Slow Burn (Rabun County Book 1)

by Lisa Clark O'Neill

  Whose?

  Warm air came from the vent, blowing directly onto her face. It smelled familiar. Like…

  Lavender. Sutton. She was in Sutton’s truck.

  But Sutton wasn’t driving. She wasn’t sure how she knew it. But she knew.

  Bad vibes.

  She didn’t yet have the courage to look.

  Fighting past the blinding pain in her head, Adeline tried to piece together what happened. The last thing she remembered was Sutton. Sutton wanting pie. She’d gone downstairs to get something… her glasses. Then she’d noticed the back door was ajar.

  They’d come inside. They’d come inside while she was in the clinic, and waited for her. Hit her in the head.

  A sob wanted to rise in Adeline’s throat, a sob born from fear and confusion. Why? If they’d wanted to steal the truck, why didn’t they just take it?

  She could feel the panic setting in, the rapid rise and fall of her chest that presaged an outright attack.

  Breathe. Think. Hysteria would do her no good.

  The person beside her began humming, and Adeline realized it was a woman. Sliding her gaze as far to the side as possible without moving her head, she got the impression of blonde hair. Long blonde hair, and a pink top.

  Shannon.

  She sucked in a breath of disbelief.

  “I know you’re awake,” she said, and then went back to humming.

  Adeline debated pretending otherwise, but outrage got the better of her. She tried to sit up in her seat to at least see where they were going, but the seatbelt was locked and prevented her from moving.

  “Safety first,” Shannon quipped.

  “You are insane.”

  “Or – stay with me here – insanely brilliant. God, this thing itches.”

  Adeline jumped as something landed on her lap. She stared at it, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

  A wig. A long, blonde wig.

  She jerked her head toward the other woman. She didn’t care that it hurt.

  The driver, a person whom she was pretty sure she’d never seen, glanced over.

  “Wait, you thought I was her, didn’t you? Shannon? See.” She stabbed a finger in Adeline’s direction. “I told you I was brilliant. If anyone happened to see me driving this truck through town, they’ll say it was a woman with long blonde hair. And how about these?” She grabbed one of her boobs. “Lookin’ good, right? I haven’t stuffed my bra since I was thirteen.”

  Adeline gaped. “Who are you?”

  The self-satisfied expression slid from her face. “I guess it was too much to hope he would have told you about me. Like I’m sure he told you about her.”

  She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

  Adeline tried her best to look, but her mobility was severely restricted.

  “Shannon says hi. The real Shannon. Well, actually she doesn’t say hi, because I drugged her into unconsciousness before shoving her into the back. You would think that the bitch would have learned back in high school not to leave her drink unattended, but alas.” She shrugged. “You look like you’re wondering what I’m talking about, but are afraid to ask. Have no fear. I love telling this story, and I really never get the chance. You see, Shannon was sleeping with Beckett for weeks behind Sutton’s back, but Sutton never would have believed me if I’d told him. He sees the good in everyone, you know. Way too trusting. So, I had to slip a little something-something in her Captain and Coke one night so that he could see for himself what a dumb, drunken slut she was. Only the big dummy thought that Beckett was the one who drugged her. I just found that out recently. I had no idea that he even suspected she’d been drugged, but it’s those rose-colored glasses of his again. Of course, she had to be the victim. Sweet little innocent Shannon. Like the bimbo wasn’t getting spread more than a jumbo jar of Skippy.” She laughed, reaching out to punch Adeline’s shoulder. “Oh, come on. You have to admit that was funny.”

  Pain stabbed through Adeline’s injured arm, but she managed not to flinch.

  “You know this is nothing personal, right? I mean, you don’t seem like a bad person. And she has been pissed about you staying with Sutton, which has been fun to watch. That’s the benefit of being basically invisible your whole life – people forget you’re there, and so you get to see their true colors. She’s been plotting ways to get rid of you – metaphorically speaking, of course – with her friends at the bar where she hangs out, because hello, drunken trash. And always has been. I didn’t care so much when she married Beckett, because they deserved each other, quite frankly. But then Sutton came home, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he got sucked into the whole poor Shannon, Beckett didn’t treat her right bullshit, and so I had to intercede, draw his sympathy elsewhere.” She shot a disappointed look at Adeline. “You kind of messed it up, though. I had to hike through the mother-lovin’ forest to drop Otis off, so that certain nosy neighbors wouldn’t see my car. And I was just waiting for Mary to go snooping around, like she does every damn day, and call Sutton’s parents’ house. I just wasn’t expecting you to have gotten in the middle of it.”

  Adeline had been pulling at the knot in the rope binding her hands the whole time the other woman was talking, but that stopped her.

  “You’re Katie?”

  Her face lit up. “So, he did talk about me, huh? How about that.”

  Adeline felt sick. This woman had used her own innocent puppy as a pawn. She remembered the poor thing shaking in terror and confusion, and for what. Because his owner was some sort of deranged stalker. And apparently had an axe to grind.

  She didn’t need to be psychic to predict that things weren’t looking good for her. Despite this not being personal, her person was in extreme danger. She didn’t know what exactly the crazy bitch had planned, but she could pretty much guarantee that the objective was to eliminate the competition, and make it look like Shannon was responsible. Two birds, one stone. She guessed it was clever, if you were pathological.

  Adeline’s mind raced, chasing after possibilities only to hit mental dead-ends. She was all but naked, with her hands tied behind her back, and her head throbbed with pain every time she moved it. Crazy Katie had her at a disadvantage.

  Because she was strapped into a slumped position, her muscles had begun to protest, and she shifted her legs to the side in order to alleviate some of the discomfort. When she did, her foot made contact with something smooth. Stretching out her toes, she felt what seemed to be a strap. A purse? Maybe Shannon’s. She guessed it was too much to hope the other woman carried a gun, and that Katie had overlooked it.

  Her toes brushed against something cold, something metal. She didn’t think much of it until she realized it was a ring. A keyring? Or…

  The rapid release ring on her pepper spray. It was her purse. Katie must have thrown her bags into the truck as well, for God knew what reason.

  Trembling at the realization, Adeline jumped when Katie asked her if she was cold.

  “I put the heat on high for you,” she said, with a defensive air. “I’m not a monster, you know.”

  “I’m scared,” Adeline said, which wasn’t a lie.

  “Not a lot I can do about that,” Katie said. “I’m planning to drug you, too, so that you won’t be aware of what’s happening, but I just couldn’t figure out a way to do it beforehand. I needed to get you out of there as quickly and quietly as possible.”

  “Always best not to cause a ruckus during an abduction,” Adeline said, before she could stop herself.

  “Exactly.”

  While Katie’s casual and matter-of-fact chatter about her criminal intent was disturbing, to say the least, Adeline also recognized that it was the best way to distract her. Keep her talking. She seemed to enjoy it.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Someplace very special,” she said. “I think you’ll like it.”

  Adeline sincerely doubted it, but unfortunately, Katie didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. The closer they g
ot to wherever it was, the quieter she became. Maybe she was having second thoughts, although Adeline wasn’t going to bet on it. Psychopaths didn’t exactly think like regular people.

  Fearing that she was running out of time, Adeline worked to get her feet into the right position without giving away what she was doing. One wrong move and it would be obvious, not to mention dangerous. If she somehow released the spray before they stopped moving, Katie might crash and kill them all.

  The truck began to bump and tilt, and Adeline held her breath as she pitched forward, trying not to move her toe. They were headed down a hill, on gravel. She could hear it crunch beneath the tires.

  The fish camp? Adeline’s throat turned thick at the thought.

  Mama. Daddy.

  Sally would be so mad that she hadn’t come home.

  And Sutton… Adeline couldn’t think about it, or she’d lose her concentration.

  Twisting her wrists back and forth in the vain hope of escaping the rope, Adeline ignored the searing burn. Her hands began to feel damp, but she couldn’t tell whether it was blood or sweat. She didn’t care if she tore her skin to shreds. If she made it out of this, it would be worth it.

  The truck came to a stop, and Katie shifted it into park, but she didn’t shut off the ignition. Adeline’s heartbeat pounded in her ears like a steady rumble of thunder.

  One chance. She had one chance.

  “Showtime,” Katie said, but she seemed to be talking more to herself than to Adeline at this point. She exited the driver’s side, allowing frigid air to blow in while she opened the half-door of the extended cab. Grunting, she wrestled what Adeline assumed was Shannon out of the back. Muttering a steady stream of complaints, she then pushed and pulled and shoved until she had Shannon propped in the driver’s seat. The other woman slumped, her head falling into Adeline’s lap and making her scream.

  “Whoops.” Katie pulled Shannon back upright. “Guess I should strap her in.”

  Adeline wondered if she should scream again, and keep screaming, but the fact that Katie hadn’t seemed concerned led her to believe she didn’t fear being overheard. She shivered, stomach heaving, electric shocks seeming to roll beneath her skin in heated waves. A slow burn from the inside out. The air was stained with whatever it was that accompanied evil intent.

  With malice aforethought.

  Sutton’s words penetrated her dizzy, swimming thoughts, and she fought against the current. Pay attention. If she didn’t get this right, she would die.

  “Gotta get the foot positioned right,” Katie said. “Although hopefully, by the time they find the truck, water currents and decomposition will have done their thing, making it more difficult to tell exactly what happened. And fish,” she added. “Can’t forget fish.”

  Dad. His face was suddenly front and center in her mind’s eye, even as the words began to penetrate, and she realized Katie’s intent.

  The lake. She was going to send the truck into the lake, with both Shannon and Adeline inside it.

  Panic closed her throat, panic that made it nearly impossible for Adeline to breathe. Panic as she thought about her dad, diving deep in the warm waters of the Gulf, suffering a heart attack that prevented him from reaching the surface alive.

  Lake Rabun wasn’t warm. But it would kill her just the same.

  The door behind her opened, and Adeline screamed, not realizing that Katie had come around to the other side of the truck. Adeline struggled to sit up, and when she saw the water bottle being thrust toward her in a gloved hand, she turned her head away.

  “It’s going to go a lot easier for you if you cooperate,” Katie said, and Adeline tried to adjust her feet. Could she bring her knees up at this angle? She wasn’t sure. It would have worked better if Katie had stayed on the driver’s side.

  Water poured over her face, water that ran into her mouth when Katie pinched her nose. Adeline tried to spit it out.

  “Fine,” she said. “See if I care.”

  Adeline caught a glimpse of the headlights reflecting on water just before Katie closed the door, and she realized they must be on a boat ramp. She forced herself to slow her breathing, to fight off the terror that wanted to swallow her whole. Katie came back around to make sure Shannon was situated like she wanted, and then looked at Adeline. “Welp, sorry about… whoops. I forgot about the wig. That would have been bad, huh?”

  She leaned over Shannon, and Adeline jerked up her feet, pulling the ring on the pepper spray with her toe, while she did her best to kick the cannister in Katie’s direction.

  “Oh my God!” Katie yelled, clawing at her face as Adeline coughed and choked, her own face feeling as if it had been set alight. “What did you do?”

  Adeline’s ears began to ring as her eyes streamed with tears. Desperate, she twisted her arms as far to the side as she could, fumbling to align her slippery fingers with the seatbelt release. She pressed at anything and everything she touched, until finally, she fell forward. Unable to see, she pitched to the side, feeling for the door handle.

  “Bitch!”

  Adeline shrieked as Katie pulled her hair, jerking her over the console. She felt something give beneath her even as she realized the ringing that she’d heard was sirens.

  The pressure on her hair went away, and Adeline tried to get her bearings. There were voices. Shouts. And then she began to comprehend that the truck was moving. Still unable to see anything, she flipped over, feeling around for the parking brake she must have dislodged. Finding something cylindrical, she jerked it up, but nothing happened.

  “Come on,” she sobbed. “Come on come on come on.”

  She pulled so hard that she fell partially into the footwell when the cylinder went up, her face submerged in icy cold water.

  Jerking her head to the side, she gasped at the shock, struggling to turn so that she wasn’t face down.

  “Adeline! Jesus… get out of my way.”

  Sutton. That was Sutton’s voice. And he wasn’t happy.

  “Oh my… God. Hang on.” Hands wrapped around her ankles. Sutton’s hands. They were so warm against her bare skin. He pulled her back just enough so that her face was no longer in the water.

  “Watch that parking brake.”

  “Cut this rope, will you?”

  Her hands were free, but her arms didn’t want to work yet. Nothing seemed to want to work, except her tear ducts. They were working overtime. She heard more voices, more sirens. She couldn’t stop coughing.

  She gave a spare thought to the fact that her bare ass was flapping in the breeze as she lay half-on Sutton’s ex-girlfriend’s lap.

  He hadn’t taken her out first. He probably should have.

  Her bad shoulder bumped the steering wheel as hands lifted her out. More hands than just Sutton’s. She couldn’t see who.

  Probably for the best.

  Her head hurt. Her dad would be proud of her. He’d taught her how to drive, taught her about using the parking brake on the ramp when you were launching your boat. Otherwise you could roll right into the water.

  “She’s breathing,” someone said, and Adeline thought Of course I am. I’m not dead. But then she realized they must be talking about Shannon.

  “Drugged,” she said, but it emerged more like a croak. Maybe because she’d been submerged in water. Almost submerged. She was becoming one with her new environment. Turning into a frog.

  “You got that stretcher ready?”

  Sutton’s voice again. It rumbled in his chest, right against her good ear.

  It was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  SUTTON added another bag of ice to the cooler on the deck, which was about the only thing he was entrusted with in terms of food preparation. He rearranged the bottles and cans, and when he felt the hand on his shoulder, didn’t have to turn to know that it was his brother.

  Ethan reached around him and grabbed a beer.

  “How goes it in the Situation Room?”


  “Team marshmallow-fluff-on-the-sweet-potato-casserole is currently in the lead,” Ethan said “although team pecans-only was beginning to rally. Your girlfriend remains a wild card, and both sides are making a concerted effort to bring her around to her way of thinking. Willow is playing hardball by googling nutrition charts, and the mention of Dad’s elevated blood sugar reading at his last doctor’s visit has Mom wavering. Dad threw out the terms coup and disinherited. Adeline’s stepmom suggested mixing up a batch of keto marshmallows out of grass-fed gelatin and, I don’t know, pixie dust, as a compromise, and I think Willow might ask Sally to adopt her.” He took a drink of beer. “As long as they don’t mess with the turkey, I don’t much care what they decide to do with the vegetables. Well, except the carrots. If Willow tries to talk Mom out of that brown sugar glaze, I’m going to handcuff her to a pipe in the garage until dinner is over.”

  “I wish she’d never dated that hippie last year. If he’d turned her onto drugs instead of quinoa, life would have been easier.”

  When Ethan didn’t respond, Sutton glanced over. His brother wore an all-too-familiar expression. “You might as well spill it.”

  “I don’t want to mess up Thanksgiving.”

  “Leaving me hanging will mess it up worse than whatever it is you’re not telling me.”

  Ethan sighed. “We found Julie Harlowe’s phone.”

  Sutton’s stomach twisted, but he kept his tone neutral. “Where?”

  “Attic crawl space. Katie – and I need you to understand that this can’t leave this room. Deck. Whatever. It could jeopardize the case if you tell anyone. Even Adeline.”

  “You have my word.”

  Ethan nodded. “You know you can access an iPhone’s camera even when the phone is locked? Katie was using it to take pictures of herself. Pornographic-type pictures, wearing the blonde wig. And a red one. I don’t know if she didn’t want them on her own phone, or if it just gave her some kind of thrill.”

  Sutton felt sick, and stupid. Or more accurately, naïve, which was something Katie accused him of being. He hadn’t seen her obsession in high school, hadn’t recognized her pathology after he’d come back home. His dad had warned him about being book smart but street dumb on a number of occasions, and he was certainly feeling it.