CHAPTER 3
HOPE IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Lana paced the floor outside her dad’s office while he questioned Reginald. Time seemed to stand still as she stalked the hallway. She could picture Hope somewhere crying, or worse … dead. She tried to think of where Amanda could have taken Hope when a thought suddenly came to her.
“That’s it!” Lana slapped her hand against her forehead. “Why didn’t I think of it before?” She knocked, and stuck her head inside her dad’s office.
“Dad, sorry to-”
“Lana, not now,” The chief barked from his seat behind his desk. “I told you to wait outside.”
“But-”
“But nothing young lady! You cannot be in here while I question Reginald. Wait outside.”
“But Dad-”
“But nothing. Go!” The Chief shouted, pointing toward the outer offices.
Lana reluctantly closed the door, and walked to an empty desk. She placed her hand on the chair back and glanced in the direction of her dad.
“Sorry Daddy,” she mumbled, releasing her hold on the chair and hurrying out of the station.
After placing a quick note on Reginald’s windshield, she jumped in her car and headed north out of the parking lot, tires squealing.
She drove for fifteen minutes on Highway 1-A, watching for the familiar red roof atop the lighthouse to come into view. When it finally did Lana’s foot pressed harder on the accelerator.
“Come on, Hope, be here,” Lana chanted. Her heart raced even harder and nervous pit formed deep in her stomach.
A few minutes later, Lana turned off the highway and followed the sandy drive snaking its way through the tall Pitch Pines and thick bunches of Sea Myrtle bushes. She finally pulled the car into an opening where the lighthouse came into full view.
Lana whipped into a parking space just outside the building, leaning forward to get a full view of the old structure through the windshield. The black and white paint was faded and a bit more weathered than she remembered it being. When she was younger the lighthouse seemed to be a great deal taller up close than it had looked now.
Night would soon be falling, so Lana backed up and drove her car into a small patch of bushes several yards away in case Amanda showed up.
She felt a little silly the way she sneaked up to the building and was sure she looked like someone straight out of a comical spy movie. It surprised her to find the door unlocked when she attempted to turn the knob.
What if I’m wrong and Hope isn’t here. No … she has to be here. This was Amanda’s hideout when we were children.
Lana had seen a picture of the lighthouse hanging on the wall at the station when she was pacing the floor, which had jarred her memory. She remembered one time when Amanda was eleven, she had broken into the lighthouse and one of the deputies had caught her breaking one of the light covers. Instead of Amanda’s father punishing her, he just bought it. He had said nobody was about to stop his ‘little girl’ from playing wherever she wanted. Lana’s dad told Amanda’s father the lighthouse was old and unsafe. He refused to listen. As a result the chief forbade her from playing with Amanda anymore. He told Lana one day Amanda would either hurt herself or someone else.
Lana slipped inside, closing the door behind her. The building was much darker inside than she figured. She pressed her back against the wall and pulled out her cell phone, turning on the flash. “That’s more like it,” she said to no one in particular. Scanning the large, round room with the light she noticed huge flakes of peeling paint hanging off the walls, and thick cobwebs everywhere, but no sign of Hope. Her shoulders sagged forward when she discovered that the room was empty. Standing motionless in the middle of the room, she sighed.
“Damn it, Hope. I was so sure you were here,” she mumbled. With her shoulders slumped she turned around and started back toward the door. That’s when she heard something. She froze in her tracks, heart pounding, and listened. The noise came more clearly the second time. Some sort of tapping sound, like something hitting against metal. Lana looked up, but the light from her phone wasn’t bright enough to reach the top landing.
She bolted up the circular staircase, taking two steps at a time. Just before reaching the first landing, she slipped on something laying on one of the steps and almost fell backward. As it rolled down a few stairs, she managed to see it was a small telescope. What the hell is a telescope doing in here? Amanda must have been using it to spy on Reginald.
Reginald’s house was easily visible from the lighthouse. If what he’d said was true and Amanda had used the telescope to spy on him, then it would confirm his story about Amanda being crazy.
Lana reached the landing and stopped briefly to catch her breath. She placed her hands on her knees, and took a short breather. When the tapping started again, the noise was much louder.
Lana jerked open the door and stepped onto the narrow platform. When she looked around she found Hope sitting on the floor with her hands bound behind her with duct tape. “Hope!” relief filled Lana as she rushed over to her best friend. Several layers covered Hope’s mouth and eyes. Her legs were crossed over each other, and again more strips tightly wrapped her knees and ankles. Lana dropped to her knees and grabbed Hope’s face in her hands. Not able to see, Hope jerked backward and cowered. Lana quickly tried to blink away the hot tears filling her eyes. “Hope, it’s me, Lana. You’re safe now.”
When Lana touched the tape on Hope’s ankles she squirmed. “Sit still! We’ve got to hurry before Amanda comes back.”
Hope started to jerk about, making it difficult for Lana to unwrap her legs and ankles. Lana had wanted to get Hope’s legs free first, in case the two girls needed to run before she finished.
Damn! He must have used a whole freaking roll. Lana felt like it was taking forever to tear all the tape off Hope’s body. When she had freed Hope’s hands and feet, Lana gently picked at one side until she was able to uncover her eyes. Just as Hope and Lana began working together on freeing her mouth, the door flew open. Hope’s eyes had been covered so long they hadn’t quite adjusted yet making everything blurry.
“Reginald! Thank God it’s you. I’m glad you found my note,” Lana exclaimed.
Reginald glanced at Lana, and then Hope, who immediately began cowering away. Lana quickly moved toward her.
“Calm down, sweetie. It’s just Reginald. He’s here to help,” she said, but Hope continued to back up. Lana scrunched her brow. “Everything’s going to be all right. Amanda can’t hurt you anymore,” she said in a soothing voice.
“No, Lana! Keep him away from me,” Hope cried harder.
Lana couldn’t understand Hope’s behavior. She glanced at Hope, and then Reginald, and then Hope again. He crossed the platform and started to reach out for the frightened young woman’s arm.
Even though Lana didn’t understand Hope’s actions she knew she was frightened for some reason and quickly jumped between them.
“Why is she so scared of you?” Lana asked.
Reginald smiled innocently. “I uh, I don’t know, Lana,” he stammered. “She uh … she must be in shock or something. Yeah, I’ll bet that’s what it is.” He began inching his way closer to the girls. “Amanda really did a number on her, huh?” he added coolly and continued trying to reach around Lana and grab Hope. “Come on, Hope.” Hope was using Lana as a barrier, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.
“Lana, he did this to me,” Hope cried.
“Come on, Hope, you’re confused. You know I would never hurt you.”
Hope was screaming and crying and Reginald was shouting, trying to get his hands on her.
Finally, Lana had had enough. “Hold on a minute! Everybody calm down!” She yelled and raised her hand, pushing on Reginald’s chest.
He stopped and stared at both girls for a moment. His face suddenly turned a deep shade of red, and the veins in his forehead protruded. “Ah, to hell with this,” he growled, shoving Lana so hard across the platform, she slammed into the wall. Da
zed and winded, she slid to the floor and didn’t move.
Hope screamed, and turned to run, but Reginald’s reflexes were quicker. He grabbed her and spun her around, then silently glared at her.
“I told you I wasn’t going to allow you to fuck up my plans!” He pushed her backward until her back slammed against the outer railing.
“Ouch, Reggie, you’re hurting me,” she cried out. “I know you don’t want to hurt the baby.” She had never seen him angry. He had been nice and caring whenever they were together.
“All you had to do was have an abortion, and everything would’ve been fine. But no! You couldn’t do that could you?” His eyes turned wild. “I’m marrying Amanda, and I’m not going to let anyone, especially a kid, get in the way.”
Reginald was in such a rage that he didn’t seem to hear the door behind him open. Amanda eased through the opening and inched her way across the platform, stopping a few feet behind him. Her eyes filled with tears listening to his words.
“God damn it, Hope! My family needs this marriage. We’re broke…bankrupt!” he let out an evil laugh. “Amanda takes control of her trust fund after she and I are married. Her money becomes our money. All one hundred sixty million dollars,” Reginald snapped.
Hope glanced past Reginald at Amanda, who put her finger to her mouth and shook her head for Hope to stay quiet. She saw Lana moving, attempting to gain her balance enough to stand. Not wanting him to catch on, Hope quickly returned her attention to him. “You’re crazy as hell if you think Amanda’s father is going to let you touch a dime of her money,” Hope snapped.
“But, that’s where you’re wrong,” he replied, condescendingly. “If she was to die, let’s say … in an accident, there wouldn’t be anyone to stop me from doing whatever I wanted with the money. So, you see, Hope, darling, I can’t allow you and that … brat to mess up everything I’ve worked so hard for.” He put his hand around her throat, pressing her backward over the top of the old rusted out railing.
Amanda held the telescope that Lana had earlier tripped over, raising it over her head and quietly sneaking up behind him.
He tightened his grip on Hope’s throat. Gasping and choking, her eyes bulged and her face started to turn blue. When he pushed his weight against her, the old railing weakened and the bolts that held it in place started breaking loose.
Amanda had just started to swing the telescope when Lana pushed against the wall and moaned. Reginald heard her and turned just in time to see Amanda swinging the telescope. He grabbed for it but Amanda wasn’t about to let it go without a fight. While they struggled, Hope managed to break free, and collapsed onto the floor of the platform.
Lana grimaced slowly pushing herself up the wall. “Let her go,” she yelled, then bit her lip from the sharp pains shooting through her ribs. She pressed a hand to her side, and stumbled toward Reginald. He managed to jerk the telescope away from Amanda and he slung it across the floor. Lana moved as quickly as she was able and grabbed the telescope with her free hand.
“Hit him,” Hope screamed, too exhausted to get up. “Hit him, Lana!”
Lana gave Hope a long look, then moved behind him and swung the telescope, bashing it across his shoulder. He winced and let go of Amanda while grabbing his shoulder. At the same time, Amanda sent a knee to his groin, and he fell against her. The force of their weight together caused the railing to break. Both, Amanda and Reginald started to fall.
Hope, who was still on the floor at the edge of the platform, wrapped her arms around Amanda’s legs, stopping her just before she went over. It was too late for Reginald, though. Lana ran to the edge in an attempt to grab him, but the piece of railing he had grabbed slowly broke free. Her eyes locked with his. All she could do was watch helplessly while he fell backward to his death.