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from the school and across the highway. Allison had walked here.
I tried again to get answers, but by now, Ali was incoherent. She clung to
me, gulping air and choking out tears, making absolutely no sense.
I pulled on a pair of jeans over my blue silk pajamas and stepped into my
running shoes. I slipped my Glock into my shoulder holster and covered up with
my denim jacket.
I wrapped Ali in my hooded sweatshirt and lifted her into my arms. Leaving
Martha behind in the bedroom, I went with Ali to the front door.
Honey, I said to the hysterical child, I m taking you home.
Chapter 136
CAT S FORESTER WAS RIGHT behind the Explorer, blocking it in. The keys to the
Bonneville were in the ignition, and the big gold boat was facing the road.
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So I buckled Ali into the backseat, got behind the wheel, and turned the key.
The enginevrooomed smoothly to life. At Highway 1, I signaled to go north
under a crackling, rocket-streaked sky, toward the schoolhouse. Shockingly,
Allison shouted, NO!
I looked into the rearview mirror and saw her pale face, utterly wide-eyed.
She pointed with her finger south.
You want me to go that way?
Lindsay,pleeease . Hurry.
Ali s fear and urgency were electrifying. All I could do was trust the little
girl, so I took the car south until Ali whispered from the backseat, Turn
here at a lonely intersection.
The rat-a-tat bangs of the Fourth of July pyrotechnics overhead pumped
adrenaline into my already overloaded system. There had been too much shooting
recently, and I was experiencing each bang as an exploded round.
I accelerated the Bonneville up the winding dirt track that was Cliff Road,
skidding around the corners like a big rig on grass. I heard Keith s chiding
voice in my mind: You can t do this, Lindsay. This is a luxury car.
I drove through a starless tunnel of eucalyptus trees that finally opened
into a wide mountain view. In front of and to the left of us was a round
stucco house clinging to the side of the hill.
I looked again into the rearview mirror. What now, Ali? How much farther?
Allison pointed to the round tower of a house. Then she clapped her hands
over her eyes. Her voice was barely audible.
We re here.
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Chapter 137
I PULLED THE CAR just off the road and looked up at the house a three-story
column of glass panes and stucco. Two thin bands of light moved sporadically
on the lower floor.
Flashlight beams.
Otherwise, the house was dark.
Clearly, people were inside who didn t belong there. I slapped at the pockets
of my denim jacket and got a sick feeling even before I knew that I was right:
I d left my cell phone on the table beside my bed. I could see it lying
against the clock.
This was very bad news.
I had no car radio, no backup, and I wasn t wearing a vest. If a crime was in
progress, going into that house alone wasn t a real good idea.
Ali, I said. I have to go for help.
You can t, Lindsay, she said, her voice coming out as a whisper. Everyone
will die.
I reached around and touched her face with my hand. Ali s mouth was turned
down, the trust in her eyes was heartbreaking.
Lie down on the backseat, I said to the little girl. Wait for me and don t
move until I come back.
Ali got down with her face against the seat. I put my hand on her back,
patting her gently. Then I got out of the car and shut the door behind me.
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Chapter 138
BRIGHT MOONLIGHT FLOODED THE hilly terrain, casting long shadows that fooled
the eye into believing chasms were opening up underfoot. I stuck to the brush
at the side of the road, rounding the clearing until I arrived at the blind
side of the house on higher ground.
An upscale SUV was parked beside the house next to a plain wooden doorway.
The doorknob turned easily in my hand, and the door swung open into a mudroom.
I groped my way in the dark, advanced into a spacious kitchen. From there, I
entered a high-ceilinged great room, luminous with moon glow.
I kept to the walls, skirting the long leather sofas and large pots of palms
and pampas grass. I looked up in time to see a flashlight beam disappear at
the top of a staircase.
I drew my gun and loped up the carpeted staircase, taking two steps at a
time, crouching at the top landing.
I listened over the sound of my own breathing and heard soft murmurs coming
from the room at the end of the hall.
Then a high-pitched scream shattered the air. I ran to a doorway, turned the
knob, kicked open the door.
I strafed the scene with my eyes. There was a king-size bed, a woman sitting
with her back against the headboard. A figure dressed in black held a knife to
the woman s throat.
Hands in the air, I yelled. Drop the knife now!
It s too late, said a voice. Just turn around and get the hell out of
here.
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I reached for the wall switch and flicked on the light.
What I saw was shocking, horrifying, unbelievable.
The intruder with the knife wasCarolee Brown.
Chapter 139
CAROLEE WAS ABOUT TO commit murder. My brain stalled as I tried to assimilate
the unimaginable. When it kicked back into gear, I acted, barking out a
command at the top of my voice.
Back away from her,Carolee . Keep your hands where I can see them.
Lindsay, she said in a maddeningly reasonable tone. I m asking you to
please go. She s a dead woman no matter what. You can t stop me.
Last chance, I said, pulling back the hammer. Put that knife down or I m
going to kill you.
The woman in the bed whimpered asCarolee measured the distance between us
with her eyes and calculated how long it would take to slash the woman s
throat before I put a bullet through her brain.
I was making the same calculations.
You re making a huge mistake, Carolee said with regret. I m the good guy,
Lindsay. This thing you see here, this Melissa Farley, is complete trash.
Toss the knife over here very carefully, I said, grasping my Glock so hard
that my knuckles were white. Could I shootCarolee if I had to? I really didn t
know.
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You aren t going to shoot me, she said then.
I think you ve forgotten who I am.
Caroleestarted to speak again, but the resolve gripping my face stopped her.
I would shoot her, and she was smart enough to get it. She smiled wanly. Then
she tossed the knife underhand onto the carpet at our feet.
I kicked the knife under a bureau, then I orderedCarolee to the floor.
On your knees! I shouted. Hands in front of you!
I took her down to the ground, told her to lace her hands behind her neck and
cross her ankles, frisked her, and found nothing but a thin leather belt
around her waist.
Then I darted my eyes to the woman on the bed.
Melissa? Are you okay? Call nine-one-one. Tell them that a violent crime is
in progress and a cop needs assistance.
The woman reached for the bedside phone even as she kept her eyes on me.
He s got my husband, she said. A man is in the bathroom with Ed.
Chapter 140
I FOLLOWED MELISSA FARLEY S gaze across the shadows to the door to the left
of the bed.
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