Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Six

Daniel pulled onto the Queensway, heading west toward Highway 17 and the Trans-Canada Highway. This was the reverse of the route he’d followed on his way to Ottawa; he could follow this highway now all the way back to Alberta. As soon as he got rid of the girl.

And he didn’t have much time. He needed to get out of the city and find a place to dispose of her before an alert went out.

Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, he could see that she was still lying motionless where he’d put her, in the foot well behind the front seat. He hoped that last dose he’d given her had done the trick.

Wait. Where’s Tucker?

Daniel caught his breath. Tucker wasn’t in the back seat.

He’d meant to put the dog in the truck before getting the girl from Jim’s house.

But he hadn’t. He’d left Tucker in the backyard.

He gasped, his stomach clenching.

Too late now. You can’t go back.

His eyes stung. What had he been thinking?

Don’t lose focus now. You have to take this to the end. Get rid of the girl and move on.

He swallowed and sped up, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. There was a lot of traffic, more than he liked. A sudden pain pounded his temples, and his vision dimmed. The pain soon passed, but he’d almost clipped the car next to him. He couldn’t slow down now, though—he had to put as much distance behind them as he could.

A wailing siren shrilled, making his heart pound. His rearview mirror showed flashing lights racing toward them on the paved shoulder. A police car. Daniel’s heart raced, and his breath came fast. Could they be after him already? His palms were sweaty. He wiped them one at a time on his pants leg, doing his best to stay in his lane and maintain speed while watching the image in the mirror.

The police car was soon abreast of them, driving on the shoulder. Daniel concentrated on the highway and the traffic, his eyes now focused straight ahead. “No, Officer,” he imagined himself saying, “I didn’t see you there…”

He hoped the blanket he’d covered the girl with hadn’t slipped, but it wouldn’t fool a cop for long.

The police car kept on going, still flashing, still sounding its siren. It pulled away from them and was now well ahead.

He’s not after you. Chasing someone else.

Daniel exhaled. It took him a few minutes to calm down, concentrating on taking deep breaths. The truck was driving a bit sluggishly, so he pressed harder on the accelerator.

His mind spun; he needed a plan. As soon as they got out of the city, he’d pull off the highway and move onto side roads. He had come past a lot of wooded areas and farm country along there on his way into Ottawa; he’d find a spot to hide or bury her. Once that was done, he’d get back on the highway and keep driving west, go back to the farm.

A momentary desolation washed over him. He’d imagined returning to the farm with Hannah, but that wasn’t going to happen. It had been fool’s gold, a dream best forgotten.

****

Vibration. A side-to-side motion, and a rumbling sound. As her body swayed to and fro, Maddy kept bumping against something on either side of her. She was woozy, sick.

How long had she been out of it?

Something was scratchy against her face. The dank, woolly smell was familiar; it was the same blanket she’d had over her earlier. But she wasn’t in that room anymore—from the sounds and motion, she guessed she was in a vehicle. Daniel’s truck. He was taking her someplace.

The drink he’d given her was disgusting, bitter and grainy—she could still taste the residue in her mouth. It had made her choke, but some had gone down her throat. She’d spit a lot of it up again when he moved away to get the duct tape.

An acrid odor filled the air, faint but unmistakable. I peed my pants. She squirmed, cringing at the clammy dampness.

Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound, but she was able to reach her hands under the blanket and loosen the tape over her eyes. Through a gap at the side of the blanket she could see daylight.

She was in a truck all right, on the floor behind a front bench seat, wedged between it and the back seat.

Where was Daniel taking her? Whatever he was planning, it couldn’t be good. Her throat tightened, and her eyes burned. She fought down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

Shifting her sight toward the driver’s spot, she was relieved to see that Daniel wasn’t visible. So he couldn’t see her either. But he could probably hear her, so she’d have to be quiet.

She loosened the tape at her mouth as well. That helped; now she could breathe better. She left the tape partly in place so it wouldn’t be obvious that it was loose, if he checked her.

Bending her knees, she tried to reach her ankle bonds, but she couldn’t get her bound hands in position to touch them. She started to turn onto her side, trying not to make a sound, but she couldn’t keep her movements from stretching against the floor. She held her breath. Daniel didn’t seem to have noticed, but she’d better lie still a while before trying again.

****

Sitting in Bob’s passenger seat, I gripped my hands tightly together. I realized I had wedged my right foot tight to the floor, pressing on a phantom gas pedal. I forced myself to let up the pressure.

I leaned over to check the speedometer. “Can’t you go any faster?”

“No. There’s too much traffic.”

I fumed. Sure, there was traffic, but it was moving. Cars and trucks in the lanes ahead and beside us were travelling at a good clip. And if there was ever a time for more speed, this was it.

His phone rang, and he pressed the hands-free button to answer. It was Marie, sounding harried. “He’s been seen again on the 417, just before Terry Fox Drive. We’re about ten minutes behind him.”

Bob answered. “We’re a little farther away than that, but we’ll be there soon.”

Marie said nothing for a moment. “Who’s ‘we’?”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I’m here with Bob.”

“Susan? What are you doing there?” She sounded dubious. “You should leave Kevin and me to handle Kazan. This could get messy.”

I didn’t want to think about what she meant by “messy.” And I didn’t care. “If Maddy’s with him, I need to be there.”

She paused. “All right. I understand.”

Bob broke in. “Marie, you need to get there before I do. I’m in my personal car, so it’s best if I’m not the first on the scene.”

“Yeah, I know. We’re close. We’ll have him soon.”

She hung up. Bob leaned forward, attention focused on the highway, skillfully moving from lane to lane as traffic permitted.

I swallowed, trying to lubricate my dry throat. I wanted to be there now. “Don’t you have a siren?”

“Not in this car. Anyway, a siren could spook him, and he’s unpredictable enough as it is.”

I nodded, bowing to his better tactical sense. But I was impatient, wound tight, my shoulders tensed.

****

Daniel had noticed something wrong with the truck a while back. Every so often it gave a lurch, as if the engine was skipping or hiccupping, and it was getting worse.

Now the lurching was incessant; the truck was almost coughing. He watched the traffic in the right-hand lane, looking for a gap between cars. He was going to have to pull over—he couldn’t be jack-rabbiting down the road like this.

Finally an opening appeared, and he pulled into the right-hand lane, ready to take the next exit. Both his hands were gripping the steering wheel.

He risked another quick glance over the back seat. The girl wasn’t moving. He couldn’t tell if she’d stopped breathing or not.