Someone Knows

by Lisa Scottoline

  Larry accelerated, watching Allie. In the next moment, she took a right onto one of the unmarked roads, into the woods.

  “Allie?” Larry heard himself say, his heart in his throat. She was heading deeper into the Pine Barrens.

  Suddenly his phone screen went black. His battery had run out.

  Larry floored the gas pedal.

  CHAPTER 83

  Allie Garvey

  Allie took a right onto an uneven dirt road with thick pine trees on either side. There were no houses in sight. She slowed, and her tires rumbled over bumpy patches in sand. Puddles were here and there. The road was narrow enough for only one car. It didn’t have a street sign.

  She drove ahead, looking left and right, but still couldn’t see any lights among the trees because they were so thick. There didn’t appear to be a single house on the street. Julian’s had to be set far off the road, and she remembered he said he had a long driveway. She checked her phone. No service.

  She lowered her window. The woods were full of sounds, only a few of which she could identify. Crickets, cicadas, and a high-pitched wail that was broken up—an owl, she guessed, but it didn’t sound like a hoot. It sounded like ooh-oooh-oooh, like a ghost. Allie wasn’t a nature girl, and she didn’t like the dark. It was pitch black except for her high beams.

  She felt a tingle of fear but told herself to relax. Julian had said what to expect, and there was no reason to be nervous. Larry had been to the Pine Barrens plenty of times when he was little and he’d told her the stories. She felt a twinge, thinking about him. She hoped she got the chance to tell him the funny story about how scared she’d been in the Pine Barrens. She figured he would laugh. She remembered him telling her that his childhood trips were hiking, hiking, and more hiking. He’d hated the exercise, but he’d said it was beautiful, and she supposed it would be, in the daytime.

  The road wound to the right, then to the left, still bordered on both sides by pine trees. Allie kept feeding the car gas. She heard the noise of running water and looked to the left, surprised to see a stream moving along beside the road. Moonlight glinted off the water’s surface, making it look like a giant python. Otherwise she couldn’t see anything. Up ahead she saw the white light of a flashlight, waving up and down.

  “Thank God,” Allie said aloud. It had to be Julian, and she looked to the left to see the lights of his house, but she couldn’t see any. Maybe the woods were too dense or his house was very far back. Or maybe he’d just gotten home and hadn’t turned the lights on yet. Then again, he said he had salmon. You wouldn’t want to leave fish in a car in summer.

  She kept going toward the flashlight, which was a big one, and Julian shone it on his face from underneath, to show that it was him. He was smiling, and Allie laughed, relieved. She could see the glint of his gray Mercedes, parked behind him. Okay, he’d just gotten home.

  She flashed her high beams, saying hello.

  CHAPTER 84

  Julian Browne

  Julian felt preternaturally calm as Allie drove closer. The only hard part of his plan was getting her here, and he’d managed that. His hammer rested on the ground, hidden in underbrush. It wasn’t the subtlest weapon, but it was untraceable and all he had left at the farm.

  Julian went over his plan, mentally rehearsing. As soon as Allie pulled up, he’d pick up the hammer and bury it in her skull. It would kill her instantly. Then he’d carry her away from the road, since she wasn’t fat anymore. If he couldn’t, he’d drag her. No one ever came here, and there were no houses around for miles. It would be a long time before anybody would find her corpse, if ever. Rain would hide their footprints and tire marks. She’d have decomposed, her flesh eaten away by foxes, vultures, and bugs. As for her car, he knew a guy who’d break it down for parts, no questions asked. The plan would work. Evidently, practice really did make perfect.

  Allie closed in, twenty-five feet away, then twenty, then ten. She stopped the car. “I made it!” she called out her car window happily.

  “Well done!” Julian called back. He dropped the flashlight near where the hammer was hidden, as if by accident. He picked up the flashlight in his left hand and the hammer in his right.

  Tucking it behind his back.

  CHAPTER 85

  Larry Rucci

  Larry squeezed the steering wheel. Every fiber of his being told him something was wrong. He had to get to Allie. There were almost no houses out here. Allie didn’t know anybody who lived here. There was no logical reason for her to be here.

  He raced up the road, accelerating to seventy-five miles an hour, then eighty, then eighty-five. He couldn’t go any faster without risking hitting a deer or crashing, which wouldn’t help Allie.

  Larry’s high beams pierced the darkness, but they didn’t go far enough. He felt like he was outrunning them. Bugs and moths flew crazily, scattering around his car. Air blew through his open window. He was almost at the road where she’d turned right. It must have been an unmarked road, like many of them this deep. They weren’t even named on maps.

  “Allie!” he yelled out the window.

  The woods and wind swallowed his cry.

  CHAPTER 86

  Allie Garvey

  Allie cut the ignition, which turned off her interior lights and high beams, plunging her into darkness. She got the keys out of the ignition and dropped them in her purse.

  “I’m proud of you, Allie!” Julian walked toward the car with the flashlight, aiming it on the ground. “You’re a country girl now.”

  “This is the middle of nowhere,” Allie said as she got out of the car, looking around. There was no light except for his flashlight, and clouds passed in front of the moon. The woods were too dense to see his house. She heard the stream rushing along the road. The air felt cool and damp. The forest was filled with sound. The road was deep sand.

  “Welcome!” Julian kept walking toward her, aiming the flashlight on the ground.

  “Where is your house?” Allie asked. She slowed her walk to meet him, feeling a nervous tingle. She looked to the left, squinting. There was nothing but trees. And Julian’s car wasn’t parked in any driveway. Her stomach tightened.

  Allie stopped. Julian hadn’t answered her question. He kept coming, swinging the flashlight, most of him in shadow. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was no house here, and they both knew it now.

  Her mouth went dry. She turned and ran back to the car.

  “No!” she screamed, reaching the door and tearing it open.

  CHAPTER 87

  Julian Browne

  Julian swung the hammer down on Allie as she opened her car door. She jumped aside at the last instant. The hammer connected with her right wrist, missing her head. He heard her bone break.

  Allie cried in pain. She reached for her wrist, stunned. Her purse fell to the ground.

  Julian raised the hammer again, but slipped on the downswing. In that split second, Allie took off running down the road. She screamed for help. No one would hear.

  He raced after her, slipping again. His Gucci loafers provided no traction. He had to get her. He was pissed at himself. Now he had to chase her down.

  Allie kicked off her heels, ran off the road and into the forest. The woods down here were dense, which was why he’d given her this location. His farm was to the south, still in the Pine Barrens but closer to civilization. The last thing he needed was a dead body near his house, after all of these recent deaths.

  Allie screamed for help. Julian entered the woods on the diagonal, following the sound. He aimed the flashlight in her direction. The jittery cone of light located her after a moment. Her dress was black but he could see her. She wasn’t that far ahead of him.

  He would catch her and bash her head in.

  CHAPTER 88

  Larry Rucci

  Larry reached the street where Allie had turned right. He veered around the corner. The back of his car skidded on the sand, fishtailing.

  He hit the gas and steered straight. He s
quinted to see down the road. The only lights were his headlights. He couldn’t see anything.

  He accelerated to eighty-five, gripping the steering wheel as the road curved to the right, then the left. Finally, it was a straightaway.

  Larry saw something up ahead, on the left. Parked cars. It had to be Allie, and someone else. That couldn’t be good.

  His high beams shone on the cars as he got closer. The nearer car was Allie’s. His heart leapt into his throat. The other car was a Mercedes sedan.

  Larry slowed down, parking behind Allie. Her car was empty. The passenger side door hung open. The sight terrified him.

  “Allie!” he yelled, honking his horn. “Allie!”

  CHAPTER 89

  Allie Garvey

  Allie ran through the woods, in pain from her wrist. It hung useless, and the jostling made it throb. But she couldn’t panic. She ran for her life.

  Her heart thudded. Her breath became ragged. She panted from exertion and terror. She used her good hand to clear the branches as she ran. The trees grew so close together it was hard to get through. The branches were thick. The pine needles tore her arm and scratched her cheeks. Her hair got caught.

  Julian was going to kill her. She screamed for help. No one was around. She realized that Julian must have killed Sasha. He’d made it look like an overdose. He must have wanted to silence her.

  Julian shone his flashlight around. The circle of light found her. He knew where she was. Horror powered her forward. She had to go faster.

  Suddenly Allie heard honking and shouting. Someone was calling her. It was Larry. The sound was somewhere behind her. Her heart leapt with hope. She had no idea how he had gotten here, but it didn’t matter.

  “Larry, help!” Allie screamed at the top of her lungs.

  CHAPTER 90

  Julian Browne

  Julian raced through the woods after Allie. He used the flashlight and the hammer to break the branches in his path. It gave him an advantage. He could move faster than she could. He was closing the distance between them.

  Pine needles scratched his face and snagged threads on his sport coat. He kept tripping on the underbrush in his loafers, which only made him angrier. Allie was ruining everything. When he caught her, he’d make her pay.

  Julian heard honking, then shouting coming from the road behind him. Someone was calling her name. A man’s voice.

  Julian had no idea how the man knew Allie was here, but it infuriated him.

  He ran faster. He swung the hammer, breaking the branches with renewed determination. He recalibrated his plan on the fly. He was still in control.

  In the end, he’d kill them both.

  CHAPTER 91

  Larry Rucci

  Larry sprinted into the woods. He could hear Allie screaming his name. He followed the sound.

  “Allie!” he shouted back to her. The woods were dense, but he’d been in the Pine Barrens many times. He knew what to do. He crouched as low as he could, forming a triangle of his arms in front of his face and torso, like his father had taught him. His father used to say, Make yourself small. Larry used to think it was a fat joke, but it wasn’t, he saw that now.

  He powered forward. He heard Allie call his name. He called back to her. He spotted a flashlight to his right, moving erratically. Someone was using it to clear a path to Allie. The owner of the Mercedes. He couldn’t see the man because the woods were so dark.

  Someone was trying to kill his wife. Larry didn’t know who or why. It wasn’t going to happen as long as he drew breath.

  “Allie!” Larry angled sharply to the right. Instead of going after Allie, he was going after the man chasing her. Larry always knew he would die for her. Even if she wouldn’t for him.

  He was funny that way.

  CHAPTER 92

  Allie Garvey

  Allie kept running, trying to keep ahead of Julian. She was about to shout back to Larry again, but she realized something. She knew where Larry was because he was shouting for her. Julian must’ve known where she was because she’d been shouting for help. That was how he’d been able to find her with the flashlight.

  She clammed up as she ran, so Julian wouldn’t know where she was. Larry wouldn’t, either, but he’d sounded farther back in the woods. God forbid anything happened to him. She wished he knew how much she loved him. She’d done Larry so wrong. Now she’d put him in danger.

  She struggled to keep running. Her breath came ragged. The flashlight cast around, randomly shining on trees and branches. She heard Julian behind her, breaking branches.

  “Give it up, Allie!” Julian called out, taunting her.

  Allie felt a bolt of fright. He was getting closer. Gaining on her.

  “Allie, don’t fight me. I took care of Sasha. I took care of David. That leaves you.”

  Allie gasped as she ran. Julian had killed David. David hadn’t committed suicide. Allie had been right about him. But David was dead, and so was Sasha.

  Somehow she ran harder. The trees had grown together. She struggled to pass through. The underbrush was a thicket. Her thighs burned.

  Her heart was pounding. Her right wrist was killing her. Sweat slaked her face and body. The air felt more humid. Her eyes stung. She couldn’t quit now.

  The flashlight swept the woods. Julian was looking for her. He would expect her to keep going straight. She had to confuse him.

  Allie angled to the left, off the straight line she was on, or thought she was on. She was losing her sense of direction. She looked up but clouds covered the moon. She didn’t know where she was anymore.

  She kept running.

  CHAPTER 93

  Julian Browne

  Julian remained in control, but he could feel rage boiling inside his chest. He wanted to howl with fury.

  He’d lost sight of Allie. He’d been using the flashlight to break branches, and she’d finally figured out to shut up. Luckily, whoever was trying to be a hero hadn’t. Larry.

  Julian banged away at a branch, and it broke. He swung the flashlight back and forth, trying to find Allie. Damn her black dress. She blended in. He couldn’t hear her anymore. Larry never shut up, like a kid playing Marco Polo.

  Julian kept going, following a straight line after Allie. A pond and an abandoned hunting cabin were nearby. The air felt damper. He could smell the water. He hadn’t intended to go this far, but that bitch had led him here.

  He realized something. Marco Polo would be headed toward him, trying to save her.

  Julian looked around, but he couldn’t see even a shadow, much less a man. He swung the flashlight but didn’t see anyone.

  Julian shut off the flashlight so Marco Polo couldn’t find him.

  “Allie!” Marco Polo shouted, echoing in the woods.

  That was all Julian needed.

  He headed toward the sound, hammer in hand.

  CHAPTER 94

  Larry Rucci

  Allie!” Larry shouted, but Allie had gone silent. He realized she didn’t want to give away her position, which was smart.

  Larry looked to the right for the flashlight, but in the next moment, it blinked off.

  Larry realized what the killer was doing. He’d turned off the flashlight because he didn’t want to give away his position, either. Larry figured the guy had changed his plan. He’d stalk them and kill them both.

  Larry was heading for the killer, and now the killer was heading for him. They should be closing in on each other.

  Larry kept moving, pushing pine needles out of his way. The killer would come after him first. He posed a greater threat than Allie.

  Larry squinted but couldn’t see anyone or anything. He whirled around. He couldn’t see anyone behind him. Trees were everywhere. He couldn’t even see the sky. He heard nothing but the sounds of the woods.

  He crouched down, felt around on the ground, and picked up a rock.

  CHAPTER 95

  Allie Garvey

  Allie kept going, hearing Larry calling her. She couldn�
�t call back or she’d give herself away. It struck her with horror that if she could hear Larry, so could Julian. Julian would kill Larry. Allie couldn’t let that happen. If anybody was getting out of the woods alive, it would be her husband.

  She knew Julian had to be closer to her than Larry. There was only one way to save Larry’s life, and it was to risk her own. She had to draw Julian to her, not send him away. If she survived, it was all good. If she didn’t, Larry would be free to escape. Everything had started in a woods, and it was going to end in one, too.

  Allie broke off a branch, and the end splintered like a stake.

  Her heart pounded. Blood pulsed in her ears. She gripped the stake in her left hand. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage.

  “Larry, run!” she screamed. “Run! Run! Go back!”

  CHAPTER 96

  Julian Browne

  Julian turned his head toward the sound. Allie was calling for Larry. She was telling Larry to run. He realized what she was doing. She was offering herself instead of Marco Polo. Fine with him.

  Julian switched directions, heading for her. She sounded closer than Marco Polo. She would be easier to pick off.

  Julian swung the hammer down on a branch, cracking it off. He got a bead on Allie’s shouting. It was getting louder. He didn’t need the flashlight to find her anymore. He tucked it into his waistband behind his back.