Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series) (20 page)

BOOK: Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series)
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CHAPTER 45

Cathy had flown to Portland, Oregon, yesterday and rented a car. She told her live-in ex-husband and her daughter that she was visiting a friend in Oregon, but no one else knew she’d left town. At the moment, she was sitting in the rental car across the street from a charming English Tudor with a brick front and a detached garage.

This was the house where Michelle and Emma lived. After Lizzy told her about the possibility of a half sister, she hadn’t been able to think about anything else. Life had a way of tossing obstacles at people when they least expected it.

Hadn’t she been tested enough? She didn’t like surprises. She liked having a daily routine; it made her feel safe. She liked to wake up every morning, enjoy a nice cup of hot coffee, and move on with her day in the same way she’d moved through the day yesterday and the day before that. Some people, like Lizzy, seemed to think of change as being synonymous with adventure—with living, even. Good for them. Cathy hated change.

A car pulled into the driveway.

A friend who worked at the DMV back home had helped Cathy verify that Michelle still lived at this address. The database she used also confirmed that she had a five-year-old daughter named Emma. If Emma was five years old, she was probably in kindergarten, which meant she’d be getting out of school around noon. Cathy figured she could be a detective just like her sister. So far, she’d found the house and determined the correct ETA.

She watched two people get out of the car.

The resemblance between Michelle and Lizzy was so remarkable it took her breath away. As she watched Emma skip alongside her mother, she couldn’t help but imagine Emma being the child Lizzy never had. Emma was a darling little girl with curly brown hair and a paper flower clipped to her hair.

As she stepped out of the car, Cathy inhaled a lungful of courage.

Lizzy walked into her father’s hospital room. The television was on. He was awake and he glanced at her before returning his attention to the television. She walked to the side of his bed, leaned over, and kissed his forehead. He flinched. She didn’t care.

“I know about Michelle and Emma,” she said.

Nothing. No response to that.

She took a seat in the chair that was there for visitors. “So walk me through this. Because you’ve been leading a double life—and by the way, I’m stunned you’ve had enough energy for the second one, given the way you’ve sleepwalked through the one you’ve had with us.”

He was looking at her now, at least.

“Anyway. Because you’re leading a double life, you somehow blame me for everything bad that happened in your life? Seriously?” She sighed. “Still the sphinx, huh? Thanks for the eye contact, anyway. I used to try so hard to get you to look me in the eye. God, if you only knew how badly I wanted you to pick me up in your arms and tell me you loved me.”

She had to laugh at that image. She sat there for a moment, tried to put it in order. “The best part of knowing about your other life is that it kind of makes a little sense. After Samuel Jones took me to his hideout, the media attention must have been suffocating for a man like you. Your every move suddenly under a microscope. I read the articles from that time. People thought you had something to do with my disappearance. That must have shot your supposed sainthood right to hell. Did your mistress wonder about you, too? I bet she did.”

His lips moved and for less than a second she thought he might say something. He could talk. She knew that after seeing him the last time. But no, still not a word.

“Cathy wasn’t perfect either,” Lizzy told him. “She lied to you, too. Most teenagers lie to their parents about where they’re going or not going at one point in their lives. But the difference is,” Lizzy said, speaking her thoughts, “is that Cathy loved you unconditionally. She never cared whether or not you showered her with affection, did she? Just being there every once in a while was enough for her. Cathy used to get so excited when you walked through the door. Her words of adoration and love were never returned, but she didn’t seem to mind. She loved you. She still does.”

Why was I so stubborn? Why couldn’t it be that easy for me?

His eyes, dry as the desert, remained fixed on her. For the first time in her adult life, she had his attention. Strangely, a feeling of calm washed over her as she realized she no longer cared. “I am sorry you didn’t get to live the life you wanted. I truly am. I wish you could die knowing that you lived a good life and did the best you could. There’s no going back now, though. Regardless of your never forgiving me for messing up your life, I forgive you for messing up mine.”

He stared blankly ahead.

“OK, that’s it.” She came to her feet again, reached through the bed rails and took his hand in hers. “I’ve said what I came to say. I won’t be coming to see you anymore. I tried and now I’m done.” She leaned over the railing and kissed him on the cheek one last time, wishing things could have been different, but knowing they could never be. “Goodbye, Dad.”

CHAPTER 46

Four days after Kitally had been admitted to the hospital, Hayley walked next to the nurse as she pushed Kitally in the wheelchair through the halls, down the elevator, and to her car. After easing Kitally into the passenger seat, she strapped her in. They had been driving for five minutes before Kitally attempted to say something.

“Your words are coming out garbled. Can you speak up?”

“Everything hurts,” Kitally managed. “I don’t feel good. I’m gonna barf.”

“Well, hell, don’t do it yet. Give me a minute.” Hayley pulled over to the side of the road, jumped out, then ran around the front of her car. Another car honked and she flipped him the bird. She opened the passenger door not a moment too soon. Kitally leaned out and then there was barf everywhere. Thankfully not on Hayley’s boots, since she’d jumped back in time. When Kitally was done heaving, Hayley handed her some tissues.

Most of Kitally’s head was covered in bandages. Hayley could see just enough of her to see that one eye was still swollen shut. Her face was black and blue and swollen. It was like looking at a Picasso. All the right features were there—they just weren’t aligned correctly.

“What do I look like?” she asked after Hayley climbed in behind the wheel.

“You look like shit, worse than shit. I wouldn’t look in a mirror for a few weeks if I were you. You know, because you care about shit like that.”

“Shit like what?”

“Like looks: fingernail polish, clothes, hair. You know . . . that kind of shit.” Hayley merged back onto the main road, keeping her eyes focused ahead.

“You really don’t care about any of that?”

Hayley ignored her.

“Maybe your friends are right. Maybe it’s time for you to change things up and start tending to yourself. Maybe think about—”

“Stop right there. I’ve already been lectured by Lizzy and Tommy . . . I don’t need anyone else telling me how to live my life.”

“Where are we going?”

“My place,” Hayley said.

“Who’s going to help me with these bandages?”

“I am.”

“And what about my painkillers?”

“I’ve got it all taken care of.”

“I can’t drive for another week.”

“Not a problem.”

“What if I need something?”

“Like what?”

“Who’s going to wash my hair?”

“That would be me,” Hayley said. “Do you have a problem with this setup?”

“I guess not.”

“Good.”

“What if those guys come back?”

“I’m counting on it.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Me and you are going to spend the next few days, maybe weeks, getting ready for them.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to pick up my machete, though I do want it close by.”

“You have one good eye. I need you to do some research and order a few things.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’m going to get the guys who did this to you,” Hayley said.

“I don’t think you’ll see them again unless you do something to provoke them.”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. Brian is obviously watching us. When he realizes I’m determined to find him and have no plans to give up, believe me, he’ll send someone else, and this time we’ll be ready.”

“I need a few days to recuperate.”

“I need time, too,” Hayley said. “I want to surprise Brian and his friends with something so explosive it will literally blow their minds.”

“Sounds good,” Kitally said as she reached for her water bottle, tilting it just enough so the water dripped into her mouth.

CHAPTER 47

Killing was addictive. Who knew?

As he waited for Madeline’s hairdresser, Megan Vos, to return home after a long day of cutting and styling, Seth sat inside a small room, a basement of sorts that Megan used for storage. There was a heavy chair and a foldable table. There were boxes stacked and set against the wall that were labeled with things like “kitchen items” and “ski clothes.” There were also high stacks of books and magazines. As he flipped through one magazine after another, he happened upon an article about the psychology of murderers.
Hello
. Interesting. It contained a list of the reasons someone might commit murder. Number-one reason: easily frustrated, limited impulse control.
Not true. I have full control. I know exactly what I’m doing.
Number two: frequently expresses anger.
Sure, yeah, maybe I’ll give them that one.
Number three: resents authority, insubordinate.
Definitely.
Number four: a killer would never admit to it, but extreme pleasure is derived whenever they are able to express their irritation or fury.
Right again.

He inwardly laughed at the ridiculous mind games he often played to keep himself occupied in times like this. One thing the article didn’t mention was that becoming a predator of sorts, no matter the reasons, could be lonely at times. So much waiting. So much work, keeping his mind busy.

He lifted his head at the sound of her footsteps upstairs.

The wait was over. She was home.

He rubbed his fingers and had to stop himself from cracking his knuckles so she wouldn’t hear him. It wasn’t easy. His guess was that she didn’t come downstairs very often. Boxes were stacked up against one wall. No washer or dryer or second freezer. She kept her suitcases down there, which was why he hadn’t brought one of his own this time. This wasn’t the first time he’d come to her house. He wanted to experiment with Megan. He had a lot of new toys he wanted to try out and his excitement threatened to ruin everything. He was eager to just run upstairs, stick her with the syringe and get started. He was considering doing just that when he heard another voice—a man’s voice.

His jaw twitched. He needed to stay calm.
Think. Think. Think.

Looking around the room, he tried to figure out how he could deal with two people in such a small space. He didn’t like last-minute changes, but it didn’t matter; he needed to figure this out. He had only one syringe. He looked through his bag, examined all the stuff he’d been gathering for weeks now: stun gun, hammer, Mace, knives, box cutter, ropes, and duct tape. He’d thought about bringing the blowtorch, but decided against it at the last minute. He put the syringe in the front pocket of his shirt, grabbed the hammer, and began to pace. This wasn’t part of the plan. He should leave, but he knew he couldn’t. He was too excited.

“This is Madeline’s fault,” he said as he walked up the stairs and opened the door, surprised to see that nobody was in the main room.

He looked around as he made his way to the kitchen. Nobody was there.

Music. Music sounded from another room. For Christ’s sake, what was Megan doing? He headed that way, walked right into the bedroom, and didn’t hesitate to bash the hammer into the guy’s head. “Madeline’s fault,” he said over and over, oblivious of everything around him until he suddenly realized he needed to shut the hairdresser up before she alerted the whole fucking neighborhood.

There was blood all over the bedsheets. He grabbed the woman and choked her until she passed out. For a minute there, he thought he might have killed her, but then he put two fingers to her wrist and felt a pulse. He did the same for the man and felt nothing. He pushed the woman off the bed and made quick work of using the pillowcases to wrap the man’s caved-in head. After wrapping the man’s body in the sheets, he ran around the room collecting the guy’s stuff—his clothes, wallet, shoes. He tossed it all in a heap on top of him before rolling him up in the bed cover.

More blood splatter on the headboard, a few spots on the mattress, but all in all it wouldn’t be too difficult to clean up. He dragged the rolled-up sheets to the floor.
Thunk.
Thankfully the guy weighed well under two hundred pounds; he dragged him through the kitchen and into the garage. Megan’s car was parked in the garage—all part of the plan—but he needed her keys so he could open the trunk.

Back in the house, he was looking around for her purse when he saw the hairdresser crawling across the floor to the front door. What the hell had he been thinking leaving her in the bedroom? Fucking idiot. Shit. Everything was turning to shit.

He reached her in time to grab a fistful of hair and yank her back into the house just as she opened the door. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth and used a back kick to shut the door behind him.

She was clawing at him, her fingernails raking across his face and neck. She was strong and he had to use every bit of strength he had in him to keep her down. He reached for the syringe, but she slapped it out of his hand and it flew across the room.

They were both breathing hard.

He straddled her to keep her from going anywhere.

She was screaming again. Her long, sharp nails continued to rip into his chin, desperately reaching higher, trying to claw his eyes out. She was a fighter. She wasn’t going down easy. He needed to forget about the damage she was doing to his face and shut her up. He rammed his knee into her stomach.

She gasped for breath.

He did it again, harder this time. “Don’t fuck with me,” he told her.

Her hand fell limp across her chest.

He took a moment to collect himself and that’s when she went for his eyes.

The bitch had been playing dead.

Big mistake. He’d told her not to fuck with him and he’d meant it.

BOOK: Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series)
6.33Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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