Haunted by the Past Ch. 04

Why am I so jumpy...

Diana Richards leaned down to pick up another piece of paper that she dropped on the floor. It was Friday, July 13, 1956. She had stayed at her office until seven o'clock to catch up on some work, and was taking some home to look at over the weekend.

It's Friday the 13th again and Charles is gone...maybe that's why I'm so nervous. If I could just shake this feeling that someone was watching me again...

Her husband Charles was out of town. He'd left that morning to go to Washington for a few days on a special case for the FBI. He hoped to be back by sometime Monday.

They'd made love a few times the previous night and once again that morning before they'd gotten out of bed. He said he was making up for being away a few days.

He'd kissed her goodbye at the movie studio that morning. "I love you, pretty lady," he'd whispered. "Dream about me...I'll be dreaming about you!"

Diana had noticed a frown crease his brow and he'd looked like he was going to say something else...but he didn't.

What else did you want to tell me...

She'd let it go and promised him she would dream of him. Most of her dreams lately had been about him. Every once in a while, the big man would sneak back in. But they were more like memories—something they'd shared during their weekend together over two years ago.

They still made her smile as she recalled his love for her. The sincere look on John Wayne's face when he'd told her that if she ever needed anything, all she had to do was call him had told her that he would always love her...

**********

He'd drifted off to sleep sometime after eleven o'clock in his hotel room in Washington D.C. But Charles had woken up in a cold sweat from that nightmare he'd had a few times just a little while later. It was always the same. Diana on top of him, making love to him—and then she was suddenly jerked away. He heard her scream in panic and pain... And then darkness and silence...

Maybe I should call her and tell her...

Tell her what?You don't even know what the hell that dream means...

Maybe I should just tell her to be careful...

Careful of what?You'll just scare her...

Just go back to sleep...

Charles shook his head and lay back down. He dozed...fitfully.

**********

Diana was gathering up the papers from her desk to take home. She heard her office door open. She looked up to see a man who seemed familiar standing in the doorway.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a cold shiver tingled down her spine...

He entered quickly and closed the door behind him, locking it. He came around to the far corner of her desk, blocking her exit.

I know I've seen you before, but...

She noticed the look on his face. He had a look of lust and loathing in his eyes and his mouth was twisted in a menacing grin. Her mouth went dry.

You want to hurt me...

She stood up quickly. "What do you want?"

The man's eyes flared with more anger as he snarled, "You don't even remember me, do you, you little whore?"

She recognized his voice.Oh, God...Ed Hood... All you wanted was sex...

She'd gone out with him a couple times over a year ago. She'd slapped him and blatantly told him to go to hell when, on their second date, he'd pounced on her. He'd called her a teasing whore as she'd scrambled out of his car and slammed the door to get a taxi. He'd squealed his tires leaving the parking lot of the restaurant they had just left.

I had so easily misjudged you...

He was the reason she'd quit seeking men for one-time encounters. She hadn't heard from or seen him again...until now.

She boldly asked again, "What do you want, Ed?"

So, you do remember me, you bitch...

"The same thing I've wanted since the moment I saw you... To put my dick inside your hot, little pussy you teasing whore! I know you've had plenty of other dicks inside you, so why should I be any different? Especially when I'm the one who was meant to be your soul mate!"

Diana frowned as she flinched.

Why would you say that? What the hell makes you think you're my soul mate? And how would you know how many men I've had sex with in the past? Have you been following me? You were following me even before you asked me out...

She tried to think back to all the places she'd been to see if she recalled seeing him before. She had no recollections of seeing him other than that first time he'd approached her at a bar one night with her girlfriends and struck up a friendly conversation.

He had seemed like a gentleman, even slightly shy. He told her he'd seen her at the nightclub where she performed and that she sang beautifully. He'd even said that she reminded him of his mother's lovely voice.

Well that should've been a clue right there! Hell...you probably have an Oedipal complex! Mommy devoted herself to you so much that you developed a crush on her. But you can't have her because that's just wrong—so you go after any woman that reminds you of Mommy. And you're enraged at me because I spurned you...

Her mind reeled as she tried to think of ways to get out of this. She couldn't scream for help—there were no security guards nearby. She couldn't grab the phone—he'd be on her in a second to stop her. And she wouldn't be able to fight him off. Despite the fact that he was an angry "momma's boy," he was a pretty big one—even bigger than Charles!

I doubt I could do any real damage if I tried to punch him. And I'd have to be very precise if I tried to knee his groin. If I missed...

Maybe I could psyche him out somehow...

Make him see that what he was thinking and doing was wrong...

You're not a psychiatrist...

If she said the wrong thing, it might make him do something even worse!

Maybe I could play along with him...

Make him think that she'd changed her mind about wanting to have sex with him...

She felt sick.Oh, God...I can't stand the thought of this man touching me...

She would just have to try and fight him off with every ounce of her strength when he came at her.

If I could just get to my boss' office door before he could get to me—get inside, lock it and call the police and stay in there until the police arrived...

Ed Hood grinned sickeningly.You have no recourse but to try to fight to get away...and you're no match for me...

He moved toward her. She darted toward the inner office door. He reached out his left hand, grabbed her hair and yanked her backward against him.

She screamed in panic and pain...

He tried to wrap his right arm around her neck to constrain her, but she caught his forearm with her mouth and bit into him. Hard. He bellowed in pain and anger as he ripped his arm away from her mouth. "Bitch!" he growled, as he punched the right side of her jaw with his right fist.

Diana nearly passed out. Her vision went black for a moment. Then she flailed backwards at him with her arms and legs. He picked her up and slammed her down on her stomach onto her desk like a rag doll. It almost knocked the wind out of her and nearly made her unconscious again from the blow to the right side of her head. She kept kicking her feet up behind her, hoping to get one of them between his legs so she could kick his crotch.

He grabbed her hair again and banged her head on her desk while he fumbled with his pants. Then he lifted her dress and slip and ripped her panties off of her.

Diana was losing consciousness from the pain in her head.

I'm so sorry, Charles! Please forgive me for not being able to keep my promise to you...

She felt a searing pain between her legs.

She sank down into welcoming darkness and silence...

When Ed was done, he backed away from her and just watched as her body slid off the edge of her desk and onto the floor as he closed his pants. He sneered at her, "I bet you'll never forget me again...bitch! Maybe now you'll see the error of your ways!"

I just wish you didn't have such a perfect little pussy...I want to fuck you again so badly! But you have to pay for what you've done...

He walked to the door of her office, unlocked it and cracked it open enough to look out and make sure no one was around. He walked out and snuck back off the movie studio lot the same way he'd snuck on. He knew where the security guards were posted and how to get past them.

He'd been planning this for over a year. He learned that she'd married and he saw that wicked display she and her husband put on in the studio parking lot just over a week before. He'd been watching her again and he knew her husband was out of town, so he'd followed her.

It was time to make you pay the consequences for your behavior and for rejecting my offer...

But I know you're going to tell the police that I "raped" you...

Ed Hood was feeling rather pleased with himself. He'd made plans ahead of time for him and Mother to go on an extended visit with his aunt, his mother's sister, up in Oregon. She lived in a fairly remote area.

I'm relatively certain no one would know to look for me there...

Once the police investigate, they'll find out all about your past. And I'm sure the D.A. will refuse to prosecute once they know what kind of woman you are! And the publicity will ruin your life...

He had learned that when he'd worked as a file clerk in the D.A.'s office a couple summers during college. He was pretty confident he was going to walk away from this with nothing more than a slight scar from where the bitch had bit his arm!

**********

Diana's brain struggled to regain consciousness through the throbbing pain in her head. She gradually realized she was lying on the floor beside her desk in her office. Papers were scattered around her, her dress was around her waist and her torn panties were on the floor beside her. She suddenly recalled what had happened...

A scream rang out inside her head...CHARLES!!!

She immediately thought of him all the way across the country in Washington.

Oh, God...I wish you were here with your arms around me! I need you...

She started trembling and winced as she slowly sat up and tried to figure out what to do. She was afraid to call the police while she was alone—she was afraid what they would think of her.

She needed someone who would support her before she could talk to the police. She got to her phone and tried calling her girlfriends.

None of them are home! They've all gone out together this evening...

They'd asked her to come, but she'd needed to catch up on her work because her boss was out of town and she was handling everything, so she had declined the invitation.

She wasn't even sure what time it was. According to the clock on the wall, it was almost ten.

I've been unconscious for nearly three hours! Who on earth can I call at this time on a Friday night that I can trust...

She thought about Uncle Pete and others at the FBI. But Uncle Pete and the only ones she trusted were with Charles in Washington.

What am I going to do...

She couldn't call her boss—he was with his wife on vacation in Hawaii.

Who else could I possibly call...

The big man said if you ever needed anything... NO! I cannot call him...

What about Ward and Mary Lou? Maybe I can catch them at home...

Ward had given her their home phone number and had also told her to call any time. She dialed their number and prayed that they were home.

The phone rang in Ward and Mary Lou Bond's beach house in Malibu during a party with several of their friends. Ward wasn't nearby so he asked for someone to answer it for him.

John Wayne picked up the phone. "Hello?" He was stunned at the voice on the other end of the line.

"Ward?" she squeaked, "It's Diana. I'm at my office, and...something terrible has happened! I need your help! Please help me!" she sobbed into the phone.

Wayne commanded, "Diana, stay right where you are. I'm on my way!"

Wayne grabbed Ward and told him about the call. Ward told Mary Lou to keep their guests entertained and to explain to Duke's wife Pilar that he and Duke had to go help a friend and they'd be back later.

Diana hadn't recognized the big man's voice—she thought it was Ward. She had enough presence of mind after she hung up to turn on all the lights in the office. She locked her office door in case the bastard tried to come back. She crouched in the corner behind her desk, her arms wrapped around her legs, trembling and crying quietly while she waited for Ward to arrive.

About twenty minutes later, she heard a loud pounding on the door. Then Ward's voice, "Diana! It's Ward! Open up and let us in!"

She crawled out of the corner and stood up carefully. She made her way to the door and opened it.

Oh, God...NO! Not you...you can't see me like this...

She burst out sobbing and nearly collapsed.

John Wayne caught her and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her into the office to sit down with her cradled in his lap. He muttered, "Son-of-a-bitch!" under his breath.

How could someone have done this to her...

She had a large knot on her right forehead, abrasions on the right side of her face and both of her arms, and her lower lip was swollen. It was obvious from the fact that her underwear was lying on the floor in pieces that she'd been raped.

She was sobbing in his arms. He held her as gently as he could.

"It's OK, little girl," he soothed quietly, using the endearment he'd given her when he met her. "I've got you now...I won't let anyone else hurt you. I'm here..."

He trailed off, his throat constricting with emotion. He cleared his throat.

He asked her gently, "Diana...do you know who did this to you?"

She nodded as she sobbed softly. Wayne looked at Ward.

Ward immediately phoned the police while Wayne tried to calm her. He sat her on the couch next to him and put his arms around her as she leaned on his chest.

Then he asked her, "Diana...where is your husband?"

"In Washington. Oh, God! How am I going to explain this to him? I don't know how he's going to react! When he finds out, he might go after that bastard and kill him! Or will he blame me?" she squeaked as she started to cry again.

Wayne said firmly, "No, Diana. You know your husband loves you! And he knows you're not to blame! As soon as he sees you, he's probably going to want to kill the bastard! If I don't get to him first! The son-of-a-bitch better hope the police find him before we do!"

The police arrived about ten minutes later. The officers treated Diana very kindly as they asked questions and made a report of the attack. She looked like she'd put up quite a fight and she had internal injuries verifying rape when they took her to the hospital. The doctor also told Diana that she had to stay a couple nights for observation because of the blows to her head.

Ward and Wayne stayed with her until the officers were able to reach her girlfriends.

Dawn and Lynda came to the hospital. The police officers told them only that she had been attacked and that she had asked the two gentlemen who had been with her to call her husband.

Dawn and Lynda were shocked when the officers told them who the two men were. They looked at each other.

How did they end up being the ones to come to her rescue...

Dawn kept glancing at one of the officers. He was staring at her. She found him very attractive.

I still have that weakness...

He was a very sexy Hispanic man and he had given his name as Officer Estevez. Something in his eyes made her heart flutter like she'd never felt before.

I can see everything you're feeling in your deep, dark eyes...compassion, concern...desire... And you're not wearing a wedding band...

Before he left, she asked his first name—he told her it was Rick. She frowned at him.

I know that's not your given name...

He grinned and said it was Enrique. Dawn smiled sexily at him.

"Thank you for being so kind to my friend, Enrique... I mean, Officer Estevez."

Rick smiled just as sexily.

Oooh...I like the way my name rolls so naturally off your tongue. I can think of some other things I'd love you to do with that tongue... Stop that, you horn dog! Look at her...she's different. She's an angel...

He'd noticed her the moment she walked into the hospital Emergency Room. She seemed like a "no-nonsense, take-charge" type of woman...yet she still exuded a subtle sensuality—qualities that had always attracted him in a woman. And she was packaged in a short, yet shapely body, with creamy, flawless skin, a naturally lovely...angelic face with deep hazel eyes, soft lips and thick, flowing, shoulder-length, dark brown hair.

"Just doing my duty, Dawn...I mean, Miss Williams. I'm sure we'll be in touch for some follow-up questions. I look forward to seeing you again."

Rick had no reason to contact her again, but he made something up.I have to see you again...

Dawn had nearly melted at the look in his deep, dark chocolate brown eyes. And the sexy smile he flashed had dazzled her with the brilliance of a white-hot spotlight.

Yes...I definitely look forward to seeing you again, too...

**********

Ward Bond had to practically hogtie John Wayne to get him back to his house and convince him to let the police handle things. Diana had told them exactly who her attacker was and the police had an APB out on the man.

Diana had asked Ward to call Charles in Washington and get him home.

I do not want to make this phone call... How do you break news like this to a friend? There's just no easy way...

The phone in Charles' hotel room rang at four o'clock in the morning. He instantly jerked awake and grabbed it on the second ring.

"Diana...is that you? Are you OK?"

He'd woken up again a couple hours earlier—he thought he'd heard her scream his name. His gut twisted when he heard Ward's voice on the line...

How did you know...? "No, Charles. It's Ward. I'm sorry to tell you this, but...

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!! Is she OK?"

"She was beaten pretty badly...but no permanent damage was done. She'll be OK...eventually."

"What do you mean 'eventually?' What aren't you telling me, Ward?"

Charles felt a wave of nausea as Ward was silent for several moments.Oh, God, no...don't say it...

Oh, God...I can't say it... Ward finally spoke quietly. "She was raped, Charles."

There was a loud roar in his head.I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY IT!!! Oh, God...WHY?!!!

Ward heard a few seconds of silence; and then, "SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Charles bellowed.

Ward had to hold the phone away from his ear. Charles must've used the telephone earpiece to punch something hard.

Wayne's eyes widened as even he heard a loud roar and the sound of something cracking.

Charles asked Ward for details. Ward told him the police were handling it and to just make arrangements to get back to L.A. as quickly as possible—his wife needed him. He also gave Charles the phone number to the hospital.

Charles asked if they at least had any idea who had done it. Ward explained how Diana had known the man and that the police were already searching for him. Charles asked for the man's name; Ward told him. He heard knocking in the background coming through the phone.

Charles said, "I'll be right there, Dan! I've got to go, Ward. I woke up my partner in the next room and now he's banging on my door. If you talk to Diana again, please let her know I'll be there as soon as I can! And tell her...I love her... more than ever!"

"If I talk to her again before you do, I'll tell her. Bye, Charles."

Ward hung up the phone and looked at Duke. "I hope I'm not going to have to hogtie both you and Charles to keep you two from doing anything stupid!"