A tear trickled down Kate’s face. “Poor Jesse. It’s freezing out there, and all he has on is a denim jacket.”
“Don’t worry, Mama,” Hawk said. “He’s a resourceful kid. If he’s outside, he knows how to start a fire. I showed him myself.”
“Where could he be?” Kate said. “Why can’t anyone find him?”
A heavy sense of failure came over Virgil. His heart ached for Kate, but he couldn’t find any words to say that would give her hope.
“The Lord knows exactly where Jesse is,” Elliot said. “We’ve been praying all day, and we need to keep on. We certainly appreciate all that Virgil’s deputies and volunteers are doing to find Jesse.”
Kate nodded. “We are grateful. I’m just scared.”
“We’re all scared, Mama.” Abby got up and stood by the fire. “But we can’t let that cripple us right now. We need to hang on to hope and trust the Lord to bring Jesse home to us.”
“How many times do we have to go through this?” Kate said. “Every one of my children has been in grave danger. You’d think we’d get a break.”
Elliot put his arm around Kate. “Just remember that each of those children has come home alive and well.”
“Am I just supposed to forget that their father didn’t?”
The silence in the room was more profound than anything anyone could have said.
Virgil cleared his throat, determined not to dwell on what he considered his deepest failure. “No one is sorrier that Micah never came home than I am. But Jesse’s situation is entirely different. Let’s stay focused.”
“The sheriff’s right,” Hawk said. “We have to stay focused. Jesse knows we won’t give up until we find him. He’s counting on us.”
“Just like Jay and I and Riley counted on you,” Abby said. “I never gave up hope of being found because I knew y’all wouldn’t stop looking.”
Virgil rose to his feet, his six-foot-four frame shaky in the knees. “You hang on to hope. I am going to find Jesse. I can promise you that.” Virgil turned his gaze to Kate and placed his Stetson firmly on his head. “You have my word.”
Chapter 37
Jesse was tired of lying on his side with his hands bound but didn’t want to risk a beating by complaining. He opened his eyes and glanced outside at the fire, surprised to see a rolling carpet of white had reduced visibility considerably.
“Mr. Berne, look.”
Liam sighed. “I already saw it. Might as well kiss good-bye any chance of the sheriff searching for us tonight.”
“You don’t know that,” Jesse said. “He’s a friend of my family. He’s not going to stop looking.”
“Wise up, kid. He’s not going to have a choice. No search-and-rescue operation is going to tackle these woods at night in the fog. Truth be told, I doubt they’re going to search them at all.”
“Don’t say that.” Jesse’s pulse began to race. Lord, please show us a way out of here alive.
He heard footsteps and then saw Slick’s face peering in at them.
“I’m glad to see you fellas are still awake.” Slick’s toothy grin nearly glowed in the dark. “I’ve got something to tell you, so listen up. I caught the radio station in Foggy Ridge on my shortwave, and dense fog is moving into the area. There’s not going to be any search party tonight. I’ve decided to wait till midnight, then head on back to my place, get my stuff, and be ready to roll out of town as soon as the fog starts to lift.”
“What makes you think you can see to get out of these woods?” Liam said.
“Because I marked the trees when I came in. And I’ve got a fantastical sense of direction; that’s how.” Slick looked at Jesse and pointed to his watch. “It’s six past eleven. In fifty-four minutes, Liam here’s going to decide whether he’s got the guts to finish what he started earlier tonight before he got waylaid by that falling tree branch. Or whether he’s going to chicken out and die a coward alongside the eyewitness whose execution he botched, namely you—the same eyewitness, I might add, who’d sell us both down the river, if you could get to the sheriff.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Jesse said. “I just want to go home.”
“Save it, kid.” Slick crawled over to Liam, took a gun out of his waistband, and held it to Liam’s head. “Personally, I don’t see a conflict. It’s simple. Either you take out young Jesse—or I take out both of you.” Slick laughed. “Either way, I’m leavin’ at midnight.”
Slick backed out of the shelter on his knees. “Talk it over, don’t talk it over—it’s up to you.”
“Wait,” Jesse said. “Can’t you just leave us out here tied up? What are the odds the sheriff will ever find us? Even if we somehow manage to get free, you’ll be long gone. You don’t have to make him kill me.”
“Oh, but I do,” Slick said. “And Liam told you why—because you can identify me, and I don’t want the law to know I was in Foggy Ridge and start looking for me again.”
“But you said the officers recognized you already,” Jesse said. “Isn’t that why you came out in the woods?”
“Maybe they did. Maybe they didn’t. I wasn’t taking any chances. But the law sure won’t give me another thought when they find you shot dead with a bullet from Liam’s gun. They’ll start tracking him down instead of me. Poor Liam won’t have any defense, if they catch him. No lawman is going to believe I made him shoot you when the whole county knows that was his intention all along. Isn’t that right, Liam?”
“Does it matter what I think?”
Slick let out a wicked laugh. “Nope. You know my offer. I’ll be back at the stroke of midnight carrying two firearms. You off the kid, and you’re free to go.”
“How do I know you won’t kill me anyway?” Liam said.
“I guess you don’t.” Slick wore a smug grin that reminded Jesse of Bull Hanson. “But it’s a perfect plan. Why would I mess it up? I want the kid dead without me adding another murder to my record. That’s where you come in, Liam. But if I have to kill the kid myself, I’m going for a twofer—and put you both six feet under.”
“Yeah, we get it,” Liam said.
“Then I’ll leave you to your thoughts. I’ll be back at the stroke of midnight.”
Slick got up and disappeared in the fog. Jesse wished he would disappear forever.
“I really loathe that creep,” Liam said.
“He reminds me of the quarterback on our football team. He loved humiliating me and making me feel really small. I guess it made him feel really big.”
“I’m sure Slick feels powerful, since he’s a control freak who’s calling all the shots.”
“So I guess that means you’re going to shoot me,” Jesse said.
Liam sighed. “Sorry, Jesse. I don’t want to, you know that. But there’s no point in both of us dying.”
t
Virgil looked through the lace curtain on the beveled glass of his front door and turned the key just as Drake rounded the corner, skidded on the wood floor, and then sat at the door, whining and yelping, his tail swishing back and forth.
Virgil pushed open the door, then closed it, pleased that Drake continued to sit. “Good boy. I guess all that obedience training stuck.” Virgil bent down and rubbed Drake’s chin, then ran his hands along his sleek coat. “I know. I’m glad to see you too, fella.” Virgil patted him and then stood up straight.
Jill Beth came out the kitchen doorway, pulling her robe tighter around her in the nighttime chill. She walked over to Virgil and put her arms around him. “What a dreadful day. It’s a real kick in the teeth that Mother Nature sabotaged your search.”
Virgil kissed her warm lips and found solace in her embrace. Finally, he took off his jacket and hung it on the coat tree. “It’s been intense. I didn’t want to quit for the night, but Kevin and Reggie talked some sense into me. Driving home just now, it was really hard to see the road. Th
ank God we didn’t do something foolish like searching blind. We’ll try it again after sunup, but we’ve searched almost everywhere. Only thing left is to go deeper in the undeveloped, wooded areas in the city limits.”
“How’s Kate?” Jill Beth said.
“Holding her own. She’s plenty scared.”
“Who wouldn’t be? At this point, do you even think you’re going to find Jesse?”
“Absolutely. We have to.” Virgil walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“But what if you can’t?”
“Can’t is not an option. Period!” Virgil grabbed a bottle of water, shut the fridge door, and turned around. He slowly exhaled and studied Jill Beth’s startled expression. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, darlin’. I refuse to give doubt an inch, that’s all.”
“But isn’t it better to be realistic?”
“I am being realistic.” Virgil unscrewed the cap and chugged down several swallows of water. “Nothing’s happened to make me think that finding Jesse isn’t possible.”
“Has anything happened that makes you think it is?”
“We didn’t get a single hit on our Amber Alert.” Virgil went over to the table and sat. “That makes me think Liam Berne didn’t leave town.”
Virgil told Jill Beth all the details of his conversation with Colleen Berne, including the fact that Liam had wadded up and trashed the anonymous note demanding hush money that Colleen had secretly left on his windshield.
“How awful it must be for Colleen to suspect her brother of killing their mother. I got the impression that Liam was devoted to her.”
“Ironically, on one level, I think he was. According to Colleen, Liam had been helping to care for Dixie at home and was distressed at the thought of her living out her days in the Alzheimer’s center. Colleen thinks if he did drown her, he saw it as an act of mercy.”
“Do you buy that?” Jill Beth said.
“Maybe. I don’t know. What I do know is after Dixie Berne’s trust was distributed, Liam and Colleen each got one hundred and seventy-five grand. And when Colleen planted the anonymous note, and Liam thought someone was trying to blackmail him, he never went to Colleen.”
“Is it possible he didn’t want to worry her?” Jill Beth said.
“She doesn’t think so. They talked about everything. She planted that note because she suspected him. She knew he wouldn’t keep something like that from her unless he was actually considering paying off whoever left the note.”
“So where does Jesse come into all this? Surely Liam doesn’t think Jesse planted the note?”
“I’m not sure what Liam’s thinking.” Virgil blew out a breath and folded his hands on the table.
“Poor Jesse,” Jill Beth said. “He can’t tell what he doesn’t know. Do y’all think Liam would hurt him to make him talk?”
Virgil felt his gut tighten. “We have to assume he would. Liam has no history of violence. But if he did kill his mother, it’s hard to say what he might do to silence anyone who knows it. Or to what extent he might brutalize Jesse in an effort to get him to tell who it is that’s blackmailing him.” Virgil blinked away an image of Jesse’s badly beaten face.
Jill Beth reached across the table and put her hand on Virgil’s. “I doubt you’re going to sleep tonight, but let’s get you to bed. At least your body can rest before you go out again in the morning.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Virgil stood, put his arm around Jill Beth, and walked down the hall and into their bedroom. He saw no need to tell her he would lay in the dark with his eyes wide open, hoping to avoid seeing images of the outcome he feared the most.
Chapter 38
Jesse lay on his side, his wrists bound, every muscle in his body aching. He accepted that he was going to die this time. He’d finally reached the point where he didn’t even blame Liam for being willing to kill him in order to survive.
Lord, I guess I’m going to see You sooner than I thought. I really wish You’d get us out of here, but if You don’t, it’s okay. Just help me to be brave. I’m scared, but I know You’ll be with me when Mr. Berne pulls the trigger. Would You help him find a relationship with You so he won’t have to deal with guilt the rest of his life? He’s really not so bad.
Be with Mama and Elliot so this won’t ruin their chance to be happy. Please help Hawk not to blame himself, and help Abby, Riley, and Grandpa Buck not to take it too hard. Don’t let Dawson blame himself either. He’s been my best friend all my life.
Jesse opened his eyes. Slick must have added wood to the fire because he could see flames instead of just embers. He caught a glint of light on something just inches from his face. He focused on it for a moment and realized it was a buck knife! It must have fallen out of Slick’s pocket.
“Mr. Berne, wake up!” Jesse whispered.
“There’s nothing more to talk about. Don’t make this harder, okay?”
“You need to open your eyes and look between us on the ground. I think it’s Slick’s buck knife.”
“What?” Liam’s eyes flew open and he raised his head up off the ground. “Hot dog! That’s what it is, all right. Can you turn over and grab it with your hands?”
“Okay.” Jesse glanced outside and didn’t see Slick’s silhouette. He turned over on his other side and backed up, groping the ground with his fingers. “Can you see it? Am I close?”
“Come back a few more inches.”
Jesse backed up a little more and still didn’t feel the knife.
“You’re right where you need to be,” Liam said. “You’re practically touching it.”
“Found it!” Jesse held tightly to the knife and rolled over, facedown. He drew up his knees under him, and rolled backward and then forward into a sitting position, facing Liam.
“You must be made of rubber,” Liam said. “Can you open the knife?”
“I think so.” Jesse’s hands were cold and he dropped the knife. He felt along the ground until he found it, then dropped it again. Finally, he had a good hold on it and managed to get the blade out partway. “I wish … I could see … what … I’m … doing. The angle’s wrong.”
“Let me help,” Liam said. “Turn around and back up an inch at a time until I say stop. Whatever you do, don’t drop the knife.”
“I won’t.”
Jesse used his legs and feet to turn himself around. He backed up, an inch at a time, clutching tightly to the knife, and noted that Liam’s breathing sounded labored. Or was it his own?
“Stop there,” Liam said. “Make sure you’ve got a strong grip on the handle. I’m going to grasp the blade with my teeth and try to pull it all the way up, preferably without slicing off my tongue. What I need you to do is hold the knife blade still as a rock when I start pulling. If you let go suddenly, you’re liable to cut my throat. Understand?”
Jesse nodded. “Hurry.” He heard the sound of Liam’s teeth clamp down on the metal blade and then felt tugging. He held a firm grip on the knife.
“Ouch! That blade is sharp,” Liam said. “All right, it’s open about halfway. See if you can take it from here. Try not to cut your fingers.”
Jesse felt for the sharp side of the blade. He placed his thumb and forefinger on the dull side and pulled it all the way up. “Done.”
“Can you control the knife to cut the rope on your wrists?”
“I’m used to cleaning fish. I’m sure I can.” Jesse tried to slide the knife blade under the rope. But the rope was tight, the angle of his hand too awkward for precision, and the clock was ticking toward midnight. Instead, he placed the knife blade on top of the rope and ever so carefully slid it back and forth. “It’s a little risky, but I know what I’m doing.”
“I hope so, kid. We won’t get another chance.”
Jesse kept sawing until he felt a sharp sting and realized one wrist was free. “I did it!
” he said. Jesse pulled his aching arm out from behind him and peeled off the rope that was stained with drops of blood where he’d nicked himself. “Let me cut you loose, Mr. Berne.”
“You go,” Liam said. “I’ve got a bum leg, and have lost a lot of blood. My body’s been bent for hours. I’m not even sure I can stand up straight. I’ll just slow you down.”
“I’m not going without you.” Jesse cut the rope on Liam’s wrists, and then his ankles. “There you go. You’re free. Stretch for a minute, and then we need to get out of here.” Jesse crawled over to the open side of the shelter and peeked out. “The fog is so thick, I can’t see more than three or four feet in front of me.”
“Which means Slick will have a hard time finding us, if we can just get into those woods. Big if. I’m totally turned around since Slick moved me in the dark. I don’t have a clue where we are.”
“I do,” Jesse said. “I found my way back here, and I paid attention when Slick forced me to walk from there to here. I’m pretty sure I can get us out. We might have to hide in the woods until we can see better.”
Liam pushed the button on his watch and the face lit up blue. “Good grief, it’s five minutes to twelve! We’ve got to go now, before he comes back toting both guns.”
“Okay, Lord,” Jesse said aloud. “We’re trusting You to guide and protect us.”
Jesse looked in every direction, but all he could see through the sea of white was the flickering campfire. “Come on, Mr. Berne. We can do this.”
Liam, grunting and groaning under his breath and dragging his injured right leg, made it to the open side of the shelter. He held up his hand, and Jesse pulled him to his feet.
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