Karen Rose - Die for Me

She strained past the blurred double images to see Theo come up behind him. Her shoes. Theo was holding her shoes. The darting of her eyes must have alerted Simon because Theo Albright was leveled with a single blow of Simon’s fist to his head.

Then they were moving. The van thumped as it ran over something big, then sped from the lot with a squeal of tires. Vito, she thought, fighting the pull of whatever had been on that rag. I’m sorry. Then there was nothing but darkness.

Saturday, January 20, 5:30

P.M.

Stacy Savard stared at them defiantly. “I’m not talking to him. You can’t make me. I’ll end up like that.” She shoved the photos. “No fucking way. You’ve got to be crazy.”

Vito swallowed back his anger and disgust. “You could have reported Simon Vartanian at any time and avoided the deaths of more than ten people. They’re on your head. So you will help us. We want you to draw Simon out into the open.”

“Through the telephone,” Nick added calmly. “You don’t have to talk to him in person. And if you don’t choose to help… Well, we can’t always control the press.”

Savard cocked her jaw. “I don’t seem to have much choice. What do I say to him?”

Nick’s smile wasn’t pleasant. “You always have a choice, Miss Savard. This might be your first good one. You noted in his file that Simon ordered more silicone lubricant.”

“Two days ago. He normally gets it from one of those specialty places, but he was almost out, so he ordered some through us because we can get it faster. So?”

“So,” Nick said, “you’re going with us to Pfeiffer’s office, where you’ll call him from the office phone and tell him his order is ready.”

“But the office is closed today,” she said, her voice starting to shake.

“Dr. Pfeiffer will open it up,” Vito told her. “He’s very eager to help us. Setting a trap with the lubricant was his idea, actually.” He enjoyed seeing her jaw drop. “How do you think we found you so quickly, Stacy? We had the airports looking for you, but you didn’t have a reservation and you never even made it to the check-in counter. Pfeiffer had been thinking through things and came to the conclusion you were likely involved. So he followed you this morning and when you got to the airport, he called us.”

The door opened and Liz looked in, her expression unreadable. “Detectives?”

Vito and Nick stood, and Nick fired the parting shot. “Practice your best receptionist voice, Stacy,” he said mildly. “Because Vartanian’s no fool. He’ll spot a nervous twitch a mile away.” Nick shut the door when they were on the other side of the glass.

“Do you hear all that?” Vito asked.

Nick shook his head. “What a piece of work. Prison’s just going to hone her edge.”

“Vito,” Jen whispered harshly.

Vito turned from the window and his blood went cold. Jen was white as a sheet and Liz’s expression was no longer unreadable but stark with controlled fear.

“It’s Sophie,” Liz said. “Her grandmother was rushed to the hospital. She had a heart attack.”

Vito forced himself to stay calm. “I’ll go to the museum and drive her to the hospital.”

Liz caught his arm and held tight when he tried to move past her. “No, Vito. Listen to me. Emergency personnel got a call to the Albright Museum. They found the Albright boy unconscious on the street in front of the museum.” She visibly steeled herself. “And they found Officer Lyons dead in the back seat of his cruiser.”

Vito opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“And Sophie?” Nick asked hoarsely.

Liz was trembling. “Witnesses saw her being forced into a white van before it backed up over the Albright boy and drove away. Sophie’s gone.”

Vito could only hear the rush of his own blood as his heart went from a dead stop to clubbing out of his chest. “He’s got her, then,” he whispered.

“Yes,” Liz whispered back. “I’m sorry, Vito.”

Numbly he looked back through the glass and had to restrain the unholy need to put his hands on Savard and choke her dead. “She knew he was a killer and she said nothing.” He was breathing hard, every word ripped from his throat. “Now it’s too late. We can’t even use her to draw him. He’s got what he wants. He’s got Sophie.”

Nick grabbed his other arm and squeezed until Vito turned to him. “Vito, calm down and think. Simon still needs that lubricant. It could still work. We have to try.”

Vito nodded, still numb. But in his heart he knew better. He’d seen Simon’s eyes, right before Van Zandt died. They’d been cold, calculating. Like walking into a cage with a cobra, Pfeiffer had said. And now Sophie was in that cage.

Saturday, January 20, 6:20

P.M.

Simon’s cell phone rang. Frowning at the caller ID, he cautiously answered. “Hello?”

“Mr. Lewis, this is Stacy Savard, from Dr. Pfeiffer’s office.”

Simon sucked in his cheeks. The office wasn’t open on the weekends. “Yes?”

“Dr. Pfeiffer’s had a family emergency and the office is going to be closed for about a week. He and I are here, taking care of last-minute details. I wanted to tell you your silicone lubricant came in.”

Simon almost laughed. “I’m a bit busy right now. I’ll come in on Monday.”

“But we’ll be closed on Monday. We’ll be closed all week. If you want the lubricant, you have to come in tonight. I’d hate for you to run out.”

She was good, Simon had to admit, but there was the slightest quaver in her voice. “I’ll find another source. I may be moving soon anyway.” He hung up before she could say another word, chuckling out loud now. Savard was cooperating with the cops, any idiot could figure that out.

“Your boyfriend is really smart,” Simon called behind him. “But I’m smarter.” There was no response. If she wasn’t awake already, she’d be waking up soon, he knew, but he’d have no further trouble from her. He’d pulled over to change his license plates and tie her wrists and ankles once he got away from the main roads.

Stacy Savard hung up the phone, her hands shaking. “I did my best.”

“Your best wasn’t good enough,” Nick snapped. “He knew.”

Vito dragged his hands down his face as two uniformed cops took Stacy Savard back to the station in handcuffs. “I didn’t think it would work.”

Pfeiffer stood, wringing his hands. “I’m sorry. I was hoping it would.”

“You’ve been a big help, Doctor,” Nick said kindly. “We do appreciate it.”

Pfeiffer nodded, looking at Savard as she was taken through the door. “I can’t believe I shared this office with her for so long and never knew her. I kept hoping I’d been mistaken. That’s why I didn’t say anything when you were here yesterday. I would’ve hated to point the finger and have been wrong.”

Vito wished Pfeiffer had just pointed the finger, but he said nothing.

“So what next?” Nick asked when they were back in his car.

“We go back to the beginning,” Vito said grimly. “There’s something we’ve missed.” He stared out the window. “And we pray Sophie can hold on until we find her.”

Saturday, January 20, 8:15

P.M.

“We got him on tape,” Brent said, coming into the conference room with a CD in his hand. He handed it to Jen. “Sonofabitch tampered with the old lady’s IV.”

Vito had remembered the camera he’d left at Anna’s bedside as he and Nick had been driving back from Pfeiffer’s office. Now he stood behind Jen’s chair as she inserted the CD containing the camera’s footage into her laptop. Nick and Liz stood to his right, Brent came to stand on his left. Katherine stayed seated, pale and numb.