“Nooooo!!” The sound echoing against the walls.
Her body went cold and numb. Seconds ticked by, and she restrained herself from calling his name.
Jamie appeared around the corner, and she wanted to cry out with relief. Behind him Randy pushed Jamie forward into the bathroom, holding a gun to his head.
“Jamie, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
She was too busy looking for gunshot wounds on his body to answer with more than a nod. When she saw the blood on his head, panic shook her. No, he can’t be shot in the head. He wouldn’t be standing there, wouldn’t be talking to me.
Randy tied Jamie up between the toilet and the cabinet, a space barely suitable for a child, much less a man of Jamie’s size. All the while Randy had the gun trained at Hallie to insure Jamie’s cooperation. In his eyes, she saw determination, anger, but he saw that gun pointed at her.
Randy tied the final knot. “Don’t you two look cozy?”
She glared at him, her fingers flexing, aching to scratch out his eyes.
“What do you want from us? We haven’t done anything to you.”
Randy rested the barrel of the pistol against his chin in a thoughtful way. “No, but you were going to do something to me, weren’t you? How did you know about the car and the truck? Who sent you here?”
She pressed her lips together, not wanting to satisfy his curiosity.
“You’re going to die anyway. Don’t you want me to know why you’re here?”
Hearing those words… “Nobody sent me here. I came on my own.”
“Hallie,” Jamie warned.
“I do want him to know why I came here. I know you’re Randy Vittone, and that you set up Alan Messino to die in your place after you robbed some banks. I know you killed Chris Copestakes because she knew the truth.”
Randy’s eyes widened, and his mouth hung open until he clamped it shut. “How the hell—”
“No, Randy, it’s how in Heaven I know. When you killed Chris, she went to Heaven and got a second chance. I’m Chris.”
Randy blinked hard. “No. You’re making this up, playing some head game because you think you can talk your way out of this.”
“I don’t care whether you believe it or not.”
“Where did we meet?”
“Cheech’s Pizza Parlor. I was with Toni and Jeff, and you joined us for sausage and anchovy pizza. You were born in Georgia, but your parents died, and you took off and never returned. That’s what you told me, anyway. I used to call your pals the Poker Putzes, because Mac, Bob and Kurt were putzes. The only personal thing you ever told me was that you hated rich people and wanted to be richer than them so you could rub their faces in it like they always did to you. You just never told me you were going to murder and rob your way there.”
Randy leaned back against the wall. “If I thought Heaven and hell existed, I’d almost believe you.”
“You’ll believe in hell soon enough,” she said.
He laughed, but his expression was still dumbstruck. “I was born in Alabama. My mother was a hooker and my father a bum who beat me for kicks. Mom decided that hooking was better than getting hit, so she left me with dear old Dad. I took off when I was fourteen and headed to Utah. I survived by robbing little old ladies and then convenience stores. Banks were the next logical step, except I panicked and shot a manager. When the cops got too close, I found someone who fit my type and let him die for me so I could get a new start.”
He leaned closer to Hallie, and she shrunk away. Continuing, he said, “But that didn’t work, because when I moved here, I ran out of money, and it was too tempting to pick up where I’d left off. I was good at it. So, Chris, would you have gone out with me if I’d told you my real life story?”
She backed away even more, ignoring his question. Dark and dangerous, that was what had attracted her to Randy. She hadn’t realized how dark and how dangerous.
Randy leaned back against the wall again. “You want to know what I’m going to do to you? I’ve been working this through since we left the junkyard.” He smiled in a sinister way. “I can’t take all the credit. I saw it on a television show. I’ve already turned on the gas. The police will think there was a leak, and poor Hallie happened to be over at my place when it blew. Think how much fun the town’ll have with that gossip.” He lifted a wallet. Jamie’s wallet. “Then off I go.”
Her heart pounded with fear and dread, but anger fueled her mouth. “No one’s going to believe that Jamie is you. They’ll test the remains for DNA.” The thought of it, investigators picking through their ashes, their remains, turned her stomach.
“Honey, this place will be an incinerator. There’s not going to be enough left to identify. Besides, there’ll be no reason to suspect otherwise. Your car will be here, along with my truck. I already told my buddies how I got the hot chick who’s working for me to come here and have lunch.” His mouth twisted into a leer. “How we got it on.”
“My people will track me here,” Jamie said through tight lips. “They’ll figure it out.”
“But they’re going to find your car in New Mexico. Hallie, or Chris, or whoever you are, you should have learned the first time to keep your nose out of other people’s business.”
“Other people’s business? You killed me! When I came here, I only knew that my death wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t until later that I remembered what you had done and figured out how you did it. You think I could walk away from that?”
He looked at her, speculating. “All I can say is, next time—if there is a next time—don’t come looking for me, because I’ll have an eye out for you.”
He walked out and closed the door, shutting them into the tiny space. She started shaking. No more talk. No more explaining, and begging wasn’t going to help.
“Jamie, he wasn’t lying about the gas. I can smell it! How can we get out of…”
“Shhh.”
He nodded toward the door. The knob was jiggling. After a few moments, it stopped. Footsteps led outside, and the door slammed shut. The crunch of his shoes on snow sounded outside, fading.
She strained to listen. “I haven’t heard his truck start. Wait, he said he was leaving it here. He’s probably going to walk to the junkyard to get my car.”
“Walk? In this weather?”
“I know this area. If he cuts through the woods, he can get there in no time. Then he’ll be back…” She took a stuttering breath. “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”
“Hush. You didn’t get me into anything. It was my choice to come here.”
“I know, but… are you all right? He didn’t shoot you, did he?”
“No. He probably didn’t want the police to find a bullet in my bones. Sorry,” he said when her head drooped. “When I heard you scream, I tried to get up, but he was right there. He pulled the gun from beneath the couch cushion. When I lunged at him, he shot it over my head.”
“Is your head still bleeding? I was so worried when he hit you. How many times can you take a hit on the head?”
He managed a wry smile. “It was in a new spot this time.”
“You’re awfully cavalier for someone about to die.”
She saw a spark in his blue eyes. “Because I know we’re not going to die.”
He lifted his hands, free from their constraints. Her heart leapt into her throat. He un-wedged himself out of the tight spot and freed her. “He didn’t tie the ropes that well, which may have been intentional. In any case, I don’t think he suspected we’d get out quite this fast. I was working on them while he was talking.”
“But why would he tie them loose enough that we could escape?”
“I’m not sure, but remember, he saw it on television once. Who knows what trick he picked up.” As she reached for the door, he said, “Don’t touch it!”
She froze. “Why?”
He knelt down and looked at the doorknob, then ran his fingers along the edge of the door.
“We might set off some kind of booby trap. Look, between the door and the jamb. There’s something lodged there.”
She studied the two rows of red bumps. “Matches. And sandpaper. Oh, God, I would have set the whole thing off if I’d opened the door.”
“I don’t know if it would spark, but we don’t want to find out.” He turned to the tiny window high above the shower. “Do you think you can squeeze through if I help?”
“Not with baby oil and a plunger. But water would do the trick.”
Jamie snapped his fingers. “Good thinking. Wet matches can’t ignite.”
They found a cup and filled it. After three cupfuls thrown into the crack, he said, “The match tops are disintegrating.”
Very, very slowly they pushed open the door. The soggy matchbook flopped to the yellowed linoleum with a soft thud.
“Jamie, it’s snowing out there. I can find you a coat—”
“We don’t have time. He’ll be back anytime with your car.”
They stepped outside, and she pulled in a lungful of air as she searched for Randy. His truck was parked where they’d left it, the engine ticking as it cooled.
She pointed. “There are his footsteps. He’s definitely walking to the junkyard. If we follow his trail, he’ll be driving back here by the time we get to your car.”
They trudged through snow toward the thicket of trees. The sky was white, and the flurries made everything hazy and surreal. Jamie’s hand felt cold when she took it in her own. She knew he had to be freezing.
The junkyard came into view, Jamie’s rental car sitting alone. Over the crunching of the snow and her breath coming fast and hard, she heard another sound. An engine!
“Get in quick!” Jamie called, but he didn’t have to tell her.
When they reached the car, her SUV came up over the incline. Had Randy seen them? Why had he doubled back? She leaped in and scooted over so Jamie could jump in behind the wheel. He turned the key. The engine struggled, then died out. She watched the car get closer.
“Come on, come on.” Jamie twisted the key again.
The engine whined, then rumbled to life. Just as he put it into gear, Randy slammed into the side of the car. She screamed.
Jamie jammed the gas pedal, and the car jerked forward. “Hold tight.”
The SUV’s headlights cut through the dimness behind them. Jamie gripped the wheel, intent on his driving.
God, can you hear me? I haven’t spent enough time with Jamie yet. Please get us out of this alive! Please—
She stared at sign, and just beyond… Crystal Bridge. Barricades blocked the way, advising of a safer, alternate route in the snow.
“Jamie, no! This is the bridge I was killed on.”
“I can’t turn back. He’ll smash us while I’m trying to turn around.”
“No, no, no,” she kept chanting, knowing he wouldn’t, couldn’t turn around.
She clutched the seat with a death grip. They pushed past the barricades and onto the icy bridge. The ravine gaped on either side, ready to devour them. The tires slid for a second before gripping the road. She turned to see behind them. Headlights coming closer. Closer.
Randy pounded into the back of their car, sending them into a spin. The sound of crumpling metal echoed in her head. It was her nightmare all over again. Her death all over. She closed her eyes as the car headed toward the railing. Over. They hit a post with a thud, throwing her against the door.
“Hallie, get out of the car!”
Her eyes snapped open. They were stationary, not falling down. Her SUV was backing away. She heard the gears grind and the tires spin when Randy threw it into drive. Jamie pulled her from the car just as the SUV came smashing forward, sending Jamie’s rental car careening down the bridge to rest a short distance away.
Jamie clutched her hand as they ran beside the safety railing. Randy came at them again, and she saw the wild expression on his face.
As Randy closed in, Jamie pushed her backwards, where she slipped and fell. And where she watched with horror as the SUV skated across the ice right toward Jamie. The brake lights flashed, then remained steady as the car skidded onward.
At first it seemed that Jamie was diving toward the vehicle, and she thought she must be losing her mind. Landing on the ice with his arms in front of him, Jamie slid between the tires. The SUV drove over him and broke through the safety railing. But the car didn’t fly off the edge. Instead, it teetered over the ravine, precariously balanced between life and death. The front wheels spun in mid-air. Somewhere under that car was Jamie.
She struggled to her feet. Through the thin fog on the windows, Randy slowly turned and glared at her. Then he grabbed for something on the seat. The gun, aimed at her.
The window shattered. She dropped. The car lurched forward as the bullet cut through the air beside her. In slow motion, the SUV rolled off the bridge.
She didn’t want to look, but her eyes betrayed her. Randy’s expression through the shattered opening of glass was terror. His guttural scream pierced the air as the SUV fell from view. Through the foggy air, the sound of compressed metal seemed far away; inside her, it was all too close.
“Jamieeeeee!” she screamed through tears and terror and grief and made her way over to him.
He was lying between the slushy tire tracks. She dropped down beside him, taking him in as he sat up. No sign of anything crushed or broken.
He patted himself. “It feels like I’m all right. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work.”
She threw herself into his arms, holding him tight. “I thought you’d gone crazy.” Then she pushed him back. “What were you doing?”
“When I saw him bearing down on us, I knew he wouldn’t be able to stop once he hit us. So I waited until the last minute, pushed you away, and dropped down flat. It looked as though there was enough clearance beneath the car. I figured, if I did get run over, it’d be better than getting hit and pushed over the side. And you’d be safe.”
“Jamie, you’re crazy. I put you in danger and you save my life by risking your own.”
He drew her close again and kissed her frozen nose. “You’re worth it. But before I could even rejoice in being in one piece, I saw the gun aimed at you.” He got to his feet, then pulled her up, smoothing the hair away from her wet face. “So I pushed up on the bumper with my feet.” His face paled as he looked at the edge. “I sent him over.”
“It was the only way. He was over the edge in more ways than one.”
The wind shook the broken railing, making it appear to wave her closer. She took a step toward it.
Jamie tightened his hold on her hand. “Don’t look.”
“I have to. I have to be sure.”
The wind cut through them like a thousand icicles. They stood, arms wrapped around each other, and looked down. Her car had gone over near the more shallow edge. The SUV had fallen in the middle of the ravine, where it was deep and rocky. Pieces of it were scattered in the snow, chrome and glass and metal. The bulk of it was a mass of twisted metal, hardly recognizable as a vehicle.
“It’s awful,” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Now he can’t haunt your dreams anymore.”
She snuggled closer to Jamie, only nodding in agreement.
“Thank you for coming,” she whispered.
“I wasn’t going to lose you again, Hallie.” He kissed the top of her head. “We have to figure out what we’re going to tell the police.”
She nodded, then looked up at him. “I want them to know who he is, what he did.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crinkled newspaper article. “I have the proof. I just have to come up with the story that explains how Hallie DiBarto figured it out.”
“We’ll figure it out. First we need to get off this bridge.”
The car pulled hard to the left, but Jamie managed to steer it with one arm. The other was around Hallie’s shoulders, holding her close. He moved only to turn the radio on, a welcome respite from t
he events of the last few hours. He smiled, and she lifted her head to look at him.
Bing Crosby sang, “White Christmas.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” she whispered.
“And it’s white.” He nodded to the snow falling all around. “So this is where you grew up?”
“It seems like forever ago when I was sitting in a classroom learning the effects of acid rain and what levels the water boatman could survive as opposed to the salamander. Or seeing bunny tracks after a fresh snowfall. Or when the mountains look like they’re on fire with the aspens turning in the fall. It was literally a lifetime ago.”
“I’m sorry it was all taken away from you.”
“In some ways it’s sad.” She looked at Jamie. “But in some ways, it’s wonderful. I would never have met you if I hadn’t died.”
“I’m not glad you died, but I sure am glad you came my way.”
She sat up straighter, looking around, soaking in the surroundings and music. “You know, it’s funny. I don’t feel like I belong here anymore. I belong with you, in Caterina.”
His heart felt warm and full, and he leaned over and kissed her. “Yes, you do. Should I call you Hallie or Chris?”
“Hallie. That’s who I am now.”
He ran his finger down the bridge of her nose. “Yes. Yes, you are.” He traced down to her soft mouth and lingered there. He knew in his heart she was someone else, but it was still incredible. “Show me where you grew up.”
Her smile faded. “The last time I saw my parent’s house, I felt so sad and lost.”
“I’ll be with you this time. I’ll make sure you’re not sad and lost.”
She looked at him, and he saw apprehension turn to trust in her deep blue eyes. “Okay.”
They followed a winding road to a wooded section with ranch houses and barns. The house she pointed to looked warm and cozy, and he tried to picture the girl he’d seen in the article living there, throwing a Frisbee to her dogs on a lazy summer day. A Christmas tree twinkled in the window. Five cars were parked outside. He got out of the car.
Until I Die Again [On The Way To Heaven] (Soul Change Novel) Page 29
