The Mirror and the Mask (31 page)

“Because you thought they would see through it if you tried to lie.”

“No. Of course not. What would I lie about?”

Jane felt bad that they were ganging up on her, but this might be their one and only chance to get her to talk to them.

“Annie's missing,” said Jane. “She was abducted from the parking garage at Curt's building last night. It was all caught on tape. Two guys in rubber masks Tasered her and dumped her in the trunk of a stolen car. I'm pretty sure Jack was responsible. She came to town to get him to tell her the truth—about her mother's death, about some of the twists and turns in their relationship, and about his past. She was about to go to the police and tell them who Jack really is when
she was taken. There's a lot more we could tell you, but time's running out. Annie's in serious danger. You of all people might know where she is.”

“This is bullshit,” said Sunny, though she sounded less certain than she had before.

Jane kept pushing. “You left to protect him, right? You couldn't face the police, knowing you'd have to lie. Or . . . was it your brother you were trying to protect?”

Her eyes flashed. “Why would I need to protect Curt?”

“We know he attacked your mom after your dad died,” said Cordelia. “He's dangerous.”

This time Sunny did laugh. “That's just stupid.”

“Is it?”

“Curt had nothing to do with my mother's death. Neither did Jack.”

“You sound awfully confident.”

“I am.”

Jane was confident, too. Jack had to be the one behind Annie's kidnapping. As for the murder of Susan Bowman, she was less certain about that but decided to press Sunny where she was the weakest. “It was Jack, wasn't it? When the police hear about his secret life back in Michigan, that will tip the balance against him. He'll be arrested for your mother's murder.”

“No,” said Sunny, her expression defiant. “That will never happen.”

“If he's hurt Annie, I promise
I'll
tell the police what I know. He's not going to get a free pass this time.”

“He didn't kill my mother.”

“He
did
, Sunny. You know it and I know it. Why won't you admit the truth?”

“You don't have the vaguest idea what happened that day. Neither of you do.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“You mean what Jack told you,” said Jane.

“No. I was there.”

“You . . . were?” said Cordelia, her eyebrows soaring. “You actually saw him push your mom down the stairs?”

“It wasn't like that.”

“What was it like?” demanded Jane. Annie's life was in danger and all she was getting were half answers and a lot of attitude. “He was angry at your mom, right? She was cheating on him.”

“Yeah, but that's not why it happened. My dear, sweet mother was going to murder Jack. I heard her talking to her lover on the phone that afternoon. I came home from school early because I had a sore throat. She didn't even know I was there. They were arguing. He didn't want her to go through with it, but she wouldn't listen.
She
was plotting murder, not Jack.”

“So you told him about it,” said Jane. “He had to stop her before she went through with it. It all comes down to the same thing.”

“No!” she screamed.

“Stop protecting him. He's going to prison. When I tell the police what I know—”

“You are so wrong.”

“Sunny—”

“He didn't do it. I did.”

Jane stared at her, blank faced.

“I had to protect him, don't you get it? What if Mom slipped something into his food? Or messed with his car? Or a dozen other things I couldn't think of or prevent. She promised me I'd totally misunderstood the phone conversation, but I didn't believe her.”

“You . . . talked to her about it?” asked Cordelia, her eyes the size of saucers.

“Yeah. She was in the kitchen arranging some of her stupid, dickhead flowers. I confronted her. She just blew me off. But I knew what
I'd heard. I followed her, told her I wasn't going to let her get away with it. She said I was just a silly, melodramatic kid. That if I said anything to Jack, I'd get myself in a whole lot of trouble. That's when I picked up the bronze sculpture. I wanted to hurt her. I didn't realize she was close to the stairs until she fell. The whole thing was unreal. I saw her fall, but it was like . . . slow motion. I called her name, but she didn't move. God, I was so sick. I threw up in the bathroom. I panicked and left. But . . . you've got to believe me. I didn't mean to kill her. I just wanted to hurt her, to get her to see that I was serious.”

Cordelia walked over and put her arms around Sunny, letting her cry against her shoulder.

“I was terrified,” she said, choking back her sobs. “I couldn't tell anybody what really happened. Not even Augie. And I didn't want Jack or Curt to have to lie for me. I was so alone. All I've done for the last few days is puke my guts out. It nearly killed me to stay away from the funeral. That's why I came today. I had to tell her how sorry I was, that I never meant—” She broke down again. “Do you think she knows—”

“I do,” said Cordelia.

Jane waited for the sobs to subside. “Sunny? Will you help us find Annie?” She'd cautioned Cordelia in the car not to tell Sunny about her brother's suicide attempt. If she found out, she'd want to go to him right away. Curt was, at least for the moment, not in any danger. Annie was.

Sunny sniffed a few times, wiped the arm of her jacket across her nose. “If Jack did take her, he won't hurt her. Maybe he just wanted to talk.”

“Where would he take her if he wanted some privacy?”

Sunny sank down on the edge of a gravestone. “Probably the cabin.”

“What cabin?” asked Cordelia.

“It's a new A-frame he built last summer on Little Otter Tail Lake.”

“How far away?” asked Jane.

“I don't know. About an hour. Maybe a little more.”

“Do you know how to find it?”

“Yeah.”

Jane glanced at Cordelia. “It's worth a shot. I say we give it a try. You willing to be our guide?” asked Jane, switching her attention back to Sunny.

“Aren't you going to turn me in to the police?”

“Let's find Annie first.”

 

 

 

S
unny had badly overstated her ability to find Jack's new cabin. It turned out she'd been there only twice. The first time had been on the back of Jack's Harley; the second time her boyfriend had driven them.

They'd been on the road almost three hours when they finally reached the small town of Malden, on the north end of Little Otter Tail Lake. From the backseat, Sunny directed Cordelia to turn right at the only gas station in town. She'd taken off her seat belt in order to face the side window. “There it is. Blue Water Drive. Turn left where the field ends. We're almost there.”

A few minutes later, they pulled off the gravel road and hid the car behind a thick stand of red pine about a hundred yards from the A-frame. It was going on four in the afternoon.

“Let me check things out first,” said Jane, pulling on her leather gloves. “If Annie's in the cabin, we'll have to call the police.”

“She won't be,” said Sunny.

Jane turned to look at her. “Does Jack ever let friends use the cabin?”

“No way.” Her tone was sullen.

“You're sure you don't need my help?” asked Cordelia, turning up the heat. It was far colder here than it had been in the cities.

“No. Just sit tight.” She glanced at Sunny as she got out. Sunny refused to meet her eyes. Not a good sign.

Jane crept slowly through a mixture of pines and birch, her boot-clad feet sinking deep into the snow. It was rough going, the sun slanting in through the trees and occasionally blinding her. When she reached the edge of the woods, she stopped to get her bearings.

The cabin sat on a rise nestled into the trees. Next to the cabin was a detached two-car garage, a Lexus in the drive. The A-frame had a fairly standard roof peak but an extrawide pitch. It wasn't the small A-frame she was used to finding in rural areas. Shed dormers jutted off the second story. On the side that faced the road, a massive stone chimney rose into the air. A multilevel deck spread out in front of the lake and a smaller deck had been built onto the back, about twenty feet from the garage.

Jane kept low and charged across the road. Rushing up a snowy slope to one of the mullioned windows, she crouched and waited to see if anyone would come out to ask what the hell she was doing. When everything remained quiet, she inched her head ever so slowly upward until she could see into the cabin.

Annie was lying on the living room couch, less than ten feet away. Her hands and feet were bound with duct tape and her eyes were closed. Behind the couch, Jack stood talking to a man with a hemp-colored crew cut and wearing a belted camouflage coverall. It was typical hunter's clothing. The semiautomatic jammed into his waistband wasn't. All her instincts and emotions told her to stay put, that something bad was about to go down, but her better judgment argued that she needed to get help. This wasn't a situation she could handle on her own.

Backing away, Jane slid down the rise and sprinted across the road,
back to the safety of the woods. She took out her cell and tapped in 911, swearing under her breath when she saw that it wasn't connecting. No bars appeared in the corner of the screen.

She emerged from the trees a little while later and slipped into the warmth of Cordelia's Volvo. “She's there.”

“Awesome,” muttered Sunny. “Just awesome.”

“Was Jack there?” asked Cordelia.

“Yes. He's got Annie all trussed up with duct tape. The guy Jack's with has a semiautomatic stuffed into his belt, and there's a sawed-off twelve-gauge in the dining room. I tried calling 911 on my cell, but I can't get a signal. Try yours,” she said to Cordelia. She turned around and nodded for Sunny to do the same.

“There's no reception up here,” mumbled Sunny.

“Are you kidding me?” Jane felt like breaking something. “Okay, here's what we do. You two drive back to town. There's got to be a phone at that gas station. I'll go back to the cabin to make sure nothing happens to Annie.”

“How are you going to accomplish that?” asked Cordelia.

“No idea.” She was already out the door. Holding it open, she stuck her head back inside and said, “When you get back, just stay in the car. There's no time to argue.” She slammed the door and slapped the hood.

With any luck, they'd be gone only a few minutes, and when they returned, the county sheriff would be right behind them.

Making her way back through the woods, Jane wondered how Annie could sleep through what she must know would be the last few hours of her life. While Jane had watched Jack talking to the guy in camouflage, Annie had never moved, never opened her eyes. Maybe Jack had drugged her again. Jane hated to think of what had been in that first syringe.

It took longer this time to reach the edge of the woods. She was tired from trudging through the heavy, wet snow, dodging holes and
rocks. Her boots were soaked through. When she reached the road, she ducked behind a tree. The first thing she noticed was that the Lexus was gone. It might be a good sign or a bad one. She had planned to stay in the woods until the cops arrived, but the missing car changed everything. She had to get another look in the cabin.

Running full out up to the same window, she bent low and stayed like that for a good minute. Easing her head upward just enough for her eyes to clear the windowsill, she looked inside. Annie was still on the couch, still had her eyes closed, but nobody else seemed to be around. Jane scanned the interior for any sign of life, but with each passing minute she became more and more convinced that Annie was alone.

She tapped on the window with her fingernails. Annie didn't move. She tapped again, but caution stopped her from making a louder noise. Edging her way to the front deck, she headed up the stairs but stopped when she realized her boots were creaking. In the still air, it almost sounded like a shriek. Before she could decide what to do about it, the sound of distant tires on gravel sent her flying for cover inside a thick clump of junipers.

The Lexus rumbled down the road and came to a stop in the driveway. Jack and his hunter buddy got out, each carrying two six-packs of beer. They made for the small deck at the back of the house.

“I'm gonna stay outside and have a smoke,” said the buddy.

“Those things'll kill you,” said Jack.

“You want one?”

“Sure.”

Jane held her breath and darted to the edge of the cabin. Flattening herself against the wood slats, she edged closer to the back deck. She couldn't see Jack, but the guy wearing the coveralls rested his arms on the railing. He flicked ash into the snow.