Now You See Me

by Rachel Carrington

  Downing shook his head and a lock of sandy brown hair fell over one eye. He didn’t bother to push it back. “Ramsey’s gone.”

  Brad slung him away, stared at him like he’d grown a third head. “What do you mean gone? Tell me you didn’t release him.” No, that couldn’t be possible. Brad had seen him sleeping. Two guards had been standing outside his door, two should have been inside. He couldn’t have gotten past that many guards. “The guy was dead to the world on morphine the last time I saw him.”

  His shoulders slumped, Downing looked like someone had just kicked him. “I gave him some of my daughter’s Ritalin. It counters the sedative effects of the morphine.”

  An invisible hand had punched Brad in the stomach. John Ramsey was a free man, and every woman within a fifty-mile radius was in danger. He doubted Ramsey would go very long without another kill, and since he couldn’t find Kate yet, some other innocent woman would take the brunt of his need.

  “Listen to me. You have to understand. Please. Ramsey wanted Kate. Said he’d give me back my family if I just gave him Kate. I’m so sorry, Brad. I’m so sorry.” He fell to his knees, sobbing loudly. “I gave him the key. He said he’d give me my family back.”

  “Get up.” When David didn’t obey, Brad dragged him to his feet. “Every life he takes is on you. Their blood will be on your hands and you’ll never be able to wash it off. I hope you can live with that.” He slammed him against the fence again. “Right now I’d like nothing more than to beat you until there’s not a place on your body that isn’t bruised. Just count yourself lucky I live inside the boundaries of the law.”

  “Screw you, Brad. You think you’re better than I am because you don’t dare step across a line?” David shouted in return. “But it’s okay if you’re the one who stands over Ramsey as they shove the needle into his vein. You’re just doing your job. No, you’re not. It’s your way of holding court while you vicariously pump in the chemicals. So don’t judge me for doing what I had the guts to do.”

  His vision blurred, Brad drove his fist into David’s stomach, dropping the guy he used to call friend to his knees once more. “You keep thinking what you did was right. Maybe it’ll comfort you when you’re facing twenty to life.”

  He took a step back, captured his cell phone from his pocket. He didn’t take his eyes off David while he called Captain Roddingham. “I’m here with David Downing. He let Ramsey go. Get someone over here. I can’t leave Kate alone now that I know Ramsey’s free.”

  “You going to stay there?” Roddingham sounded like he was chewing.

  “Not a good idea. I’ll call you once I know she’s safe.”

  “Is Downing in one piece?”

  “For now, but your guys had better hurry.”

  “We’re on it.” A long pause then. “You be safe too, Brad.”

  The captain rarely used his first name. Brad responded to the moment of sentimentality with a clipped “Will do.” Then he leaned down, his lips close to Downing’s ear. “If anything happens to Kate because you let Ramsey walk, you’re not going to have to worry about going to prison.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The moment Brad walked in through the front door Kate ended her phone conversation with Aaron, who’d been thrilled beyond measure to hear from her and know she was safe. He’d gone on and on about how he wanted her to take some time off, and the look on Brad’s face told her that was going to be a requirement.

  She stood, hands rubbing down the sides of his fleece robe. Though she’d spent several minutes in the bedroom regrouping, she hadn’t wanted to get dressed yet. Just wearing Brad’s robe gave her a sense of comfort.

  “What’s wrong? Why were you outside?” She chewed on the inside of her cheek, thought about running down the list of presidents just to maintain focus.

  Brad tossed his cell onto the coffee table and jerked his head toward the couch. “You’d better sit down.”

  “Those words never start a positive conversation. Just tell me what’s happened. Did the police find David Downing? Did he escape?” She laced her fingers together to keep her hands from shaking. Neither one of her questions caused even a flicker of response in Brad’s eyes. That alone told her the news was much worse.

  She dropped to the sofa cushion, her legs too unstable to hold her. “I don’t think I want to know.”

  Brad joined her on the sofa. “You’re right, you don’t, and there’s no easy way to tell you this.”

  “Then just say it.”

  “Downing released Ramsey from his restraints. How Ramsey got past four guards and why I wasn’t notified I don’t know, but he’s not at the hospital any longer.”

  Ice washed through Kate’s body. The man who’d killed so many women, the same man who wanted her, was now on the loose. And she had no idea if he knew where she was, if he could find her.

  She stood. “I have to get out of here. He can’t know where I am.”

  Brad reached up and took hold of her wrist. “He won’t know. We’ll go together.”

  “No. You have the prison.” Leave. Leave now. Her mind repeated the litany but the turmoil inside kept her from concentrating. Where would she go? What if Ramsey found her? She knew self-defense, but could she take him on? Other women had tried to fight him but none had ever won.

  “I’m not worried about the prison right now. I can work something out, but I’m not letting you leave town by yourself.”

  Kate looked down at his hand holding her wrist then back at his face. Her mouth so dry she could barely speak, she managed to ask, “He’s really out?”

  Brad’s lips thinned. “He’s really out.”

  Images of the victims flashed in front of her eyes. She’d seen the pictures the police had taken, reviewed the medical examiner’s reports, all in the name of responsible reporting. Now those vivid portraits could possibly be what was in store for her.

  No! She mentally snapped at herself. She wasn’t going to give in and wait for Ramsey to find her. If he wanted her, he was going to have to put some work in. She hadn’t just sat in that house waiting for the killer to show up, and she wasn’t going to make it any easier for him now.

  Her decision made, she squared her shoulders and pulled away from Brad’s grasp. She would fight for as long as she could. Ramsey wouldn’t catch her easily. Her father had taught her more than a few tricks about protecting herself when the family had taken their camping trips to Lake Moultrie.

  The memory clicked and her mind started working furiously. “I know where I can go. He won’t be able to find me.” The family cabin had been empty for the last couple of years but she was sure it was still functional. The caretaker wouldn’t have let it get run down.

  “Us. He won’t be able to find us.” Brad stood, his brows lowered into a scowl. “I’m not letting you go alone, Kate, no matter how safe you think you’ll be.”

  “What if he doesn’t want to kill just me?” Though the thought just occurred to her, it was a real possibility that Brad was on Ramsey’s radar. Hadn’t Brad been instrumental in bringing Ramsey down? Wouldn’t it stand to reason that the killer wanted revenge?

  Brad hugged her, holding her tight against his chest. “I can take care of both of us.” He rested his chin on top of her head. “I won’t let him get to you, Kate. I promise.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. “I just want this to be over.”

  “I know.”

  “In the meantime, I believe I left a pistol here earlier. Could I have it back?”

  He pulled back to look at her. “Do you how to shoot?”

  “My dad taught me. I don’t like to use guns, but in this case I think I’m going to have to put aside my dislike.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  Ramsey stood hidden in the shadows, watching the police units rolling down the street. Any second now Deputy Downing would be in custody, but Ramsey didn’t need him anymore. The guy had done exactly what was needed—led him straight to Brad Jericho’s b
ack door.

  Of course he’d have to take care of Downing. Couldn’t allow him to get to talking, maybe make a deal with the DA. Because once Ramsey took care of Kate and Jericho, there was a whole wide world of women ready to be added to his collection. There was no way he was going back to a cell now.

  As he watched the cops gather together like birds around a fallen piece of bread, he smiled. An idea had just taken root, and it just might work to free his Kate from the constraints of the overprotective warden as well as eliminate Downing as a potential problem.

  He took out a cell phone he’d taken off one of the guards and dialed a familiar number. “There’s something I need you to do, and before you say anything, it isn’t optional, Counselor. In case you didn’t know it I’m a free man, and I know you’re not interested in a visit from me.”

  He ignored his attorney’s rushed words on the other end of the line. “Relax, Salli. Once you take care of this you can run away like a scared little girl. I’m not interested in you…unless you don’t feel the need to follow my orders. Then I might become a little too interested.”

  Ramsey fixed his eyes on the crisply uniformed cop now escorting Downing to the back of the police cruiser. “Excellent. I’m so glad you’re willing to help.”

  Brad didn’t have time for a phone conversation but when the caller persisted, ringing his number three times in a row, he finally answered, albeit with enough bite in his tone to dissuade even the most determined telemarketer.

  “Mr. Jericho, I know it’s late but it was important that I speak with you.” The man on the other end of the line sounded out of breath, like he’d just run a marathon.

  “I’m listening.” He wasn’t really. All of his attention remained focused on the door of the bedroom where Kate was changing clothes.

  “I’m Angelo Salli, John Ramsey’s attorney. At least for now. I just prepared a motion to remove myself that I intend to file first thing tomorrow morning.” His breaths came in even shorter pants. “I just found out Ramsey has escaped. The guy has never liked me, so I’m going to tell you this and then no one will be able to find me until he’s caught.” The words tumbled over one another in the attorney’s desperate dash to release them.

  Salli stopped talking for a second, took a drink of something for fortification, swallowed audibly. “Ramsey called me and told me to call you. He implied if I didn’t help him, he’d come after me.”

  “And what did he want me to know?” Brad moved away from the hallway so Kate wouldn’t overhear the conversation. His nerves jangled. Was Ramsey outside even now, hiding in the shadows?

  “He just said to tell you he’d see you soon. I suppose I should have called the police but I have a family. I couldn’t risk them getting hurt…” Salli trailed off, his breath now coming in short, choppy pants.

  “Thanks for the heads-up.” Brad didn’t continue the conversation. He had another, more important, one. He jogged out of his house and down the front steps where the blue lights whirled and David Downing sat handcuffed in the backseat of a cruiser.

  “I need to ask him something first. One minute.” Brad held up a finger.

  One cop jerked his head toward the back door, giving silent permission.

  Brad opened the door and dropped to a squat. “Does Ramsey already know Kate escaped? Did he send you here so he could follow you?”

  Downing looked straight ahead. “I think we’ve done all the talking we need to do, Brad.”

  “You think so?” If he were back in the squad, he’d have a better chance of beating this out of Downing without drawing attention. But with cops standing around him, his options were limited.

  “Did you know it only takes one punch in the right spot to kill a man?”

  Eyes widening, Downing tried to scoot away, but he’d been secured in place with the seat belt.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think that would be something you’d know.” Brad tapped his own Adam’s apple. “Just one pop right here and your airway collapses like a squeezed beer can. You’ll choke to death in a manner of seconds. Without a tracheotomy, even those cops out there can’t save you. Of course, the trick is to make it look like an accident. You think I know how to make it look like an accident, David?” His voice whisper quiet, he watched his words do what no amount of pain could.

  “What do you want from me?” Downing dropped his head low in a vain attempt to protect his throat. “I can’t help you anymore.”

  “You haven’t helped me at all, but you can. Did Ramsey follow you?”

  Their gazes connected and Downing tried futilely to hold the stare. His will wasn’t as strong and he looked away within seconds. “Yeah. When he found out Kate escaped, he figured she’d come here.”

  “Thanks for being so cooperative.” Brad stood, kicked the door shut, and walked away. He’d probably later regret not smashing the man he used to call a friend in the face, but right now he needed to focus his attention on Kate and get her out of his house as quickly as possible.

  Kate was already dressed and waiting inside. “Do the police know anything about David Downing’s family?”

  “Didn’t ask.” Brad checked the back door, made sure it hadn’t been jimmied. Hoping Kate would stay put without asking any more questions, he moved through the house with his gun at the ready.

  “So what did you ask, then?” She was right behind him.

  “Nothing all that important. Just something I wanted to know before they took him away.”

  Kate snagged his arm, stopping his progress. “What did you ask him?” Her hazel eyes drilled into his soul.

  He released a breath that was half agitation, half resignation. “If Ramsey had sent him here.”

  She dropped her hand. “Why would Ramsey send him—” She broke off, realization hitting her like a hard wave. “Downing was a diversion, wasn’t he? Ramsey followed him.”

  “Yes. Now go back in the living room and wait for me.”

  Ignoring the order, Kate pressed herself against his back, one hand hooking onto his belt. “Not a chance. You’ve got the gun.”

  “He’s not here. I’m just being cautious.” Brad swept into his bedroom, sliding along the wall to check the closets, the bathroom, then dropping to the floor to check under the bed.

  “This would be a lot easier if you weren’t glued to my spine,” he whispered.

  “I’m not interested in easier.” Kate two-stepped with him out of the bedroom.

  Once the entire house had been checked Brad secured his weapon in the holster he’d clipped to his belt and peeled Kate’s arms away. “It’s okay. He’s not here.”

  “But he knows where here is.”

  “Which is why we’re leaving now.”

  Several shots rang out, a quick successive volley of bullets that had Brad diving behind the sofa, taking Kate down with him and shielding her with his body.

  Shouts and sirens joined a cacophony of noises just beyond his front door. Brad pulled Kate to his feet, checked her over for injuries and ordered her to stay put. Once outside, he got a clear look at the police cruiser, riddled with bullets. In the backseat Downing lay slumped to the left, his head pressed against the passenger window.

  One cop ordered him to get back inside. Brad backed up as far as his front porch while he watched the commotion. In his long history, Ramsey hadn’t been a big fan of guns. That was one piece of information he’d kept to himself, obviously for good reason.

  His gaze swept over the busyness, zeroing in on each face. He couldn’t see Ramsey from this distance but the guy was out there somewhere. Could be anywhere by now, which made the nerves in his stomach ripple.

  It was past time to get Kate out of Charleston.

  Hands shaking so hard she could barely make them work, Kate snagged her cell charger from her briefcase. She doubted she’d be getting any work done on the run, so she didn’t bother taking her recorder or any other tools of her trade.

  After checking one last time to make sure she had everything she neede
d, she turned back to the door, and her heart stopped beating.

  John Ramsey closed the bedroom door quietly, a smirk on his face. “Hello, Kate. It’s so nice to see you again.”

  He wore a police uniform, complete with hat and shiny black shoes. That she was noticing such minor things only made Kate’s hysteria worse. She didn’t ask him how he’d got in. It didn’t matter. He was in, and unless Brad figured out that she was no longer alone really soon, she was in for the fight of her life.

  “Thinking about trying to run?” With a gleam in his eyes, Ramsey strolled toward her. “It’d be a waste of time but you’re welcome to try. Plenty of other women tried to escape me. I wasn’t on death row because they got away.”

  Kate skirted around the bed, putting the queen-size frame between them. She could scream for Brad but Ramsey had the cop’s gun in his holster. By the time Brad got to the door Ramsey could kill him.

  Her throat tight, she backed toward the window next to the dresser. “You’re not going to be able to just walk out of here with me. There’s an army of cops outside and Brad inside.”

  “Oh that’s right. Your new boyfriend is going to protect you.” Ramsey studied his fingers but Kate recognized the diversionary tactic. He wanted her to lower her guard, to give him that necessary moment where he could leap over the bed and have her in his grasp.

  “Of all the moves you’ve made in your past, this has to be one of the stupid ones.” Kate wondered if any of his other victims had tried to push his buttons, goaded him into anger. Fury could make someone irrational, and irrational people made mistakes. She could only hope Ramsey had a short trigger.

  He only chuckled. “I’ll make you a deal, Kate. You leave with me quietly, and I let Mr. Jericho live.”

  “You don’t make deals, Ramsey, and you want Brad dead almost as much as you want to see me die.” Kate forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor. Though he was in the same room with her, he hadn’t reached her, which meant she still had a chance at staying alive.