“They choked you?” The anger in his voice felt like a slap.
“Just enough to make me pass out.” I put a hand to my throat. What if they hadn’t known what just enough was? “And that’s it? There’s not another way out?” There didn’t appear to be any windows or if there were, they were boarded over.
“There’s one other opening over in the corner. But it’s too little to get out of. Some kind of chute. I couldn’t get my shoulders through it. And with my hands and feet tied, no way to get any kind of grip on anything.”
“Show me. Maybe I’ll fit.”
“I think it’s blocked off too. No light shows through.”
“We have to try.”
Luke took my hand and we bumbled our way over to it. Under any other circumstances, we’d laugh at how ridiculous we looked. Luke guided my hand to the opening. I ran my hand around the roughly shaped rectangle.
“My shoulders are smaller than yours. Maybe I’ll fit.” I tried to peer up it, but didn’t see a glimmer of light. “Okay. I’d better give it a try.” I stood, raised my arms above my head, and searched for something to grab on to. Good thing I wasn’t claustrophobic. I ducked back out. “You might have to boost me,” I told Luke.
I tried again. My shoulders cleared, just barely, and I hoped my rear end wouldn’t get stuck. I clawed around with my hands and found something to grasp. I pulled up. The space was small enough that I didn’t have to worry about sliding back out. I did have to worry about getting stuck. I reached again. My hand hit something scratchy but firm. I pushed on it. Dirt, hay, and dust cascaded down on me. I couldn’t breathe or call out because my mouth was full of it. I made a choking noise.
Luke grabbed my legs and yanked me back out. My sweater ripped and something scratched my side. I spit out a mouthful of dirt, sneezed and coughed.
“Are you okay?”
I rubbed at my eyes, and when I opened them again, I could see Luke in a faint light coming from the chute. “I’m better. If the opening doesn’t narrow, I think I can get out.”
I pulled and wiggled, while Luke pushed and shoved. My hips stopped me briefly once. If Luke hadn’t been there to push, I don’t think I could have clawed my way out on my own. I was cursing like a sailor in my head. Only in my head, in case someone was here. I slowed as I reached the top. Luke couldn’t reach my feet any longer.
I took a quick peek out. No one was around, at least not up here. Sun shone in through the large open door at the front of the building. It was daytime. Somehow, I’d expected it to still be dark out, kind of like when a movie lets out and the light makes you blink in surprise. I dragged myself out and onto the rough plank floor.
This looked like an old carriage house. I was in a loft that had probably been used for hay. I scrambled down a rickety ladder to the main floor. It would have been for the carriages and horses. The lower level, where they’d stashed Luke and me, was for pigs. The place was empty except for an old wooden trunk in the middle of the room on top of the trapdoor. I ran over to it and started to inch it aside.
A car door slammed. Someone was here.
Chapter 37
I glanced around, but there was no place to hide and I wasn’t going back down that chute. There wasn’t anything to use as a weapon. Steps crunched toward me on the gravel. There wasn’t time to scramble back up the ladder. And this place was spotless. My only option was to stand against the wall on the same side as the door. The corner was dark and hopefully whoever was coming in wouldn’t expect anyone to be in here.
A man ambled in with a bag of food from McDonald’s in his hand. The fries smelled heavenly. He shoved the trunk aside and lifted the trapdoor. He started to lower the food in when Luke yanked him into the hole. The man yelled as Luke climbed out and slammed the trapdoor down. I ran over, and together, we shoved the trunk over the door.
“Was he alone?” Luke asked.
“No,” a man said.
We turned and spotted a man standing inside the doorway. I ran at him and slammed my fist into his windpipe.
“Oof,” he yelled.
My momentum tumbled us forward. We landed outside, in the gravel driveway leading to the carriage house. Before he had a chance to react, I started pummeling his face with my fists. He bucked me off and started to rise, but I swung a foot out and tripped him. Luke leaped on him.
“Take their truck and get out of here,” Luke yelled as they wrestled.
A pickup with one door open idled fifteen feet away. I ran to it, hauled myself up, and shoved the truck into drive. Luke and the man struggled to their feet. Luke squinted in the bright light after being held in the dark for four days. The man swung his arm and punched Luke hard. Luke swayed but grabbed the man.
Instead of driving away, I drove straight at Luke and the man, praying Luke would get out of the way.
I punched the horn. Luke looked up and leaped away at the last possible second. I slammed on the brakes. The truck skidded to a stop and pinned the man against the wall of the carriage house. He pounded the top of the hood. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t killed him. By the way he cursed me, he must not be seriously injured either, just trapped.
Someone had left a cell phone in the cup holder. I scooped it up and managed to dial 911 with my trembling fingers. I gave the dispatcher a description of the carriage house and the bright white house in front of it.
“The whole place seems deserted,” I told the dispatcher.
“It sounds like the old Ward place. It’s up for sale. I’ll have someone there in no time.”
* * *
I leaped out of the truck as Luke raced over to me. He was bruised and filthy. His eyes were still squinted together, but I hugged him like my life depended on it.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “You jumped on the man and told me to leave. You are a hero.”
Luke shook his head. “You’re a nut.”
Sirens sounded, and I could tell they were speeding toward us.
“I’m going to check on the other guy. Just to make sure he can’t get out through the chute. Sit in the truck with the doors locked just in case.”
“Wait a minute.” I hugged him one more time. “Thank you.”
Luke held me for a second and then ruffled the top of my head. “Keep an eye on him.” He pointed at the trapped man, who continued to squirm and curse.
I climbed back into the truck. It was already nine in the morning according to the clock on the dashboard. I gave the man my best steely stare. He was one of the four men I’d seen around town. Seconds later, three squad cars screamed up. CJ leaped out of his official SUV and ran to me. I slid back out of the truck. We held each other for a long moment until he noticed the man I’d trapped. He shook his head.
“You managed that?” CJ asked.
“With Luke’s help.”
CJ looked around. “Where is he?”
“In the carriage house, making sure the other guy doesn’t get away.”
Keeping an arm around me, CJ told Pellner to go check the situation in the carriage house with Awesome. He asked another two officers to move the truck and cuff the man. We watched as the truck inched back. The man tried to run off but didn’t make it far before he was tackled.
A few minutes later, Pellner and Awesome came out, each holding the arm of the cuffed man. He didn’t seem to have any fight in him.
Pellner stuffed him in the back of a squad car before coming over to us.
I craned my neck looking around. “Where’s Luke?”
Pellner looked at CJ. “No one was in the barn, Chuck. Except him.” He pointed toward the squad car.
“But my brother. He was going to stand guard. . . .” My voice trailed off. Luke had taken off again. “Is there a back way out of the carriage house?”
Pellner looked at his feet, dragged one in the gravel. “Yeah. There is, Sarah.” The empathy in his eyes when he finally looked at me did me in.
“Find him,” CJ said.
“He
didn’t murder Mr. Spencer,” I said.
CJ nodded. “We still need to talk to him.”
Pellner moved away and spoke into the radio on his shoulder. CJ led me to his car and helped me into the front seat. He got a blanket out of the back and tucked it around me. I shivered so violently, the car moved. CJ took an edge of the blanket and wiped at the tears I hadn’t even realized were streaming down my face. If there was such a thing as a broken heart, I was experiencing it. Luke had promised me he wouldn’t leave without telling me.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes to take you home,” CJ whispered in my ear. He kissed my temple and left. I sat there, mesmerized by the lights flashing off the white wood of the carriage house. What would I tell my folks? I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. I’d tell them Luke saved me, even though, for whatever reason, I couldn’t save him.
* * *
“Where’s my car?” I asked CJ as we left.
He tensed his grip on the wheel. “Back at your apartment. They moved it again. It’s one of the reasons no one realized you were missing. I’m sorry.”
I waved my hand. “It’s not your fault.”
“I was up most of the night. I grabbed a nap at the station. If we lived together—”
“Not now, CJ. And if we did live together, you still would have been at the station.”
“Do you want ice cream from Bedford Farms?” CJ asked.
It was eleven in the morning by the time they’d wrapped up everything at the carriage house. I’d given my statement to Awesome. I supposed Pellner was tired of taking them from me. CJ had been suggesting things to try and cheer me up as we drove home. I’d already said no to lunch at DiNapoli’s, a lobster roll from West Concord Seafoods, and a stop to see Carol. His effort was so sincere and sweet, I finally said yes to ice cream. I did it to make CJ feel good, feel like he could do something in a situation where there was nothing to do. Despite the EPD’s best efforts, no one had spotted Luke, but then I hadn’t really expected them to. He was good at disappearing.
“Phil was arrested last night down in Foxborough,” CJ said.
“That’s good,” I said.
“He was dealing again, and that’s why he had the money he showed Lindsay.”
“Did you ever find a connection between the money Ethan had and the money at the Spencers?” I figured this was as good a distraction as any and CJ was definitely in the mood to humor me.
“None. Ethan cashed his Social Security checks at the bank every month. He must have just preferred to carry cash.”
“Hmmm.” I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headrest. Those hours trapped in the carriage house with Luke were, in some crazy way, a gift. It was the most honest we’d been with each other since I married CJ. The first time we’d let all the shields down and the truth out. But I didn’t understand why he’d left. There was a chance he would have been in trouble for leaving the Spencers in the garage, but he’d made one of the many 911 calls to the police station. Maybe the intimacy between us had been too much for him after years of roaming. The thought I might not ever know weighed on me.
“Did you find Tim Spencer?”
“Yes, but he’s telling a very different story than his mom.”
“Mrs. Spencer woke up?”
CJ nodded. “However, she’s having difficulty communicating. It will probably be a few days before we sort out their stories.”
CJ pulled into Bedford Farms a few minutes later. “You can wait in the car if you want.”
I nodded.
“You want the usual?”
That made me smile and I nodded. CJ pulled his phone out of his pocket as he walked up to order. I watched as he stopped and chatted for a few minutes. He glanced back at me once and nodded a couple of times. After he hung up, I watched him order.
He returned with a kiddie cup of Almond Joy ice cream for me and a large Green Monster, which looked big enough to feed half the force. “Pellner called. Those four men turned on each other like buzzards after carrion as soon as he told them they were going to be charged with kidnapping.”
I spooned in a bite of creamy deliciousness.
“They were under some misguided notion they were keeping Luke and you out of the way while they went after what they called a big fish.”
“Do you know who they were talking about?”
“No one’s ’fessing up yet. Ethan had been feeding them information.”
I paused, spoon midair. “Do you think Ethan told them about the Spencers?”
CJ had polished off a dip and a half and started on the next one. “Probably.”
“So it was them the night at the VA?” I frowned.
“Yes. And they were the ones who took you back to your apartment. Pellner said one of them kept apologizing.”
I stared down into my almost empty cup of ice cream. “They thought they were doing the right thing. They started out with good intentions.”
“You are way more forgiving than I am. Just this once, I’m really glad Seth Anderson is in love with you. He’ll go after them hard.”
I glanced over at CJ. He was looking out the windshield like he saw something out there. A piece of chocolate stuck to the corner of his mouth. We’d never really talked about my relationship with Seth. I was too tired to start now.
My phoned buzzed. I grabbed it out of my purse. It was a text from a number I didn’t recognize. I’m no hero. But I love you. Luke.
“It’s Luke. He sent a text.” I showed it to CJ, then sent a quick text back. Love you. Come home. A few seconds later, it bounced back to me as undeliverable.
“We can go to the station and try to trace it.”
I shook my head. “He’ll have already gotten rid of the phone. Let’s go home.”
Chapter 38
On Saturday morning, a week later than planned, I roamed around Gennie’s house one more time. When I’d read the Boston Globe at breakfast, I’d found a feature article titled GOTCHA by Bart Winst. It was an amazing story about stolen valor and the twisted tale of the four men who’d called themselves Honor Taken. I hoped, since Luke used the name Bart Winst, he was sending me a message that he loved me and he’d come back someday.
But I couldn’t focus on him now because Gennie’s sale started in a few minutes. I peeked out an upper window. There were plenty of people waiting to come in. I straightened a few more things, went down the stairs, and opened the door with a smile. Ryne O’Rourke stood there grinning at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Shopping for my uncle.”
Stella had told me Ryne’s uncle owned an antique store in Concord. I stepped back to let him in.
He stumbled on the doorsill and grabbed me. My arms shot out to catch him.
“Oh, I think it’s my ankle,” he said.
“You’re hilarious,” I said, letting him go. “And a faker.”
“It takes one to know one,” he said as he headed down the hall grinning.
“And mature,” I muttered. Ryne laughed so he must have heard me.
A crowd of people pushed in behind him. I spent the rest of the day whirling from room to room. The sale went well, and at the end of the day, nothing was left but drapes and curtain rods, which were to be sold with the house.
Ryne had bought a lot of stuff and argued over every price like it was a matter of life and death. And, trust me, he was getting close to death a couple of times with his outrageous offers. He was exhausting. But out of courtesy to his uncle and the amount he bought, I gave Ryne a bigger discount on some of the pieces than I normally would have. I saw the shrewd businessman hiding behind the jokester.
* * *
After the sale ended, Gennie came by and I pulled a bottle of champagne out of the refrigerator. I uncorked it and poured us each a glass. “Here’s to you,” I said. “Thanks for all of the business.” We tapped glasses before taking a drink.
“Thanks for all of your help. You worked hard. How are yo
u doing now that things have settled a bit?”
I’d talked to Gennie throughout the week, first to apologize for not showing up last Saturday and then to arrange to have the sale today. “Better. My fighting skills are lacking.” I’d tried to block the visions of me tackling the man at the carriage house, how wrong things could have gone.
“You’re here. You did something right.” Gennie sipped her champagne. “What happened to the Spencers? There hasn’t been much in the paper.”
I sighed. “It’s such a wild tale.”
“So who killed Mr. Spencer?”
“Mrs. Spencer.” I’d been so shocked when CJ had explained it all to me.
“You’re kidding. I’d heard around town that it was the son.”
“Mrs. Spencer was furious her husband was going to give more money to Tim. She grabbed a wooden lobster buoy, and whacked him with it. He keeled over and cracked his head open on the floor. She had a stroke when she saw what she’d done.”
“And their son didn’t do anything?”
“His story is she grabbed the buoy and started swinging it at him. He ran back into the house to avoid it, knowing his dad was better at calming her down. When he heard the scream, he blended with the garage sale crowd. He saw his parents and because of his history he panicked and left.”
Gennie fidgeted with the stem of her champagne glass. “Do you believe him?”
I lifted my shoulder and dropped it. “I don’t know. He certainly tried to cast suspicion on other people.” I thought about Brad, how I’d accused him based partially on what Tim had told me. Brad had ended up putting the paperwork together that showed Mr. Spencer had faked his military service and turned it over to the higher-ups. “When that didn’t work, he tried to take the blame himself.”
“How?”
“Tim acted like he was in Florida when the officer tasked with notifying him called.”
“So he was already here?” Gennie asked.
I nodded. “The officer called Tim’s cell phone because his family doesn’t have a landline. Tim came up with an elaborate plan. As soon as he got the notification, he bought a one-way ticket from Tampa to Boston. Then he called a local florist in Tampa and arranged to have flowers sent to his mother. To further shore up his story, he went to one of those websites that caters to flyers and ordered something during the time he was supposedly flying up here.”
A Good Day to Buy Page 21
