I’LL BE WATCHING YOU Read online

  She set the sacks on the counter, then quickly stored the perishable items in the refrigerator and put away the other groceries. Her small suitcase was still in the car, but she wanted to open windows and turn on fans before going back to get it. And maybe she should change the bed linen. The sheets were clean, but they’d been unused for at least two months.

  Ella busied herself opening the windows in all four rooms and setting the ceiling fans in motion. Just as she reentered the living room, she heard someone on the porch. Odd, she thought, that she hadn’t heard Reed drive up. That old rattletrap truck usually made a heck of a noise. She rushed toward the partially open door.

  ‘Reed?’

  Suddenly a shadow appeared in the doorway. Not Reed, she realized. The person wasn’t tall enough to be Reed. Ella halted her mad rush, then gasped when the person stepped over the threshold.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  The woman smiled, her face half shadowed.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Ella asked. ‘Has something bad happened?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Is it Reed?’

  She shook her head again.

  ‘Daddy?’

  ‘Nothing is wrong with Webb or Reed,’ she told Ella. ‘And nothing bad has happened. Not yet. But it’s going to.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  The woman’s smile widened.

  Ella’s stomach lurched. This wasn’t possible. Was she hallucinating? Seeing things that weren’t there? No, this was quite real. The woman standing only a few feet away from her wasn’t the person she had first thought it was.

  Reed searched the aisles in the state liquor store on Fourth Street. He wished he knew more about wines. He wanted to choose something nice, something just right, for his weekend with Ella. He supposed he could ask the cashier, but he doubted she knew any more about the wines she sold than he did. Since it was only nine-fifteen, he had more than enough time to choose a wine, go back to his room above the garage and take a shower before he headed up to the cabin. Ella had said it wouldn’t take thirty minutes to get there. So that meant he could leave at ten-thirty. Hell, he had nearly two hours to kill. Maybe he’d run by his mother’s for a while.

  Just as Reed reached out for a bottle of California Merlot, he caught a glimpse of Cybil Carlisle at the other end of the aisle. He picked up the wine bottle and headed in her direction. Maybe Ella’s aunt could tell him if this wine was a good choice.

  ‘Evening, Mrs Carlisle,’ Reed said as he approached her.

  ‘Reed?’

  He could tell by her expression that she was surprised to see him.

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘You’re running a bit late, aren’t you?’ Cybil asked. ‘I thought you were supposed to meet Ella at the cabin around nine.’

  ‘What? I don’t understand. You called me and told me that …’

  She stared at him oddly, obviously confused by what he’d said.

  ‘You didn’t call me earlier tonight?’

  ‘No,’ she replied. ‘What made you think I’d called?’

  Cybil Carlisle hadn’t called him. Then who had impersonated her and why? Adrenalin rushed through Reed’s body. Fear consumed him.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Cybil asked.

  Reed grabbed her shoulders. ‘Ella’s in trouble. Call Frank Nelson and tell him to meet me at the cabin. Tell him to hurry. It could be a matter of life or death.’

  28

  ‘Surprised to see me, dear?’ Leaving the door open behind her, Carolyn Porter moved toward Ella. ‘Your uncle Jeff Henry mentioned that you were coming to the cabin for a weekend tryst with Reed.’

  Carolyn was attired in a pair of pink cotton slacks and a matching short-sleeved summer sweater. Over her shoulder hung a small straw purse with pink roses embroidered on the flap.

  ‘Mother? I … I don’t understand. You’re walking!’ Ella stared dumbfounded as her mother walked toward her slowly, steadily, without any hesitation. And no sign of even the slightest limp.

  ‘Yes, I am, aren’t I.’ Carolyn smiled that same glowing smile that had always mesmerized her admirers and intimidated her underlings.

  ‘When did this happen?’ Ella felt overjoyed. Undoubtedly, this miracle had occurred recently. How marvelous that her mother would come to her to tell her the incredible news. ‘Is Daddy with you? Did he drive you up here?’

  ‘No, dear, Daddy doesn’t know anything about this,’ Carolyn said as she stopped right in front of Ella. ‘Viola drove me up here. She’s outside on the porch. If I need her to help me, I’ll just call her.’

  Ella grabbed her mother’s hands. ‘Shouldn’t you sit down? You mustn’t overexert yourself. Not until you’re accustomed to walking.’

  ‘How sweet of you to worry so about me.’ Carolyn tenaciously gripped Ella’s right wrist. ‘But I’m perfectly all right. And I’m quite accustomed to walking.’

  ‘I don’t understand. What do you mean you’re …’

  Carolyn’s warm smile widened, darkened and suddenly became cold and menacing. Ella shook her head to dislodge such a silly thought. This was her mother, the woman who had raised her from infancy and loved her dearly.

  ‘I’ve loved you as if you were my own daughter,’ Carolyn said. ‘For such a long time. It meant so much to Webb for us to have a child. I agreed to adopt you for his sake, you know. I would have done anything to have held on to him, to have kept him married to me.’

  ‘Mother, I know. Daddy told me recently about the day you had your accident.’

  ‘Did he tell you that guilt and pity are the only reasons he has stayed married to me?’

  ‘No, Mother, I know he cares—’

  ‘He doesn’t love me. He loves Judy Conway. He always did. But it doesn’t matter.’ Carolyn’s fingernails bit into the soft flesh of Ella’s wrist. ‘You see, I don’t love him anymore. But I’ll never let him go. No matter how many women he has in his life – mistresses, one-night stands – he will remain married to me as long as we live.’

  An odd feeling of apprehension settled in Ella’s stomach. A foreboding sense of doom. She’d never seen her mother act like this, never heard her talk this way. Why now, when she could finally walk, did she seem like a stranger to Ella?

  Carolyn peered deeply into Ella’s eyes. ‘You were a comfort to me at first. Such a good baby and an adorable little girl. But I soon realized that Webb loved you more and more each day. And he gave you so much attention. By then, it was too late to send you back, to get rid of you, so I made the best of it. I did everything I could for you. I was a good and loving mother, wasn’t I? But all the while I’ve resented you terribly, my dear.’

  Ella tugged on her wrist. Her mother held fast. Their gazes locked in a heated glare. Ella’s heartbeat accelerated at an alarming speed. Who was this woman, this stranger who had possessed her mother’s body?

  ‘Webb has never appreciated having a wife who would do anything to keep him and is willing to go to any lengths to protect his reputation,’ Carolyn said. ‘I’ve looked the other way, ignoring his lady friends. I even forgave him for fathering Judy Conway’s bastard child.’

  ‘You know about Regina?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve known for years.’

  ‘But why—’

  ‘During those first few years after my accident, I wanted Webb to remain my husband because I loved him so much, but later that love turned to hatred and I kept him tied to me to punish him.’

  ‘How long have you been able to walk?’ Ella asked, although she was afraid to hear the answer.

  ‘For quite some time,’ Carolyn admitted. ‘After all the surgeries, the feeling in my lower body came back gradually. Viola worked with me tirelessly, and finally, about eighteen years ago, I was able to stand on my own. But it wasn’t until about fifteen years ago that I regained full use of my legs.’

  ‘Why keep it a secret for fifteen years? Why punish yourself as well as Daddy?’

  ‘Oh, my dear, by that time,
I thoroughly enjoyed playing the invalid. Everyone around me, including you and your father, jumped to do my bidding. I wasn’t fool enough to give that up. Besides, if your father had known, he would have asked me for a divorce.’

  ‘So you’ve hidden the fact you can walk for fifteen years.’

  ‘Hmm … I can see the wheels in your head turning, Ella. Are you finally figuring it out?’ Carolyn suddenly released her death grip on Ella’s wrist.

  The vicious thoughts swirling about in her mind tormented Ella with a truth too horrendous to accept. ‘I can’t believe that you would—’

  ‘Believe it.’ Carolyn moved right up in Ella’s face. ‘Junior Blalock was a vile, worthless man and he deserved to die. And Judy Conway deserved to suffer. My husband loved her. He fathered her child. What better way to punish them both than to have Webb prosecute her son for a murder he hadn’t committed?’

  ‘You’re not making sense. Are you saying that—’

  ‘I killed Junior Blalock.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Yes.’ Carolyn took a step back, putting a few inches between Ella and her. ‘That good-for-nothing bastard found out my secret. He caught me walking on my own, and when I tried to pretend that I was Cybil, he didn’t buy it. At that time I had no idea, of course, that he was one of Cybil’s lovers.’

  Ella started backing away from Carolyn, who immediately followed her, until Carolyn had Ella shoved against the bar that separated the living and dining room from the kitchen area.

  ‘Such a stroke of luck, my finding Reed’s pocket knife where he dropped it when he was beating the hell out of Junior.’ Carolyn’s eyes brightened with each word as she related the events of that fateful night fifteen years ago. ‘I went there that night to meet Junior to pay him blackmail money, but to my surprise I found his stepson knocking him senseless. After Reed left Junior lying there on the ground, half unconscious, I realized fate had given me a golden opportunity.’

  ‘You slit Junior Blalock’s throat with Reed’s pocket knife? But only Reed’s fingerprints were found on the weapon.’

  ‘I was wearing gloves that night,’ Carolyn said. ‘A lady always wears gloves when she goes out, especially if she doesn’t want her fingerprints to show up on anything she might touch.’

  Ella watched with morbid fascination as Carolyn removed a pair of white cotton gloves from the pocket of her slacks, then slipped them over her hands. Suddenly, before Ella could take a deep breath, Carolyn reached inside her small shoulder bag and pulled out a paring knife. Ella tensed.

  ‘As much as I hate having to do this, you see, Ella, you’ve become expendable. You’ve disgraced your family by having sex with that white trash ex-convict. I can only imagine the damage that’s done to your Daddy’s career. Of course, when Reed kills you, the entire state will sympathize with Webb and me. Our poor, misguided daughter, killed by her lover.’

  ‘Mother, you can’t … you wouldn’t … I’m you’re daughter. You love me. And Daddy. Daddy loves me. If anything happens to me, it will break his heart.’

  ‘Yes, I know. Of course, that’s simply an added bonus. I shall greatly enjoy seeing Webb distraught over your death. Who knows, he might even kill Reed with his bare hands.’

  Ella simply couldn’t comprehend what was happening here. Her mother could walk – had been able to walk for fifteen years. Her mother had murdered Junior Blalock and framed Reed. And her mother was going to kill her. By God, not if I can help it! Ella tried to sidestep Carolyn, but Carolyn moved quickly, brandishing the knife.

  ‘Mother, please, don’t do this.’ Her heart simply would not accept the possibility that her mother was capable of following through and actually killing her.

  ‘Ah …’ Carolyn’s mouth rounded into a sad oval. ‘I tried other things, but nothing worked. The letters and phone calls to you. The roses and the snake. And Viola hired someone to break into the house while your father and I were in Gulf Shores. But because I couldn’t conjure up proof that Reed was guilty, things had to take a more deadly turn. All I wanted was for them to send that man back to prison so he couldn’t stir up a stink about Junior’s murder.’

  ‘Oh, dear God, you shot Daddy!’

  ‘Hmm … Viola was able to steal Briley Joe’s gun from the garage for me and the rest was rather simple. I just had to wait for the right moment, pull the trigger, and then slip back into the house and up the stairs.’

  ‘You could have killed Daddy.’

  ‘Yes, I realize I might have hit something vital, but I did try to only wound him.’

  ‘And Roy Moses? Who killed him, you or Viola?’

  ‘I did,’ Carolyn said. ‘That fool Jim Pendleton was driving by and saw me, but he thought I was Cybil.’

  Ella could deny the truth no longer. Her mother was insane. There could be no other explanation. And crazy people did crazy things – like kill their own daughters.

  ‘Reed will be arriving any minute now,’ Ella said. ‘He’ll find you and Viola here and he’ll—’

  Carolyn’s laughter sent a chill up Ella’s spine. ‘Reed has been delayed. I called him and pretended to be Cybil. I told him to meet you here at eleven. He won’t arrive until you’re already dead. But he’s going to be found with your body. And the murder weapon will have his fingerprints on it.’

  ‘No one will believe Reed would kill me. We’re lovers.’

  ‘Ah, but you see, I’ll have to confess to the police that, in confidence, you told me you realized Reed was only using you and you asked him to meet you at the cabin so you could break things off with him. Of course, in a rage over being rejected, Reed killed you.’

  ‘You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?’

  ‘I believe I have.’

  This is going to happen if you don’t do something, Ella told herself. You can’t just stand here and not put up a fight. You’re bigger than your mother. You should be able to overpower her. But Carolyn had a weapon, and an accomplice waited patiently to come to her assistance if necessary. Ella knew her best bet was to escape. But could she? She tried again to get away from Carolyn, but once again Carolyn outmaneuvered her. You’re going to have to run, Ella told herself. Go out the back door as fast as you can and try to get to the car. No, no, she couldn’t do that The keys were lying on the kitchen counter. No way to get to them. She could run down to the pier. Her father’s motorboat was moored there. If she could get to the boat and start the engine, she could escape.

  ‘You’re trying to think of a way to escape, aren’t you?’ Carolyn shook the knife at Ella in the way a teacher would shake her finger at a naughty child. ‘If you run, Viola and I will come after you. You can’t get away from both of us. Two against one isn’t fair, I know, but then I always prefer the odds to be in my favor.’

  Ella glanced toward the open door. There stood Viola, the loyal, obedient servant. She had never liked her mother’s nursemaid, and now she realized that even as a child she had sensed an innate evil in the woman. If only her instincts had warned her against her own mother.

  ‘See, you can’t get out the front door, not with Viola waiting there,’ Carolyn said.

  ‘I don’t see Viola,’ Ella lied.

  Carolyn glanced over her shoulder quickly, but that hasty look gave Ella the opportunity she needed. She scurried past her mother and headed toward the back door, which opened onto a screened porch facing the river.

  ‘Stop! You fool, you can’t escape,’ Carolyn called as she ran after Ella.

  Ella grasped the doorknob, twisting and turning it. The door was locked. Hurriedly, she undid the bolt and turned the knob again. Just as she swung open the door, Carolyn came hurtling toward her, reaching out for her. The knife in Carolyn’s hand sliced through the back of Ella’s dress, directly above her waist. The sting of the blade ripping across her flesh halted Ella in her tracks, but only for a moment. Intense pain radiated through her body. She had no idea how badly she’d been cut, but she didn’t have time to worry about it now. She had to keep mo
ving. Her only hope of escape was not to slow down, not to give her mother a chance to plunge the knife into her back.

  Ella ran out onto the porch, flung open the screen door and rushed down the steps. Carolyn came after her, all the while screaming for Viola to hurry to the back of the house and head Ella off.

  Run. Run. Run. No matter how much your back hurts, keep running. Don’t slow down.

  Ella headed for the pier, but immediately saw that Viola had somehow managed to get there first. Viola blocked the path to the boat – so much for an alternate means of escape.

  Just hold on, Ella told herself. Find a way to hide from them. Reed should be here any minute now and … Reed wasn’t coming. Not until eleven. Unless she was able to get away, she would be dead long before then.

  Ella headed straight for the wooded area that flanked the cabin. She could find a place to hide. Carolyn and Viola wouldn’t be able to see her shrouded in darkness, surrounded by trees and brush. She ran until she was breathless and the pain in her back overwhelmed her. She stopped, braced one hand against a tall pine tree and breathed deeply. Folding her left arm at the elbow, she slid her hand across her back. Her fingers encountered the tear in her dress and the wet stickiness of her own blood.

  ‘Come out, come out, wherever you are,’ Carolyn said, her voice a maddening sing-song chirp.

  Keep moving. Damn it, you cannot let her catch you. The sound of footsteps crunching over dried leaves and rotting underbrush alerted Ella that Carolyn and Viola were coming after her. Gulping in air, she shoved herself away from the tree and started running again. Farther into the woods. Deeper into the darkness.

  Reed zoomed Cybil Carlisle’s T-bird into the driveway behind Ella’s Jag. He’d driven a hundred miles an hour all the way from Spring Creek. Sitting at his side, Cybil had used her cellular phone to call the police, alerting them that Ella was in danger. Reed didn’t know what to expect when he jumped out of the T-bird and rushed toward the open cabin door. Once inside, he scanned the vast room and saw no sign of Ella and no indication of a struggle. The back door stood wide open. Reed’s heart thumped wildly. When he reached the porch, he surveyed every inch of the screened area. Large dots of a dark substance marred the weathered surface of the porch floor. In the semi-darkness he couldn’t make out exactly what it was. Just as he knelt and ran his finger across one of the spots, Cybil came barreling through the back door.