by Terri Reed
Ellie smiled at Kaylee. She was hanging out with her friends and taking a break from the drama of boys, especially boys who had made some very bad choices lately. Last Ellie had heard, Collin Parker was out on bail awaiting arraignment.
Stupid decisions. Lifelong consequences.
“Oh, I don’t know. Agent Rock has to take the cider home to his grandfather.”
Kaylee dragged the cider by the lids toward her. “I can hold on to the cider until you guys get back.” She checked the time on her cell phone. “It’s our turn to work the booth, anyway.” She flicked her fingers playfully. “Go, go, go…”
Ellie angled her head. “Really, Kaylee. You can’t tell us to run along like one of your friends.” She laughed as she removed her money bib and helped Kaylee tie it around her waist.
Ellie stepped outside the booth and zipped her jacket up higher. “Maybe it’s time I called it a night.”
Johnny gently took Ellie’s elbow. “I think Miss Kaylee has a great idea.” His warm breath whispered across her ear.
Ellie looked up at him with wide eyes, not sure what to think about how she felt. She had been mentally preparing herself to say goodbye to Johnny now that the investigation was wrapping up.
“I…um…” Ellie sputtered as the young woman watched her carefully. “Sure, I suppose a quick tour of the maze can’t hurt.”
“I’ll be back shortly to get my cider,” Johnny said to Kaylee.
“No problem, Agent Rock.” Kaylee set the cider down behind the counter, a mischievous grin on her face.
Ah, to be young, Ellie mused.
Johnny squeezed Ellie’s hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about how these young kids don’t realize how many opportunities they have in front of them. What’s the expression? The world is their oyster?”
Johnny winced.
“Not a fan of oysters, huh? How about, ‘Youth is wasted on the young’?”
“I know what you mean. I see so many young people making bad choices. It kills me.”
“Then why do you do it?” She kicked at the loose hay on the blacktop. “It must wear on you.”
“It does. But someone has to do it.” There was a rapt quality to his voice.
A couple smiled and waved at Johnny. Then an older man from the church came up and shook his hand. “You did a good thing, Agent Rock. Thank you.”
“Does that always happen after you make an arrest?” She smiled up at him.
“No. I think it’s the small-town thing going on.”
“The news is touting you as hometown hero.”
Johnny ran a hand through his hair. “I prefer to work under the radar.”
Ellie playfully rested her cheek against his shoulder and kept walking. “When do you head back to Buffalo?”
“I took a week’s vacation so I can spend more time with my grandfather. He’s not quite ready to move, but we have to make a plan to assure he can continue living at the house. There’s a few projects…” He shrugged. “You know how it is.”
“Yeah.” She tried to hide the disappointment from her voice. The wind kicked up and Ellie struggled to stifle a shudder.
Johnny let go of her hand and wrapped a hand around her shoulder. “Cold?”
Not exactly at this moment.
The clean scent of him filled her senses. This man, without saying a word, destroyed every argument she had made for herself to avoid reentering the dating world.
If only he lived in Williamstown.
Johnny stepped away from her toward another refreshment booth. “Want some hot chocolate?”
“Sure.” Ellie stuffed her hands into her pockets, missing the warmth of his presence.
He paid for two hot chocolates and handed her one. “Ready for the maze?”
“I have no sense of direction.”
“It’s okay, I’ll stay with you.”
Ellie smiled, feeling like one of those young girls she envied. Feeling as if a world of opportunities stretched at her feet.
*
The smell of dried hay reached her nose as Johnny handed the attendant their tickets and they entered the maze made of hay bales stacked seven feet high.
A young girl ran past them at a cross section, giggling. She was obviously lost.
Johnny walked slowly, kicking at the hay. “Can’t say I’ve ever been in a maze made of hay bales.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Ellie didn’t press. From what Johnny had told her, he hadn’t had an idyllic childhood filled with church carnivals, hot chocolate and mazes.
“I’m not one for confined spaces,” Ellie said, “but I figure I can bust out of here by knocking over the bales if necessary.” She dragged her hand along the wall and pulled it back when she snagged a piece of prickly hay. The light of a passing vehicle flashed in the cracks between the bales. “See, this is the outside wall.” She lifted her foot, pretending to push on the bottom bale. “One swift kick and I’m free.”
“I don’t think that’s exactly necessary. Besides, it would ruin the fun of the maze.”
“Yeah.” Ellie drank the last of her hot chocolate.
Johnny held out his hand. “Let me toss that out for you. There was a garbage can near the entrance.” He smirked at Ellie’s raised eyebrows. “Stay right here, I’ll be back in a second. I promise I won’t let you get lost.”
Ellie clutched her hands together and pressed them to her chest. “You’ll be my hero.” Besides, she had something in her shoe and could take this time to dump it out.
A slow, genuine smile crept across his face, making Ellie’s insides go soft. She was in so much trouble.
Ellie rested one hand on the maze wall, careful not to push too hard, and yanked off her sneaker, tipping out the small pebble and slipping her shoe back on.
She then pulled out her cell phone and checked it, mostly out of habit. She went to put it back into her pocket when it slipped out of her hand. “Oh, man,” she muttered, hoping she hadn’t cracked the screen.
Just then a hay bale nudged her backside. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. Someone grabbed her arm and her first instinct was relief. “Johnny?”
The grip bit into her flesh and her relief turned to fear. She tried to yank her arm away, but the person held on tight, then wrapped another arm around her shoulder, pulling her to her feet.
The smell. Her fear. A horrible familiarity. All reminiscent of her attack while looking for Duke.
But Tony had been arrested.
Icy dread pumped through her veins.
A blood-curdling scream rent the night air. It took her a moment to realize the sound had ripped from her throat.
The man dragged her through the tumbled hay bales to an idling vehicle in the parking lot on the other side. She bucked and kicked, but he only held her tighter. As he opened the trunk, fear made her want to puke.
There, curled up in a ball, was her good friend, Ashley.
The word Oh barely formed on her lips when the man shoved her inside on top of Ashley.
In the brief second before the lid slammed shut, Roger Petersen’s angry face came into view.
Roger?
The trunk lid slammed down, leaving her in blackness. Terror clawed at her heart as she blinked, blinked, blinked.
Absolute darkness.
THIRTEEN
Johnny backtracked a couple turns to the entrance where he had noticed a trash can. He tossed in the two paper cups and a splash of hot chocolate landed on his hand.
“Oh, here you go, Agent Rock.” An older woman hustled toward him with a couple napkins.
He smiled and took them from the woman. “Thank you.”
He wiped his sticky hands and stuffed the napkins into the trash can.
“I wanted to thank you for catching the drug dealer. I can’t believe it was Bobby’s son.” She hitched a shoulder and kept talking. “I bought my rye bread from that bakery for years.” She made a tsking soun
d. “I suppose you never really know about anyone.”
“No, ma’am.” Johnny glanced toward the maze entrance, figuring Ellie would be wondering where he was.
“I heard the young boy who overdosed is doing better.”
Johnny nodded.
“These kids think they’re invincible.” She hiked up the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “I’m glad my boys are all grown. I can’t imagine handling what these kids are dealing with today. Sure, drugs have always been around, but now they have these phones and the World Wide Web. The young people today can’t seem to do anything without having their photo plastered all over.” She shook her head, disgusted. “I miss the simpler times.”
Johnny reached out and touched her arm. “Enjoy your evening, ma’am. I have someone waiting for me.”
The older lady waved her hand. “Oh, listen to me going on and on. Have a good night, Agent Rock.”
“Thank you. You, too.”
Johnny turned and strode back toward the maze. When he reached the entrance he heard a scream.
“Ellie!”
His heartbeat jackhammered in his chest. Breaking into a run, he made the few turns to where he had left Ellie. The wall of hay bales had collapsed. He stepped through the opening to the parking lot on the other side of the maze.
“Ellie!” he shouted again. “Ellie!”
Johnny scanned the quiet parking lot. Adrenaline surged through his veins. No sign of Ellie.
Calmly, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed her number. A short distance away he heard her familiar ring tone. His heart stopped. He marched toward the sound. On the ground littered with hay, the screen of a smartphone lit the darkened corner. He bent and picked it up. His name lit the screen.
Ellie’s phone.
Johnny straightened and searched the area. Where was Ellie?
*
In the close confines of the hot trunk, something sharp dug into Ellie’s side. She tried to scoot forward, but she didn’t want to risk hurting Ashley. The quiet up and down of Ashley’s chest assured Ellie that her friend was alive. Thank God.
The stale smell of old upholstery and rubber assaulted her nose. Her stomach roiled and she feared she’d throw up.
Dear Lord, please protect me. Deliver Ashley and me to safety. Keep me calm. Allow me to think. Let Johnny find us in time.
The words of her prayer were as disjointed as her thoughts.
God would understand.
Ellie closed her eyes and mentally sent out a message to Johnny. But what could she tell him? I’m in the trunk of a car headed to who knows where?
Ellie tried to shove aside her feelings of despair. She had to do something. She felt around the trunk for a trunk release but couldn’t find one. She feared this car was too old to be outfitted with one.
With a shaky hand, she reached out and touched what felt like Ashley’s arm. She gently shook her friend. “Ashley,” she said in a hushed whisper. She didn’t want to give Roger an excuse to pull over and hurt her. Hurt them.
Ellie dragged her hand up her friend’s arm and found her face, her mouth, the duct tape over it. She picked at a corner. “Ashley?”
No answer.
Her pulse whooshed in her ears, the steady beat amplified by the confined space. A bead of sweat trickled down her face and around to her jawline.
“Ashley, I’m going to pull the tape off your mouth. I’m going to do it fast so it doesn’t hurt.” She had no idea if her friend could hear her. Could process her words.
Her friend groaned softly. A surge of relief swept over Ellie. Ashley was coming around.
“Try to stay quiet, honey. I’ll get this tape off your mouth.”
The next muffled cry that came from her friend was strangled.
“I’ll try not to hurt you.”
Ellie braced herself mentally and pulled the tape from her friend’s mouth in one swift, hair-removing yank. Ashley whimpered.
“What’s going on?” Ellie whispered to her friend. “Do you have any idea?”
Ashley coughed and Ellie held her breath, her heartbeat ticking away the seconds as the car sped down the road.
“You have to give it back,” Ashley said, her voice raw, hoarse.
“What are you talking about?”
“The package. The package! You have to give it back.” Ashley’s frantic tone sent Ellie’s already frazzled nerves into hyperdrive.
“The package of drugs?” Every inch of Ellie’s skin tingled with the buzz of adrenaline.
“You have to give it back or Roger’s going to kill us.”
“Kill us?”
“Me, Tony…now you.”
Ellie’s mind swirled; random thoughts pelted her brain. “I don’t have the package.”
“What did you do with it?”
“I never had it.” Ellie tried to keep the anger and frustration out of her tone. It would serve no purpose now. An ache shot up her shoulder and arm when the car hit a bump. “How will Roger hurt Tony? Tony’s in jail.”
“No. Tony got out on bail this afternoon.”
None of this made sense.
The car came to a stop and a new wave of panic rolled over her. The car door creaked open. Footsteps. The sound of a key fob chirped in the black night.
And the trunk popped open. A rush of cool air swept into the confined space. Beyond the dark shadow of Roger hovering over the open trunk, Ellie saw a million stars in the sky.
Please help me, Lord.
Roger reached into the trunk and yanked Ellie out by the arm. His fingers dug into her flesh, sending an aching pain shooting through her limb. She blinked a few times against the streetlights. The alley behind her shop came into focus.
Roger slammed the trunk lid closed on her friend and Ellie yelped, “Don’t leave Ashley in there.”
Roger jerked her toward the back door of Gifts and More. “I think you have bigger things to worry about than Ashley.”
“I—”
“Get me the package now, or I’ll kill your friend.”
Ellie swallowed hard. “You can’t get away with this. You didn’t ten years ago. You won’t now.” A boldness she didn’t understand filled her. Was she being smart or stupid?
Roger grunted and shook her so hard that she was forced to look back at his vehicle. “Go on, look.”
Hot anger and fear flooded her face. Roger ushered her over to the car and she peered through the window. Tony lay curled up on the backseat, his hands and ankles bound, his mouth covered with duct tape. His wide eyes and jerky movements radiated terror.
“If all this goes bad, your boyfriend will think Tony Vino snapped. He’ll be the only suspect.”
“Tony won’t keep quiet.” She had enough sense not to argue the point that Johnny was hardly her boyfriend.
Under the moonlight, she could see the corner of Roger’s mouth pull into a smirk. “He won’t have a choice.”
The implications of his words stabbed Ellie in the heart. Pinpricks of realization rolled over her. Roger would have to kill all of them to get away with this if he planned to pin it on Tony, making it look as though Tony had committed murder-suicide.
Ellie fisted and unfisted her hands. Her mind raced. What should I do? What should I do? Should she tell Roger she didn’t have the package? Would that mean instant death for all of them? Should she pretend she did and buy them all time? Time for Johnny to find them.
She lifted a finger in a hold-on-a-minute gesture.
Yes, she decided, playing along was her only hope.
“Okay,” Ellie said, trying to keep her voice even. “Let me get it.”
Roger pushed her toward the back door of her shop. “Good girl.”
Ellie stopped at the door and dug into her pocket for the keys.
Think. Think. Think.
She spun around and her stomach pitched when she noticed Roger’s intense expression. “I only have the key for the front door,” she said, her voice shaky.
Roger clenched h
is jaw and muttered something.
He grabbed her by the arm and gestured toward the car with his chin. “They ain’t going anywhere,” he said, referring to his hostages. He shoved Ellie down the narrow alley between the buildings. She had to jog to keep pace and not trip over her feet. A continuous prayer ran through her head.
Dear Lord, help me…
“You better not be lying to me.” Roger snarled.
When they reached Main Street, it was oddly deserted. Just her luck, everyone was at the church carnival.
Roger pulled a gun from his waistband and leaned in close, his stale breath hot on her cheek. “If we run into anyone, you tell them you’re opening the shop to show me something.”
Ellie nodded, unable to force any words from her too tight throat.
“I don’t think I need to remind you, your friend’s life is in your hands.”
Idiot was going to kill all of them anyway. Did he really think she was that stupid?
Focusing solely on what she had to do, Ellie put the key into the lock of the front door with shaky fingers.
Dear Lord, help me…
She pushed open the door and slammed the alarm pad inside.
Roger cursed and reached for her, but his fingers brushed her waist.
Ellie grabbed the top of the glass shelves with both hands and toppled them in front of the door, then spun on her heels, making her way to the storage room.
A shot rang out, whizzing by her ear. She dove for the ground, her fingers touching the side of the door frame to the storage room.
Just a few more feet.
Another shot sounded and drywall exploded over her head.
Protect me, Lord.
Ellie army-crawled into the storage room. Once inside, she pivoted and slammed the door shut.
A tear ran down her cheek. Her eyes drifted to the back door leading to the alley. Could she make it to the car to save her friend before Roger got back to the alley?
Scrambling to her feet, she fumbled in the darkness to find the handle of the door. Her shaking fingers found the knob for the dead bolt, but a horrible sense of foreboding paralyzed her.
Dear Lord, what should I do?
*
The whimpers of a woman sounded from somewhere close.