Silent Night 2 Read online

  “But why leave witnesses?” Danny demanded. “They’ve seen us, Diane. They know our names. If we don’t kill them, they’ll help the police. We’ll be caught.”

  “No way,” Pres assured his brother. “We’ll be so far away from here, it won’t matter. Besides, I told you. No one ever comes back to this storage area. These girls could be here for a week. Longer.”

  Danny rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “I guess I’m not thinking clearly. I mean, I always remember the old saying, you know? Dead men tell no tales.”

  “Danny, this isn’t a pirate movie,” Diane said sharply, shaking her head. “It’s a kidnapping movie.”

  Was that just a slip? Or does she really think she’s in a movie? Reva wondered. Does she really think it’s all pretend or something?

  They’re crazy! Reva exclaimed to herself. All three of them. They’re all crazy.

  She stared hard at the pistol gripped in Danny’s pudgy hand.

  Crazy and dangerous.

  “I’m going down the hall to call Dalby,” Diane announced, ending the conversation. “Then we’ll get out of here. Pres, double-check the cords. Make sure they’re tied really tight. We’ll gag them when we’re ready to leave.”

  She started to the door, taking long, hurried strides.

  “Wait a minute!” Pam called.

  Her cry startled Reva. Pam hadn’t uttered a sound all this time.

  “Wait a minute, Diane,” Pam called. “Let me go now. Untie me.”

  Diane turned at the doorway and locked her eyes on Pam. “No way,” she said coldly.

  “Hey, you promised!” Pam cried shrilly. “Let me go. Come on, Diane. You promised. You promised if I got you Reva, you’d let me go!”

  Chapter 30

  PAM’S DEAL

  “Huh?” Reva gasped in shock. She struggled to turn toward Pam, but the effort sent a lightning bolt of pain up her arm. She narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “You—you made a deal with them?” Her voice revealed more shock than anger. Shock and hurt.

  Pam avoided Reva’s eyes. “Sure. Why not?” she muttered. “Hey—Diane—wait!” she called desperately.

  Ignoring her, Diane disappeared to make her call.

  “Come on, you guys! Let me go. You promised!” Pam wailed.

  Pres and Danny ignored Pam too. They huddled in the corner, talking rapidly in low tones. Pres had a hand on Danny’s shoulder. Danny was still gripping the silver pistol in one hand.

  “You helped them?” Reva cried in disbelief, her voice a shrill whisper. “How could you, Pam? How could you?”

  “Easy,” Pam replied, turning to Reva with a sneer on her face. “Why do you think they let me go?”

  “Because you—you—” Reva was so shocked and upset, she could barely speak.

  Pam’s eyes burned into Reva’s. “You broke my heart, Reva,” she said bitterly.

  “Huh? I what?” Reva felt the room tilt again. “I don’t understand, Pam. You’re my cousin. I can’t believe you’d agree to—”

  “You knew I was in love with Victor,” Pam said, her green eyes flaring, her features tight with anger.

  “Huh? Victor? But—”

  “You knew I was in love with Victor,” Pam repeated through clenched teeth. “And you didn’t care. You went out with him anyway. You sneaked out with him. You knew how much I cared, and you sneaked out. You tried to steal him. You—”

  “What are you talking about?” Reva asked, careful not to meet her cousin’s eye.

  “Don’t lie to me,” Pam warned. “I know about you and Victor. The minute you said he broke two dates with me, I knew. I told you about only one of those dates. You knew because you were the one out with Victor!”

  “But, Pam, it wasn’t anything serious!” Reva protested.

  “That’s even worse!” Pam cried.

  “Hey—keep it down over there,” Danny ordered from the corner, glaring at them. “You want me to put the gags on now?”

  “That’s even worse,” Pam repeated to Reva in a whisper.

  “But, Pam—”

  “You did that to me, and it was just some kind of joke to you?” Pam whispered shrilly. “Just some kind of casual joke? That’s worse, Reva. Much worse.”

  Reva winced in pain. Her arm was throbbing more. The pain tightened the back of her neck. She was having trouble focusing her eyes.

  “Why did you do it, Reva?” Pam demanded. “Why? Why did you want to hurt me like that?”

  “I—I don’t know,” Reva whispered.

  I really don’t know, Reva thought. I don’t know why I was so eager to steal Victor. It was just a game, that’s all. I really wasn’t interested in him. I didn’t even like him very much.

  “When I found out,” Pam whispered, raising her eyes to Pres and Danny, who were still huddled against the wall, “when I found out about you and Victor, I wanted to kill you, Reva. I really did.”

  “I’m . . . sorry,” Reva replied, lowering her eyes.

  “Then I was kidnapped. Because of you. Because you practically forced me to take your shift in the stockroom. The kidnappers never wanted me. They wanted you, of course.”

  “I know,” Reva replied, shutting her eyes. “I know.”

  “Then your father refused to pay any ransom money for me,” Pam continued bitterly. “Uncle Robert wouldn’t pay a dime for me. He had his precious Reva home safe and sound. Why should he pay anything for me, a lowly niece?”

  “Pam, really—” Reva tried to interrupt.

  But Pam was determined to have her say. “When your father refused to pay, that’s when I realized I had nothing to lose. I . . . I was so hurt, Reva. And so angry. And I didn’t want to die. So I made a deal with them.”

  “They offered you money?” Reva asked.

  Pam glared at her scornfully. “Money? That’s all you can think about, isn’t it, Reva. Money and other people’s boyfriends.” She scowled. “No. They didn’t offer me money. They didn’t have to.”

  “You mean—” Reva started.

  “They offered to let me go. They offered to let me go home safe and sound—if I agreed to help them grab you. And I thought, why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t I think of myself for a change?”

  “But, Pam,” Reva said in a trembling voice, “I’m your cousin. I’m your family. How could you—”

  “How could you?” Pam snapped back furiously. “Besides, I knew nothing bad would happen. So Uncle Robert will have to lose a million or two. Big deal. That doesn’t mean anything to him. And you—you’ll be home in time for Christmas in front of the tree and all the hundreds of presents your father showers you with every year.”

  “Yeah. I’ll be home. With a broken arm,” Reva muttered.

  Pam glared at her but didn’t reply. “You don’t care about me, so why should I care about you?” she said finally.

  “But you—you betrayed me!” Reva cried.

  “No. You betrayed me,” Pam replied sadly. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “You betrayed me, Reva. You promised last year that you were going to change. You promised we’d be like sisters. You promised—” Her voice broke. She uttered an angry sob.

  “I tried,” Reva said softly. “It’s hard to change, Pam. It’s hard to—”

  “I don’t want to hear about it,” Pam snapped. A tear ran down each pale cheek. She raised her head to Pres and Danny. “Untie me,” she shouted. “Come on. Untie me.”

  The two brothers turned to stare at her, but neither replied.

  “I’m going home now,” Pam insisted, straining at the cords that held her to the folding chair. “I delivered my cousin. Now, let me go. We have a deal.”

  Danny shook his head. Pres snickered. “You should’ve gotten it in writing,” he said with an amused sneer.

  “Let me go!” Pam shouted angrily. “Let me go!”

  “Hey—shut up!” Danny ordered, taking a few steps toward the two girls.

  “No! Let me go! Let me go!” Pam screamed. “I’m going to shout till you do it!
Let me go!”

  “She’ll bring a guard!” Pres warned his brother, panic creeping into his dark eyes.

  Danny moved with surprising speed.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” Pam chanted at the top of her lungs.

  With an angry groan Danny pulled his hand back—and swung it hard, slapping Pam across the face.

  The slap was so hard, it sounded like a gunshot.

  Pam’s head snapped back.

  The chair tilted and nearly toppled over.

  Danny leaned over her, breathing hard, his big stomach heaving up and down.

  Pam’s eyes were open wide. Her head rolled on her shoulders.

  She didn’t utter a sound.

  “Pam!” Reva cried in fear. “Pam!”

  A gurgling sound escaped from Pam.

  Then her eyes closed and her head slumped forward lifelessly.

  Chapter 31

  NO ESCAPE

  Reva saw Pres freeze by the door. Danny continued to lean over Pam, breathing heavily through his open mouth.

  “Hey. Sit up,” Danny ordered Pam. He turned back to Pres. “I didn’t hit her that hard.”

  “You did too!” Reva insisted. She couldn’t get the loud snap out of her mind. Again she saw Danny’s backhanded slap, saw the chair nearly tilt over backward, saw Pam’s head fly back.

  Snap.

  “Sit up,” Danny repeated angrily.

  Pam groaned. Slowly she raised her head.

  Reva breathed a loud sigh of relief. “Pam—you’re okay?”

  Pam nodded groggily. She had a bright red circle on her cheek, the spot where the slap had landed.

  “I knew I didn’t hit her that hard,” Danny told Pres, beads of perspiration glistening on his wide forehead. “I just knocked her breath out.”

  Pres started to reply, but Diane burst back into the room. “What’s going on in here?” she demanded, eyeing Reva and Pam.

  “Not much,” Pres replied quickly.

  “Pretty quiet,” Danny said.

  “How’d it go? Did you reach Dalby?” Pres asked.

  The smile on Diane’s face indicated that she had. She threw her arms around Pres and gave him a jubilant hug. “We’re going to be rich, honey!” They kissed.

  “Did you tell him the drop-off?” Danny demanded excitedly. “When’s he getting us the money?”

  Diane turned away from Pres. Her smile faded. “Not in front of them,” she said, gesturing at the two girls. “Come on. Let’s talk outside.”

  They turned off the single bulb, leaving Reva and Pam in darkness. Then Pres and Danny followed Diane out into the hall. The storage-room door closed behind them. Reva heard them walk a short way down the hall.

  “I’m sorry, Reva,” Pam said in a tiny voice. She was still groggy, Reva realized.

  “I’m really sorry,” Pam repeated.

  “I’m sorry too,” Reva replied sincerely.

  “I was so stupid,” Pam said, tears rolling down her cheeks. “How could I have believed them? How could I have trusted them?”

  “You were angry,” Reva said softly. “And desperate. They might have killed you.”

  “Now what?” Pam whispered.

  Reva swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry as cotton. “I don’t know.” She groaned in pain. “My arm—it’s completely numb. But it still hurts every time I move.”

  “We have to get out of here,” Pam muttered, gazing toward the closed door.

  “Huh?” Reva stared through the darkness at her.

  “They’re crazy,” Pam said. “Danny especially. They say they’re just going to leave us here. They say they’re not going to harm us. But—”

  “You think—?” Reva started.

  “You heard Danny,” Pam continued, her voice trembling. “He wants to kill us. We’ve seen them. We know their names. Danny doesn’t want any witnesses.”

  “I can hear him out in the hall,” Reva said, feeling a tremor of fear.

  “He’s arguing with them,” Pam said, listening too. “Probably trying to convince Pres and Diane. To—to kill us.”

  “Maybe he won’t win the argument,” Reva said.

  “Maybe he will,” Pam replied grimly. “Reva, we have to get out of here.”

  Reva let out a hopeless sigh. “Get out of here? How? Do you know any magic words?”

  “I’m not tied very tightly,” Pam revealed. “I think Pres went easy on me because I was cooperating with them. Or maybe he just messed up.”

  Her shoulders rolled up and down as she began to work her hands behind the chair. “The cord’s very loose,” she said, trying to tug herself free.

  “You really think you can untie it?” Reva asked.

  Pam nodded. “I . . . think . . . so . . . .”

  “But even if we get untied—then what?” Reva demanded, panic slipping into her voice.

  “I guess we make a run for it,” Pam said. “Maybe we can surprise them. You know, catch them off guard.”

  “Run right past them?” Reva asked, staring at the closed door.

  “It’s worth a try,” Pam murmured darkly.

  “I guess,” Reva replied. “There’s got to be a security guard on this floor. Maybe we can find him before—”

  Pam interrupted with a frustrated cry. “This is taking longer than I thought.” She continued to struggle, leaning forward, then leaning back, her shoulders moving as her hands worked behind her.

  “Hurry,” Reva urged. She could hear Danny and the others still arguing out in the hall.

  “Almost got it,” Pam said, breathing hard.

  “This is the fifth floor. I know this floor pretty well,” Reva told her. “We must be right behind Santa’s World. There are a lot of tall shelves of toys. Lots of places to hide.”

  “Yes!” Pam whispered triumphantly. She swung her hands in front of her and tossed away the loosened cord. Then she began working furiously at the cord around her waist, the cord that held her to the chair.

  A few seconds later she tossed that cord aside too. Climbing to her feet, she stretched her arms over her head. “Ooh, I’m so stiff.”

  “Hurry. Untie me,” Reva urged. “It got very quiet out in the hall. They’ll be back any second.”

  “Hope you can run,” Pam whispered, her hands tugging frantically at a knot in the cord that held Reva’s hands. “I mean, I hope the pain isn’t too bad. From your arm.”

  “I can run,” Reva assured her, eyes on the storage-room door.

  Working frantically in the dark, Pam tugged away Reva’s cords. Reva climbed quickly to her feet. She cried out from a stab of pain in her arm, then quickly covered her mouth to stifle the sound.

  The two girls stood awkwardly in the center of the room.

  “Now what?” Reva whispered.

  Pam’s swollen cheek blazed. Her eyes widened in fear. “I—I don’t know. I guess we should hide against the wall beside the door. When they come in, maybe they’ll walk right past us—and we can make a run for it.”

  “Good!” Reva cried, her heart thudding in her chest. Each heartbeat seemed to send a throbbing wave of pain up from her broken arm. The arm hung lifelessly at her left side. She bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to force away the pain.

  Both girls started toward the wall—but stopped short when the door was opened.

  “I’ll take care of them,” they heard Pres say.

  We’re caught, Reva realized, frozen in helpless horror.

  Chapter 32

  FALLING BODIES

  The door was standing halfway open. A pale triangle of light slanted into the room.

  Reva stared open-mouthed, standing awkwardly, swallowing hard. Pam stood just ahead of her, also frozen in fear.

  “I said I’ll take care of them,” Pres called irritably to his two partners.

  Take care of them. What did that mean? Reva wondered.

  She heard Diane’s voice out in the hall. She was asking Pres something.

  “Okay,” he muttered.

  The doo
r was pushed shut.

  He didn’t come in.

  Reva gaped at Pam. Giddy laughter escaped her throat. “We’re safe.”

  “For now,” Pam said, sobering quickly.

  Reva crept along the wall, stopping just short of the doorway. Pam followed right behind.

  “As soon as the door opens again, we run out,” Reva whispered, cringing in pain. She had leaned against the wall with her broken arm, and the pain roared out like a raging fire.

  Pam nodded solemnly, listening to the conversation between the three kidnappers on the other side of the wall. “Which way do we run?”

  “Right,” Reva whispered. “Toward Santa’s World. And scream as loud as you can. Maybe we can wake up the guard.”

  Pam touched the swollen welt on her cheek. “Shhhh. They’re coming.”

  She took a deep breath.

  The walls seemed to shimmer and shake for Reva. The whole room grew brighter, glowing until she had to shut her eyes. The floor tilted first one way, then the other.

  Don’t freak, Reva, she scolded herself. You’ll never get away if you totally lose it.

  She heard footsteps in the hall.

  The door started to open.

  This is it, she thought.

  Pres entered the room. He took several steps, staring straight ahead at the two empty folding chairs.

  Reva just had time to see his mouth drop open in shock. She heard his astonished gasp.

  Then she and Pam took off.

  Out the door. Into the narrow passageway.

  “Hey—” Danny’s startled cry echoed in the hallway. He and Diane were against the wall several yards away. They seemed to freeze, startled by the unexpected sight of the two girls fleeing.

  Reva’s sneakers squeaked over the hard linoleum floor. Her broken arm flopped painfully against her side. She kept her good arm stretched out in front of her, as if poised to stiff-arm tacklers.

  “Help!” she screamed. “Hellllp!”

  Pain cut through her body as she ran. Turned right. Hurtled herself past dark, empty storage rooms.

  She could hear Pam right behind her.

  “Hey—stop!” Danny’s angry shout.

  She turned her head without slowing her pace. Danny and Diane were close behind, Pres a few yards behind them.