Page 49 of Trial Run

“That’s enough. Next, you’ll want to use the bathroom and that’s not in my job description.”

She seized on the words. “So, this is a job for you? Are you being paid to kidnap me?”

He laughed. “You weren’t kidnapped. You went to lunch with me willingly. I’m certain there are many people who would testify to that fact. We had an amicable lunch, but after I dropped you back at the courthouse, you vanished, flaking out on your jury duty.” He smirked. “I mean you were late almost every day, it’s not like people aren’t going to believe you didn’t want to be there in the first place.”

Could he seriously not realize the judge already knew she’d been threatened? If he was working for Mitchell or Harry Benton, they obviously hadn’t been keeping him in the loop. She debated whether or not to say anything. If she let him know people might be looking for her, would he be more inclined to let her go?

Probably not. He might not be fully in the loop, but after what he’d done so far, he had to know she’d go straight to the police and his “job” would likely end with a prison sentence. The best thing she could do right now was to keep him talking until she could figure out a way to escape.

“What’s next?” When he didn’t immediately respond, she said, “Are you planning on leaving me here or are you taking me somewhere else?”

He wagged a finger in front of her face. “Don’t worry. This will all be over for you soon. If you’d done what you were told to do in the first place, then you wouldn’t be in this position.”

His words signaled he knew something about how she’d been threatened and that she’d chosen not to cave, leading her to believe he may not be simply a lackey hired to spirit her away. If that was the case, he had even more motivation not to let her go. She could think of only one way out and it was a long shot, but the only one she had.

“You’re right,” she said, bowing her head both to hide any expression that might belie her words and convince him she was contrite. “I made a mistake. A big one.” She paused for a moment and then lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. “Give me another chance and I’ll make it right. Whatever you need me to do.”

He threw his head back and laughed. The sound was eerie and unnatural and as much as she wanted it to stop, she feared what would come next, but in the meantime, she used the cover of his crazy to work at the bonds on her hands knowing this might very well be her last chance to escape. She’d just started to feel some slack when his laughter abruptly stopped.

“Did you hear that?” he asked, cocking his head toward the door.

How could I when you’re making so much noise, she wanted to say, but she merely followed his gaze. She didn’t hear anything. “I think so,” she lied. “But I’m not surprised. I heard people walking around several times while you were gone.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Doubtful. This entire floor is empty. No one would be up here.”

“Where is here?” She kept her tone nonchalant, like they were acquaintances having a conversation about the weather, hoping she could lull him into answering.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

So much for that. She shrugged and took a different tack. “Can you blame me? I figure you’re not letting me out of here alive, right? Maybe I just want to know more about where I’m going to die.”

He grunted, but she could tell she’d gotten to him. This guy might be off balance, but he wasn’t a murderer and she suspected he might be in deeper than he’d planned so she pushed on. “I mean you don’t have much choice, right? I’ve seen your face and I’m sure it’s some kind of federal offense to tamper with a jury, let alone kidnap a juror and hold her against her will.”

“Like I said before, I didn’t kidnap you. You came with mewillingly.”

His extra emphasis on the last word didn’t change the fact he didn’t seem as confident now as he had when he’d spewed the same nonsense earlier. “I don’t think the federal agents are going to see it the same way,” she pushed.

“So, I should kill you right now?” he jeered.

Tricky question and she had to navigate the rest of this conversation carefully. “Maybe not right now. I mean, have you accomplished what you set out to do?” She cocked her head. “And what is that exactly? Are you working for Mitchell or Benton? Or both?”

For a second it looked like he wanted to engage, but instead he started pacing. She watched him walk back and forth several times and wondered if each pass was a countdown to her demise. She contemplated asking him something else to distract him from whatever plot might be forming in his head, but before she could form the words, he suddenly stopped.

“Yes!” he said in a eureka moment.

“Yes?”

“Yes, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.” He took a step toward her. “And now it’s time to eliminate the loose ends.”

He pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it toward her as he came closer. She’d grossly underestimated his commitment to whatever this was and she needed a quick pivot if she was going to survive. She strained against her bonds, not giving a shit about the warm trickle of blood running into her palms. “Wait,” she begged him. “There’s a way out of this that doesn’t involve killing me.”

“I’m sure you wish there was.”

“If you fire that gun, someone’s going to hear it.”

“I’ll be long gone before they find you.”

She scrambled for something else to say, but he was coming closer, pistol still trained on her and she knew no words were going to stop him. She rocked forward, ready to body slam him, chair and all, but before she could make her move, the door burst open full force and loud shouts filled the air.

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