* * *
Karen was exhausted now. It had taken quite a bit of maneuvering for her to get the pendant out of her shirt to where she could finally position it under her chin to press down on it to activate it.
She’d had to toss her body around even more than the car was already doing. What she’d finally done was to swing her body in the opposite direction from the one that the car threw her when they went around curves.
She still wasn’t sure she had activated it though. But she was fairly certain since she had heard a distinctive click when she was finally able to get it between her chin and her clavicle and push down on it.
She began to wonder about her situation. Who had her? She could only guess but her first guess would be that Ben was one of them. Had Ben finally flipped out? She’d watched him over the past few weeks get more and more aggressive in the way he acted around her. And the look in his eyes had seemed less and less rational.
Jason! Where was Jason right now? Would he and the others be able to get to her in time? She suddenly felt bad. She had been trying to do everything all by herself. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. She hadn’t prayed yet.
So, she began praying and vowed to continue praying until she was rescued.
* * *
Jason had been concentrating so hard on the road below them where it seemed to meet the horizon that he was startled when the radio cracked to life.
“This is Sheriff McCracken again. I’m in one of our units and I have the suspect vehicle in sight with four others a couple of miles behind me. Are you able to make visual contact with them yet?”
The pilot said, “That’s affirmative. I have the four backup units in sight and will stay as low as I can above them until you give me the word to go in.”
Floyd agreed and the radio became silent again. But Jason’s thoughts were far from silent. He couldn’t stop thinking that it was Karen in the trunk of that car. His Karen.
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He could never rescue Karen. Only God could pull something like this off. He hadn’t even prayed once since she went missing.
Well, he would take care of that right now. He began to pray and continued until the radio came to life again.
It was Floyd again. “Come on in. We’ve pulled them over and they’re standing in front of the trunk and flashing ARs at us. Looks like we’re going to have a hostage situation.”
The pilot answered, “10-4. I see you now. Where can I set down?”
“A couple of your boys have the road blocked up ahead. Why don’t you set down in the road south of the suspect vehicle?”
“10-4, will do.”
Jason watched as they flew over the car that Karen was in and he got nauseous for a moment then he gritted his teeth and kept praying and it went away.
They set down in the middle of the road and Jason was eager to jump out but the co-pilot had to unhook him and open the door first.
Finally, he was on the ground and just as his feet landed, he heard the distinctive popping sound of an AR firing. He looked toward the car in time to see one of the suspects fire another round into the air.
It looked like the guy was trying to get Floyd’s attention since he was facing that direction.
Floyd got on his speaker and said, “Throw down you weapons and put your hands on your heads.”
The guy, and Jason was sure it was Ben Winslow, shouted, “I’ve got the girl’s cell phone. Call it so we can talk.”
Jason had his portable radio with him and he keyed it. “Floyd, I can give you the number so you can call but let me do it, please.”
There was a pause before Floyd came over the radio, “Okay Jason. I trust you and I’m sure Karen does too. Do it. But keep your radio on so you can keep me updated.”
With trembling hands, Jason punched the speed dial for Karen’s cell. A gruff, “Yeah” was his only answer.
“Okay Winslow, this is Jason Walker. Why don’t you give yourselves up?” There’s no way you’re going to be able to get out of this.”
* * *
Karen had been relieved at first when the car stopped and she could hear Floyd’s mechanical sounding voice coming from somewhere behind them. Then when Ben started yelling at Floyd, she started to worry again. So she did what she’d been doing for some time. She prayed.
Her prayer was interrupted by the awful sounds of a gun firing very near to where she was trussed up in the trunk. Now what?
Then she heard Ben say, “I’ve got the girl’s cell phone. Call it so we can talk.”
No more than a minute later, she heard the phone ring and Ben answered. She wondered if Jason was the one talking and was sure when she heard Ben’s next statement.
“Okay lover boy it’s not going to happen that way. Here’s how it’s going to go. You get all these people to clear out and I mean everybody. Then I want everybody to stay away. I’ve got a plane waiting for me about five miles from here. As soon as I get there, I’ll let the girl go.”
Jason must have answered but Ben didn’t like the answer.
“No, you listen to me Walker. If you don’t do like I say, I’m going to start shooting into this trunk. What do you think the odds are that I won’t hit your girlfriend?”
Karen didn’t hear any more talking but flinched when she heard the gun firing again. Apparently, Ben was firing it into the air . . . she hoped.
* * *
Jason knew Floyd would never go for that so he said, “That won’t happen Winslow. Let her go now and we’ll go easy on you and your cousin both.”
Jason’s stomach sank when he heard the AR firing again but he could see that Winslow was firing it into the air again.
He called Floyd and relayed Winslow’s demands to him. Floyd didn’t say anything at first. Then he said, “Tell him we’ll do it. Tell him we have to get the copter out of here first before we can open the road back up again.”
There was a pause on the phone then, “While the copter’s revving up, you go around behind it and hide in the ditch across the road. It’s deep enough for you to be able to work your way toward them while they’re watching the copter take off. You think you’re up to it Son?”
“I’m on my way Floyd.”
“Good. Then while they watch us start to pull back, you should be able to get the drop on them. They’re both standing between the trunk and me now. The rotten skunks are using Karen as a shield.”
Jason had to stop and lean against the side of the ditch until he could shake the sudden hot anger that overcame him at Floyd’s words. He was begging God now to spare Karen.
Once he calmed down enough, Jason called Karen’s phone again and said, “Okay, everybody is getting set to clear out. The copter has to go first before we can open the road back up. Then all the cars will back off and open the road okay?”
“Yeah. You’d better hurry though my finger’s getting itchy.”
With that, the phone went dead and Jason stuck it in its holster on his belt.
He checked his AR and his handgun before he started working his way toward the car. Being in the ditch on the opposite side of the road from the car gave him a little more protection.
As he worked his way up there, he heard the copter taking off behind him. He paused once the noise died down to listen for any sounds that may be coming from the car. Nothing.
So he continued working his way forward. Now he could hear the patrol vehicles turning around to head back to the north. He knew he only had a few more seconds so he had to push on faster.
He had just made it abreast of the car when he heard Floyd hit a short blast on his air horn to let Jason know that the last vehicle was now leaving. It had to be now or never.
He raised his head above the surface of the roadway just enough to see the car. The two men were still standing in front of the trunk. Great! Now if he could just get a few feet farther before they moved he could get them.
Jason was able to make it another ten feet without detection. Then he le
aped out of the ditch and yelled. “Don’t move.”
Both men started bringing their ARs down toward him and Jason already had his AR at his shoulder and aiming at Ben’s chest. He hoped that from this angle, his shots shouldn’t go near the trunk.
He squeezed off two shots and moved the rifle to the right and squeezed off two more before either man had a chance to shoot.
Both men went down and Jason keyed his portable radio. “Got them both. Get everybody back here. Oh and by the way roll medical . . . Karen may need them.”
When he reached the two men on the ground, they were both rolling from side to side and moaning with blood on their chests. He grabbed their weapons and slid them far back behind him on the asphalt.
* * *
Karen had been listening for any sign that would let her know what was going on outside. She heard the helicopter take off. Then she heard the roar of the sheriff’s vehicles turning around and leaving.
Now she was alone with her captors again. She didn’t really think they would let her go when they got to the plane that Ben had talked about. Somehow, she would have to try to escape.
She knew though that would be next to impossible with her hands tied behind her back. So she did the only thing she could think of to do. She maneuvered herself to where she was lying on her back with her feet at the rear, resting on the trunk latch. This way she could be ready to kick whoever opened the trunk.
She had just relaxed her legs when she heard Jason shouting for them to put down their weapons and put their hands on their heads. Then she heard that horrible popping sound of a gun shooting four times. Then silence.
Now what. Oh God don’t let Jason be hurt, please.
Then she heard a low voice some yards away. She couldn’t be sure who it was at first. Then she heard it again but closer and louder this time.
“Karen it’s okay now. I’m going to pop the trunk and get you out of there okay?”
All she could do was to make moaning sounds as loudly as she could. She wasn’t sure if he heard her or not. Then the trunk popped open and seconds later it lifted and Jason was talking again.
“Come on Honey, I’m going to take that blindfold off first so you can see me. Don’t move because I’m using a knife and keep your eyes closed at first to get used to the sunlight okay.”
She felt his hands on her head as he cut the blindfold off then the gag and she looked up at him and began to cry. At the worried look on his face, she struggled to say, “I’m okay Jason . . . now that you’re here.”
Movement behind Jason caught her eye and she looked past him to see Floyd hovering over Jason’s shoulder.
“It sure is good to see you little one. You sure gave us all quite a scare.”
She just sobbed harder as Jason reached in and pulled her out of the trunk and into his arms where she intended to stay for at least a week.
Chapter Sixteen
Jason had spent the night at Granny’s. He couldn’t tear himself away from Karen after all that had happened and especially all that could have happened yesterday. He knew Karen had felt the same way. It hadn’t taken much to convince her to stay there too.
He was thankful for the fact that the old farmhouse had four bedrooms since Billy Joe was still there too. Billy Joe? Or was it Dad? Jason hadn’t had much time lately to think about his newfound relationship with the man who had fathered him. But he was leaning toward just that, a relationship of father and son.
He was sitting in the living room on the couch where he’d been for over an hour. He’d been so wired when he tried to go to bed last night that he hadn’t been able to sleep at all. He’d been sleeping so much since he was shot the other day anyway. He didn’t think he needed much more.
He had dozed some on the couch until the sun rose. Now he was just sitting there waiting for Karen to get up. He couldn’t wait to sit there and hold her in his arms again. It had felt so great last night as he’d held her that way right here on this very same couch.
Well, Jason shouldn’t have been too surprised that the first person up was Granny. She passed through the living room and waved as she went into the kitchen. He could hear her making coffee in there.
A few minutes later, she came out with two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands. After she handed one to Jason, she took up residence in her platform rocker.
Neither said anything for a while. They just sat there enjoying their coffee.
Finally, Granny looked up from her cup and said, “Jason. I think it’s time I moved out of this old house.”
He started to object but she held up her free hand. “No, don’t say anything just yet. Let me say my piece first.”
She took another sip of her coffee and said, “This place was meant for a family . . . a big family, not just one old woman.”
He almost had to bite his lip to keep silent for he knew she wasn’t finished and would not appreciate him butting in.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly through her mouth. “I want to move into one of those apartments where Florence and Eunice live. I want to be near my friends and have some fun for a change.”
He struggled to remain silent and wait her out.
“I will deed the farm over to you and Karen if you’ll move out here and live.”
“But Granny . . .”
“I’ve already talked to Karen about it and she loves it out here so much that she would like nothing better than to live here and raise your children here.”
Having said all she meant to say Granny leaned back in her rocker and just rocked silently for a while.
Finally, Jason knew it was time for him to say something. “Okay, Granny, if that’s what you really want then I would love to live out here again. I’ve always wanted to come back anyway.”
She opened her eyes, leaned forward, and said, “Then that’s the perfect solution for all of us.”
“Granny, Karen and I had it all planned that we’d sell her townhouse and live in my bigger one for a while. But I should have known that as always, you’d have another solution that was even better than anything we could come up with.”
She just leaned her head back and cackled.
Jason was still smiling when he looked up and saw Karen standing in the hallway wearing her ugly scrubs and looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her.
* * *
Karen awakened to the sound of voices. Since the bedroom she was sleeping in was the closest to the living room, she could hear the voices and even recognize who was talking but couldn’t make out anything they were saying. But she knew without actually understanding the words that Jason and Granny were talking about her and him. She almost giggled. That was a given considering all that had happened in the last few days.
She felt good though. She hadn’t slept so well in days if not weeks. She’d fallen asleep on the sofa cuddled up to Jason with his arm around her. She’d awakened enough later for Granny to guide her to the bedroom and help her get into bed. But after that, she’d slept like a baby.
Baby? That reminded her. She and Jason had talked about almost everything else about their future but children. Did he want them as badly as she did? She was going to have to ask him before she went to work this morning.
She dressed in her scrubs and stepped into the living room. Just as she did, Jason and Granny both looked up at her. She saw the love shining all over Jason’s face and she hoped he could see her love for him on her face too.
As she stepped closer, she heard Jason mumble under his breath, “Beautiful!”
That made her step that much livelier. She sank down next to him on the sofa and felt complete when he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close for a kiss.
After the kiss went on a little bit longer than she had anticipated, she heard Granny clearing her throat loudly from her rocker.
They pulled back a short distance and Karen was surprised to see that not only was she blushing but so was Jason. She’d never known another man who blushed the way
he did. And she thought that it was absolutely adorable.
Granny must have thought that the mood needed lightening a little for she said, “Jason was just telling me that he talked to Floyd already this morning and both of those yahoos who snatched you are going to live. But I’d say they’re gonna have a long time in prison to think over all they done to you Dear.”
Karen smiled at Granny’s lovely way of talking. She’d always enjoyed just listening to her talk. But what did she feel about the two men who had treated her so badly yesterday? She didn’t even know one of them, but Ben she had known. And it gave her the creeps to think that she’d worked around him for all those weeks not knowing what kind of monster he really was.
Granny cleared her throat again which worked quite well to pull Karen out of her thoughts of the past and back to the present.
“Jason and I have also been talking about what you and I talked about the other day. If you still want to live here, then I will be deeding the farm over to the two of you and moving into town to be with the twins and my other friends.”
Karen knew she was referring to Gil’s mother and aunt who had become so well loved among the older group at church. She was thrilled to think of Granny spending more time with the fun-loving twins.
Jason leaned back so he could look her in the eye and said, “You and I are going to play hooky today. Floyd already gave me the day off and he said he was going to call Sally first thing and get you off too.”
She started to object but it was feeble at best. “But I’m okay Jason.”
“Oh no you don’t Karen. Anybody who’s gone through what you went through yesterday needs a little R & R. And I’m going to see that you get it too.”
She started to object again but then realized that if she was resting then he would be too. And she knew he wasn’t fully recovered from his gunshot wound from the other day.
So she leaned over, kissed him, and said, “I’m all yours today then.”
After breakfast, Karen found herself alone with Jason on the sofa again. She knew that now was her chance to talk to him about what was most important to her right then.
Another Solution (Crowley County Series Book 4) Page 23