“What about your ankle monitor?”
“They cut it off. I told you to leave things alone. Now we’re both dead, thanks to you.”
“We wouldn’t be if you’d gone to the police.”
He snorted. “The police came to me.”
“Before that. You should have gone straight there instead of walking home.”
“Huh! You don’t know Aus.”
Meaning Aus could talk his way out of anything.
“He’s a psychopath,” I said. “They’re good at what they do. But you had the truth on your side.”
“What’s the use of that?”
I could see his problem. He’d have needed some sort of protection until it all got straightened out.
But that was past. There was no point in hashing it over now.
I refused to share his pessimism that we were doomed. I’d been doomed before. But this time I couldn’t see any way out of it.
My phone!
It was in my handbag, which I didn’t have, and it wasn’t charged.
I felt around on the floor as far as my hands could reach. Austen hadn’t left the bag. Nobody ever said psychopaths were stupid.
I focused on the ring and tried thinking hard. Ben. Where are you? I think I sobbed out loud.
Liam heard me. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t you care that we’re stuck here?” I wondered if my headache was going away. Or maybe I was simply getting used to it.
“Yeah, I care, but what can I do? He just better be quick about it.”
About killing us, he meant. And I knew he meant Austen.
I had thought Austen liked me a little. And Maddie, but only because she liked him. Or used to. I could give him an earful about that, possibly turn the tide in favor of me. If I ever got a chance.
I thought Freddie liked me, too. Then he betrayed me. All because of that stupid Sandy Boyd. For the first time in her life she ever bothered to notice me. I wondered if she might be in cahoots with them. Ridiculous. She didn’t even know them. The thought went away, but it left me stressed. I rubbed my knuckle harder than ever. Please, Ben. Please hear me.
No use. How could he possibly hear my thoughts or feel where I was?
Liam burst out, “Why the hell did you have to poke around?”
I couldn’t say I was trying to help. That would only make him angrier. I said, “Why the hell didn’t you get the police?” For good measure, I added, “Stupid.”
Then I said, “Does Dad know where we are?”
“How could he?”
Dad would expect Liam to be at home. What would he do? He might even find the discarded ankle monitor, if Austen had left it. But how would he think to look in the school basement?
I felt something land on my thumb. Something fuzzy, like a bug. I brushed it off. Even the bug was free.
“Yesterday,” I told Liam, “Austen got in trouble with the police for stealing his grandfather’s car. I should have said something then. But it was state police.”
He groaned. “Why don’t you shut up?”
“You’re right. I should save my breath.”
“For what? There’s plenty of air in here. Especially what comes out of your mouth.”
Save it for what? Sending telepathic messages to Ben? Like that was going to work. I’d never done anything telepathic in my life.
A sound made me freeze. Footsteps on stairs. There had to be stairs if this was a basement.
Austen.
I heard the muffled thud of a door closing.
I barely whispered. “What’s that?”
“Bathrooms,” he said.
It gave me a moment of hope that made no sense. “That’s how I got free the first time I was tied up. Only then it was duct tape.”
Liam said nothing. What was there to say? I was only babbling.
I heard more sounds.
Voices. People? They seemed to come from beyond the wall. I asked, “What’s going on out there?”
“Commencement,” he said in a dull voice.
“Outside?”
“They only have it in the auditorium if it rains.”
Liam was supposed to graduate. I wondered if Austen was out there.
Another bug landed on my hand. It wouldn’t get off. I tried to push it but it seemed to be attached. To the twine. It was part of the twine. Grandma used that kind of fuzzy cord when she tied up newspapers for recycle. I ran my thumb over it, thinking of home.
Where I’d been rubbing with the tiger, I felt a frayed end. That was what tickled me.
I made the tiger scrub harder. Ben’s tiger. I loved it. I loved Ben, not just because he had given me the tiger.
I tried to pull my hands apart. No use. I worked faster. In a frenzy, I scrubbed and pulled, scrubbed and pulled.
The sounds grew louder. A growing crowd. Didn’t anyone else need the bathroom? And stumble in here by mistake? Probably Austen locked the door.
My hands came apart with a force that knocked me down. Pain stabbed my head.
I caught my breath. Sat up, realized what happened, and took stock of myself.
Hands, feet, throbbing head. Everything.
I yelped, “I’m free!”
“Shut up,” said Liam.
“No, you don’t understand. I’m free!”
I crawled over to him. He was sitting up against the post with his hands in back of it, as mine had been. I could barely see him. The crowd outside quieted. Lights went on. Now I could see a little better. There must have been a window someplace.
Liam, too, finally realized what happened. “How’d you do that?”
“My tiger.” I couldn’t see his knots but I felt them. They were as tight as mine had been.
“What are you talking about?”
“My ring. From my boyfriend. I’ll show you later.”
“There won’t be any later if we don’t get out of here now.”
“I’m trying. It would take too long with the tiger. I’m trying to untie your knots.”
“Try harder.”
“I am. They’re tight. I can’t even get my fingernail in and I just broke it, and my head hurts.”
“Aw, your fingernail,” he sneered.
“I don’t care about the nail, I can’t get it into the knot. Do you have anything in your pocket?”
“Why, you think Aus wouldn’t look there? He took my knife.”
“How come you were carrying a knife? Are you allowed to?”
“Nobody said I couldn’t. They were more concerned about guns. Will you stop talking and hurry it up?”
“I need something to cut it with. Do you think the custodian would have some tools? Where would they be?”
“How would I know?” It was a moan of despair. “If Aus comes back—”
“I won’t leave you.”
“You’d better.” He was brave now. Heroic. “No sense us both getting slaughtered. You have to tell the world what happened.”
I certainly would. This was all my fault. They might have left him alone if it hadn’t been for me. And that idiot Sandy Boyd. I struggled uselessly with his knots while I looked around in the darkness. Not totally dark. The glow from outside helped a little. There must have been daylight, too. It was, after all, late June.
I pushed up off the floor to try a higher vantage point. Still nothing but darkness.
And a dark shape against one wall.
“Where would the light be?” I asked.
“Switch is usually by the door but don’t turn it on.”
He sounded desperate. He was afraid of alerting Austen. I would have to do it all by feel.
Cautiously I made my way toward the shape on the wall. It might have been a workbench. I had to feel each step before I took it so I wouldn’t trip on anything.
Finally I was there, groping. It actually was a workbench. Just above and in back was what looked like a row of hanging tools.
The voices outside gave way to music. “Pomp and Circumstance.” Comme
ncement music. I felt so bad for Liam. He should have been out there graduating. And Johnny Kinsser, too. Probably Austen was marching in, smug in a long black gown.
I felt my way along the row of tools. The music stopped and a voice came through a loudspeaker. How dare they give Austen a diploma when he deprived two other people, one of them, probably both, forever?
“Hurry up,” Liam said.
“I am. I can’t see.”
“Don’t turn on the light.”
I found something the size of a knife but it had a serrated edge. A keyhole saw. I took it back with me and almost stepped on Liam in the dark.
“What did you find?” He was barely hanging on.
“A saw. It should work.” I got down on the floor. It was fully dark there. My fingers searched for any part of the rope where I wouldn’t be scraping his hand.
As I pushed the end of the saw through a tiny space, he winced.
“Sorry,” I said. “Tell me if I get too close.”
“Can’t be close enough.” He spoke through clenched teeth.
Slowly I moved the saw up and down. I couldn’t do it faster, it was such a tight fit. After every few thrusts, I probed with my fingers to see if I’d accomplished anything.
All the time, I listened. The PA system drowned out everything. I wouldn’t know if Austen came until he burst through the door.
He was coming. I heard voices and footsteps beyond the door. I pulled out the saw, stuck it under my shirt, and started crawling over to my own post.
“Get back here.” Liam’s whisper was hoarse.
“What if it’s Austen?”
“Can’t leave me like this.”
He was right. With both of us free we might possibly have a chance. I pulled the saw out of my shirt and tackled the rope in a frenzy.
I heard his teeth snap together. His head went back in pain and my own pain hit me again.
I stopped sawing.
“Don’t stop!” He sounded desperate.
I sawed harder.
He said, “Hurry!”
The rope seemed to loosen, if it wasn’t wishful thinking on my part. I said nothing to Liam.
I tried to feel where I’d been sawing. Was it frayed? Or again wishful thinking?
Suddenly, the saw popped free. I couldn’t feel the rope on his hands. I patted the floor and felt scraps of it.
He brought his hands in front of him and shook them.
“If you weren’t my sister,” he said, “I’d kiss you. Let’s get outa here.”
We both stood up. Pain made me dizzy. I tried to ignore it.
What if Austen was right outside the door? I could see light under it.
What if the door was locked?
Liam took my hand and led me toward it. He turned the knob.
It opened.
“Quick!” he said. In front of us was a flight of stairs. He looked around and we hurried up, trying to be quiet.
At the top was a door. Liam did another scan, then pushed it open. We came out in back of the school, where the dumpsters were. And there was the Hudson River, on my right. I breathed in the night air and forced the pain away.
The sky glowed with floodlights from the front lawn. Liam pulled me toward the street. “You got any money? A cell phone?”
“It’s all in my purse and he took it.”
Still holding my hand, he began to run. Faster and faster, as if something was chasing us.
It was. A deep roar started below and beside us. It came from the school. We dashed across the street.
Chapter Twenty-One
The top of the school began to sink. Layer after layer went down, folding in on itself.
People poured screaming onto the street. Bricks and debris followed them.
Liam pushed me as far as he could into the doorway of a closed shop and sheltered me with his body. Who’d have thought he would be so gallant?
“We were supposed to go with it,” Liam said in my ear.
“Austen did this, too?”
He didn’t bother answering.
Sirens came from everywhere. Police. Fire trucks. Ambulances. Police cars blocked off the street. An officer ordered everyone to get as far away as they could. Most had already done so.
Another officer stopped us and asked if we’d seen anything. Liam squeezed my arm. Meaning I should keep my trap shut. I almost disobeyed him, but then I understood. We really hadn’t seen anything. We had no proof the explosion had anything to do with Austen. If we mentioned his name, it could easily get back to him.
Liam tucked my hand under his arm and started off.
I asked, “Where are we going?”
“Home.”
With no money and no cell phone, we would have to walk. If only I had my purple Nokia. I’d never had a chance to use it.
He kept his grip on my hand and towed me along. I was glad of that, not only for the tow, but I hadn’t the faintest idea how to get anywhere.
We turned the corner onto a side street. People crowded up to the police barricade, trying to see what was going on at the school. Or what used to be the school. I scarcely paid attention. I was too busy keeping up with Liam’s long stride. We passed a line of parked cars. I barely noticed them until I saw one that looked familiar.
Someone was in it. I met his eyes.
I gurgled. “It’s Austen.”
“Huh?” said Liam. Then he looked, too. Aus reached for the door.
We started running.
A car door slammed. We ran faster. I had thought we were free.
The door slammed again.
“There are people all over,” I panted. “And police. What can he do?”
“Don’t be stupid.”
A car started up.
He couldn’t. He was facing the wrong way, toward the school. There were people in the street.
I’d forgotten that Austen was handy with the U-turn. And ruthless about people.
He couldn’t even make a U-turn on that narrow street. It had to be a K-turn, but he did it.
That street was mostly residential. It had row houses, only a few with spaces in between. If we took shelter behind them, we would be trapped. Liam plunged on, constantly looking back.
I looked back, too. The car pulled ahead of us and stopped. Austen got out, his black coat flapping.
Liam tried to reverse direction. Austen was quicker, and dashed toward us. He raised his hand.
Liam caught him by the wrist. They grappled. Liam twisted Austen’s arm. Austen went with the twist, turning himself inside out, and twisted Liam in turn.
I screamed.
No one noticed. Some people looked around, but no one did anything. The school had all their attention.
Liam punched Austen’s face.
Austen punched him back. Something silvery clattered to the sidewalk. I grabbed it, just as Liam went down.
It was a folding knife, unfolded and ready for business.
Austen raised his foot to stomp Liam. I plunged the knife toward his shoulder. He moved aside just in time and the knife only grazed him, but he missed his stomp. Liam rolled out of the way and onto his feet.
Austen tackled him and they both went down.
I still had the knife. I aimed once again at Austen’s back. He freed one of his arms to punch at mine. I kicked his face. He grabbed my foot.
I went down. My head hit the sidewalk and brought back all the pain. He grabbed the knife.
I ignored my head and kicked again. I didn’t know what I hit. I think it was Liam.
I rolled. They grappled, fighting over the knife. I wished I had studied karate instead of ballet.
My adrenalin pumped and probably Austen’s did, too. When I had a clear shot, I kicked him in the groin. He doubled over.
Liam scooped up the knife and grabbed my hand. We ran toward the intersection.
A car roared behind us. How could he move so fast?
We were almost across the street when the car came hurtling. In an instant Liam
again changed direction, towing me with him.
We aimed for the opposite corner. Again Austen had to make a U-turn. In the intersection there was plenty of room and he could do it fast. We barely made it to the sidewalk as his car lurched after us. Up onto the curb.
Here there were more row houses, more spaces in between. Liam headed toward one of them.
“No!” I shouted, and tried to stop him.
Austen followed us. In the light from a street lamp I saw him laughing.
Liam quickly switched again. Austen had to back up, but once he got turned around he could move faster than we could.
We dashed across the next street. There weren’t as many cars parked there. Austen followed easily. We leaped onto the sidewalk.
So did Austen’s car. I didn’t see how there could be room, but he did it, only knocking over a few empty garbage cans.
Another crossing. Liam didn’t take it. He turned the next corner and kept going. Austen knew where he lived, if that’s where we were headed.
Where was everybody? There should have been people outside on a summer night. They were all over gawking at the school from however close the police would let them.
The street veered off at an angle. We had to leave it, which meant crossing it first. As Liam hesitated, Austen backed and readied himself. Did he really think Liam was so stupid as to cross right in his path?
Psychopaths can be awfully full of themselves, thinking they’re so clever.
We did an about face, dashed past where Austen waited, and crossed in back of him.
He squeezed in a U-turn and barely made it. He hurtled toward the sidewalk we had just reached when something blue and shiny came out of nowhere.
It shot straight toward Austen’s car and collided with a prolonged crunching of metal.
“Oh my God,” I said.
“Crazy,” said Liam.
Austen’s door opened. He had something in his hand.
“Ben!” I screamed.
Ben ducked as Austen fired.
Someone else was in the truck with Ben. My dad. He got out on his side and crouch-walked to Austen’s car. Austen was focused on Ben. He fired another shot. Then two more. Ben kept low. His door took the hits.
I saw Dad creep around Austen’s car from the rear. I felt Liam go tense.
Austen tried to fire again. The gun only clicked. He reached down and his car bounced as he put it in reverse.
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