The Chase (46 page)

The alarm panel on the bedroom wall emitted a series of three beeps, indicating a door opening, followed by another series of beeps as the door closed.

Anne kissed Samantha on the forehead. “That’s probably Charly now. I’ll be right back.”

T
he kitchen was empty when Anne entered. She stopped in her tracks and looked around. “Charly?”

No response
.

The door to the hall creaked behind her and she whirled around as Zeb McGraw stepped from behind the door. He raised his hand and flashed a butcher knife in front of her face, tilting it so the ceiling light reflected off the gleaming blade. “Hey there, lawyer bitch. Look what I have for you.”

A voice in her head told her to turn and flee towards the back door, but she didn’t move.
She couldn’t leave him in the house with Samantha
.

McGraw’s hand flew out and snatched Anne by the hair, slamming her against his chest. He held the tip of the knife to her throat and stuck his face inches from hers.

“Tell me what those beeps from the alarm were when I came in.”

His breath was sour and Anne gagged reflexively. She swallowed and forced herself to breathe through her mouth. “When the door opens, I need to punch in a code that tells the alarm company everything’s all right,” she said, lying. “Otherwise, they send someone out.”

“Do it, then.” McGraw released his grasp on her hair and shoved her towards the back door, waving the knife towards the alarm.

Anne’s eyes darted towards the window as she stumbled to the alarm panel.
Where were Ben and Charly?
She groped for the cover over the keypad, but it slipped out of her shaking hand. She fumbled for it again, and raised it, then hesitated.
Should she press the panic button?

McGraw jabbed the knife against the small of her back. “Don’t go doing anything dumb like pushing a button to call the cops. I ain’t stupid. I’m watching you.”

Anne’s fingers hovered over the keys, trembling.

“Do it!” McGraw shouted.

It was too risky to try the panic button
. Her fingers felt numb, and she clumsily entered the code to disable the door chime. If an exterior door opened, at least McGraw wouldn’t be alerted.

McGraw yanked her by her hair. “Now get away from there.”

She backed away.

“Where’s pretty little Samantha?”

Anne hesitated. “She’s at a friend’s house.”

“Don’t you fucking lie to me.” McGraw thrust the knife at her throat. “I saw her through the window five minutes ago. Now where is she?”

Tears welled in Anne’s eyes. “She’s upstairs. In her room,” she whispered.

“Get going. We’re going to go upstairs and get her.” McGraw shoved her towards the door to the hall.

McGraw’s thrust caught Anne off balance and she grabbed the edge of the table to keep from falling.
She had to stall him
. She could not let him get near Samantha.

“Doug will be here any minute,” she said, turning to face him. “And there are guards outside. If you harm Samantha or me, you’ll never get out of here alive.”

McGraw snorted. “Your asshole husband ain’t coming to rescue you.”

“Yes, he is. I just spoke with him. Doug’s on his way home.”

Rage flared in McGraw’s eyes. “Are you lying to me?”

“No.”

“When did you talk to him?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“How long?” he demanded.

Anne didn’t answer and McGraw poked the knife at her chest. “Answer me when I talk to you!”

“Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen.”

His face twisted into a scowl. “So, the fucking cop wasn’t lying.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Anne saw a shadowy movement through the window in the back door. She resisted looking in that direction, and took a step backwards, drawing McGraw away from the door.

The corner of McGraw’s lip lifted into a sneer and he twirled the knife. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Anne saw the door ease open and she took another backward step.

“Hey! Answer me. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Nowhere.” She took another step and felt the edge of the counter against her back.

“Nowhere is right.” McGraw let out a laugh. “You ain’t dumb enough to think you can run away from me.”

Anne saw Doug slip through the doorway, but she kept her eyes on McGraw.

“No. I don’t think I can run away.” A cramping pain gripped her abdomen and she lowered her hands to her belly.

McGraw cocked his head and his eyes focused on her hands. “Maybe I’ll let Cummings see his baby before he dies.”

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he brought the knife down and touched the tip to her belly. “I might just slice you open and let Cummings catch a peek, so he knows what he’s going to be missing.”

Anne’s pulse pounded as she saw Doug lift his hunt whip off the hook by the door and move towards them.
Oh God. Doug was going to come after McGraw armed only with his hunt whip. Couldn’t he see that McGraw had the butcher knife? She had to keep McGraw talking. She couldn’t let him turn around
.

“Why didn’t you just keep running after you escaped from jail?” she asked, panting as the cramp intensified, taking her breath away. “You could be a thousand miles away from here by now.”

He snorted. “I had unfinished business to take care of.”

Doug stole swiftly towards them, holding the hunt whip near the thong and raising it over his head like an ax.

Anne forced herself to stay focused on McGraw. “Unfinished business?” Her voice quivered. “What was that?”

McGraw brought the knife back to her throat. “You know the fucking answer to that—”

Doug grunted and heaved the whip downward, driving the sharp point of the horn handle deep into McGraw’s skull.

T
he door to Anne’s hospital room was partially closed. Kendall shifted the package in her arm and knocked lightly.

“Come in.”

Anne reclined in the bed, with the baby in her arms.

Kendall smiled. “Hi. I just passed Doug and Samantha on their way to the cafeteria. Doug’s certainly looking every bit the proud papa.” She placed the baby gift on the bed and leaned down to give Anne a hug.

“Doug didn’t try to give you a cigar, did he?” Anne asked.

“No, thank goodness.” Kendall laughed and perched gingerly on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Anne’s face was pale and drawn and she had dark circles under her eyes, but her face lit up with a smile. “Like I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she said, kissing the dark curls on top of the baby’s head.

Kendall reached out and tentatively touched the baby’s tiny hand with her finger. “He’s beautiful. Have you decided on a name yet?”

“No. We’re still tossing a few around.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Samantha wants to call him Ben.”

“After her bodyguard?”

Anne nodded. “Ben is Samantha’s hero now. She found out that he spent half an hour chasing Rascal around the farm when the puppy took off after the rabbit.”

Kendall’s mouth dropped open. “But that’s how McGraw was able to get into the house.”

“Well, Samantha doesn’t know that,” Anne replied. “Besides, Ben wasn’t really neglecting his duties. As far as he knew, McGraw was at High Meadow, surrounded by police. He didn’t think we were in danger any longer.”

Kendall nodded. “That’s true.”

Anne was quiet for a moment, then gestured towards the Hermès scarf Kendall had tied around her neck as a sling. “How are you doing?”

“It’s a clean break, and I don’t need surgery, thank God.” Kendall fingered the soft cast on her arm. “Dr. Gannon is waiting for the swelling to go down before he sets it.”

Anne studied her for a moment. “I wasn’t just asking about your arm, Kendall. You’ve been through a lot. How are
you
doing?”

“I’m okay. The girls and I had a session with a therapist this morning at Margaret’s, and I think it was helpful for all of us. We’ll continue to meet regularly with him.” She hesitated. “And I have Jake. He’s been my rock.”

“So you and Jake are together?”

Kendall felt herself blush. “Yes.”

Anne smiled. “Congratulations. Does that mean Jake will be staying in the area?”

“At least for a while. I found out Jake has a ranch in Oklahoma, and he wants me to spend some time there with him. But he says he’s not in a hurry to head out there. He’s taken an interest in Zach, so that’s another reason for him to stay here for now.”

Anne frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Zach came out of the coma last night and the doctor wanted a family member to talk to him. Since Zelda’s in jail, Jake agreed to see Zach. I think Jake feels a sense of responsibility, since Zach’s his cousin.”

“How did that go?”

“Jake said it was tough. He said Zach looked so vulnerable hooked up to all those machines.” Kendall sighed. “Jake was just about Zach’s age when he and his mom ran away from McGraw. I think maybe Jake hopes he can help give Zach the same opportunity that he had to start a new life. But it’s hard for Jake to come to terms with Zach’s involvement in the kidnapping.”

Anne’s expression hardened and Kendall regretted mentioning Zeb McGraw. She reached for Anne’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

Anne shook her head, nestling the baby closer to her chest. “It’s okay. It’s over now. McGraw was the one behind it all, and he’ll never harm anyone again. Doug saw to that.”

Kendall nodded and gave her a hug. “I’d better go. Jake’s meeting me downstairs. We’re having dinner with my parents tonight.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “When did they arrive in town?”

“This morning. Elizabeth Carey called my father and told him about the kidnapping, and he and my mother flew out on the red-eye. I didn’t know anything about it until Elizabeth and Ned brought them to my door.”

“What was your reaction?”

“Shock. Joy. Apprehension.” She smiled. “But it’s been good. It will take some time, but I think my father and I will be able to bury our past differences.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you, Kendall.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later. Tell Doug to call me if I can do anything to help.”

Kendall had the elevator to herself on the ride down, and the lobby was empty, except for a man standing by the front door. The man’s back was to her, but there was something familiar about his stance, and as she neared him, he turned and smiled at her.

“Jake! I didn’t recognize you dressed like that.” He was wearing a navy blazer and khakis, with a button-down blue oxford-cloth shirt and a blue striped tie. His cowboy boots had been replaced by tassel loafers.

“Did you think I was going to go to dinner with your parents wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots?” Jake leaned down and kissed her and she caught a subtle whiff of coconut.

Kendall smiled and slipped her arm through his. “Mm, you smell good.”

Color rose in his cheeks. “It’s some fancy shampoo they used at the hair place.”

She noticed his neatly trimmed sideburns. “You got a haircut.”

“Yeah, I decided to go all out.” Jake gave her a lopsided grin. “I want to make a good impression on my future in-laws.”