AG01 - Washed Away by Jack Parker Page B

tomorrow.
    The feeding frenzy continued behind them as CC and Phil walked into the house. While inside the house was relatively calm compared to the yard, it was far from quiet, and it was certainly not lacking in action. CC led the way to the master bedroom first so that he could outline for Phil the items his team had already found. Bob's clothing lay in disarray across the bed and closet floor, but everything else was relatively undisturbed. Apparently, Bob left in a big hurry.
    "Hey, where is Tara?" Phil wondered suddenly out loud.
    "She is at Missy's house. I took her over there last night and briefly explained to Missy what I knew. According to what Tara said this morning on the phone, Missy had everyone she knew praying about this. She even called her folks in Texas."
    "Good plan. At this point, we need every bit of help we can get."
    CC let out a bitter chuckle, "Why is it that we only think to pray when we're in trouble?"
    "True enough, but I guess it doesn't hurt."
    "You're right, Phil." Just then, one of CC's detectives came into the bedroom and asked a question. "Phil, I need to see about something in the basement. You know the drill up here, right?"
    "Of course. I'll let you know what I find, if anything." Phil began nosing around while CC followed his detective downstairs.
    There were times during the night when Alexa had wanted more than anything to turn over or just move around, but every time she attempted to do so, Bob had brought the gun to her temple and threatened to kill her. She knew she must have dozed at some point last night, but the short minutes had been fitful at best.
    She slowly opened her eyes and tried to survey the room without moving her head too much. Not only did her neck and head ache, but also Bob was probably sitting nearby, eagerly anticipating the chance to shove the gun into her face yet again.
Boy, I really don't like that man,
Alexa thought with an ironic smile.
How can I even contemplate smiling at a time like this?
she scolded herself.
    The room seemed oddly quiet; the only sound Alexa could hear was the crackling of the fire.
Strange, I don't remember him stoking the fire,
Alexa mused. She decided to try to sit upright. After such a fatiguing night, she would be lucky if her body would obey. She sat up slowly, every joint and muscle screaming in agony. Still, she detected no movement in or around the house. That was when she noticed that her gag had been removed. It was laid beside her pallet – arranged in a perfectly straight line.
Weird!
    "I don't get it," she said out loud. She didn't question any further. She quickly began untying her hands with her teeth. She could not let this precious time alone go to waste. She had to try her best to escape, even with Bob's evil threat about kidnapping Tara ringing in her ears.
I'm no good to Tara if I'm tied up and stuck out here – wherever here is…
    She pulled and tugged for about fifteen minutes before the knot on her hands began to loosen. In about ten more minutes, her hands were free and she began working on her feet. While she untied herself, she prayed, all the while intently listening for Bob's approach. She knew that if she could get away, she had to do so quickly – no matter what Bob had threatened. Her hands and feet were numb with lack of circulation, but she would escape if it killed her.
    As the last knot on her feet came free, she briskly rubbed her feet and ankles to get the blood flowing again. She knew she couldn't walk yet, but she must move around and gather some supplies. She started with the blanket and her backpack nearby. She dumped her books out and grabbed the blanket – she would need it later when her coat became too thin against the wind outside. As she yanked the blanket toward her, something clattered across the floor and landed beside her leg. It was a video cassette with a note addressed to her attached to it with a rubber band. She quickly unwound the note and read the label, which said, "Bob's