by Jordan Dane
“When did you last see Agent Crowley?”
“She called one of your other agents and they processed the kid’s pool house. I stayed until they both left. I don’t know where she went after that.”
After I confirmed Crowley had driven the Tahoe, and that it hadn’t been parked in the sheriff’s lot, I asked the deputy to issue another alert.
“Put a BOLO on the Chevy Tahoe. I have someone in DC who can give you the license number and particulars.” I gave him Sinead’s contact information. “I want to know the minute anyone spots that SUV.”
I needed fresh air and found an exit toward a back parking lot. When I noticed it free of news media, I took a chance and wandered outside to make a few calls. I contacted Hutch and Cam and received the same answer. Lucinda had left the Barbour residence and no one had seen her since.
“Go to her motel room and call me if she’s there or if you spot the rental car,” I said to Cam.
“Hutch borrowed a sheriff’s cruiser. We’ll both look for her and call you if we find anything,” she said.
“Yeah, thanks.”
I ended the call and tried her number again, but as I listened to her cell ring, my mind tortured me with thoughts of Grayson Barbour. According to Deputy Lovell, the kid had motive and enough pent up anger toward Lily to be our UNSUB for her brutal murder.
Had Crowley crossed paths with Barbour tonight?
“Is someone missing?” A low voice came from the shadows behind me. I turned to see Mozart Reed step into the light. “I heard about the BOLO on your rental car from my police scanner. Anything I can do to help?”
With muscled arms and a broad chest, Mozart filled out his black tactical gear and wore a Glock 19 in a drop-leg holster. He looked like a SWAT action figure.
“I’m not a guy who sits on the sidelines. I need to help,” he said. “If Hurst didn’t kill my sister, I owe it to Avery to see the right person pays. You can understand that, right?”
“Yeah, I can, but bringing your sister’s killer to justice doesn’t mean you get a license to kill, 007. You take orders from me.”
Mozart stared at me as if he were weighing his options. When he finally nodded, he said, “Agreed. Come on. My truck is close by.”
Reed led me to a Dodge Ram 1500 Limited. After I climbed inside, I noticed a child seat strapped behind the driver. I raised an eyebrow and Mozart noticed.
“You have something to say?” he asked.
I pursed my lips and shook my head.
“Nope. I know better than to come between a man and his Snuggy Ride.” As we pulled from the parking lot, I asked, “You have weapons?”
Mozart grinned.
“You’re kidding, right?”
***
Outside Big Bear Lake
11:30 p.m.
Ryker Townsend
Under normal circumstances, I might’ve said something about my macho quotient hitting the red-line as I rode shotgun in Mozart’s Dodge Ram, but I’d been too worried about Lucinda. We’d started at the Barbour home and canvassed the neighbors earlier in the evening and tried the motel again. Nothing. Sinead had no better luck ‘pinging’ her cell.
You never would’ve turned off your phone, I thought. Lucinda’s smiling face haunted me and I ached to hold her. I’d lost my objectivity and I didn’t care. A ribbon of center lane captured in the headlights had me mesmerized as I stared through the windshield of Mozart’s truck. Switch grass wafted in the night air as we drove by.
When a singer by the name of Dustin Evans sang the haunting song, ‘If I Die before You Wake,’ the lyrics cut through me like a knife to the gut. I couldn’t get Lucinda’s face from my mind. I didn’t need a song to remind me that I might not see her again.
“Could you please turn off the radio?”
“Yeah, sure.” After he turned off the music, he glanced at me. “This woman, she means more to you, doesn’t she?”
Mozart didn’t flinch when he asked the question.
“There’s something personal between you,” he said. It hadn’t been a question.
Reed was the kind of guy who made it easy to confide in him. In the short time I’d known him, it felt as if we’d been friends in another lifetime, but I didn’t answer him.
“Don’t bother denying it. I’ve seen that look before. When Summer went missing and I knew Hurst—” He stopped out of mercy. “Sorry. We’re gonna find her.”
It surprised me to realize that talking about my personal relationship with Lucinda had calmed me. The silence and my unrelenting fear of losing her had been worse.
“Summer is your wife, right?” After Reed nodded, I said, “How did you know she was the one?”
He grinned.
But before he had a chance to say anything, the shrill sound of my cell phone shattered the moment. When I looked at my display, I saw the call came from Deputy Lovell.
“SSA Townsend.” I shut my eyes and waited for what he would say.
“We got a hit on that BOLO for the Chevy Tahoe. I’m standing by the vehicle, but your lady agent isn’t here. At least, we haven’t found her yet.” He cleared his throat. “It doesn’t look good.”
I clenched my jaw until it hurt.
“Where are you?”
“We’re at the trailhead of the San Bernardino National Forest, the footpath where those hikers located Lily Rae. We found your agent’s cell phone off the path. It’s got blood on it.
I gripped the phone harder and took a deep breath.
“I’m on my way.”
Chapter 13
San Bernardino National Forest, California
Midnight
Ryker Townsend
“This must be close to where the Hubbard girl had been discovered.” Mozart said as he pulled into the gravel lot near the trailhead.
The people of Big Bear had brought tributes to set on the ground near the entrance of the park—to honor the life of the seventeen-year-old in a touching and sad expression from the community. Stuffed bears, flowers, white crosses, homemade frames on pictures of Lily, and personal handwritten notes were strewn under the park sign.
“Yes,” I said. “Her body was about two miles down, on the edge of the marsh.”
Mozart nodded. I couldn’t imagine how painful it must be for him, to relive his worst nightmare. I wouldn’t be alone in my misery with Lucinda missing.
After he parked the truck, we put boots on the ground and headed for the abandoned Chevy Tahoe. The black SUV looked like an ominous mystery. I pulled on my latex gloves and examined the vehicle using my Kel-Lite. Nothing looked out of place and no sign of a struggle.
Why did you come here, Lucinda?
Deputy Lovell’s cruiser had lights spiraling into the night, behind the Tahoe. The deputy stood in a circle of other officers, giving the men orders. Hutch and Cam leaned against a patrol car. Even though they looked eager to get at the Tahoe, their faces were pinched with worry.
“Still no word from Lucinda?” Hutch asked, with Cam at his side.
I only shook my head. Any words I said about Lucinda being missing put finality to a bad situation. I had to concentrate on what I could do to find her.
“We searched for her, but it’s too dark to see anything on that trail,” Hutch said. “Lovell said he’d get dogs out here tomorrow. First light, Cam and I are coming back.”
“Good. If we don’t find her tonight, I’ll be here, too,” I said. “In the mean time, have the Tahoe impounded. I want you and Cam to go over every inch of it.”
“You got it, boss.” Hutch’s eyes shifted toward the shadowy trailhead. “Lovell still has people searching the trail. Nothing on her yet, but they found her cell. It tested positive for blood.”
Cam held up Lucinda’s cell phone sealed in a plastic evidence bag.
“When we process the Tahoe, we’ll test the blood on her cell to see if it’s hers,” Cam said. Her eyes glistened with tears that she fought to hold back.
“I know it’s hard, but we have
to do our jobs, stay focused, and keep our minds working.” I reached out to my team and put my hands on their shoulders. “We’ll find her.”
Oblivious to the anxiety of my team, Deputy Lovell walked up with a smile on his face.
“Is that one of the SEALs who killed Hurst?” the deputy asked, waggling the toothpick in his mouth. With admiration in his eyes, Lovell hoisted his duty belt with both hands and a peculiar smirk on his face as he stared at Mozart.
From the reports I read and what Mozart had told me himself, he hadn’t pulled the trigger. His SEAL team did, with cause. I chose to ignore the deputy’s veneration for killing and introduced Mozart to Lovell and my team.
When a flatbed tow truck pulled in to the gravel lot with yellow caution lights flashing, Deputy Lovell spoke first.
“We’ve done all we can do tonight. We’ll be back at daylight with dogs to search for your missing agent.”
My brain knew the deputy had been right, but my heart wouldn’t let go. I gave my last words of encouragement to Hutch and Cam before I headed back to the truck. Mozart’s presence gave me the crutch I needed to get through this. I knew I could count on his experience and training if the need arose.
I sat and stared at the tow truck hoisting the Tahoe onto its flatbed, and I watched patrol cruisers leave the gravel lot. I hadn’t said a word since I climbed into the passenger seat and Mozart kept quiet and gave me time to think.
I sensed I had missed something important and that knowledge tortured me. Finally Mozart broke the silence.
“Say it. Out loud,” he said. “What are you thinking?” His voice boomed in the quiet.
“Two seconds.” As I blurted it out, the fog cleared. Yes, of course.
“No. Not two seconds from now. Don’t think, just say it.”
“That’s not—”
Rather than explain, I grabbed my cell and called Sinead Royce. For the first time since Lucinda went missing, my heart pumped with greater urgency. Sinead answered on the first ring, sounding fully awake. She was part of our team and I knew she wouldn’t sleep until we found Lucinda.
“Lucinda called my phone, but she only stayed on for two seconds and didn’t leave a message. Can you triangulate her signal to get coordinates for those two seconds?”
I heard Sinead’s fingers tapping the keyboard, lightning fast. From the headset she wore, I heard her rapid breaths in my ear. She felt the adrenaline rush of hope, too.
“I got it. Her last coordinates, Ryker.”
Sinead gave me the location and Mozart plugged it into his GPS.
“That’s along the north shoreline of the lake,” Reed said. “There used to be an old vineyard up there.”
If Lucinda hadn’t been at the trailhead when she called me, how did her vehicle end up there?
“There’s only one address at her last known coordinates, Ryker,” Sinead said. “It’s a church called True Light Ministry, but it used to be called La Maison de Sade Cellars, a winery. I found blueprints of the property. You should have them in two shakes.”
Grayson Barbour and his family lived near the church. The pieces to the puzzle of Lucinda’s disappearance were coming together. If the Barbour kid had lied about everything, Lucinda might’ve realized too late that Grayson was dangerous.
“Buckle up, cowboy,” Mozart said with a smile. “I knew you’d pull something out of your ass.”
I considered thanking him, but decided against it.
***
Minutes later
Pain flooded her body until it throbbed into her head and stayed. Lucinda cracked her eyelids open and couldn’t focus. Everything blurred and fissures of light undulated in the dark. When she tried to move, she realized her hands were bound. She smelled blood as she lifted her head and nausea slammed her hard. She heaved and fought to breathe through her nose, to stop from getting sick.
Her toes came into focus and her senses sputtered to life like a slow, hissing fire. Cold stone chilled her bare feet and cut through her clothes to nip at her spine. She tried to swallow but her tongue felt swollen and dry.
Where am I? She strained to make out the shapes in the murky room. A single bare light bulb hung from the ceiling. Her wrists were tied above her head. The rope cut into her skin and blood had drained down her arms.
Thick musty air filled her nostrils and made her skin clammy with sweat. The dank stench carried a memory she couldn’t place—the smell of dirt and stagnant water—something to do with Ryker and what happened to him last year.
“Ryker?” She called out, but the sound of her voice muffled. She had the symptoms of a concussion.
The clack of footsteps on stone echoed in her ears and made her head pound. Stop, she winced. Queasiness rushed back and bile rose hot in her belly. She braced for what would happen to her next and tried to stand to relieve the pain to her wrists.
The hazy shape of a man entered the room and she tried to focus.
“Why’d you come here?” he said.
Lucinda fought hard to recognize the voice. When she finally did, his face emerged from the gloom—Grayson Barbour.
“I made it look like I ran away.” The kid paced and ran a hand through his hair, ranting until spittle ran from his lips. “Whatever happens, it’s on you now. Not me.” He pointed a finger in her face.
She moistened her lips and cleared her parched throat.
“Nothing has to…h-happen, Grayson. You’re a juvenile. Just tell the truth. W-we can work things…out.”
Tears streaked his face and snot ran from his nose. When he stopped his frantic pacing, the kid pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans and pointed the muzzle at Lucinda’s head. His hand shook and he had a finger pressed too tightly on the trigger. She held her breath in shock.
He had her weapon.
“What I did to Lily, they’ll stick a needle in my arm.” He broke down and cried like a baby. “I didn’t mean it, I swear, but I couldn’t…Oh, God, I couldn’t stop.”
“When did you quit taking your meds, Grayson?” She remembered his medicine cabinet and recognized his extremes.
“No, the drugs were messing me up. Stop it. You sound like my mother,” he yelled. “I don’t even remember doing what I did. Sometimes I black out, but I had her blood on me and I had a knife in my hand. It had to be me.”
He sobbed and his body convulsed.
“Is this where you took her?” she asked. “What is this place?”
“Stop asking me questions. I need to think. I can’t do that with you yelling at me.”
“I’m not yelling, Grayson.”
“Don’t argue with me!” His eyes bulged, with his face within inches of hers. “They won’t feel sorry for me. They’ll see me for the animal I am. If I let you out of here, I’m dead.”
From the corner of her eyes, Lucinda saw movement in the shadows. She wasn’t alone with Grayson Barbour, but she had to keep him distracted.
“Why did you kill her, Grayson? Explain it to me. You loved her, didn’t you?”
He whimpered and fresh tears drained down his face.
“She wouldn’t let me love her. I tried. I told her I could be gentle, but she—”
“What did she do, Grayson?”
Deputy Lovell stepped into the murky light. Lucinda saw his uniform and the deputy had his gun aimed at Grayson’s head. All he needed would be a clear shot, but the kid stood too close to her. She had to keep him talking.
“I knew you loved her. I could tell,” she said. “What did Lily do to you?”
“She scratched me…and hit me. She didn’t understand. I knew she’d been a virgin. She told me that. I wanted to be her first. It had to be me. You see that, right?”
“I do. A girl doesn’t forget her first boy,” Lucinda said. ‘It’s important that he’s the right one. I understand what you’re saying.”
“Put your hands up, Grayson.” Deputy Lovell used an even voice and he held his body as still as stone. From where he stood, he couldn’t miss. “Drop your
weapon. Now.”
“Is Agent Townsend with you, deputy?” Lucinda asked.
“He’s on his way. The place is surrounded.” Deputy Lovell took a step closer. “We just need Grayson to cooperate.”
“Do as he says. We can work things out.” Another man stood in the shadows and spoke to the boy from behind cover. “God forgives all sinners, young man. Put the weapon on the ground and back away.”
Lucinda recognized his voice.
Reverend Elias Fenton had accompanied the deputy and tried to talk Grayson down. Fenton had been close to the Hubbard family. He wanted a peaceful end to the tragedy.
“Look, Grayson, you came to the church for sanctuary and I gave it to you, but it’s time to confess your sins and make peace with what you did. You’ll feel better to have that burden off your shoulders.”
Grayson blinked back tears as they rolled down his face. He grappled with the weight of the gun as he considered his options. No one moved as time dragged on.
“Will you help me, preacher?” The kid’s voice cracked. “My mom is useless. I don’t think I can get through this alone.”
“Yes, I’ll help you, Grayson.”
When the kid lowered his hand and the gun looked too heavy for him to hold, Lucinda let out the breath she’d been holding. Grayson dropped his arm and Deputy Lovell grabbed the weapon to disarm the trembling kid. The reverend came out from the shadows with a relieved look on his face. The standoff was over. Tears flooded Lucinda’s eyes and she dared to imagine Ryker’s face and think of him.
It was over.
But when the deputy yanked Grayson by the neck and put the muzzle of his gun to the kid’s head, he pulled the trigger and executed him. Warm blood spattered Lucinda’s face. She flinched in shock. The gun blast echoed in the room and Lucinda’s ears rang.
“Oh my, God. What have you done?” Her mouth moved, but she barely heard her stifled voice.