“I tried to convince Jones to stay away from her,” he went on. “I don’t like hurting animals, but what choice did I have?”
It was he who’d stabbed Elvis, not Lilith.
“Even after that, he kept on. They were going to sell that book he had hidden in his office.” He laughed. “I’ll be a very wealthy son of a bitch when all this is over. And Jones will go to prison for three murders.”
Three murders?
Lilith tried to break free of his grasp, but he snaked an arm around her waist and gripped her hair with the opposite hand.
“Jones needs to suffer. Just as much as he’s made me suffer.” He threw her a pitying frown. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to die. Just like my wife.”
Kelsey couldn’t breathe. He planned to kill Lilith and her too.
Lilith’s eyes widened as his hands closed around her throat. Her skin turned whitish blue and horrible gurgling sounds escaped her lips. She clenched her fists and pummeled frantically at the air.
Kelsey screamed against the tape, tried to shake herself free of the bonds.
Lilith’s lifeless body slumped to the floor in a heap. Dave brushed his hands together as if wiping off a pesky speck of dirt. “Now. Where’s the computer? We need to leave a note for the police so they know what a naughty boy your Jason is.”
This couldn’t be happening. She swayed, tried to shake herself out of this gruesome nightmare, but she couldn’t. It was all too real.
Don’t give up.
She heard him typing, as if sounds were coming from a tunnel. As quietly as she could, she slid along the floor, using her hips to propel her toward the front door. Maybe a passerby would notice her through the glass.
When she was within a few yards of the door, she heard him running toward her.
“Oh no you don’t.”
Looking over her shoulder, she tried to scream. He came at her with a syringe like the one he’d used on Officer Jackson. She cringed as the needle pierced her side.
She tried to fight off the effects, but the room spun and her muscles turned to jelly.
His sick laugh filled the air, vibrated in her head. “Good stuff, huh? That’s what we use on our psych inmates when they get out of hand. Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.” He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “We’re going to have some fun, you and I.”
She was vaguely aware of him lifting her, carrying her through the store, out the back door. She smelled the putrid stench of the Dumpster, and her captor’s sweat. Her stomach heaved.
She had to leave something for Jason, so he’d know she was there. Shaking her head, she loosened her glasses, let them fall from her face. They made a small clatter as they hit the ground, but Farley kept going.
Powerless to resist, she fell onto a padded surface. She was in a car. He threw something over her, some sort of cloth.
Wake up!
But she couldn’t. Everything was dark.
Hang on!
She tried, but her grasp on consciousness was slipping away. The darkness filled her. Her last thoughts were of Jason before she succumbed to sleep’s powerful pull.
Chapter Fifteen
Jason finally managed to get past the scene of a fender-bender on the interstate after a ten-minute delay. Punching the gas, he raced toward South Beach, calling the store phone every few minutes to no avail. He pulled in behind the police cruiser, jumped out of his truck and yanked the door. It didn’t budge.
He peered through the door and found the policewoman’s body on the floor. His pulse ratcheted into high gear as he ran to his truck and grabbed a tire iron. Without wasting a second, he smashed the glass door then unlocked it and hurried inside. He drew his weapon as he bent to the cop’s neck and held a finger to her skin. Thank God she was alive.
What was a gray haired wig doing on the floor? And a cane next to it.
“Kelsey!” he shouted as his heartbeat pummeled his ribs. He stood up, scanned the room and took a few steps toward the back.
All the air sucked out of his lungs when he spotted a woman’s leg sticking out from behind a rack of books. His blood seemed to freeze in his veins as his mind flashed for an instant on the scene in Charlotte’s bathroom. The blood, the lifeless face.
Please, no. Don’t let it be Kelsey.
Another step and he saw her hair, nearly black and straight. He breathed in a small measure of relief.
No need to check if the woman was alive. Her eyes—huge and filled with terror—were wide open, but he felt her limp wrist for a pulse anyway. Faded purple bruises marred the skin of her upper arm and red marks circled her neck.
His gut told him the dead woman was Lilith, but if she was, where the hell was Kelsey?
He unclipped his phone, called for an ambulance and the police as he continued through the shop.
Kelsey was nowhere in the place. Where the hell could she be? He tried the back door, found it unlocked. The alley was deserted.
Sirens wailed in the distance as he started back inside. He stopped when he noticed something flash on the ground. Sucking in a breath, he reached for the pair of glasses, sure they were Kelsey’s. His chest tightened. Why had he left her?
I should have known, should have followed my gut.
Someone had taken her by force. But who? Only one person could answer that. He rushed back inside and got to his knees next to Officer Jackson. Sitting her up, he tapped her cheek with his palm, but she was out.
The cops arrived, then the ambulance.
Callahan showed up less than ten minutes later. “What the hell happened?” He marched past Jason toward the dead woman’s body.
Jason watched the EMTs lift the female officer onto a stretcher as she stirred and groaned.
“Belinda, can you hear me?” Jason stayed beside her as they wheeled her toward the door.
She reached out for him. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, then slowly slid open.
“Stop, please,” he begged the emergency techs.
When they did, he bent close to the injured officer. “What happened?”
“Someone hit me. Back of my head.” Her voice was hoarse. Did she realize how lucky she was to be alive?
“Where’s Kelsey?” He held his breath, prayed she knew who’d taken her.
“An old woman,” she rasped. “And a man. In a suit. Only saw him for a second. He stuck me with a needle, made me sleep.” She winced, reached to the back of her head. “Ouch. Kelsey tried to help me.” Her eyes closed as she settled back against the stretcher.
“She’s still half out of it,” one of the attendants said. “Might remember more when whatever she was given wears off.”
Jason felt the clock ticking down, Kelsey’s life fading. “How long?”
The man shrugged. “Depends what he gave her.” They loaded the woman into the ambulance.
“Captain,” one of the police officers called from behind the counter. “You’d better take a look at this.”
Hoping the officer had found a clue to Kelsey’s whereabouts, Jason followed Mike to the computer. He couldn’t see most of the screen over Mike’s shoulder, but he read the first line of a letter in the open document.
I fear for my life. My lover has threatened to kill me.
What the hell did it mean?
Mike spun around and gave him a rough shove away from the counter. “Step outside with me, Jason.”
His blood ran ice cold and his knees weakened, but he went out the front door with his friend. As soon as they’d cleared the threshold, he sucked in a steadying breath. “Does the note say something about Kelsey? Is it from the guy who took her?”
Callahan eyed him as if he were a puzzle to be solved. “Doesn’t mention her, actually. It’s signed, Lily Farley.”
Lily Farley?
“Who the hell is…” Then it all came into focus. “Lilith. Holy hell, she’s Dave Farley’s wife.”
Mike nodded somberly. “Says she was having an affair with you, that if she happen
ed to die, you’d be responsible.”
“What?” Rage and disbelief flooded his senses. “Farley must have Kelsey, then. We’ve got to find him.”
Mike raised a hand. “Hang on a minute, we—”
“No way am I gonna hang on,” Jason cut him off. “I have to find Kelsey. He’s already killed his wife and God knows who else. What’s to stop him from hurting her?”
“You’re jumping to a whole bunch of conclusions here. We have no proof it’s Farley.”
But Jason didn’t need proof. He knew in his gut sure as he knew Farley wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Kelsey. “It’s him. And he’s got my woman.”
When Mike took a step toward him, he backed away, took off running to his truck.
“Jason, don’t make me arrest you.” Callahan started after him.
“I’ve got to find her.” He jumped into the truck, locked the door and started the engine.
“Stop, Jason. Don’t force my hand.”
He tore out of the spot, watched his friend in his rearview mirror, shouting and pointing to uniformed officers. Didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now but reaching Kelsey before it was too late.
* * * * *
Jenna scrolled through her messages at her desk. Most would wait. She’d return the calls from the road on the way to her next sales call. Shoving the pink papers into her purse, she noticed her cell vibrating. She dug it out of her bag and checked the display.
Smiling when she saw her brother’s name, she hit the Send button. “Hey there. I—”
“I need you to listen carefully. This is life or death,” Jason said.
The hair at the nape of her neck stood on end. “Okay.”
“Where are you?” The distant whine of sirens filtered though the phone.
Her heart lodged in her throat. What the hell was going on? “The office.”
“Perfect. I’m a few minutes away and I need a huge favor. I have to use your Jeep. Go stash the key under the front seat for me. I’ll leave my truck in the lot for you, but don’t drive it until you hear from me.”
“All right.” Nausea swirled in her gut. What could he have gotten himself into? Jason was one of the good guys. She’s stake her soul on that.
“And something else. Callahan will probably try to contact you today. Avoid him if you can.”
She flashed on their tryst several days earlier. Mike had left a few messages on her phone, but she’d not answered any. She had no reason to speak to him. “Fine.”
“You know me, Jen. Before you jump onboard with anyone’s accusations, rely on your knowledge of me, the sort of person I am.”
Her chest tightened with fear. “Jason, what the hell is going on?”
“No time to explain it. Just be the amazing sister you’ve always been.”
The receptionist strode to her desk then just stood there, waiting for Jenna to get off the phone. She shooed her away. Plenty of time to apologize later. “Okay,” she said. “I’m on it.”
“I love you.”
Then the line went dead. Sucking in a steadying breath, she slipped her phone into her pocket, grabbed her car keys out of her purse and calmly headed for the door. She glanced back at Pat, the receptionist and held up a finger. “Be right back,” she told the woman.
Outside, she hurried toward her Jeep. In the distance she heard the whine of sirens. Just like on the phone.
What the hell is going on, Jason?
She opened the driver’s door and pushed the key under the seat. Glancing around the lot, she shut the door then headed back inside. She stopped at the reception desk and fixed a big smile on her face. “What did you need, Pat?”
The older woman handed her a slip of paper. “Your next appointment rescheduled. His daughter’s in labor so he said he’d call you when he could see you.”
She drew a relieved breath. At least she didn’t have to worry about making it there on time now. If only she wasn’t so terrified of whatever Jason had gotten himself into.
Her cell vibrated in her pocket. Jason? Tamping down a rush of panic, she pulled the phone from her pocket and immediately answered.
“Jenna, it’s Mike.”
Conflicting emotions sparred inside her—joy and fear, desire and protectiveness. Concentrating on keeping her voice calm, she drew a breath and tried for nonchalant. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Have you heard from Jason? And don’t lie to me.”
She fisted her free hand. “Jason? Not lately, why?” The lie twisted her gut, but she’d do anything to protect her brother. Even if that meant lying to the man she refused to acknowledge she loved.
He huffed loudly. “If he calls you, tell him to contact me.”
“Sure. Is everything okay?” She sat behind her desk, hoping he’d fill her in on what the hell was going on.
“I can’t talk right now, but your brother’s… I’m going to kick his pasty ass when I get my hands on him.” A radio crackled in the background, but she couldn’t make out what the person said. “I’ve gotta go, Jen.” He disconnected.
She shut her eyes and prayed for her brother. And for Mike. Whatever Jason had done, he must have had his reasons. She could only hope Mike would forgive whatever it was.
* * * * *
Jason drove out of Jenna’s office parking lot heading to Chief Farley’s house. He’d only been there once, a holiday party, but he remembered right where it was.
He rolled to a stop across the street then jogged over. The place looked deserted from the outside and the only vehicle in the garage he caught sight of from the window was the sedan with county tags. He circled around the back of the building and found a covered carport large enough for a boat at the edge of the property. Dirt and debris collected on both sides of the slab, but not in the center. Whatever Farley kept there had been moved very recently.
He headed back to the Jeep and phoned Ellis Washington, knowing his friend would be sleeping after working the night shift.
“This better be good, Jason,” Ellis answered after several rings.
“I need some information and I need it fast.”
“Shoot.”
He didn’t want to put his corporal in a position to do anything illegal. Bad enough he’d had to take Jenna’s ride. “Tell me what you know about Chief Farley. Does he own an RV or some kind of boat?”
“Slow down, brother. You’re making my head spin.” He let out a chuckle.
“It’s really important.”
“Okay, okay. Cool your jets. Farley has a pontoon boat. Captain Riley told me he took some of the top brass out a couple months back.”
There were at least two dozen lakes within an hour’s drive. “Any idea where?”
“Let me think.”
He started the Jeep, squeezed his eyes shut, hoping Ellis’ memory was good.
“Yeah, I know. There’s a lake that connects with Biscayne Bay. What the hell’s the name of it?”
Jason pulled a map out of the glove box, opened it up and scanned the areas surrounding Biscayne Bay, but he could never cover all that ground in time.
“Dumfounding Bay. I remember the name ’cause we all joked that we were dumbfounded why anyone would want to go anywhere with that jackass.”
“You’re amazing, my friend.” He found the spot on the map right away. It couldn’t be more than ten miles from where he was. “I owe you so huge. Gotta go.”
On his way to the shore, he phoned Mike Callahan.
“Where the hell are you, you asshole?”
He could hardly blame the guy for being upset, but he didn’t have time to deal with that. “You know I didn’t kill Lilith, Mike. Get real, would you?”
“Here’s what I know, my friend. You happened to discover the body of one Thomas Hudson this morning. Before I could make it there, you decide to leave the scene and somehow you discover yet another murder victim at Kelsey’s store. When I tried to question you, you took off and forced me to send three patrol units after you. How the hell do you think that looks?”
“I don’t give a damn how it looks. I’m trying to save Kelsey’s life. It’s Dave Farley you want. He has her and I have a strong suspicion he’s taken her out on Dumfounding Bay on his pontoon. I pray to God he hasn’t hurt her—yet.” The mere thought caused his gut to clench with fear.
“And how did you come upon this knowledge?”
He gritted his teeth. “Damn it, Mike, just trust me, would you? You need a helicopter out there, something to help her.”
“I’ll make you a deal.”
Jason held his breath. He couldn’t bear to lose Kelsey. Mike had to help him.
“I’ll work on getting a chopper to Dumfounding Bay if you get your ass to my office.”
He hated to lie to his friend, but he had no choice. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Swear to me, Jason.”
“Yeah. I’m turning around. I’ll be there in about half an hour.” His chest tightened at the lie as he continued toward Dumfounding Bay. But he’d say or do anything to get to Kelsey.
Chapter Sixteen
Kelsey’s head ached. Dizziness rose in her gut. The spongy surface beneath her was cool and wet—and moving. Seagulls cried in the distance as the floor pitched and rocked and she knew she was on a boat. Her skin felt clammy from sweating. And she smelled something unpleasant, like rotting fish. Her eyelids fluttered. She opened her eyes then immediately squinted against the bright sunshine.
Everything came flooding back to her mind—the awful scene at the store, Lilith whacking the cop, Dave Farley strangling Lilith, right before her eyes. Farley injected her with something that made her sleep then carried her out of the store.
She lay perfectly still as she tried to adjust to her surroundings. It was a pontoon. And Farley had to be close by.
Think!
She kept her eyes mostly closed. Alerting him that she’d awakened didn’t seem too smart.
The deck was flat and covered with carpeting. She lay next to a white bench seat. Her hands were tied behind her and her feet were bound, but her mouth was no longer taped. She tried moving her head very slowly to search for her captor.
She caught sight of his feet first, shiny dress shoes so out of place on a boat. He was seated behind a control board of some sort, hands on the wheel. He still wore the same suit pants, but the shirt and jacket were gone. He was wearing a tank top, one she’d heard referred to as a wifebeater. And he was a wife killer.
Tropic of Trouble Page 19
