Nicole’s head throbbed. She wanted to reach up and hold it, but she couldn’t. Her hands were tied behind her back. Where was she, and what was she doing here? She tried to think.
She knew she’d come to Macon with Katrina and Cliff. He was going to do some morning fishing and she and Katrina were going sightseeing. They planned to go to the little town where Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed and then shop until Cliff came back. They all planned to go to lunch.
Wait, her mind screamed. Cliff made Katrina go with him on the boat and told me to meet them at the mall for lunch. He came back without her. I met him at the restaurant in the mall like we planned. He said Katrina was waiting for me in a department store because she’d found the dress she wanted to wear for the wedding.
But she wasn’t in there. Cliff said she must be in the bathroom and then we found the lounges. I started to go inside to look for Katrina, but he laughed and said Katrina was dead. He’d drowned her because she was pregnant and wouldn’t get rid of the baby. He didn’t want a baby, but he knew I’d tell on him. He said he was going to kill me next. I wanted to run and get away from him. I got the door open to the ladies room and thought I was safe, but then I felt this terrible pain in my head and everything went blank. Oh, God, am I still in the department store bathroom? Where’s Cliff? Maybe I’d better be still. He might be watching. Oh, Katrina, did he really kill you?
Nicole began to cry.
* * * *
Connor’s heart pounded when he pulled up to the motel parking lot. He wondered if he should go to the office and demand a key. He shook his head, knowing they probably wouldn’t give him one. Or maybe they would. This place wasn’t a four star hotel. They probably didn’t care who got keys as long as the bill was paid. It was worth a shot.
He opened the office door. A bored woman who looked to be in her sixties sat behind the counter reading a movie magazine. She laid it down when Connor walked up. “Can I help you?” She asked with little emotion.
“I hope so.” He forced a smile. “I’m supposed to pick up a key to room 221. I’m meeting a friend there.”
She turned and looked at a peg board behind the desk. “Looks like two of the keys are already out. I’ve only got one more.”
“I’ll return it when I finish my business with Cliff Meeker.”
“Just a minute.” She flipped through a book on the counter. “Well, since you know his name, I guess it’ll be alright.” She took the key from the peg and handed it to him. “Be sure to bring it back now.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Connor was glad the room was on the back of the motel. If things got rough, there wouldn’t be as many witnesses. He parked his car in the back of the lot and walked to the metal steps leading to the second floor. The walkway was empty as he went directly to room 221. He eased the key into the door knob and hoped there wasn’t a safety lock on the inside. There wasn’t. The door opened easily. He shoved it wide and stepped inside.
“What the hell?” The long legged man sprang from the bed where he was watching a game show on television.
Connor didn’t give him a chance to get entirely upright. He shoved the man backward to the bed. “Are you Cliff Meeker?”
“Who the hell wants to know?” He scrambled toward the end table drawer.
Fearing there might be a gun, Connor grabbed his arm. Bending it backward, he said, “Tell me. Are you Meeker?”
“Damn, that hurts.”
“I’m going to break it if you don’t answer me.”
“Yes, fool. I’m Cliff Meeker. What’s it to you?”
“Where is Nicole Lynch?”
“How the hell should I know?”
Connor twisted the arm a little further. “You’d better start knowing.”
Cliff got hold of the remote control with his other hand and whammed the side of Connor’s head with it. It stunned Conner a little, but he didn’t let go of the arm.
“I’ll give you to the count of ten to tell me where she is or I’ll not only break your arm, but I’ll turn you into a soprano for life.” Connor used his other fist to hit the man below the belt.
Cliff doubled over. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Who’s Nicole Lynch?”
“You know good and well who she is. I’m to number seven.”
“Then you find her on your own—”
Connor hit the man in the groin.
Cliff screamed and fell to his knees. Connor still had hold of the arm. He heard it snap as the man hit the floor.
“Okay! I’ll tell you,” Cliff yelled when Connor twisted the broken arm.
“Tell me fast.”
“She’s dead, man. I killed her.”
Any control Connor had seeped away. He grabbed Cliff by the head and slammed it to the floor. He began pounding on the man with his fists. He was only vaguely aware of the door slamming against the wall.
It took two people to pull him off. Meeker.
“Cool it, man. We’ll take care of this,” William Milo said.
“He said he killed Nicole,” Connor said through his rage.
“We heard him,” Trudy Collins said. “He’s going down for that.”
“She’s not dead,” Cliff screamed. “I just told him that. She’s alive.”
“Where is she?” Connor started for him again.
William Milo stopped him.
“Arrest that man. He came in here and broke my arm. He’s a maniac.”
Milo looked at Collins. “I didn’t see anything wrong going on here, did you?”
“Just a couple of men having a slight disagreement,” Trudy said.
“Yes, and it could escalate if Mr. Meeker doesn’t tell us where Nicole Lynch is. If he refuses, I think we should turn Mr. Cottingham loose on him. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.”
“You can’t do that. You’re the police, aren’t you?”
“Did we say we were the police? Maybe we’re just friends of Mr. Cottingham.”
“Damn all of you.” Cliff held onto his limp arm. “He broke my arm and you keep acting like—”
“Where is Miss Lynch?” Milo stared into Cliff Meeker’s eyes.
“Who wants to know?”
“I want to know.” He held out his badge. “If you don’t tell me right now I’m putting you under arrest for the murder of Nicole Lynch and several other charges I can think of.”
Cliff grabbed the drawer to the night stand and jerked it open. Before he could reach inside Trudy Collins came down on his hand with her night stick. He backed off.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Detective Collins looked into the drawer. “Looks like a gun to me.” She looked at the man. “That could mean attempted murder of a police officer.”
“I didn’t attempt to murder you.”
“Then why were you going for the gun?” He looked at his partner. “Maybe we should shoot him, Collins.”
“You people are crazy. I didn’t try to kill anybody. I’m just trying to protect myself.”
“Maybe the best thing to do is to let him get the gun in his hand. That way we can say he tried to fire at us.” Trudy Collins looked at her partner.
“Or we could let Cottingham kill him. It wouldn’t involve an internal investigation or anything.”
“That might work. He could claim self-defense and we’d be able to back Cottingham up.”
“Look, I don’t want to die.”
William Milo turned to the man and said in a deep voice. “We can avoid all this violence if you just tell us where Miss Lynch is.”
“I don’t know.”
“You said you killed her.”
“I didn’t.”
“We heard you.”
“I mean I didn’t kill her.”
“Look, Milo. Maybe we don’t need him to say anything. Here’s a key to a lock and a contract where he rented a storage unit. I bet she’s locked up in that unit.” She looked at Meeker. “I bet he planned to let her stay there and starve to death.”
“No, I was going to let her out.”
Trudy Collins held up the paper. “Here’s the address. We can’t get in without a search warrant, but you can. You can give this back to me later. We’ve got a lead to check Jeff Bowie’s office, but we’ll have some uniform officers meet you there. We’ll get there as soon as we can.”
“Quit talking and let me have the key.” Connor reached for it.
“I was only talking to get you calmed down.” She handed the paper and key to him. “Now, go.”