Pumpkin Roll (44 page)

“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” Sadie said quickly. “Everything’s fine, just pull up.”

Instead, Jane hit the gas and pulled back into traffic.

Chapter 40

No!” Sadie screamed as Pete’s face moved past her window. “No, Jane, stop!” She pulled on the door handle, but with the car moving the automatic locks were in place. She pulled again anyway. “Stop!” she shouted. She craned around in the seat, but Jane was really punching it, and the only thing Sadie saw were the police scattering in the wake of Jane’s dramatic exit.

“You can’t trust anyone,” Jane said, taking a corner so fast the tires squealed. She drove into oncoming traffic to pass a truck, then pulled back into their lane and laid on the horn to get the car ahead of them to move out of the way.

“Jane, please,” Sadie said, a catch in her voice. “Please, stop, go back. You don’t want the police to think you have something to hide.” She looked behind her again, hoping to see flashing lights, but she saw only regular headlights and endless fog.

“They can’t be trusted, Sadie,” Jane said, swerving around another car. “I should never have tried to take you back. They’ll turn you against me. Everything’s gotten too out of control.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Sadie said, her fear giving way to anger. “Take me back, Jane. Let me explain what happened. Running away will only make things worse.”

Jane started to slow down at a red light, but at the last minute, she stomped on the gas again and shot through the intersection. Sadie didn’t know where they were, only that there were cars lining both sides of the streets and tall buildings on either side. “Let me out of this car this instant, Jane!” Sadie yelled, pressing herself against the door so as not to be flung around.

“Don’t yell at me, Sadie!” Jane screamed back. “And don’t tell me what to do!”

The yelling spurred Sadie to go silent as she remembered who she was dealing with. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions and fear overwhelm her ability to reason through this situation. “I’m sorry,” Sadie said in calm tones. “Where are we going now, then?”

“Stop asking so many questions,” Jane said sharply. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly and her jaw was set.

Sadie pinched her lips shut and looked around, trying to figure out where they were. They passed a street sign: Green Street. But she couldn’t tell which direction they were heading. “Um, did I tell you Shawn’s coming into town?” she said, hoping she could calm Jane down. “He said he’d be here around two o’clock.”

“I told him to come,” Jane said, just as sharply as before. “
I
did, Sadie. Gosh, you just can’t give me credit for anything, can you?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Sadie said. “I, um . . .”

“You don’t appreciate anything I do for you,” Jane said, cutting her off. “I work your cases, I come to Boston even though you won’t invite me for dinner, I bring your son to you—I’ve done so much and yet you see Pete at the police station, and it’s like he’s the one who saved your life, not me.”

Sadie didn’t know what to say for fear of making it worse but noted that Jane clearly saw Pete as a threat.

“It’s not like I ask for much, Sadie,” Jane continued. There was less traffic now and she’d slowed down a little. Sadie looked in the side mirror but still didn’t see any red and blue lights. Where were the police? “All I want is a little appreciation and acknowledgment, but instead you keep things from me, you avoid me and try to do everything yourself. What does it take to convince you how much you need me?”

Sadie remained silent, but Jane reached over and slapped Sadie’s leg. Her face was hard and angry. “You can’t even answer a simple question?”

They passed a sign on the side of the road that said Jamaica Pond with an arrow pointing forward. Sadie knew where she was now. Jamaica Pond was a small lake surrounded by woods and a walking path. If Sadie could get out of the car and into those woods...

“I do need you, Jane. You’ve helped me so much, and I’ve been very ungrateful.” Sadie could see the glowing orbs of an upcoming traffic light in the fog, which was thicker than ever, but that might work in her favor. She glanced at the passenger door, lining up the unlock button and the handle while she calculated how quickly she would need to move between them, wishing she’d thought of this option when she had been in front of the police station. A roll on the pavement would be better than staying here with Jane. Safer, too.

“Yes, you have been ungrateful,” Jane said, but she seemed slightly appeased. “I know how people think, Sadie. I know how to get information no one else can get. I know how to ask the right questions and be exactly what people need me to be. You don’t have any idea what I’m capable of, no idea what I can do when I put my mind to it.”

Jane rolled to a stop behind an SUV turning left at the T intersection. Once they completed the turn, they’d be following the road that wrapped around the pond. There were still no sirens or police lights behind them. Sadie couldn’t believe the police weren’t pursuing them. How could Jane get away from a whole police department so easily? Ahead, however, Sadie could see trees shrouded with thick fog; it must be worse due to Jamaica Pond being so close. There was no fence around the park, meaning she had a straight shot to the trees she could use as cover.

Jane kept talking, but Sadie’s focus was elsewhere. The light turned green, and Sadie rested her right hand on her leg, waiting and trying not to think about the upcoming pain. The SUV accelerated slowly, and Jane had no choice but to follow. She pulled into the intersection and turned smoothly.

As soon as they were on Jamaicaway, Jane began accelerating. Sadie took a breath, said a prayer, and then pressed the unlock button, pulled the handle, and threw herself out of the car and toward the curb, hoping she’d stay out of oncoming traffic.

She knew there were probably squealing tires and horns, but the ricocheting pain she felt in her hip, shoulder, and everywhere else overtook all her senses for a minute, causing her to scream despite her determination not to make a sound. Within moments of impact, however, she scrambled to her feet and ran—or rather, limped—into the fog-steeped trees, cradling her left arm with her right and trying to maintain her balance.

She kept going and cut left, heading for the thickest grove of trees she could see despite visibility being less than fifteen feet. She couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of her own breathing and heart rate but she kept going, sure that Jane was right behind her, waiting for Sadie to look over her shoulder and see her there so she would have her moment of power. Sadie continued running and felt the adrenaline pumping, overtaking the pain, at least for now. Thank goodness!

A tree root took her off guard, but she was able to fall to her right side and better brace the impact. The dirt and leaves were a much softer surface than the pavement had been, but it seemed to take forever to get to her feet, her balance thrown off by her overall disorientation. She hobbled to an area dark with trees and shrubs and slid down the trunk of a large oak. She tried to reposition her left arm and catch her breath. She pulled her knees to her chest as best she could and focused on taking deep breaths to dispel the panic.

She hoped Jane would just leave her, knowing that trying to find her would increase her chances of getting caught. When a minute passed and then another without a sound, Sadie felt her hope increasing and her breathing and heart rate even out. She would wait as long as she had to—an hour if necessary—then she would find the walking path that looped the lake and walk to a different entrance. She’d find a phone, call the police, and tell them everything. They’d find Jane and all of this would be over. The fantasy was clarifying in her mind, and she could even visualize the look on Pete’s face when she saw him again. It would all work out.

“Sadie.”

She froze. It was the same throaty whisper from her bedroom the night the power had gone out, the same voice she’d heard in the hallway of Mrs. Wapple’s house. Sadie was instantly washed with a cold sweat.

“Help me, Sadie,” the voice said. “Help me!”

Sadie couldn’t breathe, and then the voice laughed, this time sounding just like Jane.

“You think you can hide from me, Sadie? You think you can get away from
me
?”

Sadie pressed her back against the tree. The fog and dark shadows of the copse of trees she’d found refuge in made it impossible to see much of her surroundings. And yet, Jane couldn’t be far away. How had she found her? Did she truly know where Sadie was?

“I can hear your heart racing, Sadie,” Jane said, her voice coming from Sadie’s left. Sadie shrunk against the tree even more. “I can smell the fear on your breath.”

Sadie closed her mouth and stayed absolutely still, fear pricking at every part of her. It had seemed like such a good idea to get out of the car when she did. But had she put herself in an even more dangerous position by showing that she’d seen through Jane’s game? Would a better opportunity have presented itself if she’d stayed in the car and kept playing along?

“Why have you made things so difficult, Sadie?” Jane said. She was closer, but on Sadie’s other side. “Can’t you see that I did all of this for you? Haven’t you realized that even if you did get away from me, I’d find you again?”

“Sadie!”

Pete!

It was all Sadie could do not to call out for him. As it was, her whole body responded and tears came to her eyes. Jane was closer than he was, though. If Sadie called out to him, Jane would get to her first. She was sure of it.

“Sadie, we’re here,” Pete’s voice called out. “It’s going to be okay. Stay where you are.”

Jane had fallen silent, but Sadie heard a shuffle of leaves to her left. Too close to be Pete. More movement could be heard in the distance, though. Pete had said “
We’re
here,” so he must have other officers with him. All Sadie could do was wait to be found. As quietly and carefully as she could, she bent down and removed the remaining clog from her foot. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was all she had to defend herself.

More movement to her left, closer. Her heart was in her throat. She couldn’t breathe. She could hear the murmur of men’s voices, but they weren’t loud enough for her to gauge their distance from her. She closed her eyes and tried to stay calm, but her whole body was beginning to shake and the pain she’d held at bay was coming back. She had to let her left arm rest in her lap in order to hold up the shoe.

“Sadie,” Pete said again, but his voice was further away. She nearly called out again. “Hang in there, Sadie, we’re coming.”

Another shuffle of leaves to her left convinced her she couldn’t stay. She might have to find Pete herself instead of hoping for rescue. The idea of moving was terrifying, but she had no choice. He was going the wrong way. If he got out of earshot, she’d be more lost than ever. She tried to move as slowly as possible, mindful of how easy it would be for her to make the slightest noise and draw Jane’s attention.

She had only just gotten to her feet when a hand snaked around her and pressed over her mouth and nose before she could manage a scream. The hand pulled her backward and, though she kicked and tried to break free, within seconds she was on her back on the leaf-covered dirt. She swung the shoe wildly and made contact, but in the next instant, the shoe was ripped from her hand and Jane Seeley was pressing a knee into Sadie’s chest. Sadie couldn’t breathe, and she clawed at Jane’s arm with her good hand until Jane repositioned her hand so that only Sadie’s mouth was covered. Sadie inhaled as deeply as she could through her nose, fighting for air, fighting to keep her thoughts above the panic.

The blade of Jane’s slender, silver knife was suddenly inches from Sadie’s face. Not long ago, the knife had cut through the bindings around Sadie’s hands. Now it held her captive. “I suppose sometimes ignorance really is bliss,” Jane whispered, her voice deceptively sweet. She turned the blade, causing the muted light to dull and catch depending on the angle. “On the other hand, when someone knows too much . . .” She lowered the blade, and Sadie felt the cold metal press against her neck, just below her right ear. “Well, we run out of options rather quickly, don’t we?”

Sadie wanted to close her eyes, but she didn’t dare. She instead stayed very still, hoping to give Jane a false sense of victory. And yet, did Sadie have the strength to make a final attempt at escape? Between the pain in her body and the fear in her mind, she felt powerless and completely spent.