Drew couldn’t help but grin with pride. “Like what?”
There was another squeal as they hit a left turn. This time fast enough so the right side of the car lifted a fraction of an inch off the ground.
“He keeps asking where they’re going,” Ari said. “Of course this Miranda isn’t telling them, but Cole just says, are you taking us to that old red barn. A minute ago, he asked if they were going to the rock place, wherever that is.”
Drew hit the back of Ashley’s seat. “That’s the rock quarry, up on Bellerose Way. There’s a barn just down the road. Nobody’s lived there for years.”
Ollie increased speed, feeling more confident in where they were headed. He rocketed down Clinton Drive, adeptly weaving around any car in his path. He’d use his horn if needed when they got to an intersection, but only sparingly. It was important for them to hear what was being said on the phone, but even more important they get to Cole.
Ashley kept rocking back and forth, with her eyes closed and her arms folded. “That’s my boy, that’s my baby.” As long as Cole could be heard, he was okay.
“Holy crap!” Ari said.
Drew was shocked at Ari’s stunned tone. “What?” Drew yelled while Ashley’s eyes snapped open. She was shaking her head, saying ‘no, no, no’ over and over again.
“Hold on a moment, Drew,” Ari said.
It was like the air had been sucked out of the car. Everyone was silent as they listened and waited for the worst. The only sound was the roar of the engine.
On the phone, Ari yelled, his accent a little thicker as he barked out orders. “Repeat that and get the link going.”
Drew held the phone up a little higher in the air, trying to pick up some clue to what was happening from the muffled voices coming from the connection. It was torture having to wait. Drew wanted to scream into the phone, but he knew and trusted Ari. He needed to let him do his thing.
“I do not believe it,” Ari finally said. His voice sounded excited and in awe, not distraught. “Cole started to mouth off to Miranda. The woman tried to keep him quiet, but he kept going. Cole made it sound like he was just being condescending, but he managed to work in a basic description of the kidnapper.”
Ashley reached forward and grabbed the phone. “He’s okay? Cole’s still okay?”
There was a painful four-second pause. “Yes, we just heard Cole’s voice again. I think Miranda stopped short, set them flying forward as a way to make Cole stop talking, but your nephew gave us some good details. He said the kidnapper was too potbellied to be a real cop. Miranda cursed him out, but confirmed in not to pleasant terms that he wasn’t indeed an actual police officer. Cole also said Miranda looked more like a bald walrus with glasses.” Ari paused. “Your nephew seems to have a smart mouth on him when he’s upset.”
Drew squinted. Bald walrus? Weren’t all walrus’s bald except for their whiskers. So was that Cole’s way of saying whoever it was bald? Or balding?
Apparently, Sam was thinking along the same lines. “Vic Miranda has thick, black hair. He’s too young to be going bald. And he doesn’t have any facial hair.”
“It’s not Vic,” Ollie insisted. “He’d never kidnap Cole.”
Drew tapped the back of Ashley’s seat again. “Son of a fucking bitch! Harrington! It’s Harrington.” He looked towards Ashley. “He was one of the detectives that tried to jam me up for Kelli’s murder.”
Ollie started to nod. “It fits, right down to the damn walrus description.”
Drew glanced over at Sam, her lips pursed and brow furrowed. “You don’t agree?”
Sam looked up, biting her lower lip. “I don’t know. I’ve never liked Harrington or his partner, but it’s hard to see Harrington killing Kelli. He just…” She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t think he’s got the balls for it.”
Drew scowled. “It’s him. I’m telling you.”
“We’ll know when we get him,” Ollie said as he made a sharp right onto County Highway Route thirty-two, headed west. It was a mostly empty stretch of road, with little activity on a Sunday. There was a tractor-trailer coming their way on the east bound side, but beyond that, not much traffic. They were on the edge of Ember Falls.
“Drew,” Ari said. “We are going to conference you and the General with us. He’s still in the air, but should be landing soon. You’re cell might sound as if the line is lost, but wait for the beeps. Hold on.”
The background noise went silent. If he hadn’t been warned, Drew would have sworn they’d lost the connection, instead they waited.
After about thirty seconds, Ashley started to worry. “Are we sure we didn’t lose the—”
Drew’s phone emitted a series of three quick beeps, followed by five seconds of silence and one long beep. “Are you reading me Drew? Who’s in the car with you?” The General’s familiar voice said.
“Here, sir.” A sense of assurance washed through Drew at hearing the General’s voice, rich with authority and confidence. “I’ve got Sam, Ashley and Ollie.”
“Go to the main screen on your phone. Ari has the logistics app linked. It’ll bring up a detailed map of the area.” His tone was all business, as if they were about to deliver furniture.
Drew hit the home key and scanned the different app icons, locating the one that displayed a white box with the word logistics on it. He touched the screen, launching the app.
“It’s opening now,” Drew said.
The screen held an image of a local map with details of roads, streets and business. It moved through the virtual landscape until it displayed the view of Country Highway Route Thirty-Two.
“Ari is working to get the app linked via satellite,” the General said. “Once he does, you’re going to see two dots. The green one will be you. The red one will be Cole. It’ll take Ari a few moments to get the uplink working.”
“Got it,” Drew said.
“I’ve been briefed on the situation,” the General continued. “I know this is different because it’s Cole, but you’ve got this, Marine. Based on Cole’s description, it sounds like he’s been nabbed by one of the pricks who tried to pin this on you.”
Drew nodded and looked to Sam. “That’s what I thought. Sam seems to think he wouldn’t have the courage to kill Kelli though.”
“I agree,” the General said. “My take was he had the backbone of a jellyfish. His partner had the balls, even if he was a shit for brains. I’m thinking they might be in this together.”
“I can see Wilson as the brawn,” Ollie said as he moved the vehicle down the road as fast as possible. “I’ve told my mom on more than one occasion he’s a dirtbag, but that’s not a good enough reason to get rid of him. I just don’t know if I’m buying Harrington as the brains. He’s an empty cheap suit. Any case they’ve closed is because of Wilson. As much as I hate the guy, he can close cases.”
A small, high-pitched beep emanated from the cell. Drew looked down at a map, which now showed two moving dots. The green one showed their location, but the red one had Drew’s attention. “We got a location on Cole. He’s traveling northwest on Route 7. We’re gaining on them.”
Drew studied the map on the phone, angling it so Sam could see. “If they keep going straight,” Sam said. “They’re going to leave our jurisdiction.”
“What does that matter?” Ashley said. “We can’t stop.”
Sam shook her head. “We don’t have to, but maybe we should contact the police in the next town. Bring them up to speed?”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Ollie said. “We can—”
“Wait,” Drew interrupted. His eyes followed the small red dot. “They changed directions. They’re on Euclid Road heading west. There’s not much out there.” Drew watched, waited.
Instinct told him Harrington was getting close to his destination. “He’s off Euclid, the app didn’t even show a street, but there must be some dirt road out there. He’s going north. I think they’re slowing … No… They stopped.”
Drew tapped the screen, making it larger. “About three miles off Euclid. What the hell is out there?”
“From what I’m seeing,” Ari piped in, “it looks like just a few hunting cabins. It certainly seems like an isolated place.”
“Oh, God,” Ashley said. “That can’t be good. I’ve seen movies. Isolated is bad, right?”
Drew reached out, took her hand. “Listen to me. They didn’t kidnap Cole and bring him all the way out here just to kill him in private. They want him for another reason. And we’re almost there.”
Squeezing Drew’s hand as if her life depended on it, she managed a small nod.
“Drew,” Ari said. “Your second cell is about to ring. That will be the link to hear whatever we can pick up on Cole’s cell. The audio only goes one way, so you do not have to worry about anyone hearing you, however keep in mind it will not do any good to yell and curse the phone.”
It was going to be torture to hear Cole’s voice when he was scared and in danger and they still weren’t with him. The fact was they were still at least twenty minutes away, even with Ollie breaking every speeding law. A lot could happen in that time. They could end up being too late. It was possible they could have to sit helplessly as they heard the child they all loved executed. If that happened, he was positive it would completely destroy Ashley.
Drew promised he would do the same to Harrington and anyone else responsible for this hell.
“Ari,” Ollie asked, leaning his head back towards the phone. “Do we have any idea who the other woman is? Is there a chance she’s in on it?”
“No,” Ari replied. “I do not believe this is true. She’s mostly been quiet, but when she speaks, she is clearly frightened. The man, this Harrington you say? He keeps referring to her as ‘old woman’, but nobody has said her name.”
Sam held up her cell and they waited. Each second felt like a year, the painful silence echoed through the car. Sam’s cell weighed the same as a brick and got heavier with each second until it finally rang.
Sam quickly answered it. At first, there were only heavy footfalls, the creaking of floorboards and shuffling sounds.
“Ouch! That’s too tight!” Cole cried.
Ashley’s head snapped up, her eyes finding her brother’s. Cole was alive.
There was a high-pitched smacking sound followed by a cry of pain. The bastard slapped Cole’s face. He glanced down at the phone—they were close.
Five more minutes and you’re gonna get yours buddy.
“Leave him alone,” said a woman’s voice. Everyone’s brow furrowed as they listened. The voice had a familiar sound to it. “He’s just a boy.”
There was another slap, and from the cry of pain, it was clear the kidnapper slapped the woman. Cole’s voice was indignant with fury.
“You think you’re tough,” Cole yelled. “Just wait until my uncle gets here. He’ll kick your ass.”
Another slap. “Shut up, kid. You’re uncle ain’t coming.”
There was a muffled sob and when he spoke next, it was clear from the shaking in his voice Cole was terrified. “Yeah he will. They all will. Uncle Drew, Aunt Ash, Ollie and Lilly will come and get me. They will! Nana’s granddaughter will come for her!”
“Shut up or I’ll kill you now!”
Cole sobbed, but someone shushed him. “It’s okay, Cole. I know Sam will come for me. I know she will.”
Sam’s face had gone white and she nearly dropped the phone. “Oh, God, he has Nana!”
Chapter 22
And How Does That Make You Feel?
Cole was scared.
The man with the gun used plastic ties to bind Cole’s hand behind his back, smacked his face, and threatened to shoot him. At one point, the man pulled his gun out and pointed it right at both Cole and Nana, promising he’d blow a hole in their heads.
Cole had no idea where he was. No way of knowing if his uncle was really on the way to save him or what would happen when Uncle Drew got here. He knew he could die. So yeah, Cole was scared.
He’d been scared before. Terrified beyond all reason, but this was different.
Whoever this man with the stupid moustache and stupid bald head was, he wasn’t Cole’s stepfather. If Edward Hunter was here, Cole would be petrified to where he might piss his pants again, but so would the man with the gun. If Uncle Drew understood, he might be scared of Edward too.
Whoever the man with the gun was, he was no Edward Hunter.
The worst part of it was Nana. She was crying so hard her makeup was running down her face. Sam mentioned once that Nana had a problem with her heart. She looked so pale.
The man paced back and forth on the wooden floor. The cabin was small, with a tiny kitchen area in one corner and bed in another. The other side was just chairs and a small, round table. Nearly everything was the same color wood. There were two doors, one in the front and one in the back. The three windows had thick, red curtains on them that were full of dust.
“Where are we?” Cole said, his voice loud and clear.
“I told you to shut up,” Harrington snapped.
Cole looked around. “I’ve got to pee. I don’t even see a bathroom.”
Harrington pulled a small flask from his pocket and started to unscrew it. “It’s a Goddamn hunting cabin. There’s no fucking bathroom, except the trees out there.”
The man took a long drink and replaced the flask. He ran his hand through his hair and continued to pace.
“Do you pee on the trees by the back door, or the front?”
Harrington stopped pacing and looked at Cole, his mouth open. “What the hell does it matter? They’re all trees.”
Cole looked back and forth and shrugged. “I’d use the trees in the back. There are no windows back there.”
Harrington glanced towards the back door, which was between the small kitchenette and bed. “So?”
Cole shrugged. “I don’t want you to watch while I pee.”
Harrington shook his head, pulled out his flask and drank again. “Forget it kid, you can just pee your pants, I’m not taking you out.”
Cole sighed and tried to sound bored. “Who are you waiting for?”
Harrington replaced the flask. “What makes you think I’m waiting for someone?”
Cole narrowed his eyes. “I’m not stupid. You’re not doing anything.”
Harrington moved closer. “You want me to do something, kid? Because I can, you know. Maybe you need to ask less questions and answer the ones I asked you earlier.”
Rose looked over and shushed Cole. She was worried about making the man with the gun angry, but the more he watched him, the more Cole realized the man wasn’t going to shoot them.
The man pulled out the flask again and tipped it all the way back. When he pulled it back, he shook it. “Dammit.”
He went to the kitchenette and started to pull open cabinets. They were mostly bare, but there were a few canned goods, a few spices and a box of rice. The next set of cabinets held paper plates, old, ugly tin cups and a few pots. Finally, in the third, he found three glasses and an old bottle of whiskey. Harrington didn’t bother with a glass. He drank straight from the bottle.
After two deep swigs, he put the bottle down on the kitchen counter and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open and stared at the screen. “Fuck. I should have known we’d get no reception out here, especially on this cheap, piece of crap.”
Cole started to panic. If his cell phone didn’t work here, did that mean neither would his? Did that mean Uncle Drew wouldn’t be able to find him?
He had to find out.
“How old is that thing?” Cole said. “I thought only old cells had the flip thing.”
Harrington held up the phone and walked to the other end of the cabin, searching for a signal. “It’s new. It’s just cheap. Damn.” He snapped it shut and put in his pocket.
“Mine is brand new,” Cole said. “My uncle just got it for me.”
Rose shushed him again, giving him
a wide-eyed look of disbelief. “Cole, please. Don’t upset him more.”
Harrington didn’t mind Cole’s boastful words. In fact, it gave him an idea as he reached into his other pocket and pulled out the cell he’d taken from Cole earlier.
Powering it on, Harrington studied the screen. After a few moments, he smirked. “You’re right kid, mine is a piece of shit. I’ll just borrow yours.”
As he turned his back to dial, Cole allowed himself a moment to grin. Rose looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, so Cole forced the smile off his face.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Harrington said. “Where are you?” He listened a moment as he walked back to the counter and grabbed the bottle. “No, I asked him already. Kid had no idea what I was talking about.”
Keeping the cell to his ear with one hand, he took another long swig with the other. “No fuckin’ way. I’m not doing it. I don’t care.” He took another drink. “Well, fuck.” He looked over at Cole and Rose. His cheeks getting a rosy tint to them. “Yeah, you can do that. I took them. You want to make sure, you do it yourself. I can’t. What are you going to do anyway?”
He made a face of disgust as whoever was on the other side of the cell phone answered his question. “Well, you can try. And if not, I’ll walk away and Wilson can do whatever. I want no part of it.”
He looked over at the door. “Fine.” After ending the call, he walked over to Cole with the bottle in his hand. “You’re in for it now, kid. You think I’m bad? Just wait two more minutes.”
Would his uncle get here before whoever else was coming? Who was he talking to? Cole tried to think of a way to get the man to keep talking, to give up more information, but his mind was blank.
Harrington wasted the next two minutes drinking the whiskey. The bottle was half-empty by the time the back door opened.
Cole had never seen the man. He had a full head of blonde hair, and stubble as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans. He was big and muscular, much like Uncle Drew. His face was passive, but he clenched his fist as he came in.
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