“Ms. Williamson you leaving so soon?”
Turning around I see the Warden standing there eyeing me. The man has a disgusting way of undressing you making you feel violated without ever touching you. He stands about 5 foot 6 weighing 250 pounds. Every time I see him he’s sweating and wiping at his face with that dingy rag of his. He reminds me of a black Boss Hog from the Dukes of Hazard.
“Thank you so much Warden for helping me with Christian Vega. You saved his life tonight.”
“I’ll have a full investigation and the parties on my staff responsible for his beating will be brought to justice.”
I look at my watch and see it’s after midnight. John already left and I should be heading back now. Statesville is 25 miles outside of Llanview and the country winding road back into town can be treacherous at night. “Again thank you, I will be back to make sure that everything is order for his transfer.”
The warden smacked his teeth in a disgusting guttural way. “Ms. Williamson, you are one fine lady. Christian is very lucky to have you looking out for him” he said taking a step toward me.
I step back from him not sure of what he is implying. Something is wrong at the way he’s staring at me. Turning before he can stop me I grab the doorknob and flee his office. Feeling like I need a bath I rush down the hall to the guard’s station. Ripping off my visitor badge I try to settle the rising panic in me. I’ve been in the company of the warden on many occasions but something today was wrong. Terribly wrong.
The guard slid me the clipboard to sign out and I signed it quickly looking back feeling that I was being pursued. Sliding it back the guard he looked at me and smirked. “Be safe tonight Ms. Williamson.” he says and snickered.
I frown at his comment and wait for him to buzz the door to leave the prison. Damn why didn’t I leave with John? Why am I always so stubborn? Rushing through the door my breath caught in my lungs as I exit.
Now my panic has an irrational hold on me. Leaning on the outside of the door I try to settle tremors that have a hold of me. Wheezing I close my eyes and calm myself. What is wrong with me?
Seeing Christian’s bloodied face and bruised body from his attack has me ultra sensitive. It must be why I see conspiracies all around me. Now I feel alone. So alone. Opening my eyes I straighten up and walk down the long side walk to the barbed gate exit that lined the perimeter of the jail.
The October wind blows my hair and I inhale the autumn breeze letting it still my nerves. Instinctually I look back and see the Warden at his prison window watching me leave. He waves at me and smiles evilly and my panic returns.
All I want to do is get to my car. The guard outside of the gate eyes me when I approach. “Leaving Ms. Williamson?”
Looking up into his face I put on a hard determined stance. “Open the gate please” I say dryly but god I’m so afraid. He pushes it open and I walk briskly past him ignoring the glare he’s shooting at me.
Walking fast I tighten my grip on my briefcase. “What is going on?” I mumbled as I use my keyless remote to access my E class Mercedes.
Why am I reacting this way? Once I climb into my car and the soft smell of leather and raspberry air freshener waifs over me I relax. Starting my car I look at the prison again and make a mental note never to visit this prison at night again.
Before backing out I reach in my purse retrieving my cell phone. Pressing 8 I call John. His voicemail comes on immediately and I sigh. He’s probably wrapped in her arms tonight while I go home alone. God why do I bother? Hearing the beep for the message I leave a brief one.
“John, this is Evangeline it’s after midnight and I’m leaving the prison now. Look something weird is going on the guards and the warden were behaving strangely. I need you to follow up first thing in the morning to assure that Christian is okay. Call me please.”
Hanging up I put the car in reverse and peel away spewing pebbles as I drive toward the road. Turning on the radio I hear my favorite station fuzzily blaring through my speaks and decide to pop in my Roberta Flack cd.
Now driving down the winding road I feel my anxiety slip away. The trees bend over blocking my view of the sky making the road darker than I’d like so I hit my high beams and sing along with Roberta. Forgetting my fears for Christian and my pain in my heart over John I drive at a moderate speed with the air on the blast soothing me. I’m tired of this battle.
Once I’m done with this case I think I will leave town for a while and get some perspective. Thinking of Nora I resist the urge to call the hospital. My chest tightens at the thought that my friend lie in a coma. Tomorrow she will be the first person I see. Turning the radio up I focus on the dark road being mindful of the glowing eyes in the woods indicating deers are near. I love Roberta…
Singing and smiling to one of my favorite songs I’m suddenly blinded by large bright lights behind me. Squinting and looking up into my rearview mirror I see a truck speeding toward me.
“What the hell?”
Accelerating I try to keep control of the large sedan as I push it to 95 miles an hour. The road is dark and I can’t see that far ahead of me. I can feel my hands shaking as I try to get my head around the immediate danger I’m facing.
The truck rams into the back of my car and I scream swerving across the road. Quickly straightening the car up on the road I accelerate dangerously fast and I can feel my car lifting off the road. Looking at my speedometer I’m going 115 mph. “Oh god! God help me!!”
Before I can escape the next ramming from the truck a deer runs out into the dark country road. Instinctually I slam on my breaks causing the truck to slam into me sending my car into a spin. Crying and screaming all at once I feel the car lift off two wheels and then begin to roll then slide down the street several miles on its roof. My head slams to the left cracking the windshield as the airbag explodes and everything goes black.
A man dressed in black pulls his truck over. Getting out he looks at the damage briefly and sees that the truck is still drivable. Relieved he sprints to the embankment the Mercedes rolled in.
He sees the wheels still spinning and can hear the music playing inside. Sliding down the embankment he goes to the car and tries the door finding it locked. Reaching into the shattered window he unlocks the car and pulls the door open. She’s out cold and he hopes to god alive. His life depended on him delivering her alive. She’s pinned by the airbag and seatbelt. Reaching in his pocket he gets his pocket knife and cuts her free. Pulling on her gently he drags her out of the car.
She moans in his arms and the left side of her head has a nasty wound that’s has her hair soaked in blood. As he drags her from the car she opens her eyes looking at him confused.
“What happened?” she asked confused
The man pulled her up forcing her to stand. “Walk dammit!!”
Wobbly trying to walk out the embankment with the man Evangeline tries to understand who this man is and why he’s dragging her “Who are you? Let me go..” she says weakly. He yanks on her and pulls her to the street. She tries to focus on his face and he looks familiar but it doesn’t take long before she collapses in his arms and he picks her up carrying her to his truck.
The next day ~
John walks into the station heading to his office Natalie follows him inside. “John I want to talk about this case you and Evangeline are supposedly working on. Something isn’t right!”
“Not now Natalie I have to take care of some things.” He says trying to dodge her questions.
“John I want to talk now! Evangeline is trying to worm her way back into our lives. The woman is obsessed with you and it’s unhealthy. You can’t encourage her.”
John pulls his cell from his hip to throw it up on the desk and sees the red light blinking indicating he has a voice message. While Natalie rambles on and on about conspiracies he retrieves his message:
“John, this is Evangeline it’s after midnight and I’m leaving the prison now. Look something weird is going on the guards and the warden were behaving strangely. I need you to follow up first thing in the morning to assure that Christian is okay. Call me please”
“Do you hear me John?”
John looks at her confused. “What?”
“Who was that on the phone? Was it her? My god now she’s calling you every five minutes!!”
“Natalie stop it.” He says tossing the phone on the desk.
“John I can’t. I just want us to be normal and in love, without your ex-girlfriend peeking around every corner.”
John walks over and hugs her “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, but I don’t trust her!”
“Trust me to handle her. She is no threat to us.”
Natalie touches his face tenderly. “Let’s just leave today and go home. Let’s stay in bed.”
John thinks about Evangeline’s message he can’t fight the feeling that something is wrong. He needs to call her. “Let me take care of some things and we may be able to leave early, okay?”
Natalie rolls her eyes “Okay” then turns and leaves. Before walking out the door she stops and looks back “I love you”
He looks at his phone then back at her and smiles. She nods and closes his door leaving.
Going to his desk he picks up his phone and calls Evangeline getting her voicemail on her cell. He tries her office and is told she hasn’t arrived yet. Next calling her house he gets her answering machine. He can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. Calling the hospital he gets Michael.
“Dr. McBain”
“Mike, how’s Nora?”
“The same bro….the same”
“Has Evangeline been there this morning?”
“Evangeline?”
“Yes Evangeline.”
“No, she came by yesterday evening but she says she was going to meet you at the prison.”
John bites his bottom lip and frowns. He told her to leave with him but she was so damn stubborn and closed off to him. “Thanks bro…”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah its cool….if she comes by tell her to call me.”
“Will do.”
Hanging up the phone he calls Warden Glenn.
“Glenn speaking..”
“Warden this is John McBain…”
“Lt. McBain I was just going to call you. I have some unfortunate news for you.”
John heart beat quickens. “What’s happened?”
“Unfortunately Christian Vega aka John Doe succumb to his wounds last night in the prison hospital and passed away.”
“What?”
“Yeah it happened this morning.”
“Oh god” John said shocked. “Does his attorney know?”
“Ms.Williamson?”
“Yes Evangeline does she know?”
“No he was alive when she left last night.”
“What time did she leave?”
“Around midnight.”
“When she returns can you call me?”
“Will do…..”
“I will be in touch about Christian Vega I need to update the Commissioner. I want the names of all the guards and inmates responsible sent to this office immediately!”
“No problem, I should have that for you within an hour” The warden says hanging up. Hearing a knock at the door his assistant Cleveland appears. He looks at him annoyed. “Has Christian been moved?”
“Yes sir he’s secure…”
“Ms. Williamson what’s her status”
“She has some severe head wounds from the accident. They just got her to the ship so the doctors are working on her.”
“Fine….get me a list of the expendable guards to pin this on. When she turns up missing we will the Feds in this prison combing through with a fine tooth comb. We have to be ready.”
“Sir, are you sure we want to use the woman?”
“The woman is not part of the program. He wants the woman to himself.”
“Oh…well I will make sure everything is in order.”
The warden nodded. He understood why they had to move Christian and reinsert him into the program but the Panthers fascination with Evangeline Williamson was a risky move. He had a bad feeling about this.
Later that Evening ~
John paced his office. He’d been trying Evangeline all day and no one has seen or heard from her. Layla’s plane hasn’t landed yet and his body was tense with worry.
Natalie peeked in. “John?”
Looking up he frowned “What is it?”
Natalie flinched at the way he snapped “I thought you said we could leave early?”
“What?”
“John what’s wrong?” she said coming into the office.
“Not now! I can’t deal with you now.”
“Deal with me? What does that mean?” she asked hurt.
Before he could respond officer Johnson came in. “Sir you might want to see this.”
Coming into the office he gave him a folder. John opened the folder and his eyes grew big. He dropped it and ran out of the office pushing past the officer and Natalie.
“John!!” Natalie screamed rushing behind him but unable to stop him. Going back to his office she bent down and picked up the papers. Looking up at Johnson she frowned “What is going on?”
“Wire just came in. There’s been a bad accident on Route 22 outside of Statesville Prison. The car belonged to Evangeline Williamson”
Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my god!”
Johnson nodded.
“Is she dead?”
“Don’t know….just pulled the information.”
Natalie smirked. She didn’t want her dead but she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought that she wasn’t in their way anymore. She looked at the folder and laid it down on his desk.
“Come on….” She said directing the officer out. She would patiently wait to hear the news on Evangeline and she had secret hopes that it wasn’t good.
Route 22 ~
John stopped the car seeing the police cars and tow truck on the side of the road in the grass. He drove frantic and his tears almost made him loose control of his car twice. Rushing across the street he saw the wheels of Evangeline’s car and it felt like a blow to his gut. The sheriff walked over to him. John walked pass him rushing to the car. The sheriff grabbed his arm stopping him. “She’s not inside.” he said
“What?” John said somewhat relieved that she must be on the way to the hospital.
“We didn’t find her.”
“What do you mean didn’t find her!” John saw that the sheriff had her purse. Taking the bag from his hands he saw her wallet and cell phone. He looked over at the accident. “What happened?”
The sheriff pointed to the dead dear in the road “We think she hit the deer going to fast and then rolled into the embankment.”
“Evangeline doesn’t drive fast” John said shaking his head.
“Well the skids in the road indicate she had to be doing at least a 100” the Sheriff said.
John thought about her message of something going on with the warden. He gave the sheriff back the purse and went to the embankments sliding down. Walking around the car he saw the caved in trunk. Getting close he saw the remnants of white paint. This was no accident someone forced her off the road. Oh god someone ran her off the road.
Feeling panic race through his veins he went around the passenger side. Kneeling down he looked at the seatbelt and saw it was cut apart. Someone took her. Looking up he called to the sheriff “This was no accident. Get CSI out here now. This was an abduction” he shouted his voice cracking and tears welling in his eyes. Leaning on the car he tried to regain control.
“Okay baby….hold on. I will find you I promise.”