Chapter 9:Part 1

Bill walked two laps around the resort hopping to burn off his rage. He hopped in his car, anger still burning through the acid in his stomach. He pulled out behind a slow driving cab. Impatiens made him want to slam into the rear of the poky driver but he didn't.



Shana had angered him. She was acting like a baby. The woman knew how to push his buttons. The marriage was over. For some reason he still cared about her well being and just wanted to see how she'd managed after her drunken exhibit last night.



He should have stayed away. If he had any amount of a brain he would have steered clear of the bitch.



Bill saw a break in traffic and zoomed around the cab. He drove over the speed limit on his way to the hospital. Maybe Amanda would be awake and speaking.



The doctor believed her voice would return soon. He wheeled into the parking lot and slammed his car into park. After some deep breathing exercises Bill made his way up to the hospital entrance.



He wove his way through the halls and back to Amanda's room. The door was closed, but he pushed in without knocking. She was awake and her eyes lit up when she saw him. She waved him over and grasped his hand when he got close enough. With all of her strength she pulled him down close to her face. Bill felt a queasy rush spread throughout his body. The desire to kiss this amazing woman made him falter. He pulled back, but she tugged him down again.



With delight in her eyes she opened her mouth and he heard a slight whisper, "I can talk."



Bill stood tall. Excitement filled him. Amanda could answer questions now. There were conditions though. He could see the strain on her face and in her eyes. If he pushed her too quickly she could relapse.



"Do you know the name of the man who attacked you?"



Pain filled her features, "No."



"Can you tell me what happened?"



She closed her eyes and swallowed. With a shaky hand she reached out for her cup of water. He allowed her the time she needed to compose. In reality there wasn't enough time. He needed the information from her yesterday.



"I met him in a bar. He ignored me, gave me the brush off. Then I saw him a few day's later in a park."



Amanda's gaze met his. The air whooshed out of his lungs. She was in pain. He could see the nightmare in her gaze. He didn't want to humiliate her. If he could, he would take the burden from her and let her rest instead of relieving the nightmare.



She didn't look away as she continued her story. "I knew I had to have him. I can't emphasize enough how beautiful he w– was." Amanda's voice broke. She took a long pull on the straw, closing her eyes as the water slid down her throat. "This guy, he had dark hair, perfect body." A tear slid down her cheek. "I'd been so good too."



Bill wanted to ask questions, he could feel the information he needed close to the tip of her tongue. But he didn't want to interrupt her flow. Instead, he made notes in the margin of his notebook about questions he would ask later.



"I went up to him. Talked to him. He seemed so nice."



She reached for her cup again, the anguish in her eyes palpable. There was no easy way back through the story. He grasped her hand and squeezed tight.



"I should have known. He seemed too good to be true." She sat still for a moment, her eyes welling up with tears. "After a few minutes I asked him to meet me at the bar in the Atlantis at five. He said he couldn't. The tide and all. I wanted to see him so bad. Do you understand?"



Bill said nothing but nodded, hoping to keep her flowing with the story.



"He asked me back to his sailboat for a quick drink. Said we could exchange information there."



Amanda stopped talking and laid her head back onto the bed, closing her eyes. Bill thought she was done but she began speaking ever so softly.



"He must have drugged the wine. It was expensive too. I don't remember the name, but I remember him saying how great it was. I woke up tied to his bed. I fought of course, but in the end..."



"Do you remember what he looked like?"



"No, yes, kind of. I may be wrong. He wore a disguise on land. Mustache and different looking clothes. He drugged me." She coughed and swallowed twice without drinking. "I'm just not sure."



Bill studied Amanda, her features were strained, wrinkles evident on her forehead. He thought she had slipped into sleep when her features softened. The desire to touch her grew. All he wanted to do was stroke her hair, but he knew that would be wrong. Amanda had been through hell and deserved respect. If he had his way, he would lean over and kiss her forehead.



Her eyes popped open and he jumped back. She couldn't have known his thoughts, but for a few seconds he wondered.



He smiled down at her, hoping to hide his desire. "I'm going to ask the police to send over a sketch artist."



"I don't know."



"Trust me, it won't hurt and it might help."



"Bill, I'm afraid. What if he..."



"I'll have the hospital put a security guard on just outside your room. If we feel that the danger is upped, we'll get a police officer in here. I promise that you'll be safe. I'll make sure of it."



"Thank you."



"Can I call someone? Family? Your agent?"



"No, I don't want anyone to know I'm here."



"The press will probably find out unless we give another name to the doctor."



"You didn't tell the doctor my name?"



"No, I didn't want your privacy to be invaded."



She ducked her head as pink brightened her cheeks. "Thank you. You've been very nice."



"I'm going to let you rest now. You can talk to me later. Right now I need to arrange for the artist. Rest, and then we can go over your time with the man and how you escaped."



Bill thought he saw Amanda shrink away. She'd suffered horribly, and he didn't want to make her relive the experience over and over again. He would spare her most of the retailing if he could. But he needed answers if they hopped to catch the killer, because as sure as he lived, Bill was certain the man had intended for Amanda to die.

Copyright Sara Thacker 2011