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FORTY-TWO
Susie Hartwig pressed against the bars, her ears straining to hear a chopper, but she heard nothing. Tentatively, she called out. “Hey, is anyone else in here? He can’t hear you. We’ve turned off the recorder for now.”
Voices, thin and hesitant, came back from the other passageway, none she could really make out but they’d understood her just fine. “Help is on the way. Stay quiet now. He might be back soon.”
There’d been no more emails. She paced up and down, her nerves shattering with every minute that went by. She turned to look at Poppy standing on the desk, her attention fixed on the laptop. “Anything?”
“Not yet. I’m to let them know when we hear a chopper. It’s been almost thirty minutes. They should be heading this way soon.” Poppy waved her away. “Keep listening.”
Taking her position at the gate, Susie said a silent prayer for the FBI agents to find them. She’d met Jo Wells and Ty Carter. They’d been very nice to her and given her a substantial tip each time they’d dined at Aunt Betty’s. A rumble came in the distance and she pressed her ear to the bars. Not the whoop, whoop of a helicopter but the roar of an engine. Fear had her by the throat as she turned and ran back to Poppy. “He’s coming back. I can hear a vehicle.”
“Get back into your cell.” Poppy turned to the laptop. “Don’t say a word. I’m sending a message for radio silence to Kane. I’ll delete the messages and take the recorder off pause.” A few moments later, she jumped down, looked all around, and went back into her cell. “Eat something. He’ll expect us to act normally and it’s way past lunchtime.”
Sick to her stomach with fear, Susie searched through the box of supplies and pulled out an aluminum package at random. She selected a bottle of water and went to sit on a mattress pushed up against the damp wall. It took her more than a few tries to make her trembling fingers open the package containing crackers and cheese. She’d never experienced terror like this before, and her strength of will wilted like a cut flower in the sun. Is this what happened to the other poor souls kept prisoner in these caves for so long? Had the horror of being on a waiting list of victims make them complacent to their fate?
It seemed like forever before the familiar footsteps moved slowly through the tunnels. He checked on each of his prisoners and took his time, as if soaking up their fear. The threats he made to them made Susie’s chin tremble. The cruelty of this man held no bounds. He tormented his victims with the slow death he’d planned for them. And then he’d laugh when describing how they’d be found. His intent to spread them out in an indecent pose so the world would recognize them for the scum they represented. He actually believed the local townsfolk would respect him for removing them from society. The clang as the gate to their section hit the wall sent shivers down Susie’s back. The adrenaline flowing through her veins from the previous excitement was making it difficult to regain her composure as his footsteps came closer.
The bolt in her door slid across and the door swung open. Her jailer stood there staring down at her with a cold soulless expression. In his hand he held a baseball bat and was casually slapping it against the palm of one hand as he observed her. Sipping her water in an effort to appear calm and in control, Susie lifted her chin and stared at him but said nothing.
“Did I give you permission to get dressed?” He looked over with narrowed eyes. “Just where did you get those clothes from? You don’t deserve the dignity of clothes.”
“I gave them to her.” Poppy stepped out of her cell. “All the time you’ve been giving me the criteria of the women you believe need to be punished, and it’s quite obvious that Susie isn’t guilty of what you’ve accused her of doing.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make.” He lifted his chin and looked down his nose at her. “Like most women, you try to overstep your mark.” He swung the bat back and forth. A slow smile curled his lips. “You like Susie, do you?” He handed Poppy the bat. “Prove your loyalty to me and kill her.”
