by Ali Franklin
Maddie bounced around in the trunk for a few minutes before regaining full control of her limbs. When her head cleared, she found her hands cuffed in front of her. Bracing them against the lid of the trunk and bracing her legs against the side, she took stock of her situation.
She briefly wondered how Grace had gotten out of the garage without the deputies stopping her. With their cars on the next block, there was little chance that Jack and the deputies had given chase. Besides, they would have had to secure Grace’s house before chasing her. It was going to be up to Maddie to get herself out of this.
She felt around the door of the trunk for the release latch, reminding herself not to pull it until they reached their destination. If Maddie opened the lid too soon, Grace might decide that keeping her alive was not worth the trouble — and that could put Ryan in more danger. The detective found a number of nooks and crannies around the trunk lid, but none that felt like a latch. She kept feeling around, simultaneously trying to figure out where they were going.
It was the weekend, so it was possible that Grace was holding Ryan at her Health & Human Services office. That would work if the office didn’t have any alarms and if Grace expected this to be over by Monday morning. Maddie expected it to be over much sooner than that. Either way, Maddie would be able to tell if they drove long enough to reach the rural office.
Grace had also worked with the nonprofit, Hannah’s House. Could she have used a building related to that organization? Maddie thought this was unlikely, as everything connected with Hannah’s House was bathed in secret or extremely well protected.
She cursed aloud, frustrated that she was not finding the escape latch. She banged the side of her fist against the lid of the trunk. It didn’t budge. She tried to work her fingers into the main latch mechanism, but the opening was too small. She might have to think of another way to get the upper hand on Grace.
She didn’t have long to think about it. She felt the car slow, turn, and come to a stop. Maddie positioned herself on her back with her knees against her chest. When Grace unlocked the trunk, Maddie could kick the lid, potentially catching her captor in the chin. That might stun Grace long enough for Maddie to jump out and overpower her. The well-trained detective was sure she could overcome Grace if they fought hand-to-hand.
The latch clicked. Maddie kicked as hard as she could, hoping to encounter resistance. She felt nothing. She turned her head to see Grace standing to the side of the trunk, smiling.
“Nice try.”
Maddie saw the small silver cannister coming toward her again, then everything went black.
Maddie woke to find herself blindfolded and gagged, her hands still cuffed. She was still in the trunk, but now she was sitting up, her legs hanging out over the back edge.
“Okay,” came Grace’s voice from beside her, “let’s go meet up with Ryan.” Maddie felt Grace’s hand under one arm as she was helped over the edge of the trunk. She felt her feet hit the ground. Maddie estimated they walked about twenty yards before Grace paused and told Maddie to take a step up. The walked a few more yards, then stopped while Grace unlocked a door with a key. They entered an air-conditioned building. Maddie heard a deep echo when the door closed behind them. It must have been a sizable building.
They took a few steps on a tile floor, then went through a door that closed behind them with a different kind of echo. A stairwell? Maddie heard a faint click and guessed Grace had turned on a flashlight. It was a stairwell, and they climbed three flights.
Maddie smiled to herself. Based on the short drive drive and the kind of building they seemed to be in, they had to be somewhere near the center of town. It could be a business building, or maybe even the high school. But how would Grace have keys to the high school? Maddie would figure it out soon enough. The important thing was that she would soon be able to assure Ryan that everything was going to be all right.
They stopped again as Grace unlocked another door and pushed Maddie inside. When the door closed behind them, Maddie heard the quiet whirr of machines. She stood in place, hoping Grace would let her communicate with Ryan.
Maddie felt herself being pushed across the room until she collided with a high metal stool. She sat. Grace attached her handcuffs to something metal and removed the blindfold, then the gag. Maddie blinked, trying to see in the dark room.
“Ryan?” she called. “It’s me, Maddie.” There was no answer. “Ryan, can you hear me?”
Grace’s smiling face appeared in front of her.
“Looking for someone?” she asked.
“Where’s Ryan?” Maddie tested the cuffs, trying to free her hands.
Grace shook her head. “She’s not here yet. I’m going to get her in a little while.”
“What?” Maddie pulled harder against her restraints. “You told me—”
“I did, didn’t I?” said Grace. “You really should know better than to believe someone like me.”
Maddie’s vision swam. If she could have gotten out of those cuffs, she would have strangled Grace on the spot. But she still had to make sure Ryan was safe.
“Where is she?” Maddie asked again.
“I don’t really know. But I’m sure she’ll come running as soon as I tell her you’re in danger.”
“Ryan’s not stupid enough to come when you call.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Grace walked to a nearby laptop computer. She pressed a few buttons and Maddie heard a beep.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m activating the security system. If anyone tries to get into this room, they’ll get quite a shock. Bzzz.” She pantomimed someone who had been zapped by an electric current and laughed.
Grace walked over to Maddie and brandished the gag she had removed from Maddie’s mouth a few minutes earlier. “I need to go out for a little while. I’m going to put this back on you to make sure you can’t yell to anyone who comes by.”
Maddie kept her face blank and nodded. When Grace reached for her, Maddie made her move. Turning, she sank her teeth into Grace’s forearm and kicked her legs at her captor’s midsection.
Grace screamed as she retreated, grabbing her arm and doubling over in pain. Maddie spit Grace’s own blood back at her. Grace took a deep breath, glaring at Maddie. Then she reached into a backpack next to the laptop and retrieved a T-shirt. She wrapped it around her arm and used her teeth to tie it into a knot. When she was done she glared at Maddie.
“That was not a smart move,” she said through clenched teeth. She walked toward her prisoner, reaching into her pocket. She brought out the silver canister.
Maddie took a deep breath and held it, shutting her eyes tight. It didn’t help. Shortly after she heard the spraying sound, she lost consciousness.
Ryan set the two coffee cups on the kitchen table and sat across from Teddy. They were silent for a minute, listening to the sounds from the next room. Summer was flipping through the television sports channels looking for a game or match that interested her. From the sound of it, she wasn’t having any luck.
Ryan and Teddy sipped their coffee, occasionally glancing at their watches as they waited for word that Grace had been taken into custody.
“I’m so glad this is almost over,” said Teddy.
“I can’t believe it was Grace all along.” Ryan stirred her coffee, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I couldn’t see it — couldn’t read it.”
“She fooled us all,” said Teddy.
Ryan grunted. She would beat herself up over missing the signs for a long time to come. She looked up. “On the bright side, I figured out it was Grace before the detectives did.”
Teddy laughed. “So that’s the important thing here? That you beat Maddie to the punch?”
“Well,” Ryan straightened up in her chair and put on a mock-serious face. “If I ever leave academia, I know I can be a detective.”
“No way,” said Teddy. “Summer and I would never let you put yourself in danger like that.”
“I seco
nd that,” came a shout from the other room.
Teddy adopted a mechanical voice. “Danger, Will Robinson.”
Ryan laughed. “I guess you’re right. Solving this crime was kind of a rush, but I’d much rather have a quiet job where the worst problems I run into are students cheating on their finals.”
“Amen, sister,” said Teddy, raising her mug in agreement.
Summer had given up on finding something to watch and joined them in the kitchen. “What did the detectives say when you told them you’d figured it out?”
“They said they had just figured it out, too. They were running around like crazy getting ready to pick up Grace.” Ryan laughed. “This whole time, Maddie kept telling me to keep out of it.” She moved her voice to a lower register. “Ryan, leave this up to the professionals. We know what we’re doing.” In her own voice she said, “But I figured it out anyway. Take that, professionals.”
“I think you’re going to miss this when it’s over,” said Teddy. “What will you do with yourself when you’re not competing against Maddie?”
Ryan started to protest, then thought about it. She had felt more alive in the past two weeks than she had felt in a long time. Trying to solve Cora’s murder had been mentally exhilarating. And there had been those…moments with Maddie. What had they meant? Was Maddie attracted to her, or had she just been trying to convince Ryan to stay out of her way? What would happen the next time they saw each other?
Ryan looked up to see her friends staring at her.
“What?”
Teddy giggled. “Where’d you go just then?”
“Just thinking.” She looked at her watch again. “I wonder what’s taking so long?”
28
Maddie awakened to find herself alone in the room. Grace had obviously gone to find Ryan. Maddie hoped the deputy at Teddy and Summer’s house was taking his duties seriously.
She spent a few minutes mentally beating herself up for letting Grace get the best of her in the garage. Entering the garage alone was not in line with protocol, but she had been so convinced Grace was not on the premises she had ignored her training. Now she was paying the price.
She pulled on her restraints for a while, testing the cuffs and the pipe they were connected to. She could feel the bruising starting to develop on her wrists and hands. If she hurt herself too badly, she wouldn’t be able to help anyone. She took a few deep breaths to center herself.
Ryan. She get to get free and save Ryan from Grace. She thought back to kissing Ryan earlier, then back to the first time they had met.
Maddie, the detective who prided herself on always being in control, had strained to keep her composure the night she met Ryan McCabe. From the moment they were introduced, Maddie had been fascinated with those deep blue eyes, that crooked nose, and the woman who would not be pushed around. Since then Ryan had filled her thoughts and her dreams. And an hour ago, Maddie had kissed her for the second time. Maddie smiled as she remembered the softness of Ryan’s cheek and how easily her hips had responded to Maddie’s gentle touch.
She took a deep breath, trying to dismiss the thought. She wasn’t going to save Ryan by daydreaming. She had to get out of here. Her first order of business was to take stock of her surroundings. The second was to escape.
Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Maddie was able to identify some of the shadowy shapes in the large room. Visualizing herself pacing off the dimensions, she guessed it was about twenty-five feet wide and twice that long. Tall windows covered one of the long sides. The light coming through the cracks in the blinds was dim. It was almost sundown.
The room held four or five (it was hard to tell in the dark) rows of high tables with stools pushed underneath. A long aisle ran down the center. It reminded Maddie of high school science classes where they had to dissect frogs or mix chemicals.
Around the edges of two walls were dark shapes with little green and red lights blinking or glowing steadily. She thought they were the source of the low hum she had heard since they entered. She wondered if they were mini-refrigerators holding biology specimens or chemicals that had to stay refrigerated.
She couldn’t make out anything on the walls, so she turned her face upward. The ceiling was a light color, maybe even exposed concrete. Long fluorescent lights were spaced at regular intervals. She searched each wall for a light switch, wondering if any passers-by would think a light in this building was worth investigating.
Maddie’s hands were cuffed to a pipe attached to the wall, which meant she was only able to walk a few small steps forward, left, or right. She could reach one of the tables with a foot, but there was nothing on it. Grace’s backpack was on a table across the aisle. It might hold something useful, but there was no way to get to it.
She pulled at the pipe again, wondering what kind of pipe it was. Hot water? Cold? Something else? How much damage would she do if she just ripped it out of the wall? She tilted her head as she stared at it, wondering if the sheriff’s insurance would pay for any damage she caused. Then she thought about Grace looking for Ryan and decided she didn’t care about the stupid pipe. Bracing one foot against the wall, she pulled with all her might. She braced her other foot against the wall so her legs were perpendicular to the wall as she strained. The cuffs dug into her skin and she felt her bones trying to shift. She wondered how much harder she would have to pull to break her thumbs. She lowered her feet back to the ground and gave herself a pep talk.
Remember that movie where the guy cut off his own arm to get out of the desert? He did that even though he knew his arm would never grow back. If you break your thumbs, they’ll heal in a few weeks.
Maddie shivered. She just didn’t know if she could break her thumbs without breaking her hands. With two broken hands, how would she help anyone? She might not even be able to get out of the room.
She tested the pipe again, wondering if she could get one of the legs of the stool between it and the wall. If so, she could use it as a lever to pull away the pipe. She used her hands and feet to maneuver the stool, but the leg was too wide to fit into the space. She set it back down and sat. Her muscles were sore and her sense of guilt almost overwhelming.
Ryan’s phone rang, displaying an unknown number. She frowned and clicked the “Accept” button.
“Hello?”
“Ryan?”
“Grace?” Ryan couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. “Where are you?”
“Somewhere close.”
Ryan’s fingers flew to the bridge of her nose. Summer dialed the deputy outside. Teddy grabbed a pen and pad from the counter.
“What’s wrong, Ryan?” asked Grace. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I’m not sure what to say.” Ryan pulled the phone away from her ear so she and Teddy could read the phone number. Maybe the detectives could trace it.
“It sounds like you know the detectives think I killed Cora. They are so stupid.”
Ryan didn’t answer.
“I couldn’t have killed Cora,” said Grace. “I loved her. We were going to get married.”
Teddy gestured for Ryan to turn on the speaker phone. Ryan shook her head, afraid Grace would hear it and hang up. They needed to keep Grace on the line as long as possible.
Grace was still talking. “We were going to have a destination wedding. Hawaii. Leis, grass skirts, the whole nine.”
“That sounds beautiful,” said Ryan.
“You like Hawaii?”
“Sure.”
“We could have gone there together, you and me,” said Grace. “Walked on the beach, gone scuba diving.” She sighed. “I guess now we won’t.”
Grace and Cora had been engaged? Ryan tried to think of something else to say.
“You and I could have had a future, Ryan. But you had to betray me. You just had to tell the detectives I have the skills to hurt Teddy.”
Ryan was stunned. How did Grace know about that?
Grace continued. “And now you think your big, brave
detective is going to swoop in and save the day?” She laughed. “Not gonna happen. She’s…a little tied up right now.”
Ryan’s heart froze. Maddie!
“What are you talking about?” asked Ryan.
“You thought those detectives were so smart. Well, look at them now. Their fearless leader is gone and they can’t make a move.”
“I don’t understand.” Ryan could hardly get the words out.
“She’s gone, Ryan. I took her out of commission.” Ryan’s chin fell to her chest. Her right hand slumped to the table, still holding the phone. Teddy reached out and moved the phone back to Ryan’s ear.
“…safe place for now. As soon as I finish my project, I’ll be out of your hair forever,” said Grace.
“Project? What project?”
“You’ll see. You’d better start preparing your resignation letter.”
“Grace….”
“No, Ryan. What’s done is done.” Grace laughed and ended the call. Ryan let the phone fall to the table again. Teddy snatched it and held it to her ear.
“Grace? Grace?” She laid it down and looked at her friend. “What happened? What did she say?”
Ryan looked up with a blank expression. She breathed in and out a few times, then focused on Teddy’s face. “She said Maddie is ‘out of commission’ and that I should prepare my letter of resignation.”
“I don’t get it. How is Maddie out of commission — and what does this have to do with your job?”
“I don’t know.”
Summer stepped into the room. “I just got off the phone with Jack Prieto. Call him — he’ll want to know exactly what she said.”
Ryan looked up. “I need to do something else first.” She grabbed her phone and scrolled through the contact list. Finding the one she wanted, she pressed the button to call.
“Ryan, call Jack,” Summer pleaded.
“Hang on.” She waited, then spoke. “Maddie, it’s Ryan. I just talked to Grace. Please call me. Please tell me you’re okay. Maddie, I….” She couldn’t finish. All the emotion of the past few days, including the new feelings she was developing for Maddie, threatened to overwhelm her. She clicked to end the call. “I can’t believe this.”