by L. T. Ryan
“What do you mean?”
He turned to look at her. “Between Howie and these guys, we’ve got nothing. Every situation has an explanation. That’s not normal.”
“It is if they have nothing to hide.”
“Everyone has something to hide.”
McKinnon shrugged. “I don’t disagree, but that doesn’t mean they’re hiding something that has to do with Katie, Laura Lynn, or the rest of it.”
“I don’t buy it.”
“Is that your instincts talking?” McKinnon asked. “Or are you just looking for a fight and not getting one?” Bear went to answer, but her phone rang. She held up a finger and put the device to her ear. “Hello?”
McKinnon’s eyes shifted to Bear’s, and he knew something was wrong. His mind went to Mandy. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check if he had any missed calls. None. When he looked back up at the sheriff, she was already halfway inside the car.
“No, no. Stay there. Hide.” She shoved the key in the ignition and turned it. Bear hardly had the door closed before she peeled out. “I’m on my way.”
22
McKinnon raced to the other side of town with the lights on and sirens wailing. What should’ve been about a ten-minute trip took less than five. Bear tried to ask her what was going on several times. She ignored him. She focused on getting to whoever had been on that other line.
As they pulled up a long gravel driveway, McKinnon unfastened her seatbelt to launch herself out of the car. They were halfway to the two-story log house when she spoke for the first time. “Stay here.”
“What am I, a dog?”
“I mean it.”
“Like hell.”
“I’m serious—”
“I can handle myself. You don’t have backup.”
“If you get hurt—”
“I won’t sue you.”
She cut him a glance but didn’t say anything.
“What’s the situation?” Bear asked.
“Sixty-five-year-old white male in distress. His name is Carl Donovan. Called to tell me there was an intruder. He’s in his bedroom with the door locked, hiding. Said he could hold out for a few minutes. Sounded like the intruder had a weapon.”
“Gun?”
“Don’t think so, but I can’t be sure.”
McKinnon slammed on her brakes and cut the engine. Before the two of them were out of the car, a figure emerged from the back of the house and sprinted into the woods.
Bear took off, calling over his shoulder. “I got this. You make sure Donovan is okay.”
“Bear!” she shouted. “Riley, no!”
Bear ignored her, pumping all his rage into his legs and sprinting at max speed. He was a big guy. Most people underestimated how fast he was.
As Bear tore through the woods, he kept an eye on the figure in front of him. The man was tall and skinny and moved like a bullet through the trees. He kept trying to throw Bear off by weaving in and out of the bigger trunks, but Bear kept his trajectory straight. He was gaining on the intruder.
The man’s breathing was ragged. Bear had an advantage there, too. He was fresh. And it had been a while since he’d gotten a chance to chase someone down like this. Whatever the other guy had been doing in the house, he’d already spent some of his energy. Bear just hoped Donovan was still alive to tell the tale.
As they neared the edge of the woods, Bear took a chance and launched himself forward, tackling the man and sending them both sprawling to the ground. Bits of roots and branches tore into his skin. The adrenaline pumping through Bear’s veins meant he barely felt it.
The other guy grunted as he hit the ground. He was quick to recover, kicking out and pushing Bear off him. For a beanpole of a man, he was strong. And he was also fast. He was up on his feet before Bear made it to a knee. That’s when Bear noticed the other man was holding a branch. He swung it at Bear’s head with lightning speed. Bear blocked it with his arm. Pain shot up to his shoulder. It was enough to send him back a few steps. The other man darted away.
Bear took off toward the road fifty yards ahead. The assailant had put enough space between them that Bear only caught a glimpse here or there as they both dodged and weaved through the trees. If this ended up a footrace to the finish, Bear was confident he’d catch up. But if there was a car waiting for the man, Bear’s chances would dwindle to nothing.
Closing the distance, Bear risked picking up a heavy branch and launching it at the man’s back like a javelin. It hit him between the shoulders and sent him stumbling. It couldn’t have hurt that much because he popped right back up and kept running. But it was enough for Bear to gain a few feet. And that was all he needed.
Through the trees, Bear spotted another white panel van. He couldn’t tell if it was idling because of the wind rushing past his ears. If this guy was smart, he’d be ready to take off as soon as he jumped inside. Bear pushed the last bit of energy into his legs. He had to give everything now. Or he’d return with nothing.
With a guttural grunt of effort, Bear lunged again. Instead of going down, he hoisted the guy off his feet and slammed him against the back of the van, making sure his face collided with the door. Bear wrenched the guy’s arm up until the man cried out. Then he pressed his forearm across the back of his neck, pinning him to the van.
“Nice try,” Bear growled in the man’s ear in between heavy breaths, “but I win.”
The man only wheezed in response. Whether it was from their race or the way he’d hit the van, Bear wasn’t sure. Nor did he care.
“Who the hell are you?” Bear kicked out the man’s knees, sending him to the ground, then grabbed a fistful of hair and wrenched his head back. “What are you doing here?”
The man just glared at him. Bear took in the details of his features for the first time. Dark hair. Tanned face with a couple scratches down the side. His grimace revealed a missing tooth. A splash of color drew attention. Red and blue. A tattoo. Up close, Bear saw it was an American eagle. This was the guy who had attacked Mandy.
“You son of a bitch.”
The man grinned up at him like he knew what he was thinking. There was no fear in his sharp, beady eyes. “How’s the kid? She make it home okay? Let her know I’ve got her homework if she wants it back.”
Bear didn’t bother responding. He reared back and slammed his knuckles into the bridge of the other guy’s nose. Blood started gushing, but the guy just laughed. Bear pulled back to do it again, when a flash of black out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
He looked up just in time to see another figure rounding the van. The new guy scooped up the branch. Before Bear could let go of the tattooed man and defend himself, the second guy swung, connecting with the side of Bear’s skull.
His vision went black around the edges. He dropped to a knee. Another flash of pain spread through his head, neck, and shoulders, and he fell to the side.
Bear was on the ground with the two figures standing over him. He tried to get up, but the branch was already swinging toward his head for a third time. He deflected the blow, leaving his stomach wide open for the tattooed guy to kick him in the gut. Bear grunted as all the air left his lungs. Before he could recover, the second guy brought the branch back down on his skull one final time.
23
Bear shook off the cobwebs and saw the men racing away in the van. Dirt and bits of gravel pelted his face. He ignored the painful throbbing in his head to peer through the cloud of dust. He couldn’t make out the license plate. He cursed and spat out mud, then clambered to his feet. He regained his balance in a few seconds. He touched his fingertips to his head. They came back bloody. Not enough to make him worry.
By the time Bear made it back through the woods, McKinnon was halfway across the yard. She jogged to catch up to him. She stopped a few feet short. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Pinned him down on the other side,” Bear said. “But there was a second guy. He jumped me and they sped off.”
; “In a panel van?”
“How’d you guess?” Bear followed her back to the house. “And before you ask, didn’t get a license plate.” He scowled. “The guy who went after Donovan was the same guy who tried to kidnap Mandy. Matches the description perfectly.”
“Did you get a glimpse of the second one?”
Bear shook his head and winced at the way it throbbed. “No. Similar build and features but didn’t get a good look at him before he knocked me out.”
“You gonna be okay?”
“Trust me, I’ve had worse.” Bear pointed at the house. “Everything all right in there?”
“Yeah. He’s a little shaken up. Not hurt, though.” She opened the front door and made her way through the entrance. “Let me make some introductions. Got a feeling you’ll be interested in what he has to say.”
Bear followed her up the stairs and down a short hallway. The house had that feeling of having been lived in for decades. It was full of pictures on the walls. Knick-knacks and souvenirs on tables. A lot of stories were wrapped up in a home like this, and even though it had a woman’s touch, there was something dusty and forgotten about it.
McKinnon knocked on a door at the end of the hallway. It was splintered along the middle but hadn’t cracked all the way. “Carl, it’s me. I’ve got Riley with me.”
The man’s response was muffled. “Did you tell him yet?”
“No. I think it’d be better if he heard it from you.”
A few seconds of silence passed before Bear felt the floorboards creak and the door swung open to reveal an older man in a sweater and a pair of slacks. McKinnon had said he was sixty-five, but he looked younger. His eyes were sharp and bright, and his skin had only a few age spots around his brow. He looked strong, but clearly smart enough not to fight a man half his age.
Bear didn’t bother to beat around the bush. “Tell me what?”
The old man retreated into the room and sat down on the bed. Bear caught a sense of wariness on his face, but he didn’t look scared. “My name is Carl Donovan.”
“I’ve heard.” Bear regretted his tone as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Are you okay? Did they get you?”
“I’m fine. Saw them coming. Don’t think they were expecting me to move as fast as I did. Made it upstairs and locked myself in before they could do anything.” He shifted his focus behind them to the door. “Gonna have to replace that, though.”
“I’ll get Joe to swing by,” McKinnon said. “He’ll do it for the cost of the door.”
Bear didn’t know who Joe was, and he didn’t care. “You called the Sheriff directly. No 911.” He waited for the old man to refute it. When he didn’t, Bear turned to McKinnon. “And you’re keeping something from me. Thought we were in this together?”
“We are—”
“Don’t blame her, son.” Donovan stood up. He was a full head shorter than Bear. “I told her to keep my name out of it. Obviously, things didn’t go according to plan.”
Bear crossed the room and peered out the window at the driveway. The cruiser was sitting there, its lights still flashing and the passenger side door still open. He turned back to the others. “Now seems like a good time to fill me in.”
Donovan made eye contact with the sheriff, who nodded her head in approval. He took a deep breath and shoved one of his hands in his pocket. He held Bear’s gaze. “I called Sheriff McKinnon two days ago with some information about the girl you found. Katie. I remember when she went missing. It was a tragic story. There was a lot of back-and-forth back then about what might’ve happened to her. Most people thought she ran away. But another little girl, Katie’s best friend, said she never would’ve done that. Something bothered me about the whole affair. I knew her father. We worked at HealTek together. We weren’t friends. He wasn’t the nicest guy. We’d say hello in the morning, you know? You form a connection with someone just by seeing them every day.”
Bear nodded his head and remained quiet.
“Walter wouldn’t answer any of my questions. Completely shut down. And not like a father who was grieving. Like a father who was afraid.” Donovan swallowed, and his voice trembled. “I started asking around. At first, I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help, you know? Start a collection or sign a card or something. But no one would talk about it. Eventually, one of the higher-ups came down to talk to me. Said I was endangering company morale. Can you believe that?”
“Sounds like a company line,” Bear said.
“After that, I stopped asking about it. Kept to myself. Had a few people distance themselves from me. I was up for a promotion, too. I had as much of a chance as anyone, but they gave it to my subordinate. He jumped three levels in a day. He’s one of the top earners at the company now.”
“The people at HealTek didn’t want you asking questions about this girl’s disappearance.” Bear shook his head to clear away the thousand and one questions he had. “This is the same company that eighty percent of this town works for?”
“The very same.”
McKinnon stepped forward. “Tell him about this morning.”
Donovan looked away now. “I sent you that letter.”
Bear blanched. Then he turned to McKinnon. “Did you know?”
“I didn’t.” She held up her hands when he squinted at her. “I swear.”
He turned back to the old man. “Why’d you do that?” After a beat, “How’d you do that?”
“I paid a kid a hundred bucks to deliver it. Told him to drop it off, bang on the door, then run away. If he could do it without you seeing him, I’d give him another hundred.”
“He earned that two hundred.” Bear tipped his head back and blew out a breath. Another bout of dizziness snaked through him. “Why give me a warning at all?”
He shrugged. “I thought I was being smart. Didn’t think it’d get back to me.”
“Still. You didn’t have to do that. You said we were making it worse. Why?”
Donovan sat back down on the bed. He looked ten years older. “I have many friends who still work at the company. It’s a family business in a way. Fathers and mothers and then sons and daughters. If you’re not working at HealTek, then you know a dozen people who are.”
“Someone approached you.”
“Several someones.” Donovan squeaked out a sad laugh. “I don’t think any of them know what’s going on. Just like I didn’t really know what was going on back then. But you can tell when people are on edge. It kicks your survival instincts into overdrive.”
“Why you?” Bear asked. “I assume you’re retired.”
“Barely, but yeah. As for why me?” He paused for a moment. “I guess I stirred the pot once. They thought I might do it again.”
“Why now?”
McKinnon answered for him. “Carl and I have a mutual friend. My neighbors.” She looked sad at the mention of them. “When their daughter fell ill, it reminded Carl of—” She broke off, looking at him.
“My wife,” he said. “She died from the same symptoms a while back. Now I can see it for what it was. A warning. But back then? I was too absorbed in my own grief to notice anything else. I kept my head down and out of trouble because it was the only way I could get through life without her.”
Bear paced the room. There were too many puzzle pieces on the table. “So, Katie goes missing, and her friend says she was sick. Your neighbor’s kid gets sick, and so does my daughter’s best friend. All have the same symptoms. All three families had people who worked at HealTek, including yourself. We know the company didn’t want people asking questions. We get run off the road. Mandy almost gets kidnapped. People pressure you to keep your head out of the game. All signs point in one direction.”
“What about Bowser Freight?” McKinnon asked. “We couldn’t place the van at their company.”
“They do medical shipments for HealTek.” Donovan looked sick to his stomach. “They don’t advertise it, but they do. Have
been for decades.”
Bear turned to McKinnon with fire in his eyes.
She held up her hand to stop him. “We don’t have any evidence. Nothing tangible. We don’t know whether it’s the whole company or just one person. And we can’t take on HealTek without knowing exactly what we’re up against. It’d be a suicide mission. For all of us.”
Bear threw up his hands. “Then where do we get some evidence?”
“Eileen Mayberry.” Donovan looked at Sheriff McKinnon. “Katie’s friend. I haven’t talked to her in years, but I know she’s never forgotten what happened back then. She spent half her teens protesting the company. Everyone thought she was a nut job. She eventually got run out of town. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was still obsessed with Katie’s case.”
Bear stepped forward. “Can you tell us where she lives?”
“No, but I can tell you how to find out.” He shifted his gaze to McKinnon. “On one condition.”
“Which is?”
“You send me somewhere HealTek will never find me.”
24
Mandy tucked the blanket around Laura Lynn’s arm and smoothed a piece of hair away from her face. The other girl had just fallen asleep again. Mandy felt better when she could talk to her best friend and gauge the level of pain she was in. However, the doctors had said getting as much rest as possible would help Laura Lynn feel better.
That morning, Bear and the sheriff had dropped Mandy off at Marcus’ house so she could go with them to the hospital. Marcus’ mom was consoling Mrs. Weinberger outside the room, talking in hushed voices like they didn’t want to let the kids know how serious the situation was.
Ironically, Mandy was pretty sure she was the only one out of all three kids and both adults who had any inkling of what was going on here.
When Mandy returned to the chair next to Marcus, he looked up.