spine.
She fell to the floor, tried to scream and heard only the deep guttural groan that came from her drooling mouth.
He grabbed her shoulder and flipped her over. The black ski mask leaned into her line of vision.
Michele tried to backpedal along the floor, but her legs wouldn’t respond.
A knife. Razor sharp.
She gasped.
Unable to move, Michele could only think of Jamison, who tried so hard to protect her.
This time, he would be too late.
SEVEN
A fter the last woman thanked him for his help, Jamison hurried from the auditorium and searched the near-empty parking lot, frowning when he was unable to find Michele or her mother.
Anxiety threaded through his veins and headed straight for his heart. Surely he was overreacting. Corporal McGrunner had probably escorted the women home.
Jamison pulled out his cell phone. Three voice mails. The first was from Michele. “We have to stop by Alice Rossi’s house on the way home. Mac’s following us, so you needn’t worry.”
Jamison couldn’t calm the alarm clanging through his head. He tapped into the second message. Corporal McGrunner’s voice. All Jamison could hear was the worry in the soldier’s usually calm baritone.
“Sir, I was following Mrs. Logan and her daughter back to their quarters. A traffic jam formed as I was getting out of the parking area and onto the main road. I...ah... Well, sir, they drove on. As soon as I could get free, I headed along the route we used earlier, but I can’t locate them. I’m at their quarters now, and Stiles is the only one here. What should I do, sir? Where should I look?”
Jamison’s gut tightened. Shoving aside his need to punch a hole in the brick wall of the auditorium, he raced to his car and hit the prompt for the third call.
Michele’s voice. Maybe everything was all right after all. When he listened to the voice mail he felt anything but relieved.
“Mac got tied up leaving the auditorium parking lot. We’ll be delayed arriving home. Don’t worry, we’re fine.”
Don’t worry! As if he could do anything but worry. The two women had gone off alone. Exactly what Jamison had told them not to do. Slipping behind the wheel, he dialed Michele. Before the call went through, his phone buzzed.
Mrs. Logan’s name appeared on the screen. Mother and daughter were probably back at their quarters, but Jamison couldn’t hide his frustration as he raised the phone to his ear. “Where are you, ma’am? Corporal McGrunner lost you. Tell me you’re all right.”
“Oh, Jamison...something’s happened...Michele...”
A sickening feeling swept over him, making his head swim and his ears ring. He backed out of the parking space and stomped on the accelerator, leaving a black line on the roadway.
“Where are you, ma’am?”
“Alice Rossi’s place in the Harding Housing area. Quarters Thirty-seven.”
“Is Michele with you?”
“That’s the problem. She went inside to return Alice’s tote bag. She...” Mrs. Logan gasped. “She never came out. I pounded on the door and tried to get in, but—”
“Michele’s inside?”
“I saw a man through the sidelight window. He ran from the room when he heard me knock but he’s still in the house.” Roberta’s voice broke.
“Get back in your car. Lock the doors and drive to the military police headquarters. I’ll have McGrunner meet you there.”
Once again, Jamison had failed to keep Michele safe.
Disconnecting from the colonel’s wife before she could respond, he hit Speed Dial for Dawson and relayed the address Mrs. Logan had given him. “We need every military police officer in that area. The perpetrator is holed up inside with Michele. Use caution approaching the house. Have Otis contact McGrunner. Mrs. Logan’s on her way to the military police headquarters. Have Mac meet her there.”
“Roger that.”
Jamison shoved his cell phone into his pocket and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. He increased his speed and drove like a madman
She fell to the floor, tried to scream and heard only the deep guttural groan that came from her drooling mouth.
He grabbed her shoulder and flipped her over. The black ski mask leaned into her line of vision.
Michele tried to backpedal along the floor, but her legs wouldn’t respond.
A knife. Razor sharp.
She gasped.
Unable to move, Michele could only think of Jamison, who tried so hard to protect her.
This time, he would be too late.
SEVEN
A fter the last woman thanked him for his help, Jamison hurried from the auditorium and searched the near-empty parking lot, frowning when he was unable to find Michele or her mother.
Anxiety threaded through his veins and headed straight for his heart. Surely he was overreacting. Corporal McGrunner had probably escorted the women home.
Jamison pulled out his cell phone. Three voice mails. The first was from Michele. “We have to stop by Alice Rossi’s house on the way home. Mac’s following us, so you needn’t worry.”
Jamison couldn’t calm the alarm clanging through his head. He tapped into the second message. Corporal McGrunner’s voice. All Jamison could hear was the worry in the soldier’s usually calm baritone.
“Sir, I was following Mrs. Logan and her daughter back to their quarters. A traffic jam formed as I was getting out of the parking area and onto the main road. I...ah... Well, sir, they drove on. As soon as I could get free, I headed along the route we used earlier, but I can’t locate them. I’m at their quarters now, and Stiles is the only one here. What should I do, sir? Where should I look?”
Jamison’s gut tightened. Shoving aside his need to punch a hole in the brick wall of the auditorium, he raced to his car and hit the prompt for the third call.
Michele’s voice. Maybe everything was all right after all. When he listened to the voice mail he felt anything but relieved.
“Mac got tied up leaving the auditorium parking lot. We’ll be delayed arriving home. Don’t worry, we’re fine.”
Don’t worry! As if he could do anything but worry. The two women had gone off alone. Exactly what Jamison had told them not to do. Slipping behind the wheel, he dialed Michele. Before the call went through, his phone buzzed.
Mrs. Logan’s name appeared on the screen. Mother and daughter were probably back at their quarters, but Jamison couldn’t hide his frustration as he raised the phone to his ear. “Where are you, ma’am? Corporal McGrunner lost you. Tell me you’re all right.”
“Oh, Jamison...something’s happened...Michele...”
A sickening feeling swept over him, making his head swim and his ears ring. He backed out of the parking space and stomped on the accelerator, leaving a black line on the roadway.
“Where are you, ma’am?”
“Alice Rossi’s place in the Harding Housing area. Quarters Thirty-seven.”
“Is Michele with you?”
“That’s the problem. She went inside to return Alice’s tote bag. She...” Mrs. Logan gasped. “She never came out. I pounded on the door and tried to get in, but—”
“Michele’s inside?”
“I saw a man through the sidelight window. He ran from the room when he heard me knock but he’s still in the house.” Roberta’s voice broke.
“Get back in your car. Lock the doors and drive to the military police headquarters. I’ll have McGrunner meet you there.”
Once again, Jamison had failed to keep Michele safe.
Disconnecting from the colonel’s wife before she could respond, he hit Speed Dial for Dawson and relayed the address Mrs. Logan had given him. “We need every military police officer in that area. The perpetrator is holed up inside with Michele. Use caution approaching the house. Have Otis contact McGrunner. Mrs. Logan’s on her way to the military police headquarters. Have Mac meet her there.”
“Roger that.”
Jamison shoved his cell phone into his pocket and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. He increased his speed and drove like a madman
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