After Anna(113)

‘It has to be ASAP. I’m not safe here, not even in the ACU.’

‘I’ll make some calls and start shaking the trees.’

‘Thanks, Thomas,’ Noah said, grateful.

‘Hang tight. Good night.’

‘Good night.’ Noah hung up. He couldn’t remember the last time anybody had wished him good night. He flashed on Maggie saying good night, then him spooning her in bed, wrapping his arms around her under their big blue comforter. On a winter night like this, she loved to be cuddled and she was always cold. She wore sweat socks to bed, and he thought it was adorable.

Noah suppressed the memory, crossed the room, and opened the door, but there were three COs standing there, Stanislavsky, Evesham, and a bearded one named Pinnella.

‘Cuff up, Dr Alderman,’ CO Stanislavsky said.

Noah stood his ground. ‘Why do I need three COs to escort me back to the ACU?’

‘Because you threatened me,’ CO Evesham answered, recoiling as if he’d been startled.

‘No, I didn’t.’ Noah realized too late they were play-acting for the security camera.

Suddenly the three COs jumped him, bringing him to the ground, punching, kicking, and handcuffing him. Noah struggled to kick back. He torqued his body this way and that to escape the blows. He curled into a fetal position to protect his core. He absorbed punch after punch.

The last thing he remembered was a vicious blow to the head.





Chapter Eighty


Maggie, After

Maggie sat next to Kathy on the couch, terrified. Connie stood aiming a gun at them. He was a mountain of a man, fully six-foot-five with a broad chest and wearing a motorcycle jacket and jeans.

Maggie prayed Caleb was hiding. He hadn’t come out of the kitchen. She couldn’t imagine where he’d gone. The house was so small. Her heart hammered with fear. She told herself to keep it together. She had to get them out of this somehow.

‘Connie, why’d you kick down the friggin’ door?’ Roy was holding the door up, trying to match the broken hinges. He was shorter than Connie, with a long, narrow face and grimy orange watchcap. His frame was slight enough to look lost in a Carhartt jacket.

‘Shut up, Roy.’ Connie glowered. He had dark eyes set wide apart in a broad face with a strong jawline. His hair was a greasy black.

Elma sat in her recliner, agitated. ‘Connie, put that thing away. Roy, what’s going on? What are you boys doing?’

‘Shit.’ Roy struggled with the door. ‘Connie, you shoulda let us walk up like normal instead of a friggin’ SWAT team.’

‘This is your fault, Roy.’ Connie’s expression hardened to a mask of resentment. ‘That these bitches are here, askin’ questions, makin’ trouble. All your fault.’

Elma shook her head, jittery. ‘Roy, make him stop. There’s no call for this.’

‘Finally!’ Roy turned from the door to Connie. ‘All you did was make work for me, dude. I’m gonna have to fix it later. My grandma’s gonna freeze her ass off.’

‘No, she won’t.’ Connie swiveled toward Elma, aimed the gun, and pulled the trigger. Fire blazed from the barrel. The gunshot filled the room, deafening. A crimson hole burst onto Elma’s chest. She emitted a groan, then her head dropped forward.

Maggie tried not to scream, tears of fright springing to her eyes. She prayed Caleb stayed hidden. Kathy’s hand flew to her mouth.

‘No, no!’ Roy rushed to Elma’s side. ‘She’s dead! You killed her!’

‘Roy, come on.’ Connie shook his head. ‘She was a loose end.’

‘No, no, no!’ Roy wailed, cradling Elma’s lifeless body. ‘She wasn’t! She didn’t know anything!’

‘She knows these bitches. You think she’d shut up about them?’ Connie motioned to Maggie and Kathy with the gun. Smoke came from the barrel, filtering the cold air.

‘I coulda explained it to her! She woulda listened to me!’ Roy rose slowly, beginning to sob. He stared at Elma’s blood on his hands. ‘Why’d you kill her, Connie? First PG, now her? She’s all the family I got left, dude.’

Maggie listened, horrified. So Connie had killed PG. Noah had been telling the truth. Tears rolled down Kathy’s cheeks. Maggie had to do something. She racked her brain. She could hear the teakettle begin to whistle. She prayed it wouldn’t tip Connie off that Caleb was there.

‘Roy, man up!’ Connie said, through gritted teeth.

‘She was my grandma!’ Roy shouted, sobbing. Suddenly he ran at Connie, reaching for his throat, his bloodied fingers grasping the air.

Connie raised the gun and fired. The bullet struck Roy in the neck, which exploded in blood and tissue. The gunshot reverberated, earsplitting. Its force spun Roy around. He dropped to the floor.

Maggie fought terror to think. Connie was about to fire again. It gave her an opening. She wouldn’t get another chance. The teakettle was whistling loudly. Her frantic gaze fell on the full ashtray. She picked it up and whipped it at Connie’s face.

Connie’s hands flew up reflexively. The gun fired into the air.

Kathy ran full-tilt into Connie’s legs, knocking him off-balance. Connie flew sideways against the hard floor. The gun flew out of his hand and skidded into the kitchen.