Morgan scanned the map. “He could have gotten off the river anywhere along here.” She glanced out the window. Rain beat on the glass. “It’s dark already.”
Lightning flashed. The storm was approaching.
If only they’d gotten the sheriff’s message earlier. No. Morgan would not regret putting her own child first. Sometimes parenting required hard choices. Not that she or Lance had made a conscious decision. Their response had been instinctual.
But if Evan suffered because of their choice, they would both have to live with the guilt.
Morgan’s phone vibrated on the nightstand. She reached for it but didn’t recognize the number on the display. She answered the call. “Morgan Dane.”
“Hi. Um. This is Rylee. Rylee Nelson.”
“Hello, Rylee.” Morgan waggled her fingers at Lance. Then she tilted the phone so that he could hear.
“I didn’t know who else to call.” Rylee sounded out of breath and her voice quivered.
“What’s wrong?” Morgan asked.
“It’s Evan.” The girl hesitated.
“Rylee, I can’t help unless you talk to me.”
Rylee breathed for a few seconds. “After you left our house, I went to the lake last night, just to sit in the dark and think. Evan was there.”
Lance jerked straight.
“Was he OK?” Morgan asked.
“No,” Rylee said. “He looked awful. I think he had a fever. I gave him some emergency supplies from my car: a blanket, water, protein bars . . .”
Lance folded his hands and clenched them together until his knuckles whitened.
Morgan touched his forearm. “How badly is he injured?”
“He was shot in the arm.” Rylee’s voice hitched. “He’s in really bad shape.”
Next to Morgan, Lance grabbed socks from a laundry basket.
Once Rylee started spilling her secret, the words poured out at rapid speed. “I don’t know if he can climb out of the cave. Evan asked me to call his mom. He gave me her number. He doesn’t trust anyone else, but his mom said she was being watched by a deputy. She didn’t know how long it would take her to sneak out. She asked me to call you. She doesn’t trust the cops either. She’s afraid they’re going to shoot Evan.”
Morgan didn’t believe the police would shoot a teenager on sight, but tension and adrenaline were factors. Local law enforcement was convinced that Evan was an armed killer. They would respond with that in the forefront of their minds.
“I promised I wouldn’t call the cops, but I’m afraid he’s gonna die.”
“Where is he?” Morgan cradled the phone between her shoulder and neck. She went to her dresser for socks and grabbed her boots from the closet. Lance retrieved their handguns from the gun safe.
“He’s at the falls,” Rylee said.
They’d been right. And no doubt, the sheriff would be there in the morning.
“We’re going to go get him right now, Rylee.” Morgan shoved her feet into her boots. “Where are you?”
“On the observation deck. Evan is hiding in a little cave at the bottom of the falls, but I couldn’t get any cell reception there. I had to climb higher.”
“Well done, Rylee. We’re on our way.”
“OK. Please hurry.”
Morgan reached for a waterproof jacket and turned to Lance. “You heard all that?”
“Yes.” He headed for the door. “You don’t have to come. If you want to stay with Sophie, I’ll be all right on my own.”
“You can’t go alone.” Morgan held up a hand. “That’s not up for discussion. Have you heard back from Sharp?”
“He sent me a text. I haven’t had a chance to read it.” Lance read his screen. “He’s in Albany with Olivia Cruz. They’re going to meet with Joe Martin. Actually, he sent this text hours ago. The meeting might be over by now.”
“Joe Martin is in Albany?” That was too close for comfort.
“That’s what the text says.” Lance pressed a button on his phone to return his boss’s call. “Sharp isn’t answering.”
“I’m not worried that Evan is going to shoot us. Are you?”
“No,” Lance agreed. “Can we call your sister? I trust her and her partner, Brody.”
Morgan dialed. “She isn’t answering her phone. I know she was working tonight, and Mac is still on a search and rescue in the Adirondacks. You’re stuck with me. Let’s go get Evan before this storm gets any worse.”
“I wouldn’t call it stuck. There’s no one I trust more.” Lance kissed her. “But I’d like us to have backup.”
“I know.” Morgan walked to him and put her hands on his biceps. “But Evan needs us now. He can’t wait. Besides, we’re just going to pick him up.”
“We’ll go alone and assess the situation. If it’s too dangerous, we’ll call for assistance. But I’d like to get him out of that cave to ensure he is unarmed. It would be safer for Evan if he voluntarily gave himself up.”
“Agreed.”
They checked in with Gianna and the kids, who were eating cookies in the dining room. Grandpa drank a mug of tea. Sophie sat on his knee.
Morgan quickly explained that they had to run out for a while.
From Grandpa’s grave expression, he clearly sensed the importance of their mission. He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about Sophie. Gianna and I won’t take our eyes off her. Go do what you have to do.”
Gianna nodded and reached out a hand to touch Sophie’s cheek, her affection for the child palpable. Gianna had become one of the family in every way.
Lance put on his boots on the way out the door. Morgan pulled up her hood and tucked in her hair as they ran out to the Jeep. The lake and falls were only a short drive from the house. Rain poured onto the windshield. The wipers could not move fast enough to keep the glass clear. Lance leaned over the wheel and squinted, his face tight with concentration.
An emergency weather alert appeared on Morgan’s phone screen. “The entire area is on a flash flood watch. People in low-lying areas are being encouraged to go to shelters.” She was glad her house was on high ground.
“Oh, no.” He stopped the Jeep. The Scarlet River coursed over the bridge that led out to the main road. “It’s too deep to drive through.” Hooking one arm behind the passenger seat, he backed up and turned the vehicle around. The Jeep surged forward.
Morgan grabbed the armrest. Water sprayed from the tires as the Jeep roared through a puddle.
Lance turned on the defroster to clear fog from the inside of the windshield. “I’ve been to the falls dozens of times. I didn’t know there was a cave there.”
“Me either,” said Morgan, though she had not been there in some years. Steep stairs and sheer rock drop-offs were not child friendly. Railings couldn’t be high enough to safely contain Sophie.
Lance looped through the neighborhood and left via the back exit. Morgan held her breath as they approached the second bridge, but it had been built higher. Water lapped at the edges, but the swell was still several feet below the road as they drove across. The trees on both sides of the road swayed. The ground was saturated from the recent heavy rains. Trees would go down tonight, hopefully not on them.
“There’s the lake.” But Morgan hardly recognized the normally placid water. Wind gusts had whipped its surface into white caps. “Oh, my God. The lake is everywhere.”
Four inches of water covered the parking lot.
“That’s not the lake.” Lance drove past the lake toward the falls, where the ground was higher. “That’s the Deer River.”
The parking area for the Scarlet Falls overlook was on high ground. Lance drove up the gravel road and parked the Jeep at the top. There were a few dozen cars in the lot, but they all looked empty. “People must have moved their cars here in case of flooding. It’s the highest elevation in the township.”
Morgan recognized Rylee’s old sedan and squinted out the Jeep’s windows. “Rylee is here.”
“Let’s go find her. Are you ready?”
Lance stuffed a flashlight into a cargo pocket on his pants. “Do you want to wait in the Jeep?”
“No.” She tugged her waterproof jacket over her Glock. “It’s only rain, right?”
But as she stepped out of the vehicle, the fierceness of the driving torrent hit her full in the face. She leaned into the wind. The first observation deck wasn’t visible from the parking area. Foliage and trees blocked the view. Six wooden steps led to a wooden walkway, which made a sharp right turn around a stand of mature trees and ended at the first observation deck. On the other side of the platform, staircases that descended to the ground-level deck had been built to follow the natural contours of the rocks.
Lightning streaked across the sky. The crack of thunder followed right on its heels. The storm was on top of them.
On the third step, Lance leaned back and shouted over the storm. “Rylee said the cave was at the bottom of the falls. We’ll have to take the steps down. I hope he’s on this side of the water.”
Morgan kept one hand on the railing as they went up the steps to the walkway. She glanced over the edge and got her first view of the falls.
The waterfall was spewing twice its normal volume. Her gaze dropped to the ravine below. Large boulders filled the center of the ravine. Normally, the water flowed and eddied around them. But the water had risen so high that only the very tops of the boulders were visible. She scanned the bottom for a cave and saw a small opening at the base of the ravine wall, on the other side of the water. If the flooding continued at the current rate, it wouldn’t take long for it to rise above the cave’s entrance.
Anyone inside would drown.
Water slicked the wooden treads, and the wind whipped branches in her face. She slipped. By the time she caught her balance, the more athletic, better-coordinated Lance had moved a half dozen strides ahead of her. She rushed up the last few steps onto the landing, to be stopped by Lance’s hand.
Tina and Rylee stood in the far corner of the observation deck, drenched from the rain, eyes wide with terror as a man pointed a gun in their faces.
Chapter Thirty-One
Evan woke to the sound of thunder echoing in the small ravine. Rylee had brought him a real blanket. He pulled it up to his chin, but his teeth continued to chatter and the shiver that ran through him rattled his bones. His mouth and lips were dry, his skin was hot, and his arm throbbed. His fever was spiking again.
He reached for his water bottle. How long had it been since Rylee was here? The rain seemed to be going on forever, and the sky had been overcast all day. He had no idea what time it was or how much time had passed since she’d left.
Opening a protein bar, he forced himself to eat it, even though chewing nauseated him. But the protein would help him heal, as if that were possible. Once the food was in his belly, he swallowed more ibuprofen tablets.
A noise outside caught his attention. Had he heard voices? He tried to sit up, but dizziness forced him right back down to the ground.
Shit.
He should have taken the ibuprofen earlier. He waited a few more minutes for his head to stop spinning. Then he drained the bottle of water and opened a new one. He sipped every few minutes. He’d learned the hard way not to chug the water. Slow and steady worked best.
Another voice carried into the cave’s entrance. Was that Rylee and his mom? Evan didn’t want to get his hopes up. The noise could have been the wind. When it gusted through the narrow canyon, sometimes it made a weird whistling sound.
But he had to know.
Afraid he’d fall and smack his head if he stood, he crawled on his knees and one hand toward the cave’s entrance.
The storm had picked up in intensity. Wind and water lashed sideways across the cave opening.
Another voice drifted down into the canyon. Someone was here. Someone could help him.
Evan dragged himself forward another foot, until he could see the falls on one side of the ravine and the observation deck on the other. Two people stood on the deck. They were facing away from him.
Hope unfurled inside him. His mom!
His ordeal was almost over. He was in the cave’s shadow. He needed to drag himself forward a few more feet so his mom could see him. Before he could move, another figure appeared on the deck. A man. And he was pointing a gun at his mom.
No!
It was probably the same man who had killed Paul. Fear gave Evan a burst of strength. He had to help his mom. He crawled to the ledge in front of the cave, only to be brought up short. He rocked back on his heels. The water had risen. The huge boulders he’d used to cross to the other side were barely visible. Evan watched, horror spreading like ice through his veins, as a small wave crashed over the ledge. Water lapped over his legs and formed a puddle in the cave’s entrance.
He couldn’t get out now. He was trapped.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Come out where I can see you!” the armed man shouted at Lance.
Rain hammered on the nylon hood of Lance’s rain jacket. Wind pushed the rain sideways, pelting his face and blurring his vision. He took one more step forward, until he was under the protective overhang of thick branches. He wiped the rainwater from his face and met the gaze of a killer.
“Stop right there or I will shoot one of them in the face. Hands up!” About twelve feet away, the armed man had cornered Rylee and Tina against the observation deck railing. All three were soaking wet, their hair plastered to their heads. The man changed the angle of his body to keep Lance and Rylee and Tina in his line of sight.
In his peripheral vision, Lance saw Morgan, at his flank, lift both hands, palms out.
Lance raised his hands in front of his body and studied the man. He looked familiar. The photo of Joe Martin stuck to the whiteboard back at the office ran through Lance’s mind. The man’s identity clicked into place. Aaron Martin, Tina’s half brother, looked very much like his father had two and a half decades ago.
“Is he your rescuer, Tina? Did you call him to get you out of this mess?” Aaron snarled. “When he dies, remember it’s your fault. Everything is your fault, including your husband’s death. That’s what you get for being a greedy, backstabbing bitch.”
“What do you want?” Lance yelled into the wind.
“I want my fucking money.” Aaron shook the gun in Tina’s face. Tina didn’t look as terrified as she should have. Her gaze kept dropping to the water and the cave below. She was more afraid for Evan than for herself.
“What money?” Lance kept his gaze on Aaron, but his brain scrambled for options. He needed to get Aaron away from Rylee and Tina. How could he draw the man away?
“The money this bitch stole from our father.” Aaron gestured with the gun. His eyes went to his half sister.
The second Aaron shifted his eyes, Lance took a step forward. “What are you talking about?”
Ignoring Lance, Aaron turned back to Tina. “Where is the fucking money? And don’t you dare try to tell me you don’t have it. Joe still thinks those two cops he had in his back pocket took it. That’s why he ordered me to kill them. But that’s not what happened, is it? Those cops were dirty, but they didn’t take the hundred grand. I’ve tortured enough people to know that no one could have kept a secret after what I did to them. Everyone breaks. They didn’t know where the money went. The only other person who could have taken it was you.”
Tina’s eyes were flat, emotionless, but Lance could see her brain working.
“The money is in a safe place,” she said.
“Fuck. I should just kill you now.” Aaron clipped her on the side of the head with the butt of the gun. “I am not playing games.”
Tina fell back a half step. Her hand cupped behind her ear. “I didn’t know you wanted it.”
Under the coating of rainwater, his face reddened. “I sent you a letter. But you sent your husband and his cop buddy to meet me instead of coming yourself. Stupid bitch.”
Tina’s mouth dropped open. “I never got any letter.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
“Doesn’t matter,” Aaron said. “I want that money. I know you. Always hoarding cash here and there. Always squirreling it away. You still have the money. Where is it?”
“In the trunk of my car in the parking lot.” Tina glanced over the railing again. Next to her, Rylee cowered and clutched the wooden railing as if it were the only thing holding her upright. “I was going to use it to take my son away from here.”
Aaron thought about her statement, then seemed to decide it sounded plausible. He switched his aim from Tina to Rylee. “How do you propose we get it?”
Lance kept quiet. If Aaron went with Tina, maybe Morgan could get Rylee to safety.
“I’ll get it for you,” Tina said. “I don’t even care about it anymore. Just take it and go.”
“No fucking way. This girl is my insurance.” Aaron looked over the railing. “Better think fast. The water is rising. You’re going to lose your son.”
“OK. I’ll take you to the money.” Tina started to move.
“Hold on.” Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out two zip ties. He handed them to Tina and motioned toward Lance and Morgan. “Tie their hands behind their backs. Don’t do anything stupid. I will shoot this little bitch’s face right off.” He waved the gun at Rylee’s nose.
Tina took the ties and walked toward Lance. Aaron grabbed Rylee by the hair and hauled her in front of his body. He pressed the muzzle of the gun into her temple. Lance couldn’t tell if it was rain or tears running down Rylee’s face.
He tried to catch Tina’s gaze, but her eyes were cold and determined as she refused to make eye contact. She glanced one more time at the water rushing across the bottom of the ravine. She would do anything to save her son. Anything. Lance, Morgan, and Rylee could be collateral damage. She was creating distance between them without taking a step.
And there wasn’t a damned thing Lance could do about it. He was too far away to even consider trying to disarm Aaron.
She moved behind Lance. He cooperated, putting his hands behind his back. He made two fists and pressed the heels of his palms together as she tightened the strap. She moved on to tie Morgan’s hands the same way.
Secrets Never Die Page 23