“Thank you, Holt. It would be horrible to think he’d come the same way, bringing her with him.”
“He didn’t.” The road stopped abruptly in front of him, ending in a solid wall of trees. “Here’s where we get out and walk.” His hand on the door of the truck, he hesitated, looking at her. “Are you going to be all right with this? Walking through the woods, I mean?”
Her face looked wan and pinched in the dim glow from the cargo light. “I wouldn’t want to do it by myself, but I’ll be fine as long as you’re here with me.” She tried to smile. “Your hand might be sore by the time we get there, though.”
Once again fear washed over him. She trusted him so much. And he felt so inadequate to protect her. The murderer danced in front of him like a mirage, just out of reach. And the longer it took to get him, the closer he got to Tory.
“Let’s get started,” he said, getting out of the truck and slamming the door. He didn’t want to give Tory time to think about walking through the dark woods. He switched on a flashlight and saw the first of the white rags he had tied around the trees earlier that day. Taking her hand, he led her into the trees.
Chapter 14
Tory took a deep breath and clutched Holt’s hand more tightly as she let go of the truck and stepped between two trees. For a moment she felt as if she was walking blindfolded into the unknown. Her nerves tightened and thrummed with fear, then Holt moved his fingers over hers. Reassurance seemed to flow into her hand, and the fear receded slightly. Holt’s flashlight swept in a golden arc in front of them, illuminating trees and branches in a random pattern. Outside its light, the darkness surrounding them was absolute.
“I tied white strips of cloth to the trees so we could find our way to the clinic without getting lost. All we have to do is follow them.”
He made it sound so easy. Trying to keep her eyes on the flashlight and away from the blackness and the looming trees, she murmured, “I hope there are a lot of them.”
Squeezing her hand, he said, “Don’t worry, we won’t get lost. It’s only half a mile.”
“A lot can happen in half a mile,” she muttered. There was a burst of sound over her head and she jumped sideways, brushing against one of the huge pine trees.
“It was an owl,” Holt said, pulling her closer. “We startled him.”
“Not as much as he startled me,” she retorted, keeping her eyes fixed on the area outlined by the flashlight. She refused to think about what might lie in wait for them outside of that comforting yellow arc.
They walked silently for a few minutes, hearing the wind sighing through the pines, their footsteps muffled by the layers of pine needles under their feet. When a branch creaked above them, Holt glanced at her and asked softly, “How are you doing?”
She didn’t even pretend not to understand what he was asking. “Better than I expected,” she replied, surprised to find it was true. “These trees don’t seem to bother me, at least not like the ones in front of the clinic.”
His hand tightened on hers. “We’re almost there. I can see the last of my markers, so. I’m going to turn off the ftashlight.” He paused and pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Ready?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. When he switched out the light, the blackness closed around her like a suffocating blanket, smothering all her senses. An ancient, primeval dread rose inside her, and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She was in the forest, surrounded by darkness and the unknown.
Before she could bolt in the direction of the clinic, Holt swung her around in front of him. His face was a white blur in the darkness. “Wait, Tory. We have to approach the clinic carefully. I don’t want to scare anyone away.” His voice was a whispered murmur in the inky blackness that enveloped them.
Swallowing hard, she struggled to beat back the panic that threatened to engulf her. Finally she was able to say in a shaky voice, “I know. Just don’t let go of me.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Was she mistaken, or was there an odd note in his voice, one of hot possession? In the darkness she couldn’t tell. Curling her fingers around his, she stood next to him, letting the warmth from his body seep into her soul. After a few minutes she stopped shaking and realized she was beginning to be able to see through the gloom.
“Getting better?” Holt asked.
She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes, it is. I can see a little bit.”
“Let’s start walking, then. I want to be in the clinic soon.” Without waiting for her to answer, he began to move. Tory edged forward, straining to see the ground in the darkness and feeling with her foot before she put her weight down.
“There’s not much on the ground here besides pine needles, but if you stay right behind me you won’t have to worry about tripping on anything.” She could see the pale outline of Holt’s face as he turned his head to talk to her, and she gripped his hand more tightly.
She followed him through the dark forest, occasionally stumbling over uneven ground. The owl hooted from a long way off, the mournful notes trailing away into the night. A flash of white startled her, then she realized it was the last of Holt’s rags, tied around a tree next to her. It fluttered slightly in the breeze, and suddenly she felt much better.
There was nothing irrational about being frightened in a forest at night, she told herself. Any normal human being would be. Deep down, buried under layers of sophistication and polish, everyone was a little afraid of the dark. The fear rose out of the ancient, instinctive parts of the brain, recalling eons past when the dark was a very real danger for primitive hunters.
And the trees hadn’t bothered her at all tonight.
Standing a little straighter, she looked over Holt’s shoulder and studied the shadows for a hint of her clinic. As if he could read her mind, Holt murmured, “There it is, over on your right.”
The low building seemed to blend into the trees that surrounded it, and for a moment Tory felt her stomach roll. The clinic was completely dark and silent, and she didn’t relish the idea of going inside after what had happened there.
But she had no choice. This was her clinic, and it had been her decision to stay with Holt tonight. Concentrating on the feel of Holt’s hand wrapped around hers, she tried to ignore her fluttering stomach as the clinic got closer.
Holt stopped at the edge of the trees and turned to her. The pale light of the crescent moon illuminated his face, highlighting the sharp planes and angles. “I want to take a look around before we go inside. Are you all right here by yourself for a few minutes?”
Her first impulse was to say no, to beg him to take her with him. Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
Even in the dim light she saw his face soften. Bending, he brushed a quick kiss across her lips. “You’re really something, you know that?” He trailed his finger down her cheek and stared at her for a moment, then turned to look at the clinic.
“I don’t think anyone is around, but I don’t want you out of the trees until I make sure,” he finally said. He led her into the woods about ten feet. “Stay here until I come for you. You can see the clinic, but no one there will be able to see you.” His jaw tightened and he looked away. “If I don’t come back fairly quickly, or if you hear something alarming, head toward the house. Stay hidden in the woods until you can get in your truck and drive away. Keep driving until you get to the state police station in Escanaba.” He pressed the keys to her truck into her hand.
Fear pounded at her as she grabbed his hand. “What aren’t you telling me, Holt?”
“Nothing,” he said. “As far as I know, there isn’t anyone around except us, and I won’t find anything unusual when I check the clinic. I just want you to be prepared.”
“You had to think awfully far in advance to bring the keys to my truck.” Tension skittered through her veins as she stared at the clinic. It looked peaceful and serene in the pale moonlight, completely untainted by the evil that had invaded it.
; “That’s my job. Thinking ahead is what I’m supposed to do.”
Pulling her close for the space of a heartbeat, he kissed her hard then stepped away. “I’ll be right back, Tory.”
He seemed to blend into the shadows cast by the trees as he moved toward the clinic. He was clearly outlined as he stepped out of the cover of the woods, then he disappeared into the shadows surrounding the building.
She barely allowed herself to breathe as she tilted her head to listen, straining to hear the sound of Holt’s footsteps. The night was utterly silent. The owl had stopped calling, and for a moment even the wind stopped blowing. It was as if every creature of the night held its breath and waited along with her.
The moments stretched tighter and there was still no sign of Holt. She shifted from one foot to the other and sent up a constant stream of prayers for Holt’s safety as she wondered frantically where he could be.
When the back door of the clinic eased open, she gasped and shrunk behind the tree. Then Holt stepped out and headed toward her, and she rushed to meet him.
“What were you doing in the clinic? Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.” He took her hand and led her toward the building. “I just had to make sure there weren’t going to be any nasty surprises inside for us.”
He pulled her into the building and closed and locked the door behind them. Silence echoed off the walls of the kennel, the empty cages mocking her with her inability to control what happened in her own clinic.
“What do we do now?” she asked, forcing herself to use a normal voice when she wanted to whisper.
“Now we sit and wait. We may not get any company, but I have a feeling we’ll have a visitor.”
“Who do you suspect?”
He looked at her, his face grim and his mouth a hard line. “I can’t tell you that, Tory. It wouldn’t be fair to the person I suspect, especially if I’m wrong. We’ll find out one way or another tonight.”
Shoving her hands into her pockets to hide their sudden trembling, she looked at the shadows in the kennel and swallowed. “What do you want me to do?”
Holt laid his hands on her shoulders and swung her to face him. “You amaze me.”
She looked at him with astonishment.
“Most people would be scared as hell in this situation. They’d be whining and moaning and asking to go home. And all you do is ask me what you should do.”
“Believe me, I moved beyond scared a long time ago. I even moved beyond petrified. Now I’m in basic survival mode. And I have you pegged as my best bet.” She tried to sound flippant, wincing when her voice wavered on the last words.
His hands tightened on her shoulders as he drew her closer. “I won’t let you out of my sight until the murderer is caught, Tory. I promise you.”
She watched, mesmerized, as a flame appeared in his eyes. “I know,” she whispered. “I know you’ll protect me, Holt. I think I’ve known it all along.”
He stared at her, then lowered his mouth to hers. He tasted of the night and the forest, dark and mysterious and potent with promise. Desire flared to life inside her, sweeping away her fear and making her forget why they were in the clinic.
For a moment they clung together, heat pouring from one to the other. Then Holt stepped back, his face glittering with passion and need and regret. His hands lingered on her arms before they fell away. “I can’t allow myself to be distracted,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” She forced herself to move away from him, and wrapped her arms around herself to hold in the trembling. “Tell me what to do.”
She could see him gather himself. Then the. cop was back, his eyes flat and assessing. The lover had disappeared completely.
“I want him to get far enough into the clinic that he won’t be able to run once he knows we’re here. There’s no way he’s going to slip through my fingers.”
His voice was grim. “You think there’s more going on here than just a break-in at my clinic, don’t you?”
“It seems awfully coincidental that we have this break-in business going on at the same time as the murders.” He slanted her an unreadable look. “Especially since you seem to be the target of both.”
Tory felt herself begin to shake, and it wasn’t from passion this time. “Then you think the person who is trying to break into the clinic is the murderer.”
“It’s a possibility, yes. But I still have to prove it.”
“What happens if we catch someone tonight?” she whispered.
“He’ll be treated like any other suspect,” Holt answered grimly. “But you can be sure I’ll check his fingerprints against the one we found on your wall.”
He drew her behind the first row of cages. There were two chairs in the aisle, and he led her to one of them. “This is the boring part,” he warned as they sat down. Tory edged her chair closer to his, but he didn’t seem to notice. “We could sit here all night and come up empty, or he could walk in the door in a few minutes.” He looked at her and his mouth softened. “So no talking from now on. And no anything else, either.”
“All right.” Her low voice echoed through the empty kennel, but she realized with amazement that the silence and emptiness didn’t bother her anymore. She was in her clinic, and Holt was with her. Nothing else really mattered.
She reached for his hand, and as her fingers twined with his he turned and brought their joined hands to his mouth. His kiss only brushed her knuckles before he turned away, listening again, but the heat from his mouth swept over her, warming her heart.
Tory had no idea how long they sat in the kennel, silent and watchful. After a while the noises from the outside were comforting in their familiarity. The owl was close to the building, and she found herself listening for his four spaced hoots. The murmuring of the insects and animals was a reassuring blanket of sound that rose and fell with the wind.
Every once in a while she glanced at Holt. His face was still and set, and he never looked at her. All his energy was focused on listening. If he hadn’t been holding her hand, she was sure he would have forgotten she was with him.
She shifted restlessly in the chair, stiff from sitting for so long. Then Holt slowly straightened. Tory froze as he gently disengaged his hand from hers. In the darkness she could feel him gather himself, and she saw his right hand check his gun.
She hadn’t heard a thing. Straining to listen, she leaned forward in her chair. Without turning his head. Holt leaned toward her.
“Someone’s coming.”
His words were no more than a puff of air that caressed her ear and then dissipated. As he leaned away from her, she realized the night outside had grown abruptly silent. The lack of sound was suddenly overwhelmingly frightening. She remembered her most recent dream, where the only sound in the woods had been the crunching of pine needles underfoot and the drag of a heavy burden over the ground.
Was the same shadowy figure making his silent way toward her clinic?
Holt turned to look at her, then leaned over and brushed her hair off her face. “Don’t move. You’ll be fine. He won’t even have to know you’re here.”
He would know, she thought. He would be able to hear the pounding of her heart anywhere in the kennel. The sound was so loud it almost drowned out the quiet clicking of the lock on the door. Almost, but not quite.
She felt Holt gather himself again, then stand up. But instead of moving into the aisle, he crouched next to the last cage. His gun was drawn, held in a steady hand as he waited for the back door of the clinic to open.
She heard the lock gave way. It was followed by a rush of cold night air that streamed past her face as the door opened. A moment later it closed quietly, and footsteps approached her.
Before they reached her, the footsteps turned and headed down the main aisle of the kennel. He had no idea they were waiting for him. He was headed for the main part of the clinic, where anything valuable, including the drugs, was kept.
Just before the
footsteps reached the door that led into the rest of the clinic, Holt stepped out from behind the cages. Tory saw the arc of light as he switched on his flashlight, then heard his grim voice saying, “Hold it right there.”
There was dead silence from the other side of the cages, and just as Tory sprang out of her seat she heard a voice begin to swear.
The obscenities spewed forth in a continuous, ugly stream, and she froze in her tracks as she recognized the voice.
For a moment she stood motionless as the old fear swept through her, then she stepped forward, rounded the corner and stood behind Holt. Bobby Duvall squinted into the light, holding one arm over his eyes as he strained to see.
A black cloth sack dangled from his hand, and his meaty frame was completely covered in black clothes. A black knit cap covered his blond hair, and he’d used something to darken his face. Neither she nor Holt spoke while he cursed at Holt, and when he finally wound down Holt said in a mild voice, “A little early for Halloween, aren’t you, Duvall?”
Bobby spat an obscenity at him, then clamped his mouth shut. For a moment the three of them stood staring at one another, then Holt shifted and said, “What are you doing here, Duvall?”
His voice had hardened, but Tory could hear the anger in it. She waited for Bobby to answer, wondering what he would say. But instead of answering, he suddenly lunged for Holt, shoving him to the side. Holt staggered against a cage and recovered quickly, but Bobby was already beyond him.
Without even thinking, Tory stuck out her leg as Bobby rushed past her. He stumbled and fell heavily to the floor, and Holt was on top of him immediately. The flashlight rolled along the floor as Holt fumbled with his handcuffs, and Tory picked it up and held it on Bobby as Holt snapped the cuffs into place and hauled Duvall to his feet.
Holt told him his rights in an expressionless voice, then pushed him toward the back door. But as Bobby turned, he saw Tory standing in the shadows holding the flashlight. Tory saw the hatred fill his eyes.
“This is all your fault, Tory Falcon,” he shouted.
The Dark Side Of The Moon Page 21