F Paul Wilson Deep As The Marrow

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

for us. You stay put. I ll go down there and see what
Not on your life! I know her clothes! I can identify them! Didn t Decker
realize that he had to see that blazer and jumper with his own eyes, touch
them, bunch them in his hands?
No. Stay there. You might get e-mail
I gave you my password you monitor my e-mail. I m going to Falls Church. See
you there! And he hung up.
As John stepped toward the hall closet to grab a jacket, his cellular phone
began to trill. He snatched it off the counter.
Is this Mr. Vanduyne? A woman s voice this time young but husky.
Two calls in a row with the same question. But who had his cellular number?
Yes. Who s this?
Got someone who wants to talk to you. A rustle, a rattle, and then a
child s voice.
Daddy? John knew that voice, but for an instant his mind refused to
Page 173
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
identify it. Wasn t possible, couldn t be& some sort of cruel trick&
Daddy, it s me Katie. And then the kitchen swam around him.
Katie! Dear God, Katie, is that you? He realized he was shouting but he
couldn t help it. He thought he d burst with joy.
Is this really you?
Uh-huh.
Where are you how are you?
Fine. Fine& she always said fine. The bastards had cut off her toe and she
was fine. I m coming home. John sagged against the wall and tried to keep
from sobbing. Oh, Katie, I ve missed you so! Where are you? I ll come and get
you right now!
Now s not a good time. The woman was back on the line. You can get her
tonight. John s mind whirled in confusion. What was going on? Where was the
catch?
But how& why?
Let s just say the real kidnapper is dead and I ve got Katie and I wanna
give her back. But I don t like wanna get locked up, know what I m saying?
The real kidnapper is dead& ? She has to mean that murder scene in Falls
Church where they found Katie s pills& what has that poor child gone through?
You want money? I ll give you whatever I have. I ll
Don t want your money, guy. I got a sweet little girl here who can t wait to
get back to her daddy and I m gonna like see to it she gets there. Come to the
Maryland House on Ninety-five. Wait upstairs by the phones around nine
o clock. I ll meet you there with Katie. And no cops, okay? Let s do this so s
we both walk away happy. See you at nine.
Wait!
Another rattle and then Katie s voice. Bye, Daddy! A click and she was
gone.
He stood there, pressing the receiver against his ear, listening to the
electric silence, searching for an echo of her voice, not knowing whether to
laugh or cry.
Finally he turned to hang up and saw his mother standing in the doorway.
Katie? she said, digging at her neck. That was Katie?
He could only nod. He threw his arms around her.
I heard you shouting, she said. It sounded like you were talking to
She s alive. Mom! That was her! She s alive and she s okay and I m getting
her back. Mom. Katie s coming home tonight!
Page 174
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
17
Agent Samson caught him in the White House parking lot. Bob Decker was just
unlocking his car door when he spotted him running across the pavement, waving
a sheet of paper.
What is it, Rick?
The Vanduyne taps! he said, puffing as he reached the car. I thought you
should see this. Bob scanned the sheet and couldn t resist a tight smile.
The whole plot was crumbling. Looked like there d been a falling out among
the kidnappers and someone wanted to cover her ass.
Where was she calling from?
The place she mentions for the switch the Maryland House?
What s that?
A traveler s stop on the median on Ninety-five. You know, tourist info,
burgers, yogurt. He cleared his throat. This sounds like a kidnapping. How
come we re involved in ?
Friend of Razor s, Bob said.
Samson nodded. That was all Samson needed to know, all he d ever know. He was
monitoring a line tap and was to transcribe all conversations. Beyond that, he
was in the dark.
She called on his cell phone, Samson said. Probably thought no one would
be listening on that. Nobody seems to realize how unsecure they are.
Bob nodded, half listening. No use sending anyone out to the Maryland House
now. The woman would be long gone by the time anyone got there. Better to wait
for her tonight.
He wondered if Vanduyne would tell him about this call. He decided not to
hold his breath. The woman had said no cops and the doc wanted his kid back.
All right. He d get his kid back. And Bob would get the woman. Put her
together with whatever went down in that Palls Church house where the child s
pills were found, and he d probably have this thing sewn up before the weekend
was over.
He imagined how it would feel to stroll into Bethesda Naval Hospital tomorrow
night and tell Razor his godchild is safe and the assassination conspirators
are either locked up or on the run.
Sweet. Very sweet.
18
Page 175
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Poppy finally heard it on the six o clock news.
& And in Falls Church today, a murder mystery. Neighbors on this quiet
suburban street called police when they heard shots fired. Inside the house, a
dead man. But the as-yet-unidentified victim died of stab wounds. Nearby, in
Alexandria& Somehow, hearing it on the news made it official. Paulie was
dead. Poppy started to cry, then caught herself.
& the as-yet-unidentified man& ? What about men? She d left two bodies in
that house. Paulie had been stabbed to death, and Mac had a bullet in his
brain. How come they were only talking about Paulie?
Unless&
A stab of fear, as sharp as the blade that had killed Paulie, knifed through
her.
Oh, Jesus! she said aloud and leapt to her feet.
Can I change the channel now? Katie said.
Sure, Poppy said without looking at her.
She went to the window and peeked around the edge of the curtain. The light
drizzle outside made the parking lot shine. The Holiday Inn sign reflected
from the wet surface.
A minute ago she d felt so safe. She d had everything planned. Tonight she
and Katie would get back on Ninety-five, but they would not stop at the
Maryland House. She d copied down the numbers from a couple of the phones
there when they d called Katie s dad this afternoon.
At nine o clock sharp she d place a call to one of those phones, tell her
father that he d find his daughter waiting in the Roy Rogers at the next rest
stop up the freeway from the Maryland House. Then she d leave Katie in a booth
with a burger and fries.
If Katie s dad was like the rest of Mac s victims, he probably hadn t said
word one about the snatch to the cops. And even if they were involved, they d
all be at the Maryland House. Poppy would be long gone by the time they
reached Katie.
Poppy s heart would be broken but Katie would be safe and at home with her
family, where she belonged.
But she wouldn t be safe if Mac was alive.
Poppy could still see his eyes as he came out of the kitchen with that knife,
saying She saw me! Only two people could connect Mac with the kidnapping and
Paulie s murder and both were in this room.
Even the slightest chance that Mac was still alive changed everything. A
whole new game, a completely different world if Mac had survived. But how
could he be alive? She d like shot him in the head. She had to know. Before
she made another move, she had to be sure.
She turned to Katie. I m gonna run down the hall for like a soda. You want
Page 176 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Podstrony