by Cindy Bell
“Maybe,” Dominic nodded. “I knew that I had to get them out of the country as fast as possible. So, that night I got one of my men to drop me at the bed and breakfast. I woke them up in the middle of the night, I even got them new passports so that they would be traveling under new names. We didn't have a lot of time, I wrote the note to cover their departure, and we took off. I took the back road, hoping no one would notice the headlights, but Baylor knew. He must have been watching. He ran us off the road. When the car hit the tree, I got Daria out, but Antony was too injured to get out. I had to drag Daria away from him screaming. We took off into the woods.”
“Baylor must have finished Antony off by suffocating him,” Suzie said with disgust. “He couldn't even give him the chance to survive.”
“Baylor is a hard man,” Dominic murmured. “He does not take betrayal lightly. I knew that he would be hunting for Daria and me. So, I put her in a motel room, I thought she would be safe, but he found her and moved her to his warehouse,” his voice broke. “Now, my little girl is dead because of me. If I had been brave enough to do what needed to be done, she would be alive.”
“But she never would have forgiven you for killing Antony,” Mary said softly.
“I never killed him and even if she did blame me at least she would be alive,” Dominic shook his head. “I might as well go to jail for her death, it seems fitting. But I wanted to warn you both about Baylor. I'm sure he's not going to risk leaving any potential witnesses behind.”
“Listen Dominic, let me call my cousin, if you tell him everything that you just told me, I'm sure he'll do his best to help you…” Suzie began to plead.
“No,” Dominic said firmly. “I don't want to deal with the police anymore. To be honest, I don't want to fight either. With Daria gone, there's nothing to fight for.”
Suzie heard the click of the front door opening, and looked up sharply. A man in a fine business suit and a brimmed hat pulled low over his forehead stood in front of the door.
“Can I help you, Sir?” Suzie asked and took a step towards him.
“I think you can,” the man replied and moved closer to the three of them.
“Baylor,” Dominic breathed out and reached for something tucked into the back of his trousers.
“Don't even think about it,” Baylor growled and drew his own gun. He had it aimed at Dominic, but he was glaring equally at Mary and Suzie. “You two, up against the wall,” he instructed and gestured towards the wall opposite the front desk. Suzie grabbed Mary's hand and tugged her over to the wall. Her heart was pounding.
“What are we going to do?” Mary hissed.
“Quiet!” Baylor demanded. Then he turned back to Dominic. “On your knees,” he instructed.
Dominic reluctantly lowered himself to his knees. Baylor snatched the gun from the back of Dominic's pants. He tucked it into his own pocket and scowled down at Dominic.
“You don't have to do this, Baylor,” Dominic said quietly. “You've already taken everything from me. There's no reason to hurt these ladies.”
“That's for me to decide,” he snapped in return. “When we first started out, I thought we were brothers,” Baylor said as he settled his gaze on Dominic. “I thought that we had been through enough together to consider each other family. I should have known better. You will never consider me to be family, will you Dominic?” he asked as he paused a few feet in front of Dominic.
“What did you do?” Dominic gasped out. “How could you kill my Daria? She grew up calling you uncle,” he exclaimed with anguish.
“Did I kill her?” Baylor licked his lips slowly and then shrugged. “Not really. I mean technically, yes, I did. But it was you who truly killed her, wasn't it Dominic?” he smiled faintly at the man.
Mary clung tightly to Suzie's hand. Suzie could feel the sweat gathering between their palms. Suzie’s heart was pounding as fear coursed through her.
“Yes,” Dominic exhaled the word. “Yes it was.”
“I asked you to do one thing for me, didn't I?” Baylor continued. “All I asked you to do was get rid of Antony. We both knew that it had to be done.”
“I know,” Dominic whispered, his head hanging low. “But she was so happy with him…”
“That's your mistake,” Baylor snapped sharply. “Men like us, don't get the luxury of happy, Dominic. Now, I want to know every contact for the business. You're going to make some calls for me tonight, before we finish up our business.”
Suzie knew that Baylor had no intention of letting any of them go. She felt as if she had to do something. She could see the gun in Baylor's pocket as he stood with his back to them, interrogating Dominic.
“Don't,” Mary breathed when she saw Suzie inch forward. Suzie ignored the warning. She knew it was their only chance. She just about had her hand around the butt of the gun, when Baylor suddenly spun around to face her.
“You think you're so smart, don't you?” he growled. He grabbed the handle of the closet door beside the two women and jerked it open. “Get inside!” he demanded and pointed with his gun.
Suzie looked apologetically at Mary, then the two stepped inside the closet. Baylor shut the door firmly. Suzie heard it lock from the outside.
“Great,” Mary breathed out tensely.
“Jason has no idea we're here with Baylor and Dominic,” Suzie whispered to Mary. “He has no reason to come looking for us. He thinks he already has the person responsible for both murders in custody. With his phone off he probably doesn’t even know that Dominic posted bail.”
“Please, tell me some good news,” Mary said as she cringed. She pressed her ear against the door of the closet. “I can hear them arguing.”
“Baylor is not going to leave us here alive,” Suzie said grimly. “I hate to be blunt, Mary, but it's the truth. We can point at him for Antony and Daria's murder. I'm sure it won't be long before he is responsible for Dominic's murder as well. We have to find a way to get out of here, and fast.”
“But how?” Mary shook her head. “It's not like we can dig a tunnel.”
“I know that,” Suzie admitted with a frown. “But we have to try to think of a way to escape. No one is going to come and rescue us.”
“You're right,” Mary agreed and closed her eyes briefly. “We might not have much time either, from the way they are shouting.”
Outside the closet door Suzie could hear Dominic's voice raising with every word he spoke.
“Do you think I care if you kill me now?” he was demanding. “You took Daria from me, my only child. I have no reason to live any longer.”
“I will ease your grief soon, my brother,” Baylor assured him. “But first I need you to call all of our clients and give them your blessing to transfer their accounts fully to me.”
“I'm not going to do that,” Dominic said darkly.
There was silence for a long moment, then someone cleared their throat.
“Fine, then which should I kill first, the blonde or the redhead?” he asked in an eerily calm tone.
“You think threatening to kill them is going to get me to comply?” Dominic asked incredulously. “I don't even know them. Why would I care if you kill them?”
“You shouldn't,” Baylor replied with a slight chuckle. “But if there's one thing I've learned about you, Dominic, it's that you're softer than you look. All those times that we should have just killed a troublemaker you always found an excuse not to do it. At first I thought you were just that clever, but now I know, it's because you're soft. You've never really been your father's son, have you Dominic?” he asked.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Dominic growled.
“Fine, then I'll start with the blonde,” Baylor replied and his voice drew closer to the closet door.
“Suzie,” Mary gasped and tried to push Suzie behind her. The coats and extra curtains that were stored in the closet would not be enough to hide either of them.
“Like I said,” Dominic growled. “I'm not making any of
those calls.”
“Fine, then you can watch them suffer and die, one by one,” Baylor shot back. Suddenly the door to the closet was jerked open. Mary stood boldly in front of Suzie in an attempt to protect her.
“Get out here,” Baylor said sharply and tried to shove Mary out of the way. Suzie felt around in the closet desperately. She was hoping to find anything that she could use to defend them both against Baylor. When her fingertips grazed across a hook on the wall, she gave it a tug, hoping that it would pull free and she would be able to use it to strike out at Baylor. Instead of it detaching, it tilted. When it tilted, she heard a soft creak from behind her.
“Mary,” Suzie hissed and wrapped an arm around her waist. She pulled her close and held tightly to her.
“Wait,” Dominic said morosely. “Wait, I'll make the calls,” he mumbled.
Suzie didn't have time to be grateful for Dominic's concession, before the closet door was slammed shut once more.
“That's better,” Baylor said, his voice victorious.
“Mary, quick,” Suzie hissed as soon as the door was closed. “I think there's something back here.”
Although she and Mary had done many renovations on the house there were still areas that were a mystery to them. Suzie ran her fingers along the back wall of the closet. As she had suspected she found a crack in the paneling. She curled her fingers into the crack and tugged on it. The entire wall began to slide into the closet.
“Suzie, what is happening?” Mary asked anxiously.
“Shh,” Suzie warned her. Suzie had nothing to shed light into the dark passage behind the wall. She had no way of knowing where it went, or how far it went. But one thing she did know was that on the outside of the closet door, a killer was waiting to kill them.
“Let's find out where this goes,” Suzie said, trying to sound brave. She pulled Mary into the passage with her. The space was just wide enough for them to fit side by side flat against the interior wall. From what she could tell, she couldn't move any further.
“I'm not playing any more games with you,” Baylor shouted. “If you're not going to keep your word, then one of them dies right now!”
Suzie didn't have much time to explore, because the closet door jerked open again.
“Where are they?” Baylor suddenly barked as he stuck his head into the closet. “This is impossible!”
He shoved his hands through the coats and curtains searching for the two women. He pushed enough that the wall slid silently back into place. Suzie tried not to panic as she realized that she and Mary were trapped in the tiny space. She had never been fond of small spaces.
“Mary, try not to panic,” Suzie whispered. “I'm not sure how to get the door back open.”
“I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to panic,” Mary said to herself along with a few deep breaths. Suzie hoped she could keep control of herself as well. She tried not to think about the insects that had to be crawling around, or the possibility that Baylor could just get frustrated and open fire at the closet. The thin wall wasn't going to serve as much protection. Suzie wriggled a little further along in the small space. She saw a pinch of light. She moved towards it. Soon she realized it was a crack in the wall. She could see right out into the dining room area, where Baylor and Dominic were still arguing.
“I can see them,” Suzie whispered to Mary. Mary was still taking slow, deep breaths.
Suzie pressed her eye against the small crack in the wall. She could see Dominic on his knees in front of Baylor, who was aiming his gun at Dominic. She braced herself for the sound of the gun.
Chapter 17
The next thing that Suzie heard was not a gun firing it was the front door of Dune House swinging open. A moment later, she heard a voice call out.
“Suzie? Mary? Are you home?” but the voice was coming from the side entrance of Dune House, not the front.
There was a flurry of movement as Baylor spun and pointed his gun at the front door, and then at the side door.
“What's going on here?” a voice that Suzie recognized as Paul's demanded.
“Oh no,” she breathed to Mary. “Paul just walked in.”
“Stay back, Paul,” a voice that Suzie recognized as Jason's commanded.
“Jason's here, too,” she grimaced. Then a third, powerful voice spoke up.
“Drop your weapon and get back against the wall right now!”
“That's Wes,” Mary said with a slight gasp. Suzie and Mary waited tensely to see what would happen next. Suzie's heart was racing as she hoped that Paul would not get hurt in the middle of everything. She was sure that Jason and Detective Brown would have their weapons on them, but Paul didn't carry any kind of weapon aside from perhaps a fishing knife.
“Put down the gun, Baylor,” Detective Brown instructed. “It's all over now.”
“You're surrounded,” Jason added.
“What have you done with Suzie and Mary?” Paul growled.
“I'm not going to jail,” Baylor argued. “If you take one step closer I'll start shooting.”
“No!” Mary gasped.
“Shh,” Suzie warned. “If they hear us in here it might distract them.”
What seemed like a century later, but must have only been a few seconds, they heard a gunshot outside the closet door. The gunshot was followed by a scuffle, and loud voices.
“Drop the weapon!” Detective Brown commanded.
“Put your hands on your head,” Jason shouted.
“Where are they?” Paul questioned. The sound of Paul’s voice made Suzie's heart stop for a moment. Paul was safe.
“Now, can we panic?” Mary whispered.
“Yes,” Suzie nodded. She began pounding on the wall in front of her. She wasn't sure if anyone would be able to hear her. Mary joined in with the pounding.
“What is that?” Suzie heard Detective Brown ask.
“We're in here!” Suzie shouted.
“We're behind the closet!” Mary shouted as loudly as she could. But even to their ears their voices sounded very muffled.
“Are they in the wall?” Paul asked incredulously.
The closet door was jerked open.
“I know where they are,” Jason said quickly. “Listen to me, Suzie, Mary, I'm going to get you out of there,” he promised them. She heard him knocking lightly along the wall. Then she heard the wall creak slightly. He tugged at the wall until it opened into the closet. Mary was the first to rush out, followed by Suzie. Both were desperate to get into a larger space.
“It's okay,” Jason promised them. “You're safe,” he stepped back so they could step out of the closet. Suzie saw Bob Baylor in handcuffs and Dominic sprawled out on the floor with Detective Brown beside him tending to a gunshot wound. Paul was right beside Baylor, making sure that he didn't move.
“What are you all doing here?” Suzie asked in a daze. She was more than happy to see them, but their presence all at once didn't make sense to her.
“I heard about Dominic being released, so I wanted to warn you,” Jason said as he glanced over his shoulder at the front door. “It was locked, but I had the key.”
“I trailed Bob Baylor here,” Detective Brown explained
“I came straight here as soon as I docked,” Paul frowned as he studied Suzie's pale face. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“It was a great surprise,” Suzie said with relief. She tried not to look in Baylor's direction. “Is Dominic going to be okay?” she asked.
“He should be,” Detective Brown said as he looked up. “It's just a shot to the arm.”
Mary leaned back against the wall and tried to calm down.
“Not every woman gets three heroes,” she said with a slight laugh.
“Not every woman gets stuck inside a wall,” Suzie pointed out. “Jason, how did you know?”
“You forget, I grew up in this house,” Jason said with a smile. “I know this house's secrets. I used to hide in there whenever it was time for me to go to the dentist. It's an extra s
torage space behind the closet.”
“It's scary is what it is,” Mary grumbled.
“We're lucky it was there,” Suzie shook her head. “Baylor was about to kill us both.”
Baylor glared up at her from where he was on his knees on the floor. Paul smacked him hard in the back of the head.
“Don't you even look at them,” he warned sharply.
“Paul!” Detective Brown and Jason warned him at the same time.
“You two forget,” Paul growled. “I'm not wearing a badge.”
“Just cool it,” Jason said sternly. “We don't need him to get out of the arrest on a technicality.”
As he spoke paramedics arrived to take care of Dominic. He opened his eyes slightly and looked up at Suzie and Mary.
“Thank you for trying to help,” he mumbled, before the paramedics shushed him.
“He tried to protect us,” Suzie said softly as Detective Brown walked over to them.
“I know,” he said quietly. “I began looking into Baylor's involvement when I found out he had been seen in Garber at the same time as Dominic. That's when I began to think he was the one involved in the deaths, not Dominic. That's why I asked you about Dominic on our walk, Mary,” he added softly.
“What's going to happen to him?” Mary asked.
“I can't say just yet,” Detective Brown said. “But I'll make sure that he has a fair chance,” he reached out and gently took Mary's hand. “Are you hurt?” he asked in a murmur.
“I don't think so,” Mary replied as she stared at him for a long moment. Neither made a move to let go of the other’s hand. Suzie was too distracted by Paul embracing her to notice.
“I think from now on, I'm taking you out on the boat with me,” he mumbled beside her ear. “I've got to keep my eye on you.”
Suzie laughed softly as she hugged him close. “That doesn't sound like a bad idea.”
“I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier,” Paul murmured.
“All that matters is that you're here now, Paul,” Suzie replied. She gave him a quick, soft kiss.
Soon, Dune House was overrun by police officers. Suzie felt a little overwhelmed by all of the weapons and badges around her. She stepped out onto the porch alone and gazed out over the dark water. She wanted to have as much space around her as possible. The door behind her opened, and Jason stepped out onto the wooden porch.