Traveling Trouble, page 2
She closed on him, but something was off. Why was he just standing there? Was he fumbling for his keys? That made sense if he was in a panic. Yet, his posture looked wrong. He was too erect. If he was having trouble slipping the key into the slot, wouldn’t he be bent over?
She closed to within six feet, positive now she would reach him in time. Then she noticed his reflection in the window. He was watching her. He knew she was coming. As she reached out to grab him, he whirled. The knife slashed. She turned her body as the knife sliced through her shirt beneath her left breast. A sharp pain caused a sudden intake of breath.
She could not stop her momentum. Her hands reached for his knife hand as she leaped into the air. She clutched the wrist to prevent it from slashing back and drove her shoulder into his chin. Aaron was rocked backward into the car. An expulsion of air weakened him.
Bridgett kept her weight against him, pinning him to the car as she yanked his arm down. She brought her knee up to try to break his arm. It didn’t snap nor did the knife fall. His muscles flexed and he pulled upward preventing full contact.
Aaron recovered, sputtering droplets of saliva and muttering, “I’m going to kill you, you bitch. He wrapped his free arm around her chest, latching on to her right breast. He pulled her tight and lifted. She was surprised by his strength as her feet rose from the blacktop.
With her right hand locked on the knife wrist, she fired her left elbow back into Aaron’s face. Once. Twice. On the third attempt, he swore and went berserk. He lifted her higher, pivoted, and slammed her into the car. The impact drove the knife forward. She was able to stop it before it penetrated her cheek, but only by inches.
Bridgett put her feet against the car and pushed. The force from her legs drove them back. As they staggered, Bridgett hooked her leg behind his knee. The leg bent and she drove another elbow into his face. The blow was enough to tumble him. He released his hold on her to break his fall, still clutching the knife.
Bridgett released him. She managed to catch her weight on her hands and feet, preventing a fall. Aaron went down. His head snapped back and connected with the blacktop with a solid thud. He groaned and wrapped an arm around his head then rolled as she dropped on him.
He made a feeble swipe with the knife from a bad position. Bridget blocked it with her arm, then drove a hard punch into his face. It landed with a wet smack, his face covered with blood from previous hits. She forced the knife to the ground and held it there as she delivered two more full-force punches to his face.
His eyes rolled, showing much of the whites. She wrenched the knife away, punched him again, then lifted the knife over her head, ready to plunge it through his face.
“Bridgett!” a voice called. It ripped through her frenzied, vengeful brain. She ceased the downward thrust and looked up. Drew stood among several people. She breathed hard. She didn’t want to stop the assault. This man had to pay for what he had done to those women. To her. She let out a low growl that increased in volume until it reached a full roar. Then, to the shrieks and protests of the onlookers, she drove the blade down with all her might.
She lowered her face until it was inches from Aaron’s. She wanted to see her handiwork up close. She wanted to see his eyes as he realized she’d beat him. His prey had turned the tables.
Hands grabbed her shoulders. It took effort to lift her. She wasn’t through with him yet. “Come on, Bridgett,” Drew said in a calm voice. “The police are pulling in.”
That got through. Her muscles relaxed and she allowed Drew to pull her up. Aaron turned his head to the side and saw the knife sticking an inch deep into the blacktop a fraction from his face. He roared and reached for it, but before he could grab it, Drew lifted a size twelve foot and slammed it down into his face. Aaron didn’t move again.
CHAPTER TWO
The police separated Drew and Bridgett. Within seconds of the first car arriving, four more pulled in. Someone called an ambulance and the crowd was backed away from the scene. After giving her statement and insisting Aaron was the serial killer from the Lubec area, Bridgett was placed in the back seat of a patrol car. Though she talked her way out of being cuffed, the officers weren’t taking any chances until they got the complete story.
She was miffed to see Drew hadn’t been placed in a car. Then her mood softened as she thought about how he had slammed his foot into Aaron’s face. Her man had come a long way since this journey began. She had to admit, his new more aggressive demeanor was sexy. She might have to let him have his way with her tonight. The thought brought a smile to her face. “My God,” she said aloud. “You’re like a horny college girl.”
Almost thirty minutes later, with Bridgett nearing the end of her limited patience, a state trooper cruiser pulled in and Ogrodnick unfolded from the front seat. He hiked his gun belt, repositioned his hat, and sauntered over to the gathered officers. One of them flipped open a notepad and recited from his notes. Ogrodnick’s eyebrows shot up at one point, and Bridgett imagined they had told him who their suspect was. A smile creased the weathered face, and it warmed Bridgett.
Ogrodnick listened as several officers filled in gaps, then he walked toward Drew. He had been leaning against a car. When he saw Ogrodnick, he stood and shook the man’s proffered hand. They spoke for a minute and Drew motioned in Bridgett’s direction. Ogrodnick smiled and bobbed his head. Bridgett was sure whatever he’d just said to make Drew laugh was not something she would appreciate.
He sauntered over to the car with the officer that had put her in seclusion. They talked as they approached, then the officer opened the door and Bridgett rushed out. “It took you long enough. You sure there isn’t anyone else you want to talk to first?”
Ogrodnick broke into a mammoth grin and looked at the officer. The officer frowned, reached into his pocket, and handed over a twenty-dollar bill. Bridgett gaped at the exchange. “What was that?”
“I bet him the first thing out of your mouth would be, ‘What took you so long?’”
“But I . . .”
“It was close enough.”
“You owe me half of that twenty. After all, I had to do your job for you. Again.”
“Jett, you’re just travelling trouble, aren’t you?”
“Have badge, will travel.”
“But you don’t have a badge.”
“Whose fault is that? After what I did for you, I should have a permanent badge.”
The officer said, “Ah, what did she do for you?” in a suggestive tone.
“Hey, gutter mind, butt out. This is between me and this poor excuse for an investigator.”
Ogrodnick held up a hand. “Okay. Okay. I give up. Tell me.”
“What we’ve got here is the serial killer from Lubec.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“You’ve got the DNA. Prove it yourself. He’s our man.”
“Run it down for me.”
Bridgett spent the next five minutes giving a detailed report. Finished, she rubbed her hands together and said, “And that’s how it’s done.”
Ogrodnick couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m truly going to miss you, Jett.”
“You’ll dream about me. Don’t deny it. We both know it’s true.”
The officer was about to insert another suggestive comment. Bridgett and Ogrodnick said, “Shut up,” at the same time.
“Okay. We’ll run some tests and if it’s a match, we’ll need a formal statement for the charges. Where can I reach you?”
“Ah, we’re heading out of town. Drew has a new job somewhere near New Hampshire.”
“You’ll have to stay here for a couple of days,” the officer said. “Just until we can lock this down.”
“Not happening,” Bridgett said. “We have to be there tonight.”
Ogrodnick lifted a hand in front of the officer to prevent further argument. “Do I have your word you’ll come back when needed?”
“Of course. No way I want this guy back on the street. You’ve got our numbers. Call and I’ll be here.”
“Okay. That’s good enough for me.”
“But . . .”
Ogrodnick faced the other man. “Believe me. You don’t want her in town any longer than necessary.”
He glanced from Ogrodnick to Bridgett. Bridgett took up a shy, innocent pose with her head down and a finger under her chin and added some rapid blinks. He shook his head. “No, I guess not.”
With that settled, Drew and Bridgett got back in the SUV and backed out. As they were moving toward the street, Bridgett rolled down her window. “We never got to eat our meals,” she yelled to Ogrodnick and the officer. “You can have them. They’re on us.” Ogrodnick waved a thank you and they pulled into the street.
“We never got our food.”
“I know.”
“We also never paid for them.”
She smiled. “Yeah. I know that too.”
They were forced to stop for fast food burgers on the way. The delay in Milbridge had cost them more than three hours. They still had plenty of time to arrive, but the drive would no longer be leisurely. At Ellsworth, they took Route 1A toward Bangor. Outside Bangor they transferred to Interstate 95, then switched to Route 2 toward New Hampshire. Then, they both needed a break. Drew pulled into a gas station and filled up while Bridgett went inside to empty out. After Drew took his turn in the facilities, Bridgett said, “How much longer, you think?”
“At least two hours. The GPS says an hour and forty-five minutes, but it’s a winding road and you never know what you might run into on a two-lane.”
The sun was deep into its decline. The air had turned colder. Bridgett stood outside scanning the area around her. The leaves were turning. The vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and golds were breathtaking. She shivered. “I hate to say it, but I’m getting hungry.”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I’d like to get a little farther before we eat, if that’s all right.”
“You da boss.”
“Yeah, as if.”
She laughed. “Got that right, big man.”
They got in and drove another hour before Bridgett’s stomach rumbled loud enough for Drew to hear. “Okay. Okay. Put the beast back in its cage. I’ll pull over at the next restaurant.”
That didn’t happen for another fifteen minutes. It was a chain restaurant, but they had little choice. Drew parked and they walked inside hand in hand. While they waited for their food to arrive, Drew called their new boss. Don and Midge had owned the Norseman Inn for two years. It was to be their retirement income, but after a spree of bad luck, their investment threatened to take them down for the count.
They were already in a small rural area where potential customers were slim. The one thing the inn did have in its favor was the local ski scene. The Mt. Abram ski area and Sunday River were close by. With those traveling to take in the fall colors, this was supposed to be the beginning of their busy season that would stretch through the holidays to the early winter months. A series of homicides in the community, including two where the bodies had been discovered in their hotel rooms, had driven much of the business and staff away. Drew accepted the desperate offer through the end of the year. It was only a three-month guaranteed gig, but he had negotiated a free room for an extra month in lieu of payment in case the next job wasn’t available. He had already adjusted his online search with that in mind.
Finding a new position in January or February might be difficult. It was the slow season for restaurants. Many places would be cutting back or closing until the spring brought customers back.
“Hi Don. It’s Drew. Just checking in. We stopped for dinner and we’re about an hour and a half away. Just wanted you to know. We still plan on arriving tonight and getting started tomorrow.” He listened, then said, “No, don’t worry. We’re still coming. I’m not going to leave you stranded...Yes. Of course...We’ll see you tonight. Bye.”
“He sounds a little nervous,” Bridgett said.
“Yes, he does. I get the feeling he has a lot riding on whether I can turn the restaurant around and in turn, increase business in the hotel.”
“Which means a lot’s riding on those broad shoulders.”
He smiled. Bridgett knew he was aware of the pressure, but that made her wonder why he wanted to carry that burden. “I know I said I’d leave the choices about where we end up to you, but I have to ask. Knowing what’s at stake here, why accept the job?”
He did his thin lip thinking thing, then shrugged. “I’m not sure I have a good answer.”
“Start with a bad one and we’ll go from there.”
He thought some more. “I guess in the end, I just felt bad for the guy. I think he was on the verge of tears. He has everything riding on this venture and needs help.”
“I understand your wanting to help but you’re putting your reputation on the line. If you fail, it will follow you and make getting better jobs down the line more difficult.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“I mean, I don’t care for myself, but you’ve worked hard to build your reputation. I’d hate to see you take a hit. It’s like missing loan payments and lowering your credit score.”
“But like a credit score, it just takes a little work to reestablish your worthiness.”
“That’s still not an answer. Admit it. It’s not just that you have a caring nature and soft heart. You’re drawn by the challenge, aren’t you?”
He smiled.
The pizza arrived. The waitress set it on a raised trivet and said, “Enjoy.”
“Oh, I so will,” Bridgett said. She picked up the pizza spatula and lifted the first slice. The gooey cheese stretched. Instead of breaking the cheese with a utensil or even and finger, Bridgett leaned forward and separated the cheese with her teeth.
Drew laughed out loud. “I have never seen anyone do that before.”
“Oh, hang on, big man. You haven’t seen anything yet.” She reached across the pizza, slid the spatula under one of his slices, and lifted. Then she stood, walked around the booth to his side, and did the same thing.
“Gross,” Drew said.
She held up a finger, then leaned forward and kissed him, transferring the cheese she’d just bitten off into his mouth.
He sputtered, trying to exorcise the food from his mouth. She laughed and sat on his lap, planting kisses all over his face.
“Okay. Okay. I surrender.”
She snorted and stood. Then her eyes widened and she placed a hand over her mouth. The slice of pizza had slid from the spatula into Drew’s lap. “Oops!”
“Oh, you are so going to pay for this.” He picked the slice up and dropped it onto the plate.
Bridgett doubled over and tried not to laugh, but it was a losing effort. It burst from her throat. Her incoming breath caused a loud series of snorts. Many of the customers stopped eating to watch the floor show.
Bridgett tried to speak but had to stop three times before regaining enough control to say, “That’s what happens when you put cauliflower and spinach on pizza.”
“You are so funny.” As he said it, he reached across the table picked up her beer, pouring a thin stream over her half of the pizza.
Her eyes went even wider with surprise. “Oh, I’d say this is war, but beer and pizza go together.” She slid into the booth, picked up several slices, and let the beer drip onto the serving pan. She put all the slices down except for one then took a huge bite, devouring more than half. She smiled as she chewed. “Mmm.”
Bridgett swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Okay. Truce?”
“Of course.”
She smiled and picked up her beer. As the liquid touched her lips, she sprayed it out over the booth, the pizza, and Drew. “There’s cauliflower in my beer.”
Drew smiled as he wiped the beer droplets from his face. “See what a good chef I am? I just made your beer healthy.”
CHAPTER THREE
They reached the Norseman Inn in Bethel, Maine, just before sunset. The buildings on the grounds were old but had been renovated. There were two sections separated by a driveway to the back parking lot. The larger one sat back off the road facing south. It had an A-frame on each end and looked like there were perhaps six rooms per floor between the peaks. It also housed the office and restaurant, which were to the side of the left A peak. The smaller section to the right of the main building was two-story and barn-shaped. It was red with a grayish metal roof that sloped once and again, reminding Bridgett of pictures she’d seen of nuns wearing old-style habits with wide brims to the sides. The porch overhangs covered the walkways in front of the rooms. A lighthouse structure sat in the middle of the barn roof. The room doors were on the outside in the barn unit. In the main unit, the rooms were accessed from inside. She’d seen many barns that looked like these buildings, but never as an inn. She wasn’t sure if the look made it quaint or dated.
The fact that only three cars were in the lot spoke to the owner’s recent troubles. It was that time of night where travelers were searching for a place to stay. It was a Monday so slower than other nights, but Bridgett did not have a good feeling about the owner’s chances to salvage their retirement.
“Shall we meet our hosts?” Drew said.
“Might as well.”
They walked toward the office. Bridgett looked around. The multi-colored trees added a serene beauty to the area. It was pretty, but in a much different way than the Water Street Tavern. The property looked large, with perhaps only a third used for the inn. The street in front of the inn was not busy. A cross street was down the road a short distance. There were a few buildings in that direction. Having never been there before, Bridgett wondered if that was the extent of the town. If so, it was even smaller than Lubec. Knowing how that had turned out, she decided not to prejudge.
They had passed several inns, a roadhouse, and a few stores, before reaching the inn but saw little activity. Was this a dead town? That was disappointing. They passed a covered doorway that Bridgett guessed led into the hotel portion and entered a more decorative wooden door. Drew stepped to the side and opened the door for Bridgett, then gave a slight bow as she entered.
