Unforgettable (7 page)

He smiled.

“’
Must be exciting working
with a famous movie star.”

“
Yeah.
It’s…interesting.”

“’
You waiting on them? I
don’t think you ought to be hanging out down here. Kind of
dark…isolated. No place for a beautiful woman like you.”

His eyes sparkled. I felt my lungs
start to work again.

“
Actually I’m late for my
next patient. Any way you could give me a ride…”

“
Absolutely, absolutely. You
direct and I drive…”

I put a note on Jack’s
windshield.

Got a ride with Carlos back
to get my car. Sam.

I got home long before dark this time.
But I wished I hadn’t.

A picture was sticking in my mail slot.
It was of me walking from the pool to my apartment.

I stepped back as if was a rattler
coiling.

I called Silverman, my hands were
trembling so much that I could barely hold the phone.

I sat on the steps feeling totally
exposed, scanning the area, wondering if the monster was watching
me.

A police car pulled up. A young blonde
woman and an older large man climbed out. They looked at it and
called Silverman again.

“
We’re going to secure the
area until the tech unit gets here. We’ll need you to wait.
Detective Silverman wants to talk to you.”

I knew what the conversation was going
to be. I sat on the hot, metal steps, and waited.

Stella called. Her voice had an
edge.

“
Sam, we lost our patient,
Abe Williamson. The mother said they were going to do outpatient
instead. Know anything about that?”

“
Yeah. I suggested it. It’s
really what he needed. A seventeen year old shouldn’t become
housebound. And he needed to be around other patients going through
what he’s going through.”

“
Well I really don’t
appreciate this, Sam. And Mr. Brueller, the owner, is really
pissed.”

“
It was a very unusual
circumstance. I’m sure you understand.”

“
Well, I gotta tell ya’ the
owner’s pissed about this one. Pissed, pissed, pissed. But at least
you’re making Mr. Hollywood happy. Oh, he called. He wanted your
number but naturally I wouldn’t give it to him. He wanted you to
call in the morning.”

My heart raced.

Silverman pulled up.

“
Oh, joy,” I
thought.

His coat was off.

“
I have some iced tea made,”
I offered.

“
That would be
great."

He sat on my gray vinyl kitchen chair.
The legs were uneven so he had fun rocking back and forth. I sat
down and drank my tea. And waited.

“
We have evidence now that
Robert Welsh and his two brothers are here. Don’t have the results
back from that photograph but… he’s here, Princess.”

I had hit the breaking point. I leaned
on the table and cried. Hurts-your-guts cried.

Ted paced in the space
behind her, walking in and out of walls and cabinets, wanting to
hold her, wanting to do something.

Silverman said nothing but was gracious
enough to let me cry it out.

“
I see you’re going to be
doing a little home improvement. Nail gun and a hatchet. Now some
folks might think of those as weapons.”

I blew my nose on a kitchen
towel.

“
Princess, look, you know
you’re kiddin’ yourself here. Welsh is a big man. If he walked in
here right now you could shoot him ten times with that nail gun and
only succeed in pissing him off. Any weapon you use against him,
since you’re not trained, he is most likely going to take away from
you and hurt you with it.

“
Can you imagine,” he picked
up the nail gun, “five or six of these in the bottom of your feet?
Or your spine? How about the roof of your mouth?”

Bile was rising in my throat. I was
helpless.

“
Robert is a sadist. He gets
extreme sexual pleasure in torturing people and animals. Some men
go to strip clubs or hookers. Robert slices nipples off dogs. Just
a hobby.

“
Pack up, Princess. No one
can keep you safe here. You’ve got to come with me.”

I thought about Jack. I could call him.
I could stay with Jack. I knew I could…If I had the courage to
ask.

“
What if I found somewhere
else to stay for a week or so?”

“
A co-worker’s…a boyfriend?
I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

“
One of my patients. He’s
very wealthy. I’d feel safe there.”

“
Jack Nolan.”

“
How did you know
that?”

He grinned.

“
Silverman knows
all.”

“
I could talk to him
tomorrow.”

He sighed. “On one
condition.”

“
What?”

“
I put you in a hotel
tonight.
And
if
this falls through with Mr. Nolan you’re going to go with me.
Deal?”

“
Deal.”

Thursday

I woke up and didn’t remember where I
was. Then I remembered Silverman. And the photograph. I had to
admit the hotel was nice. It was cool and it came with my very own
police officer outside the door.

I opened the door and the officer told
me she was leaving and if I needed anything to call Silverman. I
wandered down to the complimentary breakfast, sat down with some
food, and called Jack.

“
Good morning, Sam,” Jack
whispered.

“
Good morning.”

“’
Just wanted to tell you
that I have a press thing I have to do tonight so, first, I was
hoping you could go with me, and second, telling you I have to see
you earlier in the day or not at all. What are you wearing? I’m in
a hot red negligee with nipple tassels…”

I laughed. “How about around
one?”

“
Good. Sounds good. How are
you Sam? I was worried when you were gone.”

“
Sorry. I guess I was
feeling bad about lying to you about this fictitious brother of
mine.”

“
Something’s got you very
upset. You need help. Being on your own is not good in a dangerous
situation. I have some friends in the police
department…”

“
Thanks, Jack. I’ve talked
to the police. I’m sure it will work out. Thanks. I’ll see you
about one.”

I sat and enjoyed my third cup of
coffee until they started closing down the breakfast area, sweeping
up piles of crumbs and Fruit Loops.

It was almost two when I made it to
Jack’s. I had my story all laid out as to why I couldn’t go to my
apartment—they were spraying for bugs. I was really nervous,
though. I hated all of this.

Jack was standing at the front door
looking somber and foreboding which did not help my
discomfort.

“
Sam, let’s go sit. We need
to talk.” We went to the den.

Fear was weighing me down like a wet
wool cloak.

“
In a few minutes your boss
is going to call you and tell you you’re fired. She wouldn’t tell
me why.”

“
What? But…I need my job.
I’ve
got
to have
my job…I can’t go back home. I have no money. Moving out here took
it all.”

I paced, wringing my hands, muttering
to myself.

My phone rang. It was Stella. And, Jack
was exactly right.

“
The owner was very upset
about that patient you discharged. I’m sorry but we have therapists
waiting for calls…”

I hung up and stared at the
floor.

“
How did you
know?”

“
She called this morning and
told me that you would no longer be coming and they would send
someone else Monday. I told her that I wanted you. She threatened
lawyers; I laughed.”

I hadn’t noticed but he was holding my
hand.

“
I asked her not to tell you
until you got here. What I told her is correct. I do want you. We
work well together and I’ve got to get back to work. I want you to
go with me. Keep going with my rehab wherever I am. We have shoots
coming up in New Zealand.”

“
New Zealand?”

Jack smiled.

I walked around the den and stared out
at the swimming pool and the koi pond. It was just like Natasha had
said. Things I could never have imagined were happening. And, if
they went to New Zealand, surely Welsh wouldn’t follow me
there.

“
I have to think. I just
don’t know. Perhaps I should just go back home.”

He nodded, waiting for my next
statement.

I wrapped my arms around myself
fighting off a chill.

“
Why not hire someone who
can really do this…not so many problems?”

“
I told you,” he got up and
hopped over to me. “I want you.”

I hadn’t realized how tall he
was.

“
Kiss me,” he whispered,
caressing my face, “kiss me and tell me what you want.”

He kissed me. I pulled back.

He rubbed his nose against
mine.

“
Let’s go out tonight. The
press conference won't take long. You are simply not having enough
fun.”

“
No.”

“
Why? Why, Sammy?” He was
suddenly very grave again, his eyebrows furrowed together, his jaw
clenched.

I paced and he stood next to my
path.

He stopped me and held me by my
shoulders.

“
Tell me! Tell me what’s
terrifying you. Tell me the big, dark, terrible secret. Show me the
devils, Sam, because alone they are going to destroy
you!

“
Why did you move here? Why
do you have to be home before dark? Why do you watch everything
around you when you get out of your car? Sam! Tell me,
dammit!”

I was crying now. I stepped back and
unbuttoned my shirt and pants.

Jack’s eyes grew darker as he stared at
the pentagram scar carved into my belly. He reached out as if to
touch it.

"Robert Welsh broke into my
apartment, tied me up and proceeded to cut. And cut. And cut. I
begged him to kill me. He cut me in my genitals and
then
he raped me. He
thought I was dead. But my neighbor saved my life.

“
He was caught and he
actually confessed in exchange for a lighter sentence. He escaped
during a prison riot. He told his cell mate that he would find me,
no matter what it took.

“
And now…” I dropped onto
the bed and sobbed. “Now he’s found me. He put my photograph…. he
put it in my mail slot. I can’t go back there. I have nowhere to
go.

“
He is in my room every
night. He is in my backseat when I get in my car. He’s hiding
outside my shower every morning. Behind every damn bush, in every
door I open… I’m going insane with terror.

“
He’s smoke, he’s fog. And
he has tasted my blood. I am his.”

He held me close to him his skin
pressing warm and comforting against mine.

I wrenched away from him, buttoned my
clothes and ran for the door--but he caught me.

“
You’re
not
his!” he yelled. “He doesn’t have
you! Not yet. You can’t leave, Sam,” his voice was kind but
insistent.

“
I don’t know what to do,
Jack. Someone rattled my doorknob a few nights ago, a detective
came and talked to me and told me that Welsh was here. And now the
photograph.”

I went back and sat on the side of the
bed, holding Jack’s pillow, knotting it with my fists. “He’s here,
he’s here, he’s here.”

“
I know.”

“
I can’t go back
home.”

“
I know.”

“
Maybe you could lend me a
little money and I could move again. Get a fresh start.”

Jack was silent.

“
He’ll just keep coming,
won’t he?” The room was growing darker and darker.

Jack nodded. He took his cell phone out
of his pocket.

“
Roger, come to the den
please and bring Gloria, and Welsh’s file.”

Jack got up and fixed me a
drink.

A muscular young man came in with a
tall woman. I realized I’d seen her several times at the
grocer.

“
This is Roger.”

Roger was the epitome of a Marine,
thick, muscular neck, massive shoulders and chest. But a boyish
smile that told a story different from a soldier’s.

“
He’s the head of my
security staff. And this is Gloria.” Gloria was tall, powerfully
built, with a beautiful smile.

Jack made me take a drink. It
burned.

“
Robert Welsh,” Roger said,
“has a long history of burglary, assault, domestic abuse, and
animal cruelty. He was trained well by his mother and father, both
with multiple arrests... burglaries, cons, torture, assault, abuse,
robbery, you name it.