“Mom, Dave will help us find her. Remember how resourceful and independent Tory is, too. She’s been on her own for a few years and can take care of herself,” Sue said through tearing eyes, wanting to be strong for her mother.
Brandon came to shake Dave’s hand and stood over the photo depiction of downtown.
Dave and Brandon continued to pore over the photographs, looking for anything that seemed out of place, out of the ordinary. Dave added a couple more pictures and took one away.
* * * *
While waiting for the team to arrive, Dave decided to go to Tory’s place and check for anything that would tell him she’d received a threat or anything else that could be revealed. He also needed a breath of fresh air. He needed to be doing something.
As he turned into the parking lot, it seemed so empty. Tory’s car parked all alone in its usual parking space. He used his key, opened the door, and entered her town house. It was so quiet and cold. He sat on the couch where he and Tory had sat together and snuggled and talked and talked the night away. They had talked about the future, the past, and the present.
He leaned over, putting his elbows on his knees and his hands to his face, covering his eyes. He had to get a grip on himself. He didn’t come here to mourn her loss but to look for clues. He got off the couch and started an in-depth visual of the entire downstairs. Then he went upstairs to their—uh, her room and then the second bedroom. He rummaged through her desk. The only thing he found was another envelope of pictures. He looked through them quickly. There were many duplicate pictures of the same girl alone and with Tory. He decided to take the photos to Anne’s and try to get them identified.
Chapter 37
Two hours later Dave, Anne, Sue, and Brandon sipped fresh coffee and gathered around the table. They all looked at Dave for answers since Tory had been with him, adding guilt on top of his anxiety and loss. There had not been a ransom phone call.
When the doorbell rang Dave answered it to find members of his old team, Sam McClellan, Tim Rose, and Ron Dixon. Sam had worked undercover and had been injured in a sting. It was good to see him back on the team. Dave gave Sam a generous hug as he slapped Tim and Ron on their backs. They were ready to go.
“Wow, guys, you really made good time. Did you get lost on the way from the airport?” Dave asked as they all patted each other on the back.
“No, not at all. It was a straight shot. Why?” Sam asked.
“Just wondering. Let’s get to work. This is what we have so far…”
Dave reiterated the happenings and showed the guys the photos. Sam stood away from the crowded table, sipping his coffee and listening intently.
“So she was dragged into a car and the car drove off, right?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” Dave answered.
“Are there any visuals from the cemetery of the parked cars there?” Sam asked while moving toward the table.
“No, just the usual cars,” Dave said as he ran his fingers through his hair. The hair on his neck bristled. “But you know, now that I think about it, Tory got run off the road on her way into town the first day she arrived.” He pointed to a black car with tinted windows in one of the pictures. “The car looked just like this!”
Everyone crowded around the table to look for more replicas of the car. And they found them. The car appeared in almost all the photos. It was wherever Tory was. Tory probably didn’t realize it, but she was being followed. Stalked.
“We find the car, we’ll find Tory!” Dave said excitedly but confident. He stood erect, taller, his hands on his hips. “We need a plan.”
He walked to the couch and sat with his elbows on his knees, his hands together in front of him. He lowered his head. I have to come up with a plan.
Chapter 38
Dave gathered all the local and state officers as well as the team at Anne’s house. He explained about the black car and how they put together all of Tory’s photos and laid out a replica of the town. It also showed the same vehicle on every picture. It looked identical to the vehicle that ran her off the road. “I think she was being stalked, because everywhere she went this other car went, too.”
Dave called Chief Carr.
“Can you come over? I have a plan in mind, but I’m going to need your help.”
* * * *
After Dave made the introductions, he said, “We need aerial support. Do you have a helicopter?” He directed his question to Chief Carr.
“No, but I know where we can get one. The county has one, but we don’t have anyone to fly it.”
Dave looked at Sam. “Is your license still in effect?”
“Sure is and glad to do it,” Sam answered.
Chief Carr got on the phone.
“This is Chief Carr from Hickoryville Police Department here with federal detectives. We need to request the county helicopter to search for a young woman who was recently abducted. The Feds have a licensed pilot of their own and I know you’re supposed to fly so many hours a month on the chopper,” Chief Carr said into the phone.
“Then this is a good thing, isn’t it? And I’ll take care of all the requisition forms, don’t worry about it.” Chief Carr spoke into the phone as he gave Dave a thumbs-up for the chopper.
“Okay, if that’s the soonest you can have it ready, we’ll take it then. See you in about two hours. Thanks!”
Chief Carr told everyone the county helicopter had to be used so many hours in the month, and so far it hadn’t been used at all so they were more than welcome to it as long as they supplied the licensed operator.
Dave looked at the sun on the horizon. They would be running out of daylight in about four hours. He hoped they would find Tory by then.
* * * *
Dave revealed the plan. Sam and Chief Carr would take aerial support while everyone else would be on the roads searching until they found the car. Brandon and Sue both volunteered themselves and their vehicles.
“Thank you both very much. I’ll take you up on the vehicles, but, Brandon and Sue, I think you should stay here to help your mother and Bob in case the kidnappers call offering a ransom.”
“You’re right, Dave. Good idea!” Brandon said as he settled on the couch for a long night.
Dave reached for his weapon he had retrieved from his glove box in the truck and realized he still had the envelope of photos from Tory’s place. He took them out of his inner jacket pocket and opened the packet. He handed them to Sue and Anne and asked, “Do either of you know who this young woman is in these photos and why she would be with Tory? I found them in Tory’s desk at her place. They’re mostly people, but I can’t identify any of them so if you can, write their names on the back. Maybe we’ll find something in common with them.”
“Wait a minute, Dave,” Sue said after looking quickly through the pictures. “Most of these photos are of Laura Petersen, the librarian. They were good friends in high school. They must have run into each other and Tory took all these pictures.”
“Let’s get a team over to her place and see what we can come up with. Maybe, just maybe, Tory got a ride there after the funeral. Trooper Pulitz, you take care of that while we secure the helicopter. We’ll meet back here at dusk,” Dave explained.
* * * *
When Chief and Sam arrived at the county heliport, they were quick about checking everything out and getting off the ground. They only had a few hours of daylight left. Chief Carr knew the area well and guided Sam to locations in search of the black car. Dave and the team traveled all the back roads looking everywhere for the car, even downtown, in backyards and open garage doors, but to no avail. Darkness crowded them from searching any further, and they ended at dark for the night.
* * * *
Dave began to worry. He paced the floor of Tory’s bedroom, knowing there was no reason trying to get any sleep. Too much time had passed for the abductors, enabling them to escape. He hadn’t realized how much he cared for Tory, what he would do if they never found her, how his life would be changed.
He never told her he loved her. I love her? I do! Why didn’t I ever tell her how much I cared for her? How much he appreciated and loved being with her? He’d taken their great sex life for granted. What would he do without her in his life?
Chapter 39
After a non-sleeping, coffee-drinking night studying the pictures again and again, the team was back in the air and on the ground at daybreak. Two men to a vehicle, one LEO, Law Enforcement Officer, would ride with each member of the team from out of town to help them find their way around the roads. They had to find the car and Tory today because once they started moving the victims it would be much harder to locate them. They had to.
Sam and Chief Carr took to the air at daybreak while the rest of the team continued their searches on the ground. Finally Sam spotted a dark vehicle traveling one of the back roads and relayed it to his office, who in turn called it in to the LEOs in the cars. They found and followed the vehicle, but it ended up being a pickup truck.
The search continued.
* * * *
Trooper Pulitz visited Laura’s bleak, small house. He found no one home but an unlocked front door. He immediately left and got a search warrant processed and returned. He methodically searched the sparsely furnished premises for anything pertaining to Tory’s whereabouts.
What he found in her desk drawer was a daily diary with important information. Information Dave needed to know about as soon as possible. Information that could save Tory’s life.
Chapter 40
The road was rough, up, down, and around as Tory rolled around in the large trunk of the car. Her head throbbed and her throat was sore from screaming for someone to help her, to stop the car. But no one heard her.
Finally, the car came to a stop. Tory heard a door open and footsteps toward the trunk shortly before it burst open. She was blinded momentarily by the bright light of day but soon her eyes adjusted. It was the woman from the cemetery.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good. Now get out. And don’t try anything funny. You wouldn’t be the first person who’s died recently.”
As Tory rolled to the edge of the trunk she felt her cell phone in her pocket. She put her hand in her pocket and pushed the button she thought was “last call” on her phone. Her last call had been to Dave, and she hoped he would pick it up. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and then kind of rolled out of the trunk and onto the ground.
“What do you want from me?” Tory asked.
“Shut up!” she said.
“At least tell me where we are, it’s a beautiful spot, barely touched by humans, and the cabin is stunning, blending in with all the surrounding tall tr—”
Slap! A slap to the side of her face interrupted her.
“I said shut up. What part don’t you understand, the shut or the up? I don’t want to hear another word. Now move it.” She nudged Tory in the side with her gun.
Tory followed instructions and walked to the cabin in the woods. She looked around frantically for a way to escape.
They reached the cabin, took the two steps onto the porch, and stood in front of the door while “black coat” dug in her pocket for a key. Once she retrieved the key, unlocked and opened the door, she pushed Tory inside.
The cabin had all the comforts and features of a small cottage. Living-dining-kitchen combo and a hallway that probably led to the bedrooms and bath. It was decorated in eclectic furniture and features which just added to the charm.
Tory looked around in amazement. How could such a mean woman have shown such comfort? “Excuse me, but I have to say this is a beautifully decorated cabin. It’s so comfort—”
Whack!
“Showing your stupidity again, aren’t you?”
“I just thought we could talk woman to woman,” Tory said as she backed up and put her arm out in front to ward off another blow. “Will you stop hitting me? Geez!” Tory said as she rubbed her cheek. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“No, but I’m going to hurt you,” Black Coat said as she turned around and took off her dark hat and glasses.
Tory recognized her from the bank and from the recent funerals. Paige Wilson.
“Paige Wilson. What have I done? Why are you so angry with me?”
“You really are stupid, aren’t you? I didn’t like the idea of you coming back to town. You were always number one in Matt’s book. I was never as good as Victoria, he claimed constantly. He only married me for my money and because he thought you were never coming back. Then when you did, I saw him talking to you on the street, making plans to see you. I’ve been following you since before you arrived in town. Now I want the blue diamond ring he gave you.”
“But all the girls murdered, did you have something to do with them?” Tory asked.
“Oh, my God, you are mentally challenged, aren’t you? Of course not. I can’t believe you could even think that.” She pulled out a dining room chair. “Sit down. Now!” She motioned with the gun.
Tory sat on the chair because she was afraid of being shot at close range if she didn’t do as she was told. Paige tied Tory’s hands behind her back and to the chair.
“Please don‘t tie my feet. I promise I won’t run away, please?” Tory pleaded, but to deaf ears.
Paige did the same with her ankles. Then Paige stepped outside.
Tory could hear her shoes clip-clopping across the porch. She tried to loosen the ropes on her hands and feet, she tried standing up, but fell over sideways in the process.
* * * *
Paige clip-clopped her way to the far corner of the porch. She pulled a cigarette out of the pack in her jacket pocket and lit it. After taking a deep breath and exhaling smoke, she smiled. All the weight-training exercise she did on a daily basis had helped her immensely. Especially with a little one like this one.
I’ve finally done it. I’ve captured Matt’s only true love and perfect little Tory won’t be getting away this time. Matt would always be married to me no matter what. Nobody would want him because they’d all die. Nobody is going to want Tory either from where she’s going.
She had planned this day for years, and nothing was stopping her now. As soon as she finished her cigarette she would implement the best plan of all. She was lucky that Matt was so careless and left his business papers laying around for her to peruse or she would never know of the human trafficking hideout here in the mountains. Girls and young kids picked up along the road were brought here until they were sold and then taken to their new “masters.” And the money they paid. “Wow!” It would definitely get them out of debt and Matt would love her and her alone forever and ever.
She heard a loud bang from inside as if something had fallen to the floor. She threw her cigarette out as she clip-clopped her way back inside, a big frown on her face, pursed lips, rolling her eyes and shaking her head with disgust.
Once inside Paige saw Tory lying on the floor on her side still attached to the chair. Perfect, she thought, no one would find her here until “they” came for her. One quick phone call and she’ll be out of my life forever. This cabin was at a barely used dead-end road and nobody else knew about it. She smiled and laughed, a high-pitched cackle.
* * * *
Tory heard her coming in the door and wondered what would be next. When she heard Paige laugh she was reminded of Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. Not a pretty sound.
“Now, look at you. Right where I want you.”
“Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?” Tory asked from the floor. Tears of frustration ran down her cheeks.
“You ruined my marriage, you idiot! You are all Matt can think about. He continues to look for someone just like you. He’s put you on some kind of pedestal and no one can equal you, let alone even come close. But he keeps looking under every skirt in town.”
“What are you talking about? Matt and I split a long time ago. He cheated on me, over and over. Why do you think I left him at the altar?”
“Huh, that’s not what he told me. He�
�s still looking for you and now that you’re back in town it’s only a matter of time before you’re together again and I’m left out in the cold.”
“I don’t want Matt. I’m in love with Dave.”
“You think I’d believe someone like you, flirting with every man in town. I know what you’ve been doing with that other man. I know all about you. But when I saw you talking to Matt, I knew I had to take you out of the picture so Matt would love me again.”
“I only talked to Matt twice, and I told him we couldn’t be together. I wasn’t interested in him then, and I’m certainly not interested in him now. Ask him, go ask him right now.”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? For me to leave you alone just long enough to get the ropes untied and for you to get away.”
“I don’t even know where we are, so how could I get away? Take me with you. In the trunk if you have to. I’ll make Matt tell you himself I’m not interested in him at all. I made it perfectly clear to him the one and only time we talked about it. I even gave him back his engagement ring, the blue diamond,” Tory said, desperately trying to make her understand. “So, if that’s what all this is about, you have to go to him to get it, not me.”
“Shut up, shut up!” Paige said as she kicked her in the side. “Let me think.” She walked out the door leaving it open behind her.
Tory heard Paige talking on her phone, telling someone she was ready, and giving directions. ”As soon as possible” were her final words.
Chapter 41
Paige paced on the porch of the cabin, back and forth, back and forth, clip-clop, clip-clop. She was excited about all the money she would soon have in her hands. She would have also outsmarted her stupid husband. Thanks to him for leaving his paperwork lying around with the ad circled for this deal to make a lot of money. Her only fear was she wondered who else may have seen the ad in the newspaper. What if Chief Carr or that federal guy, Dave, saw the same deal? Well, it didn’t matter anyway. She beat them to the prize of Tory anyway.
Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 15