Web of Justice (26 page)

Annie turned and sprinted toward the door. Jake was out there somewhere, and she prayed he was safe.

Chapter 42

Friday, 11:31 a.m.

JAKE GLANCED back over his shoulder. His mind was whirling as he tried in desperation to find a way out of this deadly situation. Not only was his life in danger, but Annie’s was as well.

Carter Wilde prodded Jake in the back with the muzzle of the rifle. “Turn around and keep moving.”

Jake turned back and continued along the front of the units. His wife was in the rear of the next building with a crazy lunatic, and there was nothing he could do to help her. His one hope was that Carter had spoken the truth when he had said Izzy had never killed anyone. If that remained true, Annie might be safe for now. But not for long.

“Stop. Down the alley.”

Jake stopped and looked to his left. The red BMW sat between the two buildings, its trunk still open.

“We’re going for a ride,” Carter said.

“Great,” Jake said, looking over his shoulder at the gunman. “I’ve never driven a BMW.”

“You’re not driving. I am.”

“With a rifle in your hand?”

“I expect you’ll be too dead to care,” the killer said, a sneer twisting his mouth. He motioned with a tilt of his head. “Get moving.”

Jake hesitated and weighed his options. There weren’t many. If Carter planned on shooting him here, then transporting his body to who knows where, his only recourse was to make an attempt to disarm the gunman. Soon. But the killer was being cautious, keeping back a safe distance, the gun never wavering.

“Get a move on.”

Jake turned and walked down the alley toward the BMW. If he made a run for it, perhaps he could manage to get the vehicle between him and Carter before the killer had a chance to aim and shoot.

Carter appeared ready for any reaction, and he wasn’t taking any chances. “If you run, I’m gonna shoot you.” He poked Jake with the muzzle. “You’re not gonna fool me a second time.”

Jake was in a grim situation, and he had to make a move. It was better than giving up, and at least he’d stand some kind of chance.

“Around behind the car,” Carter said. “Get in the trunk.”

So that was it. Once he was in the trunk, Carter would shoot him, then finish his pretense of freeing Lisa. Annie would then be at the cold-blooded killer’s mercy, and Jake shuddered to think of the consequences should his feeble plan fail.

Jake went to the rear of the car and turned his back to the open trunk. Carter moved around to face him, staying a few feet out of Jake’s reach.

“Turn around. Get inside.”

It was Jake’s last chance to do something. If he got shot in the process, he was determined to bring the killer down before he succumbed to the bullet. He tensed his leg muscles and studied Carter’s eyes, ready to spring at the first sign of a lapse in the killer’s concentration.

Carter lessened Jake’s odds by taking a step back. He raised the rifle, closed one eye, and sighted down the barrel. “I’ll give you three seconds before I shoot.”

Jake caught his breath, his attention drawn from the killer’s eyes a moment. He smiled grimly to himself and took a deep breath.

“You win,” he said. “I’ll get in the trunk, but first I have to tell you something you’ll be interested in. It’s about your mother.”

Carter frowned. His curiosity was aroused, but his suspicions were raised. He eased back two more feet, then opened both eyes and lowered the rifle a couple of inches. “What is it?”

Jake raised his arms slowly and intertwined his fingers above his head.

The killer glared, his frown deepening. “What’re you doing?”

Jake had no final speech, and nothing to say regarding Carter’s mother. His intent was not to make a final move, or even to stall for time, but to distract the gunman and force him to keep his attention on Jake’s curious movement.

And Jake only needed a few seconds.

That was all it took for Annie to make her final leap forward and bring a three-foot length of pipe down onto the killer’s head.

Carter’s breath shot out in a whoosh as he crumpled to the ground, the rifle slipping from his grasp.

Jake dove for the weapon and retrieved it. He stood and glanced at the murderer in the dust at his feet, then turned to his wife and grinned down at her. “Nothing like leaving it to the last second,” he said.

Annie tossed the pipe aside and shrugged, then wrapped her arms around him. “I had to do something,” she said. “I’m tired of you always being the hero.” She looked up into his eyes. “But I’m confused. What went on here?”

Jake filled her in quickly on Carter’s revelation. “And so it turns out,” he said. “Izzy and Carter were in this whole thing together.”

Carter moaned and rolled over, one hand favoring the growing welt on the back of his head. He moaned again and struggled to his feet, his wild eyes filled with hatred as he glared at the Lincolns.

Jake raised the rifle. “I hope your head hurts.”

The murderer growled from his throat but remained still.

Jake turned his attention back to Annie. “How’d you get away from Izzy?”

“You can chalk that one up to Lisa. She attacked him and half-killed him with her fists. She has the pistol, and she’s keeping a close watch on him now.”

“I’d better call the police,” Jake said.

“They’re already on their way.”

Jake chuckled. “Then let’s take this scumbag inside and wait for them.”

Annie dialed Hank’s number. “Where are you?” she asked, then listened a moment and said, “We’re in the alley between the first two units.” She hung up. “We might as well wait here. Hank’s about thirty seconds away.”

Carter looked around in desperation.

Tires squealed and Jake looked up the alley toward the front of the building. Hank pulled the Chevy up to the alley entrance and climbed out. The cop waved a hand when he saw them, then drew his weapon and strode their way.

Carter swore a long streak, then turned and dashed in the opposite direction.

Jake spun around and raised the rifle. “Stop.” He paused. No matter what kind of a scumbag Carter was, he couldn’t shoot an unarmed man. Especially in the back. He lowered the weapon as the killer disappeared from sight.

Carter was headed the other way, away from the unit where his brother was, and obviously determined to put as much space between him and his pursuers as possible.

Hank ground to a stop and pointed toward the direction the killer had gone. “You follow him. I’ll circle around front, and we’ll see if we can cut him off.”

“We’ll get him,” Jake called over his shoulder as he sprinted after the killer, Annie close behind him.

Chapter 43

Friday, 11:45 a.m.

CARTER WILDE was in a dire predicament. He had a cop on his trail, the Lincolns were probably chasing him as well, and somehow he had to kill all three of them without Lisa knowing. And to top it all off, he was unarmed and Izzy had been captured.

And there was more. He had the worst headache he’d ever experienced in his life, and he still felt half-dazed from the blow.

But at least he had determination.

Ms. Krunk was waiting faithfully for him, and he didn’t want to let her down. He hoped his dumb brother hadn’t let it slip who the killer really was, but if so, there was always a possibility Lisa would understand. And she’d forgive him if necessary.

He was looking forward to the end result, but first he had to get someplace safe and do some serious thinking.

As he dashed along the rear of the industrial units, he wished his head would stop hurting long enough to get through this mess.

He spun to his right and dove behind a rusting car that had been abandoned long ago. He stayed low, then slunk back and peered around the car. Jake Lincoln was rounding the corner of the unit now, Annie behind him. Jake ran to the door of the first building and checked the door. It was locked.

Carter rolled backwards out of sight and crouched between the front of the vehicle and the wooden barrier bordering the property. He looked up. The fence was six feet high, but he could make it over.

Pleasant thoughts of Lisa allowed him to disregard the throbbing in his head as he climbed onto the hood of the car. He crouched low, watching through the windshield until Jake’s back was turned.

Now.

He stood, faced the fence, and leaped silently upwards, balancing his weight on the top rail a moment before tumbling to the ground on the other side.

He came to a crouch, then turned and looked through a crack between the boards. The Lincolns were fifty feet away now, checking all the doors and windows of the unit. And they hadn’t seen him.

He wasn’t sure where Detective Corning was. The cop must’ve gone around to the front of the building. He was pretty sure if they didn’t find him before long, they would assume he’d gotten away, and they would return to where Izzy was being held.

At least, he hoped it would be the case. He was counting on it.

But he had to hurry. Other cops might be on their way.

He looked around him. There were more industrial units on this side of the fence. Some of them looked like they might be in use, so he’d have to be careful he wasn’t seen.

He turned and scrambled along the fence, always aware of his surroundings, until he was adjacent to the unit where Izzy was.

Scaling the fence, he dropped to the asphalt and glanced around. No one was in sight, so he crossed to the building and peered in the back door.

His brother sat against the wall, his hands in his lap, his head down as though sleeping. Ms. Krunk stood a few feet from him, holding the pistol aimed at his head.

Carter walked boldly inside. Lisa turned her head toward him as he approached her, a pleasant smile on his face.

“The police are here,” he said, stopping to face her. “Jake and Annie are out in the front talking to them. They should be right in.”

Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s about time.”

Carter reached out a hand. “You might as well give me the gun. I’ll take over until they get here.”

Lisa hesitated, then handed him the pistol. “I’ll sit down for a while.” She turned and walked toward the front of the room.

Carter stared after her. “Ms. Krunk, you can go home if you want.”

“I’ll wait.”

That wasn’t at all what he was hoping for. He preferred Lisa not be around when he cleaned up the mess, and now he’d have to come up with a new plan.

He aimed the pistol toward his brother and spoke in a sharp voice. “Stand up.”

Izzy raised his eyes in surprise, then rose to his feet and glared at him with a sullen expression.

Carter glanced over his shoulder. Lisa was twenty feet away, resting on one of the wooden crates. He turned back to his brother.

“Izzy,” he whispered. “You have to do as I say.”

Izzy’s eyes widened.

“There’s only one way out of this,” Carter said, keeping his voice low. “Attack me and I’ll let you take the gun. Wait for the Lincolns to come back, then shoot them and run.”

Izzy shook his head. “I … I can’t.”

“You must, Izzy. It’s our only chance.” He paused. “You can do it. Think of your mother. How much you hated her.”

Izzy narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Then he shook away the memories and nodded. “I think I can do it,” he said.

“I can protect you,” Carter said. “Things will be just like before.”

“Why … why can’t you do it instead of me?”

“Because of Ms. Krunk. She’s … special to me, and I can’t let her know I killed those girls.”

Izzy cocked his head. “What about me?”

“They already think you’re guilty. Let them continue to think it, and I’ll be able to protect you.”

Izzy nodded.

“You ready?” Carter asked.

Another nod, a pause, then Izzy leaped toward his brother, retrieved the gun, and spun toward Lisa as Carter fell to the floor.

Lisa gasped and stood.

Izzy pointed the weapon toward her. “Don’t say a word. Sit down.”

“Carter, what happened?” she said, taking a step closer as he climbed to his feet.

“He attacked me and grabbed the gun. I wasn’t expecting it.” Carter moved over, stood beside Lisa, and dropped his arm around her shoulder. “We’d better do as he says. The police’ll take care of it.”

Lisa sat back down onto the crate and frowned at Izzy. Carter crouched beside her, observing her out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t look so great with her hair shaved off like that, but it would grow back. In the meantime, he’d make sure she got a wig to fix up her appearance.

He liked her better when she was strong and feisty, and it bothered him that she appeared frightened again. He didn’t like to see her that way, and he’d hoped she’d leave and not have to witness the final showdown. He touched her arm and whispered, “I won’t let him hurt you. Relax, and everything’ll be all right.”

He followed Lisa’s gaze, watching as Izzy crouched by the back door, the pistol ready and waiting. He sure hoped his brother didn’t screw this up. Their whole future might depend on it.

There was a minor problem with this hastily assembled plan. Carter expected the cop would keep searching for him outside, but in the off chance the detective came back before the Lincolns, or even at the same time, things could get a little complicated. He doubted his brother could ever get the best of a cop in a shootout.

Izzy could end up dead.

He didn’t like the idea of being forced to sacrifice his brother, but what will be will be. And if that was the way it played out, when everything was said and done, the cops had no real proof he’d killed those women. And when he’d shot the cop at Izzy’s house, he’d worn a mask.

He shouldn’t have said anything to Jake, but in the end, it was hearsay evidence and wouldn’t be admissible in court.

And what did the cop know? Nothing. Detective Corning had only witnessed Jake holding a rifle on him.

Carter couldn’t help but smile at the thought.