Innocence Taken (13 page)

Nature opened her eyes and looked at the bed next to hers. It was empty. Light glowed between the closed curtains.. It was morning. She got up and changed her clothes. Nothing in the room indicated Westerly had come back last night. She wondered where he might be. Maybe last night was too much for him. Maybe he decided to leave, to return to Montana. The keys to the camper were missing.. She rummaged through the suitcases, all the furniture, and the bathroom. They were definitely gone. She remembered her thought about Westerly leaving. She bolted from the room and ran toward the parking lot.

The camper remained where it had been parked yesterday. Nothing looked out of place. Grabbing the handle to the cab, she tried to open it. It was locked. Blocking the light, she peered inside. The cab was empty. She continued around the vehicle until she stood before the back door. The handle turned with ease.

Westerly lay sprawled on the floor. She clambered in as fast as she could, given the narrow space. She felt a strong pulse at his wrist. Moving her hand to his neck, again, there was a strong pulse. She pulled back when he snorted awake. He lifted his head and glared at her, his eyes bloodshot from too much drinking.

"Yes?"

He flopped his head down on the floor. The thud sounded painful. She winced with sympathy pain.

"What time did you get in?"

Westerly rolled over with a groan. He threw an arm over his eyes. The bright light shining in the open door hurt almost as bad as his head. “Don't know ... late."

Nature leaned her back against the wall. She pulled one leg close to her body and wrapped her arms around it. “You should have come to the room. The bed's more comfortable than this floor."

He peeked out from under his arm. “I don't think I would have trusted myself."

She grimaced. “I'm sorry..."

"Nature, stop saying that. It was wrong. We both know that. We work together. Getting involved like that would only mess things up.”
There ... I said it,
he thought
. Even though I'm not sure I mean it.

He lowered the arm onto his eyes so that she could not see them. His true feelings would have been obvious, even to a blind man. He bent a leg, keeping the other straight. Suddenly, he was on the move. The drinking binge from last night indicated it wanted freedom. It no longer wanted to remain in a dark warm stomach. It wanted to see the world.

Nature heard Web throw up several times. A few dry heaves followed before quiet settled in. She stayed where she was. She did not want to embarrass him. Instead, she pondered what he had said. It was a carbon copy of what she thought. She liked Web, but respected his decision of keeping their relationship on neutral ground. It helped make the job less of a hassle. Especially a job as hard as this one.

The door to the bathroom opened. Web held onto the frame with one hand, and his stomach with the other. He looked like a Mack truck had run him over. When he was sure it was safe to leave the sanctuary, he worked his way to the couch.

"Feeling better?"

"Give me a minute to think about it.” He sat down, placed his palms on either temple and pressed. After he relaxed, he said, “No."

"Want something to eat?” A smile crept onto her face. She knew the answer, but could not help getting a jab in.

The mention of food caused Westerly to turn greener than he already was. He puffed out his cheeks and ran into the bathroom again.

Nature shook her head. She got to her feet and moved to the back door. Before she exited, she turned around. “Web ... I'll be in the dining area having breakfast. When you can, come join me.” The smile broadened when the sound of heaving was her only reply.

It was almost an hour later when Web made it to the dining area. He still looked a little peaked, but at least he was not green.

"Doing better now?"

"A little.” He smiled sheepishly as he sat down.

"Are you able to eat yet?"

The waitress came to the table while they spoke. He grimaced at the thought of food. He ordered coffee alone.

"I guess that answers my question.” She speared another batch of eggs and shoved them into her mouth. She smiled at the look on his face as he watched her.

He thanked the waitress when she brought his coffee. After taking a sip, he asked, “What do you want to do now?"

"I want to go home. I don't think there is anything else we can do here. Maybe this time we can get out before something else comes up."

"Let's hope so."

Almost as if on cue, Deputy Spangle walked in the door. He waved when he caught sight of the pair at the table. He moved in their direction with determination. Nature groaned. Westerly glanced over his shoulder and groaned along with her. They were under control by the time Spangle reached them.

"Good, I caught you in time. Another interesting development just came up.” He sat next to Westerly and indicated to the waitress for a cup of coffee. She nodded her head and brought it over to him. Once she was gone, he continued. “A girl north of here disappeared close to a week ago. Witnesses remember seeing a plain brown van outside her bungalow shortly before then."

Nature felt a coldness settle in. She sipped the warm coffee in an attempt to rid herself of it. It did not help. She knew what he was going to say, what he was going to ask.

"The family became worried when they didn't hear from her. They broke into her place. She wasn't inside. Her purse, ID, and car were there, but not her.” Spangle cupped his hands around his coffee. He stared at it, avoiding eye contact. “We need to know if the same man was involved.” He finally met her eyes, “Would you mind?"

The coldness knotted. She wanted to say no. She wanted to go home. Usually between sessions, she had some downtime, time to clear her thoughts, her nerves. Since coming to Florida, none had been allowed.

With a heavy heart, she said, “Of course."

Spangle's face brightened. “Great. I'll give you the directions. Officer Stack of the Daytona area will meet you. I'll let him know you are coming.” He rose to his feet, pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket, and slid it across the table. “Thanks, Mrs. Kranderson. I'll keep in touch.” He left before she could say anything else or change her mind.

Web sat expressionless. He picked up the cup and sipped at its contents. A couple of sips later he said, “I guess that means we aren't going home yet."

Nature pushed her plate away. She no longer had an appetite. “No, I guess not."

Web pulled the plate toward him. He picked up the fork and stabbed at a pile of eggs. With his mouth full, he repeated, “No, I guess not."

Nature sat in the passenger seat watching the scenery as it went by. The directions took them past the beach. The ocean was gentle at the moment, which was more than what she could say about herself. She was in complete turmoil.

Spangle had mentioned the brown van again. Those words brought the feeling of the kidnapper to the forefront. She dreaded having to sense him again. The first time with Rew was bad. The second time with the Texas girl had also been bad. At least with those sessions, she had had time to recoup. This one was the day after one, which was the day after another. Not enough downtime. She hoped her frayed nerves could take it.

Westerly pulled into a parking area in front of a group of small bungalows. A police car sat in front of the one with the number five on it. They parked next to it. He got out. She remained in the camper. He walked to the front of the vehicle and waited. She shivered. He faced the building, giving her time to collect herself. She silently thanked him before grabbing the handle to open the door. With a heavy sigh, she got out. They moved to the door together. Before they reached it, it opened.

"Mrs. Kranderson?"

She nodded her head yes.

"Deputy Spangle notified me that you were coming. Thank you. I'm Officer Stack."

She saw from the expression on the officer's face and the shine in his eyes that he was sincere in his statement. She was grateful. The coming event was stressful enough. To have another strong negative emotion nearby only added to the situation and she needed all her strength, especially if the missing girl was actually taken by the mysterious man.

The officer reached out a hand to shake hers. She hesitated, then grabbed it, giving it a firm shake. When he saw the gloves, he realized what he had done and blushed. He let go quickly.

"It's okay. I get this often.” She smiled to soften the man's embarrassment.

"Sorry.... I forgot..."

"Can we go inside?” A small crowd was gathering. They whispered and pointed in her direction.

"Oh..” He glanced around.. “Yeah.” He stepped back and made room for the pair to enter.

The inside was as quaint as the outside. Everything was tidy except for the soda cans sitting on the small table and the area around the bed. Nature saw the restraints hanging from the bed frame. She saw the clothes piled on the floor. She saw the small wire whisk lying next to them. She froze with dread. There was no doubt in her mind. This was the work of the man.

Westerly came up behind Nature. He ignored the room. His eyes were on her. “Is it him?"

Instead of answering, she moved deeper into the room. She took a glove off and picked up one of the cans. She immediately dropped it, spilling soda on the floor. She rubbed her fingers on her pants trying to get the sensation of slime off them. The room seemed to grow smaller. She was having some difficulty catching her breath. She hated the thought of touching the clothes, but knew she had to.

Her legs were weak as she made her way to the bed. She hesitated once she stood next to it. In a fluid motion, she stooped and picked up the girls swimsuit. Again, the sensation of slime filled her. Unlike with the can, it filled her to her soul. She saw the girl tied to the bed. She saw the haziness that was the man as he did so many horrible things to her. She felt the hunger that consumed him. She stared at the wall but did not really see it. She was lost in the acts performed here.

Westerly matched strides with her, moving when she did. He saw her pick up the suit.. He saw her gasp. It looked as if she was lost, lost in the vision, like before.. When the gasping continued, causing her lips to turn blue, he knew she was in trouble. He grabbed the clothes from her hands and threw them to the side. Nature was unaware. She was trapped. He held her and slapped her across the face several times. Finally, she took a deep raspy breath.

Westerly picked her up in his arms and started for the door leading outside. The officer followed.

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No."

"But she looks bad."

"I said no!"

He kicked the door open and carried Nature into the fresh air. She had passed out, something he considered a blessing. He hated to see her suffer during those damned episodes. It ate at his heart. The back of the camper appeared before him. He did not remember the walk to it. He yanked the door open. He entered with Nature slung over a shoulder. He gently laid her on the couch. After making sure she was able to breathe on her own, he returned to the back and exited. The officer was waiting for him.

"Stack, you need to put out an all points bulletin for a plain brown van. It will be driven by a single occupant."

"Do you have a description of the driver?"

"Unfortunately ... no."

"What about a tag number?"

"I don't have one.” Westerly remembered what Nature had said in Montana about the vehicle and the lack of anything else.

The officer looked skeptical. Westerly had to give him credit; he listened. Taking out a notepad, he jotted down the pertinent information before going to his car. He spoke into the mike for a minute before he returned to Web.

"The info is out. It's a bit thin, but I hope it helps."

"I hope it is enough to save the life of the girl ... or girls ... in his possession.” Web remembered the girl recently taken from the beach. Now the killer possibly had two in his possession. Deep in his heart, he thought the first girl was already dead. He didn't say so to the fellow officer before him.

Stack nodded his head. He glanced at the camper. “She okay?"

"She just needs rest."

"You going to stay in the area?"

"I think we're both ready to go home."

"Give it another day. I'll know by then if I need you or not."

He glared at the man as if he had just asked him to take a flying leap off the Golden Gate Bridge. He was tired. Nature was tired. He needed to get back to his job. So many things were drawing them back. Yet, they had to stay, stay to assist with the hunt for a killer. He sighed.

"One more day. After that, we go home."

He decided to leave the camper where it was rather than drive around and have Nature wake up to a moving vehicle. If she woke up disoriented, she might hurt herself. That was something he would not allow. He cared too deeply. Since he hadn't a snowballs chance in hell of being with her, the least he could do was protect her.

He returned to the back, got in, and made sure Nature was still okay before he pulled out a drink from the small fridge. He sat in a chair and looked out the window. Traffic flowed past at a steady rate. The sounds of their engines were almost rhythmic, stop for the light down the road, go again ... stop ... go ... stop ... go.

The next thing he knew, the light outside was graying with the coming of night. He jerked around and looked at the couch. Nature was gone. He flew outside. He did not see her. She was not in the cab. His heart raced. Where could she be? Was she okay? He had to find her.

Suddenly, he saw her. She stood under a tree, arms crossed in front of her. She was staring at the sky. White fluffy clouds floated gently past. They were turning pink with the coming sunset. Her long brown hair waved with the slight breeze. He rushed to her side.

"Nature, what do you think you're doing running off like that."

She continued to watch the clouds. “I didn't run. I walked."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do."