The Cursed (25 page)

16

“S
top!” Dallas told Logan.

“In the middle of the road?” Logan asked.

“No, but turn around,” Dallas said, staring at his phone. He looked over at Logan. “Hannah called me, but the call cut out before I could answer. And now, when I try her back, I’m not getting an answer.”

Logan pulled off on the side of the road. Luckily they had only gotten as far as Stock Island. It wouldn’t take them more than twenty minutes—maybe less—to get back to town. He used his Bluetooth device to call Kelsey, and Dallas saw the worry on the other man’s face when she didn’t pick up.

“I’ll call Liam,” Dallas said.

In a minute, he had the detective on the phone.

“Hannah and Kelsey aren’t answering their phones,” he said without preamble.

“I drove by not ten minutes ago,” Liam said. “Officer Bickford was sitting in his car, right where he was supposed to be. Hang on. I’ll get him on his radio.”

Long seconds went by. Logan was already turning the car around.

Liam came back on. “I can’t rouse my officer. I’ll get a couple of patrol cars over there right away.”

“No, don’t,” Dallas said. “If someone
is
in there, he thinks he got in clean and now he’s in control. Tell your men to park around the corner and approach the house on foot, but tell them to make sure they’re not seen and not to go in. See if you can find a way to reach the patrol car without being noticed, though frankly, I’m afraid you’re going to find your officer dead or dying. Get help for him quickly, but do it without being noticed.”

“I’ll get it done carefully,” Liam promised. “Unless someone’s watching from a distance, I’ll get my man without being seen. But as for the house...”

“Liam, please, play this my way. Unless you hear screams or shots fired, don’t go in. That’s the best chance they have of staying alive. I’m begging you. Hannah and Kelsey have to play along, make him think they can and will help him. They have to pretend to give this guy what he wants.”

“Do they even have what he wants? Did you find something?”

“No, but he doesn’t know that. And—” He broke off, looking at Logan. “They’re smart. They’ll keep him talking. They’ll play the game.”

“Sweet Lord, I pray you’re right,” Liam said.

“Hannah tried to call me,” Dallas said. “She’ll know I saw and we’re on the way. Hold off, please.”

“I’ll call you back the second we’re around the corner, getting ready to approach the house.”

“If you burst in—”

“We won’t. Your case, your call,” Liam promised quietly.

“Thank you. I’ll go in myself and—”

“How the hell are
you
going to get in?” Liam asked.

“Well, I could just use my guest key. It’s a bed-and-breakfast, remember? I’m a guest,” Dallas said. “But I’ll play it by ear.”

“I’ll have my men placed discreetly as near the house as is safe. They won’t go in, but they’ll be ready.”

Dallas thanked him and hung up.

Logan drove fast, but with a dead-steady hand. “I’m going to park one street over. We’ll go through the alley.”

Dallas nodded. They were back on Roosevelt already. Logan had a true talent for dodging through traffic.

“You’re taking the back door?” Logan asked.

Dallas shook his head. “There’s a big avocado tree in the back. I’m going to climb it to the widow’s walk and go in through the attic, then play it by ear from there.”

Logan didn’t argue with him, and Dallas felt a solid sense of gratitude. Logan Raintree was a hell of a guy and the kind of leader a man could respect. He meant what he said when he handed over the reins, and he didn’t micromanage.

Dallas smiled grimly. They were going to pull this off. “I don’t think he wants to kill anyone, at least not until he has what he’s looking for—though why he thinks we have it, I don’t know. I need you to distract him while I come. He’s got some kind of a hostage thing going on. I’m sure of it.”

“So am I,” Logan said. He looked over at Dallas quickly. “If not, Kelsey would have shot him by now.”

Logan parked a street away, as planned. They made their way to the alley, then split up.

Logan headed to the rear door, moving silently through the foliage.

Dallas slipped around to the avocado tree and hoped the tree would hold him and get him where he needed to go.

* * *

“Bentley Holloway, what the hell are you doing?” Hannah asked.

It was so damned obvious, but at the same time it was ridiculously impossible to believe that the next-door neighbor she’d known since she was a kid was a killer.

A big guy with blue eyes. Hell. They’d never even suspected....

He ignored Hannah and looked at Kelsey. “Put your weapon on the ground. Now. Slowly, calmly and easily. I’m pretty much past caring whether I live or die, but this woman is a mother. She wants to live. Don’t you, Valeriya?”

Valeriya didn’t make a sound. She seemed barely able to breathe. Her terror was almost palpable.

Kelsey turned, then carefully lifted the Glock from her waistband for him to see.

“Down. Right there...yes.”

Kelsey set the weapon on the floor.

Hannah prayed that her cousin had something else in her arsenal.

“Step back,” Bentley said.

Kelsey obeyed.

“You always were a smart girl, Kelsey. I remember you both as kids. Hannah, you were like a light in the darkness. Even then, you knew every story about Key West. You knew all about the soldiers, the pirates, the spongers and the salvagers. You were like a sponge yourself, soaking up every piece of information that came your way.”

“I think he likes you best,” Kelsey said drily.

“Shut up, Kelsey. Try anything and sweet Valeriya dies,” Bentley said. “And you know I’ll do it. I’ve killed before. I won’t blink at doing it again.”

Hannah noticed that Hagen and Melody had materialized by the kitchen door. Hagen looked furious, as if he would have ripped the man in two if he could. He strode angrily toward Bentley—then walked through him.

Bentley, however, felt something. His grip on Valeriya tightened, and Hannah flinched as she saw the necklace of red at Valeriya’s throat darken.

Bentley’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is going on in here?” he demanded.

“The ghosts,” Hannah said.

“What?”

“Melody and Hagen. They really do haunt the house.”

Bentley smiled and shook his head. “Amusing, Hannah. As always, I do like you best,” he told her.

Kelsey shrugged. “It’s okay with me. But you should let Valeriya go. She’s useless. And if you have to worry about anybody, it’s me, so you should have that knife at my throat.”

“Hannah, check your cousin’s pocket. I’m betting you’ll find some of those plastic zip-tie cuffs. Am I right, Kelsey?” When she nodded, he smiled.

“Bentley, you weren’t listening,” Kelsey said calmly.

“I heard you. But you’re going to try to save the day. So you need to be cuffed. Much easier for me than trying to hold on to you,” Bentley said.

“You want something from me, Bentley,” Hannah said thoughtfully. “And I don’t believe you want to kill us. So why don’t you tell me what you want and I’ll help you if I can.”

“Aren’t you nice, Hannah. Yeah, right. In real life, what do you see? The big sweaty construction guy next door. Well, Hannah, you know what? You’re right. I don’t want to kill you. I’ve made mistakes because of you. And it will hurt me—it will
haunt me
—if I have to kill any of you. But I will if I have to. Kelsey, make things easy. Give her the cuffs.”

“So it will be easier for you to shove me to my knees and shoot me in the back of the head?” Kelsey asked.

“I told you, I don’t want to kill you. I just want the treasure. I know you know what’s going on. The Wolf wants the treasure, too, but he wants
me
to find it because it’s cursed. But I don’t believe in curses. I have a way out. I just need one particular piece. And I really want to leave you alive. So come on, help me out here.”

Kelsey produced the cuffs from her pocket.

“Put them on her,” Bentley said to Hannah. “And be sure they’re tight enough. You don’t have to hurt her, but make sure she can’t slip out of them.”

“How on earth do you think this is going to work out?” Hannah asked. “I don’t have the treasure chest. You’ve worked in this house long enough to know that. And Dallas and Logan will be back soon, not to mention there’s a policeman out in front. He’ll be in here—”

“No,” Bentley said quietly, “he won’t.”

Hannah felt a horrible chill.

Hagen said, “The bastard killed him. Why didn’t we know it was him? He was right next door!”

“I didn’t know, either,” Hannah said.

“Who are you talking to?” Bentley demanded. “Your ‘ghosts’?” He laughed. “Handcuffs. Now. And cell phones, while you’re at it.”

Kelsey nodded and told Hannah, “Pull them on. It’s easy. They’re like garbage bag ties.”

Hannah looked at her worriedly but did as she was told.

“Cell phone this pocket,” Kelsey said.

Hannah got out Kelsey’s phone and then her own. She saw that she had missed five calls from Dallas.

He would come save her, she thought.

“Bentley, you need to get out now. Dallas and Logan—”

“Can’t possibly get back here in time to do you a damn bit of good,” he said smoothly.

“You can’t know that! They’re close,” Hannah said.

“I’m afraid not. The medical examiner has found another body,” Bentley told her. “The Wolf,” he added quietly, “makes sure of all things.”

“What can we do?” Melody asked. She was trying to shove Bentley, but needless to say, he wasn’t moving.

He felt something, though, Hannah thought. He just didn’t know what it was.

“Nothing,” Hannah said.

“Don’t do that—just don’t, Hannah,” Bentley said. “I’m not one of your ghost-tour guests.”

“It’s a history and legends tour,” she corrected. “And the spirits are real, Bentley. Not to mention there are more of them. Melody and Hagen are here now, but Jose Rodriguez is around somewhere. So is Yerby Catalano. They’re both pretty bitter. Let Valeriya go. Make me your hostage. I’m the one you think has what you want.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts any more than I believe in curses. Get that straight. And, by the way, you definitely have what I want.”

“How can you say that?” Hannah demanded. “You’ve been in this house more than almost anyone.”

“As a matter of fact, I actually know the house better than you do,” he told her, suddenly thrusting Valeriya away from him. Sobbing, she fell to the floor in front of Hannah, who instinctively reached down to help her.

When she looked up again, Bentley had slid the knife back into a sheath at his calf and was holding a gun. She didn’t know what it was, but it certainly looked lethal enough.

“Now, Hannah, where is it?”

“If I had it, I’d give it to you!” she shouted.

He stepped toward her, so she backed away, holding Valeriya, who was trembling and trying but failing not to make any noise as she sobbed.

Then she realized he wasn’t coming toward
her,
he was heading for Kelsey.

Kelsey saw him and lunged, kicking out viciously. He grunted in obvious pain when she connected, but he didn’t stop.

He used the gun to crack Kelsey hard on the side of the head. Hannah heard the impact of the gun against her cousin’s skull.

Melody rushed over and tried to catch Kelsey as she fell, and Hannah thought maybe she did soften the impact slightly, but Kelsey still went down in a heap.

Hannah let out a cry of protest.

“Shut up! I didn’t shoot her, did I? Do you want me to?” Bentley demanded.

“You’re going to kill us, anyway. You’ll have to.”

“I plan to be long gone before you can sic your cop buddies on me. Now for this one.”

He reached for Valeriya, who promptly fell to the floor in a dead faint.

“Now, where is it?” he asked Hannah. He held the gun on her, the muzzle never wavering, as he bent down by Valeriya, pulled his own set of plastic cuffs and bound her wrists.

“Human life means more to me than any object, Bentley. Don’t you think I’d give you what you want if I had it?”

“Then you’d better think quickly and figure out where it is,” Bentley said. “Because in a minute I’m going to start motivating you. I’ll start by slicing your cousin’s fingers off.”

“Do you see a treasure chest anywhere?” Hannah demanded desperately. She realized that she was shaking. There was no way out of this. She should have thrown herself at him the second he released Valeriya. She would have died, but maybe Kelsey and Valeriya would have made it. Kelsey had been trained in combat skills and could have taken advantage of the distraction. She had no idea how to fight.

All she had was the instinct to survive.

“Hey,” Hagen said suddenly. “Someone’s coming.” He raced toward the back of the house.

Hope revived her spirit as if she had grown wings. Suddenly Hagen returned and rushed upstairs.

“Hang on!” he shouted over his shoulder.

“Tell me why you think I know where it is and maybe I can help you,” Hannah said desperately to Bentley.

“There was a letter. Your uncle left a letter,” he told her.

“To me?” she asked, stunned.

“I’m surprised you never found it, but I did, and I read it. He said he’d figured out that the treasure was here and where it was hidden. He wouldn’t write it down. He planned to tell you.”

“He never said a word. I know it’s not in the house. And I don’t see how it can be in the yard—everything was all dug up for the pool and the patio.”

Bentley looked stunned. “He really didn’t tell you?”

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

She heard a noise from the rear of the house. Bentley heard it, too. He grabbed her and spun her against his body as he trained his gun on her skull.

“Come in, Fed. Come on in!” he called.

“I’m not armed!” Logan said as he walked into the room. He saw Kelsey on the floor and, ignoring Bentley, hunkered down next to her. “She’s breathing,” he said quietly, staring at Bentley. “You’re lucky.”

“Oh, really? Or you’d kill me?” Bentley demanded.