Bile rose to her throat. Abby swallowed.
"Oh yes, I've imagined doing a lot of things to you, sweet little Abigail."
She was trapped with a sicko who would kill her if she couldn't get away. Hopefully, he wasn't going to try and rape her first.
"Would you scream for me the way you do for Faraday?" He laughed when she flinched. "Too bad we won't have time to find out."
Had enough time passed for the call to go through? Maybe it hadn't been too smart to send her call to the same man she'd driven from her life a week ago. If he checked his caller ID, he might not even answer. She had to believe he still cared enough not to ignore the call. He had to. She'd just put her life in his hands.
"You'll never get away with this, Billings," she said over-loudly. "It'll only be a matter of time before you get caught."
"I won't get caught. Now you're going to get some paper, and we'll write that note." He trained the gun on her chest. "And don't try anything cute."
"I've got paper in my briefcase." She inched slowly closer to the club chair where she'd dropped it earlier. She stooped down on one knee in front of the chair.
"I don't think Simms will believe I killed myself," she said clearly as she reached into her briefcase. "You already said he was getting too suspicious. He'll figure out you killed me and Dick both."
"Shut up and get the damn paper," he said with a growl from right behind her.
Abby pulled it from the case, her fingers shaking. She moved as slowly as she dared, prolonging every second. She planned on dragging this out as long as possible. The Declaration of Independence was written in less time than she intended to take with this damn note. She wasn't ready to die.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gage shifted the phone to his other ear and held it in place with his shoulder. "There's no way I can get there before the end of the month to do an interview, Brett," he said as he paged through the proposal Grace was waiting to get a final approval on before she left for the evening.
The intercom buzzed and he put Brett on hold.
"Detective Simms is on line two," Grace said.
"Tell him I'm just wrapping up another call. If he wants to wait, I'll be with him in a minute." He switched to the other line. "I'm back. Listen, if she's that good just go ahead and make her an offer. We need to fill Henderson's old position, and I trust your judgment."
"She's that good and then some," Brett assured him.
"Fine, then we don't want to risk losing her, do we?" Gage wrapped up the call and glanced at the blinking light on his desk phone. What did the good detective want now? Had there been a break in the case? Christ he hoped so. The longer it dragged out the wider he feared the chasm between him and Abby would grow.
He closed his eyes a moment. It all came back to Abby. He'd reached for the phone a hundred times over the last week and driven past her house almost every night fighting the battle between honoring her request to leave her alone or giving in to his desire to be with her. In the end he'd given her the space she wanted. He'd been so sure she would have called by now. But there had been no calls. Now he wasn't sure of anything where she was concerned. And with the doubt, his optimism had begun to fade with each passing day.
He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck then took the detective's call. "This is Faraday. What can I do for you, Simms?"
"I'm trying to get in touch with Abby Carpenter. Her boss said she already left the office, but she's not answering her home line. I thought she might be with you or if not, you could tell me how to reach her."
Gage closed his eyes. "She's not with me." He glanced at his watch. "She usually meets Rachael Gooding for dinner on Tuesdays."
"Do you have her cell number?"
"Yes."
"What is it?" The urgency in Simms's voice set off an alarm in Gage's head.
"Tell me what's so important you can't wait for her to return your call, and I'll consider giving it to you." Gage waited through several seconds of silence before Simms spoke again.
"I don't have anything concrete to go on, but there's a chance she may be in danger. I thought we should—"
Gage shot out of his desk chair. "What danger?" he demanded as the icy fingers of fear clawed his gut.
"I don't know yet. It may be nothing more than—"
"Hold on." Gage pulled the cell out of his pocket when he recognized the ring tone he'd programmed into the phone to identify Abby's calls. Fur Elise. She'd told him it was her favorite Beethoven concerto. He glanced at the ID and confirmed the incoming call was from her. "She's calling on my cell right now," he told Simms and flipped the phone open to connect the call.
"Abby?" All he heard was dead air. "Abby, it's Gage, are you there?" He furrowed his brows. There didn't seem to be anyone on the line.
He was about to disconnect and call back when he picked up voices in the background. He listened closer and recognized the tone of Abby's voice but wasn't able to make the words out clearly. She probably still had his number programmed into her phone and had accidentally hit the speed dial button. He'd done that a couple of times himself.
He cocked his head. Was that a man's voice he'd just heard?
You'll never get away with this Billings, he heard Abby say quite distinctly; and then something about time to get caught. If she wasn't at the office, where was she that she would be talking to Harold Billings?
Billings, at least he assumed it was Billings, responded, but Gage couldn't quite get it. It sounded like he said something about paper and being cute.
I don't think Simms will believe I killed myself. Gage's heart thudded to a stop. He'll figure out you killed me and Dick both.
"She's with Harold Billings. He's threatening to kill her." Gage informed Simms in a rush. "Somehow she got a call out to me without tipping him off, and I can hear parts of their conversation."
"Do you know where they are they?"
"I can't tell. They could be at her place, or he could have kidnapped her and taken her anywhere."
"I'll send units to both of their houses. Do you still have an open line?"
"Yes."
"See if you can pick up anything that could clue us in to their location."
"Hang on; I've got an idea." Gage put Simms on hold. He pressed for another line and dialed Abby's townhouse. As he listened on the cell, he heard a phone ring in the background. When Abby's machine came on, Gage started recording a message.
"It's Gage." He could hear his own voice on the other end. It was faint but definitely his. He knew where they were.
"Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. Just wanted to let you know I got your message." He wanted her to know she'd gotten through, and he understood she needed help but needed to be careful not to tip Billings off. "I know you're concerned about the timeline," he said, making it sound like business. "I've already got people on it. Trust me, everything will be fine. We'll talk soon."
He switched back to Simms. "They're at Abby's townhouse. I just called there and heard myself leaving a message on her machine through the cell."
"We're on our way. And, Faraday, stay where you are and let us handle—" Simms's message fell on deaf ears. Gage was already dashing for the elevator.
~~~
Gage cursed when he saw the two black-and-whites blocking
Delancey Street. He swung up beside them, double parking, and bolted from the car on a run. Abby was still alive. She had to be alive. He wasn't willing to accept anything else.
As he approached the townhouse, he saw a couple of more cruisers in the street. Several feet ahead of him, Simms was moving in with his officers. The detective motioned to two uniformed cops, one a man, the other, a woman, and they darted under the window to the left of the front door. The woman mounted the man's shoulders, and he lifted her up. After a quick peek inside, she signaled the guy to lower her back to the sidewalk.
Simms was giving orders when Gage reached them. The detective glanced at him and frowned. "I should have known you
wouldn't listen. You can wait in my car."
"The hell I will," Gage said unconditionally.
Simms started to object then turned and directed Baker and two other officers to stay out front while the rest of them circled around to the alley that ran behind the row of townhouses. His expression taut, he looked at Gage. "Can you distinguish her house from the back?"
Gage gave a curt nod.
"Let's go," Simms snapped and broke into a run. As they raced around the corner, Simms radioed for officers to seal off the alley on both sides after they went in.
"It's the next one down." Gage said tightly when he saw the gate leading into Abby's tiny back courtyard standing open. The one and only time he'd been out there Abby had set the patio table with a lace cloth and candles. They'd shared an intimate meal for two, a gourmet delight compliments of the new Old Bookbinders.
A bittersweet smile lifted a corner of his mouth. I may not know how to cook but I know who to call, she'd joked, her green eyes searching his as if she wasn't quite sure how he'd react to the romantic overture.
Simms entered the yard first and glanced back at Gage. "They're in the front room. How do we get there?"
"Kitchen's the only room in the back then the living room in front."
"Are they open to one another?"
Gage shook his head. "Just one door leading out of the kitchen, but it's on the opposite side from this one. Billings would have to be standing in the opening to see anyone enter through the back."
Simms looked at the female officer.
"We should be clear. The woman was sitting in a chair writing something, and he was standing over her. The door was a few feet to their left." She summarized what she'd seen.
Simms nodded then reached for the door. It wasn't closed all the way. He pulled out his gun and looked at Gage.
"Save your breath, Simms," Gage whispered firmly. "I'm going in whether you like it or not." Their gazes clashed and locked. Simms must have recognized the determination in Gage's expression and realized it would be futile to argue.
"Stay behind us," the detective ordered. He held his gun in the air and waved for the others to follow. He eased the door open further and stepped inside. He stopped, held up a hand then pointed to the broken glass on the floor in front of the threshold.
Simms hugged the wall like a shadow, working his way around the room, the other three officers and Gage a breath behind him. When he reached the doorway leading into the living room, he leaned back and slightly to the right to look into the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he shook his head then signaled to one of the officers who moved into position beside the doorway and raised his gun.
Simms moved to the other side of the doorway before Gage could blink. Molded against the wall, he turned his head sideways and peered into the room. He nodded to the others indicating he had a visual of Billings and Abby.
"Ready?" Simms mouthed. The officers moved into place, keeping Gage behind them. Simms raised his gun in the air.
~~~
"Make sure you include how you couldn't live with the guilt another day."
Abby stopped writing and glanced up at Billings, taking advantage of every opportunity to drag things out a few more minutes. She hadn't contacted Gage in over a week so the message they'd heard him leave on the machine could only mean she'd gotten through and help was on the way. The longer she could stall the more likely she'd be alive when they got here.
"Do you want to dictate the whole thing, or will you allow me a little poetic license with my own suicide note?" She lifted the paper toward him. "Maybe you can just write what you want, and I'll just sign it when you're done."
Billings laughed. "Now you know I can't do that. Be a good girl now and—"
Abby and Billings were alerted they had company at the same moment.
"Drop your gun!" Simms ordered as the officers rushed into the room.
Abby reacted on instinct. She pushed out of the chair, ready to dive out of Billings's reach. Billings had the advantage, though, and grabbed her arm before she could elude him. He yanked her in front of him, using her as a shield.
"Let her go." Simms kept his gun trained on them. A male and female officer fanned out to his sides. Another officer stood in the doorway, and to Abby's dismay she saw Gage had come, too, and was trying to get past the officer blocking the kitchen doorway. She hadn't expected him to come. She'd only wanted him to call the police.
"It's over, Billings," Simms said.
"I'm leaving here, and she's going with me." Billings tightened his hold painfully and put the gun against her temple.
Abby was pretty sure the police wouldn't shoot as long as he was using her as a shield. She didn't feel as confident about Billings. He had to be feeling desperate, and desperate people did desperate things.
Billings began edging toward the door, pulling her with him.
"There's no way out." Simms tracked him. "We've got officers out front and covering a two block circumference." He took a few steps forward. "Let her go, Billings."
"No!" Billings jerked the gun forward aiming it at Simms. "Stay back or she's dead. I mean it," he swore, his voice rising dangerously.
Abby knew she might not have a better chance to act than now when he was distracted. She let her body go limp and lifted her feet so Billings would be forced to support all her weight or let her go. Perceiving the police as the greater threat, as she'd hoped he would, he chose the second option, and she fell to the floor just as Gage pushed his way past the officer who'd been trying to keep him in the kitchen out of harm's way.
Billings swung the gun in the direction of this new threat. The wild look in his eyes froze the breath in Abby's lungs. Gage moved into the room, and Billings took aim, leveling the gun on Gage's chest.
"No!" Terrified Gage would be shot, Abby lunged for Billings's legs.
All hell broke loose.
"You bitch!" Billings screamed, flailing and fighting to regain his balance even as she took him down.
She heard Billings hit hard. She saw the gun skid across the floor. She increased the death grip she had around his knees.
Two officers had Billings by the shoulders and were trying to turn him onto his stomach.
"You can let go now." Simms said from beside her. He'd come down on his haunches, and Abby looked up at him. "It's all right," he said gently, taking her hands and prying her fingers loose.
She nodded, unable to believe it had ended so suddenly. Simms took her elbow and helped her to stand.
"Abby."
She turned her head. Gage stood a couple of feet away. "Abby," he said again, his voice hoarse with emotion. He took a step forward and opened his arms.
Abby didn't think. She walked into them, and he crushed her to his chest.
He was safe. They were both safe.
The enormity of what could have happened exploded without warning and caught her off guard.
"I was so afraid," she said, unable to stop the tears.
Gage buried his head in her hair. "It's all right. He can't hurt you now."
"Not for me." She gazed up at his precious face, noted the circles under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping well. "For you. I thought he was going to shoot you. If he had, I never would have forgiven myself for calling you."
He lifted her chin and stared down at her. "I never would have forgiven you if you hadn't."
"Get him out of here," Simms said. Abby glanced around to see two of the officers lead Billings to the front door in hand cuffs.
Simms shook his head then stuck his hands in his pants pockets and glanced sideways at them. "He never would have gotten that shot off," he said, and gave her a wink. "But you probably saved us the trouble of having to call the coroner to come remove his body."
"I'm just glad you got here when you did. I don't think I could have stalled him much longer."
"I know you've had a hell of an evening, but if you'll bear with me a little longer, I'm going to need to get a statement."
> Gage tightened his arm around her waist. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"It's all right." Abby looked up and was surprised by the raw emotion she saw on his face. Well, of course he was upset. Billings had almost shot him.
He searched her eyes, and she wondered what he sought to find. "I'd rather get it over with," she assured him, "then we can all put this behind us." She moved out of his arms and took a seat on the couch. She would have liked nothing more than to melt into the comfort of his embrace, but she had no right to ask it of him anymore. It would be too easy to mistake what he probably regarded as responsibility as something more.
"Billings killed Dick." She turned to face Simms. "You've probably already figured that out." She smiled lightly. "I hope you won't be offended if I state anything too obvious. Believe me, Detective, I'm one of your biggest fans right now."
"Since it took me longer than I'd like to admit, don't assume anything's too obvious. I don't know what, if anything, Billings may have told you, but I suspect he and your husband conspired to swindle you out of the property in Florida. My guess is they had a deal that went sour, and it cost your ex his life."
Abby nodded. "You guessed correctly. Billings was very forthcoming. I guess he figured I wouldn't be around to tell anyone so there was no reason not to tell me. I took advantage of his willingness to talk to stall for time."
She spent the next ten minutes telling them everything she knew, including how Billings had come there to try and frame her by planting the gun as evidence. "I thought I was grasping at straws with the cell phone, but I couldn't come up with anything else. I still can't believe it worked."
"Having the self-possession to think of it probably saved your life." Simms clicked his pen and put it in his pocket. "Turning yourself into a dead weight in Billings's arms was a pretty smart move, too." He cocked his head and studied her a moment. "I've got a friend who coaches a minor league football team. I was thinking maybe I'd introduce you, and you could show him that tackle to the kneecaps maneuver."
Abby's lips twitched. "Anytime, Detective."
Simms chuckled. "If you're all right, I'll get out of your hair now. I can follow up with you in a day or two with anything else."
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