Killer Career (31 page)

A creaking sound signaled he was back. The cable beside her moved
slightly. She flattened herself against the guide rail, holding as
tight as she could to the slippery metal.

“Where are you, mother,” Tyler asked in a bewildered, little
boy’s voice.

She didn’t know which was more terrifying: his regressive voice or
his hard cold adult one.

“Why are you hiding from me?”

His mind seemed to seesaw, blocking out things he couldn’t handle.
Now he was looking for his apparently dead mother, whom he thought
was Julie.

She was tempted to answer him, but then remembered his last reaction.
She had enough to handle without witnessing a repeat of his fury.

“You can’t fool me. I know you’re there. If you come out now, I
promise to be good and not hurt you.”

His tone was wheedling, almost sincere. It almost made her believe
him.

“Be that way. Just for that, I’m coming down to get you. Then
we’ll go to the garage. I’ll hang you in there again, just like I
did before, right where you killed Dad.”

A shadow blocked the dim light above. Tyler was making good on his
promise. The guide rail Julie leaned on shook, as he shimmied down.
If she didn’t move, his weight would topple her.

Julie reached out for the cable beside her, then swung over, grasping
it tightly with her arms and knees. Tyler suddenly appeared beside
her on the guide rail. He reached over and grabbed her shoulder,
pinching it. She shook him away, almost slipping off the cable.

“There you are. Why don’t you come closer? Aren’t I good
enough for you anymore?”

Tyler’s putrid breath invaded her space. In the darkness, the
corneas of his eyes and his ivory shirt were all she could make out
of him. He looked like a specter of death evolved from every elevator
nightmare she’d ever had, ready to fling her into eternity.

It mustn’t end like this. She had too much to live for. She must
get to Dade. She must help him.

That seemed an impossible dream as she perched on the cable awaiting
Tyler’s next move. She must stay put, keep vigilant and watch for
an opportunity to escape.

“Answer me. Don’t you love me anymore?”

“Of course I do,” she said in her most reassuring voice. “I
always have.”

“Then why do you see other men when you can have me? I don’t
understand.”

His mother must have been a prostitute, not only using her son as a
sex toy, but also dispensing sexual favors on members of her own age
group. Julie ached for the little boy who’d tried to make sense of
a mother whose only interest was gratification. The trick now would
be to make him feel better and deflect his wrath.

“It’s always been you. They never meant anything to me,” she
reassured him.

“You’re a liar.” His yell blasted her ear drums, causing her to
almost loosen her grip. Its painful cry echoed down the shaft and
back up to her.

“No, I’m not lying. I love you. I always have.”

“Momma, momma, I love you, too.”

Tyler’s sobs were heartrending, cutting to her soul. Though in this
situation, emotions were dangerous. Her eyes welled up.

“Robbie, let’s go back inside. Everything will be all right,”
she said, instinctively reaching out to touch his hair and soothe
him.

“No. It’s too late for that. Nothing is right. Dad’s dead.
You’re dead. What are you doing here?”

She couldn’t handle his mood swings. Just when Tyler seemed
malleable, he swung back in the opposite direction. Now what should
she do? She’d have to try more psychology. “I’m here because
you let me be. You’ve never gotten over what you did. You’ll
never feel at peace until you make it up to me.”

“No, you’re wrong. I hate you,” he said in a hard voice,
reaching out and yanking Julie’s left shoulder off the cable,
leaving her dangling by her right hand. She was slipping. She had to
do something. She reached out for balance, and almost recoiled at the
feel of his sweaty arm.

“Get away, you slut.” He swatted at her face. She ducked, dodged
the blow and slipped. By some miracle she caught hold of the cable
before falling further.

“You don’t learn, do you?” His voice rose, as he reached again
to strike her.

Tyler missed. This time he lost his balance, tried to right himself,
but his shoes slipped on the guide rail.

“You bitch. You’re coming with me,” he yelled, clutching for
her, knocking Julie off her precarious perch.

Chapter Thirty-Four

She was free-falling, reaching frantically for the cable. It slid
through her fingers burning her skin, slowing her speed, but not
preventing her descent.

Tyler was first, toppling below her onto the top of the cab with its
open hatch and metal sides. His rage-filled bellow turned into a
squeal of pain. Julie catapulted after him, her stomach doing
somersaults as if she were on a roller coaster. After what seemed an
eternity, she landed stomach first on Tyler, with the breath knocked
out of her.

He’d gotten his wish. Panting for air, with every muscle screaming,
Julie lay on top of him. It wouldn’t take much effort for him to
have her. In her present state, out of breath and aching in every
bone, it would be next to impossible to resist,

Trying desperately to fill her lungs, she heaved in gulps of air.
Tyler, who’d fallen just as far, didn’t seem to have any such
problem. He lay silent and still, as if not breathing at all. His
foul breath, which moments before had blown into her face, was now
surprisingly absent.

Maybe he wasn’t breathing. Impossible. He couldn’t be dead, could
he? How could she be sure? If he was, that meant she was lying on top
of a dead man.

It was silly to care anything about Tyler after all he’d done to
her, but instinctively Julie placed her fingers on his neck to feel
for a pulse. She found none. Her hand came back wet and slimy. My
God, she
was
lying on top of a dead man. Repugnance warred
with relief. It was ironic that the once abused boy who’d hungered
for his mother’s love had died in the impossible process of trying
to reconcile her cavalier treatment of him. A victim of genetics and
behavior, Tyler hadn’t stood a chance.

What about Dade? Did he still have one? She had to get to him and
find out. Tyler’s body blocked the escape hatch, but even so the
elevator was useless. The motor controls from the penthouse were
still set in the braking position where they’d need to be released.
Instead of the luxury of riding the elevator, she must continue her
journey up the guide rail, then over to the ladder on the wall, until
she reached a door from which she could exit. Then she could summon
help. The shirt, her safety net, was under Tyler. He was too heavy to
lift. That meant going without it. One less prop at hand when she
needed as many as she could get. She’d manage. Adrenaline made her
heart pump fast. Ignoring the searing pain in her palms, and the
throbbing sensations from her knee and hip, she climbed back onto the
guide rail and began the slow process of inching her way up.

The journey took forever, though if she were walking the same
distance on the sidewalk it would have taken a few minutes.

No landings with doors presented themselves as she climbed. The dim
light became brighter. Finally, her groping fingers felt the metal
indentations of the open penthouse doors. Almost weak with relief,
she lost her balance and had to quickly right herself.

Taking a deep breath, she hoisted herself up again, then fell onto
the carpet in Tyler’s lobby. She’d done it. She’d faced her
demon and survived, but she had no time to waste on congratulations.

She stumbled upright, then rushed to the master controls alongside
the elevator shaft, located the call button and quickly pressed it.
No one answered like before. Of course, they wouldn’t. Everyone
believed Tyler’s story about the malfunction. She needed to use a
land line.

She dashed into the foyer, searching for a phone and found one on an
antique table. She dialed nine-one-one. A female voice answered and
Julie gave the address, telling her someone in the private garage on
the south side of the building was trapped with the motor running.
Also, another person had had an accident in the private elevator
shaft to the penthouse and may have died.

That done, she rushed out into the hallway, located the emergency
stairwell and raced down as fast as she could, testing the doors on
each landing along the way, hoping one of them would give.

Ten floors below, on the sixtieth floor, when she turned the knob,
the door swung open. She darted around the corner to the main
elevator bank and jabbed the button. Within minutes, an elevator
appeared.

In her downward descent, building occupants stepped on and off at
various floors, casting curious glances in her direction. Considering
how disheveled she looked, with her face and hair dirty and
scratched, her suit torn and her feet shoeless, she didn’t blame
them.

They were probably wondering how a bum like her could have gained
entry to their exclusive residence. Let them think what they wished.
Such superficialities didn’t matter. What counted was Dade.

God, please let him be all right,
she prayed silently.

Just as she made it to the main floor, she heard sirens in the
distance. Help might be on its way, but she couldn’t wait. It could
already be too late.

She hobbled to the security guard. Gulping out the words, she said,
“Someone’s passed out in Tyler Jensen’s garage. Also, Tyler
Jensen’s fallen into his elevator shaft and landed on the top of
his elevator. It’s stalled around the seventieth floor. I called
for help.” “Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t lie about something like that. Please, where’s the
stairs to Tyler Jensen’s garage? Someone might be down there in
serious trouble.”

“You can’t go there without permission.”

“I’ve got to. It’s a matter of life and death.”

He didn’t look totally convinced, but gave in and pointed to a
recessed door. “Okay. Over there, Miss.”

* * *

Julie coughed as she stepped into Tyler’s garage. The air was thick
with fumes. The roar of a motor hurt her ears. The source was the BMW
in the middle of the garage.

She ran to it and peered inside. At sight of Dade’s figure slumped
over the steering wheel, her heart squeezed. He looked so still and
white. The windows were closed. She tried to open the doors, but they
were locked. How could she get him out? Somehow she had to get fresh
air in to him.

She ran to the front of the garage and pressed the entry button. The
door opened, letting in a burst of cold air.

Sirens blared as a squad car and ambulance pulled up. Thank God,
reinforcements had arrived. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late.

Julie apprized the officers of the situation, then stood to the side,
shaking, while one of them applied a Slim Jim to the driver’s side
door of Dade’s car. It slowly opened, letting out a strong smell of
alcohol in the process.

Strange. Dade wouldn’t drink at this time of day. In fact, because
of his father, he rarely drank at all.

Shaking his head, the medical technician felt for Dade’s pulse.
With a grim look, he turned to Julie.

“Is he?” With fingers dug into her palm, she awaited the verdict.

Chapter Thirty-Five

It was over. Julie reached down to pick up a stray paper clip from
the floor before taking one last look at her office. The room was
strangely still. Normally, on a Monday morning, it was teaming with
life, yet today it lay dormant.

Her dear office held so many memories, happy and sad. It was almost
like a person. She hated to pass it over to Tony Romero, Dade’s new
partner. She must if she were to follow her dream.

So much had happened here. Through it all, Dade had been with her
every step of the way. She’d done her best to reciprocate, which
she hoped he’d realized.

Triumphs and disappointments, cases won and lost, late hours
together, working side-by-side to make a name for themselves, those
kind of memories could never be replicated. She’d always have them
to fall back on. With a sigh, she reached for the light switch.

A warm hand crossed over hers. “Are you absolutely sure you want to
go through with this,” a familiar voice asked.

“Yes. It hurts, but I’ve got to.” She blinked back sudden
tears.

Dade gave her a look of sympathy. He understood what this meant to
her. “Well, then if you insist.” He slid his arm around her
waist. It felt so right, standing here beside Dade, as she closed out
another chapter of her life. Throughout most of her important
decisions, he’d been there alongside her, guiding her along, yet
leaving room for her to grow, making sure she didn’t settle for
anything less than she deserved. He, as well as Dad, had given her
the courage to follow her dream.

Thank God, Dade had pulled through Tyler’s murder attempt four
months ago. A bit more of the laced coffee, maybe half an hour more
in the locked car, and he may not have been standing with her now.
She shuddered at the thought, before pushing it from her mind. The
important thing was he had survived. He was alive and with her now.
What tomorrow would bring she had no idea.

After today, her status would change. She’d journey alone into
uncharted territory, without Dade to lean on. The idea frightened and
excited her. Would reality live up to her long held dream?

And what of the other dream? The one she’d kept buried in her
heart? Did it stand a chance?

“Ready to leave,” Dade asked gently.

Julie nodded, taking one last look at her cherished office - - the
desk that would pass on to the new partner, the barren walls that
were stripped of her favorite pictures, the windows she’d often
looked out from.