by L. P. Dover
I shake my head. “What about you? You’re the one he’s tried to kill. You have to come with me.”
“He can’t,” Owen says, placing his hand on my shoulder. Jake’s hands slip from my face and I look up at Owen over my shoulder. “If Jake disappears with you, we might never catch Snyder. With Jake being here, then Snyder will probably hang around here to get at him.”
“But that’s exactly what I’m worried about!” I hiss angrily, turning back to Jake. “What if something happens to you and I’m not here? I don’t want to be across the country with someone I don’t know, not knowing what’s going on here.”
“You won’t be with someone you don’t know,” he murmurs.
Brows furrowed, I stare at him. “What are you talking about?”
He glances over at Owen and sighs. “I want you to take her away. You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe.”
Eyes wide, I turn to Owen. He looks down at me and nods. “I’ll do it.”
Tears run down my cheeks and I bury my head against Jake’s chest. “I don’t want to leave you,” I cry.
His hands run soothingly up and down my back. “I know, cupcake. It’ll all be over soon. Until then, I need you away from here.”
“What if I say I’m not going?”
He pulls back. “If you don’t go, I’m going to strap you into Owen’s truck and force you.” There’s pain on his face, but his eyes convey the truth. He’ll literally throw me over his shoulder and make me go. Brushing his thumbs over my cheeks, he wipes away my tears. “Please go. For me.”
“I’ll go home and pack a bag,” Owen says.
Still holding onto Jake, I glance back at him. “Okay. And I’ll do the same.”
Owen shakes the detective’s hand again. “Keep me updated, Detective.”
Detective Bradshaw nods. “Keep your whereabouts to yourself. I don’t want any information getting back to Snyder. He still might have access to everything. He was always good with computers.”
Yes, he was. I remember in college when he’d offered to change my C in Calculus to an A. Of course, I’d said no, but I knew he was capable of it.
Owen squeezes my shoulder. “Be ready in an hour.” He walks out, and the timer is set. Jake pulls me into his arms. “Come on, I’ll help you pack.”
I shake my head. “I just want you to hold me. There’s no telling when I’ll be back.”
It’s the dead of night and I’m leaving my house. There are cop cars in front and behind us, with Jake in the driveway, watching us leave. I’m exhausted to the point I can’t even think straight. I know I’m not going to see him for a while, but I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet. I keep my eyes on Jake until I can no longer see him. The farther away we get, the more my heart hurts.
“This will all be over soon, Ells,” Owen says, his voice sounding so far away.
I’m in the backseat of his truck, hidden from sight, in case Bryan’s around . . . watching. With all the cops around, we’re hoping not.
“Where are you taking me?” I lean my pillow against the door, but I know I’m not going to be able to sleep. The whole backseat is filled with mine and Owen’s stuff.
He glances back at me. “Right now, we’re headed to Richmond, Virginia. We’ll stay for a night and move on, just in case Snyder realizes you’re gone.”
“God, I hope they catch him. I’m not staying on the run for the rest of my life.”
“I know, Ells. Why don’t you lie back and get some sleep? We have a six-hour drive ahead of us.”
Lying down on my pillow, I slide the untraceable phone Owen gave me out of my pocket. I can’t have mine because Bryan could easily track it. I want to call Jake and hear his voice, but I know he’s still busy with the police. All I know for certain is that sleep is definitely not in the cards this evening.
Fifteen
Jake
Watching Ellie leave is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever had to go through. I don’t want her going without me, but there’s no choice. I clean up all the glass and board up our window. It’ll have to do until I can get a replacement. The one thing I’m not looking forward to is calling Ellie’s parents and telling them.
Time moves so damn slow when all you want is answers. The police have been out in our yard for hours, searching for clues. Ellie’s been gone for five of them. I have yet to hear from her. Sitting on my back porch, I watch the deputies comb the woods. They all start to vacate, and that’s when I notice Detective Bradshaw with a cell phone inside of a plastic bag.
I rush outside into the snow and hurry down to them. “What’d you find?” I ask impatiently.
Terry holds up the plastic bag. “A knife. We’ll run prints on it. We found it about a mile into the woods, right by Route 16. His steps were already covered in with fresh snow. There were other sets too, probably some hunter’s. We’re looking into them all.”
Lots of the neighborhood locals hunt in those woods. There’s no telling how many sets of footprints are out there. Terry and his other deputies head for their cars. “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” I call out.
Terry stops by his police car and sighs. “Hang tight, for now. I’ll have my men in the area around the clock, just in case Snyder makes another visit. Stay alert.”
Alert? More like ready to kill. Bryan already tried to kill me once. He’s not going to get that chance again. “I will.”
Terry gets into his car, and his phone rings. He answers it and his eyes dart to mine. Waving me over, he finishes up with the call and hangs up. “Guess who my guys just found?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Hop in and you can come with me.” I open the door to his car and slide in. Terry peels out of my driveway and speeds down the road.
“Where is he?”
“One of my deputies found him on the side of the road, unconscious. He’s about four miles down Route 16.”
“Was he shot? Owen fired a few rounds last night.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know anything at this point. The ambulance might already have him picked up by the time we get there.”
A part of me is disappointed. I want Bryan to come at me again, so I can face him on my own. I don’t give a fuck if he’s laid up in a hospital bed when I see him. One way or another, he’s going to face me.
There are three cop cars on the side of the road, blocking anything and everything from view. The ambulance is there too, loading Bryan into the back. They shut the doors and drive off before I can even see him.
Detective Bradshaw gets out and I follow him over to his deputies, including Officer Charles McGee. “What all did you find?”
Charles points over to a snow pile. “He was found there in dirty clothes, covered in shit and piss. His pulse was weak, and he didn’t seem to have any injuries, but he was unresponsive. He’s being taken to the hospital.”
Terry glances over at me. “That’s our next stop. Do you want me to take you back home?”
I shake my head. “I want to know what the hell’s going on. I’m going with you.” As we head toward the hospital, so many things run through my mind. “Are you going to convict him?” I ask.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Terry shrugs. “It depends on what we find. We can’t convict him without evidence. We can, however, hold him on suspicion, but that’s only for ninety-six hours, and then we have to let him go. Right now, we can’t exactly charge him with stalking, unless we find proof on his phone. The other numbers aren’t traceable.”
“Goddammit to hell,” I growl. “He’s a fucking cop, Detective. He knows how to cover his ass! What about his footprints and the tires that match his truck at the scene of my accident?”
He pulls into the parking lot of the hospital and shuts off his car. “We’re going to look at everything, Mr. Kingston. This case is a little more difficult than the others.”
I’m so fucking pissed I can feel the blood boiling in my veins. Getting out of the car, I grab his arm, stopping him. It’s not a
smart move, but if he were in my position, he’d be just as angry. “He’s not going to get away with this, Detective.” I let him go and he nods.
“I have a lot of work to do to make sure he doesn’t. But I’m more than willing to put in the time and effort to get it done.” He marches into the hospital and I follow closely behind.
Bryan is being taken care of in the intensive care ward. It’s going to be a while before he even gets questioned. I plan on being right around the corner when he wakes up.
While the detective talks to the nurses, I pull out my phone and call Owen.
“What’s up?” he asks. It sounds like they’re still in his truck.
“Where are you?”
“Almost to Richmond. Ellie’s asleep in the back. She fought it for a while, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out.”
I want to talk to her, but I don’t want him to wake her up. She’s had a rough night. “They found Bryan unconscious on Route 16.”
“Holy shit. Are you fucking kidding me? That’s good. Maybe this will all be over sooner than we thought. Ellie will be happy to hear it when she wakes up.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean he’s been convicted yet.”
Owen scoffs. “There’s enough evidence there. The only thing that’s odd is that he was unconscious. Why? Doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know. Does seem a bit odd. They said he had no signs of outward injury.”
“Well, either way, they have the fucker in custody. Should I turn around and bring Ellie back?”
My first thought is yes, but I don’t want her here, just in case they let Bryan go. There’s no telling what he’ll do next. “Not yet,” I reply. “Just stay put for now.”
“Will do. We just pulled up at the hotel. Keep me updated.” After we hang up, I sit down in the waiting room. It’s going to be a long fucking day.
Just one minute waiting in the hospital feels like an eternity. The hours drag on like years. All I want are answers, and I’m determined to be there when the police get them. The sooner Bryan is convicted, the sooner Ellie can come home.
Terry and I grab a coffee from the cafeteria and sit back in the waiting room. Bryan’s family has been contacted and they are here as well. Judging by their wrinkled clothes and unkempt hair, I’d say they hopped straight out of bed and rushed over here. His mother has been crying non-stop, pleading with the police that her son would never do the things he’s being suspected of doing, while his father paces the floor. It takes everything in me not to say anything to them. They’re both obviously too distraught to realize who I am. What I really want is to tell them that their son is a fucking psycho who tried to kill me to get to my wife.
A middle-aged man with a full head of white hair, wearing green scrubs, walks in and looks around the room until he spots Bryan’s parents. Terry walks over to them as well, but I listen intently from my place across the room.
“How is he, doctor?” Bryan’s mother asks.
The doctor sighs. “He’s stable. Looks like he’s suffering from severe dehydration and withdrawals.”
Withdrawals?
His parents look at each other in disbelief. His father shakes his head. “That’s not possible. My son doesn’t do drugs. What’s he withdrawing from?”
The doctor clears his throat. “Mainly Propofol, but there are traces of other drugs as well. My guess is that they were mixed together and injected. There are wounds on his forearm.”
What the hell? Propofol is a serious drug, and not one you can easily obtain recreationally.
Bryan’s mother bursts out crying and buries her head against her husband’s chest. “When can we see him?” Bryan’s father asks, sadly.
The doctor moves to the side. “You can go now. My nurse around the corner will show you where to go.”
While the doctor talks to Detective Bradshaw, I follow Bryan’s parents to the door and I overhear the nurse saying what room Bryan’s in. When the time is right, I’m going in there.
“So, you’re saying he couldn’t have done the things we suspect?” Terry asks. His words catch my attention.
The doctor shrugs and shakes his head. “I’m not saying the other incidences aren’t related, but I don’t see how he could’ve done what you’re accusing him of last night. With the amount of drugs in his system, there’s no way he would’ve been able to walk five miles in the snow, much less through the woods. He wouldn’t have been able to stand.”
Terry nods once. “Thanks, Doctor Whitfield. I appreciate your time.” He makes his way over to me and runs a hand over his face. “This changes things.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
He nodded toward the door the doctor just left out of. “Did you hear everything he said?”
“Just the part where he doesn’t think Bryan could’ve been at my house. What is that going to mean for the case?”
Terry huffs and paces the floor. “I don’t know. He also said that according to the level of dehydration Snyder’s suffering from, it’s as if he hasn’t eaten or drank anything in almost four days.”
“That makes no sense.”
“I know,” he agrees. “With everything the doctor just told me, I don’t see how Bryan could’ve been the person at your house last night.”
I shake my head. “It has to be him. Who else could it be?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, Terry looks right into my eyes. “I think we have to consider the possibility there is more than one person involved.”
Sixteen
Ellie
“It’s about time you wake up,” Owen teases from across the room. He turns off the television and sits down on the bed beside mine. I look over at the window and the sun shines through the sides of the draperies.
Groaning, I sit up and rub my eyes. I remember falling asleep in the truck and then waking up briefly to walk into the hotel room. “What time is it?”
Owen nods toward the bedside clock. “Four o’clock. I’m hungry. We need to get you something to eat. You haven’t eaten all day.”
My stomach agrees. I yawn and slide off the bed. The room is moderately sized with two queen beds and a kitchen. “Is it okay to go out in public? I don’t know how all of this protective custody stuff works.”
He stands and grabs my bag off the floor and sets it on the bed. I rummage through it and pull out a pair of jeans and a burgundy sweater. “We’ll be fine,” he says, “there’s a restaurant just down the road. Besides, there’s something you should probably know.”
My attention jerks to him. “What?”
A sly smile spreads across his face. “They found Snyder; he’s in the hospital. I don’t know anything more than that. Jake called while you were asleep. He said he’ll call us when he finds out more. I think he’s still at the hospital. I know he wasn’t planning on leaving until they got answers.”
The thought of Jake being near Bryan, who’s laid up in a hospital bed, scares the shit out of me. I know Jake’s angry with everything, and the last thing I want is him ending up in jail for attempted murder.
“With Bryan being caught, does that mean we can head back home?”
Owen’s smile fades. “Not exactly. I asked Jake what he wanted me to do and he said for us to stay put. Hopefully, we’ll know more when he calls.” He taps his watch. “Go get changed. I’m seriously hungry. I’ve been carting your ass around all day.”
It’s true, he has, and he hasn’t asked for a single thing. “Thanks. I know you could be out there making money, and yet you’re here, stuck with me.”
He zips my bag up and sets it back on the floor beside his. “It’s no big deal, Ells. You wouldn’t have gone with anyone else.”
I toss my clothes on the bed and hug him. His arms wrap around me tight. “No. I wouldn’t have. I trust you.”
“I’m glad. Now go and get dressed.”
I quickly do as he says and change in the bathroom. A part of me is relieved they already found Bryan, but the other part is scared. Why can
’t I go back now?
The restaurant we go to is a small mom and pop kind of place with fried chicken and all the fixings. Being a southern girl, it’s what I love. Before we leave, I order a piece of chocolate cake to go, and Owen does the same. We walk out, and the air is a bit chilly, but it’s nowhere near as cold as home. I miss the snow, Jake, my home, my family . . . my bakery. Leaving it all behind and not knowing when I’m coming back is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Owen opens the box and peeks at the cake. “I know this cake isn’t going to be as good as yours.”
“Thanks,” I say, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to get back to my bakery. I hope I don’t lose a lot of business because of this.”
“I never thought of that,” he replies sadly. “Maybe Vikki can explain to your customers?”
I snort. “I haven’t even told her I left yet.”
“Just make sure not to tell her where you’re at. Jake knows where we are, but the more people you tell, the easier it is to be found. I don’t care if Bryan’s in the hospital or not. We still need to keep our whereabouts a secret.”
“Okay,” I assure him. “I won’t tell anyone.” We get to his truck and he opens the door for me, then grabs my arm. “What is it?”
His gaze is focused across the street. “Let’s go for a walk. We still have another hour before it’ll start to get dark.”
I look over at the park and smile. “Maybe I can burn off some of the fried chicken I ate.” We set our to-go boxes in the truck, and Owen locks the doors before we head across the street. There are a couple of people in the park walking their dogs, but other than that, the trail is basically ours. The wind picks up, so I button my coat.
There’s a gazebo up ahead, overlooking a pond, so we go inside and sit down. The air smells different than back home, maybe it’s because we’re in one of the biggest cities in Virginia. Taking a deep breath, I gaze out at the pond. “What are you thinking about?” Owen asks.