by Venus
Here is the lastest installment. This story seems to take on a
life of it's own and I seem to let it, and sometimes it is hard
to keep it on track of where I went this story to end up. I want
to thank all the people who have encouraged me to continue this
story, especially Deb, Rhonda and Barbara. As always all comments
are welcome and wanted. Enjoy!
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Chapter 20
The Cabin
Tess finally reached the cabin, exhausted from the long drive
back from Rochester which had been hampered by the poor weather
conditions. She knew Mac was going to be miserable having been
handcuffed to the bed for the last 24 hours without food, and
possibly heat. She said a little prayer as she made her way up
the stairs to the front door, that he would still be alive. The
cabin was completely dark, the power obviously out. Tess reached
into her pocket for her flashlight and opened the door
cautiously. She shook the snow from her hair, and closed the
cabin door behind her.
She made her way to the small table in the corner and tried the
lamp. Nothing. Confirming the power was out she retrieved the
supply of candles from the drawer just to the left of the sink.
She lit a few and placed them strategically about the room to
illuminate it. Shaking from the cold air that hung in the room,
she bent down and lit a fire, to provide heat as well as light.
She then entered the dark room where she had last left Mac
handcuffed to the bed, flashlight in one hand, candle in the
other. She quickly passed the light over the bed, seeing what she
believed was his form, she placed the candle on the dresser,
believing he must still be sleeping, hoping he wasn’t dead.
She decided instead of possibly disturbing him, she would get a
pot of water started for tea, and then make some sandwiches since
she was certain he wouldn’t stay asleep for very long.
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Outside the cabin
V watched the cabin from her car, bundled up tight in an effort to protect her from the cold winter air. She had expected a reaction from Tess by this point, figuring Tess would have realized that Mac wasn’t there. She picked up her cell phone and dialed.
“Outback, Mac speaking, how can I help you tonight.”
“Mac, it’s me V. I’m outside the cabin and it has been almost 15 minutes since she went in. The power must be out because she has lit candles, and a fire is burning in the fireplace.”
“Great, she hasn’t probably figured out I am gone. She probably bought off that those rolled up blankets and pillows I so expertly placed is me sleeping. Let’s hope she keeps thinking this until we get those phone records. Felicia is reviewing the ones from my house but nothing out of the ordinary, except the calls to the cabin. We are still waiting on the records from the cabin. With the power out she won’t be able to use the phone in the cabin, so she will be forced to use her cell phone to make any contact. If she calls here still believing I am James we will be able to get the number and then start tracing calls made and received by that phone.”
“Okay, I just wanted to give you an update. I will call you back if she leaves the cabin.”
“V, are you warm enough? I know these are terrible conditions to do a stake out in, if there was any other way.”
“Mac, I’m okay, remember I grew up in this area. I’ve got plenty of supplies to last me the night but a move by sunrise, you will have to send in if she doesn’t makereinforcements.”
“Don’t worry V, I don’t think we will get that
lucky for her to wait till morning to make a move. Keep watching
I would expect a reaction within the next half hour.”
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Penthouse
Jax turned over in his sleep and reached his arms out for
Brenda. He woke startled that he didn’t feel her next to
him, then he remembered she wasn’t there as he saw the phone
laying against the pillow where her head should be. He picked up
the phone and listened. The connection was still open, and he
could hear her gentle breathing on the other end. He ached to
hold her in his arms, to feel the warmth of her breath on his
chest, to taste the sweet softness of her lips. He pulled the
pillow close to his chest and tried to pretend it was Brenda as
he continued to listen to her breathing willing himself to fall
back asleep, back into the wonderful dreams he was having of him
and Brenda.
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Cabin
Tess removed the cauldron from the fire and poured the hot water into the teapot. She had already made the sandwiches and placed them on the tray with the teapot. Since she hadn’t heard Mac stir she decided she would enjoy her tea, and sandwich before going to wake him up.
She was still a little apprehensive to really check on him. She had no idea what she was going to do if he was dead. Her options would be severely limited. She finished her tea trying to sort through the options. This job was taking much to long and was way to risky. Her contact believed it was more important that everyone felt Jax and Mac were still enemies, but she didn’t agree, having James be there pretending to be Mac she felt was much more important. Just then she remembered what James had told her at the Outback, about the break-in. This was just the information she needed to put the wedge further between Mac and Jax.
She picked up the phone but there was no dial tone. She realized that without power the phone was out. She rummaged through her purse, and found her cell phone. She asked to be connected to the “Confidential”.
“Joyce Barry, how may I help you?”
“Miss Barry I overhead a conversation earlier this evening at the Outback between former police commissioner Mac Scorpio and two detectives. Seems they were quite interested in his impression of Brenda Barrett the night of the pharmacy break-in. Since they knew his niece lived with Miss Barrett, they wanted to know if he had any knowledge that she might have gone back to taking the pills she had been addicted. I heard Mr. Scorpio say that they thought Miss Barrett was upset since Mr. Jacks had some model be his hostess for the big party he threw the other night.
Joyce Barry, the reporter was like a dog with a bone, this was the juiciest information she had had in weeks. She had gotten a call a couple of days ago eluding to the fact that Jasper Jacks might have found a woman to replace Brenda Barrett. Tess encouraged her to get it in the morning paper, since she was sure that the case would be breaking soon.
Pleased with herself Tess took the tray into the room and
placed it on the dresser next to the candle she had lit before.
She lit another candle from it and sat it down on the nightstand
next to the bed. She let out a gasp, as she pulled the blankets
back, dammit, he was gone. The handcuffs laid open on the bed
with her hair pin next to them. She chastised herself, “How
could I have been so careless.” She hadn’t even
considered that, she had only feared he was dead. Her mind
reeled. Was it really Mac she was talking to earlier, or James.
If it was James, how long had Mac been gone, and where was he
heading? Tess paced trying to make sense of the mess. It had to
have been James at the Outback or he would have had her arrested.
Wouldn’t he have? What if he had set a trap for her, telling
her about the break-in, and now she had passed the story onto the
tabloid. She needed to find out for sure if James was truly Mac,
or Mac was playing James. But how? Then she remembered Robin. She
lived about 5 miles from the cabin, close enough for Mac to make
it there if he had escaped, and a sure barometer on who Mac would
be. She didn’t want to tip her hand but she knew if it had
been Mac at the Outback then he would be having her watched. She
packed her bag quickly, making sure she didn’t leave
anything behind, because if Mac was Mac she wouldn’t be
coming back here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outside the cabin-
V watched as Tess put the bags in the car, and pulled out of the driveway. She picked up the phone and dialed.
“Outback, Mac here how can I help you.?”
“Mac, it’s V, she is on the move, with bags so she must know you are gone. It’s going to be hard not to be noticed with it being so dark, and this road isn’t traveled that often, and with these weather conditions.”
“All I can ask is that you do your best. I will tell Felicia, and then I will start driving towards you in her car. I’ll call you as soon as I get on the road.” Mac didn’t bother to say good-bye, he hung up the phone and dialed Felicia upstairs to let her know she was needed downstairs to close up the restaurant while he went to help V.
V drove keeping as much of a distance as possible, without
losing her. She watched as Tess made a left turn onto Crystal
Lake Lane. V’s instincts clicked in as she realized that
Tess might be heading for Brenda’s cottage and Robin.
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Penthouse
Jax stirred still trying to reach out for Brenda. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as brought the receiver p to his ear to hear Brenda’s breathing once more.
“Noooooooooo!” was all Jax heard as Brenda cried out.
Jax sat up startled, concern spreading across his face. “Brenda wake up it’s me Jax, honey, wake up it’s just a dream, a nightmare”.
“No, please don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.” Brenda was begging, pleading.
“Brenda, can you hear me, Brenda it’s me Jax.” Jax was now starting to panic, was it a nightmare or worse, was someone trying to hurt her? Jax got out of bed and slipped quickly into his black jeans, and blue wool sweater.
“Sonny don’t do this, please take me, don’t shoot!” Brenda was screaming, agitated. “Please take me instead.” Her voice was becoming a whimper through her sobs.
Hearing Brenda scream Sonny’s name propelled Jax to drop the phone, and grab his keys. He took the service elevator down to the garage, ran to where the Rover was usually parked only to remember it was in the shop. His heart racing, his mind reeling, he stood in the parking garage looking from side to side. Then he saw it Brenda’s Porsche nestled in its single tight stall. He ran too it, fingered the keys in his hand, grateful that they had never given there keys back to one another.
He peeled out of the hotel parking garage just missing a
stretch limo pulling into the valet parking. He drove as full out
as he could considering the road conditions. Nothing but saving
Brenda, or being there to help rid the demons from her dreams was
more important at that moment.
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Felicia’s car
“V, Mac. Okay I’m on the road where are you now?”
“Mac, I’m sorry but she just turned on to Crystal Lake Road. Do you think she might be going to Robin and Brenda’s?” V questioned tentatively not wanting to alarm Mac.
“V get closer if you can, I’m going to call Robin to make sure everything is okay, then I’ll call you back. Try not to let her spot you she might just want to find out if we are trailing her and getting us to think Robin could be in danger is going to let her know that it’s me and not James who she talked to in the Outback.” Mac’s mind race, trying to figure out what Tess was up to, without letting the fear of Robin’s safety take over.
Mac dialed Brenda’s cottage, and got a busy signal.
“Damn who could they be talking to at this time of
night?” Mac hit redial 5 times but each time he got a busy
signal.
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The Cottage
Robin had heard Brenda’s screams and at first had thought
it was just a bad dream, and started to open her door to go check
on her, when she heard Brenda scream
“No please don’t shoot, don’t shoot.”
Robin immediately shut the door, placed a chair under the knob and went to peek out the window. Both Brenda and her had insisted that Jason not post guards around them, they wanted to be free of their association with the mob. Now she wondered if Jason had been right and they were in danger, but from who? Robin grabbed the phone from the cradle only to hear Brenda’s scream that much louder coming from the receiver. She didn’t hear anything on the other end. Why was Brenda screaming into the phone?
Robin found her purse, and inside her cell phone. She dialed the Outback, praying that they hadn’t closed yet.
“Outback, Felicia speaking.”
“Felicia, this is Robin, I need Uncle Mac is he there?” Robin whispered trying to keep her voice low in case there truly was someone in the house.
“Robin, what’s wrong, Mac has been trying to reach you for the last 10 minutes and the phone line was busy are you okay?”
“Felicia, Brenda is screaming telling someone not to shoot, I don’t know if it’s a dream or if someone is in the house. I tried to look outside, but I couldn’t see anything. When I picked up the phone all I could hear was Brenda calling out, but I don’t hear anyone else on the line. Felicia I’m really scared.
“Don’t worry Robin, I will call Mac. He’s on
his way right now to you, and V is also close to where you are
since she has been trailing Tess. Just stay put and on the line,
I will call Mac on the other line. Hold on Robin.”
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“Scorpio here.” Mac snapped as he answered the cell
phone.
“Mac it’s Felicia. I’ve got Robin on the other line and she is really scared. Brenda is screaming about someone shooting, but Robin isn’t sure if someone is in the house or if Brenda is just having one of her nightmares. I told her to stay room and that you were on your way. I’ll talk to you until you reach her.”
“So help me Felicia, if Tess or anyone hurts Robin or Brenda....”
“Mac try to stay calm, it could be just a dream.”
“I’m about 5 minutes away, tell Robin I’m
coming.”
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Jax sped on trying not to lose control of the car. He turned onto
Crystal Lake Lane. The road was so dark and the light for her
driveway was out since he hit it with the Rover. He saw another
car heading towards him, had it just left Brenda’s? His
heart almost stopped. He passed the car so quickly that he
didn’t see the driver, he pulled into the driveway, parked
the car quickly and ran into the cottage.............not thinking
about safety, just Brenda. He had to make sure she was okay.
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Venus
Jax & Brenda-Something to Smile About
A Grand Romance-As Sure As The Sun
J&B Angel/IRFC