How Little We Know - M J Marlow (top 10 novels .TXT) 📗

of the building. She was wild-eyed as he ran insideand Sean opened the door for her. Eric made her sit downand she looked at the pair of themand burst into tears. “I was hoping you had taken him, Eric,” she sobbed as she started to calm down. “Who, Lil?” Robert asked. “Bobby,” Lillian said softly. “I went in to wake him up for breakfastand he wasn’t in his bed. She held up a baggy with a familiar cloth in it. “This was on the floor by his bed.” “Damn!” Robert hissedand called the federal agents. “Agent Oliver? This is MacGregor. The man who took Mary in Minneapolis had just added two more people to his collection.” He listened. “Mary’s nephew, Bobby,and the owner of the local diner, Sue Ellen Parker.” He hung up. “Heand Daughtry are on their way.” “We can’t keep this quiet any longer,” Sean told him. “He has three hostages nowand Lord only knows where he’s taking them. If he’s unhinged…” “If?” Eric spat. “Three hostages are going to wear on his nerves,” Sean glared at his brother. “He’s going to have to keep them drugged or bound. Bobby is going to be frightened.” “We have to find them fast!” Eric nodded. “He was just in town. Someone has to have seen a vehicle large enough to stow three hostages being driven out of town.” He saw Homer coming in. “Sheriff,” Homer said to Robert. “I don’t know if I should say anything, given he’s my employer…” “Go on, Homer,” Robert nodded. “Sam just left town,” Homer replied, “with all the cash in the register.” I went upstairsand there was this funny smell in the living room. He looked at the baggy on the desk. “It smelled just like that.” “Theo,” Robert roared. “Oscar. Get on the horn with the State Policeand all the other agencies. We have a kidnapping in progress. Sam Henry has abducted Mary Evans, Bobby Evans,and Sue Ellen Parker. He is to be assumed armedand dangerous. He is mentally unstableand should be approached with extreme caution. Find photos of the victimsand of the perpand get them on the wire immediately.” Oliverand Daughtry arrivedand they helped by coordinating with the Denver FBI. By the time those agents arrived every law enforcement agency in Colorado had been alerted to the situation. People from town arrived to find out how they could help. “Does this Henry own any property out of town?” Daughtry asked as she looked at Sam’s employees. “We don’t know,” Homer said. “Sam was the type that always kept to himself. He was nice enough; knew everything about everyone else, but his own life he kept private.” “Typical,” Oliver frowned. “Nice quiet neighborly fellows always wind up being serial killersand criminals.” He saw Lillian go pale. “He has no reason to kill them, Ms. Warner. He went to all the trouble to provide his main target with a servantand a child. He’s building her a little home somewhere with himself in the role of fatherand husband.” “Mary already has a husband,” Sean snapped. “And Bobby already has a father,” Eric added, equally irritated. He looked at his brother. “How could we not know? We should have realized from the way he always seemed to be around her that he was after her.” “We were too busy fighting each other, Eric,” Sean replied with regret evident in his voice. “That has got to stop.” “Agreed,” Sean nodded. “But let’s put it on the back burner until my sonand your wifeand Sue Ellen are back home where they belong.” “Amen.” Parson Wagner said from where he stood in the doorway. “There are five possibilities so far; all dark panel vans matching the description of Sam’s Dodge heading off in three different directions. So far only two are cleared.” “You know it’s a Dodge?” Oliver asked the parson. “How?” “That’s easy,” Homer spoke up from where he was manning a phone. “Sam only ever owned Dodge vehicles. He wouldn’t be caught dead in anything else.” “How many of the remaining three are Dodges, Parson?” “Let me check,” Parson Wagner looked at the list. He smiled happily. “One, dark blue, with obscured license plate headed north into Wyomingand found abandoned on I-70 near Sheridan.” “He’s switched vehicles,” Oliver frowned. “This man is smart.” “He’ll make amistake,” Daughtry replied. “They always make amistake.” Sam had a headache. The boy had woken upand started to cryand Mary had to be drugged so that he could drug the boy. The old woman had glared at him the whole wayand so he had drugged her to make those accusing eyes quit looking his way. She was too much like his mother. She had always looked at him like that. I’m dumping the old woman he decided when he pulled into a used car lot before the place was open. He broke inand found the keys for an RVand put them all inside it. He drove thirty miles west of townand left her lying on the side of the road, still sleeping. Then he turned southwestand headed towards Idaho. “Where’s Sue Ellen,” Mary asked when she noticed her gone. “Sam?” He looked over at her where he had duct taped herand the boy into the passenger seat. She was so beautiful he sighed to himself. He didn’t want to have to hurt her, but she was getting on his nerves. So he had an idea. “You won’t talk anymore, Mary,” he said to her. “Because if you do, I will dump your boy on the side of the road just like I did the old woman. How long do you think he’ll last out here on his own?” “Sam, please…” “No more talking,” he snappedand slapped her across the face. Mary fell silentand he nodded. “This was supposed to be so perfect, but you aren’t behaving at all like I thought you would.” His mind was spinning. “I have a friend who makes all kinds of drugs. He’ll be able to give me one that will make you behave.” He reached out to stroke her cheekand Bobby bit him. “Don’t you touch my Aunt Mary!” he shrieked. “Nobody hurts her.” “That’s it!” Sam snarled. He pulled off onto the side of the roadand cut Bobby loose. Then he carried him to the door. “No!” Mary struggled to get loose. “Sam, please don’t do this! He’ll be good for me. I’ll make him understand that he needs to obey you.” Sam hesitated. “I’ll show you how much you mean to me now, if you want. Just don’t hurt Bobby.” Sam smiledand he taped Bobby’s wristsand anklesand set him in the bathroom. He tied a rope around his neckand fastened the other end to the shower rod. Then he cut Mary looseand took her to the bed. He was fascinated as she had sex with him in what he believed was an honestand willing fashion. He left her a momentand returned with the ether. “I’m sorry, darling,” he said as he drugged her, “but the boy is bad. We’ll make other children for you to teach how to obey me.” Mary fought him then with all she had but it was too late. She lost consciousnessand he took Bobby outand tied him to a tree by the roadside. He heard the boy screaming at him as he closed the doorand he laughed. He had the only person he really wanted nowand she would behave for him as he meant her to. Ericand Sean were in a car headed after Samand their missing family members when they got the call that Sue Ellen had been found. She had been left abandoned on the roadside heading towards Idaho. While Daughtry remained behind to question her, the others followed the road. It was another hour before someone called out. They stopped the carand Eric ran. He untied the rope around Bobby’s neckand held him until the boy complained he couldn’t breathe. “He said I was bad,” he sobbed as he clung to his father, “so he wouldn’t keep me.” He looked up at Sean. “But he was bad! He hit Aunt Mary cause she asked him where Sue Ellen was.” He cried again. “He hurt her so I bit him!” “Biting people isn’t nice, Bobby,” his father chided him. Bobby lowered his head. “But in this case, Ace, I think I’ll overlook it.” He held him close. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Bobby. I’d die if anything ever happened to you.” He looked at the others. “You can drop us in the next town…” “No, Daddy,” Bobby shook his head. “We has to get Aunt Mary!” “You heard him,” Eric looked at the others. “Let’s go get Mary.” Bobby settled against his father with the bottle of water Agent Oliver pulled out of the cooler in the trunkand sipped at it. He was happy for now, but he wanted his Aunt Maryand no one was going to keep him from going after him. “Poor kid,” Eric said as he held his son later. “He’s been through so muchand he is determined to be there when we find Mary.” He closed his eyes. “I just hope we find her alive. This man is losing it.” “Mary… Pretty Mary…” She shook her headand tried not to scream. He had tied her to the roll bar in the side of the driver’s seat while she was outand was now petting her hair like she was a cat. Sam yanked her up onto her kneesand he leaned down to kiss her. He pulled into an RV Park for the nightand she lay there sobbing as he raped her again. She knew he’d hurt her if she complained but she just did not care. “I want my boy!” she sobbedand tried to shove him away. “Why did you have to do that to Bobby? I told you I’d make him obey you.” “I told you to be quiet, Mary,” Sam snarledand slapped her across the face. “When I get that drug, I’m going to ask him about one that will keep you silent.” He sat on the side of the bedand stroked her bare leg with a smile. “You’re so beautiful, Mary. I don’t want to hurt you.” Mary waited until he had turned completelyand then she brought up her feetand kicked him hard in the center of the back. Sam went flyingand she heard his head hit the sink with a thud. He collapsed to the groundand Mary was off the bed. She grabbed a long coatand held it in her hands in front of her body. She hurt bad from his last attack, but she was not going to let that stop her. She had to catch herself on the door as her feet went out from under her on the stairs. But then she was stumbling back the way they had come, gasping from the pain. Her head began to spinand she knew she was going to pass out. She couldn’t be on the road when she did, she thought as she looked along the tree line. She heard a vehicle comingand turned to see the RV. “Come back here!” Sam screamed as she ran into the trees. The RV squealed to a haltand he was running after her. He caught her when she stumbledand slapped her across the face. “Why did you run, Mary? I’m trying to help you!” He caught her as she collapsedand carried her back to the road. He dumped her between the seatsand bound her wrists to the roll bar in the driver’s side door so she was lying across his lap. He took off againand contented himself with stroking her body. He had to remember to be gentler with her; he chided himself as he saw the bruises. No wonder she had run; he was frightening her. “Pretty Mary…” Her eyes fluttered openand she whimpered in fear as she saw how he had bound her. The painand fear in her eyes made him