PALINDROME (22 page)

“What’s wrong?” Emilio asked. “Please, what
can I do?”

I wanted to hold him and weep on his
shoulder, but I couldn’t. My misery was private. I buried my head
in my hands, crying tears of terror. Emilio rubbed my back to
soothe me, but it didn’t help. “I’m so scared.”

“It’s all right,” he said, “I’m here. No one
will hurt you.”

I’m not scared for me.
I wanted to
tell Emilio that I feared for Ax’s life, but I couldn’t, not now,
not while I was feeling so much uncertainty. My nerves were raw. I
had endured so much over the last few days, and it was all hitting
me at once. I opened the window and breathed in deeply but was
unable to fill my lungs. “I’ve got to get some fresh air.”

“Sure, sure,” he said. I could see him
searching the road for a place to stop. He smiled after a moment.
“We’re two minutes from the ocean. Maybe the water will calm
you.”

I thought for a moment and then agreed.
Emilio turned off the main road and headed south toward the
water.

We found a small strip of beach that was
empty. I walked up to the water’s edge and sat down facing the
ocean. I drew my knees close and put my arms around them so that I
could rest my head upon them.

“I don’t like to see you hurting like this,”
Emilio said. He sat down next to me and folded his knees as I had.
A few moments passed in silence. “Take all the time you need,” he
said. “I’m here for you when you need me.”

There was so much I wanted to tell him, about
me and Allie and that we were one and the same. I wanted to confide
in him. Ax wasn’t around. I needed someone I could feel close to. I
didn’t want to face this alone anymore. How much could I say—where
to begin and where to draw the line? I needed more time to sort it
out and needed to preserve our relationship if it was possible.

My stomach rumbled so loudly that the
crashing of the surf could not hide it. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to be. When was the last time you
ate?”

I thought for a moment before I could
remember. “Last night.”

“You must be starving. Let’s get something
for you to eat.”

The ocean breeze was soothing me. “I don’t
want to move, Emilio. I just want to sit here for a while.”

“Would you like me to run back to town and
get you something? I can be back and forth in ten minutes.”

I turned to him. “You’re a sweet man.”

“No, it’s nothing,” he insisted. “We can eat
right here looking out at the water. What could be nicer? Will you
be okay if I leave you alone for a few minutes?”

It took a moment before I replied.
We’re
safe here
, I thought. I nodded. “Thank you.”

Emilio smiled back. He moved a few strands of
hair that were blowing across my face, and then he kissed me on the
forehead. “Be right back.”

~~~

Sampson was making his third pass through the
town of Bridgehampton before he picked up the phone and called for
help. “Has she been back on the phone again, Lieutenant? I don’t
see any sign of her.”

“No,” Janik replied. I set up a road block
east and west of town.”

“There are hundreds of small roads out here.
She could be anywhere. How many men does the Bridgehampton Police
Department have?”

“Not nearly enough, Peter. We’ll have to
bring in additional men from the state police department and
neighboring areas. Let’s hope she pops up.”

“Yeah, let’s hope.” Sampson disconnected and
continued to cruise Montauk Highway, hoping to see her. With each
passing moment he knew the chances of finding her grew less and
less. He had almost acquired her at the Sag Harbor Marina only to
have the opportunity slip through his fingers. He pounded the
center console with his fist. “
Come on.
Where is she?” He
parked his car and pulled out the enlarged drivers license photo.
He was determined to show it to everyone on the street.

~~~

I kicked off my shoes and walked into the
water, not deep, just up to the knees. I took a deep breath and
closed my eyes so that I could relax. I rested for a few moments
with my eyes closed and the tide rising and falling on my legs. I
looked down at the water. It was still for a split second, and I
was able to catch a glimpse of my reflection. I had reverted back
to my natural state. I was Lexa again.

The wind was coming in faster and bringing
clouds that blotted out the sun. The gulls sensed the change as
well. They began squawking and circling in the air. The water felt
cold at first, but I got used to it quickly. I felt the sandy
bottom squish between my toes. I was still searching for an answer,
but cleverness seemed beyond me for the moment. If only a
revelation would present itself. I was facing out to sea when
something felt wrong. A chill ran through me, and I knew that I was
no longer alone.

“You’re pretty resourceful for Suffolk County
trailer trash.”

It was Sparks’ voice. My heart knocked so
hard that I thought I had cracked a rib. It took a moment for me to
find my voice. “Just shoot me,” I said without turning around.

“In the back? What kind of guy do you think I
am? Turn around.” I turned to face him just as he snapped a
silencer onto his gun. I could see his big, white sedan parked
behind him on the bluff up above the beach. I could just make out
the hum of the running engine. “Noises echo like crazy out here,”
he said as he admired the silencer. “Is he dead?”

I didn’t know who he was talking about at
first, but then it hit me. “I did it.” I had only put Hernitos to
sleep, but I had no reason to tell Sparks the truth. I could never
kill anyone intentionally. I was capable of many things, but not
that.

“All right, let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Wherever I want to take you. You’re a useful
commodity. I’m not finished with you just yet.” He picked up my
shoes and held them out toward me. “Now!”

Not this time!
I turned and dove into
the water. I held my breath and swam beneath the surface for as
long as I could, surfacing when I could no longer hold my breath. I
was on the surface now and swimming with panicked strokes while he
matched my progress on the shore. Something whizzed by my ear. It
didn’t register at first, but then something stung my arm, and I
realized that I had been shot. It took all the strength out of me.
I was floating in the water, trying to find the courage to push
forward when I felt his hand grab my arm. The surf had pushed me
closer to the shore, and he was able to wade in and grab me. He
held me tightly as I staggered out of the water. I could see blood
running down my arm.

“You son of a bitch,” he swore. “Walk!” he
demanded. “Walk!”

He dragged me up the beach in the direction
of his car. He was too infuriated to look at me.

“I’m going to be sick.” I bent over, heaving,
forcing him to stop.

“Jesus, what now?”

He had no choice but to give me a moment to
recuperate. I milked it as long as I could. I exploited the
opportunity until he lost his patience. He grabbed me by the
shoulder and forced me to stand upright. I was waiting for him with
the hypodermic needle in my hand. I had it in his neck before he
knew what had happened. His eyes filled with horror as he staggered
backward with the emptied syringe still hanging from his neck. “You
bitch!” He could barely manage the words. He dropped his gun. I saw
his outstretched hands shaking. He clutched at his chest and
dropped to his knees. His mouth opened wide as he struggled for
air, and then he fell, face first, onto the sand. I pulled the
hypodermic syringe from his neck and threw it into the water.

I stood over Sparks’ body for minutes, hoping
for relief and closure. I wanted to feel as if the weight of the
world had been lifted off my shoulders, but I didn’t. I was so
angry. He was dead, but that wasn’t enough. I kicked him as hard as
I could, and he rolled over on the sand. His face was locked in
spasm and would bear that look of horror forever. I continued to
stare at his face. As I did, a memory sprang to mind. I realized
that I had seen his face before the night he abducted me from my
home. I had seen him through the glass entranceway door the day I
went into Manhattan to meet Emilio. It was the day I surprised
Emilio in his office. Sparks had been looking out toward the office
lobby. I had only seen him for a second before he disappeared.

How had Sparks found me? He appeared the
moment Emilio left to get food. In that moment, I understood that I
had been betrayed. I was alone and could never trust Emilio again.
The thought sickened me. I had such intense feeling for him. I had
been prepared to be Allie for eternity if it meant being with him.
I just couldn’t believe it.
Thank God I didn’t sleep with
him.

I heard the sound of Sparks’ car more clearly
as it idled up on the bluff above me. I looked up at the large,
white sedan. I was a pretty fair distance away. All the same, I was
able to recognize the face of the man sitting in the driver’s seat.
It was Ax.

Forty-six: I Thought I’d Never See You
Again

Ax
stepped from the car when he saw me
coming up the hill toward him. I hugged him. “I thought I’d never
see you again.”

“Easy, easy,” he said, “You’re
trembling.”

“I didn’t know what happened to you. I
thought, I thought you might be dead. I thought Sparks killed you
too.”

Ax looked down at the beach. “Is that
Sparks?”

I nodded.

“He got what he deserved. I’m sorry I didn’t
get here in time to help you. You were very brave.”

“I tried to be like my brother.” My throat
tightened, and I began to cry.

Ax looked at his hand. It was bloody from
where he had been holding my arm. “You’re bleeding.”

I looked at my arm. “I think the bullet just
grazed me.”

Ax examined my arm. He tore the sleeve off of
my shirt and made it into a bandage. “I think the bleeding
stopped.” He glanced back at Sparks. His eyes were filled with
contempt as his hands curled into fists. “I wish I had—”

“It’s over now, Ax. He’s dead.”

Thunder boomed nearby. I looked up at the sky
as storm clouds gathered.

“The police are looking for you,” Ax said.
“We have to go, now before it’s too late.”

“No, it’s all right. I can tell them now. We
didn’t do anything wrong. It was Sparks.”

“Sparks didn’t kill Vincent. I did.”

I thought it was over, but it wasn’t. We had
killed a man, and the misdeed would follow us forever. “You’re
right; we have to go.”

“But where?”

I was hoping for a revelation, some kind of
miraculous sign from God that said, “this is what you should do,”
but God did not bless us with any inspiration.

I heard voices. When I turned around I saw
two men down on the beach below us. It was Emilio and someone I had
not seen before. They were examining Sparks’ body. I was now
responsible for another death. All told, I had seen four men lose
their lives. Sparks was a monster. No jury would convict me of his
murder, but now was not the time for explanations. I needed an
opportunity to reflect and to compose myself. Without thinking, I
pushed Ax toward the car, got in, and closed the door.

Forty-seven: This Explains a Lot

Sampson
stood next to Bolan on the
beach. He had just checked the body for a pulse. “Who is this?”

Bolan clutched his chest. He was staring at
the body with an expression of misery on his face. “It’s Tomaso
Chispa; he’s an attorney with my law firm.”

“It’s not Thomas Sparks?”

Bolan looked at Sampson for an
explanation.

“We’re looking for an attorney named Thomas
Sparks. I thought this might be him.”

Bolan shrugged, indicating that he was
lost.

Sampson checked the body for personal
effects. He found a wallet and went through it. The name on the
drivers license confirmed the name Bolan had just mentioned. “Are
you sure this is where you left her?”

“Yes,” Bolan replied. “Perhaps ten minutes
ago. I drove back into town to pick up some food. I had just gotten
there when you stopped me for questioning.”

Sampson was staring at the Glock automatic
weapon with the plastic silencer attached to the barrel. “This
explains a lot.”

Bolan followed Sampson’s gaze. “The gun?”

“Yeah, I’m investigating a double homicide,
and the murder weapon was a Glock 21 with a plastic noise
suppressor just like this one.”

“So this is the murder weapon?”

“No, we have the weapon used in the double
homicide. It was left behind to make it look like a murder-suicide,
but a disposable noise suppressor for the Glock 21 is pretty rare.
I’m guessing it was Chispa’s weapon of choice. Any idea why an
attorney with your law firm is running around Suffolk County
killing people and taking women captive?”

“I assure you, Detective, I have no idea, but
now that I think of it, the word
chispa
means sparks in
Spanish. The translation of Tomaso Chispa is Thomas Sparks. It
never occurred to me until now.”

“Fantastic! Now all I need is to find a
missing woman.” Sampson’s gaze shot upward at the sound of a
closing car door. He turned to Bolan and pointed in the direction
of a white sedan. “Is that her?”

The car was a good distance away. Bolan
strained his eyes to see. His shoulders slumped. He blew out a
sigh. “Yes, detective, I think that’s her.”

The sedan’s tires chirped as it lurched
forward and gathered speed.

“Do you know where she’s going?” Sampson
asked.

“No, no I don’t.”

“Stay here,” Sampson said. He was already
running back to his car. “I’ll send a backup unit.”

Sampson was in his car and about to crank the
engine when the white sedan raced down the block and shot past him.
He craned his neck trying to read the license plate, but the car
was moving too fast. He looked up at the corner street sign, pulled
out his cell phone, and called Suffolk County dispatch as he
started the car and threw it into gear. “This is Detective, Peter
Sampson. I am in vehicle pursuit and require assistance.” He could
see the sedan a few blocks ahead as it turned and vanished to the
left.