Survivor: 1 by J. F. Gonzalez Read Free Book Online

over her. "You guys presented yourself to me so perfectly. The citizen's arrest? That was just
my way of getting you separated from your husband. By
the time he gets out of jail Monday morning, you and I
will be over the hills and far away."
    Lisa felt a sudden weight of fear in her belly. Oh my
God, he's going to kill me!
    Mr. Smith leaned closer to her. She could smell his
breath; it smelled of onions. "So your hubby gets to spend
the weekend in jail-and you?" He chuckled and
straightened up, rising to his full height. "You get to spend
the weekend in my company. We're going to have a good
time together." He walked to the window and parted the
drapes, peering out at the darkness.
    Lisa's heart raced. What was he going to do with her?
She felt a sinking sense of dread. It wasn't just her
anymore-there was the baby to think about now. She
was almost paralyzed with fear at the thought of the fetus
in her womb being hurt, but somehow she barreled past
that. Her hands moved to and fro behind her back, testing the bonds. He had trussed her up pretty tight. It
would take a miracle to untie herself, and unlike the heroes and heroines of novels, she didn't think she'd be
able to free herself.
    Mr. Smith turned back to her. "You might be wondering
what I'm going to do to you. Like I said, Mrs. Miller, I've never done this before. I ain't no serial killer, and I ain't
no rapist, either. It's just that, well .. " He shrugged.
"Maybe I'll tell you later if you behave. How's that
sound?"

    He grinned wide again, his teeth gleaming in the darkness. "We'll leave when it gets dark. We have a good threehour drive ahead of us."
    Lisa's breathing became quick and labored as Mr.
Smith stepped loser to her and leaned over her prone,
trussed-up form on the bed.
     

Five
    When Joan and Frank Miller pulled into the parking lot
of the Days Inn the next morning at ten-thirty, they saw
the kids' Lexus parked in front of room 6. There were four
other cars in the parking lot: a black Camaro, two SUVs,
and an Accura Legend. Rank pulled in next to the Lexus
and turned it off. "Here we are," he said.
    "I wonder if she was able to talk to Brad this morning,"
Joan said, grabbing her purse and sliding out of the passenger seat.
    "If she hasn't yet, maybe the three of us will be able to
this morning," Frank said, shutting the driver's-side door
and stretching his back. The three-hour drive had begun
very early for them. They had been out of the house by
seven o'clock.
    Joan crossed over to room 6 and rapped on the door.
They stood there for a moment, waiting for Lisa to answer, and then Joan knocked again. "Maybe she's in the
shower," Frank suggested.
    "Maybe' Joan rapped harder on the door and they waited, spending the next three minutes knocking every
twenty seconds or so, trading puzzled looks. Joan put her
ear to the door and frowned. "I don't hear anything."

    "She couldn't have gone anywhere," Frank said, motioning to the Lexus. "Her car is still here."
    "Do you think she might have walked to the police station?" Joan shaded her eyes with the flat of her hand as
she gazed down Rim Road. "The police station is only
five blocks that way."
    Frank shrugged. "It's possible. She might be at the
Denny's having breakfast, too. Why don't we take a little
walk and find out?"
    Their little walk took them to the Denny's, then to the
Ventura County Sheriff substation. Once at the substation, they inquired at the front desk about their son. The
desk clerk, a young woman with black hair carefully
pinned back, consulted a computer. "He's in the jail's
holding and receiving area," she said.
    "Has he had any visitors this morning?" Joan asked. It
had been warm this morning in Orange County, and she
had dressed in a pair of white slacks and a blue blouse. It
was a little chilly in Ventura, and she pulled a white
sweater over her shoulders.
    The clerk shook her head. "No, he hasn't. Are you
family?"
    "We're his parents,"