Diana (21 page)

Damn it, Diana! What the hell did you get yourself involved in?

Ten minutes later, he parked alongside the barricade, flashing his badge as he ducked under the yellow crime scene tape.

"What the hell is going on? Where's my sister?” Vinny yelled to Chief Watkins, as he approached a crowd of officials, including Commander Paul Fontella.

Vinny eyed the others. They all seemed to ignore his question and avoid answering. “Well?"

"Son, we believe that your sister is trapped somewhere inside."

He looked at the inferno, and the nausea set in. “How do you know? Are you certain?"

"The real killer planned on setting up my son, Luke. We believe your sister was concerned for his safety and showed up here to help him. But, my son had been taken into custody for questioning without anyone knowing. The killer's plan backfired."

"Where's Luke Fontella now?"

Vinny watched as Paul glanced back toward the inferno.

"The whole crew is in there, Vinny, including Brian. They'll find her,” Chief Watkins said.

"I just spoke to her about thirty-five minutes ago. When did the fire start?"

"The fire call came in about twenty minutes ago. Did your sister say anything about what she was doing?” Damian Toby asked, joining the conversation.

He was hesitant, and opted to hide what his sister was really up to. They still weren't certain whom the killer was.

"No, sir. She wanted me to meet her at the firehouse. I was waiting for her call. One of the guys told me about the fire. I tried calling her cell, but it went to voice mail."

"Did it ring at all?” Damian Toby asked.

The chief glanced back down at the copy of blueprints spread out across the hood of the water company truck.

"Yes, it did."

"Keep trying it, son. It could help us locate her faster if she can answer."

He hadn't even noticed the blue prints until that second. “Are those to the building?

Again, Vinny got the feeling they were all hiding information from him. “What is it, Commander? What's going on?” He directed his question at Paul Fontella, since he appeared to be the only one willing to level with him.

One of the local water company workers interrupted the conversation by whispering to the chief.

Paul walked closer to Vinny, and slightly nudged his arm to move him away from the truck. “Son, I'm not going to lie to ya. A while ago, there was a water main break, and it appears that the pipe may have leaked below the building."

"So that's good news, isn't it? The fire can't spread from the basement up."

"They don't know where your sister is. The person who called in the fire said that there was smoke coming from the upper floors."

Vinny registered the information. “So what you're telling me is she's either going to burn to death or drown to death, or she's already dead."

Paul swallowed hard, then sighed. “My son's in there, along with your brother Brian. Let's hope for the best."

Diana couldn't open her eyes. Her lids were heavy, and all she wanted to do was let go. She couldn't register her thoughts. She didn't know if she were dreaming or if she were awake. The ringing cell phone forced her to open her eyes, to not let go of the world she held onto for dear life.

The ringing stopped as her eyes fluttered open. She realized, and was disappointed, she'd missed a life saving call, and that there was no service when she was a floor above. She remembered trying to turn sideways on the staircase, in an attempt to hold the weak signal. Could there be a signal now, down here?

The pain radiated through her body with each hint of motion. She cringed and gasped when she realized she couldn't feel her legs.

Fear made her cry out and attempt to pull herself to higher ground, but all that remained in reach was the plywood she held to keep her from sinking.

She looked a few feet above her, where a broken, wooden ledge sat. That's what she must have hit on her way down. Glancing up higher, she saw the red and orange flames. Nausea set in at the realization of just how far she'd fell, along with the fact the building was engulfed in flames.

From where she floated, the fire appeared to be a good ten floors above her. But what the hell did she know? She fell the whole way down, anticipating death along the way.

No one will come looking. No one knows I'm here.

Her mind traveled over the series of events. The fear of dying, and not capturing the real killer, filled her with anger and disgust.

"You won't get away with this. I won't let you win."

She clenched her teeth, and thought about Luke and his innocence. At least now, the truth would be revealed that Luke wasn't the killer. But whoever was would surely be upset she destroyed their plan. He would look to pin it on someone else.

She thought about Vinny and how she called him, telling him to meet her at the firehouse. Was he still there? Did he know about the fire?

She remembered the emails the killer had sent. She remembered the staged suicide note, and the kid from the library.

They know I'm here. They'll come looking for me.

The dizziness set in, along with the shivers and shakes.

Don't pass out, don't pass out. Keep talking to yourself. Help yourself escape. Think, Diana, think
.

She attempted to move her legs. She needed to get to the side. Maybe she could climb up to where the wooden platform was and use her cell phone. The plan developed in her mind, the determination filled her to her core, but her legs wouldn't move. Her hips ached and throbbed yet felt numb. She'd injured herself badly, she was certain of it.

When she glanced down at the water, there was only darkness. She tried not to think about what was in the water with her, or how it got there. Instead, she willed herself to get closer to the wall.

Diana held the wooden float against her neck and chest, using her arms to paddle to the side. As she reached the wall, an explosion roared from way above her. Startled, she grabbed the wooden board tighter, then glanced up toward the sound. Debris scattered above her. She feared for her life, and recalled the increasing speed she felt on her decent from above. Any debris that came crashing down could kill her.

She swam under the small 2 ft wide landing, just as the first pieces came crashing down. She cried out as another explosion ignited, and a roar of flames and heat lit up the entire area.

She opened her eyes long enough to see the fiery debris heading at her. All she could think to do was duck underwater.

"Brian, what the hell was that?’ Luke yelled, as they continued to climb up the staircase.

The nozzle team was just ahead and to the right of them, continuously spraying down the sheets of fire and smoke.

"Another explosion about midway up the building."

"Thank God we're all still making our way up, or we would be trapped between fires right now,” Luke said. Brian nodded in agreement.

Two other firefighters were only a flight of stairs below them.

"This is insane. It's an abandoned factory of some sort. The blueprints the chief has aren't helping us right now,” Brian said.

Luke knew Brian was concerned for his sister. He was losing his patience, his control, and Luke feared he would panic. The worst part was Luke felt the same way. Finding Diana seemed impossible, with such great odds against them. He swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. He wasn't giving up on Diana. She risked her life for him, and he would do the same for her.

"It's too dark. We need to make a decision as to where to head. If we continue to climb, we could get caught in-between fires."

"From the blueprints, what is up there, a few floors from where we are now?” Luke asked.

Brian radioed into the chief. “Chief, we're on the third floor. What's above us and to the side of us?"

Another small explosion rocked the building as Luke, Brian, and the others ducked for cover.

"Are you guys okay?” the chief yelled through the radio.

"Yeah. What's around us? We can't see shit. It's total blackout."

"Above you, it looks like, just floors of warehouse storage space. There appears to be four extra large elevator shafts, one directly to the left of you, and the next nearest one appears to be located in the center of the building,” the chief explained.

"Where was the water main break?” Luke asked.

"Hold on."

"The water company representative says the main pipe is directly below that middle elevator shaft."

"What about the three others?"

"They should be fine."

Brian looked at Luke.

"Your call, Brian. I'm under your command right now."

"You've had more experience than I have, Fire Marshal, and something tells me you want to find my sister just as badly as I do."

He glanced around them, trying to sense a gut feeling, anything that could lead him to make a decision. If it were the right one, they could get to Diana in time. If he chose differently, he could kill her.

Another small explosion ignited and debris covered them from above. The men fell to the floor, covering their heads as the wood and sheetrock scattered over their bodies.

Diana held her breath as long as she could. Through the water, she could still feel the heat of the flames that lingered above. Wood fell into the water and hit her arms, cutting her skin. She couldn't hold her breath any longer, as the sharp pain hit her. She splashed through the surface of the water and grabbed hold of the wood again. Smaller pieces of flaming ash fell from the sky above, some disintegrating in mid-air and others as they hit the water.

She cried and glanced down at her bleeding arms. This was a hell of a way to die.

Grabbing hold of the wooden board, she rested her head on it and her upper arm. She stared up at the darkness above her.

Something caught her eye. Was it just her imagination, or was that a blue light one platform above from where she floated?

What is that?
Her heart thumped. She tried to maintain her composure.

Her cell phone had a blue light. Was it flipped open?

Can I call for help? Who do I call? 911? Vinny? He could be right outside. He could send a message to the firefighters. Brian! I can call Brian. He won't have his phone on him if he's here fighting the fire with his company. Damn it, you don't even know if this is going to work.

Taking a deep breath, she called out, “Call Vinny!” Nothing happened, the disappointment set in. She took a deep breath and yelled out loud, “Call Vinny!"

She heard the dial tone, then her brother's voice."

"Diana. Where are you?” The reception was poor. She needed to talk quickly, but her teeth chattered from the icy water.

"Trapped! I'm trapped in an elevator shaft. Water ... ice cold ... water.” She grew weaker with each word she spoke. People yelled in the background.

"Where is the elevator shaft? The middle or the side?"

"Water! I'm stuck in water!

"Diana, are you injured?"

"Yes!"

"There close. I'm here."

"Vinny, if I don't make it. Get to the firehouse. You hear me, Vinny? Get to the firehouse like we planned."

"You're gonna make it!

Diana heard the beeping sound. The phone cut off the call. They were disconnected.

She laid her head against the wood, exhausted and spent. At least they knew where she was. She was grateful the phone had the voice-activated feature and worked.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll make it.

She closed her eyes.

"Did you get all that?” the chief shouted into the radio.

"We got it. Holy Shit, we got it!” Brian screamed with obvious enthusiasm. Perhaps they would reach her in time.

"That's my sister. She's one tough kid."

"She sure as hell is. The entrance to that elevator shaft is one more flight up. There should be a set of doors we can get through. Then we can locate exactly what floor she's on."

"Let's do it."

The fire raged above them. The nozzle team moved in close to try and extinguish the flames. They reached the set of doors and pried them open.

Luke looked down into the darkness. Above their heads, flames roared in-between the space of the elevator shaft and the adjacent floors.

"That fire is spreading fast. It's looking for more oxygen to feed on and this shaft is filled with it."

"We need some sort of light. Shine on the large one,” Brian told the firefighters behind them.

They beamed the light down.

Luke removed his mask. “Diana!” The light shined over her body.

"There she is. Oh, my God. She's floating in water."

Luke didn't think twice about his next move. He jumped into the elevator shaft, falling two floors below.

"Luke!” Brian screamed. He watched as Luke hit the water, then came splashing back through to the surface.

"That guy is fucking crazy.” Another firefighter said, as he looked over the edge.

Luke grabbed Diana. “Wake up, doll. Come on. Don't die on me. You're tougher than this."

He caressed her white cheeks. The fear that he was too late hit him hard. He leaned his face closer, trying to feel her breath. She was still alive.

Her eyes fluttered open. “What an asinine thing to do."

"What?"

"You could have landed on me."

Luke chuckled. “No chance, darling. I'm a trained professional."

"Why did you do that? I'm going to die.” She closed her eyes.

"No, you're not, Pellino. I'm not gonna let you.” He held her closer to him. Her body shook, and he noticed her lips were blue.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

Diana cried out, as Luke wedged his body closer to the wall then braced his boots against a lower ledge. The gear weighed him down, but he refused to sink. He held on tighter.

He looked at her arms. They were bleeding and scratched up. There were cuts against her cheeks and neck, as well. “Try to latch your legs around mine. Use my legs for support.

"I can't"