The woman grabbed Sunny by her upswept hair which caused several bobby pins to clink to the floor. Their gazes locked. “You a cop?”
“Do I look like a cop?”
“This here ain’t any garden party, girl. Didn’t I tell you I’d be askin’ the questions?”
Sunny didn’t break eye contact, but she didn’t respond.
The woman’s voice lowered. “Now, let’s try this again. Why ya working at Benny’s using the name Brady instead of ya real name Kennedy? If ya not a cop, ya an investigator or something?”
This had something to do with Benny’s and the DeVito case. From their actions this dynamic duo wasn’t her unknown source. Unless…Judson had suggested earlier someone might try and trick her to lead her astray so that they could do her harm. More importantly how had they figured out Brady wasn’t her real surname? She always used her mother’s maiden name when she worked.
“Have you considered the possibility I’m a stalker?” Sunny bit her lip until she tasted blood, half regretting her sarcasm. This wasn’t the time or the place.
Her female nemesis pulled out a small pocket knife and slid it along Sunny’s jaw where she’d been punched. Sunny’s insides churned with the force of a pressure cooker as the cool blade moved along her skin.
“Don’t get smart, girl. I don’t wanna have ta mess with ya face. Not sure if ya boyfriend would find ya very cute afterward.” Her humorless laughter faded into the background.
Unable to swallow, Sunny tried to control her quick breaths by tapping her finger against the wall behind her.
“Litt—” The man’s sentence was cut short when the woman stood to biff him across the head with her free hand.
“You’re supposed to keep quiet, babe.” The woman’s voice hardened. “This is ’tween me and the girl.”
The man stepped to the side, removing his glove to itch underneath the neck of his wool ski mask with stubby fingers. If the payback Gods were on her side, he’d develop a rash.
“Ya a stubborn thing aren’t ya? We ain’t no dummies. I did some digging on the net and found a picture from ’bout five years go.” The woman chuckled. “Ya brother Derek made detective, following in ya daddy’s footsteps. And daddy, Captain Ray Kennedy, he’s been with the force for so many years I’ve lost count.”
The thin blade of the knife tilted Sunny’s head farther. Their gazes locked. “Ya poor mom died in a car accident when you were just a little girl?” The woman’s chuckle bit into Sunny and she shook. “Poor little Sunny Kennedy.” She taunted Sunny with a childish tone.
“Shut up.” Sunny spat. This woman knew way too much about her. The internet was a blessing and a curse. Sunny recalled the picture she referred too, and remembered how proud the family had been to pose for the shot when Derek had been promoted to lead detective. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Congratulations.” Sunny snapped. “If you already know the answers, why ask?” She opened her eyes to glare at her female captor.
The woman sighed, the sound stilted and forced. “I just wanted ta hear it from ya. But ya don’t wanna play.”
Sunny grunted and dismissed her with the turn of her head.
The angry woman grabbed Sunny by the chin, pinching her with bony fingers before she flung Sunny’s head against the wall with a thump. Sunny winced, but sucked in the pain. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
The small woman stepped back and paced in a circle. “Sunny Kennedy, the private investigator, I thought you only investigated cheating spouses and the likes. Why work at a dump like Benny’s, ya need extra cash?” She chuckled.
“Everyone needs extra money at Christmas.” Sunny smirked.
“Cute. Ya gotta quick wit for sure. Ya don’t feel like sharing yet?” She stepped toward Sunny, bent in front of her to flick her sore jaw with her finger. “Detective Blackwolf wouldn’t be there helping if ya weren’t working something more. He usually works narc, sometimes homicide. Either of those fit your case?
Sunny flinched, pain shot down her jaw and neck, and she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying out. They knew about Judson too. This pair really had done their homework.
“Why not ask Judson?” Sunny clenched her fists. The woman’s answer would let Sunny know if Judson had been kidnapped too.
“It appears to me Sunny Kennedy is branching out.” Her cackle stood the hairs on Sunny’s neck. “I didn’t realize Judson was so close when we, how should I say it…picked ya up tonight.” Her words knotted Sunny’s stomach. “We didn’t bargain for our race, but no harm done since we won.”
Sunny blew out a breath, thankful Judson was safe and probably looking for her with a team of officers.
“Tell me why ya’re at Benny’s Playhouse. Are ya trying to get dirt on Benny?” The woman’s voice grew possessive.
Sunny stiffened, but didn’t answer. Doubt filled her as she considered Benny might have orchestrated this, concerned that the police were fingering him again for Karina’s murder. Her sanity returned in a second, there was no way Benny would put her through this. Trust your gut, it was her motto.
“I’ll take that as a no.” The woman stared down at Sunny for several long moments.
“One of the dancers? One of Benny’s friends? DeVito?” She bent down and grabbed Sunny by both shoulders and shook her. “Tell me.”
“You already know all the answers.”
“Does this have something to do with Karina DeVito?”
Sunny tensed, but she wasn’t the only one. From the way the man stopped moving and the woman sucked in a breath, everything was riding on her answer. But she refused to give them the satisfaction. If they were going to hurt her, as she suspected, she had no plans on making it easy for them.
The woman spoke, her voice a whisper, something Sunny hadn’t considered she was capable of pulling off. “Karina DeVito.” Pure hatred echoed in those words, she turned toward the man who seemed to shrivel up to half his original size. “I knew it, babe.”
Without warning the crazed lady turned in Sunny’s direction, her hand snaked out and slapped her cheek. Sunny’s head flew to the side, her eyes watered from the searing pain in her jaw. The hard metal tip of the knife cut into her throat before the man stepped forward and pulled the woman away. She yelled out at him and broke free, but he used both of his hands to drag her toward the door.
A trickle of blood ran down the length of Sunny’s neck, past her collar bone to be soaked up in her sequined bustier. She wouldn’t have even realized she’d been cut except for the warmth of the blood as it traveled down her skin.
“Damn, love, what the hell ya doing?” He shook her by the shoulders. It was then Sunny noticed the ring on his finger, the large square stone flashed in the dim light. “Ya agreed nobody’d get hurt.”
Slater! She recognized the ring, but she’d know that voice anywhere. And Miss Gangster must be his wife.
“Ya that stupid? We can’t let her go now, she’s gotta know who we are, especially since ya mom’s been feeding her clues. That damn old cow, she never liked me from the start.” Vivian turned toward Sunny, removed her ski mask, and smiled as she bowed. Her sarcastic laughter bounced off the walls and a chill ran down Sunny’s back traveling all the way to her toes. Vivian stood and yanked Slater’s mask from his head then threw them both in Sunny’s direction.
Sunny blinked, opened her mouth to speak then thought better of it. Slater grabbed his wife and shook her by the arm as he steered her toward the exit. The door slammed closed, plunging the room into darkness yet again.
Sunny had known her kidnappers as soon as she spotted Slater’s ring, but the removal of the masks sealed the deal. Without a doubt she had to find her way out of here. Vivian would have no trouble taking care of Sunny, and not in a good way.
Chapter Thirteen
For several minutes Sunny listened as the voices on the other side of the door faded away. Confident they were gone; a feather of excitement weaved through the pit of her stomach
as she planned her escape.
Hands still cuffed over her head increased the numb feeling running down her arms. She needed to free herself before she lost all feeling. Sunny clenched her fists several times to get her blood flowing. Twisting her hands through the circle of the handcuffs she tugged and rotated her wrists to no avail. Even though petite, the cuffs had been locked to their smallest latch. There would be no way she could slide her hands free.
Okay, that was a bust. She sighed and slumped against the wall in need of a new idea, and fast. Slater and Vivian could return at any moment.
Although the room was cold and her outfit lacked material enough to keep her warm, beads of sweat formed on her forehead and upper lip. Her eyes darted around the dark room as if a neon sign would magically appear with a written formula to freedom.
Earlier, when Vivian had been threatening her, Sunny had noticed a door across the room; it would be her target goal. If it led outside, she could get away; if it didn’t, at least she’d be out of this room.
She closed her eyes rocking back and forth in concentration. Her fingers touched the soft hair piled on top of her head each time she rocked back. When a hairpin poked her thumb, Sunny froze, her eyes snapped opened and a smile spread across her face.
Sunny pulled her hand away and the bobby pin clinked to the floor to join the others that landed there when she’d struggled with Vivian. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she stretched her fingers to prepare them for their job ahead. They needed to be limber to work the lock and put her plan in motion.
When she and Craig were kids they’d spent hours picking the locks on their dad’s handcuffs. It had been a fun game to see what household objects they could use and as time wore on they had become quite good at it, even impressing their father. Their mother’s bobby pins were their first success, and their easiest.
Sunny bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyelids closed, sliding her fingertips through her hair until they connected with one of the thin metal clips.
She pulled the pin from her hair and grimaced when it took several strands from the roots. The hairpin slipped from her numb grasp to drop to the floor.
In preparation for a redo, Sunny flexed her fingers, tensing as they connected with another clip, and held her breath. The muscles in her neck grew stiff as she worked the pin from her hair, waiting to exhale until she held it in her grasp.
With practiced speed she transferred the bobby pin to her other hand and reshaped the hairpin into a straight piece of metal.
Sunny moved the thin metal into the lock mechanism of one of the cuffs and twisted it around. With a small click the lock released and she pulled her hand away to open the other cuff. Both wrists free, Sunny ignored the clunk of the handcuffs hitting the pipe. She kneeled to grope along the floor to find her lone heel. If need be she’d use the spike of the stiletto as a weapon. Finding it, she held the shoe in a vice-like grasp while she skimmed along the wall with her free hand.
Her toes felt non-existent on the ice cold concrete as she shuffled across the floor on bare feet. It seemed as if she’d slid her palm along the wall for miles before her hand met the rough hinges along the side of the door. Her toes spread apart when a gentle breeze blew from underneath the crack in the bottom of the door and tickled her feet. Sunny inhaled and pressed her forehead against the cool steel savoring the freedom on the other side.
Sunny rubbed her fingers over her eyes and peered through a thin crack of the partly opened doorway. A blast of damp air from the nearby lake rolled over her skin as she yanked the door open just enough to slip through.
Thankful she’d never given up her morning jogs, her legs carried her down the small lane with quick, sure strides. Sunny ignored the pain caused by the pebbles and grit on the soles of her feet.
Afraid to look behind her, Sunny let the bright moonlight guide her around every corner. Her breaths became short painful gasps, cramps bit into her sides and down her calves. She stopped, bending at the waist to huff in gulps of air, one hand squeezed her side and the other rested on her knee.
A few remaining hairpins dangled from the long strands of hair which hung down her back and over her face. She stood then tugged her hand through the snarled mess that only hours before had been coiffed to perfection, and plucked out a pin. It dropped to the ground and landed in a puddle.
A car’s engine sounded in the distance. The steady purr of the motor reminded her of a cat on the prowl, and she was the prey. Sweat dotted her flesh even though the breeze chilled her skin as she spun around in search of a place to hide.
Sunny’s gaze darted around the alley stopping when she spotted a large dumpster. She sprinted down the lane then tucked herself behind the receptacle, positive the car had turned the corner before she’d hid. Her stiletto held just above her head, heel pointed outward, Sunny’s hands trembled. If the car belonged to Slater and Vivian and they found her, Vivian wouldn’t hesitate to take out her frustrations on Sunny.
A stiletto against a knife with a sharp blade didn’t seem like an even playing field, but she had no other option.
The car tires crunched on the pebbles and stones scattered across the pavement as it grew near. Sunny held her breath to listen, pressing herself into the wall. She wished she had chameleon abilities and could blend in with the gray cement building.
The strong odor of rotting food that had baked in the sun for too long filled her nose as she crouched down farther. Her fingers brushed the slimy side of the trash dumpster as she adjusted her balance and clenched her back teeth to stop from gagging. The tips of her fingers were blackened from the filth and she wiped them on her back pockets.
The car stopped, Sunny gripped her shoe with a shaky hand swallowing her fright. Her muscles tensed when the car shifted into park and heavy footsteps sounded against the pavement in the opposite direction from where she hid. Her body sagged in relief. They hadn’t spotted her. Whoever had gotten out of the car paused at every garage door and side entrance jiggling the handles.
“Damn it all.”
Sunny’s head snapped back, her heart caught in her throat.
“Judson,” she squeaked.
Unable to talk louder, she stood, tears blurring her vision when Judson turned in her direction and rushed to her side in what seemed like two long strides. In an instance he held her in his arms like he’d never let her go. She closed her eyes for a moment as the warmth of his body folded over her. Sunny went limp.
“You didn’t stop looking for me did you?” Sunny whispered, breathless.
“Never.”
Judson carried her to his car then sat on the front seat with her in his lap. His lips touched her temple, her forehead, her nose tip then her lips, before he broke away and caressed her cheek with the rough tips of his fingers.
****
A dose of adrenaline shot through Sunny’s system as the car’s heater warmed her skin. Since Maggie and Benny believed Slater and Vivian were involved in Karina’s murder, it would be a likely conclusion that either one or both of them were sending her the notes. If only whoever had sent the messages had given her something more concrete, something with real evidence.
Then it hit her, the precise penmanship of the receipt signed by Maggie Slater for the flower delivery and the printing on the notes Sunny received were one in the same. How Maggie laid claim to the cassette Sunny had no way of knowing. Vivian knew what Maggie was up to and it spelled trouble for the older woman.
With rapid speech, Sunny shared her concerns with Judson as he drove at speeds which rivaled the posted speed limit.
“We need to get Maggie some protection. I’m afraid what Vivian will do to her.” Sunny turned in her seat to face Judson as he raced to the nearest payphone at the gas station down the road from the warehouses.
“Looks like the old lady’s suspicions were correct all along.” Judson rubbed his chin as he skidded to a stop in the deserted parking lot. “Slater and his wife are either bugging her apartment or they have psychic pow
ers.”
Sunny grinned. “Either way they know she sent the clues, that she and I have talked, and I bet they even know about the tape.”
Judson threw open the car door. “Let me call into the station and get someone out to her place. Then I want an APB issued for Slater and Vivian’s rusted out brown Impala.”
“Tell them to hurry. If Vivian gets the chance she’ll hurt Maggie.”
The door slammed and for the first time in hours Sunny could breathe, she leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes and sighed. The car’s heater blasted hot air onto her frozen feet and across her arms as she hugged them around her middle.
She relaxed and let her mind drift back to all that had happened. Her mind replayed everything, from the moment she’d been taken until the moment Judson appeared. After he’d found her—or had she found him—it didn’t matter, she’d filled him in on all that had gone on, including who her abductors were. Afterward, they’d headed back to the warehouse in an attempt to find Vivian and Slater. The creepy building’s door hung open, slamming against the concrete brick wall whenever the wind blew off the water. The crumpled masks on the floor, underneath the handcuffs hanging from the pipe, were the only sign any of them had been there.
Slater and Vivian must have taken off after they discovered Sunny had gotten away.
Shivers raced across her flesh as she considered what might have happened if she hadn’t escaped. And Judson hadn’t been there for her.
Sunny opened her eyes and her thoughts returned to the present. A different kind of shiver lit her flesh as she trained her sights on Judson as he hung up the payphone. With determined strides he returned to the car.
“Okay, all set. Let’s head to your place so you can pick up a few things. You’re staying with me tonight. Then we’ll head to the precinct to fill out a report detailing everything that went down tonight.”
Too tired to argue, and past caring that he called the shots, she inched across the seat and snuggled into his side. Judson wrapped one arm around her, scooped her close, and merged onto the highway toward her house.
Some Like It in Handcuffs Page 16