Eva wasn’t sure how much time passed before she heard a door open and overhead lights snapped on bright and harsh.
She winced against the onslaught, hating that she had to close her eyes, but unable to bear the pain of the light. Footsteps moved down a staircase as she struggled to help her eyes adjust to the light. Finally, she was able to tolerate a blur of white as she begged her eyes to focus.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Eva.”
The voice was so familiar, she dismissed her initial thought immediately. It didn’t make sense. And then her vision focused on the person standing in front of her.
The suit and wig were meant to mimic a man’s frame, but she knew instantly that no disguise could hide such familiar eyes.
“Sally.”
The older woman hesitated a moment and then smiled. “Surprise.”
Confusion jumbled her thoughts. This made no sense. Sally was her friend. “Why are you here? Why?”
Sally pulled off her wig and ran her fingers through her hair. “Take a good look at me. Do I remind you of anyone?”
Eva stared at Sally’s deep eyes and the slight downturn of her lips. The feature that stood out most now was her eyes. Not the color or the shape but the utter hollowness.
Eva felt a tightening in her chest similar to the months and years after the night Josiah raped her. She’d forgotten many of the details of the rape but she’d never forgotten Josiah’s eyes. Void of emotion, she felt as if she stared into the eyes of Satan.
Memories of that night started to crawl out from the darkness. Josiah’s dead lifeless eyes. The touch of his hands on her breasts. His peppermint-scented breath. “You were Josiah’s mother.”
She nodded. “Very good.”
“Josiah and Micah thought you were dead.”
Sadness welled in her eyes. “That’s what their father told them. As you well know, Darius lied to get what he wanted.”
“Why?”
The slump in Sally’s shoulders was almost imperceptible. “Darius and I married when I was in high school. He was the older bad boy. I was seventeen needing to leave a crappy home. We were each other’s lifelines. In the heat of the moment, we ran off and got married. And for a while we did okay. Darius could make money like nobody I knew. Didn’t worry about shortcuts. And then the twins came and it was good.” Tears welled in her eyes, as she seemed to live some faraway memory. “But the more money Darius made, the more distant he grew. And when he realized I couldn’t have more children, he started to treat me badly. Once we were having a party and he hit me because the glasses I’d set out didn’t match. I became a reminder of what he couldn’t have and he hated me for it.”
If she and Sally had had this conversation a week ago Eva would have wept with her. But now as she twisted her wrists under the rope and tried to ignore the growing pain of the rope burn, screams welled inside her. You crazy bitch! Let me go! But she’d learned to hide her fear very well in prison. “I’m so sorry, Sally.”
Sally didn’t seem to hear Eva. “When the boys turned thirteen, I made an unfortunate mistake.”
“The car accident?”
“King told you about that.”
“Why would you come into his pub? He knew you.”
“I was looking for you, not him. When I saw him the first time I really thought I’d ruined it. But he didn’t connect the pieces. Fool! I was cemented in his memory as a much younger and very different woman. No more dyed hair, no more designer suits, or manicured nails. Just old frumpy Sally with her peasant skirts.”
“You killed his family.”
She bristled. “That dumb woman driver got in my way. She should have moved faster.”
Eva felt sick for King, who had lost so much to a woman who had no remorse. “That’s when Darius sent you away. ”
“He had me locked up in a private home for the insane.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “Bastard. He took almost twenty years of my life.” Anger seemed to rush through her like a wildfire. “And then Darius came to see me last year. The cancer had whittled away his body and he looked so weak and tired. I almost didn’t recognize him. But he’d learned from that whore Lisa about what had happened the night my boy died. He didn’t have the strength to kill you all, so he asked me to do it. Of course I said yes.”
“Where is Bobby?”
“Upstairs. Safe. I bought a television and snacks. Kids like snacks and cartoons.”
“Why do you want Bobby?”
“I’m his grandmother.”
“His grandmother is dead.”
“You mean his other grandmother. Yes, I know. I killed her.”
“I remember Eliza’s daughter.”
“She had a crush on my boy. And she managed to get herself pregnant. Darius didn’t want a bastard grandchild and told her he’d ruin her family if she ever told anyone. When Darius came to me he told me about Bobby. I knew I had to see him.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Why did you kill Eliza?”
“I drove by her house to see Bobby and she saw me. Believe it or not, she recognized me. She would have told everyone I was back and ruined all my plans. So I killed her.” She released a breath. “Soon it will be just Bobby and me….”
Garrison and three other police cars arrived at the residential house made of brick. This was the house Lenny had described. This was where he’d heard the woman scream. Where he’d smelled burning flesh. Garrison prayed they had arrived in time.
Sally smiled as the tip of the brand started to heat. Just one more minute and it should be ready.
“What are you going to do?”
“Mark you like those others. You want to be remembered as rising stars and you will be.”
“Your son already marked me once.”
“He should have finished you then. The delay is what killed him. He was having too much fun, I’ll bet. Men are weak when it comes to women.”
“He raped me.”
“Please,” Sally said. “I’ll bet you waggled your cute little bottom in front of him, knowing the effect you had on him. The other girls did the same. They enticed him to take them.”
Up stairs, footsteps sounded and Eva glanced up the staircase. Bobby appeared at the top of the stairs. “Sally?”
Sally crossed quickly to Eva and shoved a rag in her mouth. “I’m down here. Wait and I’ll come get you.”
Sally secured the rag in Eva’s mouth with a strip of duct tape. Satisfied Eva couldn’t warn the boy, she headed up the stairs. She locked the basement door and then led Bobby to the basement.
Eva stared in horror as Bobby moved down the stairs. When he reached the basement he stopped and stared at her.
“Don’t be fooled by her, son. She is the devil.”
“You tied her up,” Bobby said.
“Yes. She’s been bad and she needs to be punished.”
“What are you going to do to her?” A hitch in his voice betrayed fear and uncertainty.
Eva tried to scrape her chin against her shoulder and remove the tape but it didn’t budge. She stared at Bobby, trying to will him to understand that she really did care.
Sally laid her hands on his shoulders and stared into Eva’s eyes. “I’m going to teach her what happens to bad girls. And I want you to take note. This is your first lesson on the step to manhood.”
Tears welled and ran down Bobby’s face. He tried to pull away but she wouldn’t release him. “Don’t hurt her!”
Sally dragged Bobby toward the fireplace and picked up the red-hot branding iron. “We need to teach Eva a lesson.”
“No!” Bobby shouted.
Eva didn’t have hope that she would get out of the basement alive.
Garrison rang the bell. No answer. “There’s a basement. We need to get to the basement.”
He moved to a window by the front door and using the handle of his gun broke the glass. He wrapped his jacket around his arm and reached through the jagged glass for the latch. Glass cut through the back
as he strained and finally reached the lock.
He pushed open the window, hoisted himself inside the house and then opened the front door for the other detectives. They rushed through the house, sweeping and searching as they went.
Rokov moved to a side parlor and slid open the door. “I have something.”
“What?” He couldn’t bring himself to ask if it was Eva or the boy.
“It’s Donovan.” Rokov and Sinclair, guns drawn, carefully entered the room. While Rokov remained on alert, Sinclair checked Donovan’s vitals.
“He’s alive. But barely.”
Garrison moved to the kitchen and found the basement door. It was locked. Bolted from the inside. He was about to request the battering ram when Eva’s scream tore through the house.
Through the burning pain that seared every nerve ending in her body, Eva heard Bobby weep.
“Stop!” the boy screamed.
Sally turned from Eva who had draped forward in a sweaty crumpled heap. “I have to do this.”
Bobby raced to her, taking her hand in his. “Eva, wake up. I’m sorry.”
Sally grabbed Bobby by the arm. “You have to be strong. Like a real man. You can’t be sniveling. Your uncle Micah snivels.”
Bobby tore away from Sally and gripped Eva’s hands tighter. “Eva, wake up!”
She raised her head. The pain of the burn had eased a fraction so that she could think a little more clearly.
The boy pulled the tape and gag from her mouth. “Get out of here, Bobby. Get away.”
“He’s not going anywhere. Are you, Bobby?” Sallysaid. “He’s going to watch me burn every inch of your body and then stab you in the heart when I’m done.”
Sally left Bobby at Eva’s side as she returned to the hearth and jabbed the end of the branding iron into the embers.
Tears rolled down Bobby’s face. “I’m sorry.”