Obsession (33 page)

“Come and help me get him out of here,” the man named Raymond said.

Melissa listened as the two of them dragged Carlo's lifeless body out of the room and shut the door behind them. Then, what little control Melissa had left collapsed, and she sobbed hysterically, begging God to send someone to help her before she ended up being dragged out of the room like Carlo, or floating facedown in the lake like poor Julie.

Abe was finally home, but he knew he wouldn't get much sleep that night. For the first time in weeks, he lay back in his recliner, planning to read something other than the Holy Scriptures. With Melissa's journal resting on his lap, he thought over the events of the day. Prior to Toni's call, he had been focusing on the Julie Greene case. The more he dug into it, the more he began to wonder if he was following a trail that would ultimately lead him back to the past he thought he had covered up. Was it really possible, after all these years, that the nightmare he had experienced so long ago was still going on, in one form or another? He had been so sure it was all behind him, that the people involved had long since moved on to greener pastures. Uncle Sol had been so careful to attend to the details and to protect him….

Abe shook his head. This was no time to be thinking of himself. An innocent fourteen-year-old girl was missing, very possibly in the hands of the same people who had been responsible for Julie Greene's body ending up in the lake. He closed his eyes, remembering the times he had seen Melissa. Although their coloring and personalities were different, there was still a strong resemblance between Melissa and Toni. The family picture on their mantle was fresh in his mind as he recalled Marilyn Matthews, their mother, the only member of the family he had never met. Such a beautiful woman, and she had died so young. Toni had already lost so much. He couldn't bear to think of her losing her little sister as well.

He opened his eyes and began to flip through Melissa's journal. Later he would start at the beginning and read straight through, but for now, he would start with the final entries, hoping Melissa had written something about her relationship with this Carlo person. There had to have been previous contact between them, or she would never have agreed to meet with him alone. Somehow the man had been able to establish enough trust to lure her to the meeting. How had he done it?

Although Abe had sent an officer to talk with people at the park, there was almost no one there, and the few who were had come long after Melissa's meeting with Carlo. And, as he had expected, he and Toni had come up empty on their phone calls to Melissa's friends. Although they still had no proof, it seemed the girl was in the company of a man who apparently had little or no regard for human life, and Abe could do nothing but pray for her safe return.

It hadn't surprised him when Toni wanted to call her church to request prayer for her sister. What surprised him was that he had also begun to pray for Melissa, silently, the moment Toni had called and asked him to come over. In fact, praying seemed to be becoming an automatic reaction for him lately, as if he were talking to someone he actually believed existed, someone who could hear him and who cared enough to answer his requests. There were still a lot of unanswered questions regarding his emerging faith, but he felt sure he had made a lot of progress since he first began his quest.

He came to Melissa's final entry and began to read.
I'm so mad. Why did Toni do this?
Abe frowned. What had Toni done to make Melissa mad?
She says it was Brad's idea but that they both agreed it was for the best. I don't believe her. I think it's that Abe Matthews again. She's been different ever since she met him. Why did he ever have to come into our lives?
Abe's emotions were on a roller coaster. He couldn't help but rejoice that Toni truly had been different since meeting him; it confirmed his belief that her feelings for him ran as deep as his did for her, but he hadn't realized that Melissa so deeply
resented his intrusion into their lives.
Brad and Toni were so happy before he showed up. I really hate him
. Abe winced but read on.
I bet if he wasn't around, Toni and Brad would still be getting married
. Abe's eyes opened wide. What was this? Toni and Brad were no longer getting married? The engagement was off? When had this happened? What had caused it? He read the final sentences.
Why is my sister so stupid? I don't even want to go home tonight.

Abe groaned. He was beginning to see why Melissa had been so vulnerable to this creep, why she would do something so totally out of character as to meet with him alone. The girl's final journal entry lent some support to the runaway theory, even though Abe had a hard time believing that Melissa had disappeared of her own volition.

He closed his eyes and sighed. If only he had never come into Toni's life, had never pursued her or told her of his love for her, quite possibly she and Brad would still be engaged and Melissa would be home where she belonged, but he had disregarded Toni's prior commitment to another man and had selfishly tried to win her away. Now the engagement was over, but he was no closer to achieving his objective of winning Toni for himself. If anything, he had pushed her further in the opposite direction. Once she read Melissa's journal, she would reject him completely; and if it turned out that there was some connection between his past and what had happened to Julie and Melissa, she would most certainly hate him as much as her younger sister already did.

The phone on the table next to his chair rang, and he looked at his watch. It was after midnight, too late for a social call. Maybe it was Toni saying she had heard from Melissa. He wouldn't even allow himself to think that it was bad news.

“Hello?”

“Abe, how are you? I didn't get you out of bed, did I?”

Abe frowned. The voice was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. He glanced at his caller I.D. It read “Unavailable.”

“No, I was up. Who is this?”

“Just an old friend, someone who wants to see you stay out of trouble. You've got a good career going in law enforcement, and I'd sure hate to see it ruined over things that happened a long time ago. You know, things when you were young and not quite so careful.”

Abe was getting angry now, but he cautioned himself not to overreact. “I'm… not sure I know what you're talking about.”

“I think you do, and I think you'd better start playing things our way if you want to stay out of trouble… and if you want that Matthews kid to make it home alive.”

Abe's heart began to race. So there was a connection between the past and all that was going on now with this so-called Carlo person.….”Is this Carlo? Is that who you are? Because if I'm going to talk to you, I want to know your name and—”

“So you know Carlo, do you?” the man interrupted. “Well, isn't that interesting? It really is a small world, isn't it? Listen, Matthews, let's cut the small talk. You're in no position to ask questions or make demands. If you're smart and if you don't want the kid to end up like the one they found up at Eagle Lake, you'd better pay attention. I don't know what you have to do or how you're going to do it, but you'd better find a way to derail this investigation, do you hear? Keep the Feds out of it and stall it as long as you can. We need time to relocate, to move our main headquarters and get rid of evidence, if you know what I mean. We all have lives here in River View, and we have no intention of giving them up. With a little bit of time we can relocate the business without having to relocate ourselves. We've got a lot at stake in this, and it seems to me that you do too. Am I right, Abe?”

Abe felt sick. The guy was right, whoever he was. He had more at stake here than he had ever dreamed possible. But how could he purposely stall the investigation, put off tracking down Julie's killers and finding Melissa, knowing that her life hung in the balance? Yet, if he didn't cooperate, he could be signing her death warrant. He had no doubt that the people involved in this ugly business wouldn't blink an
eye at destroying the life of one more young girl. He had no choice but to play along with them.

“I'll… do what I can, but it's not like I'm the only one working on this investigation, you know. Even without the Feds involved, I can't make all the calls on my own.”

“I'm not worried about the others. I'm worried about you, Matthews. You're the key here. And I'm telling you, you'd better cooperate. I don't care how you do it, just do it. Understand?”

The man hung up and Abe replaced the receiver. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair. “Oh, God,” he whispered. “What am I going to do? Please show me. I don't care about myself, but… please, don't let Melissa get hurt. I've already lost Toni, but don't let her lose Melissa now. Please, God…”

CHAPTER 16

T
oni was angry. She hadn't suspected Abe could be so insensitive. “How can you even ask me that? You know Melissa didn't run away. Besides, the officers already asked me that very question yesterday, and I told them then that it was impossible.”

“I know, and I'm sure you're right, but just like we had to call her friends to make sure she wasn't with one of them, I have to ask you again if she might have run off because she was… upset. The final entry in her journal stated that she was mad at you and didn't want to come home. That, combined with what Tyler Johnson overheard her saying on the phone not long before she left to come home, might tend to reinforce the runaway idea rather than an abduction.”

Toni flushed. She had not yet read Melissa's journal and hadn't realized how much of their personal lives might be revealed in its pages. Looking at Abe sitting across from her in the armchair facing
the couch, she wondered what else he might have discovered as he read Melissa's writings. Still, she had to admit that he was right. As he had said the previous day, privacy was not the issue right now. Melissa's well-being was the only thing that mattered.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overreact. It's just been so… hard.”

Abe nodded. “I know, and I don't mean to make it harder on you. I'm just—

“Doing your job. I understand.” She paused, then asked, “Did you… learn anything else from reading Melissa's journal?”

“Not really, only that she had spoken to him on the phone once last week and he claimed to be a Hollywood talent scout. He offered her a chance for a bit part in a film and told her he'd call her back this week for her answer. She seemed pretty excited about it but mentioned that he didn't want her to tell anyone about his offer until he talked to her again.” Abe shook his head. “Sounds like he set her up real good.”

“You see? Even if she voluntarily went to meet him, it was because he misrepresented himself. A Hollywood talent scout—no wonder she fell for it. She's always…” Toni paused as her voice cracked. “She's always dreamed of being in the movies some day. And now… Abe, shouldn't we be getting a call from this Carlo guy? A ransom note, some sort of demand or threat like I was getting before?”

Abe studied her silently, his jaws clenched as if he were wrestling with something, trying to decide whether or not to tell her about it. Finally, he said, “You never know with these things, Toni. Each case is different.” He paused, then asked, “So, where's April?”

Toni was surprised by the abrupt change of subject but realized that he was probably trying to help her get her mind on something else, even if only for a few moments. “She's taking a nap. Neither of us got much sleep last night.”

“I can imagine.”

“Abe, what if…?” Her voice trailed off and she felt the tears returning. It seemed that just when she thought there were no tears left to cry, a fresh supply emerged from some bottomless well. By the
time they spilled over onto her cheeks, Abe was at her side, sitting on the couch and holding her hand in his.

“Don't say it. Don't even think it. You can't, Toni. You'll make yourself crazy. You've got to believe she's going to be all right.” He paused, and she looked up at him. There was a hint of tears in his dark eyes, and his voice was filled with concern. “You've been… praying, haven't you?” he asked. “You and some people at your church?”

She nodded, surprised at his question.

“So have I.”

This time she was shocked. She knew he cared, but she had no idea that he prayed. This was a whole new side to Abe Matthews that she had not seen before. What had brought about such a change?

“I know what you're thinking,” he said. “It surprises me, too, and I don't know that my prayers count for much, but I figure they can't hurt.”

She gave him a weak smile. She knew he wasn't a Christian, but she was touched—and more than a little impressed—that he would turn to prayer at a time like this. “Thank you,” she said. “That… means a lot.”

For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Abe cleared his throat and let go of her hand. “Well,” he said, standing up, “I guess I'd better get going.”

Toni started to stand but suddenly felt dizzy. Instinctively she reached for Abe to steady herself. Abe caught her by the arms and lowered her back to the couch. “Are you all right? Can I get you something?”

She shook her head. “I'm fine. Really. I just… haven't had enough sleep, I suppose.”