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“I fear you’re right about that.” He took a beat before he continued. “I go over it and over it in my mind. What was I doing when he was on this lawless rampage?”
“You were running around doing the job while he cut every corner and operated as a lawless criminal in plain sight.”
“Joe and I have lost a lot of sleep over this. Trying to figure out how he pulled it off.”
“Do you think he had help other than Gibbons?” Sam referred to the former IT lieutenant who’d recently been charged with aiding some of Stahl’s criminal activity. It’d turned out that Stahl had somehow found out that Gibbons had been carrying on an extramarital affair with one of his subordinates. Stahl had threatened to expose him, which had led to Gibbons hiding some of Stahl’s dirty work in the IT annals.
Gibbons now faced charges.
“I suppose it’s possible,” Malone said. “But listen. None of this is your problem this week. We appreciate you updating the families in Delaware. Now go enjoy the rest of your vacation.”
“Keep me posted. I want to know what’s going on.”
“I will.”
Sam closed her phone, put her head back against the seat, closed her eyes and tried to decompress. She didn’t blame either family for their anger toward her, the department, Stahl and police in general. They all had good reason to feel the way they did. She hadn’t been surprised to hear that everyone charged with delivering this news to the families had received the same reception.
It was just another reason to hate Stahl for the many, many things he’d done that the rest of them were now trying to make right while knowing that some things could never be made right.
Lulled by the movement of the car, Sam dozed off and was thrust back into Marissa Springer’s basement, where Stahl had wrapped her in razor wire and threatened to set her on fire. She could feel the sharp wire cutting into her flesh as he splashed gasoline on her and lit matches to torment her.
She couldn’t move out of the fear of being sliced to pieces, which gave him great pleasure. His beady little eyes glimmered from the thrill of having her right where he wanted her. All she could think about was Nick and Scotty and how much she loved them and wanted to go home to them.
She’d closed her eyes and focused on their faces, the beautiful, perfect faces of the two people she loved the most. She’d also thought of her dad and sisters, her nieces and nephews and the squad of friends and colleagues who were like family. But it was Nick and Scotty who’d carried her through the ordeal, her thoughts of them soothing her during the most excruciating hours of her life.
The smell of sulfur permeated her senses and burned her nose.
If he dropped one of those lit matches, she’d burn to death, unable to do a thing to defend herself without ripping her skin to shreds. She was already bleeding from numerous places where the razor wire had cut her, and she had to pee—urgently.
Stahl had planned his torture meticulously. He wanted her to die in the most painful way possible.
She was driving him mad by ignoring him, by not making a single sound as he methodically went about his diabolical plan.
The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her and calling her name.
“Sam. Wake up. Sam!”
She opened her eyes to find Vernon out of the car, standing inside the open back door of the SUV while Jimmy looked back at her with concern from the front seat.
“You were dreaming,” Vernon said.
“Well, that’s mortifying.” Sam wiped a spot of drool from the corner of her mouth. “What did I say?”
“Nothing specific, but you sounded distressed.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” The images from the dream were front and center in her mind, but she played it down for the sake of the agents who’d become her friends.
Jimmy handed her another bottle of cold water.
“Thank you.”
“Watch your fingers and toes,” Vernon said as he prepared to close the door.
“All clear.”
