Insufferable Proximity (69 page)

Then as quickly as the light had been turned on, the memory of what happened forced itself back into her muddled brain. She remembered now, she was half asleep waiting for Julian

“I see you remember now and I bet you’re wondering who I am,” even though the electronic device could cover the voice, it could not hide the joy that was expressed through its computerized words. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough, Ms. Deville.”

***

The house was still filled with family, Sybille and her vast entourage and half of the police force, but Julian sat on the back porch away from everyone. They had all of the calls from his office phone, Sybille’s house phone and his own home phone directed to Heaven’s house. Sybille had decided to entertain the entire force in an attempt to entice them to work harder to find her daughter. Julian was down for anything at this point, he was sick of sitting there feeling completely helpless. He wanted to be out searching the streets for her and asking people if they had seen anything, but he was afraid she would call while he was gone.

The blood sample from his car had come back as a positive match to the blood sample sent over from Heaven’s personal physician. The hair found in Julian’s car also matched the hair removed from a brush taken from Heaven’s home. Detective Rogers was convinced it was a sloppy setup and refused to even take it into consideration.

***

Heaven woke up to find she had been changed into an outdated, stark-white cocktail dress and a pair of old-fashioned, white pumps. She heard someone waking down the steps and was instantly on guard. She watched as the dark-shrouded figure stepped towards her with a plate of food before untying her gag.

“Who are you?” she demanded the minute she could talk.

“Time to eat.” the electronic voice said and Heaven shook her head in refusal.

“Who are you?” she yelled.

“My identity will be divulged at the right time, but now is not that time, right now it’s time to eat.”

“I am not eating anything you give me.” she hissed.

“If you don’t eat you’ll starve.”

“I’d rather starve then die a painful death from the poison you probably put in the food.”

“If I wanted you dead you would already be dead, I have had ample opportunity.” the figure held out a spoonful of soup and Heaven turned her head. “You need to eat.”

“And you need to get that shit out of my face,” she snapped as she felt her anger begin to overpower her fear. She had repeatedly been told that one day her big mouth would get her into a world of trouble and right now, she believed that. Despite her best intentions, she could not sit quietly. “I told you I am not eating it!” she screamed.

The disguised figure finally got the hint, then without another word, turned around and left Heaven alone in the basement again.

***

Julian was done playing by the rules he needed answers and he needed them now. They had interviewed everyone and had searched the office but due to privacy laws, they were not allowed to search the employees’ personal area. Julian waited until everyone had left the building for the evening before sending out a text to his cousins. Within minutes his cousins arrived and the five of them began searching every employee’s desk and locker. He knew it was wrong and could possibly be terminated for such an illegal act, but he didn’t care at this point, the only thing he wanted was Heaven back.

Julian went to Lila’s desk first then worked his way through the lawyers, while his cousins searched the secretaries’ desks.

“I didn’t find anything.” Julius said.

“Me either.” Royce added.

“I’m driving by every employee’s house to see what they are doing.” Julian said, clearly frustrated and out of options.

“We can take my car.” Royce offered

***

Heaven heard the familiar footsteps descending the stairs and could feel the figure walking to stand behind her, just out of her line of vision. She felt the gag being untied and sat there silently after it was removed.

“Now is the time.” she heard the electronic voice say. She then heard a loud zipper and the rustling of thick fabric before the voice continued,
without
the electronic device. “Hello Heaven.” the words were spoken slowly and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She knew that voice, only one person said her name like that, like a parrot begging for a cracker. “Do you recognize my voice?” the masculine voice asked.

No way, it could not be him. Certainly not the friendly man who always asked for her help and always s had a kind word to say. Not the man who had offered her condolences when she lost the partnership, it just wasn’t reasonable possible. He was demure and soft spoken in an effeminate way, definitely not the type you would ever suspect to abduct a co-worker.

“Still haven’t figured it out? Or have you?” the voice asked from behind her. She then saw the shadow that the figure cast, moving forward and her eyes grew wide as he stepped out from behind her. “Surprise.” he grinned almost sheepishly, “I bet you would have never expected it to be me.

“Gavin?” she said her eyes growing wide in astonishment. No way, it couldn’t be Gavin Grant, not the kind, generous Gavin. “Is this a joke?” she looked around, expecting someone to jump out and yell ‘surprise’.

“I bet you never suspected me.”

“Not once.” she shook her head, unable to overcome the identity of the saboteur. She had expected Lila under that black mask or Juliette at the very least, but never Gavin Grant.

“Who would ever suspect me, to the world I am a well-mannered, soft spoken and slightly-pathetic lawyer.”

“But why?” she shook her head, in confusion. “I don’t understand, we have always gotten along.”

“We did, until you became friends with my enemy.” he shook his head. “Why couldn’t you just keep hating him like I do?”

“Who are you talking about?” she asked as she shook in the chair. “Let me out Gavin and we can discuss this in a civil manner.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No, I can’t let you go now.”

“Yes you can, let me go Gavin!” she demanded, feeling the utter shock of the situation fading and being replaced by anger.

“I’m sorry.”

“You better let me out of here right now!” she yelled trying to shake the chair to no avail.

“It’s too late to let you go, you’re part of the plan now.” he said walking away from her.

“No! You get back here and you let me go! Now!” she yelled as she heard him walking up the stairs, she continued screaming after he left the room. “GAVIN!”

***

Julian felt a rush of anger tunneling through him and looked up at the sky. For a split-second, Julian could feel Heaven and he knew that she was angry. It was surreal and he feared he might be going insane or having some form of stress induced hallucinations, but it was the only sliver of hope that he had felt since she disappeared.

***

“Why are you doing this?” Heaven asked as soon as the gag was removed.

“You want to know why?” Gavin grinned as he grabbed a small remote control from the table next to her chair and turned on the large screen monitor across from where she sat. “I’ll show you why.” the black screen instantly came to life with Heaven’s image, a close up taken of her when she had been unaware she was being photographed. Next was a picture of her and Julian kissing in front of his house, and then the pictures that had been sent to the office were flashing across the screen. Next came the live footage, filmed outside of her bedroom window, neither of them aware of the camcorder filming them as they had aggressive sex all over her room. Heaven couldn’t watch anymore and put her head down. “No, you watch it!”

“No!” she yelled, refusing to look at the screen any longer and he finally turned it off.

“Now do you understand why I am doing this? You set my plan in motion the moment you started having sex with Julian King.”

“You’re telling me the reason I’m here right now, locked up in your basement is because I had sex with Julian King?” she felt her anger escalate to a degree she had never experienced.

“Yes.” he answered and she felt her fury explode.

“You creep around filming me in my most private moments, but you’re mad at me for having sex with Julian? You fucking sheep, you’re nothing but a smooth-tongued lamb in snakeskin, you cowardly little parasite!”

“You don’t really mean that you’re just angry because I have you tied up.” Gavin said refusing to believe her words.

“Not only are you a sneaky rat, you’re delusional as well,” she chuckled sadistically. She wanted to attack him right now, she could feel her anger surging through her body, she was ready for war.

***

Gavin waited awhile before going back to the basement to see Heaven.

“Are you in a better mood now?” Gavin asked, hoping her hunger would make her more malleable. She looked at him blankly as he untied the gag.

“If you don’t let me go, I swear I am going to chop off your-” he put the gag over her mouth before she could finish her threat. He grabbed the plate of food and glared at her.

“You’ll get hungry soon enough.” he smiled smugly before he left the basement.

***

“I am going to kill Julian King.” Gavin informed Heaven.

“What did you just say?” Heaven asked, convinced that she must have misunderstood him.

“I am going to kill Julian.”

“Why? What did he do to you? Did he sleep with you girlfriend or something, steal a case from you or ruin your life?” she couldn’t understand, she realized Gavin despised Julian, but murder was a whole different story.

“I am going to kill Julian and you’re going to take the blame.” he grinned, “I’ve already set the plan in motion, I left your blood and a hair sample in Julian’s car. So when they find your skin under his nails, you hair twined around a finger and drops of your blood on his rotting corpse, they will know it was you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, why put my blood in Julian’s car now?”

“It connects you to him and when they don’t find your body after they find his, they will assume he killed you as well.”

“That’s the stupidest plan I‘ve ever heard,” she shook her head in disgust. “I seriously don’t know how you even passed the bar exam, you idiot. Then again all you really do at work is run around the office kissing everyone’s ass or asking everyone how to do your job, you incompetent wimp.” she looked at him like one would look at venomous snake. “Your level of cowardice disgusts me.”

“You're such a bitch.” he shook his head.

“You’re right I am and you’re a sniveling little coward, you should be thanking me for being honest with you.” she eyed him with contempt.

“So what do you suggest that I do then?” he snapped at her.

“As far as your whole plan to murder Julian?”

“Yes.”

“I think you should kill yourself instead.” she said with a look of pure hatred. Gavin looked as if he would cry for a moment and if it weren’t for the condescending look Heaven was giving him for it, he probably would. “I wish you would cry, you punk, that would be the best entertainment I’ve had all day.” she challenged him but instead he grabbed the gag, quickly wrapped it around her mouth and then tightly secured it behind her head.

“I wanted you to be a part of this Heaven, I wanted to hand you Julian King’s demise on a silver platter. You would have loved it, but somehow you did what all the other females do, you allowed Julian to break you.”

***

Heaven heard the door open and the light streamed in. She then she heard him walking down the stairs, his footsteps reaching the ground then coming closer to her. He stood before her with that ridiculous simile on his face and a large tray of food. He sat it down on the table than stood before her.

“I brought you something to eat, you must be hungry by now,” he reached behind her and untied the gag “and hopefully a little more reasonable.” he stood back and smiled “Would you like something to eat, Heaven?”

“You know I’m going to get loose.” She said with her poker face in full effect.

“No you won’t.”

“You’ll slip, you’ll make a mistake and I
will
get loose.” she glared at him, her eyes glimmering with hatred. “Then I am going to kill you.” she said as a matter of fact, sending chills down his spine.

“Then I’ll be extra careful not to make a mistake.”

“You’re incompetent Mr. Grant, trust me you will mess up, you
always
do.” she grinned confidently.

“If you’re going to be ungrateful, I will just take your food back until you can be a little more thankful.”

“By all means, take it, take that food and shove up your ass. How’s that for more reasonable?” she snapped at him with a half-smile.

***

Heaven smiled from ear to ear when she felt the ropes around her wrists slowly loosen. It would still take some time before she could loosen it enough to slide her hand out, but she would diligently work on it until it did. At this point with her imminent freedom and her life depending on one loosened rope, she knew she needed to change her tactics. She had to divert his attention away from her lacerated wrist as well as keep him from suspecting what she was up to. She also needed to eat something before she was too weak to escape him, her belly was already beginning to cramp and she was starting to feel lightheaded. She would use her hunger to her advantage and allow him to think it was the reason for her civility. He would think that starving herself had weakened her and he would not be on guard.