"It's the 3-mile marker near the graffitied boulder. Yes. Yes. That's the one. We'll see you there." He ended the call, smiled broadly and said to Hannah. "Looks like you were right. You're going to see Josie Bates."
"I can't believe it. Thank you so much. Thank you," Hannah breathed.
Unable to reach the woman who had called, Hannah started to dial again, punching in Josie's number, positive that this time Josie would answer. All she had to do was push the button and Hannah would tell her they were coming.
Hannah put Archer's phone to her ear and listened to Josie's distinctive ring. It echoed not just in her ear but all around her. The sound was coming from the back seat of Daniel Young's car.
Liz Driscoll's Car, San Diego Freeway, North
Liz tossed her phone on the seat beside her. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Young hung up on her. She put the pedal to the metal and kept Daniel Young in sight.
Forest Lawn Cemetery, Orange County
Isaiah Wilson walked across the green lawn, past the headstones and toward a mausoleum. Well, hardly a mausoleum but a monument to Janey nonetheless. To the left of Janey's monument a modest headstone inscribed with the name Susie Atkins.
This was his last stop. He needed to be here with his two girls who would have been women today if Xavier Hernandez had not happened upon them.
"Josie Bates can't hurt anyone anymore," the reverend said to the gravestone and the monument.
Then Reverend Wilson began to cry. Retribution was not all it was cracked up to be.
CHAPTER 44
The California Mountains
Daniel was not happy. Hannah should have been slower given the backhand he dealt her when she recognized Josie Bates' ringtone. Oh, he had tried to explain, but Hannah Sheraton was no dummy. She attacked him, endangering them both. He had to hit her. It felt right and good because it ended any pretense.
Between the woman who called Archer's phone, this little slut, and Erika, this whole thing had just gone to hell in a handbasket. How could he have been so stupid? He had taken Josie Bates' purse and briefcase out of the red car and thrown it into the back of his own so Gay wouldn't see them. Now Bates' stuff was jumbled up with his personal accouterments: his bike, his helmet, his flashlight and backpack. Thinking about that miscalculation made him so angry he hit Hannah again for good measure a second later.
Luckily, they were on the freeway when he did. Cars were going too fast for anyone to really see what happened. Even if they did, this was Los Angeles. Drivers would leave Mother Theresa bleeding on the shoulder rather than get involved.
At the turn off, Daniel hit the gas and took the road to the 3-mile marker in record time. He careened into the cul de sac under the rock and slammed on the brakes. Flinging himself out of the car, he ran to the other side, ripped open the passenger door and went after Hannah as she tried to get over the back seat. He pulled one leg; she kicked with the other. He dragged her a few inches; she screamed and railed and clutched at the headrests and the slick leather upholstery.
"Get out of there. Let go!" he ordered.
Daniel grabbed her jeans and yanked her backward with one hand. With the other he pried her fingers off the back of the seat, aware of her smooth, young skin, the scent of her hair, the flash of her eyes. Oh, he was an exceptional man to be able to appreciate these things even now, in the heat of battle, in this epic war of wills. Dazed as she must be, he had to admire that she still fought, grunting, grappling and kicking as she tried to stay out his reach. But she was simply putting off the inevitable because Daniel was tall, strong, and truly ticked off.
"Damn you. Stop it." With one last lunge he had her, lifting her high as he pulled her out of the car. Holding her tight, Daniel slammed the door shut with his foot.
"This won't work," Hannah snapped.
"Oh, yes it will." Daniel pushed her and she staggered off the road and into the forest. "I'll take the chip out of Archer's phone. No one will know that woman called. Liz Driscoll doesn't know where we were going. . . "
"She does. I heard you tell her," Hannah cried.
"You are stupid," he muttered. "I was talking to dead air. She doesn't know anything. When you disappear I'll tell them you were hysterical about being put in foster care, and that you were screaming about finding Josie Bates. I'll tell them you were delusional and that it wouldn't surprise me if you hurt yourself. Everyone knows you're a cutter. They'll believe me."
"Archer won't. Billy and Burt won't!" Hannah whirled on Daniel. Facing him was preferable to being herded in front of him. "Is Josie alive? Is she?"
"Why don't we just go see?"
Daniel Young raised his arm and pointed. When Hannah didn't move he drew back as if to strike her again, and Hannah scrambled away, walking backward, watching for an opening to make her escape.
"Why did you do this?"
"Because Josie Bates ruined me," he said flatly. "Turn around."
"No!" Hannah screamed and then she screamed again. "Help me. Somebody help me."
Hannah bolted, hoping to lose herself among the trees, but Daniel was faster still. Scooping up a big branch, he hit her as she cried out. Again and again she screamed for help; again and again he struck her. When Hannah was on the ground, lying in the leaves, rolling over thistles and into the undergrowth, she fell silent and put all her energy into warding off the blows.
"I was someone and she took it all way. She deserves what she got and worse," Daniel raged.
"You're crazy!" Hannah found her voice and reached for his club at the same time.
"Shut up!" He swung again and the wood cracked against her forearm.
Hannah cradled her arm as she pulled into a ball. As long as he didn't hit her head, she had a chance; if she could keep him engaged, she had a chance.
"Why Erika Gardener? What did she do to you? " Hannah cried.
She hunched her shoulders, flinching as she readied herself for another blow. It never came. The mention of Erika had given him pause.
"She didn't want to marry a liar. I wasn't a liar. Josie Bates made it seem like I was. She found a mistake on my university records that showed I hadn't completed my last courses. She said I was a fraud. She said whatever came out of my mouth should be given no more attention than the braying of a donkey. The judge let her attack my character and my intelligence. I loved Erika, and she left me because of what Josie Bates said in that courtroom."
As quickly as Daniel had fallen into his reverie, indulged in his self-pity, he snapped out of it and remembered where he was. His handsome face hardened, his eyes narrowed. He grabbed Hannah and yanked her to her feet.
"I wasn't an expert anymore; I was a laughing stock." Daniel pushed her. "That way."
They pressed on. Hannah looking for any opportunity to escape, and Daniel knowing he would never allow that. Finally, he called 'stop'. Hannah blinked. There was nothing but trees in front of her. She stared, unsure of what he wanted her to see. Using his piece of wood to push the hair away from her ear he whispered:
"It's not exactly a beach house, but I think Ms. Bates got used to it."
That's when Hannah saw it: the ancient cement building with the locked metal door. Her stomach lurched. Slowly she looked over her shoulder, unable or unwilling to acknowledge the horrid truth until Daniel grinned at her. That's when she understood that Josie had been locked away like an animal.
"You're sick," she whispered.
"No. I'm smart."
That was it. Hannah couldn't look at him any longer. Raising her hands, she pushed Daniel Young as hard as she could and ran.
"Josie! Josie!"
Hannah cried out, praying to hear any sound from inside that place. All she heard was Daniel's cry of rage as he caught her by the hair and pulled her off her feet.
"You killed her. You did kill her," she sobbed, her own hands covering his as she tried to alleviate the searing pain at her scalp.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Daniel howled in pain, but instead of letting go he rammed Hannah's head into the steel door. She crumpled at his feet. With all his might, he pulled the door open and threw Hannah Sheraton inside like a piece of trash.
Slamming the door shut, he put the bar in place, and scurried to the little berm to look inside. What a pity he didn't have his cycling helmet with the light on it so he could see better and she wouldn't be able to see him. Then he realized it didn't matter if Josie saw him, and that was a wonderful epiphany. He tiptoed up, he grinned, and called:
"Hello in there! Hello! It's me, Daniel!"
Liz Driscoll's Car, The California Mountains
Liz leaned over her steering wheel, driving slowly, keeping an eye out for Daniel's car. She cursed herself for losing him on the turns, but she'd never been good at tailing anyone. Two miles later, she turned around and headed down the mountain again. That's when she saw the car. The overhang near the boulder had shielded the cul de sac going up the mountain, only to expose it on the way down. She pulled over to the side of the road, took out her phone, and called Arnson. She gave him her location, what she had observed, and a heads up that Hannah might be a hostage. She cut him off just as he warned her to wait for backup. Liz knew she wouldn't. Not because she wanted the glory of the collar, but because lives truly were on the line.
Not knowing how far off the road Daniel and Hannah were, Liz entered the woods cautiously. There was a hint of a path and she walked it carefully, inching herself forward, knowing if she made too much noise she would further jeopardize the women she hoped were still alive. She needn't have worried. Daniel Young was making enough noise to cover any that she could create.
An Outbuilding in the California Mountains
With the last of her strength, Josie had moved Erika into the corner of the hut opposite the door. She had not touched the knife in the woman's throat so that evidence would be preserved. Then she collected the pictures, the food wrapper, and the Xerox with the shadow printing on it, and put it all beside the body. Once that was done, she crawled to her corner.
Half conscious now, she thought she was dreaming when she heard someone calling. Looking up toward the little window, Josie saw a man's eyes. They were crinkled like he was smiling. She put her hand over her own to shade against the sunlight, and tried to raise the other one to wave at him. But she was weak and that hand fell back down. It didn't hit the ground. Instead, her hand fell onto a pillow of glorious hair. Josie turned her head and prayed she was hallucinating.
"Hannah?"
The California Mountains
Liz hunkered down behind a stand of trees that was surrounded by brush and rock. She watched Daniel Young balancing himself on the berm as he called into the hut. Hannah was nowhere to be seen, so Liz reached the only conclusion she could: the women were inside.
Carefully, she reached into her pocket and withdrew Archer's revolver. Gun in hand she listened, knowing she would have to bide her time if everyone was going to get out alive.
"Josie Bates!" Daniel laughed. "Now you know how it feels to have someone take everything away from you. It's kind of like dying except I didn't die, did I? I'm the one who survived. I'm the best. I'm the smartest. I'm the one they should have listened to, not you. Say something, you bitch."
An Outbuilding in the California Mountains
Josie heard Daniel Young's tirade, but she couldn't respond. Her last energy would be used up caring for Hannah. She pushed aside the girl's hair, she put her cheek against the girl's head, and she cried. Josie hadn't wanted to die with her hands tied, but better that than to die with them free and wrapped around this girl she loved.
When Daniel called out again, when he mocked her and reviled her, when he castigated her for the sins he perceived she had committed, Josie barely heard him. She was listening to another voice, a closer voice.
"Don't worry, I'm here now," Hannah whispered and Josie stopped crying.
The California Mountains
Liz's patience was rewarded sooner than she expected.
Tired of talking, frustrated by the silence in the hut, Daniel Young backed away, picked up a stone, and threw it against the cement wall. Two more times he threw things. He was like a bully wanting one more lick. Finally, he did a few turns, realized there was nothing more to do, and started back to his car.
Liz flattened herself on the ground, and he walked past without notice. There was a spring in his step. She hoped he enjoyed the rest of his day, because she was going to have him booked by the end of it.
Pushing off, staying low, moving fast and quiet, Liz went straight to the door and pulled off the metal bar.
"Hannah," she called. "It's me, Liz. Hannah, push! Push on the door!"
The door opened like the portal to hell. The stench of human waste and despair and death slammed up against her, but Liz ignored it. All she could do was stare at Erika Gardener's body, the wraith that was Josie Bates, and a bloodied Hannah raising her hand. Liz started to smile at the girl only to realize that Hannah wasn't greeting her, she was pointing toward the forest. Liz looked just in time to see two things: Daniel Young and the huge piece of wood he was swinging at her head.
***
Liz ducked and crouched as she tried to avoid the attack. It wasn't a perfect maneuver, but it was enough so that she endured only a glancing blow. Thrown back, she landed on her wrists, rolled through the leaves, and came up on one knee with Archer's revolver still in hand. But Daniel was determined, and psychotic, and the branch swung again. Liz ducked and rolled once more. She raised the gun but she was off balance, and the revolver was heavier than her own weapon. Once more the branch came down and this time it was too close for comfort. She scrambled, but Daniel had tired of the game. With a roar, he threw himself on top of her.
Liz brought her knee up, but it did no good. Her leg was wedged between her body and his; her effort to subdue him had been ridiculous and futile. He laughed and pinned her arm to the ground, wrenching the gun from her hand. Hoping to move just enough to keep him from getting a good grip on it Liz thrashed, tossing her body as best she could, but she was small and no match for him.
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling cry sounded as Hannah rushed at them and threw herself into the mix. Spread-eagle, she landed atop Daniel, but she was a slight girl and disoriented by the beating he had given her. With a roar, Daniel threw her off. Hannah hit the ground so hard the breath was knocked out of her. Liz bucked, praying Daniel would be distracted by the two-prong attack, but it was Liz who was distracted. It was reflex that made her turn her head, and instinct that made her seek out eye contact with Hannah. Both things were mistakes.
In that split second Daniel Young grabbed the gun, Liz tore her eyes away from Hannah, and the girl rose to reach for the man's arm. In the next instant, Daniel Young lay hard on Liz Driscoll, put the gun against her head, and pulled the trigger.
Blood and brains sprayed over Hannah's face. Paralyzed by shock, Hannah couldn't move even when Daniel looked her way. Even when he began to giggle and then laugh, she simply stared at him. Peeling himself off Liz Driscoll, mesmerized by her dead body, he finally stood upright again. It was only when he looked at Hannah's horrified face once more that he understood what had just happened.
Covered in Liz Driscoll's blood, Daniel's chest rose and fell not with remorse but with triumph. He felt like God; he was God. There was no longer any need to play games. No more talking. Now he knew that he could silence any voice that spoke against him. He turned toward Hannah as he raised the revolver.
"Beg," he said.
Silently, awkwardly, unsure of what
to do, she scooted back away from him.
"Beg!" he roared.
Hannah shook her head. Her heart had seized up. Her voice wouldn't work, but Daniel didn't believe she was afraid. He knew her kind. He saw defiance in those damn eyes of hers and disdain in the set of her lips. It would be a pleasure to wipe that look off her face.
"I could have helped you." He raised the gun just a little higher.
"In your dreams," Hannah spat back.
"I can live with that," he said as he put both hands on the gun and pointed it at her face.
But before he could pull the trigger, Josie Bates rose up behind him. With all her strength, she took the knife she had ripped from Erika's throat and shoved it up into Daniel Young's neck, the tip of the blade finding its way into his very expert brain.
CHAPTER 45
Day 8
Josie Bates' House, Hermosa Beach
"Thanks."
Josie took the tea Archer offered and cupped it in both hands. Four days earlier she couldn't imagine being alive much less wanting a hot drink. But she was home now, the weather had broken, and the beach towns were shrouded under a chilly fog.
Archer took a chair next to her on the patio. She glanced his way, taking in the walking cast on his leg and the scabbing on the side of his face. Her eyes flicked to Hannah who was sitting on the wall with Max at her feet. The girl's jaw was still swollen and bruised. Josie imagined that there was some damage under her clothes, too, given the size of the branch she had been beaten with. No one would ever know Hannah was hurting, though. Hurt was something she just didn't share easily. Josie took a drink and reflected on what a battered threesome they were. Still, they had all found the strength to do what they had to in order to survive.
"You sure you don't want to go in? The doctor said you should rest," Archer suggested just as Josie's thoughts were roaming to Erika Gardener.
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