To Walk a Mile

"Could I stay with you tonight?" he asked.

"Yes!" she said and he stripped down to his boxers and slipped under the covers. He set the alarm, on low, to wake him for work and snuggled up against Grace. He was never more at ease than when he was in her arms. Sleep came quickly.

Chapter 13

June was quickly approaching and if May had been any indicator the summer months were going to be the hottest on record.

Ed had visited Heather two more times and she and Mishka were just waiting now to see if it took. Heather told him she was looking forward to missing her monthly visit from Aunt Flo. Ed wasn't sure who that was but he wondered why Heather, who no longer saw her mother, wanted to avoid this relative. Especially one who seemed to like her enough to visit so often.

The Saxons and the Dumas' managed to work out a price for Victoria's home. Her father flew from England to collect a few personal items from the house for his daughter but the home sold with all furnishings. Lakshmi and Taj were threatening to have a yard sale to get rid of the antiques until Thierry found an auction house. They managed to make a pretty penny on the old stuff. The money went toward new furnishings of course. Lots of big cushions! Angie was over the moon happy that her friends were moving in.

No houses opened up for the Grants yet but Rachel was hopeful. They visited a lot and Tristan and Grace were becoming very good friends.

The project for the Klein Group would break ground in July and the expectation was that it would be ready for occupancy in eighteen months. They were following the suggestions Ed made and Louis was delighted to learn they would be saving an additional ten percent in material costs because of that.

Zoe's home was in the final stages of construction and she would be able to move in by the end of the next month. Ed was going to visit the site once more as one of the apprentice electricians had drilled into an air conditioning duct to run a line through it. The apprentice was no longer working on the site.

Ed pulled up to the gate and noticed it was open. He frowned. Zoe would be upset about that. She wanted the site secured even if that made the workers have to buzz in. He drove up to the foreman's trailer and saw Zoe's car parked next to it. He got out and went into the trailer. No one was inside so maybe Zoe was doing a tour with the foreman.

He signed in on the worksheet, put his hardhat on and made his way inside the building. The site was pretty quiet though he heard the buzz of the carpenter's saw as they worked on the trim work for rooms which had been completed. The occasional hammer could also be heard.

Ed made his way to the damaged duct. Sure enough there was the ragged hole the apprentice had made when he removed the power line he'd installed. Ed took some measurements and went looking for the exit point.

Three hours later Ed carried the damaged sections of the duct out to the recycling bins. He'd found multiple areas where the workers had damaged the integrity of the ducts. Each section had been replaced after he documented the location and damage done. It was going to be tricky enough controlling the climate of the building without compromising the system from the start.

He hadn't seen or heard Zoe and he saw her car was still there as he made his way into the trailer. Two other workers were there signing out in the worksheet. One turned to Ed.

"Hey man, have you seen Clint? He was here when I arrived but I can't find him anywhere. I need him to sign off on my work," the man complained.

Ed shook his head. "He wasn't here when I arrived a little over three hours ago."

"Call him," the second man suggested to his partner. The man took out his phone and dialed the number.

They heard a faint ringing and looked around. Maybe he left his phone in a drawer? Ed moved in the direction of the sound. He stopped at the middle of the trailer near the back wall. There was nothing there but the ringing was definitely louder here.

"Maybe he dropped it outside. I'm going to go look. Keep it ringing," Ed said and made his way outside and around to the back of the trailer. There was a bunch of junk piled up against the trailer which Ed knew wasn't allowed. The ringing was coming from under the sheets of drywall. Ed pulled them away from the trailer and looked behind it. He yelled as he jumped back and the drywall fell back against the trailer with a bang. Ed was on his butt when the two workers came outside to see what made the loud noise.

"Hey, you alright?" the man with the phone asked. Ed looked at him in a daze. "Call the police. Someone killed Mr. Masterson."

"What?"

"He's under the stack of damaged drywall. It looks like someone slit his throat." Ed began to shake in reaction.

"Holy fuck! Ok. Let me call," the man with the phone said as his partner peeked behind the sheets.

"Geezus! I ain't never seen nothing like that in real life!" he said as he leaned the sheets back against the trailer.

"Hey! Don't be disturbing the scene of the crime- Yeah! Hello! Hey we need the cops!"

Ed's phone took that moment to ring and he jumped. The worker not speaking to 911 looked over at Ed who fished his phone from his pocket. His call display said it was Zoe. Ed immediately got to his feet and answered.

"Zoe? Where are you?"

"Am I speaking to Edward Walters?" a deep voice asked.

Ed blinked. This wasn't Zoe. It was a male voice with an accent much like Zoe's. "Yes, this is Ed. Who are you? Where's Zoe?"

"Do you want to see Zoe alive and in one piece?"

The question shocked Ed who saw the tortured body of Clint Masterson flash before his eyes. "Yes! Please don't hurt her!"

"Get in your car and drive south on the highway. Don't speed. I will call you again in twenty minutes. Speak with the police and I will peel Zoe's skin from her body in little strips. Go now." The line went dead.

Ed immediately ran for his truck. He was in a panicked state. The trauma of discovering the dead body and now facing a similar fate for Zoe scrambled his ability to reason.

With the other men yelling at him to stop Ed jumped in his truck and headed for the highway. He followed the instructions to not speed and when his phone rang again he pulled over onto the shoulder to answer.

It was Zoe's phone again. "Hello?" he said.

"Take exit 314 and turn right. Travel five miles on that road. Stop at the T intersection and wait for my next call. Again, speak to the police and she dies but it will be a long and painful experience." The phone went dead.

Ed pulled back out into traffic and watched for exit signs. The look of terror on Masterson's face kept resurfacing in Ed's mind.

In his addled state he almost missed his exit and swung off the road at the last minute. He didn't see the trucker he cut off. The driver slammed on his brakes and blew out two of his worn tires. Tire debris went everywhere and two cars lost chunks of their undercarriage to the heavy rubber they drove over.

Ed continued down the ramp unaware of the mess he'd left just past the exit ramp. He made the right turn as directed and kept an eye on the mileage. When he reached the T intersection he pulled over and shut off the engine. While it was getting dark he looked around he saw nothing but dense forest in all directions. No lights from homes or businesses out this far from town. The road was very infrequently used. He'd only seen one car go past. Now that he was getting a little quiet time Ed began to get nervous about what he was doing. Ten minutes later the phone rang just as a car drove past him again. It could have been the same car he saw before. Ed dropped the phone and scrambled to pick it up.

"HELLO!" he gasped when he finally got it.

"Take the road on the right and drive three miles until you see the motel on the left side. Room 6. Drop your phone out the window before you start driving. We're watching. I don't need to warn you about the police, do I?" The voice was so smooth and calm, Ed trembled at the thought of Zoe being in this man's control.

"No, please don't hurt Zoe!"

"That depends on how well you've followed my instructions, doesn't it?" The phone went dead again.

This was it. He stared at his phone as his fingers moved on their own. He had to get to Zoe. He took some long deep breathes.

"He has Zoe. He killed Mr. Masterson. I have to get to the motel to save her," he said, psyching himself up. He opened his door and dropped the phone gently to the road. Then he started up the truck and took the right hand turn.

This section of country road was pitch dark and Ed wondered who would build a motel way out here. It was completely secluded.

It wasn't long until he saw a light up ahead. He saw it was a single florescent light illuminating a hand painted motel sign. No neon signs for this business. Three Pines Motel. Considering the small ten unit motel was surrounded by pine trees Ed wondered which three they meant. He parked his truck near the road and got out. He listened but all he could hear were crickets and other nature sounds. No traffic noises, voices, or the sound from televisions. Everything was swallowed up by the dense woods around them and blanketed by the sound of nature.

There was only one vehicle parked in front of the motel. It was the dark sedan he saw passing him on the road twice. So he had been under surveillance. It was parked in front of room 7. Ed swallowed and made his way closer to room 6. The curtained window by the door showed a little bit of light leaking out. None of the other rooms looked occupied. Ed took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

It was the same voice as before. He turned the nob and pushed it open slowly. He scanned the room quickly with his eyes.

A man was standing in the middle of the room facing him. He was maybe 5' 8" with a lean build. He was wearing a sleeveless undershirt over khaki pants and loafers and Ed saw his arms were muscular and tattooed.

Behind him to the left Zoe was sitting in a chair. She'd been crying. She had tape over her mouth. Her arms and legs were taped to the chair. She was trying to say something but the tape prevented her. Her eyes were another story. She was wide eyed and looking behind the... door?

Ed threw his weight against the door and the man hiding behind it was slammed up against the wall. Ed took one step into the room then stars exploded through his head as he was clubbed from behind.

As he collapsed to the floor he could hear Zoe's muffled scream then darkness took him.

Chapter 14

Pain. So much pain. He couldn't stop a moan from leaking out.

"Ah, our Mr. Walters has rejoined us."

It was the smooth voice again but this time it seemed a little out of breath.

Water splashed onto Ed's face and the cuts he had there all screamed at the shock. Ed almost passed out but held onto consciousness tenaciously. He couldn't breathe through his nose, it was badly broken this time, so he sucked in air through split and bleeding lips. When he finally managed to open one eye, the other one was swollen shut, he looked around. He saw he was taped to a chair as Zoe was. He carefully tried to move his arms and legs but they were firmly secured by the tape. He saw blood on his coverall and assumed it was his.

FUCK! His face was in agony. He carefully ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth and was surprised and grateful to discover he still had all of his teeth but the inside of his mouth had some tender spots and tasted like blood.

He lifted his head a little and saw Zoe first. Her mouth was still covered by tape and she was crying as she looked at him. Standing behind her was the man in the white undershirt which was now covered with splashes of what must be his blood.

Ed didn't understand. Why was this man hurting him? Why had he killed Mr. Masterson? Why was he hurting Zoe?

The man had his fingers in Zoe's hair and was pulling her hair back. "Do you see what your betrayal has done?" the man yelled at her.

"Betrayal?" Ed thought.

A man Ed hadn't seen before, maybe the one who hit him from behind, entered the room carrying a bag of ice. He recognized it as one of the bulk ice bags you get at gas stations. He dropped some in a small bucket and handed it to the man pulling Zoe's hair. He released the hair and gently lowered his bruised knuckles into the ice.

He looked at Ed. "You have a surprisingly hard face. I will give you that."

Zoe was trying to say something to the man who looked at her in annoyance. Finally he reached out and tore the tape from her mouth. Zoe screamed in pain and the man smiled.

When she recovered she looked at the man. "Matias please! Don't you see? He doesn't understand why you are doing this! He's innocent!" she cried.

"Matias?" Ed thought. Zoe's ex-husband? But... wasn't he supposed to be in jail? Ed turned his face to look at the man in confusion.

"INNOCENT!?! After what he did to Luis how can you say this monster is innocent?" Matias screamed back at Zoe and lashed out to punch Ed one more time.

Ed's head rocked back and stars filled his mind as waves of pain crashed over him. His head dropped but he didn't go out. Ed could see new blood dripping onto his legs. He struggled to lift his head to see Zoe who was crying harder.

"STOP! YES! He's an innocent! The man you are beating is not the man who hurt Luis!" Zoe screamed.

Matias looked at Zoe. "Do you think I'm a fool? This is Edward Walters. His driver's license confirms it. He is the man who crippled Luis!"

Zoe was nodding and Matias looked at her in confusion. "Yes, this is the same man but the Ed you are beating would not hurt a fly. The Ed that night was... not this one."

"What the fuck are you talking about puta!" Matias growled.

"Ed... Ed has a split personality, the sweet and wonderful man you are beating for no reason and the dark, violent man hidden deep inside," Zoe said. "But even that Ed would never have hurt Luis if he hadn't intended on killing me."

Matias looked at his ex in confusion. "I believe you are lying to protect your young lover. You know I do not like to be lied to." His hand shot out and slapped Zoe's cheek, hard. She cried out.

"Please! Don't... hurt... her," Ed pleaded.

Matias looked into Ed's open eye and doubt crossed his features. He'd expected to see rage or fear in Ed's eye. Not compassion. He turned to his ex and pulled her hair to turn her head to face him.

"This 'other' Ed. If he exists I will speak to him. How?"

Zoe's eyes showed her fear. She knew what Matias intended for Ed and her only way to save him was to convince him of his innocent nature. "No, Matias! He is innocent! Please!" She cried out as he backhanded her across the face.

"Please... no..." Ed mumbled, the pain making it so hard to speak. Matias turned to him.

"How do I speak with the man who hurt Luis?" Matias yelled in his face.

Ed looked at Zoe and saw she was looking at him in fear.

"No Ed-" she began and got another slap for speaking. Matias put a new strip of tape over her mouth and she began to cry hard.

"I am going to begin hitting the bitch with my closed fist unless you tell me what I want to know." Matias said right in Ed's face as the young man flinched back. The man was now convinced that Zoe was telling the truth about Ed's innocence. He saw absolutely nothing but confusion and worry in his eye. Not even fear for his own life. Matias wanted, no, needed to punish the man who crippled his childhood friend.

Luis had stood by him through everything since they were just children standing up to the bullies in the schoolyard. He'd been there at his side and helped him rise from the gutter to the heights he'd achieved before this bitch stabbed him in the back.

He would rebuild his empire once more... after he'd closed the book on a few loose ends.

"How do I speak with him?" Matias said slowly to Ed.

The night in question surfaced from Ed's memory and he remembered the pain, hunger, and fatigue. He was feeling all of that now. What else? He wracked his mind until it came to him. "Drunk."

Matias frowned. Did Ed just say he was drunk? No, he had been drunk! He turned to the man by the door. "Get me the bottle of rum from the trunk!" The man looked at him in confusion. "DO IT!" Matias yelled angrily and the man left with a scowl on his face.

Zoe was crying hard behind her tape and trying to talk to Matias but he just smiled at her.

Ed suddenly saw the slim man who'd been behind the door when Ed entered. Until now, he'd been hidden from Ed's sight by the man Matias just sent outside. The man behind the door was dead, eyes open, mouth open in a silent scream, his head impaled on a hook on the wall behind the door. A look of horror passed over Ed's face as he saw what he'd done.

Matias watched Ed's face and heard the grunt of fear leave the split lips. He turned and saw what Ed was looking at. He smiled grimly.

"Yes, you killed Samuel. I guess you aren't as innocent as you thought," Matias said, twisting a knife of guilt into Ed's heart.

"I'm sorry..." Ed mumbled as a tear rolled down his bloody face. Matias scowled and walked away from Ed. He didn't want to speak to this man. He didn't want to know he existed. No one this weak could have hurt Luis. Where the fuck was the rum?

The door opened and the man came in with a clear bottle. "There was only this bottle of tequila in the trunk."

Matias scowled at him and took the bottle, opening the screw top. He turned back to Ed but spoke to the other man. "Hold his head."

Ed cried out as the man yanked his head back. The bottle's lip went between his teeth and Ed had to swallow as fast as he could to keep from drowning. It burned so badly and he needed to stop but he couldn't. He finally had to take a breath and coughed up a mouthful of the burning liquid. Matias and the other man jumped back to avoid the spray. Ed coughed and gagged for some time as Matias laughed.

"Hugo, you couldn't have brought a smoother drink for our friend here?" Matias said with a grin. He looked at the large bottle and saw Ed had probably swallowed half of it. That would be plenty for what he wanted.

"We should just slit their throats and leave! We don't have time for this!" Hugo spat.

Matias glared at the heavyset, bearded man. He was the last man left from his original group. Samuel, Hugo and Luis who was now a cripple in prison and wanted to die. New rage flared in Matias at the thought. He looked at his partner though he hated the very idea of calling him that.

Hugo was a cold blooded killer who preferred working with knives so he could see death pass through the eyes of his victims. He'd never be more than a killer. He had no vision. He was still a useful tool for Matias' purposes.

"Promises were made Hugo. A man must live up to the promises he makes. Patience. We will be done shortly."

The man huffed and made his way back to the window to keep watch. Matias turned to Zoe who was watching Ed struggle to breathe.

"I will speak to the man who ruined my friend. I will see that he understands that his actions have led to this. Then I will slowly take him apart as he did to Luis. I will fulfill my promise to Luis. Then you will die." He saw the fear in her eyes. He wanted to hear her plead for her life so he ripped the tape off once more. Zoe cried out and new tears rolled down her face.

"Don't do this Matias. Kill me if you must but spare Ed. He's truly an innocent," she begged.

"NO!" he yelled, standing up to glower down at her. He stomped away to ice his hand again.

Ed's mind was beginning to whirl. The tequila was hitting him like a truck. He vowed never to drink it again.

He struggled to get control of his mind and looked for patterns to settle his thoughts. The motel room was bland and bare of interest. Ed's eye latched onto the tattoos on Hugo and Matias. Hugo's were mostly vulgar images of naked women and were poorly drawn.