Race Against Time

by Christy Barritt

  As the wind beat down on the building, even caused the lights to flicker, he opened the file on Lindsey’s death. He’d called one of the detectives in New York and had the files sent down to him. Brody had the strange feeling that the cases were connected somehow, and he hoped that something in these reports might trigger a realization in him.

  He flipped through the pages, reliving the horrors of finding her, of realizing that it was his fault that she’d taken her life.

  God could wash away all of your sins. He reminded himself of that fact. He had to believe it, had to have faith that forgiveness was possible, just like he and Madison had talked about, just like the pastor had spoken of on Sunday.

  He closed his eyes and prayed for God’s help in letting go of the hurts he held on to.

  And, Jesus, I know I need You in my life. I’m tired of living for myself, and I know there’s more to life than my own happiness.

  God had already begun changing his heart, he felt sure. And he felt confident that God would keep on working on him.

  When he opened his eyes, he felt lighter.

  With renewed energy Brody looked at the police report before him. He soaked in all of the details surrounding Lindsey’s suicide. There’d even been that note she’d left. Someone had killed her and made it look like a suicide.

  He seemed to remember someone in Lindsey’s family had suspected it to be murder the entire time. Who was that? He remembered: her brother. What were those reasons he’d given again? He did a quick search on his computer and easily found her brother’s name. Then he picked up the phone and gave him a call.

  A woman answered. Brody explained who he was and asked to speak with Richard.

  “This is Richard’s old girlfriend. He moved out about nine months ago and left me with a stack full of bills and a whole lot of heartache.”

  “Do you know where he went?”

  “Virginia. Said he took a teaching job at a high school there. If you find him, can you tell him he owes me two thousand dollars?”

  Brody froze a moment. Virginia? High-school teacher?

  Daniel. Could it be?

  Brody imagined the baseball coach a little younger with longer hair, tan skin and twenty pounds heavier. Clearly, he remembered what Lindsey’s brother looked like. He looked like Daniel. He was Daniel.

  He dropped the phone and started toward the door. He had to find Kayla and Madison. Neither of them was safe.

  * * *

  How did she get away from Daniel without clueing him in that she was frightened? And where was Mark?

  From where Madison stood, her SUV was farther away than the bait and tackle shop at the water’s edge. Plus, Daniel stood between her and the SUV. But maybe she could make it to the shop. Maybe the business was still open. There was still a car out in front of it.

  She squinted. Was that Mark’s car? Was he inside waiting for her? Some of the locals were crazy and insisted staying at the bayside homes and businesses when storms like this one came in. Perhaps someone who could help was inside. What other options did she have at the moment?

  “I’m going to check and see if Mark is inside,” she told Daniel. When she glanced up at him, something looked different about his face. His eyes almost looked glazed and too still for the moment—like glassy water that had currents rippling underneath, just out of sight.

  “Good idea.”

  “I’ll be right back!” She called as she hurried away. She prayed he would stay there and not follow her. All of her guards were on full alert. Something was up with Daniel, and she feared it was more than a failed romantic attempt.

  She grabbed the door handle and jerked it. The motion, along with a gust of wind, caused the door to fly open and slap against the building. Her heart beat in double time. She glanced back once more and saw Daniel standing in the parking lot, his hands in his pockets, staring at her blankly. Shivers raced up her spine.

  She reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone. She had to call Brody. Before she dialed the number, something in the background grabbed her attention. Was that…

  “Mark?” She stepped closer and gasped. Mark sat on a stool, a gag over his mouth and a rope around his neck. He stared at her, his eyes wide, pleading…terrified. “What…?”

  She had to call Brody. Now. Her fingers fumbled over the numbers, her hands shaking so badly that she could barely find the correct keys.

  “That’s not a good idea, Madison.”

  She gasped and twirled around. Daniel. The still, quiet look in his eyes had been replaced with some kind of spark, a mischievous glint, that only intensified her tremors. She backed up, toward Mark. She hadn’t gotten to the last digit of Brody’s phone number yet. If she could simply find it, feel her way around the keypad without Daniel noticing…

  “Give me the phone, Madison.” Daniel reached out his hand, like a teacher might do to a student holding something illegal.

  “Daniel, I need to call for help. My friend is hurt. He needs help.” She tried to keep her voice steady, consistent.

  He stepped toward her and at once Madison realized how tall he stood, how strong the muscles were under his T-shirt. “You’re not calling anyone, Madison. Don’t play dumb. You know who I am.”

  “Who are you, Daniel?”

  He smiled. “I’m the Suicide Bandit. And I’m sorry to say, but your time is up.”

  TWENTY

  Brody gripped his cell phone as he barreled down the road. Finally Kayla answered her cellular. He could hear Lincoln playing in the background and his heartbeat slowed some. Maybe Madison and Kayla were both safe, and he’d reached them in time. “Kayla, where are you?”

  “I’m at home waiting for the storm to hit. Why?”

  Good, his cousin was okay for now. But she was only part of his concern. “Where’s Madison? Have you talked to her lately? Is she there?”

  “Madison? She went to take a picture for the newspaper, but she should be back in a few minutes. She dropped off Lincoln.”

  The wind swept under his car as he drove and rocked it back and forth. He continued charging ahead. “Listen to me very carefully, Kayla. If Daniel shows up at your door, I need you to pretend you’re not home. Do whatever you need, but stay away from him. Do you understand?”

  “Stay away from Daniel? Why? Why would you say that?” Her voice rose in pitch, in confusion.

  There was no gentle way to break the news to Kayla that the man she’d been dating was a killer. With no time to waste, he threw niceties aside. “He’s the Suicide Bandit, Kayla.”

  “No…” Her voice trailed off in disbelief. “Brody, that can’t be true. He can’t be…”

  “I’ll explain everything when I have the chance. Just promise me you’ll stay away from him, Kayla.”

  “I promise. But Brody…”

  Something about the way she said those words made his muscles tighten. “What is it, Kayla?”

  “Daniel’s with Madison. He offered to go with her in case there were any problems with the storm.”

  Fear pulsed through Brody, and he pressed the accelerator even harder. “Where’d they go?”

  “To the docks.”

  Brody hung up and raced toward the water. He just prayed he wasn’t too late.

  * * *

  “Why would you want to kill anyone, Daniel? You’re a nice guy. That doesn’t make any sense.” Madison backed closer to Mark and farther away from Daniel.

  “I’m not all that nice, Madison.” Daniel pulled out a syringe, popped the top off and pushed all the air out before grinning. “You know your boyfriend left a killer on the streets? He was arrogant enough to think that my sister took her own life after he’d broken her heart. Brody wouldn’t listen to me. I tried to tell him that it was murder disg
uised as suicide, but to those NYC detectives the case was open-and-shut.”

  “Maybe they’ll listen now.”

  Daniel grinned again. “That’s what I’m hoping. It’s a shame that I had to take things to this extreme to get their attention, however.”

  Madison stared at the needle, her imagination already feeling its prick and the oozy aftereffects. But this time Daniel might not simply knock her out. Whatever was in that syringe could kill her.

  “So this has all been about Brody?” Keep him talking, Madison. Keep him talking.

  “I needed to get his attention. That’s why I targeted his pretty neighbor. But then you survived and I realized the poor guy was simply enamored with you.” He shrugged. “That’s when you became my pawn in this game. He hurt the person I loved most, so now I’ll hurt the person he loves the most.”

  “He doesn’t love me, Daniel.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he does. It’s written all over his face. You’re different from his other girlfriends. You’re more like my sister. You’re beautiful, but grounded. You have more to offer than just a good time.”

  “You’re right. She does have a lot to offer, and I love her.”

  Madison gasped at the deep voice booming from the doorway. Brody. He’d found her. Her relief was only momentary.

  Brody slowly stepped inside, his hands raised in surrender. “I’m the one you’re angry with, Daniel. Why don’t you let them go and take this up with me?”

  “Because that would make you appear noble. That’s not what I want.” Daniel clicked his tongue as he shook his head. He pulled a gun from his waistband. “Not what I want at all.” He aimed his weapon at Brody.

  Madison’s heart flinched in fear. Don’t shoot Brody. Don’t shoot Brody. I need to tell him how much I care about him.

  And she did care about him. No matter how much she tried to deny her feelings, she cared. It didn’t matter if they were in a relationship or not—at this point, losing him would hurt either way.

  Now she just needed to tell Brody that she was willing to risk her heart again.

  Faith not fear.

  She breathed in a prayer. She needed to have faith that God would provide the out they needed, that He would protect them. Fear would only paralyze her right now.

  Wind rocked the entire store as the storm got closer. If Daniel didn’t kill them all, then the hurricane might. The building swayed under the strength of the beast. One big gust could send them all into the bay and scrambling for their lives.

  With the gun pointed at Brody and the needle at her, Daniel smirked. “Madison, untie your friend over there.” Daniel pointed at Mark.

  She hurried toward him and fumbled with the tie at his wrists. Finally his hands released from their binds. Mark quickly scrambled to get the noose off and to jerk down the gag at his mouth.

  Daniel nodded toward the door. “Leave. You were just the bait to get them here.”

  Mark’s eyes darted from Madison to Brody, and sweat poured down his face. After what appeared to be a moment of contemplation, he ran from the building without looking back.

  Daniel looked at the chair before nodding to Madison. “Sit.”

  Madison tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. What was this leading up to? Her entire body trembled as she obeyed Daniel’s instructions.

  “Brody, tie up your little girlfriend. I’m going to teach you both a lesson now.”

  Brody stepped forward, his gaze on Madison, as if trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. As he stepped behind her, Daniel hovered closer.

  “Amazing what you can get online, isn’t it? No, this isn’t the other stuff I injected you with. This—” he squirted a drop from the tip of the needle “—is enough codeine to take you from this life for good. Or at least leave you in a vegetative state.”

  Brody’s hand rested on her shoulder. “You don’t want to do that, Daniel. Please, just let her go.”

  Daniel took a step closer, the needle in his hands poised for injection. Madison shuddered at his nearness. Codeine. He’d said he used to work in sports medicine. No wonder he had syringes and knowledge about the medicines.

  Madison shifted, trying to buy time as she searched for an escape route. “How’d you get into all of those houses, Daniel? It was almost like you were a ghost. No signs of forced entry.”

  He smiled, the vacant expression making her shudder. “Easy. I was friends with all of you. I simply swiped the keys out, made copies and returned them before anyone noticed. Simple.”

  What did they have to fight back with? There had to be something…

  An idea hit her. Her camera. It was dark enough that their eyes would be blinded by the shock of the camera flash. If Madison could throw him off balance for a second, perhaps Brody could tackle him.

  Of course this was all dependant on both her flash working correctly and Brody somehow reading her mind.

  Lord, help us.

  The wind rocked the building again. Something creaked outside. Madison feared the sound came from the building’s frame. Rain pounded at the roof. Waves, once lapping, now angrily smashed the underside of the store.

  The sudden cry of the storm even seemed to distract Daniel for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Madison raised her camera and began repeatedly snapping the flash.

  Daniel blinked and backed up a step. Brody didn’t miss a beat. He lunged forward and knocked the gun from his hands.

  The building groaned again and visibly shifted.

  Madison grabbed the shelf beside her to gain steadiness, but all the tackle supplies crashed to the floor.

  Daniel and Brody slammed into the opposite wall. Daniel still held the syringe. Brody grabbed his hands and fought him back. Daniel’s hands curled as he tried to direct the needle toward Brody.

  Madison’s gaze swept the place until she found a fire extinguisher. She slammed it into Daniel’s head. He sank to the ground just as the building rocked again.

  “Come on,” Brody said. “We’ve got to get out of here.” He grabbed her hand and they fought their way upward as water began pouring into the building. The bay and the hurricane tried to eat away at the building with them still inside. The waves had begun to separate the framework, to break away the siding.

  Madison slipped and started sliding with the building toward the water. Brody jerked her arm, holding her. In one motion he propelled her out the entrance. She held on to him, her muscles straining, as the building fell into the bay. Daniel was swept out to sea with it.

  Brody pulled himself onto the concrete slab that had once been a sidewalk. Rain pounded at them, the wind visibly swayed them. At the moment it didn’t matter.

  Brody cupped Madison’s face with his hands and planted a kiss on her lips before wrapping her in a bear hug.

  They’d survived. Barely, but that was enough for Madison.

  * * *

  Shortly after the hurricane had washed the bait and tackle shop into the bay, Sheriff Carl had arrived at the docks to pick up Madison and Brody—Mark had at least been courteous enough to call the cops after he’d fled. Sheriff Carl had taken their statements, and the paramedics had examined them for injuries.

  As soon as the storm had cleared, divers went in search of Daniel’s body. To Madison’s relief, they’d found it floating a few miles away. They discovered that Daniel had been taking steroids, which only added to his psychotic behavior.

  Brody had called his former colleagues in New York City and they’d promised to look into Lindsey’s case again. Kayla had cried over her realizations about Daniel. Lincoln had crawled all over Brody, apparently thankful to have him close by again.

  Through all of that, Madison hadn’t had a moment alone with Brody yet. Though they’d stolen glances
and offered each other hugs and support, they hadn’t talked about anything yet. She was getting anxious.

  That moment finally came after Madison put Lincoln to bed. Two days had passed since they’d found Daniel’s body and life had returned to their new—and safe—normal. Kayla, Sheriff Carl and Bonnie had come over for a cookout, and everyone had hung out talking and playing games in the backyard long after the sun set. The day received Madison’s stamp of approval. But now she was anxious to talk to Brody, to have a moment alone with him.

  She rubbed her hands on her jeans as she sat next to Brody on the couch. “I thought that boy was never going to fall asleep.”

  Brody grinned and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “I hope I didn’t keep him up too late playing catch. The boy’s got a good arm. He’ll definitely be ready for T-ball next year.”

  Madison smiled. The way Brody talked about T-ball made it sound like he might still be around next year to help out. “He loved playing ball with you. And even though he was up past his bedtime, I don’t care. He deserves a break after everything that’s happened.”

  Madison pulled away from Brody for a moment so she could look in his eyes. “Brody…”

  “What’s wrong, Madison?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just…I just wanted to talk about everything that’s happened, about what’s going on between us.”

  Brody’s eyes warmed and he grasped her hand. “I’m glad you asked because I’ve been wanting a moment with you to myself so I could bring that very subject up.” He angled himself toward her and drew in a breath. “I’ve never met anyone like you before, Madison. I can’t imagine what my future would be like without you—and Lincoln—at my side. I was hoping you might feel the same way.”

  She sighed, pleasure filling her heart. She gripped his hand tighter. “Brody, everything that’s happened has reminded me that we’re not promised tomorrow. I have to stop fearing that realization and start making the most of each moment, instead. I want to risk again, Brody. I can’t imagine my tomorrows without you by my side, either.”