Promises in the Dark

by D. K. Hood

  “Give me your phone.” He took it from her, checked the last dialed number, and smiled before dropping it on the table. “So not so smart huh?” He walked around her flicking at her hair. “You’re too old to be one of the brats, too young to be the wife. Just who are you, pretty girl?”

  Scrambling for anything but the truth, she flicked her eyes toward him again. “I’m Abe’s cousin, I came here for school.”

  “When will they be home?” He looked around the kitchen.

  Trembling, Julie sucked in a deep breath. If this was the bomber, he’d want all the family in the house to kill them and she needed time for her dad to get there and save her. “Late, they said around midnight.”

  “Perfect.” The man dropped his backpack on the table, pulled out zip-ties and smiled at her. “Turn around. Hands behind your back.”

  The zip-ties cut deep into Julie’s flesh and when he pushed her into a chair the horror of who was standing before her dropped into place with a tsunami of fear. This had to be the bomber she’d heard her dad discussing with Emily. Teeth chattering and frozen with indecision, she stared hopelessly as he pulled two small devices from the backpack and slapped them underneath the kitchen table, one at each end. She looked at him. “What are you sticking under the kitchen table?”

  “They’re a surprise for when your cousin comes home.” His voice sounded almost conversational. “They come home, carry the kids up to bed, and then come back down for a nightcap, maybe a snack before bedtime. They follow a pattern like most folks. You on the other hand are a bonus I wasn’t expecting.” He waved his gun at her. “You’re coming with me.”

  She had no choice, fighting an armed man was out of the question. If she acted calm, he might not hurt her. “Where are we going?”

  “Not out for pizza, that’s for sure.” He dragged her to her feet and shoved her toward the door. “Make one sound and I’ll cave in your skull. I won’t kill you but as long as you’re breathing, we’ll get along fine.”

  As he propelled her toward the door, she crunched over broken glass and stumbled down the steps. He urged her along the driveway and as they rounded the first bend an old SUV with its nose parked into the trees came into view. “Does that old white SUV belong to you? It’s older than my ride.”

  “I told you to shut your mouth.” He opened the trunk and tossed in his bag.

  She looked over one shoulder at him and the interior light shone on eyes devoid of emotion. “Get inside or I’ll kill you right here and enjoy watching you die.” His words cut through her like a voice from a grave.

  Images of what might happen to her flashed through her mind. Every muscle twitched and her limbs refused to cooperate. The next moment he’d lifted her and hurled her inside. Once her knees had hit the cargo space, pain shot through the back of her head. Lights flashed in her eyes and she vomited bile. She heard him curse and another blow glanced off her ear. She fell forward onto a carpet smelling of dog, her vision blurred, and everything around her spun into a world of black.

  Fifty-Six

  The wail of sirens filled the room and Jenna’s heart missed a beat. It was the sound none of them ever wanted to hear; one of Wolfe’s daughters was in danger. She grasped the phone in trembling fingers and met Kane’s gaze across the table. “Julie.”

  “I’ll track her, you listen. Wolfe will be trying to contact you on the landline.” Kane stared at his screen. “She’s at Glacial Falls.”

  Jenna twisted the tracker ring on her finger, willing her tired mind to act faster. She turned to Jo and Carter, who were looking dumbfounded. “We all have trackers, they’re—”

  When Julie’s voice came through loud and clear detailing the situation, she passed her phone to Jo. “Write everything down, she says.” She turned to Carter. “If this is the bomber, there’s a chance he’ll be heading for the forest.”

  “I’ll go get the chopper.” Carter stood and pushed on his Stetson. “It’s refueled and ready to go but I’ll need your cruiser to get there fast.”

  Jenna threw him the keys. “We’ll meet you on Stanton Road at the turn off to the ski-resort.”

  Carter nodded and ran out the door. Jenna headed for her office and waited. No call from Wolfe. She called him and his phone went to a message, so she called the landline, knowing a light would flash in the laboratory. She waited for a time before he picked up. She didn’t give him time to speak. “Where’s Julie? She triggered her tracker.”

  “She what? She’s babysitting at Abe Coleman’s house.” She could hear Wolfe running to his office and throwing open a drawer. She could hear the same muffled ringtone that came through her own phone. “Oh, Jesus, I hadn’t realized it was so late.”

  “Kane is tracking her, Carter has gone to get the chopper, and Jo is listening in. We have everything covered.” Jenna took a deep breath. “Where did she go?”

  When Wolfe rattled off the address, Jenna made a note. So, there are young kids there as well, how many?”

  “Two.” Wolfe had dropped into a professional zone. “We need to get there now.”

  Jenna nodded. “We’re on our way. I’ll handle the kids. Go and meet the chopper on Stanton at the ski-resort turn off. Carter will need you to track Julie.”

  “Copy.” Wolfe disconnected.

  Jenna ran back to the others and collided with Kane coming out the door. “What’s happened?”

  “He’s set explosives and we’ve just sent our expert to collect a chopper.” Kane grabbed her by the arms. “He’s on the move. The vehicle is moving at speed toward the mountains.”

  Jo came out the room, her face pale. “She’s not saying anything, I think he’s knocked her out. She’s in the back of an old white SUV. That was the last I heard apart from a door slamming. The vehicle is still moving north.”

  Indecision swept over Jenna. She had two major problems: saving Julie and getting the Coleman kids to safety. The weariness had vanished in a surge of adrenalin. She gave herself a mental shake and looked at Jo. “Where will he take her?”

  “Going on the other two, I figure he has a place in the mountains.” Jo looked at Jenna. “What’s the good of the chopper, we can’t land anywhere in the forest?”

  “It’s an FBI chopper, it can drop us down on a harness if necessary and there’s a spot to land in a parking lot on a plateau not far from the Whispering Caves. There’s an old trail down the mountainside we can use.” Jenna turned to Kane. “We need to get over to Glacial Heights to get the kids out the house before he detonates the explosives.”

  “We should have by midnight, that’s when he expects the family to arrive home.” Jo’s eyes flashed with concern. “He’ll probably secure Julie somewhere and return to detonate and watch the explosion.”

  With a plan of action forming inside her head, Jenna grabbed her duty belt from a hook on the wall and abandoned her shoulder holster. “I figure we’ll need everything at our disposal. This guy is very unpredictable and we don’t know what he has in his arsenal. We’ll suit up for a riot. Jo keep listening, Kane come with me, I’ll grab rifles and ammo from my office.”

  “We’ll need Duke.” Kane turned and headed back into the communications room returning seconds later with the bloodhound at his heels. “Zorro has turned into a statue. We’ll have to leave him behind.” He tossed Jenna her jacket and headed for the door pulling on his own. “We’ll suit up at the house.”

  Jenna’s mind was running like a freight train. “We’ll need Rowley to take the kids to safety and contact their parents. They must be in town somewhere.”

  “I’ll call him, you grab the supplies. There are four survival backpacks in the closet in your office, we’ll need them if we’re going into the forest.” Kane pulled out his phone and made the call.

  Loaded for bear, they sprinted out the door and climbed into the Beast. Jenna didn’t have to say a word to Kane, she added the address to the GPS and he took off spinning his wheels. Siren wailing and blue and red lights flashing, they headed through tow
n. The Beast weaved through the Saturday night traffic. The town seemed to be packed to overflowing. Tourists standing in groups on the sidewalk watched in morbid interest as they flashed by. Jenna stared at them, hoping the white-water rapids or the camping and hiking had drawn them here, and not the hope they’d witness another serial killer wreaking havoc.

  They hit Stanton doing ninety and a cold shiver went through Jenna as she stared into the forest. Her stomach cramped with anxiety. Sweet, fun-loving Julie could be trapped somewhere in the deep shadows with a murdering rapist. The Beast accelerated and the trees became a wall of darkness, streetlights flashed by blinking like a don’t walk sign. The vehicles they passed became flashes and as each minute went by, Jenna’s anxiety grew for the girl she regarded as a little sister. It seemed to be taking hours to get to the house but in truth it had been minutes since they left the office. She stared at the GPS on the screen. “Can’t you go any faster?”

  “Not if you’re planning on surviving.” Kane slid between a truck and an eighteen-wheeler and then took off at breakneck speed and overtook a line of traffic. “It’s not far now.”

  Pulling her mind back to the task she turned to look at Jo. “Anything from Julie? Can you hear anything at all? She’s wearing a pendant and you should be able to hear her speaking.”

  “It was very loud at first but she hasn’t said anything else. She’s alive, I can hear her breathing, steady and even, and the sound of an engine. They’re still moving but slower this time.” Jo checked the tracker app on her phone. “They’ve headed into the forest toward the mountain.”

  “She’s unconscious.” Kane glanced at her. “Or she’d be whispering. Those trackers can pick up a pin dropping and she knows it. If he takes her into the caves, we won’t be able to hear her. The mountains cut off all communication signals.” He left Stanton and drifted the Beast around the corner into Glacial Heights. “Give me directions, Jenna.”

  Jenna stared at the screen. “Next left and then it’s the third house along.”

  “You suit up.” Kane glanced at her as they hit the driveway. “I’ll go in and get the kids.”

  Aghast, Jenna stared at him. “Oh sure, send a six-five man wearing black into a kids’ bedroom at night. Somehow, I think you’re going to have a problem. I’ll go. I’ve met Lucy, she came to Anna’s birthday party. You suit up and go see what explosive he fixed to the kitchen table. He doesn’t know we’re here. You should be okay.”

  “Should be huh?” Kane flicked her a glance. “I’m not messing with anything that madman created. I figure we both go and get the kids and hightail it out of here. I’ve met Lucy as well. She’ll recognize me and you can’t carry both at the same time. Julie is getting farther away by the second and she is more important than this damn house. Rowley is right behind us. He was in town having dinner opposite the magistrate and his wife. He’ll be here soon. I told him not to allow them to come to the house.” He pulled up some distance from the front door.

  They all tumbled out the door and pulled on liquid Kevlar vests and helmets. Jenna looked at Jo. “Wait here. Keep listening to Julie.”

  “Okay.” Jo pulled on a helmet. “Go get the kids.”

  As she ran toward the house with Kane, Jenna could make out Julie’s SUV parked outside and the front door standing wide open. She moved her flashlight over the front steps and all around the door. “I can’t see any trip wires.”

  “Me either.” Kane moved ahead of her and took the stairs two at a time. “How do we do this without scaring the kids?”

  Turning on lights as she went, Jenna looked at him. “Keep your voice low and reassuring.” She opened a door with the name “John” in alphabet block figures and as the light from the door flooded the room, she made out a little boy fast asleep. She turned on the bedside lamp, sat down and gave him a little shake. “Hey John, I’m Sheriff Alton, I’m going to take you to your mom and dad.” She picked the little boy up blankets, teddy bear and all and handed him to Kane. “This is Deputy Kane. He’s going to take you downstairs and we’ll take you and Lucy straight to Mommy and Daddy, okay?”

  The little boy said nothing and just burst into tears. Kane looked helpless and made shushing noises as he carried him downstairs. Jenna went to the room marked “Lucy”. She turned on the light and the little girl sat up in bed and stared at her open-mouthed. “Hi Lucy, it’s Jenna, remember me, from Anna Wolfe’s party? You came to my ranch?”

  “Yes.” Lucy stared behind her. “Has something happened to Mommy?”

  Jenna shook her head. “No, your parents are fine and on their way. There’s a problem with the house and you need to leave.”

  “Okay.” Lucy jumped from the bed, pulled on her dressing gown, slipped on her slippers, picked up a fluffy duck, and looked up at her. “I’m ready.”

  By the time Jenna had gotten downstairs, she could hear a siren in the distance. Jo was sitting holding John in the back seat and Kane was behind the wheel of Emily’s SUV and rolling down the driveway. She pushed the little girl into the Beast, climbed behind the wheel and followed him. When Julie’s vehicle was outside the gate, Kane jumped out. She gave him an exasperated look. “You wanted to save that old wreck?”

  “Rowley isn’t here yet, we had time.” Kane leaned into the window and looked at her. “It’s not an old wreck. It just needs a paint job is all. I’m planning on getting to Julie before he hurts her and she’ll need her ride. I found her sweater inside, Duke can use it to find her, if he has her holed up anywhere.” His eyes flashed with anger. “This guy has done enough damage, ruined enough lives. Whatever happens next, I’m going to take him down.”

  Fifty-Seven

  Trying to keep her mind three paces ahead of the speed things were happening wasn’t easy. Time was ticking by and they needed to get to Julie. Jenna ran crime scene tape across the driveway and had tied it off as Rowley arrived with Sandy and the Colemans close behind. They carried the children to their parents and she turned to Rowley. “Escort Mr. Coleman and his family to his parents’ home in Blackwater. Get the Blackwater deputies to stay with them until I give them the all clear. We believe the bomber is heading to the Whispering Caves with Julie.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Rowley frowned. “It’s pitch-black out there. Do you want me to call Atohi, he knows the forest better than anyone I know?”

  Right now, Jenna would take all the help she could get. “Sure, I would welcome his help. Give him the details. I don’t want him walking into a trap.” She stared at the house. “Call the bomb squad from Helena, they’ll have to come by chopper. Tell them our specialist is on another case.”

  “Copy that.” Rowley stepped away to make the call and then walked back to her. “Atohi and his grandfather were heading back to the res, they are about five minutes from the plateau. They’ll take the trail down and meet you at the caves.” He headed to speak to Mr. Coleman.

  Jenna climbed into Kane’s truck. “Let’s go.”

  “Where is Julie now?” Kane set off along Stanton at breakneck speed.

  “Moving at about three miles per hour toward the Whispering Caves.” Jo gave Jenna an anxious look. “He must have been using them all along. How did Rowley miss the signs?”

  Jenna turned in her seat to look at her. “It’s a huge area of catacombs, there are other ways in and out but not many of them are known.” Her phone chimed—it was Wolfe.

  “I’m on Stanton, next to the ski-resort turnoff, I have my flashers on. I can hear a chopper. There’s room for him to land on the road but I need you here now.” Wolfe sounded amazingly calm. “We must board fast before a vehicle comes down the highway.”

  Jenna could see his lights ahead. “We’re two minutes away.”

  They screeched to a stop behind him, Kane took the Beast off road and parked on the edge of the forest. They jumped out, and grabbed Duke and their backpacks. Wolfe was standing beside his SUV, dressed in his Kevlar vest, helmet and carrying a backpack and medical kit. A chopper appeared from above the
trees, its light searching the road. Kane ran out waving his arms. Wolfe leaned inside his SUV, turned off his flashers and slammed the door. As the chopper landed the bright lights of an eighteen-wheeler appeared on the highway coming fast. Air horns screamed in the distance as they rushed to get on board. Deafened by the whoop, whoop, of the chopper’s blades and engine, Jenna could see Kane’s lips moving but his instructions carried away on the wind. Without warning, her feet left the floor as he lifted her and hurled her inside the chopper. Duke slid past her and rolled into the seats followed by backpacks and a medical kit. Jenna scrambled deeper into the cabin as Jo landed sprawling behind her. Terror gripped her as the oncoming eighteen-wheeler’s lights illuminated the cabin, it was right on top of them. Frantic, she stared at the open door for Kane and Wolfe. The chopper shot straight up and then banked to one side sending her sliding toward the open door on her knees. She hooked one arm around a seat and grabbed Duke’s harness. On her other side, Jo was hauling herself into a seat and strapping in.

  The next moment Kane’s head popped into sight. Without effort, he grasped a loop suspended from inside the door of the cab and slid inside. The chopper’s engine roared as they lifted high above the trees. An instant later, Wolfe’s head appeared. He was riding on the skids, his gaze on the eighteen-wheeler passing below them. When Carter hovered above the forest, Kane braced himself legs apart and hauled Wolfe inside. The door slid shut behind them and both men looked at her with raised eyebrows as if surprised to see her hanging on for dear life spread-eagled on the floor, with one hand white knuckled on Duke’s harness. She quickly realized that being in mortal danger in a chopper hundreds of feet in the air was just another day for them. Shaken, Jenna released Duke and crawled to a seat. She stowed her backpack, strapped in, and then attached her headphones. The entire heart stopping pickup had taken less than two minutes.