Allie couldn’t talk to him in the yard, not with the eyes of all the neighbors and possibly Sidney on her. “Come inside.”
“You’ve been crying,” he said as she shut the door behind him and flipped the deadbolt.
“For hours,” she agreed. Then, she began to fill him in on what had happened in the past week. Somewhere during her recital, he went in the kitchen and returned carrying two glasses of wine, the wine Allie had put in the refrigerator in anticipation of their first night—years ago, it seemed.
Several glasses later, she was huddled against Rand with her head on his shoulder, the empty bottle of wine on the table before them.
“What a hell of a mess,” Rand said.
Allie nodded. “And I’m convinced Sidney has him, and your father’s convinced it’s unrelated.”
“He’s always had a blind spot where Sidney’s concerned.”
Although Allie had said the same words, she wasn’t convinced that was what was going on here. “I think he knows I’ll go to pieces if I think Sidney has Len. Which I did, of course. I think he’s trying to protect me.”
“Hmmm.”
Allie wasn’t going to push it. “I’m convinced when we find Sidney, we’ll find Len.”
Rand frowned. “I hope you’re right. I don’t think Sidney would kill him. They’d fry him for that in a heartbeat.”
“That’s what I’m hoping he’s thinking. But in the meantime, what’s happening to Len?”
Nineteen
“You’d better eat while you have a chance,” Sidney said into the microphone.
He’d waited until they all left Lester’s before dropping a bill on his tab and heading out the door. That bull boyfriend of Levine’s gave him a funny look, but he didn’t say anything.
Now, Sidney was determined to get some nourishment in his prisoner, but the stupid bastard refused to eat. Every time Sidney got the spoon close to his mouth, he clamped it shut. How the hell was he going to get the drugs in him if he didn’t eat? It hadn’t worked in the water. The asshole spit it on the floor.
“You’re drugging the food,” Len said as if he heard Sidney’s thoughts.
“You’d better be glad I’m putting them in your food. There are a lot worse ways to get them in you. Besides, what the hell do you care? You don’t have any appointments.”
“How long have I been here?”
Sidney didn’t answer. He had blacked out the trailer’s windows as soon as he moved in. Easier and more efficient than buying curtains.
“They’ll be looking for me,” Len said. “As soon as my family realizes I’m gone, they’ll be looking.”
“You went on a cruise,” Sidney said. He laughed. “That’s where they’ll find your car.”
“No one will believe that. I’m an attorney. They know I wouldn’t just walk away from my practice without telling anyone.”
Sidney didn’t answer.
“Why am I here? Is it money? If it is, I don’t have any.”
“So what? Your mother does. Your sister sure as hell does.”
“How do you know so much about my family?”
Silence.
“Don’t bother trying to get money out of my sister. She’d rather see me dead.”
Sidney couldn’t help it. He chuckled.
“You know about that?” He struggled against his restraints. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Sidney hit him on the knee, not enough to damage it, but enough to hurt, and he was gratified when Len cried out in pain. “You ask too many questions,” he growled into the mike. “Don’t try my patience, or you’ll regret it. And you’d better eat this food. I’m going to get the drugs into you one way or another.”
“No.”
“I hear they’re just as effective if they’re delivered anally.”
Len’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”
Sidney reached over and picked up a pair of surgical gloves, dangling them in front of Len. “You don’t think so? Why don’t you just roll over and try me.”
Len stared at him for a long time. Then, he opened his mouth.
■ ■ ■
As Teresa pushed open the door with her foot, the tray she was carrying threatened to spill its contents on the bedroom carpet. “I brought you something to eat.”
Wally looked from her face to the tray before turning his face to the wall. “No, thank you.”
“Please, Wally, you have to eat. You haven’t had a thing all day. You’ll get sick.”
“I said no. Thank you.”
Teresa put the tray on the bedside table and turned on the lamp before sitting on the edge of the bed. Wally scooted over as if he couldn’t bear to be near her. “You can’t go on like this,” she said. “I know your head hurts, but it won’t help to starve yourself.”
“My head is fine.”
“It’s not fine. It’s swollen, and you lost a lot of blood. You have to keep your strength up. You have to eat.”
Wally turned back toward her. “Why did I lose a lot of blood, Teresa?”
She looked away.
“Maybe because you were willing to let your husband lie on the floor and bleed to death so your criminal son had a chance to get away. What if I had died? How would you feel then?”
“I knew you weren’t going to die. I know how much head wounds bleed. Sidney had enough of them when he was a kid.”
“So did I during my years as a firefighter. So did some of my buddies, and some of them died. You didn’t know if there was intracranial bleeding.”
“I—I—”
“You would have let me die to protect Sidney. That’s the bottom line.”
She jumped up from the bed. “Well, someone has to protect him. All the rest of you are trying to—to—”
“To stop a criminal.” Wally pushed himself up on his elbows. “I’ve done a lot of thinking, Teresa. I’ve put up with a lot over the years in the name of Sidney, but I’m done with that.”
Her breath hitched. “What do you mean?”
“I’m leaving. I’m leaving you, and I’m leaving here. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of financially, but I don’t want to be with you anymore. I’ll move out as soon as I can find a place.”
“You don’t mean that. You can’t. We’ve been married almost forty years, Wally. I love you. You can’t leave me.”
“You say you love me. Those are words. Actions speak a whole lot louder.” He lowered himself back to the pillow. “Will you please turn out the light? It’s hurting my eyes.”
Teresa switched off the lamp and walked blindly down the stairs. Wally didn’t mean it. He’d change his mind tomorrow when his head wasn’t hurting so badly. He couldn’t leave. What would she do without him?
She started into the kitchen, but then she turned and went into Wally’s study. It was really a downstairs bedroom he converted years ago. It was a nice room. He’d lined the walls with bookshelves and installed a desk and a recliner, and there was even a little television in the corner.
Teresa headed to the desk and switched on the computer. She clicked the icon for her bank and typed in her password. And smiled.
Gas charges, two of them. Charges from Winn Dixie, so he was eating. She felt tears start to her eyes, and she blinked them away. One charge at a motorcycle shop for a helmet. Was he riding a motorcycle? They were so dangerous. She hoped he’d be careful.
Satisfied, she logged out and switched off the computer. It was such a relief to know he was all right.
■ ■ ■
Rand had offered to leave, but Allie didn’t want to be alone, so they went out to dinner. The world had gone crazy, and Allie feared she might join it if she weren’t careful. What she wanted was an element of normalcy in her life.
Dinner was wonderful. They were at the Heidelberg in Cocoa Beach. It was one of the places her Aunt Lou used to take her when she was a girl. The owners were transplants from Germany. If you didn’t know from the beer, the food would convince you of its authenticity.
Allie managed a few bites, even though her heart wasn’t in it. It was with Len, wherever he was. It was one thing for siblings to fight, but it was quite another when that sibling was in danger, as Allie was finding out.
She didn’t doubt Len was in danger, any more than she doubted Sidney had him. Sidney Finch was a dangerous man. Crazy. He wouldn’t stop at childish pranks, and who knew what he’d do next? It might be good that Sidney thought Allie hated Len. That might be the only protection Len had.
She rubbed her forehead. How could she ever have believed she hated Len? Resented, maybe, and with good reason. But hate? He was her brother, her only sibling. If anything happened to him because of her, she’d never forgive herself. Maybe that was what family was all about; you drove each other crazy, but in the clinches, you stood together.
“Allie? Are you all right?”
Rand watched her, his forehead creased with worry. Allie reached across the table and took his hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t get Len off my mind.”
“Do you want me to take you home? I could stay with Dad tonight if you’d rather.”
Allie gripped his hand harder. “I want you to take me home, but I don’t want you to leave. I don’t know if—if—but I don’t want to be alone. I know that’s selfish, but I’m afraid to be alone.”
Rand reached over and stroked her arm. “It’s not selfish. Of course, I’ll stay.” A smile played across his lips. “Even if we don’t, although I can’t promise you I won’t try. You can only ask so much of a man.”
Allie huddled near the restaurant door while Rand paid the check. She could feel Sidney’s eyes on her. For once, she welcomed the sensation. If he was here watching her, he couldn’t be where Len was, doing whatever he was doing to Len.
They drove back to Allie’s house in relative silence, with only soft music to accompany their breathing. Traffic was heavy. Friday night in a beach town. Pedestrians clogged the sidewalks, much as cars, creeping along as their occupants took in the sights, clogged the roads. Garish neon lighting blocked out any view they might have had of the stars overhead, especially as they neared Highway 520, where blinking signs advertised everything from bathing suits and beach toys to motels and bars.
Cheap and touristy. Those words sprang to mind. But people loved it. They flocked from hundreds of miles away to be part of the action. Lou had told Allie about when Cocoa Beach was a sleepy little town; when the behemoth Ron Jon Surf Shop complex was a wooden shack in a strip mall; when the only nighttime traffic consisted of exhausted workers from Cape Canaveral bellying up to the counter at Wolfie’s, only to fall asleep over their pastrami sandwiches. That was before Disney World came to Orlando, before all the cruise lines invaded Port Canaveral. Allie had seen pictures, and she longed to go back in time and experience that Cocoa Beach.
“You would have loved it, Allie. That was before I went to work for the Sheriff’s Office. I worked at Wolfie’s as a waitress. They had the best food south of New York City.”
“I wish I could have been there with you.”
“There are good things about every time, things we look back on later and long for.”
“What’s all that special about now? What will I look back on?”
“Lots of things. Your house before the construction. Lester’s. Sheryl and Joe and the years you shared. The man sitting beside you.”
“I’ll look back on him?”
“I didn’t mean that literally. I was talking about moments and things you’ll treasure in the future.”
“Will we have future years?”
“The Ouija board is closed for the night.”
“Is Len OK? At least tell me that. Is he OK?
Silence. Then, “He’s OK. For now.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked rapidly as they pulled in her drive behind her Jeep.
Rand put his car in park and turned to her. When he saw her tears, he reached over and pulled her into his arms. “What is it, Allie?”
A sob choked her. “Len.”
“I know—”
“No.” She pulled back. “He’s OK. Aunt Lou said he’s OK… for now.”
“She told you that?”
Again, Allie waited for the skepticism, for the derision. There was none.
“Thank God,” Rand said. “Did she tell you where he is?”
“No, I don’t know if she knows exactly. I can’t explain it, but I think she just has… knowings… like knowing someone is all right, or someone’s going to get hurt. Like last year when she told me Joe was going to break Sheryl’s heart. She didn’t say when or how. I thought she was just being stubborn, but I don’t think she knew, exactly—just that it would happen.”
“Now, you’re getting the picture.”
“She said he was OK for now. Did she say for how long?”
Allie shook her head. “And I was afraid to ask.”
■ ■ ■
Sidney hung from the fifth-floor girder. Dressed all in black, he was invisible against the black night. He was still taking a chance, and he had almost blacked out in pain climbing the goddamn ladders, but he didn’t dare use the construction elevator. It squealed like a banshee, and someone might hear it.
He’d spent more than an hour feeding his idiot captive and had left him sleeping like a baby. He’d been afraid he’d be too late to rig up his latest surprise, but the gods were on his side. Once he determined Allie was gone, he had plenty of time. He even left another present for her inside, thanks to the spare key he’d stolen the last time he was there, one that would just seal the deal. He couldn’t wait. The stupid dog had tried to bite him this time. If Sidney paid another visit, he’d have to drug some meat. It was just a little dog. Maybe a quarter of a pill. Maybe less. He didn’t want to hurt it.
He shifted on his metal perch. What the hell were they doing down there? Making out? Hell, they had a whole house in front of them where they could make out and screw and whatever else they wanted in a whole lot more comfort. And it was cold up here. The cold always made his injuries hurt more.
He had to park his new ride down the block under the carport of a shuttered house. Battened down for the winter. Who the hell would close their Florida house for the winter? Maybe they were just away for a few weeks. As long as they were away, that was fine with him.
He was driving a motorcycle now. He’d made the switch yesterday. It was getting too risky to use Port Canaveral—the guy there had given him a suspicious look the last time he came through—and Melbourne Airport was inconvenient. Then, he’d remembered some friends of his parents who lived in Melbourne Beach. Richer than dirt. Spent every winter in the south of France or Italy or somewhere. Their garage wasn’t alarmed, even though the house was covered with the latest electronic equipment. Dangerous oversight.
He broke a garage window and climbed in, cursing his lameness all the while. He’d intended to steal a car, but the motorcycle was just too inviting, and it used less gas. Even though he had his mother’s gas credit card now, he didn’t want to overdo the charges.
He had plenty of cash too. He knew her debit card PIN was his birthday. She used his birthday for all her PINs, which was stupid. If someone got hold of it, he’d have access to all her accounts.
What the hell were they doing down there? Then, the driver’s side door opened.
Twenty
Spook didn’t come out to greet them when they walked in, but that didn’t surprise Allie. Spook never showed himself when she had company.
As she dropped her purse on the sofa, she heard a scratching sound at her bedroom door. Rand heard it too. He motioned Allie to stay put and disappeared down the hall. A moment later, Spook raced out of the back of the house and went directly to the back door, barking and jumping. Did the dog have to go out that badly?
Then, it hit her. Spook was shut up in her bedroom. He’d been behind the couch when she left. She was sure of it.
“It’s all right,” Rand said as he stepped back into the room. “The pup—”
“Someone’s been in here.”
Rand stopped. “Are you sure? Maybe you shut him in the bedroom by mistake.”
Allie shook her head. “He was behind the sofa. I remember checking before we left.”
“Maybe the wind—”
“All the windows are shut and locked. There was no wind.”
“The air conditioner…” His voice trailed off at the look Allie gave him.
“Sidney’s been in here. I can feel it. It’s like a miasma in the air. Slimy. Murky.” She shuddered.
“Do you want to call 911?”
“Not until I’m sure.” She took Rand’s hand as she checked each room. Nothing seemed out of place until she reached the kitchen. The hook where she kept her extra key was empty.
“He has a key.”
“What?”
She motioned at the hook. “Aunt Lou always kept an extra key hanging here in case she lost hers. It’s gone.”
“Maybe it—”
He broke off when Allie spun on him. “Why don’t you believe me? He’s been here, damn it!”
Rand pulled her into his arms. “I believe you, honey. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, trying to think of alternative possibilities.”
Allie went limp against him. Why was she attacking Rand? He was on her side. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s freaking me out too.”
Spook was whining now, his nose pressed against the crack at the bottom of the back door. Allie reluctantly withdrew from Rand’s arms. Maybe Spook really did need to go outside. She picked up his leash from the counter, but Rand took it from her. “Let me walk him. You don’t need to make yourself a target.”
“Aren’t you making yourself a target instead?”
“Yeah, but I’m not the one Sidney’s after. He doesn’t have anything against me.”
They stared at each other. Sidney hated Rand for being Cord’s son.
“Go out the front door,” Allie said. “I’ll turn on the porch light.” Rand nodded.
Allie watched them circle the yard. Realizing she was a perfect target highlighted in the doorway, she stepped back inside. It usually took Spook a few minutes to go, especially when he was upset.
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