Like regular cribs, they were made of wood, with an elevated bed and spindles. Except these ones were adult sized, with lids that could be fastened using thick leather straps. Cribs to restrain patients. To hold them there, lying on their backs, unable to move--
A bump sounded, and I jumped, remembering the woman in the rocker. But Ricky heard this one and moved toward the noise, his switchblade in one hand, cell phone flashlight in the other. Another bump. Then the sound of muffled cries. I hurried forward to see a dark-haired woman in the last box.
I stopped short. I'd seen two hallucinations of dark-haired women already, but Ricky quickly unfastened the straps and pulled off the lid, and it was indeed a woman inside. She was a couple of years younger than me, blindfolded and gagged.
"Hold still," Ricky said. "I'm going to cut off--"
She went wild, thrashing and screaming behind her gag.
"Not the right thing to say?" he whispered to me.
I spoke louder, to be heard over her panicked struggles. "Macy? It's me. It's . . . Eden. You're okay. This guy is with me. He's going to take off your gag and blindfold. Just lie still."
She stopped moving and lay there, tense, sounding as if she was panting behind the gag. Ricky cut off her blindfold first, and when it fell away, he leaned over her.
"You okay?" he asked.
She stared up at him. Gaping, in fact. Yes, Ricky's face wasn't a bad first sight after a near-death experience. He didn't seem to notice, just cut off her gag. Then he went to work unfastening her hands and feet.
"I'm Rick," he said when he finished. "She prefers Olivia."
Macy took a moment to drag her gaze away from Ricky. When she saw me, she blinked.
"Olivia . . . ? Eden . . . ?" Her eyes rounded. "You're . . ."
She scrambled out of the crib, tipping it over in her haste. I dove after her and she gasped, like I was wielding a hatchet. Ricky grabbed me back as if she was wielding one.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ricky said to her.
"That's--She's--I saw her in the paper. She's--"
"Her name is Olivia," Ricky snarled in a tone I'd never heard him use. "And she just saved your fucking life, so you will show some respect."
"I-I need to leave."
"No, you need to answer some questions. If you don't, I'll lock you back in that damned box until you're feeling chatty."
One could argue this was not the kindest way to deal with a traumatized kidnap victim. But apparently Ricky wasn't in the mood to be charming.
My cell phone blipped with an unread message.
"Looks like I missed Gabriel's call," I said as I took it out. "He pulled in five minutes ago. We'll go down and meet him."
"No," Macy said, shrinking into the corner as she stared at Ricky, her gaze far less admiring now. "I'm not going anywhere with you two. I know who she is."
"You know who my parents are," I said. "You know nothing about me."
"Except that she saved your fucking life." Ricky glanced my way. "Tell Gabriel how to find us, and he can convince her to talk. I'd really rather not have to stuff her back in that box."
I called. Gabriel was trying to figure out which building to enter. I got him in the right one and on the path as I explained the situation. The basics, at least. I wasn't giving more with Macy right there.
I also made sure to tell him I hadn't sent that urgent message, either, which I suppose didn't need to be done right away, but I hated him thinking I'd dragged him out of bed for what hadn't turned out to be a dangerous situation. Apparently, though, our definitions of dangerous differed. In his books, being led through a condemned building by a crazy man still qualified.
One part of the story I left out? The part where I hadn't come here alone. As Gabriel got closer, Ricky motioned for me to mute the phone.
"Want me to take off?" he whispered. "Explain it later?"
I shook my head. "I'll go warn him."