Into the Wilderness

by Traci DePree

  She remembered the slip of paper with their home address scratched on it.

  A sick feeling came over her as her intuition kicked into high gear.

  They had found Marcus in the woods...without the ring. And Marcus didn’t know his suitcase had been moved to Gatlinburg.

  Kate pressed on the accelerator, and Rebecca jolted in her seat. “What’s going on, Mom?”

  “I know where they are.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  There were no police cars in sight when Kate drove past the house. She’d called the Copper Mill dispatcher only to be told that Deputy Spencer was out on an emergency call and that reinforcements from Pine Ridge would come just as soon as they could. She wished Sheriff Roberts was back in town, but he was still in the Smokies looking for Marcus. The dispatcher had promised that they’d hurry.

  An old sedan was parked in the driveway. Kate assumed it was probably another stolen vehicle. Livvy’s car, that she’d left parked in the Hanlons’ driveway all week, was gone. No doubt the Jenners had come to pick it up when they’d returned home the previous day.

  “What should we do?” Eli asked from the backseat.

  “We should wait for the police,” Paul answered, now fully awake.

  “Unless they try to get away,” Rebecca said.

  Kate glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the disapproving look on her husband’s face.

  “Marcus could be in there, in danger, honey,” Kate reminded him.

  Paul nodded his head. “Exactly. These men are dangerous.”

  Kate drove a good half mile up the road, still well out of sight of the house, and pulled a U-turn. As the car crawled slowly back up the road, her heart thumped in her chest, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

  “Mom, I’m really scared,” Rebecca said.

  “It’s going to be okay.” Kate patted her daughter’s knee, then slowly pressed the accelerator. She didn’t want to confront these men; she just wanted to make sure they stayed put until the police arrived.

  Kate edged her Honda closer to the house. She pulled to a stop alongside the road, put the car into park, and shut off the engine. Then she reached for her cell phone and dialed the dispatcher again.

  “Copper Mill dispatch,” the operator said.

  “Hello, this is Kate Hanlon. I called a little bit ago about those kidnappers,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the female voice said.

  “We’re at the house, or at least up the road from it. I can see a car parked there.”

  “Do you know for sure that people are in the house?” the dispatcher asked.

  Kate unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door.

  “Where are you going?” the others said almost in unison.

  Kate waved a hand. “I won’t get too close. I need a better view.”

  She climbed out, Eli close at her heels. She’d heard him tell Rebecca and Paul to stay put. Then she heard the sound of keys jingling. She glanced back to see that Eli had pulled the keys from the ignition.

  She gave him a curious look and held the cell phone to her ear as she crossed the ditch on the other side of the road and edged toward the woods that bordered their property.

  “I can see the back of the house,” she told the dispatcher as she moved brush aside and tiptoed to the woods’ edge, where she had a clear view of their backyard.

  “Is this the house key?” Eli held up the gold-plated key.

  Kate nodded and placed a hand over the mouthpiece. “Why?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said.

  “Hello?” the dispatcher’s voice pulled Kate back. “What’s going on?”

  “The sliding-glass door is wide open,” Kate whispered. “Wait.”

  She couldn’t believe her eyes. Eli was racing down the ditch alongside the road. His head was down, his shoulders hunched as he ran. Then he dropped, flat on his belly, when he was parallel with the house. She watched in stunned silence as he edged up onto the side lawn and around to the front, where she lost sight of him.

  Panic filled her as she wondered what those men would do if they caught Eli inside the house. She watched for what felt like an eternity, but there was no movement.

  Then finally, the taller man came out. He was cursing loudly.

  “I can see them,” Kate whispered to the dispatcher.

  “Serves him right,” the second one said as he shut the sliding-glass door. He slammed his fist against the side of the house, and Kate felt herself jump. Where was Eli? She scanned the property, hoping for a glimpse of him, but there was nothing. The men headed for the front of the house, and Kate followed at a distance.

  “They’re leaving!” Kate said to the dispatcher as she watched them climb into the car. “Where are the police?”

  “They should be there soon, Mrs. Hanlon. Just stay on the line.”

  The car roared to life and backed out of the driveway.

  Kate ran back to the Honda and got in, then realized that Eli had her keys. She could do nothing but wait until Eli emerged from the house. Thankfully, within only seconds, Eli walked outside shaking his head.

  She handed the phone to Rebecca to talk to the dispatcher. The Sacco brothers were already moving at a good clip toward town along Smoky Mountain Road.

  “He’s not there,” Eli said, pulling the car door closed behind him and handing the keys to Kate. She put the car in gear and hit the accelerator.

  “They’re almost at that next house,” Rebecca told the dispatcher.

  Kate was surprised at the calmness of her daughter’s voice when she spoke. The distant sound of sirens echoed from the west. Kate steered around a bend in the mountainous road, trying to keep up without alerting the men to their presence.

  She glanced at Rebecca, whose eyes were as big as dinner plates.

  “So if Marcus wasn’t in the house, where is he?” she asked.

  “I didn’t see him in the house, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the car,” Eli said.

  “They’re coming up to the high school,” Rebecca said into the phone. “They’re turning west on Mountain Laurel Road.”

  The sirens grew louder, though Kate still couldn’t spot exactly where they were. She followed the sedan around the corner, punching the accelerator once she’d cleared the intersection. The men were going at least seventy now. No doubt they’d heard the sirens too.

  Then she saw them. Two police cars were coming from the west, with a blockade behind them. Smith and Sweetwater Streets were both shut off by police cars with lights circling and officers at the ready.

  “We see the police,” Rebecca told the dispatcher. Then to Kate, “She said to pull over, Mom. The police will take it from here.”

  Kate did as instructed, then watched as the stolen car attempted to drive north on Smith Street. The police were on it immediately. The car stopped and the police officers opened the doors, guns drawn, and told the men to get out with their hands in the air. The officers forced them to the ground and put them in handcuffs.

  Kate, Rebecca, and Eli were out of the car and running toward the men.

  “We’re going to take these two down to HQ right away,” a heavyset officer informed Kate when they arrived.

  Rebecca was frantically looking inside the stolen car.

  “Wait! They know where Marcus is!” she said, her voice rising with each word as she marched over. “We don’t have time for all that! He could be dead for all we know!”

  She turned to the taller of the two suspects.

  “Where did you take him?” she shouted.

  “Lady, I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about,” he said.

  “Liar!” she shouted even louder. “You kidnapped Marcus! Where is he?” She looked at the smaller one. He shifted where he lay on the ground and his pale eyes gazed into Kate’s.

  One of the policemen pulled the smaller man to his feet, then asked. “What’s all this about a kidnapping? I thought it was a breaking and entering.”


  “They’re wanted on suspicion of kidnapping,” Kate informed him. “They abducted my daughter’s...friend in the Smoky Mountains.”

  A light of recognition went on. “I heard about that.” He turned to the stocky one and then to the taller one and quickly read them their Miranda rights. Then he said, “Tell us where he is. If he’s alive, there might be a chance the judge will be lenient, but if not, you’re looking at a real long time behind bars. A real long time.”

  The stocky guy’s face twisted. He looked at his brother, who shook his head and glared at him.

  “I...,” he began.

  “Jerry!” the other scolded. “What are you doin’?”

  “It was your fault it took us so long to get here. If you hadn’t made so many pit stops, they never would’ve caught us. Do you want to sit in prison your whole life, just because the boss...” His words trailed off when the tall one hissed at him not to say another word.

  “Do it for yourself,” Kate appealed to Jerry. “Let your brother go to prison, but save yourself. Don’t let Marcus die out there.”

  “We didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” the man began, meeting Kate’s eye. “We’d been tailin’ him in the city all week, but then he took off. If he’d just paid up, none of this would’ve happened.”

  His brother snapped. “Stop yer blabbin’!”

  “Do you want Mack to die out there? Do ya, Alex? It wasn’t supposed to come to this. I don’t want to go to jail.”

  The officer leaned next to him and spoke in hushed tones. The taller one struggled to break free, and two other officers held him down. “You can’t do this!” he screamed.

  “I’ve got to,” Jerry said.

  Finally the officer who had been talking to the smaller one said, “We have a location.” He ran to his squad car to radio it in to the Gatlinburg authorities.

  The suspects were placed in a police car for the time being. Several long minutes later, the officer returned to Kate and the others.

  “They need the one Sacco brother to show them exactly where your friend is,” the officer announced. “He’s agreed to do it.”

  “I want to come too,” Rebecca said. She looked at her mother. “I need to, Mom.”

  Kate saw the fear in her daughter’s face.

  “Can we both go?” Kate asked.

  The officer nodded. “Having trustworthy witnesses will be key, since we can’t trust these idiots as far as we can throw ’em. A chopper should be here shortly.”

  ELI PROMISED KATE he would get Paul set up at home, and if they needed him to come get them once they found Marcus, he’d gladly do that. She squeezed the young man’s hand, so thankful for his care. She then leaned into the backseat and gave Paul a hug. He looked exhausted from all the excitement.

  “You going to be okay?” she asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” he whispered. Then he kissed her and told her to be careful.

  Worry edged into Kate’s mind. What if Marcus was already dead? The man had said they’d left him at a bald just south of Huskey Gap. But that was quite a hike away from where Paul had been found. Paul had said that Marcus had been hanging on by a thread already. What had two more days out in the elements done to the man’s already failing health?

  Within half an hour, the rhythmic thwop of helicopter blades sounded from the north. The Pine Ridge medical chopper had been called in for the emergency trip. It swooped in to land in the middle of the intersection of Mountain Laurel Road and Sweetwater Street. Kate and Rebecca ran toward it as the redheaded officer brought the smaller Sacco brother along.

  Kate and Rebecca’s hair blew uncontrollably as they climbed into the chopper and fastened their seat belts. Two others, whom Kate assumed were EMTs, were already on board. They gave nods all around since it was too loud to hear verbal greetings. The pilot turned to give a thumbs-up, and they lifted into the air.

  The vehicles and people on the roads grew smaller as they rose into the sky. The chopper tilted to the northeast, and the ground beneath them hurried past. As they approached the mountains, the vastness of the Smokies overwhelmed Kate. How had they thought they could find anyone in that wilderness? That they found Paul was a miracle in itself. She lifted a prayer of profound thanks.

  Her thoughts turned to Marcus as she prayed. How many nights had the young man spent in the cold mountains? One day had slipped into the next during this nightmare, and she could only imagine how much worse it had been for him. Rebecca reached for her mother’s hand, and Kate gave it a squeeze. Their eyes met, and tears streamed down the pretty girl’s face. She looked so tired.

  “We’ll find him,” Kate mouthed.

  Rebecca nodded, then turned her gaze out the window.

  Kate glanced across the helicopter at the weaselly little man in handcuffs. He looked to be in his early thirties. He was staring at the floor. Then he’d squint his eyes in a nervous way and lift his face to the ceiling. Kate pitied the young man and wondered how he’d come to this sad state.

  After another hour, the chopper began its descent. It skimmed the trees, and Kate was afraid of crashing, but then a clearing appeared out of nowhere, and the pilot gently set the machine down.

  When they exited the craft, its blades still moving, Kate didn’t see Marcus. The short man led the way with the officer and EMTs right behind. Rebecca must have spotted Marcus then, because she ran on ahead toward a rhododendron bush that bordered a flat boulder.

  There he lay, motionless. His skin was blue. Kate had never seen a living person that color before in her life.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The emergency medical crew took over immediately. One man examined Marcus’ eyes while the other felt for a pulse. Kate and Rebecca stood back while they worked. Kate held her breath, then let it out when the man turned to Rebecca with a smile.

  “We have a pulse,” he said.

  The police officer and the other EMT brought up the gurney to transport Marcus to the chopper. Rebecca reached out to touch his hand but pulled back immediately.

  “He’s so cold!” she said. She pressed her fingers to her cheeks, and Kate could see the fear in her eyes.

  Kate sent up a prayer—no, a myriad of prayers all at once—that Marcus’ heart would beat strongly, that the blankets they were wrapping him in would begin to warm him right away, that he would make it to the hospital in time. She prayed for Rebecca too, that her daughter wouldn’t fall apart, that she’d be strong and courageous.

  Finally Marcus’ body was lifted onto the gurney, and they rushed him to the waiting helicopter. The policeman and one of the EMTs climbed aboard to guide the gurney up into the craft, while the other steadied it.

  Kate was barely buckled in when the chopper began to lift skyward.

  Rebecca moved to Marcus’ side, kneeling on the floor of the helicopter next to him and stroking his dark hair. The medical personnel were hooking him up to an IV and checking his vitals, but they didn’t seem to mind her presence. His eyes were still closed. Rebecca lightly touched his cheek that had a week’s worth of beard on it, but he didn’t move.

  When they finally landed at the Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center, Kate felt a sense of impending doom. Marcus had been unresponsive throughout the flight. At one point, the EMTs had even started doing chest compressions and squeezing an air bag to help him breathe. She stood back with Rebecca and watched him being wheeled into the hospital. Then they turned to see the police officer lead the suspect away.

  “All this time,” Rebecca turned to Kate, “all our hard work to find him, all our prayers...and he’s still going to die!” She broke into deep, wracking sobs as Kate held her.

  Kate smoothed her hair and spoke soft prayers into her daughter’s ear. Finally, when Rebecca had calmed herself, they walked into the white corridor that led to the ER waiting room. There was no sight of Marcus or those who had brought him in, but his sister, MaryAnne, was there in the waiting room, looking frightened and alone. Rebecca hugged her and Kate patted her shoulde
r.

  “They didn’t say anything to me about how he is,” MaryAnne said. “They just called and said they’d found him.”

  “He’s fighting for his life.” Rebecca took the woman’s hand as they sat on padded chairs. “He definitely has hypothermia, and I’m sure he’s dehydrated. And his pulse was pretty weak...But at least he’s alive!”

  Kate sat down and prayed with the women for a few minutes, then she told MaryAnne what had happened to Marcus.

  When Kate had finished, she shook her head. “How did he get into something like this?” she asked, looking from Kate to Rebecca. “He’s a good kid. He really is.”

  “Everyone has their weaknesses,” Kate said. “Little by little, we allow our defenses to be chipped away.” Then she gave MaryAnne a sympathetic look. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

  The heavyset woman lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “He has to make it through,” she said. “I don’t know how our mother would handle it if he died.”

  The local news channel was droning on the elevated TV in the corner, when Kate’s attention was drawn to a female reporter who had just come on the air.

  “...In Gatlinburg, that second lost hiker has been found. We don’t have any additional information at this time. The hiker who has been missing since last Monday in Smoky Mountain National Park has been found. His condition is still unknown.”

  Kate clicked the remote off and glanced at Rebecca. “News travels fast,” she said.

  Excusing herself, she walked outside and pulled out her phone to call Paul. It rang several times before Eli picked it up.

  “Hanlon residence,” Eli said.

  “Eli, it’s Kate. Is Paul awake?”

  “He just lay down,” Eli said. “Do you want me to wake him?”

  “No. He needs his rest. You can tell him when he gets up.”

  “So?”

  “We found Marcus.” She could hear Eli’s sigh of relief. “But,” she went on, “he’s hanging onto life by a thread. They were doing chest compressions when we got to the hospital, and they’ve been working on him ever since. We haven’t gotten an update.” She glanced at her watch, realizing it was past suppertime.