by Mary Stone
“I don’t know where he is. He ain’t contacted me. He’s got no time for his momma, and I do not believe a word of what you’re saying. My boy would never hurt a fly.” She turned when something else crashed in one of the bedrooms. “You all get out of my house. And you better fix my doors and window. And anything else you broke.”
Carla’s eyebrows pinched together. “He’s no boy, Emily. He’s a grown man responsible for his actions. We think he’s got Gina Webster with him. He might be hurting her. Do you want Gina to get hurt?”
Emily was shaking now. From the adrenaline draining from her system. And fear. “Linus didn’t do a thing!” But even her voice didn’t sound as convincing as it should, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
The redheaded woman from the other day came in. She was wearing normal clothes, but her face looked just as grim as the rest of them. “Mrs. Ashby, we arrested Helen Mathers last night, and she has admitted that she and Linus planned a series of murders. He committed those murders on her behalf.”
Emily shook her head.
“Dr. Trent spoke to Linus on the phone just a bit ago. He said the same thing. He tried to convince us to release Helen. He said whatever he’d done, it wasn’t her fault and that he’d done it all on his own.”
Emily’s heart seemed to stop. She tried to get a breath, but it was like trying to inhale cardboard. For a second, she thought she would faint.
A tiny, thin thread of sound rang in her ears. It got louder and louder until it seemed like it turned into a gray shimmering color that crept up around the edges of her vision.
She was going to pass out. She just knew it.
Carla reached out and put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. The warmth of the sheriff’s hand was comforting. She still hated her, of course, but she leaned against her, letting her lead her to her favorite recliner.
Once seated, she looked up. Three faces peered down at her. Their mouths were grim. Their eyes were sad. Their compassion was her undoing.
Emily shook her head. “I tried to do right by that boy…” She trailed off. It was a lie and she knew it.
The redheaded woman squatted in front of her. “Mrs. Ashby, will you please tell us where he is? He’s a danger to himself and others, and he is in danger by others. If we don’t find him…”
The woman’s face finished the sentence for her.
Linus was gonna die. If she didn’t help them, her boy didn’t have much of a chance in this world. If she lent them a hand, then maybe…just maybe.
Emily shivered. With all the doors and windows blown in, the wind was whipping through the house. It wasn’t too terrible cold, but it was the lazy kind of wind that dragged itself right through a body and seemed to freeze her from the inside out.
“Jonah poisoned his brain. Guess I did too. Seems like Helen finished him up.”
Carla took her hand. “I’m really sorry. I hate this more than you can imagine.”
Emily laughed bitterly. “I guess all I can do to save him now is make sure he gets caught before he hurts anyone else. Poor Gina. Poor little kitten. I hope he ain’t done anything to her.”
“Help us, Emily,” Carla implored. “Do you know where he would hole up? Someplace secret where he could take Gina?”
Emily sniffed, and Carla pulled a small packet of tissues out of her pocket. She always had a packet of tissues on her, God bless her.
Emily blew her nose and tucked the tissue in her pocket in case she needed it later. Then, just like that, it came to her. She was pretty sure where her son would go.
She studied the faces of each woman hovering over her. “I think I know where he is.”
Carla looked relieved. “Where?”
Emily pushed to her feet. “I’m not gonna tell you. I’m gonna show you.”
Then she marched herself right out of the door.
31
All the way back to the sheriff’s office, Autumn clutched the handle of Winter’s rental as she raced along the streets behind Carla’s SUV, lights flashing and sirens wailing. Emily Ashby hadn’t stopped complaining about Winter’s driving since she firmly planted herself in the back seat.
By the time their caravan of vehicles pulled into the sheriff’s office parking lot, Mike Shadley had already pulled the property records for the old cabin that Emily Ashby had described after they swore on the Bible that she could still go with them.
“I don’t know who even owns it now,” she told them. “Last time I was there, it was all to hell, which is a shame. We had some good times there, back in the day.”
Mike met them outside, where he passed out stapled copies of the file, including the address, terrain maps of the nearby area, contact information for neighbors nearby, and more—not that there were many neighbors.
Autumn was amused by the smile Carla Morton gave her boss. “I can’t believe you did this so quickly.”
Mike winked at the sheriff. “Don’t think I was able to pull off a miracle of data assembly here. It was in my top three properties I thought might be our target.”
Carla seemed impressed. “Of course it was.” She flipped through the file and turned to all the deputies and agents gathered round. “We’ve got a lot of open area in the back. We’ll need to go in here…” she marked her map with the highlighter Mike handed her, “and here, here, and here.”
As the team sketched out their plan, Autumn leaned against one of the patrol cars and chewed on her thumb. She had a belly full of butterflies and was torn between feeling proud of the success she’d achieved so far and the fear that might just screw something up.
She looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the minute, and she wanted to scream at everyone to hurry.
It had been nearly full dark at Emily Ashby’s house, and it had taken her a bit to realize why. Emily lived at the base of the mountain on the east side. The cabin was on the west, so it would get the sun longer.
But if these people didn’t hurry, it wouldn’t be long enough, and they’d be scampering around in the dark. Of course, with all their tactical gear and night vision goggles attached to their helmets, they should be fine.
She hoped.
Carla held up her map again. “The area is thick with trees, dirt roads that don’t go anywhere, old mine entrances, rockfalls, and what have you. Sunset is coming up quick. It’ll be hard for us to maneuver in the dark, but it’ll be even harder for Ashby to maneuver. Be careful of the girl. Hold fire until instructed.”
Autumn glanced into Winter’s SUV, glad her friend had left the engine running, the radio on, and had activated the button so that the back windows wouldn’t roll down. Emily Ashby didn’t need to hear any of this.
Autumn was still torn about whether it was a good idea to take the woman, promise or not. A hostage negotiation tactic would be to let a loved one speak to the suspect, but Autumn worried that having Emily talk to Linus would have the opposite effect than they hoped for.
Carla glanced at Winter. “You have anything to add?”
Winter stepped forward, the epitome of a cool and competent FBI Special Agent. “We’re dealing with a fast-changing situation here. I don’t need any heroes, and I don’t need any vigilantes. I want that boy pinned down fast and taken in before he knows what hit him. I do not want hostages, but if we end up with them, we have some folks here who are trained to assess the situation and react. Mike Shadley, give a wave.” Mike lifted his hand. “Autumn Trent.”
Autumn raised a hand.
“These are our experts,” Winter continued. “They’ve been knee-deep in this case. They give you an order, you better follow it like it was coming from me, and I expect that any order from me better be taken like the word of God himself. There will be no inter-agency drama, no egos, and no backtalk. Am I clear?”
A chorus of “yes, ma’ams” echoed down the street.
“Let’s go. We’ll do mic checks on the way. Stay dark, stay silent, stay tight.” Winter gave a final wave, and everyone ran to their vehicles. Win
ter went to the back of their RAV4 and pulled out a vest. She thrust it at Autumn. “Put this on.”
Winter was in the zone, so Autumn didn’t argue. She stripped off her jacket and pulled it on, then pulled on the extra FBI jacket Winter handed her.
Winter winked. “I should take a picture and give it to Aiden.”
Autumn groaned. “Don’t do it. He’ll never give me any peace if you do.” She lowered her voice. “Are we really taking Emily Ashby with us?”
“Absolutely. We might need her for better directions or maybe even talk to Linus, if it comes to that.”
As Autumn climbed in the car and they took the lead of the caravan, she had to admit that the work that she’d done with the bureau was much more exciting than her work for Shadley and Latham. She scowled just thinking of the last name. That was another problem she could avoid by switching jobs. But she didn’t ever want to be someone who ran away from their problems.
Before leaving Emily’s house, Autumn had found a laundry basket filled with clothes. A sniff test had proven them to be reasonably clean, so she’d grabbed a few things she thought the older woman would need. Anything had to be better than the housedress she’d been wearing, and she had used the time in the parking lot to change into the warmer clothes.
As Winter drove, Emily leaned forward between the seats and gave them directions and running commentary. Even though they were using GPS to find their way, Emily swore she knew these roads better than any tech device.
She pointed toward a one-pump gas station tucked under some trees. “Here’s where Jonah would stop to pick up bait.” A few minutes later, she added, “Here’s where Jonah just about ran over a deer in the road. It swerved and got away at the last minute, and he stopped the car to yell about it.”
Autumn smiled and turned in her seat. “I’m glad this is bringing back some happier times.”
Emily actually smiled back, but it only lasted a second. “We used to drop in on the cabin whenever Jonah needed to get away for a few days, and we almost lived out here in the summers. He always said being out in the wilderness was good for a boy.”
Winter followed the twisting, confusing roads almost as easily as if she had lived there her whole life. Autumn knew she had to be tense, but she didn’t show it.
Winter took a turn at a speed that made Autumn’s stomach lurch. “Mrs. Ashby, is there anything we should know about the property itself? Does the cabin have a basement?”
“No basement. It’s been so long since I was up there that I don’t remember all the details, but no basement. A loft and a couple of bedrooms. No running water. There was a well, but it was no good. It wasn’t deep enough. We asked the owner, man named Hank Leetsch, to put in a pump but that never happened. He was too cheap. Said we could bring up our water with us or find somewhere else to spend our time, it was all the same to him.”
“What about electricity?”
“Used to have it, but I don’t know if the power’s on. Since Leetsch died, I’m sure the place has gone downhill. Those cabins up there, they don’t stay fit to live in too long if nobody keeps an eye on them. Jonah liked it because it wasn’t fancy or expensive, and there was plenty of room to shoot off his guns if he was careful. You want to turn here.”
Winter put on her blinker and cornered smoothly onto a small dirt road. The tires kicked up gravel as they drove through the darkness under the trees.
Emily seemed calmer, her face serene in the dashboard lights.
Autumn decided to prompt her, to see if she would open up even more. “What other memories do you have?”
“We had some good times out here when Linus was little. Once he got to be eight or nine, things went downhill, and it was harder. You could see the booze just eating right through Jonah’s soul. He changed, little by little, until the good man was gone and all that was left was the angry one. But at first, it was good.”
“I’m so sorry it didn’t last.”
Emily shrugged. “I liked coming out here. Jonah was best when he was away from everyone. If he’d have been one of the pioneers or the explorers, that would have suited him best. Go off for eight months out of the year and then winter up with me and Linus in town. That would have been a good life for us all.”
“We should be getting close to our stopping point,” Winter said.
Emily blinked and then looked out at the window again. “You said you wanted to stop at the crossroads?” She extended a hand. “That’s it.”
Winter pulled to the side and turned off the engine. As Autumn watched, she spotted other vehicles doing the same, then dark shadows moving silently into the woods.
Sheriff Morton and Mike Shadley approached, and Winter held up a hand. She made sure the interior lights were off before they opened the doors. Emily started to get out, but when Winter gave her a warning look, she huffed and fell back into her seat.
It was only then that Autumn realized they’d made a mistake. In the flurry of activity, they should have put Emily in the back of the sheriff’s SUV where she’d be locked up, unable to escape or get in the way.
Too late for that now because Rich had already taken the vehicle to another back road.
Winter touched her ear. “Black Base.” She listened, then touched her ear again. “Copy that. Over.” Her gaze was on Carla. “One of my guys spotted a black SUV covered with a camo tarp. I think that means our boy is in.” She touched her ear again. “Black Base.” Her face turned incredulous. “A van in front of the cabin?” She sighed. “Over and out.”
Carla pounced. “What van?”
Autumn shrugged. “Out of state tags sitting in the driveway. They’re setting up heat signature cameras now.”
Carla looked up at the heavens, cursed, then regained control. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
The confession made Winter look even more fierce and determined. “Carla, you’re with me. Autumn, you and Mike stay here and sit on Emily. If we need you, we communicate by text since you don’t have a radio.” Winter checked her phone. “We have adequate signal right here. Silent communications from this moment forth.”
Autumn grabbed her arm. She’d hug her friend if this had been the right moment. “Good luck and be safe.”
Winter gave her a thumbs-up and hurried away, Carla at her side. Winter was dressed completely in black, and when she looked back, her pale face seemed to float over the gravel road before disappearing under the trees. Then she was gone, silent as a hunting panther.
Autumn shivered. As unprepared as she was for action, she hated to sit out here. Useless. Waiting. Silent and helpless while others concluded the work she’d begun.
Beside her, Mike was silent as well. An owl hooted. Twigs crackled from every direction and the wind hissed through pine needles and around bare branches. It was eerie. Lonely. It was—
Autumn froze. What was that? She’d heard a sound she couldn’t place. She waited, listening hard, and yes, heard it again.
“Do you hear that?” she whispered to Mike.
She held her breath. Beside her, he held his too.
A faint cry echoed through the woods, coming from behind them. Autumn turned and squinted, wondering if she was just hearing an injured animal or a neighbor’s TV. But as hard as she looked, she couldn’t see a single twinkle of light in the growing darkness.
Autumn opened the door and pointed in the direction of the sound. “What’s over there?” she whispered to Emily.
Emily stepped out and peered into the distance. “Not much. The road ends about fifty feet up. There used to be another cabin out that direction, but they tore it down the second year we were here. Owner planned to build another, but the wells were bad, like I said, and it never got done.”
The faint sobbing came again. She could hear it more clearly now.
Was it an animal? Or…
Autumn walked across the road and found a small trail leading off in that direction. After she had walked twenty yards or so, the cry came again. This time, it
was accompanied by a single word. “Help!”
A woman’s voice.
She was sure of it. It could be nothing else.
Running back to the car, she found a flashlight she’d spotted with Winter’s gear. She grabbed it, then also snatched another smaller one.
Mike’s hand closed around her arm. “What is it?”
“Stay with Emily,” she said instead of answering and jerked out of his reach. “I’ll be right back.”
Mike called after her. “Autumn, wait—”
She pretended she didn’t hear the words and jogged into the woods, ducking under the tree branches and trying to head in the direction of the voice. The woods were close, the branches dragging over Autumn’s face and hands, catching in her hair.
Autumn stopped and listened for another sound. Her heart was racing in her ears, and she inhaled long, slow breaths to slow it down.
“Help!”
She radared in on the direction and pressed onward. “Please keep crying,” she silently prayed, wishing that she could call back. She didn’t dare. She couldn’t warn Linus of anyone’s presence. There was more than one woman’s life on the line.
“Help me!”
A long bout of sobbing followed the plea this time, giving Autumn something to focus on. She moved forward. Her flashlight beam reflected off a ring of stones as she scanned the area. She zeroed in on what appeared to be a man-made object. Could it be a well?
Remembering what Carla had said about dangerous obstacles in the area, Autumn stepped carefully through the field, even though everything inside her was screaming for her to run.
The crying grew louder, the voice more pitiful.
When she was finally there, Autumn shone her light down into the darkness, moving it around until it lit up a face. A girl’s face.
Hope and relief and joy and concern hit her at once. “Gina? Gina Webster?”