Murder in the Forest, Chapter 47
Mason tethered Melissa to a tree by a length of light chain and used a machete to cut a bush, with which he tried to obliterate the tire tracks where he'd entered the small dirt road. The result wasn't perfect, but it was the best that he could do, and given the remoteness of the location, he thought it would suffice. He concluded by tossing the bush at the end of the trail, making it look like there was no recent traffic there, as if the wind had blown the bush there.
He took Melissa back to the van and let her sit in the passenger seat. He removed her gag and tossed it in the back and let her drink from a bottle of water. She had been allowed to relieve herself on the way to the van and felt better, although she felt a little cramped from her wrists being locked behind her and fastened to the waist chain. She still wore the neck chain, now used as a leash.
"I'll leave the gag off if you promise not to raise your voice beyond a normal level," Mason offered. "But if you start raving at me or screaming, that gag goes back on and you get punished. Got it?"
She nodded. "Yes, master. I'll be good. I don't want to upset you. Is Courtney still alive?"
He hesitated and then said, "I think so. I saw cops leading her out of the house when I stopped on that hill. She's probably told them whatever they wanted to know, and I'm going to be wanted for the Bigfoot murders as well as for taking you girls. If I get caught, I'm doomed. I won't be taken alive if I can avoid it. But I think I can slip out of the country eventually. I'll keep you for now, and if you don't fuck up and upset me too much, you'll be with me for the foreseeable future. Think you can earn your keep?"
She shivered and said that she would make him very happy if that was what it took to stay alive.
"Anyway, you don't want to be on the run and hiding in places like this for months while you're all alone. I'll make your nights a lot more interesting than if you had to make do by jerking off. Look, are you still planning to sell me in Mexico? Can't you give my family a chance to buy me back when you're done with me?"
He stared at her, deep in thought and said, "Melissa, if I can think of a way to sell you to your parents and not get caught while getting the ransom, I may do that. As for the Mexican angle, I know a guy who will probably pay a good price for you, but if the family thing can be swung and you've kept me happy, I'll look into it. But I plan to be a good distance from here before I let you go, to whoever owns you next. But your folks will probably go to wherever I need to release you. I got a lot of money from my bank account this week, just in case anything happened. So, we have enough to live on for now without using credit cards. Those can be traced, and the cops will be watching for me to use one and let them locate me from it. Just hang loose, honey, and when I'm ready to ditch you, I'll get you the best deal I can. Okay?"
She nodded and asked if they were going to be living out of the van.
"No, we're about to walk a hundred yards or so and find a cave I stumbled onto several years ago. I've stocked it recently with supplies, just in case something like what happened occurred. Unless a bear or a cougar got in there and made a mess, it'll be good shelter and it's high enough that even a heavy rain won't let water flood it. And you have to be right there and lucky to see the opening. It's behind some trees and brush and is really hard to see. It's big enough to be comfy for both of us. But snug, if I get to trust you enough to share my bed. In the meantime, you'll be leashed to an iron ring in the wall. You'll have blankets and I'll walk you daily and let you get some sun. No one is likely to see us back here. I'll even set up a battery powered TV and we'll watch the news tonight. I bet they'll have lots on your pal Courtney and speculating about where we went. The cops will bluster and appeal for me to turn myself in and do their work for them. Hell, no, I won't turn myself in and free you! If I can escape and enjoy your company until the last minute, I will. Now, come on and I'll take you to the cave and chain you in there and bring in some stuff that we'll need."
And he took her chain and led her to the cave, which surprised her when she finally recognized it. It was indeed difficult to detect from outside.
Mason shined a powerful flashlight inside and ensured that no animals, snakes, or mice, etc. were present. Then, he put a blanket on the floor for her and locked the neck chain to an iron ring in the floor.
"I'll change this neck leash to one on your ankle later," he promised. "That'll give you more room to move around a little. We can stand up in here and have room to spare. Later tonight, I think I'll have you dance for me and maybe prance a little. I like the way you move when you do that. I bet the boys really enjoyed seeing you jog in your neighborhood. Now, sit still and think of how you can make me happy and I'll be back in a few minutes."
And with that, he turned on an electric lantern so that she could see and went out to the van.
Melissa put her head down and cried. She was terrified, but at least was alive for the near future and Courtney was free! She hoped that she would be liberated next and that it wouldn't take weeks or months for that to happen.