Finding Forever Page 3

  “Who the fuck are you?” I snarled at the man in front of me. My vision had cleared thanks to the impromptu cold shower, but I didn’t recognize him. He looked at me and smiled.

  “I said, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?”

  I was seething now and all this motherfucker could do was grin.

  “Calm down Charlie boy, no point in upsetting yourself. We’ve a long way to go yet.”

  Bloody cryptic answers, a long way to go…where the hell was I? The last thing I remembered was…..

  “Liz, where’s Liz?”

  “Ah, now you’re remembering. I wouldn’t worry about that pretty little wife of yours, she’s most likely feeding all the seagulls and wildlife on the island now.”

  The island, oh god yes, our honeymoon, the yacht….it sank. My memories flooded back.

  “If you’ve touched her I swear you’ll pay.”

  I tried to lash out once more pulling on my bonds. The sharp sting of flesh tearing stopped me from doing any more damage.

  “Tut, tut, Charlie boy, you’re in no fit state to be making threats. I hold all the cards here. I’m in control, not you.”

  Who the hell was this man? I needed to get answers and fast. I had to find out what happened to Liz and why I was tied up wherever I was. I looked around taking everything in. I was in a small room. It looked like some sort of shack. There was nothing in it. A dirty window was letting in some light, so I knew it was day time, and there was a chair in front of me, and a table in the corner of the room, but nothing else. I couldn’t make out anything outside the window, not from my position on the floor anyway.

  “So, Charlie boy, you recognize me yet?”

  I looked into the pitiful face of my captor. His dark brown hair was long and shaggy and fell over his forehead. His eyebrows were narrowed and his pitiful blue eyes glared at me with brown bags underneath. He had a scruffy beard like he hadn’t shaved in months. His cheeks were sunken and his skin was pale. I didn't recognize him. I gritted my teeth. Revenge was going to be so sweet I thought before answering.

  “No, should I?”

  “Look a little closer. Cast your mind back five years. When you were still just Charlie Parker, a nobody trying to make it big.”

  I was pissed off now. Who the fuck was this little jumped up shit who thought he could kidnap me? I was Charlie Parker and yeah I had money and lots of it, but that wasn’t a reason for this. I tried to think back five years. Had I wronged someone. He didn’t look to be any older than me and I didn’t remember anything major from that time.

  “Nope, can’t say I remember you.”

  I knew I was getting to him. The smile vanished from his face and he was pacing back and forth, clenching his fists. His dark brown boots kicked at the floor and although his leather jacket was supposed to make him appear menacing, I found myself laughing.

  “Find this amusing do you Charlie boy?”

  He turned and anger flashed in his eyes as he pulled a knife from his jacket.

  “Let’s see how pretty that smile is when it spreads from ear to ear, shall we?

  He held the knife at the corner of my mouth adding just enough pressure so that it pierced my skin.

  “What do you want?” I asked tilting my head back away from the blade.

  “Revenge, I want revenge. You took everything from me and I’m gonna make you pay. You think you’re untouchable in your big penthouse with all your money and luxury, but I know you. I know your kind and when I’m finished you’ll know what it’s like to lose everything.”

  His nose almost touched mine as he spoke, spit sprayed my face as he raged.

  “You’re going to pay Charlie boy, and I’m going to be the one to make it happen.”

  He was fucking nuts, a psycho. I needed to keep him talking so that I could find out more. The more he talked, the more I could plan my escape.

  “So we know each other then and I obviously wronged you somehow?”

  He was pacing again but turned suddenly. His eyes were dancing.

  “You took everything from me…. everything.”

  He combed his fingers through his lank brown hair, lifting it away from his forehead, deep in thought. If I had to guess, I’d say he was remembering this so called wrong I had inflicted on him five years ago. I thought back. At that time, I was just starting my company, just beginning to make something of myself. I still couldn’t place this guy though. Something about the way he kept pulling his hair seemed familiar, like a memory itching at the back of my brain but it wouldn’t come. I tried wriggling my hands again to loosen the ropes while I watched him pace. He was still holding the knife, a threat that I could do nothing about. My hands were bound tight but with the blood seeping into the rope I might just be able to get them free if I kept trying.

  “So, where are we?” I asked.

  He turned and smirked. “Someplace no one will ever find you, and even if they do, by the time they get here you’ll be nothing but a rotting corpse.”

  “So you’re planning to kill me then?”

  I had to keep him talking, convince him that I wasn’t afraid. I knew Liz, she’d have the police looking for me. Thoughts of Liz filled my mind and I couldn’t help but smile. I recalled our wedding vows, dancing on the yacht, and……oh shit, the small explosion in the engine room that caused the yacht to sink, Liz was…. she was okay, I vaguely remembered the water and swimming, but she was alive, we made it to the beach. I know we did. I remembered her crying and then nothing. I had to get this son of a bitch to talk, to tell me what he’d done to her. If he’d harmed her in any way, I swear he’d pay.

  “Oh yes, you’re going to die alright but not until I’ve destroyed you, taken everything from you. You’re going to regret ever interfering in my life.”

  He was still pacing and I could see that his body was trembling. His grip on the knife wouldn’t hold if it kept up. My mind was reeling and I still had no fucking idea who he was.

  “Look, mate, I really have no idea who you are. Perhaps if you tell me we can work this out.”

  I was trying to be diplomatic, use my business dealing skills. It didn’t work. He turned, the look in his eyes told me he was definitely unstable.

  “You don’t know me huh, well believe me Charlie boy, by the time I’m finished with you, my name will be the last thing you ever fucking forget. You think you’re so smart, so fucking clever, but I knew, I knew you had her and I waited and waited till you let her go. You think you did good, but you, you Charlie fucking hot shot, you fucking killed her. It was all your fault,” he said waving his hands in the air.

  He was losing it now. I’d never killed anyone.

  “Who, who did I fucking kill?” I shouted at him. He was pissing me off now, tying me up, thinking he could keep me captive. He was wrong when he’d said I’d pay, very wrong because when this shit was over it would be my name that he’d scream with his last breath.

  I pulled hard against the ropes on my wrist, searching the floor for anything I could grab with my feet. It was a mistake. I only took my eyes off him for a second but in that time, he was on me. His hand gripped my throat as he leaned into my face, snarling like a crazed lunatic.

  “Susan,” he spat at me. “You fucking killed Susan.”

  He let go shaking his head. His body was trembling with rage.

  “Who the fuck is Susan?” I shouted.

  With that, he lashed out. The knife he gripped tightly sliced down the side of my face tearing my skin open. I felt the blood trickle down my cheek as I jerked my head back away from him.

  “Don’t you speak her name,” he screamed as he began pacing and mumbling to himself.

  Susan, the name rattled around in my head. Susan, five years ago. These were my only clues as I wracked my brains trying to come up with what I had done. Five years ago, I’d just bought my apartment. I thought back to that time and then it hit me. Susan, the girl who’d broken in, the thief I’d caught. She’d been trying to break into the safe when I’d caught her a
nd she’d put up one hell of a fight. I locked her in one of the rooms while I decided what to do. Man, she kicked and screamed for hours before she went quiet. It was the silence that got to me in the end and I went into the room to make sure she was okay. She was splayed out and barely breathing. As I moved closer to her I noticed the needle marks in her arms. She’d been high and now she was just out of it. There was something about her fragile state that spoke to me, made me want to help her. And I did. I didn’t call the police and have her carted away. Instead, I sat with her, trying to offer some comfort as I waited for help to arrive. I remembered how she mumbled different names over and over again while I sat and reassured her that she would be fine. She spat in my face and was so full of anger when my mom’s friend came to take her away. I’d had no choice. I had no idea how to deal with a drug addict, but I knew my mother had connections and she wouldn’t ask any questions. We organized a private rehabilitation center for her and I visited a number of times over the next couple of weeks as she detoxed and got clean. On my last visit, she thanked me for saving her life. How could I have forgotten her?

  I shook my head, breaking free from the memories as I watched my crazed kidnapper pace back and forth, muttering to himself. His shakes were getting worse.

  “I didn’t lay a finger on her, you’re Susan. All I did was help her.” I said aloud.

  On hearing my words, he turned again, the rage in his eyes so noticeable.

  “You took her from me and now you will pay. You will pay with your life and the lives of all those who mean something to you. You think you helped her, you didn’t. You’re the one who killed her.”

  He was screaming at me now, the knife swinging through the air as he waved his arms about. I had to get him to calm down or I wasn’t going to last much longer. The ropes that bound my wrists were too tight and my efforts to loosen them had failed. My body was tired and I could feel myself slipping. I needed to stay awake, stay focused until help arrived. I swallowed hard. I was so thirsty. How long had I been without water and what was the likelihood of getting any from this lunatic? He’d stopped pacing now and my senses were on high alert. I’d seen this before, addicts coming down off a high were so unpredictable. One wrong word and I was toast. I should have seen it earlier, should have noticed, but my thoughts were on Liz and escape. He was on the edge right now and he needed another fix and soon. Did he have it with him? Was he gonna have to leave? If he did leave it could give me a chance to plan my escape and call for help.

  “There is no escape for you Charlie boy, none. I will decide when your time is up you hear?”

  He must have seen me looking around. He was clever I’d give him that, but he was still going to need his fix and while he was high and oblivious to me, I would make my move. My throat was beginning to close and I was struggling to even make enough spit to swallow.

  “I need water” I coughed.

  “Do you now,” he glared.

  He seemed to stop and think before moving to the furthest corner of the room. I couldn’t see him now but I heard a tap run. I licked my dry lips in anticipation. He walked slowly back towards me, the cup in his hand trembling. Drops of water were spilling on the dusty floor. I licked my lips again and he smirked.

  “You really want it don’t you Charlie boy? Well here you go” he said throwing the cup of water in my face. The water splashed all over me and my tongue lashed out trying to capture as much as I could, licking the remains that trailed down to my chin.

  “I ain’t giving you nothing, I’m gonna enjoy watching you beg for your life.”

  “You sick son of a bitch, you’ll pay for this,” I snapped.

  It was a very foolish move but I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t putting up with this anymore. I pulled on the ropes feeling them shred my skin but I didn’t care, I’d had enough of this shit now. He was going to pay. I rattled my wrists back and forth, pulling with all my strength. It was no fucking use; the ropes weren’t giving an inch.

  All the while he stood staring, smirking at me and I could feel my blood boil.

  Oh, when I get out of here he’d pay. He’d curse the day he ever heard the name, Charlie Parker.

  I slumped back against the post I was tied to. Defeated and exhausted.

  “Finished now?”

  I looked away from him in disgust. All I wanted to do was pound his face till there was nothing left of it and he knew it.

  “Tut, tut, Charlie boy, tantrums won’t get you anywhere. I have a special treat for you.”

  I turned my gaze towards him. He was holding a syringe coming closer to me.

  “It’s a little present just for you Charlie boy, let’s see if your body likes it, shall we?”

  “Get the fuck away from me,” I shouted kicking out with my feet.

  “Now, now, you’ll only feel a little prick, and then I promise you’ll feel so much better.”

  He was getting closer now and there was nothing I could do. I thrashed as much as I could until he held the knife to my throat.

  “Keep it up and I’ll slice you from ear to ear.”

  I stilled. I had no choice. I had to survive this for Liz. I had to get out of here and find her. She was my world and I had promised her, till death do us part. That wasn’t going to be today. I felt the sting of the needle and the cold fluid entering my arm. I felt it seep into my system slowly clouding my mind as darkness took over.

  LIZ

  It took a little over an hour before the island came into sight. I’d spent that time thinking about Charles. How we’d met, how he’d helped me to feel again after losing my parents, and how I’d fallen hopelessly in love with him. He’d pulled me from rock bottom and without him I’m sure I wouldn’t be alive today. I didn’t tell John this little detail, how my mind had fractured, how I’d lost my will to live after my parents were mowed down by a drunk driver. I needed him to believe I was sane if I was ever going to get to the island. I’d explained as much as I could remember about the explosion on the yacht. My memories were still a little hazy, but at least I knew it was from the drugs that had been found in my system. I still had no clue how they got there but that didn’t matter. Once I found Charles he would take care of everything. He would fix things and I’d be safe again.

  The island was getting closer now and I could just about make out the beach.

  “I’m almost there Charles,” I whispered into the sea air. “We’ll be together soon.”

  “We’ll anchor here,” John said pulling me from my memories. “We’ll take the small boat, water’s too shallow to take this girl any further.”

  “Okay,” I mumbled, my eyes firmly fixed on the beach.

  “Come on then,”

  I stood and moved to the side where John was untying ropes.

  “You jump in and I’ll lower the boat down.”

  “Huh,” I said looking confused.

  “The small boat, it’s just over the edge, you hop in first and I’ll lower us down.”

  I nodded and climbed into the small boat. John followed and lowered us down into the calm waters before grabbing the oars. His strong arms moved back and forth as our small boat headed in the direction of the island, and Charles.

  As it got nearer time seemed to slow, seconds passing like minutes, minutes like hours until I saw it. Flocks of seagulls circling and diving to the sand, pulling and tugging.

  Oh my god Charles, they’re eating Charles.

  I didn’t give it a second thought before I plunged into the sea. My mind was focused only on getting to him, rescuing him. I needed Charles. I was nothing without him. Swimming as fast as I could I buried the images of what those seagulls were doing in the back of my mind.

  “Liz, what the hell are you doing?” I heard John shout from the boat.

  I ignored him focused only on getting to that beach, to my Charles. I stood as soon as I could, and ran through the shallow waves with my hands above my head, screaming and shouting at the birds circling Charles’ body. It was still the
re, exactly as I left it.

  “Oh Charles,” I sobbed as I fell to my knees in front of him.

  I couldn’t bring myself to look at the damage those birds would have inflicted. I buried my head in my hands and let the tears flow.

  “I’m so sorry I left you. I’m so sorry….”

  “Liz.”

  I heard John but my mind just wouldn’t compute. I was lost in a sea of grief.

  “Liz, look at me.”

  I raised my head, his tone was so soft I couldn’t help myself.

  “It’s not him Liz, look.”

  I lowered my eyes taking in Charles’ black slacks covering his long legs, moving up to the white shirt that covered his muscular chest. It was still covered in his blood. I swallowed deeply before bringing my eyes to his face. I stared in silence. It wasn’t my Charles. This was something else. There were tears in the skin, but no blood. What was it?

  “What is it?” I asked looking up at John.

  He nodded his head, his hand placed across his nose. I hadn’t even noticed the smell but it wafted through my nostrils now and I felt my stomach heave. It was the same smell I remembered. The smell of death.

  “It’s a dummy, Liz. It’s not Charles,” he said moving closer and dropping to his knees to get a closer look.

  “Someone did a pretty good job of setting this up. That stench, that’s rotten blood. The dummy is covered in it.” He said lifting the arms and letting them drop, before inspecting the tears in the dummy’s face.

  My body was in shock. I didn’t know what to think. It looked like Charles. It was dressed like Charles, but I could see now that it wasn’t him. My hands were shaking as I reached out to touch whatever it was that was in front of me. I hesitated as my hand got closer. My fingertips brushed off the body and it felt cold, but not flesh cold if that makes sense. It felt like rubber. I gripped the arm harder, it squashed in my hand. There were no bones. John was right, it was a dummy. I felt bile rising and turned my head emptying the contents of my stomach onto the sand. Feeling better I took in a deep breath.