by James, Ed
I fire up the truck and hit the gas, and jackknife away, flying across the asphalt and out onto the freeway.
I was supposed to meet the woman there. Shit. So I pull in off the freeway and kill the engine.
I get out the cell and hit dial, watching Ky in the back as it rings and rings. Up ahead, there’s an alley going to some houses. Seems as good a shot as anything. I could set off along it, put some distance behind me, then maybe call her again.
So I kill the call and get out onto the parking area, then open the back door. Takes a couple of attempts to get Ky’s buckle undone, but I manage it.
An arm grabs me from behind and someone pushes me flat against the pickup. Keegan, eyes wide with rage. “You dumb bitch!” He grabs the cell from my coat pocket and snaps it in half, then tosses it. “I’m going to make you pay for this.”
I kick him in the shin, but he grabs me again, holding my head under his arm. I can taste his stale sweat.
A cop car thunders toward us on the freeway and I scream at it.
But the car drives off and Keegan still has hold of me. He’s somehow got the knife and is pressing it against my throat. “We’re going to the cops!” He walks me back toward the car.
“Please. Don’t do this.”
“You stole my car!” He grabs me by the hair. “After I helped you? After I bought all that shit for you and your kid?” He pushes me away and my hip cracks off the hood. “That isn’t even your—”
He drops to the ground, shaking like crazy.
The woman steps out of the shadows, my savior from Bainbridge. A tight look on her face. She bends down to inspect Keegan, but she’s down there for a few seconds. “Are you okay?”
“I’m pretty far from okay. What did you do to him?”
“Taser, and a nice follow-up dose of propofol.” She grabs Keegan’s ankles and drags him into the bushes. Then she comes back. “Is the baby okay?”
I look in the back of the pickup. Ky’s somehow asleep despite all this. I let out a gasp of relief. “He’s fine.”
“What happened, Kaitlyn?”
“I panicked, took this, but he followed me, then…” I’m close to hyperventilating.
“It’s okay.” She puts a calming hand on my arm. “After we get rid of this, how about I drive you home?”
Twenty-Nine
CARTER
23:40
The police cruisers set off along the freeway, two racing ahead, one staying at a snail’s pace, a lone flashlight searching the foliage at the roadside.
Windy as hell out here, so Carter tugged his windbreaker tight. Not that it did much.
A cop sidled up to him, thumbs tucked into his body armor. Officer M. Teng. “Sir, my guys are searching the freeway. Nothing so far.”
“You got hold of the surveillance footage yet?”
“Manager is just pulling up now.” Teng pointed at a beat-up old Chevy pulling in.
A three-hundred-pound man got out, a couple days’ worth of stubble on his face. The gas station manager, looking seriously pissed at his business being shut by the feds.
Teng left Carter, cutting the manager off at the pass.
Carter walked inside the gas station. The attendant was standing by the register, talking to another local cop. Looked to all the world like a regular transaction, just two guys shooting the breeze about the ball game. The cop spotted Carter and backed off.
Carter smiled at the clerk and showed his cell. “Sir, did you see this woman?”
The attendant inspected the photo on the screen, but his irises were like eight-balls, virtually all pupil. Stoned out of his skull. “Could be.” He thumbed at the cop. “I was just telling Officer Lebowski here…” He giggled. “Great movie. You any relation to The Dude?”
Carter stepped between them. “Sir, I need you to focus here, okay? Was this the woman?”
“I said it could be. Some chick came in, bought some potato chips and…” He frowned. “Maybe a soda? Could be water. Paid cash, though. A twenty. Got me to stick the change in the goodwill box.”
“Okay, did you see where she went?”
“Dude, this cab drove in and I served the guy. No idea what happened to the chick.”
Carter knew he wasn’t getting anything else out of him. Knew that going off full bore on him wasn’t worth it, no matter how much he felt like shaking him sober.
Teng appeared in a doorway by the soda fountain in the back of the store, beckoning Carter through.
Carter followed him into a tiny office. He got a grunt from the manager, who was sitting in front of a surveillance system. Just one camera, by the looks of it. The video was winding backward, then stopped, then played on double speed. A Ford F150 pulled up into the gas station, then slipped off.
The manager looked over at Carter. “That’s the parking lot at the side.”
That tallied with the attendant’s story of her not buying gas. “Keep it playing.”
The video wound on, and a woman stepped around the bottom of the image, on the narrow sidewalk outside the store.
“Freeze it.” Carter leaned in close and squinted at it. This was her, the woman who took Ky. And Carter had lost her again.
Teng stepped away to take a call on his radio.
Carter handed a business card over to the manager. “Can you get this to Agent Tyler Peterson, please?”
The manager stared at it, maybe weighing the pros and cons of denying the FBI a crucial lead. “That isn’t my policy.”
“Sure? Having some half-baked dude manning the register doesn’t strike me as the move of a careful business owner.”
The manager nodded, probably deciding that playing ball was better than feds investigating him. “Sure.”
Teng reappeared and leaned in to Carter. “Sir, one of my guys is about a hundred-fifty yards down the freeway. You’re going to want to see this.”
* * *
23:41
Teng’s headlights caught his guy by the side of the freeway, flagging them down. Traffic cones led them out into the left lane, then Teng pulled over.
Carter got out and jogged over after Teng.
A Ford pickup sat at the side of the freeway. Teng shone his flashlight inside, pointing at a baby seat in the back. “That match your description?”
Carter peered inside. The sterility of a rental, no real traces of the driver or any passengers. An open can of soda in the front.
Another couple of beat cops were over across the barrier, crouching down. “Mike! We found a guy!”
Carter charged off, blood pumping in his ears now. “Dead?”
“No, just unconscious.” The cop thumbed behind him. “Giving him some first aid. Ambulance on its way.”
Beyond the barrier, a man knelt by a bramble patch, helped up by two cops. Plaid shirt, jeans, Mariners baseball cap. One of the officers tried to help him up, and the guy stumbled.
Teng stroked his back. “Sir, there’s an ambulance en route. You’re going to be okay.”
“Please, no ambulance. My insurance is crappy.”
“Sir, you’ve been assaulted.”
“No ambulance!” The man pushed up to standing under his own steam and stood there, tottering like he was going to fall over at any second.
Carter stepped closer, nudging the helping cop aside. “What’s your name, sir?”
“Keegan. Keegan Beckman. Goddamn bitch.”
“Who is?”
Keegan stared at him, but his pupils were swiveling around. Probably concussed. Definitely battered and bruised. “This little bitch. I helped her at the car rental place. Her and her kid. Even bought her stuff from Walmart. Bitch stole my ride!”
“She stole your car?”
“My pickup.” Keegan leaned in to Teng, let him take his weight. “But I knew where she was going, so I hailed a cab and followed her, just like in the movies. And it worked. I spotted the truck at a gas station back there.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“Grayland?”
&n
bsp; Carter knew it. Little place way out on the coast. “Do you have any idea who she is?”
“Dude, I’m just a Good Samaritan. Was giving her a lift to Belfair.”
“Belfair?” Carter nodded along with it. Could be Grayland was to throw him off her scent. Then again, Grayland could be the place.
“That’s as far as I could take her, but she betrayed me, man. Said her name was Jennifer. Kid’s called Beverley. Told me this story about going to college in the city, got knocked up by someone. Hard to know what’s true in any of that.”
“Sir, once you’ve been released from the emergency room, one of these officers will take your statement, okay? Once we catch her, we will prosecute her.”
“Thank god for that. But I don’t want any trouble.”
Meaning he was up to something.
“I told you, I can’t afford an ambulance. I just want my ride back.” He patted his pockets like he was searching for his keys, then pulled something out with a frown. One quick look and he put it away again.
Carter grabbed his arm. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“So show me.”
Keegan snorted. “Make me.”
Carter shot a look at Teng, gesturing for him to clear off. He waited for him to get the message and comply, then stepped in real close. Close enough to smell his aftershave and the stale beer on his breath. “I make you and you’ll definitely need that ambulance.”
Keegan couldn’t even look at him. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding up a lock of blonde hair.
What the hell?
Carter snatched it off of him. “You took this from her?”
“It’s my daughter’s. In case I missed her.”
“So why isn’t it in a fancy locket or something?”
Keegan didn’t have an answer.
Typical power play. Carter put it in his pocket, half pleased to have some forensic evidence, but half disgusted at this creep. “So, let me guess. You took it as a power play? Show your dominance of her. Diminish her strength without having to beat her?”
“Dude, this isn’t—”
“You know, there’s an escalation path to serial killers—starts with setting fires, goes to rape, but it usually involves freaky shit like this. We’re going to investigate you, my friend. See if you have that daughter. See what else you’ve taken from people.”
Keegan stared off into the distance. “You got my ride?”
“We’ve recovered the vehicle.”
Carter smiled at Teng and took him to the side. “What’s your take on this?”
“Seems to stack up, sir. She stole a truck from the guy. He followed her here and… I mean, he seems shady, but so does half the state. One thing I don’t get. Why did she steal the truck? He was driving her out this way, anyway.”
Carter folded his arms and rested against Teng’s vehicle. “Could be a stopping off point, but it could be exactly what we need. But it’s likely he was going to rape her.” He held up the hair. “Taking a souvenir already.”
Teng watched his cops helping Keegan over the barrier. “My brother’s based in Grayland and I’ve got contacts in Belfair. I can get people going around with that photo?”
“Okay, do it. But I don’t hold out much hope.” Carter took out his cell and found the grainy shot from the gas station, the only real lead they had. “It’s like she’s a teenager. Thin too. Not too short.” He pointed over to Keegan. “And she did that to him? Really?”
Teng shrugged. “Could’ve taken a Krav Maga self-defense class?”
“This is brutal. Someone took the guy down. Someone who knew what they were doing. No cuts and bruises, aside from that slash on his temple. And he was out of it.”
“You think a pro did this?”
“Taser, then an injection. Would explain that.” Carter felt himself warming to it. He held up his cell again. “And I don’t buy her being able to do that. She’d let him take that hair off her. Has to be something else to the story. Someone helping her.”
“Okay, that’s way above my pay grade.” Teng smiled. “I’ll take him to the hospital myself, and stay so I can haul him over the coals afterwards, okay? See what sticks.”
“Good idea. Ten bucks says he’s raped at least once. My guys will be in touch in the morning.” Carter stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched Teng help Keegan into the back of his car.
He exhaled slowly. Whoever took the baby was still an Unsub. Unknown Suspect. And he had no further leads. He needed to get back to Seattle.
Thirty
KAITLYN
23:50
She drives us through Bremerton, taking it nice and slow. The downtown area is so different from when I left just over a year ago. So much has changed—it’s gentrifying like it’s becoming Seattle. That old mom-and-pop pizza place is now shut down. The dive bar alongside is now some hipster tap bar. The cinema is still showing the new Ghostbusters movie. Seems like that’s caught the hipster bug too.
But the people don’t change.
A young guy in navy uniform powers along the street, like he’s marching somewhere. Doesn’t seem much older than me.
The dive bar on the corner is still there, where my pop used to “hang out” as he called it. An old-timer staggers out into the night—thick beard, denim dungarees, baseball cap, green polo.
Ky’s tucked in tight in the papoose, and there’s so much warmth between us.
“That guy back there, will he be okay?”
She looks over at me. “He had a knife to you. He was going to take you to the cops.”
“I stole his car.”
“He was going to take you to the police.”
“You went to town on him. I mean, that was badass.”
She sniffs and pulls in. “This is as far as I can take you.”
My street’s just five blocks away. “Thanks for the lift.”
“There’s no sign of any surveillance, but you need to be vigilant, okay? And you need to stay vigilant.”
“I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”
She gives me a warm smile. “Relax, you’ll get better at this. You’ve made it this far. Being on the road all the time ain’t easy, but it’s not that hard. Just make sure you constantly assess everything, and live in the moment. Don’t overthink things, but don’t underthink them either. Develop your gut instinct and you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you.” I open the door and get out onto the familiar pavement. The smell of pencil shavings and sea salt and that sharp wind. I shut the door and she drives off, leaving me alone. I walk on, passing so many familiar homes. Friends from school, still stuck here. Bremerton High School feels even more like a prison than when I was a student there. There’s a new food bank on the right, advertising for Thanksgiving donations already. While some things are getting better over here, some are getting much worse.
Then I’m on my old street. Our home looks exactly the same as the night I walked out. The truck and Mom’s Honda out front. But it seems so small, so much smaller than I remember. A tiny gray wooden box butting right up against next door, both backyards filled out with extensions.
I check both ways, hold Ky tight, and cross the road. My heart thuds, getting louder and harder with each step. I step up onto the front stoop and knock on the door.
The door opens and my Mom peers out into the night. “Oh my lord!” Her mouth hangs open, a perfect O, then she slaps a hand over it. She’s stooping, and seems a lot older, like the last fifteen months have aged her a decade. Same red dye-job she had when I was born, but it jars with the lines on her face. “Kaitlyn!”
I step back. “It’s me, Mom.”
“My god.” She lurches forward to hug me but stops. “Is that a baby?”
And it all pours out of me. Tears and rage, both twisting my face until I can’t control it. A little whimper escapes my lips. “Mom, I need help.”
Mom scans around the street. “Come inside.”
Thirty-One
00:00
The lights are still on in the house. Layla sits outside Bremerton High School, just a block away from their house. Too quiet to stay here for that long, but she’s being paid to sit this out. She sucks in a deep breath, the air nice and warm. It’s freezing outside, but the rental’s heater is nuclear. The Washington chill never used to affect her, but she was acclimated to the desert heat now.
Helping a child abductor isn’t sitting right with her, no matter how much she’s getting paid. It’s way too close to home. She gets out her burner and calls him.
He actually answers this time. “I can’t speak long.” Sounds like he’s in a small room. “Listen, I need you to—”
“Relax. It’s been dealt with.” The house is dark and sleeping. “Kaitlyn’s safe at home. Mom is looking after her and the kid.”
“Okay, don’t give me the address. Plausible deniability and all that.”
“Why are you protecting her?”
“I’m paying you, okay? No questions. No answers. Just keep a watchful eye on her.”
“I’ve seen the Amber Alert. I didn’t sign up for the FBI.”
“Is this you asking for more money?”
“Don’t count on me again. This is the last time. Tomorrow, I’ll be in the wind.” Layla zips the coat right up to her chin. “You need to tell me what’s going on here.”
“This won’t blow back on you.”
“You know my feelings on child abductions.”
“And I told you, this is different.”
He’s giving me nothing. “She needs training if she’s going to evade them for any amount of time.”
“She’s managed this far.”
“Not without my help. First, I had to save Kaitlyn from a sticky situation. She stole some asshole’s pickup. I took care of him, but the cops will be all over it.”
“What’s the other thing?”