Deadly Sins: Wrath

by Cheryl Bradshaw

  “When that door opens next time, you need to be ready.”

  Rebecca stared at the stick of wood for a moment. “I want to ... I mean ... I want to be free ... I just ... what if it doesn’t work? Think about what she’ll do to us.”

  Maddie gripped Rebecca’s shoulders. “We’re not dealing with a sane woman here. If you just sit and do nothing, you die.”

  Rebecca’s eyes filled with tears. “She drugged us, but aside from that, she hasn’t even hurt us yet. What makes you think we’re going to die?”

  Maddie wasn’t sure whether Rebecca was in denial, a state of self-preservation, or a bit of both. Either way, Maddie was unsure she could count on her.

  “I’m going to level with you,” Maddie said, “because you need to understand what happens in these situations. You don’t see the person who abducted you and then get to walk away. You need to look at this like it’s either your life or hers. Choose.”

  “But we don’t even know why we’re here. Maybe we can talk to her.”

  “And say what? Please don’t hurt us? Please let us go? If she didn’t have an endgame, she wouldn’t have taken us in the first place.”

  The sound of a car pulling into the driveway brought the conversation to an abrupt stop.

  “Did you hear that?” Rebecca asked. “I think she’s back.”

  Maddie nodded. “When she comes down here, you need to be ready.”

  Rebecca sighed, worried. “I understand.”

  It wasn’t long before the sound of footsteps could be heard. Maddie raised a finger to her lips, prompting a wide-eyed, terror-stricken Rebecca to keep quiet. Stick in hand, Maddie hid behind the door and waited. Rebecca stood a couple feet behind her. The door opened, and Sharon poked her head around it. Maddie lunged forward, striking the woman in the head.

  Sharon wobbled, then tumbled to the ground.

  Rebecca yelped and dropped her stick.

  Maddie grabbed her. “Come on! Let’s go!”

  “What about the person in the next room?”

  “We need to get out of here. Then we’ll call for help.”

  Rebecca let go of Maddie’s hand, and when Maddie reached the stairs, she glanced back. Rebecca wasn’t in tow.

  Stupid girl.

  You made your choice.

  You’re on your own now.

  She climbed the stairs, sprinting toward the front door. She was close, so close, so ready to leave the nightmare behind, until a gunshot rang out, followed by Rebecca’s scream.

  Freedom was only a short distance away.

  But how could she leave Rebecca behind?

  “I underestimated you,” Sharon said. “A slip-up I won’t repeat again. Turn around.”

  Sharon’s forehead was swollen and red. But what caught Maddie’s eye was the gun pointed in her direction.

  “Is Rebecca still alive? Did you kill her?”

  “Why do you care? You were going to leave her here, take care of yourself. I hate your type—selfish, concerned with no one else’s needs other than your own.”

  “You don’t know anything about me. If you did, you wouldn’t say what you just did.”

  “Sure I would. Now get back downstairs, and this time, don’t try anything stupid.”

  “Who are you? Why have you brought us both here? And who’s in the room next to us?”

  Sharon tipped her head toward the stairs. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Maddie thought about flinging the front door open and taking her chances, but she knew Sharon would take a shot at her. Even if the woman missed the first time, Maddie doubted she’d make it far before Sharon tried again.

  Run.

  Don’t run.

  The outcome would most likely be the same.

  Without food or water, Maddie was running on fumes, drained, her body wasting away.

  “You get your ass down those stairs, or I’ll put a bullet in you too,” Sharon said.

  Defeated, Maddie made her way back to the bedroom. Rebecca sat on the floor, rocking herself back and forth, her hand pressed against her shoulder where she had been shot.

  “Best keep pressure on it,” Sharon said. “Or don’t. Makes no difference to me.”

  Rebecca glared at Sharon, her eyes mean and cold, filled with the enthusiasm Maddie had wanted to see from her just minutes before.

  “All right then,” Sharon said. “Both of you follow me.”

  “I don’t know if I can stand,” Rebecca whined.

  “I suggest you try.”

  Maddie held her hand out. “Come on, Rebecca. I’ll help you up.”

  Sharon swatted Maddie’s hand away. “It’s her fault the two of you are in this situation. Let her do it herself.”

  Rebecca made it to her feet, and Sharon escorted both women to an empty room a few doors down.

  No beds.

  No portable potty.

  “Much better, isn’t it?” Sharon joked. “Nothing to make a weapon with in here.”

  Sharon backed out of the room, locking the door behind her. Minutes later, she returned, opening the door and shoving a third woman inside. The woman appeared disoriented, drugged in the same way Maddie and Rebecca had been before.

  “Who is she?” Maddie asked.

  Sharon glanced at Maddie, grinned. “Meet Elaina, your temporary roommate.”

  Brandon lived in a modest home in Pinebrook, a suburb of Park City. The front lawn had been mowed in perfect, vertical lines, which appeased my OCD, but it was a stark contrast to the filthy Ford F-150 parked in the driveway.

  Coop parked curbside, opened the car door, glanced at Nick sitting in the passenger seat, and then back at me. “Stay in the car. I’ll handle this. I’ll fill you in when we get back.”

  He nodded at Nick, and the two of them got out of the car. I opened the door and stepped out with them.

  “I’m not sitting in the car,” I said. “I’m going with you.”

  “For hell’s sake, woman,” Coop said. “Why must you be so difficult all the time?”

  I wasn’t difficult. I was stubborn. Big difference.

  When he’d started dating my grandmother, I was shocked and unnerved. But she was unlike any woman I’d ever met and had an ability to speak to him in a way that softened his arduous side—an ability I lacked when it came to him. If we were to continue to work together on cases, I needed to do better, find a way to bridge the gap between us. Not just for him—for me.

  “Please, Coop.”

  Please.

  A word I was sure I hadn’t ever used when speaking to him. And judging by the stunned expression on his face, it gave him pause, allowing me to further plead my case.

  “You can question him,” I said. “I just want to observe. I won’t say a thing. Not this time, anyway.”

  After further contemplation, he wagged a finger in my direction. “One word. You utter a single word and you’ll never come along again. Got it?”

  Deciding now was a good time to demonstrate my new skill, I nodded and we were on our way. A woman I guessed to be in her late sixties answered the door. She had short, gray hair and wore a sundress with a knitted shawl on top.

  She smiled at Coop. “Well, hello there. It’s been a while. Do you remember me?”

  It was obvious he didn’t.

  “No offense, ma’am, but no, I don’t,” he replied.

  “I’m Carolyn. We met at a blackjack table in Wendover. You were with a woman. Think she was your girlfriend or your wife. Such a lovely woman. Funny, as I recall. How is she? You two still together?”

  I had the feeling she hoped they weren’t.

  “Ma’am,” Coop said, “I’m looking for Brandon Miller. Does he live here?”

  She nodded. “Brandon is my son. Poor thing just went through a divorce. The nasty woman he was married to just up and left one day. No note, no communication, no explanation. I’m helping him get back on his feet again.”

  The perfectly manicured grass and contrasting soiled truck made sense now. Carol
yn was clean. Brandon was messy.

  “Is he here now?” Coop asked. “I need to speak with him.”

  “Aren’t you the chief of police?”

  “I am.”

  “Has my son done something wrong?”

  “I just need to ask him a few questions.”

  “May I ask why?”

  Coop sighed, but was spared from further explanation when Brandon appeared at the door.

  “Can I help you?” Brandon asked.

  “Did you have a date with Madison LaFoe last night?”

  He scratched his head. “I mean, maybe. Gal said her name was Maddie. Don’t know her last name. Crazy bitch, I can tell you that.”

  I balled my hands into fists, but said nothing. I was determined to honor my promise. Coop gave me a slight nod, letting me know he’d handle it.

  “Watch your language, son.”

  Brandon laughed. “Watch my language? Really? Why? You’re standing on my front porch.”

  “It’s your mother’s front porch, not yours, and given I’m the chief of police, I expect you to behave with a higher level of respect.”

  Carolyn patted Brandon’s hand. “Son, you shouldn’t say anything more. I’ll call the attorney.”

  He shook his head. “No need, Mom. I did nothing wrong.”

  “Still, I think it would be best if—”

  Brandon looked at Coop. “Is Maddie trying to say something happened on our date? If she is, she’s lying.”

  “Why are you making assumptions?” Coop asked. “I haven’t even asked you anything yet.”

  Carolyn’s eyes brightened suddenly, like a light had just flicked on in her head. “She’s the woman they were talking about on the news this morning, isn’t she?”

  Coop nodded.

  “What do you mean?” Brandon said. “Why was she on the news?”

  “She’s missing,” Coop said, “and you were with her right before it happened. Another woman, Rebecca Preston, is also missing. Do you know her?”

  Brandon waved both hands in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. First off, I don’t know anyone named Rebecca. Second, what do you mean by ‘missing’?”

  “We believe she was abducted after leaving the restaurant,” Coop said. “And from what I understand, you didn’t part on good terms.”

  “On good terms?” Brandon said. “She attacked me for no reason and then kneed me in the nuts.”

  “What did you do to cause her to react the way she did?”

  “Nothin’. I swear.”

  “He didn’t do anything,” Carolyn said. “Please. My son would never hurt a woman. He’s incapable of such a thing.”

  “Her car was found shortly after leaving you,” Coop said, “in a ditch, abandoned on the side of the road.”

  “Doesn’t mean I had anything to do with it.”

  “I was told that you’d forced her against her car in the restaurant parking lot.”

  “Never happened.”

  “Cut the crap, all right?” Coop said. “She made a call before she went missing, told her friend all about the date. The call was cut short when she thought she was being followed. I imagine, after she humiliated you, you had an ax to grind. Am I right?”

  “You can’t believe everything you hear. How do you know her friend isn’t lying?”

  Coop looked at me. “Sloane, are you lying?”

  I placed my hands on my hips, giving him a strong, nonverbal message.

  Brandon threw his hands in the air. “Oh, come on. You’ve been on a bad date before, haven’t you? Look man, I went to the bathroom, came back to the table, and she had bailed on me. I looked out the restaurant window and saw her walking to her car. I couldn’t believe it. She didn’t even have the decency to tell me she was leaving to my face, so yeah, I followed her to her car. I wanted her to know walking out on me wasn’t cool.”

  “You thought you would teach her a lesson. You wanted to scare her, right?”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth. I just wanted to talk.”

  “You didn’t just talk though. You attacked her.”

  “I didn’t hurt her. Look, I was mad. She humiliated me.”

  We were going in circles, something Coop was quick to pick up on.

  “Let’s move on,” Coop said. “After the altercation in the parking lot, she left, and then what happened?”

  “I went home.”

  “What time did you arrive?”

  Brandon shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Try.”

  “I’d guess it was just after ten o’clock.”

  Coop looked at Carolyn. “Is that when he arrived home?”

  “I ... I’m not sure.”

  “What were you doing when he returned?”

  “Watching television.”

  “What were you watching?”

  “Parenthood reruns on Netflix.”

  Whether true or not, it was the perfect way to protect her son without being forced into giving a straight answer.

  “According to Madison,” Coop said, “someone was following her too close. A few minutes later, she crashed.”

  “I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with it. I went straight home. I didn’t stop for anything. When she tore out of the parking lot, it was the last I saw of her. I swear.”

  “When you followed her out of the restaurant, was there anyone else in the parking lot at the time?”

  “I didn’t pay much attention to our surroundings. Why?”

  “We believe a woman may have offered Madison assistance after she crashed. It’s possible she was a Good Samaritan. It’s also possible she has something to do with why Madison went missing.”

  He glanced up, thinking. “There was a woman sitting in her car in the takeout stall. I didn’t notice her at first because her car wasn’t running, and the parking lot was dark. After Maddie drove off, the woman started her car and left. I thought it was strange.”

  “Thought what was strange?”

  “I never saw her go into the restaurant. If she was there to pick up food, why didn’t she do it?”

  “Did you see which way she went when she left the parking lot? Was it the same direction Madison went in?”

  “Umm ... I’m not sure.”

  “How long after Madison drove away did the woman pull out?”

  “It was right after.”

  Coop started to say something and then halted. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He put the phone to his ear. “This is Coop.”

  His face went somber, and he said, “When and where? All right. I’ll be there soon.”

  He ended the call.

  “Time to go?” Nick asked.

  Coop nodded, then looked at Brandon. “Stick around here for the next few days. I may be back.”

  Brandon stepped inside the house and shut the door.

  On the way back to the car, Coop nudged me. “Well, Sloane, I have to hand it to you. I’ve never seen you keep quiet like you did back there. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “The phone call you just received seemed serious. Everything all right?”

  He shook his head. “A third woman is missing. We need to figure out what links these women together before it happens again.”

  I nodded, knowing this day would be ingrained in my mind forever—a milestone reached—the moment Coop first uttered the word we.

  Elaina sat with her back against the wall, seething. She was an inch or two shorter than Maddie and had round, luminous blue eyes. Her arms and thighs were slender, but firm, like solid muscle.

  “My name is Maddie, and this is Rebecca. Are you all right?”

  An unresponsive Elaina remained in a trancelike state, her breathing rapid and sharp, body full of adrenaline. Maddie backed down. Elaina would talk when she was ready. For now, Maddie’s time was better spent tending to Rebecca’s wound. She removed the button-up shirt she wore over her tank top, tugging at the fabric until it tore into thick, elongated strips.
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  “What are you doing?” Rebecca asked.

  Maddie knelt in front of her. “Making a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Let me see the entry wound.”

  “If I take my hand away, I’m afraid it will—”

  Afraid.

  It was a perfect description of Rebecca.

  Maddie gently removed Rebecca’s hand, working fast to wrap the fabric around the wound, pulling it tight.

  “It hurts,” Rebecca said.

  “I can’t do anything about the pain, but the fabric should help stop the bleeding for now.”

  Rebecca smiled. “Thanks.”

  Thanks.

  Maddie tried to keep her cool, but knew she was losing it. “You know what? Save your gratitude. And just so we’re clear, you ever pull something like that again, you’re on your own. We had a plan, and you didn’t stick to it. If you would have done what I asked, you might not be sitting here bleeding. We had a chance to get out of here, one we might not get again because of your screw-up.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just ... I panicked.”

  “When? Before or after you decided to play hero and rescue the person in the next room?”

  “I ... I don’t know.”

  Frustrated, Maddie was tired of Rebecca’s timid, deer-in-the-headlights temperament. “Where did the gun come from? Sharon didn’t have one in her hand when I whacked her with the stick.”

  “I didn’t see one either. I thought you’d knocked her unconscious, so I ran out of the room. I tried getting into the next room, but then I heard someone coming. Sharon pulled the gun from underneath her shirt and shot me. I screamed and ran down the hall. She chased after me, said if I didn’t get back in the room she’d fire again. Like I said, I know I screwed up. I’m sorry. I figured you’d found a way out.”

  “I was almost out the door, and then I heard you scream,” Maddie said. “I had planned on grabbing a knife from the kitchen and coming after you. Sharon was fast. She stopped me before I had the chance.”

  “Did you see anything while you were upstairs?”

  “You know the house I thought I saw out the bedroom window? It isn’t a house. It’s a stable. I saw a few horses in the front yard and a dirt road leading out of here.”