Iris Johansen - Blind Alley

“Is everything okay, Ms. MacGuire?”

She looked up to see Mac Gunther walking toward her from the squad car.

No, it wasn't okay, she wanted to scream at him. Toby . . .

Her hand holding the collar slipped behind her back. She forced a smile. “Fine, Mac. Just getting a breath of air. I couldn't sleep.”

“Can't blame you.” He smiled sympathetically. “But let us know when you decide to come out on the porch. You gave us a start.”

“Sorry. I didn't think.” She turned and started up the steps. “I'll just go back to bed. Good night.”

“Good night.”

She watched him turn and stroll back to the squad car as she opened the screen door. Give it a little time before she slipped away.

She heard Toby howl as it closed behind her.

“No,” she whispered as she closed her eyes in pain. “You dirty bastard, stop it. I'm coming.”

The howling pierced the night like a knife.

Bartlett jumped. “Jesus, what the hell was that? A wolf?”

Trevor began to curse. “Son of a bitch.” He straightened away from the tree. “He's got her dog.”

“What?”

“I'd bet on it. It's her dog, Toby. I've been here three nights and never heard that dog howl before.”

“That doesn't mean— Where are you going?”

“I'm going to follow the sound,” Trevor said curtly as he faded into the shrubbery. “Just like she's going to do.”

“Should I go with you?”

“Hell, no. Go to the car and wait for me to call you. You make too much noise in the woods. If he hears you crashing through the brush, Aldo will kill the dog and then Jane MacGuire will kill both of us. She loves that dog.”

The dog howled again.

“This could be a break,” Bartlett called after him. “If you can get to the dog before the girl, you might be able to take down Aldo.”

“I know that.” And if he didn't get there in time, Jane MacGuire would be either butchered or taken prisoner. Some break. It wasn't the scenario he'd have planned if given a choice.

Well, choices had been few and far between since this macabre charade had begun. He'd have to take the hand that was dealt him. Don't think about the girl. Forget her. This was the closest he'd been to Aldo since Brighton. Think only about what he'd do to him when he got his hands on him.

Toby howled again.

She was closer.

Toby's last howl had sounded much nearer.

She stopped on the trail and closed her eyes, waiting for him to howl again.

If she could get a fix on his location, then she wouldn't be so vulnerable. She knew these woods. She and Toby had run and played over every inch of them for years. The minute she figured out the location, she could picture it and find a way to get there without blundering into Aldo's trap.

“Come on, Toby,” she whispered. “Tell me where you are.”

He howled again.

To the south. At least a hundred yards from here. Concentrate. Don't think what Aldo is doing to make him howl. He's alive. Now keep him alive. A hundred yards south. There was nothing but a glade surrounded by pines.

Where better to stake out Toby than an open glade? To get to him she'd have to go through the pines where Aldo would be waiting. At the thought her hand unconsciously closed on the butcher knife she'd taken from the cutlery drawer in the kitchen. Would she use it? The thought of stabbing someone made her shudder.

But it didn't make that bastard flinch. He'd killed before and now he wanted to kill her.

And he was hurting Toby.

Hell, yes, she'd use the knife.

Okay, was there any other path she could take to elude Aldo?

Not unless she circled around and entered the lake in the one place where the pines were scraggly and sparse. She would be able to see any waiting attacker as she approached from that angle and, if she was careful, he wouldn't see her as she crawled up on the bank.

Was there any other way?

Toby howled again.

If there was another plan, she had no time to discover it. She had to get to Toby.

She moved quickly to the edge of the lake, took off her shoes, and waded into the cold water.

Jane!”

Eve jerked upright in bed, her heart pounding.

Joe opened his eyes, totally alert as he always was when he woke. “What is it?”

“Jane.”

“Is she having another dream? Did you hear something?”

“I didn't hear—or maybe I did.” She threw the covers aside. “I'm going to go check on her.”

Joe sat up on one elbow and watched as she grabbed her robe and headed for the door. “I didn't hear her call—” He stopped, tilting his head, listening. “Go check on her.” He swung his legs to the floor. “Now.”

She was already flying down the hall.

Empty bed.

No Jane.

She ran to the bathroom. “Jane!”

Jane's nightgown lay in a pool on the floor.

“She's gone?” Joe was behind her. He'd pulled on his jeans and was shoving his arms into his wool sweater.

She nodded numbly. “He's got her. He just came in and got her.”

“I don't think so. He would have to be pretty stupid to try to get by Mac and Brian.” He pulled the sweater over his head. “Get your clothes on. I'll meet you outside.”

Eve didn't argue. “Where are you going?”

“To the squad car. They might have seen her.” He headed down the hall. “Or Toby.”

“Toby?”

“I didn't hear Jane call out, but I thought I heard Toby howling.”

Terror iced through her. “Oh, God.”

“Maybe I was wrong.” He opened the screen door. “Toby doesn't often—”

And then they heard the howl.

The dog was staked out at the edge of the glade. All four legs were tied and his left hind leg was bleeding in several places.

Trevor muttered a curse. Christ, he hated those bastards who preyed on the helpless. Children and animals should be exempt from the cruelty of the world.

Yeah, sure. No one was allowed a free pass. He should know that by now. Close out the anger. Where was Aldo?

He had to be somewhere close to Toby to make the poor animal howl.

Trevor adjusted his infrared glasses and then studied the nearby trees.

Nothing.

His gaze shifted to the left.

Noth—

Maybe.

Yes!

A blurred shadow but definitely a human shape.

Aldo.

He moved silently forward through the underbrush.

The cold wind struck Jane's soaked clothes and sent a shudder through her body. She scarcely noticed as she crept through the sparse trees toward the glade. Be careful. The full moon that enabled her to see would also allow her to be seen. So far her memory had served her well. The glade should be right ahead. . . .

And then she saw him.

Toby!

Tears ran down Jane's cheeks as she caught sight of Toby's bleeding leg.

Hurt. That son of a bitch had hurt him.

And was going to hurt him again.

Someone was coming across the glade. It was too dark to distinguish anything about his appearance except that he had a large, powerful body, medium height and shoulder-length hair that could be sandy.

But there was nothing blurred about the glitter of the knife in his hand.

He dropped to his knees beside Toby.

“No!”

She didn't even realize she was running toward him until she'd almost reached him.

“Don't you touch him!”

He swiveled on his knees. “You're here.” His voice was exultant. “I knew you'd—” He screamed as the knife in her hand entered his shoulder. “Bitch!”

His own knife lunged upward.

A hand closed on her shoulder from behind, spinning her away from that deadly knife. “For God's sake, get out of here. Now!”

Trevor?

A crashing in the underbrush. Voices. A dozen flashlight beams pierced the darkness of the trees surrounding the glade.