Blind Witness (24 page)

“Then he’s still out there. I need to get back to Rachelle.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll get my security over there now.”

“Wait, the hospital has security. Your wife will be fine, but security’s the problem. It’s why we wanted you down here personally. You said that, at the warehouse, the only car you saw was a security car. Carlton had parked his car a ways away so it wouldn’t be seen, but I kept thinking about the security car and ran a check on the security personnel again, looking deeper this time.” He opened a folder and handed it to Britt.

An icy chill filled him as he stared down at the familiar face of the photo. He knew the security man, Dustin Warren.

“His name is Isaac Warren.”

“Isaac, I thought it was Dustin.”

“Dustin was his older brother. I’m not quite sure how he managed to pull it off, but he exchanged ID with his brother. They looked quite a bit alike. They were both in the military, Special Forces.”

“You keep talking in the past tense.” A sinking feeling settled deep within him.

“His brother died three years ago. Isaac … broke after he found out. He went ballistic. It took six guys to hold him until they could get a medic to sedate him. After evaluation, he was found too unstable to return to active duty and was released. He was supposed to get further psychiatric help, but after a time, stopped that.” Todd let it hang.

There was no need to say he should have continued it. Todd started up again. “About a year and a half years ago, he was living with an Ann Hill, Aubrey Ann Hill. They met at the psychiatrist office, both patients. During the day, Ann worked as a secretary to
Clairbourne Industries, at night, Aubrey liked to come out to play stripper.

“Anyway, to cut to it, we talked to her doctor, since she’s dead, and it was pertinent to a murder investigation, he agreed. The main thing he told us was that she had developed a fixation on you. Seems she substituted in your office while one of the secretaries was out on medical leave. She decided she wanted you. Made her own fantasies that you would marry her. When the secretary came back, she went back to her old position. She quit, thinking you’d come after her, pleading for her back and declaring your love. After that she disappeared. Doctor didn’t know what happened to her, she just quit coming, then she turned up dead. He figured she killed herself. He didn’t know she was living with Warren. Warren started working at
Clairbourne at the time she was there. We don’t know how he managed to hide his information. I think it’s possible that Aubrey changed it. She was very good with computers.”

“He was assigned to Rachelle’s security at her apartment and at her hotel. He must have heard that she could identify the voice right off and was careful not to speak around her.”

Before Todd could answer, Britt’s phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. “It’s the hospital. I have to take this. This is Britt Clairbourne,” he answered and his life faded away. “I’m at the police station now. We’ll be right there.” His words sounded as hollow as he felt. He had to concentrate just to breathe. Pain filled him as he looked up at the detective.

“Rachelle’s missing. The nurse went in to check on her, and she wasn’t in her room and her IV had been unhooked. They’ve checked the whole floor, she’s not there. They’re checking the hospital now. He’s got her. He’s taken her.” It tore him apart as the words came out. Britt wished the detective would object but he didn’t. The grave look that settled over the man attested that he believed the same thing.

“I’ll get officers over there now. I’ll drive you.”

They made it down the stairs and into the parking lot when Britt’s phone rang again. This time he didn’t stop to look at the ID before he accepted the connection. His body had shifted from shock to action. “Yes.”

“Have you missed your fallen angel yet? Will you let her die like Aubrey did? It’s time for hide-n-seek. But you better come alone, or she’ll go to pieces without you. Do you think she might still make it to heaven?” The phone went dead in his ear. Britt pressed the button, bringing the phone number back up and froze. Without explanation, he looked to Todd. “He has her in my office.”

“I’ll get the swat team over there.”

“No.” Britt gripped the man’s hand as he reached for his radio. “He’s monitoring the police radio.” Britt’s mind was again functioning at top speed. “He knew that I knew she was missing. He must have been listening when you had officers sent to the hospital. He’s special ops, good with electronics, and his time on my security has given him a lot of access to them. He’d be expecting something like that.”

Todd was quiet a minute, thinking over everything. “You’re right, he’s monitoring the radio. I’ll call it in on the phone, and we’ll plan it for communication silence. They still have the building plans you supplied earlier. It won’t take long to set up.”

“We don’t have the time. He’s expecting me in about ten minutes. He called me from my office phone. He let me know on purpose where he was. He’ll know how long it’ll take me to get there and do something to her if I don’t get there on time. I’m not going to let that happen. I’ll try to buy you some time, but I’m going there now.” Britt could see the detective thinking, he knew he was probably debating on arresting him for his own safety, but Todd also knew what he was saying was true.

Todd shook his head in resignation. “If you get killed, it will be my badge, but you’re right. The best bet we have is to let you go.”

“I take full responsibility if I die.” It was easy for Britt to say because, if Rachelle died he didn’t want to live either, but he was going to do his best to see that didn’t happen.

The man shook his head again. “Okay, but let’s get you a little prepared. Take off your shirt.”

Todd had the Kevlar vest out of his truck before Britt had his shirt off. He helped him strap it on. “Before you go in call my number. I’ll mute the call, but we’ll be able to hear everything. I’ll give you a police escort until a couple blocks away to make up for lost time, then peel off and come in with the swat team.

Britt raced through the streets following the flashing lights and praying Rachelle was all right. She was still so drugged up when he kissed her at the hospital. Several times, when she was coming in and out of consciousness, she had whispered that she loved him. He hoped she remembered his return of love. Was she even conscious now? Did she know what was happening? Was she in pain? She should be back in the hospital. She should be safe. He never should have left her. He just hadn’t expected her to be in danger. He had wanted it to be over so bad so he could concentrate on her.

Ahead, the police car pulled over. Britt forced himself to slow down and drive the last two blocks at a legal speed, though he wanted to press the pedal to the floor. His control slipped once he pulled in the parking lot and he ran into the building. He took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. A sinister silence met him when he opened the door, but he knew he was at the right place. The entire floor was pitch-black except the sliver of light that cut under the door to his office.

Britt debated on stealth then tossed it aside and strode forward. Still nothing prepared him for the sight when he opened his door. Light pooled around Rachelle. She was strapped down to a wheelchair. The large glass window behind his desk formed an ominous shadow around her. Her head was almost totally covered in bandages, but he had no doubt it was her by the way her head tilted up, as if she sensed his presence. For all the carefully crafted setting, the most
terrifying thing was the numbers that counted down on the bundle strapped to her lap. One minute thirty-eight went to thirty-seven, thirty-six before he could move.

Unable to stop himself, Britt rushed forward coming down by the wheelchair. “Rachelle.” He studied the bomb, wondering how he was going to get it off her or if he even dared try. The question was would the police get there in time? With this guy’s tendency to blow up things the bomb squad would be coming. But when the clock read one minute and seventeen seconds, Britt made up his mind he didn’t have time to wait. He raised his hands to study the wiring then froze as the voice sounded behind him.

“You made good time. You had a minute and a half left, but do you really think you can save her?” Isaac Warren stepped out of the shadows. He pressed a button on a devise in his hand and the countdown stopped. “You didn’t even bring the police. I’m impressed, but you never would have made it up here with them. I figured on that contingency.”

“I’m here, Isaac,” Britt used his name on purpose. “Let her go.”

The man visibly jerked. “That’s not my name.”

“It is.”

The cry that burst from the man was pained, and Britt knew he found one of the keys. “Going by your dead brother’s name won’t bring him back, just like what you’re doing won’t bring back Aubrey. Rachelle did nothing to hurt her. I did nothing. I hardly knew Aubrey.”

“You lie, she said you loved her. You took her away.”

“No. I didn’t know Aubrey or Ann except to greet her when I went through the office. I’m sorry if I hurt her by not paying attention and that she hurt you-”

“No, you did know her. She talked about the way you treated her. She told me that you would invite her into your office and had private lunches served, with champagne and caviar, then you would make love to her on your desk.”

“That is not true,” Britt said sharply. “Not any of it. I’ve never taken advantage of any of the women that work here. I’ve never had sex with anyone in my office, and I’ve never done a champagne and caviar lunch. I don’t like champagne or caviar. It was all a fantasy, Aubrey’s fantasy.” He dropped the last sentence to a soothing tone.

“No, you lie.” There was pleading in his words.

“No, you know Aubrey liked fantasy. She was fantasy, Ann’s fantasy.”

“No.” The cry cut through the shadow a second before the shot did.

Britt threw himself over Rachelle. A muffled whimper escaped from beneath the bandage. Behind her, the window cracked, but it didn’t shatter. Now that Britt had his hands on Rachelle, he found it impossible to release her.

“It’s all right,” he whispered to her. “He hit the window.” He could feel the panic in her and ran his hands over her to ease her. When he felt the strap that fastened on the bomb, he froze then carefully ran his fingers over it to feel for a wire that might be booby-trapped. The wire was hard to find because it looped down where the strap had been tightened to her. In an instant he made up his mind. Working by feel, he started to loosen the strap.

“Isaac, Ann was sick,” Britt started to talk, praying for time.

“No.” This time the objection was whimpered.

Britt glanced back but kept his fingers working on the tape. “She needed help. You knew that. You tried to help her. The doctor where you met tried to help her.”

“No, he just wanted her also. Just like all men. They all wanted her, but she loved me until you came along.”

There was another shot. Britt jerked, tightening his hold on Rachelle again, this one was closer, smashing another hole in the window. Rachelle strained against the tape holding her arms. Britt clamped his hands over them to keep her from hurting herself. “Easy.” This time it was the duct tape he went to work on, using his body to shield her while he felt around her ankle for the end and start to work it free. He was on her other ankle before the man behind him started to talk again.

“You’re not denying it.” The voice was back to a conversational tone.

“You won’t believe me if I do. Or you do believe me, but you don’t want to face it. Like you don’t want to face that your brother is dead.” As soon as the words were out, Britt knew he miscalculated.

“He’s not dead.” The words were punctuated by a bullet slamming into his side, the force driving him against Rachelle. His cheek pressed against the explosive, but he couldn’t pull back. Britt felt like he’d been hit in the side by a sledge hammer. He had to fight to breathe. It was several seconds before the shock eased enough for him to realize that, at least, there wasn’t any blood running from his body, which meant the vest had done its job. Mentally, he sent his thanks to Todd for thinking of the vest then prayed for breath, wondering if he still didn’t have a broken rib.

The bomb shifted against his cheek as Rachelle struggled against the tape holding her arms in a frantic attempt to get to him. The hand he moved up and down her leg wasn’t too steady, but she calmed under his touch. He turned his head slightly and kissed her fingers before managing to push back enough to start working on her wrists. Each movement brought new pain to his side, but he had to get Rachelle free. She was too vulnerable in the chair, too easy of a target. If the bullet would have been two inches to the side, it would have missed him and hit her.

“I’m sorry about your brother, Isaac,” Britt started to talk again in a low soothing voice. Hoping to ease the tension in Rachelle as much as keep Isaac distracted. He wondered how much longer it would be before the swat team was there. “I’m sorry he was killed. I’m sorry about Ann, Aubrey. I’m sorry they died, but I had nothing to do with it. Rachelle had nothing to do with it. She’s innocent.”

“No.” The man’s voice was filled with tears. “She turned to you. I would’ve kept her safe. But she turned to you, helped you. I could have loved her. She could have been mine but she gave herself to you.” Rage started to build in his voice. “She’s not innocent. She’s just like Aubrey, giving herself to other men.”