Web of Deceit (18 page)

“Yeah, it took a
few calls though. I forgot his phone died, and he borrowed Ralph’s. Elliot said
he’d be here soon. I can’t wait. It’s creepy out here.”

“I know, just like
Mrs. Freedman. I realize she’s adding false memories to people, but any idea
why?”

“Well, it looks
like it started with her father-in-law. Symphony read some newspaper clippings
on a Walter Freeman today while I did a search on the Net. All the articles I
read suggested he was a Nazi scientist.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I wish I
was,” Beth replies. “I don’t think that was ever proven, but they did catch him
doing some illegal experiments on homeless citizens. His wife died while their
son was still young, and he continued raising him alone. When Mr. Freeman was
incarcerated, the son changed his name to Freedman. By the time the son was to
be married, Daddy was out of prison and at the wedding. Soon after, the young
couple moved in with Dad. So … summing it up, the daughter-in-law decides the
world sucks, and if people would follow the rules of the Bible, there wouldn’t be
so many problems.”

“In other words,
Mrs. Freedman took the discoveries of her father-in-law and decided to make
Stepford Christians.”

“Yep.” Beth nods.

“Wow.”

“I know. It’s mind
blowing.”

“Yeah, but no,
don’t you see that huge, rod-iron fence that goes around the property?”

“It a fortress.”
Beth chins-up on a branch to get a better view. “Can you see that oversized
farm house in the distance? It’s almost big enough to be a castle.”

“The fence is too
dangerous to climb over. We better crawl under it.”

“I don’t think
that’s a good idea,” Beth says. “It seems odd to have a fence like this and no
repercussions for trespassers.”

“You’ve watched
too many movies.” Joanna smirks. “They don’t do stuff like that in real life.”

“Well, I have come
to the realization that if Mrs. Freedman’s involved, we’re not necessarily
dealing with reality. I’m not going near that fence.”

“You don’t have
to, I will.”

“Humor me, just
throw something under it,” Beth says, searching for other options.

“Fine, what do we
use?”

“Ooh, a bunny.”
Beth follows the little creature with her eyes.

“Don’t even think
about it.”

“I thought you
said it was safe?”

“Here.” Joanna
lifts a broken tree branch. “We’ll use this.” She tries to toss the stick
underneath the fence.

“Almost,” Beth
says. “It’s stuck on the edge.” Beth picks a rock up from the ground. “Here,
throw this at it.”

“You worry too
much.” Joanna reaches for the stick.

“Don’t!”

Zzztt

The electricity
flowing through the fence takes hold of Joanna. Her body begins to shake with
uncontrollable convulsions.

“Let go of the
fence!” Beth runs to Joanna’s aid. “It’s OK, I’m right here.” She reaches out.
Her fingers nearly touch Joanna’s when,
thud,
Beth is thrown to the
ground. A dark figure holds her down. “Get off of me! I need to save her!”

“I can’t let you
up! It’ll go through you too!”

“Symphony?”

“Plug your ears,”
another voice says.

Bang!

A loud explosion
reverberates through the still night air.

“What was that?”

“Elliot just threw
a half stick into the fence to short it out,” Symphony answers. “It’s taking
out the lights in the main house too.” She points to the house in the distance
as the lights flicker on and off. The lights flicker one last time and die. Darkness
overshadows the entire estate.

“The power’s off
now. Let me go so I can help her.”

“OK,” Symphony
gets to her feet. She offers Beth a hand.

“Someone’s
coming.” Elliot points to the headlights closing on them from the farmhouse.

“We need to get
outta here without them following our footprints in the snow.” Symphony says.

“Joanna needs
medical attention,” Beth says. “Her hands, they’re all burnt.”

Elliot drops his
duffel bag and kneels next to Joanna. “Man! Thank God I had that half stick in
my bag. Any longer and I think it would’ve killed her,” he says. “Call 911, and
I’ll distract our friends.” He fishes around in his bag.

“Where did you get
that?” Beth points at the duffel bag

“It’s a bag of
goodies Frank hooked me up with when I started working with you.” Elliot tosses
a small object at Beth, and then one at Symphony. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Symphony
flicks a switch and reveals a light.

“Be careful not to
draw attention to yourselves.” Elliot picks the bag up, flings it over his
shoulder and runs towards the oncoming lights.

 “Be careful,
Elliot,” Beth says as he disappears in the dark. “Do you have your phone on
you?” she asks Symphony.

“Yeah, it’s right
here.” She puts her hand in her pocket. “Er … no, it isn’t.” She continues
searching other pockets. “It must have fallen out.”

“It’s OK. We will
use mine.” Beth presses three buttons with speed.

“Nine-one-one.
What’s your emergency?” The 911 operator answers.

“My friend has
been electrocuted by a fence. She is unconscious and has severe burns, but she
is breathing.”

“What’s your
location?”

“We are in the
woods. Can you use the GPS signal from the cell phone?” Beth asks.

“Yes, I will have
your location locked in and help on the way momentarily,” the operator answers.
“What’s your name?”

“Beth Doyle.”

“OK, Beth, is your
situation safe? Has the electricity been turned off?”

“Yes, it’s safe,
but it’s not on a main road.”

“I’ll let them
know. They may call you when they arrive. Now the victim may be in shock. You
need to put blankets on her to keep her warm.”

“OK.”

“If you have any
more questions or her condition worsens, call us immediately.”

“I will. Thanks.”
Beth closes the phone.

“OK, Symphony, we
need to keep her warm.” Beth unbuttons her long trench coat and blankets it
over Joanna.

Symphony begins
taking off her coat. “Do you think she’ll be OK?”

“Yes. You better
keep your coat on,” Beth says. “You will get hypothermia without it, especially
if you’re not moving around. I’m going after Elliot. You will have to stay
here.”

“We’re not far
from the closest fire department.” Symphony takes off another jacket. “They’ll
be here soon. It should only take ten to fifteen minutes.”

“I don’t know; it
took us longer than that to get here.”

“That’s because
those of us who don’t rely on a GPS get better directions.” Symphony covers
Joanna with her coat.

“Good point.” Beth
tosses her phone to Symphony. “You better take this; they will need directions,
and if any concerns arise, don’t hesitate to call 911 again.”

“Thanks, and be
careful.”

“Of course.” Beth
rushes into the night to find Elliot.

Bang!

The sound vibrates
the glass panes in the old farmhouse window.

“Huh?” Sarah says,
startled from her restless sleep.
Was that an explosion?
She gazes
around the room.
This isn’t the hospital. Where am I? There’s a window.
That’ll be a start.
She stands to her feet.
Oh … my head hurts, and I’m
so dizzy. It’s making me nauseous.
Sitting back down on the bed, she holds
her head between her hands and begins praying. “Oh Father, what’s going on?”

A bright light
overwhelms her as a sharp pain pierces through her right eye, revealing a
vision. Sarah watches from a distance as Mrs. Freedman manipulates a young
woman reclined helpless on a bed.
She’s so helpless. She must be drugged.
Sarah
can hear the old woman manipulating the victim with hypnosis, causing her to
believe what she was told.
Is … this  … me?
Immediately, God heals her
headache and nausea, enabling her to stand and walk around.

“Lord, what do I
do?” She draws close to the window and peers out into the cold darkness.
Maybe I will recognize something that will help me figure out where I am.
Someone’s in a hurry.
Squinting her eyes, she strives to get a better view
of the Yamaha Rhino’s headlights bouncing across the snow-covered field that
surrounds the farmhouse inside the parameter of pine trees.
Why, it’s
chasing someone. Oh, Father, please help them get away, and I pray, Lord Jesus,
that if they don’t know you, that you would soften their heart and open their
eyes to your truth. Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. I love you, Lord.
Sarah
hears muffled voices coming from somewhere, perhaps downstairs, in the farm
house.

“You two get
upstairs and check on the girls!” a stern female voice says.

“The girls are
fine. I checked on them an hour ago and they’re asleep,” a deep male voice
says. “Besides, I checked the door on the way out, and there is no way they’re
getting out. We need to go help Lou.”

“I agree with
Harold. We should go help Lou,” a second weaker-sounding male says.

“You will check on
the girls first, and then you help Lou. And if you ever question my authority
again, it will be your last.”

“Yes ma’am,” the
male voices respond in unison.

“Oh God, they’re
coming.” Sarah says, barely audible. Soothing tingles of peace start from her
head and spread throughout her body, followed by verses being brought to her
mind.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall
to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of
your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

“Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus,” she says. “You are the Almighty Comforter, and I know you
are with me.” Sounds of footsteps near the room.
You lead and I will follow.

“You check on the
girl in that room while I check on this one.” The deep-voiced male gets closer
to Sarah’s room.

“The power is
out. Go,”
a peaceful voice says to Sarah.

Sarah hurries to
the bed and places the pillows under the covers to imitate a sleeping body. Her
eyes focus on the silhouette of the hall door. After slipping across the room
she stands back against the wall, next to the door’s hinges.

Harold opens the
door and enters the room.

As Sarah hoped,
the door shields her from being detected.

Harold creeps
toward the bed to check on Sarah, giving her time to sneak into the hall.

Which way,
Lord?
She is comforted with “Two are better than one; because they have a
good reward for their labor
.
”
OK, if you want me to team up with the
other girl, I will.
Sarah’s heart throbs as she presses her back up against
the wall, waiting for her move.

Bang! Bang!
Bang!

Harold runs out of
Sarah’s room, but pauses to lock the door behind him. “Jerry! Did you hear
that? There’s trouble outside; we need to help Lou!” he yells back while
running down the hall.

“Wait up, Harold,
I’m right behind ya,” He closes the door across the hall and runs to catch up.

“Did you lock the
door behind you?” Harold questions.

“Of course; what
do you think I am, an idiot?”

Sarah rushes to the
door and twists the knob. “Thank you, God.” Closing the door behind her, she
nears the occupied bed in the dim room. “Hey.” Sarah nudges the girl’s arm.
“Are you OK?” She shakes the girl some more. “Wake up. Oh Lord, she’s not
responding. Please wake her up. What’s your name,” she asks, shaking her harder
this time.

Opening her eyes,
the responds with slurred speech. “Kelly.”

“Kelly? My friend
Elliot is looking for you. Do you remember him?”

“Elliot? Oh … he’s
bad. He abducted me, and Mrs. Freedman saved me from him.”

Oh Father,
she’s been hypnotized as well; please heal her.

“Do you believe in
God?” Sarah asks.

Kelly stares up at
Sarah and does not answer.

“Kelly, things are
not what they seem right now. But God can make things clear. My name is Sarah.
Is it OK if I pray for you?”

“Yes,” Kelly says,
still confused and in a daze.

Sarah places her
hands on Kelly’s head and waits for the Spirit to lead her.  As the Spirit’s
peace comforts her, she begins to pray, “Oh heavenly Father, please clear
Kelly’s mind and give her peace. Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that you
would bless her with the knowledge and wisdom of your perfect will.  In Jesus’
name Kelly be healed.  In the name of Jesus, Kelly wake up.”

Tears flow down
her cheeks. She reaches out to Sarah, embracing her in her arms. “He healed me;
my mind is not fuzzy anymore. Are you an angel?”

“No, my name is
Sarah. Someone has abducted us, and we must get out of here.”

“It’s Mrs.
Freedman. If you don’t do things her way, she kills you,” Kelly says.

“Then I guess we
better leave. They seem to be having problems, so now’s our chance.” Sarah
helps Kelly to her feet.

“You might want to
change first.” Kelly points at Sarah’s hospital gown. “Look in that dresser
next to the window for clothes while I search for shoes in the closet.”

“Thank you,
Jesus,” Sarah says as she slips on a sweat outfit she found.

“Perfect, there
are boots and coats for both of us,” Kelly says. “Here, put these on and let’s
go.”

“I’m right behind
you.” Sarah slips on a pair of over-sized rubber boots and follows Kelly
through the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Oh Elliot,
please be safe
. Beth hides behind a large tree as she watches a figure jump
from the Yamaha Rhino and begin running on foot.
Oh, thank God. Elliot
must’ve sabotaged the tires, causing them to burst all at once. Frank would be
proud.
She smiles while joining the race.