The Deep End

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “You’d better.” Matt took one step toward the hall before turning back and snatching another scone. He flashed a grin at CJ. “Energy food.”

  “Right,” CJ laughed.

  Chapter 24

  “Pete, you can’t be serious.” CJ paced across her hotel room. Nationals were just a day away, and he wanted her to scratch out of her first event. “I thought you said I have a good chance of making the Olympic team in the 400 IM.”

  “You probably can make the Olympic team in the 400, but you won’t medal.” Pete tapped the papers spread out in front of him on the table in CJ’s room. “Besides the fact that I don’t want you to get tired out for your 100 breaststroke on Tuesday, the 400 IM is the only race you’re trying for that is not a sprint. When we get to the Olympics, I can’t properly taper you for both your sprints and a middle distance event.”

  “Are you sure about this?” CJ asked skeptically.

  “Trust me,” Pete answered. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Okay.” CJ motioned toward the door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

  “You’re really going to church today? The day before nationals?” Pete shook his head. “I thought you were going to take this Sunday literally as a day of rest.”

  “Believe me, I am not going to step up in front of everyone for the first time as CJ Whitmore and not do some praying about it first.”

  Pete narrowed his eyes as he studied her. “Are you sure they won’t lynch me because I’m Catholic or Baptist or something?”

  “You don’t know what religion you are?”

  Pete shrugged. “I’m sure I could look it up if I wanted to.”

  “Come on Pete.” CJ opened the door. “Even if you don’t believe in modern-day prophets, you can still pray with me.”

  “All right,” Pete grumbled and followed her out the door. “But I’m counting on you to make sure I come out in one piece.”

  * * *

  This was it. CJ took a deep breath and paraded out to the pool with the rest of the finalists for the 100-meter breaststroke. She had competed that morning in the preliminaries for the 200-meter individual medley, advancing to the semifinals that would be held the next day. For now, her focus was on the breaststroke. Bridget Bannon was the top seed in the event. CJ was seeded third, but she considered herself lucky that she was in the lane next to Bridget.

  I’ve beaten her before, CJ reminded herself. If she could beat Bridget, she would make the Olympic team. She already knew it was going to be a close race, and she was trying not to think about the fact that the other swimmers were coming in rested for this meet while CJ would not start her taper until next week to prepare for the Olympics.

  She shook her arms, unable to stand still as the adrenaline flowed through her body. For the first time in years, she could feel the support of her loved ones. Matt was in the stands, taking advantage of his one day off this week. Doug and Jill were there to cheer her on as well. A warmth pierced through the excitement of the moment, and she could feel the love of her father and Chase as well. Although both had passed away, she knew their spirits were near.

  CJ turned and looked behind her, almost expecting to see her father. Instead, Tara stood behind CJ’s block, watching the crowd. Lacey was on the other side of the pool, observing from a different vantage point. The last of Rush’s funds had been seized, finally giving CJ something she had dreamed of for years: freedom.

  The water rippled gently in front of her, waiting for dreams to be made and others to be broken. The whistle blew and CJ stepped up onto the block. She was ready, and finally she was safe.

  All of her insecurities were battled and beaten as she took her position. She sprang forward on the start, hitting the water the same time as her competition. Bridget’s height gave her a lead off of the start, but CJ didn’t even look at her.

  Bridget swam a full body-length ahead of CJ through the first turn and into the second lap. At the sixty-five meter mark, CJ gradually began to close the distance between them. The height advantage that Bridget had on the start and the turn began to dissipate as they approached the finish. As they hit the last ten meters, CJ pushed past Bridget and took the lead for the first time.

  The cheering was deafening, but CJ didn’t hear it. Her focus was on the timing pad in front of her, the swimmer’s equivalent of a finish line. She was swimming her favorite stroke against some of the best competitors in the world. Even as she passed under the flags for her final stroke, she knew she was living the first leg of her childhood dream.

  * * *

  “This house is incredible.” Jill turned a circle in the middle of CJ’s kitchen before turning to look at her friend, who leaned against the kitchen counter. “And I can’t believe you’re actually going to the Olympics.”

  “We’re going to the Olympics,” CJ corrected. “I thought Doug was inspired to bring you along as part of your honeymoon.”

  “I can’t say I really minded the change in plans,” Jill admitted. “Now instead of a week in the Bahamas, I get to spend a week there, a week putting my house together, and another week at the Olympics.” Jill sat down at the breakfast bar and shook her head. “I just can’t believe I’m getting married this weekend.”

  “I can’t believe you are so calm just three days before your wedding.” CJ shook her head as she moved to the refrigerator. She was pleased to see that Matt hadn’t depleted their entire supply of water bottles, and then she smiled ironically as she realized it was only because he had been out of town for the past three days. “I was a nervous wreck before Matt and I got married.”

  “I’m not planning on having armed men chase me to the temple,” Jill pointed out.

  “Okay, good point.” CJ laughed. She opened a bottle of water and handed another one to Jill. “Still, I thought you would have to stay in Dallas to get ready.”

  “Everything is done,” Jill stated. “My mom has organized enough weddings that she has everything down. Besides, I really wanted to be here when we closed on our house.”

  “I’m so glad you’re moving here.” CJ set her water bottle on the counter and looked up at Jill. “This all feels so normal. I mean, I think this is what normal is supposed to feel like.”

  “It’s pretty close.” Jill glanced at her watch. “I wonder what’s keeping Doug. I was hoping to swing by and look at the house before it got dark.”

  “Matt’s flight was probably running late. Doug was going to pick him up from the airport on his way over here,” CJ explained. “Did you want the grand tour of my house?”

  “That would be great.” Jill nodded. “By the way, what happened to Tara? I thought she was still staying here with you.”

  “She left right before you got here. She has some kind of meeting this evening about my security at the Olympics. Doug figured that since he was headed over here anyway, now was as good a time as any for her to take care of it.”

  When CJ headed for a pantry rather than the main hall, Jill asked, “Where are you going?”

  “Shortcut.” CJ motioned for Jill to follow.

  Jill followed her into the closeted stairwell. “I never would have known this was here,” Jill declared. She pointed at the baseball bat that was perched in the corner next to the door leading to the garage. “I guess Matt’s found it already.”

  “He was supposed to put that in the garage. I found another one in the backyard yesterday.” CJ shook her head, thinking how nice it was to have his stuff to clutter up the house again.

  CJ showed Jill the rooms near the stairwell. “We haven’t really done anything with those rooms yet. I’m not sure what to do with the office they used for all of the security equipment.” She pointed to the office that had been converted into a security center. Had she stepped inside, she could have seen various views of the yard and entryway. She shrugged as she headed down the hall toward her room. “I mean, I doubt we need such an extensive security system now.”

  “It can’t hurt to keep it as it is
for a while longer. After all, you are married to a celebrity. With the way everyone was talking about you at the trials, you’re making quite a name for yourself, too.”

  “I don’t know about that.” CJ proceeded to show Jill her room, as well as the room Tara was still staying in. Finally, they ended up back in the kitchen.

  “Did you want to put your things in one of the guest rooms?”

  “Sure,” Jill said, picking up her suitcase and following CJ to the downstairs guest rooms.

  “You have a choice between these two,” CJ explained.

  “This is great.” Jill moved into the first room and dropped her suitcase on the bed. “By the way, I found some of your things when I was packing.”

  CJ watched as Jill opened her bag and pulled out one of CJ’s old sweatshirts and the stuffed dolphin CJ had thought was lost long ago. She stared at it with disbelief.

  “Where did you find that?” CJ asked incredulously, pointing to the stuffed animal.

  “It was under one of the beds.” Jill handed it to her. “I think it probably ended up there the day our apartment was ransacked.”

  CJ ran a hand over the stuffed animal, tears threatening. “I was holding this when Chase was killed. I thought it was lost forever.” Remembering her conversation with Doug, she looked up at Jill and declared, “I need to find some scissors.”

  “What?” Jill followed CJ down the hall into the kitchen and watched CJ pull a pair of scissors out of a drawer. “What are you doing?”

  “The men that killed Chase were looking for diamonds the night that they came to his apartment. No one ever found them.” Carefully, CJ snipped the seam on the toy dolphin and began pulling the thread free. Then she pushed her finger into the two-inch-wide opening she had created, probing the stuffing. “This is the only thing that was there that night that was never searched.”

  “You can’t think that someone hid diamonds inside . . .” Jill’s voice trailed off as CJ began pulling the stuffing out. “Did you find something?”

  “It feels like plastic.” CJ kept working her fingers around the inside of the toy, finally pulling some stuffing and a plastic bag out of its middle. She cleared away the stuffing, her eyes widening. Lying before her was a thick plastic bag, half filled with glittering stones.

  “Are those really diamonds?” Jill moved over to take a closer look.

  “I think so.” CJ nodded in amazement. “They were right here all along.”

  Jill flipped open her cell phone. “I’ll call Doug.”

  CJ listened to Jill’s side of the conversation while she stared at the diamonds.

  “He said they’re on their way,” Jill stated as she closed her cell phone.

  “Did he say how long it will be before he gets here?”

  Jill shook her head. “I didn’t even think to ask.”

  CJ picked up the diamonds. “I guess I should stash these somewhere until Doug shows up.”

  “What are you going to do with them?” Jill asked.

  “I don’t know.” CJ considered the lives affected by the stones in her hand. Looking around the kitchen, she noted that the countertops were clear except for the toaster and a basket of muffins. Earlier that day, Matt had sent CJ the muffin basket, along with a card letting her know he was thinking about her. She smiled as she recalled the sweet words he had written.

  Cradling the diamond-filled bag in her hands, CJ wondered where she could store it temporarily. Suddenly, the fire alarms beeped and the lights went out. Pulling open the nearest kitchen drawer, CJ dropped the diamonds inside. “It looks like I’m not going to be cooking dinner tonight.”

  “Hopefully the power won’t be off for that long,” Jill commented.

  “Just in case, I’d better go find a flashlight.” CJ nodded at the window overlooking the backyard. “It’s going to be dark before much longer.”

  “Do you have any candles?” Jill asked as CJ started toward the main hall.

  “Look in the cabinet next to the stove,” CJ answered. “I’ll be right back.”

  CJ turned the corner into the front entryway, evening shadows making the hall darker than she expected. Her footsteps quickened as she anxiously headed for the table in the entryway where she remembered storing a flashlight. As she leaned over to open the table’s single drawer, she heard a sound in the dining room, and her hands flew to her heart. She whipped around to face the sound, realizing that someone else was in the house. An instant later, her jaw dropped open as she saw a gun aimed at her chest.

  “Hello, Christal.”

  CJ forced her eyes away from the handgun, lifting them to the face of the man who held it, a man who was supposed to be dead. This can’t be right, she thought. But it was indeed Jimmy Malloy standing in her dining room. CJ’s heart pounded, disbelief and confusion almost overcoming her.

  He moved forward and looked around the entryway casually as though he was an invited guest or a good friend who just happened to stop by for a visit. His voice sounded sincere when he schooled his eyes back on CJ. “You have a nice house here. Quiet, isolated.” He paused and gave her a pointed look. “Safe.”

  CJ couldn’t speak. This murderous man had somehow gained access to her house, and all she could do was stare. She hadn’t even screamed. He waved the gun in her direction, motioning for her to step back down the hall. Seeing the gun once more, she decided that maybe screaming wouldn’t have done any good anyway. She tried to take a deep breath to find her voice and found that even breathing was becoming a struggle.

  “What do you want?” CJ finally gasped, her voice barely audible.

  “A great many things.” Malloy stepped farther into the house, a slow smile crossing his face as CJ automatically took a step back.

  CJ swallowed hard. Malloy’s eyes were dark and cold as they bore into hers. She had no doubt that this man had killed before, and instinct told her that he planned on killing again. Her life held no value to him, but still her brain clouded with questions. Why now? What would he gain by killing her now? If everyone thought he was dead, she was no longer a threat to him.

  “To start with, I want to know where those diamonds are.”

  “Diamonds?” CJ’s eyes widened, and the confusion she felt from his presence showed on her face. Fear paralyzed her, even as a corner of her brain wondered how he could know that she had discovered the stones. Out of the corner of her eye, CJ saw movement. Jill!

  Malloy swung the gun toward Jill now. Without thought, CJ stepped between them. “Don’t hurt her. She’s doesn’t know anything.”

  Malloy’s eyes met hers, his intentions clear. “She’s seen me.”

  “Please,” CJ tried again. “I’ll help you find the diamonds.”

  “You stupid girl,” Malloy retorted scornfully. He pulled a photograph out of his pocket. “You’ve had them all along.”

  CJ forced herself to look at the photograph, surprised to see herself with her old roommates. She was holding a stuffed teddy bear that Jill had given her for Christmas.

  “What are you talking about?” CJ managed, fear tinting her voice.

  “I know you took a stuffed animal from the cop’s house the day he was killed. That has to be where he hid the diamonds.”

  CJ almost headed for the kitchen, hoping that if she gave Malloy what he wanted, he would spare their lives. The hardness in his eyes told her that negotiating with him would never work. Her disbelief and terror subsided just long enough for her to consider her options. She could barely think over the pounding of her heart, but she knew they had to find a way to warn Matt and Doug and call for help.

  CJ backed up until she was right in front of Jill. She reached back and took Jill’s hand, feeling it tremble and knowing her own hand shook as well. “We’ll go find it for you.”

  “Oh, no.” Malloy laughed again. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He pointed the gun at Jill once more, noticing the cell phone in her hand. “First, give me that phone. Then she can go get it.”

  Still ke
eping her body between them, CJ reached back and took the phone from Jill. She handed it to Malloy, silently praying that Jill would find a way to get out of the house and call for help.

  “While you’re at it,” Malloy barked, glaring at CJ, “give me your cell phone too.”

  CJ complied, retrieving her phone from her pocket and handing it to him. Then she said to Jill, “Go into the bedroom and find the teddy bear. I think it’s in the closet.”

  Jill stared at the gun in Malloy’s hand, apparently unable to move.

  “Please, Jill,” CJ croaked, emotion clogging her voice. The image of Chase staring down the two men that killed him flashed vividly in her mind. He had saved her life; now she could only hope she could do the same for Jill. CJ could almost hear Chase’s voice as she touched Jill’s shoulder and formed the words, “Go into the bedroom.”

  Slowly, tentatively, Jill moved toward the stairway. Once she reached the top of the stairs, her footsteps sounded as she raced the length of the hall.

  As a door slammed, CJ turned to face Malloy again and wondered how long he would wait.

  Chapter 25

  Jill’s whole body trembled as she picked up the telephone in the office, shocked when there was no dial tone. It took her a minute to remember that the cordless phone wouldn’t work without electricity. She searched the alarm panel next to the bank of monitors and found the button to signal the silent alarm. She pushed it right before noticing that the indicator light was off, signaling that the system wasn’t functioning. For the first time, she looked over at the monitors to see that they were all blank.

  Terrified, she closed her eyes and uttered a simple prayer. “Father, please help me.” She wasn’t even sure what help she needed, nor could her mind wrap around the possibilities. She wanted to live. Never before had she been faced with such a drastic demonstration of the alternative, but she desperately wanted her life to continue, and she wanted it to go on with Doug safely at her side.

  She couldn’t begin to imagine what CJ was going through, but she had lived with her old roommate long enough to know that she would be thinking of Matt’s safety right now as much as her own. Surely there was a way to get a message to Doug and Matt. She couldn’t let them arrive unaware of the danger waiting for them, and maybe, just maybe, they could help her and CJ get away from the terrifying man downstairs.