach an agreement?”
“We did. To make it work, I only have to do one more thing.” He pointed Michael’s gun at Carol.
“Don’t point that at me.”
“You don’t understand, do you? The agreement between Katherine and me is that I’ll take over control of the foundation. The only thing that stands in our way is you.”
“You’ve lost your mind. If you kill me, you’re throwing away millions.”
“Au contraire. Why should I settle for a few million when I can have almost four times that much, after a few payoffs? Katherine would rather spend her life with me in some exotic land than Michael, anyway. You’ll forgive me saying so, but your brother is strange.”
“You won’t get away with this.”
“You’re so smart you shouldn’t have to resort to clichés. Of course I will. They’ll find your body shot with Michael’s gun, which will be in his hand. My car is on the other side of the fence, which is propped open, and I’ll be long gone when Ivan comes back and when the police get here. The response time in this neck of the woods isn’t what it should be.”
“Ivan will know Michael didn’t shoot me.”
“But he won’t be able to prove it, will he? Maybe Michael’s hatred for you woke him up long enough for one last shot.”
There was a groan from the well. Paul glanced toward it, taking his eyes and his flashlight off Carol. Reacting before she thought, she ran around the corner of the old house. Paul yelled something and fired a shot that ricocheted off the house. Carol rounded the next corner. The only door was on this wall. Keeping the beam of the flashlight in front of her to assure that she wouldn’t fall on the rotten steps that went up to the small porch, she climbed them and burst through the open doorway.
The narrow and rickety stairway to the second floor was just to the right of the door. Carol climbed the first three steps to the narrow landing and banged her head on the low ceiling. She almost cried out loud. She stood there for a moment, stunned. She could hear Paul’s footsteps as he approached the porch. She had to keep moving. She made the ninety-degree turn to the left and climbed the rest of the stairs as fast as she could. Paul’s flashlight beam found her, and he fired a shot just as she went through the doorway at the top. It hit the wall behind her.
There were two rooms on the second floor. Carol suddenly remembered that several of the floorboards in the first room were loose. She avoided them and went into the second room. There wasn’t any place to hide. She stood beside the doorway that had no door and turned off her flashlight, holding it so she could use it as a weapon.
She heard Paul’s heavy footsteps below. He was still on the first floor.
“Carol.”
She didn’t move. There was silence for a few seconds. He must be intimidated by the layout. This wasn’t like climbing the stairs in his house.
“You can’t hide from me.”
Now who was mouthing clichés? Ivan must have heard the shots and would be coming as fast as he could. She hoped he didn’t trip on the rough ground as he navigated past the trees and bushes between the two houses in the dark. If she could just hang on for another two minutes…
Carol heard several steps and then a loud yell. Paul had hit his head on the ceiling at the landing where she had. Silence for a few seconds. Had it put him out of commission? Her head was still aching.
No, she could tell by the creaking sounds made by his feet on the old steps that he was carefully climbing the rest of the stairs. His flashlight beam came through the doorway into her room and shone on the opposite wall. That meant he was at the top of the stairs. She gripped her flashlight tighter. He knew she wasn’t in the first room by now. He would come across to the second one.
She heard more footsteps and then a crash and a yell. He had stepped on a loose floorboard. She peeked around the doorway. Paul’s flashlight was lying out of his reach on the floor, still switched on, with the beam pointed away from both of them. Carol saw the dark shape that was Paul, apparently wedged in a hole in the floor. He was struggling to get out and cursing.
