Page 68 of Constant Risk
Before she could say anything else, Penelope walked over and stopped directly in front of Bree’s computer station. “Everything okay? Where’s Tanner?”
Jeter’s voice came on in her ear as the picture disappeared once again from the computer screen. “Get rid of her, Bethany. We’ll go ahead and close the casket so Tanner can get a taste of what it might feel like in a few minutes if you don’t cooperate.”
“Um...” Bree looked up at Penelope trying not to sweat. “You’ll have to ask Whitaker. They were hanging out together last time I saw them. I’m sure Tanner’s around here somewhere.”
Penelope’s eyes narrowed. She glanced down at Bree’s hands then back up to her face.
The woman suspected something, or was at least noticing something was off. Bree could do nothing to warn the other woman. If Penelope said the wrong thing it would cost Tanner his life.
“Well, I just wanted to come by and say thank you for all the work you did with the case. We wouldn’t have been able to get those women out, without you.”
Bree gave a little nod. This was the last time she was going to be able to signal to anyone that Tanner was in trouble. How could she do it?
“I’m glad I could help.”
Penelope was still studying her. “And I’m really glad that you and I got to spend some time together and get to know each other so well. All the one-on-one time we spent together.”
Bree kept her face completely neutral. She and Penelope very definitely had not gotten to know each other. Bree had forgotten the woman’s name more than once.
“Um, yeah. That was nice.”
“You listening to music like you always do when you’re working?” Penelope continued.
“Get rid of her,now, Bethany.”
“Yeah. Music. You know how I love music when I’m working.” Bree nodded.
“You’ll be sure to get me that footage you set up before you leave, right? The special recordings you set up? Sorry we were so hard on you about that. I guess even I get territorial sometimes when it comes to cases.”
The monitor footage. Yes, it would still be running even now. If Penelope checked it she would be able to see what Jeter was sending her right now.
And even better, Jeter had no idea it existed since Bree didn’t use an official Dallas PD system.
“Yes.” Bree nodded enthusiastically. “You will very definitely want to look through that for the case. Jeremy knows how to access it. You’ll want to do that first thing. Thanks, Penelope.”
Penelope nodded and said a fast goodbye.
Bree prayed the woman had understood exactly what she meant and was checking to get the necessary screenshots right now.
“She’s gone. Where do you want me to meet you?”
Jeter rattled off an address and Bree knew right away it wasn’t where he was holding Tanner. It was nowhere near Whitaker’s old neighborhood.
“That’s where Tanner is? And if I come there and agree to stay with you, you’ll let him go?”
“That’s the deal. He’ll be right here beside me. And the moment you agree to go away with me, you can send a message to one of your little cop friends and have them come rescue our Tanner. If everyone moves quickly enough, maybe Tanner will get out of this before he suffocates. You have my word.”
Bree barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Jeter had no intention of letting Tanner out of that casket alive.
“Put the picture back on. I want to see him one more time. If I go away with you this will be the last time I’ll ever be able to.”
She needed to make sure Penelope got the message about where Tanner was. Saw that it was his fingers moving.
Jeter put the video of Tanner back up on the screen. Bree bit back a sob as Jeter had to pry open the casket cover in order for her to be able to see him. Sweat was running off his forehead and his eyes were a lot more apprehensive now.
His finger still kept beating the same Morse code pattern. Tanner knew he was in trouble, but was not panicking.
Bree brought her fingers up to her mouth and kissed them and then placed them on the screen. Hopefully to Jeter it would look like she was saying goodbye to Tanner. But once she got her fingers to the screen, where she was out of Jeter’s view, she pointed to Tanner’s finger tapping the code. She pointed three times, praying it would be enough.
