CHAPTER 19

Manda carefully placed the book that she was holding on the desk, her heart pounded loud in her ears as she stood still, listening for any sound. The house was quiet. Too quiet. She closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them again. When her eyes had adjusted against the darkness, she carefully made her way toward the sofa. Her arms stretched out before her, feeling her way around the house like a blind man. Twice, she bumped her foot against the bottom of the table. Then, her hands met something warm and solid. An arm. A strong arm.

"Damien, wake up!" she said in whispered tone, shaking the arm.

The only reply was a grunt, and a grumble, which sounded like, "Go away."

"Damien!" She shook him harder by the shoulders.

"Mmmphmm..." Strong arms snaked around her body, pulling her toward him. Shocked by his response, she twisted around, worming her way out of his grasp. "Hey..." he mumbled. "Don't go, sweetheart."

"I'm not your sweetheart," she said through clenched teeth. Obviously, Damien still hadn't recovered from his concussion, and he seemed delirious. It was up to her now to find out what was going on.

Once she was out of Damien's grip, she walked slowly around the room. Her hands touched the wall, and she moved her hands around until she found the switch. The lights remained off as she flicked the switch up and down. She went past the doorway, and she knew she was entering the foyer. The front door was on her right, and when she clutched the doorknob, her panic returned full force. The door was locked!

She tried pushing, pulling, and kicking with all her might, but the door wouldn't budge. She stood back, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She needed to find another way to leave this house. Turning around to the opposite direction, she walked past the French windows along the hallway. The absence of moonlight made it hard for her to see where she was heading, so she had to feel her way, which proved to be frustrating and vexing.

"Oomph!" She rubbed her ribs that had just smacked against something hard. Her hands felt around the waist-high object that she had knocked into. It was made of polished wood, arranged like a railing. A banister!

She was about to move around the banister when she heard a faint sound. She paused to listen. A dull tap-tap from somewhere inside the house. Footsteps, she recognized immediately. Her breath stalled instinctively at the thought that she wasn't completely alone. The footsteps moved stealthily, but surely, growing closer and closer each second... and her heart skipped a beat, realizing the footsteps were heading straight at her.

Without wasting a minute, she raced up the stairs, never minded that she lost her footings a few times along the way. Her stalker continued moving up the stairs steadily just as she reached the upper landing. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.

She turned left to where her room was located. This time she tiptoed back to her room. She didn't want her stalker to know where she was heading. The room was at the end of the hallway, and she didn't need a light to find her direction. Pausing for a moment, she listened to her stalker's footsteps. It was difficult to judge of her stalker's whereabouts when the flooring was covered with carpet, thus absorbing the sound.

She turned the knob slowly. When the door was ajar, she slid inside and closed it back carefully, not forgetting to lock it. She leaned back against the door, letting out her breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

Once she felt she had calmed slightly, she dashed toward the window. She had to get out of the house. And go where? Her mind seemed to ask. She couldn't swim. There was no transportation. She couldn't wait for Michael to return. The telephones were dead. The Net! She could have smacked her head for not thinking it earlier. If she could access her e-mail, she could send a short message to Moretti's cell number. No. Wait a minute. She couldn't do that without electricity or telephone line. That would mean she had to find the circuit breaker. But is it worth the risk? Or I can hide somewhere until Michael returns. But I can't leave Damien alone.

She paced. Come on. Think! Think! She stopped dead when she heard a key being turned in the lock, and the door to her room slowly swung inside. Stupid! She had taken a long time to think. In a reflexive move, she dropped to the floor, and crawled under the bed.

She lay still as she watched a pair of legs heading toward her hiding place. A hand grabbed her ankle before she could fathom the situation. Manda clawed against the carpet as the stalker pulled her out from under the bed. She struggled, kicking toward the stalker with her free leg. Another hand grabbed the leg before Manda could do any damage.

Bright light blinded her vision, and Manda winced, shutting her eyes against the glare. The attacker had brought a flashlight, and it shone directly on her face.

"Manda!" Jackie's voice filled her ears.

Manda opened her eyes, squinting instinctively from the light, and looked up at the figure before her. Jackie's face was hidden in the dark.

"Jackie? What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Her voice sounded calm, almost mechanical. Jackie released her legs, as Manda struggled to get up.

"I don't understand. I thought you've left with the others," Manda told her.

"Well, I didn't. I was in the boathouse, and when I came back to the house, everything was dark. I followed you, because I thought you were an intruder."

Manda was still wary. Something about Jackie's statement didn't make sense. If she were Jackie, she would find the circuit breaker immediately once she'd found her house was blacked-out, not following an intruder. She took the flashlight from Jackie, and shone it to her face. Jackie's usual blue eyes looked almost black. Her blond curls were wildly free behind her back, and her face looked innocent - too innocent.

Manda took a step back.

"What's wrong, Manda?" Jackie asked with a concern tone that sounded almost genuine. If Manda hadn't known Jackie was an actress, she would have believed her.

"Y-You tell me. How did you know I'm in this room?" She winced inwardly to hear her own shaky voice. She couldn't let Jackie know that she was afraid.

"I saw you - which I didn't know it was you at first - I saw you entered this room."

Her reasoning sounded plausible, but Manda didn't believe it.

"How did you get in? The front door is locked - not from inside." Manda continued asking.

"Really? I didn't notice it. Someone could have locked it after I came in." She took a step forward. "I think we should get out of here."

Manda tried not to look surprise by her suggestion. She had thought Jackie would want to trap her in this house. "Why?"

"Follow me. We haven't got time to lose." She grabbed Manda's hand in a surprisingly strong grip.

Manda dug her heels into the carpet as Jackie tried pulling her toward the door. "I - I won't go - until you - tell me where."

"I think there's someone else in this house," Jackie told her in a hushed tone.

"I think so, too," Manda murmured, and Jackie immediately stopped in her tracks.

"What?"

Manda took that moment to pull herself away. Before Jackie could react, Manda pushed past her and ran toward the stairs.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Jackie called out.

Manda didn't answer, and continued running. She didn't know what Jackie was up to, but whatever it was, she didn't like the feel of it one bit. It didn't take long when her hand touched the banister. Without looking back, she descended down the stairs.

She gasped when a hand gripped her shoulder tightly just as she entered the foyer.

"Miss Rider," a male voice said to her calmly.

Turning around, Manda tried to make out the face of the voice. She could only make out tall shadow in front of her.

"D-Dexter?" she asked after hesitating a second. "What - How..."

"It's a long story. Come and follow me. I'm going to help you." He took her arm, leading her back to a corner of the room.

"Wait, wait." She stopped moving while trying to pull her arm away. "You know what Jackie would do to me?"

"I didn't, but I suspected for a while," the butler told her. "She'd planned all this to get you."

"But why? I haven't done anything to her."

"Maybe not directly, but she blames you. You were involved with capturing Rodriguez. Mr. Foxworth owns a few companies that are now closed down after Rodriguez's conviction."

"Speedway Services, and Steel Industries."

"Yes."

"Was Mr. Foxworth also the son of Dino Rodriguez and Siobhan?"

"How did you know?" Dexter asked sharply.

"I didn't, but I've heard Dino had a son from outside his marriage," Manda replied vaguely, deciding not to trust Dexter too easily.

"Yes, Thomas was Dino's son. His real mother sent him away when he was only four, leaving him at the front door of the Foxworth's mansion. The Foxworth couple had taken care of him since then. Thomas had no knowledge of his parents, except for a book that his mother had left him with."

"Macbeth."

Dexter nodded. "Dino was furious that Siobhan had sent their son away, but he knew she couldn't raise the boy on her own. Dino tracked his son, and visited him during school recess everyday. Once in a while, he would give books to Thomas, until his son has a large collection."

"Mrs. Rodriguez also has the same books."

"Ah, I see you've known so much."

"Not that much."

"Dino loved those books since he was young."

"So, does Thomas know that he and Miguel Rodriguez are half-brothers?"

"Yes."

"How did you know all this?" she asked curiously.

"I was Dino's chauffeur."

"Dexter," Jackie's voice suddenly came over directly behind Manda. "Good work."

"Wh-What?" Manda stepped back from Dexter, but found herself trapped between them.

"You're pathetic," Jackie told her. "Didn't expect you to be still naïve. Oh, well, it makes my job easier." Before Manda could think of what to say, something cold and hard slammed against the back of her skull, making her cried out in excruciating pain. She dropped to her knees, black and red spots appeared before her eyes before everything came into nothingness.

-o-

Manda felt herself floating up and down. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the drone of a machine. As she opened her eyes, the sound grew louder and louder until she grimaced at the disturbance. The first thing she saw were stars, glittering like diamonds against the blackness. She groaned when she lifted her head. The back of her skull was throbbing, and instantly, she remembered what had happened.

"Oh, great. You're waking up," Jackie seemed to be saying. "I was hoping you'd be out until I'm done."

Manda turned her head toward the voice, and saw Jackie steering a cabin cruiser. At least, the light from the lighthouse helped her vision better. When Manda tried to sit up, she finally noticed her legs were bounded, and her wrists were tied to the back.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Her throat felt dry and her voice came out hoarse.

"Not me, you are. You're going down, Manda."

Manda's stomach clenched in fear. Jackie was going to throw her into the sea, the only place she couldn't survive.

"Jackie, you can't do this," Manda pleaded.

"Why not?" Jackie didn't even turn to look at her. "You've destroyed everything, and now you're going to pay for it. It's that simple."

"I... I don't understand how..."

"Everything that my father has ever owned - his properties, his business, his money are gone. The feds have confiscated everything, even the trust fund he'd put up for me, which I would have it when I'm twenty-one. All of them gone - gone because of you. If you hadn't put Rodriguez into bars, my father wouldn't have lost all his money. I wouldn't be stuck living in some cheap apartment in New York." Jackie's voice came out in a rush, spewing off her pent-up feelings in full emotion and wrath.

"I'm sorry. I didn't... know."

Jackie turned to her a moment, scoffing, before she returned her eyes back to the sea.

"You don't feel sorry," she said. "If your father hadn't started investigating Pearl's father's involvement with Rodriguez, none of this would have happened." She laughed sarcastically. "I'm very glad to hear your father's in coma. Serves him right."

Manda didn't reply. She knew she would sound like a hypocrite. Hadn't she, too, blamed her father for causing Pearl to betray her? But she never wanted her father to be turned out this way. It took her a while to accept that her father was only doing his job.

"Did you plan all this just to kill me?" Manda asked her.

"Actually, my plan includes Michael, but since I didn't expect him to swim to Fern Island, I'll deal with him later after I kill you."

"But why did you kill Rachel and Eric?"

"Rachel suspected that I was going to do something to you."

Manda gave her a blank look.

Jackie sighed. "You knew that she'd always read newspapers about your so-called triumph over Rodriguez. And Rachel, being... well, Rachel, began doing her own little research. She'd found out my father is in trial for conspiring with Rodriguez. When I began hinting that I was going to organize a reunion party, and that you were invited, Rachel was suspicious. You and I both know that we aren't even friends. Rachel said she was going to tell you about my father. You know I can't let that happen." Jackie stopped for a moment to open the dashboard, and pulled out a knife, very similar to Ritchie's, tucking it into her belt. "So, anyway, to avoid suspicion, I had to invite that meddlesome girl, too."

"I didn't see her at the party," Manda told her. "Maybe that was part of your plan, too. Separating her from me." She tried to wiggle the bond around her wrists, but it held tight, scuffing her skin at the same time.

"You're catching on. I knew I had to silence her sooner or later. I sent her a little note, but I signed it with your name. I told her that you would meet her at her room at quarter before ten. I guess you knew what happened next, right?"

"No. I don't know what happened. I'm too densed to think," Manda replied, playing along, but she could make a vague guess. Rachel had fell for the note trick, went up to her room, while Jackie hid in wait to kill Rachel.

"Oh, well, I can explain a little," Jackie replied haughtily, and began her long narration how she executed the kill, most of them matched with what Manda, Michael and Damien had discussed. Manda stifled a yawn. "...So, I didn't know Ritchie was going to arrive when I got back to the living room," Jackie went on, "I have to make sure I had an alibi around that time, and nowhere near the crime scene. When Ritchie came looking for his sister, I knew I couldn't make an excuse to stop you from heading to Rachel's room. But I had to hide it because I didn't want Ritchie to see it. I've seen his temper whenever something happened to his sister - which is pathetic by the way." She rolled her eyes. "So, after I occupied Ritchie with a beer in the kitchen, I sent Pat to look after things at the pool, then I went back to your room by the window. I saw you finding the body, and once you left, I carried the body out the window and dumped it into the woods. No one goes there at night anyway. So, I'd told myself I'd deal with the burial later, once everyone was asleep. Then I return back to the house."

Jackie turned the ignition off, and whirled around. She stalked toward Manda and stood before her.

"You've been pretty busy," Manda said. "You buried the body the next morning, but this time, Eric had seen you walking into the woods with a shovel."

Jackie snorted but didn't say anything. She didn't need to, Manda could see clearly the girl was enjoying herself, knowing that someone actually tried to piece together Rachel's murder. Jackie is insane, Manda decided.

"I guess you had to kill Eric because he confronted you about what he'd witnessed, and probably blackmailed you. That would explain what he meant by fixing his problem - he wanted to fix his money problem," Manda said, licking her dry lips. "I'm just wondering how you did it. He was killed in Fern Island, while you were at Goldworth."

"I had Dexter to help me," Jackie replied, as she went to the stern to pull up a rope that was tied to an inflatable raft, Manda suddenly noticed. Her stomach sank with dread. When Jackie turned to her, Manda could see the gleam in her darkened blue eyes. "You know, I still don't understand why you cared so much about Rachel. I mean, you never talked to her since you left high school. You obviously ignored her, and now you're acting all dramatic because she was dead. Look who's calling the kettle black? I don't think you cared Rachel at all. You think I'm the only one who cares about myself?"

"Shut up." Manda's face burned, hating to hear her personal guilt being laid out before her.

Jackie raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Do I strike a nerve, Manda? Should I point out that you're here because you pitied Rachel?"

"No! That's not it. Shut up, Jackie. Just shut up!"

"It's funny. I think we're in more ways have something in common with each other," Jackie continued, her eyes glinting wickedly. This time Manda saw the same old Jackie, the same girl that used to make her high school life nasty.

"I hate you."

"You are just like your best friend Pearl. Too naïve," Jackie said cheerfully.

Manda stared at her in puzzlement. Pearl Sullivan wasn't the kind who'd let herself being tossed around like garbage.

Seeing Manda's confused look, Jackie went on, "You know how Pearl ended up being in our little popular group?"

"She was popular before she even joined your group," Manda retorted.

"Sure, but I asked her to join because our fathers worked for the same man," she stated smugly.

"Rodriguez," Manda said in gritted teeth.

"Let's just say I exaggerated a bit when I told Pearl that your father had planted evidence to incriminate her father for money laundering, and that my father had been a victim, too. I told her Mr. Rider was going to investigate her father, and since her father was the Apple Point Mayor, it would be a major scandal. It's a big no-no when he was going for his campaign. But when Mr. Sullivan was found guilty of his crime, and found dead for DUI the next night, well, she came to talk to me, and told me that I was right about your father. I told her if she wanted someone to blame, it should be you. It's a good thing Pearl was ignorant about her father's business. She loved her daddy so much that she was too blind to see the truth."

Manda's hands balled into fists; she wanted to scream out every single horrible name to Jackie, but her tongue felt too heavy in her mouth. Pearl's father really had illegal dealings with Rodriguez, and Manda's father did his job to find the evidence. She held back from saying that Pearl's father wasn't the only one who'd died that night.

Jackie tilted her head to the side, looking at Manda. "I suppose, in the end, Pearl realized I'd been making some of that story up. We didn't talk much since we graduated. She enrolled in Greenwood U because she'd found out you were going there. My guess is that she wanted to talk to you again, but didn't know how to approach you."

Tears welled up in Manda's eyes. I wish I could turn back the clock and fix the mess. She knew it was hard for Pearl to talk to her again after the damage was done. Pearl was stubborn, and never liked to admit that she was wrong. She'd rather continue with her hatred, convincing herself of the lies than facing the truth. And looked where it had gotten Pearl; she'd gotten herself killed because of money, one of her weaknesses.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Damn, you're pathetic, crying over your stupid friends. I've had enough of all this talk."

Manda struggled as Jackie dragged her by the sweater before she lifted Manda on her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She had no doubt that Jackie could carry Rachel's body easily if she could do it to Manda, too. No! She should stop thinking about Pearl and Rachel, and concentrate on getting herself free.

She continued wiggling until Jackie gave her a stern warning, but Manda ignored it, deciding to be difficult. Slowly and slowly, her head was on the same level as Jackie's waist. The knife on her waist was within reach, and a moment later, Manda caught the handle with her teeth.

Jackie, who had enough of Manda's wiggling, dropped her onto the deck. Manda winced as her knees jarred against the surface, but let go of the knife to disguise its noise while she fell. Carefully, Manda covered the knife with her body from Jackie's view, struggling to a sitting position. Her fingers caught the knife behind her back.

Arms akimbo, Jackie looked down at her with contempt.

"You are slowing me down. I suppose I can kill you right away, but the police would know you've been murdered, and there's going to be investigation. I'm not going to repeat the same mistake I've done to Rachel and Eric. You're going to die in an accident in that little raft I've got for you, and since you can't swim..." She deliberately trailed off, giving Manda a knowing look.

Manda tried not to let her fear set in, while she concentrated on slicing off the ropes around her wrists. Gritting her teeth at the agony of the process, she suddenly was aware that Jackie was going to carry her again. In an instinctive move, she threw her bounded legs toward Jackie's midsection before the latter could get to her.

Jackie grunted in surprise, falling down on her butt. With one final yank, Manda managed to free her hands, and she used the knife to slice the ropes off her legs. Jackie had gotten up, and she glanced down at the knife that Manda was holding.

"Very clever," she sneered. "But not clever enough."

With a swift move, she kicked the knife out of Manda's hand, sending it spinning upward until she snapped it into her hand. Jackie twirled the knife with ease before she slid it back into her belt. Manda remembered how Ritchie had thrown the beer can at Jackie's direction, and how Jackie had skillfully caught it. Manda could have kicked herself for not seeing it earlier.

"You're a very good actress," Manda told her, slowly getting up on her feet. "That time when you accidentally knocked over a canned fruit in the kitchen, you were acting helpless, didn't you? You didn't want Michael to notice your skills as the attacker who had tried to kill him."

"I'll show you my skills. I heard you have a brown belt in karate. I have a black belt," Jackie said in a conceited manner as she sent a karate kick to the back of Manda's knees.

Manda lost her balance, and the boat wobbled from the impact. Jackie didn't waste time sending another kick toward her. Her breath hitched in her throat, managing to roll over to the side, barely missed being stomped by Jackie's foot just inches from her face. Manda swiped her left leg at Jackie's other ankle, but the latter jumped up as if anticipating the move.

"Is that all you can do?" Jackie taunted her. "Come on, Manda, show me what you've got."

Manda clenched her fists, glaring up at Jackie. Once she stood, she ducked out of Jackie's reach to jump over the boat's windshield until she landed behind the seats. This way she would have larger space to fight Jackie, and she wouldn't go overboard easily. At the same time, Jackie had no choice but to follow Manda.

Jackie sprang over the windshield, before sending a high kick toward her. Manda jumped sideways, and returned with a swift kick to Jackie's side. The girl grunted, crashing her back against the stern, but returned with a counterattack, and soon both of them began a routine of kicks, punches, and blocks. It was difficult when the boat kept swaying from side to side from their movements.

A while later, Manda found herself gaining an advantage as she pinned Jackie face down on the floor. The girl struggled beneath her, trying to flip Manda over. That was when she saw Jackie had pulled out the knife from her belt. Manda tried to snatch the knife away from Jackie's hand, but Jackie was quicker, and before Manda knew it, the blade plunged into the back of her shoulder.

She cried out, loosening her hold on Jackie and rolled to the side to clutch her hurting shoulder. Dark crimson liquid spurted out, trailing down her hand. Jackie leaped on Manda, poised the knife above her chest with malicious glint in her eyes, and a sneer smearing her lips. Jackie's blue eyes looked black, and Manda shuddered inwardly from the hideous expression on Jackie's face.

Manda's hands shot out and grabbed Jackie's wrists before the blade plunged into her chest. Gritting her teeth, Manda used all her might to push Jackie's hands away, just as much as Jackie's pushing the blade toward her. She wasn't sure how long she could last being this way, her injured shoulder seemed to scream in protest from every movement she made.

The blade moved closer, just hairbreadth above Manda's chest. She tried folding her legs, it was a difficult maneuver when Jackie was pressed on top of her. Jackie didn't seem to notice what Manda was doing; Manda was relieved for that. Jackie continued pressing. Manda gasped when the blade pierced through her skin, drawing blood. Once she managed to fold her legs closely to her midriff and her feet planted in front of Jackie's knees, she pushed her legs outward like a spring released after being tied up for a long time.

Jackie toppled backward, hitting against the side of the boat. The knife flew out of her hand, cluttering across the floor. There was a sickening crack as Jackie's head hit the side compartment box, and her head lolled to one side, eyes closed. Breathing heavily and too weak to stand, Manda sagged on the floor. Her whole body ached and sore She wanted nothing more than to get out of this boat, and sleep in her own room. Or maybe the loss of blood was blacking her out.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and her lids felt so heavy that she didn't want to open them again. Somewhere in the distance, she could make out the sound of a droning motor. Whether the sound was real, or an influence from her dream, she wasn't sure. But she sure did like the blissful darkness, swallowing her into an abyss. The droning sound was soon forgotten.