The Advocate (The Advocate Series) (30 page)

“I don’t think he will, Alexis, because then he’ll go to jail. He’ll have to get rid of me. Do you understand?”

“No, he won’t. He won’t hurt you. He promised.” Her voice raised an octave.

“Alexis, come over here a little closer to me,” Sabre coaxed, thinking it might be easier to get through to her if she could look her straight in the eye.

“I can’t, Ms. Sabre. When Father is out of the room, I’m not allowed to get too close.”

The door opened and Murdock came in, carrying a load of firewood. “It’s a beautiful day out there. Alexis, why don’t you go out and play a little. The fresh air will do you good.”

Alexis picked up her jacket and started for the door. “Have fun,” Murdock said. “Just stay in the front where I can keep an eye on you. I don’t want anything to happen to my little girl.”

“Yes, Father.” Alexis seldom ever said anything to him except, “yes, Father” or “no, Father.” She seemed complacent, almost comfortable in the role. Murdock didn’t seem to notice any difference. Sabre knew a different Alexis, the one who wouldn’t stop chattering.

“Don’t try to influence her. It won’t work,” Murdock said. “I know the minute I turn my back you’re trying to convince her to help you. Don’t waste your time. Alexis will never defy me.”

“Why? Because you have her scared to death?”

“No, Ms. Brown, because Alexis loves me. We’re a team. We’ve been close since she came into this world, and we only got closer after her mother left us.”

“What do you know about my brother?”

“Plenty,” Murdock said smugly.

“Why, when you gave the blessing yesterday, did you say ‘wherever he may be’?”

“Well, you don’t know where he is, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“So he’s missing, just like Elizabeth. I just asked the Lord to bless them both. I’d think you’d appreciate it.” He added, “A good looking chap, that brother of yours.”

“How do you know what he looks like?” She knew full well he was playing her, with no way for her to stop the game. She knew he wouldn’t let her stop at this point anyway.

“You have his photo on your credenza, in your office.”

“But you’ve never been to my office.”

“Oh, right. It must’ve been in your condo on the mantelpiece. Or upstairs in the hallway?”

Sabre jolted, spooked. He’d not only been in her office, but in her home. “Have you been stalking me?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t exactly call it stalking. I just like to keep an eye on the enemy.”

“Why do you think I’m the enemy?”

“Why? Because you ruined my life, that’s why. First you take my wife and then you take my daughters.”

“Your wife? You mean Peggy?”

Gaylord sneered. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’d never marry that little chippie. She’s worthless. She’s been nothing but trouble ever since I met her. If she hadn’t been carrying my child, I’d have dumped her a long time ago.”

“So you mean Elizabeth?”

“Of course I mean Elizabeth. What a lady.” Sabre saw him slip away for a second to what must have been a better time.

“I didn’t even know her. How could I take her from you?”

He didn’t answer the question, continuing with his game of cat and mouse. She could see he had something big to taunt her with. “You’re just alike, aren’t you? You go around acting like you want to save the world, but instead you destroy people. You destroy families. Well, I’ll destroy his, all of it.” Gaylord paced now, speaking louder.

Sabre didn’t bite. “Did you put the bat through my mail slot?”

Murdock’s mouth turned up in a smile, apparently proud of the maneuver. He quoted a riddle, in an eerie Vincent Price tone.

Color, a pretty, bright red

In the darkness, toward the light;

He took his hand and he swirled it around Sabre’s head, like a bat zooming in and out, saying “
Circling, circling the head.
” He brought his hand back and swooped in with one quick move. He took a step back, then leaned his body towards her. His face inches from hers, he said,
“
causing sheer fright.
Boo!
”

Sabre knew he wanted to see her squirm, so she tried her best not to show just how frightened she felt. “Alexis was at my office when you did that. She could’ve been hurt.”

“Yes, that was unfortunate, and I scolded Alexis for running away. She shouldn’t have been there. I never would’ve done it if I’d known, but I think it taught her a good lesson. Don’t you?”

Sabre didn’t answer his question. “The lizard – did you put it in my bed?”

“Cute little things aren’t they? Boy, did you scream!”

A chill went up her spine. “You were there the whole time?”

“No, not the whole time. I slipped out after you parked yourself on the sofa for the night.”

“You did it all – the flat tire, the beach?”

Murdock walked into the other room and returned with a bottle of cologne. He sprayed a little in the air in front of her nose. “Maybe this’ll help.”

“
Kantor
,” she whispered, recognizing the cologne. “Why
Kantor
?” She already knew the answer. What she didn’t know was how he knew or why he was doing all this.

“Well, your brother loved this cologne. Didn’t he?”

So much swirled through Sabre’s mind, frightened and confused. The thing striking her hardest . . . Murdock had just used the past tense. Did he know something she didn’t? “How did you know? What do you know about my brother?”

“Oh, I know plenty about Ronald Adrian Brown.” He said the name with contempt. “I know he lived in Dallas. I know he worked out at the gym every day at ten o’clock. I know he drank espresso and drove a Porsche.” Murdock watched and seemed to enjoy every twitch in her face as he delineated his knowledge of her brother in a quicker tempo. “I know he had a dog named Patches, a mother who still bakes his favorite pie on holidays, and a sister named Sabre, who worshipped him.”

He leaned over Sabre’s chair and put a hand on each shoulder. She could feel him tremble. He looked her straight in the eye, saying very slowly, “I know he pretended to be my friend, and he loved my wife.” Murdock remained in that position – looking directly into Sabre’s eyes – for several seconds, in complete silence. Finally, he let go and stood up.

“Gale and Beth,” Sabre said in disbelief. “You’re Gale, and your wife is Beth.” She remembered Ron talking about this wonderful couple he had met. The last few months before he disappeared, he had spent a lot of time with them. She knew he shared a special relationship with Beth, but she never suspected any kind of romantic interest. Besides, it wasn’t Ron’s style. Although quite the lady’s man, he had strong convictions about not messing with another man’s woman. Whether or not something went on between Ron and Beth didn’t matter at this point, Sabre decided.
What matters is what Murdock believes.
Sabre felt sick. “Did you kill my brother?”

“No, of course not.” Murdock smirked. “I just helped him become the savior he wanted to be. It’s not my fault he talked too much.”

“What happened to him?”

“I don’t know for sure. I just know there are some circles where if you talk too much, you don’t live to tell it.”

“Am I going to live to tell this?”

“Now, what do you think, Ms. Brown? You’re a smart lady.”

“Did you plan this from the beginning? Did you come to California to kill me?”

“I needed to leave Atlanta for a while. California seemed like a good idea. I remembered Ron telling us about you, so I decided to have some fun, pay him back for what he did to me.”

“But the juvenile court case – how did you get me on your case?”

“Pure coincidence. I didn’t even realize it was you until after we’d left the courtroom. I heard someone call you Sabre.” Murdock smiled. “You got thrown right into my lap. I didn’t even have to track you down.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, you’re not much good to me anymore, Ms. Brown. Yes, you and yours will definitely have to go, but you won’t know when.”

Sabre remembered Honey. “What did you do with Honey?”

“You don’t need to know about Hon . . . .” Murdock stopped as Alexis walked in. “Alexis, did you have a good time?”

“Yes, Father.”

“You must be hungry. I’ll start dinner. Go wash up and then come help me,” he instructed.

Alexis followed his direction and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. When Alexis left the room, Sabre tried to pick the conversation back up where they left off, but Murdock, not responding, strolled into the kitchen area and started dinner.

After dinner, Murdock and Alexis cleaned up the kitchen and then sat down at the dining room table to play some games. Alexis convinced her father it would be more fun to play with three so he untied Sabre’s hands, but he left her feet tied. Everything seemed so crazy to Sabre. She didn’t have any experience with kidnappers, but she was pretty sure this was not the norm. She sat at a table eating pumpkin pie and playing games with her captor, the whole experience bizarre. Most of the time she had her hands and feet tied, and she was in excruciating pain and suffering from sleep deprivation. The food, on the other hand, tasted four star, but every time she ate she felt like an inmate on death row having her last meal.

There were no clocks in the room. Sabre, uncertain of the time, thought they retired earlier than usual. The bed beckoned Sabre, her exhaustion taking a toll. Her eyelids had been heavy all day, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes popped open. Murdock had tied her feet to the bedpost again, leaving her stuck in one position, and she couldn’t get comfortable. Every sound she heard startled her. She wondered if this night would be her last, and as much as she wanted to sleep, she struggled to stay awake and live every moment.

After about two hours, Sabre fell asleep. She awakened abruptly when she heard her door creak. Her heart skipped a beat, certain it was Murdock coming in to kill her. She scooted as far as she could to the opposite side of the bed. The footsteps tiptoed toward her. She muffled her scream when she saw Alexis’ silhouette. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

“Shh . . . .” Alexis said. “He’s asleep.” She walked softly around to the back of Sabre’s bed and untied her from the bed. Alexis handed Sabre her shoes and she slipped them on. Sabre stood up, making as little noise as possible. They walked to the door and Sabre peaked out. She didn’t see anything in the hallway, and no lights were on. They crept down the hallway. Just when they reached Murdock’s bedroom, the floor creaked. They stopped and waited. After what seemed an eternity, they moved on. Every couple of steps, the floor creaked. Sounds never noticed during the day pounded out in the quiet of the night. They continued to the front door. Sabre reached up and slowly unbolted the lock. She turned the handle and opened the creaky door. It seemed so loud in the still darkness. No lights came on and they didn’t hear anyone coming. Alexis picked up a bundle and a backpack near the door and followed Sabre.

They had made it outside. They hurried off the porch and toward the dirt road when Alexis spoke. “Here, I brought us each a coat.” Sabre, so glad to be getting out, hadn’t thought about how cold it would be.

“You’re a smart cookie.” She gave Alexis a little hug.

Sabre took a step, glanced back at the house, and saw the lights go on. Murdock flipped on the porch light and yelled, “Alexis. Alexis, where are you?” They stood still, watching him. He looked around, dashed back in the house. He returned moments later and ran to the car. Sabre grabbed Alexis by the hand and they ran off the road into the woods.

The utter darkness made it difficult to see. Suddenly a light beamed through the trees. They could hear the engine from Murdock’s car as he drove around in a circle, using the headlights like a searchlight.

The light came toward them. “Get down. Lie flat,” Sabre said. They dropped down. Sabre hit her face on a stick protruding from the ground. It poked her hard in the lip. She muffled a cry. The lights came closer. She didn’t dare move. The lights passed them. When Murdock had made a complete circle, he drove down the road toward the highway. Alexis and Sabre slipped deeper into the woods.

32

Sabre and Alexis stumbled along in the darkness for about an hour, trying to put some distance between them and the cabin, not knowing which direction they were going. Sabre feared she could be leading them in circles and they’d end up back at the cabin, or worse, deep in the woods where they would either starve to death or be eaten by some ravenous animal.

The leaves rustled. Sabre stopped, put her arm around Alexis and held her still. Something moved a few feet away. Sabre could feel Alexis trembling. She held her tighter. All of a sudden it scurried away. “Just a squirrel or something,” Sabre said, whispering. She had no idea what kind of animals lived in these woods, or in any woods for that matter.

Finally, Sabre felt comfortable enough to speak. “What’s in this backpack, Alexis? It’s heavy.”