Silent Weapon (18 page)

I took a deep, steadying breath and tapped the brakes to slow down a bit, but the pedal went all the way to the floor. Outright fear surged into my chest. I pumped the brake, but still there was no response.

I glanced at the rearview mirror to see that Tiff was okay and tried to appear calm when she looked up at me.

Oh, God, I prayed, please don’t let this be what I think it is. I pressed down on the brake again…nothing.

No way could I take the next curve at this speed. Goose bumps spilled across my skin.

I had to try.

Chapter 14

F
or long minutes after the car crashed to a stop I wondered if I was dead. I couldn’t feel my heart beating…or the blood roaring through my ears. I felt numb…I stared at the huge white pillow deflating in front of me. What happened?

My lungs abruptly seized and air filled them once more. With the oxygen came excruciating pain. A cry squeezed out of my throat. I balled my fingers into fists and gasped for more air…fought the pain.

The air bag, I realized, had knocked the breath out of me. I stared down at myself. No blood. I moved my head side to side. Wiggled my arms and legs. Okay, I was okay.

Tiffany!

Fear screamed through my veins, blasting against my impotent eardrums. Agony welled inside me as I jerked at my seat belt and cried out her name.

Please, God, don’t let her be hurt.

I struggled against the damned belt. Tried to get loose. The rearview mirror was missing…only then did I realize that a limb had protruded through the windshield. Fragments of safety glass lay scattered around me…on the dashboard…on the seat.

Small hands suddenly tugged at my arm. I looked up into frightened gray eyes.

Miss Merri! Miss Merri, are you okay?

I hugged Tiffany hard against me and prayed I wasn’t dreaming. Please let this be real.

She wriggled free of my fierce hold and wiped the tears from my face with her tiny hands.
Are you hurt?

I had to laugh. Here I was shaking like a leaf, bawling my eyes out, and an eight-year-old child escapes her seat belt and climbs over the seat to see about me.

I hugged her again and kissed her once more. “I’m okay.” This time I managed to get the seat belt loose.

Tiffany shook her head somberly.
The car’s not okay.

She was right about that.

After checking out the situation a little more closely, we scrambled out of the vehicle. I lifted Tiffany into my arms and visually inspected her for injury. We were both shaken and would likely sport various bruises tomorrow, but otherwise neither of us appeared to be injured. I stared back up at the highway where we’d gone off the road. It was a miracle we’d survived.

I’d managed to make that first dangerous curve, primarily because I hadn’t met another vehicle coming toward me, which allowed me to swing into the other lane. Beyond that curve a section of guardrail protected a stretch of highway from a particularly precarious drop. With another prayer that what I’d seen in movies could work, I’d cut my wheels far enough so that I ended up sideswiping that guardrail. To my surprise the move worked, as it had definitely slowed down the forward momentum of the car a bit. The problem was when the guardrail ran out I couldn’t swerve back to the left quickly enough and I ended up going all the way over the shoulder and down.

Way…way down.

I studied the path, noting the saplings I’d killed. I didn’t know how in the world I’d managed to avoid the larger trees until we’d finally come to rest against these pines. I turned back to where my Jetta sat parked in the thicket, an evergreen scent angrily filling the air. Fortunately, between the guardrail, the saplings and the underbrush, the speed of my car had been slowed enough to prevent a lethal crash.

Thank God.

I felt faint all over again and my knees went weak.

Gathering my wits and my fortitude, I found a relatively clear spot and settled Tiffany down onto the ground. “Stay right here,” I told her. “I’m going to try to find my phone.” It had to be in the car. Had probably been in my purse all along, but I just hadn’t been able to locate it while driving.

After an exhaustive search I realized I was wrong. The phone was not there. I remembered clearly unplugging it from its charger and putting it into my purse this morning. My purse had remained in my locked room until I’d grabbed it to make this trip.

I could no longer deny the only reasonable explanation.

Someone had gone into my room and stolen it.

I stepped back and stared at my damaged car. The memory of the brake pedal going all the way to the floor without slowing the vehicle seared into my brain all over again.

“Oh, God.”

Surely my brakes hadn’t been tampered with. Failures did occur spontaneously from time to time. It wasn’t completely impossible that it had happened now and my phone had gone missing at the same time. Terror snaked around my chest and tightened. The look on Cecilia’s face when Tiff and I walked out of the house this morning loomed large in my mind. Her threat flashed next.
Cut your losses or you’ll lose more than you bargained for.

A tug on my arm brought my attention to the child, who had moved up beside me.
I’m scared. I want to go home.

I lifted her back into my arms and hugged her reassuringly. “I know. It’s okay. We’ll get home.”

If we climbed back up to the road, we could hitch a ride with the next car that came along. There weren’t any houses for several more miles.

Tiffany drew back, her face scrunched with worry.
I have to go to the bathroom, really bad.

I nodded. There were tissues in my bag. All we needed was a private spot. I grabbed my purse, surveyed the thick woods around us and felt reasonably certain that wouldn’t be a problem.

We made our way through the underbrush until we found a spot that looked safe enough for baring her bottom. I settled Tiff and my suddenly too-heavy bag onto the ground. While she took care of business, I kept watch in the direction of my crashed car.

I rubbed at my forehead, only then noting the ache there. I wondered if I’d hit my head somehow in the crash. I didn’t remember doing so. Maybe it was just the jolt or some odd way my neck got twisted during impact causing the discomfort just now.

Branches moving in the distance snagged my attention, sent renewed fear rushing through my still-wobbly limbs. I grabbed Tiff, who had just pulled her underpants back into place and held her tight against me. “Shh,” I urged against her ear. I could feel her little heart pounding just as mine was.

I held my breath, waited for a bear or other wild animal to emerge from nature’s screen.

Vargas.

I almost stumbled back a step. Caught myself just in time.

My first instinct was to call out to him, but some deeper, more primitive feeling kept my lips firmly sealed. I kept my hand over Tiff’s eyes so she wouldn’t see, whispered softly for her to be very, very quiet. If she saw him she would want to call out to him, probably would before I could stop her. I couldn’t let that happen until I determined his intent. He and Cecilia were in this together—whatever
this
was. If Cecilia didn’t want me around, it made sense Vargas wouldn’t, either. My heart skipped a beat. He was likely the one she’d talked into tampering with my brakes—assuming that’s what had just happened.

I had to be sure.

Vargas made his way to the car and stuck his head in through the open driver’s side door.

I watched and waited to see what he would do. My instincts continued to war inside me. What was I doing hiding like this? He was Cecilia’s lover, that was true, but the bottom line was that he worked for Hammond. I held Hammond’s daughter in my arms. There was no reason to believe Vargas wouldn’t take us back to the house. Was there?

Still, I couldn’t get past the idea that he represented some kind of threat. The images of him and Cecilia having savage sex flitted one after the other through my mind. This man was working against Hammond behind his back. I felt certain of it after having seen the things he said to Cecilia in the throes of passion.

There it was. That’s why I couldn’t trust him…couldn’t call out to him. The final look Cecilia had given me slammed into my brain next, along with the memory of my foot pressing hard on the brake pedal.

They had caused this. I knew it…felt it in every cell in my body. Not only would Cecilia be rid of me, but Hammond would be devastated…leaving him vulnerable.

Vargas pulled his cell phone from his pocket. I froze, focused on his lips. Maybe he would call for help. I didn’t mind being wrong…especially not right now.

They’re not here.

The fingers of his free hand fisted and slammed down on top of the car.

I jerked at the ferocity behind the blow, held Tiffany tighter to my chest when she did the same.

The car crashed,
he said, his face a harsh mask of anger.
But they got out.
He listened for a moment.
How the hell do I know? I’m telling you they’re not in the car.
His mouth twisted brutally with fury in the seconds that followed.
Don’t worry, I’ll find them. I’ll take care of it personally this time.

We had to get out of there.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, prodding me to move. To hurry.

I crouched down and turned Tiff’s face to mine while still holding her as tightly as I dared. I pressed my finger to my lips to indicate that she should be quiet, then I whispered, “We’re in danger. We have to try to get to help.”

I heard someone talking…was it—?

I touched my fingers to her lips to shush her. “Do you trust me to take good care of you?” I asked softly. I didn’t worry that she now had proof-positive that I could indeed read lips. Saving our lives was far more important just now than worrying about her knowing my lip-reading secret.

She nodded, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

“Then you have to do as I say. Be very, very quiet no matter what.”

She nodded again.

I wrapped her arms and legs around me. “Hold on tight.” She obeyed. I glanced back toward the car one last time and saw that Vargas was searching the area around it, likely looking for blood or some indication of a trail. It wouldn’t take him long to find the latter. I had to hurry, but more important, I had to be very, very quiet.

Should be easy enough for a deaf woman, right? Yeah, right.

I pressed my lips to Tiff’s ear and murmured, “If you hear me making noise, tug on my hair.” The child nodded her understanding.

All I had to do was get away from Vargas and find a phone. Detective Barlow would take care of the rest.

I started forward, choosing the path that appeared to offer the least resistance. The underbrush rubbed against my clothes. I moved as quickly as I dared, praying Tiff would warn me if I made too much noise.

Deciding a straight path was not a good idea, I moved in a zigzag pattern.

I tried to recall my days as a Girl Scout, but I couldn’t remember anything relevant to my current situation. I did recall vividly selling boxes and boxes of cookies. How hilarious was that?

The farther I moved into the woods, away from the scene of the crash, the more confident I felt about my ability to do this. I moved faster and faster. I was a little winded from carrying Tiff, but I’d be okay.

What if he was close behind me and I didn’t know it?

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. The breath rammed in and out of my lungs as I visually searched the woods behind me.

Tiffany drew back, a frown marring her pretty face.
What’s wrong?

I moistened my lips and steeled my nerves. I had to keep going, couldn’t let fear slow me down.

“I have another job for you, Tiff.”

She stared at me expectantly.

“If you hear me making noise pull my hair like I said. Keep your eyes open, and if you see someone or something moving in the bushes behind us or running toward us, you yank extra hard, okay?”

Her eyes rounded with terror.
Is something after us?

I summoned a smile for her benefit. “I don’t think so, but I just want to be sure.” I tapped my ear. “You know I can’t hear a thing, so I need your help.”

She nodded.

I pulled her close once more and started moving again, as fast as I dared. I lost all sense of time and direction, just kept going until my arms and legs felt rubbery with exhaustion.

Tiff yanked on my hair.

I ducked behind the closest tree. “What?” I whispered between ragged gasps for air.

She looked uncertain how to tell me what she had to say.
I hear something.
She lifted her slim shoulders in a shrug.
It sounds like a fountain…or water.

For the second time recently I wished like hell I could hear again. Admittedly, hearing the sound of danger was a lot more important than hearing Barlow’s voice. I remembered wishing I could hear how he sounded.

She pointed to my right.
That way, I think.

I don’t know why I considered it a good idea, but for some reason I wanted to find the water she thought she heard. Tiff had to give me a couple more directions but we finally found it. Nothing more than a wide, shallow stream. The water was crystal clear and upon seeing it my mind immediately conjured from memory the sound of flowing water.

Tiff turned my face to hers.
What do we do now?

Maybe it was something I’d learned as a Girl Scout or maybe it was just another scene in a movie I’d once watched or a book I’d read, but some instinct made me want to follow the stream.

I stepped into the cool water and started walking in the direction of the flow. Without the underbrush to slow me down I could walk much faster. The water wasn’t deep enough to work against me. All I had to do was keep going. Tiff would let me know if I started to splash too much.

The sun had dropped below the treetops when I realized I couldn’t walk another step. I waded out of the water and dropped on the ground.

Tiff raised her head from my shoulder and looked at me with a question in her eyes.

“Sorry, sweetie, I have to rest. You listen and watch, okay?”

She nodded, then laid her head back on my shoulder. I didn’t know how much watching she’d done for the last hour or so, but I felt fairly comfortable at this point. If Vargas had been going to find us I believe he would have by now. More likely he’d gone back for help.

Another reality suddenly hit me. Tiffany and I couldn’t be allowed to survive. If we did, then Vargas and Cecilia’s attempt on our lives would be revealed. I sat up straight and looked around. No way would he give up until he found us. And he couldn’t go back for help. He couldn’t, not without signing his own death warrant.