Page 49 of Rescuing Sara

“My dear child,” Freidman chided. “My mother’s family owns La Belle! Perfect place to hide Soli’s activities.”

“Like child trafficking,” Danni accused again, and this time Freidman only shrugged.

“And you remembered my dad and Leo were the investigators on the Larsen Case twenty-five years ago.” A slow burning rage was building inside Danni. Even if he killed her, she wanted to know the whole truth. “When Sara went missing, Leo remembered something about the case and went looking for it. Did you put someone in the records department who saw him and told you what he was doing, so they could erase the case? Did you kidnap Nancy Larsen back then too?”

“You ask too many damn questions,” Freidman snarled. “Women have no place in journalism. They’re too damn nosy for one thing. Too curious, but we know what happens to curious cats, don’t we?”

“Did you send the notes to Leo Anderson and my father?” Danni repeated. Only rage was keeping her fear held back. Not only fear of what he might do to her and Mrs. M. but fear they wouldn’t find Sara and whoever else they might have. Fear for other girls they might grab.

And fear she would never see Patrick again.

“Oh, I had them sent,” Freidman said airily. “Never a good idea to let too much mud cling to you, you know?”

“You probably killed them, whoever they were,” Danni guessed. “Just like you killed Frank Sullivan. Was it because he failed to kill me twice?”

“No more talking,” Freidman ordered. “At least the old woman can keep her mouth shut.”

“Only because I can’t remember enough curses to send you straight to hell,” Mrs. M. shot back, sitting straight up in her chair. “My great-great-great grandmother was an Irish witch, and she would know exactly what to do with the likes of you.”

Freidman yawned. “How boring. Try to rest, ladies because tomorrow when that new batch of cyanide and snake venom arrives, and with me standing this close? There’s no way I’ll miss. Bye now.”

He slammed the door behind him, and Mrs. M. slumped in her chair. “I’m sorry, Danni,” she choked. “That bastard Ed Turner tricked me into coming to his house because he said he’d had second thoughts about firing me and wanted me to be there when Sara came home. Like a damn fool, I believed him.”

“You wanted to see Sara,” Danni said. “And you will.Wewill. Help will be here by daylight. Patrick and the police will be here by daylight.”

“Good man, is he?” Mrs. M. managed a saucy smile.

“If you only knew, Mrs. M.” Danni squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “If you only knew.”

Very late Sunday night.

The door creaked open, and Sara lay very still, glad her back was to the door. From their breathing, she knew Robin, Elsa and Alice were sound asleep. But Sara was too excited. By this time tomorrow, she and the others would be safe at home. She hoped that would mean with Mrs. M. or at Danni’s. She sure didn’t want to go home to her grandfather’s.

Now there was the soft, heavy tread of two men. One was Sir, ‘cause she knew what his footsteps sounded like now. He came in every night just to look at them and it was all Sara could do to keep from barfing all over him.

But this was the first time he’d brought someone with him and he kinda smelled familiar. A stinky kind of limey smell. Sara loved limes but this was different and it kinda smelled like–

“You did well, Ed,” Sir said softly. “She’ll fetch a high price when she’s ready to sell to the Elders in a few months after she’s trained.”

“Little brat,” Ed Turner growled. “I was glad to have her taken off my hands. When are you going to get rid of Danni Blake?”

“It’s being taken care of even as we speak,” Sir said. “Her and your stupid housekeeper. They’ll be dead soon enough.”

Be still! Sara commanded herself. Be still!

“Not soon enough for me,” Sara’s grandfather snorted. “But I guess with Danni’s reputation she can’t just up and vanish without a lot of questions. Where’d you stash her?”

Sir laughed. “Where, in my business, you put all dead things. The morgue of course. But I’ll keep her alive there just long enough to scare her. Maybe I’ll let you watch me kill her, after all the trouble she’s caused you. Her and the McGillicuddy woman both. Let’s go.”

Sara waited until she heard the click of the door closing and the softer sound of the padlock being put back in place.

And then she cried herself to sleep.

CHAPTER 18

Very early Monday morning.Knoxville Downtown Precinct

It’s always darkest before the dawn.Who said that?

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