Chapter 26 #2
“I found a place you need to check out.” Ben’s excited voice blasted in his ear. “It’s just outside the city in Nyack.”
Connor tightened the grip on his cell. A small town on the Hudson River didn’t seem like the kind of place Gabriel would keep a vacation house. “Why would Gabriel take Evelyn to Nyack?”
“This place is listed under the name Mr. Beaute.”
Irritation rippled through him. “Who the hell is that?”
“Evelyn and I discussed how Lynette could have been the catalyst for Gabriel. She ran a search on her computer for the name Lynette and found the meaning of the name. In French it means ‘little beauty.’ Beaute is French for beauty. I dug a little deeper, and this property was purchased right after Lynette Nelson’s disappearance, and it appears as though the taxes are coming directly from one of Gene Wilson’s business accounts. ”
“Call the Nyack police and tell them to get to the property now. I’m on my way.”
Evelyn blocked out the screeching of the saw overhead. A sliver of moonlight filtered through a tiny window at the top of the wall behind her, but it wasn’t enough.
She turned to face the only light in the basement, trying to position enough light on her hands to find the knot.
She never imagined she’d be grateful for all the times her parents had bound her with rope when she’d misbehaved.
But if there was one thing she’d learned from her childhood, it was how to loosen restraints—especially if she had something with a pointed end to wiggle into the knot.
Positioning the head of the nail between her teeth, she jammed the tip against the rope at the inside of her wrists. The taste of rust and metal filled her mouth, and she tried not to gag. This was the only chance she had of escape.
The tip of the nail jammed into the tough rope but didn’t do a damn thing to damage the thick material. Tears welled in her eyes.
It had to work. No way Gabriel would be stupid enough to leave something else behind she could use for her benefit.
Tightening her teeth around the nail, she maneuvered it to stick into the knot tied at the base of her wrists.
She wedged the tip between the rope as if she were using a needle to untangle a knotted necklace.
Her jaw ached as she twisted the nail, using all her strength to loosen the stupid knot.
Pain pulsed against her skull and fatigue slowed her movements, but she couldn’t give up.
The nail slid between two cords of rope, and hope loosened the pressure in her chest. She shook her head back and forth, sliding the nail between the thick cords of rope. The nail wiggled easier and easier as it continued to loosen the knot little by little.
Evelyn reared her head at a sharp angle to pry the rope apart. The nail slipped from her mouth, the sudden loss of friction causing her to stumble back into the cement wall. A jolt of pain spiked in her head and she gasped, dropping the nail to the floor.
No, no, no!
She didn’t want to drop down to her knees to search for the nail for fear she wouldn’t have the strength to get back on her feet. She glanced around.
Please let there be something else I can use...something within arm’s reach.
The flickering light cast shadows around her prison.
Wooden boxes lined the far end of the room, but it would take her way too long to get to them with her ankles tied together.
The buzzing continued from above, but there was no telling how long Gabriel would be occupied upstairs. She needed to act fast.
Lifting her wrists in front of her face, she pressed her hands together and twisted them to the side to get a better look at the knot. She clamped her teeth on the binding, and the wiry cord bit into her tongue.
The nail had managed to loosen the rope just enough for her to fit her jaw around one end of the binding. She yanked on the rope as hard as she could and resisted the urge to pull her hands down. It’d be just her luck to retighten what she’d worked so hard to loosen.
The end of the rope slithered from the viselike grip and loosened around her wrists.
She pulled at her wrists until she created enough room for her hands to slip through.
Red rings circled her hands, the cuts from the rope deep and painful, but she pushed away the pain and bent to free her ankles.
Her fingernail bent backward and she yelped but didn’t stop until she’d loosened the rope and freed her feet.
She rolled first one ankle then the other in a wide circle to chase the needle-like pinpricks away from her limbs. She dropped to the ground and ran her palms over the uneven ground to search for the nail. She might be out of her bindings, but she needed every advantage she could get to escape.
Her fingers brushed against the sharp tip of the nail, and she grabbed it. She jumped to her feet, and her head spun. You can do this. Calm down. Create a plan. Get the hell out of here.
She glanced around and searched for a place to hide. The line of boxes caught her attention. Maybe there was something inside one of them she could use as a more effective weapon.
Inching her way toward them, she kept her ears trained on the roaring buzz overhead. She reached the first box and gripped the lid. It slid to the side, and the overwhelming stench of decay singed her nostrils. Evelyn peered inside, and her blood turned cold.
Dizziness threatened to take her down, and she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the image of what she’d found. But the mutilated body she’d discovered invaded her mind and refused to leave.
A shudder ripped through her. Gabriel had said he might leave a piece of her here. Was this what he planned to do to her?
The buzzing stopped, and her eyes flew open.
Footsteps fell, and she glanced at the wooden planks above her.
Each footstep caused the ceiling to shiver, and Evelyn watched each subtle shake as it made its way closer to the stairs.
The door creaked open, and she ran to the cord dangling from the fluorescent light on the low ceiling.
“It’s time to play, my little mouse.” Gabriel’s singsong voice floated down to her, and fear pitched in her stomach.
She reached up, grabbed the cord, and pulled down. Darkness descended on them, with only a tiny sliver of light shining through the small window at the top of the wall. She ran back toward the open box and crouched low beside it.
If Gabriel thought she would go down without a fight, he was dead wrong.