Tara kicked out her free leg, sending it straight into his chin. He dropped the glass, and his grip loosened just enough for Tara to pull her leg free. She jumped to her feet. Her back was agonizing, but adrenaline gave her strength to push forward. She saw the gun. He saw it too as he jumped to his feet, favoring one leg, and grabbing the shard of glass in the process. Tara scrambled to the gun as he ran toward her, swinging the glass wildly in his hand. In one swift motion, Tara grabbed the gun, cocked it back, and turned toward him, sending one shot through the air. He stumbled back, dropping the glass in his hand, crashing to the ground.
The front door suddenly swung open. It was Sheriff Patel and another officer. They stood with their guns outstretched in front of them, but then they saw the scene and lowered their grip. Warren came hurrying up the steps behind them. Sheriff Patel and the officer stepped aside as Warren burst into the room. He saw Tara, gun still in hand. He saw Dan Asher flat on the ground, blood oozing from a wound, and he lowered his gun.
Warren stood shell-shocked for a moment as he looked at Tara. Her mind was still spinning as her eyes focused on the man on the ground. “Is he dead?” she asked as she tried hard to steady her breathing.
Sheriff Patel bent down by the reporter. “No pulse,” he said.
Warren was still staring at Tara as he walked toward her. “Are you all right?”
She was perched up against the kitchen counter, her hands resting atop behind her. She could still feel the pain in her back, and as she caught her breath, all she could think about was the banging. She didn’t even answer Warren’s question before she pushed off the counter and hurried down the hall.
“Call an ambulance,” Warren said to Sheriff Patel, who already held his phone to his ear and nodded. Warren then caught Tara’s movement. “Where are you going?” He hurried after her down the hall and then gasped. “Tara, you’re bleeding.”
But she didn’t pay attention to his words. “Shh,” she said as she held her finger to her lips. “I heard something.” Warren quieted down, but he couldn’t help staring worriedly at Tara’s back. They crept along the hall. The banging had stopped. Tara held her gun in front of her, for she had no idea what she was about to discover. “FBI,” she yelled, and suddenly the banging began again in full force.
Tara turned to Warren. He heard it too, and they both barreled down the hallway until they reached a door where the sound emanated. Tara swung it open. It was a garage. A BMW sat parked inside, and it shook at each thump from within the trunk.
“We need keys,” Tara yelled toward Warren, who quickly turned on his heels, running back through to the kitchen. He returned moments later with keys in hand and pressed a button. The trunk popped open, and Tara opened it wider. Inside, a blue tarp covered a squealing body. Tara unwrapped it to reveal a girl, her eyes wide, her mouth taped shut. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stared up at Tara. Warren ripped the tape off the girl’s mouth, and she gasped for air before uncontrollable sobbing overcame her.
The ambulance could be heard in the distance, growing louder as it approached. “You’re safe now,” Tara told her, as she too felt a wave of emotion. The victim was alive, and for the first time, Tara knew the case was officially over.
Chapter Thirty One
Tara stood on the porch of Dan Asher’s home, bandages now wrapped around her core and hand. The ambulance still sat in the driveway as the EMTs prepared to leave. Warren and Sheriff Patel stood nearby, speaking, before Warren turned to Tara.
She was lucky. Her wound was not serious. She would only need a couple of stitches in her back. He had not dug too deep, and for that Tara was grateful. Her hand was fine. She was concerned that she would need time to recover, like she did after the trail killer case, when she had injured her arm. But this was merely a scrape in comparison, and she knew it would heal quickly.
“How’s Justine?” Tara asked as Warren stepped onto the stoop. Justine’s ambulance was now far gone, but she knew Warren had just received an update from Patel. Last she heard was that Justine suffered asphyxia from strangulation, but she had yet to learn if there would be any permanent damage.
“EMS thinks she should be fine, but she’ll need a CT scan.”
Tara nodded. She was grateful that they had gotten to her when they did. Dan Asher had clearly tried to kill her but didn’t know he was unsuccessful. If Tara had gotten there any later, if he discovered that she was still alive––Tara couldn’t even finish the thought as it stirred a swirl of emotions.
She turned to the door and pushed it open. They hadn’t even searched the rest of the house yet, but they were aware of the basement. It was a small bit of information they were able to get from Justine before she was taken off to the hospital.
