Chapter Two
He came into the room and stopped short. The bed he’d left her tied to was empty. Surprise caused him to hesitate and that’s when Sable brought the heavy vase down on his head. The pain exploded in his head and for a brief moment he couldn’t see, it hurt so bad. He staggered and would have fallen to the floor but he grabbed hold the bed instead. He grabbed his right side for the knife he had hidden there and swung it toward her.
Sable dodged the arc of the knife and raised the vase to hit him a second time. The knife slashed at her again and this time it pierced her skin. She screamed but managed to bring the vase down again. This time, the vase broke and he went down.
He was still for a moment and Sable wondered if she’d killed him, but she wasn’t about to wait around and find out. She stumbled through the door and off the boat. She got into the little outboard motor boat and pulled on the cord to get it started. She turned the little boat away from the houseboat and got out of there.
Sable didn’t know if she was headed for land or away from land. Her side was bleeding and she was scared to death. All she knew for certain was that she had to get away from him.
A while later, she made another turn and found herself in the main part of the river. She could see a large area of lights nearby and she headed the little boat toward the lights. Bumping against the shoreline a few minutes later, she stumbled onto shore and made her way toward the lights. She had no idea where she was going only that there were probably people ahead of her. She knew that if he survived the vase, he was the only thing behind her and she had to put as much distance between them as she could.
About fifteen minute later, she stumbled into the middle of the street. She could see and hear the people near her, but she was unsure of where she actually was. When the people nearby saw the blood on her clothes, they tried to get away from her. She saw their faces and felt their fear. Breathing heavily by this time, she was about ready to pass out from the loss of blood when she felt someone’s arm take the weight of her own body. Opening her eyes, she saw a face she didn’t recognize. His blue eyes had concern and compassion in them, not the malice of her kidnapper.
“Please, I need to go to the police,” she begged.
He frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital first?” the stranger asked her.
Sable shook her head. “Please, the police. The man that stabbed me is out there on the river and I don’t want him to get away.”
The man nodded, and looked around the neighborhood. He saw a station sign just ahead on the street. “There’s a station not too far from here. Can you walk there?”
Sable smiled. “I think so. Please don’t leave me alone.”
The stranger smiled back. “I won’t.”
As he helped her down the street and into the police station, Sable knew time was of the essence. Even now, he could be watching her waiting for her to be left alone. It was only when she was in the station house and a room full of people did she feel safe enough to let the stranger go. She laid her head back against the wall and let herself rest for a moment. The buzzing of conversation lulled her into a light sleep. She didn’t notice the alarm on the stranger’s face or the commotion she aroused when she slid to the floor. Nor did she notice the ambulance personnel when it arrived a few minutes later to take her to the hospital.
When she awoke a few hours later, she noticed the beeping sound of the monitor and the smell of antiseptic that lingers in the hospital. She tried to sit up but her side was hurting. Running her hand along her side, she felt the bandage the doctors had put there.
Sable looked around the room. She was alone and that fact didn’t bring much pleasure. She tried to look at the clock but it was just out of her line of sight. She didn’t know why but she felt she had to get out of the hospital. She was flinging back the sheets and swinging her legs over the side of the bed when the door opened. She jerked her head toward the door and was about to scream.
Two men walked into her room.
“Are you going somewhere?” one of the pair asked her.
Sable wet her dry lips with her tongue. Her fight or flight response kicked in and she felt the adrenalin giving her body a sudden boost of energy. “Who are you guys and what do you want?”
“We’re the police,” the taller man told her quietly. He saw her fear and hoped to alleviate it. “You came to see us but passed out before we could meet.”
“Can I see some I.D. please?” Sable asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off of them and she prayed she wasn’t making a mistake accepting their reason for being here. Sebastian Sandstone and Rob Gillette, both Detectives so their badges said.
Both men reached into the pockets for their badges. Flipping open their wallets, Sable could see they did have proper identifying badges. She could also see they were different. “Why aren’t they the same?”
The one named Rob smiled. “My friend here is from south Louisiana, but we both are working on your case.”
Sable frowned. “I have a case?”
“What do you remember of the last day or so?” The one named Sebastian asked.
Sable lay back on the bed and pulled the sheets up. “I remember being out dancing with some friends last night. We had gone out to check the Jazz bands playing down by the river. Some guy in a black cowboy hat started dancing with me. At first, it was a little freaky, I mean he wore the hat down so low that the brim hid most of his face, but the music was loud and we’d been drinking a little. I finished the dance and moved back with the rest of my friends. I didn’t notice him again, until I was walking home.”
“Then what happened?” Sebastian asked.
Sable felt tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know. One minute, I was walking along the street all alone and the next minute he jumped out of nowhere and his hands were around my throat. I tried to fight him off but he was just too strong. I couldn’t even scream for help the attack happened so fast. I tried to struggle, I even clawed at his hands, but I couldn’t get away from him. I managed to cry out but no one could hear me. I could still hear the party going on a block away but I couldn’t call out loud enough for anyone to hear me. All I could see was his eyes, they were so black and when I struggled his eyes changed. Then when I tried to cry out the blackness in his eyes got darker, it was like they were pulsing and the more I struggled and cried out, the blacker they got. I could feel the darkness surrounding me, it was very threatening. I know that doesn’t make any sense but that’s the way I felt. I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, I was on a boat out in the middle of no man’s land.”
Rob looked over at Sebastian with interest. “What kind of boat was it?”
“A houseboat I think. He had me tied to a bed. I managed to get free but I couldn’t get out of the room. The door was locked and the window had no lock at all. I tried to scream for help but no one heard me.” Sable closed her eyes at the memory of how helpless she felt on the boat.
“What happened next?” Rob asked gently. He looked sympathetic.
“I saw someone coming in a little motor boat and I hid behind the door. When he came in, I hit him with a vase. It was the only thing I could find in the room. He went down but he wasn’t out. I had to hit him again and that’s when he sliced open my side. Anyway, I managed to get out of the room. I stole the little boat and made it back to town. That’s all I can remember.” Sable’s finger plucked at the hem of the sheet as she told her story.
“Don’t worry, Miss Willows, you’ll be safe here.” Sebastian tried to assure her.
“What if he comes looking for me? Who was he and why did he want me?” Sable cried out in pain and confusion. “I didn’t even know this man.”
Rob sighed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any answers yet. When we catch up with your mystery man, we’ll ask him. We’ll talk again later. The doctor says you lost a lot of blood, so we’ll leave you to rest.”
Sable felt tired and soon she drifted off to sleep. When she woke, the room was dark but she knew she wasn’t alone. She didn’t dare move but she could still hear him breathing. She could smell his cologne. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the sound echoed in her head. Fear made it difficult for her to breathe and she wanted to run but she knew she couldn’t. Her limbs were suddenly very weak. She was at his mercy and she could only pray that someone would come into her room and tell her that it had only been a nightmare. She shifted her gaze and saw his shadow sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. Her breathing stopped as she eyes fixated on the dark cowboy hat outline she saw. She closed her eyes hoping it would go away.
He got up from the chair he was waiting for her in and stepped over to the bed. Leaning down, he placed his hands on either side of her head. When her eyes sprang open he could see the fear in them, and his black eyes took on an ungodly glow. “I found you. You should know that I will always find you. The police can’t protect you from me. If they get in my way, I will kill them to get to you. We have some unfinished business to take care of and I won’t be stopped.” He gently cupped her chin and tilted her face to his. “Rest for now, but know that I’ll be back for you. Any time, any place you go, I will find you and the next time we meet, we’ll finish what we started earlier today.” Then he pressed his cold lips on hers briefly. “The police can’t stop me, no one can. They can’t stop me because they can’t find me, but I will always find you and other women like you.”
Sable wanted to scream but fear was closing her throat up on her. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest she thought she was going to pass out. She closed her eyes and tried to breath but all she could hear was her own labored gasps. A few minutes went by. She opened her eyes and he was gone. The room was empty except for her. She found the light switch and when the lights came on, she looked around. She was alone.
She knew she had to get away from the hospital. She had to go somewhere where he couldn’t find her. She sat up too fast and the room spun around her. She held the sides of her head and finally everything slowed down and she was able to push the sheets down. She yanked the I.V. out of her arm and got to her feet. Her arm was bleeding but she couldn’t worry about that right now. Sable knew she had to get dressed and find a way to escape.