Lady in Red

by Stacy Claflin

  “What do you want?” he repeated.

  Nothing.

  “Leave my family alone! All of us. If your higher-ups haven't figured it out yet, I unpublished my blog. I did what you people wanted. Now hold up your end of the bargain!”

  She didn’t flinch, so he spun and took a step toward the house.

  “You think this is about it being down?”

  His heart skipped a beat. He whipped around and glared at her. “What did you say?”

  “Come over here, and we can talk.”

  “How about you just leave us alone?” He glared at her, not that she’d be able to tell with the dim lighting. “Then we can all move on with our lives.”

  She shook her head.

  His mind raced. Visiting with Cal hadn’t gotten him anywhere, and this woman was merely feet away. Maybe he could put an end to this at last.

  He crossed the road and stood six feet from her. “If this isn’t about my blog, what then? Why are you still taking kids? Following my family?”

  They stared each other down for a moment before she spoke. “You took too long.”

  “I took too long?” It took all of his self-control not to shout.

  She nodded. “You were given instructions long before you followed through.”

  “For the record, I don’t work for you. In case you people forgot, I’m an officer of the law. The only reason I took my blog down was a courtesy.”

  The woman laughed. “A courtesy?”

  He nodded. “I can still help finding missing kids through my work. You’ve hardly stopped me.”

  She tilted her head. “You don’t have the reach you once did.”

  Alex shrugged. “I have plenty. Now tell me, why are you following my family?”

  “Somebody has to keep an eye on you.”

  “What about the missing kids?”

  Her expression tightened. “What about them?”

  “What’s your angle? They all end up safe. Why bother if you’re part of such an elaborate ring? To send me a message?”

  “Not everything is about you, Mercer.”

  The way she said his name sent a chill down his back, but he stood taller, not allowing her to see how she was getting to him. “What then?”

  “Just keep your blog offline, and all will be good.”

  He crossed his arms. “You’ve been following my daughter around to tell me that? I’ve already taken it down!”

  She smirked.

  “What is wrong with you people?” he exclaimed, not even caring that he was losing his cool. “Stop taking innocent kids. Stop messing with people’s marriages and families! You’re all going to be caught one day. You may as well find a new life focus now, before it’s too late.”

  “Do you know how long the top boss has been at this? And his father before him? You have no idea how deep this goes. The web didn’t create us—it gave us more power, more reach.”

  He clenched his fists and tried to steady his breathing. “You think you can get away with this forever? The feds are on this. It won’t be long before you’re all in jail. Is that really what you want?”

  She laughed. “We’re all over the world. Many of us can relocate at a moment’s notice.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “Because there isn’t a thing you or anyone else can do about it.”

  “That’s what you think! I’m not joking. Leave my family alone. You people have done enough damage.”

  The woman’s gaze darted behind him. Her eyes widened, and she gave a slight shake of her head.

  “No?” he asked. “What do you mean no?”

  Something hit him in the side of the head. Everything went black.

  Chapter 26

  Nick stared at the stack of paperwork on his desk and slunk into the chair. The pile had to have doubled in size since the previous night. He checked his email before digging in.

  Knock, knock.

  He glanced over and waved Wu in.

  “Sorry to bother you, Captain, but have you seen Mercer?”

  Nick arched a brow. “He hasn’t come in yet?”

  Wu shook his head. “We’re supposed to question some colleagues of our double-murder victims this morning, but I can’t find him.”

  “That’s odd.” Nick looked at his phone. “He hasn’t contacted me. I’ll give Zoey a call. Why don’t you check the traffic cams? Maybe he’s just stuck in a jam.”

  Wu nodded and left.

  Nick found Zoey in his contacts and called.

  “Nick?” She sounded groggy. “Is everything okay?”

  “Sorry to wake you, but do you know what time Alex left this morning?”

  Zoey yawned, then the sounds of shuffling came from the other end of the line. “I thought it was pretty early. Laney woke up earlier and I had to get her back to sleep. Alex wasn’t here, so I assumed he went in already.” More shuffling sounded. “Actually, his stuff is all here. He hasn’t left yet.”

  “Are you sure?” The hairs on the back of Nick’s neck stood on end.

  “Yeah.” Zoey sounded frantic now. “His uniform is here and—” She gasped.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “I just noticed his side of the bed looks un-slept in. He didn’t make it to bed last night, and I didn’t even realize it!”

  “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.” Not that he believed it himself. “Check the rest of the house and get back to me right away. I’ll call around and see what I can find.”

  “Okay.” The call ended.

  Nick’s stomach knotted. It wasn’t like Alex to up and disappear, but on the other hand, he had been obsessing over the case involving the woman in red. What if he’d gotten himself into trouble?

  Wu knocked and came in. “Nothing. Traffic’s perfectly clear everywhere this morning.”

  “Thanks for checking. It looks like he didn’t leave his house.”

  “Looks like?” Wu arched a brow.

  Nick didn’t feel like getting into the details. “I need you to go over to the Mercer’s residence. Find someone to go with you.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Just go.” Nick waved him out and scrolled through his texting conversation with Alex, looking for any clues his friend had decided to go rogue.

  It wouldn’t be the first time.

  But there were no clues indicating that was his plan. Sure, he wanted to be on the case, but it was out of their jurisdiction. And given Tinsley was the first of the kids to go missing, he wanted in on it as much as Alex, but he knew better.

  The question was, did Alex? Hadn’t he learned better by now?

  Knock, knock.

  Nick wanted to throw something at Wu. He turned to chew him out for bothering him, but it wasn’t Wu. It was Anderson, his old partner from years ago. Nick waved him in.

  “Everything okay?” Anderson asked. “I overheard Wu say Mercer is missing.”

  “Potentially missing, at this point.” Nick glanced at his phone’s screen. Zoey still hadn’t called him back.

  “Anything I can do?”

  Nick paced the office. “Look around his desk for any signs.”

  “Signs of what?”

  “That he was planning on looking into something he shouldn’t have. Anything on top of his desk is fair game. All I care about is his safety.”

  “I’m on it.” Anderson left.

  Nick called Alex’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Then he called Zoey back.

  “I can’t find him anywhere,” she answered. “And he isn’t answering his phone, either.”

  “He didn’t leave a note? Tell anyone that he was going somewhere?”

  “No. Not that I’m aware.” She took a deep breath. “All I know is he was going to watch out front for that woman in red. Ariana keeps seeing her.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  “But where would he have gone?” Zoey exclaimed. “His car is out front—he couldn’t have gone far!”<
br />
  “Was the front door unlocked?” Nick asked.

  “No.”

  He drew a deep breath. “I’m sending some officers over to look around and ask more questions. If you think of anything before they arrive, let me know.”

  “I will. Thank you, Nick.”

  “We’ll find him.” Nick ended the call, unable to acknowledge her thanks. If he’d been a better friend, he’d have realized Alex hadn’t shown up for work. No, they didn’t always talk first thing, but he still should’ve noticed. Some friend he was.

  He found Wu and gave him instructions to check out Alex’s house. Then he went over to Anderson, who was still at Alex’s desk. “Anything?”

  Anderson shook his head. “Typical paperwork. Nothing to indicate why he disappeared, and nothing on the kidnapping ring case.”

  “The lady in red? He’s convinced they’re connected.”

  “Nothing.”

  Nick moved things around, looking himself. Then he pulled out the drawers. Alex would understand. He’d do the same thing if their roles were reversed.

  “Anything else I can do?” Anderson asked.

  Nick drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m at a loss.”

  Officer Grant came over. “Captain, I think we have a new victim in the lady in red case.”

  “Victim?” Nick imagined Alex lying unconscious somewhere.

  Grant nodded, his expression serious. “There was a child’s body found in a lake near your woods, and—”

  “What makes you think it’s related to that case?” Nick’s stomach lurched. He wanted to call his kids’ schools to make sure they were all safe.

  Grant frowned, deep lines creasing around his eyes. “There was a patch of red fabric found not far from the body.”

  “What?” Nick exclaimed. He and Anderson exchanged a worried look. “So far, the kids connected to that case have all been found alive.”

  “It could be a copycat, but the part about the red dress has been successfully kept out of the media. Chances are, it’s the same person. Or ring of people, if Mercer is to be believed.”

  Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What was going on? Alex was missing, and the case he was obsessed with had taken a sudden shift, going from abductions to murder. Or likely murder. He opened his eyes. “Are officers headed for the scene?”

  Grant nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “And the feds have been made aware of the situation?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Nick paced, his mind and pulse racing. He turned to Anderson. “You call them. I’m going to be in my office.”

  “I’m on it.” Anderson hurried away.

  The precinct was buzzing with activity. It made Nick’s mind spin all the more. What was going on? Had Alex stumbled onto something? Gotten himself into trouble? Or made waves, which caused the red dress woman to up her game?

  He could hardly keep himself from calling the three schools to make sure his kids were okay. If the body was one of his kids, he didn’t know what he’d do. But even if it wasn’t one of his, it was somebody’s child. An innocent life taken far too soon.

  Nick pulled up what information he had on the kidnapping ring. “Alex, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  Chapter 27

  Alex rolled over and bumped into something. “Zoey?”

  He shivered and opened his eyes.

  Trees. Lots of them.

  Alex bolted upright. Looked around. He was surrounded by forest. How had he gotten here?

  He wracked his mind, then it all came back to him. The woman in red. Confronting her. Something hitting him in the head. He rubbed the spot, finding a massive goose egg on the side of his head. The pain made him wince.

  Why had she—or rather, they—brought him here? Wherever here was.

  Alex rose, finding his legs wobbly. His right knee ached. Probably from sleeping on the rocky ground.

  He reached for his phone. The pocket was empty. But that wasn’t all. Something red was all over his jeans.

  His heart sank. Dried blood. It was the only thing that made sense.

  Alex pressed on part of it. Stiff.

  Definitely dried blood—and he didn’t feel any gaping wounds that would’ve caused heavy bleeding like that.

  Somebody else’s blood was all over his pants.

  Had he killed the woman in red? Was it possible he hadn’t actually been hit on the head but had blacked out and couldn’t remember committing a crime? No, that didn’t make any sense. Why would he be in the middle of the woods?

  Unless he’d buried her body out here.

  Heart pounding, he looked at his hands. No dirt. Also, no blood.

  Relief washed through him.

  Checked his other pockets. Empty. No, not empty. There was a piece of paper in his back right pocket.

  He dug it out. A note in curly, loopy handwriting.

  If you want to get out of the woods before you die of thirst, you’ll need to go west. Don’t deviate, or you’ll get lost. This forest is immense, and nobody will ever find you alive. Have fun.

  Anger surged through him, and he wrinkled up the note. He threw it as far as he could, but after it landed, he thought better of it, retrieved it, then stuck it back in his pocket.

  He spun in a slow circle, trying to figure out where he was. Listening for any sign of civilization. How far from home had they dumped him? And more importantly, why? Why not kill him? Was the goal only to scare him? That hadn’t worked. He was angrier than ever now. Would do anything to bring every last one of them down, even if it took the rest of his life. If they were trying to get him to back off, they’d just achieved the opposite.

  His holster was gone, and the gun along with it. He swore.

  Did he dare follow the directions? Why would they tell him how to escape? They had to know he would go straight to the authorities. He’d seen her face.

  “I’m going to get you!” His shout echoed around him.

  An echo. That was a clue, but to what, he didn't know yet. He rubbed his sore side and marched to the left. There were no sounds indicating traffic or other signs of humanity, but going in any direction was better than staying in one place. The question was, should he go west?

  He did. Walked for what felt like a half hour. Could’ve been more or less. Was too hard to tell without knowing the time. He fumed, growing angrier with each step.

  Him being dumped in the middle of the woods definitely matched the MO of the lady in red. She lured kids away, then they were always found alive. Alex hadn’t been lured—he’d been dragged—but it was still the same thing. He was left alive for whatever reason when they could’ve easily killed him.

  Something sounded. Alex froze mid-step and looked around, listening. Running water? Was he near a river? If that were the case, the woman and her accomplice had gone really far out of their way to dump him. That also potentially explained why he hadn’t frozen to death, if he hadn’t been out there long.

  He kept his focus on the ground, making sure not to step on any branches so as to alert anyone to his presence, while at the same time following the sound of running water. A raccoon waddled past, startling Alex, but seeming not to notice him.

  Alex drew a deep breath and continued on. The rushing water grew louder. What river was he near?

  It didn’t matter. The only thing he needed to worry about was finding civilization. And it could be miles away. Maybe hundreds of miles, depending on how determined that crazy lady was to get Alex out of the picture. And that thought worried him. If she was so concerned about keeping him away, what was she planning? More abductions? Actually harming a child? Going after Alex’s family again.

  The thought made his blood boil. If he had his phone on him, he’d republish his blog without a second thought. He’d been foolish to take it down in the first place. Should’ve known they wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t leave him alone.

  He should’ve taken twenty seconds to call it in before racing out. Should’ve kn
own he couldn’t afford not to make that call. And he should’ve arrested her instead of questioning. But he hadn’t done any of that, and here he was cold and alone, lost in who-knew-what woods.

  His skin prickled, but he kept on. He’d gotten through worse situations and lived to tell about it. He’d later be able to say the same thing about this.

  He hoped.

  Alex kept his mind focused on his family. He’d get out, so he could get back to them. There was no other option. None of his three kids was going to grow up without a dad, and he wasn’t going to leave Zoey a young widow. It wasn’t happening.

  The sounds of the water grew louder until he was sure he was close to the river. Alex pushed through some thick bushes, scratching his face, until he came to a clearing. Not just any clearing. At the far end was a massive waterfall with a large pooling of water.

  He hadn’t heard a river. It was just a waterfall. An impressive one he’d ordinarily capture pictures of, but it also meant he had even less of an idea where he was. He couldn’t follow the river until he found people. There was nothing for him to follow.

  The water made him realize how thirsty he was, and as tempting as it was to drink it, he didn’t feel like getting a parasite on top of everything else.

  He had to keep going—it was his only choice. He could drink water as soon as he got out of the woods. And with any luck, it would be a lot closer than it felt.

  Alex ignored his parched throat and kept going. Looked up at the sky for a clue, but it was so cloudy, it was impossible to tell where the sun was. In fact, it could probably start raining at any moment given how dark some of the clouds were.

  Even better.

  He glanced back longingly at the waterfall, but shook his head. If only he was more of an outdoorsman, he’d likely know for sure if the water was safe. But for now, he needed to assume help wasn’t far away.

  However, the one thought he didn’t want to acknowledge was how much time had clearly passed while he’d been unconscious. It was morning now, and he’d confronted the lady at night. Probably around eleven o’clock, which meant that he’d missed at least eight hours.