“So, you’re Priscilla’s friends. She should have picked smarter friends.”
None of us spoke. What was there to say?
Richard turned to two of the other men.
“Go get the van.”
The men left the building and I heard Richard’s Mercedes start up and take off.
Mo chose that moment to act. Richard and the other guy weren’t prepared for Mo’s speed. Her right leg shot up and around and she kicked the gun out of Richard’s hand. It was a kind of flicking move, like her foot had a life of its own at the end of her leg. It probably was beautiful to watch, but it happened so fast, I only just caught the end of it.
As soon as Richard’s gun went airborne, Mo spun around and kicked the other guy in the side of the head. He went down like a rock. Richard’s gun had landed about ten feet away and I jumped for it, beating Richard to it by a second. As I brought the gun up, he landed on me. He was a big guy and all my air got squashed out of me. As he reached for the gun, Sabrina kicked him in the face. He rolled over on his back, stunned.
Sabrina picked up Richard’s gun and pointed it at him. Mo already had the other guy’s gun. I slowly got up, gasping for air.
“Nice job, guys,” I said. “Mo, that was beautiful. You caught them totally by surprise.”
“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” she answered.
Mo was alive again. It was nice to see.
“Where’s Priscilla?” I asked Richard.
“Oh yeah, like I’m going to tell you? You’re crazy.”
I heard the car pull up. A second vehicle followed a moment later. They must have had the van close by.
When Richard’s henchmen entered the building, they were more than a little shocked. We disarmed them, then had them all sit in a corner.
I scanned the group. None of them looked particularly scared. In fact, Richard had a smug expression.
“So what now?” he asked.
“Now we take you to the police,” I said.
“And then what?”
“And then you tell them where Priscilla is.”
“Well, gee, that seems simple enough,” said Richard.
He was playing with me and I didn’t like it.
“So, you’re assuming we’re going to talk to the police,” he said. “But we’re not going to. It’s not to our advantage to talk. Nobody here is wanted for anything. They stay pretty much under the radar.”
“You’re wanted for the murder of Randolph Hollister,” said Sabrina.
“Which I didn’t do, as you would know if you actually looked into it.” Getting no response, his eyes lit up and he said, “You do know, don’t you? Let me guess, you talked to Andi?”
I nodded.
“I’m not the least bit worried about the murder charge. Right after it happened I was, but I have too many powerful contacts now.” His smug expression got smugger. “You’re kind of in a pickle,” he said. “You have us, but there is nothing you can do to make any of us tell you where Priscilla is.” He looked at his watch. “Plus, you only have a small window of time to find her before she gets shipped out of your lives forever.” He looked at his watch a second time. “In fact, you might have already missed her.”
Was he telling the truth?
“And, even if you had your friend here,” he looked over at Mo, “kick the shit out of us to where one of us finally talked and told you where she was, you’d still never find her. You’re basically up shit’s creek.”
Richard was right. We might have been holding the guns, but he was holding all the cards. If we took them to the police, they’d get off and we’d never see Peep again. If we beat them until they talked, it sounded like she was being held in a pretty hidden place that even the best of directions wouldn’t help us with. And if we let them go, all of this would’ve been for naught.
However, our decision was conveniently made for us a minute later when I heard the sound of a gun cocking behind us.
I quickly turned.
It was Ludwick himself.
Chapter 28
“It was pretty stupid of my men to let you get the drop on them,” he announced. “Put the guns down.”
We did as he asked.
“Lucky that I showed up,” he said. “This might have gotten ugly. Knowing how fucked up this whole thing has been, I decided to come and check on it personally.” He turned his attention to the three of us. “You people have been a pain in the ass. Well, that all ends today.”
“Are you planning to kill us?” asked Sabrina. “Because there are people I told about you. You’re the first place they will look.”
“I know. You’re rich and famous. You have connections. Blah blah blah. I’m not worried. Besides, I have no plans to kill you two,” he said, looking at Sabrina and Mo. You’re much more valuable to me alive.”
He turned his attention to me. “You, not so much. No one is looking for balding middle-aged men.”
That hurt.
Looking at the three of us he said, “I want your cell phones, your wallets, your watches … pretty much anything you have on you.”
We handed them over. He took them and went over to a rusty metal barrel and threw everything in but the phones. All I heard were plops as they were dropped in. The thing must’ve been filled with oil or water. He pulled the SIM cards and threw them into the barrel, dropped the phones to the ground, picked up the crowbar I had been holding, and smashed the phones. Then he threw the pieces into the same barrel.
He threw the rental car keys to one of his men. That would be the end of that car. Another car we were going to have to explain to a rental agency. We had a habit of losing them or having them destroyed. Pretty soon there wouldn’t be an agency on earth that would rent us a car.
“Before we go,” Ludwick said, “I need to know who you told about me and if you told anyone where you were going today.”
“I guess you’ll find out when they arrest you,” I said.
Ludwick gave a small nod.
I didn’t see the punch coming. A guy standing next to me—he reminded me of a gorilla, with long black hair on his head and his arms, and a black beard—punched me in the kidney and I went down hard. It was so painful, I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks.
I heard Sabrina cry, “Stop it. We didn’t tell anyone,” as I struggled to regain my feet.
“Well that’s a lie,” said Ludwick. Again, he nodded and again the gorilla punched me, this time in the solar plexus. I went down hard again. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to take in great gasps of air, but it didn’t seem to help. Then I threw up.
“I’m telling you the truth,” cried Sabrina. “Nobody knows where we are right now. I told my agent your name and we talked to a cop about you. Now stop hitting him.”
“What’s the cop’s name?”
“Detective Miller,” answered Sabrina.
Ludwick smiled.
“Is he on your payroll?” asked Mo.
“I wouldn’t say that exactly. Let’s just say that he owes me,” said Ludwick. He motioned to the gorilla. “Take him to the car.”
He grabbed me none too gently, bound my wrists behind my back with tape, and started to drag me across the floor.
“Where are you taking Del,” asked Sabrina, tears cascading down her cheeks.
“You might want to take a last look.” At those words the guy stopped dragging me.
“Nooooo,” Sabrina wailed. “Stop it, please!”
“Oh, we’ll stop it,” said Ludwick. “In fact, it all stops here. You two will enjoy a long journey.”
Despite my pain, I had gotten back on my feet, and now I charged Ludwick. At least I tried to. The gorilla smacked me in the head from behind and I went tumbling.
“Macho man, here,” said Ludwick, “well, his journey will be a lot shorter. But at least he will go in style.
He walked out the door ahead of us, the two women following behind, and Richard and the remaining goons behind them. He opened the trunk to a black Mercede
s.
“Say goodbye.”
Chapter 29
Miller looked down at the ringing cell phone on his desk. He felt a surge of nervousness run through him. He took a deep breath and picked it up.
“Miller,” he said with a calm he wasn’t feeling.
“Your three friends have been kind of a pain in my ass,” came Ludwick’s voice.
“They’re not my friends,” Miller answered.
“I hope not. If anyone comes looking for them, put them off for a couple of days.”
“Why?” asked Miller.
“I don’t have to tell you why,” said Ludwick. “I just need you to stall any investigation.”
“If you hurt them, you’re screwed. You know that, right?” said Miller. “That Spencer woman has some powerful friends.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ludwick was always cagey on the phone. Miller hated that he was always kept in the dark. He tried another tack.
“One of them told me that you’re from Vista, Oregon. Is that right?”
“None of your business,” answered Ludwick. “But yeah, I grew up there. So?”
“So that’s where those missing girls are from. You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” said Ludwick.
“Because if you did,” said Miller, “I can’t stay silent. I’d arrest your ass.”
“You’re being awful cocky,” said Ludwick. “And you’re being overly inquisitive. Did you forget our deal?”
“I’m just saying…”
“No you’re not. You’re not saying anything to me,” replied Ludwick. “Let me remind you that I own you. I own your very soul. I know where you are all the time and I know who you talk to. If you set me up, your ass is grass. I’ll destroy you. Do you understand that?”
“I’m just saying,” Miller repeated, “if you have anything to do with those girls being abducted, that’s just sick.”
“The rule is, you don’t ask me questions,” said Ludwick. “You don’t ask me about my business and you don’t tell me what to do. When I need something done, I call you and you do it. Is that clear?
Miller hesitated, then sighed. “It’s clear.”
“Stall anyone who asks about the Spencer woman. You got that?”
“Yeah. I’ve got it.”
“Good.” Ludwick hung up and Miller was left holding a phone connected to nothing.
He was sure Honeycutt was right about the Vista connection. But what he felt most immediately bad about was that his actions may have gotten Spencer, Honeycutt, and the other woman killed.
He set his phone down on his desk and looked up at the man standing over him, a man in a police uniform with captain’s bars. His boss was looking down at him expectantly. When Miller spoke, it was with a dry mouth.
“We may have overplayed our hand.”
Chapter 30
Peep heard them arguing in the next room. She had no idea where she was. Richard had given her another injection. It wasn’t as powerful as the first one, but it had put her to sleep. But for how long? Days maybe? She just knew she wasn’t in the same place as before.
It smelled bad, a combination of body odor, urine, and cigarette smoke. There were no windows, so she had no idea if it was day or night. She looked at her watch. No watch. Someone had taken it. Why would someone steal her watch? It was just a cheap thing. Even the stupidest of crooks would know that. Maybe Richard took it. Her purse was missing too.
She got up and put her ear to the closed door.
It wasn’t arguing. It was laughing. Richard was telling a story. She heard the word “bitch.” He must be talking about her. She pressed her ear harder against the door. She couldn’t hear much, but he seemed to be regaling someone with the story of her abduction.
She gave up. She moved away from the door and sat on the floor. And then she cried. Of all the people to run into. Someone she thought was dead. She had put that part of her life behind her with the security of knowing that her secret was safe. All this time, in her mind Richard was dead and Andi was either dead with him or ensconced in a whole new life, with no reason to expose Priscilla. But Richard wasn’t dead. It didn’t matter about her secret now. Somehow, she didn’t think Richard had taken her with the intention of telling anyone about her.
The door opened and Richard stuck his head in.
“You’re awake,” he said. “Enjoy it, because it won’t last long. Real soon you will be flying high again—and flying away to parts unknown.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked
“You’re kidding, right? You ruin my life and you want to know why I want to ruin yours?”
She was silent. How could she argue with him? Karma had come back to bite her.
“You’re finally going to get what you deserve, you cold bitch,” he said. He gave a little laugh and left the room. She heard the door lock.
She reflected on that fateful day. Why did she do it? Why did she blame Richard? Stupid question. She knew why she did it. She was pissed at him for hooking up with Andi. He was still her husband, even though they had nothing in common and, in fact, she didn’t even like him. Maybe it was because he was doing it with Andi. Andi was always the fair-haired one. Nothing ever went wrong for Andi. It had been a stupid thing to do, but when she heard that Richard had been murdered, she was able to erase that whole part of her life.
She had thought about telling Mo when they first met, but she was afraid it would affect Mo’s opinion of her. And with Richard dead, there was no reason to bare her soul. It was a secret she felt comfortable keeping. What would she tell Mo the next time she saw her? The truth was bound to come out.
And then the realization hit her: telling Mo wasn’t going to be an issue, because she was never going to see her again.
She broke down and cried herself to sleep.
*****
She woke up as the door was opening. A man she had never seen before stepped into the room and motioned to someone in the other room. Four girls walked in. “Shuffled” was a more accurate term. They were teenagers, traumatized girls by the look of it. The man told the girls to have a seat, then he left the room.
They sat against the wall, huddled together, not speaking.
As she watched them, Peep’s heart sank.
Her life wasn’t the only one that was over.
Chapter 31
The sun was coming up and Emma had been running for hours. And yet she knew she hadn’t traveled very far at all. Her skin was shredded from the cacti and sharp rocks, and she had fallen so many times, she was black and blue from head to foot. She leaned against a rock in exhaustion and assessed her situation. She had lost track of the glow from Las Vegas at first light and had gotten turned around so many times, she had no idea where she was. The men had given up looking for her sometime earlier. At least they appeared to have given up. She never actually heard them leave. From a distance, she had heard the van start up, but she couldn’t tell from what direction the noise came, and having been in some sort of gully at that particular moment, she couldn’t see the van’s lights. Were they all gone or had they left somebody behind to continue looking for her? But that didn’t make sense. They wouldn’t leave someone to wander the desert like she was doing. Would they come back once it got light? Did they have access to a helicopter or plane?
She looked down at her body. Some of the cuts and scratches were long and wide and would leave scars. She was pretty sure of that. And then it dawned on her. They wouldn’t want her now. She wouldn’t have to worry about becoming a sex slave. If they caught her, they would only have to take one look at her to know that she had become worthless to them. But she knew they wouldn’t let her go. They would only have one option. They would have to kill her.
She shivered. She was alone. So alone. Nobody who could save her knew she was there, so nobody would come looking for her. The stress and terror of the last
few days hit her without warning and she found herself sobbing and shaking. She didn’t even try to cry quietly. She knew the men were gone and, truth be told, she didn’t care anymore. She was dead no matter what she did. She let herself cry for about ten minutes and then she thought about her friends. Did they think she had abandoned them? In reality she had, even if it was for the most noble of reasons. She was pretty sure they hated her at his point. Well, there was nothing she could do about that. She had tried. She had done everything possible to save herself and her friends, but she had failed. As soon as it got a little lighter, she’d start walking again, but she knew she wouldn’t last long once the sun was high. The best she could do would be to look for some shade, but judging by her immediate surroundings, she didn’t hold out much hope. It really didn’t matter. Even if she found some shade, she didn’t have any water. She couldn’t survive a day in the desert without water.
And then it hit her. She was free. Okay, she might be dead in a few hours, but at least she was free. She knew that she would never have to be a sex slave to a pervert, being violated on a daily basis—maybe even an hourly basis—until she was finally used up and discarded. A few hours earlier, that future was her only option. Now she had two. She might be miraculously rescued, or she would die. But death didn’t scare her anymore. It was a definite step up from the future that had been in store for her.
The smile disappeared. It was still her friends’ future. She couldn’t die. She had to stay alive to help her friends. But at the moment, that plan seemed pretty remote.
She looked up at the sky. The sun was still low in the horizon. She could walk a while longer before it got too hot.
“Okay, Emma,” she said aloud. “Get off your ass and start walking.”
She stood up slowly, her muscles rebelling and her cuts and bruises screaming at her. She had no idea which way Las Vegas was. Was she east of it or west of it? It didn’t matter. She didn’t want to be walking into the sun, so she was going west. She would walk until it got too hot, and then she would try to find a bit of shade—maybe in one of the gullies she had fallen into during the night. There had to be more of them.
Vegas Lies ( Lies Mystery Thriller Series Book 3) Page 12
