He had changed into his uniform. His gun was in its holster, and he was carrying one of his rifles. He didn’t look at her. Didn’t speak to her. He simply walked out.
She heard the door close. His footsteps cross the porch. The SUV’s engine start, then a moment later, fade into the distance. And still she stood there, wondering how such a wonderful afternoon had turned into the evening from hell.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a sob shuddered through her. Unwilling to cry just yet, she sniffled and headed for the bedroom, turning on lights along the way. She hauled her suitcases from the closet, laid them open on the bed and began methodically packing. Her impulse was to throw everything into the bags in a tangled heap, slam them shut and get the hell out, the way he wanted, but she forced herself to do the job neatly. She would not fall apart. She was leaving here with dignity and self-respect, even if no one else saw it.
Tonight, alone in a motel bed somewhere, she would fall part.
Working on autopilot, she managed to get almost everything into her bags. As usual, she’d made a few purchases on her and Lexy’s shopping trips, so the shoes that had come out of the largest bag wouldn’t fit back in. Not a problem. She had shopping bags in the pantry. Granted, a Wal-Mart bag wasn’t quite as elegant as Louis Vuitton, but it was functional, and that was all she cared about.
She carried the tote bag that contained her toiletries and the largest suitcase into the living room and left them on a patch of bare floor, then returned for the medium-sized case and her camera bag. Then she circled around to the pantry, flipped on the light switch and reached for a bag on the bottom shelf. When she lifted it, something slender and black slithered over the edge of the shelf. Her first thought was a snake, and she shrieked and jerked back, then realized it was a cord—the cord to Lexy’s headphones. She pulled them out, then the CD player, then the CDs.
Hands trembling, she carried it all to the dining table. She’d completely forgotten about confiscating them on Thursday. When they’d left the house that day for lunch and grocery shopping, Lexy hadn’t even noticed that they were missing from her backpack, and after the mugging…
After the mugging, she’d thought they’d been stolen.
Could this be what Adam Napier was after?
Hallie slid into a chair and examined the headphones and the player. She was no expert, but they appeared normal to her. Next she spread out the dozen cases. She was familiar with most of the artists by name only. Her tastes in music were vastly different from Lexy’s…except for one.
She wasn’t a big jazz fan, but Max had been, so she was more than familiar with Ella Fitzgerald. She couldn’t imagine that Lexy had ever even heard of her, but that was Ella’s face smiling up from the case. Hallie picked it up, turned it over and scanned the song titles, then opened it.
She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until a burn started in her lungs. As she exhaled, she carefully removed the disc from the case, balancing it on one fingertip, and looked at it. It was bright, shiny silver, unblemished, and looked like about half the packaged CDs she’d seen before except for one detail—there was no label affixed to it. Nothing to identify that disc as having Ella’s music on it.
Maybe Adam Napier had burned the disc himself and hadn’t bothered to label it because he was the compulsive sort who returned a CD to its case the instant he was finished listening to it.
Or maybe it didn’t hold Ella’s music at all.
She put it in the CD player, slid the headphones into place and pressed the play button. Nothing happened. Oh, the lights came on in the display and the whirring sound indicated that the disc was spinning, but that was all. She checked the volume, pressed the skip button, stopped it, then started it again. Nothing.
After putting another CD in the player, she hit Play and music blared out. Once more she tried the unmarked CD, and once more nothing happened.
Why would a disc not play? she wondered as she returned it to its case. Given that the CD player and headphones were working just fine, she could think of only two reasons: because it had nothing recorded on it…or because it held data rather than music.
Data such as business records. Illicit business records.
That could explain going to so much trouble to steal a kid’s backpack, then kidnapping the same kid.
She went to the phone just inside the kitchen door, dialed the first three digits of Brady’s cell phone number, then stopped. She wasn’t being petty, truly she wasn’t, but she didn’t want to talk to him, not yet. If she gave the disc to him, who knew what he might do next—what danger he might put himself in to save his daughter? And even though he was Lexy’s father and the acting sheriff, Ryan Sandoval seemed to be in charge of the case.
She disconnected, then dialed the non-emergency number for the sheriff’s department. The call was answered by a man with a scratchy voice who sounded as if he had an awful cold or had spent fifty years too many smoking. “This is Hallie Madison,” she said calmly, coolly. “I need to get in touch with Deputy Sandoval right away about Lexy Marshall’s kidnapping. It’s urgent.”
The man put her on hold, and she waited impatiently. She would tell Ryan what she’d found, make arrangements to deliver all the CDs to him, and then go from there to…wherever she decided to go. Tulsa seemed a good bet. She could hole up in a motel, but still be reachable by Dane Watson if anything came up regarding Neely’s house, and be close enough to make a couple of trips. Then, once Neely got home next Saturday, she would give her a hug and a kiss and get the hell out of Oklahoma.
Even if the mere thought of it made her want to weep.
After what seemed like forever, Ryan came on the line, and she told him what she’d found. “I’ll be there in five minutes to pick it up,” he said, but she quickly spoke up.
“No. I’ve got to go out anyway. I’ll bring it to the courthouse. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
She stuffed the CDs and player in the shopping bag she’d gotten, then took another from the pantry and threw her shoes inside. Her arms filled with bags, she managed to get the door open, then froze.
There at the foot of the steps were Lexy, the two punks who’d burned down Brady’s house and a third man.
I knew you were both trouble, Brady had said. If he were there, she would beg to differ with him. She knew trouble when she saw it, and right now it was standing on her steps.
In the form of Adam Napier.
Chapter 14
Acting on instinct, Hallie slammed and locked the door, dropped all the bags except the one with the CDs and made a mad dash for the back of the house. As the sounds of splintering wood filtered back to her, she pulled out the Ella CD, tossed the bag through her open bedroom door, then skidded into the kitchen. A small lip edged the top of the cabinets all the way around. She threw the disc up there, made certain it wasn’t visible, then turned to the back door. Just as she reached it, it swung in and the tall, unremarkable man stepped inside, made oh, so much more memorable by the gun he was pointing at her. A moment later his shorter companion came racing down the hall.
“You should have better manners than to run out on your company before you even get introduced,” the tall man said.
“Let’s go back with the others.”
Her heart pounding, Hallie walked back down the hall ahead of them. When she reached the living room, Lexy flung herself into her arms. “Oh, Hallie, I was so afraid! I thought you’d come to get me, only it was him and he took me to this awful place way out in the country and—”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Hallie murmured, patting her gently for a moment before holding her at arm’s length for a quick look. The skin around the girl’s wrists and her mouth was red and irritated—from duct tape, Hallie would bet—and her eyes were red, too, from a few tears. But there wasn’t any sign that she’d been mistreated, beyond being bound and gagged.
Pulling her close again, Hallie hugged her hard. “I p
romise you, Lexy, it’s going to be okay.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Alessandra?” Napier asked.
Hallie gave him a scornful look. He was exactly as Ethan James had described him, though Ethan had left out handsome, with a smile as phony as a three-dollar bill. “I believe that can wait until the day I see you arraigned in court for kidnapping and breaking and entering.”
“That isn’t going to happen. But suit yourself.” He gestured with his weapon. “Alessandra.”
Lexy turned her fearful gaze on Hallie. “He wants my CDs. I told him they were in my backpack when those goobers stole it, but he says they weren’t. Do you have them?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I got tired of seeing you with headphones growing out of your ears. They’re in my bedroom.” She gently freed herself from Lexy’s embrace and took two steps before finding both goobers’ guns pointed her way. “Fine,” she said with a shrug. “You find them.”
“Go on, Jeff,” Napier said. “While we wait, why don’t you two sit down over there on the couch?”
Hallie pulled Lexy to the sofa, and they sat side by side on the third farthest from him. She was pleased that Lexy seemed to feel she offered some protection, but she had to nudge the girl to move over a few inches and give her room to breathe.
“Where’s my dad?” Lexy whispered tearfully.
“He’s out.”
“Looking for me?”
“Yeah.”
Lexy rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “I sure wish he would come home.”
Hallie didn’t tell her that he probably would in the next few minutes—if not him, then Deputy Sandoval—looking for the same CD Napier wanted. She just hoped whoever came was observant enough to notice there were two Mercedes out there instead of one. But dusk had already fallen, and her car was parked in front of Brady’s truck. Anyone could be forgiven for overlooking it.
“There’s nothin’ in here but clothes!” Jeff yelled from down the hall.
Hallie coolly looked at Napier. “He’s in the wrong room.”
Napier grimaced impatiently. “Aw, jeez, take him to the right room, Bud. This house isn’t big enough to have more than two bedrooms. How difficult can it be?”
Bud disappeared, and a moment later came the sounds of dresser drawers opening and closing. Only a few minutes later, both men returned. “There’s nothin’ in that room at all,” Jeff said. “The closet and the drawers are all empty.”
Hallie gave Lexy a wide-eyed how-stupid-can-they-be look. “Did you look under the bed?” She’d given the bag a hard enough fling at a low enough angle that it should have slid right under the edge of the bed. “You know, Mr. Napier, if this is an example of the kind of help you hire, it’s a wonder you can stay in business.”
“I’m sorry to say you have a point, Ms. Madison.” Then he gave her an oily smile. “See? We didn’t need introductions after all. Our Alessandra likes to talk, doesn’t she? She told me all about you, and apparently she’s mentioned me to you.”
“A time or two.” Hallie glanced at her watch. She could have reached the courthouse by now if she’d been bunny-hopping on one foot. Surely Ryan was wondering what had happened to her.
Mutt and Jeff—er, Bud and Jeff came back carrying the bag. “Here it is,” Jeff said, handing it over to his boss. “We found it.”
“Found it?” Napier repeated. “Hell, she told you exactly where it was, and you still needed help.” He dumped the bag out in the nearest easy chair, then sorted through the CDs.
In spite of her marriage to Max and rubbing elbows with the film community for years, Hallie had never had the slightest interest in acting. At that moment, though, she was praying to discover just a smidgen of talent somewhere deep inside, because any second now, Napier was going to discover that his CD was missing, and her and Lexy’s lives might depend on how convincing her denial was.
“Where is it?” Napier came around the coffee table and jerked Hallie to her feet. “Where is the Ella Fitzgerald CD?”
“You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t listen to Ella.” Though his fingers were biting into her arm, she pretended it didn’t hurt and glanced at Lexy. “Do you listen to Ella?” She tried to sound surprised while at the same time just slightly shaking her head.
“I—I do,” Lexy said, “but—but I don’t have it w-with me. I didn’t take any of your CDs.”
“You lying brat. How do you explain the coincidence of my CD disappearing the same night you did? Who would you have me believe took it? Your mother? She wouldn’t know good music if you piped it directly into her brain.”
“I didn’t take any of your CDs,” Lexy repeated, a bit more agitated. “Why would I? I don’t like that stuff you listen to!”
“It’s just a CD,” Hallie added. “They sell them everywhere. If Ella is that important to you, tell me which one it is, and I’ll drive to Tulsa tonight and find another copy.”
Napier’s gaze settled on her face. His eyes were light brown, with enough hint of yellow in them to give them an unholy look. “This one has information on it, not music—information a lot of people would very much like to have. But I suspect you already know that, don’t you?”
A chill went through Hallie. She didn’t know much about being a hostage, but it seemed to her that the crook confessing anything to his hostage was a bad sign—like maybe he intended to kill them. Was Napier so evil that he could kill his own wife’s daughter? Was he that desperate to protect his illegal activities and his freedom?
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Napier, but we can’t give you something we don’t have.”
“Oh, but you do have it.”
“Lexy told you—”
“Alessandra is lying.”
“I am not!” Lexy cried, sounding so sincere and distressed that Hallie would have believed her if she hadn’t known better. Unfortunately, Adam Napier seemed predisposed not to believe her.
“I’m not a foolish woman, Mr. Napier,” Hallie said, her voice trembling. “I don’t like being assaulted, and I really don’t like being held at gunpoint in my own home. If I had what you’re looking for, don’t you think I would give it to you? Do you really think I’m stupid enough to stand here and lie to three armed men?”
He gave her a shove back onto the couch. Taking a seat on the arm of the easy chair, he studied them both, then slowly smiled. It reminded Hallie of a snake that had located its prey. After a time, he spoke to his thugs. “Get the girl.”
Lexy clung to Hallie, but they were no match for the two men. Kicking the coffee table out of the way, they dragged her, struggling and cursing, into the center of the room. Once she was secured in the men’s hold, Napier walked over, extended his arm and held his pistol mere inches from her forehead. “I don’t think you’re stupid at all, Ms. Madison. I think you’re beginning to understand the lengths I would go to to retrieve my property.”
“Hallie!” Lexy whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.
Hallie was horrified. “You would kill your own stepdaughter?”
“She’s been nothing but a nuisance from the time I met her. Her mother and I will both be happier without her. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that you’re the only person who might miss her…provided you’re alive to miss anyone.”
What was it about Madisons and Marshalls? Only a few months earlier, Eddie Forbes had put a gun to Brady’s head in order to persuade Neely to come out of Reese’s safe room. Now it was Lexy’s life on the line, and Hallie’s decision to make.
But Neely had had a gun hidden in her pocket, and the cavalry, in the form of Jace Barnett, had been right outside the door. Hallie didn’t have a weapon, wouldn’t know how to use it if she did, and had no clue where the cavalry was.
She stood up, fingers laced tightly in front of her to keep them from shaking. “Okay. I’ll make a deal with you.”
“I’m not interested in deals. I’ve got the gun, the accomplices and the hostages.”
“A
nd I’ve got the CD.”
For one interminable moment, the room was utterly still. Other than Lexy’s sniffles and her own heart thudding double time, there was no other sound. Then, very slowly, Napier lowered the gun. “What’s your deal?”
“You let Lexy go, and I’ll give it to you.”
“I have a better idea. You give it to me now, and I won’t kill Alessandra.”
“You just said you didn’t think I was stupid, yet you expect me to believe that you’ll let her walk out of here alive after you’ve got the CD?” Hallie shook her head. “She leaves first, and we watch her go. When she reaches the first intersection unharmed, I’ll give you your property.”
Napier considered it a moment, but he clearly wasn’t wild about the idea. “What if we just go ahead and shoot her?”
Hallie’s chest tightened until she could barely breathe. “Then you’ll have to kill me, too.”
“We can do that.”
“Yes, but you’ll never see the disc again, and I swear to God, her father will track you down and kill you.”
“Aw, hell.” Napier pulled Lexy away from the two men, then pushed her toward the door.
Lexy stumbled and caught herself, then turned toward Hallie. “I can’t just leave you here!” she cried. “Please, Hallie, you can’t…!”
Hallie smiled in spite of the tears burning her own eyes. “It’s okay, sweetie. Go to the courthouse, all right?”
Lexy started toward her, no doubt for a hug, but Napier blocked her way. “Go on, get out of here, brat.”
With Mutt and Jeff leading the way and Napier bringing up the rear, they moved as a group onto the porch. Hallie watched Lexy haltingly walk to the end of the driveway, where she looked back and lifted one hand in a forlorn wave. When she started toward town, she picked up her pace until she was running.
When she reached the intersection with Cedar, Hallie drew a calming breath. Walking back into that house, knowing they would probably kill her, was the hardest thing she’d ever faced. But at least Lexy was safe, or would be in a few more minutes. And who knew? Maybe she would bring back Brady and his deputies in time to rescue Hallie, or heck, maybe she would find a way to rescue herself.
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