Page 46 of Delivering David

“Pretty impressive, I must say,” Suzanne agreed. “I kinda like Kristopher with a K.”

“Oh, come on, Suzanne,” Elaine teased. “You’re halfway to being in love with Kristopher. It’s all over you. Admit it.”

“I plead the fifth,” Suzanne insisted.

“Well I’m ready for some tea,” Elaine said. “I just wish we had a slice or two of one of those great cakes fromDaisy’sbut they’re closed, aren’t they?”

“I think they’re open until five, to take some special dessert orders and it’s almost that now,” Suzanne said. Let’s see if they can help our sweet tooth’s.

She placed the call and was surprised when Barry answered on the first ring. “Hey Barry,” she greeted. “Happy New Year! IsDaisy’sopen?”

“You must be psychic,” Barry said. “I was just going to call you. What do need, Suzanne?”

“Elaine is craving cake and so am I,” Suzanne said. “Do you have anything?”

“Chocolate mocha cheesecake and Daisy’s triple layer lemon cake,” Barry said.

“There goes my diet,” Elaine moaned. “But after everything that’s happened, we deserve a treat. We’ll have both, one slice of both for the two of us.”

“I’ll be right there, Barry,” Suzanne said with a laugh. “Do I come in the front or the back?”

“Definitely the back,” Barry said. “And Suze? Could you hurry? I gotta get to a special service at my church.”

“See you in five minutes or less,” Suzanne promised and ended the call. She stood, grabbed her purse from the floor and said, “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t you think we need to go together?” Elaine asked, pulling on her jacket. “And it is starting to get dark.”

“Don’t be silly,” Suzanne scolded.“Daisy’sis two doors down and the streets are full of New Year’s Eve shoppers. I’ll be back in ten minutes or less. Go put on a pot of coffee. Tea won’t hold up against the amount of sugar we’re about to ingest.”

She took the stairs down to the first floor in order to burn up some calories before ingesting the ones in Barry’s wicked desserts and exited through the back door into the alley that ran behind the buildings. Kristopher might be annoyed she’d left Families United without someone to go with her, but she in a matter of seconds she was already banging on the back door ofDaisy’s.She could almost taste the cake and coffee when everything went black.

CHAPTER 33

Not long after that.Families United.

“What do mean she’s missing?”Kristopher didn’t try to control his shout, even if it was at Elaine. “How long has she been gone?”

“About twenty minutes, but she’s not answering her phone,” Elaine’s fingers twisted together. “Barry isn’t answering the phone atDaisy’seither, but I think she called him on his cell and I don’t have his number. Kristopher I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Elaine,” Kristopher stopped long enough to hug her as he called 9-1-1.

“I think she went through the alley,” Elaine called after him. “She said Barry wanted her to come to the back door so no one would know they were open. Kristopher, is her nickname ‘Suze’?

Her question had him wheeling about to face her. “What did you say?

“She had him on speaker. Barry said, “Can you hurry, Suze’”, Elaine said. “Does that mean something?”

“Holy mother of God,” Kristopher rasped as he bolted for the door. “That’s what David Phillips calls her when he needs her. They’ve got her. The Cadre’s got Suzanne.”

Daisy’swas a scene of bedlam when Kristopher arrived. Squad cars, lights flashing lined the back alley and took a minute to convince a very young officer to let him in the kitchen. Inside Barry and Libby Collins were giving statements to another officer. Barry was holding a bloody cloth to his head and Libby was crying. Alex and Sofia Langley were there giving statements as well. Seeing him, Barry’s face lit up. “Kristopher! How’d you know–”

“I went by Families United,” Kristopher gasped. “Elaine told me Suzanne was coming here but never came back. What the hell happened?”

“Stan Dembowski took her,” Libby sobbed. “He came to the back door, forced his way in and then said he’d kill me if Barry didn’t call Suzanne and convince her to come here.”

“I had to call her.” Barry looked as if he was going to cry as well. “Stan put a rag over Suzanne’s mouth, and she passed out. I guess it was chloroform. Then he shoved Libby and me into the freezer and said he’d be back. If Alex hadn’t come by–”

“Alex?” Kristopher turned to stare at the young man and his mother. “You were here?”

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