by Jill Sanders
“Yup.” Emily raced out the door, and Jamie took a bite of her sandwich. She sat on the sofa to watch the news.
At this point, every news station was flashing the picture of Scott Alcott along with the image of his car being pulled from the lake. The latest information on the ten bodies found on his property was the main focus. Out of the ten women found, they had identified four of them as women who had gone missing in the past year. When they mentioned DNA and identifying body parts, she almost lost the few bites of sandwich she’d taken.
There was a short video clip of Crissy Talbot being wheeled into the hospital as well as an update on her health that stated she was resting comfortably at UMH.
Rafe had filled them in on her health the other evening. Crissy was extremely lucky that they had found her when they did. If the father and son hadn’t spotted the car submerged in the lake, Crissy would be rotting in the ground with the other women.
Then again, if she’d reported what she’d done two years ago, they could have caught the SOB that was doing this, and all those women who had gone missing in the past two years might still be alive.
Jamie shivered and turned off the television set. Glancing down at her watch, she realized she still had three hours before she was due at school. Desperate not to be alone, she grabbed her purse and schoolbag, deciding some retail therapy would do her some good.
She normally loved shopping for herself, but nothing sparked her interest in the stores, so she walked into a nail salon and splurged on a mani-pedi. She’d chipped off all her pink polish the other day and badly wanted to do something different, so she painted her nails a soft white. Her normal manicurist was out on maternity leave, and the new manicurist made the tips of her nails sharper than she normally liked, but she liked the look well enough. She felt more relaxed when she left than she had when she’d walked into the place.
She made her way to the men’s section of the clothing store next door to look for a gift for Blaine. She wondered when she’d determined she cared more for him than she had for any other man she’d been with, a fact that frustrated her.
She purchased the fanciest nautical watch they sold and even had it wrapped. Then she bought Emily a friendship necklace to repay her for the key chain, the cheesy kind she knew Emily would get a kick out of. She had it wrapped up as well.
She didn’t know why she was in a mood to purchase gifts for her friends, but it made her happy enough that when she parked in the school’s parking lot, she was preoccupied with thoughts of giving her friends their gifts and almost didn’t see the man standing in the shadow of the tree.
“Oh!” She spun around, her entire body tensed, waiting for an attack. Then she noticed the uniform and relaxed. “You scared me,” she spat out.
“It should have been you, you know.” Alan Mills stepped forward. “Instead of Scott.” She shook her head, not fully understanding. “He was my baby brother. Half-brother, but still, my blood.” His voice rose slightly with his last words.
Her heart kicked up and she felt an urgent need to escape. She reached for her phone and took a giant step backwards.
He moved across the space between them so quickly it seemed like magic and wrapped his arms around her. She kicked out and used her body weight to try and tip the man over. But the man obviously had years of training in the line of duty, and he easily gathering her up and carted her towards the back of his patrol car while she kicked out. She tried screaming, but his hand easily covered her mouth, stifling any cries for help she made.
She had a brief moment to think that if anyone stumbled upon the scene, it might appear as if she was resisting arrest instead of fighting off an attacker.
That thought made her fight even harder. Let them see and possibly even record her fighting him off. At least then there would be evidence of her disappearance.
She fought as he lifted her off her feet completely. The back of her head hit the side of his car as he threw her into the trunk. She had a moment before the darkness overtook her to register Emily screaming and rushing towards them. Her last thought before blacking out was that she wanted her friend to run and escape.
She woke later when the car bumped slightly. She immediately knew that Emily was lying next to her in the enclosed space. Her head ached where it had connected with the edge of the trunk when he’d tossed her inside.
More concerned for Emily than herself, she reached out with shaky hands and felt her friend. Checking for a pulse, she gulped in a huge breath of air when she found a weak one. She reached for her cell phone, but both her phone and her bags were gone. Trying not to hurt Emily, she felt around for her cell phone, only to come up empty-handed again.
Next, she looked around for the emergency release handle in the trunk. Feeling the spot it should have been, she felt the loop of a cord just inside the hole in the plastic. Her fingers were too big to reach inside and get a hold of it.
Pulling off one of the heeled boots she had put on earlier, she shoved the spiky heel into the spot and felt for the cable.
When she felt Emily start to move, she tried to keep her calm. Emily reached up to touch the back of her head. The man must have hit her to knock her out.
“Don’t touch it,” Jamie whispered.
“Jamie?” Emily started to move again, but Jamie stopped her.
“No, shhh, he needs to think we’re knocked out still,” Jamie said right next to Emily’s ear.
“What…” Then Emily’s entire body tensed. “Are you hurt?” She felt around for Jamie.
“I’m okay,” Jamie said next to her ear. “He tried to break off the trunk’s emergency release, but I used my shoe and I think I can get it open. The next time the car slows down, we can jump out.” Jamie felt the car slowing again and knew that it was now or never. “Get ready,” she warned Emily.
“Oh my god,” Emily sobbed.
“We have to run, after,” Jamie warned. “No matter what happens, run as far and as fast as you can.”
The car slowed even more, and Jamie shoved the heel of her boot back into the small section, catching the cable with the steel spike.
She knew that the thing would pop open so fast and hard that it would probably hit the rear window of the car, ensuring that the driver knew they were jumping out. The guy would come after them. There was no way they were going to escape if they both jumped out. He could easily stop the car and chase after them. Someone had to hold the lid of the trunk while it opened and then shut it after so he would continue driving.
Deciding the only way to save Emily was to stay behind, she turned her face to where Emily lay beside her.
“I love you,” Jamie whispered, knowing that she would do anything to ensure that Emily was safe. “No matter what happens, I love you.” The car slowed further, and she understood that it was time. She jerked her boot hard, and the trunk of the car started to fly open. She easily caught it, holding it down as she rolled Emily towards the opening and shoved her from the back of the moving vehicle.
She could wait for another opportunity to escape herself. Someplace later, after they were as far away from Emily as possible. She watched her friend’s body roll on the dark pavement. It was like a horror movie, seeing her limbs flail about and twist. She sent off a silent prayer that Emily would survive as she pulled the trunk down to keep it out of view from the rearview mirror. When she felt the car speed up, she relaxed slightly.
At least Emily was safe. She kept telling herself that while she waited for her own chance to escape.
Chapter Eighteen
Blaine had just gotten home from his shift at the hospital when his phone rang.
Seeing Roger Ford’s number on the screen, he went to send the TA’s call to voicemail but accidently hit the wrong button.
Rolling his eyes, he answered it.
“Hey, Rog, what’s up?” he asked, putting the bottle of champagne he’d purchase to replace Rafe’s in the bottom of the fridge.
“Hey, Blaine. I was just calling to
see if you knew why both Jamie and Emily ditched class today?”
He almost dropped the bottle as his throat closed up.
“What?” He glanced at his watch.
“They missed class the other day, but Emily called in for them. I didn’t hear from her or you about tonight’s class.”
He turned as the apartment door opened and Rafe walked in.
“You sure they didn’t show up?” he asked.
“Nope, they aren’t here. You asked me to let you know if Jamie skipped, so I wanted to get in touch, especially since Emily skipped too, which is really odd.”
“Thanks, I’ll… keep you posted.” He hung up as Rafe walked into the room.
“What?” Rafe asked when he cursed.
“That was Roger, the TA in Jamie and Emily’s first class. I ran into him yesterday and asked him to let me know if Jamie skipped any classes.” He was talking as he punched Jamie’s phone number on his cell. “She’s not answering.” He glanced up at Rafe.
Rafe pulled out his phone and noticed a voicemail from Emily. He hit the voicemail button and played the message on speaker. They both listened as Emily screamed in the phone and yelled out the words kidnapped and Jamie before it went dead.
“That was five minutes ago,” Rafe said, urgency in his voice. Blaine noticed that Rafe’s hands shook as he hit redial.
“Who is this?” Rafe asked when someone answered. “Where is Emily?” He paused. “The woman who owns this phone.” He almost yelled it. “Where?” After a short pause, he said, “Don’t move. We’ll be right there.” Rafe move towards the door. “If you move a muscle…” Rafe glanced at him as he shut the apartment door behind them. “I’m a TA at the college. I’ll hunt you down and personally make sure you flunk all of your classes.” Rafe hung up and turned to him. “You’re driving,” he said as they ran down their stairs.
Blaine knew the limits of his sports car, and he pushed them as he drove towards the campus. Still, the ten minutes it took to cross town seemed to last hours.
There was a skinny kid standing in the parking lot when they pulled in.
“Where?” Rafe asked after he jumped from the moving car.
“Right here.” The kid pointed to the ground and shoved Emily’s phone in Rafe’s hands and then turned to rush off.
“Shit.” Rafe glanced around.
“Shit,” Blaine agreed.
Rafe rushed over to Emily’s car. The driver door was hanging wide open. Her purse and bag were still inside.
“Jamie’s car?” Rafe asked, turning in circles to look for any clues.
“Here.” Blaine had already spotted it sitting next to Emily’s. “Her purse and schoolbag are gone.” Whatever had happened to her, she had already locked up the car as normal.
“We have to call the police,” Blaine said, pulling out his phone. “And Emily’s father.” He dialed the chief’s number from the card the man had given him the day before.
He was quick on his call to the chief, stating that Jamie and her roommate Emily had been kidnapped from the college campus. The chief told him that he’d send a car out there immediately and, if he could break free, he’d meet him there as well.
They waited around until Emily’s father showed up. A police car with flashing lights parked next to his own car moments later.
“What happened?” Lee asked, panic lacing his voice.
As Rafe explained what they had found, he continued to glance around, looking for clues or any signs of Jamie.
It seemed to take forever to explain what had happened to the men, especially since he’d had to start all over again when the chief arrived. One of the officers was sent into the school to confirm that neither women were inside.
“We technically can’t file a missing person’s report unless we have proof that they were kidnapped,” the chief told a very worried Lee Stokes. “However, since Miss Garner is a star witness in a very high-profile case, I’m sending out an APB on both her and Emily.” The man looked over to where Lee Stokes was pacing the parking lot.
“What can we do?” Blaine asked, feeling the need to help in the search. They were at a complete loss.
The chief sighed. “For now, not much. We’ll keep an eye out for them both. If you know any more information, maybe something that Miss Garner hadn’t mentioned…” The man’s eyes moved to his own.
Blaine’s mind was a complete blank. He was so concerned about Jamie that he wouldn’t even remember his own name if someone asked him. Shaking his head, he continued to look down at his phone, hoping, praying it would ring and she’d be on the other side, telling him she was okay.
“What about Crissy?” Rafe asked suddenly. “Crissy Talbot? I mean, do you think she could remember anything more?”
“We’ve already gathered as much as we can from her,” the chief said. “She’s still recovering at the hospital.”
“I’m friends with her. Maybe I can get some more information?” Rafe moved towards Blaine’s car suddenly.
“It’s worth a shot.” Blaine followed and jumped behind the wheel.
“If you find anything, let us know…” the chief yelled after them.
“What will we do if Crissy doesn’t remember anything else?” he asked as he drove, this time a little more cautiously, since the parking lot of the school now had three police cruisers in it.
“Go door to door,” Rafe replied. “Hell, I don’t know. All I do know is I can’t—I won’t live without her.”
He knew what his friend meant. Just thinking of the two women in the hands of a serial killer made his skin crawl.
“If it’s Alcott’s partner,” Rafe said suddenly, “how would he know about Jamie?”
“Shit!” He hit the brakes and they squealed to a complete stop.
“Call the detective,” he demanded as he started driving again towards the hospital. They were less than a block away and figured it was too late to turn around.
Rafe put his phone on speaker.
“Did you think of something?” the detective answered quickly.
“The partner,” Blaine blurted out. “How would he know about Jamie?”
The line was silent. “What’s your theory?”
“Detective Alan Mills,” he blurted out.
“I told you we don’t…” the chief started but then he got quiet. They heard the man yell to Emily’s father, “Lee, could you pick out that detective, Alan Mills, from photos?”
“You bet,” Lee answered.
The chief was back. “I’ll let you know what we find,” he said before hanging up.
“What the hell?” Rafe asked. “What’s going on?”
Blaine forgot that Rafe hadn’t been privy to the information that there was no Detective Alan Mills in their local precinct. Blaine filled him in quickly as he parked at the hospital. They were just walking past the ER when they heard someone call out their names. They turned to see one of the night nurses, Barb rushing towards them.
“Emily was just brought in.” She was a little breathless.
Rafe took off like a bullet. Blaine wasn’t far behind him as they stepped into the small ER room.
Seeing Emily lying on the gurney under the bright lights almost stopped Blaine’s heart.
Rafe rushed to her side and took her bloodied, skinned hand in his.
“He has Jamie,” Emily cried, causing his heart to kick in again, this time at almost double the speed. Whoever it was, he was going to kill the man if he harmed the woman he loved.
“Easy, we’ve got you. It’s okay, you’re okay,” Rafe said as he moved aside so that Karin and the other nurses could start working on Emily.
“Emily, I’m right here,” Rafe reassured her again.
“Rafe, someone needs to go find Jamie,” she cried again. “She pushed me out of the car,” she said from behind the wall of people working on her. Her voice was soft and weak, but still strong enough that he could hear the pain. “She saved me but didn’t get out of the trunk herself. Please find her
.”
“We will,” Rafe promised as he glanced over at Blaine. “I promise,” he assured him.
They stood back, watching the group work to reset the compound fracture in Emily’s leg. Pushing the bone back into place was never an easy task and, at one point, Karin asked for his help.
Since Emily was out, they both worked as hard as they could to ensure that it was the best job they had ever done. Less than an hour later, with her leg propped up in a swing, they followed as Barb rolled her into one of the best private rooms, the one the nurses called the executive suite.
Less than five minutes later, Lee rushed into the room.
“How is she?” he asked after running his eyes over his daughter, no doubt noting every scratch and bruise, just as Rafe had.
Rafe filled the man in on the broken leg and bruised ribs Emily had.
“Not bad for jumping out of a moving car to escape a kidnapper,” Rafe said while he held Emily’s hand tightly.
“The chief is waiting outside,” Lee said. “He has some information for you.” Lee motioned towards the door.
Rafe glanced down at Emily.
“Go, I’m here for her if she wakes up,” Lee suggested.
Blaine and Rafe walked outside into the bright hallway. The chief was talking to one of the nurses when they stepped out. He stopped and turned towards them when he saw them coming.
“How is she?” he asked.
“She’s resting. Tell us you have something.” Rafe asked.
“Alan Mills, aka, Daryl Collins. He’s a beat cop.” The chief shook his head. “We should have caught it earlier.” He ran a hand over his face. “He’s Scott Alcott’s half-brother. Daryl Collins’ father, Alan Mills, was a beat cop and died of a stroke a few years ago. The kid had kept his mother’s maiden name, since they never officially married.”
“Tell me you know where the bastard is?” Blaine asked.
“We’re not sure. We might have gotten lucky. Thanks to Lee and Emily,” the chief said with a smile. “I thought you’d two would like to go for a ride.” His eyes moved to the closed door. “As a favor to a friend, I promised I’d take you along. Besides, Lee has informed me that you’re both very skilled doctors.”
