Unseen. Part 27

She did as he requested, without hesitation, as though his voice and hers had melted into one. "I killed those children," she said. "I did it out of mercy, the mercy I was not given by my own mother. My mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict. She sold her body for drug money, and did her business in the ratty one room apartment we lived in. I was beaten by men who didn't know me, forced to gratify them in ways too painful to mention, and victimized by school bullies. To avoid torture I sought refuge in a local gang and was forced to hurt others to be accepted. By the age of nine, I had killed another human being. By the age of twelve, I had prost.i.tuted myself to protect my mother. Then at sixteen I stabbed her to death while she slept.

"What kind of life was I given? What right did my so-called mother have to bring me into her filthy world? Are you a mother, watching me right now? I am speaking to you. You have no right to make another human being suffer in the swill hole of your bad judgment! Do you hear me, mothers? Do you women hear me? You have a responsibility to make a home for your child. Something must be done. Someone must stand up and rid this world of unfit mothers! This torture can not be allowed to go on.

"Today you will see the consequence of your evil deeds. Today you will see the hopelessness of an unwanted child. Watch and remember what pain your weakness has birthed into this world."

The earbud went quiet.

Holly teetered on the cement lip, like a hollow husk, emptied of every ounce of strength, and horrified by the words she had just shared. There was no movement in the crowd. All eyes were glued on her. Some stared in shock, some in disgust, others in pity. It was the pity she hated most.

"Do not repeat this. Just listen," said the earbud at last. "This is the part where you save your son's life, Holly. Are you listening to me? Are you ready?"

She scanned the crowd, looking for him. Where was he? He had to be here, watching. She looked into the window of every truck and every car parked on the bridge. Whole families watched out their windows in horror. There was hardly a movement on the bridge, as if time had come to a stop.

Her eyes came to rest on a blue car with its hood up in the breakdown lane on the other side of the bridge. At first her mind rejected the face in the window. After all, why would she be here? She'd said she was going to stay at the apartment. But as Holly kept her eyes locked on the window, there became no doubt it was who she thought it was.

The voice spoke in her ear again, and Holly watched in horror as Amber's lips moved just out of sync. "There is a bomb strapped to your son..."

Holly's mind reeled as she tried to comprehend. Amber?! She looked around erratically. The killer was right there, in plain sight. How could no one see her?

"...If you move from where you are standing, Holly, I will end his life with the press of a b.u.t.ton. You know I will."

She was there in plain sight, but all eyes were on Holly! In some bizarre way, they had traded places-but for what purpose?

"I know you can see me, Holly," said the voice in her ear. "Don't be confused. Your little brain is going to think I am your sweet roommate, but you need to fight that feeling. I am a killer. What you will decide is, who have I come to kill? This is your chance to do the right thing for once in your miserable, sorry life. It is time for you to save your son. It is a trade, your life for Gabe's."

Holly's knees weakened, and Dan reached for her.

"STAY BACK!" she screeched.

He recoiled.

Amber spoke again in her deep black tone. "It's simple really. I've been killing the wrong ones. Gabe is a victim. You are the problem. He doesn't deserve to have his life cut short. He deserves a better life, a life without you."

The words sliced deep into Holly's gut.

"I love your son, Holly. If you make this one sacrifice, be a.s.sured, I will let him live. It all rests on you. Whose life is worth more?"

Amber was right. What was her life worth compared to his? When this all blew over she would go back to the Oxys and the wine. She would destroy whatever had kindled between her and Dan. It was a fairy tale to believe he could actually love her. He was better off without the misery she would bring into his life. The whole world was better off without her in it. What had she ever done of value? She was a user, and so tired of feeling pathetic. At least her death would have meaning. With one act she could redeem herself-and at the same time end her pain.

She looked skyward and made her decision. All her fear and shame released into the heavens, leaving only a complete and perfect peace she had never known before. Her last thought went out to Gabe. This is for you my love. Live a good life and make me proud. Your mom loves you.

She closed her eyes.

Opened her arms.

And fell backwards.

Chapter 49.

Jenna's car was parked in front of the large residential-looking building that held the Doris Boardman Clinic. Part of Jake couldn't believe she was actually here. He'd held out hope that Mina was wrong, or, at the very least, that Jenna had gotten cold feet. But she hadn't. She was here. And he was too late.

He got out of the car and ran discreetly to the left corner of the building. There was no activity in the parking lot and no movement in the woods, so he ran along the mulch bed between the cover of pine trees and the left wall of the clinic until he found the window Holly had told him about. He inched along the wall, carefully peered inside, and saw the L-shaped chestnut desk she had described. He got to his knees and tested the window, and as he pressed his knee down into the mulch something hard dug into it. He brushed the top layer aside and pulled up a black keychain with a Mazda emblem in raised silver. Odd. What was Holly doing burying a keychain outside a window of the clinic? And where was the key?

There was no time to ponder the implications; he needed to get into the cover of the office. Whatever her reason, he doubted he would pursue it anyway. She had apparently taken great personal risk in exposing this secret to him in order that he might rescue his daughter. So he intended to honor her trust.

He put it into his pocket and tried the window. It was unlocked just as Holly had promised. The thick gla.s.s made it a heavy slide, but he managed to brace it with his back and worm his way inside.

The room was lightly shaded by the half-drawn blinds and the coverage of the pines outside. He closed the window gently and crept toward the door.

The light on the handle turned green and let off a beep.

Jake scrambled for cover; someone was coming in! He crawled under the desk and huddled, silently controlling his breathing. His pulse throbbed in his neck and sweat had already begun to push through the pores in his forehead.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hot ear to the cold metal under the desk. Listening. There was no sound. Why? He was sure the door lock had been activated.

He remained motionless for a couple of minutes, then slowly climbed out and peeked over the desk. The door lock was red again. Whoever had activated it had apparently changed their mind and moved on.

Finally he had caught a break.

He got up and crept toward the door again; the light turned green and beeped! Jake's heart jumped as he withdrew to the desk, but when he looked back the light was red again.

Was he somehow activating the lock? He inched forward, and the door beeped and turned green again. He was! But how? His hand patted his pocket-and it clicked in his mind. Someone had programmed the keychain to trigger the locks inside the building. But Holly didn't have that ability; it had to have been someone else. Did the keychain belong to her, or did she just know about the keychain buried under the mulch?

He forced the mystery from his mind; Jenna was in the clinic and Aiyana's life was in danger. He didn't know how long it took to get a patient through this procedure, so he a.s.sumed the worst and moved quickly. The keychain mystery would have to wait. For the time being, he would choose to be grateful for the access the device provided.

He turned the handle, opened the door a crack, and listened. There was no sound of footsteps or conversation, so he crept the door open and looked out. The hall was empty. Across the way was a lit examination room. He sneaked to it, peeked in, and retreated back to the office. All was clear for him to head down the hall, but which way? Going right would bring him towards the front of the building, so he decided to go left.

"Daddy?"

He jumped out of his skin and twisted around. Aiyana was standing in the middle of the office; she ran and immediately threw herself onto his neck. His arms went around her and clutched her to him.

He breathed her name into her soft brown hair and tiny shoulder. "Aiyana. Are you okay?"

"I'm scared," she cried.

"I'm here, honey. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She gripped him tighter.

"We need to find your mom so I can talk to her, okay?"

She nodded with her face on his chest.

"There isn't much time; I need you to help me find her."

She pulled back, still gripping his shirt.

"Can you see where she is right now?"

"Yes, she's in a white room."

"Is she alone?"

"It's just us. She's on a high bed. It has paper on it."

"Does she have one of those medical gowns on?"

Aiyana looked puzzled. "No, she's wearing her clothes."

Jake exhaled, "Good. Can you see outside the door; is it open?"

She nodded. "It's a hallway."

"Can you walk down the hallway and look around the corner and tell me what you see?"

Her mouth bowed into a frown. "I can only go back the way we came in."

"Why is that?"

Aiyana shrugged.

"Well, can you tell me how close you are to the reception area? Do you know what that is?"

"Is it the place where the two ladies sit?"

"That's it. Walk back that way and tell me what you see."

Her eyes glossed over. "I'm leaving the room. There's a hall and another hall that goes all ways. I'm going back the way we came. There is a big door and another open door where the two ladies were, but I can't see them now."

"Okay-so your mom is back toward the entrance."

Aiyana's eyes focused on him again.

"That's good, honey. Now I know which way to go." He let go of her, took her by the hand, and opened the door. The hallway was still empty. "Come on," he whispered.

They walked quickly toward the turn. At the corner was a camera pointing up the next hall. Did they have cameras everywhere? He snapped a look back at the other corner. There was no camera back there.

He slowly peeked around the corner. A woman in blue scrubs was walking his way, but her eyes were on the clipboard in her hand. He jerked back and hid, listening for her approach, and poised to run back to the office. But the sound of her footsteps quickly faded. She must have entered a room down the hall. He ventured another peek. The hall was vacant, but he could hear m.u.f.fled voices.

Aiyana gripped his arm. "Someone is with us now."

He looked down at her, trembling on his arm. "Is it a woman?"

"Yes, in sky-colored clothes."

This was it. Jenna was in the room down the hall. But now what? He couldn't just go strolling into the exam room and start asking questions; he'd be thrown out for sure. He had to catch Jenna alone.

"Aiyana. Can you tell me what they're saying?"

She nodded, slightly dazed. "The woman is asking if we want to go to the other room and wait for the doctor or wait here."

"Can you communicate with your mom?"

"No. I can only talk to you. Now she's saying it doesn't matter."

"Why can you only talk to me?"

She shrugged. "We're leaving now."

"Are you coming this way," he whispered, "or back the way you came?"

"Back the way we came."

He peeked around and caught a glimpse of Jenna walking down the hall behind the nurse. He wanted to call out to her. He wanted to tell her to stop. But it wasn't time. They turned left and disappeared.

He gripped Aiyana by the elbows. "Describe where you're going so I can find you."

She tilted her head. "We're going straight to the end and we're turning."

"Which way, right or left?"

Her eyebrows scrunched. "I don't know what that means."

"Are you going farther away, or coming back this way?"

"I think farther away. We're going into another white room now. There are big lights on the ceiling, and no windows."

"Is anyone in there?"

"Just the same woman. She's telling us to sit on the bed."

Jake s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand up. "Come on."

He guided her down the hall to the bend and peeked around. A large man in a white medical robe was standing five feet away with his back to them. At the far end of the hallway, the nurse appeared briefly and disappeared into another room across the hall.

The man in the white robe opened the door next to him and stepped inside. When the door clicked, Jake moved briskly down the hall. There was a camera on the ceiling at the intersection, but there was no way to avoid it. If he didn't strike while the iron was hot, there would be no second chance. He crossed over the hall and ran toward the operating room.

"Hey!" a male voice shouted behind him. "Stop!" The big man had come back out of the room and was heading their way.

Aiyana poked her head through a door." Daddy! This one!"

The lock turned green and let off a beep. He scooted into the operating room, closed the door, and turned the lock on the k.n.o.b with one fluid motion.