My heart lurched when I realized that I’d put more faith in the belief that Jones was still alive than I had put in both Riley or God’s faithfulness to me.
Please, forgive me, I prayed silently. I didn’t fully realize what I was doing or how I was acting. I want to make things right.
As I closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep, my heart felt more at rest than it had in nearly two weeks.
But, any time now, Riley’s parents were going to move him. Some quack doctor would play with his life. I had to make things right between his parents and me.
And I had to do it in a way that ensured only the best for Riley’s future.
CHAPTER 25
When I awoke, Juliette was staring at me. She had a dazed look about her. She was fading quickly, I realized.
Hopelessness tried to bob to the surface of my mind, but I refused to let it. My resistance to the emotion was becoming weaker, though. As if to remind me, my stomach grumbled. When had I eaten last? I couldn’t even remember. Eating hadn’t seemed all that important with Riley in the hospital. But now, without the means for food, I wanted it more than ever.
“I wish he’d just kill me,” Juliette whispered.
“Don’t talk like that.” I tried to hush her.
“We’re going to die here.”
“Maybe we could both take him,” I mumbled.
“I’m feeling so weak . . . he’d just throw me off of him like a wet blanket. Then he’d make me pay for trying.”
“There’s got to be something.” My gaze scanned the room as it had so many times since I’d been here. It stopped at the wall across from me. “Juliette, why does the paint on that wall look fresh?”
Juliette blinked at me. “What are you talking about?”
I nodded toward the wall across from the door. “The rest of the walls in this room look grungy. That one is beige, and the paint is fresh. Why?” And why hadn’t I noticed that fact before? Sure, the room was dim, but there was definitely something different about that wall.
“I have no idea.”
I pulled myself to my feet. My entire body protested. I winced with pain as I put weight onto my ankle. I glanced around, knowing there was nothing with a sharp edge in the room. But I needed something other than my fingers.
“I need something hard, something solid, with an edge.”
“We’ve got nothing in here,” Juliette said.
There had to be something! Just then, my engagement ring caught my eye. No . . . but yes. What other choice did I have? I slowly pulled it off my finger. “This will do.”
“Gabby . . .”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be attacking Jones with it.” I had no energy left to fight him right now.
I leaned against the wall and began scraping the ring into the plaster.
“What in the world are you doing?”
She thought I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. “Following a hunch.”
Finally, the ring caught in a groove, an area where the drywall was softer than the rest of the wall. I began digging out as much of the plaster as I could.
“I really don’t know what you’re doing.”
“We’ve got to work quickly. Please. Help me pull away some of the wall after I run my ring through it.”
She looked at me like I was crazy again, but she did as I asked. I moved to the other side of the wall and searched until I found another groove where the drywall was softer. We worked and worked until I had a square dug out in the center of the wall.
“Now do you want to tell me what you’re doing?”
I slipped the ring back on and dug my fingers into the wall. “There was a window here.”
“What?”
I nodded. “Houses like this one don’t have interior rooms without windows. He put drywall over the window and then plastered over it so we wouldn’t know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and he could have only found this place right before he snatched you. It’s been wet outside. I doubt this drywall and plaster had time to dry sufficiently. That’s the only reason I was able to dig into it like this.”
“Are you for real?”
“I hope. Because, if I’m right, this is our chance to get out of here. Help me.”
We both burrowed our fingers into the wall and pulled and tugged. Nothing happened. But I could see the drywall tape. I knew my theory was worth following.
“This is useless,” Juliette muttered. “What if he walks in and finds us like this?” Panic began to stretch through her voice.
“That’s why we have no time to lose. Let’s keep going.”
We dug our fingers into the ditches we’d formed. On the count of three, we tugged at the wall again. Finally, the section of drywall popped out. We nearly toppled with it but we caught ourselves in time. We lowered it to the floor.
A window stared at us.
Juliette and I both looked at each other with wide eyes. Triumphant grins spread across our faces. We were finally one step ahead of Jones.
“We did it,” Juliette squeaked.
I hadn’t really thought about what to do after the piece of drywall came out. But I knew I didn’t have time to ponder it for too long. We had to move—now.
Using the heels of my hands, I pushed the screen out. Rain from the hurricane spattered inside. Beyond the walls of this prison, it was dark and the wind howled and the torrent of water from the sky looked merciless.
“We need to go. We don’t have much time.” Riley didn’t have much time. I had to stop his parents before they moved him.
Despite my protesting body, I climbed out. The rain hit me harder as I landed with a splash onto the soggy ground below. I raised my face to the storm for a moment, drinking in the fat drops of water. Juliette tumbled outside a moment later. She could barely pull herself to her feet. The woman was fading, and fast.
I nodded toward the woods surrounding us. “We’re going to have to run through the swamp.”
Juliette blanched, wisps of her hair clinging to her cheeks and forehead. “The swamp?”
“The road is too dangerous. He might see us.” Just as I said the words, a cypress tree in the distance cracked. It hit the ground with a loud crash, making our surroundings tremble. The vibration went from my feet all the way up to my heart. I wouldn’t let it seize me, though.
“But, it’s not safe—” Juliette started.
I grabbed her hand. “It’s safer than Jones. Come on. Let’s go.”
We could parallel the road, I reasoned. Just stay out of sight. Maybe that would lead us to help eventually. I prayed it would.
The rain and wind picked up. It was just a matter of time before Jones realized we were gone. The noise of the storm had covered up our escape so far. But we had no time to waste.
I took my first step into the swamp. I sank into water and mud up to my ankles. I pushed away thoughts of leeches and bears and snakes and other critters I’d rather not think about.
I kept my hand fastened on Juliette’s. We had to stick together out here. Otherwise, we’d both be goners. This landscape had claimed more than one life before. Of course, this swamp had also shielded runaway slaves. That’s how I had to think of the area—as a fortress, not as a death sentence.
I heard a sound in the distance. A shout maybe. I couldn’t be sure as the storm roared around us.
As lightning flashed, I looked back and saw Jones on the porch. At least, that’s who I thought I saw. It was a blurred figure, but the rain made it impossible to be sure of his identity.
“We’ve got to hurry.”
“I’m not sure I can do this.” Juliette paused against a tree, sagging there and gulping in air.
“We’ve got to. There will be time for rest later. Now we’ve got to move.”
Through the storm, I heard gunfire.
Jones was shooting at us, I realized.
He wasn’t willing to let us get away.
The noise seemed to kick our adrenaline into overdrive. I pulled
Juliette deeper into the woods, into the swamp. The rain pelted us. The puddles nearly swallowed us. Underbrush slapped us.
But we kept moving.
The rain disguised any hints that Jones was getting closer. The one thing I knew for sure was that I’d hurt his eye. I doubted he could see well. His eye might even be infected by now, and that could slow him down even more.
“Gabby, I can’t.” Juliette jerked me back. Her face was scrunched with pain, and she leaned down on her knees. “I can’t go any more.”
“Yes, you can.” Panic threatened to rise in me.
“I’m so tired.”
“Juliette, you’re the one who talks about doing everything through Christ’s strength. I’m praying that He’s going to give you that strength now. We’ve got to move.”
She stared at me a moment before nodding. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Just then, a gust of wind blew through. Something cracked. Juliette screamed as another tree crashed in front of us.
My heart was racing. That had been close. Too close.
I craned my neck behind me. Where was Jones? Where had he gone?
I wiped the water from my eyes, wishing I knew if we were running deeper into the swamp or toward safety. I thought we were following the road, but the darkness made it hard to know for sure.
Just then, someone grabbed my arm. I snapped to a stop, my shoulder aching at the intensity.
I looked up. Jones. It was Jones.
Juliette’s eyes widened, and she screamed, backing away.
“Run!” I shouted to Juliette. “Get help!”
She stared at me a moment. Then she looked at Jones. Back at me.
Finally, she took off.
Jones sneered at me. “You didn’t think you’d get away that easily, did you?”
“A girl’s gotta try.” I had to admit, I was trembling. Maybe it was the rain that soaked me to the bone. Maybe it was the murky swamp water that suctioned my feet to the ground. Maybe it was simply Jones and my primal reactions as I remembered what he’d done to me. I wasn’t sure.
But I was going to have to draw on every ounce of my strength and my faith to get through this.
“I’m going to kill you right here, right now.” He stepped closer. “You’re going to wish I was easy on you. You’re going to wish I killed you the way I killed those other girls. That’s how bad this is going to be.”
I glanced behind him. Was it my imagination, or had that tree moved? I glanced down at the roots. The ground here was saturated, which would make the root systems more compromised. Hurricanes were known for taking down trees, roots and all.
“When I’m done, the swamp is going to help finish you off,” he shouted. “The creatures here will feed on the remains of your body until it’s gone. The police will never find you. You started as no one, and you’ll finish life as no one.”
Jones had abandoned his gun for a knife. He grabbed my hand, twisted until it was palm up, and then he smiled as he raised the weapon. “Nice, isn’t it?”
I tried to jerk back, but I couldn’t escape Jones’ grasp. He lowered the knife slowly, running the blade down my palm. The razor sharp edge pierced my flesh. He prodded deeper until I cried out with pain. “How’s that feel?”
I closed my eyes, remembering Riley. I had to fight for him. When I opened my eyes again, I felt a new fire inside me. “You can destroy my flesh, but you can’t destroy my spirit.”
He spit on me.
The rain washed it away.
I glanced back at that tree again. It wasn’t my imagination. The old oak was teetering and about to fall as the wind prodded it.
And Jones was standing right beneath it. Thanks to his bloody eye, he couldn’t see it out of his peripheral vision.
“Prepare to die, Gabby.” He lunged at me with the knife.
With everything in me, I pushed him back. The knife caught my arm. Pain screamed from my bicep.
Jones fell backward just as a gust of wind swept the landscape. He landed in a deep puddle and tried to pull himself upright, but the mud was like quicksand.
I turned, started to run, started to flee.
But then I saw the tree sway again. I heard a crack.
Then the whole mighty oak crashed onto him.
I held my breath. Waited. Wondered. Dared to hope.
Jones had disappeared beneath the tree. It was like the swamp had swallowed him. The darkness and rain and wind did nothing to help my investigation.
Was Jones dead? Was he really dead?
I walked closer, each step tentative and filled with a touch of apprehension and anxiety. I half expected to see Jones rise from the dead like one of those madmen from a horror movie. I half expected that he’d somehow avoided the tree and survived. I braced myself to see him again, to feel his grip on my arm, to see that deadly glimmer in his eyes.
I inched closer, lifting up prayers. I could get through this. I had to get through this.
Finally, I spotted Jones’ feet. They stuck out from beneath the tree like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
I lifted my face to the rain. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
Now I just hoped that Juliette had managed to find help. Otherwise, I might have survived Jones, but this swamp and storm were going to take me down.
CHAPTER 26
An hour later, help arrived. Local police found me, cordoned off Jones’ body, and led me to an ambulance. I’d lost a lot of blood, apparently. The EMTs kept saying something to that extent, at least.
Juliette—against all odds—had found help. There had been a house located not too far from the swampy area. The homeowners had called 911, and now here we all were.
I’d been admitted as a patient at the hospital. Right now, I was lying in my little room, when Parker and Adams walked in.
Parker blanched when he saw me. “You look awful.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “You smell awful too.”
Using my last ounce of energy, I punched him in the shoulder and muttered, “Shut up.”
Parker glanced at Adams. “She’s going to be just fine.”
“Good work out there, Gabby.”
“Or dumb luck. It just depends on how you look at it.”
Adams shook his head. “You followed your instincts. You never stopped arguing that Jones could be alive, and you were right. I just wish you hadn’t almost died in the process.”
“I told you not to follow him,” Parker added with a scowl. “This could have turned out much differently.”
I nodded. “Believe me. I know. I didn’t want to lose sight of Jones when I saw him in the hospital. I knew if I did that it would be too late. We might not find him again.”
“The good news is that, since you were foolhardy and didn’t listen to me, Juliette is alive. I credit that to you.”
“And people told me that being brash would only hinder me in life. They were wrong.”
Parker and Adams chuckled.
My smile didn’t last long. “How is Juliette?”
“She’s going to be fine,” Adams said. “Her physical wounds will heal much more quickly than her emotional ones. The same for you.”
I didn’t want to think about that now. I’d have time to deal with my emotional scars later. “I’m glad she’s doing okay.”
“I wanted to let you know that we found some papers in Jones’ shack,” Adams continued. “From what we can tell, he had his next victim already picked out. We found photos, and feel like it was just a matter of time before he struck again.”
My throat tightened. “Who?”
“Riley’s mom. In fact, that may have been one reason why he was in the hospital when you spotted him.”
I shivered at the thought. The woman had just had a heart attack. She wouldn’t have survived being snatched by Jones. “At least we all finally know that Jones is dead. Really dead. He won’t be hurting anyone else.”
“You can say that again.” Parker nodded. “We’re also investigating
some other unsolved murders that we think Jones can be tied to, both here and in California. I have a feeling that his list of victims is going to keep growing.”
I frowned and shook my head. People like Freddy Mansfield would find out things like that and only admire Jones more. Speaking of which . . . I glanced at Adams. “You should really check out this guy named Freddy Mansfield.”
“Freddy Mansfield? Funny you said his name. We’ve already arrested him. He was the person driving the getaway car when Jones snatched you at the hospital.”
“He was?” I’d had no idea his involvement would run that deep.
“He claims his mother’s life was being threatened. We’re looking into it.”
“Good.”
Adams shifted. “I’ve gotta say, Jones was pretty clever paying The Guardians to help him. They already didn’t like you, so when they saw the opportunity to make your life even more miserable, they jumped on it.”
“Nothing like having several enemies bond together to plot your demise.” The smile quickly faded from my lips. “Do you know when I can get out of here?”
“The doctors want to run a few more tests,” Parker said.
“Riley . . .” my voice faded. Today was the day they wanted to transfer him. I was in another hospital in a neighboring city. I might have been rescued in time to save myself, but had I been rescued in time to stop Riley’s parents from transferring him? Would my abduction slow them down any?
“Actually, you have some people outside who want to see you. Mary Lou, while not family, seems to have something very urgent she wants to say. Would you like for me to send her in?” Adams asked.
I nodded. What in the world could be that urgent? I braced myself, unsure if this would be good or bad news. I prayed it was good.
The two men stepped out of the room, and Mary Lou stepped in. She rushed to my bed and patted my hand. “I was so worried,” she started.
“Me too,” I admitted. “But thankfully I’m still here.”
Her smile slipped. “I have some news for you.”
“Bad news?” I questioned. A million scenarios, all including Riley, swept through my mind.
She frowned. “I’ll let you decide that. I was cleaning out Riley’s office, and I just happened to find these hollow books on one of his shelves. I had no idea they were there even.”
To Love, Honor, and Perish Page 20
