Buried in Bargains (Good Buy Girls) (20 page)

“But Laura,” Maggie said. “I need to see her.”

“I know, and I’m going to bring her to you as soon as she’s been checked out,” he said.

“Thank you, Sam,” Maggie said. It felt like too little to say to the man who had saved her daughter. And she realized that, while he had told her how he felt about her, she had been too consumed with fear for her daughter to respond. She needed to tell him now. “Sam, about what you said earlier—”

“It’s all right, Maggie,” he said, interrupting her. “I know it was premature for me to say anything. We can just blame it on the heat of the moment or something.”

“Or something,” she agreed. “Or I could screw up the courage to tell you that I love you, too.”

She saw Claire and Ginger exchange grins, and she felt one part her lips as well.

“Aw, Maggie,” Sam said, his voice was rough. “I’m going to kiss you senseless the minute I see you.”

Maggie laughed. “Well, get back here quick, then.”

“Will do,” Sam said, and he ended the call.

Maggie hung up the phone and was immediately embraced by Ginger.

“In the words of my boys,” Ginger said, “that was epic.”

Claire was next with a hug and a pat on the back.

“I had a feeling about you two,” she said.

“It’s not all good news,” Maggie said. “They found Laura and she was unharmed, but they didn’t catch Blake.”

Claire frowned. “Do you think he heard them coming and bailed?”

“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “Sam doesn’t either.”

“What about Michael?” Ginger asked. “Do they think he’s going to go after him?”

“Sam already thought of that and sent an extra deputy over there,” Maggie said. “He talked to them and they’re fine, but I know he’s worried that Caulfield got away.”

“I wonder if he’ll leave town,” Ginger said. “Any sane criminal would.”

“Sadly, there’s not much evidence that he’s sane,” Maggie said. “Look what he did to Leann and how easily he fooled us all.”

“And how,” Ginger agreed. “I actually encouraged my boys to befriend him.”

“They say one in four people is a sociopath,” Claire said. Maggie and Ginger both looked at her. “What? I read it in a book.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I think you read too much,” Maggie said.

Claire smiled, but Ginger frowned.

“I was just kidding,” Maggie said.

“No, it’s not you,” Ginger said. “I thought I heard something. Did either of you hear that?”

They were clustered around the front desk, having not moved away from the phone.

“Hear what?” Claire said.

It was then that Maggie noted how eerily quiet the station was without the radio squawking or the phone ringing. In the early evening darkness, the shadows made by the dim lighting seemed thicker and more ominous.

Maggie felt her heart start to beat hard, and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She and Ginger exchanged a glance, and she knew her friend felt it, too.

“I don’t want to sound paranoid,” Ginger said. “But I think there is someone in here with us.”

And there it was, the sound of someone coming toward them out of the darkness.

Chapter 25

“Who’s there?” Maggie called out.

She saw Claire start beside her, and Ginger turned and scanned the opposite direction. A panicked image of the lush and lithe
Charlie’s Angels
girls filled Maggie’s head, and she noted that the three of them looked nothing like that. The thought almost made her smile, but then the sound started again.

She strained her ears and noted that it wasn’t the sound of footsteps coming toward them; it was more like a scratching noise.

“It’s coming from the back, near Sam’s office,” Maggie said.

“Let’s get out of here,” Claire said. “Now, while we have the chance.”

“But—” Maggie protested.

“No,” Ginger said. “Claire is right. We’re not prepared to take on a killer. Think about what he did to Leann.”

Maggie shuddered as she remembered the still form of the young woman, a life ended too soon because of a madman.

“You’re right,” Maggie said.

The three of them backed toward the door, keeping the room in full view at all times. They were almost free and clear, and the door was in reach, when a high-pitched wail cut through the quiet like a ragged blade, making all three of them jump and grab one another.

“That was a cry for help,” Maggie said. “He’s got someone.”

She didn’t hesitate. She broke ranks and rushed to the back, grabbing the only weapon she could find on the way—the stapler sitting on the front desk.

She shoved open the door to Sam’s office, ready to do some damage. It was empty. She spun around to see Ginger and Claire crowded in the doorway, offering backup against their better judgment.

“I know I heard someone in here,” Maggie said.

The three of them stood frozen, listening. The wail sounded again, and this time Claire frowned.

“That sounds like . . .” Her voice trailed off as she turned and went across the hall to the interview room.

She shoved open the door and leapt back. Maggie and Ginger peered around the door frame. The room was empty except for a battered table and chairs.

A noise sounded from under the table, and Maggie felt her whole body go tense just as a small gray cat jumped up onto the table. He blinked at them under the bright fluorescent lights and then began to lick his chest. It was Marshall Dillon.

“It’s a cat!” Claire exclaimed, and she slumped against the doorjamb.

“He’s Sam’s cat,” Maggie said. “Meet Marshall Dillon.”

She crossed the room and held out her hand for him to sniff. He rubbed the side of his face against the back of her fingers in approval, and Maggie commenced with the scratching.

“Really?” Ginger asked. “I always saw Sam as more of a dog guy.”

“The cat chooses the human,” Maggie said.

“Ah,” Ginger nodded in understanding. “Sam was adopted.”

“He said Marshall likes to hang out at the station sometimes,” Maggie said. “Today must have been one of those days.”

“He sure is a handsome fella,” Claire said. She was a certified cat lover.

Maggie scratched his favorite spot just under his chin, and when he started to purr, she felt all of her tension evaporate.

“Well, I’m sure glad the noise turned out to be a few pounds of annoyed cat and not a few hundred pounds of psychotic male,” Ginger said.

The door slammed behind them, and Maggie whirled around to find Blake Caulfield standing there in his camel-colored coat, blocking the only exit.

Maggie felt her heart drop to her feet, dragging all of the blood in her body with it.

“By that, Mrs. Lancaster, I assume you mean me,” Blake said.

Ginger leveled him with a glare, and Claire moved herself in front of Marshall Dillon.

“What are you doing here, Blake?” Maggie asked. “You know the police are looking for you.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” he said dryly. “Their timing really ruined my plans for the evening.”

Maggie felt her throat constrict. “By that, you mean your plan to kill my daughter?”

“That would be the one,” he confirmed. His eyes glinted with wicked malice.

“Why?” Maggie asked. “Why would you harm Laura? She’s done nothing to you.”

She began to lean in to Claire in a not-so-subtle push to get all of them away from Blake. The only barrier in the room was the table, and Maggie felt it was imperative to have it between him and them.

Ginger and Claire seemed to catch on and began to slowly inch away from him. Maggie stayed in front of the table while the others moved. She noticed Claire nudging Marshall Dillon down into one of the seats where he’d be out of sight. Once they were clear, she scooted around the table after them.

Blake had one hand in his pocket, and Maggie assumed it was a knife or a gun and that his intent was to do harm. If Blake had come here instead of running, he had to be pretty desperate or angry, neither of which left Maggie with a good feeling.

“Why?” he asked. “Because Laura ruined everything.”

He looked at Maggie as if she were too stupid to live, which at any other time would have offended her to the core. At the moment, however, her need to survive this encounter dominated any other feelings, drowning out her ability to process anything but terror.

“Do you have any idea how long I spent romancing Leann?” he asked. “Months. I spent months following her, learning her schedule, discovering what she liked to eat and where she liked to go. And then she vanished on me,” Blake said.

The anger in his voice was palpable, and Maggie felt Claire and Ginger pause. She knew she had to prod him to keep his attention on her.

“That’s not romancing someone, Blake; that’s stalking,” Maggie said. “Didn’t you ever wonder why she vanished?”

“Shut up!” he shouted, and they all jumped. “I was not stalking her. I was doing research, making sure she was the one.”

His cheeks flamed hot, and he looked agitated. Maggie felt Ginger give her arm a squeeze, and Maggie knew she was telling her to be careful.

“Yes, she moved here and took a different name, because of him,” Blake snarled. “Not to get away from me, but because he wanted her to do it.”

“He who?” Maggie asked. She was pleased that her voice sounded calm, because inside she was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

“You know who—Michael Claramotta,” Blake snapped.

“You think Michael made her change her name?” Maggie asked.

“I know it,” Blake said. “I overheard Leann’s boss, Brody, tell her all about Michael Claramotta in Virginia and how he would help her out.”

“How did you overhear it?” Maggie asked. She leaned in to Ginger to get the other two women moving again.

“Please.” Blake gave her another condescending glance. “Bugging an office in a deli is child’s play.”

Suddenly, it all made sense, and Maggie stared at him in horror when she realized what else he had done. “It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who filed the restraining order against Michael. How?”

“I’m a clerk for the court,” he said. “Creating a paper trail is pretty easy when you know how, and I knew it would make him look guilty of killing her, which is no more than he deserved for taking away the woman I loved.”

“But why kill her?” Maggie asked. “If you loved her, why kill her?”

“Because she was doing it again,” he said. He kept his hand in his pocket but ran the other through his hair in frustration. “She was making friends and going out. I worked so hard to get her all to myself, and that stupid butcher and your dumb daughter ruined it.”

His rant ended on a high-pitched keen that made Maggie wince and tighten up as if he were about to hit her. He didn’t. Instead, he looked across the room, past Maggie, as if he was seeing something that the rest of them couldn’t.

“Don’t you see?” he asked. “She was my soul mate. That’s why I wanted to know everything about her before I approached her. And I did. I knew what books she read, what movies she went to, who her friends were and where she shopped. I wanted to show her how perfect we would be together.”

“That’s just creepy,” Ginger said.

“It is not!” Blake yelled. “It’s research. Knowledge is power, you know.”

Maggie felt Ginger tremble beside her, and she reached down and grabbed Ginger’s hand with her own. She squeezed her fingers to give her reassurance. Ginger squeezed back to let her know she was okay.

“How did you meet her?” Claire asked. Her voice was soft, and Maggie knew she was too scared to speak above a whisper, but it worked, because Blake seemed calmed by her tone, and he visibly relaxed.

“She came into the office where I work to pay a traffic ticket,” he said. “She was very naughty and got ticketed for speeding. But then she smiled at me, and that’s when I knew that she was the woman I was going to spend my life with. She was so beautiful. I knew I had to make her mine.”

Maggie glanced at Ginger and Claire. Marshall Dillon hadn’t moved from his chair but instead was crouched below the table edge as if he knew that Blake Caulfield was dangerous. Smart cat.

Blake met Maggie’s gaze and smiled. He knew she was scared, and he was enjoying it. He thought he had them at his mercy, and Maggie realized that was all he’d ever wanted, to be the one who had the power. He’d wanted it over Leann, and he’d tried the same with Laura. If Sam hadn’t gotten to her in time, he would have killed her. Maggie felt a surge of rage at what might have happened.

“Well, that didn’t really work out for you, now, did it, Blake?” Maggie asked, knowing full well she was baiting him.

She saw Ginger flinch and knew her tone had been harsh, but Maggie was tired of playing. Blake had them cornered in this tiny room, and it was getting hot. She could feel the sweat beading at her temples, and her breath was getting tight.

She didn’t like the look on Blake’s face. He looked smarmy and so sure of himself. It made her feel like a spider was scurrying across her skin.

“No, it didn’t!” Blake snapped. “But that’s okay, because I’m going to make everyone who kept her from me pay.”

“We didn’t keep her from you,” Maggie said.

“Yes, you did!” Blake yelled. “I had Leann ready to accept me. She was new in town. She had no friends. And then your daughter shows up, and the next thing I know Leann is going out for coffee and wearing new clothes and makeup, and dancing at balls with other men!”

His face was red, and he was huffing and puffing as if every cell in his body were consumed with rage. He took his hand out of his pocket and Maggie almost sagged with relief when she saw that it was empty. He fisted his hands in his hair as he glared at them.

“I had to kill her, don’t you see?” he cried. “She wasn’t doing what she was supposed to do. She wasn’t under my control anymore, and it’s all because of your daughter. Laura just couldn’t let well enough alone, could she?”

Maggie knew now was the moment. If Sam was bringing Laura here, Maggie would much rather be the one harmed by this lunatic than let him have another crack at her daughter.

She whipped her head at Ginger and Claire, and shouted, “Tackle now!”

Blake realized their intent, and his hand shot back into his pocket. Without his arm to brace him, he fell to the floor hard when Claire hit him from the side, Ginger took him out at the knees and Maggie gouged him with an elbow right in the chest. The tussle was messy. There were too many bodies, and Maggie knew she and the others were holding back for fear of hurting each other. Their hesitancy cost them.

Blake began kicking viciously and managed to clip Claire in the jaw with the toe of his shoe, sending her sprawling backward. Ginger went to sit on his legs, but with his free hand he punched her hard right in the temple.

Ginger staggered and Maggie cried out, even as she tried to subdue Blake by grabbing his arm. But three middle-aged bargain hunters were no match for a young man fueled by psychotic rage. Before Maggie could get a good grip on him, he had the sharp edge of a lethal looking knife pointed right at her throat.