The FBI Thrillers Collection(264)
She called out, “Marlin, it looks like you finally learned how to build a proper maze. I just hit the second dead end. Too bad you’re so fucking stupid that your daddy didn’t teach you how to build a really good maze way back when you were young. It took you long enough to learn, didn’t it, you pathetic little fucker?”
“Damn you, bitch, shut up! Don’t you talk like that! I know you’re doing it on purpose to make me mad, to try to make me lose control, but I won’t. I know you don’t talk like that all the time. Do you? Damn you, bitch, answer me.”
“That’s right, you little jerk. It’s all just for you, Marlin, you miserable stupid fuck.”
“Damn you, shut up!”
His voice was trembling. She could imagine him nearly frothing at the mouth with rage. Good.
Her voice rang out cold and calm. “Why the fuck should I?”
“I’ll kill you now, Marty. I’ve got my Magnum right here, all ready to go. You walk faster or Hannah’s going to lose her pinky finger.”
“I’m coming, Marlin. I told you I would. Unlike you, I keep my word. Only a coward would hurt her and you’ve been swearing to me you aren’t a coward, right?”
He was breathing really hard now. She was close enough to hear his rage, nearly taste it. It smelled sweet, coppery, like human blood. “No, I won’t hurt her. Not yet anyway. You’re first, Marty, just you. I want you, then I just might be satisfied.”
She walked into a narrow pool of light. She carefully held the string at her side. “Where’s your daddy, Marlin? Is he lurking around one of the corners of the maze? He’s a coward too. You got it all from that precious father of yours, didn’t you?”
“I ain’t lurking no place, girlie,” Erasmus shouted out. “I’m just letting my boy do what will make him happy. You just do what he wants, and I won’t skin you.”
“Did you skin your wife, Erasmus? After you slit her throat or before?”
“Ain’t none of your business, girlie. You just come along now, you hear me? I want to get out of this place, it ain’t comfortable. It makes my skin crawl.”
“Yes, I hear you.” He was on her left, some thirty feet away. Marlin was only about ten to twelve feet away, at about ten o’clock. Imagine anything making Erasmus’s skin crawl.
She’d wrapped about six lengths of string around her hand. String, she thought. All she had was a handful of string to take out two killers with three guns. She loosened the string, making it into a large enough circle so she could loop it over Marlin’s head. No, it had to be even bigger. It took time.
She felt the bile of terror in her throat and swallowed. She couldn’t, wouldn’t give up until he killed her. She thought of Dillon. He’d go nuts if Marlin killed her.
He’d already had one woman he loved leave him.
She wasn’t about to let Marlin kill her.
36
THE LIGHT was steady now, becoming brighter with each step she took. It was from a narrow beam of light that he’d strung some eight feet overhead. She was nearly to the center of the maze now. She heard Hannah moan. She heard Marlin’s breathing. Hannah moaned louder. The moans weren’t from pain. Hannah was giving her directions. Yes, both she and Marlin were at about ten o’clock. She could picture him standing there over Hannah, the Magnum in his hand, a big smile on his face. Waiting for her. He couldn’t wait. Where was Erasmus? Had he moved at all?
“Hannah? Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“I’m all right, Sherlock.” Then she moaned again, a nice lusty moan. “The bastard just kicked me.”
“Hang in there, please, just hang in there.”
And she knew that Hannah was thinking frantically. She knew whatever she tried, Hannah would help her if she could.
There was no sound now except for Marlin’s jerky deep breathing.
Had Dillon found her message? Had he even gone to her house yet? Of course he had. She swallowed. Nearly there. Nearly to Marlin.
She walked into bright light, two spotlights shining directly into her face. She shaded her eyes with her right hand. In her left hand was the string, ready now, if only he didn’t see it, if only she had time and opportunity.
“Hello, Marty,” he said, nearly gasping with pleasure. “You’re here.”
He was standing beside Hannah, his chest puffed out, looking very proud of himself. He looked happy. His eyes were dead and glittered. He was grinning at her.
She grinned back at him. “Hi, you little fucker. How’s tricks? Have you killed any more women since you escaped from that madhouse in Boston?”