Laugh or Death (Lexi Graves Mysteries Book 6) (24 page)

"Okay." Solomon blew me the lightest of kisses, so imperceptible
, I don't think anyone noticed but me. I would have returned it, but figured there was plenty of time for displays of affection later. Especially on the vacation I was about to pay for.

"Stick with them," I said to Lily. "Be fun."

"No problem. Fun is my middle name!"

"No, it's..."

"Don't tell! Don't you ever tell!" she squeaked as she rolled up the window. I waved as they took off.

"Are you going to do anything useful?" Fletcher asked as we watch
ed them drive away.

I thumped his arm. He didn't wince
, but I did. "I need to download some files. Maddox will be here to pick them up in fifteen minutes."

We took the stairs up. "Where is everyone?" I asked, noting the quiet
emptiness.

"Still out
, looking for Leo Chandler. Everyone, that is, except Lucas. He's monitoring camera feeds."

"He must be bored out of his mind."

"He is. I advise you not to approach him."

"I'll take that advice." We walked into the PI room and I aimed directly for Solomon's office, finding
the stack of memory sticks just where he said I would. Shutting the door behind me, I took up position at my desk, and powered up my laptop. Fletcher sat on top of his desk and watched me.

I stuck in the memory stick and started copying files. I copied everything I possessed,
starting from Leo's client sheet to my search for Peta. I also added the report I wrote up from our Greenacre visit. It wasn't the best report I’ve ever written, but I was eager to get as much as I could from my notes before the case split into several very distinct directions: Peta, who was still a missing person, Nancy, who was dead and probably murdered, Maddox's case files, and Leo, the one who connected them all.

"You look very serious," said Fletcher.

"It's a very serious case," I replied before falling silent again. Looking up, I noticed the boardroom where we started setting out the evidence against Leo on the big whiteboard.
I should really photograph that too,
I decided,
right after accessing Solomon's files.

Solomon's files were on the main server, just where he told me
I’d find them. I downloaded them to the memory stick, then took a few minutes to scan through them. Solomon wasn't the only one submitting files. Each of my PI colleagues also did time on surveillance, resulting in hundreds of photos capturing Leo Chandler's every move. I didn't find them very interesting as I skimmed through them. Snaps of Leo outside his hotel, at the park, getting into his car, walking. There was nothing suspicious about any of the photos I saw, but I didn't have time to go through them all, not when Maddox was due here in a few minutes.

A sudden shriek pierced the air and I spun around. "It's the door alarm," said Fletcher, hopping off the desk and landing lightly on the feet. "Maddox must have set it off. I'll go let him in."

"Tell him I'm in the boardroom. The memory stick is ready to go." Before I headed into the boardroom, I closed down the server files, ejected the memory stick, and laid it on my desk. I shut my laptop and grabbed my cell phone, setting it on the camera function.

No one had touched the whiteboard since
I was last in there. I stood back and took a couple of broad shots with my camera, but when I checked the resulting snap, I couldn't see any of the details, even after zooming in. I stepped in, and mentally divided the board into eighths to picture before I started taking more photos.

"I'll be right there," I said, hearing a footstep behind me. "Sorry about the alarm. Fletcher said you must have set it off. Anyway, I'm almost finished."

"Take your time, Lexi."

I froze. The voice wasn't Maddox
’s.

It wasn't Fletcher
’s either.

It didn't belong to anyone who
worked at the agency.

The tiny hairs on the back of neck prickled and I felt a cold wave of panic wash
ing over me.

Slowly, I turned around.

Leo was leaning against the closed door with one leg crossed in front of the other. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and tan slacks, like he was dressed for a casual date, and his face seemed cool and impassive.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, lowering the cell phone.

"Waiting for you to call."

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm so sorry. I got distracted with another case that needed
immediate attention," I said, scrambling for a ruse that could placate him. Where was Fletcher? Discreetly, I swayed to one side, attempting to see past Leo. The PI office was empty.

"You couldn't spare a few minutes? It would have been nice just to hear your voice."

"I wanted something concrete to tell you."

"Always so thoughtful." Leo's eyes flickered from me to the whiteboard and I stepped to one side, blocking his view.
I couldn’t let Leo see what was up there; I had to keep him calm. He had to think I was still on his team. "What is all that? Something to do with the case?"

"Just a little brainstorming. Let's go outside and sit. Can I get you a coffee?" I asked, trying to appear normal so
he wouldn't guess I wanted him out of the room as soon as possible. If I could just get him outside, and closed the door, he wouldn't be able to see all the accusations currently levied against him. Where was Fletcher?

"No, thanks
," Leo replied as he stepped inside, frowning, and I stepped backwards. "What is all this?"

"Just brainstorming," I said, holding my hand out towards the door, urging him to turn around and go. Except he didn't. He closed the gap between us, grabbing my hand and turning me towards the whiteboard. For a moment
, he did nothing, but just looked over the photos, notes and crime scene reports, taking it all in. I darted a glance behind me, straining to see Fletcher... or Maddox. Where were those guys?

Leo's hand tightened around my wrist. "He's not coming."

"What? Who? What did you do? Where's Fletcher?"

"
Safely out of the way."

"Did you kill him? Fletcher? Fletcher!" I yelled his name in a panic,
trying to pull away from Leo.

"No, I didn't kill him. He's taking a nap. Calm
down, Lexi. Calm." Leo pulled me against him, and curled one hand around my head, stroking my hair as I shivered with disgust. "I like you, Lexi. I did as soon as we met. The way you looked at me with your beautiful eyes, and how you said my name. You were so smart and lovely. So kind and reassuring. I knew you would find my girl, and you did. I was right about you! Oh, my Lexi."

"I'm not your Lexi. And I didn't find Nancy."

"No, you found Peta, just like I knew you would. Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"I think you do. I want to see her."

"I don't know where she is," I insisted
. I hated the warmth from his body I could feel coming through his shirt as he held me against him, caressing my hair in an overly gentle way. But while he was thus occupied, he couldn't see what I was doing with my other hand. I felt my way across my phone and first closed the camera function. Then I opened my
favorite contacts
list, and tapped the screen. I had to get through to someone. Someone had to be aware of what was happening. Someone had to come and help me.

"I wish you'd just done your job, and given me Peta. Everything would have been okay.
She wouldn't disturb us anymore. You and I could have become friends before becoming lovers. I would have liked that."

"What would you have done to Peta?" I asked,
trying to keep him talking. Fletcher might have been incapacitated somewhere, but Maddox was still on his way, and should have been arriving any minute.
Everything would be okay,
I reassured myself.

"I've looked for my perfect woman for a long time," Leo said, ignoring my question. "Smart, beautiful, kind, caring. Someone
special to be a wife and a mother... and there you were, all this time. We could love each other, you and I, for the rest of our lives. I would devote myself to you."

"I
already have a boyfriend."

"Oh, we both know he doesn't
really mean anything to you. We both know that, don’t we? You look at me like there's no other man on this earth. You find your way to me, all the time. Your subconscious is constantly calling out to me. Give in to it, Lexi. Don't fight it any longer."

"You're
so wrong."

"Don't be coy, Lexi. We don't have to play games anymore. No one's watching
now. It's just you and me from now on. Finally, we can be together."

I pulled away
, but Leo's arm tightened, causing me to gasp and wince in pain. "No more games," he whispered into my hair. "Oh, Lexi, my love, why couldn't you have just done your job? Why didn’t you just hand Peta over to me without digging for more? You must feel awful now."

"Pretty bad," I said
. I was not placating him this time. I felt pretty damn rotten about the situation I now found myself in. My only consolation came from knowing Peta was at the safe house, Solomon was waiting for my call, and Maddox was about to burst through the door any moment, his weapon drawn.

"I understand. I get it, sweetheart. You knew digging deeper was wrong
, but he must have pushed you into it. He knew what was going on between us, he could see he was losing you to me so he wanted you to hate me. But I understand, really, I do. We just can't keep away from each other, you and I... Oof!"

Leo dropped to his knees
and my knee smarted from the impact with his balls. I lurched past him to the door, reaching for the doorknob. Leo's hand closed around my ankle, just as my fingertips grazed the handle... and lost contact. My legs went out from under me and I hit the floor with a thump. The pain ricocheted from my cheekbone when I did a faceplant on the floor. I screamed in frustration and desperation, wriggling and fighting. Leo straddled me, pinning me securely before his head settled against mine and he crouched over me.

"My darling, Lexi. Stay still. I'm not the bad guy. I'm here for you. Always."

"Let me go," I snarled, shifting my shoulders, and bucking my hips, trying to unbalance him. Lucas was still upstairs… I could get to Lucas… I could...

"Never, sweetheart," said Leo.

I gasped when something sharp hit my shoulder before everything went black.

Chapter Twenty

Rays of moonlight streamed over me as I blinked and gasped for air. I was in a small space, my body curled in fetal position with my shoulders pulled awkwardly behind me. A lid above me was open and I seemed to be inside some kind of box. No, not a box... a car. Leo had me in the trunk of his car. Something felt tight around my mouth.

"We're home!"
Leo announced cheerfully. He reached inside, wrapping his arms under my shoulders and knees before pulling me out while I struggled and screamed despite the gag. There wasn't much more I could do. My movements were restricted and I had the feeling I needed to preserve my energy.

"Whar arrr ghee?" I asked, the gag
preventing me from forming coherent words.

It didn't stop Leo from answering cheerfully, "Home. I just told you!" He spun me around and nodded towards the cabin while I allowed my body to go limp. Whatever Leo injected me with, it was
strong enough to knock me out for the long drive to Greenacre. Even worse, now we were alone in a cabin in the middle of a dense forest. If my life were a movie, right now, I was the horror story dumbass who foolishly went camping in the woods, unaware that a serial killer lurked in the area with a very shiny machete. Life sucked.

"Ohhh-urgh crarp," I sighed.

"Let's go inside and make some dinner, sweetheart," continued Leo, beaming at me. "You're going to love my culinary skills!"

I thought I probably wouldn't, but
as long as he wasn't bent on cooking me, well, that was something to be grateful for.

Leo crunched across the gravel driveway
, but didn't go to the front door. Instead, he carried me around back. We went down a set of stairs to the basement door. He propped me against the wall while he inserted a key into the lock before the door swung open. He reached inside, flicked the lights on, and scooped me up again. As he carried me across the neat, orderly room, I looked around. What I saw filled me with fear.

Dozens of photo frames crowded
the long wooden unit, and each of them featured a glamorous headshot of a pretty, smiling woman. I recognized some of them. As he dumped me in a straight-backed chair, I realized the photos closest to me changed dramatically in style. The women weren't smiling anymore, and several also featured Leo in them. His arms were draped around some of them, and the women were clearly projecting panic in all of their faces. Over each frame was looped a simple, silver star pendant, just like the one Peta received.

Many of the
photographed women were already dead.

"Don't mind them," said Leo, catching me
staring at them. "Everyone's got an ex. I met them through my photography business. I took their photos but you and I... We're different, right? We met so spontaneously." He knelt at my feet and reached around me. I stiffened, but instead of harming me, he gently untied my gag before tossing it onto the side table. "How's that?" he asked.

My mouth felt dry as cotton. "Why am I here?"

"I know it probably wasn't the most ideal way to show you our home, but I did carry you over the threshold!"

I looked up. The basement ceiling
was dropped, and all the wiring and plumping were neatly encased above, or so I guessed. Three of the walls were sheet rocked. A door was closed in one wall, and I tried very hard to place which direction it faced. Did it go under the house? The only obvious other entry was a door in the bare brick wall through which we entered, and a rectangular window that let in very little light. Or it would have if the darkness hadn't fallen. The window had an iron grill on the outside. With a sinking feeling, I truly realized I was trapped here. I assumed that although the door had no iron grillwork, it still must have had some kind of security measures I couldn't see.

"Why am I here?" I asked again as Leo started gathering up
the photos. He opened a drawer in the unit and dropped the lot of them inside.

"I
have to keep the love of my life safe. We need to start our new life together, here, where no one can interrupt us or plant bad ideas in your pretty little head."

"Plant
bad ideas?"

"Like Solomon,
insisting that you be with him. You're safe here… with me. No one can take you away from me now. We'll never be apart again."

I wriggled my shoulders,
hoping to alleviate the aching muscles. I tried pulling my wrists apart, but they were bound together behind my back. Handcuffs, I thought, since they enabled me to move slightly, unlike duct tape or rope. I leaned forwards, and watched Leo busily dealing with his macabre collection of photos. My ankles were bound with rope, and although the bindings were tight, the knot didn't look too secure. Pulling my ankles outwards, I discovered there was no give between them.

My first urgency
was to get Leo to untie me. To do that, I had to be agreeable. Not overly so, or he would suspect I was manipulating him, just enough that he would undo my bindings to make me more comfortable. Until then, and until I could develop that trust with him, I needed a good plan.

I started with what I knew. I was in Leo's cabin in Greenacre. From my previous checks of the locale, I knew the cabin
sat several miles from the nearest neighbor. Getting to a neighbor, if their houses were even occupied, posed a huge problem. Leo's keys hung from a chain on his jeans, and I could barely see the key to his vehicle. Two roads bordered the property. One lay to the north. It was the road Leo told us Nancy had stumbled on before getting picked up, although I knew now that was a lie. That road was rarely used, and again, it would have been a several-mile trek in the dark before I ever reached help. I suspected we entered Leo's property from the other road, the one that ran between the interstate and Greenacre. It was busier, but at this late hour, the traffic levels would have dropped substantially. Plus, there was a shorter route to the interstate, the one Solomon, Maddox and I took on our way into town.

Even if I escaped on foot, the chances of Leo
retrieving me before I found help were high.

Leo crossed the floor and crouched in front of me. He placed his hands on my thighs and looked u
p. "We just need to wrap up a couple of little things before we can get on with our new life together, and I need your help to do it."

"I guess I can help," I said, trying to soften my tense shoulders. "What do you need?"

"I need to find Peta."

"I
told you already: I don't know where she is."

"I think you do. I know you don't understand, Lexi, my love, but we don't need Peta anymore. She's a threat to our
happiness and our future relationship. You don't want that, do you? Another woman interfering? Or causing trouble?"

"No," I lied. "No, that would be awful."

"It really would. Tell me where she is and I'll make sure she never poses a problem for us again. It's time to let Peta go."

"I
really don't know where she is," I repeated. "I want to help you, but I can't."

"Lexi, don't play games with me. Tell me where she is."

"I can't."

Leo paused,
taking a deep breath, his face imperceptible. He reached up and stroked my hair, his fingers trailing along my cheekbone, before he cupped my jaw. "Don't make me angry," he whispered with a squeeze. "Don't make me do this, Lexi."

"I'm not. Solomon didn't tell me," I scrambled,
anxious to tell the truth. Aspects of the truth made for the best lies. "He doesn't tell me any stuff like that."

Leo's grip softened. "So, he knows, and he didn't tell you. Oh, Lexi. We'll share everything.
There will be no secrets between us; I promise. Don't worry about Solomon anymore. I'll take care of him tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

Leo stroked my jaw, and I had to resist the urge to head-butt him. I swallowed my revulsion and nestled my cheek into his hand like I was enjoying his attention. He had to trust me. I needed for him to. I needed his game plan. "Don't worry about that. Let's make you at home."

"
The basement is not my home," I said, knowing I had to get out of here. I needed to warn Solomon! "Why don't we go upstairs?"

"Now? No, no. We have to stay down here
temporarily. Just until we get to know each other."

My stomach lurched at the idea of hunkering down in a basement
with Leo and "getting to know" him. The only thing I wanted to know was how to escape and get as far away from him as possible. The only way to accomplish that was to persuade Leo to take me upstairs. At least, in the cabin, there were too many exit points for him to cover at any one time. Even better however, was convincing him to untie me.

Leo got to his feet,
and smiled. He patted me on the head like a good pet and moved off to the other side of the room. With his back turned to me, he started rifling through a drawer. "I got you a present," he said, not turning around. "I just know it will suit you."

"What is it?"

Leo looked over his shoulder and wagged his finger. "Aha! No asking no questions. Close your eyes."

"I'm really excited," I said, hoping my voice didn't sound as shaky as I felt. "I love gifts."

"Close your eyes," Leo ordered.

I lowered my lids, but watched him through my lashes. He had something in his hand, small enough to conceal in his palm.
Too small to be a weapon. He didn't step in front of me, but instead, walked around the chair and stopped behind me. I tipped forward, just barely, but enough that any sudden movement from me would push me forwards and off the chair if Leo tried anything. After that, I had no plan.

Fortunately
, I didn't need one. A thin, silver chain dropped in front of me. After it stopped swinging, I focused on the small pendant. A silver star, just like the ones his victims each wore. I gulped. Not only was this guy a creep, but the worst kind of regifter.

"Oh, wow," I muttered, my voice deadened by fear. "Gosh, it's so pretty."

"It's not as pretty as you, but I want you to wear it," Leo said, as the cool metal settled around my neck. He pushed my hair out of the way, and fastened the clasp. "I'll buy you all kinds of pretty things. That's what a loving partner does, right? Right?"

"Right," I agreed through gritted teeth.

Leo's head appeared next to mine, and his cheek was far too close for comfort. "This is just the beginning," he whispered, kissing my cheek, his lips lingering.

"Leo, can you untie me?" I asked softly, hoping to take advantage of his benevolence in this situation.

"I wish I could, but I'm worried about you, my darling. What if you tried to run off?"

"Why... why would I do that?"

"Because Solomon brainwashed you, of course, for a long time. You need more time, darling." Leo stroked my hair, kissed my cheek again, and his breath felt warm against my ear. "I need to keep you safe."

"But I
have to go to the bathroom," I said, grasping for a reason. "I need to go really bad."

"The bathroom is just over there," Leo said, pointing to the far wall. The door in the wall. Not an exit. A bathroom. He moved around me, stooping and extending his arms.

"Don't carry me."

"It's not dignified to hop."

I forced a giggle. "I know that, silly," I said, "but I want to freshen up."

"Oh. Oh, yeah. I'll help with that." He stepped back, frowning.

"And I need something clean to wear. I don't have anything with me. And I can't get clean if I'm all tied up."

"I'll untie your ankles," Leo said, stooping to my ankles,
and deftly undoing the knot before unwrapping my legs. He rubbed my sore ankles, which was entirely unnecessary. Pulling me upright, he guided me towards the bathroom. When we got there, he opened the door and began to usher me inside.

"A little privacy," I said, halting in the doorway, blocking him from entering.

"I'll help you. I don't mind."

"You know
, a guy should never see his girl pee," I told him, trying to keep my voice light and harmonious, even if I didn't feel it. My legs were free, but my arms were still bound behind my back. I could have run, but it would have been a struggle just to balance. If I fell, I would have been like a turtle on its back, and there was no way I could fight off Leo if it came to that. I needed my hands, and I intended to make him give them back to me. I spotted a hairbrush and a wash bag by the sink, two things that gave me an idea. "It just ruins the mystery. And I want to brush my hair and wash my face. Make myself look pretty."

"I..."

"Please, Leo, it’s for you. This is our start, right? Don't you want a good start for us? How can I do that if I don't look nice and you're watching me pee?"

"Fine,
just two minutes." Leo's hand enclosed both of mine. There was a tiny scratching sound as a key worked the lock before my hands were free. "I'll be right outside."

"You're not going to get me a clean shirt?" I asked, rubbing my wrists. The cuffs reddened my skin and they itched
when my circulation flowed freely again.