Deadly Secrets

by Sarah Barrie

  ‘Then let me go up there in the morning — show them some of the places they won’t find.’

  Tony raised his eyebrows. ‘Forget it. I’ll handcuff you if I have to.’

  ‘Handcuff me?’

  ‘Worked for Reid,’ he replied with a wink.

  ‘Is there anything he didn’t tell you?’

  ‘Undoubtedly.’

  Another shot sent Jordan’s stomach diving all over again.

  ‘No,’ she whispered, ‘not again…’

  A voice came over the radio, but it wasn’t an officer. It was a giggle at first — something unearthly, insane, desperately pleased.

  ‘Whoops!’ Another giggle. ‘Looks like I shot myself another policeman.’

  ‘Dunmore!’ Tony threatened. ‘Turn yourself in now or we’ll shoot on sight!’

  ‘Got myself a trophy, too,’ Brian bragged happily. ‘Say something, darlin’.’

  Kelly’s voice trembled. ‘Officer Garland needs medical assistance. We’re at the end of the main trail —’ Everything went silent.

  ‘Dunmore? Dunmore!’

  ‘How the hell can that be?’ Rita demanded. ‘There are men everywhere up there!’

  ‘Garland took Kelly to the end of the trail for the ambulance. The men are further in. How the hell did he get around them?’ Tony turned his attention back to the mic — to snapping instructions.

  ‘There’s no way to block off the entire mountain,’ Jordan told the pacing Rita. ‘Take me up. I know my way around. It’s a large area but a lot of it is completely inaccessible. There are ways through your men won’t find but they exist and I can’t tell you — I have to show you.’

  ‘Are you out of your mind?’ Tony asked, turning his head and staring at her. ‘He’s already got Kelly. He’s not getting you!’

  A quiet, yet high pitched voice came over the radio. ‘Where were we? Oh yeah. I’ve got myself a sweet little blonde. I’ll swap her for Jordan.’

  ‘Not going to happen, Dunmore,’ Tony growled. ‘We know where you are. You don’t give up, you’re dead.’

  There was a laugh. A sigh. ‘Oh, well…I guess I can have some fun with this one until my angel shows up.’ There was a noise from Kelly, a muffled scream. ‘Where are you, Angel? Come to Uncle Brian. Come on now…up you come.’ The singsong voice turned deep, menacing. ‘You come now, you bitch. Or I’ll kill her.’ The giggling started up again. The room was silent, chilled into stillness. Tony spun around. ‘Jordan —’

  But all he saw was an open door.

  CHAPTER

  20

  Jordan forced herself to walk calmly, smiling as she passed a policeman having a smoke at the bottom of her steps. Then she took off at a bolt to the stables. She wasn’t leaving Kelly to that demented mongrel. She had a few ideas where Brian might be from his last location. If she could just find Reid…

  Ignoring the sick dread swirling in her stomach, she opened the ute door and reached into the glove box for the torch. She shoved it into her back pocket, then quickly glanced through the rear window to see Tony appear outside, two men following him. She hunched over and darted to the stables, out of sight.

  There was barking, scratching…Mack. Did she dare let him out? He was going to give her away. She slid the bolt on the stable door, pulled a lead rope from a hook — just in case.

  ‘Don’t make me regret this,’ she murmured. Hearing the commotion moving towards her, she headed for the back gate, Mack at her heels. Fighting the urge to panic, she made her way up the mountain, steering clear of the trails. She might know this forest like the back of her hand, she might feel an advantage in the near darkness, but she knew how well these men were trained, just like she knew they had dogs that would sense them. She didn’t want to be mistaken for Brian. Where was he?

  A noise had her ducking for cover and holding her breath. Voices — low. Police heading down, she decided. She smacked at Mack when he would have growled and he looked at her, quivering, but kept quiet. She heard another ambulance and assumed it was for Officer Garland. Oh God, please don’t let him be badly hurt. Brian was using Kelly as leverage so it was unlikely he’d kill her, wasn’t it? In any case, surely she could buy Kelly some time by letting Brian know she was up here. Maybe she could keep him distracted long enough for Reid to find them.

  The roar of a helicopter overhead caught her attention. Its spotlight was large and bright as it searched the forest, but Jordan knew how difficult it would be for the searchers to see beneath the thick canopy.

  ‘There’s nothing more we can do, it’s pitch black out there!’ Rita urged Tony. ‘You need to call them in, have them picked up.’

  ‘Damn it, Rita! Kelly’s out there…and Jordan.’

  ‘Then they’re out there. Dunmore’s not going to hurt Kelly — she’s his ticket to Jordan. And no way is Jordan going to find him in this.’

  ‘You don’t have a clue what could be going on out there.’ Tony scrubbed his hands over his face in apprehension. ‘The man’s a lunatic.’

  ‘You want more men shot? Pull them out. We’ll go again at first light — with reinforcements.’

  He knew she was right, knew it and hated it, but gave the order. Reid relayed it to his men then got back on the mic. ‘I’m not budging until I find Kel,’ he told Tony.

  Tony knew it was pointless to argue and cleared his throat, took a deep breath. ‘There’s something else.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘You’re going to have to find Jordan, too.’

  Jordan could only guess where she was. The forest was black now; with the night sky overcast, not even a moon broke the wall of darkness. It was stupid to move around, but she pressed on, using her torch only when absolutely necessary. Every now and then, Mack would stop and listen. Jordan would copy him, straining for any sign of anyone. She’d seen the majority of the police go down in their cars, their headlights gleaming through the last of the twilight. Just like she knew there was still a team on the mountain. She knew Reid would be with them.

  ‘An…gel…!’

  The eerie sound echoed around her. It could have been above her, below her, across the valley, she couldn’t tell. Mack growled.

  She sped dangerously through the forest, found one of her spots that overlooked the valley and decided it would do the job.

  ‘I’m here, Brian!’ she called at the top of her lungs. ‘I can’t find you!’ she yelled, the sound echoing around the valley.

  On the next ridge, Brian gasped in wonder and turned crazed eyes on Kelly. ‘She’s here? She’s here…she’s come!’

  He loved the way she said his name, could almost feel her, taste her. There were hours before daylight — plenty of time to find her, to take her away. They thought they had it covered — that he couldn’t get out. But there were ways…he knew a way to get through the forest a bunch of stupid-arse cops would never find. He checked Kelly’s ties and gag. Then, leaving her behind, he went off in search of his angel.

  On Jordan’s veranda, Tony jumped to his feet. ‘That’s it — I’m going up.’

  Rita felt the chill that had nothing to do with the coolness of the evening. ‘Don’t be a fool, Tony. You won’t find them.’

  ‘This is ridiculous! There’s got to be more I can do than sit here and listen to a warped game of Marco Polo.’

  ‘Yeah, you could go back to your motel — get some sleep.’ Even as she said it she knew how useless the sentiment was.

  ‘Don’t be dense, Rita.’

  She watched as he paced, worried for her friend, for the woman, for damn near everyone involved. ‘You know you can’t do more than what you’re doing.’

  ‘Why don’t you head back then? No sense both of us torturing ourselves.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere, except to get us another coffee. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.’ She took a couple of steps inside, then turned back. ‘Tony? You don’t really believe she’s trying to find him, do you?’

  ‘I’d bet she’s
stalling him. Keeping his attention off Kel.’

  She nodded. ‘Let’s hope she knows how not to be found.’

  Tony looked out into the darkness again. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He thought of the stubborn, hard-headed woman his friend had fallen in love with. Reid had made him promise to protect her and she’d slipped straight through his fingers. He couldn’t help but grin. Reid wouldn’t have been happy with anyone less, but boy, he’d have his hands full — if they both, by some miracle, survived.

  As he watched the mountain, the cloud cover began to dissipate. Within a few minutes, a half moon was glowing down onto the forest canopy. By the time Rita arrived back, he was geared up and ready to go.

  ‘If you insist on doing this, I’m coming with you,’ she said from the doorway.

  ‘So put down the coffee, detective. Let’s go.’

  Jordan watched the moon appear and the faint light it emitted through the forest hit the ground in soft, delicate beams. Mack whined. ‘I can’t leave her, mate. I just can’t go back down without her.’

  ‘Brian!’ she called. ‘Where are you, Brian?’ She waved her torch around frantically then bolted a few feet and took cover near Mack. ‘Every time he calls back, they’ve got to be one step closer to finding him,’ she muttered to Mack, to reassure herself.

  She almost screamed when she heard the noise nearby. Completely frozen, she listened. Mack growled, barked.

  ‘Shush!’ she hissed, sending his tail between his legs.

  As she continued warily forward, the noise got louder. It sounded…muffled. And female. Kelly? Jordan tied Mack to a tree and went to explore. Another noise sent her closer, and she risked turning on her torch. She found Kelly bound and alone, only a handful of steps ahead of her.

  ‘Kelly!’ Jordan struggled to pull the gag from her mouth. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Trying to find you…I can’t get these cable ties off.’ She swore. Tried again.

  ‘You were calling out to Brian.’

  ‘Yes, she was.’ Brian stepped out of the darkness and Jordan felt her heart stop. ‘Hello, Angel.’

  She needed to keep calm, she warned herself. She couldn’t afford to lose it. But it wasn’t easy. ‘Brian…I was looking for you.’

  ‘Were you? Because for a very long time it seemed you were only looking at Tallon.’

  ‘Jordan…’ Kelly whispered desperately. ‘Run!’

  ‘Shut up!’ Brian snarled at Kelly.

  ‘I was calling you, Brian,’ Jordan said quickly, cursing her shaking voice, ‘because you were right, we’re meant to be together.’

  ‘Jordan, don’t,’ Kelly begged. ‘Get out of here.’

  ‘I said shut up!’ Brian yelled, lifting his gun at her. ‘You’ve made me wait, Angel.’

  ‘I…I didn’t know, Brian. I didn’t know it was you.’

  He chuckled, nodded. ‘See, that’s the problem. You never thought, “How about Brian?” Did you? In all the years I spoiled you, loved you, watched over you, you never considered my feelings, not once!’

  ‘Brian, when you worked for my father I was twelve years old and I loved that you brought me treats, let me work with you, you know that,’ she responded slowly.

  ‘Sixteen! You were sixteen before I left. I couldn’t stand it! All those hormonal, pimply faced brats falling all over themselves for you! You were so wrapped up in how popular you were. None of them treated you like I could have! I was never good enough for you, was I?’

  ‘That’s not true. I just…had no idea,’ you sick bastard. She saw him start to twitch, scrape with his blunt, worn fingernails at his arms, then dig with one hand into his jeans.

  ‘I got this for ya. Here.’ He reached out, palm up. In the darkness, Jordan could barely make out the small vial of liquid. ‘Take it.’

  Jordan moved forward, opened her hand and accepted it.

  ‘Jordan, don’t put that in your mouth!’ Kelly exclaimed urgently.

  Brian stalked over to Kelly and lifted his hand to strike her.

  ‘Brian wait!’ Jordan begged, ‘I’ll take it…look.’

  ‘Good,’ he said with a satisfied smile as she swallowed it. ‘It’ll help you relax. I’ve kept some good stuff for later. We’re going to celebrate the way you killed Sean.’

  Jordan frowned. ‘I thought you and Sean were friends.’

  He laughed. ‘Sean was a dick. A real daddy’s boy. He used to brag about the marks he put on Tanner’s girl. Did you know that? He was a pathetic bastard. But he was useful. I put his pills in Tanner’s truck. I wanted him sprung — out of the equation. I knew Tanner’d take them to Steiner and I needed Sean’s position with Hal. Then it didn’t matter anyway because you killed him!’ He laughed. ‘And I just knew it was fate. Keep quiet!’ he growled when Kelly opened her mouth to speak. ‘Can’t have you screaming the place down. You’ll ruin everything.’

  ‘Brian, forget her. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘Angel, I’ve waited so long…I can’t take the risk.’ Brian lifted his gun and again pointed it at Kelly.

  ‘No!’ Jordan threw herself in front of Kelly just as the shot sounded…and felt the sudden impact of a hard body slam her into the undergrowth.

  ‘What the fuck!’ Brian screamed.

  Jordan was wondering something similar. As she caught her breath, she realised she was pinned under…Reid. It was Reid. And he wasn’t moving. She felt heat, damp. Warm blood was seeping into her clothing…and it wasn’t hers. Kelly was sobbing.

  Slowly, Jordan slid out from under him and got an elbow underneath her. She stared in horror at Reid’s body, face down on the ground in front of her, heard the loud whoop of excitement from Brian.

  ‘No!’ she whispered in horror.

  ‘Isn’t that just the sweetest thing?’ Brian was cackling. ‘You just got your boyfriend shot! I shot Tallon! This is a good day after all!’

  ‘Reid?’ Jordan touched his shoulder with a trembling hand. ‘Reid?’

  Nothing.

  ‘You’re next, Blondie.’

  Jordan strained to see in the darkness exactly where Reid was shot, but couldn’t. Reluctantly, she dragged her eyes from his prone body and got shakily to her feet. Wavering in front of Kelly, she took a deep breath.

  ‘I won’t let you kill her.’ Her voice was thick with shock, but determined.

  ‘Angel…’

  ‘No. You want me to come with you, you let her go. There’s no way she’ll find her way out of here before first light and you know it. Even if she screams it will take an age for anyone to get here. I’ll come with you, Brian. But only if you let her go.’

  Her whole body shook. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. Her heart was torn in half. She stood her ground.

  They heard footsteps rushing through the trees, saw light from torches dancing, coming closer. Brian lunged forward and grabbed Jordan, dragging her away, firing a couple of shots randomly behind them. Jordan wanted to fight, but could barely keep her legs underneath her. A few steps and she was tripping, falling. Her vision contorted. She sunk into unconsciousness.

  With a very real sense of urgency, Reid forced himself to hold still just long enough. His arm had exploded with the searing pain of the gunshot, but he knew, even lying there, it wasn’t going to be life-threatening. Considering he didn’t have his gun at the ready, that would have changed pretty quickly for him and Kelly if he’d shown any sign of life a moment earlier. As he pushed himself up, his clothing pinched painfully as his shirt stuck to his wound. With a curse, he put some pressure on it for a few seconds, decided that he’d live, and got to his feet.

  ‘Spread out!’ he ordered as the team appeared. ‘Keep in constant radio contact.’ The men took off as ordered and Reid rushed to Kelly to untie her.

  ‘How badly are you hurt?’ Kelly asked him.

  ‘I’ll live. You okay?’

  ‘Yes. Reid…Jordan.’

  ‘I know. I didn’t ha
ve time to draw my gun. I literally found you just as he lifted his.’

  ‘He made her swallow something in a vial.’

  ‘Probably GHB. I should have had someone stay with you. I have to find her.’

  Tony and Rita heard the commotion from a hundred metres away.

  ‘Stay here,’ Tony ordered. ‘I’ve got this.’

  Heart pounding, Rita shook her head and drew her .22. ‘Like hell.’

  ‘At least stay behind me.’

  Every one of Tony’s senses were strained, his movements steady and purposeful as he led with his gun, slipping through the heavy shrubbery in the darkness. A movement caught his peripheral vision and he leapt without thought, taking it down.

  Kelly screamed.

  Swearing violently, Reid sucked in a startled, pained breath and shoved him off. ‘What the —’

  ‘Reid? Kelly?’ Tony asked.

  ‘What’s left of me,’ Reid grumbled. ‘Get off!’

  Tony got to his feet and hugged Kelly hard. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘Yes, but Reid’s been shot.’

  ‘How bad is it?’ he asked Reid.

  ‘A little worse than earlier — thanks to you.’

  ‘Still a smart-arse. Can’t be too bad.’

  ‘I’m glad you’re here. I have to go after Brian and Jordan.’

  ‘Brian’s got Jordan?’ Tony asked sharply. ‘Where’s your team?’

  ‘I told them to spread out, look after Kel.’

  ‘Forget it,’ Kelly quickly replied. ‘I’m coming with you. Don’t argue, we don’t have time.’

  Reid hesitated. ‘Kel —’

  ‘She just put herself between me and a bullet! I’m not leaving until this is done. Now unless you want me to lead…?’

  ‘Which way did they go?’ Rita wanted to know.

  ‘Not sure. I think this way.’ They began to trudge through the forest in single file, silently listening, watching.

  ‘I’m calling the choppers back up,’ Tony told Reid.

  ‘Good idea — shit!’

  Mack launched like a tornado, snarling and barking rabidly and straining against his leash. Reid leapt backwards, knocking into Tony before figuring it out.