Hotline to Murder (36 page)

The trail was clear of people. Moving
slowly, he started down it and immediately disappeared from the
view of those on top. Good. But he had to be careful because it was
harder going downhill than uphill, especially in the dark. He
looked down at the plateau, but didn’t see any light or movement
there.

It was safe to use the flashlight to guide
him, so he turned it on. He made his way carefully downward,
spotting where to place his feet before he took each step. He also
used his hands to steady himself. He wanted to go faster, but he
knew that if he did, he might not make it at all. Shahla had been
brave to climb down without a flashlight.

After half an eternity, he arrived at the
plateau. He quickly shone his flashlight around the flat area,
where the low brush had been trampled underfoot. There was clearly
nobody here.

Where were the girls? He listened for some
sound, some clue. All he heard was the faint chanting from above.
And then he heard motor vehicles. His cell phone rang. He had
shoved it into his pants pocket just after he had called Croyden
and just before he had played Jesus. He had told Croyden the
Ascension was occurring inside the park.

He answered it. It was Croyden asking where
he was. “On the side of the hill, but everybody else has gone up to
the top. Except Nathan and Tina. I don’t know where they are. Or
Shahla, either.”

“We’re coming in with four-wheel-drives and
people who know the layout of the area. We’ll secure the top of the
hill.”

That wasn’t going to help Shahla and Tina.
“When you get there, send some officers down the path to the
plateau. I need help finding the girls.”

***

Shahla quickly discovered that she couldn’t
just walk down the trail. It was too steep. She couldn’t ski down
it on her feet because it was too bumpy. And she couldn’t see well
enough to avoid the ruts. So she half walked and half slid. She
spent a lot of time on her butt, sometimes falling on it, sometimes
sliding on it for a few feet. Her hands, already sore from her
adventures last night, were getting cut up even more since she used
them to break her frequent butt landings.

At least the parishioners were singing and
not paying any attention to her. Even if they saw her, they might
think she was one of them. Her hand hit something sharp, probably a
rock. She suppressed a shout that would have been heard over the
singing. She had to sit down for a few seconds, until her hand
stopped stinging.

She wished she could have brought the
flashlight, but Tony needed it, and it would have attracted the
attention of the singers to her before she reached the plateau. He
had wanted her to bring the crowbar, but she couldn’t take the
chance that somebody would spot it and think it odd that she would
bring a crowbar to the Ascension. She had to work on the premise
that if Nathan attacked her, the others would intervene.

Two nights ago she had been afraid to go out
in the dark. But then the enemy didn’t have a face. She was still
afraid, but at least Nathan had a face. And there were other people
around. In addition, she owed it to Tina.

Shahla was almost close enough so that she
could identify people by the light of the candles they held. Except
that they stood facing away from her, toward someone who was
leading the singing. She arrived at the level area and looked them
over. She wanted to spot Nathan before he spotted her. She strolled
carefully among the singers. A few glanced at her, but even though
she was wearing shorts, they didn’t seem to think she was out of
place. The others were dressed in clothes suitable for walking.

She spotted Nathan because he was separated
from the rest of the crowd. And he was taller than most and whiter
than most, although in the dark that wasn’t much of a
distinguishing characteristic. Shahla edged closer to him, from
behind. She didn’t see Tina. Had he…?

There was a movement at his feet. It was
Tina, sitting on the ground. Still alive. Shahla found herself
saying a silent prayer of thanks. Tina was one of the few who
weren’t standing. And she wasn’t singing, either. Was she still
taped? Shahla couldn’t tell. She looked at her watch. It was time
for the party to begin.

She looked up the hill and saw a light come
on at the top. Then, as she watched, Tony appeared in the light,
dressed in white, and raised his arms. The vision was faint enough
and ghostly enough to make it look authentic. He made a good Jesus.
But nobody saw him. The singers weren’t looking up the hill.

Shahla moved a few feet to one side so that
several people were between her and Nathan. She put her hand over
her mouth to disguise her voice and yelled, “Look up there,” over
the sound of the singing.

Everybody looked up. The singing abruptly
stopped, and there was a collective gasp from the crowd. The
faithful stood transfixed for several seconds. Then, as if on
command, they started moving up the path toward Tony. They had to
walk slowly, in single file, but the ones in back waited patiently
for those in front to clear the way. Some required help, but they
would all make it, given enough time.

A murmur started somewhere in the crowd and
grew louder as others picked it up. After a few seconds, Shahla
could make it out. The people chanted the word, “Jesus,” in time to
their steps, as if they were mesmerized.

Shahla waited impatiently, hoping that
Nathan would get caught up and follow the crowd. As the people in
front of her moved forward, she could see the spot where he had
been standing. He wasn’t there. She spotted him marching up the
hill with the others. But Tina was still sitting there. How long
would it be before he remembered her?

This was Shahla’s opportunity, but she had
to act fast. She made her way swiftly to Tina’s side and said, in a
stage whisper, “Tina, it’s Shahla.”

Tina turned her head and looked at Shahla,
startled. Her hands were behind her back

“Are your hands and feet taped?” Shahla
asked, kneeling beside her.

“Just my hands.”

“I’m going to free you.” Shahla pulled the
box cutter out of her pocket and slid the blade clear of the
handle. She grabbed one of Tina’s arms and felt carefully for the
tape. She didn’t want to cut Tina. The duct tape was wound around
her wrists several times. Shahla sliced through it with the box
cutter. That instrument was sharp, which made the job easier.

“Ouch,” Tina exclaimed.

Shahla had cut into her wrist a little.
“Shh,” she said. “Sorry.” The tape severed and Tina moved her
arms.

“I can’t feel my hands,” she said
plaintively.

“We’ve got to get away,” Shahla said. They
couldn’t go up the hill toward Tony and the truck. That way was
blocked by the throng and, besides, it wouldn’t be smart to follow
Nathan. She ran the short distance to the edge of the plateau and
looked down the hill. A trail descended from where she was standing
to the picnic area. It was dimly lit by the city lights, shining
down below. That was their escape route.

Tina was still sitting down when Shahla ran
back to her. Shahla took hold of her arm and said urgently, “Tina,
there’s a trail going down. Run down the trail and get away. I’ll
be right behind you.”

Tina continued to sit. She must be in shock.
Shahla placed her hands under Tina’s armpits and tried to hoist her
up. It took a lot of effort, until Tina started to bear some of her
own weight. Finally, she stood shakily on her feet. Shahla grew
impatient.

“Come with me,” she said. She led Tina to
the start of the trail. “Run, Tina,” she said. “Run as fast as you
can. I’ll follow you.”

Tina seemed to wake up. She looked down the
trail. She looked at Shahla. “It’s too steep.”

“Slide down it then. Get down it any way you
can.”

Still Tina hesitated.

“Go,” Shahla said. “Go, go, go.” She gave
Tina a push that almost knocked her down the hill.

Tina went, stumbling, down the trail. Shahla
went after her, half sliding, half running. The bumping was
painful, but she ignored the pain. They made good progress. Just as
she thought they were going to get away, she heard sounds behind
her. Sounds that were getting closer. She looked over her shoulder.
It was Nathan, all right, silhouetted against the night sky,
swooping down on them like an avenging demon. Well, not as graceful
as a demon, but just as determined. She thought she saw something
in his right hand, probably a knife.

Shahla had to make a quick decision. She
couldn’t speed up or she would overtake Tina, who was having
trouble with the steep descent in the dark. She had to protect
Tina. If she went off the trail, would Nathan follow her, or would
he stay on the trail and go after Tina?

Shahla stepped off the trail to the left, in
the direction away from Nathan’s knife hand. She stood in the low
brush and watched Nathan approach. His out-of-control rush
threatened to send him sprawling, but, unfortunately, that didn’t
happen. Shahla placed the box cutter in her left hand. If Nathan
stayed on the trail, she would attack him as he went by.

He slowed down. He wanted her. As he came
abreast of her, Nathan tried to slide to a stop. He managed to grab
Shahla’s right arm with his left hand, but his momentum carried
them both down the hill. Shahla felt the pain of a thousand needles
in her back as she fell against the stiff branches of the brush.
Nathan fell partially on top of her and then bounced off.

Shahla twisted her body and tried to stand
up, but she didn’t have a solid footing and fell forward into the
brush. More pain. Nathan was beside her, also struggling to right
himself.

She heard him say, “You’re coming with me,”
as he raised the knife. “Even if I have to cut you up.”

Shahla was still off-balance, but she was
able to shove him in the chest with both hands. As she did this,
she lost her grip on the box cutter. It disappeared into the brush.
His knife cut across her left shoulder. Then he fell backwards, and
so did she. She received more damage from the sharp wooden spines.
Now she and Nathan were separated by a few feet. She tried to stand
and make a run for it, but the brush was too thick to allow easy
movement.

She turned to face him. He was uphill from
her. He stood up and towered over her, with the knife raised high,
a fearsome apparition. Shahla felt naked without the box cutter.
She wondered whether she was going to die. Even in the dark, she
could make out a manic expression on his face. He was crazy.

Although they were only a few feet apart,
the thickness of the brush kept him from coming straight toward
her. He stood, motionless, and seemed to ponder the problem. She
started edging away from him, slowly, working her way through the
brush. It scratched her bare legs, but she barely noticed. She had
put a few more feet between them when Nathan came to life. He
yelled something unintelligible and stumbled forward, surprising
her.

With his initial rush, he covered most of
the distance between them, but his legs became caught in the
unyielding branches, and he lost his balance. Shahla tried to duck
away from the upraised knife as he fell. His body hit her, but she
managed to twist clear of him so he didn’t land on top of her.

Her face went into the brush, and she felt a
branch stab her close to her eye. Now she was mad. She pushed
herself up. Nathan was sprawled face down beside her. She jumped on
his back and shoved his head into the brush. Hard. He screamed. She
saw the knife, still in his hand. She lunged and grabbed his hand,
twisting it so that the knife fell into the bushes.

He started to get up. Shahla climbed back on
top of him and shoved his head into the brush again. He screamed
again.

“Don’t move,” she hissed.

She felt his muscles tense for another try.
She pushed his head down. He grunted, and his muscles relaxed. This
might work. He was lying in the brush, facing downhill at a steep
angle. It must be very painful for him to move in this awkward
position. As long as Shahla stayed on top of him and could keep him
from moving, she had the advantage. She wondered how long she could
maintain it.

CHAPTER 40

Tony found the trail that went downhill from
the plateau to the picnic area. He couldn’t wait for the police to
get their act together and send officers to help him. He started
down the trail by himself. He went slowly, being careful of his
knee, shining his flashlight to the right and to the left,
searching among the bushes and the shadows for signs of life.

If he hadn’t been afraid of what had
happened to Shahla, he would be enjoying himself, hiking in the
cool of the evening with the lights below, knowing that even though
he could see the city where millions of people lived, here he was
alone.

He had gone some distance when he heard a
cry for help, somewhere below him. He shone his flashlight down the
hill. At first he couldn’t see anything except dirt and brush. He
moved the light in an arc, covering both sides of the trail. Then
he saw somebody, off to the left of the trail.

“Down here,” shouted the urgent voice.

It was Shahla. “I’m coming,” Tony called.
She appeared to be sitting in the brush. “Are you all right?” he
asked, as he came closer to her.

“I’ve got Nathan,” she said. “But I don’t
know how long I can hold him.”

Tony picked out Nathan with the help of the
flashlight. Shahla was astride his back, with her hands on his
head. He was face downwards, with his feet higher than his head,
and he looked about as helpless as a man could be.

“Where is the knife?” Tony asked, working
his way through the brush toward them.

“In the bushes.”

Tony climbed onto Nathan’s back, behind
Shahla. Nathan groaned as the additional weight pressed him further
into the spines.