No Escape

by Mary Burton

  Jo hurried to the front door, anxious to deal with Ellie and get into a hot shower. Her muscles ached and her head throbbed. She opened the door.

  Immediately a blast of a foul-smelling mist struck her in the face. She squinted her eyes, rubbing them as they burned. She coughed and staggered back as she stared through the blinding haze to the person at the door.

  Strong arms gripped her. The front door slammed closed, trapping her inside with her attacker. Jo, blinded by the spray and eyes burning, kicked and blindly lashed out, hoping to do some kind of damage. Once or twice she heard a grunt but her attacker recovered from her assaults.

  He hit her hard across the face and she stumbled back against the wall. Blood trickled from a gash on her lip.

  He jerked her forward and as she opened her mouth to scream he pressed a cloth soaked with chloroform over her face. She scraped her fingers over his hands. He grunted and responded by pressing the rag tight against her face. The chemical smells burned up her nose and quickly her head swam. Her world went dark.

  Brody’s phone buzzed, and he picked it up on the second ring. “Winchester.”

  “Officer Raynor with DPS. I have orders to contact you if Dayton crossed our paths.”

  Brody checked his wristwatch. One o’clock. “That’s right. What has he done?”

  “Got himself killed.”

  Brody stiffened. “Say again.”

  “Dayton’s body was found in his garage. He had three shots to the chest.”

  This was the last bit of news he’d expected. “When was he found?”

  “Three hours ago. The medical examiner’s assistant has already cleared the body for transport. It should be in the ME’s lab within the hour.”

  Brody rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, annoyed that it had taken this long for him to be notified.

  “Any witnesses?”

  “None. A neighbor noticed his garage door was open. He went to investigate and found Dayton dead.”

  “Thanks.” Brody hung up and immediately dialed Santos. He explained what had happened and asked Santos to get a copy of Dayton’s phone records.

  “Consider it done.”

  Brody leaned forward in his chair, a theory prowling in the back of his mind. “Be on the lookout for calls to Connors.”

  “Connors?”

  “Dayton was stalking Jo.”

  “And Smith’s apprentice, a.k.a. Connors, didn’t like the fact that Dayton was messing with her.”

  “I think in an odd way Robbie/Connors thinks he’s protecting Smith’s legacy by protecting Jo.”

  “Robbie/Connors shoots Dayton.”

  “Fits.” Brody rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “But don’t limit your search to Connors. I want to know of any connection Dayton might have had to any specific person that doesn’t make sense.”

  “I’ll get right back to you.”

  Brody spent the next hour calling contacts, trying to track Connors, but the more calls he made, the more frustrated he became. It was as if Connors had fallen off the face of the earth. He’d not used his cell and his credit cards had showed no activity. An attempt to ping and locate his phone had failed. Connors had switched it off.

  After he hung up he dialed Jo’s cell. It went straight to voicemail. No doubt she was at the hospital. He thought about driving over there, but decided to give it a few more hours. Seeing him would spike Candace Granger’s blood pressure.

  April knocked on Brody’s door after three. “Your sketch is ready.”

  He shook his head, annoyed that he’d forgotten about the age progression. He rose from his chair and came around his desk.

  April opened a file full of computer printout forms. “I plugged in all kinds of variables. Twenty years can change a person a lot of ways depending on their habits.”

  “Let’s assume he was disciplined and stayed trim and fit. His mentor would have drilled that kind of behavior into him, so it makes sense he’d have held on to the habits.”

  She shuffled through several pages. “Here is your Robbie, provided he lived a clean life and didn’t have any major reconstructive surgeries.”

  Brody studied the picture. He recognized the guy instantly. “Shit.”

  Jo’s head felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton and her mouth was so dry she thought her tongue had swollen. She drew in a breath and tried to lift her head but found the slightest movements made her head throb.

  Groaning, she rolled on her side, aware that she lay on the damp ground. Opening her eyes, her vision filled with the view of freshly tilled soil.

  Tilled soil. Her mind jumped to Christa. And Hanna. Buried alive.

  Her heart kicking into high gear, she pushed through the pain and forced herself to sit up. The sun burned bright and hot, scorching the barren horizon. The surrounding land was covered in brush and low-lying trees. Crickets sang. A coyote howled. She appeared miles from any permanent structure.

  As she shifted, she heard the clink of a chain and felt the pinch of metal against her skin. Wrapped around her ankle was an iron manacle and chain tethered to a tree.

  Panic rising, Jo grabbed at the manacle and tried to pry it free from her ankle. It held fast, scraping her fingertips and breaking her nails. She jerked at the chain but it held firm.

  “Help!” she screamed, her head splitting with each syllable.

  In the distance an owl hooted. But no human responded back to her. She was alone. Chained.

  Brody, Santos and a dozen DPS officers converged on the one-story rancher located at the end of the cul-de-sac. Lights flashing, weapons drawn, the Rangers approached the house with the neatly manicured lawn.

  Brody knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, he ordered the uniforms with the battering ram to take down the door.

  Inside the house, he reached for the light switch but found that it didn’t work. He held up his flashlight and searched the living room furnished with a neat modern sofa, a couple of chairs and a television. Curtains covered what looked like a patio door, and the shag carpet looked smooth and even as if it had been vacuumed.

  Flashlights and guns drawn, the cops moved into the house, searching every room and closet. Every few seconds someone would yell, “Clear!”

  Finally an officer shouted, “Found the electric box.” A click of the circuit breaker and the lights in the room snapped on.

  Brody stood back and surveyed the room, which was as neat and clean as the lawn. On the mantel above a scrubbed fireplace rested a collection of photos. All were of Robbie and Smith. The photos were organized in chronological order with the last photo snapped about ten years ago, shortly before Robbie’s falling-out with Smith.

  On the end table was another picture. One glance at it and rage overtook Brody. Jo was in the picture wearing a Find Christa! T-shirt and standing next to her was Robbie, a.k.a. Tim Neumann.

  Santos came up behind Brody. “What the fuck is he doing with Jo?”

  Brody dug his cell from his pocket and dialed dispatch. “Send officers to Jo Gardner’s house, and if they don’t find her there, go to her office or any place she might haunt. No one rests until she is found.”

  Brody studied the picture more closely. Jo was smiling at the camera whereas Tim was staring at her. The apprentice and the master’s daughter. He thought about the forged letters found on Jo’s front porch. They’d been dusted for prints but were clean, whereas the box of cards held by the attorney had been covered in Smith’s fingerprints. Robbie had gone to a lot of trouble to communicate with Jo.

  His stomach curled. “What better way to best the master than to kill the daughter?”

  Brody’s phone rang. “Sergeant Winchester.” As he listened to the voice on the other end of the line his scowl deepened. “What do you mean her door is open? Go door-to-door. Find me any witnesses.”

  He snapped the phone closed and glared at Santos. “Jo’s neighbor found her front door open and her cats wandering around.”

  Brody moved qui
ckly to his vehicle and slid inside. Gripping the wheel, he fired the engine and shoved his foot into the accelerator. Dirt and gravel kicked up. “She never lets those cats out. She’s in trouble.” He shook his head. “It’s Robbie. Tim. Whatever the hell name he’s using. Smith’s apprentice had gone after Jo.”

  Santos swore. “The ultimate prize in his mind?”

  “He always wanted Harvey’s approval. Maybe he figures he can really win it by reuniting father and daughter.” Brody picked up his phone and dialed another number.

  “Where the hell did he take her? We ran a property search, and this is the only place that surfaced.”

  “He’s a Realtor and has access to dozens of properties.”

  “I’m betting this place is special. Where he has a connection to Smith.”

  Frustration ate at him. They had so many pieces to pull together and so little time. “I don’t know. But there might be someone who does.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Friday, April 19, 5:00 P.M.

  Brody shoved out a breath as he moved to the nurse’s station at the hospital. He’d been calling Jo for the last couple of hours and no answer. So he’d come to the hospital looking for answers. He flashed his badge at the station, got Candy’s room number and knocked briefly. When he heard a clear “Come in,” he entered to find Ellie sitting at Candy’s bedside.

  The Candy he remembered had been a formidable woman. She’d been tough as nails and had sworn up and down she’d skin Brody alive if he ever came near Jo again. He’d backed off, expecting that once Jo healed they could talk. Candace had seen to it that they never did.

  The woman before him now wasn’t the woman who’d faced him down fourteen years ago. Without makeup and with her hair brushed flat against her head, she looked broken and years older.

  Pushing aside whatever resentments he had or didn’t have for Candy, he pulled off his hat. “Mrs. Granger, I am—” She sat up a little straighter. “I know who you are. You look exactly the same.”

  Ellie rose. “You’re Brody Winchester. Jo’s ex.”

  “That’s right.”

  “What do you need, Mr. Winchester?” Candace asked.

  He kept his gaze on her. “I’m looking for Jo.”

  “She isn’t here. Hasn’t been all day. I thought maybe you’d pulled her into another case.”

  His stomach knotted. “She hasn’t been with me, and she’s not been at work.”

  Ellie flexed her fingers at her side. “It’s not like Jo to flake. She always calls. Kinda OCD that way. What’s going on?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” He shifted his gaze back to Candy. “I need to know what you know about Smith.”

  The older woman lowered her gaze. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  Brody cursed, knowing there was no time for gentle coaxing or hand-holding. “Smith had an apprentice. A kid named Robbie who we believe now goes under the name Tim Neumann.”

  Candace’s lips flattened. “I don’t know the name.”

  Brody advanced on the bed, looming over her. “I think Robbie has Jo.”

  The old woman’s eyes widened and filled with tears. “Why would he care about her?”

  “Because Smith believed she was his daughter.”

  Ellie laid her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Time to stop hiding, Momma. Tell what you know.”

  Candace’s pained gaze shifted to her daughter. Her fingers held a white-knuckle grip on the sheets. “You will hate me, Ellie.”

  Ellie sat in the chair by the bed so she could be eye level with her mother. “I won’t hate you, Mom. But you must talk. Is it that Smith is Jo’s real daddy?”

  Candy closed her eyes. “No. It’s not that.”

  “What is it, Momma?”

  “When I met Smith I was seventeen. I thought he was the best man in the world. He listened to me. Told me I was beautiful. We started sneaking around.”

  “You were dating Daddy then?”

  “Yes. I thought I loved Cody until I met Smith. Smith made me see your daddy as small town and simple.”

  Ellie frowned but didn’t say anything.

  “I got in Smith’s truck and thought I was headed to a great adventure.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t a great adventure but a horror show.”

  “What happened?” Brody said.

  “We drove for a half hour outside of Austin toward the hill country. Lots of twists and turns. He took me to a field of bluebonnets. Smith kept saying how much he loved bluebonnets.” Her chin trembled. “But to this day I can see the road signs as clear as day in my head. What he had to show me made me sick.”

  “What was it?”

  “A woman. He’d tied her up and had her lying in a hole in the ground. He told me he had always dreamed of burying a woman alive. He’d wanted to share that dream with me because he loved me.” She squeezed her eyes closed, as if trying to block the memory.

  “What next?” Brody said.

  Ellie squeezed her mother’s hand tighter. “Mom, please tell.”

  “I was upset. I threw up right there. The girl was squirming and trying to scream. There was such terror in her eyes.” She shook her head. “Smith just laughed at her and me. He picked up a shovel and tossed dirt on her.”

  “Did he bury her?” Brody asked.

  Candy shook her head. “God help me, I don’t know. I ran to the truck and started the engine. I backed out of there. Smith was yelling and chasing after me. I drove as fast as I could. Ditched the car in town and ran to your daddy’s house. He could see that I was scared, and he took me in his arms right away. I’d been so hateful to him for weeks but he took me in his arms and told me everything would be all right. I was sorry for all the bad thoughts I’d had for him.”

  “You married Granger soon after?”

  She moistened her dried lips. “Days later.”

  “You were pregnant with Jo when you married Daddy,” Ellie said.

  “Yes.” Candy looked at Ellie. “I told your daddy the truth about the baby. I never lied to him. But he said he’d marry me anyway. I saw what a good man I had in him. I’d been such a fool. We swore we’d never speak to Jo about her real daddy.”

  “What about the girl in the grave?” Brody said.

  “Cody said we had to go back and see. He gathered some of his buddies from the football team and we all rode out there that night. We found the hole in the ground but no girl. I prayed she got away.” She closed her eyes. “I can still see her.”

  Brody thought about the unidentified woman who’d been found with the others. She’d been buried thirty plus years. “Did you know the name of the woman in the ground?”

  “Delores Jones. She lived in town. Worked in a bar.”

  Delores. Mentioned in the letter. “And Smith?”

  “I never saw him again. Until the pageant when Jo was twelve. When I saw him, I just about threw up. I ran from the room but when I came back, he was gone.”

  “Where was the land Smith took you to all those years ago?”

  She gave him the directions, not missing a beat. “I tried to forget where that terrible place was but I couldn’t forget.”

  “Your memory might save Jo.”

  Jo wasn’t sure how long she lay on the dry ground but she guessed it had to be hours. Her skin had grown cold and she’d begun to shiver. She’d tugged so much at her manacle, she’d rubbed the skin around her ankle raw to the point of bleeding.

  In the distance she heard the rumble of a truck engine before the glow of headlights appeared. She scrambled to her feet, jerked at the chain, wincing as the metal rubbed the raw skin of her ankle.

  The truck ambled down the road as if the driver had all the time in the world. When the vehicle came to a halt in front of her she flinched as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights, which fully lighted up the land around her.

  With the engine still running, the driver got out of the truck. She couldn’t see his silhouetted face. She shielded her eye
s, trying to see past the light.

  “Tim?” she said.

  He stepped forward into the light. “Hello again, Jo.”

  She straightened her shoulders, doing her best to look composed. Composed. She was chained to a tree. In the middle of Texas with a madman, and still she clung to control. “Tim, why are you doing this? Help me to understand.”

  Tim tossed a set of keys at Jo. “Unlock the manacle.”

  She eyed the keys lying in the dirt inches from her fingertips and then at the grave now lit up by the headlights. Her heart slammed against her ribs. “So you can drag me to the grave? No, Tim, I’m not going to help you.”

  A half smile tugged at the edges of his mouth as if he were expecting—even welcoming—a fight. “We can do this easy or hard. But either way that manacle is going to be unlocked.”

  She scooped up the keys from the dirt and hurled them into the dark woods. “Then it’s going to be hard. I won’t help you.”

  He closed the gap between them, grabbing her throat with his hand and slamming her body against the hard ground. Air whooshed from her lungs and her head hit against a hard root. He squeezed so hard she could only blink as her hands came up to his fingers and tried to pry them loose. She coughed and sputtered to catch her breath, but could not break his grip.

  He squeezed harder, laughing as her eyes bulged. “I used to tell Harvey that he was a fool to love you. I told him I was the best child he could ever have. But that never stopped him from talking all the time about his perfect little girl. Jo earned straight A’s. Jo was accepted into college. Jo is earning her master’s.”

  Jo’s gaze dimmed and she could feel herself losing consciousness.

  “I told him to go see you, but he was afraid. Kept saying he didn’t do well with women. Said it was a matter of time before he turned on you. But he wanted more than anything to be with you.”

  She struggled to breathe.

  “Well, now I have a chance to give Harvey what he always wanted. Eternity with his little Jo. And then he’ll finally know that I was the best child.”