The Frenzy War (42 page)

The prison gates rolled open, and Colleen drove her car

through them. “Whew, I don't ever want to set foot in there again,” she said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “But it was worth it, wasn't it?”

“I guess so,” Cheryl said.

“I detect a lack of enthusiasm.”

“We didn't really get into any of the areas I wanted to explore.”

“There was no way you could have expected him to go off on that tangent.”

“He controlled the conversation, not me.”

“You did what you had to and rolled with the punches. Besides, you grabbed him by the balls at the end and didn't let go. That's what people will remember.”

“No, they'll remember that he claimed he was a werewolf and that my husband supposedly killed another werewolf.”

“And an urban legend was born: Captain Anthony Mace, werewolf slayer. Do you think Tony will do a follow-up interview, or would that be too weird?”

Cheryl shook her head. “He won't do an interview with me or anyone else.”

“Too bad. I remember when he was a media darling before he dropped off the map. This would be a great opportunity for him to make a comeback. Carl Rice made enough money off Tony's name. Maybe he should write his own book. You could write it together!”

“Tony's had enough of the limelight.”
Maybe I have too.
“We didn't exactly fill the whole hour …”

“We've got plenty.”

They drove through Ossining, then along the Hudson.

Colleen turned the radio on to a news station.

Cheryl saw her glancing into the rearview mirror. “Is something wrong?”

“The car behind us came out of nowhere, and it's moving fast.”

Cheryl looked over her shoulder as the back window filled with light. Then Colleen's car screeched to a sudden stop, flinging Cheryl forward.

“What the hell?” Colleen said.

Cheryl saw a van idling in the street ahead of them, positioned perpendicular to the road and blocking their way. “Oh, my God.”

Doors opened and closed, and silhouetted figures encircled the van from all sides.

Colleen activated the locks.

Cheryl's heart pounded in her chest. “Just get out of here. Run over them if you have to. Plow through that van!”

Colleen twisted the steering wheel to her left, but her window exploded in a shower of glass.

Cheryl recoiled, pressing herself against her door.

A figure wearing some sort of mask or goggles leaned in through Colleen's window and pressed a cloth over her mouth and nose. Colleen turned her panic-stricken eyes to Cheryl and reached toward her with an outstretched hand, fingers clawing air in desperation.

Cheryl grasped Colleen's hand, reassuring her despite the terror she felt.

Then the window behind her crashed apart, and gloved hands groped for her. She turned her head, evading the

cloth she saw in one of her attacker's hands, but the figure jerked her head back and covered her mouth and nose with the wet rag. Colleen's eyelids fluttered and closed. Holding her breath and clawing at the arms of her attacker, Cheryl kicked out with her left leg, striking the steering wheel with her heel, and blasted the car horn.

Colleen pitched forward, and Cheryl had no choice but to suck in oxygen. The chemical in which the rag had been doused took immediate effect, burning her nostrils and clouding her mind. As she lost consciousness, she wondered who kept honking that damned car horn.

Karol pulled into the Fifth Precinct parking lot.

“You think we should stop by the office?” Willy said. The doctor at the ER had given him a clean bill of health.

“No. If we do, we'll never get out of there.”

“Yeah, you're right. So your place or mine?”

“Neither. I'm exhausted. I need sleep. So do you.”

“I'm tired but not
that
tired. My adrenaline's pumping.”

“Save it for tomorrow. You're going to need it.”

“Oh yeah?”

“For the
job”

“All work and no play makes Detective Williams a dull werewolf.”

“Look, ifwe're going to do this, you'd better get your terminology right. I'm a Wolf. We don't like to be called werewolves.”

“Whatever you say.” He leaned close for a kiss. “Are you crazy? Not here, not now. Anyone could see us.”

He sat back. “All right, be that way. We'll have this big secret romance. But someday the truth will come out. It always does.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.” Willy exited the SUV, jogged across the lot, and got into his own vehicle. He noticed Karol hadn't left. Leaning forward, he saw her speaking on her phone.

Interesting. With Gabriel dead, who could she be talking to?

Karol drove away, and Willy started his engine.

Mace entered the house at 9:45 P
M
and loosened his tie. Anna sat at the dining room table, textbooks spread before her. “I'm sorry I'm late,” he said.

She smiled at him. “That's okay. I understand. I saw the news.”

He pulled off his tie. “I thought your mother was going to relieve you?”

Anna closed her books. “She came up earlier. I didn't mind coming back. Patty's asleep.”

“Great. We appreciate this.”

“I also saw Mrs. Mace's interview. It was really disturbing.”

“Wasn't it, though?” His cell phone vibrated, and he saw Candice's name on the display. “Excuse me.” He pressed the phone against his ear. “Go, Candice.”

“I just got a call from the police department in Ossining.”

Cheryl's been in a car accident,
he thought.

“Brace yourself: Cheryl's missing.”

He felt as if someone had slammed him in the center of

his chest. “What do you mean?”

“The Manhattan Minute crew van discovered Colleen Wanglund's car parked on the side of a road with its windows broken and Wanglund inside. She appears to have been drugged. The first thing she did was ask what happened to Cheryl. Ossining PD is trying to put together a statement, but it looks like someone snatched your wife.”

Feeling the blood rush from his head, Mace grabbed the back of a chair with his free hand to steady himself. “Where's the crime scene?”

Candice described the location. “Manhattan Missing Persons is there now. They want you to stay at your house in case someone calls about a ransom.”

“There isn't going to be a ransom demand, just like there wasn't one for Rhonda Wilson. This is the Brotherhood's doing. Call Brooklyn PD and have them send four squad cars over here. I want one parked at each end of my street, stopping every vehicle and pedestrian that tries to come through. I want the other two in front of my house. Tell Landry to come here too. I need him to watch over my daughter and babysit the Missing Persons detectives.”

“Landry's already on his way over. What about me? I want to help.”

“The best thing you can do is monitor all relevant activity from there while you finish your shift.”

“Okay, I'll stay in touch. You do the same thing.”

“Right.” Shutting off his phone, he turned to Anna. “I'm sorry, but I need you to stay here.”

“Is Mrs. Mace all right?”

She's going to hear about it on the news anyway.
“No. She's been abducted.”

Anna scrunched up her face in fear. “By the Brotherhood of Torquemada?”

She had said she'd seen Cheryl's interview. “I don't know. The police are coming here. Everyone in the house will be safe. I won't leave until they arrive. Some detectives from Missing Persons are coming, and a friend of mine named Ken Landry. You can answer any questions they have, but don't speak to anyone else. Don't even answer the phone. Do what Ken says. If I need to speak to you, I'll call your cell phone.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Walking down the hall, Mace resisted the urge to scream or punch a wall. Years of holding leadership positions had taught him to control his emotions in front of other people, but this was too much. He went into Patty's room, flicked on the light, and stared at the sleeping toddler, so beautiful and precious. Lifting her into his arms, he cradled her.

“Don't worry. I'm going to bring your mother home.”

Willy sat in his department issue SUV half a block away from Karol's building when his phone rang. He checked the display, expecting it to be Karol calling to ask him why he was staking out her building.

“The Brotherhood's snatched Cheryl,” Candice said.

“Get the fuck out of here.”

“They grabbed her in Ossining after her interview with Gomez. Mace is on the way to the scene. Don't call him. He'll let you know if he needs anything.”

“What about Patty?”

“Landry's at his house with Missing Persons. Will you let Williams know?”

“Yeah, sure. Let me take care of that right now.” He hung up and called Karol, who answered on the third ring.

“Are you calling to wish me a good night?” she said. “How romantic.”

“Not exactly. Candice called. The Brotherhood snatched Mace's wife in Ossining after she interviewed Gomez.”

“Oh, Christ. What can we do to help?”

“Just sit tight and get some of that much needed rest until Mace tells us differently.”

“I hope she's okay.”

“Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow.” Willy closed his phone down and waited.

Only fifteen minutes passed before Karol exited the building, got into her SUV, and drove away.