Beauty Can Be Deadly
Chapter 11
"We found his car," Cheryl informed the group gathered on the deck of the beach house. "It was on Wilson Street and it had a flat tire."
Mark hesitated for a moment while he suppressed the negative images that flashed through his head. "Any signs of an altercation or injury?"
"No, his keys were in the lock of the trunk but it hadn't been opened. We speculate he was grabbed from behind," Cheryl answered.
"Did anyone see anything?" Jesse asked hopefully.
"The man who owns the dry cleaner in front of where Steve stopped said there was a black van in the alley beside his shop when he left for the day. He said he noticed Steve still sitting in the car then. It's an area with small businesses and most of them close at 6pm so things were pretty deserted," Cheryl completed.
"Have you found any trace of Savannah Aldridge?" Amanda asked.
"No, I've been in touch with her parents but they said they haven't talked with her. We've checked the hotel room she shared with Margie Sullivan and didn't find any clues. We suspect she hired some local talent to grab Steve so I've got the word out to my snitches."
"I think it is safe to assume, based on the gifts she sent Steve, that, she doesn't really want to harm him. She has fixated on him for some reason," Mark suggested. "He's probably not in any immediate danger. But that could change quickly."
"When you think back on it, the three women that were murdered all made advances towards Steve. We assumed their deaths were related to the competition when in reality, they were Little Miss Psycho's way of protecting her territory," Jesse added.
"Cheryl, knowing Steve he may very well do or say something that will shatter this woman's illusion. We have to find them before then," Mark stated with a sense of urgency.
~~****~~
Her first name is the same as a city in the South. Myrtle? No. Destiny?...no that's Destin. What is her name? He was interrupted in his continuing struggle to remember her name by the door opening. The bright smiling face of his deranged fiancée announced her arrival.
"Good morning," she drawled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Depends on your definition of well," he responded sarcastically. "It's a little difficult to be comfortable when you are splayed out like a piece of meat on a cutting board."
"Well aren't you a little grumpy gus this morning, and here I was coming in here to give you good news," she stated huffily.
"Lady, the only good news you could give me would be that you have decided to take a brief sabbatical from La La Land and join the rest of us here in the real world," Steve responded. The change in her demeanor was startling. She moved over towards the bed and climbed in beside Steve. She reached her hand up to his hair, and began to lightly run her fingers through it. In the next instant she had gripped a handful and pulled viciously. Steve had been unprepared and couldn't stop the yelp that escaped his mouth.
"You know, I told you once you should be nicer. I don't want to gag you but if you continue to voice hateful thoughts I will," she promised. "I came in here to tell you that our plans have changed. The men I hired have become uncomfortable with the amount of attention your abduction has generated so they are leaving my employment. They have agreed however to help me give you a bath before they go," she happily informed him.
"I assure you I don't need a bath and I am perfectly capable of bathing myself if I need one," Steve informed her.
"Oh, but you do need to get cleaned up. We have had other changes as well. It seems that annoying partner of yours has been bothering my family. I knew I should have killed her when I had the chance. My family is now coming here for the wedding. Aren't you excited?"
"Oh, I'm just glowing with anticipation. Can't you see the excitement on my face?" Steve asked. "I have just one question."
"What question is that lover?" She asked.
"Don't you have to be a willing participant for a wedding? Granted I've only seen them in movies and documentaries but it seems like I recall both parties having to say I Do."
"Well, of course you're right but when one party can't speak if the other party has Power of Attorney they can speak on their behalf," she answered.
"Well I can see a couple of problems with that scenario," Steve responded. "One is that I can speak and secondly you don't have a Power of Attorney."
"Darling, I have taken care of everything. My best friend back home is a nurse and she told me about this great drug that I can inject directly into your throat that will numb your vocal cords," she happily informed him.
"Well that's sounds like it will be a lot of fun. That still leaves the issue of the Power of Attorney."
"That's taken care of as well," she giggled while answering. "Do you remember when I had all the judges signing what I said where letters to encourage the pageant organizers to hold the pageant again next year?"
Steve began to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What you really signed was a Power of Attorney. Am I a clever girl or what?" she inquired.
"I would place my check in the box beside 'or what' if I were you," was Steve's dry response.
"That's not very nice. You know I would have expected you to have more money in the bank. You live with your father and from what I have been able to gather he pays for most of the utilities. What on earth do you do with your money?" she asked.
"You've been to my bank?" Steve barked.
"Well you don't expect me to finance this entire wedding myself do you?" she asked
"What I think, is that you should take the money you are going to spend on this wedding, and instead spend it on some really good anti hallucinogenic drugs," Steve suggested.
"You know, I've been very tolerant but you are starting to annoy me. I think I'll let my friends give you a bath without my help. You know you arrested one of them a couple of years ago? His name is Dave Minter and he seems to be holding a grudge. I'll ask them to not mark up your face. It would ruin the wedding pictures," she informed him in a sing song voice. With that she leaned down to kiss him on the lips and then sauntered out of the room.
~~****~~
"His bank account has been cleaned out," Cheryl announced as she joined Mark, Jesse and Amanda in the doctors' lounge.
"How on earth did she manage that?" asked an amazed Mark.
"A lady matching Savannah Aldridge's description had a Power of Attorney and withdrew the money. I should have the bank security tape in a couple of hours and I'll know for sure then," Cheryl responded.
"Now how would she have gotten Steve to sign that?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know but it is Steve's handwriting. I have years of experience trying to decipher it so believe me I know what it looks like. But, it gets better. She told the teller she was Steve's fiancée."
Amanda spluttered her coffee. "Well I don't need any more convincing that this woman is a few bricks short a load. If she thinks Steve is marriage material she may require more psychiatric help then is possible."
Cheryl laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation. She sobered almost immediately as she brought her thoughts back to the other information she had come to share. "Her entire family has disappeared. Mother, father, brothers and sisters. We also found out that her father is a licensed minister in South Carolina and here in California, and using the Power of Attorney she has filed for a marriage license in their names. If we don't find them soon they may be married by the time we do."
~~****~~
Steve shifted to get comfortable and immediately regretted it. A wave of pain radiated from both his ribs and his lower back. They had honored their boss's request and not touched his face but they had tattooed his ribs and kidneys. His reintroduction to Dave Minter had been particularly unpleasant. He had apparently learned some really nifty tricks in prison about how to inflict pain. He had graduated at the top of the class as best Steve could tell. One good thing had happened during his 'bath' they had called his lunatic fiancée by her name. He now knew the future Mrs. Steve Sloan was named Savannah. Well, it should make it easy to get our towels monogrammed, he giggled to himself. Ok, settle down you're losing it here. He then became aware of his current 'attire' the silk bathrobe had come back to haunt him and he detected the feel of silk in place of his normal cotton boxers. He was interrupted from any further mental investigations by a sound at the door.
"Darling," a voice called as the door was pushed open to reveal the happy face of his captor. She paused briefly as she looked him over from head to toe. "Oh, you look so very handsome. I was planning on saving them for our honeymoon night but I just had to see you in them. I also have your tuxedo for the wedding."
As he caught sight of the tuxedo. He couldn't help himself he started to laugh hysterically. "You've got to be kidding. Have you been watching too much of 'That 70's Show?"
She wore a perplexed look. "What are you talking about? This will go perfectly with my dress."
Steve couldn't believe she was serious. He had not seen a powder blue tux since his high school prom. This one was even worse than that one. It had a matching vest and the lapels and the cuffs were trimmed in dark blue velvet. He had to wonder to himself if things could get any worse and when the door opened again he realized the answer was yes.
Chapter 11
"We found his car," Cheryl informed the group gathered on the deck of the beach house. "It was on Wilson Street and it had a flat tire."
Mark hesitated for a moment while he suppressed the negative images that flashed through his head. "Any signs of an altercation or injury?"
"No, his keys were in the lock of the trunk but it hadn't been opened. We speculate he was grabbed from behind," Cheryl answered.
"Did anyone see anything?" Jesse asked hopefully.
"The man who owns the dry cleaner in front of where Steve stopped said there was a black van in the alley beside his shop when he left for the day. He said he noticed Steve still sitting in the car then. It's an area with small businesses and most of them close at 6pm so things were pretty deserted," Cheryl completed.
"Have you found any trace of Savannah Aldridge?" Amanda asked.
"No, I've been in touch with her parents but they said they haven't talked with her. We've checked the hotel room she shared with Margie Sullivan and didn't find any clues. We suspect she hired some local talent to grab Steve so I've got the word out to my snitches."
"I think it is safe to assume, based on the gifts she sent Steve, that, she doesn't really want to harm him. She has fixated on him for some reason," Mark suggested. "He's probably not in any immediate danger. But that could change quickly."
"When you think back on it, the three women that were murdered all made advances towards Steve. We assumed their deaths were related to the competition when in reality, they were Little Miss Psycho's way of protecting her territory," Jesse added.
"Cheryl, knowing Steve he may very well do or say something that will shatter this woman's illusion. We have to find them before then," Mark stated with a sense of urgency.
~~****~~
Her first name is the same as a city in the South. Myrtle? No. Destiny?...no that's Destin. What is her name? He was interrupted in his continuing struggle to remember her name by the door opening. The bright smiling face of his deranged fiancée announced her arrival.
"Good morning," she drawled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Depends on your definition of well," he responded sarcastically. "It's a little difficult to be comfortable when you are splayed out like a piece of meat on a cutting board."
"Well aren't you a little grumpy gus this morning, and here I was coming in here to give you good news," she stated huffily.
"Lady, the only good news you could give me would be that you have decided to take a brief sabbatical from La La Land and join the rest of us here in the real world," Steve responded. The change in her demeanor was startling. She moved over towards the bed and climbed in beside Steve. She reached her hand up to his hair, and began to lightly run her fingers through it. In the next instant she had gripped a handful and pulled viciously. Steve had been unprepared and couldn't stop the yelp that escaped his mouth.
"You know, I told you once you should be nicer. I don't want to gag you but if you continue to voice hateful thoughts I will," she promised. "I came in here to tell you that our plans have changed. The men I hired have become uncomfortable with the amount of attention your abduction has generated so they are leaving my employment. They have agreed however to help me give you a bath before they go," she happily informed him.
"I assure you I don't need a bath and I am perfectly capable of bathing myself if I need one," Steve informed her.
"Oh, but you do need to get cleaned up. We have had other changes as well. It seems that annoying partner of yours has been bothering my family. I knew I should have killed her when I had the chance. My family is now coming here for the wedding. Aren't you excited?"
"Oh, I'm just glowing with anticipation. Can't you see the excitement on my face?" Steve asked. "I have just one question."
"What question is that lover?" She asked.
"Don't you have to be a willing participant for a wedding? Granted I've only seen them in movies and documentaries but it seems like I recall both parties having to say I Do."
"Well, of course you're right but when one party can't speak if the other party has Power of Attorney they can speak on their behalf," she answered.
"Well I can see a couple of problems with that scenario," Steve responded. "One is that I can speak and secondly you don't have a Power of Attorney."
"Darling, I have taken care of everything. My best friend back home is a nurse and she told me about this great drug that I can inject directly into your throat that will numb your vocal cords," she happily informed him.
"Well that's sounds like it will be a lot of fun. That still leaves the issue of the Power of Attorney."
"That's taken care of as well," she giggled while answering. "Do you remember when I had all the judges signing what I said where letters to encourage the pageant organizers to hold the pageant again next year?"
Steve began to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What you really signed was a Power of Attorney. Am I a clever girl or what?" she inquired.
"I would place my check in the box beside 'or what' if I were you," was Steve's dry response.
"That's not very nice. You know I would have expected you to have more money in the bank. You live with your father and from what I have been able to gather he pays for most of the utilities. What on earth do you do with your money?" she asked.
"You've been to my bank?" Steve barked.
"Well you don't expect me to finance this entire wedding myself do you?" she asked
"What I think, is that you should take the money you are going to spend on this wedding, and instead spend it on some really good anti hallucinogenic drugs," Steve suggested.
"You know, I've been very tolerant but you are starting to annoy me. I think I'll let my friends give you a bath without my help. You know you arrested one of them a couple of years ago? His name is Dave Minter and he seems to be holding a grudge. I'll ask them to not mark up your face. It would ruin the wedding pictures," she informed him in a sing song voice. With that she leaned down to kiss him on the lips and then sauntered out of the room.
~~****~~
"His bank account has been cleaned out," Cheryl announced as she joined Mark, Jesse and Amanda in the doctors' lounge.
"How on earth did she manage that?" asked an amazed Mark.
"A lady matching Savannah Aldridge's description had a Power of Attorney and withdrew the money. I should have the bank security tape in a couple of hours and I'll know for sure then," Cheryl responded.
"Now how would she have gotten Steve to sign that?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know but it is Steve's handwriting. I have years of experience trying to decipher it so believe me I know what it looks like. But, it gets better. She told the teller she was Steve's fiancée."
Amanda spluttered her coffee. "Well I don't need any more convincing that this woman is a few bricks short a load. If she thinks Steve is marriage material she may require more psychiatric help then is possible."
Cheryl laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation. She sobered almost immediately as she brought her thoughts back to the other information she had come to share. "Her entire family has disappeared. Mother, father, brothers and sisters. We also found out that her father is a licensed minister in South Carolina and here in California, and using the Power of Attorney she has filed for a marriage license in their names. If we don't find them soon they may be married by the time we do."
~~****~~
Steve shifted to get comfortable and immediately regretted it. A wave of pain radiated from both his ribs and his lower back. They had honored their boss's request and not touched his face but they had tattooed his ribs and kidneys. His reintroduction to Dave Minter had been particularly unpleasant. He had apparently learned some really nifty tricks in prison about how to inflict pain. He had graduated at the top of the class as best Steve could tell. One good thing had happened during his 'bath' they had called his lunatic fiancée by her name. He now knew the future Mrs. Steve Sloan was named Savannah. Well, it should make it easy to get our towels monogrammed, he giggled to himself. Ok, settle down you're losing it here. He then became aware of his current 'attire' the silk bathrobe had come back to haunt him and he detected the feel of silk in place of his normal cotton boxers. He was interrupted from any further mental investigations by a sound at the door.
"Darling," a voice called as the door was pushed open to reveal the happy face of his captor. She paused briefly as she looked him over from head to toe. "Oh, you look so very handsome. I was planning on saving them for our honeymoon night but I just had to see you in them. I also have your tuxedo for the wedding."
As he caught sight of the tuxedo. He couldn't help himself he started to laugh hysterically. "You've got to be kidding. Have you been watching too much of 'That 70's Show?"
She wore a perplexed look. "What are you talking about? This will go perfectly with my dress."
Steve couldn't believe she was serious. He had not seen a powder blue tux since his high school prom. This one was even worse than that one. It had a matching vest and the lapels and the cuffs were trimmed in dark blue velvet. He had to wonder to himself if things could get any worse and when the door opened again he realized the answer was yes.
