Page 99 of Every Deadly Suspicion

“Don’t hurt yourself, Jared. There must be implements down here we can use.”

“It will have to be heavy. The wood here is old and solid, with strong locks.” He rubbed his shoulder and joined Hanna and Rita. “This place was well built.”

Hanna turned to face the door, listening for any sound that would indicate Marcus was coming back. She set the gun down and took the small folding knife she always carried in her pocket and cut Rita’s bindings.

Jared knelt to help. He tapped Hanna’s shoulder.

“What?” She turned her head and saw him smiling at her.

“I’m glad to see you still have the knife.”

Hanna smiled back. “A really good friend gave this to me years ago.” She held his gaze until Rita reminded her that they were in quite a bit of danger at the moment.

“Oh, thank you so much.” Rita rubbed her wrists and tears fell. “I thought I was dead. Did you meet him on Mix and Match too?”

“That’s where you met Marcus?”

“He told me his name was Perry.”

“Can you stand? We have to get out of here.”

“I think so.”

Hanna helped her up, noting that she’d dressed for a date and was wearing high-heeled shoes.

Jared went to the cabinet and opened it. “We’re in luck. Crowbar and sledgehammer. One of them should work.”

“Great.” Hanna picked the gun back up. It was a 9mm, same caliber that killed the three Lonely Heart victims. Hitting the magazine release, she saw that the mag was full, and there was a round in the chamber. She jammed it back into place. Marcus had not disengaged the safety earlier. It made her wonder how familiar he was with guns.

“We need to get out of here before Marcus gets far. Come on, Rita, get ready.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Rita rubbed her wrists and followed Hanna as she followed Jared to the side garage door.

He held the sledgehammer in both hands and turned to Hanna. “The way we came in or up through the house?”

“I don’t want to go through the house. Marcus could be waiting to ambush us.”

“He might be outside as well,” Jared pointed out.

Hanna thought for a minute. “There are no windows in this garage, are there?”

Jared shook his head. “No garage door opener either.” He pushed the old, heavy wooden door with his hip and it budged not an inch. It was sunk into the ground, probably hadn’t been opened in years.

“It’s the side door or nothing,” he said.

“I wish I’d thought to put my phone in my pocket,” Hanna lamented.

“My phone is in my purse,” Rita said.

“Is it down here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Jared, try to open the door, and I’ll try to find her phone.”

He nodded. Rita stumbled back to the workbench where she’d been restrained.

Jared raised the sledgehammer. Just then the acrid odor of gasoline permeated the air. Hanna heard liquid splashing all along the garage door. Then Marcus snickered. With a whoosh, fire ignited, the sound of the flames moving along the door, up toward the roofline to the edge of the house.

---