Love Inspired Suspense July 2015 #2 (13 page)

The flash of the bullet leaving the gun momentarily blinded her. A hole appeared in a board covering the front window, letting in a stream of light. She searched the shadows for Corben.

A hard shove on her back sent her stumbling toward the front door. She used the momentum to keep going forward. Just as she reached for the doorknob, she heard a faint click and the floor beneath her disappeared.

She fell through an opening and landed with a jarring thud onto a dirt floor. Her gun bounced away. Pain exploded in her head and air rushed out of her lungs. She blinked back the dust her abrupt fall had kicked up, but it was too late. The hole above her head had closed.

She flipped to her hands and knees. Her gaze swept what was really little more than a crawl space. A single bare bulb hung from a cord, providing enough dim light for her to see a closed two-feet-by-two-feet door and two figures propped up against the wall, bound and gagged.

She ignored Dr. Cantwell and went directly to Drew. Relief to see him alive flooded her and filled her heart. She retrieved her gun and rushed to his side. “Thank you, God.”

Reaching for the duct tape stretched across his mouth, she said, “This is going to hurt.”

He nodded.

Wincing on his behalf, she ripped the tape from his face.

He flinched, then worked his jaw a second before asking, “Are you okay? I heard gunfire.”

“I am now that I've found you.” She slipped her knife from her boot and made quick work of cutting the thick cord holding him captive. “What happened?”

“I fell through the same trapdoor you just did.” He rose to a crouch since the low ceiling wouldn't allow him to stand. “He was waiting for me with a stun gun.”

She noticed his empty holster. “He took your sidearm.”

Grimly, Drew nodded. “Unfortunately.”

She was glad Corben hadn't used it on her while he'd toyed with her in the dark. “What about your phone?”

He grimaced. “Charging in the car.”

And hers was somewhere above them. So much for calling in backup.

Sami's gaze landed on Dr. Cantwell, bound and gagged with duct tape just as Drew had been, only she was unconscious. Sami scrabbled to her side, cut the cords binding her hands and feet, laid her out flat and then gently shook her. “Dr. Cantwell.”

She didn't respond. Sami checked her pulse. Steady.

“She's out cold. He must have drugged her,” Sami said.

Drew tried the door handle, but it was locked. “There has to be another way out of here.”

She searched along the walls for another exit. Drew worked at opening the trapdoor. She came up empty, and apparently so did Drew, if his frustrated growl was any indication.

Taunting laughter invaded the room. Sami's gaze went to the ceiling. There in the far corner, she could see a speaker box and a tiny camera. She nudged Drew and pointed.

“I see it.” To the camera, Drew mocked, “Too scared to face me yourself?”

“Now, now, Inspector Kelley, don't be a spoilsport.” Corben's voice came at them from the speaker. “All in due time.”

Keeping her gun at the ready, she faced the camera. “What do you want, Corben? Why have you trapped us here?”

“You trapped yourselves,” he countered. “You trespassed.”

Sami shook her head. “No, that's not true.”

The speaker emitted more laughter, which grated on Sami's nerves. Drew leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Keep him distracted while I work on getting that door open.” He tilted his head to indicate the door in the wall.

She nodded and focused back on the camera. “You knew I'd come here.”

“I did indeed, Agent Bennett. Or should I call you Sami?”

Gritting her teeth, she ground out, “Sami is reserved for friends and family. You are neither.”

She glanced at Drew. He worked on the hinges in the door using her knife, which she'd set on the ground after untying him and Dr. Cantwell.

“True, so true. What is the inspector doing?”

In her peripheral vision, she noticed he had one hinge off. She needed to keep Corben distracted. She moved away from Drew, hoping to draw Corben's attention. Ignoring her captor's question, she asked, “Why did you kill Lonnie? She was your family. She loved you.”

“That was unfortunate,” Corben said. “After you talked to her, she called me asking me about the murders. She grew too suspicious. Her death is on you.” Corben's voice grew hard and menacing.

Sami shook her head. “No way. You can't shift your guilt so easily. I won't accept that. Corben, you need help. Let us help you.”

“Like Dr. Cantwell helped me?” Corben let out a bark of laughter. “I shouldn't be too harsh on her. She did help me see how to eliminate my nightmares. It took me a long time to find him, but I did it.”

“Find who?” she asked, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

“Really, Sami, you haven't figured it out yet?”

“James Clark,” she said. “Is he your partner?”

Corben snorted. “No. He's the last person on this earth I'd partner with.”

Okay, one question answered. “Is he a victim?”

“
He's
no longer an issue for me.”

Now she didn't need that DNA test. “Because you killed him.”

“You did find the gift I left you on your pillow, right?”

Her stomach muscles tightened. “Yes.”

“Match the DNA. He deserved to die.”

She chanced a peek at Drew. He almost had the second hinge off. To Corben she said, “Why did you kill those women? You picked random women to act out your twisted fantasies.”

“Not fantasies,” Corben countered. “Nightmares.”

Sami ruminated on his statement for a moment. Then it dawned on her what he wasn't saying. “You were in the room when your mother was killed.”

“Ding, ding, ding.” Corben cackled. “I knew you'd be a smart opponent.”

She let that go for the moment. “You saw James Clark kill your mother. Why didn't you tell the authorities?”

“I was eight years old. One moment I'm eating pizza and watching television. The next my mom is shoving me into the closet, telling me if I come out, I'll get a spanking like I'd never had before. My mother used a rod for discipline.”

Drew had the second hinge off but the door was still in place, looking solid and unbreachable. He turned so that his back was to the camera and met her gaze. He flicked his gaze to her gun and gestured with his head and eyes toward the camera. If she interpreted his message correctly, she surmised he wanted her to shoot the camera so Corben couldn't see them escape.

Torn between wanting to hear more of what motivated Corben and wanting to escape the musty, grimy confines of the crawl space, she acknowledged Drew with a small nod. She had so many questions she wanted Corben to answer. Not the least of which was why he'd killed Lisa. She pushed aside her own need to know and lifted the gun.

“What are you doing, Agent Bennett?” Corben asked. “You think killing my camera will get you out of there? Has Inspector Kelley removed all of the hinges and opened the door yet?” Corben laughed. “No, he hasn't, because if he had, then there would be a big boom. I haven't heard a boom yet.”

Drew jerked his hands away from the door and met her eyes with grim disappointment. Corben had booby-trapped the door.

Gritting her teeth, she swung her gaze back to the camera. Fear thudded in her veins. “So you're going to blow yourself up along with us?”

“If I have to.”

Their plan to escape just flittered away.

THIRTEEN

D
rew's clenched hands ached. He could see despair filling Sami's blue eyes after learning their way out was booby-trapped. His heart ached from not being able to protect her, even though he knew she'd protest the notion.

Ducking low to keep his head from hitting the ceiling and throwing a quick glance at the still-unconscious doctor, he stalked the short distance to the camera and reached up.

“Inspector!” Corben's sharp protest echoed in the tight space. “Don't do that.”

Sami nodded and gave him two thumbs-up. Admiration for her mushroomed in his chest. Along with tender affection.

She wasn't like any other woman he'd ever met. Certainly nothing like his ex-wife. Sami was loyal to a fault, honorable and committed. She threw her whole self into everything she did. And he would move mountains, or defuse a bomb, to make sure she left this hole in one piece.

The fire of determination roared bright inside him. With a smile at the camera, he ripped the offending orb out of the wall.

“No!” Corben screamed obscenities at them.

“If you want to finish this twisted game, you'll need to face me like a man.” Drew ripped the speaker out of the wall, as well. Now Corben couldn't see, hear or talk to them.

“Drew?” Sami stared at the floorboard overhead, from which she could hear Corben's screams of rage and hear him stomping about. “What if he decides to blow us up?”

“We don't know if he's telling the truth or not,” Drew said. “But if there is an explosive device attached to the door, I'd better defuse it and fast.”

“You can do that?”

“I've had advanced explosive ordnance disposal training.” He moved back to the door and sent up a prayer that it would be enough to thwart whatever Corben had placed outside the door.

Carefully, he inspected the edges of the door and frame. He maneuvered the door to the right until there was a gap on the left side near the bottom where he'd removed the hinge. “Can you hold the door just like this? Don't let it slip or move at all.”

Sami grasped the edges. “Thanks. No pressure or anything.”

He flashed her a grin, liking her wit and her bravery. He pressed as close to the gap as he could, peering out. He could just make out the shape of a box on the floor in front of the door. A cord attached to the box ran up toward the door, probably wrapped around the door handle.

He sat back on his haunches and took the door back from Sami, easing it back in place.

“Is there a bomb?” she asked, realizing the house had gone eerily silent. What was Corben up to now?

“There's a brown-paper-wrapped package and it's rigged to the door handle. So if the door swings inward, it pulls on the cord, which in turn would trigger a blast, if indeed there is a bomb.”

She blew out a noisy breath. “Great. We're trapped in here and no one knows where to find us.” She sat down on the ground and crossed her legs as if to meditate.

“Your tech knows where we are, eh?”

She brightened. “Right. And in several days, after I haven't checked in, he'll send the cavalry.” She shook her head. “Too bad I didn't stuff my pockets with granola bars.”

“We'll be out of here long before we starve.” He picked up her knife from the floor where he'd laid it before ripping out the camera. “I'm going to need your help again.”

Her eyebrows rose. “What do you plan to do?”

“If I can make a gap big enough to reach through and sever the cord, then we can get out of here in one piece.”

She inhaled, squared her shoulders, rose to her feet as best she could and asked, “What do you need me to do?”

“I'm going to lift the door again. This time instead of angling it to the right, we're going to the left. I'm going to see if I can make a gap near the door handle to slip the knife through and hopefully reach the cord before it pulls too tight.”

“Oh, that's all. Should be a breeze for a big strong man like you. But what if the cord actually sends an electric charge to the bomb?”

He shook his head. “I'm sure it's attached to a pin that'd be yanked out with the force of the door opening.”

“How sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

She put a hand on his arm. “Do you mind if we say a quick prayer?”

He covered her hand with his. “That's a brilliant idea.”

She hesitated. “I'm not even sure what to say.” Her voice quivered slightly as she began. “You know what our predicament is and what we need to do. God, Your word says Your grace is sufficient. I ask for Your grace. I ask that our efforts to escape would be rewarded and Your power would be made known through us. Protect us. Guide us. And deliver us from the enemy's plan. In your precious Son's name, amen.”

“Amen,” Drew repeated. He lifted Sami's hand and entwined their fingers. “In case this doesn't work—”

“Shh, don't even go there,” she interjected. “It has to work.”

“Though I appreciate your confidence, there's no guarantee that God will answer our prayer the way we want. He could say no—it's time to bring us home.”

Sami's brows pulled together. Her blue eyes bore into him. “No, I refuse to believe God would allow us to get this close to capturing Corben and then let us fail. We have to have faith that good will overcome evil, right here, right now.”

Drew nodded and brought their joined hands up, resting her knuckles against his chin. “Okay. We'll go with faith because that's all we have in the end, isn't it?”

“When it comes right down to it, yes, that is all we have. And all we need.”

He kissed her knuckle before releasing his hold on her. “Here we go.”

Grasping the door, he lifted it slightly. Sami moved in front of him so that his arms bracketed her. She placed her hands next to his and took hold of the door. He slowly released his hold, transferring the weight of the door to her.

He moved to the right edge of the door. “Gently, slowly, swing the bottom of the door to the left.”

She did as he instructed. He pressed his face to the emerging gap. He could see the slack in the cord growing taut.

“Stop,” he said when the cord was almost completely straight.

Blowing out a calming breath, he slipped his hand holding the knife through the tight opening until the blade of the knife touched the black nylon cord. He needed a bit more slack before making an attempt to sever the cord. “Ease the door back into place until I tell you to stop.”

“It will pinch your arm,” she protested.

“Don't worry about that.”

She did as he'd asked. The edge of the door bit into his wrist but the extra amount of slack was worth the pain. “Stop.”

The door stilled. With micro-movements, he sawed the blade through the cord. Beads of sweat broke out on his brow and dripped down his face. He blinked when a salty bead dropped into his eyes. His hand cramped but he didn't stop until two halves of cord dropped away.

He let out a sigh. “Yes.”

He withdrew his arm, dropped the knife and grasped the door from Sami. Then he set the piece of wood aside.

“You did it.” Sami's jubilant cry spread warmth through his chest.

He turned toward her as she launched herself into his arms and hugged him tight. He held her close, his heart pounding and his blood thrumming.

She pulled back to stare up at him. “See, a little faith.”

He laughed and gave in to the urge to kiss her. He fit his mouth to hers. For a moment she stiffened with surprise. Then she melted into him, her mouth softening as she kissed him back.

He thought he heard her give a little moan. His ego puffed up until he realized the moaning came from the doctor lying on the floor.

With aching regret, Drew released Sami. He dropped his forehead to hers. “I think the doc is waking up.”

“Looks like.” She pressed another kiss on his lips and lingered for a moment before murmuring against his mouth, “My hero.”

Stunned, he could only stare at her as his lungs ceased to function. He wanted to be her hero. To be the person she turned to with her problems and her successes. He wanted to be the man she loved.

A blush pinkened her cheeks. She ducked to retrieve her knife and slipped it into the sheath inside her boot, then went to Dr. Cantwell's side.

Oh, man, he was treading in dangerous waters with no life preserver in sight. Good thing he could swim. Because he had a feeling he could find himself gladly drowning in Sami Bennett if he wasn't careful.

* * *

“Here, let me help you,” Sami said to Dr. Cantwell as the older woman struggled to sit up.

Sami tried to focus on getting the doctor upright and not on the fact that her lips still tingled from Drew's kiss. Her breathing was a bit ragged and her blood pulsed with longing. He'd surprised her when his mouth captured hers, but then she'd given over to the heady and delicious feel of his lips pressed against hers. She hadn't wanted the kiss to end.

She knew he'd kissed her out of relief at not being blown to bits. But she didn't care. She liked his kiss, which was why she'd kissed him again. And would cheerfully do so again and again, if given the chance.

She shook her head. When had she become a masochist? There was no possible future where they ended up together. Her head knew it, but her heart didn't want to accept the knowledge. And she refused to look too closely at exactly what her heart did want.

“What happened?” Dr. Cantwell grasped her temples once she was fully in a sitting position. “Oh, my head is throbbing.”

“Sit back against the wall,” Sami instructed. She slanted a glance at Drew. He was on his haunches in front of the doorway, squinting at the package on the other side of the threshold. Her heart hammered in her chest with renewed anxiety.

“Be careful,” she called to him.

He looked at her with a nod. “Always.”

Please, oh, please, don't let that thing go off
,
Sami silently prayed.

She strained to listen for Corben. Had he left the house? Or was he waiting until they emerged so he could pick them off with Drew's gun? A cold knot of dread and fear lodged in her chest, making her lungs burn as she gasped for breath.

“Agent Bennett?”

Pulling herself together, Sami dragged her gaze away from Drew and focused on Dr. Cantwell, who squinted at her. “Where are we?”

Suspicious of the woman, Sami ground out, “Don't you know?”

“No.” The doctor moaned again. “The last thing I remember I was in my office.”

Surprise nudged aside her wariness. “So you didn't come here voluntarily?” Was the therapist not involved as they'd suspected?

“Of course not.” Dr. Cantwell frowned at her. “Where is here?”

Sami rocked back on her heels. “Michigan. Corben Kraft brought you here.”

“Corben.” The older woman nodded. “That's right. He knocked on my office's private entrance. When I opened the door, he grabbed my arm and I felt a pinprick.” She inspected her arm. “He injected something into me.”

“That's new.” Puzzled, Sami tried to make sense of Corben's actions. “He used chloroform on his other victims. I guess killing his doctor isn't a part of his plans. Or at least not in the same way he did the other women.”

Horror filled the doctor's green eyes. Sami studied her, wanting to believe she was an innocent victim.

Dr. Cantwell's hand went to her throat. “Other victims? As in more than one?”

Fresh rage nearly choked her. “Twenty-two that we are fairly certain of.”

“Oh, no.” The doctor tried to stand but fell back and closed her eyes. “I should have told you when you came to my office but I couldn't violate his privacy. But now...”

She opened her eyes. There was no mistaking the distress in her green gaze. “Last time Corben came to see me, he claimed to have avenged his mother's death. But he wouldn't say anything more and ended our session early, telling me he wouldn't be seeing me again.” She gave a half shrug. “But then, he always says that after each session. He claimed to not want to come see me, but he always showed up for his sessions.”

Drew came over and squatted down beside them. “The door leads to a windowless utility room and a short flight of stairs to the main floor of the house. I'll take your gun and see if I can flush Corben out so you two can escape.”

Sami shook her head, suddenly terrified of losing him. “No way. I'll go.”

Drew's hazel eyes hardened. “Don't fight me on this, Sami. This isn't me coddling you. One of us has to be the bait to draw him out.”

She swallowed, unwilling to let him take on this burden alone. “We go together.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Not happening. The only way this works is for me to go.”

Rioting panic turned her blood to ice. “He has your gun,” Sami protested. “He could pick you off the second you emerge.”

He nodded, making it clear he'd already run that scenario through his mind.

Tears burned behind her eyes. “No. I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me.” She couldn't bear the thought of him hurt or dead.

“Not just you,” he said gently.

“Okay, us,” Sami amended. “There has to be another way.”

“I'll go,” Dr. Cantwell interjected, coming to her feet. Though she was shorter than Sami, she still had to duck to keep from hitting her head on the wooden floorboards above them.

“No,” Sami and Drew said in unison.

“Let me go first,” Dr. Cantwell continued, ignoring their protest. “I can distract him while you two find a way to capture him.”

Drew shook his head. “That is definitely not happening. You're a civilian. It's our job to protect you.”

“How about we do this?” Sami said, her jumbled thoughts forming a plan. “We all go out together. Dr. Cantwell calls out to Corben. Hopefully, he'll answer, which will give us an idea of his whereabouts. For all we know, he escaped again.”