Page 134 of I'm Watching You

Lindsay stifled a yawn. ‘Good morning.’

Ruby’s green housecoat skimmed her dimpled knees. Pink slippers warmed her feet. ‘Come in and have some coffee, baby.’

Her head felt like it was filled with cotton. ‘Bless you.’

Ruby poured a cup and handed it to Lindsay. ‘You look exhausted.’

‘I didn’t sleep well.’ She sipped the rich brew. It tasted so good. ‘Too many dreams.’

Ruby planted a hand on her hip. ‘You dreaming about that crazy man or that husband of yours?’

‘My husband.’

‘Was it a bad dream?’

‘Not really. It was nice.’ The coffee warmed her chilled fingers.

Ruby pulled a cigarette out of her pocket, placed it between her lips, and lit it. ‘There have been a couple of men in my life that weren’t good for me, but that didn’t stop me from loving them. And I’ve got to say, yourdetective ain’t so bad. I saw the way he looked at you yesterday. He really does care about you.’

‘I know.’

Lindsay’s phone beeped, reminding her of the voice mail message. She set her cup down and played back the call. She sighed. ‘It’s a nurse at Mercy. There’s a battered woman in the emergency room. Domestic.’

Ruby shook her head. ‘Do you have to be the one to take it?’

‘Yes.’

‘I promised Detective Kier – your husband – I’d keep an eye on you after he told me that that Richard Braxton guy might have killed that poor Carmichael woman in San Francisco. There’s no telling where he is. He could be in Richmond now.’

‘Last word on the street was he was in Canada. And I won’t be afraid.’

‘If you had a lick of sense you’d be terrified.’

‘Don’t look so worried. I’ll be at the hospital. It’s safe there.’

Kendall Shaw woke and realized she was on a cold, damp floor. She shifted her weight and found that her hands were bound over her head and tied to a chain that linked to the wall. The rope around her wrists was so tight her fingers felt numb. How long had she been there? All night?

The gag in her mouth had left her mouth and throat dry. She could moan but not scream loud enough for anyone to hear.

Think. Think. Don’t freak out.She twisted her hands againsther restraints and discovered there was enough slack in the chain for her to move. Her body was stiff and weak but she managed to roll on her side and up into a sitting position. She tugged at the rope and chain. Neither budged.

She looked around the small, dimly lighted room that smelled of mold and rust. As her eyes adjusted she looked through an open door into a larger room. To the left, a rickety staircase led up to a closed door. On the far side, a workbench with multiple television screens.

Where was she? A basement? A root cellar? In a darkened corner a rat squeaked and scratched against the floor. She drew her feet up.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat in the darkness, but her mind became clear as the drugs dwindled from her system. Her back started to ache from sitting up, but she didn’t dare sit close to the wall for fear of the rat.

And then she heard the steady thud of shoes on the floor above. Someone upstairs was pacing. The footsteps sounded as if they were getting closer, and then she heard what sounded like a dead bolt scraping free of a lock.

Her heart pounded in her chest. The door at the top of the stairs swung open. Light rushed down to the room. She blinked, her eyes unaccustomed to any light. At the top of the staircase a man’s silhouetted figure appeared. He flipped on the overhead lights.

Immediately, she winced against the brightness and ducked her head. The footsteps moved closer to her as she opened her eyes slowly and allowed them to adjust.

She realized the dampness wasn’t water. It was blood. She struggled to move free of it and couldn’t.

‘Good, you’re awake.’ The familiar rusty voice had her straightening. He took a few more steps and stood over her. Then he crouched and pulled the duct tape off her mouth. She spit out the gag.

‘Who are you?’ she whispered. Her tongue was swollen and it was difficult to talk.

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