“You did the right thing.”
“I sure hope so.”
The door opened, and Dr. Coomer stepped into the hallway and closed it quietly behind her. “I gave her a sedative. She’ll sleep most of the night, but you need to get her someplace tomorrow.”
Loki avoided the doctor’s eyes, examining the bandages on Dadron’s hands. “I’m not putting her in an institution, Mary.”
Dr. Coomer sat on the couch next to Dadron and examined the bandage on his left hand. “You would have made an excellent nurse, Loki.”
“Don’t change the subject. Grace is strong, stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. She doesn’t need to be poked, prodded, and doped all the time.”
Dr. Coomer placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Things have changed since Jules was there. They can help her.”
“Dadron, why don’t you go sit with Grace in case she wakes up?” Loki waited until the door closed behind him. “We can help her more, and being away from the baby will only cause her to give up. I’m begging you to give her some time, Mary.”
“Don’t suppose you caught the jackass who did this to her?”
“No. Jake is going to call the FBI as soon as he and Jules come back.”
Dr. Coomer stood and picked up her medical bag. “At least one of you is showing some good sense. Anna Claire is flying in tomorrow morning, and I’ve closed the office for a week, but if you need me, give me a call on my cell phone.”
Loki walked with her to the door. “Thank you, Mary. For everything. Say hello to Anna Claire for me.”
“Everything goes as planned, we’ll stop by for a visit midweek.” Mary Coomer shook her head and grinned. “Once she finds out Dadron is here, there’ll be no stopping her.”
Loki laughed and waved before closing the door. Mary’s granddaughter had crushed on Dadron for years, insisting on visiting every time Mary came to check on Grandpa, and Loki had teased him unmercifully. She wondered if he’d be as excited about that visit as Anna Claire.
Her thoughts turned to more serious issues as the back door opened. “Everything set?”
Jake nodded. “Make sure nobody goes outside unless one of us is with them. Especially Bruiser. Those bear traps are vicious.”
Jules glanced around the room, and Loki anticipated his silent question. “Dadron’s sitting with Grace, and the baby is asleep. Why don’t you get some rest, and you can switch off with him in a few hours. One of us needs to be with her when she wakes up.”
He hugged her good night, and Loki followed Jake to the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Dadron makes a good chili.”
“Exhausted and starved, but I feel better now that we’ve got the traps set around the forest and house. And we ran into town and picked up a used Ranger UTV so we’d have a way to travel over the farm.”
Loki dished up a bowl of chili, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, and placed it in front of Jake. “Did you call the FBI?”
Jake popped the top from the beer and took a long swig. “Not yet. What did Dr. Coomer say about Grace?”
“She wants us to put her in an institution.”
Jake took a bite of chili and washed it down with another swig of beer. “Probably a good idea. I’d say she’s suffering from possible PTSD and severe depression. Her meltdown is the only normal emotion she’s shown since I found her. We need to find somebody who can help her.”
Loki lowered her voice. “My parents put Jules in an institution, thinking they could help him. All they did was drug him and continually hound him to talk about what had happened to him. That’s when he stopped talking, Jake. They almost destroyed him, and I’m not going to let them do the same thing to Grace.”
“She ran away, and maybe even killed someone to do it. We don’t know what she’s capable of. What if she hurts Dadron or Jules, or you or the baby?”
“She didn’t do that for herself, she did it for Hope. She’s a child, Jake, and if we turn her in, they’ll take Hope away from her, especially if she’s unstable as you suspect.”
Jake shifted in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “In all honesty, that might be the best thing that ever happened to her.”
Loki stood and stomped toward the living room. “Hope is all she’s living for, Jake. Take the baby away from her and you might as well put a gun to her head and pull the trigger.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jake closed his cell phone and turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. Dusk had fallen, and the forest was full of long, deep shadows. He was surprised to see Dadron approaching. Even though he’d warned Loki not to come outside alone, he’d expected her to follow him.
“Everything okay?”
Dadron nodded. “Loki wants me to take the girl to the hunting shack and hide her there. She doesn’t trust the police. Thinks they’ll call social services, and Grace could lose the baby. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes. I told Jules I would take first watch and wake him at three in the morning. Did you call the police?”
“FBI. They should be here in about three hours.” Jake sighed heavily. “I’ve been doing this work for a long time, and one thing I know is nothing is ever exactly what it seems, nor is it ever easy.”
Dadron filled a pipe with tobacco and lit it, inhaling deeply. “You see with your head and your experience. Loki sees with her heart.”
Jake watched the forest shadows as they lengthened. The odds were against Grace being allowed to keep the baby. Unless they could get her depression under control, she would wind up institutionalized.
Dadron puffed on the pipe but remained silent.
Hope is all she’s living for, Jake. Take the baby away from her and you might as well put a gun to her head and pull the trigger.
Loki hadn’t pointed out the obvious, his own recent trauma and the path he’d taken, hell-bent on killing the people responsible for Cara’s death, and then himself. Grace had survived three years of rape and mental and physical abuse, and Hope had given her the courage to fight back and make a run for it. Not too many thirteen-year-olds could do that. He’d gone through hell and made it. Given the chance, maybe Grace could too.
“Damn it, tell Loki to pack their things and get them out of here. So far all I’ve told the FBI is about the house and the body at the creek. If they don’t find this guy, we’ll have to tell them about her, but we’ll hold off as long as we can.”
Dadron slapped him on the back and chuckled. “You’re a good man, Jake Savior, no matter what Loki says about you.”
“Yeah, put it on my tombstone.”
Jake slung an arm around Dadron’s shoulder and turned him toward the house.
Dadron chuckled again. “What tombstone? The way you’re going, someone will kill you and bury you in the woods, or you’ll simply turn up missing and never be found.”
Jake sighed. “More likely than not, arrested for harboring a fugitive.”
~ ~ ~
Brian glanced up from the newspaper he’d been thumbing through as Rosetta rushed into the living room, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed. “You are so going to love me.”
“You found something?” He tried to downplay his excitement but knew he’d failed when she grinned from ear to ear.
“The motherlode. Come on, and I’ll show you.”
He followed her down the steps into the basement he’d modified as a high-profile computer base for Rosetta. Several large screens were lit up along the wall.
“Karen called. She received a call from a police officer she met several years ago about a cabin on a creek, and the body of a young girl had been uncovered when the cabin blew up.” She pointed at one monitor. “This image is about a year old, but it shows the cabin and the creek.”
Brian ran a hand through his hair and hoped the frustration he was feeling wasn’t apparent in his voice. “There’s thousands of cabins and creeks, Rosie. I don’t see how that fits into the drawing. Unless the body was the Indian girl, and if it was, I’m too late already.”
She rolled h
er eyes at him. “You have such little faith, Brian Wilkes, and no patience.” She clicked a button, and a picture of a young man flashed on the screen. “Officer Jake Savior, with the Corpus Christi police force. Last year a bomber blew up his wife. He was beaten and cut with a knife, leaving several bad scars.” Another picture flashed on the monitor. “This one was taken after the attack.”
“Damn.” Brian flinched as he compared the two photos.
“He killed all the men involved, rumor has it skinning one of them alive. A judge made a deal not to prosecute but prohibiting him from ever serving in law enforcement again.” She loaded up another screen. “This is Harry Redmond, Mr. Savior’s former partner and a full-blooded Choctaw Indian.” She grinned at him mischievously. “When Mr. Savior left law enforcement, he joined Redmond Private Investigations run by Harry’s cousin Loki and her two brothers, Dadron and Jules.”
“Loki is a woman?” Brian moved a clump of papers and sat on the edge of the desk. “Why would an Indian family name their daughter after a Norse god?”
Rosetta giggled. “They didn’t. They named her Lokeah, but she changed it to Loki when she left the reservation and moved to Corpus Christi.” She clicked another key, and the image of a smiling young woman with raven-black hair flashed on the screen. “Look familiar?”
His excitement returned, and his heart started beating at a fast rate. Maybe now I can find out why the other girl keeps disappearing from the picture. “If it isn’t her, it’s a close relative.”
Rosetta’s fingers flew across the keys. “And there’s more. I saved the best for last.” She hit the print button. “Your girl has some interesting paranormal abilities involving visions and spirits. Something that could come in handy while you’re there.” She swiveled around in the seat. “Your bags are packed, and Karen is pulling together a forensic team. The jet is fueled and ready for you to take off, and I’ve arranged rooms for you and Teresa at a local motel.”
Brian lifted her from the seat and captured her lips in an ardent kiss. “What did I ever do without you?”
Rosetta wound her arms around his neck. “Floundered around in the dark until you stumbled over clues.” She removed her arms from his neck and pushed him toward the door. “Now get out there and solve this case. I want you home by Thanksgiving.”
A strange chill washed over him as he climbed the steps. Knowing how things might turn out wasn’t comforting, and there was one thing he was sure of. I’m not going to be home for Thanksgiving.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Loki carried the baby to the UTV. “It won’t be for long, Grace. As soon as we’ve talked to the police and they finish their investigation, we’ll come and get you.”
“What happens then?” Grace asked.
Loki hugged her. “We’ll take it one day at a time until we figure out what to do next.”
Grace didn’t answer, but Loki knew from the look on her face she was relieved. As with Jake, it would take a long time for her to heal both the internal and external wounds of the abuse she’d been subjected to. There would be more meltdowns as she faced the emotional turmoil and fear inside her, but they’d deal with them when they came.
She continued to watch until Dadron, Jules, and Grace disappeared from sight. Hiding Grace and the baby had been her decision, but if the FBI found out, Dadron and Jules would suffer the same punishment she and Jake would. “Am I doing the right thing, Jake?”
“I don’t know if there is a right thing in this case, Loki. Are you ready to go? I told my friend at the FBI we’d meet the crew at the cabin.”
“Do you think Bruiser will be okay? His left leg is still weak.”
“It was either send him with them or take him with us. The way he reacts to the smell of this guy, I didn’t think taking him with us was a good idea. Dadron and Jules will take good care of him. Besides, he rarely leaves Grace’s side.”
Loki knew Jake was right. She was delaying what she knew was waiting for them at the creek. By now the excavation team had arrived. I don’t want to watch them dig up the graves.
“Loki, we have to go. They’re waiting on us.”
“I know.” Loki opened the passenger door of the car, slid in, and buckled her seat belt.
“I can do this if you don’t want to go.” Jake slid in behind the wheel.
Loki shook her head. “Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
The drive took less than fifteen minutes. A group was assembled around the cabin rubbish, digging through the ashes, while another group was slowly removing the body of the young girl. Jake pointed at a spot near the bridge. “Why don’t you stand over there, and I’ll check in and join you in a minute.”
The group digging through the ashes broke up and gathered around Jake. He left them and came to stand beside her. “They’re going to start concentrating on the creek now. Do you want to stay?”
Loki nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. “I keep hoping Grace was wrong and there aren’t any babies buried there.”
“Me too.”
The work to remove the body was painstakingly slow, as they’d broken into several groups concentrating on different spots of the bank. Bones were being carefully removed from two spots, and an hour passed before the group removing the dirt from the side of the creek bank extricated the young girl’s body. “Oh my God,” Loki cried, “she’s just a baby, Jake.”
Jake followed her gaze, his jaw clenching. “She hasn’t been dead long.”
“Don’t go there,” Loki mumbled. “She died long before we even got back to the house yesterday. You couldn’t have saved her.”
“We’ll never know, will we?” Jake peered at the two figures standing near the burned-out ruins of the cabin. He’d been watching them for the past hour. They were FBI, but there was something different about them. And he didn’t like the way the tall black-haired one kept studying Loki. The woman next to him was tall too, her blond hair pulled back severely from her face and glasses low on her nose. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, but there was something about her that made her stand out from the crowd. She met his gaze and raised an eyebrow, her lips lifting in a brief smile.
Loki touched his arm and nodded toward the car. “I don’t think I want to see any more. Let’s head to the house.”
They walked up the hill to where they’d left the car. There was a main gate to the farm, but it hadn’t been used in years, and with the help of a helicopter, the FBI had uncovered the road the perp used and were able to get in quickly. It had saved them hours getting there. As he started the car and drove slowly up the hill, Jake fought the urge to turn around. He could feel the cool green eyes of the dark-haired agent boring into his back. “So are we going to work this case?”
“I don’t think we have any choice. If he isn’t found, Grace and the baby will never be safe, and we can’t hide them forever. Unless your friend at the FBI would be willing to maybe put her in witness protection.”
Jake glanced in the mirror as he took the turnoff for the Redmond farm, recognizing one of the black SUVs he’d noticed at the creek. “We’ll find out soon enough, I guess. We’ve got company.”
Loki shrugged. “They’re going to either share what they found or demand we stay out of things.”
Jake parked the car, opened his door, and reached for the gun on his belt. “Go on inside, and I’ll take care of this.”
The car parked behind him, and the tall dark-haired man exited. “FBI. We need to talk, Mr. Savior.”
Jake holstered his gun as the woman opened her door and exited. “Can I see your badges?”
The tall man with the deep green eyes removed his badge from his belt and handed it to him. “Special Agent Brian Wilkes, and this is my partner, Special Agent Teresa Nikolic.”
Jake stared into the eyes of Nikolic. She’d been striking at a distance, but up close he saw what the glasses disguised at first glance—seasoned and dangerous. The two assessed each other for a moment, and Jake handed back their badges. “What do y
ou want?”
“May we come in?” Wilkes asked.
Jake nodded at the door where Loki was waiting for him. “Sure, come on in.” He held the door open, continuing to watch them closely as they eyed the straw covering the stain on the front steps. Typical FBI bastards. Wilkes’s gaze lingered on Loki a moment too long in Jake’s opinion. “You said you wanted to talk. So talk.”
“Could we sit down somewhere? This may take a while.” Wilkes addressed his question to Loki, his eyes never leaving her face.
Loki smiled at him. “Let’s go to the kitchen. Jake was about to make a pot of coffee, weren’t you, Jake?”
I hadn’t planned on it. Jake jerked off his coat and hung it on the rack. “Sure, I’ll make a pot of coffee.”
~ ~ ~
Wilkes waited until everyone was seated around the small kitchen table and the sound and smell of the coffee brewing filled the air. “I head up a team that is sometimes called in on cases like this. Vile cases with vile criminals who for one reason or another have managed to escape getting caught. The man we’re looking for here went to the top of my list. They’ve found three bodies along the bank so far. The first was the body of a young girl taken two days ago in Alabama. The other two have been dead longer, so it will take a while to identify the bodies. The bone size and structure tells us they were all under the age of twelve or thirteen.”
Wilkes felt Loki’s eyes on him, studying his face. “I’ve heard about your team. Don’t you have a psychic or use a psychic?”
“Catherine Mans.”
Jake shoved back his chair. “Why are you wasting our time with this bullshit?”
“I take it you don’t believe in psychics, Mr. Savior?”
Jake turned, one corner of his mouth lifting in a sneer. “Other than the fact most of the self-claimed psychics are hoaxers and full of bullshit, no, I don’t believe in psychics.”
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