BREAKING STEELE (A Sarah Steele Thriller) (7 page)

We rode back to town in silence. Joshua had a soft Hawaiian song playing, almost like a lullaby. He loved Samoan music and had just about every CD ever recorded in Hawaii, it was one of the only parts of his heritage he clung to. The singer crooned us into a near-sleep state.

My body felt like a train had hit it at full speed, and then backed up to finish the job. My lungs hurt, my eyes ached, and my head felt swollen.

“Want me to stay at your place tonight, Sarah?” Mandy asked. It was kind. I did want her to stay, but I knew that she didn’t need me right now. She needed Rick. So I refused, saying I’d sleep like a log whether she was there or not. We dropped her off at her house and then Joshua and I went back to the office. We were covered in soot, sweat, and grime. I just needed to pick up my car.

“You’ve got that meeting with Hannah Williams in the morning,” Joshua reminded me.

I nodded. “We got a lot covered today. Hopefully we’ll take a few more steps closer tomorrow.”

Joshua adjusted his glasses and turned to leave. For some reason I reached for him and gave him a big hug. I melted in his arms, and he felt good, and safe.

Without another word, we went our separate ways.

I soaked in the bath until my fingers and toes looked like prunes. I went into the water smelling like a cloud of smoke, and came out smelling like vanilla. A layer of grime lined my tub when I drained the water.

After drying off and brushing my hair I just laid in my bed. The covers were soft and warm against my naked skin.

I was feeling restless. Although I was tired, I was nowhere near falling to sleep. The adrenaline was still in my body, waking my thoughts. The events of the day reeled through my head like a movie. There were several things I wished I had done, things I would change.

I wished I had run outside the barn as soon as I heard the car pull into the driveway.

I wished I’d been there when Williams had got out of his car with those Molotov cocktails.

I wished I would’ve taken the gas bombs from him, kicked him back into the car, and thrown the bombs in after him.

This evening I’d been reminded once again what he’d done to Tracy Mulligan—had seen where he raped and beat and killed her. And then he’d tried to kill my friends and destroy the evidence. I had no proof, but I knew it was him.

One side of me wanted him to come to justice the modern, slow way—through the judiciary system.

The other side of me wanted him to see justice the ancient, blood-feud way—and watch him burn.

Chapter 16

SWEAT POURED OFF THE tip of my nose as I pounded the stair climber. Eminem ripped my heart out in my earbuds and I lost myself in the sound. This was my escape, my world to bend and create what I wanted.

I had barely slept, and now I was up and doing an early morning exercise. I had a weight problem when I was a kid. I just couldn’t lose the baby fat. And getting made fun of at school led to more eating and at my highest weight I began to have some medical problems. I also ate when I was stressed. And my home environment was the opposite of stress-free.

I wanted to be healthy, and then that day came …

It still hurt so much, but in a way, my mom going away on a life sentence was the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn’t like to think about it. But when I worked out, in the middle of punishing my body, I let it drive me.

Thinking about my mom made me think about my father. He’d never left me, but he’d never been there for me either. In the midst of mom’s craziness, he never stood up for me. That’s why that night … I had done what I did. And even though I longed for him, I knew that I was longing more for the idea of someone than the real person.

My mom was gone, too, for all intents and purposes. She’s still angry. When I call her, she answers me in monosyllables then hangs up after a minute. I tried to see her the first year but she would not come out of her cell. And it was hard for foster parents to get me there, anyway. So I gave up and took to the gym.

One hundred pounds later, I was in the best shape of my life. For the first time, men noticed me, and it took me about a year to figure out how to handle male attention. Most just wanted one thing, and I was not into one-night stands.

“Just gonna stand there and watch me burn …”

My legs screamed and I pushed harder, the more they hurt the louder the music, the easier it was to drown out my thoughts. Was it healthy to try to bury all my feelings? Probably not, but I wasn’t ready to stare that monster in the face.

The song ended and I eased up for a full minute. When my heart rate slowed a little I cranked up the resistance and hit it as hard and fast as I could.

I thought about Hank Williams and how he was trying to break me. Why? What did he have to gain by pushing me to the edge? Was he really planning to kill me, or was he just scared?

The worst kind of criminal was one with money and nothing but time on his hands. And Hank Williams had both.

Chapter 17

THE DOORBELL RANG AND I jumped. It was barely six in the morning and I’d just stepped out of the shower. Grabbing my robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door, I wrapped it around me. Who could it be at this hour?

Peering through the peephole I saw a mass of flowers. Sighing I turned and leaned against the door. My hair was wet and I felt naked, wait … I was pretty much naked under my robe.

Unlocking the door I smiled as a tall, thin man handed me the roses. A dozen of them, and a card. He had me sign for them and walked away after checking me out. I blushed and shut and relocked the door.

Who would be sending me flowers? If it was Dan I was going to have to talk to him again, he couldn’t flirt with me like this. He was married and I was not going to sleep with him no matter what he tried.

I set the vase down and breathed in the wonderful scent. They were amazing, red and full, all in bloom. Taking the card I slid it from the envelope and turned it over. It had a puppy on the front with huge eyes and a silly smile. I laughed in spite of myself and opened it.

You think you escaped, but all you did was sentence yourself to death. Enjoy the roses.

HW

Chapter 18

TWO HOURS AFTER I’D dumped the roses in my trashcan, I was late. I’d dropped off the card at the police station, filed another report, and then hightailed it to the office. My meeting with Hannah Williams was in forty minutes and it was all the way across town.

I rushed down the hallway. My heels sounded funny on the marble floor, like horse hooves on pavement. I entered the common room and waved Joshua over. He was talking with some other interns. Then I entered my office. Someone moved from behind the door and grabbed my arm.

On a reflex, I yanked my arm out of the grip and elbow-jabbed him in the chest.

He cried out, and I looked up into my boss’s face.

“Dan!” I said. “Geez, don’t scare a girl like that.”

Doubling over, he grabbed his chest, trying to catch his breath. I think he was being overly dramatic. Joshua came behind me and looked over my head to see what was holding me up. “You did that?” he mouthed to me. When I nodded, he grinned.

“You surprised me,” I said unapologetically as I edged past Dan and to my desk. I just had to grab my notes for the interview and then I’d jet out of here.

Dan finally stood up, wincing. “That’s going to leave a mark,” he said. I tried not to smile.

Joshua came to the desk and I handed him a list of things to do. I didn’t want to take him with me to Williams, Inc. I told myself it was because he had a lot of things to do here, but I knew it was really because I wanted him out of the limelight, to keep him safe.

I shoved the file in my briefcase and turned to leave. Dan was still blocking the door.

“Was there something you needed?” I asked with as much respect as I could muster. Which wasn’t a whole lot.

“I need updated,” he said. “This case is blowing up in our face, literally.” He looked down on me with a serious frown. That’s why I hated being short—everyone looked down on me. “What kind of evidence did you find at the barn? What plans do you have today? And why were you at the police station early this morning?”

My eyes widened, trying to look sincere. “I will catch you up on this case. On everything. But I really have to go right now, I’m late for a meeting with Hannah Williams and those aren’t easy to come by.” I held his gaze.

He sighed and stepped away. “Fine. But call me once you’re driving and fill me in, okay?”

“Okay,” I promised.

Joshua followed me, but I held a hand up. “You stay here. I’ll catch you when I’m back.”

His brow creased in worry and he opened his mouth to protest. I turned and walked out the door before he said anything.

Chapter 19

THE DRIVE FROM THE office to the Williams, Inc. building took just over fifty minutes. It was located out of town past the airport heading toward the foothills. I’d called Dan and told him everything, which meant he had more questions than ever. Just like I did. What I realized as I told him about the flowers was that I didn’t want to go home again. They knew where I lived, and my place wasn’t exactly an insurmountable fortress. My mind whirled, wondering where I should go. I must’ve wondered out loud because Dan said, “You can stay at my place.”

I curled my nose in disgust, but said sweetly, “No, thanks. If they could find my home, they could find your place. I’ll figure something out.”

And then I saw the place I was looking for. “I’m at Williams, Inc.,” I said, “I’ll catch you later.”

“Be careful,” he said in a fatherly tone.

I almost said, “whatever,” but then thought better of it and said, “I will.”

I stopped at the gate, which was a good mile from the main building. I could see the white, gleaming buildings in the distance shining like diamonds against the sagebrush.

Williams, Inc. had over four thousand employees; it brought a huge amount of income into the valley and was good for everyone. They also were working on new battery technology. If they could create a battery that lasted three times as long, just imagine what that would do to the auto industry. Cell phones would run for days on one charge, electric cars would take over and the oil crisis would be over. The world had high hopes for Williams, Inc. And I was trying to take down the CEO,which didn’t put me on very good standing with a lot of powerful people.

The rent-a-cop was darkskinned from the hot summer sun and had a smooth, baldhead and mirrored sunglasses. I thought he looked just like one of the DB on Reno 911. He approached my car and I rolled down my window.

“I am Sarah Steele, the ADA.” I waited a moment and said. “I have an appointment with Hannah Williams.”

“Hold on.” The short man took off his glasses and picked up a black phone and turned to me. The guard booth was about six-by-six and had a small TV in the corner with a view of the turnoff from the main road.

I waited and wondered if I was going to strike out. Was I too late? I could pretend to be a cutthroat lawyer if I needed to, but it was more show than anything else.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But you’re too late.”

I couldn’t stop now. “No way. I need to see Williams today. I’m late because her father has been terrorizing me and I’m going to hear what she has to say about that. I need to get in.” I gave him a soft look and the guard rubbed his chin and glanced back toward the white buildings in the distance.

“Look, Miss, I just work here. I got kids, and they fire people around here for sneezing too loud. I really want to help you, but I can’t.”

Groaning, I gripped the steering wheel and half thought about gunning it and breaking through the gate across the road.

“Tell you what,” the guard leaned out the window and smiled, “I will get her secretary on the phone and you can see if you can wheedle your way in after all.”

I grinned. Wheedling was one of my greatest skills. After he dialed, I took the phone from him. “Hello, this is Sarah Steele.”

“Hello, Sarah Steele,” a crisp female voice answered. “You’ll have to make another appointment.”

“No, I don’t,” I said. “Williams needs to see me today. I’m working a case involving her father and I need to hear her statement.” Silence on the other side of the line. “I can either come in now, or in three hours with a court order. You don’t want that kind of hassle, do you?”

More silence, then the woman said, “Let me talk to the guard.”

Perking up, I handed the phone back to the guard, tapping my nails on the steering wheel as I waited.

He hung up. “You’re free to go, Miss Steele.”

I smiled. “Thank you.” I was about to pull forward when I noticed his expression. It was as if he had something on the edge of his tongue.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You should be talking to Glen Williams, not Hannah.”

I’d never heard that name before. But I better find out why it mattered. “Really?” I said, my expression open. “Who is he?”

“I think he’s Hank’s brother or cousin or uncle or someone.” The guard stared intently at me for a moment, and then looked away.

I knew he couldn’t be Hank’s brother. Hank was an only child. “Got anything to dish on him?” I asked in a quiet voice.

“Nothing much, the man is a ghost. He only comes around like twice a year and most people around here don’t even know what he looks like. Hank Williams is the face of the company.Now that he’s in trouble there’s a lot of speculation about who is going to run things. People are scared of Glen. I mean, he is a weird guy!”

“What do you mean ‘weird’?”

“Well, I don’t really know. I just hear things, you know. They say he lives in hiding, like a hermit, or some sort of recluse or something. But they say he’s always watching us.”

I held back a smile. The gossip chain was not going to help me. This story was turning out to be a tale the employees were told to stay in line.

“Thanks,” I said. I was about to pull forward but I hesitated. The name Glen Williams stuck in my head, as if it mattered somehow. “Anyone you know I could talk to that could tell me about him?”