Free to Kill

by Julie Mellon

  “You can’t go up there. There’s still a tornado warning.” His tone implied that he thought she was crazy to attempt to climb the stairs. They returned to the sofa and Katie asked Ian to tell her about the stairs.

  “Well, in school last week we had to pick a topic in history that still applied today. So I picked the Underground Railroad. See, our house was built in 1833 by James Martin and his wife. She was a Yankee who opposed slavery and the only way she would settle in the south was if he promised never to own slaves. When the house was built, your room was for the woman of the house after she had a baby. They would stay there until the baby was a few months old. The staircase was built so that the nanny could come and go without having to go through the common areas. Even if she didn’t like slavery, they did hire African Americans to help around the house and property. Any guests that came over wouldn’t like having them just walking through the house. Well, they had three children by 1840 when Mr. Martin died. Mrs. Martin kept the staff to help her manage the house, the kids and the farm. Back then, the property was a lot bigger.

  “There are old diaries in the library that tell the story a lot better than I can but see, about a month after Mr. Martin died, the nanny came and asked if Mrs. Martin would help her get her family safely to the North. Mrs. Martin quietly asked around and before she knew it, her house was declared a station on the Underground Railroad. See, the Underground Railroad wasn’t underground or a railroad. It just meant that there were certain safe places called ‘stations’ along a route from the south to the north. They used railroad terms so people wouldn’t know what they were talking about.

  “By then, the youngest child was walking, so Mrs. Martin had one of the farm hands come hide the stairwell behind panels in the wall. That way, if anyone ever came looking for missing slaves, they had a place to hide and a way to get out without being seen.” Ian finished his story with a deep breath.

  Katie’s eyes were as big as saucers as she looked at him. “Ian, how many stops were there in this area? Were they always houses?” Katie remembered learning about the Underground Railroad when she was younger, but in Arizona, the historical importance hadn’t been as real as it seemed now that she was in the south. From what she could recall, it was just a quick chapter in a history book she had read.

  “Oh, no, it wasn’t always houses. Some of the most common places were churches; especially ones that were close to a waterway. It was quicker to get the escaped slaves onto boats and get them down the river. Back then people mostly traveled on foot. If you were lucky, you could travel on horseback, but the slaves were poor and didn’t have horses. You couldn’t get far in a day on foot, especially if you were being chased by someone on horseback.”

  Katie looked over at Michael. “That’s how he did it,” she said.

  Michael looked at her confused. “That’s how who did what?”

  Katie stood and waved Michael to the other side of the room. She didn’t want to discuss this in front of Ian. When they were a safe distance away, Katie began pacing and urgently whispering. “That’s how he got Elaine Henderson out of the church. Think about it. The church is near the Duck River. There has to be a hidden tunnel under Christ the King Church. That building is much older than this house. If it was used as part of the Underground Railroad, it would be the perfect place to use as a station. They could have put a panel in the wall that leads to a cellar! And the cellar could have a tunnel which leads to the water!” As she talked, Katie’s hands waved erratically in the air. The more she reasoned this out, the more sure she was that she was right. “Think about Barbie’s description of the room she was in. She said it was an unfinished basement type room. The floor was dirt and the walls were dirt and rock. There was a staircase carved into the wall that led upward. I bet that stairway leads to a panel that opens into that back room. The columns she was chained to had to support the entire floor of the back of the church. The dimensions she gave were approximately the same as the back part of the building. It is older, so the floor joists would be different than those used today. Michael, we need to get over there. What if Jenny is in that room right now? We need to go!” Katie spun around and headed for the stairs to go up to the kitchen. Michael grabbed her arm.

  “I think you’re right, but we can’t go out there right now. Don’t you remember the rain when we got here? It is ten times worse right now. We won’t do Jenny or anyone else any good if we go out and get ourselves killed.”

  Katie knew he was right. Leaving now wouldn’t be wise. But she could no longer sit still.

  The next few hours were the longest Katie could ever remember. She paced the length of the basement until Michael grabbed her arm and made her sit. Even sitting, she fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Her thumbnail was chewed to the quick within thirty minutes. All she could do was hope that the weather was bad enough that the kidnapper hadn’t had time to make it to his lair. She hoped that Jenny was alone, because alone and scared was better than what she could be going through if he had made it back to her.

  The worst of the storm moved out by midnight. All the kids and Caroline and Kevin had long since fallen asleep. Katie and Michael sat by the fire. Michael couldn’t help but think about how romantic the evening could have been if they both hadn’t been obsessed with thoughts of what a madman might be doing. And if they weren’t partners. The minute that the tornado warning expired, Katie stood up and looked at Michael. She didn’t have to say a word as he stood beside her. Rushing upstairs, they both made sure they had their weapons, phones and credentials. Michael called Father Joe and asked him to meet them at the back door of the church in forty-five minutes, but not to go in until they got there. He knew that downed trees and wires could slow their progress. Once he finished that conversation, he called Chief Davidson and asked him and a few deputies to meet them at the church as well.

  The rain was still coming down in sheets as they made their way to Shelbyville. There were three police cars in the lot with the Chief when they arrived. Five deputies got out of the cars and Father Joe and the Chief got out of his unmarked car. As Father Joe unlocked the door, Michael began explaining Katie’s theory. Katie didn’t wait to hear, she made a quick dash to the room that held the donations. The yard sale was scheduled for this morning, providing the weather cleared up.

  Katie went directly to the wall behind the toy table and began feeling along the panels. It took her less than a minute to find the latch and wrench open the panel. The men were still making their way into the room.

  “Katie, wait,” Michael began, but she didn’t listen. She disappeared down the stairs as they began winding their way through the display tables.

  Reaching the bottom, the first thing Katie saw was Jenny suspended from the support beams. She had blood running down her body from some of the lashes of the whip. Her eyes were huge and filled with fear. Katie rushed forward. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of here.” That was the last thing Katie remembered before everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The man had just stepped away from Jenny when he heard the creak of the panel moving from upstairs. He was standing by the wall to the left of the stairs when the female FBI agent rushed past. She never even stopped to look around. He knew she wouldn’t be alone and that he had only seconds to get out of there. Grabbing the Pear of Anguish that was laying on the table, he quickly swung it up and brought it crashing down onto her head. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious. He looked at Jenny and debated cutting her down to take with him. He hadn’t had a chance to finish her punishment. But the sound of footsteps making their descent shook him out of his thoughts. He turned, grabbed his clothes from the hook behind Jenny and took off running through the tunnel. He didn’t have time to even stop and change. It was a good thing he always kept his boots on under the robe.

  Michael entered the room and immediately saw Katie lying on the ground. Jenny looked at him, saw his gun, and quickly nodded over her shoulder, trying to communi
cate that he had run off behind her. It was frustrating that she couldn’t talk with the iron in her mouth.

  Michael quickly scanned the room, then waved the deputies down the stairs. Addressing the youngest looking officer, he said, “Stay with my partner and get medics here now.” He quickly led the other officers down the tunnel after the disappearing hooded figure.

  The man was too far in front of them to make out a distinct form. He was also more familiar with the tunnel and quickly added to the distance between them. By the time Michael and the officers made it to the end of the tunnel, the figure was nowhere in sight. Tom and Jerry each paired up with one of the other officers and took off in separate directions with assurances that Michael could return inside and see about the crime scene and his partner.

  When Michael returned to the room, Father Joe and Chief Davidson had made their way down the stairs. Father Joe had gotten a robe from the choir room upstairs and covered Jenny. Katie was still lying on the floor, unconscious. The young deputy was nowhere to be seen.

  Chief Davidson looked up from where he was kneeling beside Katie. “She’s alive. Looks like he hit her with that piece of metal.” He nodded to the lump a few feet away.

  Michael knew immediately what it was, having seen one like it removed from Elaine Henderson’s body. He didn’t say this to the chief; instead, he began photographing the scene using his cell phone. He knew that if he sat down beside Katie he would reveal too much of the conflict inside him. He also knew that allowing the chief to sit with her kept him from exploring the room too closely. Five minutes later, paramedics made their way down the stairs with the young deputy and took over the care of the two ladies. One of the paramedics called Michael over. “Do you have any idea how to get this contraption off her head?” he asked, referring to Jenny.

  “Katie’s the expert in this, I have no idea.”

  “We need to clear her airway to make sure we can treat her if something happens.” The medic looked perplexed and Jenny just continued to silently weep as she shivered.

  Just then, Katie stirred. At first the paramedic attending to her wouldn’t allow her to move. At her insistence, she finally sat up, but the room swam before her eyes. Michael quickly went over to her. “Katie, you need to lie down and let the medics do their job.”

  “Did we get him?” she asked, ignoring the pounding in her head and the nausea that threatened to make her vomit.

  “No, we didn’t. Since you’re not going to be cooperative with the medic, can you tell me how to get the gag off Jenny?”

  “Look for the table with his devices on it. There should be a key. Most likely it will be a screw of some kind.” With that, Katie laid back down to let the dizziness pass. The paramedic took advantage of her position to quickly insert an IV into her hand.

  Michael jogged over to the table against the wall and searched for something similar to what Katie described. He found a narrow screw with a flower-like head and took it over to Jenny. At the back of the metal bands, he found a hole that the screw fit into perfectly. A few twists later, the bands separated and Jenny quickly spit the gag out. Several pieces of her teeth came with it. The paramedics quickly strapped both women to backboards and began taking them up the stairs.

  After Jenny was taken up, Lucy and Andy appeared in the room. “Great job, Michael. Where’s Katie?” Lucy asked. She stopped in her tracks as she saw the paramedics lift Katie to follow Jenny’s path upstairs.

  “I need a favor,” Michael said. “Can you two stay here and oversee the forensics? I need to go with Katie to the hospital.” At their nod, he quickly ran upstairs, got in his car and followed the ambulance to the Bedford County Medical Center.

  By the time Michael parked and made his way into the emergency entrance, Katie had been wheeled up to have a CAT scan. Because he wasn’t family, the hospital staff wouldn’t release information to him. Two hours later the same doctor who had treated Barbie Jones came into the waiting room. Michael jumped to his feet. He had been joined in the waiting room by SAC Nelson, who was waiting for information on her condition before calling Katie’s mother. When Dr. Abrams saw Michael, he came over. “So, this time I’m treating your partner. Is this an official case?” When Michael nodded, Dr. Abrams continued, “She has a concussion so you can expect her to be dizzy and have double vision for a while. Some people complain of nausea as well. She’s fussing to get out of here. If she has someone to stay with her, I will release her. If not, we’d like to keep her here for a few more hours. She needs to stay awake until her vision clears.”

  “I’ll see that she’s taken care of. She’s staying in a place with a lot of people, so she will be monitored closely.” Michael almost laughed at how closely she would be watched. Caroline wouldn’t let her have a moment’s peace until she was sure Katie was alright.

  “Oh, one more thing,” the doctor said, “She asked that you not call her emergency contact for a small bump on the head. Said she doesn’t want to worry anyone unnecessarily.” With that, he led the two agents down the hall to the small cubicle where Katie lay.

  Katie’s face was pale under her tan complexion and she had a large knot forming on the side of her head, but she was alert and giving the nurse orders to remove her IV line. When they rounded the corner, Katie turned her attention to the doctor. “Please tell her to let me out of here. I have a case to solve. What do we know about Jenny Downing’s condition? Is she alert?” Katie was already reaching for her credentials and her weapon, which had been put on the bedside table. As she stood up, she quickly reached out to grab the edge of the bed to steady herself.

  “Agent Freeman, I will release you provided you go with your partner and take it easy.” His stern look was wasted on Katie.

  “Of course I’m going with Agent Powell. We’re in the middle of an investigation.”

  The doctor shook his head. “Investigating is not taking it easy.”

  The mulish expression that came across her face was plain to everyone. “We have someone out there abducting and torturing women. You have now treated two of those victims. Do you really think I can go put my feet up and watch a chick flick while eating ice cream when I know we just seriously pissed this guy off? I promise I won’t do anything stupid, like running into a dark cellar before checking to see if it’s clear. Right now, I want to get up and I want to go talk to Jenny Downing. That isn’t too strenuous, is it?” The fact that her hand hadn’t left the butt of her holstered weapon made the doctor think twice about how many restrictions he should put on her.

  Turning to Michael, the doctor said, “Try to keep her calm and don’t let her chase anyone. Make her sit as much as possible. She doesn’t need to be crawling around on the ground looking for evidence either - nothing more strenuous than walking, talking and sitting. Jenny Downing is three curtains down.” With that, Dr. Abrams walked out of the room.

  “You didn’t call my mother, did you?” Katie asked their boss.

  “No, not yet. I was waiting until I had more information. If you had been unconscious, I would have already called. Michael assured me that this was just a bump on your head. From what your old SAC told me, that shouldn’t hurt too much.” Laughing at his own joke, Nelson turned and left the room with a caution to both of them about wrapping up this investigation before anyone else was injured.

  They met up with Dr. Abrams in the hall as he stepped out of Jenny’s room. Holding her file, he motioned them away from the curtain. “I’ve made sure no one asked her questions or told her anything about what’s happened. There are two small circular burn marks just above her hip on her lower back. My opinion is that he used a stun gun to subdue her. She has the same marks and bruises as Barbie Jones, consistent with the same instrument. Only hers are more numerous and several broke the skin. Only one mark required stitches, the rest we just cleaned and put salve on. There is no evidence of rape, though she told us that before we examined her. She is dehydrated and hungry. We have her hooked to saline and are giving her broth for now. Sh
e also has chipped and broken teeth, just like Mrs. Jones.”

  Thanking the doctor for the information, they entered the curtained area to find Betsy holding Jenny’s hand. Though her eyes were closed, the tears leaking out the sides indicated that she was awake. Katie nodded to Michael to begin the questions.

  Michael cleared his throat and when Jenny looked up, he introduced himself and Katie. “Would you mind answering a few questions for us?”

  Jenny licked her lips and reached for the cup of ice water beside her bed. “Thank you for finding me,” she said. Her voice was raspy and her eyes again filled with tears. When she had collected herself, she nodded for them to ask any questions they had.

  Pulling up a chair, Michael took her other hand while Katie stood at the foot of the bed. Chief Davidson stepped into the room and pulled the curtain closed behind him. He nodded hello at the women, then shook his head at the agents to let them know they hadn’t caught the guy. Michael turned back to Jenny. “Are you okay with Betsy being in here? We can ask anyone that you’re not comfortable speaking in front of to step out.” He looked apologetically toward Betsy, but saw only understanding in her eyes.

  “I’m fine with her here. She’s more of a mother to me than I have ever had.” Again, Jenny had to take a minute to compose herself, so did Betsy.

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning and just tell us what you remember. Once you’re done, I’ll ask questions to fill in the blanks or to clarify something. OK?”

  Jenny took a deep breath. “I remember Betsy and I leaving the room at the church Wednesday night. The nurse told me it’s Saturday now. It sure felt like I was in that room longer than two days.” She shook her head and took another sip of water.