Metal clanged against metal as the elevator stopped on the third floor, the door sliding open. He stepped inside and punched the red parking deck button. The contraption zipped there in seconds. He strolled out, slid into the driver’s side of the sedan, and programmed his GPS from Beach Lady to 325 Backwater Drive. He tried to think if he knew anyone who lived in that neighborhood, or recall a time he visited the area, but he couldn’t.
Within fifteen minutes he arrived at Ann’s condo and rang the doorbell. She answered wearing a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt that made her hazel eyes sparkle. He put his arms around her waist and his breath hitched. How he’d missed touching her. He helped her into the passenger’s side of the car and drove to Beach Lady/Beach Guy to pick up Freddie.
Shades of evening tinted the sky light gray as he pulled up in front of the store and parked. Freddie waddled out, secured the shop door, and scooted into the back seat of James’s sedan.
“Hi, guys. I’ve been thinking about this sleaze all day. I can’t wait to find something to incriminate him.” Freddie leaned forward and directed his gaze at Ann. “By the way, I locked up Beach Lady before I came out Beach Guy, just so you know.”
“I figured. How’d it go?”
“Fine. No problems. I sold three pairs of pants and two dresses.” Freddie snickered. “First time I ever helped a woman pick out fancy frocks.”
“I bet that was a hoot.”
Frivolity lined Ann’s voice, but she quickly added, “However, you’re a good salesman. I’m sure the ladies appreciated it.”
James tilted his head back a little. “Have you ever been to Backwater Drive?”
“Never heard of it before last night,” Freddie answered.
James sighed. “I haven’t either, but it’s in the GPS. I suppose it exists.”
“It does. I see it on the right.” Ann rose up in her seat and pointed, excitement in her voice.
James breathed hard and pressed his foot on the gas pedal. Like a hound on a scent, he focused on his prey as he passed two white frame houses amid thick hardwoods, pines and underbrush on the sides of the street. The road turned to dirt and the car bumped over a boulder. He glanced at Ann and Freddie. They sat wide-eyed.
The road grew narrower and narrower, a quick escape less and less likely. What if The Worm was home?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
James turned into the left bend on Backwater Drive. A building that looked like a storage shed of gray weathered boards appeared in the distance. Pebbles crunched under the tires as he drove closer. A tattered roof, two small windows, and a faded red door came into view.
James scanned the area around the dirt road, and a muscle in his cheek twitched. “This place is deserted. My vehicle stands out like an elephant.” A clearing behind a clump of pine trees. The perfect spot. “Ah, here.” He backed in the car.
“Good job.” Ann patted James’s arm and slid out of the sedan followed by Freddie.
Freddie picked up branches and underbrush, the leaves rustling as he camouflaged the automobile. He brushed off his hands. “I’m ready when you are.”
Ann stared at Freddie’s creation. “Great job.”
The yearning to stop this evil filled James’s chest with courage. He pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket, put the binocular app to his face, and peered at the hovel sitting like a still painting underneath the twilight sky. Two squirrels played on a nearby log while he scoped out the front of the building.
A seagull flew from a palm tree. Did the rickety structure back up to a canal? He panned to the right of the old house, lowered the phone, and gazed at Ann and Freddie, their eyes intense. “The place appears deserted from here, but there could be a boat docked behind it. James swung his arm toward the sky, dark shades of gray dimming the evening. “Nightfall’s only minutes away.” He pulled a small flashlight from his pants pocket. “I’ll point this downward so it won’t show through the trees, and we’ll approach his place after dark. I’d say we’re one hundred yards away.”
In five minutes that seemed like hours to James night fell. Looking down, he placed one foot forward in determination then pulled it back. How could they case their surroundings with only a flashlight? He didn’t know, but Ann’s life depended on them identifying this man. His stomach churned. Then, he raised his head. A thousand stars twinkled and a new moon glowed as though God had put them there especially for them. “The Heavens are shining bright for us. Just follow me.”
He puffed out his chest and set his feet pounding the dirt toward the right of the old shack to check out the backyard. Frogs croaked, crickets chirped, and twigs broke underneath his shoes as they forged ahead single file—James, Ann, and Freddie.
Dampness filled the air. The canal. James shined the light toward the moistness and his bones turned to ice. An alligator lay on the ground beside the water, its wide-open mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
“Run.” Freddie tapped James then turned toward Ann. “Hurry. Back to the car.”
The wrinkled, leathery-looking monster opened its mouth and emitted a noise like the wind howling.
James froze.
The alligator snapped, barely missing James’s boot.
Freddie yanked James backward. “Move out of here.”
James jumped then raced behind Freddie and Ann as fast as his feet would go.
Hissing and branches breaking boomed into the night.
“Step to the right, James.”
Was Freddie calling to him?
James zigzagged. A log rolled past and hit the big-mouthed reptile on the head. Its feet stopped clawing at the ground. It shook its huge noggin and crept toward them.
Trembling, James charged to the car behind Ann and Freddie. They flung open the doors and plopped down.
“Geez, who needs a guard dog?” Freddie broke the silence, and they let out nervous laughs.
“What do we do now?” Ann’s eyes looked misty, her voice quivering.
James clenched his jaw. “We can’t give up. I don’t think The Worm’s home or he would’ve heard the ruckus and come outside.”
“I agree, so you’re saying we don’t need to go around back where the canal...” Freddie gulped. “And alligators are.”
Ann pointed. “Look, the gator’s going back to the water. He’s moving much slower than he did when he chased us.”
Freddie rubbed his chin. “Yeah. They can accelerate up to twenty miles per hour, but they can’t sustain that speed for long. I think the big chunk of wood put his brakes on, but back to Ann’s question. What’s next?”
James thumped the steering wheel. “As isolated as this place is, he may not even lock his door, let alone those windows. Let’s nose around the front of the house. If we hear a car or a boat, we’ll hide, work our way back here, and hold up until it’s safe to leave.”
“I like it,” Freddie said.
They slid out and Freddie re-constructed his camouflage. James pointed the flashlight at the ground and stepped to the left toward the road until they were parallel with it while hiding behind the trees. He stopped at the small grassy front yard and looked over his shoulder. “Still a go?”
“Yes,” Freddie and Ann whispered as though someone else were listening, but only the croaking, chirping, and sloshing water broke the silence. They inched to the front door like cats sneaking up on mice.
James extended a shaky hand and tried to turn the gold knob. He shook his head, and they crept to a window.
James stared at it. “Hmm. It’s higher than it looks from a distance.”
Ann touched his arm. “You and Freddie can boost me up.”
James bristled. “No.”
“Why not?” Anger lined Ann’s voice.
“Hey man, we’re so close. We’ll make sure she doesn’t fall. The moon’s shining on us, and there’s a light coming from somewhere, maybe a boat on the canal. We don’t even need your flashlight to see to hoist her.”
Freddie was right, of course, but James’s blood boiled
. Why must they risk their lives because someone hated Christians? If the alligators didn’t get them, then maybe The Worm would.
Ann peered at James.
James bit his bottom lip. “Okay, crawl on my shoulders.” He gestured toward Freddie. “When she stands up, hold her legs tight. She could slip and hit the ground in an instant.”
“Got ya.” Freddie stood at attention while James bent over.
Ann mounted James’s shoulders, letting her legs swing over his chest, and he stood. “Move forward a few steps, so I can reach the window.”
James inched closer. “Watch out for rusty nails. This place is a wreck.”
“I will.” Ann grabbed hold of the window sill, and stood.
Freddie reached around James’s neck and clutched her ankles, but her legs wobbled. He pressed against James’s back and grasped her calves. “How’s that? Are you steady?”
“I’m fine.” Ann’s voice sounded weak.
“Are you positive?” James needed reassurance.
“I’m a little afraid of heights, that’s all.”
James’s heart sank to his toes, but they were in the thick of the investigation. “It’s okay. Freddie’s got you. What’s happening up there?”
“I’m pushing on the window.” Ann rocked back and forth.
“Is it locked?”
Ann tilted to the side.
“Catch her. Catch her.” James’s heart beat like a jackhammer. He held his breath as Freddie let go of Ann’s legs and grabbed her waist.
Freddie guided her down to James’s shoulders, her legs hanging over James’s chest. “She’s a little pale, but she’s all right, aren’t you?” Freddie craned his neck and gazed at Ann.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go. There has to be a better way to do this.” James put as much authority into his voice as he could muster.
“No. I’m fine.” Ann stood, and Freddie clasped her calves. “I’m looking at the window. It’s nailed shut.”
“For crying out loud. Get down.” The angst James wanted to control filled his voice.
Ann let her legs slide and hang over James’s shoulders, and Freddie helped her to the ground. “We could check the other one.”
James swiped his forehead. “What for? It’s probably stuck too.”
Freddie peered at him. “We have to try. We’ve gone to lots of trouble, come all the way out here, and he’s not home. This is perfect.”
James’s eyebrows shot up. “Perfect? I’d hate to see a problem.”
Ann waved her hand. “No, James. He’s right. Lift me up before The Worm crashes our party.”
“Very funny,” James said with a straight face. Then he bent over. “I’m outnumbered.”
A smooth second attempt slowed James’s heartrate. Before he knew it Ann had raised the window and hoisted herself halfway through the opening, her legs stuck straight out.
“Here’s a table. I’m going to lower myself onto it slowly.”
In moments she disappeared. Banging from indoors resounded, and James’s nerves vibrated like a dentist’s drill. The front door opened. “Hi guys, come on in, but be careful. It’s dark in here.”
James turned on the flashlight, and he and Freddie entered.
Ann shut the door and locked it.
“What was all that racket? Did you fall?” James tapped her shoulder.
“No, I turned the table over, but I set it upright and ran my hand along the wall until I reached the door. Shine the light around the room.”
Gray unpainted sheetrock lined the inside of the shack. A worn black leather chair with the stuffing oozing out of the seat sat across from the table Ann had used to enter, a matching sofa to the left of it. On the other side of the room a plate with crumbs rested on a rickety, wooden kitchen table with a straight back chair at each end. How long would it be before The Worm returned? James’s muscles tensed as a chill fell over him, but they couldn’t give up now.
He swung the light toward a door to their right then pushed on it. “Let’s check in here.”
It opened to a musty-smelling room. A crumpled log cabin quilt covered a twin bed. Ann rushed to a desk beside it and grabbed some papers. “James, you’re right.” Her voice hitched. “You’ve been right all along. Look.” She held up a note with writing that looked more like scribbling. “It says, ‘kill Ann Jones this time, or else.’” Ann shook uncontrollably.
Weakness swept over James, his heart unable to bear what his mind already knew. He hurried to her and held her tight while Freddie thumbed through the rest of the letters.
Freddie rubbed the top of his head. “Oh man, it’s hate mail. There’s information here about more churches to target. Do we take this?”
“No. We’re breaking and entering.”
Freddie dropped the evidence. “Listen.”
A car pulled up out front.
James could hardly breathe. “Put that back just like you found it. I’ll look for a place to hide.”
Freddie and Ann placed the papers on the desk as footsteps resounded out front. “Is that the way it was?” Freddie whispered.
“I think so. I’m not sure.” Ann’s voice quivered.
“Over here, quick.” James’s words barely carried across the room as a key clicked in the lock on the front door.
The three of them jammed into a small closet, the stench overwhelming James’s nostrils. He looked at Ann. “Did you close the window?”
“Yes.”
Loud footfalls fell across the plank floor as though The Worm paced back and forth. “I’m not going to see Randolph again until it’s done. I’m sick and tired of him thinking I’m a failure. He don’t need to say it. I can see it in his eyes. I’m a strong man. What’s she? One hundred ten pounds at most. Why, I’ve done guys twice her size. Maybe that’s it. She’s so little I can’t get hold of her.” He snickered. “But I ain’t no wuss. I ain’t givin’ up. Where’d I put her schedule?”
James’s heart beat so hard he feared The Worm could hear it but maybe not over the pounding The Worm’s steps made.
Suddenly the clomping stopped.
Mutterings sifted into the closet, but James couldn’t make them out. A cell phone rang. “Hello.” Silence. “Yeah. I’ll meet you. I might have to go somewhere later. I ain’t figured that out yet, but we can eat first. Bye.” Silence. More clumping across the floor. Silence. “Now where’s her schedule?” The Worm’s gruff voice boomed. Papers rustled. “Here. Let me see. No telling what she’ll do tonight, but Monday nights she leaves work at six o’clock. Monday it is.”
The clothes wiggled in front of Ann, and a pain pricked James’s heart. No wonder she trembled. He lifted his arm to reach out and comfort her, but the door cracked and light seeped in.
James lowered his arm to his side and clenched his fists.
The Worm’s cell phone rang again. “What is it?” Aggravation lined his voice. “All right. I was gonna change clothes, but I’ll leave now. Yeah. Yeah. No. It’s all right. I’m hungry too.”
James eyed The Worm’s black, chunky boots as they thudded across the floor. Then the light switch clicked and the crack in the closet door went dark. James slid to the floor and leaned against the wall. Ann and Freddie joined him. He sat without speaking for what seemed like forever but was probably five minutes. Finally, he whispered, “Did he start the car?”
“That’s it. He’s leaving now.” Freddie spoke softly.
James nodded even though he realized Freddie probably couldn’t see him. “Let’s get out of here.”
They tip-toed to the door as though The Worm was still home and could hear them. James put on the lock, and they ran to the car. Freddie flung away the camouflage of underbrush he’d created, and they scooted in their seats. James started the car, pulled out of the clearing, and raced to Highway 98. His suspicions no longer taunted him from the back of his mind. They yelled in his face, his insides running as fast as the engine.
“It’s going down Monday after work.” Anxi
ety lined Freddie’s voice. “We have to tell the police.”
A sinking sensation swept over James. “We can’t. We were breaking and entering when we found out.”
Freddie slapped himself on the forehead. “What are we gonna do? We can’t let him...”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Monday night Ann plopped down on the sofa next to James. She snuggled as close to him as she could get as though the warmth radiating from him could protect her against the brutal attack she expected. The palm tree beside the patio blew in the breeze coming off the ocean. Twilight grew dimmer and dimmer, the ruffling leaves casting dark shadows against a gray sky. How much longer? As soon as night fell or the wee hours of the morning? She shivered. “Should we turn on television?”
“No. Pretend to read a book. I want to be able to hear the sounds outside.”
Ann recoiled inside at the worried tone of James’s voice, but she thumbed through the stack of books on the shelf underneath the end table beside the sofa. None of them could take her mind off the horror she anticipated, but any of them would serve as a prop. She chose one, opened it to the middle, and stuck her nose in it. Branches cracked near the sliding glass door. Her muscles tensed like a taut rope. She stared outside, trying to make her eyes see through the dark.
More snapping. Nothing but reflections created by the glow of the moon and stars twinkling. Where was he? The footsteps grew closer. Suddenly her neighbor and his dog wandered into the moon’s silver shimmer on the patio. Ann’s heart skipped a beat. “This is so scary.”
James grasped her hand and squeezed it. “We’re going to be fine, but switch the lamp off. We don’t want to discourage The Worm’s entrance.”
Breaking Barriers (Love Is Book 8) Page 11