Mariah Stewart - Coming Home

“What?” Maggie frowned.

He leaned forward, so close to her that she could smell his breath. She had to force herself not to gag.

“I want her cellphone number.”

“I don’t know it.”

“You’re her mother.” He remained literally in her face. “How could you not know her number?”

Maggie shrugged and tried to move back away from him. “We’re not particularly close.”

“You were close enough a couple of years ago when Eugene’s trial was going on that you were in the courtroom every damned day. You were close enough when he was sentenced that you drove her straight out of town.”

“Yeah, well, that was then.” Maggie looked him in the eye. “This is now.”

The slap across her face was totally unexpected.

“I’m going to ask you again. What’s her cellphone number?”

“I can’t give you what I don’t have. She never gave it to me. Up until Saturday, I hadn’t seen her in three years.”

She braced herself for another slap, but instead he put his hand in his back pocket and took out his wallet. He opened it and searched through some bills-bills most likely stolen from Vanessa’s cash register, Maggie thought. He removed a card and reached for the house phone on the wall.

“Got something just as good.” He smirked. He began to dial, turning the card around to show Maggie. It was one of Vanessa’s business cards, taken, she suspected, from the shop when he robbed it. “I know she went to that shop of hers today. I watched her from the coffee shop across the street. When she answers, I’m putting you on the phone, and you’re going to tell her to meet you here, you understand?”

“I won’t do that,” Maggie told him.

“Oh, I think you will.” He pointed the gun directly between her eyes. “As a matter of fact, I’m sure of it…”

SO what do we do, just stand around here staring at each other until Edmund shows up?” Vanessa asked.

“That’s about it,” Hal replied.

“Well, I’m just going to keep on doing what I was doing before…” She returned to the pile of sweaters she’d earlier started to fold, anything to keep her mind occupied. Knowing that someone was planning on killing you that day was terrifying. If she gave in to the panic, she’d be useless. She envisioned herself as a weeping heap in the corner of the room. Terrified and cowed wasn’t a good look for her.

The phone on the counter began to ring. Vanessa reached for it and Hal stopped her.

“Check the caller ID first.”

She leaned forward and read the number.

“It’s my house.” She frowned and looked up at Grady. “Who’d be in my… oh.”

“Well, I guess we know where,” Grady said to Hal, then nodded to her. “Pick it up, Ness. If it’s Dent, sound surprised that it’s him. Don’t let him know we’re onto him.”

“Hello?”

“Vanessa. It’s Maggie.”

Maggie’s voice vibrated with fear.

“Maggie, what are you doing at my house?” She shot a confused glance at Hal.

“I’m supposed to be luring you here, because-”

Vanessa heard the sound of a struggle, then a slap before Maggie cried out.

“Maggie? Maggie? What’s happening?” Vanessa cried into the phone.

“Maggie isn’t playing by the rules, so she took a penalty,” a mocking male voice told her.

“Who is this?” Don’t let him know we’re onto him…

“This is your worst nightmare, baby,” Edmund crooned, and Vanessa grimaced at Grady. She pointed to the phone and nodded. It’s him.

“I’ve had a lot of nightmares lately,” she said. “Who is this?”

“You’re going to have to come on over here and find out for yourself. But you come by yourself, you hear? Do not call the old man or the guy who’s been banging you.” He snickered. “I saw his clothes in the closet upstairs. It must be nice and cozy around here at night.”

“What do you want?” she asked curtly.

“I want you, here, in this house, in nine minutes. I know it takes eleven minutes to walk from your shop to this house because I timed it. I’m giving you nine. For every minute you’re late, your mother will have another hole in one of her body parts. A foot, a hand, maybe shoot off a couple of fingers. If you don’t come at all, I aim for the heart. I see anyone but you coming this way or anywhere near this house, I kill her. Come now. I’ll be watching for you.”

“Listen-”

“You’re down to eight minutes, Vanessa, and so is your mother.” He hung up.

“I have to go,” she said. “He’s going to kill Maggie if I’m not there in eight minutes.”

She ran for the door.

“Hold up there.” Grady grabbed her arm as she ran past. “I can’t let you just walk in there.”

“I have to. He’s going to shoot my mother.”

“If you go into that house, Ness, he’s going to shoot you, too,” Hal told her.

“You’re the survival expert, right?” She turned to Grady. “You figure out how to save us both.” She shook herself free. “I have to go. He said he’d be watching for me.”

“Ness, where’s your cell?” Grady asked.

“It’s in my bag.” She pointed to the counter.

He grabbed her bag and dumped the contents onto the floor. He picked up her phone and dialed a number. His cell rang inside his pants pocket. He answered his phone as he handed Vanessa’s phone to her.

“Leave the call open in your pocket so we can hear what’s going on. He’s going to have to be in the front of the house, so try to keep him there to give us time to get in through the back.”

“How do you know he’ll be in the front of the house?” she asked.

“You just said he told you he’d be watching for you. He’ll only be able to see the street from the front door or from the living room.” Grady turned to Hal. “There’s a stretch of woods that runs behind her house. You know where we can cut through to get to her yard?”

Hal nodded.

“All right, let’s go.” Before Grady opened the door, he kissed Vanessa soundly on the mouth. “Keep the phone open, and keep him talking for as long as you can. He’s got to be feeling pretty clever right about now, so let him brag. Keep him talking, Ness. Act like you’re impressed that he found you, whatever strokes you think his ego needs. Keep him focused on you. Keep your interactions with Maggie to a minimum.”

Vanessa nodded and started out the door. “What if he’s already shot Maggie? What if he just shoots me when I walk through the door?”

Before he or Hal could answer, she shuddered and said, “I have to go.” She fled out the door, with both men at her heels.

“We can cut through the Eakinses’ backyard,” Hal said.

Hal and Grady were right behind her, but when she took off to the left toward Cherry Street, they turned right for the street that ran behind it.

Vanessa ran. She was scared to death and her heart was racing so fast she thought she was going to have a heart attack before she ever made it home.

Then he’ll think I’m not coming and he’ll shoot Maggie, she told herself.

She talked to herself the entire time.

Why am I doing this? I can’t not. I can’t let him kill her because he can’t get to me.

What if he kills me? Grady won’t let him kill me.

Grady and Hal. They’ll save us.

How? How are they going to save us?

By the time she reached her house, she was scared out of her wits.

Don’t let him know I’m afraid. Let him brag, Grady said. Keep him talking. Let him brag. Act impressed. Keep him talking…

Unless, of course, he shoots me the minute I walk through the door, she thought as she walked up her front steps on wobbly legs. Maybe I should have waited until we came up with a Plan B…