Sunrise Crossing

by Jodi Thomas

  “But why?” Clint asked. “If he wanted to kidnap her, he could have done it that night in the rain.”

  No one had the answer.

  Fifth added one more fact. “If Gabe’s out there and he has Tori, he’s armed. He’s ex–army ranger, so if he’s our kidnapper, he won’t be easy to capture.”

  The sheriff stood. “Call in backup. Order roadblocks on all four major highways. Notify every law-enforcement agency. We’ve got a full-scale kidnapping on our hands and our only hope is finding them before they have time to get out of the county.”

  Yancy backed away from the others. Nothing made sense. If the professor was the kidnapper, that meant he already had Tori when he’d shown up at the retirement center with all the flowers in his car. Why would he want them delivered to someone who he knew wasn’t at the farm?

  Unless he wanted everyone who cared about Tori in one place. Or, more important, out of his way.

  Yancy swore his brain was about to explode. He couldn’t tell the others his theory. Hell, it didn’t make any sense even to him. If he told them and they reconsidered the professor as a suspect, and he was guilty, Yancy might have cost them valuable time.

  It occurred to him that everyone in the room had a job to do but him.

  If the professor was trying to distract them or get them all in one place, maybe the best thing for Yancy to do was be somewhere else.

  If the professor had nothing to do with the kidnapping, maybe he could help. Tori had liked him. Maybe the best thing Yancy could do right now was find the professor.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  FIFTH FLEW INTO action like a quarterback in the last two minutes of the Super Bowl. Within an hour he had everything about Gabe Santorno mass-emailed to every law-enforcement office in the state. He’d printed maps and passed them out to a dozen teams from other sheriff’s offices. The highway patrol had set up roadblocks. Alerts were being posted.

  Since Yancy still had Gabe’s car, the suspect would have had to steal a vehicle to get out of the county. That would take time, especially if he was weighted down with a woman. With luck, he was still in the county.

  Fifth could hear Parker in the other room, talking to her office and the press. By noon every station for a hundred miles around would have the details about Victoria Vilanie. She’d come to Texas to paint, but her parents panicked and offered a reward to have her back. Someone kidnapped her for the money. No, she wasn’t on drugs. No, she wasn’t suicidal. In fact, she’d been living quietly, being the most creative ever.

  Parker knew how to spin the story to make everyone care and hopefully make everyone want to help.

  By noon Pearly stopped answering calls on the sheriff’s phone. Fifth thought of yelling at her because if the sheriff’s line didn’t pick up, all calls were passed to his phone, but when she brought him coffee, he reconsidered.

  “Thanks,” he said, surprised. In two years she’d never even offered to hand him a pack of sugar when she delivered the sheriff’s coffee.

  “Calm down, Deputy. It may be a long day. I’ve been around long enough to know that nothing happens for a long stretch then everything seems to happen at once.” She still didn’t sound too friendly. “If you explode it’ll make a terrible mess.”

  “I should be in the field searching, not stuck here.”

  “Right.” She stood at attention. “Me, too.”

  Fifth almost choked on his coffee. The thought of Miss Pearly running around with a weapon in her hand was a nightmare.

  She patted him on the back, as if that would help. “Don’t worry. Any leads will come in here first. When the call we’re waiting for comes in, I’ll man the phones and you go get that son of a bitch who kidnapped our little artist.”

  Fifth raised an eyebrow. Now Tori belonged to the town? When had that happened? Hell, he’d been here two years and no one had ever referred to him as “our little deputy.”

  “Keep the coffee coming,” he said to Pearly. “I’ll help you man the home front until we get a lead. Then I’ll be on the road.”

  She raised one hand. Every long nail was painted a different color. “I’m on guard.”

  Fifth went back to work, feeling like the lone settler in the middle of a raging prairie fire with no one near but a squirrel.

  A few minutes later when the press crews showed up, he was surprised at just how well the squirrel could handle herself.

  Between Pearly and Parker, who appeared to have been born with a press-handling gene, the camera crews were all given packets and pictures of Tori in her plaid shirt and jeans. She was smiling from the porch of Parker’s house.

  “It’s just a shot I took with my cell phone, but if we blast it out, there is a good chance someone, somewhere will remember that they’ve seen her.”

  Fifth had never met Tori, but if she had friends like Yancy and Parker, she must be something.

  “The team found blood in the field!” Pearly yelled. “The sheriff wants you there, Deputy Weathers.”

  Fifth shot out of the office so fast he almost knocked a group of reporters down. He heard them yelling and complaining, but Pearly shouted over them all, “If you don’t want to get plowed over, get out of our deputy’s way!”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Madness

  TORI HAD BEEN in the trunk of the car for what felt like hours. Her face hurt. Blood still dripped from her lip. She was lying on something that was cutting painfully into her hip. She was thirsty and frightened and alone.

  Finally, she heard someone unlocking the trunk.

  Tori didn’t move. She had no way of knowing if she’d been rescued or the man with the beefy fist was back. She hadn’t seen his face, but she knew it would be one of a monster.

  “You still alive in there, girl?” he yelled as he poked her hard in the chest with a couple of his thick fingers.

  She jerked but didn’t make a sound.

  “Good. We’re about to head out and I want to make a few things clear. I’m getting paid the same amount no matter what shape you’re in. You cooperate and don’t make a sound and I’ll stop somewhere before dawn and let you have a drink, maybe go pee in the bushes. You cause me any trouble, you’ll be sorry.” He laughed. “I guess you already learned that lesson.”

  This time, as if just for a reminder, he hit her in the stomach so hard she feared he might have broken her bottom rib. “I’m not putting up with any crap, you understand?”

  He patted her middle, where his fist had landed. “That oughta take some of the starch out of you. I find if I have a nice talk first it saves time later. And don’t even think about running or I’ll break one of your legs.”

  She kicked at him, but only ended up hurting her foot on the side wall of the trunk.

  The kidnapper laughed. “After you bump along on these back roads for a few hours you won’t be so playful.” He slapped at her head, batting it back and forth inside the bag until she stopped struggling. “I like hitting you when you’re all covered up. This way I don’t have to see the blood.

  “Now go to sleep, Victoria,” he said as he grabbed her ankle. “We’ve got a long ride and I don’t want to hear a word out of you.” He twisted her leg as if it were a twig. “I could snap these bones without half trying, girl. You cause me any more trouble and you’ll be limping the rest of your life.” He swore. “That is, if you don’t bleed to death. Rumor is your folks don’t much care if you come back alive or dead.”

  “Yancy,” she whispered. “Yancy.”

  “No one’s coming to get you, girl.” The man shook her leg, as if making sure she had no more fight in her. Each jerk made her land on the sharp object below her hip. “You’re going back where you belong. I ain’t going to kill you unless you die easy.”

  “Go to hell!” she shouted, a moment before his fist sl
ammed into the side of her head, ending all thought.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  HOURS PASSED BEFORE Gabe finally found the right road. Half-dried mud clods were scattered on it, the way they did when a muddy vehicle clambered over an old cattle guard. Mud from a freshly plowed field where Tori had been kidnapped. The car had to have turned off here, but why? The road looked so rarely traveled he could see the tracks in the dust of a dozen days.

  The sun was long past noon, and so bright with spring it turned the land almost copper. Gabe had heard a few sirens and knew the lawmen were doing their jobs. Everyone with a badge would be out hunting for Tori. Making enough noise, causing enough excitement to keep the snakes in their holes for a while.

  Gabe was concerned with only one snake. He’d seen him for only a few seconds, but he knew the make of the man. The patrols might be looking, but they’d never notice this old dirt trail that turned off a deserted road near the canyon. There must have been hundreds of trails like this along the canyon rim. Gabe knew, because he’d traveled several since dawn.

  A few miles northeast of Yancy’s place, tucked away on rugged ground, was an abandoned farm that nature seemed to have reclaimed. Little more than a lean-to of a barn was still standing, but the house looked like it had burned years ago and no one bothered to rebuild.

  The bounty hunter had found the perfect place. If he went out the back of the barn on foot, he didn’t have to go near a road. He could drop into the canyon, cross through a lake community and be in town within minutes.

  Gabe moved like a man trained to be invisible. All mannerisms of the bumbling professor who walked as if older than his years were gone now. He moved like a trained hunter, aware of everything around him.

  He knew he was in the right location and he needed to be on full alert. One moment’s slip might cost Tori’s life. He saw a few primitive trip wires that would warn the kidnapper that someone was approaching. They were designed as warning devices, not as protection. Gabe stepped over them, leaving them untouched.

  As he suspected, the barn hid the small gray car. The bounty hunter could have driven into town days before without anyone living close enough to see him coming or going. The man would have been able to hike into Crossroads unnoticed when he followed Tori.

  Inside the barn, the kidnapper had set up a tent, and it looked like he had everything he needed to camp out. Only, thanks to the barn, he had a roof over his head, as well.

  The only disadvantage to building this kind of hideout was that it took a while to pack up and leave. Gabe spotted his prey walking the edge of the canyon, picking up traps he’d set.

  All Gabe had to do was watch for his opportunity, slip in and find Tori. Once he had her and he knew she was okay, he’d figure out the rest of the plan.

  When Gabe flattened against the outside wall of the barn, he could hear a radio. The guy was listening in on the police frequency, but he was too far out to get a clear signal or maybe his equipment was old.

  Gabe moved to where he could see inside the barn and still have his eyes on the hunter by the canyon.

  One inside wall held maps of the area. From the looks of it, the hunter was planning to travel only back farm-to-market roads to get away. It was a gamble. He was far less likely to be stopped, but if he was spotted on a back road, he’d be far more likely to be searched.

  Gabe hated it, but he knew he had to wait. It would be suicide to charge the place now. He’d wait for his chance. If it didn’t come, and the man climbed into the driver’s seat, he’d have one, maybe two shots before the car got past him. But if he shot the driver then, he’d be putting Tori in great danger, because she’d be rolling around right next to the gas tank. If he missed and the car got by, Gabe would lose Tori. Correction: Yancy would lose Tori.

  Gabe wasn’t about to let that happen.

  The big guy finally came back. He unscrewed the plates from the car and stuffed them in his jacket. Gabe smiled. The hunter was taking the time to go after local plates. A good move on his part and a great opportunity for Gabe. The kidnapper wouldn’t risk stepping foot on the working farm next door or being caught jogging into town. The only option was to head east and climb down into the valley where a small lake was located.

  This time of day, there wouldn’t be many people at home in the lake houses. Maybe he’d get lucky and find a license plate right away, but even if he was fast it would still take him thirty minutes. By that time, Gabe could have Tori out of there and moved to safety.

  Gabe kept low as the hunter did exactly what he thought the man would do. He went out the back of the barn, where no one would see him from the road or from the only farm around. Gabe could barely see him moving across the field, keeping low, blending into the landscape. As soon as he was out of sight, Gabe slipped into the barn.

  The car’s trunk was locked. It took him two, maybe three minutes to find something to pop the lock.

  When he opened the trunk, Tori didn’t move and Gabe feared he was looking at a body wrapped up, ready to bury. For one long heartbeat he feared he was too late. She was already dead. Then she twitched slightly, and Gabe sighed with relief.

  He worked the knots on the bag tied at her middle. They’d been jerked so tightly they wouldn’t give. Gabe pulled his knife from the strap around his left calf and cut the ropes. Then he lifted the heavy material away from her body and ran his knife up, slicing the thick bag open.

  The sight before him turned his stomach. Tori’s beautiful long hair was wet and matted with blood. Her face was bruised so badly he almost didn’t recognize her.

  “Tori, honey.” Gabe kept his voice low. “Can you hear me? Can you wake up?” He moved his hand lightly over a wound on the side of her head. It wasn’t deep, but she’d need stitches.

  She jerked. “No,” she mumbled. “Stay away. Don’t hit me again.”

  “Tori, it’s the professor. Remember me? I’m here to help you the way you helped me when I fell in the ditch.”

  “No. Don’t touch me. No!” She started to cry.

  Gabe reached for his phone. He needed help. If he forced Tori, he might hurt her more. Right now she didn’t want to go anywhere with him and he had only minutes to get them both away from this place.

  He dialed the number he’d recorded for Yancy from the retirement center’s office.

  Some old guy answered on the third ring. “Cap here.”

  “Cap.” Gabe tried to keep his voice calm. “This is Professor Santorno. Is Yancy around?”

  “Nope, haven’t seen him.”

  “If you can get ahold of him have him call me. I’ve got something he’s lost. He’ll want to know I have it.”

  “I’ll try, Dr. Santorno, but we don’t usually try to keep up with him. He’s probably out searching for that missing girl.”

  “It’s important,” Gabe interrupted.

  “I’m on it. I’ll call around until I find him,” Cap answered and hung up.

  Gabe turned back to the girl his son loved. “Tori,” he tried again. “Tori. It’s me—the professor. We have to get out of here before the guy who kidnapped you comes back.”

  One of her eyes was swollen shut and the other was tightly closed. Whatever she’d suffered through must have been bad and she didn’t want to see anything more. He gently moved his hand down her side and felt blood soaking her jeans near her left hip and at the small of her back.

  Gabe pulled a small camping shovel out from under her and fought down an oath that would have frightened her. If it took him a day or a year, he’d come back and find this bounty hunter and make him pay.

  “Tori. Open your eyes.”

  “No. The world is black. All black.” She curled into a ball. “Don’t touch me. Don’t hurt me.”

  Gabe cupped her face as gently as he could. “Tori, look at me! Please, look at me.” />
  This time he must have got through. She opened one eye and he saw the terror in her gaze. She’d been so terrified that she now stood on the edge of sanity.

  “Look at me, Tori. What do you see? It’s just me—the professor. You know I’m here to help you. I’m going to get you out of here.” He was burning precious time, but he couldn’t just grab her and run.

  She tried to pull away, but he held her bloody face gently, though securely. “Look at me. See me.”

  She finally opened her eyes.

  “I see,” she cried. “I see one blue eye and one brown.”

  He felt her calm in his hands. She was coming back. “That’s right, honey. One blue eye and one brown, just like Yancy’s eyes.” He pulled a bandanna from his pocket and wiped the blood from her nose and mouth. “You’ve got to help me get you out of here. Yancy’s worried about you.”

  “You’re here to help me?”

  “Yes. Just like you helped me, remember?” He slipped his arm beneath her legs and slowly lifted her out of the trunk, noticing that the small shovel she was lying on had cut deeper across her back than he’d realized.

  His phone sounded with a low beep. Gabe clicked it on with one hand.

  “Yancy here. Where are you, Professor? I’m in town but I can be heading your way.” He didn’t sound too friendly, but he would come.

  Gabe gave directions, then added, “I found her. I’ve got Tori. She’s safe, but we’ve got to get out of here fast. Park a hundred yards from the barn and stay with the car. I’ll bring her to you.”

  He clicked on the speaker so that Tori could hear Yancy.

  “I’m on my way,” Yancy shouted. “Tell her I love her.”

  Gabe smiled. “I think she already knows that, son.”

  Tori took the phone and cradled it to her as she relaxed in Gabe’s arms. He lifted her out, closed the trunk and carried her into the afternoon sunshine.

  “I’ll get you to him as fast as I can,” he whispered. “Do you think any bones are broken?”