After she arrived to the hospital, Elle opened Sam’s door and went inside. He was asleep. She pulled the chair up next to his hospital bed and sat down.
Her thoughts turned back to Sally, and she wrapped her arms around her trembling shoulders. All at once, a memory came to her, a lost memory—like so many before—suppressed by her then tormented mind.
While a captive, Elle’s abductor had received packages in the mail, and had had her store their contents, cartons of cigarettes. She remembered the odd logo on the packages—a blue ball with three white stars. Another shelf contained his illegal cigars—always hand delivered by a courier. Why had that memory come to her? Why now? It didn’t make any sense. Merrick Snyder was in prison.
She kissed Sam on the forehead and left the room. Something’s not right here. Stopping at the nurse’s station, she asked to use the phone, and was directed to the lobby where a phone rested on a small table. Calling Sheriff Higgin’s number, she waited anxiously.
“Hello, John,” she said, fighting the quiver in her voice. “I, um, were you able to get fingerprints from the window screen or the cigarette package?”
“No, whoever it was, was careful with that.”
Dejected, she was about to hang up, when another thought came to her. “What kind of cigarettes were they?”
He was silent, and then he cleared his throat. “Not from around here.”
She swallowed. “Where are they from?”
“Tennessee. The crumpled package has the state logo on its front.”
Her hand trembled. “State logo?”
“Yes, three stars in a blue ball.”
Elle dropped the phone and fell back against the wall. Merrick. The cigar band, the phone call, the cigarette package, all pointed to Merrick. Merrick who was on death row. Her heart thudded in her chest. But how could it be him? If he’d escaped, it’d be all over the news. Someone on the outside must be helping him, but why take sweet Sally? She broke into a sob and trembled violently.
Merrick was taunting her, with things only she would know. Why? To punish her? Make her go crazy? Suddenly, she got it. It was a trap, cruel and devious, like its perpetrator. She knew him well. Merrick Snyder wanted her to find Sally.
She stopped by the bathroom on the way to Sam’s room and splashed cool water on her face. Gripping the sink, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. You want to play this game, Merrick? “Huh.” A low growl escaped her throat. “I’ve learned from the master,” she breathed, out in a hoarse voice, “And I’m coming for you.”
She stepped into Sam’s room. He was leaning against the pillow and staring out the window. His face brightened when he saw her. She wrapped her arms around him, covering his face with soft kisses. She would wait for just the right moment to tell him the lie that was forming in her mind. “Um, I need to get away, just for a little bit.”
Studying her eyes, he frowned. “From me?” He ran his fingers down the side of her face. “You’ve been crying.”
She placed her trembling hand over his. “Yes.” She held back her feelings. “Yes, I have.”
He tried to sit up higher, but fell back, the sudden movement eliciting a groan from pain. “I know this is hard for you, to, uh, see me like this.”
You have no idea, she thought, stifling a sob. “Yes.”
“How long will you be gone?”
Her mind raced. “Um, a few days.”
“Oh.” He turned and stared back out the window. “Mom told me they sent Sally back to Nancy’s.”
She blinked. That had been the original intention right after Sam’s accident. Louise probably had mentioned it to him. She couldn’t confirm it though, for fear she’d burst into tears.
He turned back to her. “I understand. I’m asleep most of the time anyhow. I guess, my brain needs that right now.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m alright—go take care of whatever it is you need to do, but hurry back as soon as possible. Okay?”
Her heart wrenched with her. Sam was in so much pain. She didn’t want to cause him more. She snuggled up against him, pressing her nose into the crick of his neck. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She gave him one last kiss, and then left his room, a plan forming in her mind.
She would not sit idly by and wait for the authorities to find her daughter. They never found me, she thought bitterly.
Stepping into the lobby, she dialed Grammie Gwen’s number. “Hey, Grammie.”
“Hello, Sweetheart. Papa and I are just about to leave for Bangor.”
She wiped a quick tear from the corner of her eye. “That’s good. Sam needs you.” She cleared her throat. “Hey Grammie, um, please don’t get mad at me.” She didn’t expect the sudden sob that escaped her throat, and quickly squelched it. “Grammie, whatever happens, please don’t be angry.”
Over the phone, Gwen drew in a sharp breath. “What are you talking about?”
“I have to find Sally, and I think I know where she is.” She hung up the phone. It was enough that she revealed her intentions, now she would have to hurry to get away. Turning around, she whammed into Karen.
Her eyes wide with fear, Karen’s mouth fell open. “Did I just hear you correctly?” She grabbed Elle’s shoulders. “You’re not going after him.”
She pushed her away. “Oh yes, I am.”
“Elle. Let the police take care of it.”
“Oh, you mean like the way they took care of my abduction?” She glared at her friend. “I was the one who escaped. Everyone else forgot all about me.”
Tears welled up in Karen’s eyes. “I never forgot about you, no one ever forgot. We didn’t know—”
Elle slammed her fists on her hips. “Exactly. But I do know. I know Merrick’s behind it.” She tried to walk around her friend, but Karen blocked her path. “Get out of my way.”
“This is absurd. It’s crazy,” Karen said, stepping in front of Elle’s next attempt.
“Move aside.”
“No.” Karen stood her ground. “I won’t let you do this alone.” She placed her quivering hands on Elle’s shoulders. “I’m going with you.”
Eight
Evidence
First stop was at Sam’s parent’s house. They probably weren’t there. She pulled into their driveway and got out of the car. She imagined they’d left for Bangor by now, too, and hurried into the barn.
Sam Sr.’s had an extensive collection of license plates. His friend at the junkyard pulled them off vehicles and saved them for Sam’s dad, who intended at some point to use them to wallpaper his workshop.
She grabbed a screwdriver off a workbench, stuffed it in her pocket, and then hurried to the wooden bin, where he stored the plates.
“What are you doing?” Karen came up beside her. “We need to hurry.”
Shuffling through them, Elle found the one she was looking for—a Tennessee plate. She held it up to her bewildered friend to see. “They’ll be looking for a Maine plate.”
“True,” Karen said, staring at the plate.
The sound of tires crunching on the driveway startled them. “Oh, come on, not now.” Elle squeezed the plate tight. Whoever’d come to visit Sam’s parents would have to leave. “I’ll go tell them they’re not at home.” She stepped out of the barn. The car came to a stop, and the door opened.
She was not expecting to see who got out of the car. Todd McGuire stood before her, his eyes full of concern. “I’m so sorry,” he said, approaching her.
For a brief moment, she forgot what he’d done to Karen, and welcomed his embrace, rattling on about how horrible the accident was and how scared she was for Sally. Wait. She pulled away. “What are you doing here?”
He shifted his weight. “I, um.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know about Sam and Sally? And how did you know where I was here?” She swept her arms out over the driveway.
“I saw it on the news at the airport in Bangor.”
She shook her head. “In Bangor?”
; “Yes,” he said, with a nod. “The newsflash said Sam was at EMMC, and I knew you’d be there. I saw you and Karen leaving the hospital parking lot, so I followed you.” He glanced around, obviously looking for Karen. “I heard about Sally’s disappearance on the radio.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated.
“Oh.” Elle let out a quick breath. “I, uh, thank you, Todd, but I’m going to find her.” She said it with firm determination.
He nodded. “I hope so.”
“Yes, well, I am.” She brushed at the side of her pants. “I can’t believe you came all the way from England to see Karen.” She felt uncomfortable. Todd had been a good friend, but what he’d done to Karen was horrible. “Look, she doesn’t want to see you. You really hurt her.”
Todd grimaced. “No, I didn’t.”
She poked him in the chest. “Yes, you did. She’s still not over you.”
He pushed her hands away. “No, I di—” he stopped in midsentence, “she isn’t?” The anguish on his face lessened, and he grinned.
Elle threw her arms up in the air. “Wow. Where do you get off thinking you can just show up here, after what you did?” She slammed her hands on her hips. “She saw the pictures, Todd.”
Todd withdrew something from his pocket. “You mean these?” He pushed them into Elle’s hands.
Karen stormed out of the barn. “You have some nerve.” She rushed toward him and beat her fists against his chest. “Go back to your little floozy in England.”
His eyes softened, and he pulled her close.
She went to slap his face, but he grabbed her arm. “Let me go,” she said, struggling to get away. “How dare you.”
Todd turned to Elle. “A little help here?”
Elle pulled her eyes away from the photos. “Oh. My. Gosh.” She waved the pictures at Karen and repeated, “Oh. My. Gosh.”
“What?” Karen said, stepping back. She took the pictures from Elle. “What is this?” She stared down at them. Her hands trembled as she flipped through each one. Stunned, she looked up at Todd. Her mouth fell open, but nothing came out. She pushed them at him. “This, uh, this . . .”
He stepped closer.
She squeezed her fist tight, and balled them up. “It’s not . . . it’s not—” Her eyes filled with tears. “It’s not you.”
“Nor you,” he said, tenderly.
She buried her face in her hands. He wrapped his arms around her quivering shoulders, and she fell into his chest. “Who would do such a thing?” she said, between sobs.
“I don’t know, but Freddie says that we’re probably not the only victims of this fraud.”
“But, why us?” She looked up at him through teary eyes.
“I have no idea.” He held her close. “We’ve lost a few months, but now can we please just start over?” He said it wistfully, but Elle heard the worry in his voice.
Karen’s response was immediate. “Yes. Oh, yes!”
He stroked her hair. “Now, you want to tell me what you girls are up to?”
Elle glanced at the rental car, an even better cover than Grammie Gwen’s car. “Can we tell you on the road?”
He shrugged. “Sure.” Bending over, he gathered up the pictures. “Do you want to take my car?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, biting her lip. For Sally, she thought. She thrust the Tennessee plate and the screw driver into Todd’s hands. “Switch this with the Maine plate on your car. Just trust me,” she added, when his mouth fell open. “I’ll be right back.” Elle hurried into the house, returning with a blanket wrapped around Sam Sr.’s rifle.
Todd still held the plate in his hands. He studied the blanket then took a step backwards. “Whoa, Elle, what’s going on?”
She frowned and stared at the plate. “I know who abducted my daughter, and I think I know where he took her.”
Stunned, Todd was at a loss for words. He looked up, while attaching the Tennessee plate to the rental car. “I can’t believe it. I guess he wouldn’t be the first criminal operating from prison, but from death row? Don’t you think you should tell the cops or the FBI or someone?” He gave the screwdriver one last turn.
Elle took the Maine plate and threw it aside. “That’s just it. If I tell them, they won’t let me help. I know his twisted mind. And I think I can stay two steps ahead of it.”
Todd was silent as if inwardly struggling. “I don’t know, Elle. Someone broke into your grandparent’s cabin, someone who is obviously dangerous.”
She slapped her hands down on the hood. “And that someone has Sally.”
His shoulders fell forward. “Alright, okay. What’s your plan?” He opened the car doors for them.
Elle got in the backseat. “Well, Merrick doesn’t know who Karen is, so I thought she could talk to him.”
Karen turned around. “What? They won’t let me in to see someone on death row.”
“Sure they will. I called the prison from Louise’s.” She gestured toward the house they had just pulled away from. “I explained that Merrick had hired another lawyer and to expect her later today.”
Todd pulled over. “Hold on, she can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
He turned around and stared at her. “It’s a prison, Elle, a prison—criminals, and all that comes with it.”
“She’ll be safe enough. I mean it’s not like she’ll be in the same room with him, right? Don’t they use that glass thingy—to um, separate them?”
His eyes widened. “As his lawyer, she’ll probably be in the same room with him, Elle.”
“Eew.” She bit the side of her mouth. “But, there’ll be a guard in there with them too, right?”
“Oh, I’m sure of that.” He grimaced. “But Elle, if Merrick is behind both the abduction and Sam’s rollover,” he frowned, “don’t you think he could do something to Karen, too?”
“Sam’s rollover? Oh, my, gosh.” She drew in a sharp breath, never imagining that the rollover was anything but an accident.
“The newsflash said, ‘suspicious rollover’.”
“You’re kidding.” She sat forward. “But how?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just repeating what the newsflash said.”
“They must have new information, but how would the media know that before we would?”
He gave her a ‘duh’ look. “All it takes is one person from the inside leaking information.”
“Yes, and you know how that works,” Karen said. “Anything to sell a newspaper.” She leaned over to Todd. “I know you’re worried, but with you here,” she took his hand, “we’ll be okay.” Her voice quivered, and Elle wondered if maybe she should just let the authorities take over. They were following all the leads they had. They just didn’t have the leads she had. She grabbed a notepad from her purse and scribbled on it. “There’s a post office down the road. I want to mail this.”
Karen made a face. “What?”
Elle folded the paper. “As a backup, you know, just in case.”
After Elle mailed her letter, she got back into the car, and Todd pulled onto the road. He gestured to the map Karen had opened on her lap. “Massachusetts?”
“Yes, to the prison where Merrick is being held.” Elle glanced at her watch. “We should be there in about four hours.”
Karen let out a quick breath. “So, what alias am I using? What name did you give them?”
“Um, Karen Willis.” Elle pursed her lips.
Karen gasped. “You gave them my real name?” She pressed her head against the seat. “Perfect. I’m going to impersonate a lawyer and lie about who I am inside a prison. At least I won’t have to go far when they arrest me.” She glared at her friend.
“They won’t arrest you. If they find out you’re not a lawyer, you’ll just tell them you’re one of those looney women who stalk prisoners on death row.”
“Eew.”
Elle nodded. Especially someone as loathsome as Merrick Snyder, she thought with disdain. She tossed Karen her notepad.
“Take notes. I’m going to tell you everything I know about Merrick Snyder.” Posing as a lawyer, Karen would need to fool the master of deception himself.
The rest of the way to Massachusetts, they talked about Merrick, about what a lawyer would ask, and about how a lawyer would act. They stopped only once, bought a professional looking outfit and a briefcase, and then pulled into the prison right on time.
Todd hugged Karen, obviously reluctant to let her go. “Be careful in there.”
Karen clenched and unclenched her fingers. She nodded nervously.
“Thank you.” Elle said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I’ll never forget this.”
Karen smirked. “I won’t let you. Actually, I’m going to try really hard to forget all of this.”
Elle hugged her friend. “Remember, Merrick will have no respect for you as a woman, lawyer or not, but look him straight in the eye—firmly, that’ll get his attention.”
Karen handed her ID to the front guard. He studied it, then her, and then gave her a form to fill out. Elle had told her to expect that, so she took it calmly and lied on almost every line. Forcing her hand not to shake, she passed it back to him. He skimmed down it and then pressed a button, unlocking the door that led into the inner part of the prison. Another guard approached her.
“Miss Willis? Follow me.” He gestured toward a long hallway and then led her to a small room. “I will wait for you out here.”
Her eyes widened, but she quickly relaxed them, hoping that she would not be left alone with a known murderer. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Merrick sat forward, appraising her with stern eyes. “Who are you?” he demanded, in a gruff voice.
Relieved that a burly-looking guard sat in the corner of the room, she thrust her hand forward. Merrick wouldn’t take it, which didn’t surprise her. She allowed a smirk to settle on her lips. “I expected as much from you, Mr. Snyder.” Smoothing her skirt out, she sat in the chair across from him. “My name is Willis, and I am your new council.”
He slammed the desk with his fist. “Where’s Simpson?”
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