She rang her makeshift bell again, and then again, doing her best to guide them her way. And finally, a lifetime later, the door to the room where she was huddled burst open.
“Ms. Pettistone?”
“Darla?”
Both men stared at her with looks of shock, as if they’d not really believed to find her there, and in such a state. By that point, the energy she’d summoned to drag herself across the floor and play bell ringer had begun to seep away, so that she could do little more than raise her bound hands in a semblance of a greeting.
“Watch out for the hole,” she croaked and then slipped into a state of semiconsciousness.
Vaguely, she was aware of the pair tearing the tape from her wrists and ankles, and then James carrying her down the two flights of stairs, Robert hovering protectively in front of him and carrying her jacket. They set her down again in the foyer, well away from Barry—though she had seen with surprise that he was facedown, with Jake standing over him and wielding what appeared to be a Louisville Slugger.
“Jake, any trouble here?” James wanted to know as he took off his coat and carefully covered Darla with it.
The ex-cop gave him a cool smile.
“Nope. Reese and the ambulance should be here any minute.” Then, with a glance at the prone figure at her feet, she added, “Oh, him? I had to give our friend a little pop behind the knees with Mary Ann’s bat when he tried to take off. Unfortunately, he smacked his head when he fell, so he’s feeling a little woozy right now. Robert, come stand guard a minute. I need to talk to Darla.”
Handing off the weapon to the teen, who promptly shouldered the bat as if he were at home plate, she hurried over to where Darla lay, her throbbing head pillowed by her coat.
“Hey, kid, you look like hell,” she said with small smile, joining James in kneeling beside her. She brushed Darla’s tangled red hair from her face in a motherly gesture. “Are you up to telling me what happened? James told me on the way over that he and Robert were certain Barry was responsible for murdering Curt. Given what happened to you, I’m guessing they were right.”
Darla tried to nod, and then winced as her head began pounding again. “He killed Curt,” she managed in a ragged whisper, “and Tera, too.”
“Tera?” Jake’s dark eyes opened wide, while James gave an audible gasp. “You’re sure of that, kid?”
“All I saw was blond hair, but I’m sure it’s her. She’s in the basement.”
Struggling into a sitting position despite James’s protests, Darla pointed in the direction of the basement door. Her voice still hoarse, she added, “Jake, she was an innocent victim. She saw Barry kill Curt, so he killed her, too.”
“Oh my God.”
Jake’s words were little more than a whisper, and her olive cheeks went ashen. She sunk back on her heels and slowly shook her head. “Tera’s dead. Damn it, she was just a kid, too. I don’t know how I’m going to break it to Hilda.”
Then, with a sharp look in Barry’s direction, she added, “It’s a damn good thing there are plenty of witnesses here, or I might be telling Reese how I had to defend myself with a baseball bat against that son of a bitch when he attacked me.”
“Swing away,” James said in hard voice Darla barely recognized. “I will be happy to testify as to an unprovoked attack and a necessarily prolonged attempt at self-defense.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Robert chimed in and raised the bat in a threatening gesture over the prone Barry.
Jake, however, shook her head. “Satisfying as it might be, I won’t have you guys perjure yourselves over that piece of garbage.” Then, turning her attention back to Darla, she said more softly, “You said she’s in the basement. Can you tell me where, so I can show Reese when he gets here?”
“Behind the boiler,” she whispered, swiping at a tear that had rolled down her cheek. “She-she was wrapped in black plastic, like she was trash.”
She paused, wishing she could forget that horrifyingly poignant sight but knowing she never would. Even though she had suspected all along that harm might have befallen the girl, she had continued to hope until that last moment for her safe return.
“He told me he was going to Connecticut today,” she went on, “but instead he stayed behind to take care of Tera. He was digging a