No Stone Unturned

  No Stone Unturned

  A City of Fountains Novel

  C. J. Johnson

  NO STONE UNTURNED © 2018 by C. J. Johnson

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the permission of the author.

  Cover design & interior formatting by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

  Dedication:

  To all those who stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

  Chapter 1

  The sound of the howling wind was shrouded by the thump, thump, thump of the music from the club. Laughter floated through the door as Sarah stepped out onto the sidewalk. Shivering, she suddenly wished she had brought her winter coat. With her arms wrapped around her body, and her car keys in her hand, Sarah walked towards the corner. An almost imperceptible drizzle began to fall.

  Looking around she mumbled, “Where the heck did I park my car?”

  A deep, booming voice exploded behind Sarah.

  “It sure is cold tonight.” In what appeared to be a chivalrous move, the man took his coat and placed it around her bare shoulders.

  With a half-hearted laugh she replied, “You’re not kidding. I forgot how cold December can be in Kansas City.”

  The man kept his arm around Sarah’s shoulders after covering her with the coat. “Let me give you a ride.”

  “Um, no thanks. My car’s just ov…”

  Before she could finish the word, she felt her body being pivoted towards the car parked on the street next to her.

  “It’s cold. I’ll take you.”

  “No, really it’s not far - I can, can walk,” she stammered.

  With one hand on her shoulder, and the other on the car door handle, the man pushed Sarah towards the car’s open door. Gruffly he said, “Get in.”

  Sarah stumbled on the curb and fell inside. The door slammed behind her. She reached for the handle to open the door, but there was nothing there. Sarah began to panic. The car pulled away from the curb and out into the street. The tires squealed as it turned the corner towards the parking lot where Sarah’s car was parked.

  Fear settled in her gut. Sarah fumbled with her purse, trying to find her cell phone. Finding it she yanked it from her purse and dialed 9-1-1. The man wrenched the phone from her hand, opened his window, and tossed it. Sarah looked over her shoulder and saw pieces of the phone bounce off the pavement under the street light.

  “There’s my car,” Sarah yelled. But the car continued past the parking lot.

  “Shut up!”

  Sarah clutched her purse close to her body. She felt the hard, rectangular shape of her other cellphone through the fabric. Slowly she moved her bag between her leg and the car door. She carefully unzipped the bag and retrieved the phone. She placed it next to her leg, furtively glanced downward, and dialed 9-1-1.

  Chapter 2

  “Where are you taking me?” Sarah’s question was met with a grunt. She asked again, “Where. Are. You. Taking. Me?!”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Sarah pushed the buttons on her cell phone again hoping the police would find her. She looked out the window, staring at the scenery. She had been gone from Kansas City for nearly two years and nothing looked familiar. She had never seen this part of town. Was she near the Country Club Plaza or still in Westport?

  “Why are you doing this?” Sarah asked.

  Instead of answering her, he turned the volume up on the radio. The music thumped and vibrated the car seat. When they approached a stoplight, Sarah started to look around, trying to find a way to escape. But even if she found a place to run she didn’t know how she would get out of the car.

  The car began to slow as the man pulled into an empty parking lot. Sleet began to ping the windows and hood of the car. Sarah could see Christmas lights twinkling on the buildings in the distance. The man got out of the car and walked around the front towards the passenger side. Sarah scrambled to climb over the seat to the driver’s side door. Before she could get the door open and climb out he was at her door. He had one hand on the top of the car and the other on the door frame. Sarah saw the opportunity, clutched her little purse, and ducked under his arm. And ran.

  Sarah’s swift exit startled him, but her stride was no match for his. She ran about fifty feet then felt his arm slide around her waist as he tackled her to the ground. They landed in a pile, face first, and slid around in the cold mud. He began to yank at her clothing. Sarah tried to scream but the words wouldn’t come out. She wanted to fight back but was frozen in shock. The sound of a dog barking nearby seemed to startle the man. Suddenly he stopped groping her, pulled her up from the ground, and forced her back inside the car.

  When he slammed the car door Sarah realized she still had her purse. She reached inside and pushed the redial button on her cellphone. The radio was loud but she tried asking him questions, hoping the call taker could hear her and track the call.

  “Why’d you take me? Where are we going? What are you going to do to me?”

  He mumbled incoherent responses and turned the radio up even louder. Sarah tried to pay attention to where they were but it seemed like he was driving aimlessly. After what felt like hours he pulled the car into an alleyway and parked.

  Sarah leaned into the car door skeleton and tried making her body as small as possible. The man grabbed at her body and ripped the buttons off her blouse. Eventually he pulled up her skirt, climbed across the seat, and got on top of her. Sarah turned her head as he tried to put his mouth on hers. He pulled back, grabbed her head, and tried to force her mouth onto his exposed body. She tried to turn her head away as she gagged on the bile that rose in her throat. He continued to manipulate and pry her legs. Eventually he penetrated her and when he finished, he got back into the driver’s seat, and began to drive.

  Sarah laid against the seat feeling broken, unclean, and defeated. She stared out the window and cried silently, desperately trying to figure out where they were. She was beginning to doubt she would ever get away from him.

  Sarah didn’t know how long they drove before the car began slowing down. He parked in the driveway behind a small house, turned to her, and said, “Try anything and I will kill you.”

  Sarah nodded. She looked out the window for a street sign or a house number but couldn’t see anything in the dark.

  “Where are we?”

  “Don’t you fucking worry about where we are. Just do what I say and you’ll be fine.”

  The man stepped out of the car and stared at her through the windshield as he walked in front of the car. She held her purse close to her body and waited for him to open the door. This time he blocked the opening to prevent her from running.

  Sarah stepped out of the car and felt the moist, cold air against her skin. The sleet had stopped and the air smelled like snow. He gripped her arm tightly and pushed her up the uneven driveway. His grip steadied her when she stumbled. The man pushed her onto the small back porch and opened the door into a dark kitchen. The only light in the room came from the clock on the stove.

  Sarah felt it had been hours since she was at the club. Looking at the clock she thought, “Is it really only 130?”

  The sound of a familiar sitcom came from a nearby room. The man increased the grip on her arm and growled, “Don’t say a fucking word.”

  He led her into a small bedroom next to the kitchen and shoved her onto the bed. Sarah scooted herself to the top of the bed, pulled her knees up to her chest and made herself as small as possible. Then she waited.

  From a distant room, a woman’s voic
e asked, “Tre, is that you?”

  “Don’t say a word. Don’t. Move.”

  Tre walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Sarah could hear him talking to someone but couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. She dialed her cell phone, hoping she could tell the call taker enough that they would come look for her. He walked in just as she hit the send button. She disconnected the call and quickly shoved the phone back into her purse.

  Tre didn’t say a word. He undid his pants, pulled her skirt up, and pushed himself inside her. She cried and tried to push his heavy body off of hers. When he was finished he stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

  Sarah sat up and tried to straighten her clothes. Her trembling fingers fumbled to find buttons that weren’t there. Tears fell silently.

  “Come on.”

  Tre led Sarah out the way they had come, but once outside he steered her toward a different car. She was suddenly grateful she had kept the purse she clutched next to her side. Her fingers traced the phone through the fabric.

  Chapter 3

  “Where are you taking me Tre?”

  “How do you know my name?” he asked gruffly.

  “I heard it before. At the house. Where are we going?”

  “I’ve got things to do.” With those words, he turned up the volume on the radio.

  She watched the houses pass by outside the window. After a few blocks, they turned onto the highway and drove away from the city.

  “Why don’t you let me go?” Sarah pleaded. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. I just want to go home.”

  “Shut up.”

  Sarah turned back towards the window, bit her lip, and watched for landmarks. Eventually the city lights faded and the exits became less frequent. The further from the city they got the more terrified Sarah became. It suddenly struck her that he was taking her to the country. He was planning to kill her and dump her body where she wouldn’t be found. Sarah reached for the door handle.

  To herself she thought, “If I’m going to die, I’ll take my chances and jump.”

  When the car began to slow near an exit she removed her hand from the door handle and asked, “Are you going to kill me?”

  “Bitch if I was goin’ to kill you, you’d already be dead.”

  Sarah took small comfort in his words. Tre pulled into the deserted parking lot of a small gas station. Parking near the door he said, “If you try to get out it’ll be the last thing you do.” He lifted his shirt to show the grip of a handgun sticking out of his waistband.

  Sarah watched Tre walk into the store and go towards the cooler. When she was certain he couldn’t see her, she grabbed her cellphone and dialed 9-1-1. Again.

  “Grandview 9-1-1.”

  “He won’t let me go. I’m scared. He raped me. He said he would kill me.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know. A gas station. On the Plaza?”

  With surprise the operator asked, “Where?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What does he look like?”

  “I’ve got to go. He’s coming. Please! Help me!”

  Sarah shoved the phone back into her bag just as Tre opened the car door. She wondered to herself if they would find her this time. How many times had she called 9-1-1?

  Tre pulled out of the parking lot and asked, “Can you get money?”

  Sarah looked at him questioningly. She had just gotten paid so she had a little money in her account but she didn’t know how much her bank would let her get out at the ATM.

  “Maybe,” was her meek reply.

  Gruffly Tre said, “You better hope so.”

  Sarah did.

  Tre pulled back onto the highway and drove north, back towards the city. Sarah tried to focus on landmarks, signs, anything that would help her identify where she was. When the highway split, Tre took the road opposite the one they had come and sped up. Within minutes, she noticed lights and exits leading towards businesses. Eventually she saw what looked like a shopping center.

  Tre took the exit and asked, “Do you have your debit card?”

  Sarah nodded in the dark.

  “Bitch, I asked if you had your card.”

  “I have it.”

  A few blocks later Tre pulled next to a bank ATM in a strip mall parking lot.

  “How much can you get?”

  “I...uh...I don’t know,” Sarah stuttered.

  “What’s your number?”

  “I’m not sure. I just push it in. Can you just let me try it?”

  “Bitch you better not be trying nothing. Get over here and put that fucking number in.”

  “Uh…uh...okay.”

  Sarah inserted the card, looked in the camera, and mouthed the words, “Help me.” She entered her PIN and requested the maximum amount.

  “Don’t hold out on me bitch.” Tre growled as he counted the cash.

  “I can try again,” Sarah softly answered.

  “Do it.”

  Climbing over his lap, she typed in the PIN, looked in the camera, and again mouthed the words, “Help me.”

  The machine declined her request. She knew it would but recognized there was no need arguing with him. She knew it wouldn’t end well.

  Pushing her back into the passenger seat, Tre pulled away from the machine. Moments later he was back on the highway, heading back towards the city.

  “Will you please let me go? I promise…”

  “Bitch, will you just shut up?”

  Sarah sat back in the seat, rested her head against the headrest, and resigned herself to her fate. Tears fell from her dark eyes and down her cheeks. Silently she began to say the Lord’s Prayer. Aloud she whispered, “Please let it be quick.”

  Chapter 4

  Several minutes passed before Sarah said, “Tre, I really need to go to the bathroom.”

  Tre grunted.

  “Look, if you don’t stop somewhere I’m going to wet my pants. Please?”

  He drove a few more blocks before pulling into another gas station. Sarah scanned the neighborhood outside the car window. The street was empty but the parking lot was well lit. There were no other business and the nearest house was half a block away. There was nowhere for her to go so she waited.

  Before he got out of the car Tre said, “If you try anything inside the store I’ll kill you.”

  Sarah’s shoulders curved inward as she shrunk away from him. The steely gaze of his eyes caused an involuntary shiver to run down her spine. She stepped out, looked around, then walked to the front of the car where Tre was waiting.

  Tre shoved her through the store door.

  “Hey Tre,” said the clerk. “How’s your momma?”

  Before Tre could answer, Sarah timidly asked the clerk, “Where’s the bathroom?”

  The clerk gestured towards the back of the store, “Back there.”

  Sarah held her blouse closed and held her purse tightly to her body. She shuffled towards the partially opened bathroom door.

  Behind her she could hear the clerk ask Tre, “Who’s that girl? What’s wrong with her?”

  Tre mumbled a response.

  “She looks scared Tre. Like she doesn’t want to be with you. Why don’t you just let her go? Why’re you messin’ with her?”

  Sarah could hear Tre mumbling – something about ‘those white bitches.’ She hoped the clerk would talk some sense into Tre. Maybe he’d just leave her there. Or maybe the clerk would do something to help her. Maybe the clerk would help her get home.

  Sarah locked the door and dialed 9-1-1. When the operator answered she whispered, “I’m at the Fast Stop. I’ve been raped.”

  Suddenly she could hear Tre stomping towards the bathroom. She hung up her cellphone when he started kicking the door. The clerk yelled at him to stop but Tre continued to kick. Sarah watched as the pins loosened at the hinges. She shoved the phone back into her purse, turned the water on, and washed her hands. Sarah splashed water on her face, removed a five-dollar bill from her
purse, and wrote “please help me!” She shoved the bill back into her purse and slowly opened the door.

  “What the hell were you doing in there?”

  “I, uh, was just, uh, using the bathroom.” Attempting to act like nothing was wrong she asked, “Can I get a bottle of water?”

  “Hurry up,” he growled.

  Sarah walked to the cooler slowly, hoping the clerk would do something. She picked up a bottle of water and shuffled back to the counter.

  “A dollar nine,” said the clerk.

  Sarah placed the five-dollar bill on the counter and prayed the clerk would read it and do something. Sarah made eye contact with the clerk, lowered her eyes to the bill, and then quickly raised them back to the girl. The clerk gave her the change, picked up her magazine, and went back to flipping pages.

  “Tell your momma I said hi,” the clerk said.

  With a grunt Tre grabbed Sarah’s arm and led her out of the store. Sarah hesitated in front of the store. She surveyed her surroundings and was poised to run. Tre stood at the front of the car, raised his shirt, and said, “Get in the car bitch.”

  Sarah looked back to the store clerk then got into the car.

  The clerk looked up just as Tre raised his shirt, then quickly looked back down. Once she was sure they were gone the clerk pulled the bill from the register and looked at it. She read the words written across the paper, picked up the cordless phone, then returned it to its cradle. She picked up her magazine and stared at the page.

  Chapter 5

  They were soon on the highway again. Tre drove north on the empty road and after what seemed like minutes exited onto another side street. The houses turned to businesses and Sarah began to recognize the store fronts. She thought they were on the same road earlier in the evening when she went to meet her friends. If so, he was heading back to Westport.

  The car began to slow and sputter before finally coming to a stop in the middle of the street. Tre looked at her and growled, “Stay here.”