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He raised his eyebrows. Then he raised his pistol and followed Byrth out of the kitchen.
Matt Payne glanced at the kitchen table and saw a plastic storage box containing a score or more of used cell phones. On the table itself was a battered fancy phone with a big glass touch-screen.
He slipped his.45 in the small of his back and turned to the woman bound to the chair.
“It’s going to be okay,” Payne said softly. “I’m a Philadelphia policeman.”
As he pulled out his folding pocketknife, he thought he heard her start sobbing heavily.
“I’m going to cut open the top of this pillowcase, okay?”
Her head bobbed enthusiastically, the pillowcase moving in a rapid manner.
“Okay, now don’t move your head.”
Taking great care, he grasped the pillowcase’s seam at the top of her head, pulling it up and away from her head so that if she suddenly did move again, his knife blade would be a safe distance away.
Very carefully, he slipped the tip of the serrated blade into the fabric. He sawed slightly, and the blade slit the fabric all along the seam.
Well, she’s a blond, was the first thing that he thought.
Then he tugged the case down so it fell to her shoulders.
“Jesus Christ!”
Payne had to force himself to go slowly while unbinding Amanda Law, first removing the strip of gray duct tape from her beautiful face-the strip literally went from ear to ear-then removing the tape from her wrists and ankles.
What made it harder was that he was shaking.
Are my emotions taking over?
Not good.
It’d be better if it’s just the adrenaline kicking into overdrive…
He started by kissing her on the forehead and saying, “This might hurt…”
Then, as gently as possible, he began pulling the tape from her left cheek and, a moment later, her right cheek.
“Oh, Matt!” Amanda cried out.
Excitedly, she tried to sit up higher so that she could kiss him, but, still bound to the chair, she collapsed back into it.
“Slow down, baby!” Matt said, smiling, then leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.
He looked her in the eyes. They were all puffy and wet from the crying.
“Are you okay?” he said in a soft tone. But there was anger in it, too. “Did they… do anything to you?”
Her eyes were big and expressive. She shook her head vigorously.
“Thank God,” he said, then kissed her again. “Now, let me get the rest of this tape off.”
She nodded gently.
He put the knife blade on the tape securing her left wrist.
“You heard the girl screaming on your voice mail?” Amanda asked.
