Chapter 17

Friday Morning …

D oreen was still in bed the next morning, trying to get herself back into the mind-set of the missing Taser investigation. Yesterday had been one chaotic thing after another, but absolutely nothing had moved in her cold case investigation. She had to admit that now, with some things settled, she really wanted a ton of other things to get settled too. Lying around, she pondered just what that would mean in terms of this case, until she was interrupted by a phone call. She picked it up and answered it cautiously. “Hello?”

At first, silence came on the other end, and then a woman asked, “Is this Doreen?”

The voice was so soft, almost fragile. “Yes,” she replied, and recognition dawned. “Tammy?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice even fainter.

“Are you okay?” More silence came. “Tammy, talk to me.” Doreen bolted to her feet. Tammy started to sob. “Do you need medical attention?” Tammy just sobbed even harder.

Not sure what to do or how to get her to talk, Doreen paced her bedroom, just trying to calm down Tammy. “If you need me to call somebody, you tell me,” she suggested. “I can get help there within a matter of minutes.” She could if she needed to, and she knew it, but, so far, Tammy wasn’t capable of talking. The sobs were real though, and they were heartfelt, which, in a sad way, made Doreen feel better about whatever was going on in Tammy’s world. When a break in her tears finally came, Doreen asked, “Where are you?”

“City Park.”

“So you can walk?”

“Yes, yes, I can walk, but I don’t want to go back to the house.”

“I’m coming down to you at City Park, so just stay there. Meet me at the big pergola with the wisteria. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I know where that is.” Tammy hesitated to get more words out. “I just don’t want him to see me.”

“No, I don’t want him to see you either,” Doreen murmured, “but I’m on my way. So, if you do see him, hide, just let me know where you’ll be.” Tammy ended the call, and Doreen raced to get dressed. She called for the animals, and they all came running. “Come on, guys. Rescue operation time.” And, with the animals in tow, she headed for her car.

As soon as she was in her car, she backed out of the driveway and headed toward City Park. She wondered why everybody always wanted to meet there. It was public and all, but, in a situation like this, did Tammy really want to be out in the open? Or was she not that badly injured and mostly just scared? Doreen hated the doubts that kept creeping in, but she’d seen just enough these last few months to make her wonder about anybody’s motives.

She phoned Nan on the road and explained what happened.

“Oh dear Lord, that poor child.”

“That’s why I’m heading down there right now. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”

“Of course, of course, and remember what we talked about.”

“I know,” she murmured, “but we still have the problem of trying to figure out whether this is for real or not.”

“Or whether Jed is just using Tammy to bring you in,” Nan suggested in a worried tone.

“Let’s hope not, but we’ll find out soon enough,” Doreen noted, “because I’m only a few minutes away.” With that, she disconnected and quickly parked in the same parking lot that Mack had used. Realizing that it could get ugly really fast here, she quickly sent him a text, letting him know where she was and what was going on. As she headed to the boardwalk, knowing she had a few minutes before she reached the pergola, she wasn’t at all surprised when Mack phoned her.

“What’s going on? That wasn’t a very clear text you sent me.”

“No, I’m sorry, but Tammy contacted me, and she was in tears.”

He hesitated. “That’s not necessarily all that unusual.”

“No, it isn’t,” she agreed, recognizing the truth of his words. “She sounded quite desperate though, and almost at the end of her rope.”

“That may be, but she could still be setting you up.”

“ Great ,” she muttered under her breath. “That’s exactly what Nan said.”

“Good. I’m glad Nan’s got her head on straight.… I suppose you’re already down there, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone resigned.

“Already parked and I’m walking toward the pergola.”

“ Great ,” he muttered, then hesitated. “I’m just about to walk into a meeting.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before too,” he muttered. “Call me as soon as you see her. And, if you’re doing anything with her, you’ll let me know, right?”

“I will,” she promised, and she intended to keep her promise, if at all possible. She just didn’t know what she was supposed to do if Tammy was looking for some real serious escape help right now. It’s not as if Doreen had any secret underground network where she could stash her.

As she walked at a staid pace toward the huge wisteria pergola, she pondered what Tammy’s options were. It wasn’t for Doreen to judge how Tammy had gotten here or what she’d done. It was a matter of trying to figure out what serious help could be offered in a way that would give Tammy a realistic chance to get out of this. Doreen hated to admit it, but she didn’t really want to get taken either. After all her years of dealing with Mathew, and all the other cons that had gone on, Doreen definitely didn’t want to see herself getting ripped off.

If she lost a few hundred dollars, that was one thing. It still wouldn’t be nice though because Doreen was slowly regaining her faith in people. Finding out that some weren’t willing to be truthful and honest had been a bit of an eye-opener. Still, Doreen had met enough good people in her world throughout this process, and she knew that not everybody could be painted by the same brush as Mathew. Even now she wondered if he was rolling in his grave because she would inherit everything and would be helping abused women with his money.

Feeling a sense of urgency, she almost broke into a run, so she was out of breath when she got to the meeting place. The animals had run alongside her. As soon as she stopped, they came to a dead halt and just collapsed. She looked around but saw no one here. Her heart sinking, it could have been a ruse. Yet her next thought was more hopeful that Tammy could simply be on her way. Maybe Tammy wasn’t sure at all how this would work.

As Doreen walked forward, she saw a bench up ahead. She sat down to catch her breath, waiting and looking around.

When she heard a whisper of movement behind her, she bolted to her feet and spun around. But instead of just Tammy standing there, a stranger was with her. A stranger with a hard look on his face and a pistol in his hand. Doreen took a deep breath and reached a hand down to calm Mugs, who was even now barking and snarling. “Jed, I presume,” Doreen said calmly. “Is that a police-issued gun by chance?”

One eyebrow shot up, and he gave her a twisted snarl. “Seems you are a little too smart for your own good, aren’t you?”

She tilted her head to the side. “I don’t know about that. Sometimes I’m not quite smart enough.” She looked over at Tammy with a hurt expression. “Did you arrange this?”

Tammy gave a tiny shake of her head, and Jed laughed. “She was acting weird, so I knew she was up to something,” he stated. “Figures she would be talking to a no-good busybody like you,” he muttered.

Doreen stared. “Why am I a no-good so and so? What have I got to do with anything?”

“Oh, don’t tell me lies,” he muttered. “You’re trying to help her escape.”

Doreen’s eyebrows shot up at that. “So, you are holding her prisoner then.”

He stared at her and declared in disgust, “The only reason I’m here was to track down Tammy. Now that I have her, I’m taking her away with me, and you can’t do anything about it.”

Doreen gave him a knowing smile. “I wouldn’t count on that, if I were you. If you had anything to do with any deaths, that will be a whole different story.”

He stared at her. “I didn’t have nothing to do with any deaths.”

“Right, so you’re only worried about making sure that your meal train stays healthy enough for you to continue to work her at nighttime, huh ?”

“I don’t care when she works, nights, days, mornings. I don’t really care. All I’m concerned about is making sure she works. If she doesn’t work, I don’t get any money, and I want my money.”

“You could try getting a job yourself. Even better, why don’t you put your body out on the street for anyone to buy?” she suggested, with a wry smile. “Afraid you wouldn’t get any customers?”

As Doreen mocked Jed, Tammy’s eyes widened.

Jed stared down at Doreen in disbelief. “I don’t know who you are or who you think you are,” he snarled, “but Tammy’s done with you. If she ever talks to you again, I’ll kill her. Do you hear me?”

“Yeah, I just heard you threaten her,” Doreen declared, staring at him intently, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation and how to get Tammy away from him. “That will never go over well.”

Jed barked, “Doesn’t matter if it does or not. She’s done with you, and, if she can’t do that, then she’s done with life.”

“Do you always make threats like that? Are they idle, or will you really kill people? You just told me that you didn’t murder anyone, so it doesn’t make sense that you would make a threat now and have me believe it.”

Jed silently stared at her.

Doreen shrugged. “I’m used to being threatened these days, and yours doesn’t sound particularly awe-inspiring. Maybe you should give it another go.”

His face turned ruddy, as fury overcame him, and he took several steps toward her. Immediately Mugs started to bark and growl. Goliath, who was no longer on a leash, sauntered around behind Jed.

Doreen winced. “You probably should be a little nicer to me right now,” she suggested, staring him in the face. “Otherwise you might end up with a repercussion you’re not happy with.”

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, or who you think you are, but nobody tells me what to do.”

“Right, so it’s back to that control thing.” She brushed her hair away from her face. “I’m really hot and sweaty from the run down here. I thought I would be late. Then I show up, and there’s no Tammy.” She studied the look of true panic in Tammy’s gaze and was relieved to see that Tammy had not set this up. “Look at Tammy. You’ve got her absolutely terrified.”

“Good,” he muttered. “She should be.”

“Why? So you can just beat her up and make her life miserable again? What kind of a human being are you that you can’t even get a job yourself, but you have to terrorize other people into supporting you, just so that you can get some free money?” she asked. “The least you could do is put your own sorry butt out on the street instead. Why do you have to torment Tammy into doing it?”

“Because that’s not the way the world works. It’s all about power and who’s got control.”

“And what happens when I have somebody wrest control away from you? Then what?” Doreen asked.

He laughed. “That ain’t happening, so don’t get any ideas, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, I’m no sweetheart, Jed, and I sure wouldn’t want to be in your position right now. The cops are looking for you already. Did you know an APB is out for you right now—actually for both of you, so that’s an interesting twist.”

“But the cops don’t know I’m here,” he declared, with a smile.

“No, but they do know that I’m here, and they know that Tammy is here,” she replied calmly.

“So then what?” He just stared at her, more fury working alongside his nervousness, as he glanced around several times, as if afraid the cops would jump out of the bushes. But, when nothing happened, he just relaxed and laughed. “Not bad as fakes go,” he said, with a chuckle.

Yet nothing was funny about the words coming out of his mouth.

Jed added, “Still, you should really find something better to do than try to trick me. I really don’t like people playing games.”

“Neither do I,” she stated. “Particularly when it’s guys like you, who live off women and don’t even give them decent food, a nice place to live, or a percentage of the profit. If Tammy was doing this because she wanted to, and she was getting a fair percentage of the profits, that would be a whole different story. But the fact that you’re holding her hostage and that she has no choice in the matter, that’s got to stop.”

“Who’ll stop it?” Jed asked in shock. “You?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Doreen declared, with a nod. “I was talking to my grandmother about it, trying to figure out just what our options were.”

“Your grandmother?”

He didn’t seem to have a clue what she was saying, and she probably didn’t either, if she were honest. It’s not as if this was a conversation she had really planned on sharing with anybody. Doreen nodded. “Yes, my grandma.”

He shook his head. “Look, lady. I don’t know who you are, what you think you’re doing, or what game you’re playing, but Tammy is out of your league. So you leave her alone and stay away. Understand?”

“I understand what your words are saying,” she replied. “I can see the fury in your gaze at the thought that you might lose your breadwinner, but Tammy needs a life. She needs a chance to be herself and to get away from you. She needs to choose what she wants to do, whatever that is. Maybe she’ll go back to school. Maybe she wants a career. Hey, maybe she wants to get married and have a family.”

He snorted at that. “Who’ll want her now? She’s used goods.”

“That’s saying the same thing about every woman who’s had a prior relationship, isn’t it? Very insulting I would say,” she pointed out, staring at him. “I mean, you’re also used goods, and nobody wants anything to do with you. So, from that perspective, I can understand where you’re coming from.”

At this point in time even Tammy stared at Doreen as if she were crazy.

Doreen gave Tammy a reassuring smile. “But, Jed, you can make things a lot easier on yourself right now if you just walk away and leave Tammy alone. I’ll take her with me, and you won’t see her again.”

“But that ain’t happening, remember? The whole point of coming down here is so you understand that she’s mine, and she doesn’t get a choice in this.”

“You’re wrong. She does get a choice in this,” Doreen stated emphatically. “This is her life, and she gets to decide. Now, what choice she wants to make, that’s a different story. A woman who has been beaten and abused tends to not necessarily make the best choices because already so much fear has been ingrained into her mind.”

“Exactly. So even if she chooses to go with you, or would have a choice right now, she wouldn’t make it,” he replied, with a beaming smile. “She’s under my thumb, and that’s where I intend to keep her.”

“Oh, right. Because you’re afraid that she’ll leave you, if you give her a choice.”

“She won’t,” he said. “She’s smart.”

“But she could, otherwise you wouldn’t be so panicked about her having a choice.”

“She does have a choice, and she’s choosing to stay, aren’t you, Tammy?”

“How can Tammy make a real choice if you’re squeezing her arm like that?” Doreen asked. “You are nothing but a bully, using force.”

He immediately dropped Tammy’s arm. “See? Look at her. She knows exactly where her bread is buttered,” he said.

And, with that, Doreen looked at Tammy, raised one eyebrow, and replied, “Your choice.”

Tammy immediately booked it, racing to Doreen’s side. “Lady, you’re crazy, but you’re my kind of crazy.” She turned and faced Jed. “I don’t want to work for you. I don’t want to be a prostitute, and I don’t want anything to do with you ever again.”

He stared at her in shock, then a look of absolute fury crossed his face. “You get your skinny butt back over here,” he yelled, pointing to the ground beside him. “And maybe, just maybe, I won’t beat you within an inch of your life. Or kill you…”

“Yeah, that’ll work to encourage her,” Doreen snapped, crossing her arms.

He lifted his gun to her. “You’re responsible for this.”

“Actually it’s all the abuse you’ve heaped on Tammy that’s done this. Even animals turn on their abusers, and that’s where you’re at right now. So, you can shoot me. You might even kill me, but Tammy will run, long and hard.” Doreen handed Tammy a piece of paper with Nan’s name and phone number. “If he kills me, you get a hold of this woman, and she’ll help you.”

Then she turned to face Jed. “Now, of course you realize that this is happening all in clear view of the city cameras. So the local authorities will know exactly what went on here. Don’t forget about the cops already knowing I’m here.”

“So you say,” he sneered. “Nobody’ll believe you, and, if Tammy doesn’t get back over here right now, I’ll shoot her.”

Doreen glanced at Tammy, who was terrified. So Doreen stepped in between Tammy and Jed, whispered, “Tammy, just run away, and I’ll see you in a little bit.”

The woman shook her head and whispered, “He will shoot me and you both.”

Just then a familiar voice called out, “No, he won’t.”

Doreen looked over to see Chester and one of the other cops she didn’t know quite as well, both standing behind Jed, staring at them all. “If Jed does shoot, he’ll take a bullet himself,” Chester announced, holding his own handgun on Jed. “Now, drop the weapon.”

At that, Jed glared from the cops to the women and back again.

Doreen added, “If you don’t cooperate, Jed, the cops will shoot you. I know that for sure. So, what’ll it be?”

“You really did bring the cops?” he asked.

“Of course I brought the cops. Do you think I’m an idiot? You’re out here, forcing this poor woman into prostitution, not to mention the other woman you’ve got back at your place. We’ll have to free her as well.”

He stared at her and blurted out, “I won’t have any money then.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Well, you’ve still got your body to sell, so maybe you can make some money off that.” Then, giving him an up-and-down look, she shuddered. “Or… maybe not.”

At that, Chester grinned. “Not bad, Doreen.”

“Hey, I’m working on it,” she muttered, and she watched as Jed slowly lowered his handgun, while Chester and his partner disarmed him. As soon as Jed was safely in cuffs, Doreen turned to look at Tammy. “I wasn’t kidding when I said that the cops have an APB out on you.”

Tammy stared at her in shock. “Why me?”

“Because they were worried about your safety.” It was as if the shocks just wouldn’t stop hitting the poor woman, who clearly didn’t understand. Doreen introduced Chester. “Chester, this is Tammy.”

He nodded. “Ma’am, I would like to take you down to the station. You will be safe there, and we need to ask you some questions.”

She gripped Doreen’s hand tightly. “Will you come?”

“Of course. I practically live there these days.”

At that, Chester laughed. “Come on then. Do you have your vehicle?”

“I do. Did Mack tell you that I was down here?”

He nodded. “Yep. He said you were heading into trouble again. Man, I have never met anybody who’s got an eye for trouble the way you do.”

“I think I come by it naturally.”

Chester nodded. “Yeah, you sure do. My mama would have told me that you are trouble all the way.”

“I am, I suppose, but not to everybody, only to the idiots in the world who think they can abuse other people.”

Chester smirked. “Yeah, you’re on our side, and that’s the reason I’m here. Man, oh man, if you ever choose to go on the other side, we’re all in trouble.”