Mommy, May I? (30 page)

“Ty, it’s Loretta. Couple of things. I’ve got an I.D. on your Jane Doe down here. Nick Yamimoto says you promised him a pay raise if he worked around the clock on this. Guess you forgot to tell him you had another case going, because he did it. We can discuss that later,” she said. “Anyway, the girl’s name was Brianne Jacobs. Reported missing a year ago. The boyfriend called it in at the time, a Rick Shelton.”

Tyler jotted down the name, then paused. “Did you say Shelton?”

“Yeah, when she turned up missing, he called and some uniforms were sent over to his place on Wilshire to talk to him. Apparently, he told them that she just didn’t come home one night and he was worried. Police cleared him, figured it was a romance gone bad and she’d split. It happens all the time.”

“Obviously they were wrong.” Tyler told Loretta about Claire’s findings with Bridget Core and Richard Shelton.

“Wow, well if Rick and Richard are one and the same we may have our man. I’ll check out a few more things concerning Brianne Jacobs and call you back. I’ll also get some uniforms to head over to this man’s apartment. I also wanted to let you know that I visited Helena’s friend Rachel at the hospital. Collier was by, but she’s got a nurse who’s as protective as an attack dog. He only let me in because of my credentials. The good thing is that she’s getting better, but she’s severely scarred. The nurse told me that they’ll have to do quite a bit of plastic surgery, but Rachel’s spirits were high, considering. The interesting thing is that on the night she went to the center to look around, she did see a man there. She hid though, because she knew that she wasn’t supposed to be inside. She figured that he was an inspector because he was a ‘real preppy looking guy.’ That’s how she described him. She didn’t want Helena, or herself for that matter, to get into trouble.”

“Did she describe this guy any further?”

“She says she didn’t see him all that closely, but yes.” Loretta read the description. “Sound like anyone you know?”

“Sounds like a lot of people I know. I may have to drive down and visit with her myself. Can you have someone draw a composite of the description?”

“Already being done. I’ll be in touch shortly to let you know what I find out about the Jacobs girl and this Shelton character, and I’ll fax you the composite when it’s finished.”

Tyler hung up the phone, finally feeling hopeful, but it was Loretta’s second phone call that really got his juices pumping.

“Guess where Brianne Jacobs worked?”

“Where?” Tyler asked.

“Shea Models.”

Tyler’s mouth dropped open with the realization that the Jane Doe case he’d been working on for months was connected to the Shea case. Stunned, he hung up the phone as his mind put pieces of the puzzle together. He walked over to Patrick. “Come outside with me for a minute?”

“What is it? Have they found her?”

“Not yet.” Tyler headed out to the pool area where Helena and Claire were talking. Patrick followed. When they reached the women, Tyler asked, “Do either of you know a Brianne Jacobs? Or a Rick or Richard Shelton?”

Helena spoke up. “Brianne was my assistant right before I checked into Betty Ford. In fact, she drove me out there.”

“Do you know what happened to her?” Tyler asked.

“When I got out, I’d learned that she’d left the company. I was confused about it, because we’d gotten pretty close. Then I found out that the police had talked to my employees because her boyfriend had reported her missing.”

“Did you find that odd?”

“Sort of. Yet, it made sense to me at the time, because he frightened her a bit. He was pretty controlling and very strange. I had suggested that she leave him. Brianne was a little flighty, so I figured when she left, she’d disappeared to get away from him. By not telling anyone where she went, I thought that she’d taken my suggestion quite literally and had left the area. Why?”

“I have an open Jane Doe case—a body actually—down in LA, and she’s just been identified as Brianne Jacobs.”

Helena’s eyes grew wide, her face ashen.

“What does this mean?” Claire asked.

“Brianne’s boyfriend, this Shelton character, may be the kidnapper who has Frankie.”

“But why?” Patrick asked.

Helena’s face flushed. “Like I said, I told her to leave him. She was young. She said that they had no ‘real’ sex life, even though he was always talking about necrophilia and bizarre stuff like that. I’d never met him, but from everything that she told me about him, he sounded like a creep. She was very pretty and sweet, and he was something like fifteen years older than she was. She didn’t have a family and had a difficult life growing up, having been thrown around the foster-care system. She was good at her job, and even did some modeling for the agency. I wanted to take her in, but then everything turned sour and I went into treatment. I thought at some point she’d contact me, but I was not the most pleasant person to be around in those days, and I thought maybe I’d burned my bridges with her.”

“You didn’t give the police this information?”

“Well, no. When I heard that the boyfriend reported her missing, I knew that she wanted to get away from him. Why would he report her missing if he’d harmed her?”

“You’d be surprised what these guys will do.”

“Was he investigated in relation to Brianne’s disappearance?” Patrick asked.

“Apparently he checked out okay. My boss has a team headed to his place now. All we can do is wait for a call from her and go from there.”

They headed back into the house, where the wait for the phone to ring felt like an eternity. When it did, Tyler answered.

“I’ve got something here,” the agent on the line said. “He owns a cabin near Oxnard. There’s a wooded patch out there.” The agent gave him the address.

Tyler hung up the phone, ran out the door, and hopped into his car. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything!” he yelled out his window as he sped toward the main gate, heading south of Santa Barbara. He wasn’t sure if he’d find Frankie dead or alive, but now he was certain he would find her.

Frankie was always tired. It had been over a week since he’d taken her. Thank God he’d leave for hours at a time, so she got a break from enduring his endless reading of favorite passages from Edgar Allan Poe. They only further depressed her.

Frankie prayed during the hours that he was gone that he’d have a car wreck and die a painful death. But then she would die in this hell, never to be found. Now he was back. She would try hard not to upset him again. She didn’t even have the strength to be a smart ass.

“Wake up, my lovely.” He shook her. She shrank from him. “Look what I have for you.”

Frankie squinted at him. He must’ve been drugging her. That would explain her nausea and exhaustion. He held up several brightly colored boxes, smiling like a freaking circus clown.

“It’s a special night, darling. You need to focus. Now get up and open your presents. Christmas has come early this year.”

She stretched out her arms so that he could undo the handcuffs, knowing that it would be easier on her if she went along with his twisted charade. She unwrapped each present—makeup, hair clip, long black satin gown, and a sheer white negligee. She closed her eyes. What did he want from her?

“Perfect for you, aren’t they?”

“Perfect.”

He grabbed her wrist hard, pulling her so close he spit on her face. “Listen here, I’ve spent a lot of money on you. Most women would be more grateful. Brianne was, until your mother got a hold of her. Brianne paid for that, and so will you and Helena if you don’t start acting right. Now I’m going to undo your shackles. You get your clothes off, while I start your bath.
Understand?
”

Frankie nodded.

“Good girl.” He dropped her wrist and bolted the door behind him.

Frankie wiped the tears off her face. There was no way she’d let him rape her. She wouldn’t allow him to strip her of her dignity. When he returned, Frankie was wrapped in the robe he’d given her.

“I see you’re cooperating. Good.” He took her by the hand and led her to the bathroom. As he stood in the doorway, Frankie froze. “Go ahead. I’m going to bathe you. It’s the beginning of our first really special night together.”

“Please, no, I can’t.”

“Take off the robe and get into that fucking tub. I’m the one giving the orders around here.”

Frankie did what he told her to do as tears filled her eyes.

“No more crying. I’m not going to hurt you. Mother likes you, and so do I. She liked Brianne, too, but
your
mother ruined that. You’re sweet and innocent, like my Brianne was. Did you know that while we were together, I didn’t need to harm anyone? She had saved me from doing that. Now you’ll save me, without your meddling mother. Go on, get in the tub.”

Frankie stepped in. “God, you are beautiful,” he sighed. Frankie slumped over. “Sit up straight.” He poured liquid soap onto a sponge and began washing her back, her face, arms, fingers, neck, and breasts.

It was now or never as a plan of action began to take place inside Frankie’s head. “Ooh, that feels good,” she said. If only she really had the courage to go through with it.

“I told you it would,” he said.

As he moved the sponge down her waist, she grabbed his hand. “Why not come in with me? I’ll wash you.” Though she inwardly shivered in disgust, she knew she had to do this to save her life.

He smiled his sickly smile. She watched him weigh her words. She tossed back her hair and arched her back, like the girls she’d seen in those tacky commercials on late-night TV.

“All right, if that’s what you want.” He stripped down and faced her. Disgusting. Frankie had never seen a naked man before, and she was repulsed. He sat behind her and asked to wash her hair. She let him, nearly passing out from it, but knowing that if she’d come this far, she’d have to follow through in order to get out alive.

“Let me wash your hair, now.” Frankie shifted around behind him, trying hard not to vomit. She felt him relax. He trusted her. This was right where she wanted him. There was no time to linger. It had to be done quickly. She poured a large handful of soap into her palms and before she could back out she smeared it into his eyes.

“Fuck! What the hell? You little bitch!” he screamed. He rubbed his eyes and reached for a towel. Then Frankie kicked his exposed genitals as hard as she could.

Howling in pain, he slumped over, screaming more obscenities. She ran naked for the door. He’d locked all the bolts. No time to look for the keys. He scrambled around in the bathroom, screaming at her. She grabbed the hammer he’d been using to mount photos of her and Helena. After ripping open the curtains, she shattered the large window with the hammer, then kicked out the rest of the glass with her bare feet, and climbed through. Slivers of the glass cut into her, but she didn’t even feel the pain.

It was difficult to see with pine trees looming over her, creating shadows in the twilight of dusk. Fresh air filled her lungs, bringing her fully back to life. She ran frantically through the woods, searching for a road or some sign of civilization. She sensed he wasn’t far behind, but she didn’t look back.

When she thought she couldn’t run any longer, she heard a car and half-laughed, half-cried out. There was a clearing through the brush where she saw a car pulled over. And there he was, as if waiting for her. Their eyes locked. Frankie collapsed to the ground.

****

Tyler had been driving up the winding road that led to Shelton’s cabin. He whipped around the curves faster than he knew he should. The sun was setting, making it difficult to see. Bright patches of sunlight blinded him when he came around the turns.

He tried to radio in for back up but had no luck getting reception with the mountains blocking transmission. He hadn’t been thinking rationally when he’d run out of Patrick’s home. With all the twists and turns in the road, Tyler was afraid that he’d gotten lost. He pulled over to check the map, sensing that he was near the cabin.

He started to crank back onto the road and looked to his left, where he thought he saw a figure emerging from the trees. It was Frankie—naked, hurt, seeming more animal than human as she screamed something primal into the early evening. But she was alive.

****

Gone! She’d escaped. Richard was dazed by what had taken place. He threw some clothes into a duffel bag and left the cabin, determined not to be caught, knowing the authorities would be coming through the door momentarily.

He’d watched Francesca climb into a car with some man. If he’d had a gun, he would’ve blasted them both. He couldn’t believe he’d spared her life for so long.

Richard was angry for being naïve and so easily manipulated. He’d thought he had found someone to replace Brianne. How stupid and foolish to believe in that little bitch. When she’d lured him into the bathtub, he’d thought she’d seen the light. Perhaps they
could
be lovers, and she’d never want to go back home. But no, just like Brianne, she’d betrayed him.

Brianne would have never turned on him if not for Helena. It still hurt to remember the night she’d died. As he’d sped down the coast highway, he could see her beautiful eyes staring up at him as he drove out to the desert. What had he done? Oh, God. Brianne wasn’t breathing. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.