Behind the Badge

by Susan Sleeman

  “You know, I’m impressed. Despite all of our precautions, you always manage to find me. How do you do it?”

  He chuckled. “A sweet little program downloaded onto your phone when you were up on the hill. It lets me listen in to your calls. Even turn on the speaker whenever I want to see what you’re up to.”

  Why didn’t she think of this? Spyware for cell phones had been in the news lately. She’d read all about it.

  “That when you took my gun, too?”

  “Yes, of course. You really should be more careful with your weapons. Now enough of this chatter. It’s time to go.” His forceful tone sent chills up her spine. “I’m going to slide a blindfold through the grille, Nikki. Tie it tightly in place, then put your hands on the dashboard.”

  Nikki shot Sydney a plea to help her but complied. Sydney wanted to rip her hands from the wheel, spin and slam the gun into this man’s face. But she knew better. Knew he’d fire a shot at Nikki before she could do anything.

  “Good,” he said. “Now your turn, Deputy.”

  She felt the cloth of the blindfold brush against her neck and over her shoulder. She resisted the urge to grab it and toss it to the floor. As much as she didn’t want to, she had to comply with this thug’s demands until she could gain the upper hand.

  Something she had to do, and soon. He’d let them see his face. That meant only one thing. No matter what happened, he planned to kill them both.

  SEVENTEEN

  In the trunk of her car, Sydney shifted into a more comfortable position, if such a position existed with her hands cuffed behind her back and a gag in her mouth. The guy had dragged them out of the car and slapped cuffs on their wrists. He’d searched her for a weapon and her cell phone. Thankfully, she’d dropped it into her backpack, which she’d tossed on the backseat.

  The car slowed and rumbled over ruts as if they navigated a rough driveway. She felt the car wind down a hill, causing her to roll toward the back of the trunk and Nikki to slam into her. They came to a stop. Mere seconds later he hauled out Nikki and slammed the trunk closed.

  Panic settled over Sydney like a wet blanket, stealing her breath and speeding her heart.

  Lord, please don’t let him hurt Nikki. If anyone has to get hurt let it be me.

  Blood pounding in her ears, she listened, hoping to hear footsteps returning for her. It wasn’t long before her wish came true. Except the trunk didn’t open and the car started moving again. He was separating her from Nikki. A smart move for the killer, not a good thing for them.

  When the car hit the main road again, Sydney decided to count and pay attention to turns so she knew how far away he was taking her from Nikki. Two turns, both rights, and about fifteen minutes later, they arrived at another location. She braced herself for what was to come.

  The trunk opened and her captor jerked her out. She struggled against arms of steel clamped around her chest. This maniac held her so tightly she could hardly breathe.

  He dragged her across a yard, up a short flight of stairs and over a threshold. He slammed her down onto a wooden chair and held fast until he’d secured a rope around her chest. Then he bound her legs and finally wound a rope around her stomach.

  She felt him checking the knots, tugging them tight.

  She groaned, but her cries didn’t seem to affect him. He jerked off her blindfold and marched back outside. As her eyes adjusted to the light from the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, she shifted, testing the ropes and trying to loosen them. Her only hope to get free was to find something to slice through them. She searched the small cabin undergoing renovation. A tiny kitchenette was to her back and a combo family room and dining space to her side.

  Her captor’s footfalls came back up the steps. She stilled. He dropped her backpack on the floor near the door. “Wouldn’t do to get caught with this in the car.”

  Odd. Was he planning to leave her here? But why?

  He crossed the room, retrieved a tote bag from a worn plaid sofa and gently set it on the floor next to her chair. He slid the long zipper back and reached into the bag with both hands.

  As she waited to see what he withdrew, her heart raced. He lifted his hands, cautiously extracting something between the zippers.

  She gasped.

  A bomb. He was holding a bomb. It looked like the fake one tossed through the window at the lodge. He rose and looked down on her, a sick smile on his face. She squirmed. Screamed against the gag.

  “I told you the next one would be real,” he said. “I’m going to strap this to your chest. It has a motion sensor. Once I activate it if you move more than a few inches it’ll be the last thing you do. Nod if you understand me.”

  She nodded and he strapped on the bomb. Finished, he activated it and held up a small remote. “FYI, I can also detonate it with this, too.”

  Fear and panic beyond anything she’d ever known slithered over her skin and settled into her stomach. She tried not to let the fear show in her eyes, but she was sure she hadn’t controlled it.

  “This will give you some time to think about turning over the drive.” He spun on his heels. At the doorway, he stopped. “Unless, of course, you want to tell me where it is now.”

  She shook her head. Even if she did have it, once she gave it to him he’d detonate the bomb.

  “You’ve proven to be very resourceful, Deputy. In case you figure out a way to leave, I suggest you think twice, as your sister is wearing an identical device. Wouldn’t want her to get hurt, now would we?” Another sick grin and he flipped off the lights and closed the door.

  Darkness descended, surrounding her with terror. No one but Sarge knew where she’d gone. Even if Russ or Reid got Sarge to tell them about her mother’s house, which she doubted Sarge would do, that information wouldn’t lead them to this cabin. She and Nikki were on their own. Nothing short of a miracle could save them now.

  Russ wanted to do something, anything, but watching the firefighters battle the blaze consumed his thoughts. His little brother, Ryan, a volunteer firefighter for the past few years, looked back at Russ, but his face shield hid his eyes. When Ryan had arrived, his face declared if Sydney was in the house, there was no hope for her. Not that he’d needed Ryan to confirm it.

  Russ was doing a great job of imagining the flash of surprise on Sydney’s face when the bomb exploded. He couldn’t imagine what happened next. That would be too horrible.

  “Hey, bro,” Reid called out as he crossed the street. “Sydney’s cell phone is transmitting a signal.”

  A glimmer of hope flickered to life. “A cell wouldn’t operate in that house.”

  “Exactly.” Reid smiled. “The triangulated location shows the signal moving up the highway leaving Portland and heading east. We have the phone company on standby. They’re pinging her phone so we can tail her. Last ping puts her thirty minutes out.”

  “Let’s go. We’ll push it. Get to her in twenty.” Russ took off for his car, winding though the spectators. Not stopping to apologize when he bumped into them.

  At the car, Reid jerked him to a stop. “Let’s think this through before racing off. Sydney may not have her phone with her. The killer could’ve taken it so she wasn’t able to call for help.”

  “Either way, we need to follow this lead. If she’s in possession of the phone, she could need our help.” Russ’s voice trembled. “If he took her phone, we need to bring him in.”

  “You’re too emotionally involved to make that arrest.”

  “You’re probably right, but I won’t stand around here and wait for Ryan to tell me they found a body in the house.” Russ shrugged off Reid’s hand. “You can come with me, but don’t try to stop me.”

  Russ climbed in and his brother followed suit. Russ wasn’t sure if he wanted his brother to accompany him. If Russ found the killer in the possession of Sydney’s cell, who knew what he might do?

  Russ drove, his mind focused on the road and getting to Sydney as fast as possible, while Reid consulted on speakerpho
ne with his FBI buddy Jack Duger. About twenty minutes ago, the signal had stopped moving. Russ hoped to catch up to Sydney in a few more minutes.

  “Take a left about a mile ahead.” Reid relayed the road name. “A few more miles will put you on a hill overlooking the property.”

  “How about the terrain?” Russ asked.

  “I’m emailing the satellite image now,” Duger answered on speakerphone. “It’ll be hard to view on a cell so let me run down the topography.” He described the hilly terrain, the dense trees and layout of the lot.

  Reid pointed ahead on the road. “That’s our turn.”

  “I’ll let you know as soon as we have anything else,” Duger said.

  “Thanks, buddy,” Reid replied. “Would appreciate it if you’d request backup.”

  “You got it. Good luck.”

  Russ came to a stop at the side of the road. They silently climbed out, located night-vision goggles and binoculars from the trunk, then knelt in the dirt to search the area. If Sydney was in that cabin, there was no sign of her.

  No car. No lights. No person.

  “I don’t know, bro,” Russ said. “Something isn’t right.”

  “Agreed,” Reid answered. “But these are the right coordinates. Maybe the killer drove out here to ditch her phone and lead us down a dead end.”

  “Only one way to find out. I’m going down there.” Russ rose to his feet. “You maintain surveillance. Call me if there’s anything I need to know.” Russ didn’t give Reid a chance to stop him but eased into the scrub.

  He picked his way through dense brush. Even with goggles showing the way, branches clawed at his body, slapping his face. He didn’t care. He had to find Sydney. Alive. He kept going, one foot in front of the other, until he broke into the clearing.

  He phoned Reid. “I’m near the cabin. Anything I need to know?”

  “You’re clear. I’ll cover you.”

  Russ stowed his phone. As quietly as possible, he jimmied the lock on a window and climbed in. He slipped through the house, searching through the goggles’ colored lenses. In the front room, he spotted a woman. From behind, he wasn’t sure of her ID, but she was roped to a chair so he had to assume it was Sydney.

  He wanted to race into the room, drag her into his arms, but this was exactly the kind of mistake Russ couldn’t afford to make. He couldn’t let emotions usurp common sense. Breath held, he searched all the rooms.

  She was alone. Not a very smart move on the killer’s part, but a break for Russ. He returned to the main room.

  “Sydney,” he said, his voice low to keep from startling her. “Are you alone?”

  She nodded, but said nothing. He flipped on his Maglite and lifted the goggles as he rounded her chair.

  He sucked in a deep breath. Thought his heart might stop beating. A bomb strapped to her chest rose and fell with her breathing. Her terrified eyes were wide; a drab scarf circled her mouth.

  He lifted a hand. Let it fall. Could he touch her or would that set off the bomb?

  “You think it’s safe to remove your gag?” he asked.

  She gave a slight nod.

  He went to the wall and switched on the light, returned and gently untied the scarf. She gagged as he withdrew it.

  “Thank God you found me.” Her voice was dry, raspy. “After our argument I didn’t know if you would look for me.”

  Her comment cut him to the core. He only hoped he could undo the damage his rash behavior had caused.

  “I’m sorry for everything I said, Syd. You did the right thing listening to Krueger about the gun. I was out of line.” He knelt on the floor, gently stroking her arm. “I care far too much about you to let a silly disagreement come between us.”

  “That’s what I hoped for, prayed for, even, as I sat here in the dark listening to every sound, waiting to be blown apart.” Her face constricted as if reliving the experience.

  He wanted to hold her, to promise she’d never be hurt again, but the bomb stood between them.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He reached out to untie her ropes.

  “No! Don’t do anything else. The bomb has a motion sensor on it. It’ll go off if I move more than a few inches. Plus there’s a remote detonator.” Panic filled her eyes. “And the killer has Nikki with another bomb. He split us up. Dropped me off here then took off.”

  Russ fought to stay calm. To ask the right questions. “How did he manage to abduct both of you?”

  “It’s my fault. When Sarge came to Claudia’s, I convinced him to give me a ride home so I could find Nikki. I checked her phone log. She called Mom. I figured since she lived a mile or so from the safe house, that’s where Nikki went. So I went there to bring her back to my office for safety.” Her voice shook. “When we got in the car, he was waiting for us. He demanded I give him a flash drive he claimed I took from Dixon’s house.”

  “All of this is about a flash drive?”

  She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about what must be on it. My best guess says it has something that can lead us to Dixon’s superiors.”

  “And that means very dangerous men are after you.” Russ exhaled and thought about what to do next. “Our best bet is to find the thug who took you. Can you identify him?”

  “I don’t know him. I can give you a description, but he’s not the only one involved. He mentioned another man. Said I’d find out about him soon enough.”

  “Let’s get Reid in on this. He’s up the hill.” Russ jerked his phone from the holder and pressed the speaker button. Using a professional tone that wouldn’t amp up Sydney’s fear, Russ told his brother about the bomb and Nikki. “We need the bomb squad and a team to locate Nikki.” He paused and looked at Sydney. “Any idea of Nikki’s location?”

  “Sort of. She’s about fifteen minutes away. Take a left out of the driveway, then drive for about ten minutes until you come to a big hill. Then take another left. I can’t tell you the speed we were going so I know this isn’t very accurate, but it’s the best I could do.”

  “What about issuing an APB for our suspect?” Reid asked. “He should be easy to spot in Sydney’s car.”

  “No!” Sydney shouted.

  “He has a remote detonator.” Russ kept his tone calm. “If we try to take him, he might use it. We’re better off waiting until this bomb is defused.”

  Reid promised to arrange the necessary resources and keep Russ updated before he clicked off.

  Russ stowed his phone, keeping his eyes on Sydney. He couldn’t imagine how she felt with enough C4 strapped to her chest to take out this cabin and the surrounding area. He felt as helpless as he had when he’d approached her house and it exploded. Her house. He had to tell her about that.

  “There’s something else I need to tell you.” When he finished filling her in about the explosion, she didn’t say anything but began to shiver.

  “Don’t, Syd.” He softly stroked her knee.

  “I know I should be strong, but honestly, the academy didn’t prepare me for any of this.”

  “Nothing could. But it’ll be okay. I promise.” He didn’t know how he could make such a statement when so many things could still go wrong, but he couldn’t stand to see her suffer any longer.

  She took several deep breaths and sighed. “You need to leave in case this thing goes off.”

  “I won’t leave you, Syd.”

  “Please. I can’t relax if you’re in danger.”

  He laughed and scooted closer to her. “I’m pretty sure you won’t relax even if I leave you alone.”

  “You know what I mean. I can get through this if it’s just me, but it’s almost like I can’t breathe when someone I care about is threatened.”

  Their eyes met. He could see the fear lodged in hers. Fear for him, if he could believe what she’d said, but did he deserve to have this fabulous woman care for him?

  The bomb made a loud clicking noise, sending panic through his heart. Homemade bombs malfunctioned all the time. He had to get her out of her
e before this thing went off.

  He gave her hand a final squeeze and stood to pace and think. His cell rang. He snatched it, hoping Reid was calling to tell him the bomb squad was on their way.

  “Someone’s turning into the driveway.” Reid’s words rushed out. “None of our guys are on scene yet, so it has to be the suspect. You need to get out of there.”

  “I can’t leave Sydney.”

  “If you don’t turn off that light and leave, you may spook this guy. He’ll trigger the remote.”

  Russ knew Reid was right, but he hated every bit of it. Telling Sydney what was going on, he jogged across the room and flipped off the light switch. He retrieved his goggles and found his way to her with his Maglite.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered and ran a hand over her soft hair. He bent lower and found her lips, letting his feelings for her transfer through his kiss.

  She responded then pulled away. “You have to go.”

  “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “You have to. I’ll be fine.”

  “I love you, Syd.” He retied her gag so the killer didn’t know he’d been there.

  Hands shaking with frustration, he turned off his light, lowered the goggles and exited the way he’d come in. He slipped around the side of the cabin. The approaching vehicle was a county cruiser, a male driving. Sydney said the killer had taken her car, so this guy was likely the killer. He pulled a mask down over his face before Russ could get a good look at him.

  Odd. Sydney had seen the killer, so why hide his face now?

  Russ watched as the guy climbed out and entered the cabin. He didn’t have Nikki with him, but she could be in the car. Russ made his way across the grass to check. He searched the vehicle, but didn’t find her. He did get a good look at the vehicle’s ID though. This was a county vehicle, but it wasn’t Sydney’s car.

  So was this the killer or not? Sydney had said more than one man was involved, so maybe that explained why this guy had put on a mask. Maybe, just maybe, he couldn’t trigger the bomb and Russ could take him out. He called Reid to give him the car’s ID so he could look in a notebook where Russ kept all local LEOs’ car IDs.