Page 117 of Half Baked

“The kid said it’s like Kipsey has some kind of vendetta against George Dempsey, but we can’t figure out why. As far as we know, Kipsey has never lived in Cockamamie.”

“But he has a vendetta?” I asked, my blood running cold, because Kipsey was ruthless.

I knew where they’d taken Maddie, and I was more terrified than ever.

ChapterThirty

Maddie

Iwoke with a start when someone called out, “Come on, Sleeping Beauty. You’re late to the party.”

I didn’t recognize the man’s voice, but I murmured, “Just one more minute.”

Two men grabbed my arms, and I was hauled up off the floor, my head bobbing forward.

“Jesus,” another man said. “How hard did he hit her head?”

“It don’t matter,” said a voice I recognized. “She don’t need to do any talking. Just seeing her will be enough.”

I fought to stay awake as they started dragging me out of the room.

They’re going to kill you, Maddie. Snap out of it!

That roused me. I lifted my head to take in my surroundings. My feet weren’t working yet, but I couldn’t keep playing along. I had todosomething.

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

I was nauseated, but not enough that I felt like I would throw up. Word must have gotten around about the other guy’s shoes, though, because they took a step back while still holding onto me.

I took several breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth to keep up the nausea ruse. We were in the same hallway Murphy had brought me through but headed in the opposite direction.

“Ready to go now?” one of them asked. I didn’t recognize him, but the other guy was an orderly I’d seen at St. Vincent’s. In Detective Bergan’s room.

Oh God. Was he the person who’d smothered Bergan with a pillow? Only he hadn’t seemed like a murderer. He’d been nice.

“I know you,” I said, trying picture him holding a pillow over Bergan’s face.

For the first time, I wasn’t sure I was going to get out of this.

He at least had the good grace to look guilty. “Sorry.”

“You were spying on Detective Bergan.”

He gave me a sheepish look. “Nothing personal, Maddie.”

“It sure seems personal.”

“Now that we’ve all had a nice chat,” the other guy said, “let’s get going.”

We continued down the hall, and I walked instead of being dragged, but I purposely moved slowly, trying to buy myself some more time. I was feeling more coordinated than when I’d woken up, but I was in no condition to take on both men. Especially since they were both armed. The unnamed guy’s weapon was in the back of his pants, and the orderly had a holster at his side.

What if I could wrestle a gun away?

I wasn’t sure I was with it enough to try. In the end, it didn’t matter, because we turned a corner, and we walked through a door into a massive garage that looked big enough to park four big RVs or tractor trailers.

The man who had walked into Déjà Brew last night was present. His arrogance made it clear he was in charge of whatever was happening here. Several armed men were with him, including Murphy and the guy I’d barfed on, who didn’t look thrilled by our reunion.

Standing across from the man in charge, unarmed, stood a man who looked vaguely familiar. He was older and had a head full of gray hair. I’d seen him before, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out where.

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