Page 60 of Knight's Desire

“He is tall and slender, but not skinny. Light brown hair, blue eyes. He’s not old, but he does have laugh lines around his eyes and his mouth. He smiles a lot.”

Brick pierced Naomi with his glare. “Chip in his tooth?”

She nodded, and Brick looked once more at his friend. Their expressions gave away nothing, but their guts were churning. David Leonard was their man. They didn’t have any solid evidence to prove that, but in their line of work, their “hunches” or their gut instincts were things to be trusted.

“We’re leaving. For now.” Jay snared Bexley and Naomi in his glare. “But if we uncover evidence that either of you are involved in the disappearance of Hope Robertson, you can expect us to be back — with the Sheriff’s deputies.”

He motioned for Brick to exit first. Brick stepped into the hallway only to feel Jay tap him on the shoulder. He turned back as his friend gave one parting shot.

“And if you choose now to take a trip out of town, I would reconsider if I were you. Running never looks good for anybody.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hope’s mind cleared of its fog by the time she woke the second time. Her eyes darted around the room, committing to memory her surroundings, so when she lost what precious light came through the coverings over the windows, she could still think through a plan to get away.

The space was large and reminded her of an office space similar to the real estate office where Parker worked, only it was open instead of divided into smaller work spaces. The walls were beige at one time, but grime coated them in a thick layer that darkened the color to an odd mix of brown and gray. Cobwebs stretched from each corner unto portions of the ceiling, and she hoped none of the spiders decided to visit her.

The flooring under her was tile with a thick layer of dust that obscured its color and design. Some of that dust found its way onto her hair and clothes and tickled her nose, causing her to sneeze a few times. The space held no furniture. The length of the chain around her ankle only stretched enough for her to reach one wall, and that wall had no windows. The coverings on the other windows weren’t thick enough to be blankets but were more cloth-like than blinds. They took were stained and dirty, and while they covered the windows from top to bottom, they didn’t reach completely from side to side.

Because of the shadows in the dimly lit room, she couldn’t be sure she was alone. The length of the chain was long enough for her to reach the adjoining restroom, but there was no door and, therefore, no privacy. She longed for a shower, but the lack of privacy and the fact the bathroom only had a sink and a toilet prevented that need from being met. She couldn’t see any cameras around the space, but she hadn’t ruled out the possibility.

Though the room was coated in dust and grime and reeked of musty odors, the chain and shackle affixed to her ankle were brand new. The silver coating showed no weaknesses or signs of rust. She eyed the lock on the shackle, wishing she knew how to pick it, not that she had anything to use to do that.

She couldn’t see the heavy door that he used before, which was odd. Even if it was in the shadows, she wondered why she couldn’t at least detect an outline of it. Of course, she’d been out of it until now.

She paused, her brow furrowing. Her eyes swept the room once more, and a strange sensation hit her. This wasn’t the room she’d woken up in before. He’d moved her while she was unconscious, and the thought left her feeling even more vulnerable. If she didn’t know he moved her, what else did he to her that she was unaware of?

The other thing her unconsciousness robbed her of was a sense of time. She didn’t have on a watch, and she couldn’t remember if she’d had her cell phone on her when she was taken or if he’d taken it from her while she was unconscious. She had no way to know how much time had passed. She was lost and alone with no obvious way out. She was certain her absence had been detected by now, but did they have a clue as to where to find her? Would they get to her before he did to her whatever he had in mind?

Panic tightened her chest, making her lungs constrict and her heart race. She sucked in a shaky breath when the room started to spin. Losing it now was not an option. Closing her eyes, she drew in long, slow breaths, and pulled in every bit of knowledge she’d learned from watching thrillers, crime TV shows, and Brick and his friends to figure out her next move.

She listened for anything that would give her a clue as to where she was. She heard nothing – no sounds of traffic or nature or footsteps. She didn’t even hear the sound of breathing except for her own, which at least confirmed that she was alone for the moment.

Her bladder was full, so she took a chance and hurried into the bathroom. She tried to be as quick as possible in taking care of business. As she washed her hands, she did her best to wash some of the grime from her arms, face, and neck. She had nothing to dry her skin, so she used the inside of her shirt as a poor substitute for a towel.

She stepped from the bathroom and froze. “What the…”

Her head whipped around, her ears straining, but she couldn’t see or hear any sign of how the dress mannequin suddenly appeared in the middle of the room along with a battery-powered or solar-powered — she couldn’t be sure which — lamp that placed the mannequin in a spotlight.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. Her feet started to move, but she was afraid to get too close. Even knowing the mannequin couldn’t hurt her, its sudden appearance was strange enough to make her wary.

On the mannequin was a lily-white wedding dress with full voluminous skirt, a strapless sweetheart neckline and intricate embroidery. It was a familiar design. It was her design. She’d rejected it because it was a silhouette she’d seen done too many times before, and the embroidery gave the design a dated look. She never had the dress made. She hadn’t even seen the sketch since…

Her hand flew up to cover her mouth just as the chain reached its limit. It jerked her ankle, and she almost fell to her knees at the abrupt stop.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

She jumped at the unexpected voice. She couldn’t be sure where it was coming from, but she was ready for him to show himself. She needed answers.

“Why?” she finally spoke into the room. “I don’t understand.”

David Leonard stepped from the shadows at the far corner of the room. He wore a black tuxedo with white tie and vest. His patent leather shoes tapped against the tile as he stepped closer to her and the mannequin but remained out of the reach of her arms. Or more accurately, her fists.

“I knew it was perfect when I saw your sketch. This isn’t a dress that can be worn by just anyone. It was meant to drape the body of a beautiful woman as she walks down the aisle to where her groom waits for his virginal bride. I was angry at first when I saw that you tossed the sketch aside. Then I realized. This dress shouldn’t be sold in your store to just anyone. It’s too special for that.”

“You stole my sketch and had the dress made? Did you think this would make me happy? Do you think that any of the things you did would make me happy?”

“I didn’t do any of that to make you happy, Hope. My goal is more long-term. It wouldn’t have been necessary if I hadn’t turned your account over to Parker. That was an unexpected obstacle that had to be dealt with.”

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