Tom headed across the basement to the other side of the stairwell and waited nervously. He wondered what this poor child may have gone through at the hands of these two assholes. His pity turned to anger as he thought about them upstairs now and how he would love nothing more than to shoot them both in the balls.
His thoughts shifted to Tracy. What in the hell has happened to her? Had she been drugged and raped? Was she still alive or unconscious?
“Okay, Tom,” he heard Molly call.
Tom emerged from around the stairwell and went over to Molly.
“I think everything is all right,” she said with an embarrassed smile.
Tom couldn’t hide his relief. “That is the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“But my mother is going to kill me! She told me never to walk alone at night and I disobeyed her.”
“This isn’t your fault, Molly-and I’m sure your mother will just be happy to see you again. What do you say we get out of this place?”
“Let’s do it.”
“Help me find a screwdriver and we’ll be on our way.”
CHAPTER 24
The door leading out of the basement was old and warped. Molly held the flashlight while Tom wedged a screwdriver between the door and the jamb, its tip pressed firmly against the metal latch bolt. After several attempts, he finally managed to create a space great enough for the latch to clear the hole in the jamb, allowing him to push the door open.
They were free.
Molly smiled when Tom gave her a thumbs-up and then motioned for her to wait while he checked out the situation. He inched the door open just enough for him to slip through and enter the kitchen.
Tom’s first task was to grab the phone and dial 911, but his heart sank when he discovered that the wireless kitchen phone had been removed from its wall cradle. Swearing under his breath, he realized he was going to have to proceed with Plan B. He returned to where Molly was standing on the other side of the door.
“Here’s what I want you to do: I’m going to open the backdoor and you are going to run like hell away from this house to the BP station less than a block away. I want you to tell whoever is on duty there that you need to make an emergency 911 call. Tell the operator that you have been kidnapped and that there is an assault in progress at a house on the east side of Summit Street just south of the BP station. Then I want you to call your mother and tell her where you are-she no doubt is worried sick about you. Think you can do all of that, Molly?”
“Yeah, but what will you be doing? You should go with me-these men are dangerous!”
“I’ve got to see if I can locate the friend I’ve been looking for. She may not have much time left. I’ll be okay, don’t worry. Just get yourself out of here and run like the wind!”
“I’m scared, Tom! What if I get lost?”
“You won’t get lost, I promise. All you have to do is hop over the fence and run between the houses toward the street. When you reach the street, head right and you’ll see the gas station less than a block away.”
“Okay, I guess I can do that,” Molly said slowly.
“That’s my girl! Now, come with me.”
He took her by the hand and led her over to the back door, opened it quietly and held the storm door open for her.
“Remember, go to the right, over the fence and head toward the street. Be careful!”
She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Tom, for saving me. Please be careful!”
“I will-now go!”
Molly ran outside and out of his sight. He heard a rustling sound as she scaled the old wire fence and then the soft thud of retreating footsteps in the snow.
Tom moved quietly toward the front of the house, aware that he hadn’t heard a single sound since escaping the basement. Could they have already abandoned the place? he wondered. He reached the living room, paused, and listened hard. After a moment, he thought he heard the faint muffled sound of voices coming from upstairs.
He scanned the living room for his flashlight and cell phone but came up empty. Then he tiptoed over to the stairway and ascended the stairs. As he neared the top, he could clearly hear voices. He carefully peered around the corner and saw that all of the doors to the second story rooms were shut. The voices were coming from the same room he had believed Tracy to be in. He slipped around the corner to the nearest room where he’d been whacked and put his ear to the door. He didn’t hear anything. Praying that Tracy’s cell phone might be there, he inched the door open.
A light was on in the unoccupied room. He closed the door behind him and searched around for his gear. After rifling through all of the drawers of the dressing bureau, he checked the closet and found nothing but a few shirts and a vacuum cleaner.
Tom wasn’t sure what to do next. He had no phone and no weapon. He was up against two men that were armed and holding all of the aces. What in the holy hell could he do, realistically?
Not much, he realized. But he had to at least try to save Tracy. He had a feeling that she was still alive only because the men hadn’t killed anyone as far as he knew. If they were murderers, they would certainly have killed either Molly or himself by now. He could only hope that the same held true for Tracy.
Only one way to find out, Tom thought.
He crept back out into the hallway. Quietly, he walked over to the door where the voices were coming from and held his ear to it.
“Looks like she’s out like a light,” he heard a voice say.
“She is. We’ll give her ten more minutes, then the Versed,” a second voice said.
“Why do we have to wait so long to give her the shot, Doc?” another voice said.
Christ! Tom thought. There were three of them in there! Who was the third man?
And what in the holy hell were they doing to Tracy?
“Because, Ernie, this is all about timing. The GBH we gave her will knock her out for several hours and make her an easy lay. I’ve also added something to help control the vomiting, which will make our experience all the more pleasant.
“But the injection should make her forget that anything bad ever happened to her. In fact, if all goes well, she will have amnesia and forget everything that’s happened since we picked her up. But we have to delay the injection. Otherwise, it would not only screw up the metabolic process, but probably kill her, too.”
“I see.” Ernie replied. “But why didn’t you give the little girl a shot of that stuff, too?”
“She is too small for us to take the risk with that combination of drugs. The last thing we need is a murder rap.”
“But she’s going to be able to ID us once we let her go, isn’t she?” the first man argued.
The man referred to as “Doc” chuckled. “We haven’t let her go yet, now have we? I’ve got another formula I want to try on the young one before we turn her loose. And if this little concoction works, she won’t know any of us from the man in the moon.”
“Whoa, that would be awesome! So if all of these drugs of yours work, we could get away with all kinds of shit with any babe we want-and no one will ever know the difference!”
“I’m more interested in the money we’re going to make, but yes, that’s what we’re shooting for. But neither of you are getting a red cent until we perfect the process, so don’t get all excited yet.”
“I know, Doc. But don’t think we aren’t enjoying these little experiments, right Billy?”
“That’s for sure. God, she’s a looker, ain’t she? I can’t wait to get my hands on those tits! When can we strip her down, Doc?”
Ernie answered instead. “Jesus, Billy, hold your horses! You damn near screwed everything up with that black chick by being so gung-ho, remember? If Doc hadn’t saved the day, we’d all be up shit creek by now.”
Tom stepped back from the door. His first reaction was absolute shock. Tracy was being forced to act as some kind of lab rat so this “Doc” lunatic could test his street drugs! She had evidently just been given a date
rape cocktail and would be shot up with another drug in ten minutes. Versed -he’d heard of that drug before. It was a powerful sedative given before surgery to relax you.
So that’s what this is all about, he thought. These cretins, led by the doctor, were trying to develop the ultimate date rape drug-one that would not only make the victim more vulnerable to abuse but able to induce total amnesia. This would theoretically make it impossible for the guilty party to get caught since the victim’s memory would be completely eradicated.
Tom thought of little Molly Barnes and realized that she was very fortunate to have gotten out of this creepy laboratory when she had. The doctor’s plans of future experimentation on the girl would definitely have put her at serious risk.
And the “black chick” Ernie had referred to was most likely the same girl that had been dumped off in the alley. Tom recalled Frank saying that she had been raped and assaulted but had had no recollection of her attacker. She must have been part of these experiments, too, and the drugs had apparently worked.
He simply had to get Tracy out of there before they gave her that shot But how?
And why haven’t the cops gotten there yet? Had something happened to Molly to keep her from calling 911?
Tom looked at his watch. It had been almost five minutes since Molly had left the house-plenty of time for her to get to the BP and place the call. The cops should be here any minute.
Tom couldn’t wait any longer.
He suddenly heard someone walk toward the door. In a flash, he ran down the hall and into the spare bedroom. He stood there holding his breath and heard someone go into the bathroom to take a leak. He waited a little longer then heard the person go back into the bedroom and close the door.
Out of nowhere, Tom had a flashback of his dream. He and Erin had been speeding through the Midtown Tunnel with Chappy and his crony in hot pursuit, gaining on them. They had almost run out of time This gave him an idea. And it just might work.
He opened the door and peeked out to make sure the hallway was clear. Then he fled the room and moved silently down the stairs. Heading for the kitchen, he kept his eye out for anything he could find to create a diversion.
He found a Bic lighter in a counter drawer near the stove and considered the white linen curtains covering the window above the sink. Kindling, yes, but not enough fuel to sustain a fire. He peered over at the valence hanging over the window of the kitchen door. That wouldn’t work either.
Tom glanced at his watch and estimated they would be giving Tracy the injection in another two or three minutes. He was going to have to hurry or it would be too late.
He ran down the stairs into the basement and looked around. He spotted a cardboard box filled with old clothes near the workbench. He also found an old scuffed up baseball in another box and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he picked up the box of clothes and ran back up the stairs.
Tom closed the basement door and quickly dumped the contents of the box out on the floor. Using his feet, he banked the pile of clothes up against the basement door and ran over to the drawer where he’d seen a can of lighter fluid earlier. He ran back over to the pile of clothes, doused them in lighter fluid then squirted the basement door with the rest of the can. He stooped down, flicked the Bic and ignited the pile of clothes.
There was a huge whoosh as the clothes caught fire and flames ran up the door, licking the ceiling. Tom threw the can on the flames and dashed out of the kitchen.
His heart was nearly busting out of his chest as ran up the stairs as quietly as he could-just long enough to open the door to the spare bedroom. Then he ran back down the stairs halfway and stopped. He took the baseball out of his pocket and took careful aim at the large living room window at the far end of the room. Drawing in a deep breath and holding it, he threw the ball as hard as he could.
Tom saw the window shatter and then retraced his steps up the stairs, entered the spare bedroom and shut the door behind him. He immediately heard the door to the other bedroom burst open and the sound of footsteps running down the hall then down the stairs.
Tom held his breath. Any second now…
“Fire!” someone shouted from below.
Seconds later, he heard two more sets of footsteps running down the hallway.
“Where is it?” the doctor shouted.
“In the kitchen-the whole room is engulfed!” someone replied.
This was his only chance.
Tom ran out of the room, down the hall and into the bedroom. He was outraged when he saw Tracy lying on a bed unconscious, stripped down to her bra and panties.
He ran over and started shaking her.
“Tracy! Wake up!”
She was so lifeless that Tom wondered if it was too late. He looked around and saw a syringe lying on the bedside table. It was still full of the drug, thank god.
He held his ear to Tracy’s chest. Her heart was beating faintly.
“Tracy, it’s Tom! Can you hear me?”
He stared at her closed eyes expectantly but they remained closed.
Tom glanced around the room, knowing that he had precious few seconds before they came back upstairs. He looked around for a gun but didn’t see one.
He went over to the window, raised the mini blinds and looked outside. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw an eave just outside the window that jutted out a few feet. Beyond the overhang he noticed that the roof gently sloped out over the front porch. Tom couldn’t believe his good luck.
He unlatched the window and raised it up as far as he could. He then went over and placed his hands under Tracy’s armpits and pulled her body gently down to the floor. He dragged her over to the window and set her down, grabbed the blanket off the bed and hastily wrapped it around her half naked body.
He could tell from the shouts of the men downstairs that they were trying to put out the fire that he had started in the kitchen. It wouldn’t be much longer before one of them remembered that Tracy was still upstairs and run up to get her. Tom scurried over to the bedroom door, closed and locked it.
He hoisted the unconscious girl up until her back was resting against the wall directly below the windowsill. He then backed his way out through the window, carefully planted his feet in the snow and took hold of Tracy from behind. He was surprised at how light she felt as the adrenalin kicked in. He gingerly pulled her body through the window and out onto the eave of the roof. Tracy’s feet had just cleared the windowsill when Tom suddenly lost his footing and nearly fell off the eave. Fortunately, the overhang was only slightly pitched and he was able to regain his balance while still keeping his hold on Tracy.
Tom paused long enough to catch his breath and figure out the best way to move Tracy from the overhang onto the porch roof. Then he heard the sound of someone banging on the bedroom door.
Realizing that it wouldn’t take too long for them to break down the door, Tom tightened his grasp on Tracy’s body and dragged her toward the area where the overhang met the line of the porch roof. Tom’s heart sank when he heard the sound of smashing woodwork and knew that they had just busted the door down.
It would only take a second for them to discover where he was.
Just then, Tom heard the sound of tires screeching below him and saw a blast of light bathe the roof where he stood holding Tracy’s limp body.
It was the cops! Tom glanced over and saw one of the abductors appear in the window. It was the one who had dumped off the black girl in the alley. He glanced over at Tom then spotted the cruiser on the street, its spotlight trained on the window. The man spun around and was out of sight in an instant.
Tom heard sirens as another cruiser sped up to the house, followed by a fire truck. One of the cops had gotten out and was pointing a gun at him.
“Hold it right where you are!” he commanded.
“They are going to escape out the back!” Tom shouted. “Three men-they have a gun!”
Tom heard more sirens and saw the paramedics pull up in front of the polic
e cruisers. A second officer got out, drew his gun and headed toward the rear of the house. The first policeman continued pointing his gun at Tom. A pair of firemen jumped from the fire truck and began uncoiling fire hose.
Tom suddenly heard two gunshots ring out from the rear of the house. A third police officer hopped out of one of the cruisers and hustled back toward the action. The first officer still had his gun pointed cleanly on Tom.
“Remain where you are and don’t make any sudden moves!” the cop warned.
Tom’s arms were numb from holding Tracy’s body. “I have an unconscious woman here who needs medical attention-she’s been drugged and is barely breathing!”
The cop called the paramedics over and spoke to them. A moment later, he said: “Hold on to her and we’ll get someone up there as soon as the scene is cleared.”
“Okay, but please hurry!”
Tom saw the three men appear from around the side of the house, followed by the cops. The men were handcuffed.
“Is that everybody?” the cop holding the gun asked the other officers.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Except for the two on the roof,” Tom heard a cop reply. “The fire is spreading pretty quick.”
On cue, the firemen began moving toward the rear of the house, followed by the paramedics and one of the officers. The cop motioned toward Tom.
“We’ll be up to get you in a moment.”
Tom watched as the three men were escorted over to the cruisers, frisked and then placed into the rear of the cars. A small crowd had gathered and was looking on curiously.
A cop suddenly stuck his head out the window and aimed his flashlight directly into Tom’s eyes.
“Hold it right there and don’t make any sudden moves,” he commanded.
“Okay,” Tom replied.
“Do you have any weapons on you?”
“No, sir.”
The cop trained his light on Tracy’s face, frowned, then disappeared. A moment later, one of the firemen stuck his head out and surveyed the situation.
“We’re going to get a ladder up to you, mister,” he called to Tom. “A medic is coming out to take a look at the woman.”
See Tom Run Page 21