Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (68 page)

Joshua opened his rear door and reached in. When he turned back to face me, a baby kitten was cradled in his arms. “It’s a coon cat,” he said. “She’s yours.”

“
She’s adorable,” I said. “But I’m allergic. Maybe I can help you find someone who will adopt her.”

Joshua looked hurt. “Can’t you at least hold her? Come on, she’s real soft. Don’t hurt her feelings.”

There was something odd about the look in his eyes. The pitiable softness in his expression had changed. There was an edge to his voice. Urgency.

“
I don’t think you can hurt a cat’s feelings,” I replied.

His brown eyes narrowed. “You don’t care about anyone’s feelings.”

I backed up a step. “If I didn’t care about your feelings, I wouldn’t have come out here to offer you my lunch.”

“
You’re patronizing me just like Mari.”

“
Okay, Joshua,” I said, reaching into my back pocket for my phone. “Just take it easy.”

He dropped the cat. It was then I noticed that he was holding a gun. “Get in my car,” he said.

I froze. “This isn’t like you, Joshua.”

“
How would you know? You never took the time to get to know me.”

I searched the alley as discreetly as I could, keeping very still.

“
There’s nobody around to help you now,” he said. “If you scream, I’ll put a bullet in your brain.”

“
Joshua, let me help you.”

“
Shut up,” he hissed, moving closer, the gun pointed at my head. “I gave you a chance to accept my gifts. Mari didn’t want the kitten, either. I can’t imagine someone rejecting a sweet, innocent little kitten. What did that kitten ever do to you? It just wants to be loved and cared for. Is that so difficult?”

“
Kittens make me sneeze,” I said. “But I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the kitten because it means a lot to you. Please, let me go get her before she runs away. I promise to take good care of her.”

“
She’s already gone,” he said. “It’s too late. And it’s too late for you.”

He lunged, the butt of his gun collided with my temple.

Chapter 17

The first thing I noticed: I was freezing. Second, my head hurt like a son of a bitch. I opened my eyes, felt the lump on my temple, and tried to sit up. The concrete floor was damp; the fetid stench of mold and urine stung my nostrils. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness while fighting the urge to vomit. A small sliver of light shone through wood slats above the rafters. Where was I?

“
Help” I yelled out. “Is anyone there?”

A slight movement caught my eye. I made out the silhouette of a human being about twenty feet away. As I approached, I realized a woman was sitting on the floor, knees to chest, facing me, but I couldn’t make out her face.

“
Don’t be alarmed,” the woman’s voice said. “We’ll find a way to get out of here.”

I blinked a few times before her image became clear. “Mari?”

She nodded. “How did you know my name?” Her accent was thick, but she spoke perfect English.

“
Where are we?”

“
I’m not sure,” she said. “But I can tell you one thing: it’s not a country club.”

I was encouraged by Mari’s sense of humor, the situation anything but amusing. I inched toward her on hands and knees. “I’m Sarah. Are you hurt?” I asked.

“
Not badly,” she said. “How about you?”

“
I’m fine.” As I got closer, I noticed remnants of dried blood streaking her forehead. Her clothing was wrinkled and grimy, her dark hair dangling in clumps around her face. “Is there any water?” I asked, my throat parched.

She gestured to a dog bowl. “I’m sorry. I drank the last of it this morning. Or maybe it was yesterday. I’ve lost all sense of time.”

I got to my feet, steadied myself, and tried not to panic. “We have to find a way out.”

“
Don’t bother,” she replied in a weak voice. “I’ve already tried. He’s got the door padlocked.”

I checked my back pocket for my phone: it was gone. I checked my other pockets for my keys: they were gone to. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been here?” I asked.

“
Not long” she said. “About an hour or so.”

I threw my shoulder against the door. It wouldn’t budge. I felt along the walls for any kind of hole, latch, or weak spot. “Why does Joshua have you here?” I asked. “Has he told you anything?”

“
Only that he will kill me if I try to escape.”

“
He must have some kind of plan,” I said. “There must be a reason he’s keeping you alive.”

“
He calls me his bad little kitty cat,” Mari said. “I have to relieve myself on the floor in the corner like some wretched animal.”

“
I’ll figure something out,” I said, trying to convince myself while reassuring her.

“
You never answered my question,” she said. “How do you know my name?”

I continued to search the room in near darkness. There wasn’t a single piece of furniture. Just a filthy concrete floor, a bowl, and the blanket Mari was wrapped in. I finally went to sit next to her, but her body odor was offensive. I tried to ignore it. “Alice Rossini hired me to look for you.”

Mari sucked in a deep breath. I sensed her strength was beginning to crumble. “I was supposed to spend the day with her. She must be so worried.”

“
Don’t concern yourself with Alice right now,” I said. “She’s fine.”

“
So who are you?” she asked. “A private investigator?”

“
Close enough,” I replied. “Look, I hate to be so blunt, but has Joshua raped you?”

She shook her head. “I fully expected it, but every time he comes back, it’s only to bring a little water and some cat food. I ask him, I plead with him to tell me why I’m here. He only says the same thing. I’m a bad little kitty.”

“
Is it because you refused his gifts?”

“
How did you know about the gifts?” she asked.

“
Because I refused his gifts, too. After Alice hired me, I found out from your husband that you had a stalker. Kenneth didn’t seem too concerned about him, but I tracked him down anyway. I didn’t really suspect him of anything, but I thought maybe he had some idea of which spa you went to.”

“
Spa? Who said I went to a spa?”

“
The text you sent Kenneth Saturday morning after your meeting with Katrina Waters.”

She paused. “I never sent a text. In fact, I never wanted to speak to him again after what his ex-wife told me.”

“
Joshua must have sent that text to your husband to throw him off.”

Mari turned her head and wiped her eyes.

I realized I should try to keep her talking. Crying would only make her dehydration worse. “Mari? What happened that morning after the party when you met with Katrina Waters?”

She turned back to face me and straightened her posture. “Before I left the house that morning, I’d snuck into Ethan’s room and took the gun he keeps in his closet. I didn’t trust Kenneth’s ex-wife, so I stashed the gun in my purse. I drove to the warehouse around eight. Katrina was already there waiting. We talked for a while and I gave her back the recording. I promised to think about things before making any decisions. I got back in my car. I was so upset I didn’t know what to think. Katrina left and I just there. I didn’t want to go home because I knew Kenneth would try to defend himself when I told him I had talked to his ex.” She took another breath and wiped her nose. “A few minutes later someone knocked on my window. It was Joshua. I hadn’t even seen him walk up to my car. I rolled down my window and asked him what he was doing there. I guess I sort of snapped at him. My life was falling apart and I just couldn’t handle him at that moment. I told him to leave me alone, took the gun out of my purse, and pointed it at him.”

Mari stared at her feet. “The look on his face … well, it broke my heart. I realized how horrible it must have been to have a gun pointed at him like that. I got out of the car to apologize, and that’s when he...”  Mari took in a deep breath as if she might start sobbing. She composed herself and said, “I’m not sure how he got the gun away from me, but once he had it, he knocked me out. The next hour was kind of fuzzy. I remember being inside of a trunk but I couldn’t see very well. The next thing I knew, I was lying on a cold floor.”

“
The police think your husband killed you,” I said. “He’s in custody right now.”

She nodded. “The irony is … he
did
kill me. Our life together was all that mattered to me. But how could I forgive him for what he did to his ex-wife. No one deserves that.”

“
So you believe his ex-wife?”

“
I’ve had a lot of time to think about this in the past few days.” She hung her head. “My husband’s greed far outweighs any good he’s ever done. All his help with my charities did nothing but stroke his ego. He was physically abusive to his son. I was so stupid to think the therapy would help.”

I wrapped my arms around my torso in an effort to stay warm. There was a draft, which meant there had to be an opening. I looked up at the wood slats again. “It looks like that wood is rotting up there,” I said. “Bet it would break easily.”

“
It’s too high up,” she said.

“
If we work together, we might be able to reach. I’ll get on my hands and knees. You can stand on my back. Try and punch your fist through it.”

“
I’m probably too weak. At this point, I don’t think I can even stand on my own.”

“
You have to try,” I said.

She slowly got to her feet and leaned against the wall for support. I watched her legs wobble. I knew it was futile.

“
Even if I was able to break through that wood, I’d never have the strength to hoist myself up,” she said.

“
Maybe I can stand on
your
back,” I said. “If we do this against the wall, I’ll be able to balance better. Once I get a grip on one of those slats, I can shift my weight off of you.”

Mari looked around the room as if there might be another way. I saw the hope dissipate from her eyes. “I’ll do my best.”

On all fours, Mari gave me the go ahead. I placed my foot on her back and hesitated.

“
What’s the matter?” she asked.

“
I can’t do this. I’m going to hurt you.”

“
What other choice do we have?” she said.

“
Maybe we should wait until Joshua comes back. There’s two of us, and only one of him. We could overpower him.”

“
If we try and fail, he’ll kill us. He has my step-son’s revolver.”

“
Maybe, but if he was going to kill you, wouldn’t he have done it by now?”

Mari moved back to a seated position and brushed the dirt from her hands and knees. “I don’t know. He hasn’t tried to touch me at all. I think he just wants to punish me.”

“
Have you noticed any sounds or voices coming from outside?”

“
I don’t think so.”

“
How about the sound of water running?” I asked. “Joshua lives near the river.”

“
You think he’s keeping us near his home?”

“
More than likely. I remember seeing several outbuildings around his property.”

Mari licked her dry lips. “If I don’t get some water soon, I’m going to pass out. Do you have another plan?”

I was out of ideas.

After a few minutes, the sound of shuffling footsteps caused my stomach muscles to tighten. I froze for a moment and held my breath. The shuffling stopped. “Hey Joshua,” I yelled. “Is that you out there?”

No response. The footsteps receded, and I yelled again. “Hey, is someone out there?”

I ran to the door and pressed an ear against it. There were sounds, but I couldn’t make out what they were. Finally, I heard the sound of clanging metal and the door slowly creaked open.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light pouring in, I saw Joshua’s face. I could feel my pulse pounding in my neck.

“
Afternoon, ladies,” he said, entering the small space with a gun pointed at Mari. “Are you two playing well together?”

“
Why are you doing this?” I asked.

He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Come on, Sarah. You’re smarter than that.”

“
You know you’re not going to hurt us. Why don’t you let me get Mari to a hospital and we can forget this ever happened.”

He laughed. “Good one. And then they send me off to the loony bin for the rest of my life? No thanks. I’m all set.”

“
You need professional help,” I said. “You need medication.”

“
Mother never believed all the so-called medical experts - the way they poison our bodies with chemicals. It’s not natural.”

“
I understand -”

“
No you don’t,” he said, now pointing the revolver at my head. “You don’t understand because you’ve never been rejected. How could you possibly know what it feels like?” He sighed heavily. “Never mind. Why do I bother telling you anything?”

“
Talk to me,” I said. “Obviously, we’re not going anywhere. This is what you’ve wanted, right? Our undivided attention. Well, now you’ve got it.”

Joshua started to laugh. “Okay. Maybe you
are
starting to understand me. Why don’t you tell me what’s going to happen? Come on, Sarah. You’re so smart, tell me what you think my plan is.”

“
I know it doesn’t involve killing us,” I said.

He laughed again. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I have no intention of killing you. But I sure wouldn’t mind keeping you here as my pets for a very long time. Just remember … some things are worse than death.”

A cold chill ran through me. I realized Joshua had no intention of releasing us. I needed to act while I still had the energy.

Joshua tilted his head and regarded me with a curious expression. “What is it Sarah? Cat got your tongue?”

“
I’m thinking,” I said.

He smiled. “Thinking about how to escape?”

“
No,” I replied, casually. “I’m thinking about my son.”

“
You never told me you had a son.”

“
He’s away at college. I don’t see him very often and I barely get a phone call, but I know if something ever happened to me, it would crush him. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

Joshua rolled his eyes. “Nice try. You must really think I’m an idiot. Just like all those doctors.”

“
You’re not an idiot,” I said. “You’re sick. Big difference.”

“
It’s all mumbo jumbo. Truth is, I’ve always fantasized about
this
.” Joshua waved his arms around. “Having my own zoo of beautiful women, caged like animals.”