by Brenda Novak
“What happens when Zoe tells the police what I said about Paddy?” she asked.
“It’ll send them on a wild-goose chase.”
“Except that wild-goose chase might lead right back to us! It’ll lead to the cabin, at any rate, because that’s the most obvious place to look.”
“Tiff, Sam will be long gone by then. As soon as Misty goes to lunch, I’ll slip out and head up that way. Tell Zoe that Paddy owns a cabin and you think that might be where he’s keeping Sam. Then take her up there. I’ll be waiting.”
“I can’t leave work in the middle of the day.”
“Sure you can. Tell Hargraves that you’re sick.”
“What about you? You won’t be able to get back before Misty returns from lunch.”
“I’ll tape a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. She won’t even know I left.”
“What if she comes in to deliver a message? The moment she sees you’re gone she’ll run straight to Mr. Scovil.”
“I’ve made it clear to her that she’s not to come in when I don’t want her to. I’ll say I’m going to be working all afternoon and don’t want to be interrupted for any reason.” When he didn’t have the work done, he’d be in trouble. But that would happen later. After the meeting he’d just had with his boss, he doubted he could save his job, anyway. Although Scovil had been one of his biggest supporters, he’d become disenchanted over the past few months. Drawing out the end, forcing the firm to fire him instead of walking out, was the most Colin could hope for.
“They could still catch you…somehow.”
“I’m not worried about my job. I’m sick of working here. I can find something better.”
“I thought you loved it!”
He loved the image it gave him, but he could maintain that without them, if necessary. “This firm isn’t my style. It’s too restrictive. Maybe I’ll open my own practice.”
This met with stunned silence. Then she said, “You’re changing, Colin.”
“No, I’m not.”
“It’s the drugs, isn’t it?”
“It’s not the drugs. I haven’t taken anything today. Will you calm down?”
“How will we get by without your paycheck?”
“We’ll manage.”
“But you just bought me this diamond ring!”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? I’m sick of having my every move monitored. I hate it here. Do you care more about that than me?”
No response.
Pulling a hand mirror out of his desk drawer, he checked his hair and smoothed it down. He’d let Scovil and Stivers upset him, but he shouldn’t have. He could get away with anything. His mother had always hated that about him. “Tiffany?”
“What?”
“Will you help me or not?”
“I don’t think we should kidnap Zoe.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too…bold.”
“We can pin it on Paddy. It’ll be easy. You wait and see.”
“Colin, please…I want to solve our problems, not make them worse.”
He stopped the skier and sprang to his feet. “We had a deal, Tiffany. After this, it’ll all be over, like we agreed. But you have to trust me. I can’t get us out of this if you won’t work with me.”
“We can’t go to the cabin. Zoe will call the police and they’ll head right up there.”
“Doesn’t matter. Giving them one wrong turn will get them lost for at least an hour. You know what it’s like. By the time they reach the cabin, I’ll have Sam and Zoe and be outta there.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll talk Tommy into getting me his cousin’s rental house in Chester.”
“And where will I be?” she asked.
There was that jealousy again. He was getting tired of it. How many times did he have to reassure her? “You’ll be waiting to relate the terrible tale of how you arrived at the cabin to find my father with Sam. You’ll say he pulled a rifle on you, forced Sam and Zoe into a car you didn’t recognize and took off.”
“No! We can’t get away with it!”
“Sure we can. We’ll muss your hair, scratch you up a bit, make it look like you fought to save them. You’ll be a hero. And I’ll have what I want, too.”
“What you want,” she said.
He ignored the bitterness he heard in that comment. “It’s perfect. So, will you call her?”
“Now?”
“Of course.”
“Tell me again why I’m doing this?” she said.
He smiled. “Because you love me.”
CHAPTER 33
Jonathan stood inside Colin Bell’s living room and turned off his cell phone so it couldn’t surprise him when he least expected it. He knew Colin and Tiffany were at work—he’d spoken to each of them—but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t come home for lunch. Or that Colin wouldn’t get himself fired from Scovil, Potter & Clay and be asked to pack up his desk and leave.
Slipping the tool he’d used to break in via the back door into his pocket, he donned a pair of latex gloves and looked around. He was taking a risk by being here. If he got caught, he could be charged with breaking and entering. But he had little hope that going the legal route would work at this particular moment. There wasn’t enough evidence to justify a search warrant. He had nothing—except a very bad feeling about the Bells and a sense of urgency—probably because he’d heard from Jasmine again, right after he’d spoken to Tiffany, and she’d been frantic.
She said he needed to find Sam now.
That gave him no time to go through other channels. A warrant could take days, if it happened at all.
A quick look around was the quickest, most efficient way to achieve his goal. And he didn’t feel too guilty about it. If he was right about the Bells, this could save Sam’s life. If he was wrong, there’d be no harm done, especially if he was careful.
Vacuum strokes scored the carpet, and the place smelled mildly of lemon furniture polish and other cleaning supplies. That meshed with what he’d seen from the front door when he’d spoken to Colin on previous occasions, so it didn’t seem unusual. But he knew this level of cleanliness wouldn’t bode well for finding any residue of Sam’s presence—if she’d ever been here. Jasmine insisted she was in a forest somewhere, but if Tiffany had kidnapped her—which had to be the case since Colin hadn’t been home at the time—Sam would’ve been in this house at some point.
An extensive search provided no proof of it, however. Except for the master bedroom, the rooms upstairs were mostly devoid of furniture, which made them easy to check. One had a desk and scrapbooking materials in plastic organizer drawers—obviously a crafts room for Tiffany. Another, heavily soundproofed, had a set of drums and nothing else. But that wasn’t surprising, either. Young couples often furnished only the main rooms of the house until they had children or some other reason to spend the extra money.
The mirror affixed to the ceiling of the master bedroom might be a tacky addition, but certainly wasn’t proof of wrongdoing. And he saw nothing kinkier than that, nothing he would’ve expected to find in the home of a man who could torture a child for months.
Thirty minutes later, after going through every nook and cranny including the attic and garage, Jonathan returned to the living room. He’d discovered some sleeping pills in the cupboard over the refrigerator. They were the same brand as the ones Zoe had supposedly bought the night he found her in the motel room. But it was a very common brand, so that wasn’t incriminating in itself.
He’d also noticed a mattress leaning against the wall in the garage—probably a hand-me-down—and some dog food. A large sack that was open and partially used, it called to mind Toby’s claim that he’d been treated like a dog, especially because the Bells didn’t seem to have any animals. But for all Jonathan knew, Colin and Tiffany occasionally agreed to dog-sit for a friend.
Regardless, Sam wasn’t here. There wasn’t a single solid indication that she ever had been. And he’d seen not
hing to make him believe Colin and Tiffany were anything other than what they appeared to be.
Shit. He was going to lose this one, was going to lose Sam. Zoe’s child….
Every heartbeat pounded like a fist as he closed his eyes. He’d never felt so frustrated, so helpless or so inadequate. Apparently, he’d been wasting his time today, chasing a very unlikely culprit, just when Sam needed him most.
Maybe it was the discouragement, or the fact that he was preoccupied hashing over every detail of the past week, wondering where he’d gone wrong and what he could’ve done better, but he didn’t realize someone was home until he heard the jingle of keys.
And by then, there was no time to get out.
* * *
Where was Jonathan? After what she’d learned from Tiffany Bell, Zoe desperately wanted to reach him. But she’d tried his cell at least a dozen times, and her calls kept going to voice mail.
She’d just left him another message and was leaving one for Detective Thomas, as well, when Tiffany’s call—the call she’d been waiting for—came in. “Hello?”
“I have the directions,” Tiffany announced, more somber than strident.
The adrenaline pouring through Zoe’s system brought a quaver to her voice. “So you think you can find it?”
“The cabin’s pretty remote, but…” Her sigh seemed nervous. But Zoe could understand why she might feel out of her element. It was a serious accusation she’d launched against Colin’s father. “…I’ve been there before and can probably manage. I just worry that I could be wrong. In a way, I hope I am. But, God, it would be terrible to make this kind of mistake.”
“I appreciate your willingness to come forward. I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision.”
“It feels really disloyal. I hate it. But Colin wanted me to call you just in case.”
“How many times did Paddy mention Sam?”
“Over the months? A few. He said…well, you know, that she was pretty.”
Zoe couldn’t help wincing at the way he must’ve meant that compliment.
“Still, I never would’ve thought anything of it, even after he went missing,” Tiffany explained, “if Colin hadn’t reminded me of…of his own childhood. It’s really Colin you have to thank. He’s the one who remembered the cabin, too.”
Guilt made Zoe repent the negative thoughts she’d entertained about her neighbor. He’d had a horribly abusive childhood. It was astonishing that he’d turned out as normal as he had.
“And the cabin’s surrounded by pine trees? It’s in the mountains?” She knew it was, but she had to hear it again.
“Yes.”
Jasmine had told Jonathan that Sam was in a forest. It all fit. The second Zoe had received Tiffany’s initial call, her intuition had told her this was it. She’d found her daughter—or would, soon.
Now it was just a matter of getting to Sam as soon as possible.
“It’s the best lead we’ve had so far, definitely worth a shot,” Zoe said. Maybe her gut was wrong, but after spending all morning with Toby, who could barely recall his own name, let alone the name of the man who’d beaten him, Zoe was willing to take almost any risk if it might bring her daughter home.
“I don’t know,” Tiffany mused. “I’m sort of having second thoughts.”
“About what?”
“About taking you with me. Maybe you should stay here and let me go by myself. I could call you.”
“There’s cell reception?”
“Not at the cabin, but…I’d just drive partway back.”
That could take forever. What if Sam needed her mother? “No, I want to be there. You shouldn’t go alone, anyway.”
“Oh, Paddy would never hurt me. He’s not like that.”
He was if he was the man who’d nearly killed Toby. “I hope you’re right.”
“I could ask Colin to come with me instead,” Tiffany suggested.
Zoe dug at her cuticles. It might be good if he joined them, in case Paddy got violent. Tiffany said Paddy wasn’t like that, but Zoe wasn’t convinced. “Is he available?”
“Not yet, but we could wait until he gets off work.”
“No, we can’t put it off.” Zoe had too much riding on this. Sam was at the cabin, in the forest. She had to be. Everything Tiffany said made sense. Zoe had talked to someone at the police station who’d confirmed that a missing person’s report had been filed for a Paddy Bell. Even the questions Jonathan had asked her this morning lent credibility to Tiffany’s words. The Bells were involved—just not the way he’d suspected.
She couldn’t wait to tell him it wasn’t Colin and Tiffany but Paddy Bell who was at fault.
If Paddy was the one at fault.
“You’re sure you want to come?” Tiffany asked.
Zoe could tell she wasn’t very excited about the idea. She was probably as afraid of what they’d find, and what it would mean, as Zoe. “I’m sure.”
“Okay, then. I’m turning in to the hospital to pick you up. Do you see me?”
Zoe stepped away from the building and shaded her eyes. Sure enough, Tiffany’s blue BMW was at the main entrance. “Yes, I see you. I’m standing right in front.”
“There you are.” Coming to a stop, she hung up without saying goodbye but offered Zoe a tentative smile when she opened the door.
“I can’t tell you much I appreciate this,” Zoe said.
Tiffany wiped the sweat beading on her upper lip and adjusted the air-conditioning vents while Zoe got in and fumbled with her seat belt. “No problem.”
“Colin knows we’re going without him?”
Tiffany nodded. “He called the police about Paddy, too.”
“Good. At least there are people who know where we’re heading, and Colin will be around to give them directions.”
Tiffany adjusted the vents again. “Did you get hold of your P.I.?”
Zoe finally managed to fasten her seat belt. “Not yet.”
“That’s too bad.”
The doors locked automatically as Tiffany gave the car some gas.
* * *
Just get her out of town…Just get her out of town…Just get her out of town. Then Colin will be there, and he can take over.
Tiffany tried to remain calm, but she was sweating so much she was nearly soaked, and the anxiety made her stomach ache. Maybe Colin had killed a previous pet up at the cabin, but only because he’d gotten carried away. It was the drugs, pushing him into an act he hadn’t really meant to carry out. He’d let his first pet go along the highway in Utah, and he wouldn’t have harmed Rover if Rover had obeyed.
This was different. It was the first time she’d purposely lured someone off to be killed, knowing in advance exactly what would happen.
But she wanted this. Somehow, she hated Zoe as she’d never hated anyone. Zoe had stolen Colin. Maybe she hadn’t done it intentionally, but ever since he’d become infatuated with her he hadn’t been the same. Zoe threatened everything Tiffany loved, everything Tiffany had. Zoe needed to go. And Tiffany wanted Colin to do it, to prove he cared more for her than he did their former neighbor.
That did little to ease the fear, however. There were so many things that could go wrong. She kept imagining Jonathan Stivers calling Zoe on the cell phone Zoe held on her lap. He could insist they stop and wait for him. Or that detective who’d been involved could do the same. Tiffany had been lying when she said she’d notified the police. She’d only been hoping to learn if Zoe had already contacted them herself—and to stop her if she planned to.
Just get her out of town. If they could reach the mountains, they’d lose reception and Tiffany could relax. A little bit, anyway.
Eyeing her own cell phone, which rested on the console, she finally broke down and called Colin. She had to have some idea of where he was, some assurance that he’d be able to escape the office when he thought he could.
“Hi, how’s work this afternoon?” she asked when he answered. She made sure her voice sounded casual, but s
he hoped he’d clue in to what she was really asking, and he didn’t disappoint her.
“I’m not at the cabin yet,” he said. “I ran home to get the credit card on my desk. I’ll need some way to pay for groceries and gas. And that put me behind.”
He must’ve left it when he’d ordered those bondage implements over the Internet for their party with his friends. The package had arrived the following day—express courier—but she hadn’t seen it since Paddy died and Colin had scrubbed the house from top to bottom. All the toys they owned were gone. Colin had cleaned out everything, including the bonus room. “Where—where did you put the things in that box that was delivered last week?”
“What things?”
“You know, the party favors for Friday night that you ordered over the Internet.”
“Oh, they’re safe, in my trunk.”
He was bringing them with him. Tiffany’s stomach gave another painful lurch as she imagined the night ahead. She wanted Zoe dead, but she didn’t want to watch Colin have sex with her first. If he acted too kind or loving, it’d break her heart. And, even if he wasn’t loving, even if he only wanted to hurt her, Tiffany had no desire to watch. She didn’t have the appetite for torture that he did. He found it funny, exhilarating, stimulating. He achieved some sort of sexual gratification from making others scream and cry. But it just made her sick.
She wondered if he’d let her leave or if he’d demand she watch.
Or participate…
Or help bury the bodies…
She stifled a shudder.
“Tiff?” Colin said.
“What?”
“Zoe’s with you, right?”
“Yes. She’s here. We’re on our way.”
Zoe glanced over and smiled. She was nervous, too, Tiffany realized. She seemed intensely focused and hardly talked at all, which was fine. Tiffany couldn’t manage much of a conversation at the moment. She was too afraid she’d sound strange or make a revealing comment, accidentally alerting Zoe that the situation was not what she’d represented it to be. Tiffany knew how quickly an errand such as this could go bad. Take Rover, for instance.
“How close are you to the cabin?” Colin asked.
