I crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. Stars danced before my eyes, and I caught a last glimpse of Luke standing over me, holding the ring between his fingers.
"I'm sorry, Sally," he said.
Then everything went black.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A burning sensation around my wrists awakened me. I opened my eyes in confusion, not remembering where I was at first. Then recognition dawned that I was lying on my kitchen floor. I stared up at the ceiling. There was a mammoth-sized cobweb hanging over the fridge, mocking me. Boy, I really need to dust.
My head ached as the rest of the room swam into focus. I tried to stand, but my hands had been bound together behind my back with something, and my ankles were tied as well. The more I struggled to free myself, whatever it was that held them together only irritated my skin further.
Luke was sitting at my kitchen table, holding a frozen plastic bag of peas against the side of his face. He repositioned it, and our eyes met. He had a nice black-and-purple shiner, courtesy of my boots. Good.
He waved the duct tape at me. "Thanks. That worked well."
I didn't know what I was experiencing more—rage or terror. The listless expression in Luke's eyes made me inclined to go with the latter. "Untie me."
He threw the bag of peas down on the table. "I'm sorry, Sally. I wish it could have been different. But now that you know the truth, I don't have a choice."
"I don't know anything."
He laughed. "Please. Your face gave it away as soon as I mentioned the inscription. I don't want to hurt you, but there's no other option, I'm afraid."
"Josie knew you were coming here. Lots of other people knew too," I lied. "They'll figure out you killed me."
He smiled. "Doubt it. Oh, and I ran into Gianna at the sub shop earlier. I wished her happy birthday. Funny, she didn't seem to know what I was talking about. So I guess there's no fear of anyone looking for you tonight. Plus, the shop's closed tomorrow. I've heard rumors that Mike left town, so I'm guessing your boyfriend won't be stopping by for a lovefest, either."
Mike. I was relieved I hadn't shared the information with Luke that he was back in town. I stared at the wall clock hopefully. Nine o'clock. Was there a chance he would arrive soon? He was my only hope. My parents were still in Florida, and Gianna and my grandmother would be turning in for the night. Josie was out of town with Rob.
I thought about the text I'd sent Mike yesterday. I need you. The words had never seemed as crucial as they did right now.
Luke picked up one end of his broken fortune cookie and fingered it. "I've got plenty of time to get out of town tonight. Out of the country, actually. And enough money to tide me over for a while." He pulled the ring out of his pocket. "Thanks for this. I didn't think I'd ever see the little trinket again."
The more I struggled, the more the tape burned into my wrists. I managed to wriggle onto my side, but Luke reached down and prodded me with his foot, moving me onto my back again.
A lump of panic rose in my throat. "Where's Elise? Did you kill her, too?"
"No." Luke said. "She left town after I discovered her, shall we say, indiscretion. She had a friend who worked for the Hooper Inn. After I threw Colin out of my place, Elise offered to get him a room at the hotel pretty cheap until he found something else. Her friend even booked it in her own name. That must have been when they started hooking up. But after Colin started squelching on that bill, he had to leave. I helped him get another apartment, so he moved out of there."
Luke chuckled low in his throat as he continued. "God, he was pathetic. About a month ago, I had to go out of town overnight for a convention in Jacksonville. I'd been on the road for an hour or so when I got a call that the meeting had been cancelled because the main speaker was ill. I headed right for Elise's. I planned to take her out to dinner and then make love to her all night long."
His eyes glittered at me as he said the words, and I swallowed hard in an effort to keep the bile in my throat down. With my hands and feet taped together, I was pretty much defenseless at this point. I prayed Luke was not nurturing any romantic ideas about me.
Luke tossed the broken cookie onto the table. "When I reached her apartment building, I noticed Colin's piece of crap car in the lot. It was hard to miss. That's when I finally put it all together. God, how they played me for a fool."
"But…but maybe he was there to see someone else." I had no doubt in my mind Luke was correct. It was obvious Colin had no morals, and there were no limits for him where sex was concerned.
Keep him talking. That was all I could do until someone—anyone—showed up to rescue me. If they showed up. What was Luke planning to do with me?
He stared down at me in amazement. "After what Colin did to you, how can you say such a thing? Besides," he added, "I heard them. I went inside the building and pressed my ear against her door." He shut his eyes tightly as if trying to block the episode out. "They sounded like animals in heat."
Was there anyone Colin hadn't been sleeping with? I wasn't sure anymore.
Luke observed me closely. "What did you do when you found Colin in bed with someone else?"
My head ached badly. Every time I spoke the pain was worse, but I was afraid I'd anger him more if I didn't respond. "I think I was in shock. I shut the door and got into my car without saying anything to them. Then I drove all night long."
"That son of a bitch," he said through clenched teeth.
"Why didn't you confront them?" I asked.
Luke's voice was bitter. "That would have been too easy. I wanted to make them pay in other ways. So I decided to put it to the real test. The next day, I called Elise up and told her I'd lost my job. That I could no longer afford to pay for her apartment. The big fancy wedding at the Country Club was off—we'd have to get married at town hall instead. But what did it matter since we loved each other so much, right?"
He laughed, the sound sending crystals of ice through my veins. "That whore was so damned predictable. She was quiet at first and then said she'd been wanting to talk to me about something. She wasn't ready to get married yet, so could we hold off on the wedding for a little while?"
"How honorable of her," I said.
Luke snorted. "She was in love, all right—with my money. So I told her, 'No problem,' and I'd take the ring back until she was ready. I'd had it personally designed for her. I've always felt love was a gift, you know? She started crying when I gave it to her. But not for the reasons I'd thought. She was greedy, same as your ex-husband." He repeated the words, "Love is a gift. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"
I tried to nod my head, which was about to explode. "That's a beautiful sentiment."
"It cost me over twenty grand," Luke sputtered. "That didn't bother me because I thought she was the one, and nothing was too good for her. When I asked for it back, she started crying and said she'd lost it. I figured she was lying so that she could keep the ring and hock it later. I never dreamed she'd give it to that loser."
"She might not have. Maybe he stole it from her."
Luke snorted. "True. Elise was always taking the ring off and forgetting where she'd left it. I loved her, but God that pissed me off. She lost a diamond bracelet I gave her once, too. She probably figured, 'Hey, no big deal. He'll just buy me another, right?' Yep, a regular gold digger. I went to her apartment the next day, but she'd already left. Cleaned out in a hurry. Her friend at the Hooper Inn wouldn't tell me anything, either."
"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.
He laughed bitterly. "It had to hurt Elise. Now she actually has to work for a living. Unless she finds another sap like me. Yep, a gold digger, just like Colin. He didn't deserve to live after the way he ruined my life."
He picked up the knife I'd used for the sesame chicken. He started fingering its sharp edge, and a small gasp escaped from my mouth.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. I was Colin's only friend. He alienated everyone else. I let him stay in my apartment—rent free. I tried to
help him, and this was how he repaid me? By sleeping with my fiancée?" Luke rose from the table, picked up the chair he'd been sitting on, and flung it across the room in a sudden fit of rage. It landed against my living room wall, leaving a huge mark and breaking into several pieces.
A small whimper escaped from my mouth as I watched him. He's going to kill me. I wasn't sure how he planned to carry out the deed yet, but that much had become obvious.
"Seriously, what's wrong with women?" Luke asked. "I mean, I know he was a good looking guy, but were all of you really that stupid?"
"Gee, thanks, Luke." I attempted a laugh, but he clearly wasn't amused.
He picked up the knife again. "Hey, don't worry. I was stupid, too. I kept trying to help Colin. After I caught him with Elise, I bided my time. I knew he owed money and was in over his head. He was desperate to get out of town and begged to go along with me when I said I was leaving for New York." His eyes glittered. "What a schmuck."
A bead of sweat trickled down the small of my back. "So you planned to kill him all along?"
Luke's eyes bore into mine. "Like I said, he didn't deserve to live. And I had to even the score." He scratched his head thoughtfully as he studied me. "I'm sorry your boyfriend has to take the blame for it. But he might as well go to prison. The news of your death will send him right over the edge anyway. And then, when he dies, you two can finally be together forever."
I thought about the murder investigation at my bakery last September. I'd almost been a victim then, too. Ever since returning home after the divorce, I had managed to attract several crazy people into my life. How had I become such a magnet for lunatics?
"Please don't do this. You're not thinking straight. I promise I'll try to help you. Just untie me so that we can talk."
Luke sighed as his eyes lingered over me. "I'm sorry. Really I am. Damn, I had the biggest crush on you in high school."
I shivered. "Wow. That's very flattering."
He was busy cutting off a small piece of duct tape with the scissors. "Hmm. But you never noticed, did you? No, because you only had eyes for Donovan, even back then. Too bad. Your loss."
"Luke," I began.
"I'm not sorry I killed Colin. He had it coming. Today, when I asked you to meet, I had a feeling you might have found something to incriminate me. My gut instinct was right. Gee, this really sucks for you."
Panic gripped me tighter than the duct tape as he opened the oven door. No. This can't be happening. "Please, Luke. I'm begging you. Don't do this."
Luke reached behind my stove. "I'd probably use my gun if I hadn't already tossed it into the Niagara River. Quicker but messier. I don't like the thought of leaving you covered in blood. It would ruin my illusion of you. So I'm disconnecting the power to your gas stove. As a result, the electronic igniter won't work. Then I'll turn on the burner, and gas will fill the room. In about a half hour—maybe less—you won't be feeling any more pain. You'll slip into a nice deep sleep. Forever."
Tears filled my eyes. "No. Let's talk some more. Please."
"I'm done talking, Sally. And you should thank me. This is a pretty painless way to go. I mean, you bake all day, so this method is appropriate, right?"
I started to scream, and Luke leaned over to place the duct tape on my mouth. I tried to bite his finger, but he was too quick for me. "Good-bye, Sally."
Luke turned on the burner, gave me one last sympathetic look, and shut the door of my apartment noiselessly. I heard him run down the stairs, and the bells jingled on the front door, announcing his departure.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I managed to wriggle onto my side again, the tape further irritating my wrists and ankles. I groaned as I inched my way across the floor into the living room. It took forever. Had Luke left my phone somewhere? Maybe I could tip the coffee table over and sever the tape on my wrists with its sharp corners. The gas smell was already starting to sicken me. How long before I passed out? Could the building possibly explode?
I tried to think straight but wasn't sure how much time I might have left. If I could reach up and somehow unlock the door with my feet, what would I do then? Roll down the stairs? That might kill me, too. My brain was becoming a confused jumble, and my headache worsened as gas continued to fill my tiny apartment.
I was never going to see my family again. Or Mike. We'd never have our happily ever after that we'd fought so hard for. I finally reached the carpeted flooring and the coffee table. As I was trying to knock it over, a key turned in my door. I looked up to see Mike staring down at me.
For a second, he just stood there, his face registered with disbelief and confusion. The expression immediately changed to one of horror as he rushed to my side and tore the tape off my mouth. I groaned from the pain.
"Baby, who did this to you?"
"Turn off the burner," I croaked. Mike sniffed at the air and ran into the kitchen. He rushed through my apartment, opened every window, and then raced back to my side. He lifted me effortlessly into his arms and gripped me tightly as we made our way down the stairs and into the cold black night.
Mike laid me down on the backseat of his truck and then reached for his cell phone to dial 9-1-1.
"My girlfriend's been attacked," he said to the operator. "Thirty-nine Elk Street." Mike produced a pocketknife from his key ring that he used to free my wrists and feet while he continued talking into the phone. I whimpered when he removed the tape.
His eyes blazed with anger as he looked at me. "Who did this to you?"
"Luke Zibro." I was afraid I might pass out again. "He k-killed Colin."
Mike spoke to the operator. "The guy's name is Luke Zibro. He shot a man named Colin Brown to death last week." He reached over and massaged my wrists. They were painful with large red welts. He brought one to his lips as he continued talking. "I don't know his address. He tied her up and tried to kill her. No, she seems to be all right. Just hurry. Please."
Mike left me for a moment to start the engine. He cracked open the driver's side window and then came back with a blanket to cover me. He slid onto the seat next to me and gathered me in his arms.
"Sal, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"No." My throat was dry, and I wanted to nap. "Not your fault."
His lips were in my hair. "Don't go to sleep, okay, baby? Open your eyes and look at me."
I did as he asked and stared into the deep-blue, mesmerizing eyes I adored so much. They were filled with unshed tears as he crushed me to him. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."
I managed a smile. "You're never going to lose me. You're stuck with me."
"Thank God." I felt him tremble against me. "I shouldn't have left you. I thought it was better that way. I didn't want you involved in this mess. But I only made things worse." He buried his face in my hair.
"Stop saying that." The fresh air was helping my alertness, and now I was shivering from the cold. "Don't ever talk like that again. Don't you understand how much I love you?"
He brushed a kiss across my lips. "I missed you so much."
"I need you," I said. "Always."
CHAPTER TWENTY
The next hour passed in a blur. Police arrived on the scene, along with the fire department and paramedics. They administered oxygen, and then I was brought to a local hospital where my head was checked, and the doctor ran several tests. He said that I was very lucky Mike had found me when he did. I had a minor concussion and was ordered to rest tomorrow. The doctor said someone should stay with me for the next twenty-four hours.
Mike clutched my hand tightly as he spoke to the doctor. "I won't leave her for a second. I promise."
Gianna and Grandma Rosa had also arrived at the hospital after Mike called them from the ambulance. He'd telephoned Josie as well who immediately wanted to make the trip back. Mike assured her I was fine, and he would take care of everything. I'd spoken with her briefly and begged her to stay put. I didn't want to ruin her birthday celebration again. Plus, I had Mike.
That was all I needed right now.
After being assured I was okay, Gianna and Grandma Rosa got ready to depart.
Gianna kissed me. "Sal, I don't know how you always manage to find yourself in these predicaments." She gave Mike a hug. "See that she stays out of trouble."
He grinned. "I'll take care of her. Don't worry."
Grandma Rosa patted my cheek. "You are a tough girl, and everything will be fine now. Your young man is back, and all is as it should be."
Mike gave her a peck on the cheek. "This is all thanks to you. If you hadn't convinced me to come here tonight—" His voice filled with raw emotion. "I can't even bear to think about it. I never should have left town."
Grandma Rosa smiled at him. "You were there when Sally needed you the most. That is what counts."
I hugged her tightly. "Grazie mille, Grandma."
For a split second, I thought I saw her eyes cloud over. "Prego. You both will come for dinner tomorrow night. I will make Mike's favorite."
His mouth opened in surprise. "Oh, wow. Do you mean pasta e fagioli?"
She nodded. "Sì. With a nice green salad and homemade garlic bread. Maybe some tiramisu, too."
"Damn." Mike winked at me. "There are so many advantages to saving your life."
We all laughed, and then Gianna and my grandmother departed. They hadn't been gone five minutes when Brian poked his head into my room. Mike's face turned crimson at the first glimpse of him.
Brian was dressed in uniform. "Is it okay if I come in?"
Mike shrugged and gripped my hand tighter.
I was afraid World War III might commence. "Sure, Brian."
He strolled into the room, hat in hand. "I heard about what happened. Are you okay, Sally?"
Baked to Death (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 2) Page 20