In Search of Grace (31 page)

             
Numb,
Charles walked up to one of the pictures.  It was a close-up of the initials that had been carved into the first victims shoulder
.

             
“Charles?”

             
“I came to tell you
something
about Alex
.  A secret that she has been keeping
,
not only from you
,
but also
from me
. 
I didn’t realize…all of these woman
,
are they…?”  Charles couldn’t say it.

             
“Dead?  Two are and one
is
barely alive and is in the hospital as we speak.  Charles really, you
do not
need to see this.  I can take you to another room.”

“What happened to them?”

“Charles!”

“Please. 
I need to know.
W
hat happened to them?”

             
Seth sighed.  “We are not sure.  All we know is they
were
alone when they
were
attacked.
This
person
likes a certain type of woman.   Look
Charles,
I can’t give you all of the details, but I can tell you that we will catch this guy.”

             
Charles walked back and forth taking in the bruises, the flowers
.
  He lifted his hand and pointed to several of the pictures.  “
I saw something like this on her shoulder the other day.”

             
Seth stood motionless
“What are you talking about?
  On who
se
shoulder?
”

             
“We were shopping.  You know how she always wears shirts that cover her up.  I gave her a little strappy number to impress you.  She
did not
want it but then tried it on
after I insisted
.  I walked in on her and…”  He started speaking so rapidly that Seth had a hard time keeping up with him.

             
The conference door opened
,
and a secretary stepped in.

             
“Not now!”  Seth shouted
,
and
she scurried
back out
closing the door quickly
.

             
“Are you trying to tell me that Alex has this same marking on her shoulder
Charles?
”

             
“Yes!
No
!
I
don’t
know.  I think hers is just one letter.”

             
“What is the letter?”

             
“The letter ‘
P
’
.  I thought you would have seen it.  She said you had slept together.”

             
Seth stared at him…”She wouldn’t take her top off.”

             
“And you didn’t think that was weird
?
”
  Both men were shouting at each other.

             
“Of course I did…Oh my God
,
I am not having this conversation with you.  I have to go talk to her.”

             
“Seth,
be easy on her
.”  His words
came too
late
.
Seth was already out the door.

             
Alex
typed quickly.  Her fingers flew
effortlessly
over the keypad as the words flowed from her head to the computer.  She was at a key moment in her story.  Every word and nuance would either take the reader further or kill it for them.  Thunder boomed over the house and she jumped. 
Seconds
later,
she caught
the flash of lightening
through the w
i
nd
ow
,
immediately followed by another roll
as
the sky opened up.
Quickly she shut down her computer and unplugged it.  She had spent her day writing
,
and it would be just her luck to lose everything through a lightening strike.  Lost within the pages
,
she had not realized the change in the weather.   Another loud crack of thunder caused her heart to race in her chest
as the
lights flickered. 
She held back a scream when the doorbell rang as someone pounded on the door
. 

             
“Alex, open the door
now!
” 

             
Hurrying to
the door,
she smiled up at him
,
then immediately took a step back.  He was angry.  Shoving the door, it slammed against the wall.  She
did not
know
this man in front of her.

             
“Seth?”

             
“I want to see it!
”

             
Fear tightened her throat.  She had
a
hard time breathing.

             
“Show it to me
,
Alex”

             
“You spoke to Charles.”

             
“Yeah, I spoke to
Charles.
”
 
Her brow
furrowed
as s
he
wrapped
her arms
around herself
feeling ice cold.

             
“Alex!” 
He yelled
after
her as s
he t
urned
and ran from the room.

             
“Oh no, w
e are going to have this out.  You have been hiding from me for too long.”
  He raced after her.

             
She had to get away.  Running
through the house, she made it to the kitchen before he caught up with her.  Alex ran
behind the kitchen table
putting a
barrier between them.

             
She put up her hands
in an attempt to ward him off
.
“Stay away from me.”

             
“Stop
running
,
Alex
. 
We need to
talk
!
”

             
“No
, I am done talking
!”

             
“No
you
’
r
e
not
,
y
ou
haven’t even started
,
baby.
  You
r running is going to stop today.
”

             
He
grabbed the table with both hands and
pushed
it aside.  The sound was deafening.  A
nticipat
ing
the move
, she ran to the back door
and was outside before he realize
d
what she was doing.

             
The rain was torrential
,
and it soaked through her
layers
within seconds.
Thunder roared
,
and a flash of lightening
illuminated
the sky.  Trying to catch
her
breath,
she heard
him behind her
and
ran across the
back
yard
.  S
lipping
on the wet
grass, she
stumbled and fell to her knees.
 
Memories flowed through her head. 
Grabbing her around her
waist,
he pulled her
up.
  Screaming
like a wild animal
, she fought with all of her might
,
arms and legs flailing
,
hoping to make contact
as he
carried
her back
to her
house
.
             
.

             
“A
lex, stop!” 
Seth
hated seeing her this way.
 
Finally
reaching the kitchen with her
in
tow, he spun her around
watching
her
body
go
limp
as water dripped from
them
both.  You could have cut the air with a knife.
Realizing that h
e was gripping her tightly
,
he s
lowly loosened h
is hands
.
The
moment
she felt him loosen his grip, she took
advantage
by ducking
under his arm and ran to
wards
her bedroom.  Seth
followed, catching up to her before she reached the
door.  Grabbing the back of her shirt,
he yanked hard causing
the fabric
to tear
and the buttons to pop off
under the force
. 
As it
came loose
he t
wist
ed
the
shirt around
her wrists
, r
oughly p
ushing her through the
bedroom
door
before shoving
her face down on the bed
.  She fought to get free before he
straddled
her
.

             
Tears flow
ing
down her face
as b
oth of them
,
breathing heavy from the
exertion
of the fight
, tried to calm down
.

             
“Please
,
Seth, don’t do this.”  Her voice trailed off
pleading
to him.
  “Please…”  His heart constricted
,
but he had to know
for sure
.  Without saying a word, he grabbed the second shirt she had on and ripped it down the back.  The silence was deafening in the room as she held her breath
as
Seth stared
at her shoulder
.  There it was
, just as Charles had said
. 
It was not like the other victims as h
er scar was incomplete. 
The skin raised
,
the edges
uneven
,
clearly forming
the letter ‘P’.
He felt sick
to his stomach
.
 
Easing
off
her
while unwrapping
the shirt from
her wrists
, h
is heart broke watching her turn
onto her side, sobbing while trying to adjust the
pieces of
torn fabric
in an attempt to cover
up
. 
All fight
went
out of
them both.
 
Sitting on the
edge of the
bed
,
he touched her hip.
 
Alex
cringed.

             
“Alex,
we
need
to
talk about this
.”

             
“Fuck you.
” 

             
Seth
tried to turn her to face him. She stiffened and pushed him hard away from her.  “Don’t touch me.
  You got what you want
ed,
Seth
,
now you need to leave.
”