Mad Love: Madison (35 page)

“What do you mean?”

“Keith had a client consultation with her two
weeks ago.”

“What? Why?”

“According to the file, Keith met her at Ethan’s
office.”

Madison frowned. “Ethan’s office?”

“Yeah, he must have referred her to Keith. According
to Keith’s notes, she suspected her husband was cheating on her.”

“She’s married? She was single when I knew her.
Did she give him her married name or her maiden name?”

“Just says Gallagher here. She must have kept her
maiden name.”

“What else does it say?”

“She told Keith that her husband was abusive and
that she wanted to get away from him. There’s not much more to tell. They met
once on that day. A file was created and he never saw her again.”

Madison frowned deepened. “Ethan didn’t mention
meeting her.”

“Maybe he forgot.”

“He wouldn’t forget.”

“Then maybe she didn’t get around to giving her
name. You know how aggressive Keith can be. He probably swooped in and dragged
her away from Ethan before she had a chance to sit down.”

Madison heard a door slam and someone honking a
horn in the distance.

“Oh,” Becca said a bit breathlessly, “my ride’s
here. I’ve got to go.”

“Wait, you forgot to give me Gina’s number.”

“Oh right. Sorry. What did I do…Look, I’ll text
it to you in a few minutes. See you tomorrow.”

Before Madison could say anything else, the line
went dead. She paced anxiously while waiting for the text to appear. When it finally
did, she stood staring at it for the longest time.

Why wouldn’t Ethan remember meeting Gina? It was
only a few weeks ago.
She bit her lip.
Maybe Becca was right. Maybe she didn’t give him her name.
She could see Keith dragging Gina away from Ethan, especially if he thought he
had found a potential client.

She jumped at the sound of a knock on the door.

“Madison, it’s me,” Ethan said from behind the
door.

Madison entered the security code, dropped the
chain, slid back the locks, and stepped back.

“It was the boy. He recorded a bunch of scary
noises. Creaking boards. Heavy breathing. Him whispering his sister’s name.” He
laughed. “It was pretty well done. He then hid it under his mom’s mattress.
Took me a while to find it.”

“Funny,” she said hiding her phone behind her
back.

“Well, he’s just a kid.” He looked at her
strangely for a moment. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She jerked her thumb toward the
bathroom as she backed up. “I just need to use the restroom for a moment.” She
closed the door behind her and turned on the faucet before dialing Gina’s
number.

She paced around in a circle as the phone rang.

“Hello,” a timid but all too familiar voice said.

Madison shut her eyes tightly. “Gina?”

“Who is this?”

“Madison Love. I don’t know if you remember me
but...”

“How did you get this number?”

“That’s not important. I need your help.”

There was a rustle sound in the background.

“Please don’t hang up,” Madison said quickly. “I
have to speak to you about Alex.” She could hear Gina’s breath on the other end
of the line. She was quiet, but at least she was listening. “I’m afraid, Gina.”

Gina snorted lightly. “You’re not the only one.”

“What do you mean?” When Gina didn’t answer, Madison
added, “He’s going to kill me. You have to help me.”

“I’m sorry, Madison. I can’t. I wish I could, but
I can’t.”

“People have died, Gina. He killed Yvette. You’re
obviously involved.”

“No,” she said harshly, “I’m not. That’s just it.
I told him that I don’t want to be involved but he keeps pushing. I had no part
in Yvette’s death.”

“No? You led Ethan on a wild goose chase.”

 “You might say I was following orders,” Gina
said, bitterly.

“Whose? Alex?”

“I can’t afford to help you, honey. I wish I
could. Be safe.”

“Wait!” Madison said trying to forestall the
other woman from hanging up. “Alex has killed three people that I know of in
the last couple of days, maybe more. If you’ve helped him at all, you’re an
accessory. I can help you, but only if you help me.”

“An accessory?” Gina repeated with a high pitch
squeal. “Whoa, hang on, I didn’t hurt anyone. I had no idea he had killed that
detective or Yvette, or that other guy until after it happened.”

“Did you go to the police?”

“N-no,” Gina said hesitantly.

“But you called them, didn’t you? You were the
one who let them know how to find Quincy’s body. Or was that Yvette who did
that?”

“I called them,” Gina said after a moment of
silence. “I didn’t kill that detective, I swear. Alex didn’t tell me where he
buried the guy’s body until a few weeks ago. As soon as I found out, I called
the police. I couldn’t sleep knowing that poor man was all alone out there in
an unmarked grave. I swear; I only found out that Alex had killed him after he
was dead.”

“Fine, then you’re an accessory after the fact.”

“Bu—bu—but,” Gina sputtered, “I called the police
and told them where they could find him as soon as Alex confessed to me.”

“However, you neglected to mention the name of Quincy’s
murderer, didn’t you?”

“I’m terrified of him,” Gina admitted with a
choked sob. “If I told them his name, he would know that I was the one who
blabbed. You know what he did to Yvette. I couldn’t say anything. I took a risk
even telling them about the body. Why don’t you go to the police? You tell him
what he’s done.”

“I would if I had proof. I don’t even know what
he looks like.”

“Yes, you do. Look, I’m not getting involved. I
have a life now. It’s not much of one, but it’s mine and I would like to keep
it. I don’t want to die.”

“I don’t want that either. So, help me catch this
guy. We’ll put him behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone.”

“Behind bars?” she said with a hysterical sob.
“He’s crazy. Don’t you know that? He’s been in hospitals more than he’s been
out. He escapes from them. They can’t hold him. If he finds out I helped you, I’m
dead.”

“I have money. I’ll send you someplace where he
can’t find you?”

There was a long period of silence and just when
Madison had given up hope, Gina spoke up again. “How much money?”

“Enough to start over.”

Gina gave a short harsh laugh. “That’s right. I
had almost forgotten. You’re a high priced attorney. Can afford the best.”

Madison gritted her teeth. “I have a trust fund.
You’ll never have to worry about anything again.”

“No, nothing except dying.” Gina took a deep
breath. “I can’t help you but maybe you can help yourself. In his office is a cabinet.
He keeps his trophies—if you can call them that—in there. I caught a glimpse of
it when he moved into the place. He was so proud of himself. He was showing
off. I had hoped he had gotten his head on straight, but when I saw that cabinet,
I knew he was just as sick as ever.”

“Where can I find his office?”

“Right across the street from your office. You
know the one. That big chrome and steel monstrosity they put up last year.”

Madison’s heart skipped a beat as a wave of
nausea passed over her. “Which floor—” Her voice broke on the last word.
Clearing her throat, she asked. “Which floor is he on?”

“You know which floor. He told me you visit him
every day. Don’t you get it, honey? He’s been with you every step of the way.”

Madison shook her head in irritation. “Nice try, Gina.”

“Your strong protector. You think he’s going to
keep you safe? He’s the one you have to fear.”

“You’re lying,” Madison snapped, “Ethan is not
Alex.”

“Open your eyes, Madison.”

“Ethan loves me,” she said as her fingers played
with the charm bracelet around her wrist.

“He’s pretending to love you in order to get
close to you. He’s trying to seduce you.”

“Why take me to the place where he and his
brother grew up?” Madison asked angrily. “Why tell me all about Alex’s life. I
wouldn’t know any of that if it weren’t for Ethan.”

“He wants you to know those things. He wants you
to know whose going to kill you and what he’s capable of. All the while he’s
getting you to trust him more and more.”

“He saved my life. Did you know that? Why would
he do that if he was just going to kill me?”

“He has to keep you alive. It would ruin the game
if you died now. I’m sure he thinks it’s funny. He’s…I’ve never met anyone like
him and I hope I never will. Todd warned me about Alex, but I had no idea how
cruel he was, not until he showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago.”

“I don’t believe a word you’re saying, Gina. Is
Alex there with you right now? Is he telling you to say this? He’d like nothing
better if I sent Ethan away right now. Well, you tell him it’s not going to
happen.”

Gina sighed. “Well, I tried. It’s not my fault
you refuse to believe. You’ll find out soon enough that I was right. I hope for
your sake it’s not too late when you do. Bye, Madison, don’t call me again.”

The phone went silent.

She’s lying
, Madison thought, staring at her
reflection.
Alex told her to say those things
.
He’s just trying to get
me to leave Ethan. As long as he’s here, I’m safe and Alex knows that.

She knew Gina was lying. She knew it with every
fiber of her being, but she stayed rooted to the spot, afraid to go out and
face Ethan.

The longer she stood there, the less certain she
became.
What if Gina was telling the truth?
A traitorous thought
whispered in her mind. Then a few seconds later,
just how did Alex know I
was at the body shop?
She glanced back at her phone as the answer came to
her mind.
Because like an idiot I sent him a text message telling him where
I was going. Here I was scolding Sarah for letting Jamie know where she was
every second of the day and I was doing the same thing. I made it so easy for
him.

There was a knock at the door. “Madison,” Ethan
said, “Is everything okay?”

Madison shook her head.
Nothing about this was
okay.

Be strong,
the voice told her.
Don’t let him
suspect.

“I’m fine,” she said shutting off the water and
opening the door. She slipped past him, moving quickly away from him and
towards the living room, not quite sure what she should do next.

Ethan stood watching her from the hallway. “I
didn’t mean to rush you. It’s just you were in there for so long with the water
running.”

“I was getting ready for bed,” she said, just
before catching her reflection in the mirror next to the door. She stared at
her perfectly made up face with a mixture of horror and annoyance.
Maybe he
wouldn’t notice
, she thought checking his reaction.

He had his head tilted and a curious expression
on his face.

So much for that theory.

“I lied,” she admitted. “Truth is, I’m a bit
nervous. I just keep thinking about Alex.”

“I understand,” he said pushing away from the
wall and coming to stand in front of her. “It would be surprising if you weren’t
scared.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I meant what I said earlier. I
do love you. I think I’ve loved you ever since that stakeout a few months ago.”

Her heart melted.
No, it can’t be Ethan
,
it whispered.
It just can’t.

“I’d been dying to get to know you for the
longest time. Ever since I saw you running at that park across from your
apartment. The whole entire night we were stuck in the car, I kept praying that
the guy wouldn’t show.”

Madison’s heart squeezed in her chest. “How do
you know that I used to run in the park?” she asked, trying to keep her voice
casual. “I stopped running there in July.”

“I was investigating one of your neighbors. She
used to run in that park too.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

He slipped his finger down her face. “You were
too fast for me,” he said teasingly. “I could never catch you.” His smile
started to fall as he looked at her.

Madison willed herself to relax in his embrace.
It’s
not him,
she told herself.
It can’t be.

“Madison, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said wrapping her arms around him.
She laid her head on his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat.

She felt him lightly tug on her hair until she
lifted her head and looked at him. He bent his head down to kiss her and she
jerked back.

“Madison?”