Slow Burn (32 page)

Ashley positioned her camera and clicked. She
clicked again, and again.

A hand landed on her shoulder and clutched.
“What are you doing down here?”

Heart pounding, Ashley looked up into a
stranger’s face. Her finger twitched and the camera clicked,
capturing the man’s image.

“
Did you just take a picture of
me?”

“
No,” she squeaked and tried to wrestle
her arm from the man’s painful grip.

“
Upstairs…now,” he snarled, pointing
toward the door and neatly blocking her path so she couldn’t run to
her parents.

Ashley scrambled to her feet and hurried
upstairs. When she went through the door, she collided with Sherry
McKinney, took a step back and hit her elbow on the wall. Pain shot
up her arm and her eyes watered.

“
What’s going on, Frankie?” Sherry asked,
her gaze moving from Ashley to the man.

“
She was taking pictures of the people
downstairs, just like she did outside when they arrived,” the man
said.

“
Oh, leave the kid alone,” Sherry said,
turned and started toward the office. “Come along, Ashley.”

“
She took one of me,” the man snarled from
behind them.

Sherry stopped walking. When she turned,
Ashley took a step back. The older woman didn’t look nice anymore.
Her eyes were narrowed. “Give me the camera, kid.”

“
No.”

“
Give it to me,” Sherry ordered.

Panic hit Ashley hard. They were not taking
her camera. She turned and shuffled backward. Her parents and
freedom were behind the basement door. Unfortunately, Frankie stood
in front of it. That left her with two options; give them her new
camera or scream for help.

Ashley opened her mouth.

“
No,” a man’s voice cut through the
pounding music.

Ashley glanced around, trying to find its
owner. She followed Sherry’s horrified expression to the front
entrance. A short, stout man stood in the open doorway, a fedora
hat slung low on his head. Ashley couldn’t see half of his face,
yet he exuded an aura that made her skin crawl. He carried a
walking stick, and a flash of something drew her eyes to his hand.
The ring she’d seen earlier gleamed under the brilliant
chandeliers. It was the man from the back of the limo. He took a
step into the room and lifted his chin to point his walking stick
at Ashley. The light fell on his face.

“
Give her the camera,” he said, his voice
booming around the foyer and mingling with the music.

Dread surged through Ashley. She was boxed
in, with no escape route except….

She let out a scream as she ducked across the
foyer and up the stairs. She didn’t look back to see who was behind
her until she got to the top floor. Frankie sauntered up the stairs
with a smirk on his face, as though he knew he had her
cornered.

Ashley entered the dark hallway. She squinted
and tried to get her bearing. Her hand fluttered along the wall, as
she scurried forward. She found a door and turned the knob. It was
locked. She raced along the hallway, her heart hammering in her
ears, her breath hitching. Her eyes finally adjusted to the
dimness. But all she found were more locked doors.

At last she saw an opening of some sort near
the end of the hallway. It was too small for a door or a window. It
was probably a laundry chute. She ran toward it. There was no knob,
so she pushed at the edge until it was wide enough for her to slide
in. Intent on escaping her pursuer, she crawled in, legs first, and
let out another scream as she slid down to nowhere.

Ashley felt pressure on her right knee, then
the hypnotist’s voice reached her as though from afar. “You’re
safe. You’re back on the river bank.” She kept talking until Ashley
calmed down. “The boat is slowly moving upstream. See the beautiful
flowers, trees and bushes, hear the birds singing. You’re becoming
more awake, more alive. When you wake up,” Dr. Reuben continued,
“you’ll be mentally and physically alert. You will remember
everything, but also feel invigorated.”

Ashley opened her eyes, touched her cheeks
and felt wetness. Despite what she’d just remembered, she felt
euphoric. She grinned at Dr. Reuben, who patted her knee. But the
expression on Ron’s face shocked her. He was furious. “Ron?”

He jerked as though prodded and tried to
smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. The man in the doorway was Ryan
Doyle. And the other man, the one whose picture I took, was Frankie
Higgins.” Instead of responding, the scowl on his face deepened.
Ashley snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey? Did you hear
what I just said?”

He nodded. “Frankie and Doyle were there. My
mother said Doyle wasn’t there that night.”

“Maybe she didn’t see him.” When he got to
his feet, Ashley turned her attention to the therapist. “Can you
take me back? I must know what happened next.”

Dr. Reuben glanced at Ron, who was now
pacing. “Not tonight, my dear. Tomorrow morning. You did great,
told us everything you saw, heard and felt with such clarity. I
wish all my subjects were as cooperative as you.”

Then why was Ron acting weird? Had she said
something that bothered him? “Then why did you bring me out? I
wasn’t that scared.”

Instead of answering, Dr. Reuben said to Ron,
“Why don’t you tell her. I’ll find the young men who brought me
here and tell them I’m ready to go home.” She turned on the lights
and blew out the candle. She squeezed Ashley’s arm. “Until
tomorrow, dear.”

Ashley nodded and waited for the doctor to
leave the room. She got to her feet and approached Ron. He was
still pacing like a caged animal dying to run free. “Are you
okay?”

“Yeah.” He stopped and scrubbed his face, his
blue eyes shadowed.

“You don’t look it. Did I recall anything you
didn’t already know?”

“A few things here and there. My mother
forgot to mention she and my uncle fought that night.” Ron squinted
at her and appeared to ponder something. “Do you think you can come
with me to Vegas tomorrow?”

Ashley shook her head. “Tomorrow? What about
Dr. Reuben? I want to know
everything
that happened that
night, Ron.”

“So do I. We can leave after she is done. I
must talk to my uncle. I want to know what he and my father
discussed with Ryan that night.”

“Your father?”

“The man dressed in black. Remember the
pictures I showed you?”

It seemed like ages ago when Ron showed her
those pictures. “Why was Frankie there that night?”

“Probably to start the fire. And from what
you recalled, he knew Sherry Wilkins quite well. Maybe her death
wasn’t an accident after all.”

Ashley shivered. They were so close to
putting the pieces together and ending this investigation. Would
her relationship with Ron end too? She glanced at him to find him
staring at her with an expectant expression, probably waiting for
her answer. Was she ready to meet the rest of his family? Even in
the present circumstances?

“I don’t know if this is the right time to
come to Vegas with you, hon.”

“Believe me, it is.” He cupped her face, his
eyes serious. “I don’t want to leave you here in L.A., not with
everything that’s happening. I must know what other secrets my
family has kept from me. I need you with me, babe.”

How could she refuse him? “Okay. Now can you
tell me what Dr. Reuben meant by ‘tell her’? Tell me what?”

He rubbed her arms as though trying to
console her. “Your phone kept vibrating while you were under. I
picked it up after the third time. It was the hospital. Your uncle
regained consciousness and is asking for you.”

Ashley’s heart lifted. “Let’s go.” She raced
to the door, Ron close behind her.

CHAPTER 16

They made it to Good Samaritan Hospital in
record time. For once, Ashley fought her fear of confined places.
Instead of the stairs, they took the elevator to the ICU on the
fourth floor. Matt and his wife Lorraine were on a corner couch in
the waiting room, conversing in quiet tones.

Lorraine saw them first, squeezed her
husband’s hand and whispered, “She’s here.”

Ashley met her across the room and they
hugged. “You didn’t call me,” she whispered, then leaned back to
study her long-time friend. “How’re you holding up?”

“Much better now.” Lorraine stepped back and
reached for her husband’s hand. “We know he’s going to make
it.”

Ashley turned her attention to Matt. The
whites of his eyes had red streaks, like he hadn’t slept in days.
His clothes hung loose on his heavy body and only the Lord knew
when he had last shaved.

“Where’s your mom?” she asked him after a
quick hug.

Matt nodded toward the hallway. “With Dad.”
His gaze moved to Ron. “Who’s he?”

Ashley quickly performed the introductions
and explained that Ron was a friend. Still, Matt shot Ron a
suspicious look. “The cops told us the man who hurt Dad was dead,
but not before he tried to get you too. Why would he come after the
two of you, Ash?”

Ashley hoped her expression didn’t show she
was about to lie. “He must have thought I overheard him when he
attacked your father. Remember? I told you he and I were talking at
the time.”

“What exactly were the two of you
discussing?”

“My inheritance. I received it on my birthday
this year.” Guilt twisted her insides. The lies were beginning to
eat at her, but she couldn’t tell Matt about the chain of events
that led to his father’s attack, or that a very powerful man might
be behind them. Matt was too impetuous and might take it upon
himself to go after the Doyles. “Can you take us in to see him
now?”

“Only you. He stays here.”

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Ashley whispered to
Ron, then followed Matt and Lorraine. There were no more police
officers outside Uncle Jerry’s room. Sonya was seated beside the
bed when they walked in, one hand on her husband’s arm and the
other on an open Bible. She greeted Ashley with a tepid smile.

“Hi, Aunt Sonya,” Ashley whispered, then
walked to her side. Her gaze moved to Uncle Jerry as she stooped
low to hug Sonya. He looked a lot better than he did the last time
she saw him. The swellings on his face had gone down, leaving
behind dark patches. One eye was swollen shut, the other one barely
opened. He was still hooked to every machine imaginable, and his
head was bandaged. “How’s he doing?”

“Much better now, praise be to God. He can’t
speak yet, but he can move his fingers and scribble a little.” She
indicated the piece of paper and pen by the phone. “That’s how he
asked for you.”

“Mom, why don’t you go with Lorraine to the
cafeteria for a cup of coffee? I’ll get you when Dad’s done with
Ashley.”

“No, no, son, I need to be here. Your father
needs me.” She wriggled her hands, her gaze darting to the machines
monitoring her husband’s vitals.

“I know, Mom.” Matt moved to stand next to
his mother and rubbed her shoulders. “But right now, Dad needs to
tell Ashley something.”

His mother reached for one of her husband’s
hands and gripped it. “What if something goes wrong while I’m gone?
I’d hate for Jerry to think I was—”

“He’ll be okay,” Matt interrupted gently. He
threw Ashley a glance. “Ashley will be here with him and I’ll be
right outside the door. Nothing is going to happen.”

Sonya stared at her husband for a beat, then
leaned forward and touched his bandaged cheek. “I’ll be right back,
dear.”

Tears filled Ashley’s eyes. The wealth of
love in Sonya’s eyes was so beautiful to watch. As soon as she left
with Lorraine, Ashley sent Matt a weak smile. This time, Matt
didn’t return her smile. His gaze was probing.

“Ashley, if you knew something about this
Dunn guy or why he was after Dad, you’d tell me, right?”

He knew she’d lied. Her guilt skyrocketed.
She was tired of lying to people she loved. But like a robot, her
mouth opened and she kept at it. “Of course, Matt. Like I’d told
you, Dunn must have thought that I overheard the conversation
between him and your father.”

He searched her face. “Did you?”

“No.”

His expression said he didn’t believe her.
“And the guy out there? Was he with you at the time?”

“His name is Ron.” She was getting tired of
his attitude. “And yes, he was.”

Matt shook his head. “I’ll be waiting
outside.” He glanced at his father, then pivoted on his heels, but
not before Ashley saw pain cross his eyes and the determined gleam
that followed. Stats on Ryan Doyle ran through her head. The man
was ruthless. If he hired Dunn then got rid of him, there was no
telling what he’d do to anyone getting close to the truth.

“Matt,” she called out. He stopped, but
didn’t turn toward her. “Dunn is dead. Let this go.”

“Not before I know why he went after my
father,” Matt said, opening the door.

A soft sound from the bed drew her gaze to
Uncle Jerry. A sigh escaped her when the door closed behind Matt.
She took the seat Sonya had previously occupied and reached for her
uncle’s hand.

“Sorry about that, Uncle Jerry.” He appeared
to be trying to communicate something with his eye. “I just don’t
want to see Matt hurt.”

He closed then opened his eye.

Was that a yes? Ashley watched his functional
eye and said, “If you agree with me, blink once.” He closed then
opened his eye. Ashley smiled. “If it’s no, blink twice.” He
blinked twice. Elated, she grinned. They could communicate.

“What did you want to talk to me about, Uncle
Jerry?” His fingers twitched in hers. “Do you want a pen?” He
blinked once.

Ashley retrieved the writing pad and the
pencil from beside the telephone. For the next few minutes, she
worked with him. The pencil kept slipping from his fingers and he
needed a break every now and then, but he managed to write the
letters D and O.