To Leap From Heaven [A Romantic Thriller]

31.

It was dark and she was unfamiliar with her surroundings, but she couldn't stay on that property. Her steps resounded loudly in the quiet neighborhood, and by the sound of it, she was the only person on foot. The high walls of the properties she passed were made of solid brick, and they appeared intimidating. She dared not knock on any of the gates because of the state she was in, and the questions it would raise. She too had a lot of unanswered questions, but for now, she had given it a rest. The answers would be revealed in time. There was a hard point in Catherine's eyes as she surveyed her surroundings, because every corner could be a hiding place for Carl.

She was on high alert, and she was not about to let her guard down. One moment of relaxation could cost her her life, and she was not about to forfeit an opportunity to avenge the deaths of her loved ones. She thought about Kim and her senseless murder. She had nothing to do with Carl and his crazy ideas but he was capable of anything. Carl was going to pay, and she wanted him to suffer before she pulled the trigger. Her steps were firm and there was a fierce determination in her tightly pressed lips. The old Catherine was not gone, that would not be possible, but she had acquired a new attitude.

There is an old saying that if you want to catch a killer you'll have to think like one, and that's what she was doing as she walked through the streets while searching for the main exit. But she was not dealing with a simple killer, she was up against a psycho, and they were much more dangerous and could inflict the most damage, and one never saw them coming. That was why it was not only important to think like one but to become one, and to get into their minds. Going that route is dangerous, because she has read of people who had gone to that dark place, never to return to normalcy. They became trapped in the labyrinth of madness only to lose it, and become psycho killers themselves, but she did not care.

She had nothing left to lose. Catherine was training herself to become cold and calculated, and her external transformation was almost complete, but getting into Carl's mind would not be easy. She had put her emotions aside, and employed her powers of logic and deductive reasoning, and she was on the right track. The wind picked up slightly, and she wrapped her trench coat tighter around her fragile body. Catherine's mind returned to Carl, because she was looking for telltale signs that could lead her to him. Her biggest regret was that she did not take immediate action after Kim had spotted him under her window.

Had she done so, all this could have been avoided, and no one would have had to die because of his sick fantasies. She became tired of walking, and wished she had taken one of the cars standing unused  in the garages, but she had to get out of the house of death. The corpses horrified her.

Catherine finally reached the main road which would take her downtown, and looked for a vehicle that was going in that direction, but there was not a single car in sight. She was hoping to hitchhike a ride into town. In the distance she saw the skyline of Johannesburg traced against a black sky and the few twinkling stars tried to match the brilliant light of the skyscrapers and failed. Their efforts paled in comparison to the man-made edifices which seemed to rise effortlessly to meet them halfway. They stood like sentries on parade, each at his own height and their rising and falling tops seemed to trace the heartbeats of the men of vision. Static in form and beauty, they were alive in conception.

She loved the sight of it, and from where she stood they appeared peaceful in the moonlight, but down below, the streets were teeming with all sorts of men and women. The city had its good and bad areas, and she was heading into the bad, practically into the belly of the beast, home of the pimps and prostitutes, drug addicts and murderers. It was their territory, and even the police were hesitant to enter, because those individuals had no respect for law and Life. It was in the middle of this morass where Catherine hoped to find Carl, which was the perfect hiding place for someone like him.

There were still no cars heading in her direction, and Catherine decided to walk, because there was no point in standing still, and it was getting colder by the minute.
Two cars passed in quick succession, but they drove so fast they hardly noticed her extended thumb. She did not blame them for not stopping. The city was full of unsavory characters, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

A car approached, and she stuck out her thumb but with no hope of success. To her surprise the vehicle rolled to a standstill ahead of her, and she had to run to catch it. The driver had already rolled down the passenger window and leaned over.

“Hey, little lady, where are you heading?”

“Downtown. Would you mind giving me a ride?”

“I'm heading there myself. Hop in.”

Catherine climbed into the passenger seat and said, “Thanks.”

They both had snap judged one another. The man was positively overweight, and the car was old. Should he try anything, she would simply pull the gun on him. She had no intention of hurting or killing innocents, but she would scare him senseless. But he seemed like a harmless skirt chaser with an eye for a beautiful woman.

When he saw Catherine from up close he thought she might be a drug addict or a prostitute based on the scars and bruises on her face which was illuminated by the instrument panel on the dashboard. He suddenly regretted having picked her up. He became scared but decided to drive on. Who knows what she might do should he stop and throw her out? He preferred not to find out, and drove on. The man was a chatty fellow, but on this occasion he decided to keep quiet. From time to time he gave her a quick glance from under heavy overhanging eyebrows.

Catherine too remained quiet, because her mind was somewhere else, and she enjoyed sitting down and on the wings of the soft purr of the engine she dozed off.

“We're there, little lady. Where can I drop you?”

She woke up, and without knowing where she was she said, “Stop the car, I'll get out here.”

She climbed out and thanked him for his kindness.

“Please, do be careful around here.”

He drove off and was glad to be rid of her. He breathed again, and promised never to pick up strangers at night, because his life was worth more than a friendly chat and a little flirting.

Catherine stood on the sidewalk, and an empty cab approached which she hailed.

He stopped and asked, “Where to, Miss?”

“Take me to the nearest drugstore that's still open. I won't be long, and I need you to wait for me. Afterwards I need you to take me to the nearest motel, if it's alright with you.”

“It's fine with me, Miss”

She grabbed a few items from the shelves and paid for them.

“We can go now,” she said when she got back into the cab.

A few minutes later he stopped at the entrance of a motel which seemed to be closed.

“Are they open?”

“Twenty-four-seven, ma’am.”

She climbed out and paid him, and when he saw the big tip he said, “Thank you, ma'am.” He wished he had more customers like Catherine, but they did not make them like that anymore, not in that neighborhood anyway.

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