Page 106 of Lost Cause
“Probably,” Burke whispered. “Which means we need to figure out a way to get down there without alerting Estelle. Or entice her upstairs before she hurts Abby.”
Gabe nodded. “I circled the building when I got here. No outside egress from the basement. Only one way in and out. A perfect place to take a hostage.”
“Then either we storm the basement or entice Estelle out.”
“We could wait for the team. They’re on the way. We could storm the place in numbers.”
Burke shook his head. “I don’t think numbers will help. This is a more delicate operation. Somehow we need to get eyes down there to see exactly what’s happening.”
“I have a flexible camera in my car. We should be able to snake it down the steps without Estelle noticing it.”
“Get it and call the team while you’re out there. Tell them what’s going on and ask them to hang back until we signal.”
Without a word, Gabe took off, silently making his way to the door and outside.
One one thousand. Two one thousand,Burke mentally counted to keep from pacing. Three one thousand. Four one thousand. Five one thousand…
Finally, Gabe returned, the camera in his grip.
“I’ll take it.” Burke held out his hand for the black snake-like device.
Gabe held back. “She’s my teammate. I can do it.”
“I know youcando it,” Burke replied, doing his best to keep his voice down. “You’re a temporary deputy. If Estelle suddenlyneeds to be taken out, it would be better for a regular deputy to take the shot.”
Gabe sighed in resignation and passed the camera to Burke, then held out his phone to him. “The camera app is on here.”
Burke took the phone and plugged the camera into it. The app opened, and Burke moved the lens around, the screen displaying the room.
“Perfect. It works.” He looked up at Gabe. “I need you at the stairs for backup.”
His sharp nod gave Burke a measure of relief.
They traveled across the room, creeping side-by-side. At the stairwell, Burke dropped to his knees. Flattened out on his belly. He signaled for Gabe to stand by and be ready to head down the stairs if needed.
Burke unrolled the camera coil with practiced precision, hands steady despite the adrenaline surging through his body. Silently, he fed the end into the narrow gap where the stairwell met the ceiling below.
His phone screen flickered, then lit up.
Abby!
She sat on the cold floor, knees drawn tightly up to her chest, clutching a phone to her ear like a lifeline. Her lips moved as she talked on the phone, but her wide, terrified eyes were locked on Estelle.
The older woman stood motionless, a handgun trained on Abby. She didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. Not when her posture was as lethal as the gun she held. She watched Abby the way a lion watched an injured deer—patient, certain, already tasting the end.
Abby lowered the phone. “My teammate said he can get your passport cleared. He’ll do his best to fix the problem tonight, but he can’t promise he’ll make it on time.”
Estelle planted her feet wide. “You better convince this guy to come through for me or I’ll take you both out.”
Abby arched an eyebrow, her posture suddenly defensive. “You’re going to kill us no matter what we do. You can’t let us live. Not when we both know you’re alive.”
“So what?” Estelle laughed. “You’ll still do what you need to do. You have to. You want to stay alive as long as you can. You especially. Foolishly hoping someone rescues you. Face facts. No one knows where you are. No one is coming for you.”
Burke fought the urge to call out, “Hold on, sweetheart. I’m here for you.” He bit his tongue instead.
Abby remained motionless, Estelle’s comment seeming not to bother her.
“Then the only thing to do is wait for your teammate to succeed in his task.” Estelle marched to Abby and held out her hand. “Phone.”
