Out of the Black (13 page)

I thought about my answer, then said, “I’m going to find Roach and get Pinnell’s address.”

“And then?”

“And then I’m going to find him and make him tell me where she is.” I paused and looked up at Carrie. “And if he doesn’t tell me, I’m going to kill him.”

“My God, Matt!”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Yes.” Carrie sat next to me, took my hands. “Let’s go to the police. They have special departments that handle this kind of thing. They can help us.”

“If I go to the police, he’s going to kill her.”

“He won’t find out,” she said. “I can go myself. I can talk to them and tell them the situation. They can track her down a lot faster than you can.”

“No, they can’t.”

“Matt, please.”

“Listen to me,” I said. “We can’t go to the police, not now, not ever, do you understand?”

“But—”

“If I do this right, if I can get to him, I can bring her home.”

“He’ll kill you.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But if I go to the police, Anna is as good as dead. I don’t know who this guy is, but he knows things. He has the sheriff’s department in Pella Valley working for him. God knows who else.”

“That’s crazy, Matt. No one—”

“You saw what he did here,” I said. “I told you the light>s out of what happened to me. It’s too much of a risk.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

I shook my head, slow.

“Don’t you dare,” she said. “You can’t go off and expect me to sit here and wait for you like I’m—”

“I need you to stay out of it, please.”

“I can’t sit here helpless, Matt. I won’t.”

I got up and took a marker and a piece of yellow construction paper from Anna’s desk. “I’m going to try and call you tonight, but if you don’t hear from me by morning, there’s someone—”

“Don’t hear from you?”

“—I need you to call.”

“Matt, don’t do this.” Carrie got up and stood next to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me around to face her. “Don’t go running after this guy, please. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

I told her I’d be fine, but my voice sounded weak and unsure, even to me.

“Matt?”

I turned back to the yellow construction paper and finished writing out the address. “There’s an old friend of mine I want you to go see. His name is Brian Murphy. He owns a bar over in—”

“No.” She stepped back, shaking her head. “Not him.”

“I want you to talk to him,” I said. “If anyone gives you a hard time, tell them you’re there to see Murphy, and that you have a message for him from me. He’ll talk to you.”

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I didn’t like driving the police cruiser, so I took back roads all the way to Roach’s place. When I got there, I parked down the street and walked the rest of the way to her building.

I buzzed her apartment.

There was no answer, and I tried again.

Still nothing.

I stepped back and looked around at the cars lining the block. There were two men sitting on a low flight of steps across the street, laughing and passing a bottle between them. I thought about asking them if they knew Roach and if they’d seen her, but decided against it.

The fewer people who saw me, the better.

I walked around the side of the building and looked up at Roach’s apartment on the fourth floor. The windows were dark, and all at once the hopelessness of the situation hit me, and my stomach fell away.

I thought about what Carrie had said and wondered if she was right. I didn’t see how I was going to find Anna on my own. She could be anywhere, and I had nothing to go on.
If I called the police and told them what I knew, there was a chance they could help.

No.

For the first time, I let myself think about Anna and where she might be and what might be happening to her.

It was all I needed.

I walked into the alley and stood under the fire escape. The ladder was pulled up, so I pushed one of the Dumpsters under it and climbed on top.

I jumped and grabbed the bottom rung and pulled myself onto the fire escape. It took a lot of my strength, and once I was up, I sat and leaned back against the building. My head felt light, and the constant dull pain behind my eyes turned sharp.

I ignored it and climbed the rusted metal stairs to the fourth floor and looked in Roach’s window, shielding the light from the street with my hands.

The apartment was dark and empty.

I could see the coffee table Jay and I had sat around earlier that day while we went over his plan. For a second I was struck by how long ago that seemed, and how much had changed in such a short time.

I reached down and tried to open the window. It was locked, but the latch inside rattled loose and it didn’t take much force to snap it open and push the window up.

I took the gun from my belt and ducked inside.

The air inside Roach’s apartment was stale and smelled like old ashtrays and cooked meat. There was a McDonald’s bag on the coffee table next to several crumpled napkins and a half-empty bottle of Smirnoff vodka.

Someone had been there since that afternoon.

I clicked the safety off on the .45 and walked through the living room toward the kitchen and looked in. There were dirty dishes stacked in the sink, and a garbage bag filled with
tin the lightawAK. It was cans next to the refrigerator. On the counter, two more empty vodka bottles.

I lowered the gun.

Roach had been here, and that meant she’d be back. I didn’t like the idea of waiting for her, but I didn’t see any other option. She handled the appointment books at the salon, and she knew where the old man lived. I wasn’t going anywhere until she told me.

Outside in the hallway, someone laughed.

There was a thin sliver of light leaking in from under the door, and I crossed the room and looked out through the peephole. I saw a man and woman standing in front of the apartment across the hall. She had her arms around his neck as he held her hips, pinning her against the wall.

Eventually, she pushed him away and searched through a set of keys. He came up behind her and kissed her neck. She smiled, slid the key into the lock, and they both disappeared inside.

I watched their door close then stepped back.

I thought about my next move.

It occurred to me that Jay had been staying here. That meant some of his things had to be here. I didn’t think I’d find anything important, but it was worth a shot.

I took one last look out the peephole then turned away from the door. I made it three steps before I stopped and looked back.

The chain on the front door was locked.

I stood there, staring at the rusted metal chain, letting the pieces fall together in my head.

The lock could only be fastened from the inside.

All at once, the gun felt heavy in my hand.

I turned and saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I lifted the gun, but I was too late.

The figure came in fast.

I had just enough time to register a baseball bat before I dropped down and covered my head with both hands.

The bat hit the wall just above my head, and tiny bits of plaster fell around me. I moved in, grabbing his arms and sweeping his legs out from under him.

We hit the floor hard.

I climbed on top, pinning his arms under my legs, and pulled my fist back, ready.

“Matt!”

A woman’s voice.

“Roach?”

“Get the fuck off me.”

I moved away, and Roach tried to sit up.

“What the fuck, Matt?”

“You could’ve killed me,” I said.

“You broke into my apartment, asshole.” Roach got to her feet and looked around for the bat. She found it, picked it up, and carried it out to the living room, mumbling to herself along the way.

I brushed the plaster dust from my clothes and hair.

My hands were shaking.

Roach grabbed the half-empty bottle of vodka from the coffee table and dropped onto the couch. “You’re still alive, I see.”

“Are you surprised?”

“Of course not,” she said. “You’ve always been lucky.” She paused, took a drink, and pointed at my face. “Or maybe nottell him he ow

“Can you get it?”

Roach stared at me. “Why?”

I didn’t want to tell her about Anna, but I needed her help, and I didn’t see any other way.

The news didn’t seem to faze her. “So you want me to give you their home address?”

“And tell me what you can about her and her husband.”

Roach laughed. “Here’s what I know.” She held up two fingers. “She’s rich, and she gets her hair done twice a month. Any of that help?”

“Then just their address.”

“I don’t see what good it’ll do,” Roach said. “If they’ve got your kid, they’re not going to take her home with them. They’ll just dump her somewhere.”

The words stung, but I kept going, trying to stay calm. “I don’t know where they took her, but Pinnell knows, and he’s going to tell me.”

“Do you plan on just ringing the bell and asking him where he took her?”

“It’s a start.”

“It’s fucking stupid, Matt.” came around the cornershyeke

I felt the anger glow inside me, but I managed to keep it in check. I reminded myself that Roach was hard to deal with at the best of times, and these were far from the best of times.

“What would you do?”

“I’m not the person to ask.” She waved me off and leaned back on the couch. “I’ll get you her address, but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. All that stuff is in the computer at work.”

“Tomorrow?”

“If I can get in tomorrow.”

I waited for her to explain. When she didn’t, I asked, “Is there a problem?”

Roach motioned to the window with the bottle. “I was followed tonight. They were sitting outside when I got home.”

“The two across the street on the steps?” I asked. “They’re not following you.”

“How do you know?”

“They’re drunks,” I said. “And you’re paranoid.”

“Fuck you, Matt.”

“You’re jumping at shadows,” I said. “There’s no one waiting for you out there.”

“Check.”

“I’m telling you.”

“Check.” She pointed the bottle at the window. “I’m not leaving if they’re still there. It’s up to you.”

I stared at her, silent.

Roach frowned. “Well?”

I got up and walked to the front window and looked down over the street.

“Are they there?”

I didn’t answer.

“Matt?”

The street outside was still and white with snow. The men I’d seen on the steps were gone, but there was someone else there now, standing under one of the lights across the street.

“Are they there?”

I told her they weren’t.

“Then what is it?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I went around to the fire escape and opened the window. I stuck my head out and looked down. There was another man standing in the alley, smoking a cigarette.

“Shit.”

Roach sat up. “They’re out there, aren’t they?”

“Someone’s out there,” I said. “Whoever they are, they weren’t outside when I got here. It looks like they’re waiting for us.”

Roach pushed herself off the couch and grabbed the baseball bat. “Are they coming up here?”

“I don’t think so.”

Roach held the bat against her chest and paced the room. I went back to the front window and looked out at the street and cursed myself under my breath for being so careless. Coming here had been a mistake.

I should’ve known better.

If they didn’t already know I’d made it out of the cell in Pella Valley, they sure as hell knew now.

“We need to go,” I said. “Is there another the light60s out of way out of the building?”

“There’s a back door, but we’ll have to go down to the basement and through the laundry room.”

“That’ll have to do,” I said. “Come on.”

“And go where?” Roach held up her hand. “Where do you think we’re going to go?”

I grabbed her silver coat off the arm of the couch and tossed it to her. “Anywhere but here.”

Roach stared at me for a second then slipped her coat on and followed me to the door. When we got close, I held up my arm, stopping her.

“What?”

I pointed to the strip of light coming in from under the door. A shadow passed outside in the hall.

We stood, silent, waiting.

A second later, I heard the muffled clink of glass breaking. Then the hall light went out.

Someone was standing outside the door.

I took my .45 from my belt and nodded toward the window and the fire escape. “Outside. Go.”

Roach didn’t move, so I took her arm and pulled her along.

“Get your fucking hands off me.”

I stopped, whispered, “Stay here if you want, but I’m leaving.”

I opened the window to the fire escape and sat on the windowsill and zipped my coat. Then I slid the .45 into my belt and started to climb out.

Roach stood behind me, watching. “You said someone was down there. They’ll see you.”

I leaned out and checked again. Roach was right. The man was still there, standing in the alley. He would see me before I had a chance to get close.

The fire escape ended several feet below the roof. There was a dark window leading back inside, and a cement ledge lined with several stone gargoyles above me. The ledge ran along the length of the building, and I thought if I climbed onto the railing and jumped, I might be able to reach the ledge and pull myself up onto the roof.

It wasn’t the best option, but it seemed like the only one I had left.

I steadied myself against the wall and put my foot on the top of the railing. Then I eased up, testing my weight before each move.

I heard voices below me and looked down. When I did, the world seemed to pinwheel around me, and the strength dropped out of my legs. I had just enough time to see a figure leaning out of Roach’s window two floors below, then my foot slipped and I fell.

I landed hard on the railing, knocking the air out of my lungs. I teetered there, feeling my weight pull me over the edge. At the last second, I kicked out, desperately trying to
arch back onto the platform. I managed to catch the railing with my foot and stop myself from falling all the way down to the alley below.