Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner #5)(49)

“I’m sure he’s on his way,” Kitally said.

No sooner had the phone rang than Jacque took off, running as fast as her eighty-year-old legs would take her, which was impressive considering she used a cane and walked with a limp. None of that stopped the elderly woman from picking up the phone before it could ring a second time.

“Oh, hello, dear. I was hoping it was Gracie’s dognapper calling again. Yes, I’ll let you know as soon as Gracie is back home.” She hung up. Her shoulders sagged.

Kitally and Tommy exchanged pitiful looks.

“That should do it,” Tommy said as he stepped down from the stool. “The camera also has a voice recorder,” he told Jacque.

He was about to open the door, but Kitally stopped him. “Duck!” she told him. “I see someone coming now.”

Jacque lunged for the doorknob.

“Don’t open the door,” Kitally said. “We need him to come all the way up to the door.”

Tommy placed his hands on Jacque’s frail shoulders. “Try to hold the door as wide-open as possible to make sure we get a good shot of the guy.”

Jacque looked at the landscape painting in the entryway. “Are you sure this is going to work? I can’t see the camera.”

“That’s the idea,” Kitally told her. “The camera is tiny for a reason. We don’t want this guy to know we’re onto him. Tommy, is everything ready?”

“We’re good to go,” he said.

“There isn’t enough time for us to hide outside,” Kitally explained. “Is there a back room where we can hide?”

Jacque led them to the hallway and then pointed to the back room to the left.

A knock on the door caused her to jump.

“Stay calm and everything will be fine,” Kitally told her.

“Don’t forget to open the door wide,” Tommy said as she walked off.




Tommy had downloaded an application that made it possible to watch the scene from his phone. They watched Jacque put her cane to the side so she could open the door. She opened it wide and left it that way.

“She’s doing good so far,” Tommy whispered.

“Gracie,” Jacque cried as she reached for her dog.

The pug tried to wiggle out of the man’s arms, but he wouldn’t let Gracie go.

“Give her the dog,” Kitally said under her breath. “Why isn’t he giving the old lady her dog?”

“Shh, let’s just watch.”

“Where’s my money?”

Jacque handed the man one hundred dollars, just as they had rehearsed.

He grabbed it and stuffed the bills into his front pocket, but he still wouldn’t hand over the dog. “I want you to know that I had to take a day off work so that I could take your dog to the vet. It cost me five hundred dollars. I also had to feed him. I’d appreciate it if you would reimburse me for all costs.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“Sorry, lady. No money, no dog.”

“Do you have receipts?”

He used his free hand to pat his back pockets. “Nope, didn’t think to bring them.”

“Oh, my, let me get my purse. I’ll write you a check.”

Before Jacque could walk off, he stopped her. “I’m having problems with my bank. Cash would be better.”

“Let me see what I can do.” Jacque hurried back to the room where Tommy and Kitally were hiding. “He wants more money.”

“What are you going to do?” Kitally asked.

“I’m going to have to pull some cash out of my hiding place. You two go into the bathroom for a moment.”

As soon as she was done rummaging through her closet, she gave them permission to come out of the bathroom.

Kitally stuck her head out the door and watched Jacque make her way back to the front door. “The poor woman is being taken. What if nobody is able to ID the guy from the video? We can’t let him get away with—where are you going?”

Tommy was at the door. “I’ll slip out back and circle around, follow him when he leaves.”

“I’ll keep your phone,” Kitally said, “so I can keep an eye on Jacque.”

A few seconds after Tommy disappeared, Kitally got an idea. She grabbed her phone, found the number of the guy who lived in the neighborhood, the guy who wanted to know if Kitally ever found the dognapper.

She held one phone to her ear while she watched Jacque in real time on Tommy’s phone. Jacque handed over another four hundred dollars, but the dognapper still wasn’t satisfied.

David Downing answered on the third ring. Kitally quickly explained what was going on. “If you want to talk to this guy, he’s at 411 Ashley Court, just down the block from the telephone pole—”

“Hell yeah! I’m just around the freaking corner! I’m there.” He clicked off.

“I meant five hundred additional dollars,” Kitally heard the man say to Jacque as he shoved another wad of cash into his pocket.

“That’s highway robbery, young man. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Listen, lady, give me all the money you have, or you’re never going to see your dog again.” He squeezed the pug hard. The dog yipped.

When she reached for her dog, he took a backward step. “How many times do I gotta tell you? No money. No dog. Do you have Alzheimer’s or somethin’?”