Killer Career (30 page)

She rolled to the other side of the bed. Hoisting herself up on her
right elbow, she somersaulted onto the floor. Off balance, she
tumbled into the end table, knocking her crazy bone. Ignoring the
shooting pain, she headed for the door.

Swearing and cupping himself with one hand, Tyler pursued her. In his
present state, he was as dangerous as a wounded wolf.

She got past the door before he did. With a backward kick, she flung
it closed in his face and was rewarded by his grunt of pain. Good,
she must have connected with some part of him.

It was awkward running with her hands bound, but she didn’t have
time to free them. Banging into the walls, she rushed down the hall.

She heard the door open behind her. Soon Tyler would catch up. Then
it would be all over.

At the thought, a burst of adrenaline filled her. Her legs pumped
faster. She stumbled into the elevator and leaned on the garage
button.

The doors swung closed. She held her breath as the elevator began its
descent. It got down about five floors, before it suddenly stopped. A
crackling voice filled the cab.

“You shouldn’t have done that. You could have enjoyed yourself
here with me, but since you seem to like it where you are so much,
I’ll leave you there. You’ll be stuck all by yourself in that
tiny little elevator for as long as I like. Nobody knows where you
are but me. Unlike when you were a child at the Observatory, this
time no one will come to rescue you.”

As she worked on loosening her bonds, she answered, “You’re
wrong. The office knows where I went.”

“Is that right? Then I better call and relay your message. Let’s
see, you’re too tied up to make it back today, right?” He gave a
short laugh.

Where were her brains? She shouldn’t have reminded him about the
office. Now no one would be the wiser when she didn’t come back.

Pulling at the shirt, she pressed her lips shut. She’d not make the
same mistake twice.

“Playing coy? No matter. You can’t get out anyway. You’ll stay
right where you are unless I decide to let you go, which I don’t
think I will. How does that sound?”

As Julie gazed around the small cab, the walls closed in on her. Her
worst nightmare had come to life. She was stuck in an elevator and
couldn’t get out. Her heart pounded heavily against her rib cage.
Her fingers and legs shook.

She glanced longingly at the corner of the floor. If only she could
sink down there and give up, as she’d done as a child, hiding in a
make-believe world where the horror did not exist.

It was not an option. No amount of cringing in the corner would make
the nightmare end. She would not give in. She was not a small child
depending on an adult to rescue her. She was a full grown woman and
capable of thinking her way out of a mess. She must. The alternative
was too frightening.

What about the panic button? She should have thought of that sooner.
All she had to do was push it and the fire department would come. She
reached toward the red button.

“If you’re thinking about pushing the panic button, it won’t do
you any good.” Tyler’s voice filled the cab. I’ve already
called the guard downstairs and the fire department about the
malfunction in my alarm system, which my own service will attend to
on Monday.”

He’d read her mind, but that wasn’t hard. Anyone with sense would
push the button. Just in case he was lying, she pressed it, but no
one answered the ring. Now what could she do?

“Ready to give up?” His voice mocked her.

She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reply.

“Be that way. I think I’ll retire to my cozy kitchen and make
myself a nice big sandwich and a hot cup of coffee. And what about
you? Do you want anything? Oh, I forgot. You can’t have any. You’re
stuck in the elevator. My, my, going without food isn’t very good
for your hypoglycemia. You might get dizzy or faint.”

Julie’s stomach growled in protest. Until Tyler had mentioned food,
she’d not realized how hungry she was. Not bothering with lunch,
she’d rushed straight over from the office. Just how long would it
take before her blood sugar dipped to a dangerous level? Three days,
a week? How long would she be trapped here?

Nerves made her mouth dry, reminding her that she hadn’t had
anything to drink either. She must get out. That meant using the time
Tyler was gone to her advantage. Frantically, she worked with the
fingers of her right hand to loosen the bonds on the left. The knot
only grew tighter. She must be patient and go slow, though all she
could think of was fleeing this box.

“When I get back from lunch, maybe I won’t leave you there, after
all. How’s that?”

Her heart lifted. Thank God he’d come to his senses. He’d been
teasing her all along, employing an exercise to illustrate how she
could use it in a book.

“Let’s see. I’ve got one of those knives somewhere in the
kitchen, you know, the ones they advertise on television that cut
through steel. I wonder if it’s sharp enough to saw through a cable
or two. It might take a little while, but we’ve got plenty of time.
When I come back, we’ll get started. Oh, I almost forgot, you don’t
need those lights anymore.”

The cab plunged into darkness. This was no lesson or game. She’d
get no reprieve. She’d have no opportunity to rescue Dade, who this
moment might be dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. She’d gotten
him into this mess and couldn’t get him out. She’d failed him. He
didn’t deserve this.

Desperation proved the final impetus. She fumbled desperately with
her bonds. The knots on her left hand loosened. That made it easier
to free the other. She rubbed her fingers and palms to get back the
circulation.

Her hands were free, but what good did it do her? She was still
trapped.

This can’t be happening
, her brain said. Instinct told her,
yes, it could. All along the mystery writer had seemed odd, as if
something was missing. It was too late to realize the ingredient was
the conscience she’d mentioned at the mystery conference.

How long had Tyler teetered on the edge of madness?

It didn’t matter. Right now she had to figure out how to escape.
She would not let Tyler win. This opulent cab would not be her
coffin. The only route left was up through the hatch. First, she
better push the stop button in case Tyler came back before she got
the hatch open. It would be dangerous climbing one of the wall
ladders inside the shaft, but staying here could be just as deadly.

Getting up to the hatch was another problem. The brass hand rails
lining the sides of the cab were low, but the hatch was high. She was
tall, so that should help some. Well, maybe the chandelier which
didn’t shed light at the moment might be useful for something else.
Also, the shirt, which Tyler had provided for his own purposes, might
come in handy.

She flung her shoes with the two inch heels on the floor, peeled off
her slippery nylons, then threw Tyler’s shirt over her shoulder.

Using the shirt as a lasso, she threw it up in the direction of where
she could barely make out the chandelier. It fell off. The second
time it caught, with one of the sleeves falling down. If she jumped
up, she should be tall enough to grab it. Thank goodness the ceiling
was low. That would work in her favor.

She frowned, wondering if the chandelier’s bolts could hold her
hundred and twenty pounds. She’d soon find out.

Jumping up, she grabbed for the shirt. It slipped off. The chandelier
teetered and she fell to the floor. Though the carpet was plush, the
jolt still rattled her tailbone.

She’d try again. Her plan had to work. She lassoed the chandelier
and jumped up to reach for the shirt. This time, she caught the
sleeve and held on with both hands. The chandelier creaked and
started to give from the pressure of her weight. She had to get this
done fast.

She swung back and forth, let go with her right hand, then forming a
fist, pounded at the hatch opening. It wouldn’t budge. She felt the
chandelier loosening more. In desperation, she swung back again and
pushed forward to gain momentum. Putting every muscle she’d earned
from her fitness pump classes into play, she attacked the hatch’s
opening.

Her knuckles protested as the hatch gave. She pushed it up, then
grabbed at the opening, ignoring how the edge scraped her hand. She
held on to the edge as tight as she could, let go of the shirt with
the other hand and then grasped at the hatch with that hand also. As
she looked up, she detected the dim light from the penthouse above.
At least she would not be in total darkness during her ascent. She
had little time for more investigation, since already her wrists
ached from the strain of holding on.

Pretending she was doing a push up, she exerted more pressure on her
wrists and forced her body up further until she was resting on her
elbows, half in and half out of the cab. She quickly caught her
breath, then hoisted herself further up with her elbows until she’d
cleared the opening. She scrambled on her knees until she was sitting
on the top of the cab. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the shaft
in the dim light with its cables and guide rails staring back at her.
Could she make it to the ladder on the wall without falling? Once
there, she’d have to somehow get to a door that would open. Was
there one before the penthouse? If not, Tyler would be the one
greeting her and she’d be in a worse position than before. He could
push her down the shaft and no one would find her for a long time.

She had to think positive. Somehow she’d get out of this. Thank
goodness, the elevator would be stationary, since she’d pushed the
stop button. Also, with the hatch open, she didn’t think it could
go anywhere either. She’d heard somewhere that open doors and
hatches made the safety brakes kick in.

“I’m back.” Tyler’s sing-song voice over the intercom sent
fresh chills up and down her spine.

About to clamber up to the cable, instead she flattened herself on
top of the cab. Would he try cutting the cable as he’d mentioned?
Maybe if she said the right combination of words he’d switch back
to being normal. It was worth a try.

“Did you have a nice lunch?”

“It would have been nicer if you’d shared it with me.”

“We could still do that, but at the moment I’m not hungry.”

“You will be, that is, if I let you live that long.”

“Tyler, why are you doing this to me? I never did anything to
you.”

“You’re a big fat liar. You’re the lousiest mother in the whole
world. You left Dad in the car and it killed him. That’s why I
killed you. Why aren’t you dead?” Tyler’s voice rose in an
anguished wail.

Surprise made her gasp. He’d killed his mother. How horrible. What
was worse, he seemed to think that she was his mother. He was
psychotic. No wonder. Apparently, as a child he’d witnessed his
Dad’s murder. The event had probably eaten at him, until in
desperation he’d retaliated by murdering his mother. Tyler was
sick. In other circumstances, she might have felt sorry for him. She
didn’t have that luxury with hers and Dade’s lives at stake.
She’d try again to talk some sense into him. “Listen to me. I’m
not your mother. I didn’t do anything to you. I’m Julie,
remember?”

“You’re not fooling me. You look just like her. Of course, you’re
my mother.”

“A few minutes ago, you wanted to make love to me. You wouldn’t
do that with your mother, right?”

“Of course I would. Mother, don’t you want me anymore? You did
before, but now I’m not good enough for you.”

Good grief. It was worse than she’d thought. Tyler must have been
sexually abused as a child. She didn’t want to hear more.

It was time to begin her climb. As she’d planned before he
reappeared, she’d try to get up to a landing door that would open.

“Answer me. Don’t you want me?” His screaming voice echoed down
to her.

No more mind games. Time for action. She reached down into the cab
from her perch on top and fumbled in the direction of the chandelier.
Her fingers closed on the cloth of the shirt sleeve. She pulled it up
and tied it around her waist.

She crawled to the left side of the cab, then slowly stood up. The
iron ladder lay against the wall, but it could only be accessed by
crossing over the cables and the guide rails. She reached for the
nearest cable to her left and held on tight with her fingers, knees
and toes.

“How dumb do you think I am? I know what you’re doing and it
won’t work.”

The cable shook. She reached for the guide rail and almost fell as
she slipped over to it. At the last minute, she caught her balance.
The man was satanic. He’d do anything.

She could give up and not try at all, but that meant almost certain
death. She had no choice but to go on.

She loosened one end of the shirt and tied it to the rail. Gritting
her teeth, not daring to look down, she grasped the guide rail with
both hands and wound her body around its coldness. The cable to the
right gyrated as if it had a mind of its own.

Tyler’s laugh echoed down the shaft. “Are you enjoying yourself?
Tell me, which is more fun? Today, or when you were a little girl
stuck in the elevator at the Observatory?”

Fresh terror hit her. She clamped her lids tight, trying to block out
the horrible memories. He showed no mercy, attacking her on all
sides, physically and psychologically, not leaving one unused weapon
in his arsenal. Like a god on Olympus, he watched from above, mocking
her efforts. She must ignore him and concentrate on escaping.

She loosened one end of the shirt and attached it higher, inched up
and repeated the process on the other side, ignoring the painful
pricks to her palm as the steel splinters dug into her skin. If only
he’d go back into the penthouse again for a while. It turned
silent. Not hearing any sounds from Tyler made her wonder what he was
planning. Though his voice had sent chills racing down her spine, at
least then he’d telegraphed his intentions. Now she had no idea
what he was up to. Should she chance trying to get to the ladder or
stay put?