Adelle Laudan - Killer Scents

“Not without ruining the flowers.”

“I don’t care if we have to plow them all under. It’s probable Danny came this way, so take us there now.” Randy struggled to rein in his anger.

“Let’s calm down a minute. You’re not doing her any good making decisions half-cocked.” Chief raised his brows.”Sit down and take a deep breath.”

Randy glanced at the other passengers and eased back in his seat, feeling very much the scolded child. “I’m sorry, but for all we know that whack job is over there sewing Becca’s mouth shut right now.”

Chief squeezed his arm before addressing Jacob. “Keep going until you feel we are directly across from the building, and then drive a straight line across the field. I think Becca’s life is more important than a few rows of posies.”

Jacob nodded and slipped back behind the wheel. He didn’t go much further before turning. He came to a stop after crushing only a dozen or so of the vibrant yellow blooms. He frowned and hopped down, parting the tall stems.

“Look at this.” He moved to one side to show them tracks already carved between the rows.”

Randy jumped out of the truck and dropped to one knee. “These two fat ones look like they came from a truck.” His fingers slid down the grooves of the third track, “Shit! A motorcycle.”

Chief was already on the radio relaying their discovery. Not long after, the field swarmed with men, making their way through the field. The building sat hidden behind a cluster of lilac trees. It had a double door to accommodate a motorcycle, and cement pad where only an oil stain remained.

A couple of men in welding masks ground the locks. Armed special task force officers stood at each door and signalled, weapons drawn. The doors flew open with a bang, and silence permeated the space as Randy took it all in. Danny’s big black motorcycle sat in the center of the room.

He saw no sign of Danny or Becca aside from the remnants of bloodied tape. The pool of blood under a leather masseuse table was still warm to the touch.

“Fuck! While we were chasing those fucking dogs, Danny took Becca out of here. Where the hell did he take her now?”

Chapter Twenty-two

Becca forced her eyes closed while Danny paced back and forth in front of the sofa where she lay. Keeping up the ruse of being unconscious bought her a little time to come up with an escape plan. She tried to decipher Danny’s gibberish as his sanity unravelled with each passing moment.

She held her breath, feeling the couch dip under his weight, his hot breath on her face almost her undoing. Danny snapped his fingers in front of her face, and she prayed none of her muscles twitched. Her stomach churned with the musky scent of his aftershave tickling her nose, the threat of her puking imminent.

“I’ll be right back, darlin’, and then we’ll get started.” His footsteps faded across the wooden floor, followed by the opening and closing of a door.

Please God, show me a way out of this nightmare.

She dared open her eyes a sliver to glance about the room, careful not to change her position. All she could see out the windows were trees. She concluded they were in a cabin of sorts. Given the worn furniture and photos that littered the room, someone lived here.

The only hope she had of making it out of this situation alive was to outsmart him. Overpowering definitely wasn’t happening. Sure, she gave him a nosebleed, but he recovered in seconds and had the presence of mind to put a chloroform soaked cloth to her face.

She was pretty sure the cops were hot on Danny’s trail. What other reason could there be for leaving the setup where he had everything at his disposal? Becca committed the room’s layout to her memory. She had no choice but to try and get away soon, before he had a chance to use the drug.

Danny had her at a huge disadvantage. He knew where they were; she didn’t even know if there was a back door. It would be stupid to risk running off blindly. No, she needed to be patient and stick to her plan, and with a little luck, save her own life.

She closed her eyes the same instant the front door opened and Danny stepped inside. He dropped something heavy on the floor before shutting it behind him.

“I think it’s time for you to wake up.” Danny put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed, lifting her upper body from the couch and pushing her back down hard, before leaving her once again. The unmistakable sound of tape being pulled from a roll broke the silence.

She lay in wait of the perfect moment. His footsteps grew closer.

“Ah!” Becca bolted upright.

He stumbled back into the coffee table and fell to the ground. She lunged forward, the door knob in her grasp.

“No!”

Danny’s hand clamped around her ankle and pulled her to the floor. She kicked out with everything in her to get free.

“You fool. Haven’t you learned by now you’re not going to get away from me so easily?”

He flipped her over, knocking the wind from her lungs. She gasped for air, coughing and blinking to clear her vision. Becca froze.

Danny now knelt beside her, syringe in hand. “Enough of the fun and games. You just pissed me off one too many times.”

The sudden crunch of tires against gravel stole his attention. He slipped the syringe back inside his vest pocket and then picked her up and ran to the bathroom where he dropped her in the tub. Her head connected with the faucet, and the world started to spin.

“Hello? Is anybody here?”

Becca recognized Jacob’s voice and opened her mouth only to have Danny stuff a towel in it. Sweat dripped from his face and fire burned in his eyes as he took his gun from the back of his pants and aimed it at her head.

“Hello?”

“You shut the fuck up,” he snarled. “I hear one noise out of you and your buddy out there gets it.” He slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Her hand went to the source of jolting pain and came away bloodied. She pulled the towel out of her mouth and pressed it against the wound. Slowly, she moved out of the tub only to end up flat on her ass. The room spiraled, sucking her into a black hole of nothingness.

Randy sat at the counter in Danny’s hideout. Every single aspect of the room had a purpose, from the portable incinerator to the tall coolers used to preserve the flowers. Unfortunately, he ended up empty-handed when it came to the good doctor’s elusive journal. An element, he believed, would answer many of the questions swimming in his head. The cylindrical case was another item not found. There was an endless supply of surgical gloves, wet wipes, duct tape, and rain suits. Not one thing told him where Danny might have taken Becca.

Suddenly the door burst open and Jeffery ran in. “Something is wrong! If that bastard hurts him...!”

Randy slid off the barstool and held a hand up to halt his tirade. “Slow down.” He walked over to Jeffery, who stooped with his hands on his thighs attempting to slow his breathing.

“Jacob...something wrong...I feel it.”

“What makes you think that? Where is he?”

“That’s just it.” He straightened his stance and threw his hands up in the air. “He left over an hour ago to grab some clothes from my place.” He began pacing. “He’s not answering his cell.” With an air of drama, he put his fist to his mouth and choked out a sob.

Randy took hold of the distraught lover’s shoulders until the guy looked at him.

“We’ll find Jacob. Right now you need to calm down and focus. It’s possible there’s a very simple explanation. Remember, cars break down, phones die, and so on.”

Jeffery shook his head in earnest. “No, you’re going to have to trust me on this. I sense something isn’t right.”