by Farrell, Lia
“I don’t like it …” He shook his head. “I love it. It’s probably none of my business, but I think Malone needs to pick up her paintbrush again.”
Mae didn’t answer, and the waiters began serving food. There was an announcement made, telling everyone that the silent auction was closed. Ben had bid on one of the vacations, but someone had outbid him right before the cutoff.
After dinner, Jill and her husband announced that they had just received information about a large donation. She wanted to acknowledge the donor personally. She called Laura Connolly up to the microphone.
“What the hell is that woman doing here?” Ben muttered under his breath. He pulled out his cell and dialed. He gestured to Mae that he had to step away to make this call.
Mae had noticed Laura before the announcement. Laura’s gaze locked on hers for an uncomfortably long moment.
“Everyone, I’d like to introduce Laura Connolly. Laura, please come on up. Mrs. Connolly is representing her husband’s law firm. The Connolly, White, Putney and Swift firm has donated ten thousand dollars to the school. Let’s hear it for the Connollys!” Jill stood by Laura and raised Laura’s right arm in the air. Mae noticed that Laura’s hands were clenched into tight fists. The applause was enthusiastic and prolonged.
“Laura’s husband, James, was busy tonight, but she graciously offered to bring the donation to us. Thank you so much, Laura.” Jill smiled as Laura exited the stage.
Jill and her band played a short set. Her voice was appealing, a combination of rough and smooth. Her band, called Tough Act to Follow, was composed of all old-school musicians; people who sounded the best live. Ben returned to the table and touched her arm.
“Mae, we have to go right now. Laura wasn’t supposed to leave her house. I hate to go during the set, but I have to find out how she managed to get out of the house. ”
“We can sneak out after this song,” Mae whispered. “I’m pretty tired anyway.”
The song ended and they ducked out. Mae looked back at Laura Connolly. Her fixed gaze was extremely uncomfortable. Mae waved at Jill and Jill winked with a thumbs-up. Ben must have passed inspection. They said goodbye to Jill’s husband and stuffed their giant door prize in the back of the truck.
Ben made several phone calls on the drive back to his house.
Mae wasn’t really listening. She was still thinking about Katie Hudson, Katie’s son, who also might be Ben’s son and whether the woman still wanted a relationship with Ben. They sat in the truck for a minute after he parked.
Ben called the office again and left messages for Nichols, Dory, and Phelps.
Mae turned to him. “Did you see how Laura stared at me at the fundraiser? I think she knows I told you about the shovel. I have a terrible feeling that Laura had something to do with the murder. I’ve been feeling like this ever since I heard her ask Robin where the shovel was.”
“I think she’s protecting her husband. Don’t worry. We’re keeping an eye on both of the Connollys. Mae …” he hesitated, “would you come in?” He leaned over to kiss her.
She turned her head away. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry, but I need time to adjust to all this.” He pulled back with a hurt expression. He got out of the truck and walked around the back to open her door. Mae stepped down on the running board and he took her arm to help her down.
“I’ll call you soon,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m going to check on some things at the station now.”
Mae let go of his arm and gently kissed him on the cheek. He walked over to his patrol car, started it up and drove out of the neighborhood. Mae turned and walked toward her car. She wondered if he’d really call her. He might not. His ex-fiancée was back and he had probably just found out that she was the mother of his son. He’d be under immense pressure to reconcile with her.
Tears started to fill her eyes. Their relationship would be over before it really began. She’d be alone again.
As Mae unlocked her car, a woman in a long trench coat walked toward the car parked in front of Mae’s. The night was very dark and her face was lost in the shadow of her hood, but there was something familiar about her. Mae got into the driver’s seat, turned the key in the ignition and lowered her window to let in the cool night air.
The woman in the long hooded coat was standing right beside her. “Excuse me. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
The woman pulled out a gun. “Turn off the car. Get out.”
Mae was frozen. Was this really happening? Mae shut the car off, opened her door and got out. The gun was pressed against her back.
“Get in my car.”
“What are you doing?”
“Get into the driver’s seat in that car ahead of you. The keys are in it. Don’t make a sound. This gun is loaded.”
Mae thought she recognized the woman’s voice. Her abductor hardly looked at her; her face was still concealed by dark shadows. Mae got in and started the car. The woman walked around to get into the passenger seat, all the while keeping the gun pointed at Mae through the front windshield. When she reached the rider’s side door, the window was down. She kept the gun pointed at Mae through the open window as she got in the car.
“You’re going to drive us to downtown Nashville. Take the first exit after the Science Museum.”
The entire drive, Mae talked quietly. She was desperate to get through to her kidnapper. She kept her voice low.
“Where are we going? Please, put the gun down. What do you want from me? Let me help you. You must think I can do something for you. What is it?”
“This is your fault,” the woman said.
“What are you talking about? What did I do?”
The woman didn’t answer. Instead she said, “We’re going to the apartment building at four-oh-six Robert Street. Turn left at the next light.”
They pulled up in front of an apartment building and at a wave of the woman’s gun, Mae drove beneath the portico and down a side driveway. They were going into underground parking. Mae started to shake.
“If you make a sound, I’ll shoot you. If you didn’t have such a big mouth, I wouldn’t have to do this.”
Mae pulled into a parking place and shut the car off. Her abductor opened the door and stepped out. Holding the gun steady, she told Mae to crawl across the seat and get out of the car on her side. She held a pair of silvery bracelets. As soon as Mae stood up, there was a click on her left wrist. She was handcuffed to her kidnapper. She struggled, but the handcuffs didn’t give.
Linked together, the two women walked to the elevator. The underground parking garage was dark and deserted. There was no one to help her. They got into the elevator and rode to the sixth floor. When the elevator doors opened, the woman motioned to Mae to stay back while she peered around the corner and down the hall.
“Remember, I have a loaded gun in my pocket,” she whispered. “Don’t make a sound.”
She opened the door to Apartment 610 with a key and pulled Mae inside with her.
“For God’s sake, what are you doing? Let me go. You’ll never get away with this. The sheriff will come looking for me first thing in the morning.”
“Do you really think he can save you?” Her tone of voice was completely unemotional. She sounded like a machine.
When Mae finally caught a glimpse of the woman’s eyes, she had the strangest feeling. Handcuffs linked them together, but her captor simply wasn’t there. She was somewhere far away. Her pupils were huge and her eyes glittered blankly. Mae peered into the face of madness.
The woman walked down the hall to the bedroom; Mae stumbled along behind her. She opened the door to the bathroom and pulled Mae inside.
“Get into the bathtub.” She unlocked the handcuffs from her own wrist and pulled both Mae’s arms behind her back. The handcuffs snapped together.
Teetering on her heels, Mae stepped into the tub. The bottom of the tub was slippery, and she started to fall. The gun came crashing down on her. There was a fla
re of light and then total darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
March 28
Sheriff Ben Bradley
The phone rang and Ben sat up. It was very dark. After leaving Mae by her car, he drove to the station to see if he could find Phelps or anyone who knew how Laura had gotten out of her house. The station was empty except for the night dispatcher. He finally reached George and told him that Laura had escaped. Phelps was still in his car outside the Connolly’s house. He was chagrinned, admitting he’d left his post, but only for about fifteen minutes earlier in the evening.
“I had to take a leak, Boss,” he said. “I was hungry. I got dinner from a drive through but came right back.”
Ben was too angry to discuss it. He sent the deputy back to Mae’s house to watch for her return. Ben drove to the Connollys’ house, but there was no one home. He checked with the Fannings and called every number he had for the Connollys, to no avail. After trying to track down Laura and failing, he returned home and fell into bed.
The bedside clock showed two thirty a.m. Caller ID read “George Phelps.”
He growled. “Phelps, this had better be good.”
“Sorry sir.” He sounded very upset. “Miss December never came home.”
“Oh my God.” His mind raced. Mae wouldn’t be driving around this late at night. Where in the hell was she?
He took a deep breath. “Go down to Ruby’s house right now and look around. See if anyone’s there. If you don’t find Mae, go to the Fannings’ house and search the whole property. I don’t care if you have to get everyone out of bed and standing on the lawn. Go through the house from top to bottom. Don’t forget to look in that shed! Call me if you find her at either place. Call Robert and have him check the Van Attas’ house, too.” Not waiting for a response, Ben hit the off button, pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and ran outside, quickly checking for Mae’s car. Her car was still there and her purse was on the front seat. Mae was nowhere to be seen. He’d been so tired when he drove home that he hadn’t even noticed her car. Damn.
Ben called Wayne on his cell. He answered, sounding very tired. “Ben, what is it?”
“Mae’s missing. She was with me until around one. Her car’s still parked outside my place, her keys are in the ignition and her purse is on the seat, but she isn’t in the car. Phelps is checking Ruby’s house, the Fannings’ house and Fuller is checking the Van Attas. This is connected to the murder. I know it! You better go check the Connollys’ house.”
“I’m on my way.” Wayne hung up.
Where is she? Where is she? Where is she? He started his car and turned out into the empty street. Ben turned right to go to the office when something clicked. It has to be James. He has Mae. I know he does. He was as desperate as he’d ever been in his life.
Where would he take her? Where? Ben slammed his fist on the steering wheel. The pain in his hand flared up.
I’m a damn fool. Why the hell didn’t I see her safely into her car? Where has that son of a bitch taken Mae?
Images from the case came to him in a cascade—Ruby’s house, Robin’s house, Mae’s house and then Connollys’ downtown apartment. He swung the car around, put on his siren and drove to the Nashville apartment where Connolly had his affair with Ruby. The trip normally took thirty minutes. He was there in twelve minutes flat.
Ben drove under the portico of the building, left the car running and ran into the lobby. He pounded his fist on the desk, hitting the bell repeatedly. A frightened-looking young woman came out.
He showed his badge. “What number apartment is James Connolly’s?”
“Six ten.”
He sprinted to the bank of elevators.
“There’s been a kidnapping. Can you open the door?” Ben called back to her.
“I’m coming.”
They got into the elevator. As soon as it opened onto the sixth floor, he raced down the hall. His phone rang and Ben stopped for a second. George again.
“What did you find?”
“Nothing, sir. Mae wasn’t in any of those places. Nobody knows where she is.”
“Damn it! Search the barn, the fields.” Ben clicked the phone off. It rang again, almost immediately.
“Wayne here. I’m at the Connollys’—no sign of James. Laura’s here and she’s saying that the kids are at her parents’ house and she doesn’t know where her husband is.”
“That bastard has Mae. I’m sure of it.”
The key worked smoothly and they entered the apartment. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Ben raced down the hall into the master bedroom.
Water was everywhere. Ben threw open the bathroom door. The tub was overflowing. He shoved the shower curtain aside. Mae lay in the water. Only her eyes and forehead showed above the waterline. She was so white she was almost blue.
“Mae! Mae!” He lifted her head from the cold water. Shutting off the faucet with his other hand, he opened the drain and the water level began gradually going down. The girl from the front desk stood staring at Mae, transfixed.
Gently, Ben lifted Mae’s water-soaked body and carried her to the bed. She wasn’t breathing. He started CPR but then raised his face from her mouth, “Call nine-one-one and get a bolt cutter,” he yelled.
The receptionist reached for the intercom on her belt and called security. “Come to six ten. Bring a bolt cutter. Right away!”
Tense minutes went by as Ben breathed into Mae’s mouth. He kept counting, desperately praying for her to breathe. Her lips were ice-cold.
When the security guards arrived, Ben rolled Mae onto her side so they could cut off the handcuffs. He never stopped CPR. One of the men pinched the bolt cutter on the side of the cuffs but couldn’t cut through the thick, silvery plastic.
“Is she breathing?” he asked.
Ben shook his head, lowered his mouth over Mae’s and blew again. The whole time he kept pushing on her chest.
The security guard continued trying to cut the handcuffs off. Finally, they snapped. Mae’s wrists were raw, chafed and bleeding.
Her eyes fluttered, and she retched violently. She coughed and heaved.
Pulling her to a seated position, Ben struck her on the back several times. Her head flopped forward onto his chest. He raised her face. Her pupils were hugely dilated. Euphoria sang through his veins like hard liquor. She was alive.
“Mae, it’s all right. You’re going to be fine,” Ben whispered. “Who did this to you?”
She picked her head up and opened her eyes briefly. Looking over his shoulder, she mumbled something he couldn’t understand and flopped forward again. Ben lay her down on the bed. She was so small and pale, with her thick hair plastered down, but she was breathing. Breathing! Nothing else in the whole world mattered.
Ben turned to the desk clerk. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Sandy.”
“Sandy, I need your help, okay?” Her eyes seemed caught on Mae’s wet, barely-breathing body, but at last she nodded. “We have to get all of her wet clothes off and get her wrapped up in blankets. We’ve got to raise her body temperature.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
March 31
Mae December
Mae was in the hospital for three days. The doctors were worried about brain damage from the few minutes her breathing had stopped. Daddy said she technically died, which was hard to accept or even think about. The last thing she remembered was stepping into the bathtub.
They kept her fully sedated for two days but everything checked out fine. The December family and several others, including Ben and Patrick, all wanted to be there when she was released. Mae whispered to her mother. She wanted Tammy to take her home. She couldn’t face a big crowd of people. For once, Mama didn’t argue.
When Mae saw her old farmhouse, she started to tear up. Once inside, she bent down to pet Titan, Thoreau, and Tallulah, who had come out from the laundry room to greet her. She lay down on the couch and turned on the news. The reporter said James Connoll
y had been arraigned on charges of murder and abduction. She ached all over. Her throat was sore and her wrists and head still pounded. She was a wreck emotionally and physically, but knew she had to call Ben.
“Hi, gorgeous.”
She cleared her throat with a loud rasp. “Hi Ben.”
“Oh Mae, I’m happy to hear your voice. How are you? Are you feeling better? Could I come by?”
“No. Not right now. I just wanted to tell you that I don’t think James had anything to do with any of it. The murder, the kidnapping, the shovels; it was all Laura. You need to arrest her. He’s innocent.”
“You’re calling about the case?”
“Well, I saw the news. Tammy brought me home a little while ago and she’s in the kitchen fixing me some dinner. I turned on the TV and saw that you arrested James.”
“We have Laura here, too. Don’t worry. We were operating under the assumption that they were in on it together. I’ll send someone to get your statement tomorrow, unless you want me to come?”
She thought for a minute. “I’m not physically or emotionally ready to see anybody right now. I gave a statement to a Nashville police officer when I woke up in the hospital, so they should have it.”
He gave a deep sigh. “I’ll contact them and read it. I’d like to see you, though. When you’re ready, I mean.”
“I know you came to the hospital—Mama told me you were there—but I don’t remember. You saved my life. I can never thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me. If I had walked you to your car, she wouldn’t have gotten you in the first place. I was really angry about Laura showing up at the fundraiser and the complications with Katie and her son.”
Complications? ‘Her’ son?
“Laura would have followed me and gotten me some other way. I know this whole thing has been really hard on you, Ben, and I’m sorry you’re going through this, but I don’t think a little boy deserves to be referred to as a complication, whoever his father is.”
