Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 3) (21 page)

Chapter 17

When I got home around six, Jackie met me at the door dressed in her pink nursing scrubs and white patent leather clogs.

“I have a huge favor to ask,” she said with a hopeful expression. “Would you mind if I borrowed your car for work tonight? My Subaru is going into the shop tomorrow, but I'm afraid to drive it. The brakes are dangerous. I'll be home by seven in the morning, I promise.”

I gave her the car key. “No problem. I'm not going anywhere tonight. Do you need me to check on Clifford while you're gone?”

“Oh, that would be awesome if it's not too much trouble.”

“Not at all. In fact, I'll go up after dinner and hang out with him. Maybe we'll watch a movie together.”

“Thanks,” she said, giving me a bear hug. “I owe you big time.”

I spent the next few hours checking e-mails and doing laundry. It was nine
o'clock by the time I went up to Jackie's apartment.

Clifford was lounging on the sofa, his tail thump
ing softly on the cushions as he observed me with mild interest.

“Hello handsome,” I said to him. “I can tell you're ecstatic to see me.”

The sarcasm was lost on him. He tucked his snout between his paws and went back to sleep within a few minutes.

I flipped through the channels and found an old movie with Will Ferrell. I'd seen it a dozen times already with my son. It brought back memories of the days before Brian got his driver's license, when he still wanted to spend time with me. I decided to watch the movie again for old times’ sake, but it reminded me how much I missed Brian and the simple things we used to do together. It also reminded me that he hadn't called in a few weeks. He was only fifty miles away in Boston, but he might as well have been halfway around the world. Perhaps I’d call him tomorrow and make sure he’s not partying too much.

My eyelids grew heavy after about ten minutes, and I nodded off.

I had no idea how much time had passed when I awoke. The movie was over. The clock on the cable box said 10:45 pm.

I yawned and stretched, then scratched Clifford's fuzzy head. “Do you need to go out, buddy?”

He didn't move a muscle
and just blinked at me as if to say,
does it look like I need to pee
?

“Okay,” I said. “But if your mommy comes home to find a puddle on her wood floor, I'm not taking the blame.”

No comment.

I gathered my things and headed downstairs to my apartment.

I unlocked the door and walked inside, not bothering to turn on any lights because I was heading straight for bed. I flung my purse on a chair and, as I walked through the room, I sensed something wasn't right. A chilly breeze whooshed by me. I turned to my left and squinted in the dark. Funny, I didn't remember opening a window earlier. In fact, I was usually quite obsessive about locking my place up tightly whenever I left, even if I was only going to Jackie's for a quick visit.

A warning signal went off in my brain and my body tensed. I felt another rush of a breeze, but this time it wasn't from the opened window. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow whisked past me
, and I realized someone was inside my apartment.

“Who's there?” I called out, trying to keep my voice calm. I still wasn't sure if I was seeing things.

I waited for a response, but none came. I stood very still, my eyes adjusting to the dark. Even though my heart was hammering away in my chest, I had to keep a level head. A hundred different ideas came to me at once, but nothing made sense as I looked around searching for the intruder. Maybe there was nobody, just my mind playing tricks on me.

I went to close the window. A cracking noise came from my right. I turned my head in the direction of the sound.

A large, black mass of a person hurtled toward me. I tried to move out of the way, but he crashed into my shoulder like a bomb. An explosion of pain erupted throughout my body as I smashed against the wall and collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

All I could think was
– what the hell?

I told myself to get back on my feet, but I couldn't even move, let alone stand up. I tried to scream, but the wind had been knocked out of me. I gasped for air, clutching at my chest.

I rolled over onto hands and knees while searching the room in the darkness, but I couldn't make him out. Where did he go? I struggled to stand up.

The next blow came to my chest. Blinded by the pain, my body collapsed onto the floor again.

With mounting despair, I knew a few broken ribs would be the least of my problems. This was not just some burglar trying to get away. He meant to hurt me. This bastard was trying to send a very strong message. I wish he would just tell me what it was.

The shadow advanced again and, when I managed to look up, I saw him. He was wearing a black ski mask, black gloves, black sweatshirt and black jeans. 

My purse was on the chair, about five feet away. If only I could get the pepper spray, I'd have a fighting chance. But, with a sinking heart, I knew I'd never get there. The man in black was too fast and too strong. And I was out of breath.

“What ... do you want?” I managed to say again, and this time, I didn't care if he knew how scared I was. “Who are you?”

The asshole refused to speak a word. He just stood there, panting, probably wondering where to kick me next.

If only I had a gun, or something to defend myself. Why hadn't I grabbed the pepper spray when I first noticed the window was open? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I searched the floor around me for something I could use as a weapon. There was nothing within my grasp. The coffee table was about four feet away. A candlestick or a letter opener would do the trick, if only I could get there. If only I had the strength.

I summoned my energy and lunged for the coffee table to claim my weapon.

I didn't make it. He pounced on me again, and this time, wrangled me to the floor. Flat on my back, he pinned down my legs with the weight of his body. His gloved hands wrapped around my neck. I tried to punch him with my flailing arms, but I couldn't reach his head. I kicked with all my might, but his body was so heavy I could barely move.

The feeling of helplessness was like nothing I'd ever experienced. I couldn't even scream for help. I could barely breathe. My lungs burned as a growing dread filled my heart. I kept thinking
, please, don't let this be the way I go.

Somehow, in my delirious state of near death, I got one leg free and kicked him in the groin with my knee. There wasn't much force behind it, but it was enough to make him flinch
, and he loosened his grip around my throat. Without thinking, I lifted my head and bit him on the shoulder with such ferocity that he howled out in pain. I knew I had bitten through the sweatshirt, because I could taste his blood on my lips. I clenched down as hard as I could, biting into flesh and muscle and tendon until finally, he punched me in the face and I fell back.

I couldn't see anything for a second but, as my arms flailed around me, I knocked something off the coffee table. I grasped for the object and realized it was the letter opener. Thank God!

Drenched with perspiration, the letter opener nearly slipped out of my clammy hands. When he lunged for me again, I was more determined than ever to stop him for good. I drove the tip of the blade into his chest.

It didn't go in very far, or at least, not as far as I'd hoped. But it was enough to freak him out. He backed away, stumbling, and with both hands, he pulled the instrument out.

A little blood spurted out from the wound, but I could tell it wasn’t a fatal injury. In fact, it only seemed to piss him off more. He punched me in the face again and down I went.

* * *

When I finally came to, my head hurt so badly I thought I might throw up. At first, I didn't know why I was lying on the floor. I slowly sat up and looked around the dark room. Then it all came back to me. The man in black. Where was he? Still in my apartment somewhere?

I crawled on all fours across the room, grabbed my purse and dumped the contents on the floor. I found my pepper spray, clutched it in my hand and dialed 911 on my cell phone. After explaining my situation to a dispatcher, she calmly assured me that police and ambulance were on their way.

With much effort, I got to my feet
, but everything hurt – my head, my back, my throat, and my ribcage. Even my teeth hurt. Why did my teeth hurt so badly? I brushed the back of my hand across my chin. Was I missing a tooth?

I lumbered to the bathroom and turned on the light. At first, I thought I'd seen a vampire when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. Or a zombie who'd just devoured a human limb. There was blood all over my mouth, neck and even my chest. Maybe I
was
a zombie. Maybe I was dead, after all.

Disoriented, I sat down on the toilet seat and tried to catch my breath as I wiped my face with a towel.

The ambulance arrived first, followed by a team of police officers. The first paramedic took one look at me and grabbed my arm. “We're taking you to the hospital, ma'am. Let's get you on the stretcher right away.”

Chapter 18

“No broken bones, Ms. Woods,” the doctor said, standing by the edge of the hospital bed with a clipboard in his hand, “but you have a slight concussion. Probably nothing to worry about. Just keep in mind, if you suddenly feel dizzy or feverish, or start throwing up, you need to come back to the hospital immediately.”

My headache had subsided, although the ringing in my ears hadn't. “Okay,” I said. “I think I'm fine.”

“Good to hear. We'll be releasing you in a few hours. Who's coming to pick you up?”

“A friend. He should be here any minute.”

“Very well, then.” The doctor glanced toward the door. “There's a detective waiting to have a chat with you. Do you feel up to it?”

“Sure. I'll talk to him.”

A short, balding man
in a dark suit walked in. “Hello, Ms. Woods. I'm Detective Bennett,” he said, showing me his badge.

I pulled the white sheet up to cover my legs and nodded. “Hello. Is Detective James not working tonight?” I asked.

“He's away for a few days.” He retrieved a pen from inside his jacket. “If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some questions about tonight.”

“Sure, but I don't think I'll be much help. I never saw his face.” I took a sip of water to moisten my dry mouth. “And I have no idea why he was in my apartment.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Black ski mask, black everything.”

He tapped his pen on his chin, keeping his eyes on the pad of paper in his other hand. “Do you have any enemies, Ms. Woods?”

“Apparently, I do,” I replied.

He looked up with arched eyebrows. “Could this be a jealous ex-lover?”

I laughed. “No. I have no jealous ex-lovers.”

“An ex-husband?” he asked.

“My ex would never do something like this,” I insisted.

“I'd like his name and address for the record.”

I rolled my eyes. “It's not Daniel, trust me.”

“Is there anyone else?” he asked. “Has anyone threatened you lately?”

“I'm a private investigator,” I replied. “I'm sure I've pissed someone off along the way.”

He nodded as he scribbled down some notes. “Have you received any weird calls or emails recently?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

“I'll be speaking with your neighbors to see if anyone saw a guy dressed in black leaving the area.” The detective handed me his card. “Is there someone you can stay with for tonight? Since your apartment is a crime scene, I want to keep it sealed off, just to make sure we've collected any possible evidence.”

“By the way, you'll find a face towel in the bathroom with blood on it. I think it was
his
blood. I remember biting him in the shoulder pretty hard.”

The detective looked up in amazement. “You bit the intruder?”

“Yes,” I said, “while he was trying to strangle me.” 

Detective Bennett gave me a curt nod. “I'll see to it that the lab gets the blood analyzed. Meanwhile, just take it easy. If you happen to think of anything else, give me a call, okay?”

“Sure. I will.”

About ten minutes after the detective left, Carter arrived with a Starbucks cup for me. “Here, have some decent coffee,” he said
. “This hospital stuff will kill you.”

“Just what I needed.” I took the coffee and smiled at him, thankful for his attempt at cheering me up. “I look like shit, don't I?”

He sat on the edge of my bed. “You're alive, Sarah. Who cares how you look right now?”

“I need a place to stay tonight. I'm sure Max will let me crash at his apartment. I know where he keeps the spare key.”

Carter shifted uncomfortably and said, “Why don't you stay with me? The spare bedroom is all ready for you.”

“Stay with you? Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure – unless you don't want to.”

“It's not that I don't want to. I'm just a little surprised you offered. I mean, I thought you liked your privacy.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a look. “End of discussion. You're staying with me. Now, when can you leave this place?”

The clock on the wall said 5:13 am. “Soon, I think. But I'll need to go back to my apartment and get some things.”

“No problem.”

I glided a hand across my neck. I hadn't had a chance to look in the mirror to see the damage. “Is there any bruising?” I asked him.

He leaned toward me to get a better look. “A little. Does it hurt?”

“It's sore. Along with the rest of me. But nothing that won't heal.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

I hadn't given Carter many details over the phone, just the fact that an intruder had attacked me. Part of me felt ashamed for being so vulnerable, as if there was something I could have done to prevent it. “I was upstairs at Jackie's, just hanging out with Clifford and watching a movie. A
t about ten, I went home. He was already in my apartment waiting for me.”

“Are you sure he was waiting for you?” Carter asked. “Maybe he was just there robbing the place, not expecting you to come home so soon.”

“Maybe,” I replied. “My car wasn't parked in the driveway like it usually is when I'm home because Jackie took it to work.”

“So it could have been a random thing.”

“Could have been, but I don't think so. I haven't had a chance to look through my place to see if anything was stolen but, honestly, I don't have valuables other than a few pieces of jewelry.”

“Did the guy say anything to you?”

“No, not a freaking word. But he screamed like hell when I took a chunk out of his shoulder.”

Carter looked stunned. “You bit him?”

“It was the only weapon I had at my disposal.”

“Well, I doubt the guy will be going to any local hospital for a tetanus shot. But still, we should notify all the hospitals in the area in case he does.”

I leaned back onto the pillow and sipped the coffee. “Maybe it was Bob Owens.”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

“Maybe Bob Owens found out I was asking questions. Maybe he wanted to shut me up for good. Or at least scare the shit out of me so that I’d stop.”

“You think he intended to kill you?”

“I don’t know. If he wanted me dead, why not just stab me in the heart or something? It was almost like he enjoyed beating me up. Like it was some kind of sport. Bob Owens likes sports, so there you go.”

Carter chuckled. “The way I see it, we have several options. We can call the detective and ask him to bring Bob in for questioning, or we can pay Bob a visit ourselves.”

“I’d like to get home and see if anything is missing first. Maybe this really was a burglary gone bad.”