Page 13 of Seeking Evil

“Alaska.” The thought clearly repulsed her. “There’s nothing worth seeing in Alaska. Why don’t you go to Montana? It’s nice. My daddy took us there when I was a little girl. There were cowboys who rode right down Main Street in Bozeman. It was a sight to see.”

“Well, I’ve been to Montana and Bozeman. It’s not for me.” He tossed what was left of the chicken leg into the bag. “Now, I really hate to run you off, Betsy but I have pressing things waiting for me.” He held back his smile with difficulty.

“Henry, are you asking me to leave before I’ve even finished my thigh?”

He snatched the thigh from her hand and tossed it into the bag. “You can take it with you.”

She stumbled to her feet as he piled in the potato salad and pie.

“There you go.” He handed the bag to her and started for the door. “And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t stop by without calling first.”

“Henry!”

He jerked the door open and waited.

With a loud harrumph, Betsy stormed from the house. Henry slammed the door behind her. Done. Done with being civil. Done with pretending he wasn’t exactly what he was. A monster.

Chapter Six

The sound of dripping water and a cold that seemed to bore right through her skin and bones snatched Sierra from the dark fog.

Where was she? Her thoughts wouldn’t pull together. Getting her eyes to open was like trying to pry free a rusty door. She finally accomplished the challenge.

Darkness made it impossible to see her surroundings.

She had no recollection after losing consciousness. The tow truck driver had drugged her with something powerful. Propofol or Ketamine maybe. She wasn’t in the vehicle anymore. Sierra believed he’d taken her to a house. Probably his lair. She guessed he held her in a basement of some sort.

Her wrists and ankles were bound to something cold. Sierra’s fingers reached out and touched something metal like a table . . . the type that the medical examiner used to perform an autopsy.

The thought turned her stomach. She fought to keep from being sick.

Hang on.

There was no adjusting to this type of darkness. It was what she imagined deep space would look like.

Panic settled around her. She’d been in this type of situation before, but there was one thing different about this time.

No one knew where she was.

Stay calm.

Panicking wasn’t going to help the situation. Keeping her head about her might be the only thing to keep her alive.

There had to be a way out of here. And she had to find it. Soon. Before she discovered what Henry had in store for her.

A door slammed somewhere above.

She’d heard voices. Was someone there with Henry? Someone who could help?

Sierra had to get the gag off. She twisted her head, but it wouldn’t loosen. Using her tongue to try and push it forward was of no use. She couldn’t get the gag to budge. Whoever was up there with Henry wouldn’t be able to hear her pitiful attempts at a scream.

Where did that leave her? Sierra struggled to keep from hyperventilating. Weakness wasn’t going to get her out of this situation.

Think!

She listened closely. Movement up above. One set of footfalls. The second person was leaving. She heard a car start up. He’d had a visitor. A female.

Don’t fall apart. Don’t you dare fall apart.

---