Expert Witness

by Rebecca Forster

  “She does. I heard you tell her,” Hannah cried.

  “You are stupid,” he muttered. “I was talking to dead air. She doesn’t know anything. When you disappear I’ll tell them you were hysterical about being put in foster care, and that you were screaming about finding Josie Bates. I’ll tell them you were delusional and that it wouldn’t surprise me if you hurt yourself. Everyone knows you’re a cutter. They’ll believe me.”

  “Archer won’t. Billy and Burt won’t!” Hannah whirled on Daniel. Facing him was preferable to being herded in front of him. “Is Josie alive? Is she?”

  “Why don’t we just go see?”

  Daniel Young raised his arm and pointed. When Hannah didn’t move he drew back as if to strike her again, and Hannah scrambled away, walking backward, watching for an opening to make her escape.

  “Why did you do this?”

  “Because Josie Bates ruined me,” he said flatly. “Turn around.”

  “No!” Hannah screamed and then she screamed again. “Help me. Somebody help me.”

  Hannah bolted, hoping to lose herself among the trees, but Daniel was faster still. Scooping up a big branch, he hit her as she cried out. Again and again she screamed for help; again and again he struck her. When Hannah was on the ground, lying in the leaves, rolling over thistles and into the undergrowth, she fell silent and put all her energy into warding off the blows.

  “I was someone and she took it all way. She deserves what she got and worse,” Daniel raged.

  “You’re crazy!” Hannah found her voice and reached for his club at the same time.

  “Shut up!” He swung again and the wood cracked against her forearm.

  Hannah cradled her arm as she pulled into a ball. As long as he didn’t hit her head, she had a chance; if she could keep him engaged, she had a chance.

  “Why Erika Gardener? What did she do to you? ” Hannah cried.

  She hunched her shoulders, flinching as she readied herself for another blow. It never came. The mention of Erika had given him pause.

  “She didn’t want to marry a liar. I wasn’t a liar. Josie Bates made it seem like I was. She found a mistake on my university records that showed I hadn’t completed my last courses. She said I was a fraud. She said whatever came out of my mouth should be given no more attention than the braying of a donkey. The judge let her attack my character and my intelligence. I loved Erika, and she left me because of what Josie Bates said in that courtroom.”

  As quickly as Daniel had fallen into his reverie, indulged in his self-pity, he snapped out of it and remembered where he was. His handsome face hardened, his eyes narrowed. He grabbed Hannah and yanked her to her feet.

  “I wasn’t an expert anymore; I was a laughing stock.” Daniel pushed her. “That way.”

  They pressed on. Hannah looking for any opportunity to escape, and Daniel knowing he would never allow that. Finally, he called ‘stop’. Hannah blinked. There was nothing but trees in front of her. She stared, unsure of what he wanted her to see. Using his piece of wood to push the hair away from her ear he whispered:

  “It’s not exactly a beach house, but I think Ms. Bates got used to it.”

  That’s when Hannah saw it: the ancient cement building with the locked metal door. Her stomach lurched. Slowly she looked over her shoulder, unable or unwilling to acknowledge the horrid truth until Daniel grinned at her. That’s when she understood that Josie had been locked away like an animal.

  “You’re sick,” she whispered.

  “No. I’m smart.”

  That was it. Hannah couldn’t look at him any longer. Raising her hands, she pushed Daniel Young as hard as she could and ran.

  “Josie! Josie!”

  Hannah cried out, praying to hear any sound from inside that place. All she heard was Daniel’s cry of rage as he caught her by the hair and pulled her off her feet.

  “You killed her. You did kill her,” she sobbed, her own hands covering his as she tried to alleviate the searing pain at her scalp.

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  Dragging her across the rough ground, through the dry leaves, and over the rocks, Daniel pushed her down and planted his foot on her chest. Working fast, he took away the metal rod that locked the door from the outside, reached down, and wrapped his arm around Hannah’s neck. She seized the moment and drew her long nails down the side of his face while she buried her teeth in his arm.

  Daniel howled in pain, but instead of letting go he rammed Hannah’s head into the steel door. She crumpled at his feet. With all his might, he pulled the door open and threw Hannah Sheraton inside like a piece of trash.

  Slamming the door shut, he put the bar in place, and scurried to the little berm to look inside. What a pity he didn’t have his cycling helmet with the light on it so he could see better and she wouldn’t be able to see him. Then he realized it didn’t matter if Josie saw him, and that was a wonderful epiphany. He tiptoed up, he grinned, and called:

  “Hello in there! Hello! It’s me, Daniel!”

  Liz Driscoll’s Car, The California Mountains

  Liz leaned over her steering wheel, driving slowly, keeping an eye out for Daniel’s car. She cursed herself for losing him on the turns, but she’d never been good at tailing anyone. Two miles later, she turned around and headed down the mountain again. That’s when she saw the car. The overhang near the boulder had shielded the cul de sac going up the mountain, only to expose it on the way down. She pulled over to the side of the road, took out her phone, and called Arnson. She gave him her location, what she had observed, and a heads up that Hannah might be a hostage. She cut him off just as he warned her to wait for backup. Liz knew she wouldn’t. Not because she wanted the glory of the collar, but because lives truly were on the line.

  Not knowing how far off the road Daniel and Hannah were, Liz entered the woods cautiously. There was a hint of a path and she walked it carefully, inching herself forward, knowing if she made too much noise she would further jeopardize the women she hoped were still alive. She needn’t have worried. Daniel Young was making enough noise to cover any that she could create.

  An Outbuilding in the California Mountains

  With the last of her strength, Josie had moved Erika into the corner of the hut opposite the door. She had not touched the knife in the woman’s throat so that evidence would be preserved. Then she collected the pictures, the food wrapper, and the Xerox with the shadow printing on it, and put it all beside the body. Once that was done, she crawled to her corner.

  Half conscious now, she thought she was dreaming when she heard someone calling. Looking up toward the little window, Josie saw a man’s eyes. They were crinkled like he was smiling. She put her hand over her own to shade against the sunlight, and tried to raise the other one to wave at him. But she was weak and that hand fell back down. It didn’t hit the ground. Instead, her hand fell onto a pillow of glorious hair. Josie turned her head and prayed she was hallucinating.

  “Hannah?”

  The California Mountains

  Liz hunkered down behind a stand of trees that was surrounded by brush and rock. She watched Daniel Young balancing himself on the berm as he called into the hut. Hannah was nowhere to be seen, so Liz reached the only conclusion she could: the women were inside.

  Carefully, she reached into her pocket and withdrew Archer’s revolver. Gun in hand she listened, knowing she would have to bide her time if everyone was going to get out alive.

  “Josie Bates!” Daniel laughed. “Now you know how it feels to have someone take everything away from you. It’s kind of like dying except I didn’t die, did I? I’m the one who survived. I’m the best. I’m the smartest. I’m the one they should have listened to, not you. Say something, you bitch.”

  An Outbuilding in the California Mountains

  Josie heard Daniel Young’s tirade, but she couldn’t respond. Her last energy would be used up caring for Hannah. She pushed aside the girl’s hair, she put her cheek against the girl’s head, and she cri
ed. Josie hadn’t wanted to die with her hands tied, but better that than to die with them free and wrapped around this girl she loved.

  When Daniel called out again, when he mocked her and reviled her, when he castigated her for the sins he perceived she had committed, Josie barely heard him. She was listening to another voice, a closer voice.

  “Don’t worry, I’m here now,” Hannah whispered and Josie stopped crying.

  The California Mountains

  Liz’s patience was rewarded sooner than she expected.

  Tired of talking, frustrated by the silence in the hut, Daniel Young backed away, picked up a stone, and threw it against the cement wall. Two more times he threw things. He was like a bully wanting one more lick. Finally, he did a few turns, realized there was nothing more to do, and started back to his car.

  Liz flattened herself on the ground, and he walked past without notice. There was a spring in his step. She hoped he enjoyed the rest of his day, because she was going to have him booked by the end of it.

  Pushing off, staying low, moving fast and quiet, Liz went straight to the door and pulled off the metal bar.

  “Hannah,” she called. “It’s me, Liz. Hannah, push! Push on the door!”

  The door opened like the portal to hell. The stench of human waste and despair and death slammed up against her, but Liz ignored it. All she could do was stare at Erika Gardener’s body, the wraith that was Josie Bates, and a bloodied Hannah raising her hand. Liz started to smile at the girl only to realize that Hannah wasn’t greeting her, she was pointing toward the forest. Liz looked just in time to see two things: Daniel Young and the huge piece of wood he was swinging at her head.

  Liz ducked and crouched as she tried to avoid the attack. It wasn’t a perfect maneuver, but it was enough so that she endured only a glancing blow. Thrown back, she landed on her wrists, rolled through the leaves, and came up on one knee with Archer’s revolver still in hand. But Daniel was determined, and psychotic, and the branch swung again. Liz ducked and rolled once more. She raised the gun but she was off balance, and the revolver was heavier than her own weapon. Once more the branch came down and this time it was too close for comfort. She scrambled, but Daniel had tired of the game. With a roar, he threw himself on top of her.

  Liz brought her knee up, but it did no good. Her leg was wedged between her body and his; her effort to subdue him had been ridiculous and futile. He laughed and pinned her arm to the ground, wrenching the gun from her hand. Hoping to move just enough to keep him from getting a good grip on it Liz thrashed, tossing her body as best she could, but she was small and no match for him.

  Suddenly, a bloodcurdling cry sounded as Hannah rushed at them and threw herself into the mix. Spread-eagle, she landed atop Daniel, but she was a slight girl and disoriented by the beating he had given her. With a roar, Daniel threw her off. Hannah hit the ground so hard the breath was knocked out of her. Liz bucked, praying Daniel would be distracted by the two-prong attack, but it was Liz who was distracted. It was reflex that made her turn her head, and instinct that made her seek out eye contact with Hannah. Both things were mistakes.

  In that split second Daniel Young grabbed the gun, Liz tore her eyes away from Hannah, and the girl rose to reach for the man’s arm. In the next instant, Daniel Young lay hard on Liz Driscoll, put the gun against her head, and pulled the trigger.

  Blood and brains sprayed over Hannah’s face. Paralyzed by shock, Hannah couldn’t move even when Daniel looked her way. Even when he began to giggle and then laugh, she simply stared at him. Peeling himself off Liz Driscoll, mesmerized by her dead body, he finally stood upright again. It was only when he looked at Hannah’s horrified face once more that he understood what had just happened.

  Covered in Liz Driscoll’s blood, Daniel’s chest rose and fell not with remorse but with triumph. He felt like God; he was God. There was no longer any need to play games. No more talking. Now he knew that he could silence any voice that spoke against him. He turned toward Hannah as he raised the revolver.

  “Beg,” he said.

  Silently, awkwardly, unsure of what to do, she scooted back away from him.

  “Beg!” he roared.

  Hannah shook her head. Her heart had seized up. Her voice wouldn’t work, but Daniel didn’t believe she was afraid. He knew her kind. He saw defiance in those damn eyes of hers and disdain in the set of her lips. It would be a pleasure to wipe that look off her face.

  “I could have helped you.” He raised the gun just a little higher.

  “In your dreams,” Hannah spat back.

  “I can live with that,” he said as he put both hands on the gun and pointed it at her face.

  But before he could pull the trigger, Josie Bates rose up behind him. With all her strength, she took the knife she had ripped from Erika’s throat and shoved it up into Daniel Young’s neck, the tip of the blade finding its way into his very expert brain.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:

  DAY 8:

  Josie Bates’ House, Hermosa Beach

  “Thanks.”

  Josie took the tea Archer offered and cupped it in both hands. Four days earlier she couldn’t imagine being alive much less wanting a hot drink. But she was home now, the weather had broken, and the beach towns were shrouded under a chilly fog.

  Archer took a chair next to her on the patio. She glanced his way, taking in the walking cast on his leg and the scabbing on the side of his face. Her eyes flicked to Hannah who was sitting on the wall with Max at her feet. The girl’s jaw was still swollen and bruised. Josie imagined that there was some damage under her clothes, too, given the size of the branch she had been beaten with. No one would ever know Hannah was hurting, though. Hurt was something she just didn’t share easily. Josie took a drink and reflected on what a battered threesome they were. Still, they had all found the strength to do what they had to in order to survive.

  “You sure you don’t want to go in? The doctor said you should rest,” Archer suggested just as Josie’s thoughts were roaming to Erika Gardener.

  “No, I’m good.” Josie smiled at him.

  Archer didn’t insist because he understood her reluctance. It would be some time before Josie was comfortable behind locked doors or surrounded by four walls. Even her beloved house wasn’t the haven it should be. The minute Josie fell asleep, she dreamed she was back in that hut with Erika Gardener; the moment she opened her eyes she saw Daniel Young’s face, not Archer’s, next to her. Hannah suggested Josie go with her to see Dr. Fox, but Josie declined. A shrink was the last person she wanted to see.

  Archer leaned over and kissed her shoulder. She put a hand on his head and drew it down his face. Her skin was warm from holding the mug. He grasped her hand and kissed her palm. He could not get enough of her.

  “Here they come,” Hannah called.

  Josie smiled. Time for her and Archer would have to wait. Hannah had risen and was facing Hermosa Boulevard. Josie followed suit and then helped Archer. She was cadaverously thin but not weak; Archer was awkward but still strong. Max got on his hind legs and put his front paws on top of the wall as they came together. Hermosa Boulevard had been closed to traffic since early morning, people began gathering by eleven, and now the first patrol car in the funeral procession was turning onto it.

  Archer put his arm on Josie’s shoulder; she put her hand on Hannah’s. Car after car rolled slowly by. One of their own had died in the line of duty, and all of law enforcement had turned out to honor her: LAPD, Sheriff, Marshalls, Hermosa, Redondo and Manhattan Beach PD. Fire engines from surrounding areas had joined in. They couldn’t see the hearse carrying Liz Driscoll’s body yet, but the three people on that patio were thinking about her.

  “He almost got away with it, didn’t he?” Hannah said softly.

  “He would have except for Liz,” Josie answered. “I don’t think I’ll ever come to grips with the fact that she died for us.”

  “He would have killed all of us if he could have.” Hannah glanced over her
shoulder at Josie, but Archer answered.

  “Maybe. If he had to. But that wasn’t the plan in the beginning. The cops found files full of information on Josie and Erika and Isaiah Wilson, all of it organized and detailed. Daniel had been stalking you and Erika off and on for years. Erika knew about it. That’s why she had the restraining order in place, and that’s why she moved so often. She didn’t think to tell anyone involved in the trial because she thought it was personal.

  “He probably didn’t know what he was going to do with it until Xavier’s release was announced. Once that happened, the plan was simple. Kidnap Josie and Erika, blame Xavier, then Daniel would claim expert knowledge and lead the authorities to the hut at the right time. He would be a hero. Xavier would be arrested and sent back to prison. His brain injury left him pretty much without a reliable memory or decision-making skills, so he did whatever Daniel told him - including living in a storage unit.”

  “But wait. Go back. Daniel knew all along that Xavier had been released?” Hannah asked.

  “He made a big stink about not getting the letter, but he had. I can’t believe I bought his outraged act,” Archer said, disgusted that he had been so easily duped.

  “But how did he find Xavier once he was out?” Josie asked as she moved into Archer. She was shivering partly from the wet-cold of the fog and partly because of the memory of her ordeal.

  “He went in through the back door and offered to conduct a psychiatric examination of Xavier before he was released. He told the prison health officials that he wanted to help Hernandez acclimate once he got out. Daniel asked that they advise him of where Hernandez would be living and his medications. That was one thing Cuwin Martin actually did right. He sent all that information to Daniel and then forgot about Xavier. Cuwin figured he was taken care of.”

  “God, that was smart,” Josie muttered. “Daniel never showed up on the visitor’s list but he had access to Xavier.”