Winter's Destiny (25 page)

But he had proven to be quite capable of pleasing another woman. His affair with Vera Johnstone had sizzled for ten long years! Anger and humiliation rose like bile in the back of Doris’s throat. She swallowed hard.

Doris had watched Helmut’s obsession with his research grow, and his sanity wane, over the last decade. She grew to understand that her husband was psychotic. Recently, his violent episodes had become more frequent. She was tired of walking with a fresh limp or wearing makeup and sunglasses to hide bruises and black eyes. What hurt more was seeing the same thing happen to Alesha. That was intolerable.

Helmut had to be stopped.

Doris left the atrium and walked into a cavernous room with a wall of glass. Luxurious leather sofas and chairs, a thick rug, and rich dark wood, made her think it must be the living room. Following the sound of his voice, she crossed the rug and entered a wide hallway leading to another room. Doris leaned against the doorjamb and listened.

“Where were you going, boy? Were you trying to escape?” Helmut laughed without mirth. “Well? Speak up. What’s that? I can’t hear you.”

Doris heard a tiny voice and her heart ached. “I want to go home.”

“And how were you going to do that?” Eickher shouted.

“Don’t know.”

Doris peeked around the doorjamb and saw a small, platinum-haired boy of five or so, staring forlornly up at Helmut. Helmut walked over to a wall panel and flipped an intercom switch. “Maria, where are you? What’s taking so long?”

“Alesha isn’t in her room, Doctor.”

“What?” The force of his voice made the child leap into the air. “The door was supposed to be kept locked.”

“I know.” She replied. “Maybe someone forgot.”

“And who might that someone be? You, perhaps? Find her. Quickly!” Eickher looked at the boy accusingly, bending forward until his long nose touched Jamie’s. “Did you unlock Alesha’s door?” he demanded.

Jamie stepped back nervously, shaking his head, his gray eyes wide with fear.

“Answer me!” Helmut’s hand swung at the child’s face faster than Doris could react to prevent it. The boy flew against the wall, his small body dropping onto the floor. He scrambled quickly to his feet and backed away from the scientist. Eickher raised his hand again.

“Stop!” Doris screamed, aiming the gun at Eickher.

The scientist froze, his teeth snapping nervously. “Doris…” was all he could manage, his eyes bulging at the sight of the revolver in her hand and the wild look in her eyes.

With the gun pointed at Eickher, Doris sidestepped to the boy, extending her hand to him. “Come here, child,” she said tenderly. When she felt his small hand in hers, she maneuvered him out of Helmut’s reach. Then she lashed out at her husband, “Now, let’s see how brave you are, Helmut Eickher.”

Torrents of rain pelted the windshield as Amy maneuvered the Mercedes up the narrow, mucky track. She hoped that she had remembered correctly how to get to The Cliff House, as it had been a long time since she’d been there. Emerging into a parking area, she slid the car next to a Lexus. The parking area and high concrete retaining wall triggered a memory. She recalled that the property was registered to an offshore company. The owner remained strangely anonymous throughout construction. He had hired a local firm to manage the project. Because of its unusual location and design, the house had been dubbed
The Cliff House.

Amy turned to Gramps. “Wait here. I’m going to try and get inside. If I remember correctly, the elevator is access-coded, so I’ll probably have to use the emergency exit down the side of the house.”

“What house?”

“We’re on the roof.”

“You’re not going in there alone. I’m coming with you,” Gramps hollered, grasping her hand.

“I’ll be using the stairs, Gramps, and I remember the floorplan, so I can move around quickly in my search for Jamie and Alesha.” She couldn’t see her grandfather in the dark, but she could feel the tension in the grasp of his hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t be long. As soon as I find Jamie and Alesha we’ll be out of there.”

“Let me tell you, Girl, that’ll be no small feat, if Eickher’s in there.” The old man reached into his jacket. “Wish I hadn’t given my gun over to Dallas.”

“If I run into trouble, I’ll improvise. Besides, I’m no damned good with a gun. I found that out on the beach.” Amy pulled her hood over her head and stepped out, grabbed the tire iron out of the trunk and handed it to her grandfather. “Here, use this if you need a weapon. It worked for you once. Keys are in the ignition. Be back soon.”

The storm was raging. She followed the concrete wall around a corner to a hidden set of stairs that descended two flights down the side of the building. She was met with a wall of wind and driving rain. She tried the door at the first landing. Locked. She hurried down to the next level. The door handle turned, but the door itself was jammed. She pulled and yanked until it came free and opened inward.

She slipped inside, water streaming from her clothes. If anyone noticed the puddle she was leaving, they’d immediately suspect an intruder. More reason to hurry. She saw that she had entered on the guest level. The floor was quiet, so she tiptoed cautiously, passing open doors, and glancing inside unoccupied rooms. One of these rooms had to be Jamie’s or possibly Alesha’s. The owner’s suite was one floor down and staff accommodations were in the basement.

Amy slipped past the open staircase and continued working her way toward the end of the hall, checking rooms she passed by. Each was being used, but was unoccupied. Sweat trickled down her back, and her hands felt cold and clammy. She couldn’t afford to be seen. If she were caught, all would be lost.

She came to the last room. The door was closed. Putting her hand on the handle, she pushed it open. Unlike the others, it was dark inside. She stepped in for a better look. The second she did so, she felt a presence. The door closed and a cool hand flew over her mouth, yanking her head back. Amy whirled around. The voice stopped Amy cold.

“Who are you?”

The voice was identical to her own. Amy’s response was little more than a whisper. “Alesha?”

A light snapped on, blinding Amy. Suddenly two arms flew around her and she felt an embrace like none she could remember. Her heart flew into her mouth as the warmth from a body identical to her own, held her. Amy dropped her cheek onto her sister’s shoulder and put her arms around her, pulling her close. Half a lifetime had separated them. They had lived in two different worlds, on two different continents, neither knowing the other, yet at this moment they were one. It was as though two halves had finally come together to create a complete whole. For the first time in her life, Amy understood why there had always been an empty spot in her heart that no person could ever fill. At this moment it was flooded with a pleasant warmth that pumped through her body, energizing her, and restoring her soul.

Alesha pulled away first and Amy found herself staring in amazement at her twin. Her face was identical: prominent cheekbones, small nose, same full lips, broad forehead, and pale skin. She wore her fair hair long and tied back at the nape of her neck. Looking down, Amy was even more surprised to see that they were wearing almost the same clothes. Their eyes met and both women smiled. Amy was the first to speak. “We’re identical. It’s amazing.”

“I’ve waited all my life to meet you,” Alesha whispered excitedly. “I found out about you accidently, when I was five years old. Doris let it slip. From the moment she told me about you, I wanted to meet you, to be with you, to grow up with you.” Alesha hugged Amy again, tears misting her eyes. “I used to drive Doris crazy for information. Helmut had to give me updates to keep me happy—”

Amy was shocked, “What? How did he accomplish that?”

Alesha shook her head. “He said you were the control. He watched your growth and milestones so he could compare them to mine. He said there’d never be another set of twins as beautiful or as intelligent. He reveres us. Holds us up as the optimum specimens of
near
perfection. Of course, being
women
, we would never be
perfect.
He has this sick dream that one day soon, he’ll have his way with me, resulting in me giving him a
boy
. The idea makes me physically ill. I’m afraid of what I’d do to him if he ever got close to me in that way. In his eyes, that second generation
male
child will be the crowning glory of his life’s work.”

Amy was appalled by what she was hearing. “Alesha, he’s responsible for our parents’ murder. He needs to be put away.”

Alesha was staring at Amy, horror etched into her expression. “He’s cruel beyond words. He strikes out when he’s angry. He’s beaten poor Doris so badly she couldn’t walk for months and sent me flying more than once. But I’ve never thought of him as a murderer.”

Amy grew worried. “We can talk about this later. We need to find Jamie and get out of here.”

“You’re right. Is Dan in the parking lot?”

“Dan?”

“Didn’t he bring you here?”

Amy hesitated. “No. It may have been his intention, but we were attacked at our house. One of Eickher’s thugs shot Dan.” Amy remembered Dan’s words as he spoke of Alesha.
I loved her.

Alesha was so still Amy wondered if her sister had gone into shock. “Alesha?”

“Is he going to be okay?”

Amy shook her head. “He died from the gunshot wound.”

Alesha wiped her eyes, and then she said shakily, “We have to get out of here. Dan and I had planned to leave tonight. I told him I wouldn’t go without you. He was supposed to talk you into coming with us. Dan unlocked my door before he left so I could come down the hall and get Jamie. We’re standing in Jamie’s room.” Alesha pointed to a bag of clothes. “I had warm clothes for each of us. Dan had planned for Jamie and I to leave by the emergency exit at the end of the hall. Meanwhile, Dan was supposed to have already picked you up and be waiting down the road from the parking area. Then we’d be off to the Portland airport. The whole thing was quite simple, but Eickher must have suspected something. Jamie has disappeared.”

Amy lost her breath. “Oh no.” Amy felt her heart beating in panic. She had to find Jamie and get him out of there! She opened the door and stepped into the hall. At that moment a large woman appeared on the landing. Alesha pulled Amy back into the room so they wouldn’t be seen. When they checked a minute later, the woman had disappeared down the stairs.

“That’s Maria, Johnstone’s nurse and assistant,” Alesha whispered. “There’s usually a security guard, Sven Werner—mean, ugly guy— but he’s been off the last few days."

Amy’s eyes widened. “Did he happen to have a scar on his jaw and drive a BMW?”

Surprised, Alesha said, “Yes, he does, but the BMW is Dr. Johnstone’s. How did you know?”

Amy cleared her throat, “Long, nasty story. But he won’t be back.”

“Good, but meanwhile, Francisco, Helmut’s bodyguard, is covering for him. We can’t just go down there. We need a new plan.”

The Yukon fishtailed as Dallas rounded a sharp curve on the coast highway. He was southbound for the area around The Caves. Peering through the bucking wipers, he wondered how far he was behind the Mercedes. He was certain Amy was headed to what Nita had described as The Cliff House. Dallas had heard of it, but couldn’t place it. He felt in his shirt pocket for Nita’s directions and flipped on the interior light.

The Yukon swung wide on a curve, the tires hydroplaning, the back end of the truck sliding off the highway. Slower would be safer, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of Amy walking into that house alone.

Dallas plucked the radio from the console. “I’m about three minutes from the turnoff and my rear view mirror is still black. Where the hell are you guys?”

“Mile Marker Fifty-five, Sheriff, and we’re sliding around like we’re on ice. Rain’s so bad we’re almost blind. Matson’s right behind us.”

“He was supposed to stay at Cape Peril.”

“He bores easy, Sheriff. The detectives are still there.”

Dallas cursed under his breath. “I’m coming up to the turnoff now. It’s damned hard to see in all this rain, so make sure you don’t miss it. It’s a hundred yards past Mile Marker Ninety-two.” He flipped off the siren and lights. “It’s Code 2. Don’t go announcing your arrival.” Dallas worked the Yukon up the narrow, pot-holed track. “Road’s more like a wagon trail. It’s awash and as slippery as oil.”

The security room was located on the lowest level of the six story Cliff House. Squeezed into the windowless room was a bank of monitors, a large desk, and one swivel chair. Slouched on that chair was Francisco Mandez, staring at the monitor bank, his feet on the desk. He downed the last of his vodka, and then raised the empty glass to the single overhead light. The bottle on his desk was empty.

His feet hit the floor with a thud. There was another bottle hidden under the passenger seat of the Bentley, but that meant another trip up to the parking area, something he didn’t look forward to on a night like this. Oh, how he missed Paraguay. Not just for the weather, he missed the facility, which had been his home since Doris had plucked him off the streets fifteen years earlier.

He staggered around the desk and took another cursory look at the bank of monitors. He was Eickher’s bodyguard, but they had assigned Francisco to fill in for Sven Werner, the security guard who had been off the past few days. Francisco hit a toggle, causing the exterior camera to pan the upper lot, and seeing nothing but rain bubbles on the camera lens, he shrugged and proceeded up two flights of stairs to the atrium elevator. Pulling a thin key card from his shirt pocket, he slid it into the slot below the elevator button, and waited impatiently for the elevator doors to open.

It was then he heard angry voices coming from the other side of the house. One unmistakably belonged to Señor Eickher. The other belonged to a woman. He could swear it was Señora Doris. But how could that be? She never traveled. For that matter, she seldom left the facility for more than a day or two.