Samantha’s eyes widened with fear at the mention of a gun. But hearing that Collin wasn’t coming down to the basement was a relief.
She leaned back against the wall and patted her damp forehead with the sleeve of her coat.
“Please just get the weed and leave so I can get the hell outta here,” she mumbled, fanning her face with Collin’s notebook.
Samantha felt her pant leg sticking to her skin. Just as she bent down to check and see if it was still bleeding, her cell phone rang.
She jumped up and grabbed the phone out of her back pocket. Her hands shook so violently that it fell from her grip and crashed loudly onto the floor.
“Ahh!” she gasped before biting down on her tongue while fumbling around trying to pick it up and silence the ringer. Why hadn’t she done that earlier? Stupid mistake.
“Wait, hold on, dude,” she heard Collin say. “I don’t know. I just heard some weird noise coming from my basement.”
By the time she snatched up the phone and muted the ringer, the call had gone to voice mail.
“Hell yeah, I’m about to go see what’s up,” Collin exclaimed, “but not without my piece!”
Samantha ducked back down behind the washing machine. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gripped them tightly, cringing at the sound of Collin’s feet pounding up the stairs.
Think. Think!
She considered charging up to the dining room and slipping out the door while Collin went upstairs to get his gun. But she knew she probably didn’t have enough time. A quick getaway attempt wasn’t worth the risk of getting caught.
“I highly doubt that someone would be stupid enough to break into my house, man,” she heard Collin holler. “But if somebody did? Hell to pay. That’s all I gotta say. Hell. To. Pay!”
The basement doorknob jiggled, and the creaking door swung open. Samantha winced and recoiled farther into the corner. She could feel the washing machine’s cold metal through her jeans, pressing against her throbbing leg.
“Come out, come out, wherever you aaare,” Collin sang out creepily.
The soles of his shoes thumped slowly down the steps. Samantha’s breath caught in her throat when she heard the click of the gun cock.
“You hear that?” Collin barked. “That’s the sound of my Glock loading a bullet into the chamber. The next thing you’re gonna hear is me pulling the trigger as I unload that bullet into the head of whoever’s down here.”
Tears streamed down Samantha’s face. She closed her eyes and held her breath, afraid to make a sound. Collin had already proven that he wasn’t afraid to kill. Samantha knew her name was at the top of his hit list. If he found her in his basement, it would be an automatic death sentence.
“Nah, you don’t have to hang up,” Collin growled into the phone. “This is what I do. I want you to hear me blast the fool that was crazy enough to break into my house!”
His tone grew louder with each word. Samantha realized that she was trapped. If she didn’t think of something soon, Collin would undoubtedly find her. And kill her.
As she frantically scanned the laundry room in search of some sort of weapon, the doorbell rang.
“Man, what the f—” Collin griped. His shoes screeched against the floor as the doorbell rang several times. “I’m coming!” he yelled while running back up the stairs. “Uh-uh, it’s all good. Whoever’s in this basement ain’t gettin’ out!”
When Samantha heard Collin stomping across the floor above her head, she silently thanked the universe for the gift of more time.
“Oh!” he bellowed, his voice traveling through the vent. “My extra TV screens and poker table are here.”
Samantha listened as the front door opened. She once again thought about making a run for it and escaping out the back door. But she didn’t think she’d make it without being seen.
“Yep, bring it all in,” Collin said. “But just leave it in the living room for now. I’m dealing with a pest control problem in the basement. I’ll have my boys help me take this stuff down later.”
Samantha hopped up so quickly that she almost tumbled over. Crouching down in the corner had caused her legs to fall asleep. But she couldn’t focus on the numbness or the gash in her shin. She had to figure out a way to escape Collin’s house.
She held her hands to her face and paced the laundry area.
When she reached the far end of room, Samantha noticed a white folding door that blended into the wall. She slowly opened it. A dark, partially renovated alcove was on the other side.
A bolt of hope shot through Samantha’s chest. She slipped inside the nook and pulled the folding door shut, then climbed up on the wooden bench that sat below a frosted arched window.
She carefully pressed her hands against the window, which upon further inspection, appeared to be fixed and unable to open.
“Dammit!” she hissed.
Please don’t do this to me, Samantha thought while gripping the handles along each pane. Please open. Please open...
“Yep, thanks, guys,” Collin called out. “I appreciate you!”
The next thing she heard was the sound of the front door slamming.
She yanked the handles as hard as she could. The window didn’t budge.
“Naw, man, I’m telling you, you need to stay on the phone and hear this!” Collin laughed. “I’m about to go back down into the basement and exterminate the rodent that invaded my space!”
Just as Collin bounced down the stairs, Samantha gave the window one last yank. She almost fell backward when it flew open.
A silent sob of relief shook her entire body. Samantha clutched the windowpane and scaled the wall with her toes. She struggled to pull her body up. When the gash in her calf scraped the wall, a burning pain shot up her leg. She clenched her teeth, determined to ignore the agony and escape the basement.
“Get out here, you coward!” Collin yelled. “My nine and I got something we’d like to discuss with you!”
That was all Samantha needed to hear to pull herself out of the window. She tumbled onto the side of the house and hopped up, then hobbled toward the front yard.
The delivery truck was pulling away from the curb. She bit her bottom lip and limped into the street, shuffling alongside the truck in an attempt to stay hidden from Collin’s house.
Her breathing quickened as she rummaged around inside her pocket for her car key. When the remote fell into her palm, she yanked it out, frantically pressing the fob.
Samantha tumbled onto her car and snatched open the door. She quickly climbed inside, picking up her injured leg and groaning while dragging it over the door sill. She fumbled with the key for several seconds before it finally slid inside the ignition.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” she cried out, turning the engine, then slamming the door shut. Her right foot got caught underneath the brake pedal as she rushed to get the hell out of there.
“Come on!” Samantha screamed. She wiggled in her seat until finally freeing her foot, then stomped on the brake and threw the gearshift into Drive.
Her chest filled with thick waves of panic. She peeled away from the curb and tore down the street as thin streams of air poured from her mouth.
“Calm down,” she choked, pressing her hand against her neck and massaging it rigorously.
Just before she turned the corner, Samantha glanced in the rearview mirror. She watched as Collin came rushing out of his house, his head swiveling from side to side as he searched the block. He was still holding his gun in his hand.
“This was too much,” she sobbed. “This was way too close.”
Her entire body shook uncontrollably when she realized just how close she’d come to getting herself killed.
Samantha grabbed her cell phone and called Gregory. The call went straight to voice mail, and it took everything in her not to comple
tely break down.
“Gregory,” she choked, “it’s Sam. I spoke to Kenzie earlier today, and she told me that she thinks Collin is in the drug business. So I...” She paused, unable to admit that she’d broken into Collin’s house. “I just really need to talk to you. No, actually, I really need to see you. Please call me as soon as you get this.”
She disconnected the call and sped down the street, anxious to lock herself inside her house and wait on Detective Harris to get there.
Chapter Ten
“Seriously, Samantha,” Gregory stressed as he paced her living room floor. “What in the hell would possess you to break into Collin’s house? I thought you were kidding when you made that, that outrageous suggestion over dinner. What were you thinking?”
“For the tenth time, the door opened accidentally. I stepped through it. Maybe someone was in jeopardy,” she said, clearly pretending. “Besides, I was triggered by the phone call with Kenzie. Plus Collin violated my home first, remember? On more than one occasion, might I add. Now, I can agree that what I did today was dangerous. But Collin deserved it.”
Gregory turned and faced her, his eyebrows shooting up so high that they practically touched his hairline. “Wait, you actually think there’s a difference between breaking into someone’s house and what you did today?”
“Yes,” Samantha snipped, defiantly folding her arms in front of her and plopping down onto the couch. “There is.”
The detective could see the lingering fear behind her rebellious glare. He knew she was fighting to conceal how shaken up the run-in at Collin’s house had left her.
“Well, let me ask you this,” he said. “Did Collin invite you over?”
“No.”
“Was he home when you got there?”
“No.”
“Did you have permission to enter his house? Or did you just stroll through the door without—”
“Yes, I did just stroll through the door. The open door. As I said, someone could have been hurt and—”
“And you should have just called for help, not gone in,” he said.
“Okay, okay,” Samantha interrupted. “I get it. I shouldn’t have gone inside Collin’s home. But I did. And as a result, I got my hands on some explosive information,” she insisted, grabbing the notebook she’d found in his trunk. “Accidentally. I found it accidentally and meant to put it back, but things happened,” she said, hardly making an effort to cover her guilt.
When Gregory threw her a doubtful side eye, Samantha patted the seat next to her.
“Please,” she continued, “come on. Sit down so we can put a plan together on what we’re going to do with all this new intel that I—”
“Excuse me,” Gregory interjected. “But what exactly am I supposed to do with the new intel you stole out of Collin’s house? Go to Chief Wentworth and tell him that his son is selling drugs, and the reason why I know is because Samantha Vincent entered his home illegally and lifted his drug ledger? I just—I can’t...”
Samantha watched as Gregory, frustrated, ran his hands down his goatee and stared up at the ceiling.
“Actually, I don’t think you’re going to be able to go to Chief Wentworth and talk to him about any of this,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, I know I can’t. Because, like I said, the route you took to obtain that information is completely unlawful, and—”
“Gregory. Please, sit down. You don’t even know the half of it. There’s way more to Collin’s drug operation than you think.”
He paused and dropped his head, then finally walked over to the couch and took a seat.
“What in the world have I gotten myself into?” he muttered.
Samantha stopped thumbing through the notebook and turned to him. “Listen, I know what I did was...sketchy. And the last thing I want to do is drag you into a situation that could jeopardize your job. But the men we’re dealing with here are dirty. They need to be called out and apprehended.”
“I understand all that. But—”
“Hold on, Gregory.” She reached over and gently placed her hand on his forearm. “Let me finish.”
Her touch penetrated through his shirt and caused a sensual rush to shoot straight through his chest. It shut him up immediately.
“Now, as you already know,” Samantha continued, “I tried to go the legitimate route and seek justice the right way. However, considering what I’m about to share with you, I can no longer color within the lines. But I can’t do this alone. I need to know that you’re all in. One hundred percent. Are you down?”
The detective stared at the floor, unable to look her in the eyes for fear of what her gaze might do to his judgment as well as his libido. After several moments of contemplation, he nodded his head.
“Yes. I’m down.”
“Whew! Good.” Samantha sighed and relaxed her hunched shoulders. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
She moved in closer to him and opened Collin’s notebook. As their thighs brushed up against each other, Gregory struggled to focus on the contents of the book rather than her electrifying touch.
“So like I was saying,” Samantha continued, “this ledger proves that Collin is running a major drug ring. What surprised me is that the ins and outs of the entire operation all appear to be right here in the notebook.”
“Wow. That’s crazy. In this day and age, you’d think he would’ve kept this information locked away on a secured computer. I can’t understand why Collin would have something like this just lying around his house.”
Samantha flipped through the book’s pages. “Well, sometimes we get lucky.”
“You certainly did. So what’d you find in it?” he asked, willing himself to focus on her words rather than the exotic floral scent of perfume pulsating off her neck.
“A lot of what you see here are coded or abbreviated words. But I did a little research online while I was waiting for you to get here, and I think I’ve cracked the codes on what a lot of them mean.”
Gregory studied the bright blue columns filled with random terms, numbers and addresses. “Okay, I already recognize some of this terminology. But I’m interested to hear what you came up with.”
Samantha turned to the back of the notebook. “For starters, I think Collin put the most important information on the last pages. See where it says Chef’s Menu? I think that’s code for drug recipes.”
“Yeah, I’m familiar with the slang terminology where people refer to drug dealers concocting drugs as chefs cooking in the kitchen.”
“Exactly. Then next it says Diane, as if that’s the name of a person who’ll be preparing the meal. But I think that’s code for diamorphine, which as you know is the main ingredient in heroin.”
“Oh, wow. I agree. Good catch.”
Gregory glanced over at Samantha, watching as her supple lips spread into an appreciative smile. He fought off the urge to lean over and kiss her.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m just getting started. You see where it says meat with a side of fennel? I actually think Collin’s referring to meth and fentanyl.”
The detective’s eyes widened as he studied the list. “Hmm. Once again, I think you’re correct.”
“And here where it says oysters?”
“Let me guess,” Gregory chimed in. “Oxycodone.”
Samantha leaned back and threw him a sly smirk. “See, we’re on the same page. I told you we make a great team.”
“Yes, we do,” Gregory murmured, his ardent tone intimating that he meant more than just business.
She eyed him curiously before turning her attention back to the notebook. “And you already know the meaning behind the rest of these ingredients. Flour, cornstarch, powdered milk, sugar...”
“Yes, ma’am. Fillers that would bulk up Collin’s product and increase his profit margin.”
“You
got it.” Samantha raised her hand in the air and gave the detective a high five.
“And look,” she continued, flipping through several pages. “I think these addresses belong to Collin’s clients and possibly some of his drug runners. The dates listed track when the transactions occurred, and I think the numbers represent how much money he puts out and how much he brings in.”
“Wow...” Gregory’s eyes shifted from the book to Samantha. “You know, while I don’t condone how you got ahold of this ledger, I have to admit, I am in awe right now. Your analysis is really impressive. Now we just need to figure out exactly how I should present this information to Chief Wentworth. He’s going to be devastated when he finds out Collin’s involved in all this.”
Samantha closed the notebook and gently placed her hand on Gregory’s thigh. “Yeah, about that...”
Without thinking, he covered her hand with his and looked her directly in the eye. “What about it?” he whispered, unable to project his voice properly due to a stirring sensation in his lower abdomen.
Samantha glanced down at his hand then looked back up at him and cleared her throat. “When I was paging through the book, I stumbled upon a list of pickup locations for the drugs. Guess whose name was at the very top of the list?”
“Whose?”
“Chief Wentworth’s.”
Gregory felt his entire body go numb. He fell against the back of the couch as a pang of nausea hit the pit of his stomach.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he moaned. “So he’s in on all this, too?”
“According to this ledger, yes.”
The detective balled his hands into tight fists. “This is starting to feel exactly like what I went through in Chicago all over again. The reason why I came to Gattenburg was to get the hell away from all the corruption and foul behavior. And now this.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows onto his knees. “I just feel so sick. And betrayed.”
Samantha reached out and caressed his back reassuringly. “I’m so sorry, Gregory. I really didn’t want to have to tell you that. But at least you know whom you’re dealing with now. And you know why I had to act in such an...unorthodox...manner. We’re talking major corruption here.”
Cold Case True Crime Page 11
