Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reading!
Snowie:)
Chapter Seven
Hamley Vermont...
Hamley Vermont was on the small side.
Small enough that finding the place that the locker key had come from wasn't too hard. It was as he had expected. It wouldn't really get hard till later in the game…
His choices were simple, bus station or bowling alley.
A quick search of the bowling alley told him that none of the lockers had a high enough number.
The search of the bus station revealed a locker numbered three hundred and ninety-five.
Pacey placed the key in the lock and turned it, feeling no surprise when it opened easily.
He opened the door slowly, not sure what he would find. Knowing that whatever it was would be either frustrating or infuriating.
It ended up being both.
There was a small duffle bag tucked in the locker.
Inside was another map, a key card, a pamphlet…
And a picture that was intended to wound him, anger him… destroy him.
Pacey closed his eyes against the image in front of him. He clenched his fists unconsciously, unintentionally crumpling the picture.
He knew instantly what the image meant.
Doc had been there, wherever it was that Joey was being held.
The picture was proof enough of that.
The sadist with the pleasant, melancholy voice…
It didn't take a lot of imagination for Pacey to figure out what Doc had done to her.
There was nothing like experience to point you in the right direction.
A wordless sound of pure rage broke from him.
His control was in danger of escaping him…
To know that she'd had to endure Doc…
He swore softly under his breath and made himself concentrate on what he had to do, instead of what may or may not have happened to Joey. He counted slowly to five and then gathered himself together once more.
He put the picture aside, refusing to further acknowledge the emotions that it raised in him. He focused instead on the map.
New Hampshire this time, Portsmouth circled in bright red ink.
This choice of city Pacey did find uncharacteristic of Mama.
Sally wasn't big on places that had any size at all to them.
Not that Portsmouth New Hampshire was the big city, but it wasn't exactly small either.
Then again, Mama wasn't always what you could call predictable… only most of the time.
Pacey shook his head and turned his attention to the pamphlet that accompanied the map.
It was for a hotel in downtown Portsmouth, room 395 written in big characters on the front.
Two guesses what the key card was for.
Another step in what he was starting to realize was a long series of steps…
Baby steps…
Each clue leading to the next step, but not to the final destination.
He knew that he would get no real clue to Joey's whereabouts, not until it was too late. Mama would give him hints, torture him with pictures and words…
But she wouldn't give up her advantage.
Not until it was too late.
He couldn't let her win.
Not this time…
Not ever again!
It was time to stop playing Mama's game, and start playing his.
Pacey stuffed everything back into the duffle and shoved it into the pack that he had brought with him. He took a deep, calming breath and looked around the bus station. There was a side door to his left. He made his way out that door and found himself in a small alleyway. He made his way slowly to the corner of the building and looked carefully around the corner. It didn't take him long to spot the car that had been following him.
It was parked just to the right of the alley. Pacey couldn't have hoped for any better of a set up. He pulled out the pistol he'd been carrying in back waistband of his pants and watched carefully for his opportunity. When the driver of the car turned his attention to something to his left, Pacey made his move.
Carrying the gun low and out of sight Pacey crept to the side of the car, crouching low so as to be out of sight unless the driver were to happen to look into the passenger side mirror. He snuck noiselessly to the passenger door.
He sucked in a deep breath before swiftly opening the passenger door and slipping silently into the passenger seat, dropping his bag at his feet.
The driver looked over at him in shock, having no idea where he had come from… or how he'd known to look for him.
Pacey felt a flash of surprise himself, if only because he'd thought that the driver was still in jail.
"Out so soon Bobby?" He asked, his voice almost pleasant.
Bobby started again in surprise and made a move for the door handle…
Which was when Pacey pushed the barrel of his gun none too gently into the other man's side.
"Wouldn't if I were you," Pacey said lightly. "I speak from experience when I say that being shot hurts like hell." Bobby had frozen the moment that he'd felt the gun. Now he turned to Pacey, a terrified expression on his face. "Now I asked you a question, Bobby. It's rude not to answer someone, don't you think?"
Bobby nodded. Like he'd say no with a gun sticking in his side?
"P…Parole," he managed to stutter out, answering Pacey's original question. "I'm out on parole."
Pacey couldn't help but laugh at that. He tsked softly. "Sorry buddy, but it's bound to be revoked once they find out that you're Mama's lapdog again… Too bad for you that that's the least of your worries."
Bobby swallowed hard.
"Now we're going to take a little drive," Pacey said.
"Drive?" Bobby asked.
"Not far," Pacey said. "Just far enough. Start moving. I'll tell you where to go."
The bus station was on the edge of town so they had only traveled about a quarter of a mile when the houses started to become scarce and the trees began. It wasn't long after that when Pacey saw what he had been looking for. A small dirt road, leading to nowhere.
The perfect place to avoid being seen. Especially now that the sun had gone down.
Pacey liked the dark. It afforded him the perfect cover.
"Turn off the lights," he said softly, after they had come to a stop in a small clearing 50 feet off the road.
Bobby complied and Pacey could feel his fear.
He smiled.
"Now I have a question for you Bobby. It's a very important question; so think carefully before you even consider lying to me. Where is she?"
There was a pause and Pacey heard Bobby take a slow, shuddering breath.
"I don't know."
It was a whispered statement, full of fear.
"Now Bobby, Mama designed this game to make me crazy. You understand that don't you? Set about it with that in mind. And guess what? The bitch succeeded. So why don't you do us both a favor? Tell me where they are before I blow your fucking head off.
"I don't know!" Bobby said again, his voice taking on a note of panic. "She didn't tell me! I swear. I swear Pacey. She told me to follow you. Told me to call her if you went off route. That's all. I promise. Someone else was supposed to take over a week into this. She never told me where they were going!"
"Don't give me that crap Bobby! You must have some idea."
"I don't!"
Pacey tsked softly. "I have very little patience left," he said softly. "And it appears that the gun just isn't the stimulus that it should be. I have other things, you know. Not as quick or painless as a bullet to the brain."
"Please…" Bobby begged slowly. "I don't know anything!"
"Tell me something Bobby. Tell me anything! Or you're going to be wishing for death long before I slit your fucking throat!"
"Sam was supposed to take over once we hit Aggleigh Pennsylvania," Bobby said desperately. "I don't know if he knows where they are either. I don't know if someone's taking over for him before the end. I don't know any more than that! She didn't want me to!"
Well, that did make sense. Mama would have planned ahead, just in case he discovered that Bobby was there.
Pacey decided to try a different tactic.
"Tell me Bobby… Do you know where Doc's hanging his hat these days?"
There was something about the way Bobby flinched, something about his expression…
And Pacey smiled, a slow, terrifying smile.
"You've been keeping things from me, Bobby. Not smart, but then you're not really are you? 'Cause, you see, you must know that he's been to see her." Bobby flinched again. "MmHmm. Lovely little picture Mama sent me. Where is he?"
"New York," Bobby said.
And Pacey smiled, knowing that the other man had given up.
"Now we're getting somewhere," he said. "Let's go visit him, 'kay Bobby?"
Bobby swallowed hard at the cold lilt to Pacey's voice.
As if he had a choice.
But he nodded, not daring to do anything else.
"Good," Pacey said. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Bobby shook his head. "So where in New York are we going, Bobby?"
"U…Upstate," Bobby said slowly. "Sanford."
"Making progress, buddy. That's what I like."
The picture had told him a hell of a lot more than what Mama had intended. It had given him far too much information.
And that was going to cost her.
"She expecting to hear from you anytime soon?"
Bobby shook his head. "I'm only to call if there's a problem."
"Will she be calling you?"
"Not until Friday, midday. Making sure you're on schedule for Sam."
Pacey nodded. "Good." That gave him close to a week.
"Here," Pacey said, grabbing his bag from the floor and handing it to Bobby. "You'll find some handcuffs in there."
"What…?"
"Behind your back. Open the door now, no cute moves. I'm not above shooting you."
Bobby sighed and found the cuffs in the bag. He opened the door slightly and then cuffed his hands behind his back. Pacey grabbed the keys from the ignition.
"Get out of the car. Slowly."
Bobby did as he was told. Pacey followed him out of the car, keeping his gun trained steadily on Bobby.
Pacey could see the other man shaking in the moonlight. He waved him toward the back of the car with his gun and met him there. He used the trunk key and opened the trunk.
"Get in."
Bobby began to climb rather awkwardly into the trunk of the car.
He'd only made it halfway in when Pacey cold-cocked him with the gun. He collapsed, unconscious, halfway in.
Pacey hoisted him the rest of the way in and made a quick check of the contents of the trunk, removing everything that the other man could possibly use to free himself. He then slammed the trunk shut.
"Be right back, Bobby," he said softly.
He returned to the main road and began the mile long jog back to his jeep.
He made good time.
The jeep was parked behind Bobby's car less than fifteen minutes after he'd left. He quickly transferred the still unconscious Bobby into the back of the jeep, using the chains from his 'little project' trunk to secure him to the floor.
He then pulled a little bag from the trunk and opened it, pulling out a vial and a syringe. "And now for a little sedative. Can't have you waking up at an inopportune moment, now can we?" He drew the liquid into the syringe and jabbed it into the muscle of the other man's leg.
It was amazing the things that you could get on the black market if you really tried…
Once sure that Bobby was secured, Pacey covered him with a blanket. He then place a few object on Bobby's legs and around his body to lessen the 'body shape' of the blanket. Once satisfied that no overly nosy person would be able to tell that there was a body under the blanket he turned his attention to Bobby's car.
He searched it thoroughly, leaving nothing to chance. Everything that he could use or that he might need, he took.
He then wiped it down and removed the license plates, placing them under the seat of the jeep. Anything that gave any hint of who the car had belonged to was taken or destroyed.
That done he pulled out his cell phone and called his brother.
"Doug."
"Pacey." The relief was evident in Doug's voice. "You okay?"
"I need you to do me a favor."
"Sure."
"Drive to Hamley New Hampshire tonight. Drive through town on route 2. About a mile after the bus station there's a small dirt road. There's a car there. Late model black Ford. Plates are missing. Replace them with the extras in the shed, I left a couple behind." Pacey swore softly under his breath as a snag in his plan occurred to him. "You need to get it and your car back to Capeside."
"And how am I supposed to do that alone?"
That was the very problem that Pacey was having.
"No one in the family." That much was imperative. "Jen or Dawson. Don't tell them what's going on, Doug. Just tell them to do it for me and keep quiet about it. Make them believe how important that is!"
"Damnit Pacey! Do you know how fucking hard that's going to be? Like Dawson would ever let anything go at that!"
"Then ask Jen. She'll do it, no questions asked, especially if you tell her it's for me and it's important. I know she will."
Doug sighed. "Can she drive a stick?"
Pacey laughed. "Better than most guys I know… And no, there's no double meaning to that."
"And how am I supposed to explain this to her grandmother?"
"Don't. Ask her to come up with an excuse for Grams… That she's sleeping over at Andie's or something. Hell, she's eighteen, Doug. It's not like she can't leave if she wants to."
"You know Pace, just because you can take off without parental permission and not have the furies descend on you doesn't mean that's the way the rest of the world works, eighteen or not. But I'll ask her."
"Good," Pacey said. "Get here fast Doug. No one else can find this car, you understand."
"Yeah," Doug said. He wanted to ask questions. Find out what was going on…
But he knew that Pacey wouldn't tell him.
"I'm going to get her back, Doug. Fuck Mama's game. I'm playing by my rules now and the bitch is going to fry."
Pacey snapped his phone shut and climbed into the driver's seat.
He'd find a map once they hit New York.
He sat still for a moment, going over everything that had happened. Had he missed anything?
He didn't think so.
Either way, he had to hurry.
It was time to visit Doc.
It was a meeting that Pacey had been looking forward to for a long time.
The other man wouldn't be quite so happy to see him.