Cutting Edge

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Duke arrived at Nora’s house at six that morning. There were several sheriff’s cars, and he spotted Dean Hooper talking to one of the deputies. Hooper saw Duke as he approached and met him halfway. In a low voice he said, “Nora has a silent alarm. It went off at one-fifteen a.m., but patrols didn’t respond for nearly thirty minutes.”

If Nora had been home … Duke couldn’t imagine what Maggie’s game was. Kidnap Quin, then head to Nora’s house to do what? Kill her? Why take Quin in the first place? All Duke knew for certain was that Nora was in grave danger from that young killer, and he hated being separated from her when she was in trouble. He needed her, and Sean, back and under his watch. Only then could he relax even a little.

“What took so-”

Hooper interrupted. “They came, determined no one was home, and left. Dispatch then contacted our office when they realized that the house was flagged as belonging to a federal agent. It was a series of unfortunate events-I didn’t hear about the alarm until thirty minutes ago. I called you from the road.”

“What did that woman do?” There was no doubt in either of them that Maggie was responsible for the break-in.

“There’s some damage.”

“And they didn’t notice anything when they did a drive-by?”

“There were no lights on, no broken windows or unlocked doors. You’ll see.”

Duke followed Hooper inside the house. “O’Dell’s message is clear,” Hooper said. “She didn’t spend a lot of time here-in and out-but she left a note.”

That Maggie had gotten into Nora’s house unnerved Duke. He wanted to be with her right now. How could he make sure she was safe if he wasn’t with her?

Maggie had gone straight to Nora’s bedroom. She’d taken the largest of Nora’s stuffed bears and gutted it. Cotton was strewn everywhere. Pinned to the bear was a note.

You for her. Call me 805-555-4509 to discuss. Any tricks? Look at Mr. Teddy Bear. Tick tock, I’m not going to wait forever.

“Have you traced the number?”

“It’s a prepaid phone, cash transaction, no name or address.”

“Dammit.” Duke didn’t know why he was surprised. He’d often used prepaid phones on covert assignments. “What if a female agent calls the number?”

“I’m not going to risk it. O’Dell has a hostage, I don’t want to set her off. She wants an excuse to kill Quin. And we’re at a disadvantage because we don’t know where she is.”

“Why break in while Nora wasn’t home? Why not last night? The night before?” As Duke spoke, he realized maybe Maggie had known Nora had company all night.

“Maybe she didn’t know where she lived until she took Quin.”

“I don’t see Quin giving that woman Nora’s address.”

“Maybe not, but she had access to Quin’s house, address book, computer-it could have been written down.”

Obviously. Duke was weary and worried. He said, “Okay, so Nora calls and agrees to an exchange? We need a plan.”

“Agreed.”

“Location is everything, but in the meantime we need to put together a team. J.T. and I are in. Unfortunately, Jack’s out of town.”

“I’ve already given our SWAT team leader the heads-up. He’s assembling his very best as we speak. O’Dell’s not going to hurt Nora.”

Duke wasn’t so sure. “I don’t think she cares about whether she lives or dies. If she goes into this with a suicide plan, it doesn’t matter how strong a team we have.”

Duke’s cell phone rang. “It’s Nora,” he said, then answered. “Hey.”

“I have a location, but it needs some research,” she said.

“Give it to me.”

“I just sent a text message to you and Hooper. But the problem is the property is extensive. It’s in the mountains, probably inaccessible in the winter months. I remember helping stack wood …” Her voice trailed off.

“You’ve been there?”

“When I was little. I’d know the cabin if I saw it, but I have no idea how to get there. I sent you the name of the property owner and the squatter my mother lived with one summer. It’s where she is. I know it. If I could see a map of the property, I might be able to figure it out.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. We’re about to take off. Why?”

Duke glanced at Hooper, who nodded. “I’m in your house.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Maggie broke in and left you a message. She wants to arrange an exchange. You for Quin.”

“When and where? Can we stall her? Sean said it’ll take about ninety minutes to get back to Mather Field.”

“She wants you to call her to arrange the meeting.”

Nora was silent and he thought he’d lost her. “Nora?”

“I’ll call her. I don’t want her getting antsy. She won’t know I saw Lorraine. The warden agreed to deny her phone privileges for the next forty-eight hours.”

“Hooper has put together a SWAT team, and J.T and I are on board. You’re not alone in this. Don’t agree to anything without talking to us.”

“I might have to agree to something, but I’m not going anywhere without backup. She’s dangerous, I’m not jeopardizing my life or Quin’s. But Quin is our number-one priority.”

You’re my number-one priority. But Duke didn’t say it. “She’s a civilian,” he said instead.

“Exactly. I’m going to call Maggie before we take off. What’s her contact number?”

He told her. “Nora, I-”

“I’ll call you right back.” She hung up.

It was better this way. He’d tell her he loved her in person. He’d damn well make sure he had the chance.

Nora took a deep breath. “Hold off for five minutes, Sean. Maggie O’Dell made contact and wants to talk to me.”

“You’re the boss.” Leaning back in the pilot seat, he looked at her. “Here.” He handed her a bottled fruit smoothie that advertised one hundred percent of essential vitamins.

“What is it with you Rogans? Always trying to get me to eat.” But it was cold and she was thirsty. She drank half of it in one long swallow.

“Duke gave me a cooler for the trip, told me to make sure you had something to keep your energy up.”

She couldn’t keep her lips from twitching into a smile.

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath and dialed the number Duke had given her, notepad and pen in hand.

The phone rang. Voice mail picked up on the fourth ring. Nora frowned, then realized that it was a message only for her.

“Nora, this is Maggie. Get a pencil because I’ll only say this once and then the phone will self-destruct. Ha ha. The clock has started. You have two hours from this minute to go to the end of Last Chance Road for your next order. Or Quin dies. No tricks. I know this mountain better than you or your fucking FBI friends. Don’t test me, or she dies and I’ll take as many fascist pigs with me as I can. You miss the deadline, she dies. Keep your phone on, I might have a special treat for you.”

There was no beep, no way to leave a message. She called back. No answer.

“Start the plane,” she told Sean. “Get back as fast as you can. Find a place to land near Colfax.”

“Colfax?”

“Yes.” She dialed Duke’s number. She knew exactly where Last Chance was. That was where Tommy had lived. It came back to her now. She could picture the cabin as clearly as any of her childhood memories. But it wasn’t at the end of the road, it was much farther in the mountains. From her house it would take her at least ninety minutes to get to the end of Last Chance Road, if not longer. It was mostly a one-lane, precarious road.

From here? She didn’t know if she could make it in time.

“Duke,” she said breathlessly, “it was a recording. I have two hours to reach the end of Last Chance Road. It’s east of Colfax up steep mountain roads. It’s near the cabin I told you about, but the cabin is even farther in the mountains. I don’t know that I can make it, but she’ll kill Quin if I don’t.”

“Do not go there alone.”

“I’m not.” But she wasn’t certain she would be able to keep that promise. “If she’s watching, she’ll know if someone other than me shows up. And what if it’s a trap? I can’t let someone else die in my place.”

“You’re not going up there to die,” Duke said. “You stay away-”

Someone was talking in the background, but Nora couldn’t make out the conversation. “Duke, Sean is going to find a place to land near Colfax. That’ll bring me closer.”

“Nora, don’t-”

“You can’t ask me to stand down, Duke. Quin is my sister. I can’t let her die. Not like Leif Cole or Anya Ballard. Please.”

Sean said, “I’m ready.”

“We’ll find the cabin,” Duke said. “Let me know where you’re going to land. Hooper said he’ll have backup waiting.”

“I promise. Thank you, Duke. I-” What could she say? Appreciation seemed too mild. “I’ll see you when we land.”

She hung up. “Go,” she told Sean. “As fast as you can.”

“I have some ideas to get closer. When we are airborne, how’d you like to fly the plane while I look at maps?”

“I’ve never flown before.”

“You’re smart, and I’m a great teacher. Besides, once we’re airborne there’s nothing to do but hold her steady.”

“Finally!” Maggie twirled around the room. “It’s six in the morning! It’s about time she called. I’ll bet she wasn’t expecting that.” She giggled, and Quin knew Nora was in trouble.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, keeping her voice calm.

“Kill her, of course. What’d you think? I’d thank our dear sister for turning her back on the cause and working with the Establishment to put our people in prison? That’s what Mom is, you know, a political prisoner.”

“She killed someone.”

“They were under attack! This is war! It’s a revolution. My parents were the leaders of a great movement and I am continuing their work. I have a list of people who are next. They’ll never expect it, they think they’re invincible. Leaders of the Industrial Complex. Computer giants. Car makers. They’re all vulnerable because I cannot lose.” She twirled around again, and Quin felt ill. Did Maggie really believe what she was saying? How could she get away with so many murders?

Then Quin realized something. All the people who’d died had been killed this week. This wasn’t the culmination of years of crimes, it was a week-long killing spree. Maggie would be stopped. She was too far gone to continue to get away with it.

“Okay, next step,” Maggie said, pulling out a digital video camera. It was state-of-the-art, and Quin suspected she’d stolen it from one of her victims.

“Where’d you get the camera?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” she mocked. “Okay, this is cool. Wow, I can get you really close up here. It’s totally clear. You look scared, Quin. Good. That’s really good.”

Quin tightened her jaw, but couldn’t stop her bottom lip from quivering.

“A-O-kay.” Maggie had the camera balanced on the table next to Quin. “Perfect. Don’t move. Like you can.” She giggled.

Quin scooted the chair two inches to the side.

Maggie screamed and slapped her. The chair fell over. Again. Damn, maybe that had not been so smart, Quin thought as she tasted blood in her mouth.

“Fucking bitch,” Maggie mumbled as she paced. She strained to upright the chair, and put her face an inch from Quin’s. “Don’t do that again or I’ll make you really hurt. And Nora will see every second and hear every note of your screams.”

Quin didn’t doubt her. She sat still.

“Good girl.” Maggie clapped and left the room. When she returned, Quin couldn’t see what Maggie had in her hands. She pressed a button on the camera and Quin saw a small red light inside.

Maggie pointed the camera toward a knife, then put the blade to Quin’s neck. Quin gasped from the shock and fear and started shaking.

“The human body is pretty incredible,” Maggie said for the camera. She untied one of Quin’s arms. “Quin, sweetie, turn your palm up for the nice people.”

Quin held her arm out. She looked at the long-healed scars on her left arm. She’d been twelve when she first cut herself. She hadn’t done it in a long time.

Maggie held the knife to her arm and sliced. The sting both hurt and felt good, the pain turning into forbidden pleasure. But it wasn’t the same. When she’d cut herself, she’d felt marginally better for a while, before the pain of her life returned. The pleasure now was only in the memories.

“The blood drips and then slows,” said Maggie. “Just a little pressure.” She put a cloth on her arm and pressed. “It’ll start healing. That’s the blood clotting.”

She tied her wrist back behind her and showed the camera a small vial with a needle sticking out of it. “This, dear sister, is heparin. You know what heparin does. It stops blood from clotting. It doesn’t take long to take effect, either. Especially in the dose I prefer.”

She drew out the needle. It was filled with the clear drug. She stuck it unceremoniously into Quin’s arm. It stung worse than any bee, and Quin gasped.

“An hour, plus or minus. That’s all it takes. Now, I don’t know how long it takes to bleed out from one slice, and I’m afraid it won’t work, so I’m going to try something different.” She took a red marker and drew on Quin’s body. A three-inch line across her breasts. A five-inch line down each biceps. “Is that enough?” She looked at Quin. Quin couldn’t stop shaking. She wished she could control it, but the fear was growing. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want Nora to die. But she didn’t see any way out of this. Maggie had the upper hand.

“One more for good measure.” She marked Quin’s other forearm to match the cut she’d already made. “Good. I think she’ll last at least an hour before losing consciousness, then another hour before her blood pressure drops so low she won’t be able to recover. This is my insurance, Nora. You bring anyone, you set your fascist pricks on me, and you’ll never find her before she’s dead. I promise you. In one hour I’ll cut along these lines and she’ll slowly bleed to death. If you do what I say, I’ll come back and bandage her up, which might save her.” She held up another vial. “Oh, and this will help. It’s Npate, and it’ll help the blood clot. I don’t know what happens when the two drugs mix, but if you’re a good girl we’ll find out together. If you’re naughty, no one will be here when Quin dies.”