Hatfield and McCoy (22 page)

The car. I think I remember a car.

How far did you go? Up a mountain? Down into a valley? Did you see anything? Did you see his face?

There was darkness for a moment. Only darkness. Tammy hadn't seen anything. But she had come in and out of consciousness on the drive.

The drive, I knew the drive. I've done it, exactly the same. You know how you can just feel the way that you're going? I've done it before. I've done it before. So many times. We came someplace that I know really well …

“Julie.”

She heard her name. The other voice faded away. She looked up.

McCoy was back. One foot was on the bottom step. He was leaning his elbow on his knee, trying to get her attention. Rusty was barking wildly.

She stared at McCoy, disoriented for a moment. Then she gasped.

“McCoy, I know where she is.”

“For the love of God, Julie—”

Julie leaped up, heedless of his heartache and his anger. “Damn you, McCoy, you promised to at least try!”

“We're talking about my niece's life!” he ground out in bitter agony.

“And I can save it!” Julie shouted. “I know where she is!”

He looked at his watch. “Julie, we're just an hour away from the first call at the booth—”

“I can find her in twenty minutes, McCoy!” Julie pleaded. “Give me that. Just give me that.”

“Robert! Do what she says. Please!” another voice suddenly begged from behind them. Brenda was up. She was standing in the doorway. Tears streamed down her cheeks silently. She appealed mutely to her brother as they all waited.

“Julie, if we miss this call—”

“Please, believe in me! It won't matter if we miss the call. All we need is Rusty. Please!”

McCoy looked at his sister, then he sighed. “All right, get in the car. Hurry.”

Julie raced for the BMW, calling Rusty along with her. Brenda followed.

“Brenda,” McCoy began. “Brenda, you shouldn't—”

“We haven't time, Robert. Please!”

Julie knew that listening to her at that moment was against everything he had ever been trained to do. But for once, he didn't argue. He slid into the driver's seat and revved the motor. He gazed at Julie, in the backseat with Rusty, through the rearview mirror. “Where are we going?”

“Your place,” she said huskily.

“What?” He seemed so amazed that he might refuse to do what she had asked. “Did Tammy see the kidnapper?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “He came up on her from behind. But he came through the woods and through the yard. He threw something over her head, something scratchy, like burlap. And he had it soaked in—” She hesitated, remembering that Brenda was in the car, turning paler with every word. “He drugged her. He didn't want her fighting or afraid.”

Brenda drew in a breath that turned into a ragged sob.

“She's all right, Brenda. I know it. She's just frightened, and trying very hard to be brave. It's all right. We'll reach her.”

She met McCoy's eyes in the rearview mirror again.

If they didn't find Tammy all right, he would personally take
her
apart. Piece by piece.

“What makes you think she's at my place?” he demanded.

“Because she knew the drive.”

“What do you mean?” he barked.

“She knew the drive. Even drifting in and out of consciousness, she knew the drive. All the curves and turns and climbs were familiar. Something she had done many times. Going from her house to yours. Maybe she even had a peek at something familiar there. I don't exactly know how I know, McCoy, but I do. She's at your house.”

She didn't need to argue any longer. They were climbing McCoy's driveway.

He pulled the car to a halt in front of his house. Before the motor had died, Julie threw open the door, letting Rusty bound from the car. She jumped out after him. “Okay, Rusty, you've been working at it all day. Find Tammy now. Find Tammy.”

Rusty barked, as if he had understood every single word perfectly. Then he started to run.

He ran in a wide circle.

“Oh, dear Lord …” Brenda wailed.

Then Rusty barked again, and leaped in the air, and started to run.

McCoy was right behind him. Fast. Like a streak.

Julie followed the best she could, with Brenda right behind her. She gritted her teeth. Tammy, Tammy, we're coming. We're close, we're so close. Just hang on.

Can't! Can't breathe. It's so stuffy. Julie, help me, help me. Oh, Mommy, I want my mommy, I want my mommy, so scared, so scared …

Tammy, don't fight. Lie still. Breathe slowly, really slowly …

Julie's heart was in her throat. The kidnapper hadn't left Tammy any air. He'd meant her to be dead before Julie and McCoy reached the first phone booth.

“McCoy, hurry!” she called out.

She heard Rusty barking and carrying on something awful. Julie burst into the clearing before her.

Rusty was standing on a mound of uprooted grass and weeds and dirt.

McCoy was beside him, digging through the dirt with his hands.

Julie fell beside him and did the same. A second later, Brenda was with them. They worked furiously.

Then, at last, beneath them, they saw the wood. “Get out of the way,” McCoy commanded them both. They jumped away. He found the edge of the wood and began to wrench at it with his bare hands.

Julie had heard that desperation gave men strength.

Now, it did. She heard the boards groan, then snap, broken by his hands. The dirt they had dug up fell into the coffin.

“Tammy!” Brenda screamed. “Oh, Tammy, Tammy, my baby, please, baby, speak to me, oh, Tammy …”

Now it was Brenda who thrust aside her brother. She reached into the coffin, pulling her dirt-laden daughter into her arms. “Tammy, oh, please, oh, please, God—”

Tammy's eyes opened. She stared at her mother. She started to cough and choke, and then she started to cry. She reached out, her arms winding around her mother's neck. “Mommy! Oh, Mommy!”

“Oh, thank God!” Brenda gasped, and then, there in the mound of dirt, she started to cry. “Thank God, thank God, thank God.”

“No,” McCoy said softly. Julie realized that he was staring at her across the open coffin that had been relieved of his niece's body. “Thank Julie.”

Chapter 12

T
he kettle whistled and Julie roused herself, then hurried into the kitchen to take it from the stove.

She was alone again, but that didn't really matter. Tammy was fine. She'd be going home soon, Julie was certain. She hadn't seemed to have had a scratch on her, but they had taken Tammy to the hospital for observation. They'd probably keep her overnight, and Brenda could sleep in one of the chairs by the bed. Patty had gone to pick up Taylor and take him to the hospital, too.

All was well. McCoy would be with her soon.

She made herself a cup of tea, absently patting Rusty on the head as she did so. McCoy had never explained his feelings to her.

It had been Brenda who had given her the glimpse of the insight. “He's not against you, Julie. Not anymore. He's afraid for you, don't you see?”

At that exact moment she hadn't. But since McCoy had promised to be with her as soon as possible, she did understand. Especially since she had seen the very proud and determined man say, “Thank Julie.”

He hadn't wanted to leave her then, but there had been so much confusion. The ambulance arriving, and all the police cars coming. Then Patty had gone off to get Taylor, and everyone had to be called off the search.

Then there was the nagging thought that the kidnapper had not been apprehended.

And the even more frightening thought that he had never, never intended for Tammy to be found. But for tonight, all was well. There might be a long climb ahead. Julie didn't mind the idea of climbing anymore.

He believed in her, she was certain. More importantly, he loved her. He loved her enough to believe in her.

“Hey, Rusty, what is it? Is McCoy back already?” she asked the barking dog. Julie walked to the entry-way, taking care to look out the peephole. She didn't want to ruin an emotional homecoming with him yelling about the fact that she hadn't looked through the peephole.

She saw the police car parked on her lawn and breathed out a little sigh of relief. Then someone moved outside and she saw that Joe Silver, still in his uniform, was waiting patiently on the porch.

She started to open the door. If Joe was out there, McCoy had probably sent him for her. He'd probably been delayed and wanted her to come to him.

Rusty kept barking, slamming his weight against the door with such a vehemence that Julie couldn't open it. “Rusty, get down!” she commanded. She caught hold of his collar and managed to open the door. “Hi, Joe. I'm sorry. Rusty, Joe is a good guy. I swear, when a robber comes, Rusty will wind up leading him right to the family jewels. Well, not that I have any family jewels, but you know what I mean.”

Joe laughed, stepping in. “Hey, Rusty, you and I are going to get to be friends eventually. Yeah, boy.”

Rusty didn't believe him. “I'll just put him in the basement again,” Julie said with a sigh. “Come on in,” she called over her shoulder. He followed her to the kitchen as she dragged the dog along. “Did McCoy send you?” she asked, shooing Rusty down the stairway at last. He was a heavy dog. She was somewhat distracted when Joe answered her.

“Well, yes, in a way he did.”

She closed the basement door and turned to smile at him. “Well, am I supposed to be somewhere? Has he been held up? Have there been any leads? Oh, I forgot! Did he go to the phone booth, did anyone go to the phone booth?”

Joe shook his head, his brown hair slipping just a little over his eye. “I don't think there's anything new. I wasn't on call tonight.”

“Oh,” Julie said. Rusty was still carrying on in the basement. “What am I going to do with that dog? He can't seem to tell the good guys from the bad!”

The phone starting ringing then, just to add to the confusion. Julie reached for it. “Hello.”

“Julie.” It was McCoy.

She covered the receiver with her hand. “It's McCoy now,” she told Joe. She turned to the phone. “McCoy?”

A shiver went along her spine. The phone was dead.

She turned. Joe had jerked the phone wire from the wall. Her mouth fell slowly open with astonishment.

And then she felt like a fool. A complete fool.

He was of medium height and medium build. His hair was darkish.

Rusty hadn't been confused in the least. Rusty had barked the night Patty and Joe had come over, but when she and Patty had been getting ready to go out, Rusty had been with Patty on the steps, calm, content, his nose on Patty's lap.

“Oh, God,” she breathed. “You?”

He nodded. “And you know what, Julie, you are remarkable. I wanted to test McCoy. They always said that he was the best. But I never could get to him. Not with you in the picture. So, Julie, now it's your turn.”

Her turn.

He could never quite get to McCoy—because of her.

She couldn't breathe, her heart was racing so horribly. It was all so obvious now. Joe. Right there in the office with them all, watching everything they did, knowing ahead of time what they were going to do.

And no one would ever think that a patrol car racing through the night held evil. No one would have searched his car for clues.

Then there was Patty. Julie had always thought that they made a cute couple, but Patty never wanted an involvement. Even Patty had sensed that there was something not quite right about him. She had worked with him day after day, and she had known … something.

How long had he been among them? Two years? Three years? Long enough to watch, to learn.

And Julie, with all her great powers, had never seen. Rusty had known instantly. While she …

She had to get away from him, that much was simple. If she could stall, McCoy would come.

He took a step toward her. “Come along easily, Julie. I don't want to hurt you.”

She started to laugh, and the sound rose. “You just want to kill me, not hurt me.”

“You can come peacefully,” he told her.

“You know that you are really sick. You can probably be helped if—”

“Now, Julie, I don't want to be psychoanalyzed.” He sprang for her suddenly. Her hot tea was sitting on the counter. She threw it in his face.

It was still hot enough to cause him to pause and shriek. She didn't think it would cause him any permanent damage, but maybe it gave her a chance to move.

She sprang for the door, desperate to get Rusty out.

Hell! She had even locked up the dog for the man.

But she fell short of the door because he threw himself against her before she could quite reach it. She fell with a ferocious force, his weight on top of hers. She gasped for breath, swinging and fighting. She managed to gouge his cheek nicely with her nails, and then she started for a second because she saw the lethal fury in his brown eyes.

The eyes of a murderer, unveiled.

“He'll get you!” she shrieked. “He'll get you this time. And he'll kill you. He'll kill you for what you did to his niece. And for what you're doing to me. Don't you see, you will get caught in the end. And if it is McCoy—”

She broke off because Joe Silver was laughing. “If McCoy catches me, he'll take me in. He's a G-man. He'll have to. And who knows? I could plead insanity. You just said that I was crazy. I may get off.”

“And you may not.”

“Then maybe that will be for the best,” he said.

It was the scariest thing Julie had heard yet. He knew he was sick.

He wanted McCoy to catch him.

“Joe, please. You don't want to do this to me,” she said desperately, trying a new tactic. “Look, the tea burned your face. You're getting a blister on your cheek. Let me get something for it.”