“How long will it take?”
She shrugged. “Won’t know till I get started.”
“Then go for it.”
Waiting to see the videos would feel like an eternity. Rick had to keep busy. But how, when all he could think about was Olivia bound, maybe gagged, in an abandoned mine? Terrified. Panicked. Maybe crying. Wondering where he was. Why he didn’t come for her.
God, please. You proved your point. I’m helpless. Don’t punish Olivia because I was too dumb to see that I needed You. Show me what to do.
He resumed pacing. Thought about jumping into his truck and driving up to the foothills. But if she was in a mine, she was underground. Sure, they might be able to follow the killer’s truck, but these mines were well off the beaten path. If their suspect wasn’t there right now, how would they know which mine he’d put her in? Know where to begin to look for her?
He charged over to Cal. “We’re going to need a way to locate Olivia underground.”
“Ground-penetrating radar?” Cal suggested. “But it’s known to return a lot of false positives, so it could take some time.”
“We don’t have time. We need something better, but what?” Rick racked his brain trying to come up with something. He had to find her. “That’s it. FINDER.”
“What?” Cal asked.
“Remember that demonstration we had of FINDER a few months back? FINDER, the acronym for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response equipment developed by NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.”
“The equipment that can locate heartbeats under rubble,” Kaci clarified. “But what if she’s d— No. I’m sorry, Rick. I shouldn’t even think that way. We’ll find her alive.”
Rick ignored the comment to keep them focused. Maybe to keep himself from thinking that FINDER wouldn’t help if there was no heartbeat to pick up. “I have a contact on a local search-and-rescue team who tested a FINDER prototype in exchange for keeping the equipment. I’ll give him a call, but we should locate a source for ground-penetrating radar, too.”
“I can do that,” Cal offered. “We’ll want the best machine, so I’ll look for archaeologists in the area first.”
Law enforcement agencies sometimes owned GPR, but their equipment wasn’t of the quality that an archaeologist’s would be.
“FYI, Rick,” Kaci said, her focus still on her laptop, “FINDER is computer controlled. We’ll need your friend to give us a quick tutorial when he drops it off.”
“I’ll arrange it.” Rick got his contact on the phone and explained the situation. “We need the equipment ASAP.”
“No problem,” his contact said. “But you know this equipment isn’t easily replaced, and my boss will require me to keep it in sight at all times.”
“We can work that out when you get here,” Rick replied, though he didn’t intend to take a search-and-rescue guy along just to expose him to a .50-caliber bullet to the gut.
* * *
Lumpkin County, Georgia
4:20 p.m.
A battery-powered lantern visually warmed the mine, but dampness from the cold floor seeped into Olivia’s body. Her bones, her head, her chest all ached. To get warm she’d need to move. She’d tried. Once. Gotten up only to have Ike shove her back to the ground. There she’d been for hours. Knees tucked up. Time ticking slowly by. No idea how to escape.
She rested her chin on her knees.
Think, Olivia. Think.
She closed her eyes, but grogginess tried to take her. She snapped her head up. Heard footsteps thumping from the tunnel. A beam of light spilled through the entrance, growing larger and larger.
Ike shot to his feet and pointed his handgun at the tunnel. Virgil emerged, a frown on his face.
Ike sagged against the wall and shoved his gun into his belt. “Where have you been?”
“Chill. Rain caused an accident and closed the road for a while. I couldn’t get back here.”
“Any law enforcement people sniffing around up top?” Ike asked.
“None, but the meet’s up in the air. They said for you to get your butt on a video call or the deal’s off.”
Ike swore, and his eyes narrowed into dark slits.
Perfect. This setback would buy her more time. Maybe even cancel the sale of the weapon.
“No Wi-Fi here.” Ike seemed to be thinking through his problem aloud. “I’ll have to head into town to make the call.” His gaze moved to her, appraising her for a long moment before turning back to Virgil. “I’ll go. You stay with her.”
“You know I can hardly breathe down here,” Virgil whined. “You promised I wouldn’t have to stay for long. I’m sure as shootin’ not sittin’ here for hours.”
Ike ran a hand over his oily hair, then scrubbed his palm down his jeans. “We’ll secure her to the bolts. You can hang outside.”
“In the rain?”
“Do you always have to be such a big baby?”
“Maybe,” Virgil sneered. “But you need me.”
“Fine. Let me get her secured, and you can come with me.” Ike stomped to his backpack and pulled out the dreaded zip ties.
Olivia’s wrists were still raw, and she couldn’t imagine the hard plastic digging into the open wounds. “You don’t have to use those.”
Ike rolled his eyes. “Face me and move against the wall.”
She ignored him. He slammed a boot into her side, ground in the steel toe. A scream sounded in her mind, but she kept it from reaching her mouth. Creeps like him took pleasure in hurting others, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Right,” he said. “You’re such a tough girl. Let’s see if you can handle another one without crying out.”
“Wait,” she said. “I’m moving.” She couldn’t let him continue to hurt her. She had to protect herself so she was physically able to escape. She scooted to the wall.
“Move closer to me,” he demanded.
She slid ahead, stopping at a metal eyebolt protruding from the rock wall and a mound of shards and dust lying below. He’d obviously installed the bolt for such an occasion.
“Hands behind your back,” he commanded. “Unless, of course, you want to feel my other boot.”
She leaned forward and clasped her hands together as directed. He snapped the rigid plastic around one wrist. Pain sizzled up her arm. His fingers fumbled to slip the tie through the bolt and fix it to her other wrist. He dropped it, and his curses echoed through the space.
“C’mon. Quit messing around.” Virgil tugged at his collar.
“Zip tie’s too short,” Ike said. “You’ll have to stay.”
“No way, man.” He shot across the space. “Cuff her in the front. That way her hands can be closer to the wall.”
“You’re not so dumb when fear motivates you to think.” Ike grinned at his buddy, then glared down on her. “Do as he said.”
She gladly shifted, putting her body parallel to the wall and holding out her hands before Ike realized he could connect two ties together and still bind her hands behind her back. This angle would be more comfortable and would give her a better chance to escape.
He secured her wrists to the eyebolt, then bound her ankles, jerking the tie tight enough to dig into her skin and cut off circulation.
She bit down on her lip so she didn’t cry out.
He withdrew a nasty bandanna from his backpack and tossed the pack to the ground by her feet. “Can’t have you screaming for help.”
“I won’t.” She gagged looking at the soiled rag. “Please don’t put that thing on me.”
“Have to,” he said.
She clamped her lips down tight.
“Don’t fight me, or I won’t leave you with the headlamp. Then you’ll be in the dark.”
She’d rather have a nasty gag than sit underground in the dark, so she opened her mouth. He tied the filthy rag around her head, pulling hard and tearing at the sensitive corners of her mouth, adding to the throbbing in her head that was making her nauseous.
She breathed in and out through her nose until the feeling passed.
“Now don’t go trying to pull on your zip ties. It won’t do any good. And I’ve already told you these walls aren’t stable. The wrong kind of movement could start a cave-in.” He ripped off her headlamp and patted her on the head. “That’s a good girl.”
What? If she didn’t have the stupid gag in her mouth, she would spew anger at him. Okay, fine. She was angrier with herself than with him. She should have known better than to trust a thief and killer.
He strapped the light on his head and switched off the lantern. Steeped in darkness, the space seemed to shrink in size, like a dark coffin. Her pulse kicked up.
“Be back in a few hours,” he said. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He laughed, the sound reverberating off the walls, then trailing him down the corridor. The light from their headlamps soon evaporated. Darkness settled in like a black cloak covering her head. The eerie quiet was deafening. Claustrophobic.
What if they were killed in a car accident and didn’t make it back? Or what if they just decided to leave her here?
No one knew she was buried deep in the earth.
No one. No one at all.
Chapter 30
Canton, Georgia
6:00 p.m.
Rick slammed a fist into the wall of Ike Zelner’s dilapidated house, catching the attention of his teammates. He didn’t care. They’d struck out again. The traffic cam had revealed a large white truck, and they’d caught Zelner’s license plate. So they’d rushed to his house, but he wasn’t home. They’d turned the house upside down for a lead. Discovered nothing other than that he was a former marine. Sure, that could potentially connect him to the investigation, but it wasn’t concrete proof that he was the killer who’d taken Olivia.
Still, Rick’s gut screamed they were on the right track. Zelner’s DMV picture came to mind, and Rick could just imagine the narrow-eyed guy holding Olivia. He punched the wall again, relishing the pain in his knuckles.
Cal stepped over to him. “Hey, man. Take it from me. That won’t help.”
A year ago Cal had been in a similar situation when a crazed bomber had taken his wife hostage. Back then, Rick had told Cal to calm down. Now he needed to take his own advice. “I guess the shoe’s on the other foot.”
“So you are in love with Olivia.” Brynn stepped across the room. “It looked like it, but then—”
“We never know with you,” Kaci said from the other side of the room, where she sat at the table with her computer. “And none of us was about to ask.”
Rick didn’t take offense at her statement. For years he’d made sure that they understood his private life was off limits, but now the personal had mixed with work, and he needed their help. “We’ve got to find her.”
“We will,” Cal said. “If we stay calm and think this through like any other investigation.”
“Let’s run what we know,” Brynn said. “Make a plan.”
Rick nodded, but took a moment to clear his anguish so he could think clearly. “Okay. So we know the truck headed up US 19. Perhaps to an abandoned mine. It was last seen at the intersection camera fifteen miles south of Dahlonega. But didn’t appear on the first Dahlonega camera. So it had to have turned off or stopped somewhere in that fifteen-mile stretch.”
Rick’s phone rang.
“It’s Max,” he said, and answered. “Got you on speaker, Max.”
“First, I wanted to let you know Shane’s more alert, and the doctor’s very optimistic about a full recovery.”
“That’s great news,” Brynn said, and the others murmured their agreement.
“Second, it looks like Zelner is indeed our guy.”
“How do you know?” Rick asked, hope making a comeback.
“Now that I have a contact at the marines, I got him to rush me Zelner’s SRB. He was in the ’03 sniper class, but washed out. The file said he had ongoing difficulties in playing nice with others and let his attitude sink him.”
“He could blame the other class members for his failure,” Rick said. “And the murders are payback.”
Cal shook his head. “If Shane was here, he’d tell us that wasn’t enough of a reason to commit murder. That there has to be more to it. Like Zelner was already mentally unstable.”
“His SRB hints at that,” Max said. “But my question is why wait years to start killing when he possessed enough training to take them out sooner?”
“Maybe we’re wrong, and it’s not about the past,” Cal suggested. “He could be part of the group selling weapons. If they stole the smart bullet, he could be trying to keep all the money for himself.”
“No,” Rick said. “I refuse to believe that Levi would be a part of selling such a deadly weapon.”
“That seems odd to me, too.” Kaci looked up from her computer. “Zelner’s name wasn’t mentioned in the senator’s information, so maybe there’s no connection between the smart-bullet theft and the sniper group selling other weapons.”
“We have James and Patton in custody and can question them,” Max said. “But so far they’ve been uncooperative.”
“And Floyd?” Cal asked. “We any closer to finding him?”
“No,” Max said. “With the number of agents looking for him, I’m starting to think he’s dead, too.”
“Yes!” Kaci pumped her fist. “I just located a cell phone for Zelner. Max, can you get the phone company to ping it?”
“Do you think the guy would be dumb enough to continue using his cell instead of buying a throwaway?” Rick asked. “I mean, if he’s the one who deployed the ransomware, he has to be knowledgeable enough to get a burner, right?”
“I just looked at the coffee shop video, and Zelner isn’t in it,” Kaci said. “So we have no proof he deployed it. The ransomware might not be related to these shootings either.”
“Plus if he is using his cell, he wouldn’t be the first suspect we’ve tracked to miss the obvious,” Max said. “I’ll give the phone company a call. Our exigent circumstances should get them to release the data with a promise of a warrant to follow.”
“Call back the second you know anything, Max.” Rick disconnected. “Since we last saw Zelner’s vehicle near Dahlonega, we have to think that’s where his phone will ping. I’ll head that direction, and Kaci will come with me. Brynn and Cal, I want you to stay here in case he returns home.”
Rick received a surprised look from Kaci. He didn’t waste time explaining that he wanted to give her a chance to be in on the bust so she could feel like the hero for once, but jogged to the car. He got them on the road and drove as fast as the rainy conditions allowed.
“I have Zelner’s online phone account.” Kaci opened her laptop. “And I’ll try to hack it in case Max isn’t successful with the phone company.”
Rick left her to do her thing until they approached the intersection where the traffic cam had last recorded Zelner’s truck. Sunset was still an hour or so away, but the skies were gray with dark clouds, making it hard to see.
He grabbed his binoculars and handed them to Kaci. “This is our intersection, so look alive.”
She glassed the area, and Rick kept his head on a swivel. With each passing mile and no sign of the truck, his hopes dwindled. No. He had to stay positive. They had the tools needed and would locate her. Cal had secured GPR, and the FINDER unit had been delivered before they’d set out for Zelner’s house. It had taken a few minutes of fast talking to get his contact to hand it over, but he’d finally agreed, and the unit sat in the back of Rick’s SUV along with the GPR.
Rick’s phone rang with Max’s tone. Rick hit the speaker button.
“Phone company came through, and I have Zelner’s GPS coordinates. He’s just off US 19.”
“Text them to me,” Kaci said. “And I’ll get directions.”
“Send Brynn and Cal as backup to that location.” Rick hung up and waited for Kaci’s phone to ding. When it did, he almost came off the s
eat.
Calm down, he warned himself as she tapped her screen.
“He’s nearby,” she said. “But we passed the turnoff. Hang a U-turn at the next exit, and I’ll give you directions.”
Rick’s gut clenched. Sure, they now knew Zelner’s location, but it could also mean they were about to find out that they were too late to stop him from killing Olivia.
* * *
Lumpkin County, Georgia
6:30 p.m.
Olivia ignored the dark, the panic, and assessed her situation. She had little range of movement, but she could curl forward enough to jerk the dirty bandanna from her mouth. She tried to gather enough saliva to spit out the sour taste, but her mouth was too dry. She turned her attention to the eyebolt. Too bad she couldn’t see it, but she knew Ike had secured each hand individually to the bolt, giving her more flexibility.
She grasped the cold steel and twisted. No movement.
“Try harder.”
She gripped the bolt tighter. Turned. Movement? Maybe a fraction of an inch. She tried again. Felt it budge. Kept at it. Turn after turn. No real movement. She couldn’t get the right leverage, so her hands were sliding over the metal.
“So now what?” she asked to stave off panic.
She closed her eyes to think. If anyone could see her sitting in the dark with her eyes closed, they’d think she was nuts, but choosing her own darkness rather than letting the actual darkness choose her was the only thing keeping her from giving in to the panic. She ran through the hours she’d spent in the tunnel, trying to come up with anything that could help.
A flash of Ike dropping the backpack by her feet came to mind.
“That’s it!” It could contain tools. If she scooted forward, she could hook the pack with her feet, then move it up to her hands. Never had her daily yoga been more important. It gave her the core and leg strength to succeed.
She slid forward until her feet touched the canvas. Twisting on her side, she scooped with her feet and drew her knees closer until the rough canvas lay beneath her fingers.
Kill Shot Page 31