Things Lost In The Fire (46 page)

“Helicopter,” Brody finished, rising from the sofa to pull back the blinds on the living room window. When he glanced outside, his eyes went from the street up to the sky. “There’s a fire.”

“What?” Sadie jumped up to stand beside him. Above the sloping hills, trees, and houses of the neighborhood rose a massive tower of thick, dark smoke. “God, I wonder how close it is.”

“Let’s find out.” Brody walked out the front door to stand in the driveway, his eyes on the smoke. Through the haze, the light of the sun cast the entire street in an ominous red-orange glow. He caught the scent of burning wood as the wind kicked up around him, swirling tiny flakes of ash in the air. It dotted Sadie’s hair as she approached him, hugging her torso. Overhead, a low-flying, water-dropping helicopter swept past, disappearing beyond the trees.

Brody wandered over to the patrol car, leaning in when the officer rolled the passenger window down. “Where’s the fire?”

“Just north of Mulholland,” the cop replied. Brody recognized him as the same young rookie cop from the night Sadie was strangled. “I’ll let you know if they start evacuating.”

Sadie came up beside Brody, adrenaline pumping at the sound of distant sirens. “Do you think they will? Is it coming this way?”

Around them, the winds picked up again and sent her hair flying around her face. A few neighbors emerged from their homes, looking up at the sky apprehensively as they packed their cars or took snapshots of the smoke.

The cop shook his head. “Not sure. Car fire started it around 3 o’clock, winds carried it up the mountain. From the look of the smoke, it might’ve gotten a structure or two.”

Sadie shivered at the thought of someone’s home burning to the ground. She bit down hard on her tongue and glanced back at the house, wondering if they should gather their things and get out early.

“All right, keep us posted,” Brody told the cop. He grabbed Sadie’s hand and led her back to the house.

Her eyes went to the billowing clouds of smoke once more, seeing a vague haze of white within the roiling darkness. “I hope my mom’s okay,” she murmured, imagining the grand Victorian home engulfed in flames.

Brody closed the front door behind them and shut the blinds. “Don’t worry so much, McRae. It’s not the first fire to hit this area. Valerie’s been through them before.”

Sadie sat down on the sofa, feeling restless. She tried to smile when he joined her. “You’re right. Worrying doesn’t help anything.”

“Nope.” He kissed her nose with a playful grin. “If it’ll help you relax, I can open a bottle of wine.”

“Okay.” She stared after him as he went into the kitchen, hearing another helicopter pass over the house. A chill swept over her that she tried to ignore.

Her cell phone rang, signaling a call from Tess. She answered it quickly, a shaky smile lifting her lips. “Hey, Tess. You hear about the fire?”

“
Sadie, listen to me very carefully
,” Tess began, the distinct sound of fear in her voice. “
I-I need you to come over to my place. Right away. Come alone
.”

Panic bubbled up within Sadie. “What? Wh—”

“
I don’t have time to explain
,” Tess interrupted. She grew quiet, and Sadie could hear a low, murmured voice in the background.

“Who’s with you?” Sadie asked as Brody came up beside her, concern hardening his features.

A frightened sob escaped Tess’s throat as the sound of a man’s voice, Drew’s voice, grew louder. She screamed into the phone. “
Run, Sadie. Stay away from here!
”

The line went dead and Sadie shouted her friend’s name into the phone, terror gripping her heart. Her eyes shot to Brody, filled with dread. “He’s hurting her. Drew’s hurting her.”

Brody’s hands dove into his hair as he inhaled sharply. He gritted his teeth, his mind made up in that instant. “It’s a trap. He’s trying to lure you over there.”

“I don’t care,” Sadie snapped as she jumped to her feet and pushed past him. “She’s at least twenty minutes away. We don’t have much time.”

“Stop,” Brody ordered, grabbing her hand and urging her to face him. When she did, he saw the panicked tears in her eyes that contrasted with her determination to help her friend. “Think for a second, okay? Don’t play into his hand like this. It’s what he expects you to do.”

Her breath came out in ragged gasps as she tried to focus, finding it useless. Her friend was in danger. She had to help. “So we’ll have the cop drive us over there.”

“You’re not going.” Brody stood firm. “I’ll get the cop and go, but you’re staying here. I’ll have him call a backup patrol car to watch you, okay?”

She wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek, her composure breaking. “God, if he hurts her…”

“He won’t. I promise.” He dragged her against him, holding her close for the briefest of moments. When he pulled away, he met her eyes. “I won’t be long. Lock the door.”

He left without another word, slamming the door shut behind him. He ran down the driveway, startling the cop when he came to an abrupt stop right beside the passenger door.

“Let me in,” he barked, tugging on the door handle.

“What’s going on?” The cop unlocked the door, eyeing Brody uneasily as he slipped inside.

“Just got a call from Drew. He’s got Sadie’s friend Tess at her place off Wilshire near Highland. Call for another car to take your place and let’s go.”

The cop let out a rush of breath as he processed Brody’s words, clearly debating what action to take. With a decisive nod, he turned on the car. He grabbed his radio as he pulled onto the street and relayed the situation. Flipping on the emergency lights, he gunned it and took them quickly through Laurel Canyon.

Brody braced himself in the passenger seat, catching a better glimpse of the fire as they rounded a curve. In the dying light of the sun, he saw the glow of flames licking at the sky.

They dodged fire trucks and panicked residents on the way down into the city, everything in a state of pandemonium. Road blocks were being set up at the base of Laurel Canyon to discourage non-residents from driving up to the flames and impeding the fire relief effort. Plumes of smoke spread over the Hollywood Hills, driven by unforgiving winds that carried snowflakes of ash.

As they weaved in and out of traffic on Sunset, Brody caught the rookie cop staring at him. “What?”

The cop turned his attention back to the road, a flush of red appearing on his neck. “Nothing. I guess I was just wondering how a lowlife paparazzi like you gets in with someone like Sadie McRae.”

Brody gave a dark laugh as he glanced back out the window. “I’m just as surprised as you are, buddy.”

With the help of the patrol car’s emergency lights, the trip to Tess’s condo took just under twenty minutes. Backup was on the way, but they didn’t want to scare Drew into doing anything brash. They just needed to get to the front door and talk to the guy, and hopefully convince him to turn himself in.

The cop wanted Brody to wait in the car, but he wasn’t having it. He stormed up the stairs to Tess’s third floor unit, locating her front door. He waited for the cop to catch up, then knocked.

There was no answer. He knocked again, this time hearing a dull thud from inside. His brows furrowed as he met eyes with the cop, who reached for his handgun warily and grabbed the door knob. When he turned it and realized the door wasn’t locked, they both froze for a brief, questioning moment.

A muffled shout came from inside, and the cop had no choice but to open the door. He stepped in first, gun drawn and ready. Brody followed close behind, spotting Tess tied to a chair in the middle of her living room. Black rope was wrapped around her torso and legs, a swatch of duct tape covering her mouth. Her tawny eyes were filled with panic as Brody swooped in to help her.

“Where is he?” Brody demanded as he removed the tape from her mouth.

“Gone,” she gasped, a sob hitching in her throat. “Is Sadie with you?”

“She’s back at the house.” Brody began untying her bonds while the cop did a quick sweep of the house, declaring it clear.

“Call her, now,” Tess growled through clenched teeth. “Tell her to run.”

“He won’t get in. They’re not letting anyone but residents up Laurel Canyon because of the fire,” Brody told her, trying not to let her panicked state affect him.

“He left hours ago.”

Brody stared down at her, confused. “How’s that possible? We got your phone call twenty minutes ago.”

“It was a recording.” A pained look crossed her face. “He tied me up, put a knife to my throat and handed me the recorder. He told me what to say, when to pause to make it sound real. I figured by warning her at the end that he might not use it, but he thought it was brilliant. Now I know why.”

Brody cursed under his breath and whirled around to face the cop. “Did that patrol car get up to Sadie’s place yet?”

The cop quickly called the station to find out, then shook his head moments later. “They got stuck assisting with a minor collision on the way up Laurel Canyon.”

“You have to get back there.” Tess rose on shaky legs and glared at Brody, pointing an index finger at the front door. “Stop wasting time and go!”

Brody nodded and dragged the cop outside, a new kind of horror exploding within his chest.

God, how could he have been so stupid?

SADIE PACED the living room, her gaze shifting to the window every few seconds. A reddish glow filled the darkening sky, the smoke as thick as ever. She spotted some of her neighbors fleeing, while others began to hose off their roofs as a precaution.

As of yet, another patrol car hadn’t come. Part of her seriously considered getting into her own car to escape the danger that lurked just over the ridge, but she had nowhere else to go.

More sirens sounded off outside, only perpetuating her anxiety. With her arms crossed, she walked to the window and stared up at the smoke and the helicopter that dove in to drop water on the flames. It sent up plumes of white recovery, but soon they were swallowed by the dark.

She heard a sound behind her, coming from the patio doors across the room. When she turned, she spotted the silhouette of a man standing just outside the glass. Panic tore through her in an instant.

He’s here.

For what seemed like several long, mortifying moments, she stared at Drew through the glass. Though she tried to tell her feet to move, fear froze her in place. It shivered through her in a violent tremor, disabling her.

She could just make out the coldness of his eyes. He stared at her intently, an odd, manic little smile contorting his lips. His right hand rose in a playful wave, and she nearly fainted from fear.

Her cell phone exploded to life in her back pocket, shocking her back to reality. Her hand trembled as she answered it.

Outside, Drew disappeared from view.

“Brody?” Sadie managed, angling her head to see where Drew went.

“
Get in your car and leave the house, Sadie. Now. He’s there.
”

Her breath rushed out of her lungs a second later as Drew reappeared, carrying one of the patio chairs. He held it up and threw it violently against the door, shattering the glass to pieces.

“It’s too late,” she whimpered, dropping her cell phone before bolting for the bedroom.

Drew barreled in after her, only a breath behind.