Page 123 of Obsession

Melanie sounded so far away. “Okay. Thanks.” She disconnected and tried to get her bearings.

“Emma, is something wrong?”

Corey? She turned as darkness closed in on her.

67

The Rohypnol had taken effect.

Corey had waited until he knew Ryker wouldn’t be coming back. Greg Hart, Emma’s neighbor, had come and gone, the blonde at the end of the hall was away. Everything was working out perfectly.

He smiled. “We’ll be together now. You don’t have to be afraid of your feelings for me any longer.”

He stood and walked to the bookcase, where he retrieved the bug. He didn’t think it could be traced back to him, but there was no need to take a chance.

“I ... I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Emma rubbed her forehead. “I don’t feel well,” she said. “The room is spinning.”

He furrowed his brow. “You look as though you’re about to pass out,” he said. “I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

“No.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Why are you here?” she asked.

“We’ll talk about it later, after you’re feeling better.” He slipped her coat over her shoulders. “Don’t want you to get cold, do we?”

A sudden urgency to get away from the apartment washed over him, and he hurried her down the stairs. She was compliant but getting sleepy as he guided her to his truck. He’d thoughtabout collecting some of her clothes and makeup, but he wanted nothing from her former life at the cabin.

Once Corey had her seat belt fastened, he slipped her shoes off and hurried around to the other side of the club cab truck. Once he got out of town, he would put her in the back seat, where she could sleep.

Corey jerked his head in the direction of an approaching siren. His premonition had been right! He’d barely turned the corner when flashing blue lights pulled in front of Emma’s apartment.

They would know in minutes she was gone. He’d have to take a roundabout way to the cabin and avoid any highways that might have a roadblock.

No matter. Excitement thrummed through his body. Emma was his now. All he had to do was get her to the cabin, where he would keep her locked up until she yielded to her love for him. He could see in her face she was still afraid of her feelings for him. Time would change that.

68

Sam hung around the cabin until the local funeral-director-slash-coroner was allowed to examine Trey’s body. After his preliminary examination, he informed them Trey had died from a gunshot wound to the heart, and from his experience, he figured he’d been dead at least eighteen hours, maybe even twenty-four. The medical examiner in Jackson would pinpoint the exact time of death during the autopsy.

“If you don’t need me any longer, I want to find Gordon Cole and talk to him,” Sam said to the sheriff.

“Good idea,” Nate said. “I’ll catch a ride with one of my deputies.”

“Do you know where Gordon lives?”

Nate rubbed his forehead. “Doc lives on Cole Road, but I’m not sure about Gordon. Let me ask around.” He disappeared inside the house and reappeared a few minutes later with the doctor’s address and cell phone number. “The coroner is old friends with him,” Nate said. “You know how to get back to the main road, right?”

“Yeah. Stay on the dirt road until it intersects a gravel, then take a left.”

Nate gave him a thumbs-up. “Call dispatch if you need anything, and they’ll contact me on the radio.”

As soon as Sam had cell coverage, he dialed Emma’s number.It went straight to voicemail. He checked the time. Eight thirty. He bet she forgot to charge her phone. As soon as he interviewed Gordon, he would drive to her apartment and make sure she was all right.

After he put Gordon’s address into his GPS, he dialed the doctor’s number and got an answering service. He left a request for the doctor to call him. Sam followed the directions from his navigation system and wasn’t surprised when an hour later, the directions took him to a ritzy part of town and a house that sat on at least three acres of ground. A fence surrounded the property with a security gate at the entrance. Sam stared at the keypad, then redialed the doctor’s cell phone. He was about to disconnect when the doctor answered. “This is Dr. Cole.”

Sam identified himself. “I’d like to talk with you a few minutes.”

“About...?”

If he said Mary Jo Selby, he figured the doctor would find an excuse to not talk to him. “Trey Carter.”

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