Sweet Fortune

her.”
    “We'll take your car because she'll be expecting it. Get in. I'll drive.”
    “She says I have to go alone. Hatch, I'm so scared.”
    “Just get into the car. We'll figure this out on the way.”
    He was already pushing her into her car, getting in beside her, and starting the engine. Jessie tried to collect her wild thoughts. Something struck her suddenly.
    “What are you doing home an hour early?”
    “I caught an early flight.”
    “But why?”
    “Damned if I know,” Hatch said. “A couple of hours ago I just had a feeling I wanted to get home sooner than I'd planned. I made some excuses to the people I was dealing with, phoned the airport, and got on an earlier flight.”
    “Thank God. Hatch, I'm so afraid.”
    “You said it was a woman's voice?”
    “Yes. I'm sure of it. Muffled, but it sounded vaguely familiar. Do you think…?” Jessie could not bring herself to finish the question.
    “That it was Glenna who called? I don't know, Jessie. But we have to face the fact that it's a possibility.”
    “I can't believe it. Why would she do such a thing?”
    “You know why.” His mouth tightened as he guided the Toyota onto the freeway that sliced the city in half. “A part of her still thinks that everything should have gone to David. I wonder if she's finally flipped completely and decided that the best method of ensuring that David inherits everything is to get you and Elizabeth out of the way.”
    “No. She wouldn't kill Elizabeth. She would not do such a thing.”
    “We don't really know what she'd do, Jessie. There's a lot of old anger buried in her. A lot of bitterness. What happened at the engagement party the other night might have been too much for her. Took away her last hope. Might have pushed her over the edge.”
    Jessie shook her head, unwilling to believe such a possibility. “I've known her all my life. I just can't believe Aunt Glenna would go this far. I won't believe it until I see it for myself. Hatch, what are we going to do?”
    “Give me a minute to think about the layout of the new warehouse. I took a look at the plans last week. Thanks to your father's outdated management style, the doors were rehung last week and we started moving inventory into the place. There should be a lot of cover inside the building by now, what with equipment and product stored in there.” Hatch fell silent beside her, his face set in forbidding lines.
    A few minutes later he turned off the freeway and drove into a dark, silent warehouse district in the south end of the city. Buildings loomed, their windows unlit for the most part. Huge trucks were parked for the night near loading docks. The streets were empty.
    “Hatch? We're almost there.”
    “I know.” He glanced at his watch. “I'll get out at the next corner and cut through those two buildings over there. That will bring me into the back of the warehouse.”
    “How will you get inside?”
    “I know the security-system code. Your father and I chose it together so we could both memorize it.”
    “How would Aunt Glenna get it?”
    “Hell, she's family, isn't she? And she's smart.”
    “That's true. You want me to drive straight up to the front entrance?”
    “Right. But stay in the car. Let her know you're there but don't make it easy for her. She'll have to think about her next move, and that should give me some time to act. Glenna's not a professional kidnapper and she's got a very rigid personality. My guess is she won't know what to do if things don't go exactly according to plan. Still, we don't want to push her too far. She's obviously unstable.”
    “We're assuming it is Aunt Glenna.”
    “I'm afraid she's the logical candidate. But that's in our favor. It won't be easy for her to kill Elizabeth. We'll have some negotiating time.” Hatch stopped the car a moment later and got out. He closed the door and leaned down to speak through the open window as Jessie slid into the driver's seat.
    “Remember. Stay in the car. Keep the engine running. If she calls to you, pretend you can't hear her.”
    “All right.” Jessie's fingers trembled on the steering wheel. She watched as Hatch vanished down an alley between two darkened buildings. His dark gray suit blended perfectly into the shadows. Then she turned the corner and drove toward the warehouse.
    There was no sign of life around the entrance of the building. But one of the front doors was open, revealing a gaping darkness inside. Jessie brought the car to a halt,