Judge & Jury - James Patterson [46]
“Perfect.” Monica sighed. “I’d say I’d like to volunteer you for a few friends at the office, but I don’t want to share you with anyone.”
“Don’t want to share me?” He grinned. “You selfish little siren. You know what I say to that?”
“What?” Monica smiled. “You don’t want to share me either?”
“I say this!”
All of a sudden, he dug his thumb deep into her throat. The spasm of shock and pain straightened her spine. The pain was unbearable.
Karl pulled her right off the bed. Monica’s eyes were jumping out of their sockets. Stop, please, you’re hurting me, she tried to say, but all that came out was an awful garbled sound. She tried to pull away from him. His grip was immovable. Why are you doing this?
“You know what I say to you, Monica?” He brushed back his long blond hair. “I say, I’m glad you liked it, Monica. All our fun and games so far. But now it’s your turn to do something for me. Something a little more serious. Something . . . more pleasurable.”
Chapter 56
“YOU WORK AT the federal courthouse?”
He still had his strong fingers dug into her throat. Monica could barely suck enough air into her lungs to breathe. “Yes.” She managed a single word.
“Good answer.” Karl nodded. He relaxed his grip a little. “You’ve been there awhile now, yes? I bet you know everybody. All the other fat cows? All the security personnel?” His fingers squeezed, and Monica’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You do know them, don’t you, Monica?”
She nodded, her lungs about to explode. Yes, she knew them. She saw them every morning and afternoon. One of them, Pablo, always kidded her because she liked Mike Piazza and the Mets, and so did he.
“Good girl,” Karl said again, allowing her to take a needed gulp of air. “People trust you, don’t they, Monica? You never miss a day at work. You take care of your mother in your little house in Queens. It must be lonely coming home every day, making her din-din, checking her oxygen. Taking the poor woman to the doctor.”
Why was he saying this? How did he know everything about her?
With his free hand, Karl reached into the drawer of the bed table and removed something. What?
A photograph! He flipped it in front of Monica’s eyes. An alarm bell went off in her. It was her mother! Outside their home in Queens. Monica was helping her down the stairs in her walker. What was going on?
“Emphysema?” Karl nodded sympathetically. “Poor lady, barely able to breathe. What a shame, if she had no one to take care of her.” His thumb dug into her throat again. Shock waves ran down her spine.
“What do you want from me?” Monica gagged, feeling as if her chest was about to explode.
“You work in the courthouse.” His blue eyes gleamed. “I need to get something inside. This will be easy for you. As you Americans say—a piece of cake!”
Suddenly Monica saw what this was about. What a ridiculous fool she’d been to even think he was interested in her. “I can’t. There’s security.”
“Of course there’s security.” Karl smiled. He clamped his fingers on her throat again. “That’s why we have you, Monica.”
Chapter 57
ANDIE LOOKED NOTHING short of terrific as she opened her apartment door for me. She had on a zippered red sweater and a pair of faded jeans. Her hair was tied back in a brooch, with a few loose curls dangling down her cheeks. Her eyes were dazzling—and looked pleased to see me. I felt the same way about her.
“Smells like I remember,” I said, inhaling a whiff of shellfish with tomatoes and saffron. The paella that was going to take me to heaven.
“At least I won’t have to catch you sneaking around outside,” Andie said with a smile.
“How about stakeout? That sounds a little better,” I said, holding out a Spanish Rioja.
“You’re staking me out? Why?”
“Well, maybe that’s what I’m here to talk about.”
“Do tell,” said Andie, batting her eyelashes and grinning.
I’m sure I just stood there for