by Wood, Lorena
Nick listened to the messages, and then called Teddy.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Where you been? I’ve been going crazy worrying about you two. We found…”
“Wait!! Don’t say it. Don’t say anything yet. I don’t want to hear anything that I don’t want to tell Whitney. Let me ask you questions.”
“Is she okay?”
“I’m not sure yet. She’s sleeping. But this has been way too much for her. Did you find the unsub?”
“No.”
“Shit. I don’t want to know if you found anything that Whitney will have to see. She’s not in any shape to deal with anything bad. Do you have any leads on the guy?”
“No. But we know he was near your house.”
“Great. Don’t tell me anymore. I want Whitney to rest all day until we can figure out what to do next. I don’t want to leave her even though I should be there with you.”
“You stay put. I’ll check in with you and then you can ask for more information when you’re ready. What do I tell Agent Hollerman when he asks for her?”
“Is he there?”
“He will be in a few hours.”
“Tell him she’s had enough for now. I’m shutting off the phone so don’t bother trying to call. Well, you can leave a message if it’s important. I’ll check them.”
“Can you tell me where you are?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so. Good, now they can’t make me tell. You be careful and call me if you run into any trouble.”
“We won’t be in any trouble this way. I need to make sure she’s gonna be okay.”
Nick got off the phone and ordered breakfast. He had pulled into the fancy hotel on impulse. He needed somewhere to hide that no one would check. The place cost an arm and a leg, and none of his friends or family would ever look for him here. Now that he thought about it, it might be just what Whitney needed.
He ordered a full course breakfast and it came on a tray with a silver serving set. He tipped the waiter and rolled the food into the bedroom.
“Are you hungry?”
Whitney opened her eyes and saw the food.
“Umm. Coffee. I smell coffee, and eggs.”
She sat up and Nick handed her a fancy mug of coffee.”
“I told them to send us some nice mugs, and not those dinky espresso cups.”
Whitney sipped the coffee and looked around the room.
“Where are we?”
“Pretty nice huh?”
“Did we fly to NY? It looks like the Ritz.”
“Nope, it’s the Buttes.”
“Cool. I always wanted to come here.”
Nick was relieved to be carrying on a normal conversation with her. He had worried about damage to her mind and body from the shock and stress of her talents. Whitney felt his concern, but she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened.
After breakfast, Nick made slow, sweet love to Whitney. He left her sleeping and checked back in with Teddy.
“Any more news buddy?”
“Nothing you want to know about. Nothing good. You’ve had a few million phone calls. The captain and Hollerman both want to hear from you. Someone named Tina called here in a panic looking for Whitney.”
“Man, we forgot all about calling her. She watches Whitney’s birds. She must have walked into the house and freaked out.”
“The place is still being watched and the crime scene tape is all over. I’m sure they filled her in on most of it.”
Nick got her number and gave her a call. He let her know that Whitney was safe, but that one bird had died. He asked her if there was any way she could help out with Dundee for a few days, and she offered to take the bird back to her house until Whitney was better. He didn’t really want her showing up at either of their houses in case someone saw her with the bird. They made plans for her to pick it up at Teddy’s house. She would call him and get it arranged. Nick was hoping Teddy could figure out a way to get the bird back to his house. He felt bad leaving Teddy out there on his own, but he couldn’t think of any other way to protect Whitney.
That evening Whitney was feeling better and she brought up the issue they had been avoiding all day.
“Nick, what happened to the boy?”
“I don’t know. I only know that someone was out there, and they didn’t catch him.”
“Did they find the boy?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t want you to have to go see another crime scene. You’re just not up to it.”
“I know. I know you’re taking care of me, but I need to know what happened.”
“Will you promise not to try to visit the crime scene for a few days?”
“I’ll try. To tell the truth, I don’t think I could if I tried. I feel a little like…I fell off a horse and…I’ll faint if I even see a horsefly.”
Nick laughed. She was so honest about her feelings. At least she still had her sense of humor.
“You know I wouldn’t mind if you never went back on that horse again. Somehow I just know you will anyway.”
“I’m sure I will. I just hope I can handle it. I kind of lost it last night.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“He was taunting me. He made the boy say my name. He was saying it was my fault. Then he…he was torturing the boy. I know it’s a he. I felt it. I felt the boy screaming and the knife…I couldn’t block it. I couldn’t…”
Nick picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom.
“Enough talking for now. You need to relax. What do you say we try out that huge tub in there? I saw bubble bath.”
Whitney smiled at Nick and tried to bring herself back from the memories. He ran the tub and lit some candles on the counter. Whitney got in and sat back against Nick’s chest. He rubbed her shoulders and brushed out her hair. By the time the bath was over, they had spilled quite a bit of water on the floor.
Whitney couldn’t stop thinking about the boy. After dinner she finally brought the subject up again. “Nick. Please find out about the boy. Call Teddy.”
Nick called and checked in again. When he got off the phone, Whitney tried to brace herself for the bad news.
“They found a boy. He’s dead. They found him in the little Native American Store down the road from my house. The owner found him this morning. She said someone’s been breaking in, but not taking anything. That must be where he’s been hiding when you felt him.”
“Who was he?”
“His name was Mathew Sherman. He was nine.”
Whitney felt her insides shrivel up. She wished she could just go to sleep and not think. She didn’t have the energy to make it to the crime scene that minute anyway, so Nick didn’t have to worry. She ran to the bathroom and vomited her wonderful dinner into the fancy toilet.
She tried to make herself think of something besides all the suffering she had felt for the last six weeks. One of the tricks that she’d tried in the past was to make up a story in her mind. She was the heroine, and it was a romance novel. They lived on a peaceful island with no crime and no poverty. This time she made Nick the handsome leading man, and they lived happily ever after. When her mind drifted back to the horror of her real world, she imagined herself having another baby and what it would look like. By the time she fell asleep that night she had more kids than she could count and she and Nick were still young and beautiful.
Chapter 13
“This is a picture of Dustin Simmons. He is eight years old, and plays on the SVWC. He was last seen camping up on the Mogollon Rim. The captain was handing out a picture of the boy. He had called them early that morning with the news that another boy was missing. Nick and Whitney had driven back to take part in the search. Agent Hollerman had driven up there already and he had asked for Whitney.
“A group of dads had taken some of their team members for a weekend camping trip since their playing season was over. There is a possibility that he’s lost in the woods, but it doesn’t look good. His a
ge and association with the SVWC means that he could be our next victim. Agent Hollerman has arranged for Whitney to be escorted up by chopper. If we find a crime scene he’ll send for more assistance. The boy is from Ahwatukee, a small town just south of Phoenix. I’d like Nick and Teddy to head over there and start asking questions. Sergeant Sanders and Elliot are going to interview Ann Marie Kensington to find out if she can tell us who went on the trip and what parents went along. We also want to know how many people knew they were going. Any questions let me know. Everyone get your gear and get going. Let’s find this one alive.”
“Wait.” Whitney was looking at the picture and holding up her hand.
“I recognize him. Nick, isn’t this the boy that was at the game we saw. He’s the one that slid into third and banged into the third baseman. The fathers were shouting at each other.”
Nick agreed and they decided they should start interviewing the other boy’s dad first. They all filed out of the room and Nick pulled the captain aside.
“I don’t want Whitney going alone.”
“She’s going up to Showlow to see if she can help find the boy. If he’s just lost, she’s just the ticket they need to find him.”
“He’s not lost. We both know that. What if they find a crime scene? Who will be with her to make sure she’s OK?”
“They have two other agents there to keep an eye on her.”
“I’m going with her.” Nick stood up straight and looked the captain straight in the eye. He didn’t care what his boss thought about it, he was going with her. Captain Edwards could see the determination in his eyes.
“Fine. Go ahead. I know if you stay here you won’t be able to concentrate on your job. Get someone else to assist your partner in the interviews today. But…stay out of her way. Do not stop her from doing her job. Understood?”
“I’ll do my best.” Nick grinned and walked off looking for Whitney. He found her in the back of the station helping to load supplies in the truck. They were planning for the long haul, just in case. They would be camping in the mountains and it got cold up there. Nick let her know he was going and then left to get the rest of his gear. They drove in Whitney’s truck out to Falcon Hill Airfield. Nick didn’t get to speak with Whitney alone until right after they landed.
“So you were just going to come up here with no one to watch out for you? Were you even a little concerned?”
“I’m sorry. I can hardly think right now.” She smiled sweetly at Nick. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Someone has to feed you when you wake up.”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. Maybe he’s lost and we’ll find him.”
“Yeah, right.”
They entered the search and rescue tent. Sheriff Johnson brought them up to speed on the search. Nick wanted to talk with the other campers, and Whitney couldn’t wait to get out into the woods to look for Dustin. Nick let Whitney make her arrangements and he started talking with the campers. The father of the boy was sitting in a chair surrounded by young faces. When he saw Nick approach he jumped up and met him half way.
“Well, can I go look for my boy yet?” The man was shaking with anger and fear. “They made me wait here to talk with detective Naylor. Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. Why don’t we walk and talk. You can point me in the direction of the search effort while you explain what happened. My name’s Nick.”
“I’m Gerald Simmons. Sorry. It’s been a hell of a day. Dustin was sleeping in my tent so I know he was there most of the night. When I woke up about six this morning, he was already out of the tent. I thought he had to go to the bathroom, or he just wanted to get the fire started first. He liked to show everyone how good he is at campfires. He knows his way around the woods. Then when I couldn’t find him I woke everyone up. No one had seen him. We started yelling his name and we broke up into groups. There are twelve of us here. Eight kids and four adults. Everyone else was here. I don’t know what happened. He would never wander off like that. He knows better. Plus he’s afraid of bears.”
The last sentence came out shaky as the distraught father choked back his tears. He led Nick to the campsite and pointed in the direction of the search parties. Nick told him to go on ahead while he checked out the campsite. They had chosen a remote spot on the top of a ridge. They had hiked for almost ten miles before they reached camp. It would have been very hard for anyone to follow them up here, unless they had trailed closely behind. Dustin’s father had said they camped here a few times before. Maybe someone knew where they were going already.
There was no sign of struggle and there were so many footprints around he wasn’t able to determine if there were more than four adult prints. The searchers had probably combed through the area a few times already. The edge of the ridge was very steep, and would take an experienced climber to traverse it. If the boy had fallen down the ridge, they would probably have heard his screams. Nick could see searchers at the bottom of the ridge, but no sign of Dustin.
He checked the tent the Simmons’ boy had slept in first. Dustin’s backpack was sitting open with his Game Boy sticking out the top. His sleeping bag was open but folded in half, like he had planned to get up for the morning, but didn’t want to wake his dad. An experienced camper closes the bag after rising so it will stay warm and dry. His flashlight was still next to his bag, so it had been light when he left the tent.
Nick circled around the back of the tent and out toward the woods. If he had risen early and needed to go to the bathroom, he probably didn’t go far into the woods. He walked a few feet and found a pile of kindling. Maybe he had decided to collect more wood before he started the fire. If so, why had he put it down here? He continued farther back into the woods and found a four different trails heading off in different directions.
Nick walked down the trail to the right that the father had taken. After a few minutes he came up on one of the search teams. He made his way to the lead and found Dustin’s father and Whitney. She was walking back in his direction.
“Nick, did you find anything?”
“No, did you sense anything?”
“I haven’t learned anything from the other campers. I need to go somewhere quiet and try to locate him, in my mind. Can you come with me?”
“Yes…of course.”
“I knew you’d say that, and I knew you’d probably cuff me to your side if I went alone.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and walked back up the trail. Whitney led him back toward the ridge, so she could see the valley, and be near the campsite.
She sat down on a large stump and tried to get comfortable. Nick kept himself a few feet away. He didn’t want to get in her way, but he wanted to be nearby in case she needed him. He watched her roll her shoulders and try to get relaxed. Her back was straight and her legs were crossed in front of her. His eyes continued to scan the ridge and the woods behind them. Soon Whitney grew still and silent.
Whitney slowed her breathing and concentrated on the sound of it coming in and out of her body. She needed to be relaxed and focused. She allowed her mind to become open to all the vibrations around her.
At first she just sensed Nick’s presence. He was happy to be here with her, but worried about the chance that the killer was close by.
Whitney tried to reach beyond Nick. She was able to sense some of the people searching for the boy. She continued to reach out, but it was hard to know how far her ability could reach. What if he wasn’t close by? If he were already dead, she wouldn’t know it. What if she touched the killer’s mind? Would she know it? Would he know she was doing it?
She tried to calm the thoughts bombarding her and clear her mind. She sat quietly searching for a boy who was lost, or in fear. There were so many people on the mountain right now; it was difficult to tune them all out. She felt someone that was in pain and tried to focus on that. It could be a small boy. The person was afraid of something. She couldn’t get enough to know much more. It could be one of the other young boys that w
ere camping. They were probably terrified since Derrick had disappeared. She stood to try to get a better sense of the direction of that specific thought pattern.
Nick saw her stand, and moved in closer. She still had her eyes closed and she started to take a step. Nick reached her side and took her elbow.
“Hey, where are…”
Whitney held up her hand for him to wait, and pulled her arm away. She stood for another minute and took another step. Nick just placed himself between Whitney and the ridge and got ready to catch her if she fell. She took another step and lifted up her hands, palms facing out. She seemed to be trying to feel something with her hands.
Whitney continued her slow progress in the direction she felt the thoughts were coming from. The feelings didn’t get much clearer, but she became more convinced that she was headed in the right direction. She finally opened her eyes and lowered her arms. She looked at Nick and shook her head.
“I couldn’t find him.”
He could see the tears in her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You tried honey. You can keep trying. Let’s not give up yet.”
“I’m not giving up. I’m just…scared. Scared he’s out there somewhere with someone that wants to hurt him. I don’t think he’s nearby. If…if…he’s alive.”
They joined the search party for a while, but Whitney couldn’t keep up. Nick stayed back with her so she could rest.
“Did you wear yourself out up on the ridge?”
“For some reason, tuning into other people’s vibrations takes a lot out of me. I’m not sure I’ll be much help right now. I need to go back and rest, and eat.”
Nick walked back to the supply tent with her and collected their things. The local police had erected tents for the searchers to sleep in when they needed rest or it got dark. Some of the rescue teams had brought their own gear and made camp. Whitney found an empty cot and tried to take a nap.
Nick found a spot a small distance away from the other tents and setup their tent. He got all the gear organized and filled their backpacks with more supplies. He made sure they had enough high-energy food in case Whitney needed to refuel. He took the cot next to Whitney and fell asleep.