Payback

by Jonnie Jacobs

  Gordon pulled out his driver’s license and credit card.

  Harry took a cursory look, then led the way to the second floor and knocked on the door.

  Gordon pulled out his phone and called. Nothing rang from inside the room. “Can you open the door?”

  Inside, the beds were made up, suitcases laid out open. He checked the towels. “I don’t think they slept here last night,” he said. “When did you last see them?”

  “Yesterday morning. They were heading out.”

  Yesterday morning. Twenty-four hours ago! “Do you recognize the name Winslow?”

  “No. Your wife asked me that, too.”

  “Any idea who would?”

  “Best bet is to ask around town. I think that’s what your wife was going to do.”

  As Gordon returned to his car, he remembered showing Harry his credit card. Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? He pulled out his phone, logged into the bank, and checked the credit card statement. Marta’s last charge was The Hungry Coyote Saloon. He typed the name into his browser and was again rewarded with an address and a map. Gordon had never had much use for cell phones, but now he was a true believer.

  The Hungry Coyote Saloon was open, even though it wasn’t yet ten in the morning. There were already two patrons seated at the bar, enjoying scrambled eggs, bacon, and beer.

  “I’m looking for my wife and her sister,” Gordon told the man behind the bar. “They were here last night.”

  The man raised an eyebrow. “I try to stay clear of domestic spats.”

  Gordon pointed to the flyer of Jamie near the cash register. “We’re looking for my missing daughter. That’s her. Now I can’t find my wife and her sister.”

  The man’s face softened. “Yeah, they were here asking about a cabin owned by the Winslow family.”

  “Do you know where it is?”

  “I don’t. But Maggie Hendrix thought she might. Said it was out by Porcupine Ridge.”

  Chapter 54

  Jamie tugged at the covers, pulling them up to her chin. Todd was still asleep, but she hadn’t slept at all. There were no windows in the loft, so she had trouble judging the time, but it was clearly morning. The birds were chirping, and she could see the far wall below.

  All she could think about was her mom and Cassie in the cellar. Jamie knew how dark and dank it was, and they didn’t even have a flashlight. Or a blanket. She’d gotten up once during the night when she thought Todd was sound asleep, but he’d heard her before she’d moved half a dozen steps from the bed.

  “Don’t even think about it, Jamie,” he said. “Come back to bed where you belong.”

  Again, she pleaded with him to let them go. “They love me,” she said. “They just wanted to know I’m okay.”

  “It was your phone call that caused this. It’s your fault that they are where they are.”

  Thank God he hadn’t touched her last night. How had she ever thought she loved him? It made her sick remembering the way she’d acted, the things they’d done.

  If she could play along, pretend she didn’t hate him, pretend nothing had changed, maybe she’d find a way to make things right.

  Finally, she couldn’t lie still another minute. Todd was breathing evenly, not moving. It was light enough to see. If she was careful, she might be able to make it downstairs before he woke.

  She eased away from him toward the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the part of the sheet and blanket covering him. The bed squeaked and she held her breath, but Todd didn’t stir. She got one leg over the side and was slowly lowering the other when he rolled to face her and grabbed her wrist.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “It’s morning,” she said. “I was going to start breakfast.” She’d never risen first. It was Todd who got up early, not her.

  “Don’t lie to me, Jamie. I don’t like that.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “I need to know that you’re with me, not fighting me. Is that understood?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Now get back into bed.”

  She lay there, eyes on the ceiling, still as stone, willing him not to reach for her.

  “My little Jamie,” he murmured. He rolled onto his side and began running his fingers through her hair, smoothing the loose strands on the pillow. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I don’t understand what it is you want,” she whimpered, thinking how she’d once craved his caresses. Now she found them repugnant.

  “No, you wouldn’t.”

  He continued petting her until she thought she might scream. Then he got out of bed as if nothing had changed.

  “Let’s get the day started,” he said in a cheerful voice.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Not sure yet. I’m working on a plan.”

  *****

  Todd made coffee while Jamie scrambled eggs. Her stomach turned at the thought of food, but until she could think what to do, she was going to play along. Her gaze drifted to the hatch door that led to the cellar.

  “Shouldn’t we give them something to eat?”

  Todd laughed. “Why?”

  “They must be hungry, and cold. We should at least give them some water.”

  “I’m sorry if I seem harsh,” Todd said, “but this is serious. You understand, don’t you?”

  She didn’t, but nothing good would come of saying so. She nodded.

  “They shouldn’t have come here,” he said. “They should have known better.”

  “Please, Todd, please check on them. It’s been all night.”

  He set the kettle down so hard the water spilled. He stomped to the hatch, opened it, and called, “Come on up. One at a time. Marta, you first.”

  Jamie was relieved to hear movement. At least they hadn’t frozen to death.

  Her mom emerged through the hatch first, and Jamie had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Her mom looked limp and broken. Her arms were scratched and dirty, her skin almost blue with cold. She glanced at Jamie and tried to smile.

  Jamie wanted to wrap her arms around her mother but Todd stood in the way.

  He yanked her mom into the room and tied her hands together. “You next, Cassie.”

  Her aunt, too, looked bedraggled and frightened as Todd tied her hands. Anguish tore at Jamie’s heart. It was all her fault. How could she have been so blind?

  “Morning, ladies,” he said. “Jamie here was worried you might not be enjoying yourselves. I’m afraid we don’t have enough breakfast to go around, but she thought you might like a little water.”

  Jamie locked eyes with her shivering mom. I’m so sorry. I’m trying to help, I just don’t know how. She hoped her mom could read her mind.

  Chapter 55

  Marta was frozen to the core. Her muscles were tight, her feet and fingers numb. Last night had been the worst experience of her life. Frigid temperature, a sour stench, the night so thick and dark that she and Cassie had held onto each other to keep from getting separated. But worse than the impenetrable blackness and the freezing cold was the endless reel of images running through her head. She’d shaken with fear as much as from lack of warmth.

  Now, looking into her daughter’s eyes, she tried to hide her despair. Tried to sense what Jamie was thinking. She wanted to protect her, but how?

  All through the sleepless night, she and Cassie had tried to come up with a plan. Or rather Marta had tried while Cassie sobbed and apologized and cursed her own foolishness.

  “I’m so sorry, Marta. If we get out of this alive, I’m going to be the best sister you can imagine. I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

  “If we’re going to get free, we have to think,” Marta told her. “We aren’t exactly playing from a position of power.”

  But Marta’s mind was as empty of ideas now as it had been last night.

  Todd nodded to Jamie. “Get them a glass of water. One glass. They can take turns drinking from it. No point
dirtying more dishes than necessary.”

  Jamie filled the glass from the faucet and handed it to Marta. The soft warmth of her daughter’s hand on her own brought tears to Marta’s eyes. She blinked them away, took a few sips, then handed the glass back, again brushing Jamie’s hand, desperate for more contact.

  Jamie offered the glass to Cassie.

  Marta looked Todd in the eye. “Let’s stop this,” she pleaded. “You’ve made your point. You wanted to hurt me, and you have. There’s no need to hurt the others, too. Let them go.”

  “You’re so cute when you’re being earnest, Marta. You ought to try it more often.”

  Marta wanted to spit in his face.

  Cassie stood tall and raised her voice. “What the hell are you up to, Travis?”

  Jamie frowned. “Travis?”

  “That’s his real name,” Cassie said. “He told me it was Ted. He was Todd to you and your mom. Tim, to her business partner, Carol. He’s a liar and a phony. He gets off on manipulating people.”

  “That’s like the kettle calling the pot black,” Todd shot back. “Does your sister know you set her up?”

  Marta stepped closer to Cassie. “She told me. I know all about it.”

  Jamie looked confused. “Set her up? How?”

  “Your aunt bet me I couldn’t get in your mom’s pants.” Todd grinned. “I won.”

  Marta cringed with humiliation and looked away.

  “You told me it was the other way around,” Jamie exclaimed. “That she seduced you.”

  Todd chuckled. “Relationships are complicated, sweetheart.”

  Marta pulled at her wrists, twisting to free her hands. The twine was tight, the knots secure. She wanted to claw his eyes out.

  “None of that matters now,” he said, pulling Jamie to his side. “Your mom was a game, yes. But when I met you, my heart was lost. I’ve never fallen for anyone like I fell for you. You’re my little princess.”

  “Don’t listen to his lies!” Marta shouted. “He’s using you.”

  “And he’s dangerous,” Cassie added. “He killed Carol.”

  “What? Carol’s dead?” Pulling away, Jamie looked at Marta in horror. “Is she really?”

  “I’m afraid so. A hit and run.” Marta had worried Jamie was complicit in Carol’s death, but seeing her daughter’s surprised reaction reassured her.

  Todd looked amused. “Why would I want to hurt Carol?”

  “She knew about you,” Marta said. “She called me that night before she died and left me a message.”

  “You can’t prove it was me.”

  “The cops might be able to.”

  “I was with Jamie that night.”

  “How do you know what night she was killed?”

  “Just guessing,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with your daughter.”

  “It was the night you left home,” Marta told Jamie.

  Jamie shook her head. “He wasn’t with me very long. He picked me up and then dropped me off at a motel. Left me there all night. Alone.” Turning to Todd, she said, “Is that where you went? You left me to go kill Carol?”

  Todd spread his hands. “Enough! I didn’t mean for her to die. I just wanted to shut her up.”

  “Shut her up about what?”

  “Everything. She was pissed that the partnership wasn’t going to get some hotshot new client I’d told her about. She went crazy.” Todd was pacing around the small kitchen area. He kicked the counter with his foot, picked up the water glass, and tossed it across the room. “She threatened to go to my saintly stepbrother and stepsister, the anointed ones. And to AG National. She would have killed the deal. So I told her to meet me, and we’d talk.”

  So Gordon had been right, Marta thought. She hated herself for doubting him, and was sick with the thought that their testy conversation might be the last he heard from her.

  Jamie had moved toward the stove, out of Todd’s immediate reach. “What deal?”

  “The bank deal,” Todd explained. “My family owns a bank. My stepbrother and stepsister run it and I get treated like shit. They’re always on my case, constantly criticizing me. The bank is in trouble, though. There’s a deal in the works to merge with a bigger bank. Without the deal, we’ll go under.”

  “So you killed her?”

  Todd’s eyes blazed, his face flush with indignation. “I told you, it was a goddamn accident. I insisted she meet me in the parking lot of a mall and we’d work something out. We argued and she fell. I just wanted out of there. She ran in front of my car trying to stop me.”

  Marta’s stomach knotted. She didn’t trust Todd’s version of events. Abruptly, Todd stopped pacing. He opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a gas can. Then he turned to Jamie.

  “If the deal goes through, I’m set for life, Jamie. We’ll live like kings. We can go to Hawaii like we planned. I have to keep things from blowing up until then.”

  Marta eyed the gas can with a growing sense of horror.

  Todd smiled at Jamie. “You still love me, don’t you?”

  Jamie gave her a pleading look, and Marta thought her heart might break. Jamie didn’t love Todd. But she was scared.

  “She must be overwhelmed and confused,” Marta offered by way of cover. “She’s had a lot to take in.”

  “You better decide fast,” Todd said, uncapping the can. “Your choice. You can come with me or you can stay and burn.”

  Jamie looked stricken. “What are you going to do?”

  He moved toward the cellar door. “Have you made up your mind?”

  In one swift movement, Jamie picked up the skillet and swung at him, sending scrambled eggs flying. Marta could see midswing that she’d miss her mark. She’d hit Todd’s arm, but not hard enough to do any real damage. The veins in his neck stood out in livid ridges. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her to her knees.

  “That was a foolish move, Jamie.”

  “You can’t do this!” She struggled to stand. “Please!”

  He yanked Jamie to her feet, then pulled a handgun from his pocket and nodded at the cellar door. “Okay, all of you, over there.”

  Cassie rushed toward Todd, swinging her bound arms wildly and screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “Run!” she yelled. “Go!”

  Marta pushed Jamie toward the door. “Get going. Make a run for it.”

  Cassie tackled Todd, knocking him off his feet. The gun went off and they fell together, landing in a heap on the floor.

  Todd rolled away and slowly got to his feet. Blood began to pool around Cassie’s motionless body.

  Marta nudged Jamie. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

  “We can’t leave her there!” Jamie cried.

  “Just go. We have to find help.”

  They barely made it through the doorway before Todd caught up with them. The gun was in his hand again. “Back inside,” he ordered.

  “How can you do this?” Jamie wailed. “You said you loved me.”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear.” Todd’s voice was like ice. “You’re nothing but a dumb, fat kid.” He slammed Jamie in the head with the butt of his gun. She crumpled to the floor and didn’t move.

  “Jamie!” Marta moved toward her, but Todd stepped forward and touched her chin.

  “Well, Marta, it’s you and me again.”

  Chapter 56

  Gordon drove in a race against time. He pushed the rental car as fast as he dared, weighing speed against the likelihood of a broken axle or bent rim. His heart pounded, fueled by caffeine, sugar, lack of sleep, and especially fear.

  He had no illusions. He wasn’t an action hero or trained warrior. He was an unassuming, middle-aged academic, and he was in way over his head.

  He’d spoken with Maggie Hendrix, who’d given him the same hazy directions she’d given Marta.

  “It’s been a long time since I was there,” she cautioned. “I told your wife the same thing. Mi
ght not even be the right cabin.”

  Gordon understood, but he didn’t know where else to look.

  He’d called the sheriff, too.

  “Hostages, you say?” the dispatcher asked.

  “My daughter. Maybe my wife and her sister, as well.”

  “Your daughter is the runaway from Georgia, right? Someone was here yesterday asking about her. Probably your wife.”

  That was good to hear. “Can you get someone out there to check on them?” he asked.

  “What’s the address?”

  “I don’t have an address. I’ve got some directions though.” He started rattling off what Maggie had told him.

  “Sir, we need a more precise location.”

  “I don’t have one.” Gordon had thought his head might explode. “If something happens to my family, do you want to be known as the department that allowed it to happen? I’ll make damn sure every news station in the country knows.”

  There was a beat of silence. “Tell you what, why don’t you meet us in front of the general store in Trout Creek? We should have someone there in about an hour.”

  “An hour? That’s too long. I’m heading out to find the cabin right now.”

  “That’s not a good idea. Wait for a deputy to accompany you.”

  “I can’t wait,” Gordon had told her. “I’m going. Send someone as soon as you can.”

  Now, as he bumped along the rutted road, he wondered if he’d been rash. What in God’s name was he going to accomplish by himself? Assuming he even managed to locate the cabin.

  Then, ahead on the right, he saw the glare of something silver. On closer look, he recognized the bumper of a car. Two cars. Parked near a cabin.

  He pulled his car in behind a clump of trees about fifty yards away. How long would it take for a deputy to arrive? Would they even send someone out?

  Gordon called again. “I think I found the cabin,” he told the dispatcher. “Please, send someone out soon.”

  “Don’t try . . .”A burst of static. “. . . area,” she said. The call cut out.