Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers (148 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

AS I CREPT AROUND the block, guided by moonlight, old, buried memories threatened to surface and I didn’t want to think about them right now. But it’s funny how the mind works. Like a trigger board, one thing touches another and sends a signal, and memories once forgotten flood the circuits.

I peeked over the nose-high back fence. There were no outside lights at the back of the house—only a concrete porch and cracked sliding door. There were no cars parked in the front driveway and I wondered if I was even at the right house.

But then, through the window, I saw a shadowy form go from one room to the other. It moved quickly through the darkness, not even turning on a light.

That was when I started to sweat.

Forcing down the fear, I harnessed the anger inside me. I had to do what I had to do. I pushed on the wooden gate and it opened with a dull creak. I tiptoed across the lawn and to the door.

Before I lost my nerve and threw up on the grass, I grasped the handle and shoved the sliding door sideways. It gave way. It either had a bum lock or I was really strong.

I smelled it before my eyes adjusted to the light.

Blood.

Hang on, Angela.

I moved forward slowly with my gun down to the right, holding on to it with both hands. I was shaking, and adrenaline coursed through me.

There was a gutted kitchen to my right, with broken cabinets and holes where appliances used to be. I could see a formal dining room behind it. There was a door in front of me, which I figured led to the basement. And there was a media room to my left, with wires and cords still sticking out from the wall. I went toward the basement door and pushed it open. The stairs leading down were dark, but a little light came from the bottom, giving me hope. This had to be the right house.

I made myself breathe. In and out. I couldn’t even hear my footsteps. Before I turned the corner, I tensed up.

I hesitated, and then rushed through with my gun raised.

That was when I saw her. Tied with her hands behind her back to a wooden support post and her head down. Under her feet was a pool of blood.

I lowered my gun and ran to her.

“Angela … are you—”

At my voice, her eyes flew open. She cried and mumbled into her gag. Instant tears swelled in her eyes. I grabbed her to me, emotions roiling so strong I could barely handle them. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry now, everything’s going to be okay,” I crooned.

Gently pulling her face up, I reached to undo her duct-taped mouth. Suddenly, her gaze landed on something behind me. Her eyes widened and she gave a muffled scream.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. Like a shadow, he rose from the corner, where he’d been watching. I gasped and turned, raising my gun. But he came at me fast. His eyes glowed in the wan light.

There was no time to fire off a shot. He batted at the gun with his fist. After years of training, my response was instinctual. I blocked the blow and countered with one of my own. I braced my elbow and struck him in the knee joint.

With a cry, he doubled over. I charged up with my shoulder, hitting him square in the mouth. I felt a tooth break into my skin. But then he raised a fist and struck me across the cheek, throwing me off balance.

I landed on my side.

“You’re both going to die now,” he said.

Not today. I grunted as I shifted my weight and brought the gun up to his face. “Goodbye,” I said, and then squeezed the trigger.

Either my aim was off, or he moved quicker than bullets. He flew out the door before I could fire again. The gunshot resounded through the room. I tasted gunpowder in my mouth. Full of anger, I shot again at the door.

Then I turned to Angela. Her body had gone limp and her eyes were closed. Bile rose in my throat. “No,” I groaned.

Dropping the gun, I lifted her head up with both hands and tugged the duct tape off her mouth. Putting two fingers to her neck, I checked for a pulse and then listened for breath.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Come on.”

If she didn’t make it, I didn’t know if I would.

But then I felt it. Her throat pulsed to life. It was weak, but still there.

“Hang on, Angela!” I said as I unwrapped the tape from her hands and then laid her on her back. Once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. “You’ve got lots more medals to win. I’ve never told the other girls this, but you’re way better than either of them. You’re something special.” I tugged at the tape on her legs, but it wasn’t coming off. “You’ve got a big life to lead, and you have to take Cassandra and Jessie with you. They love you so much, and so does your mama. You have to start treating her better, you hear me?” I finally made a tear in the tape and ripped it off.

My hands were covered in blood. Where was it coming from? I searched her body for the wound and found it on her lower ribcage. A big cut from a knife, and it was oozing blood and water.

I pulled my shirt off and pressed it to the wound.

“You stay with me, Angela girl.” I took out my phone to dial 9-1-1. “I’m gonna get us some help.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

“MISS—MISS, WE CAN take it from here.” A paramedic took my arm and pulled me away from Angela. I stumbled back and Detective Monroe grabbed me.

They’d come with a full SWAT team. Without a sound. All I saw were flashlights glowing on the end of big guns before they surrounded me. If Detective Monroe hadn’t been there, I’d have been handcuffed and accused.

I watched as the medics worked on Angela to stabilize her, and they soon had her in the back of the ambulance and on her way to the hospital. “Where are they taking her?” I asked a medic standing by the pool of blood.

“St. Luke’s. She’s lost a lot of blood. We gave her something to stop the bleeding.” He looked gravely at the blood and then back at me. “She wouldn’t have survived much longer. Good thing you came when you did.”

“You mean the wound wasn’t new?” I whispered. Detective Monroe leaned in to listen.

“No, it looked to be a few hours old.” He wiped his hands with a disinfectant cloth and then handed me a clean one.

A few hours old. That was probably around the time Mandy and Rick called the police.

I shuddered. The Williams’ knew every one of our moves.

“Thanks.” My head was spinning and I sat down on a wooden sawhorse. Forensics teams were appearing, and Detective Ross was telling them where to go and what to do. It was just a flurry of words and noises.

She was alive, I found her, and if I’d been even fifteen minutes later, she’d be dead. I was so angry that I had to force myself to think about my surroundings so I wouldn’t fly into a fit of rage. He used me, was playing me, and I felt like a puppet on a string.

Detective Monroe finished a phone call and then turned to me. “The hospital said they’ve stabilized her. They think her attacker gave her a blood thinner so she’d bleed out faster.”

I curled my lip. “It was Hank Williams, not just some attacker.”

Detective Monroe put his hands on his hips and sighed. I braced myself for the inevitable scolding.

“Sarah, what you did was ginormously stupid.”

I didn’t think “ginormously” was a word, but I wasn’t going to mention it to him.

“But…” he hesitated, and his mouth twitched through his frown, “but you did good. You saved her life.”

I hugged myself, hunching over, suddenly feeling cold all over.

“Hey!” he said. I looked up quickly. He had a sober look in his eye. “Don’t you ever do that again, you hear me?”

My whole body felt like mush, and weariness enveloped me. “I hope I never have to,” I said.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

“DO YOU HAVE ANY idea where he might go?” Detective Ross asked me. We were at the police station, and they were filing the report and taking my statement.

“You mean Hank, or Glen? No idea,” I said. “But once you find him, there’ll be enough evidence on him to put him away for a long time. You should find more in that creepy basement. I know I made him bleed when I hit him. And I think he lost a tooth.”

Detective Ross nodded and jotted the note down.

I was ready to be done. My nerves were raw and the fluorescent lights made my eyes hurt.

Taking another sip of water, I pulled the blanket they’d given me closer around my shoulders. At least they’d given me a comfy office chair instead of one of those crappy plastic chairs they usually offered.

We were in Detective Monroe’s office, and had been there for the last hour as I’d relayed my story.

“Anything else you want to tell us?” Detective Ross asked. His face stilled. He’d been looking at me all night as if I was hiding something, but I wasn’t. Except for the fact that I’d gone into the house ready to shoot Williams.

“Just that ... just that I’m thankful you—” I looked at Monroe, “—told me to go see Solomon and learn how to use a gun.”

I suddenly wished I could tell Solomon about all of this. Wished it so badly it surprised me. I’d just met him, but already he seemed like a significant part of my life. Or ... he might be, one day.

Monroe nodded. “It worked out, didn’t it?” Ross frowned, but turned away.

“Can I go home now?” I asked in a tired voice.

“Yes.” Ross stacked his papers. “I think you can. If we need anything else, we’ll call you. And we know where to find you.”

Even though it came from a policeman, the words were disconcerting. I wish it wasn’t so easy to find me. I stood up to go and when I got to the door, something came to me. I looked at my hand—the numbers were still there from when I’d written Hannah’s license plate down.

I should tell the police, tell them I thought Hannah was involved, and that she might lead them to Hank.

“Yes?” Monroe asked, noticing I was still there.

I closed my mouth, thinking hard. In an instant, a plan filled my head, so big and fleshed out it must’ve been there all along.

“Nothing,” I said with a weak smile. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

And then I walked down the hall, away from all the desks and paperwork and laws. It was time to venture out on my own. I’d seen what the law had done to Hank the last time they’d tried him. I couldn’t trust it again.

He’d broken me. I was about as low as anyone could be.

But now I was rising, a new person. And he was going to have to deal with a Sarah Steele he’d never seen before.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

I PASSED OUT FOR a few hours, but real sleep wouldn’t come. Angela was going to make it. I’d gone to see her and brought her a burger and fries. Hospital food was the worst and I knew she would appreciate it. Hitting the gym, I spent most of my time pounding my body on the stair climber. I needed to clear my head, and that did it for me.

That evening I waited outside Hannah’s downtown apartment. Thanks to Rick and his handy friend Doug, I got her address. Seemed her apartment was also owned by Williams, Inc.

I was parked by the main elevators, so I had a clear view of anyone coming or going. An hour came and went, and around six I saw Hannah and her tight face appear. A black Town Car pulled up, and the driver got out and opened the door for her. I started my engine and backed out. I was going to follow her; it was all I could think to do.