AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her mind raced with images of Jo tied to a chair, Hazel with a gun. She couldn’t just stand there. She had to do something. But what? Calling Sam had been the sensible choice, and now she could kick herself for not doing as Kevin asked.
Her sister’s voice sounded weak. “Why Tammy? Why did you have to take her?”
Hazel’s laugh sounded like a cackle. “She was such a pretty little thing.”
“She was only a child!” Jo’s voice sounded stronger.
“I know.” Hazel’s answer was chilling.
“How did you pull it off?” Jo asked.
Hazel’s confession seeped through the walls. She spoke of drugging Eve, the babysitter, to ensure she wouldn’t interfere. The casual, almost-proud tone of her voice as she recounted how she had waited in the shadows, watching and waiting for her moment to snatch Tammy, sent shivers down Bridget’s spine.
“It was easy to slip something into Eve’s supper that night. Her mother had invited me to eat over.” The ease with which she admitted this was staggering.
“How convenient,” Jo answered.
Hazel’s words were like poison. “I knew when Eve would be out, and I simply opened the door and walked in. I made it look like someone came in the window, though.”
That explained a lot about the investigation and why the police had spent so much time on their father and Eve’s family. She remembered some mumblings about it being someone the family knew, an inside job.
Bridget’s breath hitched as Hazel continued. “Oh, Tammy did fuss. Thought she’d wake the whole house. Had to let her take that silly bauble necklace to keep her quiet.”
Jo’s voice, strained and hollow, asked the question Bridget dreaded to hear. “What… What did you do with her?”
Hazel’s reply was cold and remorseless. “You don’t really want to know, do you? It’s not pleasant.”
Bridget stifled a sob, her hand clamped over her mouth. The revelation was a physical blow, a vortex sucking the air from her lungs. Every moment of Hazel’s confession was a torment, a twisted unveiling of the nightmare that had haunted their family for years.
Kevin’s figure disappeared into the room at the end of the hall, and Bridget detached herself from the shadows and crept over to the room on the right. It was a kitchen. She had an idea of what Kevin was planning. He’d maneuvered himself to surprise Hazel from behind. That might work great if he was the one with the gun, but Bridget knew he didn’t have one.
She was going to have to provide backup somehow, and for that she’d need a weapon.
The kitchen was a mess of old dishes and clutter, but Bridget navigated it with ease, her eyes scanning for anything she could use as a weapon. She picked up a heavy frying pan, its weight reassuring in her hand. She was good using heavy objects as weapons. On the streets when you didn’t have a gun or a knife, sometimes a heavy object was all you had.
She edged closer to the dining room, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. Every instinct screamed at her to be cautious, to be ready for anything. She could hear Jo’s voice now, strained but steady, trying to keep Hazel talking.
Was Jo trying to distract Hazel because she knew they were here to help, or was she just buying time until someone came?
Bridget peeked around the corner, assessing the situation. Kevin was in position, ready to make his move. Hazel’s back was partially turned, her focus on Jo.
This was it. Bridget tightened her grip on the frying pan, her body coiled like a spring. She knew the timing had to be precise.
So she got into position and waited.
* * *
Jo sat tiedto the chair, her mind swirling in a fog of confusion. The effects of the drugged tea Hazel had given her were evident in the dizziness and disorientation clouding her thoughts. She tried to focus, tried to make sense of the macabre stuffed animal tea party around her.
Keep her talking.
Jo managed to think up questions about her sister to keep Hazel distracted. To stop her from the next thing she had in mind. Sam would notice she was missing and figure out where she was. Sooner or later.
Unfortunately, she’d rushed off after she’d seen Lily with the necklace and had made the biggest mistake of her career. She hadn’t told anyone where she was going. Maybe that wasn’t the biggest mistake. Taking tea from a madwoman might have been the biggest.
Hazel moved around the room, her words a taunting melody of madness. She spoke in riddles and hinted at secrets from the past. Jo’s heart raced with a mix of fear and a desperate need for answers. She strained against her bindings, seeking any slack, any hope of escape.
Her mind flashed back to her childhood memories—innocent days before Tammy’s disappearance shattered their lives. Across the table, the stuffed animals, lifeless yet dressed for a party, seemed to mock her, their glassy eyes watching her struggle.
