Chapter 3

That evening Amy awoke and went to the bedroom. When she walked into the bedroom she saw that Sam was awake. Her cheeks were red from crying but at least there were no tears there now. Amy walked across the room and removed the tie wrap that secured Sam's wrist.

"Get dressed, clean your face and then come out to the kitchen and feed yourself," Amy ordered and left the room.

In a few minutes Sam entered the kitchen silently and took a seat at the kitchen table across from Amy. For a long time the two women stared at each other in silence.

"Eat child, I told you I won't bite," Amy chuckled.

Sam got up and fixed some tea. She toasted a bagel and took some cream cheese from the refrigerator which she spread on the toasted bagel. She asked Amy if she wanted tea and a bagel but Amy declined.

Amy had Sam call her bookstore and talk to Meg. She had her tell Meg that her cousin wanted to go to Lanyard to do some shopping and to please run the store in her absence for one more day. Amy had been listening on the other phone so that she could hear both ends of the conversation and after Meg had agreed she had motioned for Sam to hang up.

"I must leave for a while so I guess I will have to tie you to the bed once more. Come on girl let's go," Amy said reluctantly and allowed Sam to use the bathroom facilities before securing her again.

"I'll be back soon." Amy said over her shoulder just before she switched off the light and plunged the room into darkness.

Amy went to the garage and climbed into Sam's car. After many attempts, a lot of cursing and frustration with the starter, the engine finally surged to life. Amy backed the car out, made her way to the pavement and drove until she found a narrow dirt road which she turned onto. The area was wooded with heavy undergrowth and Amy finally stopped the car and considered whether to turn off the ignition or not. Finally she did and then went to the trunk.

She took out the shovel she had found in Sam's garage and the rolled up rug containing Charlie's body. She slung the rug over one shoulder as if it were more bulky than heavy and made her way into the pitch black darkness of the woods. Amy was able to see quite well in the dark and when she judged she was about a half mile from the road she tossed the rug to the ground. Taking up the shovel she began to dig. When the hole was deep enough she rolled the body and rug into it.

She removed the driver's license with Charlie's made up name but a picture of him on it and tossed it into the hole with his body.

I guess I won't be needing this anymore, Amy thought with a smile.

Her friend Jerry, a cop, had been in the process of checking Charlie's ID when Charlie murdered him. Charlie had not retrieved the ID from him in fact he had forgotten all about it. He had been much more interested in watching Jerry bleed to death. Charlie had cut out Jerry's tongue so he could not scream and then had just stood and watched as the man's struggles became ever weaker and finally ceased altogether. Amy had found Jerry before the other cops had and removed the ID. She had been tracking Charlie ever since.

The license was how Amy had been able to track Charlie. Some would call her ability clairvoyance but Amy did not give it much thought. She simply knew that if she had some object that belonged to the person she was looking for in her possession, she was able to track that person. If she concentrated while holding the object a picture formed in her mind of the person's location and she was able to see through their eyes. It was this ability that had permitted her to follow Charlie. When Charlie had stopped moving long enough Amy had taken a flight to the nearest airport to him and then grabbed a cab. She had dismissed the cab on the nearby highway explaining to the driver that she was going to surprise a friend that lived just up the road and did not want the arrival of the cab to alert him.

With a shrug of disinterest the cab driver had left. Amy had held the driver's license in closed hand and concentrated. Her eyes had flashed open and she had sprinted up the road for she had, through Charlie's eyes, seen Sam and sensed her pending doom. It was there standing outside Sam's window she had seen what was taking place. Amy had been forced to make a quick decision and having made it had crashed through the front door to Sam's house.

You were a vile evil man Charlie, I'm glad you won't torment and kill anymore. Now what else do I need to do in order for Sam's disappearance to point to you? I going to leave clues in Sam's house that will, with a little research on the part of the police, reveal your identity and focus the blame for her disappearance on you. They will never find you or her. At least I hope not. The only problem I can see is deciding what to do with Sam, Amy thought as she started to shovel dirt in on the grave. Amy returned to the car and put the shovel in the trunk. After several attempts and more cussing on her part, the starter caught and the engine fired to life.

Sam, what am I going to do with you, she thought as she drove back to the house.

She parked the car and entered the dark house. She went to the bedroom and flipped the light switch. Sam sat up blinked and then squinted in the sudden bright light.

"I have decided what to do about you but you more than likely will not be thrilled with my solution," Amy stated as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked deep into Sam's green eyes with her piercing blue ones.

"I have decided to take you with me. From now on you will live in my home and be my companion. I do not wish the authorities to trace you to me and so this will necessitate the appearance of your death..."

"But, but what about my life here, what about my bookstore? Am I to lose all of that?" Sam interrupted. Tears began to roll down Sam's cheeks as she thought more of having everything in her life snatched away. Amy was going to force her to give up her business, her home, everything she had worked for and accomplished in her entire life. Her lips formed a pouting expression.

"That's not fair Amy. You are telling me that I must give up my entire life. This is my home Amy, and I have a business that I own and run. What will happen to them?" Sam asked in a pleading voice through sobs and with huge tears rolling from her eyes.

"Sam, I am so sorry. I wish there was another solution but I can not think of one. Often life is not fair at all. If I had not intervened you would have been dead for real so I ask you to think of that. I hope you will like living in your new home. It is ... well let us just say it is different than this one. My only other choice is to kill you. I don't want to do that but I don't see any other options," Amy said and sighed in resignation.

Sam hung her head, "Very well Amy, I don't want to leave my home but you don't leave me much choice ... do you? Let me gather some clothes and things and start packing."

"I don't think you understand. Your old life is ended." Amy went to the closet and removed a ruffled white blouse and a black knee-length skirt. From the floor she scooped up a pair of black sandals and placed them in front of Sam.

"Here, put these on. I found a map in your car and when I studied it I found that there is a lake nearby can you tell me more about it Sam?"

Sam told Amy everything she knew about the lake and then Amy presented her with an option to either go with her or stay here tied up again while she went to Potterville.

"If you go with me you must not talk to anyone. Promise me this," Amy said and looked Sam in the eyes.

"I promise Amy. I will be silent."

"Good, then tomorrow we will go to Potterville. We must leave before the sun sets since I need to go to the bank and they are only open until nine. This will necessitate my wrapping up in a blanket to avoid the sunlight. You will have drive. Will you do that?"

At Sam's affirmation Amy continued. "I am not going to restrain you tonight. I am going to start trusting you a little at a time. I am however going to sleep here on the bed with you and be warned that I sleep very lightly. I am going to take a shower now. Do not attempt to escape or use the phone because trust me I will hear and I will punish you," Amy said with threat in her voice.