Wrapped In Shadows

by Eugene, Lisa

  “No, you calm the fuck down! You had every chance to get rid of her, and you blew it!”

  “I’m not the idiot who killed the wrong girl,” Bruce stated calmly.

  My gaze flicked back and forth between the two men, following the remarks, but unwilling to give credence to what I was hearing. Bruce’s last statement finally shattered my shocked resistance, and ice cold fear crystallized my body. They were the ones responsible for Ms. Carmen’s death, for the death of that other woman, and for setting up Luke. I’d been so sure it had been Josh! Frantic with this discovery, I started kicking while pummeling his arm in an attempt to get away. Sadly, I realized there must be no one else at the office, or the two men would not be speaking so candidly. Plus someone would have surely heard my struggles by now. Stark terror sloshed through my veins when I realized no one would come to my aid. This man was a lot bigger and stronger than Carol and my efforts to escape were futile. The irony of this was I probably wouldn’t have remembered him if he hadn’t grabbed me. Now thinking about it, I was sure he was the man I’d seen outside my apartment building when I was getting into the cab.

  “What do you suggest we do with her?” Glen asked, his voice rough with sarcasm.

  Bruce’s lips turned up in contemplation like he was perusing a menu trying to decide what to order. I couldn’t believe Luke’s friend was party to this. Luke had told me how close he was to Bruce. He would be devastated. My eyes stung as tears tracked down my cheeks, and my body trembled with a clammy sweat.

  “I say we kill her and leave her in Luke’s office. Let the police wonder if the charges were dropped too quickly.”

  *************************

  Luke

  “Rewind that part again!” Luke ordered roughly.

  I watched as Carlos pressed a button on the black remote. Images on the screen jumped backwards in a blur of color. “Stop!”

  My gaze fluttered over the screen, my eyes squinting in honed concentration. Damn! This was the second time I’d gone through the video. I knew there had to be something here. Shaking my head, I turned to Carlos. “Wasn’t there also a camera in the parking garage?”

  The shorter man nodded, his expression still skeptical as he responded, “Yes, but there wasn’t much on it.”

  “Let’s take a look,” I said, bouncing anxiously on my heels.

  Carlos did some quick tapping on the monitor and a panoramic view of the parking garage came into keen focus. My body shifted forward slightly, my brows arched as I absorbed the footage. I cursed, disappointment rolling through me as nothing familiar came up on the screen. I watched strangers get in and out of cars, shuffling back and forth to the club. “Fast forward.”

  Carlos obediently hit a button.

  “Stop!”

  The investigator’s mustache almost leaped off his face at my sharp command.

  “Son of a bitch!” I swore under my breath as my thoughts coalesced and my fear became a stark reality. The camera from Sensations had an open view of the lot and caught a sliver of the side street. In the forefront of the video a group of men was exiting a large vehicle. But in the background, just on the edge of the screen, a car pulled up and backed into a parking spot. A dark haired man in a yellow trench coat got out of the car. He closed the door then walked out of the camera’s view. He’d only been on the monitor for a split second. I guessed he thought he’d avoided the camera by parking across the street and not in the lot. But that second had been long enough. I could make out the man’s face. I recognized the face and the yellow trench coat. The same face that was in the grainy picture of Roslyn’s murder scene. Glen.

  Glen had been at Sensations that night. He’d probably snuck in through one of the side doors, waited for Ms. Carmen in her room, and killed her. He’d set me up for Ms. Carmen’s murder. Red-hot fury and a numbing pain almost leveled him as more pieces of the puzzle came together and I understood why. He’d probably paid Josh off to plant the rope in my office.

  I’d never understood why Katie had been a target. I’d thought perhaps to stop her from coming forward as my alibi, but it was much worse. In Carlos’s office, I remembered what she’d said. She’d mentioned seeing a flasher that night along with a master and a cowboy. The yellow trench coat. She’d seen Glen, and he must have known she’d be able to recognize him. I remembered seeing him in the coat at my office.

  I needed to go to the police, but I needed to warn Katie first. She was in real danger.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number, praying to God that she’d answer. I hung up and tried again when it went straight to voicemail. Was she avoiding me? Was she with Josh? The thought added more fuel to my already raging anger, and stabbing the buttons of my phone, I called Michelle.

  I needed answers dammit, and was going to get them!

  *************************

  Katie

  I fought like a mad woman. I scratched, bit, and kicked my heels into Glen’s legs, but found I couldn’t break from his ruthless clutches. He held me tighter now, his body at my back with one arm wrenching my shoulders and the other an iron belt around my waist. A coarse breath grated between my open lips and my bosom heaved from exertion. My ponytail loosened and hair fell disheveled around my face, strands matted to my damp cheeks. Terror had already claimed my body, and was now snatching whatever bit of hope was left in my heart. All I knew was that I was not going down easily. I would fight like the devil until the end, and hopefully inflict some damage of my own.

  I heard a sharp ding and at first thought it might be my imagination, that I’d heard the neurons sparking in my brain, but the look on Bruce’s face confirmed that it had come from around the corridor. Someone had gotten off the elevator. Rapid-fire relief exploded throughout my body and immediately I redoubled my efforts. I started to scream and Glen clapped a hand over my mouth, locking in the noise.

  “Take her in that room!” Bruce whispered urgently.

  I twisted and wrung myself sideways as Glen started dragging my flailing body toward the closest office. My coat was askew, ripped apart now down the middle and he’d quickly jerked the strap of my purse around my neck. It tightened and loosened with my struggles, drawing water from my eyes as I fought to snatch a breath through my nose. My heels scraped along the floor as he violently manhandled my body and I wished for some traction, something that could impede his progress.

  I tried to think of anything that might save me as they moved through the door, but it became an effort just to breathe. I banged my hand hard against the door frame, my already damaged arm screaming from the sudden pain. The noise echoed through the hall and gave me hope. It had to be Luke who’d gotten off the elevator. It had to be. Oh, God, please let it be Luke! My heart beat savagely against my ribs. If they succeeded in hiding me, in keeping my subdued, he’d never even know I was here. They’d kill me. They’d get away.

  Think! Think! Think!

  *************************

  Luke

  I thought I heard a noise echoing through the empty office, and I followed it around the corner. I’d left Bruce here, but would have expected him to be gone by now. It was late. I prayed that Katie would still be here, that I hadn’t missed her. Michelle said she’d been on her way here. After my conversation with Michelle, I wanted nothing more than to see her, to hold her, and to chase away her worries.

  I pulled up short when I saw Bruce bending in the hallway, collecting folders off the floor. He must have dropped them. That must have been the noise I’d heard as Carlos and I had gotten off the elevator. Carlos wanted to ask her a few questions. I hoped it wouldn’t take long. Katie and I had a lot to discuss.

  “Hey, you seen Katie?” I asked immediately, grabbing the last folder from the floor and handing it to Bruce.

  Bruce straightened, holding the neat pile in front of him. “Katie? No. What would she be doing here?”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “Michelle said she was going to stop by. I was hoping to catch her.�
��

  Bruce shrugged casually, his gaze drifting to Carlos. “Naw, I haven’t seen anyone.”

  I realized the men had never met. “Oh, Bruce this is Carlos, the P.I. I hired. Carlos, Bruce.”

  Bruce gave a friendly nod to the other man then explained, “I’ve been busy trying to get these personnel files ready for Glen to pick up.” His lips tilted. “My boss works me to the bone.”

  Carlos smiled, but I tensed at the sound of Glen’s name. My brows pulled together. “I thought he was coming by earlier today.”

  “Nope. Can’t make it until tomorrow. I should be wrapping up soon, but if I see Katie, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her. Everything okay?”

  I expelled a long breath, clapping my friend’s back. “I hope so. Thanks, bud. It’s late. She must have gone home. I’ll catch up with her there.”

  Bruce shot me a teasing wink. “She’s probably home waiting for you. Hopefully wearing nothing but a smile on her face. I’ve got some Kenny G. CDs, if you want to borrow them.”

  My lips twitched. I found it hard to share his humor when apprehension was still nudging me hard. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

  I turned to leave and that’s when I saw it, and the sight of it plundered air from my lungs. On the floor next to a nearby office was a tiny gold keychain. I recognized it instantly. I could even make out the initials I’d had engraved. I ignored the clamor in my chest, and reclaiming my breath, I turned back to Bruce.

  I scrubbed a palm along my jaw, testing it. “So, no sign of Katie, huh?”

  He shrugged. “Sorry, dude. I’ll be sure to—”

  I couldn’t stand to listen to another word. My fist swung fast and furious to my friend’s jaw, heartbreaking disappointment powering my arm.

  My actions caused Carlos, who’d taken a few steps towards the main corridor, to spin around suddenly. The files in Bruce’s hands crashed to the floor and scattered around our feet, but he recovered quickly and delivered a hard jab to my mid-section. I blocked his next punch, turning to see Carlos’s shocked face.

  “Katie is here!” I yelled.

  Carlos quickly pulled his gun from a holster, training it on Bruce.

  “Don’t move!” the investigator ordered. Bruce tossed him a angry look, but his arms dropped limply to his sides.

  I tore through the door to the office, my steps slowing to a grinding halt and my heart wrenching painfully at the sight of Katie’s wide, terrified blue eyes. She was across the room and Glen was behind her, fusing her body to his. He had a hand over her mouth, and a scissor blade gouged into the flesh at her twisted neck. His eyes were agitated and I could see a fine tremor in his hands. If he severed her jugular vein, she’d be dead. It would be that easy, that quick. Oh, God! For Katie’s sake, I had to will myself to calm the fuck down.

  I raised both palms and adopted a stance I hoped was non-threatening.

  “Let her go, Glen. Let her go. You have ACE. You’ve destroyed my business. You got what you wanted.”

  Glen’s gaze shifted wildly like a caged animal. I swore under my breath. The crazed fear and hostility I could see radiating from this man made him dangerous—made him unpredictable. He was like a tight band ready to snap. I had to keep him distracted, had to keep his focus away from Katie.

  “I know what you’ve been up to, Glen. I figured it out. I won’t tell anyone. Just let her go,” I said slowly.

  “Shut up! You know nothing!”

  I took a step toward them and watched him jerk Katie roughly. Anger boiled inside me, almost choking the air in my lungs, but I slid a lid on my emotions and stopped my progression. The sight of Katie held captive by this madman was killing me. All of the helplessness and impotence I felt with Roslyn surged through me. I had to save Katie.

  “I know you had to stop me from buying ACE. You knew Tom would never sell to me if my reputation was ruined, if my company was going under. With his health issues, he didn’t have time to start this process over again with someone else. You knew he’d choose you.”

  “I deserve that company. Tom’s an old man—a dying man! I’ve run that company for years!”

  I paused for a moment, my tone dropping an octave. “Yes. But it’s really not about ACE, is it? ACE is a cover for your more lucrative business. The one you were afraid I’d find out about if I took over the company.”

  I weighed Glen’s reaction. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I had to play the cards I had. The man’s eyes splayed in surprise and perspiration sprouted on his forehead, slicking his dark hair. I knew I’d been right about the connection.

  “You’re supplying drugs to your clients, aren’t you? Using Dylan’s Taxi service to deliver them.” I paused again, needing the next breath. “You were my wife’s supplier, weren’t you?”

  When I had seen the picture of Roslyn’s murder scene, I’d almost lost my mind. Not only had I seen Glen loitering in the crowd, I’d also recognized the name on the side of the taxi. Dylan’s Taxi service. It was too much of a coincidence for that to be the same company that Glen had used over and over again for the ACE employees—a small company that operated out of Brooklyn. There had to be a connection.

  “How do you know about Dylan’s?” Glen narrowed his eyes.

  “It wasn’t hard to put together. I remembered when Tom was at my office, he said he was taking the company car. If ACE had company cars, why would there be so many transactions done with Dylan’s?”

  Seeing the picture had tied a few pieces together. Then seeing Glen on the video confirmed he’d been at Sensations that night.

  I didn’t know for sure about Roslyn, but by the look on Glen’s face, I could tell I was right about her also. Glen must have committed her murder or known details about it in order to copycat Ms. Carmen’s and the other victim’s murder. I was still confused, though. Why would he have killed Roslyn?

  “Did Roslyn threaten to turn you in, is that why you killed her?” My wife had been trying to make a fresh start. She’d been trying to get herself off drugs.

  Glen’s face suffused with color. “She loved me! I loved her! We worked great together. I supplied the coke, she got in to all the parties.”

  Oh, God! I’d known she was doing coke, but not selling it. Glen had been her lover. The one I’d heard rumors about. They must have met while she was still modeling at Universe Magazine. Tom had said that Glen worked there. The realization was staggering. All the years of wondering, of feeling like I’d failed her.

  “You ruined her life,” I cried, feeling bitter anguish flood my throat. Glen had taken away a wife, a mother. “Why did you kill her?”

  Glen’s eyes turn glassy as he choked up a sob. “We were happy. Then she tried to leave me. I know Olivia is mine! She was supposed to leave you! We were going to be a family!”

  There must have been an earthquake, because I felt the floor shift beneath my feet and I almost toppled to meet it. White-hot rage blinded me and exploded bombs in my head.

  “Fucking liar!” I heard myself roar, trying to keep my equilibrium. Seething like a bull, I wanted to plow into the man. It was only when Katie whimpered under his smothering palm that I stubbornly drowned the tidal wave inside me. Focus! Focus! I couldn’t give life to those lies, couldn’t put Katie at risk.

  I wanted to run to her and tear her away from this madman. My arms ached with the need to hold her, to protect her. I could feel the dragon itching on my chest. I couldn’t let this man take her away from me like he did Roslyn. A slight movement caught my eye and I watched Katie’s hand inch along the edge of the desk. There was a letter opener within a few inches of her grasp.

  I swallowed the tension constricting my airways, praying that she wouldn’t make any sudden moves that would alert him to her action. I had to keep him talking. I heard a movement behind me and knew that Carlos was there. He must have taken care of Bruce somehow. He had a gun, but the way Glen was holding Katie, there would be no clear shot. He wouldn't risk Katie getting
hurt.

  “How did you get Bruce to help you? Did you pay him? Promise him partnership at ACE?” I asked without really caring at this point. I knew it was Bruce who’d planted the rope in my office. He was always in there and had ample opportunity. Whatever had caused my good friend to betray me was of little consequence now.

  Glen set his lips in a thin line, but remained silent. My peripheral gaze caught sight of Katie’s hand. She had her fingers wrapped firmly around the handle of the letter opener. I locked my gaze with hers, hoping she could see the depth of my emotion for her, the tenderness in my heart. Her bright blue eyes glowed as she looked at me, her eyebrows pleated in question. I knew the blade at her neck must sting, I could already see beads of blood drawing a thin line on her fair skin. I had to keep Glen distracted.

  “Roslyn never loved you. She only loved the drugs you could give her. We had a reconciliation. We were moving away. She loved me.”

  “No!” Glen bellowed. “That’s not true!”

  Glen tossed his head back slightly, his shaking fingers adjusting to hold Katie’s weight. If Katie was going to make a move, she had to do it now.

  Just please don’t miss… I trained my gaze on hers, awed by her courage, and nodded faintly. Katie arced her arm and stabbed the letter opener deep into Glen’s forearm—the one holding the scissors to her neck. I thanked God under my breath. That’s where I’d hoped she’d aim for. It was Glen’s only bared skin, plus he would instinctively pull away from the insult, and from her neck. I watched Katie dive to the floor as Glen howled in pain, blood streaming from his arm. I was about to rush Glen’s body when he made an attempt to grapple Katie back to him, but at the same time the gun exploded, causing us all to freeze like statues.

  “Don’t move!” Carlos leveled the gun at Glen, ordering him back. He’d sent a warning shot over his head.

  Glen hesitated a moment, his hateful stare contemplating me. I relished the thought of going to blows with the man. There was a lot I still needed to say, and I didn’t mind communicating it with my fists. Glen seemed to think better of it and stepped back with his hands raised. I helped Katie off the floor, drawing her into his arms before she was fully upright. There were no words for the joy that rang through my body in echoing waves of relief. Something released in my chest, like a shadow that was suddenly flooded with light.