Illusion of Luck Read online

  **********

  Greg had been sitting on the bed, staring at the wall ever since he hung up with Sandy.

  There was a knock at the door.

  He opened it and saw Sandy and some woman holding a briefcase.

  “Hey, Man. You okay?”

  Greg looked pitiful. “No.”

  Sandy gave him a big hug. “I’m sorry, Buddy.”

  “Come on in.”

  “This is Rebecca Ranghorn. I met her tonight at the reception and we just kinda hit it off.” He smiled at her.

  Rebecca shook Greg’s hand. “Glad to meet you.”

  She must be an old friend of Cynthia’s, thought Greg. “So, what’s going on, Sandy? What do you know about this?”

  “Well, Rebecca was on her way home when her car broke down. So, I gave her a ride. And she was telling me that she thought you and Cynthia might be in danger. It all sounded crazy, but it was bugging the heck out of me, so I called you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner,” said Rebecca. “But it was just a hunch. And you would have thought I was nuts.”

  Greg knew she was right.

  “My best friend was murdered Thursday night,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Greg.

  “Thanks. We were law partners. And I believe that the man who killed her is writing a book about it on the internet. And in the book, he talked about a redheaded woman he was obsessed with, and that she was getting married on Saturday.”

  Greg listened in disbelief.

  Rebecca went on. “So, I searched the web looking for all women who were getting married today in Texas who also happened to have red hair. The only one I found was Cynthia.”

  “Oh, no.”

  Sandy jumped in. “But the good news is that this guy will probably write about whatever he’s doing. So, we’re hoping the book will lead us right to him.”

  “Well, have you checked? Has he written anything else?”

  “We don’t know. But Rebecca has her laptop.”

  “Does this room have wireless?” she said.

  “I think so,” said Greg. He hadn’t cared. He had planned to spend all night making love to his wife—not browsing the web.

  Rebecca opened her case, took out the laptop, and turned it on.

  She went to the site and found Barry Undermine’s page.

  “No new chapters. Sorry.”

  “I’ll call the police,” said Greg. “And report her missing.” He took out his cell phone.

  “It’s too soon to file a missing persons report,” said Rebecca. “She could have just changed her mind. You know—the old runaway bride scenario.”

  “But we know better,” said Greg. “We know this guy took her. You have proof in his book.”

  “Think about it, Greg,” said Sandy. “Think about how it’s going to sound to the police.”

  “We’ve got to find her ourselves,” said Rebecca. “Because the longer she’s gone, the less likely she’ll ever be found. And the more likely he’ll…”

  “You think he’ll killher?” said Greg.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But we know he’s already killed at least one person.” She saw the bouquet of red roses on the shelf and nodded at them. “Did you buy those?”

  Greg and Sandy turned around to see what Rebecca was looking at.

  “No,” said Greg. “I hadn’t even noticed them.” He hadn’t noticed anythingabout the room but the bed.

  Sandy walked to the bouquet and picked it up. “The card says, ‘to Greg and Cynthia,’ but it doesn’t say who it’s from.”

  Rebecca walked to where Sandy was standing and studied the flowers and the vase. She ran her fingers along the inside of the vase and found something. “Look at this.” She held up a tiny object.

  “What is it?” said Greg.

  “It’s a bug. That’s how he knew what you were doing.”

  “But how did he get Cynthia to go with him?” said Greg. “And why didn’t she scream?”

  “He probably had a gun pointed at her,” said Sandy.

  Greg couldn’t bear the thought of his precious baby in such danger.

  Rebecca walked back to her laptop. “All we can do is wait.”

  Chapter17

  It was just after 1:30 AM on Sunday morning when Larry exited I-45 and pulled over at Bill’s 24-Hour Coffee Shop.

  Cynthia noticed the ‘Free Wireless’ neon sign in the window.

  “Hungry?” Larry sounded almost human, cordial.

  “No.”

  “Well, we’re going to be here for a while, so you might want to reconsider.”

  When they walked in, Cynthia thought the coffee smelled good. But the cigarette smoke didn’t. She read the limited menu, which was posted on the wall behind the counter. A single cup of coffee was one dollar. A never-ending cup was $1.99. Looking around at the patrons, Cynthia doubted any of them opted for the single cup.

  There was a 300-pound bearded man in an undersized plaid shirt and jeans sitting at a table with a skinny guy in a white T-shirt and a faded Chicago Bulls cap. Truckers, she thought.

  On the other side of the room was a very old couple, smoking and sipping coffee. They sat in silence, staring at nothing in particular. Their sad, worn faces seemed to know their shriveled bodies would be laid to rest soon.

  Larry selected a booth in the rear and they sat down. He took out his laptop and opened it. Then he lit his pipe and began to puff on it.

  “I need to go to the ladies room,” said Cynthia.

  “Okay.”

  She picked up her purse and started to go.

  “Wait.” He pointed to her purse. “Dump everything out on the table.”

  She frowned, but obeyed him.

  He fingered through the pile and picked up her cell phone and said, “Okay. And by the way, the watch has a little mike in it.” He grabbed the small earpiece that had been dangling on a wire running out the top of his shirt. He smiled at her as he put it in his ear.

  Cynthia tried to act as if she couldn’t care less. She put the stuff back into her purse and walked to the bathroom.

  Larry logged in, and began reading comments from his fans. He didn’t even look up when the waitress arrived for his order. “The never-ending coffee,” he said in a rude voice. “That’s all, for now.”

  Cathy didn’t appreciate his attitude. Just because she was a few years past her prime didn’t give him the right to treat her that way. Ten years ago, she thought, or maybe twenty, he would have been drooling all over her tight body. Every day she heard her mother’s voice:

  Mark my words, Cathy. You’re gonna to live to regret dropping out of college. The tips are great right now, but one day they’ll start to dry up. And then what are you going to do?

  Shut up, Mama, she thought. The loss of income didn’t bother her nearly as much as the loss of respect. Or, maybe she never really had gotten any respect. But at least the bozos used tolust for her. These days she got no validation whatsoever.

  Larry was elated by all the positive comments. Wait until they read the nextchapter, he thought.

  Cathy delivered the coffee pot and poured his first cup. He watched her walk away, but was unimpressed by the view.

  The next comment was different from the others.

  I am a serious student of literature, so please do not think it trivial when I proclaim my adoration for you. Your writing invigorates my inner being. With every syllable of every word, I find my soul increasingly engorged by the powerful stroke of your pen. You may find the intensity of my passion inexplicable. But I assure you it is quite real.

  Thence, it is incumbent that I seek a rendezvous, so that I may bask in the radiance of your fertile mind, while you explore the wonders of my virginal body.

  Your fervent admirer, Chaucey.

  Larry didn’t know whether the woman was crazy or just really turned on. But he wasn’t too surprised his writing could have such an affect on a woman.

  She had inclu
ded her picture. Chaucey was a breathtakingly beautiful, sexy young woman.

  But hislove was only for Cynthia.

  What was taking her so long? He rushed to the ladies room and discretely slipped in.

  Cynthia was standing at the mirror staring at herself. “This is the ladiesroom. Do you mind?”

  Larry looked around. He checked each stall. Then he checked again—but this time he went inside each one to look at the back of the door. “What’s this?”

  Cynthia didn’t answer.

  “Did you really think you could get away with this? Wet some paper towels and get in here and clean it off.”

  Cynthia had used an eyebrow pencil to write:

  Please call the police. I have been abducted by Larry Luzor. Cynthia Blockerman Tenorly.

  She had added her Social Security number at the bottom.

  He waited while she wiped off her message. Then he checked it. “Now, scribble all over the door.”

  She followed his orders, erasing every discernible trace of her cry for help.

  “Now, you will go back out there and behave. Right?”

  She frowned at him. “Right.”

  She’ll come around, he thought. She just needs time.

  When they walked out of the ladies room everyone was still in their places. They apparently hadn’t seen or heard anything.

  Larry sat down on his side of the table and began typing on his laptop.

  Cynthia took her place across from him. After a few seconds she decided a little rest might make her feel better. For now, she would give up on getting away. She would think more clearly after a nap.

  **********

  Greg sat on the edge of the bed with his head bowed, and prayed silently.

  Oh, God, please don’t let anything happen to Cynthia. You gave her to me, Lord. You wanted us to be together, didn’t you? I beg you to protect her. Please don’t let him hurt her.

  “We’ll find her, Buddy,” said Sandy.

  “If anything happens to her I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “I know. But it wasn’t yourfault.”

  Greg stood up. “Maybe it was.”

  Rebecca looked up from her laptop.

  “What are you talking about,” said Sandy.

  “Remember when I got that call on the night of the rehearsal?”

  “Oh, yeah—the prank call.” said Sandy.

  “Maybe it wasn’t a prank. And I got another call after that. I missed the second one, but he left a message.”

  “You didn’t tell me about thatone,” said Sandy.

  “What did the guy say?” said Rebecca.

  “He said there were things I didn’t know about Cynthia and that she would rip my heart out.”

  “Okay, that’s good to know,” said Rebecca.

  “Why?” said Greg.

  “Because it sounds very much like what’s in the book. And if that’s the guy who took her—and I think it is—then he has a romanticinterest in Cynthia.”

  Greg looked puzzled.

  “Why do you say that?” said Sandy.

  “When Greg got those calls, he thought they were a prank. But they were reallyan attempt by the caller to get Greg to postpone or cancel the wedding,” she said.

  Greg and Sandy looked at each other, both waiting for the other to talk first.

  Rebecca got up and walked to where they were standing. “Don’t you see, Greg? He wanted you out of her life so hecould have her.”

  “You really think that’s it?” said Sandy.

  “Sure. And when his calls didn’t work and Greg married her anyway, he had to go to Plan B: steal her away before the marriage was consummated.”

  Sandy grimaced. “How do you know it wasn’t already consum—“

  “—it wasn’t,” said Greg.

  “But, look on the bright side, Greg,” she said. “If he’s in love with her, he won’t want to hurther.”

  Greg tried to perk up. “Yeah…I guess not…”

  “Until she rejects him,” said Sandy.

  Rebecca slapped Sandy across the shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, Greg,” said Sandy.

  Rebecca walked back to her laptop. “Hey. He posted a new chapter.”

  “What does it say?” said Greg.

  “Let’s see…yes, he talks about putting the bug in the vase…and about making the phony call…and the abduction of his beloved redhead. They’re headed south on I-45 toward Houston.”

  “But how do we know he’s not feeding us bad information?” said Greg.

  Rebecca grinned. “Because he doesn’t know that weknow his pseudonym—Barry Undermine.”

  “How dowe know that?” said Greg.

  Sandy jumped in. “She found it in a trashcan when she broke into his house.”

  “What?” Greg didn’t know what to think of Sandy’s new friend.

  “It’s okay,” said Sandy. “Rebecca is a lawyer anda private eye.”

  Rebecca closed her laptop and jumped up. “Let’s head for Houston, Guys.”

  “But we don’t know exactly where he’s going,” said Sandy. “And if he goes to Houston—that’s a big city.”

  “Well, at least we know his generaldirection,” said Greg as he rushed toward the door.

  “Yeah,” said Rebecca. “He’s going down.”

  Chapter18

  Cathy, the nightshift waitress at Bill’s 24-Hour Coffee Shop, walked to the booth in the back and started cleaning up Larry’s mess. She was not at all surprised by his lousy tip.

  He had sat there on his computer for nearly three hours, sucking down three pots of coffee and devouring four apple crumb muffins. The stench of his smoldering pipe tobacco would take hours to dissipate.

  She could tell that the redhead didn’t want to be there. Cathy didn’t blame her. And the woman never even had anything to eat or drink. The jerk probably wouldn’t allow it.

  There was a napkin on the woman’s side of the table that had been used and neatly refolded. Odd, she thought. She picked it up, opened it, and saw smeared mascara. She had thought the woman might have been crying. Probably being abused. Cathy knew something about that. Leave him, Honey—he’ll never change.

  **********

  It was 6:02 AM when Greg pulled into the IHop parking lot in The Woodlands. Funny name for a city, he thought: TheWoodlands. Why not just Woodlands?But he didn’t really care what the name of the city was. He just wanted to get Cynthia back—safe and sound.

  Sandy had called his cell and suggested they get some breakfast. Greg didn’t want to stop, but he wasfeeling a little weak.

  “I’m starving, Man,” said Sandy as he got out of his car. He and Rebecca had kept each other wide awake by exchanging stories about themselves.

  “You were driving awfully fast, Greg,” said Rebecca.

  “Sorry,” said Greg, even though he really wasn’t.

  “No,” she said. “I liketo go fast.”

  Sandy caught the double meaning, and smiled at Rebecca. She smiled back at him, but he wondered whether she was smiling for the same sexy reason.

  Greg saw different smiles than he had seen between them earlier at the hotel. Like two people with a secret. Like two lovers. Lovers? How could they be lovers? They’d been driving down the interstate at 85 mph. Although…he wouldn’t put it past Sandy to attempt it. I must be getting delirious, he thought.

  As soon as they had been seated, Greg got up to walk to the bathroom. On the way, he passed a table that had not yet been cleaned, and stopped in his tracks. There was a paper napkin that had obviously been used and then neatly refolded. And the silverware had even been placed back on top of it.

  “Did you see who was sitting here last?”

  The waitress seemed uneasy with his question.

  Why? What did she know that she was not saying? Then he realized the wild look in his eyes was probably scaring her.

  He spoke confidentially. “I’m sorry. My girlfriend is missing, and I thought she might have been here.”
r />   “Well, this isn’t my table, but I did notice the woman. She had beautiful red hair.”

  “Yeah—that was her. How long ago did they leave?”

  “Five or ten minutes.”

  Greg rushed to Sandy and Rebecca, who were looking over the menu.

  “We’ve gotta go. Now!”

  “We were just about to order,” said Sandy.

  “They were here. He brought her here.”

  “How do you know?” said Rebecca.

  “I just do. Come on!”

  Greg hustled out of the restaurant, with Sandy and Rebecca close behind.

  As they hurrying to their cars, Greg said. “I saw a napkin. It had been used and then refolded—just like Cynthia does it.”

  “A napkin?” said Sandy.

  “Yes. She always does that. It’s a habit. And the waitress said she had beautiful red hair. I’m telling you—it was Cynthia!”

  “But, Greg,” said Rebecca, “we don’t know which way they went.”

  Greg looked at the cars and trucks flying by in both directions on I-45. “I know, but we can’t just sit around while he gets away. We were so close. They must have just pulled out when we drove in.” An idea flashed through Greg’s mind. “We can split up and go to every gas station and any other place that’s open and ask if they saw them.”

  “Well, it’s only a little after 6:00. Not much is open this early,” said Sandy.

  “That’s good,” said Greg. “That should make it easier. I’ll go south and y’all can go north.”

  “He might not have even got back on the freeway,” said Rebecca.

  Greg waved his arms in the air wildly. “I don’t care. Let’s just go, and hope we get lucky.” He jumped in the Bonneville, cranked up the big V-8 and drove off.

  Sandy shook his head. He wanted to help his buddy, but his stomach wanted to go back inside for tall stack of pancakes. “Let’s go.”

  He and Rebecca got into Sandy’s silver Impala and took the feeder road to the next street, made a U-turn and headed north.

  **********

  “May I help you?”

  The diminutive elderly woman was startled by the huge man standing over her. It was only 8:00 AM, and the grocery store had just opened. If she cried out for help, would anyone even hear her? But then she realized it was only Crow.