The Pandora Affair Page 11

  Chapter 20

  David drove as quickly as he could without breaking any traffic laws. If he were pulled over now he would never see Samantha again or at least for ten to twenty years. His criminal record would make sure of that. He pounded the steering wheel trying to figure out where to go. Turning his head, he read the sign on the left side of the road and quickly swerved over to the far left lane in order to make the exit. He drove for over an hour and finally pulled into Wesley Anderson’s secluded cabin. It was perfect for him right now. He looked around and felt for the spare key above the door. He went inside and did a quick inspection. Her father kept it stocked with bottled drinking water and canned goods.

  He made his way to the bed, collapsing due to the trauma of the day’s unplanned events. His exhaustion overpowered his boiling anger for the moment. Morning came too quickly for his liking. Not fighting the urge to get up he made a plan for what he needed to do. He went outside and briefly enjoyed the serenity around him. He collected some fairly large lumber. After dragging it back to the cabin balcony he loaded it into a large pile. He took her father’s hunting knife and shaved the bark off the different sized logs, using each one as a weight. Every day he put himself through a grueling workout to build his muscles. He ran up and down the backside of the mountain behind the cabin to build stamina. Months later he took another long look in the mirror and saw an infinite difference. Not bad if I do say so myself, he thought.

  He headed into town needing supplies to re-stock the cabin, assuming it was safe now. First things first, he thought, driving down Main Street looking for the nearest salon. He closely resembled a hippie. He requested a cut, color and style. “That’s a drastic change for you!” the hairdresser commented as she turned him around to get a look at himself in the mirror. Every girl in the place took a good long look. “You look unbelievable with those incredible brown eyes and brown hair, a regular lady killer,” she observed brushing the stray hairs from his buff shoulders. “He turned his head to the right, then to the left. “That’s the plan.” Giving himself a nod, he stood and reached for his wallet in his back pocket, laying her money on the station. Without having to look around the salon he knew every woman’s eyes were on him as he left.

  He stopped into the department store down the road and bought himself some new clothes. All he needed now were some colored contacts to cover his brown eyes. He walked towards his truck and bought a paper from the man on the corner. He put his things in the truck and headed across the street to the diner. He took a seat in a booth far in the back. David looked through the want ads for a temporary job until it was time to approach Samantha. He scanned over each and every ad when one in particular ad caught his eye. He laughed aloud. This is too perfect! he thought. The waitress wandered over and slowly took his order, flirting every second she was there. While she was submitting his order, he walked back to the payphone while digging in his pockets for some change. Dropping the coins into the slot, he dialed the number in the paper.

  “Hello?” A man answered. “Uh, hello sir. I am calling about your ad in the paper about a handyman,” David stated, trying his best to slightly alter his voice. “Ah yes, I don’t care for these telephone interviews, would you mind stopping by?” the man asked. “Sure, sure I can stop by. What time is good?” David asked. “Well how about now? I am kind of in a hurry to get the job filled.”

  “That would be outstanding. I will be right there.” He completely compromised himself by trying to rush the man. “Now hold on son, don’t you need an address?” The man on the phone laughed. David could have kicked himself for not asking. “Yes, I guess that would be helpful…if I knew your address.” David rolled his eyes as the man slowly started to rattle off his address. “Do you need directions?” The man asked. “No sir, I think I know exactly where you are. I should be there in about an hour!” David hung up the phone.

  Hurrying back to his table he dug out his wallet to pay the bill just as the waitress was coming over with his food. “Sorry darlin’, I need to cancel that order.” He winked as he gave her money. “I was wondering if…you would like my phone number, maybe we could go out sometime?” “I’m sorry. I have a girlfriend that I’m crazy in love with.” His smile melted as he walked away.

  David pulled up around the corner and walked the rest of the way. He approached the front door and rang the bell. The door opened and there stood Samantha’s father. “Hello sir, my name is Joseph Alexander!” David extended his hand. “Wesley Anderson. You’re the one that just called?” he asked, taking his hand for a firm handshake. “Have we met somewhere before?” Mr. Anderson asked, “No sir, I don’t believe so. I just moved here from Washington. Wow, beautiful girl…” he said picking up a picture of Samantha, trying to change the subject. “My daughter, she moved away,” he said as he turned his back and walked with a soft limp back to the living room. David’s lips thinned, cursing up a storm under his breath. He closed his eyes, taking some deep breaths. He had to think. He was not expecting her to be gone.

  He put down the picture and followed the old man into his living room. He already knew what the old man liked and disliked. He used them to his advantage. His plan worked beautifully, they got along great. Mr. Anderson hired him without any further references.

  David moved in right away. He helped Wesley Anderson with everything he needed. He even ran errands for him. Dave was always trying to get the old man to talk about Samantha “Mr. Anderson, do you have any other family besides your daughter?” David asked out of the blue. “No, her mother died when she was young, all I have is Samantha” The man refused to forfeit any information about her, Dave didn’t want to push it, so he let it go for now.

  Wesley was making lunch for them just as Dave had finished mowing the lawn. He sat down as the old man set his plate in front of him. “Thank you,” he said politely. Mr. Anderson sat down to enjoy his lunch. Before he started to eat, his hands started shaking rapidly. Dave looked up and saw his eyes were wide as he clutched his chest. He stood up knocking over his chair. He wasn’t about to let the old man die. He needed him to find Samantha. He dialed 911 and the operator walked him thru CPR until the ambulance arrived. When the paramedics came through the door David backed away to let them take over. He rode to the hospital in the ambulance with Wesley. David slept in the chair in his room until the old man regained consciousness. Wesley sat up in his bed and called for the nurse. “How long has he been here?” Mr. Anderson pointed over to David. “He has been here all night with you Mr. Anderson. He is the reason you’re alive, you’re a very lucky man.” The nurse told him. Indeed Wesley thought to himself.

  The old man didn’t know David’s reason for saving his life was completely selfish. David awoke in the chair and sat up. He looked over at Wes who was speaking with the doctor. “Sorry, I must have dozed off.” David offered apologetically. “There’s no need to worry son, we’re finished,” the doctor said. “I was recommending a private nurse for Mr. Anderson and he did not like that idea. He thought maybe you would be interested in being his caretaker,” Dr. Moreno told him. David was actually surprised, this was too perfect. “I have no idea how to be a caretaker!” David informed them. “Well there will be a private nurse that would show you what needs to be done as far as giving medications and taking blood pressure and such, just until you are comfortable with doing it yourself.” Wesley added. “OK then, a caretaker it is.” David raised himself from the chair. “When will he be able to go home?” David asked the doctor. “It will be a few weeks, he has some nerve damage and he won’t be able to walk for a while. With physical therapy he will be himself in no time, right Wesley?” The doctor patted him on the shoulder.

  As the weeks went by, David cleaned the house preparing for Wesley’s homecoming. He also traded in his truck for a white, wheelchair accessible van. He tinted the windows black for privacy. Wesley knew what kind of truck David drove and if he saw him driving it, he would be suspicious. The day came for Wesley to come home and he was pleasa
ntly surprised about the van. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get back and forth to therapy. I guess you’re one step ahead of me Joseph.” Wesley said to him, “Yes sir, I suppose I am.” David smiled as he unloaded the old man from the van. Mr. Anderson insisted on paying off the vehicle since it was mainly for transporting him around. Every Wednesday at eight in the morning, Wesley had a physical therapy appointment at the hospital that usually lasted half the day. With the old man gone, David loaded the van with supplies he had picked up during the week to haul up to the cabin for re-stocking.

  David and Wes sat down to dinner as they usually did this time of day when the phone rang. David wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up. He walked over to the phone in the next room. “Hello?” he answered. “H-Hello? Is this Wesley Anderson’s residence?” The extremely feminine voice said, he knew instantly it was her. He quickly checked the caller ID seeing the phone number. He recognized it as a California number. The name of the caller was Samantha Anne Lockley. She changed her name he said to himself, clever girl.

  “Yes it is, may I ask who is calling?” David asked slightly altering his voice, hoping to get her confirmation. “Samantha, his daughter…” she stammered. Samantha, it’s time to come home baby. The corner of his mouth faulted to a soulless grin “Samantha, of course. Nice to finally put a voice to the pictures and stories. Your father speaks of you all the time. I am Joseph; I take care of your father. He is sleeping right now…” Dave carefully peeked around the corner watching Wesley slowly eat his dinner, “shall I wake him for you?” He offered, knowing she wouldn’t want to bother him. “No! Wait...” Her response was hesitant. “You don’t want to speak with him?” Dave was trying to keep her on the phone.

  “It’s a long story and I can’t talk. Will you please just tell him I called and I love him and I miss him so much? Everything is finally working out for me here and I wish he were here with me. Please tell him that I love him, please,” she seemed to plead. “Why don’t you leave me your number where he can call you and I will have him return your call as soon as he is available?” David played her emotions, as if they were his own monopoly. “I can’t do that, please just tell him. Goodbye.” She hung up but not before he had her name and her phone number. Dave took a quick glance around the corner. The old man was still working on his dinner. He clicked the phone over to get a dial tone. Dialing. “Hello, directory assistance, how may I help you?” The operator asked.

  “Hello operator, I am going to California for a surprise visit to my sister, if I give you her name and phone number, can you give me her address?” Dave asked quietly. “Of course sir, her name and number please?” the operator asked him. He read off her information and waited for the return information with pen and paper in hand. “Thank you so much, she is going to be very surprised to see me.” His smile was almost too chilling. He shoved the paper in his back pocket and returned to dinner.

  “Who was it?” Wes asked trying carefully not to choke on his food. “A girl I’ve been courting, she would never give me her number, so I gave her mine and told her to call when she was serious about seeing me,” he offered. He wondered if the old man had bought his little white lie. “Uh huh, did she give you what you were after?” Wes asked. “Yes, yes she did.” He took a large bite of food to avoid having to talk anymore about it. He cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen, while the old man got ready for bed. He said his goodnight and retired to his room planning how to kill the old geezer as painlessly as possible. He would make sure it looked like an accident. He still needed to save up more money to be set for a while, he figured a couple months or so, the old man would have paid him a healthy salary by then. He asked Wes to be paid in cash. He said it was because he didn’t have a bank account and it was very hard for him to get a check cashed. He had been saving since he got hired and the van was already paid off.

  Chapter 21

  “Wes, you got a phone call last night from a Samantha, but you had already gone to bed and she didn’t leave any callback information,” David said nonchalantly as he cleared the breakfast table. Wesley said nothing as he sat there a few minutes and then steered his electric wheelchair out of the kitchen and into his den, closing the door behind him. David smiled as he wiped his hands on the dishtowel. He hung the towel on the oven door and walked to the den. He knocked lightly on the door. “Come in,” the old man said. “Wes, what’s going on, it’s not good for you to keep your thoughts bottled up!” David coaxed trying to get him to talk about Samantha “Have a seat boy.” David made himself comfortable in the only other chair in his den.

  “Samantha is my daughter. She was twenty-two years old when she was going to school. She wanted to get a degree in business management, and she had the smarts to finish. She started dating this fella, seemed like a good kid back then. H…he almost choked her to death in his truck…she had to tell him she loved him to get him to let her go. She did love him in the beginning I suppose.” He took a breath in, trying to keep the tears from coming to his eyes…”but then she was very afraid, and I was so afraid for her. When your only child goes through something that horrid, all you want to do is protect her. When I found out he was emotionally and physically abusing her I wanted to kill him. I almost had the chance when he snuck through her bedroom window and attacked her again. He escaped through the window and he hasn’t been seen around here since. He had a criminal record a mile long, mostly for domestic violence, a couple girlfriends called the cops on him, disturbing the peace and the worst was assault and battery. They searched for him, they had his vehicle number and the description. He was just too slick a fella for the police to nab him, I suppose. They told me in order for him to be put away they would need to catch him, and we would need to file an official complaint and then a trial would follow. They photographed the bruises on her neck and arms. The thing that killed me the most is that I treated the boy better than he did my little girl. That is something for which I will never forgive myself.”

  Wes’s back was facing David, who sat there almost gloating. He wanted to tell the old man how close he was to getting her back, but he just sat there and listened. “Samantha and I had a long talk that same night. I had my lawyer arrange her name to be changed and I made her move away. The more she refused to leave, the more I insisted. I could not take the chance on that maniac harming her again. It tore me apart inside but I knew it was the only thing I could do to save her. She begged me not to send her away…ever since we communicate through my lawyer for her safety. I have not spoken to her for well over a year.”

  David’s anger overwhelmed him. He was the one that sent her away? She didn’t want to leave; her father was the one who forced her to go and to leave him. It was his fault they were not together anymore. It took all the control David could possess to keep from killing him right then and there. Wes maneuvered his electric wheelchair around to face David who always seemed to have a comforting smile to make him feel better. “I am sure the person who forced her away will get what’s coming to him, I am sure everything will be fine, Wes,” was all David could manage at this point. He had to excuse himself immediately before he said something that he would regret.

  David steered clear of Wes the rest of the day, except when he needed his medications or needed help getting into his chair. He was quiet during dinner and Wes never questioned him. When it was time for bed, David replaced his heart medication with sugar pills. They looked alike and the old man didn’t notice the difference. David could not wait to save up the extra money. He was impatient and wanted to put his plan into motion now. He waited for the old man to fall asleep and he quietly entered Samantha’s old room. It was just as she’d left it. He walked slowly around absorbing her memories. He made his way over to the dresser and found a dust covered picture of the two of them together in happier days at the cabin. Grinning, he placed it in his shirt pocket. He slowly walked back out the door and closed it behind him.

  He strolled down the hall into the old man’s room and
closed the door behind him. In the dark room David stood over him. He knew Wes would be frightened when he awoke and saw him standing there. His heart would start to palpitate; it could not handle a scare like that. The old man stirred finally and acted exactly as David predicted. Wes clutched his heart and gasped, “Joseph, what the hell are you doing in here?” Wesley demanded as he reached for his glasses. David bent down to whisper in his ear, “Wes, I just thought I should thank you for being so kind and taking me in like the son you never had. It meant so much that you accepted me into your home…leading me straight to Samantha. It’s time I paid her a visit in California! We have so much catching up to do!” David said to him. You could hear the bitterness in his cold voice.

  “My God, DAVID. NO!” David lifted his arms above his head gripping his hands together to make a large fist. With all his might He slammed them down on the old man’s chest cavity putting him in immediate cardiac arrest. “See you in hell old man…” he sneered as he watched the old man gasp his last breath. David took the picture of him and Samantha together and roughly shoved it in the dead man’s mouth and walked out of the room. He gathered his belongings and headed up to the cabin in the middle of the night to prepare for Samantha’s homecoming.