Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“At least I found another renter,” Mrs. Yards said.
“You did?” she asked. “Who?”
“Lovely young man. I asked him to come over to help you pack and he agreed. I’ve told him all about you. He should be here soon, actually.”
“Here I am, Mrs. Y.”
Jilly turned at a strange popping noise, and she didn’t even register what had happened for a start. Not until she saw Henri lying on the floor with blood on his stomach.
She screamed and the gun turned toward her.
“Now, now, none of that. I didn’t quietly take out your other guards, only to have you scream and bring more people running. Let’s try to keep the deaths to a minimum.”
Her heart thundered, panic filling her as he walked into the room.
“Rex? What are you doing?” Mrs. Yards asked as Trip moved behind her chair.
He held the gun up against the old woman’s head. Scott, who had been rising sat back down at the gesture while Dan whimpered beside him.
“I’ve come to do the neighborly thing and meet Jilly here. Although we have met before, we haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Patrick McMahon.”
“I know,” she said hoarsely.
“You said your name was Rex,” Mrs. Yards said. “You’re a plumber.”
“Catch up, old lady. It was a ruse. I moved in with you in order to be close by when Jilly came back. Or Regent. It was good of you to invite me over to this, though. Made things so much easier.”
What was she going to do?
She stared at Patrick, looking for a weakness. While he appeared pale and shaky, he was too close to Mrs. Yards for her to do anything.
“You should let them go. It’s me you want,” she said shakily.
“So that they can run and tell the cops? I don’t think so. No, they can all just stay here. I want you to hand over your phone. I’m going to message your boyfriend. Get him here. Then the three of you will have to be disposed of, I’m afraid,” he said to Dan, Scott and Mrs. Yards.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Reaching down, she grabbed her phone from her bag. She spotted the can of mace that Regent had given her a few days ago. It looked like a lipstick.
She shook as she glanced over at Henri. Could she do this?
Picking up her phone, she hid the lipstick against it. Then she stood and walked toward Patrick. As she moved, she caught Mrs. Yards gaze. The other woman gave her a tiny nod, as if she knew what Jilly was planning.
As she lifted her phone, he leaned forward and the gun moved away from Mrs. Yards’ head. Jilly pressed the sprayer on the mace with a cry. Mrs. Yards ducked and then turned, thrusting her knitting needle up toward his eye.
He roared in pain and Scott jumped him, fighting him for the gun.
“Run!” Scott roared. “Dan, run!”
Jilly took off, holding onto Mrs. Yards. But instead of heading out the front door, she moved toward the tunnels. The entrance was in a spare downstairs bedroom at the back of the house. Pulling open the closet doors, she reached down and drew up the trapdoor.
“What are you doing? We need to call the cops!” Dan cried. “My phone is back there! Scott!”
“We need to go now. Mrs. Y. Go!” The older woman climbed down into the tunnel.
There was the sound of a pain-filled scream and she paled. Turning to Dan, she waved at him frantically. “Get in! Now.”
Dan climbed in as she heard someone coming down the hall. Jilly closed the closet door before she climbed down into the tunnel. Quickly, she set her phone to flashlight.
“Come on, we have to go.”
“What about Scott?” Dan cried.
“Shh. We’ll go back for him.”
It might have been Scott coming for them. But somehow, she doubted it. Jilly didn’t know how long they had until Patrick found the entrance, so she hustled them along. Her mother had made her go through them so many times that she knew these tunnels like the back of her hand. Or, she had when she was younger. She was just hoping that gave them enough of an advantage.
Jilly took them down a side tunnel and then paused, trying to decide which way to go. There were several ways she could choose, but she didn’t know whether to go to Regent’s house.
And there was no reception down here so she couldn’t call him.
“I need to turn off the light,” she whispered. “There’s a ladder up here that leads to a sealed exit. I might be able to get reception at the top.”
“I’m scared,” Dan whispered.
“Just hold on to Mrs. Yards, and I’ll lead her.”
She took them to the ladder, moving as quickly as she dared. “Wait here.”
“Ohhh, Jilly. What have we here? Where do these tunnels lead? You can’t escape me. Come out, come out wherever you are.”