Adeline froze ... let the light linger there. Definitely female. Blond hair. Her pulse rate jumped into overdrive. Victim was breathing. But she hadn’t moved.
She shifted the light to the left.
Eyes, wide with fear, reflected the light.
The woman whimpered as best she could with the gag stuffed into her mouth.
Blond. Adeline studied her face. Cherry Prescott.
And she was alive. Relief flooded Adeline.
With one last look around the area behind her, Adeline moved into the shack. “I’m Detective Cooper,” she announced. “I’m here to help you.” Ignoring the desperate sounds Prescott made, Adeline checked the small room. The smell of feces and urine were overwhelming. Feeding bowls sat on the floor between the women. At least he hadn’t left them here to starve.
Adeline, her weapon still palmed, moved to where Prescott huddled on the floor. “Don’t be afraid. You’re gonna be okay now,” she said gently as she surveyed the woman for injury. Then she moved to Penny Arnold who had started to move about. “Ms. Arnold?” She scanned her for injury, as well. No visible injuries.
Arnold struggled to a sitting position and started sobbing.
Adeline inspected the shackles. Attached to a wooden support beam with a length of chain and a heavy-duty lock. She would need tools to get them loose. Or a key.
Time to call in reinforcements. Adeline knelt down, one knee on the floor, the other braced for rapid movement. She set her flashlight on the floor and pulled out her phone. She hit the call button. “I’m calling help,” she assured the two women now staring at her.
Prescott started to whine frantically.
“Hold on,” Adeline urged, “we’re going to get you out of here.”
The desperate sounds escalated. A creak splintered the air. Her weapon leveled, Adeline twisted at the waist to see if it was Clay.
Clay kicked her in the side of the head.
Addy lost her balance. Her phone flew from her hand and spun across the floor. She rolled to her back just as he moved over her. She kicked him in the crotch.
Clay howled.
She shot to her feet. Though he was still standing, he struggled to unfold his body.
“What the hell are you doing?” She rammed the weapon into the side of his head.
Clay laughed. “He’s coming.” He looked up at her, nodded knowingly. “He comes back every night about this time and you’re going to be here waiting for him. The problem is, you’re going to be dead already.”
“Funny.” She smirked. “I’m the one with the gun to your damned head.”
Clay groaned, straightened up. His right arm came up, and the business end of the weapon he’d been hiding between his legs leveled on Adeline’s chest.
“Well, well.” She took a step away from him. “You sure you know how to use that thing?”
He swung the barrel toward Prescott. “How about I shoot her right now and we’ll see who flinches.”
“You’re bluffing.” Adeline’s finger twitched with the urge to pull the trigger. She couldn’t kill him. Goddammit. Going down that road again was out of the question. But they had the proverbial Mexican standoff.
She could shoot him in the leg. Or maybe the dick.
He drew the hammer back. “Say goodbye to your big sister, Addy.” Prescott tried to scream; the sound came out strangled and muffled. “Now give me your gun or I’m going to shoot that pathetic bitch.”
Adeline placed her weapon on the floor and kicked it across the room. “You want it, you go get it.” She wouldn’t need her weapon to take care of this dumbass. All she needed was for him to put down his guard. Now that she was unarmed, he would.
Clay shifted the aim of his .357 to her. “In a minute. Now get over there on the floor with your sisters.” He snickered. “I always knew you couldn’t be one of us. Guess I was right.”
“Whatever you say.” Moving backward so she didn’t have to turn her back on him, Adeline kept her hands up. “What do you think you’re accomplishing here, Clay? You owe this guy something? Maybe he sucked your dick once?”