Chapter 26

Ray stirred and gradually woke. He was on the sofa in the employee's breakroom at Altman's Insurance Company. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and sat up. Shattered vending machines cast a pale blue light over the room. Ray's club lay on the floor amid the vending machines' wreckage.

Ray's eyes gradually adjusted to the gloomy surroundings. Tables and chairs came into view and then the TV.

The TV. The news.

Ray turned on the set.

A few minutes later he stumbled into the men's room and splashed cold water on his face. The special report with his mugshot had shaken him. That old mugshot from his rape conviction.

Never in twenty years of killing had his face been on TV. Never.

The cops knew who he was. How?

He entered a bathroom stall and relieved himself. Someone from the insurance office would see his mugshot and report him to the authorities. It was only a matter of time. What if they already had? What if they came looking for him tonight, here at the office?

He would leave town tonight. It was the logical thing to do. The smart thing.

He ducked into the breakroom, grabbed the club off the floor, and headed to the wall safe. He wielded the club like an ax and pounded the metal door and handle. Several good blows popped the door open. He scooped out a wad of bills and counted. It came to less than two hundred dollars.

"Hardly worth putting in a safe," Ray seethed and stuffed the money in his pants pocket.

The employees' desks were next. He yanked out drawers and spilled the contents onto desk tops and the floor. His efforts yielded him a few more dollars.

The flash of headlights in the parking lot sent him scurrying behind a desk. The police?

Cautiously, he rose and peered over the top of the desk. The window blinds were slanted enough so he could see out. He watched a car pull into a parking spot. Three people got out. Two men and a woman. They stood around the car and talked. They pointed at each other and press their fingers to their ears.

What the hell? Who were they?

The lights in the parking lot were feeble. It was impossible for Ray to see the trio's faces. However, they were in civilian clothes. That much he could tell. Of course, that might mean they were police detectives.

They fanned out and that's when Ray caught the glint of metal. They were armed.

Ray saw the swish of a long blonde ponytail before the three darted out of sight.

"The Drew girl," Ray hissed. She sure got around, he thought with a smirk. And the tall dark-haired guy was there, too.

"I have developed a definite dislike for him."

Ray's fingers curled around the club.

There were three of them and one of him. Three against one. Three with guns. He with a club. The odds were not in Ray's favor.

Escape was his only option. He would slip out the back door and run like hell. He would find a car and hotwire it. One way or another, he would get out of this town.

Ray crouched and moved from desk to desk. He kept an eye on the big front window. Where had the three gone? What were they planning?

Ray got to the short hall that lead to the bathrooms and back door. He thought he heard the jiggle of the front door, like someone was trying to get in. Ray moved closer to the back door and then it hit him – he hadn't locked the door earlier when he entered.

How dumb. He almost laughed at the irony. What if, while he'd slept, someone had broken in and robbed the place. He would have been left empty handed. Poetic justice some would say.

An overhead security light bathed the hall in a warm yellow glow. Ray did not like the warm yellow glow. He needed darkness for his escape. He thrust the club up and straight into the light. Plexiglas rained down on his head and shoulders. Bits and pieces bounced along the tile floor.

Now the hall was dark. Ray put his back to the wall and stretched out a hand. He felt his way to the door, step-by-step. He cocked an ear and strained to hear the smallest of sounds. And he did hear something. A muffled voice on the other side of the door.

Ray stopped and stood perfectly still. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He spied the lever style door handle and his blood froze. The handle was moving, slowly lowering.

Ray braced for an attack. The door opened a crack and weak light from the outside bled in. Ray lifted the club and thought, Come on in. I'm ready for you.

A/N: Two chapters in one day? What's the world coming to? This chapter was so short I decided to go ahead and post it. The next chapter is longer and needs editing. It might be two days before that one gets posted.

As always, a special thank you for the reviews.