Yuku free message boards

Blackness slowly gave way to light. Erica blinked a few times and tried to clear the haze from her eyes. She could make out fuzzy images but nothing clear yet. She closed her eyes again and tried to figure out why she couldn’t see very well.  It all came crashing back to her: the delivery man at her front door, the package he had for her, the violent way that he’d attacked her.

She sucked in a deep breath, noting the soreness in her abdomen as she did so. No one had ever punched her in the stomach like that before. Her hand fluttered to her stomach. That was a good sign – at least her hands weren’t tied. She opened her eyes and tried to focus her vision. She thought she was staring at the ceiling, and there was something soft underneath her. She must be lying on a bed.

She slowly pushed herself into a seated position, praying that the room wouldn’t spin. Her head ached and she felt drunk, but she knew that wasn’t possible. Someone had to have drugged her. She choked back a sob at the thought of being drugged against her will, after everything she’d been through to regain and maintain her sobriety. Who would do something like this to her? And more importantly, how in the world could she get away from him?

She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus. Her vision was slowly coming back and she was still wearing all of her clothes. Those were both good signs.

She shifted on the bed and tried to reassure herself that she was physically okay, minus the drugging. Her stomach and hip were both sore, and she had some pain in her left ankle. She touched it gingerly and realized with a wince that it was swollen. She must have twisted it when she attempted to run from her attacker. Damn stilettos. She ran her fingers through her hair, noting that her scalp was still tender where he’d grabbed her by the hair.

She took in a few deep breaths of relief at the realization that whatever had happened after she passed out had at least not involved any more violence against her.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked around the room. Nothing looked remotely familiar to her. The room was small, barely large enough to hold a bed, a chair and a small table. All of the furniture had a rustic feel to it. There was no window in the room. There were three doors. She assumed one was a closet and one led to the rest of the building. She wasn’t sure about the third door, but she guessed it was likely a bathroom or another closet. The walls were bare, and two of them appeared to be constructed of wood logs.

Her heart sank at the rustic appearance of the furniture and the walls. This place had the feel of a cabin in the woods somewhere, and if it was, she couldn’t be in Pine Valley. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious, what time it was, or how far from home she’d been taken.

She wanted desperately to know who had taken her and why, but she was also afraid for him to come back for fear of what he’d do to her next.

The elegant Kane-Montgomery house had turned into something akin to Grand Central Station. Pine Valley’s police chief, Derek Frye, had been there for hours, questioning Erica’s family and friends. His officers had dusted the home for prints, and they were busy examining Erica’s phone, personal laptop and work computer for any clues as to where she could be.

Lily had been unable to handle the chaos, so Reggie had taken her to Jack’s old loft apartment where it was quiet. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but Jack had more or less demanded it. He wanted to protect his children as much as possible. Erica’s children, on the other hand, couldn’t be protected. Val had called Kendall that morning looking for Erica, so Kendall was at the house, worked into a state of such anxiety and frustration that she reminded Jack very much of Erica.  He’d tried to avoid notifying Bianca, but somehow the press had gotten wind of Erica’s sudden disappearance, and he’d been forced to call his niece before she could read about it on the internet. He reassured her in the calmest voice possible that she didn’t need to get on a plane back to Pine Valley. Not yet, anyway.

“Why wasn’t Coral here?” Kendall demanded.

Jack squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “She had a root canal scheduled this morning. Erica gave her off the rest of the week to recover,” he said.

“We’ve verified that your mother’s maid was indeed at the dentist this morning,” Derek added.

“Who would want to kidnap my mother?” Kendall said, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.

“I don’t know,” Jack said honestly. “We’re working on a list of people who could have a reason to want to hurt Erica, but we don’t even know what the motive is right now. There’s been no ransom demand yet, so I don’t think someone is doing this for financial gain. If this isn’t a ransom scenario… I don’t know.”

He looked up at Kendall, who was still pacing around the living room. “Okay, well, then if it’s not a ransom, who would want to kidnap her and why? Revenge? For what?” She asked

Jack shook his head. “Erica is a public figure. We could be dealing with an obsessed fan for all we know.”

“But there was no forced entry. My mother wouldn’t open the door to a random fan,” Kendall insisted. Jack had to admit that she was right.  

Derek answered his cell phone, turning away from them for a moment.

“Would she open the door to a delivery man?” Derek asked a few moments later.

Jack and Kendall looked at each other and both shrugged. “I guess,” Jack said. “But I don’t think we were expecting a delivery. Why?”

“Your neighbor across the street says he saw a delivery man bring a large box to your front door this morning.” Derek said.

Jack looked around in confusion. “I didn’t see anything when I came home,” he said.

“I know. I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere,” He said to both Jack and Kendall as he stalked out of the living room.

Erica sat quietly on the bed. She’d already tried to get up from the bed, but she had trouble supporting weight on her ankle. That didn’t bode well for planning an escape. She’d managed to hobble around the room enough to determine that one door did indeed lead to a small bathroom. It was equipped with some basic toiletries, but no razors or anything else that could be used as a weapon. The closet was completely empty.

She hadn’t tried the third door, the one she assumed led to the rest of building. She knew the door was likely locked, but if it wasn’t, she wanted to be sure she could make the most of her escape attempt. So far no one had come for her, and she’d not been able to hear anything. She’d been careful not to make any noise herself either, for fear of alerting her captor that she was conscious. If he thought she was still passed out, perhaps he’d let down his guard.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she’d first awakened in the room, but whatever drugs she’d been given seemed to be wearing off. With each passing minute, she felt more and more like herself as the haze seemed to lift from her mind. She wanted her wits about her when she tried to run. She had already debated trying to tear a strip of fabric from the cheap sheets to make a brace of some sort for her ankle, but she was afraid the sound of fabric tearing would alert someone. 

She finally decided that she’d waited long enough. Her heart pounded in her chest and she limped to the door, trying to keep as much weight off of her ankle as possible. She drew in a long deep breath and tried to steady her nerves as her hand reached for the doorknob. She prayed it was unlocked and that there was a place for her to hide once she slipped out of the room.

To her immense surprise and relief, the doorknob did indeed turn in her hand. She slid the door open just a crack and waited to see if anyone responded. Hearing nothing, she pulled the door open a little further and peeked outside. She’d hoped to find herself in a darkened hallway, but to her dismay, her room opened into a larger room that appeared to be a combination living room/kitchen/eating area.

She still didn’t see or hear anyone, so Erica opened the door and hobbled out. The small size and rustic appearance of this larger room confirmed her suspicion that this was a cabin of some kind, which meant that she must be in a fairly rural area. A fire burned in the stone fireplace, and lights were on in the room, but there were no other signs of life. She kept her back close to the wall as she looked quickly around the room. There was a door on the other side of the tiny kitchen that looked like it must lead to another interior room. Her eyes scanned the room again, desperately seeking the front door. She had no idea where she’d go once she got out the front door. Hell, she had no idea where she even was, but being outside of the cabin and further away from her attacker had to be better than being in here with him.

She finally spied the front door, and beside it a window. She drew in a sharp breath as she glanced out the window. It was dark outside. The idea that she’d been unconscious for most of the day disturbed her, but perhaps the darkness could aid in her escape. She slipped off her heels and tucked them securely in one hand. She would run quietly for the door in her bare feet, and she could put her shoes back on once she was outside and safe under cover of darkness.

She said a quick silent prayer and ran for the front door. The knob turned easily in her hand, and she flung it open. The rush of cold air burned her lungs and pushed the last bit of fogginess from her brain. She’d hoped that she could run somewhere, anywhere, and hide long enough to put her shoes back on, but a blanket of snow covered the ground.

It wasn’t snowing in Pine Valley, at least it hadn’t been this morning when she’d prepared to leave her house, so wherever she was, she must be quite far from home. She couldn’t run barefooted in weather like this, and once she had her shoes on, she’d leave a trail of footprints in what looked to be several inches of snow. She paused to slip her shoes on, praying that she could run far enough away from the cabin that her attacker would lose her trail in the dark. She debated turning and searching for a blanket or something else she could use to protect herself from the elements, but she was afraid she’d lose what might be her only chance at escape. When it came right down to it, if her choices were freezing to death in the snow and being attacked by a crazy person, she was willing to take her chances with the cold. 

Erica straightened up after slipping her heels back on. As she turned slightly to close the cabin door behind her, a hand grabbed her wrist. 

“And just where do you think you’re going?” A man’s voice sounded behind her as he caught her wrist.

She jerked backward as hard as she could, but he held fast to her wrist. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the sound of his voice was familiar, but she didn’t place it immediately. 

He was much stronger than she was, and he easily pulled her back into the cabin. Erica saw her chance at escape disappearing, and she screamed for help as loud as she could, hoping desperately that someone was close enough to hear her.

Her attacker slammed the door closed and shoved her against it. His face was close to hers now, and she finally got a good look at him. When she did, the color drained from her own face. He was much older now since she’d last seen him, but then again, so was she. He hadn’t aged nearly as well. His face was lined with age and gray was clearly visible in his dark hair. He was sporting a five o’clock shadow, which initially made him harder for her to recognize, but the cold glare in his gray eyes was unmistakable.

After almost a decade, she was now once again face to face with Jonathan Kinder.

“I see I’ve underestimated you. I thought for sure you’d still be unconscious. Apparently my technique is a little rusty. A decade in prison will do that to you.” He said, his voice calm yet sinister.

Erica fought back a shudder. “You’ll never get away with this, Jonathan,” She said quietly.

He smiled slightly but there was no warmth in his eyes. “So you do recognize me. I wondered if you would. As for getting away with it Erica, I already have. Look around you my dear. We’re in the middle of nowhere. No one knows where you are. And no one can hear you scream.”

Her eyes darted around the room. Perhaps there was another door, another exit she’d somehow missed. The kitchen! Surely there was at least a sharp knife of some kind in the kitchen. If she could get past him… She had to keep him talking, distract him somehow.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

He stepped back from her slightly. “Isn’t it obvious? Erica, darling, we belong together. I tried to make you see that before, but you wouldn’t listen to reason. So you’ve left me no choice.” He said, smiling again at her.

 She took advantage of the slight distance he’d put between them and slipped past him, running as fast as she could for the kitchen. She heard him call out her name, but she kept moving, grabbing the tile counter for support as she searched for something, anything she could use to fend him off.

She was so intent on finding a weapon of some kind that she didn’t notice the impending blow until it was too late. The back of his hand connected with her face with such force that she fell against the kitchen cabinets and tumbled to the floor. Intense pain radiated through the side of her face from her temple all the way down to her jaw. She brought her hand to her face in shock. She’d been slapped before, usually by a jealous female, but no one had ever hit her like this. She could taste blood in her mouth, and she realized then that her lip was bleeding.

“I can see that you’re going to be difficult,” Jonathan said as he stood over her. “You’ll find though that I’m prepared for that.”

Erica shrunk back against the cabinet as he leaned in toward her and grabbed her by the upper arm. He pulled her up into a standing position and began dragging her across the cabin. Between the injuries to her ankle and the brisk pace at which he was walking, she had trouble staying on her feet.

“Let go of me!” She yelled, pulling back against his grasp.

He held firmly onto her arm but otherwise ignored her until they were back in the tiny bedroom. Her room. Her prison cell.  He flung her into the room, and she stumbled into the table, grabbing it as she tried to keep from falling again.

He closed the bedroom door and then came up behind her, pinning her against the small table. His hands went around her arms and reached for the buttons on her jacket. Erica shook her head in horror. No, this was not happening to her. This could not be happening. She screamed and attempted to break free of his hold. He brought a hand to her throat and squeezed, effectively cutting off her scream.

“I am trying to take off your jacket. You’ll be more comfortable without it, and it’s much easier on both of us that way. I have no intention of removing your dress. Not yet anyway.” He said against her ear. Erica gasped for breath and fought back a shudder of revulsion as his other hand tore open the buttons on her jacket before shoving it roughly from her shoulders.

She expected him to release her, or at least let go of her throat once he had the jacket off, but he didn’t. Her heart raced, and she tried to stem the rising tide of panic that filled her. He was doing something with his other hand, but she couldn’t tell what. Tears welled in her eyes at the horror of what he could – and likely would – do to her.

“I always did love that fire in you, Erica dear,” He said as he continued to hold her against him by the throat. “However, I can’t let you leave, and I obviously can’t trust you to sit nicely in your room like a good girl. So we’re going to have to do this the hard way.” With that, he jabbed a needle into her now-bare upper arm.

She struggled against him in terror, realizing that he was injecting something else into her. The room spun as she felt him pull her toward the bed, but she couldn’t fight back. It took everything she had in her to keep breathing. Darkness closed in on her moments later.

Across town at the Pine Valley Hospital, Dr. David Hayward stopped off at the cardiac wing’s nurses’ station. Several nurses were gathered around a computer and were talking quietly amongst themselves.

“Ladies,” he said suddenly, interrupting their discussion. “We have sick patients who I’m sure could use your attention, and they’re more important than whatever you’re looking at on the internet.”

The small group disbanded with more than a few glances of irritation in David’s direction. As two of the women walked past him, he thought he heard one of them mutter something about Erica Kane. His ears perked up at the mention of his former love. He shook his head and smiled slightly. He wondered what Erica was up to now that had obviously set tongues wagging. It probably had something to do with her new television show.

David told himself that he really didn’t care what Erica was up to these days. She now hated him for the role he’d played in keeping Bianca and Miranda apart, and after that, he’d likely never be on her good side again. It had been about two years since they’d last been a couple, at least as far as the public knew. They’d pretended to be lovers to give each other an alibi for the night Michael Cambias was murdered.

He smiled to himself at the memory.  He’d never admit it, especially not to Erica, but he missed her. He’d never really stopped loving her, and he’d been more than happy to publicly fill the role as her lover. He wished it hadn’t ended so badly for the two of them, but there was nothing he could do about it now. It was done, and there was nothing he could do to change anything.

Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t resist peeking at the computer screen to see what had the nurses in such a state. He wondered briefly if Erica’s fairy tale marriage to Jackson Montgomery was disintegrating. That would certainly be news- and gossip-worthy.

His blood ran cold when he saw the headline proclaiming that Erica Kane had been kidnapped.  

After chastising the nurses, he didn’t want anyone to see him surfing the internet out in the open, so he put down the patient charts he’d had in his hands and went straight to his office. He sat down at his computer and started pulling up local news stories on Erica’s disappearance. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he read. So far there were no suspects. God, he hoped she was okay.

David was in the midst of rounds that day when Derek Frye came looking for him.

“Dr. Hayward, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

David looked up in surprise at the Chief of Police. “Regarding?”

“The kidnapping of Erica Kane Montgomery” Derek said, his expression serious.

David scoffed. “Why? Do you think I did it?”

Derek stared at the doctor. He couldn’t stand the man. Hayward constantly skirted the along the edge of the law, and he always seemed to get away with it, no matter what he did.

“Where were you this morning?” Derek asked.

David shook his head in annoyance. “I was at home,” he said.

“Really? Can anyone verify that?” Derek asked.

“No, no one can. I live by myself,” David said through near gritted teeth.

“What time did you come to the hospital today?”

“I didn’t have an appointment until 10 am. I got in around 9:45, and I’ve been here ever since. I’m sure you can confirm that with footage from the hospital’s security cameras.”

“Of course,” Derek said. “So you have no way to prove your whereabouts prior to 9:45?”

“No, I don’t, but I can assure you that I did not kidnap Erica Kane.”

“Really?” Derek questioned, “Because her family seems to think that you have reason to want to hurt her. She did try to put you in jail not long ago.”

David shook his head in frustration. Damn Montgomery! He should have known that he’d get blamed for this. “Erica and I have our disputes and our differences, but I have way too much respect and grudging admiration for her to ever want to harm her. Besides, as you pointed out, she tried to put me in jail, and she failed. Why would I give her the chance to put me away long-term by committing a federal crime? I have nothing to gain by kidnapping Erica.”

 Derek nodded as he took notes. As much as he hated to admit it, the doctor’s words had a ring of truth to them.  So far his investigators had yet to turn up a motive for Hayward to act as the kidnapper. Still, his lack of an alibi meant that they couldn’t rule him out. Not yet.

Derek cursed again as he stood at the front door of Erica Kane’s house. He couldn’t believe the information he’d just been given. Jack was going to go ballistic when he heard the news. Not that he’d blame him. Someone had seriously fucked up, and he just hoped and prayed Erica wasn’t going to be the one to pay the price.

Jack stood up expectantly when Derek came back into the house. He’d spent the night tossing and turning on the sofa, and he was still wearing his suit from the day before.  Zach had taken Kendall home, and Greenlee had brought Reggie and Lily back to the house. It was early morning, and with each passing hour, he feared that their chances of locating his wife alive and well were dimming.

 “Any news? Anything?” He asked the police chief.

Derek nodded grimly. “Yes, and while it’s not good, my hope is that it’s the break we need to find Erica. Jonathan Kinder was released from prison two months ago,” he said flatly.

Jack stared at his friend and colleague in shock. “What? Why? How? He sputtered.

“The official word is budget cuts. The Department of Corrections decided to solve the problem of prison overcrowding by releasing a number of what they deemed ‘model’ prisoners. Thousands of prisoners have been paroled in the last few months to make up for budget shortfalls.”

“But KINDER? The man is crazy!” Jack insisted.

“According to the reports from the prison, he’s been a model prisoner from the beginning. They never had any problems from him and believed that his education and background made him a likely candidate to succeed in society should he be released.” Derek said.

“Wait – we never got any notice about a parole hearing. Erica absolutely would have testified against him to keep him locked up.” Jack said suddenly.

Derek looked uncomfortable. “According to the DOC, a letter was sent to Erica a few months ago, but it looks like it went to her old address. I don’t know if it got lost in the mail and was never forwarded to her here or if it arrived and simply got misplaced.”

“Derek, please tell me you know where Kinder is now,” Jack said, praying that the psychotic former doctor was dutifully attending all meetings with his parole officer.

“Unfortunately no, we don’t. He continued his good behavior until about a week ago, and then he disappeared. More parolees mean more people each parole officer has to see, and Kinder managed to fall through the cracks.”

Jack cursed under his breath.

“Your neighbor didn’t get a good enough look at the deliveryman to definitely ID him as Kinder, but we’re going to find them. I’m bringing the FBI in as well.”