It couldn’t be. But it was. This was the same park Moses had drawn. This wasn’t from a comic book, it was real. If that drawing was real, then that meant some of the other drawings could be real, including the mystery lady and the Victorian house.
The hairs on her neck tingled.
She turned towards the woods. Beyond the trees, was a house—a Victorian house. Her heart thumped. Her feet moved forward. Could that be the house Moses had drawn? Looking closer, she rejected the idea. The house was shades of purple, not gray and black.
Paul’s voice popped into her brain.
There is no such thing as coincidences in an investigation.
And the park and a Victorian house were too big of a coincidence—even if it was the wrong color.
The house was like a magnet, Maven couldn’t tear her gaze from it. She moved nearer but stopped at the edge of the trees. Her heart thumped wildly. Her mind said it was impossible, but the second-story balcony of the house looked the same as the one Moses had drawn. Maybe that was hope on her part. She wanted to find the house—and Moses. Maven looked away from the fancy scroll work.
Of course! The drawings of the park had all been nighttime scenes. Nighttime distorted colors. What had seemed like gray in the darkness could very well have been purple. Did that mean Moses had never seen the house in the daylight?
She shuddered.
She stared through the trees wanting to go closer. Moses could be in there right now, needing her. She took a step forward, but then stopped. Safety first. Time to go. She’d get out of here and call Paul. He would know what to do. She half-walked, half-jogged directly across the field towards her car.
Could God have led her to Moses? Was Moses in that house? Tears filled her eyes. And she’d been ready to give up the search.
“Hey.” A voice called out.
20
A chill went up her spine. Instead of turning towards the voice, she sprinted towards her car.
The park area was still empty. Only her and the man calling out to her.
“Hold on a minute, ma’am. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to ask you something.” His voice sounded reasonable.
Maven ran faster. Almost to her car. Pulling her keys from her pocket, she pressed the unlock button. She fought the urge to turn around. Once she was safely in the car and gone, she’d find the police station, and then call Paul.
A hand grabbed her hair. She ignored the pain and tried to run. Instead, she lost her footing. The ground slammed into her back. Momentarily stunned, she stopped moving. The world swirled around and stars circled her head, but she took a deep breath. This was no time to pass out.
The man stood above her.
“Help. Help.” She screamed as loudly as she could
He knelt down beside her. “Are you all right? You fell down. Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. Why were you running from me?”
She gasped, fighting for air., “I didn’t fall down. You knocked me down.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He reached for her. “Here, let me help you up.”
Was the man crazy? Had he forgotten he’d just chased her, and then grabbed her hair?
She pulled away from him. “Don’t touch me. Get away from me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He offered his hand to her once again.
She moved her hand as if to push him away, but didn’t touch him. “Go away and leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that.”
Her stomach twisted at his words.
He smiled. “You look like you need some help. I’m the only one here so I can’t just walk away from you. A gentleman would never leave a woman alone in a park.”
She sat up. “I mean it. Get away from me.”
He was between her and her car. If she got up in one quick movement and pushed him at the same time…it might just work. The car wasn’t that far away. She took a deep breath, ready to make her move.
“Don’t bother trying.” He smiled again, this time the smile seemed sinister—even evil. “It’s not going to work. You can’t get away from me.”
She moved to her knees, and then her feet. Her dress tangled between her legs. “You just told me you weren’t going to hurt me.”
“I lied.” He lunged for her.
Maven jumped back, lifted her skirt, and then kicked him with the heel of her boot. Her foot landed just where she wanted it to.
He gasped and leaned over.
She sprinted past him. Her hands were empty. She’d dropped her keys. It didn’t matter. She hadn’t locked her car. If she could just get to the car and lock it. Then she’d be safe. Her phone was in there so she’d be able to call for help.
She ran as if her life depended on it. Only a few more yards…her car horn beeped and her lights flashed.
The man had her found her keys.
21
He’d locked the door with the remote. A moment later, his arms surrounded her in a backwards bear hug. “Good try, but not quite good enough.” His breath, hot and smelling of beer, caressed her neck.
Still in the park, but close enough to the street to be seen, Maven searched the area for would-be rescuers. No one. She screamed.
His hand clasped over her mouth, and he dragged her farther into the park.
Maven bit his hand.
Still dragging her, he called her a nasty name and yanked her hair.
Tears leaked out of Maven’s eyes. Ignoring the pain, she twisted towards him. Her fists beat against his chest.
“Wow, you’re quite the fighter, aren’t you?” He laughed as if he was enjoying the struggle.
Maven’s stomach curdled. This was the man who’d abandoned Moses. The thought renewed her energy. She flailed out at him. Even as she was fighting, he was dragging her closer and closer to the Victorian house.
Please, help me, God.
She strained against his arms, but it was futile. She couldn’t win through her strength alone. But God had given her a strong mind. Maybe, she could outwit him.
The trees came closer, and then Maven was dragged into them.
Surprise him.
The thought came out of nowhere. She allowed her body to go completely limp and collapsed on the ground.
His fingers slipped away from her arms. He tumbled down on top of her. His hands clamped on her arms once again. He lifted her up, but she used all her strength to stay on the ground. With a quick jerk, she moved her knee towards his stomach and groin area.
He moaned and fell back on top of her, but she quickly slid out from under him.
Maven slipped from his grasp and jumped to her feet. Lifting her skirt, she ran. Dodging the trees, the green field was just ahead.
Two figures on bikes entered the park.
Waving her hands, she screamed at them.
He grabbed her and dragged her back in the trees—away from the boys—away from freedom. His arms were so tight around her she could barely breathe. The boys on bikes were her only hope. Had they seen her?
“I’ve had enough of this. Fun time is over.” His voice was cold. “I suggest you come along with me quietly or I will kill the boy.”
The boy? Moses? This monster did have Moses.
“We both know I’m stronger, and I’m going to win. Those boys didn’t hear you or see you so they aren’t going to come rescue you. If you come along quietly, I won’t hurt the boy. Fight me again and you will watch him die.”
Glaring, she allowed her muscles to relax. She wouldn’t do anything to endanger Moses.
“Good girl. Now let’s go.” His arms remained tight around her as they made their way towards the huge Victorian house. He led her to the back. After opening the door, he pushed her to the floor. “Welcome to your new home.”
22
Paul paced the length of the driveway he shared with Maven.
Maven should have been back hours ago. Had she been in an accident? Driving in Cleveland wasn’t an easy matter, especially during rush hour.
He turned as he heard a car approach.
Lizzie waved as she pulled into the drive and stopped. “Hi, Paul.” She hopped out of the car with a sweet smile.
Lizzie always had a smile. She was a pretty woman, and she would go out with him if he asked. But she wasn’t the woman he wanted. “Do you know where Maven is? Have you talked to her today?”
“What’s wrong?”
“She should have been home hours ago. She’s not answering her phone, either.”
“I know. That’s why I came over. I just figured she got bad news from the doctor and didn’t want to talk with anyone.” Lizzie held up a bag from a local bakery. “I came over to cheer her up.”
“She called me around two and told me she was on her way home.” He held up his wrist. “It’s almost seven. There has to be a reason she’s not picking up her phone.”
“Where was she when she called?”
“She was at Beachwood Mall. She ate some lunch and said she was on her way home.”
Lizzie pulled out her cell phone. Hitting the numbers, she put the phone to her ear and waited. Shaking her head, she said. “Still no answer. What should we do?”
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Why?”
“Do you know what street Beachwood Mall is on?”
She shook her head.
“Cedar Avenue.”
Lizzie’s eyes widened. “Do you think she went looking for the Victorian house?”
“I know she did.”
“But she promised you—”
“And she kept her promise. She called me earlier in the day, and we agreed it would be OK to check since she was there. But—”
“Don’t start thinking it’s your fault. Is there a way to find out if she was involved in an accident?”
“I can check with the State Patrol, but other than that, I’d have to check with each individual jurisdiction.”
“Well, you know the area up there so that shouldn’t be too hard to do, right?”
“Right, but it will be easier doing it from the station.”
“Fine, you go do that. In the meantime, I’ll stay here. I have a key to get in. I’ll call a few people to see if anyone else has seen or talked with her in the past few hours.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
23
Maven’s heart pounded with fear, but she had to hide it from this man. She stared up at her captor.
His dark brown hair was neatly trimmed. His button-down shirt was clean, but now torn from the struggle. He appeared to be an average business man. He looked like the man in Moses’s picture and possibly the man from the park that day.
“Well, this is an unexpected development. Who are you?”
“I’m nobody. You’ve made a mistake.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ve made a few of them, but I don’t think I have this time. What did you find so interesting about my house? I saw you staring at it.”
“I like architecture. That’s all.” She moved to her knees, seeing if he would stop her from standing up.
He made no move to do so.
“Look, no harm, no foul. I won’t call the police and report you. Just let me go and we’ll forget about the whole episode.”
“Really? And why would I believe you?”
She stood up and met his gaze. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Well, mostly because I noticed you stopped fighting when I said I’d kill the boy. Now I wonder why that made you calm down. Interested in the boy, are you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t even hear you say something about a boy.”
He stepped towards her. “Well, I might believe you except I saw that sweet video of you and Joshua at the park. That long, black hair of yours is hard to forget.” He reached out to touch her hair.
Joshua.
So that was Moses’s real name.
Maven cringed, but straightened up and met his gaze, refusing to cower, to act afraid, even though she was terrified.
This man was a bully and bullies needed to be stood up to. This monster had Moses—Joshua.
She would get out of this house and get help. She charged at him, her head lowered, and as her hands met his chest, she pushed hard and then kept running. At the door, she turned the knob and it opened.
As her feet hit the wooden porch, they sounded like explosions. If only someone else was around to hear them—or her. She kept running, clutching the banisters as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Should she run out into the street? She couldn’t outrun him all the way back to her car. She made an abrupt turned and headed for the front of the house and the street. Her feet slowed as she rounded the corner.
No street. No other houses. Only a long lane and trees.
How’d she end up in the country?
“You don’t really think you can outrun me, do you?” He taunted her. His voice sounded much closer.
She moved faster, praying all that jogging would pay off.
But a moment later, his hands pushed her to the ground and his knees pressed into her back. “Nice try.” He laughed. “We really need to stop playing this game. The sooner you understand I’m in control the better it will be for you…and for everyone.”
“Everyone?”
24
Before Paul could ring the doorbell, Lizzie opened the door. “Did you find anything?”
“No. Not one report on her car or her. It’s as if she vanished into thin air. How about you?”
“Nothing. No one’s seen or heard from her all day.”
They stood staring at each other.
Lizzie motioned for him to come in. “Now, what are we going to do?”
“I’m going to the mall to see if her car is there. Then I’ll retrace the route she should have taken from there. Maybe, she’s along the road with a dead cell phone.”
“I suppose that’s possible. I’m coming with you.”
“Not going to happen. You need to stay here in case she comes back. That way you can call me.”
“Well…” Lizzie sighed. “I don’t like that idea at all. I need to be doing something.”
“If she comes back and I don’t know about it, I could waste a lot of unnecessary time. And you can be praying. Praying isn’t nothing.”
“Stop being so practical.”
“Can’t help it. I could say I’m a man—it’s what I do, but that would sound a bit too sexist even for me.”