Running on Empty

by Michelle Celmer

  There had to be a way out of this. She had to keep him talking, keep him distracted. “So tell me about this plan of yours. I mean, if I’m going to die I’d like to know how.”

  “If you’re thinking you’re going to get away and tell the police, think again.”

  She shrugged and looked out the window. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’m probably better off not knowing anyway.”

  She never thought he’d fall for something so obvious as reverse psychology, but he took the bait.

  “I was thinking a gunshot wound to the head. Fast and painless.”

  She suppressed a shudder. “How thoughtful of you.”

  “But not until your husband is through with you.”

  “You’ll give my husband a crack at me, shoot me in the head, then what, you’ll shake hands and go your separate ways? I thought he wanted to clear his name.”

  “You see, that’s the beauty of it. He’ll be dead, too. Your classic murder-suicide. The estranged husband finds his wife, shoots her, then shoots himself.”

  Terror threatened to overwhelm her. She had to stay focused. She had to work her way out of this.

  “If Mitch loves me, and you’re such a good friend, how can you justify killing me?”

  “It’s for his own good. He doesn’t realize it now, but you’re just like Kim. She used him. She almost ended his career. She’s better off dead.”

  “You killed her, too?”

  “I wish I had. She wanted to take Mitch down with her. She was going to implicate him in her drug deals. She deserved what she got.”

  If he thought Kim deserved to die, that meant Jill didn’t stand a chance.

  Keep him talking. Keep him distracted.

  “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” she said. “How did you manage to abuse your wife with no one ever seeing a sign of it? There’re always signs.”

  “I already told you, I love my wife. I never laid a finger on her. But she was nosy. She found my trophies, then she figured out what I’d done. She was going to tell the police if I didn’t stop her.”

  “Trophies? What, like golf trophies?”

  He turned to her, flashed that blood-chilling, evil smile. “From the girls. I always took two. One for myself and one to frame Robby Barrett.”

  Chapter 17

  As Mitch sailed down I-75 to Jane’s house, sirens wailing, his cell phone rang. And as it had every time since he’d alerted his sergeant and the state police, his heart lodged in his throat.

  This time it was Greene. “I just talked to the Lincoln police. Her real name is Jill Stone.”

  Mitch’s heart stalled in his chest. “They found her?”

  “No, but we apprehended a David Stone. He claims to be her husband.”

  “Her husband? What the hell is he doing there?”

  “Mr. Stone said a man called saying he’d found his missing wife and they made plans to meet at her house—Jane’s house—but they haven’t shown up yet. We cleared out and the local police have unmarked cars all over the place. If they show up, we’ll spot them.”

  “Make sure they keep this Stone person in custody.”

  “It’s been taken care of.”

  “They’re maintaining radio silence? If Darren hears a call go out—”

  “Don’t worry, Detective, these guys know what they’re doing. They’ll find her. I—hang on a sec.”

  Mitch waited, hearing muffled voices in the background, like Greene had put his hand over the mouthpiece. “Come on, damn it,” he mumbled, veering to avoid colliding with a semi. A few more miles and he’d be at the exit. He couldn’t stop beating himself up over the fact that he hadn’t figured it out sooner. If he’d only shelved his pride and driven her home himself…

  Finally Green came back on the line. “They just searched Darren’s house. They found Diane.”

  “Tell me she’s alive.”

  There was a pause, then, “I’m sorry, sir.”

  Ah, Christ. How could Darren kill his own wife. The mother of his children. And he’d sat there, not an hour ago, straight-faced, and lied to Mitch. Said she’d run off with another man. What else had he lied about over the years?

  And those poor little girls. What would happen to them? Jessica and Lauren would go through losing their mother, then their father.

  All this time Darren had been abusing his wife and Mitch never suspected a thing. A week ago, he never would have believed it. Now, anything seemed possible.

  “Detective, are you still there?”

  “We have to contact Diane’s mother,” Mitch said, his voice faltering. He couldn’t lose it. Not now. “We have to find out where Darren’s kids are.”

  “It’s being taken care of. We…hang on a sec.”

  While Mitch waited he thought about Kim, about walking into his apartment and finding her dead. At the time he’d felt oddly detached. Of course, he’d been sorry to see her life end, but he hadn’t been heartbroken. Later, when it’d had time to sink in, he’d felt a deep sense of pity, mostly for her family. And a healthy dose of anger toward her for messing up his life.

  This was different. If he didn’t get to Jane in time and something happened to her, he knew without a doubt it would destroy him.

  Greene was back on the line. “What’s your present location, Detective?”

  “I’m about a half-mile south of the Lincoln exit.”

  “We just got a call in from the state police. They got a hit on Darren’s plate.”

  Mitch held his breath. Please, God, let it not be too late. “Where are they?”

  “About ten miles north of you.”

  “North?”

  “Her husband said he’s supposed to meet them at seven. From what I can figure, Darren is stalling, so he’ll get there right at seven o’clock.”

  Mitch slammed his foot down on the accelerator. “Which means I still have time to make it there before them.”

  “Is she dead?” Jill asked.

  Darren almost looked remorseful. “I didn’t want to kill her. I love her, but she was going to tell.”

  Jill swallowed a sob. She’d failed Darren’s wife. She hadn’t been able to keep her safe. If only she’d been more careful. If she had just approached Mitch at the station. If she hadn’t decided to follow him, none of this would have happened. Darren’s wife would be alive and Darren would be in jail. “When they find her, they’ll know it was you.”

  “They won’t find her. I’m going to take her someplace no one will look.” He shook his head. “This is her own fault. Always thinking she was so smart, so much better than me. And it was so easy to fool her.”

  “How did you find her?”

  “See, that’s the best part. She found me. She called me, asked me to turn myself in. I cried, told her I loved her, that I wanted to get help, that I needed her.” He laughed. “She actually believed me. I told her I was going to turn myself in, but I couldn’t do it without her. I needed her to take care of me. She fell right into my trap.”

  It seemed as though everyone had been underestimating Darren. He was a monster. And if she wasn’t able to stop him, he would get away with it. Her death would be for nothing.

  Darren looked at his watch and switched his turn signal on, veering toward the approaching exit. “It’s almost time. He’ll be waiting.”

  When they pulled into her driveway, it was empty. Maybe he hadn’t come. Maybe David suspected something was up and decided not to show. Or maybe he called the police.

  “Don’t look so relieved,” Darren said. “I told him not to park in the driveway. He’s here.”

  A brief dash of hope was instantly smothered. There was no way out of this. She was going to die, and no one would ever know the truth.

  Mitch would never how much she loved him.

  “I’m going to get out and you’re going to slide out after me. You’re going to get out slowly and walk with me to the house. If you try anything, I’ll shoot you in the stomach. You won’t die right away, and you’ll
be in excruciating pain. Understand?”

  She nodded.

  He opened his door and climbed out, the gun tucked against his side and aimed at her. Trembling from the inside out, she slid across the seat. She was so weak with fear, she wasn’t sure she would be able to make it to the front door. She wondered what he would do if she passed out.

  Probably shoot her on principle.

  As she stepped out of the car, she glanced quickly around to see if any of her neighbors were out. If she could somehow alert someone…but the neighborhood was eerily silent. The area was lower-middle class, and most people worked for a living. Not to mention that she didn’t really know them. Part of being invisible was not making friends. No one would notice anything out of the ordinary, because no one knew what was ordinary for her.

  “Let’s go.” He grabbed her forearm, digging his fingers into her skin. He led her to the front door, the gun jabbing her side. He was getting excited, like a little kid anticipating Christmas morning. He was looking forward to this.

  Her stomach pitched and her knees felt wobbly. He pushed open the front door and shoved her in, closing and locking it behind her.

  The television was on, tuned in to some sports channel. The room was a wreck. He’d obviously done a thorough job of searching.

  She heard a noise from the kitchen, her heart sinking low when she realized it was her husband in there. That any second he would walk out and three years’ worth of hiding would be over. She would realize her greatest fear. In an odd way, it was almost a relief. The running would be over.

  Her hands shook and her head felt dizzy. She swayed and Darren dug his fingers deeper into her arm.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re going to be conscious for this. I can’t wait to see the look on your face.”

  In the kitchen, she heard the sound of a drawer closing.

  “Stone!” Darren called.

  A figure appeared in the arch leading to the kitchen. She had to blink several times to be sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. It wasn’t her husband standing there. It was Mitch.

  “You can put away the weapon. I’ve already checked out the house. It’s clear,” he said. He didn’t seem to notice Darren was pointing it at her.

  “What are you doing here?” Darren asked.

  “I told you I would let you know when we had more information. We learned Ellen’s not the only name she stole. She’s been a busy girl. She’s wanted for fraud in three states. And kidnapping. I’m here to arrest her.” He looked at Jill, his voice dripping with disdain. “I trusted you, and you lied about everything.”

  Jill was too stunned to speak. She had no idea what he was talking about. She’d never committed fraud or kidnapped anyone. Then she realized he was lying. He had somehow figured it out and he was there to save her. He was trying to get her away from Darren. She had to stay calm. She had to play along.

  “Isn’t that right, Jill?”

  She let her mouth drop open and a small gasp escaped. He knew her name. That meant they’d probably apprehended her husband. But did he know about Robby? Did he know about Darren’s wife?

  Mitch took a step toward them. “The feds have been hot on your trail. Another day and they would have had you. But this is going to be my collar.”

  “Are you here alone?” Darren asked, the cool facade not slipping an inch.

  “I didn’t see much point calling for backup. Between the two of us I didn’t figure there would be a problem arresting her.”

  The fingers on her arm tightened and Darren stiffened beside her. He wasn’t buying it. She had to give him a reason to trust Mitch. To think he’d gotten away with it.

  “Darren killed his wife,” she blurted out. The hand on her arm squeezed.

  Mitch only laughed. “Sure he did.”

  “And it wasn’t Robby. Darren raped all those women.”

  His smile never wavered. “Christ, lady, how stupid do I look? You want to cuff her, Darren, or can I?”

  Darren’s grip loosened, and she thought they’d done it. She thought he was going to let go of her.

  “Nice try, Mitch.”

  She gasped as Darren yanked her in front of him, shoving the gun against her temple. When she refocused on Mitch, his gun was drawn.

  “What tipped you off?” Mitch asked, his eyes not leaving Darren’s. He sounded calm, casual even.

  “Your car wasn’t in the driveway. If you didn’t know something was up, why not park where I would see it?”

  Mitch shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

  “How did you know it was me?”

  “The beer. What were you going to do? Wait till I passed out then break in and take her?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Let her go.”

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed the gun deeper into her skin. “I can’t do that.”

  “Is it true? Did you rape those women? Is that why you killed Diane? She found out?”

  “It was her own fault. She had to go sticking her nose into my business. You know what she was like. So damned bossy.”

  “You sent an innocent man to jail.”

  “Innocent?” he scoffed. “He was a sexual deviant. He exposed himself to kids. He deserved to go to jail.”

  “You brutally raped five women.”

  He didn’t seem to get the connection. He really was nuts. “You should be thanking me.”

  “Thanking you?”

  “I handed you that arrest. I made you a hero. I take care of you.”

  “Lower your weapon, Darren.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “The entire Lincoln police department is waiting for you outside. You’re not going anywhere. Turn yourself in.”

  Darren’s voice lost that cocky edge. “I’m not going to jail. You know what happens to cops in prison.”

  “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I owe you, right?” He raised his gun, aiming for Darren’s head. “I will shoot you.”

  “If that’s the way it has to be.” His voice was eerily calm. “I shoot her, you shoot me. Sounds fair to me.”

  He would, too. Jill knew that if she was going to make it out of this alive, she had to do something. It was now or never. If she could figure out a way to signal Mitch, she could shove Darren’s arm away and give him a shot, but his eyes hadn’t wavered from Darren. It was as if he was deliberately not looking at her.

  “I love you, Mitch,” she said.

  He looked at her. He finally met her eyes. She held three fingers to her chest, lowered her eyes so he would follow her gaze. His eyes flickered down for an instant.

  He knew what she wanted him to do. He gave the slightest shake of his head. “No.”

  Behind her she could feel Darren tensing. Her back was soaked with his perspiration.

  “Yes, I do,” she said.

  “This is your last chance to tell her you love her, Mitch.”

  She mouthed the words “on the count of three” and saw Mitch’s hand tighten around his gun. Just like she’d said the other day. He gets me, you get him. Though she’d never expected it to end like this.

  One. She curled one finger in.

  “I love you,” he said.

  Two. She curled another.

  “I love you, too.”

  Three—

  She shoved up hard with one hand, pushing Darren’s arm up, and the gun away from her. She heard one shot ring out, and another blast right behind her, then felt a splitting pain in her shoulder.

  Then everything went black.

  As the room filled with police, Mitch knelt next to Jill, keeping pressure on her shoulder. There was so much blood. He felt weak-kneed and dizzy. He’d never been bothered by the sight of it, but it was a different story when it was all over the woman he loved.

  Without a doubt, she was one of the bravest people he’d ever known, and every bit of love he felt for her welled up, choking him. If he could have just one more chance…

  “The ambulance is one minute ou
t, Detective.”

  He glanced over and saw an officer checking Darren for a pulse. “Is he dead?”

  The officer nodded. “Sounds like you didn’t have a choice.”

  “Did they get it all on tape?”

  “Every word.”

  Mitch reached into his shirt and ripped the wire from his chest. They’d solved five rapes, two attacks and one murder today. Darren was a one-man crime wave. “What about her husband?”

  “We’re holding him.”

  “Did he have anything to say?”

  “Actually, he seemed pretty eager to cooperate. I think he has an idea that he could be in a lot of trouble.”

  “What did he say—was he in on it with Darren?”

  “He told us he got an anonymous call saying his wife had been located. He was given instructions where to fly to, what hotel to stay in. From what I understand, it was the hotel where you guys were supposed to be keeping her tonight.”

  “So it was Darren that called him? He planned to…” He couldn’t even make himself say the words.

  “Only thing is, when Mr. Stone got to the hotel, there was a message saying the plan had changed and they were supposed to meet here at the house.”

  “Did Mr. Stone tell you what he planned to do when he got his hands on her? Was that a part of their plan?”

  “He swears he only wanted to talk to her. He’s been under suspicion for her disappearance. He said he wanted to clear his name. You’re welcome to question him.”

  “How about I let you handle it. Put me in a room with that guy and I’m likely to rip him apart.”

  “No problem, Detective.”

  “Mitch?”

  Mitch looked down. Jill’s eyes were open.

  “Did we get him?” she asked weakly.

  “We got him.”

  She winced. “It hurts.”

  “Hang on, you hear me? The ambulance is almost here.” He could hear them pulling up. He looked down at the blood soaking her shirt and covering his hands. He sucked in several deep breaths. He had to hold it together. He had to stay strong for Jill’s sake.