When a Heart Stops

by Lynette Eason

  “Serena’s alarm went off Thursday night. Hold on a second.” He looked at her and asked, “Have you had any trouble with your alarm system in the last few weeks?”

  She frowned. “No.” She snapped her head up. “Wait a minute, someone from the alarm company came by to do a survey about two weeks ago.”

  “A survey?”

  “Some customer satisfaction thing.”

  Dominic spoke into the phone. “Did you get that?”

  “I’ll check it out. See if it was legit,” Colton said.

  But Dominic had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wasn’t. “She changed her code Thursday.”

  “And the alarm went off.”

  Dominic nodded even though Colton couldn’t see him. “Right. So, the killer didn’t realize she’d changed the code when he went back to get in? Only she wasn’t there and he didn’t know how to turn off the alarm.”

  “Maybe.”

  “But that doesn’t explain the teenager the neighbor saw running from the house.”

  “Maybe she didn’t have anything to do with anything. It was just a coincidence? Or she was coming to see Serena and got there just as the alarm went off.”

  Serena lifted a brow and mouthed, “Camille?”

  He nodded, then said to Colton, “That’s a good theory. Or, it wasn’t the killer at all, but a teenager trying to break in, didn’t realize the windows were wired too, and set the alarm off.”

  “Or that,” Colton agreed. “Still, I think it’s more than just coincidence that these two had their systems worked on and ended up targets of a serial killer.”

  “I agree.”

  Dominic saw Serena pale as though she’d just thought of something that scared her. Tucking the phone under his chin, he said, “What is it?”

  “My mom said something was wrong with their alarm system and someone was coming out today to fix it.”

  28

  SATURDAY, 12:32 P.M.

  Serena listened to the phone ring while Dominic hitched the boat to the trailer and the trailer to the Suburban. “They’re still not answering.” Fear bit at her. A fear like she’d never experienced before. When she’d thought the killer was just after her, that was one thing. But to go after those she loved . . .

  She hit redial. “Please, please . . .”

  “Colton should be there by now. He’ll call as soon as he knows anything.”

  She’d been ready to leave the boat in the water, jump in the car, and head to her parents’ house. Fortunately, Dominic was thinking more clearly. He’d still had Colton on the phone and filled him in. Colton promised to call Hunter. Dominic explained they would be able to get there faster.

  She looked at him, realization upping her fear to terror. “You’re stalling me.”

  “What?”

  “You sent Colton and Hunter out there so they could warn you in case—” She bit off the thought, but Dominic’s guilty flush told her she was right.

  “I didn’t want you rushing over there to find something you don’t need to see.” His quiet honesty stilled her rising anger.

  “You had no right to do that,” she whispered.

  He narrowed his eyes. “I thought . . . I was just trying to protect you. I thought maybe it would be best to make sure Hunter and Colton got there first.”

  Serena went silent, her thoughts churning, gut swirling.

  That was something her father would have done. And something she would have to consider later. After she found her parents safe.

  She turned her attention back to the ringing phone now going to voice mail. Hanging up, she redialed.

  He looked up at her as he opened the door for her. “Anything?”

  “No.” She clenched her jaw against the worry surging through her. “Answer the phone,” she muttered as she hit redial.

  Then she tried her father’s office, remembered it was Saturday, and hung up. She dialed her mother’s number once again as Dominic started the car and took off.

  Dominic’s phone rang and he snatched it from the cup holder and put it on speakerphone. “Hello.”

  “Colton here. We’re at the Hopkins residence. There doesn’t appear to be anyone home nor any sign of foul play.”

  Relief nearly made her weep. She’d pictured their dead bodies sprawled out on the den floor with bullet holes in their foreheads. But . . . “Then where are they? Why won’t they answer their phones?”

  “Wait a minute, I’ve got a gray BMW pulling up.”

  “That’s my dad’s car.”

  Serena and Dominic were still almost twenty minutes away from her parents’ subdivision.

  “He’s pulling into the driveway now.”

  “Go easy, don’t alarm them,” Dominic said. “But don’t let them go into the house without checking it out first. I’m about fifteen minutes out.”

  “Got it.”

  Dominic hung up and Serena leaned her head back against the seat, uttering prayers of thanks to God that her parents were safe.

  The next fifteen minutes seemed to last a lifetime, but they finally were waved through by the guard at the gate when Dominic flashed his badge. When they pulled up at her parents’ house, she saw her father standing next to the police car.

  Dominic parked and Colton walked over to greet them. Serena bolted from the car to her father. “Are you all right?”

  His pale face said he’d gotten the details about what Colton had learned. He nodded. “I’m fine, but I can’t seem to get in touch with your mother.” He raked a hand through his hair, an action Serena had never seen him do before. “She was supposed to be waiting on the alarm company rep, but Colton here tells me they don’t have any record of a troubleshooting report.”

  “Did you call them or did they call you?”

  “They called us.” Her father’s quiet words echoed around them.

  “What do you mean?” Serena asked.

  “The alarm was flashing trouble on the pad. A few minutes after I noticed it, the phone rang. I took the call and the person identified herself as a representative with the alarm company.”

  “Herself? A woman?”

  “Yes, I believe so. She had me give the password and then told me a few buttons to push to reset it. Walked me through the entire process and said they would send someone out to make sure it was working properly.”

  “Today.”

  “Right.”

  “And did someone come?”

  Her father looked helpless. “I don’t know. I had a meeting this morning with my campaign manager and was just now coming home.”

  “Why didn’t you answer your cell phone?” Serena demanded.

  He blinked and pulled the phone from his front shirt pocket. He shot her an apologetic glance. “I had it on silent.”

  Outraged, Serena stared at him. “After what I told you about being stalked by a serial killer? And the fact that you and Mom might need some extra protection?” Tears of anger welled in her eyes. “How could you?”

  He narrowed his eyes, his body stiffening defensively. “Serena, I had everything under control. This was an extremely important planning meeting. I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

  “Didn’t want to—” She chomped down on her tongue. She would not say anything she’d regret later.

  This was her father.

  She’d thought he was changing, becoming more open to the fact that things wouldn’t always go the way he thought they should.

  And he still thought he had everything under control.

  “Where’s my mother?”

  The defensive posture slackened. “I don’t know.” He looked at the house. “She was supposed to be here.”

  “Well, she’s not and she’s not answering her phone.”

  Dominic looked at Colton. “Let’s start canvassing the neighborhood. See if anyone saw Mrs. Hopkins this morning.” He switched his gaze to Serena’s father. “Sir, could you give us her cell number? We’ll put a trace on it and see if we can get her location.”
>
  “Sure. Yeah, but she probably forgot about the alarm company coming and went to meet a friend for lunch.”

  “Give us a list of names of friends.”

  While her father passed on that information, Serena walked over to her father’s car and pressed a button on the remote.

  “She didn’t go meet anyone, Dad.”

  “Why not?”

  Serena pointed to the garage. “Her car is still here.”

  “We tracked her cell phone,” Hunter said.

  “Where is it?” Serena asked.

  Hunter’s eyes shifted to Dominic, then back to Serena. “Your house.”

  Dominic couldn’t quell the dread that rose up in him. With a glance at Colton, he said, “Get someone over there.” He grabbed Serena before she could get back in the Suburban to go racing over to her house. She pulled out of his grasp. “I have to get to her!”

  Dominic saw Serena’s father heading for his BMW. There wasn’t going to be any stopping him. The man roared off and Dominic motioned for Serena to go ahead and get in. She’d be safer with him than trying to drive in her upset state.

  “Hurry!” she urged. Then closed her eyes, her lips moving silently. He joined her in her prayer, pleading for God to spare Serena’s mother.

  If the killer had her.

  And he suspected he did.

  Serena’s home finally came into view and she grabbed the handle, ready to throw the door open. Dominic snagged her wrist and held her in place even as he brought the vehicle to a full stop.

  Police cruisers arrived, one after the other.

  “Mom,” she whispered.

  “Stay here,” Dominic ordered.

  Tearful, pleading eyes lasered into him. “I can’t.”

  Dominic ground his molars. “You have to. We have to clear the house. I’ll let you in as soon as I can.”

  He could see Colton and Hunter racing for the front door. Serena climbed back into the vehicle and pressed the button on the remote to raise the garage door.

  Colton kept going for the front door. Hunter changed direction and went for the garage. Serena’s father pulled behind the nearest cruiser and headed for the house. An officer grabbed him and pulled him back. The man struggled until the officer said something. The man stopped his attempts to escape and swiveled to turn his attention to the action going on in front of Serena’s house.

  Once Dominic was certain Serena would stay put, he took off toward the garage to follow Hunter. Hunter was already in the den when Dominic heard him yell, “Clear!”

  Serena’s animals were nowhere to be seen.

  Colton hollered, “In here!”

  Dominic exchanged a microsecond look with Hunter before they both rushed out onto the glassed-in porch.

  They came to a screeching halt.

  Mrs. Hopkins sat tied to a chair, eyes closed.

  With a bullet taped to her forehead.

  “Mom!” Serena gasped from behind them.

  Dominic turned and grasped her by the upper arms. “I told you to stay outside.”

  “I’m a doctor, remember?” She jerked from him to rush to her mother’s side. “Mom,” she whispered.

  “She’s alive,” Colton said. He held up his phone. “Ambulance is on the way.”

  Serena flashed him a grateful look. She ran her hands over her mother, placing her fingers against the side of her neck, relieved to feel her pulse beating and strong. She lifted an eyelid. “She’s been drugged.”

  “But she’s alive. Let’s get that bullet into a bag and let’s get it to Rick,” Dominic said. “And anything else on her clothing that might lead us to the person that did this to her.”

  He leaned over, concern written all over him. He snapped on a pair of gloves that one of the other officers handed him, then pulled the bullet, tape and all, from her mother’s forehead. He placed the items in the paper bag that also materialized from one of the officers.

  She lifted her eyes to Dominic. “Will you let my dad know what’s going on?”

  He turned to the officer behind him and relayed the request.

  Serena watched as Hunter cut her mother’s arms free, careful not to touch the ropes with his hands. Serena used a now gloved hand to place the rope pieces in another paper bag.

  Then Dominic lifted her gently from the chair to carry the woman into the den and place her on the sofa.

  Serena dashed into her spare bedroom where she kept her kit from med school. Racing back into the den, she pulled out her stethoscope and slid to a halt next to the couch. Dropping to her knees, she placed the end of the device on her mother’s chest, closed her eyes, and listened. “Lungs sound clear.” She continued with the checkup, then sat back in relief. “I think she’s okay. Whatever he drugged her with hasn’t affected her heartbeat or breathing.”

  She grabbed the tweezers from her kit and pulled every scrap of hair, fiber, and speck of evidence she could see from her mother’s clothing. She checked her mother’s pulse once more, relieved to find it still unchanged. “It’s like she’s in a really deep sleep.”

  The wail of the ambulance reached their ears. Serena looked at the note now held in Hunter’s gloved hands. “What does it say?”

  She didn’t really want to know, but she had to.

  Hunter glanced around the room then said, “It’s blank.”

  “What?”

  He shook the card. “There’s nothing on it.”

  Dominic lifted a hand to his aching head. “Really? So what’s that all about?”

  “I just photographed it and sent it to Debbie.”

  Colton’s phone rang. He stepped aside and answered it. His face paled as he listened and Serena wondered what bad news he was receiving now.

  A commotion near the door grabbed her attention. “That’s my wife! Let me in! Serena!”

  Colton motioned for the officer to let him in. He tucked the phone under his chin. “She’s all right, sir.”

  Her father stumbled into the room, saw his wife on the couch, and gave a small cry. Paramedics followed on his tail as he rushed over to drop beside Serena and take his wife’s hand in his.

  “What happened? Is she all right?”

  “I checked her over. She’s been drugged but seems to be all right.” She nudged his shoulder. “Let the paramedics through.”

  He moved, but not far. Serena gave the paramedics a rundown of what she knew, then watched them take her mother’s vitals, load her onto the gurney, and push her out the door with her father trailing. He looked over his shoulder, his expression curious to her. “What is it, Dad?”

  “I want to go to the hospital with your mother, but I don’t want to leave you with this crazy—”

  “Go,” she said with a glance at Dominic and Hunter. “I’ll be fine.”

  He didn’t need any more encouragement. Her father gave her a short nod, but the look in his eye promised they’d talk soon.

  Serena stood and dropped onto the couch, weariness flooding her. And she realized she was starving. And nauseous at the thought of eating. Then she sat straight up. “Where are my animals? Yoda? Chewie?”

  Dominic frowned. “The house was clear.”

  “They’re not here?” she shrieked.

  “Hey, calm down. We’ll find them.”

  Serena raced through the house, calling her pets but getting no response.

  An officer entered through the front door and Serena rounded on him. “Did you see a dog and a cat out there?”

  “I didn’t see a cat, but there’s a dog in the backyard.”

  Frowning, she raced back through to the sunroom door and opened it. Yoda nearly tackled her. Relief brought tears to her eyes and she blinked them back. “Hey girl, why didn’t you use your doggie door?”

  Now that she knew she was all right, she pushed Yoda out of the sunroom and shut the door. She barked her displeasure, but Serena ignored her as she examined the dog’s opening.

  Someone had slid the hard piece of plastic into the holder, which effe
ctively shut the door to keep the animals inside or outside. Her intruder had banned her animals from the house so he could go about his business unfettered.

  She shuddered and walked down the hall to the guest closet. Opening the door she normally kept cracked, she spied Chewie in her favorite spot. On the top shelf of the closet organizer. Breathing another huff of relief, she turned to go back down the hall to the den.

  Another thought hit her. The alarm hadn’t gone off. Not when the intruder had brought her mother here, nor when the authorities cleared the house.

  She walked back to ask Dominic. “Why didn’t my alarm go off?”

  “It wasn’t on.”

  “What do you mean? Of course it was on. I never leave without arming it.”

  He shrugged, his eyes clouded with his concern. “Maybe you forgot this time.”

  Frustrated, scared, and exhausted beyond belief, she placed her hands on her hips. “I did not forget to arm it.”

  Her phone buzzed and zombie-like, she pulled it from the back pocket of her jean shorts.

  “Camille stopped by to let me know to call you and tell you that she was living with her father again, but they had a fight. I just checked and she’s gone again,” Mrs. Lamb said.

  Serena made an attempt to pull her thoughts together. “I’m not surprised. Sad to hear it, but not surprised.” She was relieved that Camille seemed all right, but why hadn’t she called or texted?

  “I fed her a hot meal and gave her some prenatal vitamins.”

  “Thank you.” Serena bit her lip and thought. “All right, if she comes back, tell her I really need to talk to her and let me know, will you?”

  “Sure thing. Sorry, love.”

  “Me too.”

  She hung up, her mind still buzzing, the ebbing adrenaline making her feel light-headed.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. I think. I need to get to the hospital so I can be there when my mom wakes up.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  She stared at Dominic, unsure whether she wanted him to drive her or not. “You shouldn’t have done that today.”

  He didn’t have to ask what she meant. Instead, he dropped his head, then looked up at her. “Maybe not. I wanted to protect you.”