We Will Always Have the Closet (16 page)

Time flew while they walked around the aquarium, laughing at the odd creatures it contained, talking about nothing and everything. Soon, it was time to meet up with Liam at Linden’s house. Sam felt a pressure of apprehension on his chest, still convinced this was a terrible idea. They walked back to his car and drove the few miles to the wealthy neighborhood where Jonas lived.

The trees bordering the streets were bare in great contrast with the evergreens that lined the surrounding mountains, and Sam couldn’t help but think that if he had that kind of money he would buy a house in the nearby forests, not in a manmade—albeit beautiful—environment. Liam was waiting at the door, and after the initial greetings he took them to the house, a two-story Victorian-looking place that Sam felt strangely attached to.

“I must confess, Petra,” Liam was saying as they climbed the steps to the front door. “I feel a little weird doing this. Jonas is my friend and I feel I’m betraying his trust.”

Petra laid an assuring hand on the Brit’s arm. “I know, Liam,” she said in her sweetest voice. “I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t for the fact that this item is of immense sentimental value for me.”

“Why don’t you just ask him for it?” Liam asked, mirroring Sam’s own thoughts. “He would give it to you. It’s not like you asked for much in the divorce. Why didn’t you? Jonas is loaded.”

“I’m not sure I know where it is.” Petra changed the subject as they entered the house. “You look in the living room, Liam. Sam and I will look in the bedroom.” Had she actually told Liam what this so-wanted object was?

The British Adonis obliged and left in the direction of the living room while Sam and Petra headed to the bedroom. Once there, Sam looked around, lost. “What are we looking for?” he asked, but got only silence as a reply.

***

Petra

Petra was looking under objects, opening drawers, fluffing pillows, fingers thirsting for the texture of all those beautiful, artful things. Embroiled in her task, she didn’t notice that Sam had opened the door to the closet where they had first met. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside with him.

“What?” she exclaimed as he closed the door behind them. The closet had not improved in size since the last time. In fact, it felt even smaller. Jonas must have stored something else in there. Something was poking her in the back and she tried to adjust her position by squeezing herself closer to him. Her throat went dry and the simple act of breathing became very hard. Sam’s body lined along hers left very little to the imagination as to how much he wanted her right then. She felt his hand curve around the back of her neck, his warm breath on her face immediately followed by his mouth on hers. Dizzy with yearning, she closed her eyes as her body bent slightly backward, supported by one of his arms around the waist. “What are we doing?” she murmured, her cheek on his. “I should be out there looking for—”

As if on cue, Liam yelled from the living room. “Petra, what exactly am I looking for? You never told me.” Sam burst out laughing, sending a big whoosh of air into her neck.

“You are amazing, girl,” he said as he opened the closet door. “Go help the poor devil.”

Winded and weak in the legs, Petra turned in the direction of the living room only to stop frozen by the sight of Jonas coming in through the front door. “What the hell are you doing in my house?” he shouted. Then, seeing Liam on the other side, “And you? What the hell is going on?” The sight of Sam, coming in from behind Petra didn’t help the mood. For a few minutes, they were all paralyzed by surprise and dismay, listening to Linden shout out insults and expletives.

“God, man,” It was Liam, taking steps forward to try and explain a very unexplainable situation to his friend. Petra felt sorry for him. He was very loyal and this must really sting. “I’m so sorry, Jonas. Petra forgot something here and I offered to help her find it. I should have asked.”

“You think?” Jonas’ strident voice rang in their ears with the loudness of a church bell. “You always believe that chick. Will you ever snap out of love with her? She’s not worthy.”

Sam had started toward him, fist raised, ready to physically show Linden how much he disagreed with his words, but Petra stopped him. “Don’t blame him,” she said in a surprisingly firm voice that belied her quivering hands. “He did it as a favor. You’ll be glad to know that I have not found it. Nothing’s lost.”
For you, at least.
Anger rose in her chest as a balloon ready to burst.

With a glare that could kill, Linden’s handsome face contorted into something almost grotesque in his anger. “You! How dare you come into my house? And bringing your boyfriend,” he added, noticing the way Sam held her trembling hand.

Sam growled. “You son of a bitch,” he said in a dangerously low voice. “How hard would it be to be civil to the woman you called your wife not that long ago?”

Jonas took a threatening step toward him. “That’s between me and her,” he said. “And I have no reason to treat her any differently. After all, the bitch left me.” Surprising everybody, and especially Jonas himself, Liam was the one who, in a swift move, jumped and punched his friend right in the nose. Linden stumbled back a few steps with the force of the punch, and when his hand came away from his face, there was blood in it. “Bloody hell, what was that for, Liam? You broke my nose.”

Liam came closer and checked his friend’s nose. “It’s not broken,” he said. “Just bloody. Why do you have to be like that with her? Can’t you be decent for once? You know the reason why she left you, and who can blame her?”

“When she married me, she vowed to stay for the good and the bad times,” her ex-husband said while wiping his nose on his shirt.

“You did too,” Petra’s voice erupted. “And look how well you honored that vow. I, at least, held the fort for a while. You never even bothered to try.” Sam was beside her, biting his lip and tightening his fists. His hand lightly touched her arm as a reminder he was there offering support when and if needed. “And don’t you ever call me a bitch.”

“Listen, Jonas, don’t be a dick,” Liam said, handing him a wad of clean tissues. “I love you like a brother, but you can be such an ass sometimes. Petra wasn’t doing anything wrong. She hasn’t touched or taken anything of yours, even when she could have. What makes you think she’s here now to steal from you?”

“Because she’s a conniving little bitch that has been waiting to take her revenge on me,” Linden said cruelly as if she wasn’t even there. “If she hadn’t been so washy-washy I wouldn’t have had to look for love elsewhere, would I?”

Sam couldn’t hold it anymore. Before Petra could stop him, he ran across the space between them and grabbed Jonas by the collar of his jacket. Jonas was a tall man, well built and muscular, but he was no match for Sam’s height and strength. “You better watch out, Linden,” Sam whispered, his face so close to the other man’s some of the blood dripping from his nose fell on his hand. “I’m on to you. Your pretty face and buckets of money will be your undoing one of these days. And when that happens, I’ll be there to take you in cuffs and lock you up for a very long time. I know of your illegal deals, and I’ll find proof of it very soon, I promise you.” Letting go of the collar, Sam took a couple steps backward and Jonas almost fell. “Let’s go, Petra. He has nothing you want or need.”

Petra took the hand he was offering her and started toward the exit. “Sorry, Liam,” she said as she passed her artist friend.

Liam smiled sadly. “I’ll be fine,” he said, waving his goodbyes. “He’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon.” Petra heard him inquiring about Jonas’ nose as they left the house. She would never understand how such a nice guy like Liam could ever be friends with someone like her ex-husband.

Out in the cold again, Sam held her in his arms. “Are you all right?” he asked, his chin resting on the top of her head. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have reacted, but he’s such an asshole.”

Petra giggled quietly into his chest. “You think?” she said. “Your hand is bleeding,” she noticed, surveying his knuckles for the injury.

“It’s Jonas’. I guess even his blood tries to run away from him,” he joked, wiping his hand on his shirt. With a finger tracing an invisible line along the side of her face, he added, “He deserved it.”

As they walked down the street to where the car was parked, silence fell between them. It was a companionable silence, the kind only lovers or friends can share. It was a quiet full of meaning, for in an unexpected moment, Petra had discovered how far Sam’s devotion for her went, and he had confirmed what she already knew in her heart—that he was completely and irrevocably in love with her.

Chapter Eight

THUGS, GUNS, AND AUTOMOBILES

Sam

Life in the Northwest had great advantages, but also some disadvantages. If you lived in the Seattle area, you couldn’t miss the breathtaking majestic scenery even if you lived downtown. No matter where you turned, summer or winter, there they were—the Olympic Mountains on one side, Mount Rainier on the other, peaks always covered in snow making everything else seem small and insignificant. Then there were the forests of beautiful evergreens and giant redwoods with leaves that defied Mother Nature herself. They grew everywhere, and Washingtonians had long ago learned how to build their homes around them instead of fighting them. Edging all of this natural beauty was the Puget Sound with its million islands and inlets, and of course the Pacific Ocean, rich in marine life—harboring whales and dolphins, puffins and seagulls, giant octopuses, and the stubborn, courageous salmon. It was hard not to love your surroundings, even though Sam was sure there were those who lived their whole lives here never once noticing the treasure around them.

Like everything else, beauty and peace had its price. The beautiful Mount Rainier was one of many volcanoes that could erupt at any time and possibly destroy all this gorgeous land like its sister Mount St. Helens had done years ago. Once in a while the land was shaken by earthquakes, reminding all of the fickle nature of the earth’s plates and bad-tempered magma just beneath it. The forests, so beautiful and life-giving, existed that way thanks to an enormous amount of rainfall throughout the year, which, in turn, translated to more than a few gloomy days. In the end, all these things balanced each other out, and as much as Sam often complained about the rain, he wouldn’t live anywhere else. He had moved into Seattle permanently in his late twenties when, fresh out of the military, he had received a job offer in the city. He had never left. This was home.

In spite of Washington’s bad climate reputation, this December day had woken up glorious. The sun, blindingly bright, had taken its rightful position in the crystal blue skies, and even though the air was cold and frosty, people were all outdoors enjoying this life-affirming day. Sam had to run some errands for work today, including interviewing a few people about Linden’s case. He had left Petra at home still in her pajamas, loitering in the living room with a cup of coffee and a book. His birthday was in a couple days and she had been stressing about what to cook for his “special day.” No matter how many times he told her he would be perfectly happy to just be at home with her or take a long walk by the water, she insisted on doing something special to mark his birthday. He was not going to fight her on this. It obviously meant something to her, the whole birthday thing, even if it meant very little to him.

His family, as it was, had never really celebrated birthdays. This had caused him some pain as a child. He remembered feeling hollow, as if he was missing something important, mostly when the other kids in school talked about their birthday surprises or when he was invited to someone’s party. As he grew up and bigger things came to disrupt life as he knew it, birthdays became a minor detail. For Petra, on the other hand, birthdays were occasions family celebrated together, making new memories and recalling those of years past. Her parents had always been big on celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, vacations—they had all been important and celebrated to the max. Most of her childhood memories were connected to one or many of these celebrations. To her, these were life markers of a sort, and she wasn’t willing to let them pass without some kind of recognition. “God brought us to this world for a reason,” she had told him once in a very authoritarian tone. “It would be wrong—really sacrilegious—not to celebrate it.” Sam humored her. In fact, he thoroughly enjoyed the attention, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it.

A threat of a headache hovered just above his eyes as he drove back to Petra’s place. He had read so many documents this morning his eyes were burning. He’d never realized the amount of paperwork and documentation that went with the buying and selling of art. It was overwhelming, and for once he was very glad he was not in the business. Earlier that day, he had spoken to Liam on the phone. Jonas’ friend was a bit worried about the investigation and even more worried about his friend’s involvement in it. After their disastrous encounter in Linden’s house, Liam had become aware of Sam’s investigation. Like Petra, he didn’t believe Linden to be involved in any of the illegal part of it, but it still concerned him that so many clues seemed to point toward Jonas, and he was very willing to help clear his friend’s name. Sam continued to think that both Liam and Petra were betting on the wrong horse, but he still didn’t have enough proof of Jonas’ culpability. However, he was certain he was very close to getting it.

As he approached the house, Sam’s spirits lifted. The very thought of Petra had him melting inside and all clouds dispelled from his horizon. Something caught his eye when the car came to a standstill—the front door was ajar. His heart jumped in his chest. Petra would never leave the door open like that, especially in December. It was hard enough to keep her older house consistently warm with the doors closed. Instinctively, he grabbed his gun from the glove compartment, made sure it was loaded, and left the car, his heart racing him into the house. Tasting bile, he peeked carefully around the open door, but there was no movement inside that he could see or hear. Quieter than you would expect such a tall man to be capable of, Sam tip-toed his way from one room to another. Something had happened here; there was furniture in the wrong place, a chair overturned, cushions and books on the floor. The pressure in his chest grew heavier. Petra was nowhere to be found. With little hope left, he went to check the back porch and patio, but she wasn’t there. Backtracking, Sam went to check the garage. Her little red Yaris was still parked there, untouched.

Putting the gun away, Sam rubbed his head in near panic. What the hell happened here? Where was Petra? Riddled with anxiety, Sam walked around the house one more time checking to see if he had missed something. That’s when he saw it; it was a small stain on the floor that hadn’t been there that morning. He bent down to examine it closely, realizing with a jolt that it was blood, pretty fresh by the look of it. A broken bottle with blood on it had rolled under the table. He pulled out his phone to call the police, but instead called Liam.

“What’s wrong?” the other man asked, detecting the panic in Sam’s voice.

“Petra is gone,” he said, finding it hard to talk. His hair was standing up on end from his constant rubbing.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Liam inquired, his voice going down to an almost whisper. “What do you mean?”

“I came home and she was gone,” Sam explained, trying to make sense of it in his head. “The door was open, the furniture’s in disarray, and there’s blood on the floor.”

That last detail caught Liam’s attention. “What? Blood?” he exclaimed. “Hers?”

“I don’t know, Liam, I don’t know.” He was close to panic, and he knew he needed a clear mind if he was going to figure this out and help Petra. “I think someone took her.”

“Why would anybody do that?” Liam said, trying to be rational. “She has no money.” His voice trailed as the same thought that assailed Sam’s mind hit him. “Do you think it has anything to do with your investigation?”

“Possibly,” he admitted, pacing the kitchen floor. “She got too involved. I told her not to get mixed up in it, but you know her…”

“We need to keep calm and think,” the Brit said, mirroring Sam’s earlier thoughts. “I’m coming over. Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“I’ll do that as soon as I hang up,” Sam said and hung up the phone. Just as soon as he was dialing the 9-1-1 number, the phone rang. It was from Petra’s number. Sam picked up, hands trembling.

The sound of panting could be heard on the other end of the line. “Sam?” Petra’s voice came through in a whisper. “Is that you?”

“Petra! Where are you?” he asked, relieved, and newly worried as he noticed the anxiety in her voice.

“They took me, Sam. They broke in and took me.”

“Who took you? Who are they?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, panting heavily. “I’m in the trunk of a car. I don’t know where I’m going. They’re going to kill me. Help me, Sam.”

“Petra, listen to me. I’m going to find you, but I need you to help me. They aren’t going to kill you. They would have done it already if that was the case. They must need you for something.”

He could almost hear her nodding into her phone. “You’re right, I’ll be fine.” His Petra was back, strong and fearless.

Remembering the blood in the kitchen, he asked, “Are you hurt? There was blood on the floor.”

“It’s not mine,” she said. “I hit one of them with a bottle.” In spite of the situation, Sam almost smiled. “What do I do?”

“Hide the phone somewhere where they can’t find it,” Sam told her, doubling his pacing. “Maybe we can track it. Can you kick one of the tail lights?”

“I can try,” she said quietly. “It’s pretty crammed in this trunk. It’s hard to move my legs.” Sam heard some scratching noise and then some muted banging. More scrapping noises came through the receiver. “Can’t believe I did it!” She seemed almost excited. “What do I do now?”

“Look through the hole. What can you see?” Sam asked. “Be as specific as you can. Maybe we can figure out where they are going.”

More shuffling. “Road…wait, I just saw a sign that said
‘Seattle 50 miles’
…we’re going the opposite way. That helps, right?” She sounded so hopeful, he felt like crying. Yes, it did help, but just a little. Grabbing an old road map she kept in a kitchen drawer, he tried to calculate where she might be. She could be in any number of places. He needed more information. “What else do you see?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know,” her voice revealed the fear she had been surely feeling through this whole ordeal. “I’m scared, Sam…”

Stomach tightening at the sound of her frightened voice, Sam made himself focus. “You can do it, Petra,” he said. “What do you see?”

After a few seconds of silence, Sam heard her voice. “Wait! I think I see something else.” While hearing the sound of more rustling, Sam realized he was leaning forward almost as he was trying to see through the hole himself. “
‘Bainbridge Ferry’
…” she read. “
‘And Leaving Discovery Park, come and see us again.’
” There was some excitement in her voice as she realized this was a major clue to where they were heading.

Sam let out a huge sigh. He had been holding his breath. “Good, they are taking you to Discovery Park,” he exclaimed. “Leave the phone on. Liam and I are coming to get you. How many are there?”

“Two big guys,” she said. “They were wearing masks.” What she wasn’t saying was just as obvious—that she was very scared and feeling helpless.

“Sweetheart,” he whispered with a tenderness he didn’t know he had, “we are coming for you. You be smart and do what they say. Don’t put up a fight no matter how tempting that is. If they believe they have you where they want you, they’ll be more inclined to make mistakes.” He could hear her quick breathing on the other end and the need to have her there in his arms was almost too overwhelming to bear. “When they stop the car, put that phone on silent and hide it again. That’s your lifeline.”

He could hear a car in the driveway. Liam, probably. He stepped closer to the window to confirm it. The sporty red car was parked just outside the door and a frantic Liam was flying out the door into the house.

“Did you call the police?” he asked, bursting in the house.

“I have her on the phone,” Sam said, gesturing for him to lower his voice. “The smart cookie had hidden a phone on her.” That comment, even though sincere, was aimed at making Petra feel better and more confident on the other end of the line. “Liam is here now,” he told her. “We’re coming, baby.”

“The car is stopping, Sam,” she said, suddenly in a panic. “Come quickly, please…” Her voice was reduced to a murmur and his heart tightened in his chest at the thought of Petra stuck in a car trunk, alone and scared out of her wits. He was going to kill the bastards who did this.

“Hang up and hide the phone now,” he ordered, trying to keep himself calm. “We’re on our way. It will be okay.”

He heard the telling dial tone of a connection lost and hung up himself. “Let’s go,” he said to Liam. “They took her to Discovery Park.”

Because Liam’s sports car was faster and easier to maneuver around tight spots, they decided to take it instead. Sam didn’t realize you could drive that fast. Not on these back roads that twisted around woods and waterways like pretzels. Daylight was becoming scarce, which made driving that fast even more insane, but Sam wasn’t complaining. If the car could fly, he would have flown. Petra’s life might depend on how fast they could get there. After Sam caught Liam up on the events so far, they fell into silence. No words needed to be said, they both knew the task at hand. It was better not to think about the terrible things that could happen while they were on their way.
Does this thing go any faster?

The silence of the car was suddenly broken by the sound of his phone. Thinking it was Petra, he almost dropped the phone trying to answer it. However, the voice on the other end was not Petra’s. In fact, it was an unfamiliar male voice that gave him immediate chills. “Yes? Who’s this?”