Dreamscape (27 page)

“She was married to my cousin. She doesn’t have anybody.”

“Don’t you find that just a little strange? Why did she keep Leila a secret for all these years and then so easily let you tell your aunt about her?”

“I think I have a pretty good idea why she did that. And for your information, my divorce has absolutely nothing to do with Ramona, nothing. Cindy and I were having problems well before I even knew about Ramona.” He smacked the dashboard. For a moment, he thought the airbags would go off.

Jackson abruptly pulled off to the side of the road. He slammed on the brakes.

“Will you listen to me, Thorpe? I’m going to try to rephrase this. We don’t know what we’re dealing with regarding Ramona. I talked with Jeffrey Dills. Ramona did help catch more than a few criminals, but Jeffrey also admitted that your cousin, Rick, was mesmerized by Ramona. From what I gather about your cousin, he wasn’t prone to act in that manner. Jeffrey called it a pull, like he was drawn to her. He mentioned to me that he might be imagining it, but watching you with Ramona is like reliving Rick with Ramona all over again.”

“What are you trying to say, Jackson? She’s a witch?”

“No, Thorpe, I’m not. What I’m saying is that you need to be careful. You were there that night Callie went into a coma. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. We need her help. This thing we’re chasing, honestly…I don’t think we can catch him without her and even with her I’m not sure.”

“You brought us together, Jackson,” Thorpe replied brusquely. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jackson rubbed his forehead. His phone rang. He hesitated but pressed the answer button. He put the car back on the road.

Chapter Twenty-One

Walking into the quiet hospital corridor, Thorpe pulled his badge out on his belt to be shown. He quickly assessed Leila’s room with the police detail outside. He waited at the desk for Jackson to come back with information. Jackson talked with another FBI agent.

“She’s in the back room. Ramona’s with her,” Jackson said. “Why don’t you go in? I’ve got to make some arrangements to cover her condo tonight. Leila’s due to be discharged. They were able to get skin scrapings from under her fingernails. She scratched him. Hopefully we can get some DNA. But she hasn’t talked to anyone. She might talk with you.”

The officer stationed outside the room opened the door for Thorpe to enter. The first bed empty, he pulled back the curtain. The blinds had been drawn; the bed ruffled but empty. Ramona sat in the plain plastic-back chair rocking her daughter bundled within a bedspread as if an infant. Leila’s head rested against Ramona’s shoulder. The girl silently sobbed. Ramona wiped her daughter’s tears away as her own fell down her cheeks.

The agent leaning against the wall nodded toward Thorpe and left the room. Ramona continued to rock the child, seemly oblivious to Thorpe’s presence.

“It’s all right now, Pumpkin. Momma has you. You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you. No one,” Ramona whispered.

Thorpe inched forward waiting for Ramona to make eye contact. Quietly, he moved to touch her shoulder. She didn’t react; she knew he’d walked in, then. She looked up. Fear flashed in her eyes. He wanted to ask if she was all right, but he knew the answer. His attention reverted back to Leila. He had a job to do, to catch this monster.

“Ramona, we need to talk to Leila while her memory is fresh,” Thorpe uttered, kneeling in front of them. He gently touched Leila’s shoulder. The strain showed well on Ramona’s face, her eyes puffy and reddened from tears. Color drained from her cheeks, and her lips drooped. A broken woman. She didn’t look at Thorpe but brought Leila’s face up from her shoulder.

“Leila, sweetie, look at me. You need to tell me exactly what happened. You know Chief Thorpe. He only wants to help. Sweetie, you need to talk to me.”

Leila, her little eyes staring at Thorpe, nodded. A child disheveled. Her shirt sleeve was torn. Scratches marred her forehead. Hair tangled; her face red and bruised. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Ramona grasped her daughter’s hand in hers. Thorpe’s fury built against this maniac. When he got hold of this guy he’d wish he’d never been born.

“I’m here, Boo-boo. Talk to me. Tell me. Nothing is going to happen to you, do you understand? We need to know what happened,” her mother spoke in a smooth, steady voice.

Leila took a deep breath trying unsuccessfully to control her sobbing. Ramona softly caressed her daughter’s cheek. “Just try. You were walking home from school,” Ramona prompted.

Leila nodded. “Like I do every day except when it’s bad weather. Then Aunt Norah comes and gets me. I don’t need a note. I know she’ll be there.”

Ramona’s face broke into a small smile. “I know, you’re a lucky girl, sweetie. Today, though, you were walking with Kelsey and Emily.”

The child nodded. “We were talking about Mr. Michael’s class. Hunter had been sent down to the office just because he coughed. Emily was saying he was being disrespectful, but I said Liz Palmer was way worse last week when she made a face behind Mr. Michael’s back and the whole class laughed. That’s when I noticed the van.” She stopped.

Ramona pulled her back to her shoulder.

“Leila, what happened next? Anything you can remember could help. Like what made you notice the van?” Thorpe asked.

“It wasn’t a mom’s van. It had a ladder on top. It was parked funny. It had black marks on it. It was beat up. Before we passed it I stopped. Kelsey and Emily kept walking.”

“I’m not sure, but he knew my name. He said: ‘Stop, Leila. Wait.’ I didn’t see anyone. I was looking around when something grabbed at me.”

Thorpe caught a glimpse of Ramona, who had gone silent.

“I don’t remember exactly except a man was grabbing at me using bad words. Momma, he was so mad. I couldn’t move. His eyes, Momma, he wanted to kill me.” Leila’s breaths quickened. Her eyes stared out into space. She didn’t end there. She kept going as if she couldn’t stop. “The voice told me to fight. I did. I pushed and hit. I scratched him as hard as I could.”

Her arms shifted around as if she relived the moment. Thorpe, as gently as he could, helped contain the waving arms. Leila had entered a zone. He realized she’d gone back to the attack. His concern lay with the possibility of her going into shock.

“Leila, you’re doing fine. Keep talking,” he egged her on.

“He slapped me across my face. I fell on the ground. I thought he was going to hit me again, but a light came between him and me. I was pushed away. I was free. The voice yelled, ‘Run, Leila, run.’ I crawled until I could stand and then I ran. Someone grabbed me, someone different. He picked me up. I heard wheels shrieking. Screams. I heard screams. And a crash.”

“That’s enough for right now, Leila. You did good, real good,” Thorpe said. His hand rubbed Leila’s head extending upward to Ramona’s cheek. She placed her hand against his and gently squeezed, no words needed.

After a moment, Thorpe stood up. He needed to report his findings, not exactly certain on how Jackson would react. He’d been difficult to read lately. He stood. Ramona didn’t budge from her spot holding her child. He moved to the door. Leila whispered to her mother.

“I kept smelling Nana’s house. It smelled like Nana’s house.”

Ramona acknowledged her daughter with a nod, pulling her close to her again. The two needed time at the moment. Thorpe walked out. At least they had time.

“The press would love to get hold of that information, but it’s not going into the report. This could take on a life of its own,” Jackson said outside the door. “Just say she broke free.”

Thorpe’s head pounded. Frustration built. How the hell did they hope to catch this guy? Every law enforcement officer in the state had been hunting for him. He had been two, even three, steps ahead of them at all times.

He shrugged. “I really don’t care what you tell anyone. Just need to know what is going to be done now to protect those two in there.”

Jackson eyed his companion. He sighed heavily. “What do you think is going to happen?” Jackson’s voice rose, on edge.

“Temper. Temper,” Thorpe responded in a whisper, challenging him.

“Look, asshole.” Jackson went head to head with him. “I have a whole scheme of things to worry about. Have you thought you might need protection too? No, I can see you haven’t. If he can’t get to Ramona, have you thought about the other end, your family? Your name’s been out there too. You’ve stopped him. Logically, he might consider you next.”

Thorpe dropped his defenses. His thoughts had been solely focused on Ramona and Leila. “I’ve got to go. Get back to my kids. You take care of Ramona and Leila.”

Jackson placed his hand on Thorpe’s shoulder. “I’ve taken care of everything. Honestly, I didn’t think of it. Montgomery mentioned that you’d been in the news more. I called your guy, Morris, while you were in with Ramona. He’s over at the house at the moment. They’re fine. I’ve got a couple of agents covering as soon as they get down there.” Jackson released his hand and took a step back. “We need to regroup, Thorpe. Give me a few minutes to find a place to talk. Make some calls.”

Thorpe nodded. He flicked open his phone.

* * * *

Thorpe stood at the drawn curtain. Leila slept in the bed. Ramona sat at the foot with her back to him. Thorpe motioned for the officer to leave. Ramona turned. Thorpe tugged the curtain back in place as he entered.

Ramona stood. He moved toward her, and she instinctively fell in his arms. Her tears had slowed. He pulled her to face him. Over the last two months he’d grown closer to her. There had been a line he hadn’t crossed until now. The emotions he’d fought he reacted to. His hands went through her dark hair pulling her face to his. His lips pressed against hers. She moved up into the kiss, wanting more. He deepened the kiss and for a moment, he could only feel a need grow within him.

“Oh, my God, Ramona,” he said and kissed her again, released her. Cupping her face in his hands, he told her in a low, soft tone, “I’ve got to go back. I have to go check on Molly and Liam. I came in to tell you what measures are in place.”

“It doesn’t sound like you do. I wouldn’t leave if I thought either one of you were in danger. Over the last few months I’ve felt this connection building. Don’t you feel it too? Even with my divorce, even with what Jackson said, I’ve tried to fight it off—”

“What do you mean what Jackson said?”

From the look on her face he didn’t want to answer. “He gave me some reservations about this situation. My divorce isn’t final.”

“That’s not all.” She shook her head. “It’s more about me. He doesn’t trust me? Of course he doesn’t. It’s okay to use my information I give you, but just don’t associate with the kook.”

“He’s concerned, that’s all. He doesn’t understand how you do the things you do.”

“Don’t you mean you don’t understand?”

He grabbed her arm, pulling her close again. Gently, his hand caressed her cheek. “There’s a lot I don’t understand, but I know what you’ve done. It’s all been good.”

She backed down into the chair and rubbed her fingertips over her eyes. “Good? It’s not all been good. Rick died.” She withdrew further back from him. “You’re not certain about me either, are you? You want to know if I’m responsible. Yes, Doug, yes. I’m responsible. I told you that before. If it wasn’t for me he’d still be here.”

Thorpe stepped toward her. “That’s guilt talking, Ramona. You can’t help who you are. He knew that before he married you. Jeffrey said Rick had to beg you to marry him.”

“He knew before he married me? You think you know?” Ramona, her face stoic in emotion, questioned. “You may think you do. He thought he did until he came face to face with my world. And when he did, he left me.” She stared straight into Thorpe’s eyes, searching. “Yes, the same guy that begged me, begged me to marry him, left me. A week before he died. You wondered why I didn’t want anything to do with his family? He thought I was having a demon child.”

Thorpe tried again to hold her. “You’re upset right now, Ramona. I’m not going to leave you.”

She twisted out of his arms. “You say that now….” She looked away. “Jackson’s not wrong in warning you against me. I want you to leave now.”

* * * *

Jackson Dunn walked into the open plan condo, a small two bedroom townhouse with a one car garage. From the garage, a side door opened into the kitchen which led to the family room with a sliding glass door to a patio. The foyer led to the front door. The condo gave off a certain warmth.

Someone had started a fire in the living room. Supper dishes piled up in the sink. Someone had cooked. He walked around the side bar and picked up a few bowls. Someone had brought the food over.

“Agent Dunn,” a voice called from behind him. Agent Alana Grimmett had been assigned inside for the next few days. “Ramona’s upstairs with her daughter.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Better. We’ve watched Sponge Bob most of the day. It’s Ramona that doesn’t look good. She hasn’t left her daughter’s side. Her friend, Norah Dills, stayed most of the day. The grandmother came by and saw Leila. Ramona sent her home.”

“I’ll talk with her.”