A/N: A lot of you have been waiting for this chapter for a very long time. I have been blocked because this was a logistics nightmare to plot out. I think you will understand why. I have left you with a cliffhanger but I am working on the next chapter and expect to get it uploaded soon.
Thanks
Tina Marie
Chapter Twenty-One
Elizabeth read David and Anne Marie a story before bed while Bill went to the office and arranged a three-way call with Police Chief Goulding and Randall Cole.
He watched the monitors as they spoke, "The plan went off just as you set it up. Elizabeth texted me from the decoy phone when Wickham arrived. I called her and she allowed Wickham to follow her into the house." Bill grinned, "She set the phone down and Wickham took the bait and the phone."
"Once he turns on the phone, we will be able to track him with GPS. In the meantime, we will monitor the garage from the camera and I would be surprised if Wickham did not show up tonight to drain the brake fluid."
"I am stationed at the end of the driveway just in case anything goes wrong." Randall said.
"My men are on alert and ready to move in when you give us the signal." The police chief told them, "How do you think he will lure Mrs. Darcy away from the house?"
"Elizabeth has arranged for her sister Jane to watch the children tomorrow and we are expecting Lydia to show up here on Wickham's orders with an excuse to get Elizabeth out of the house." Bill explained, "Elizabeth will text me to let me know where she is and that she is okay."
"Wickham will most likely call you from Elizabeth's phone or text you with some sort of ruse."
"I'll be playing along to lull Wickham into a false sense of security." Bill said to the men.
"Mr. Darcy, you know this could be dangerous." Chief Goulding reminded him, "We have no idea how far Wickham will go to bring his plans to fruition."
"I know." Bill admitted, "But I have to protect Elizabeth and my kids. They mean the world to me and I want to finish this now. I don't want this haunting us in the future."
"Okay, then we are all set to go." Randall said, "All we need is for Wickham to do his thing. Bill's going to coordinate with me and I will coordinate with you chief."
"That sounds like a plan to me." Goulding agreed, "Good luck to you both."
"Thank you." Bill and Randall said together.
"I'll be in touch when we hear something." Randall told him as they finished the phone call.
Elizabeth stood at the door for a moment as they ended the call before Bill turned around and saw her.
Randall tried to be discrete as he gave them some privacy, "I have to make a phone call, if you'll excuse me." He dialed his phone as he left the room.
"I'm scared." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Bill and he enfolded her into his arms as the tears escaped from her eyes.
"Nothing will happen to our family, Elizabeth. I promise you."
"Bill," Elizabeth sobbed, "Anne Marie has already lost one parent and she can't lose another."
"I promise you." Bill vowed, "I will not let Wickham rob me of the life we are meant to have together."
Bill held Elizabeth in his arms until she was strong enough to smile weakly, "I'm sorry I'm being so foolish."
"You're not foolish," Bill assured her, "You're just scared and I am too."
Bill and Elizabeth watched the monitors and just after midnight, Wickham showed up on the screen in the garage. Bill called Randall and let him know before turning his attention to what Wickham was doing.
First Wickham brought in a canister and manually drained the brake fluid from Bill's truck and into the container. They saw him attach something to the front bumper but after that Bill was confused when Wickham spent a great deal of time in the cab of the truck.
Once he had finished, Wickham disappeared from sight of the cameras. After enough time had passed, Bill called Randall and he came up to the house to watch the tape.
"Wickham didn't come in the front driveway so he must have parked around back and gained entrance from that direction." Randall said after he had watched all of the footage and found Wickham only appeared on the garage camera.
Randall looked at the Darcy's, "You two are dead on your feet and you will have a long day tomorrow so why don't you go off to bed and I will put Chief Goulding on alert."
"Thanks." Bill murmured as he led Elizabeth off to bed.
After their late night, the couple slept in the next morning. Bill received an emergency call from the alarm company that someone had broken into the office on the jobsite and they needed Bill to come to the site.
Bill woke Elizabeth with a kiss, "I'm going to take care of this and I will be back in a little while."
"Bill this could be Wickham getting you out of the house." Elizabeth reminded him.
"I know and I will be careful." Bill dressed quickly, "You will know if Lydia shows up this morning to get you out of the house."
Elizabeth's heart was racing with fear, "Bill, be careful."
"I will be careful, I promise, but you know I have to do this." Bill agreed, "See you in a little while."
"Goodbye." Elizabeth turned away from Bill and snuggled into the covers so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes, "I love you." She said under her breath as the door closed behind her husband.
Just as predicted, Lydia showed up on the Darcy's doorstep a few minutes later.
"Lydia, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked.
"George dumped me." Lydia said without preamble, "He said there was too much drama in my life and he had to free himself of the drama and me."
"Lydia, I'm sorry." Elizabeth moved toward the kitchen, "I know how much you cared about him. Let me get you a cup of coffee."
"No, I don't want coffee." Lydia paced the room, "Remember when I was a kid, you would take me the movies to cheer me up." Lydia said eagerly, "Why don't we go to the movies."
"Lydia, it's only 10:00 am, it's too early to go to a movie." Elizabeth protested.
"There's a screening of my favorite Pride and Prejudice movie and it starts in just over a half-hour." Lydia countered, "I've already checked the time. Come on the kids are at Jane's so when will we get another opportunity for sister bounding."
"Okay." Elizabeth agreed reluctantly.
"Come on, Sis." Lydia rushed, "Get dressed, grab your purse and cell phone and let's go."
"I lost my cell phone." Elizabeth said as if confiding in her sister, "I haven't had time to get it replaced yet."
"No worry's, we'll be in a theatre and you're not allowed to have a cell phone on anyway."
"Let me get a quick shower." Elizabeth said with a smile, "It'll wake me up."
Elizabeth grabbed her clothes and her cell as she went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and sent Bill a short text. Just moments later she got a text back saying that there was no break in and the call had been just a ruse to get him away from the house.
When Elizabeth came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, she was freshly showered and dressed. She said, "I'd better call Bill and let him know where we're going to be so he doesn't worry."
"We don't have time." Lydia insisted as she grabbed her sister's hand, "You can call him from my cell at the theatre. Let's go."
She tugged on Elizabeth's hand and led her from the room. They arrived at the theatre just minutes before the movie was starting.
"Lydia, I need to borrow your cell phone for a minute to call Bill."
Lydia pulled a phone from her pocket, "Damn, I forgot to charge my phone last night and it's dead."
Bill waited impatiently in his car for the alarm company to get back to him. He'd already checked the office and found no signs of a break in.
Bill's phone rang and he saw the phone number for the decoy phone and he sighed as he said aloud, "It's showtime!"
He answered the phone, "Elizabeth?"
"No this Patrolman Denny," The voice at the other end of the phone said, "Your wife, Elizabeth Darcy has been involved in an accident on Hwy 29 going toward Lake County. She has sustained life-threatening injuries and has been air-lifted to St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake. She has been asking for you and we have reason to believe, she may not have long to live."
"I will be there as soon as possible." Bill's heart raced with fear even though he knew this wasn't the truth but just the thought of Elizabeth laying dying in a hospital was horrific for him to contemplate.
He texted Elizabeth and hoped that he would receive a response to alleviate his fears.
Elizabeth felt the vibration as she received a text. She tried to find a moment to read and respond but Lydia was keeping a watchful eye on her and never gave her an opportunity.
Bill made it to the Calistoga in record time and he turned left onto Hwy 29. He saw a car parked along a pull off and was at once suspicious. He began the an extremely dangerous part of the drive as he started up the twisting, turning road that went high into the mountains before coming back down on the other side.
Wickham watched as Bill drove past his car on Hwy 29. As the car passed he pulled out an electronic device to override and jam the electronic mechanisms on Darcy's truck. He was dressed in a police uniform provided to him by Saunderson. After Darcy passed he used police barricades to block off the entrance to the mountainous road.
He called Saunderson, "He's heading your way, are you all set."
"Yes, I've had the roadway barricaded on the Lake County side and am being provided assistance by the Lake County Sheriff's department." Detective Saunderson explained, "I went with our story about the fatal car accident and they are providing traffic control. I have my car blocking the roadway and I have just laid down the spike track. I can assure you, Darcy will not survive."
"You'd better be true to your word, Saunderson because you know I have enough on you to send you to prison for the rest of your life without the possibility of parole."
"I said I'm taking care of Darcy and I will." Saunderson's rage was barely controlled.
After the phone call had ended; Wickham started his car and drove back towards Concord. Now that Darcy's fate was sealed, it was time for him to execute the final phase of his plan.
The first thing Bill Darcy saw as he approached the zenith of the mountain was a large nondescript car blocking the roadway. He pumped his brakes and the truck slowed slightly. To his horror, he felt the truck run over something and as his tires were punctured, he heard with sickening finality multiple bangs as he lost control of the truck.
His truck headed for the cliff as he tried one last time to get the truck stopped and to change direction. He pulled the door handle but it would not open so he clicked the electronic door locks but there was no response. He clicked the button to roll down the windows but the windows were jammed.
Bill willed himself not to panic as he noticed his tool belt on the seat next to him. He grabbed the hammer and smashed out the back window of the cab. He slid through the broken glass until he fell into the bed of the truck. He scrambled to his feet and threw himself out of the truck as the vehicle plummeted over the embankment and rolled end over end down the side of the mountain.
As Bill lay on the ground with the wind knocked out of him, he heard the horrendous sound of crunching metal as his truck was destroyed. It took a minute or two for him to be able to get to his feet. When he did, Bill felt in his pockets for his cell phone and with dawning comprehension, he realized he had laid it on the seat of the truck.
Bill heard a helicopter overhead and looked up in surprise to see a local news chopper.
Saunderson watched with horror as Bill Darcy dove out of the truck bed before it disappeared over the embankment. Further fueling his horror was the fact that the truck did not explode as Wickham assured him it would. The spike track Saunderson had used was imbedded in the back tires of the truck and would be discovered with the investigation into the accident. Wickham had guaranteed to him that the explosive he had planted on the bumper would destroy all of the evidence that this was anything other than a traffic accident.
In full panic mode, Saunderson started his car and gunned the engine as he headed down the mountain towards Calistoga. He tried Wickham's cell phone but there was no answer. I have to get out of here, Wickham has screwed me!
Chief Goulding raced up Hwy 29 towards Darcy's location when he spotted the unmarked police unit barreling down the road. Chief Goulding radioed the Napa Sheriff's officers who were waiting at the bottom of the mountain and told them to pick up Detective Saunderson for the attempted murder of William Darcy.
As Chief Goulding reached the summit and saw Darcy, he heard that they had arrested Saunderson.
"Darcy." Goulding started when he saw the blood running down Bill's arms and his ripped clothing, "Are you all right?" The chief said to Bill, "Where's your truck?"
Bill pointed over the side of the ravine, "Down there."
"What the hell happened up here?" The chief demanded, "This was not the plan."
"Saunderson had blocked the road and he had planted spike tracks to blow my tires." Bill shook his head, "Wickham wasn't taking any chances; he wanted me dead."
Chopper 5 News passed over the accident site. "Look down there, isn't that…"
"Damn, I think that's William Darcy's truck," The reporter picked up a pair of binoculars before shouting triumphantly, "Damn, I was right. It has the Darcy Construction logo on the side and Bill Darcy is the only team member who has a dual cab."
"We have an exclusive breaking news story; no one could have survived that crash and this could make my career." The reporter radioed the station and gave them the bulletin.
"Chief, we're getting a call from Napa Sheriff's Department." The dispatcher said to Goulding, "They are asking for confirmation of the death of William Darcy. What should I tell them?"
"Tell them to the run the story." Chief Goulding answered.
Bill was furious, "Why would you confirm such a story?"
"Wickham has eluded capture and I believe that if he thinks you're dead, he will come out of hiding." The chief explained.
"I have to call Elizabeth." Bill demanded, "I lost my cell phone and I need to let her know I'm alive before you announce to the world that I'm dead."
"Bill, I can't let you do that." Goulding shook his head, "You know Wickham's first stop will be to see your wife. Everything will be much more convincing if she thinks even for a second that you've been killed. He has to believe he's won or else he won't show his hand."
Lydia dropped Elizabeth at home after the movie. Elizabeth turned on the television to try to keep her mind occupied. A newsbreak broke into the program and a fresh-faced reporter announced, "Millionaire contractor William Darcy was killed in a horrific car accident earlier today. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth and daughter Anne Marie…"
"No!" Elizabeth screamed as she dropped to her knees.