The FBI Thrillers Collection Books 1-5 - Catherine Coulter [291]
It was deathly silent in the huge gloomy warehouse, except for the sound of an occasional scurrying rat. The air was thick and smelled faintly rotten, as if things had died here and just been left where they’d fallen. Her nausea increased. She swallowed, willing herself not to vomit. There was a small pool of light in front of her, thanks to Marlin.
There was also a ball of string.
Think, dammit, think. He had her gun, both her guns. She looked around very slowly, wondering if he or Erasmus could see her. There was nothing she could see to use as a weapon, nothing at all.
Except the string. She came up slowly onto her knees. She still felt light-headed, but the dizziness was better. Just a few more moments. At least he’d removed the ropes from her hands and feet. At least she was free.
She heard Marlin’s eerie voice coming from out of the darkness. “Hey, you’re awake. Good. It took you long enough, but my daddy said I was just too excited to be patient. Marty, listen to this.”
Hannah’s scream ripped through the silence.
“I’ve got her here, Marty, at the center of the maze. This was just a little demonstration. Don’t panic on me. I just hurt her a little bit. She must have a real low threshold of pain to scream when I just jerked her arm up. Now, if you don’t get here, she won’t be quite whole really soon. You start moving now or I’ll start cutting off her fingers, then her nose, then her toes. Hey, that rhymes. I’m good. Now, I’ll work up from there, Marty, and you’ll get to hear her scream every time I take my knife to her. I won’t cut her tongue out until last. You’ll hear everything I do to her. Too, if she just gargles when I cut her, that wouldn’t be any fun.”
She stood up, the string in her hand. “I’m coming, Marlin. Don’t hurt her. You promise?”
There was silence. She knew he was talking to Erasmus. Good, they were together. She didn’t have to worry about Erasmus watching her from a different vantage point.
“She’ll be fine as long as I know you’re on your way. Move, Marty. That’s right. I can see you now.”
But he couldn’t, at least not all of the time, just at those intervals where he’d managed to place mirrors. She began wrapping the string around her hand. No, this wouldn’t do it. She had to double the string and knot it every couple of inches. She redid it as she walked, clumsy at first, gaining in proficiency and speed as she tied it again and again. She was nearly to the beginning of the maze and the string would run out. She prayed she’d have enough.
“I’m coming, Marlin. Don’t touch Hannah.”
“I’m not hurting her now, Marty, just keep walking toward my voice. That’s right. You using the string, Marty? That’s part of the game, you’ve got to use the string.”
“I’m using the string.”
“Good. You’re a smart little bitch, aren’t you?”
She drew a deep breath, then called out, “Oh yes, Marlin, you fucking little bastard, I’m so smart I’m going to kill you. Count on it. And no one will miss you. Everyone will be glad you’re in hell where you belong.” She stepped into the maze.
“Don’t you talk to my boy like that, gal, or I’ll take a whack at you myself after he’s through.”
She heard them talking but couldn’t make out any words.
Marlin said, “I just told my daddy I was right. Yes, I was right all along. You have a dirty mouth. He heard that bad word you said. You deserve my kind of punishment.” He laughed, a full, deep laugh, but there was something in it, something that sounded vaguely like fear. Was that really fear she heard? She’d hurt him once, surely he hadn’t forgotten that, but she couldn’t imagine why he’d be even faintly afraid