15 Seconds (26 page)

Chapter Seventy

S
onovabitch . . .

Vance leaned against the window, smoking, and suddenly caught sight of Henry Steadman, not forty yards away, hiding in the woods.

Well, whaddaya know . . .

Vance was a man who could read you the name off a dog's collar at a hundred yards at night, while Steadman probably wouldn't know what breed it was if it was sitting on his lap. But there he was, nonetheless—Vance was sure of it—peering at him.

How the hell did he find his way here . . . ?

Vance put out the smoke, went over to the storage closet, and unlocked the door. It was dark and damp in the cramped space, and the girl was both surprised and clearly frightened. She came out kicking and scratching at him.
My, my,
such a pretty little thing.

“What's going on?
No
, get off of me!”

“No whimpering now, darlin',” Vance said, pinning her arms. “You're gonna get to see your daddy just like I told you. Only a little sooner than we thought.”

“Daddy!”

Her eyes stretched wide in surprise and Vance could see that she was just about to shout his name, so he hit her across the chin and her cute little eyes rolled backward, a stream of blood coming from her lip, and when she sagged in his arms, he picked her up, rolled off a length of heavy tape, and stretched it tightly across her mouth.

“Now scream all you want, angel. But your time's up. This time it's for real!”

He placed her down against a table, and grabbed the length of rope he had especially measured out, and wrapped the girl's wrists, hog-style, so they were bound in front of her, and then sat her up, a leg on each side of the feeder bench of the circular saw, looping the rope through the winch on the blade's axle and then tugging, making sure it was all tight.

He pulled the starter pedal over to where he'd propped her, slumped forward, and gave it a test run with a little pressure.

The jagged blade whirred and came to life.

Perfect.

He went back to the window and peered out again for Steadman. He didn't see him right then. Which didn't matter. Didn't matter how he got here or who he brought along.

Or how many of them there were.

He was ready for them all.

He had separated all the chaff from however much wheat his poor life was ever going to produce.
This
is all for you, honey,
he'd said to Amanda
.
I did what I said I'd do. I brought them all to their knees. For you. I punished them all who took away what was yours. Your life to live out. Your innocence. I took care of it, darlin', the only way I know how.

I took care of it for you, Amanda.

He heard the girl moan slightly and start to come back to consciousness. Then he picked up his phone and punched in Steadman's number.

You want to play it out,
Vance thought with a smile, staring out at the trees, listening to the phone ring. He checked his gun.

All right, then, let's play it out.

Chapter Seventy-One

I
tried Carrie twice—but she didn't pick up. Maybe she was going through a stretch with no reception, which was easy out here in the boonies.

But just as I hung up, my own phone rang.

I was about to say,
Carrie, listen . . . !
When I saw the caller ID:
Hallie Steadman.

It was him.

I let it ring, nervous that control of the moment had been wrenched from me, not certain what I should say.

Then I realized:
He
doesn't know I'm here!
He's calling to tell me where to go.
I had the advantage after all.

And I was going to hear my daughter's voice again!

I pushed the green button.
“Yes.”

“Hey, Doc, how's the weather where you are?” Hofer said with a chuckle. “I said I'd be back in touch. So I'm ready for you now. You want your little girl, don't you?”

“Let me talk to her,” I said. “You touch a hair on her head, and I'll kill you myself, Hofer. Put her on.”

“In a minute. In a minute . . .” he replied. “So where are you now? I think it's time we meet up again.”

“Doesn't matter where I am,” I said. “Put Hallie on.”

“Well, I hope you're not
too
far away,” Hofer said with a drawn-out sigh, “ 'cause you'll miss all the fun. It's starting
now,
Doc. As we speak. I was sure you'd want to hear . . .”

“What?”
I felt my insides gnash together with alarm.

“Yeah, you heard me. Now
. Here,
say something to your daddy, honey. He wants to hear that you're okay . . . If you can even hear her, over this damn saw . . .”

I heard a chilling, whirring roar start up that sounded like nails being ground up and spit out.

“Daddy!”
Hallie's voice came on. “He's going to kill me, Daddy! Daddy, you have to help me,
please . . .”

“Hallie, you just hold on!” I shouted back, my guts wrenching. My fingers wrapped around the metal pipe.

“Hear her, Doc?”
Hofer came back on. “She's saying you better get here quick, 'cause all the fun . . .” The saw blade started to whir again, and Hofer elevated his voice above it.
“It's happening now!”

I almost lost it, hearing Hallie's cries. I couldn't wait for Carrie anymore.

She would be too late.

“Hey,” Hofer said, almost cackling, “don't you want me to tell you where we are?”

I didn't need to know.

It was happening now!

I ran. I clicked off the phone and grabbed the pipe, rage and desperation and fear all jumbled up inside me.

I sprinted out of the woods, heading for the shed's door.

I had no idea what I might have to face in there. If Hofer had a gun, he could just blow me away. I figured I had one thing going for me and that was the element of surprise. If I was even figuring . . . I wasn't thinking of anything except saving my daughter.

Then I heard her scream.

I yelled out,
“Hallie! God help you if you've hurt her. . . .”
Tears flashed in my eyes.

I reached the door, my mind and blood a rampage of wanting to kill him. I bolted through, rearing the pipe above my head, ready to swing at anything that moved.

I saw Hallie—fear and anguish and now shock all over her beautiful face—bound to a kind of bench. A trickle of blood ran down her chin, but otherwise she seemed okay. For a split second our eyes met and it was one of the happiest sights of my life. But then it all fell apart as she screamed in terror,
“Daddy, watch out!”

I spun, wildly swinging the heavy pipe behind me, hoping to connect with Hofer.

Instead all I felt was a bludgeoning blow to the back of my skull, and my knees buckling, blackness filling my head. I found myself on the floor. I fixed on my daughter and a biting fear ran through me that I had let her down.

And then Hofer stepping over me as I blacked out completely.

“Well, now, we're just one big happy family now, aren't we, Doc?”

Chapter Seventy-Two

M
y eyes opened foggily. My head was ringing, the sound alternately loud and pounding, and then distant like in an echo chamber. I didn't know how much time had passed. I was propped up against a wall. I blinked, pain throbbing in my head—then it all came back to me.

Hofer.

Hallie.

Why I was here. I raised myself up, jolted by this body-shaking spasm of dread.

Then I heard his voice.

“I wouldn't get any ideas, Doc. Not unless you want to see your little girl here dead.”

The first thing I saw was Hallie, which for a moment felt like heaven to me. She still seemed okay. The next thing was Hofer, positioned directly behind her on the bench, which I suddenly realized was the feeder bench for a circular saw, a gun to the back of my baby's head.

She was trembling. A trickle of blood ran down her chin. “Daddy, listen to him. Do what he says. He's crazy . . .”

“She's right. At least, about the ‘listen to him' part.
The rest
. . .” He shrugged. “That you'll have to decide yourself.”

“Let her go,” I said to him, shifting in pain. I wasn't bound. Just leaned beside the wall against the leg of a worktable. My eyes shot around, looking for something I might use if I had to. I saw an ax, hanging on a Peg-Board. A hammer. Both were far out of reach. “It's me you wanted. I'm here. Let her go. She hasn't done anything to you.”

“Oh, that's where you're wrong, Doc. In fact, she's done everything to me. So tell me, just how did you manage to find me?”

“I don't know,” I said, shrugging. “Blind luck.”

“Don't push me, Doc.” His face went blank and he dug the gun into the back of Hallie's skull.

She winced, shutting her eyes, tears escaping from them. “Daddy, please . . . Don't let him do it.
Please
.”

“No,”
I begged. “Hofer, don't . . . In the name of God . . .”

He wagged his gun at me. I assumed it was the gun that killed Martinez and Mike. “You oughta recognize this little baby, Doc. You the one who bought it, right
?”
He laughed. “Well, I'm not surprised—I figured that would be the first thing that came out. You have to admit, I did have you all going there for a while, huh? All those things fit together just like honey and a bee. That thing about you in college, at that swimming hole . . . Lord in heaven, how could I even make that one up? So how did you find me? And don't bullshit me, now”—he winked—“unless you want to find your girl's brains all over your lap.”

I made a sudden move, and Hofer raised an eyebrow warningly, motioning me back against the wall with his chin.

“Your daughter. I went to see her,” I said. “In prison. I posed as a lawyer and told her I had something for you. A monetary settlement. I said I couldn't find you, and she told me you might be here.”

“Settlement?”
Hofer grinned, as if amused. “So where is it? Show me the money?”

I just looked at him.

“Shit, there weren't no money . . .” He grunted, curling a sly grin. “Damn, they will shit on you if you give 'em the chance. The women . . . Nothing you can do about it. You sure you don't want me to blow her head off right now and . . .”

He cocked the gun and Hallie shut her eyes and squealed.

“No.”
I started to lunge toward him. “
No
. No, please . . .” Tears filled my eyes. “I'm begging you . . . I called the police. There's no way out. Let her go. Let her go and take me. They'll be here any second.”

“No matter.” Hofer shrugged dully, evincing a slight smile. “Let 'em come. It's over for me anyway.”

He looked at me, and for the first time I saw with aching clarity just where this was leading. Where it had been leading from the start. What had begun as a twisted but fatherly attempt to right the wrongs he believed had befallen his daughter had now just fallen into a free fall descent into malice and self-destruction.

“So what do we do?” I looked back at him.

“I don't know . . . Sit back. Wait a spell. Trust me, you're in for quite a sight.” He pressed the pedal with his foot and the large saw blade spun into motion. Hallie jerked forward, pulled along on the feeder bench. She let out a scream, terror flashing in her eyes, her arms suddenly dragged toward the blade, held back only by Hofer.
“Daddy!”

“Stop!”
I shouted, lurching toward her. I had to get her out, and I had to do it now. Hofer shifted the gun toward me. I felt like hate bubbled to the surface out of every pore on me, but there was nothing I could do other than have him shoot me down. I felt shame and anger thinking he had outwitted me. “
Please,
don't, no,” I begged, hot tears burning my eyes.

Hofer lifted his foot and caught Hallie by the shoulder. He grinned, all pink in the face and seemingly pleased with the entertainment.

I exhaled a breath, grateful for the momentary reprieve.

I looked at Hallie, who was now sobbing, helpless and afraid, trying my best to convey some ray of hope to her. I looked around the shed and focused on that ax. I'd be shot, I knew, but maybe I could somehow get to him first and free Hallie. I wasn't going to let him kill us without a fight.

“I love you, peanut,” I said to Hallie.

She forced a terrified smile through her tears. “I love you too, Daddy.”

I inhaled a final breath, seeing the gun at my daughter's back, Hofer's foot bobbing on the pedal, his eyes empty of anything but insane gloating and the urge to see me die.

Which made us equal.

This is it,
I said to myself.
Go!

Then I felt my cell phone vibrate.

Chapter Seventy-Three

C
arrie jumped out of her car, at the end of Cayne Road. The last time she had heard from Henry was more than forty minutes ago; then she'd gone through a dead patch.

She locked on the two cars. Hofer's, the one she had seen in the two videos. And a gray Buick—the car Henry said he was now driving.

They were both here.

She'd tried his cell a dozen times over the last twenty minutes—and now she felt herself getting scared.

She called Jack and told him her location. He told her not to do anything herself—that he would handle things now and she was not, by any means, to venture in there. But Carrie said sorry, she couldn't promise him that right now.

She hung up with him begging her:
“Carrie! Carrie, listen!”

Then she called 911 and reached the local police. As calmly as she could, she told them where she was and why she was there. The dispatcher on the other end seemed like she'd never handled any emergency of this magnitude before. No way she understood the gravity of what was happening.

Carrie told her, “You send a team out here now!”

Then, checking her gun, she made her way toward the main house. A red, run-down, ranch-style home. She saw the heavy Realtor's lock on the front door. Didn't see any sign of activity or lights inside.

She didn't like what she was feeling.

Cautiously, she inched her way around back, toward the woods. Where Henry said Hofer's shed would be.

It was dark in there and plenty creepy. Carrie went a step at a time through the dense brush and branches, which she had to clear out of the way. Her pulse pounded like a big bass drum inside her. She had never done anything remotely like this in her life.

She begged her hands to stop trembling.

There it was
. Hofer's shack. A thin glow of light coming from the window. She looked around.
Henry, where are you?

“Henry?”

A feeling of dread fell over her as she slowly advanced. The door was ajar. She didn't hear a sound coming from inside, which made her heart beat only faster. She thought about waiting for backup to arrive, then she thought something terrible might have already happened, and she couldn't take it any longer.

She was ten feet from the door.
Henry, you better not have done anything stupid in there . . .