The Way to Yesterday (22 page)

She took a bite of the toast and then helped the girls spread jelly on
theirs. Justine dug into the food with the exuberance of youth, confident that
with Mary as their ally, she would make everything all right. Amy Anne was more
hesitant, but with Mary's help, ate her food, too. Mary was glad that they
believed in her. It would make things easier, but she wished she had as much
confidence in herself. Dear God, she wanted to go home.

Daniel stood against the car with his arms crossed, waiting for Bobby Joe to
finish talking to the woman across the street. She was the eighth person on the
list that they'd talked to since they'd left the precinct and so far, no luck.
He took his cell phone out of his pocket and called his parents. He needed to
hear Hope's voice and to reassure her that everything was all right. So far,
she had no idea her mother was missing and he wanted to keep it that way. A few
seconds later, his mother answered.

"Mom, it's me. How's Hope?"

"She's fine. She's having a ball and knows nothing about what's going
on."

Daniel looked down at the toe of his boot, concentrating on the scuff marks
to keep from losing his mind.

"Good. Is she with Dad?"

"Yes, they went to the park."

Unconsciously, his shoulders slumped. He'd wanted to talk to her, but it was
probably better that he didn't. It was getting harder and harder to hide his emotions.

"Okay ... good."

"Do you have any news?" Phyllis asked. "Well, we know that
the same guy who snatched Mary is probably the man who took the two little
girls who are missing."

"My God!"
Phyllis gasped. "Are they
... do you know if-”

"We're pretty sure they're alive because he was caught on tape stealing
some antibiotics from the hospital. The doctors said it was stuff normally
given to children. One of the medicines he stole is a substitute for people who
are allergic to penicillin and one of the little girls who
is
missing is allergic to it. A lot of this is circumstantial guesswork, but it's
pretty close to the mark."

"I'm so sorry," Phyllis said.

"So am I, Mom. So am I." Then his voice shook. "I can't do
this without her."

"Do what?" Phyllis asked.

"Live." He choked back a sob. "I can't even imagine my life
without her."

"Then don't," Phyllis said shortly. "Think positive,
darling."

"Yeah ... well ... tell Hope I called, okay? And I don't know how long
this is going to take so-"

“Don't worry about it. If you haven't found her by Monday, we'll see that
Hope gets to school."

"Monday is October the 2nd...
Hope's birthday."

"Oh, we know. She's already reminded us a dozen times. Had Mary planned
a party?"

Daniel frowned, remembering how pale Mary had gotten in the antique shop
before she'd passed out, and how confused she'd been for a while afterward.

"No, not really.
She hadn't been feeling too
well the past few days."

"Don't worry," she said. "We'll make a big deal out of the
day for her, although you know if Mary is still gone then, you're going to have
to tell her something. She'll expect her mother to be present on her
birthday."

Hell. "What if she's not?"

"One thing at a time, dear.
For now, she's
fine. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a break in the case."

"From your lips to God's ears," Daniel muttered. "Goodbye,
honey. If you need anything, just let us know."

"Yeah, all right, Mom. And thanks."

"No thanks are necessary."

He disconnected and dropped the cell phone back in his pocket as Bobby Joe
came running to the car. "Any luck?" Daniel asked.

"Nope.
Who's next on the list?"

"I don't know. I'll look as you drive." They got inside the car.
Bobby Joe started the engine as Daniel took the list from the dashboard. He
marked off the name from the address they'd just left and then ran his finger
down the paper to the next one.

"Uh...a Delmar Watts on-"

But Daniel didn't finish what he'd been going to say.

"What's wrong?" Bobby Joe asked.

"This," Daniel said, pointing to a name farther down on the page.

"What about it?"

"Howard Lee Martin. It says Howard Lee Martin,

"So? Do you know him?"

Daniel shivered suddenly, as if a ghost had just walked past his ear.

"No."

"Then what's the big deal?"

Daniel looked up, his face devoid of all expression.

"Last night in my dream, Mary called the man Howard Lee."

Bobby Joe pulled to the curb and then turned and looked at Daniel.

"Well hell," he said softly.
"Exactly."

Bobby Joe frowned. "Do you believe in precognition?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, but I believe in Mary Faith."

"That's good enough for me," Bobby Joe said. “What street did you
say he lived on?"

"
Raleigh
.
1449
Raleigh
."

“Hand me the city map."

Daniel did as he was asked, watching anxiously as

Bobby Joe scanned the map. The longer he sat, the more certain he felt that
this meant something.

"Hurry," he said.

Bobby Joe looked up.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked.

"Just hurry."

Bobby Joe slammed the car in gear and peeled away from the curb, leaving a
short streak of black rubber on the pavement behind him.

Daniel braced himself and hung on.

Reese Arnaud pulled the last sheet from the fax machine and dropped it on
the desk next to the list from the DMV. It was a complete listing of every
employee from Savannah Memorial. Now he had to see if any of the names
cross-matched with the names from the DMV. He sat down with a thump, shifted
the lists so that they were side by side,
then
started
reading.

He was halfway through the list from Savannah General when one of the names
jumped out at him. He frowned, trying to remember why the name Howard Lee
Martin would mean anything, and then it hit him. Daniel's dream! He said Mary
had told him the man’s name was Howard Lee.

He shivered suddenly, and then dug through the DMV list, telling himself
the name wouldn't-no, couldn't be there, too
. But it was.
Howard Lee Martin.

Reese reached for a city map, looking to see where

"Son of a bitch," he said softly, and then stood.

"Patrick...
come
with me," he yelled.

"Where are we going?" the detective asked, as he got up from his
desk.

"I'm not sure," Reese muttered. "But I'm desperate enough to
give this a try."

Chapter Fourteen

All during breakfast, Mary was encouraged by Amy Anne's behavior. Twice
during the meal she'd caught the little girl watching her when she thought she
wasn't looking. While she was encouraged by Amy Anne's improvement, Mary wasn't
sure if she was strong enough to go through with her plan. After Howard Lee's
threat, Mary had been given no choice. She had to make a move before Howard Lee
separated her from the girls. If he got away from
Savannah
, they would be lost for good.

What she'd planned would be dangerous for her and would hinge upon Howard
Lee keeping the cellar door open when he came down to get the girls. He'd never
closed it before and the plan would work only if he kept to the routine.

And she'd talked to the girls. Justine knew what to do and was excited to
the point of hysteria, but Amy Anne had only listened. Mary wasn't certain if
she even understood what was expected, but she had to be sure.

Taking both girls by the hand, she sat down on the bed and scooted them up
on her lap.

"Justine, can you be a brave girl for me?" "Oh, yes!"
she said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"When Howard Lee comes back, do you remember what to do?"

"We hide by the wall and don't make any sounds, and when he comes down,
you yell for us to run and we go up the steps and out of the house."

"And what else?" Mary asked.

"We yell for help and we don't stop running or yelling until someone
calls the police."

"Right," Mary said.

Justine wiggled with excitement, picking nervously at the buttons on Mary's
shirt as she thought about getting home. Then a thought occurred and she
started to frown.

"But what if he follows us? He's got very long legs. He'll catch us and
then he'll be mad."

Mary hugged them close, making herself smile. "No, no, remember what I
said. He can't follow you because I'm going to grab him by the legs. I'll hold
on very, very tight. He won't be able to move and you can get far, far
away."

"Oh yes! I remember!" Justine said.

"Good," Mary said,
then
she looked at Amy
Anne. She was so small and so quiet-a tiny doll with big blue eyes on the
constant verge of tears.

"Honey, do you understand what you need to do, too?"

Amy Anne was looking down at her shoes, not talking, not moving. Mary put a
finger under Amy

Anne's chin and tilted her face until they were face to face.

"Amy Anne... do you want to go home?" Tears welled in the her eyes
as she stared at

Mary's face.
Finally, she nodded.

Mary cupped her face with both hands. "When I tell you to run, will you
run with Justine? Will you run as fast as you can and never look back?"

Amy Anne nodded.

"Good girl. Okay, you girls go sit where I showed you to sit. I'm going
to fix the beds so it looks like you are in them asleep. That way Howard Lee
will see the lumps and think it's you. I'll make sure he comes toward me. As
soon as he's far enough in the room, I'll shout for you to run. When I do,
Justine, you grab Amy Anne by the hand and you girls run up the stairs and out
of the house as fast as you can." Justine quivered, she was so excited.
"I will be home tonight, won't I, Mary?"

Mary hugged them tightly. "Yes, baby... you and Amy Anne will be in
your very own homes tonight. You'll be with your mommies and daddies and this
man won't ever hurt you again."

"And you, too," Justine said.

Mary's heart twisted. Her fate wasn't nearly as certain, but she wasn't
going to tell the girls.

"Yes, darling, me, too."

"And we will come and play with Hope." At the thought of her own
little girl, her
determi
nation not to cry in front
of them nearly splintered!

Her voice was shaking as she gave them a last quick hug.

"Yes, baby
.. .you'll
both come and play with
Hope. Now go get in your places and remember, when you hear him opening the
cellar door, don't talk... don't move."

"Okay," Justine said, and took Amy Anne by the hand and led her
toward the stairs.

Mary jumped up quickly and began padding the beds, making it appear as if
the girls were under the covers asleep. Then she poured a glass of water in the
middle of the floor a good distance away from the stairs, positioned herself to
look as if she'd slipped in the water and fallen, then waited for Howard Lee.

Howard Lee tossed the last of his shirts into his suitcase, emptied the
drawer containing his underwear and socks on top of them, and closed the lid.
The rest of his clothes that were on hangers had been loaded in the van next to
the pallets he'd made for the girls. He'd packed an ice chest with food and
drink and packed his camping port-a-potty into the back of the van. Now all he
needed was the girls and their clothes and he was ready to go. He glanced at
his watch. It was just after 2:00 p.m. If he hurried, he'd be on the road and
out of the city long before rush hour hit.

He reached into his pocket to get the key to unlock the cellar door, and
then stopped and looked around for the rope. He didn't want Sophie. No, that
was wrong. He had to stop thinking of her as that. Her name was Mary, and he
couldn't afford to let her go. The rope was on the floor near the door, right beside
his hunting knife. He picked up the rope, stood for a moment looking down at
the knife, then bent downy and dropped it in his pocket.

His expression was grim as he unlocked the padlock on the cellar. All the
way down the stairs he kept telling himself he could do this-
that
what he was planning wasn't a crime. A real father would do anything-even
murder-to protect his family.

Then he saw her in the small pool of water-lying crumpled and still upon the
floor. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, as if she'd been in the
act of crying out when she'd slipped. He dropped the rope at his feet and ran
toward her. The empty glass was near her hand, the water still
puddled
beneath her body. He could only guess at what must
have happened. He looked toward the beds and saw that the girls had gone back
to sleep, which was good. It would make them easier to move to the van. But
first, he needed to make sure Mary would not hinder his plans.

He bent down, reaching for her shoulders to drag her out of the way, when
she suddenly came alive. Before he knew it, she had grabbed him by the ankles
and yanked. He went down like a felled ox, thumping his head on the floor and
momentarily knocking the wind from his body.

Mary crawled the length of his body, wrapped her arms around the upper part
of his thighs, locked her legs below his knees,
then
held on. She held on for her life-and for Justine and Amy Anne.

"Run!" she screamed. "Run as fast as you can and don't look
back!"