His steps slowed.
This was a fool’s errand. He should turn back and get ready for his shift, which started in – he consulted his watch – twelve minutes.
But what if that woman was in there? If she was, and if that supervisor was involved, then he was her only chance.
He forced his feet forward. A little look wouldn’t hurt anything.
If the supervisor found him back there, he could say he’d dropped his keys or something. Yeah, that was it. He’d dropped his keys so he was retracing his steps. Nothing more.
The hallway outside the entrance to block G was empty.
That was a good sign. At least the supervisor wasn’t hanging out, watching to see if he’d return.
Of course, all his movements were caught on camera. The supervisor could easily see that he’d come back.
Better act like he was looking for lost keys.
As he moved forward, he scanned the floor with exaggerated movements.
Stupid. He was probably being too obvious.
Oh, well. Too late now.
He continued down the hall until he reached the door. He looked around the floor, then shook his head as though disappointed at not finding the fictitiously lost keys.
Turning to go, he did a double take as though he saw something through the window, then moved in for a closer look.
Toward the end of the hall, a man stood facing one of the cells. It was the supervisor who’d chased him away!
Jacobson jerked back, out of the line of sight.
Heart pounding, he pulled in a deep breath.
He honestly hadn’t expected to see anyone inside. Now he just had to keep an eye on whatever was going on in there without being seen.
He peered around the corner.
If he were a praying man, he’d pray that he’d be invisible should that supervisor look his way.
But he wasn’t convinced there was anyone listening upstairs.
The supervisor was focused on a cell halfway down the block.
Why? Because someone was inside? Perhaps one missing single mother?
The supervisor moved toward the cell and messed with the lock, then swung the gate open. He disappeared inside for a moment, then reappeared, dragging a blonde woman with him.
It was her! It had to be!
Jacobson jerked back, pulling his cell from his pocket with shaking fingers. It took a lot longer to input his password than it should have, but he finally unlocked the phone and hit redial, risking a glance back through the window as the phone began to ring.
The supervisor and woman were disappearing around a corner.
“Salinas.”
“Zander, it’s Jacobson. She’s here, man! I saw her. In block G.” The words poured from him faster than inmates stampeding in a riot.
“You sure?”
“Curly blonde hair? A head shorter than Mr. Yellow Camaro. Curvy?” He’d been too far away to make out many details, but had seen her hair and build clearly enough.
“I’m on my way.”
₪ ₪ ₪
The key scraped in the lock, the tumblers clanking, the echo bouncing around in the barren concrete space.
She pushed unsteadily to her feet.
Before she could take a step, he’d invaded her space, his fingers clamping onto her arm. Without a word, he half-guided, half-dragged her across the cell and into the hallway beyond.
Steps faltering, she navigated the dusty hallway.
Dozens of footprints, going both directions, marred the grime coating the floor. Ahead, she heard men’s voices and a mechanical clanking sound.
Rounding a corner, he pulled her through an open doorway and into a large room.
She knew this room! It was the one from those security videos James had stored on the thumb drive.
Three men looked up from the tables in the center of the room as she stumbled inside. Orange jumpsuits clearly identified them as inmates.
A fourth man, this one wearing a uniform, stood by the far wall, hand resting on a gun at his hip.
Stacks of money sat on a table next to a large machine.
Commercial grade washers and dryers lined one wall. Looked like this had been a laundry room at some point. Before it was turned into a hub of illegal activity.
One of the inmates took a step toward them, but Tobias shook his head. “Back to work.”
Skirting a wide path around the inmates, Tobias pulled her through the room. He shoved through a door and flicked on the lights.
A desk and chair sat in the center of the room. A computer hummed from the desk.
Another door, centered on the opposite wall, teased her. Would it lead to freedom?
Doubtful. No, it probably led into another secured area where she’d still be trapped.
He flung her toward the chair. “Time to get to work.”
That computer taunted her with freedom. What were the chances she could get a message to someone without Tobias noticing?
Depended upon how closely he hovered.
Maybe she could get him to walk away for a minute. “Can I have something to drink?”
His eyes narrowed on her.
“Please.” The request wasn’t completely facetious. Her tongue stuck in her mouth, which felt as dusty as that hallway they’d walked down.
“Fine.” He pointed at the chair. “Sit and don’t move or I’ll let the inmates have a few minutes alone with you.”
A shiver crept down her spine.
He grinned, the smile predatory. “Yeah, you wouldn’t want that.”
No, she wouldn’t. Not at all.
She eased down into the lightly padded chair.
As the door clicked shut behind him, she pushed up from the chair and rushed toward the room’s other door. With her hand hovering above the knob, she hesitated. Did she dare try it? What if it dumped her in the middle of general population or something? She could be attacked by a dozen men before anyone came to help.
If anyone came to help.
Well, if she stayed here, Tobias would surely kill her. Even though he’d agreed not to, she tended to not take the word of a murderer too seriously.
She turned the knob.
Locked.
No surprise there. Tobias wouldn’t have left her in here if she could’ve potentially escaped.
A sigh broke free.
She better get back to her chair before he returned and saw that she’d tried to escape. No telling how he might respond.
Reclaiming her seat, she looked at the computer. A log-in screen waited in front of her.
Dang it.
So much for sending a message.
She should’ve timed her request better. Waited until after he’d brought up the website he wanted her to log into.
Her gaze wandered the room.
It was mostly barren, save the small desk, chair, and computer.
Could she use any of this to fight back if she had to? The chair in which she sat was too heavy for her to throw at him, so that was out. The table was too buried.
Which left the computer.
Well, that might make a decent enough weapon. Except for all the cords.
She pushed up and looked at the back of the unit.
Maybe if she loosened some of the cables…
She unscrewed the monitor cable from the tower but didn’t break the connection, then inspected the other wires.
The mouse and keyboard were wireless, so there were two less cables with which to contend. The only other cord was the power supply, which would pull out easily enough if she needed to throw the tower at Tobias.
Shaking started in her legs.
She must still be weak from whatever drug he’d given her. Or maybe that blow to the head.
She stumbled back to the chair and eased herself down.
Minutes dragged on. The chair was more comfortable than the floor, but her body ached and her head was killing her.
At least she knew her kids were safe on the boat with Zeke and
Elly and Josiah.
Her parents’ faces flashed into mind. Her siblings. Their spouses. The nieces and nephews she’d met. No doubt there were some she hadn’t.
Would she ever have the chance to make things right?
If she got out of this, she’d try. She had to. Too much time had passed, too much time filled with judgment and pride. On both sides. Someone had to be willing to break that silence.
She jumped as the door flew open.
Tobias filled the doorway, a bottle of water in one hand. He tossed it at her.
She fumbled to catch it, but the bottle smacked her in the chest.
Probably should be grateful it wasn’t her aching head, but the impact still stung. She collected the bottle from where it had landed in her lap and unscrewed the top, making sure the seal hadn’t been broken already.
In spite of his promise, she wouldn’t put it past Tobias to drug or poison her.
Especially with something slow-acting, so it would kill her after she gave him what he needed.
The water hit her tongue and she drank deeply. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she actually was until now. Half the bottle was gone before she felt even somewhat satisfied.
“No more delays.” Tobias crossed the room, pulled the keyboard away from her, and logged into the system. “Either you get me access to those accounts or you’re of no use to me.”
And not worth keeping alive.
Even though he didn’t say it, she knew it to be true.
The computer booted up and he navigated to a website. After typing a long account number into the first field, he shoved the keyboard toward her.
The blinking curser mocked her from the password field.
She put her fingers on the keyboard and prayed that James hadn’t finally gotten creative.
If he had, she was as good as dead.
Twenty Five
She typed in the password.
The screen refreshed, popping up a red message that the account number and password combination were incorrect. Four attempts remaining. The bold red warning was the color of the blood that would flow from her if she failed.
She eased out a breath.
That was okay. There was another variation James had used often.
She tried again.
Another refresh, another warning. Down to three attempts.
A low growl emitted from Tobias. “Thought you said you could do this.”
Sweat created a cold sheen on her face. “I told you there were several options to try.”
“Don’t fail me.” The words were little more than a snarl.
No, she didn’t want to fail. “What are the password requirements?”
He stared at her as if the question had been in a foreign language.
“How long does it have to be? Does it have to contain capitals or a special character? That will help me narrow down the options.”
Tobias swiveled the monitor away, snatched the mouse and keyboard, and navigated for a few minutes. Turning the monitor back to her, he pointed at the screen. “There. At least one capital letter and one number, plus a character.”
She scanned the list of allowed characters.
The dollar sign. That’s what her husband the accountant would have used.
She just hoped James the drug addict would choose the same.
She punched in the password, including the required items.
The red message filled the screen, its warning stronger than ever.
She jumped as Tobias slammed his fist on the desk and swore. “If that account gets locked out…”
Two attempts remaining.
What would James have done? He always used the same password. This had to be it.
Wait. The number was the year they’d met. Maybe he’d used the full year, not just the last two digits.
It was the only thing she could think to try.
She tapped the keys and hit enter.
The curser spun for a few seconds, then a page loaded.
“Yes!” Tobias snatched the mouse and keyboard, then swung the monitor around.
But not before she saw all the zeros on the account balance.
It had been over two million dollars.
How the heck had James come into that kind of money?
That’s right. It hadn’t been his. He’d stolen it from the man who rabidly punched keys on the keyboard.
A man who had gotten this money illegally. No question about that.
And now she’d given him exactly what he wanted.
Nausea rolled in her stomach.
She was no longer an asset. In one split second, she’d shifted to a strong liability.
₪ ₪ ₪
Zander glanced at Morgan, who gave a barely perceptible nod. This op was all his.
He assessed the four other officers in front of him. “Okay. You all know the drill. We’re doing a surprise sweep of block G. We have reason to believe a woman is being held against her will inside. Move fast but remember that keeping her alive is our top priority.”
The men nodded and Zander led the way, checking the time in the quickly fading daylight.
8:44 p.m.
As planned.
His boss had gotten through to the California Department of Corrections Secretary’s office and had obtained the necessary permissions. The call granting them immediate and full access should be coming through in one minute.
Probably about the time they pushed through the main entrance.
The guard behind the bullet-proof glass was hanging up the phone as they entered. The narrowed eyes and firm set to his lips said he wasn’t thrilled about having to let a group of police officers invade his territory, but what could he do? The orders had come from the top.
Now to see if the orders would be followed. If the warden was dirty, anything was possible.
A brief prayer for Bethany flashed through his mind.
If he’d been thinking, he would’ve called Elly to get her and her brothers praying, too.
Although something told him they already were.
He sure hoped so. They needed all the help they could get. Not only was Bethany’s life on the line, this could end in tragedy for them all.
₪ ₪ ₪
The tap-tap-tap of the keyboard echoed in the barren, confined space.
Bethany slanted a glance at the door. If she picked up the monitor and bashed Tobias over the head, could she make it?
To what end? Another guard stood outside.
If he didn’t stop her, the three inmates most certainly would. The way they’d looked at her had made her skin crawl.
There had to be a way out of this.
Was the monitor heavy enough to knock Tobias out? If so, she could take the keys off him and try that mystery door. Maybe it’d lead outside.
It might also seal her death warrant.
If she attacked him – and failed – he’d surely kill her. As it was, maybe he’d hold up his end of their agreement.
Who was she kidding?
God, I could really use Your help here. What do I do?
She sensed that she should remain seated and not act. For now, anyway.
Clenching her trembling hands in her lap, she watched Tobias and waited.
“Yes!” He pumped the air, a smile splitting his face.
“You got what you needed?”
His smile didn’t fade as he assessed her. “Sure did.”
“So, our agreement?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, come on. You didn’t really think I could let you walk away, did you?”
The room closed in. Her lungs constricted and she struggled to draw air. “But… I did everything you asked! You have your money! Just let me go.”
“Oh, I’ll let you go all right. We’re going for a little drive down the coast, where you’re going to have a nasty accident involving a cliff and the Pacific.” He cackled, the harsh sound grating her ears. “Who knows. You swim good enough, maybe you’ll survive. Bu
t I doubt it.”
No, God! Please!
She jumped up, her hands going for the monitor.
She jerked the power cord with one hand and used the other to knock out the connecting cable she’d loosened earlier. Fingers tightening around the monitor, she grabbed it and swung the monitor like a bat, aiming straight for his head.
He jerked to the side, but not fast enough.
A solid crack echoed as the monitor connected with his face.
He staggered backward a few steps, dropping to his knees as he slowly shook his head.
Maximizing the momentum she’d built up, she brought the monitor down with all the force she had. It smashed against his head.
He went down, landing hard on his side, his head hitting the floor with a thud.
The mangled monitor trembled in her hands. It wouldn’t be much use against him if he came at her again.
The hard drive!
It was heavier. It’d do more damage.
Pulling the power cord from the back, she picked it up and stood over the prone body on the floor, watching for any twitch, waiting for him to get up.
He didn’t move.
Blood oozed from a cut running along the top of his scalp.
Was he faking it? Waiting for her to let down her guard so he could strike?
Seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Her arms began to ache from the weight of the hard drive.
Had she killed him?
The idea didn’t horrify her as much as it should have.
If she had, it was clearly self-defense. Kill or be killed.
Either way, she needed to hurry. If he wasn’t dead, he’d wake up soon and then he’d really be mad. If he was dead, his buddy outside would soon find out and come after her.
She set the hard drive aside and dropped beside him.
She patted down his pockets, feeling for the keys to her freedom.
Nothing on the side closest to her.
Pushing him onto his back, she checked the other side.
There!
It took a little work to fish them out, but soon the warm metal filled her hand.
Eyes closed, Tobias hadn’t moved throughout the entire thing.
Maybe he really was dead.
She jumped over him and rushed to the back door.
Broken is the Grave Page 27