by D. K. Hood
With effort, they eased the young woman from the car, taking care to support her head. He made Doug hold the young woman’s shoulders and it was easy to convince him to slide into his back seat with the woman’s head on his lap. “There’s a blanket in her car. I’ll grab it and her purse. The hospital will need to know her identity.”
He used the time to retrieve the syringe from his pocket. Gathered the purses and cellphones from the vehicle and returned to the car. Anticipation shook his hands as he opened the door closest to Doug and handed him the blanket. “I’ll go and tell Ella to follow us.”
“Sure, the keys are in the car.” Doug smiled. “Be careful; she has a loaded shotgun with her.”
The moment Doug turned to cover the young woman with the blanket, he plunged the needle into his jugular, followed by a second into his thigh. Doug went out in seconds without a murmur. One down. After shutting the door, he slipped and slid his way along the ice-covered blacktop to Doug’s truck. He paused at the back of the truck in the darkness to make sure the scarf covered his face then slipped the syringe out of his pocket and uncapped it. He moved slowly around the truck then shone the flashlight through the window. There she was, not holding a shotgun but just staring at him with a half-smile on her lips. There is one idiot born every minute. “Hey there, Ella. Remember me?”
Twenty-Five
Wednesday
So cold. Ella fumbled for the blanket covering her and pulled it up to her ears. Her neck ached and a strange numbness gripped her legs. Her teeth chattered like castanets, sounding horribly loud in the complete silence. Heavens above, the cold had seeped into her bones. She blinked, staring at the brilliant white wall in front of her. Startled, she gazed around her. She was inside a car and the white wall was a windshield covered with snow. How the hell did I get here?
Condensation dripped down the windows and she lifted her gloved hand to wipe it away, then thought better of it and searched around the car. She found a hamburger wrapper and used it to wipe a hole in the mist. Outside, the snow-dusted highway stretched in both directions. She searched her memory, remembering speaking to Doug about searching for Sky. They had climbed into his truck with a shotgun and headed out of town. Then what happened?
She searched the cabin. The shotgun lay across the back seat just as she remembered. Two empty to-go cups sat in the console along with a variety of candy. Perhaps she had fallen asleep and Doug had decided to search alone. What the hell was the time? She was desperate for a pee. From the daylight, she figured it must be way past nine. She eased open the door and winced as a blast of arctic air hit her face. If she came here with Doug, he must be close by. Her numb legs hit the blacktop and she turned and gaped in horror at the wrecked sedan a few yards away. Have we been in a wreck?
Sickened, she edged forward, not believing her eyes. The door to the wrecked sedan hung open and the interior light showed a woman with long hair covered in blood hanging half out of the smashed windshield. An ugly gash across her throat left her in no doubt that the poor woman was dead. Ella gaped in disbelief. The woman’s blood had frozen as it dripped off the hood and hung in grotesque red popsicles. She bit back a rush of nausea and waded through the thick snow to the vehicle. She had to look inside in case someone else was inside injured.
Shivering with cold and fear, she reached the wreck and steeled herself, then peered inside. Apart from the driver, the car was empty. She kept her eyes averted from the woman’s horrific injuries and, gripping the side of the vehicle, eased her way around the car, searching the immediate area for any survivors. She turned to examine Doug’s truck. It appeared to be undamaged. Perhaps he’d come across the car wreck and stopped to lend assistance, but if so where had he gone? She scanned the frozen tundra.
“Doug, are you out here?” Her voice seemed dampened by the snow. The eerie quiet closed in around her. She called many times but no reply came and a trickle of fear raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Alone in the middle of nowhere and her friend was missing. Not again. This can’t happen twice in one week.
Slipping and sliding perilously along the edge of the ditch, she reached Doug’s SUV. Snow dusted the black truck and by the thick coating of frost crazing the paintwork, they must have been here all night. If she couldn’t find Doug, she would drive into town and get help. She had the GPS to get her back to Black Rock Falls. She wrenched open the door and her gaze fixed on the ignition. She let out a sob of desperation. No keys. A chill shivered through her to the bone. What had happened to Doug? Why would he leave her and his truck on the side of the road? Nothing made sense. He had to be close by somewhere. Maybe he had wandered off into the bushes. She leaned against the truck and cupped her mouth. “Doug, Doug, answer me. Stop messing around.”
Silence. In fact, there was no noise at all. No birds, no traffic not one sound. It was as if she was completely alone in the world. Alone in the middle of nowhere with a corpse.
Twenty-Six
A commotion at the front counter at the sheriff’s department drew Jenna’s attention away from the computer screen. She had spent the last hour or two since arriving updating her files, collecting reports from the local search and rescue teams and keeping the media informed about the status of Sky Paul’s disappearance. Nothing seemed to add up in this case and finding no body or trace of the young woman had left her grasping at straws. She had her deputies searching for anyone who may have been passing through the local area at the time of Sky’s disappearance. The thought had occurred to her to check the whereabouts of men living in town fitting the description Ella Tate had offered of the attacker, then her deputies walked through the main entrance to the office, all shaking the snow off black hoodies. The description “tall with broad shoulders” resembled at least half the men in town.
A knock came on the door and the receptionist, Maggie, stuck her head inside the room.
“I have Mr. and Mrs. Paul in the waiting area. They insist on speaking to you right away.”
Jenna pushed to her feet and smiled at Maggie. “That’s fine, send them through.”
A tall middle-aged man dusted with snowflakes guided a distraught woman wearing a bright red winter jacket and matching knitted hat into the office. Jenna moved around the table and pulled out a chair for Mrs. Paul. “Have you gotten news about Sky?”
“Not a word.” Mr. Paul’s eyes narrowed and his mouth turned down. “You?”
Surprised by his harsh tone, Jenna moved back around her desk to make a space between her and the angry man. “As you are aware, we have involved the media and sent out BOLOs to all other counties.” She met his gaze full on. “My deputies are working around the clock to find her.”
“That’s not why we’re here.” Mrs. Paul shot to her feet and leaned across the desk, putting her face not six inches away from Jenna. “My son went out last night to search for Sky and now he’s gone missin’ too.”
It was fortunate Jenna had dealt with a number of irate people in her time and this kind of display no longer intimidated her. She dropped her voice to just above a whisper. “When did you last see your son?” She sat down and folded her hands on the desk.
“Last night at supper.” Mrs. Paul sank back into her chair and swallowed hard. “Doug left a note to say he and Ella had gone for a ride out toward Blackwater. The pair of them haven’t returned and he’s not answerin’ his cellphone.”
“I figured they might have stayed over at the Blackwater Motel seein’ the weather has been so bad, but they’re not there.” Mr. Paul stood behind his wife rubbing her shoulders. “It’s not like him not to contact us.”
“Are you aware an eighteen-wheeler rolled over on the highway a mile out of Blackwater last night around eleven? It spilled a load of toxic chemicals, blocking the highway in both directions.” Jenna sighed. “It’s been on the news all morning and the Department of Transport would have erected a flashing sign on the highway just outside of town.”
“You sayin’ that if Doug wrecked his truck last ni
ght in the cellphone dead zone, no one would have been by and he wouldn’t have been able to call for help?” Mr. Paul frowned. “We’ll head out now and go look for him ourselves.”
Jenna shook her head. “That’s not necessary. We’re better equipped to handle the situation. I’ll bring in my deputies and we’ll go over the details.” She lifted the phone and called Kane. “Grab Rowley and come to my office. We have a situation.”
Moments later Kane led Rowley through the door. He looked at her and raised one eyebrow in question. She lifted her chin and explained. “When we’ve finished here, Deputy Rowley will make out a missing person’s report. I’ll get a search organized immediately. I’ll need details of your son’s vehicle.”
She made notes and looked back at the couple. “What time did they leave?”
“We don’t know. Late.” Mr. Paul glanced at Kane. “My son’s vehicle has a GPS with a tracking device. Do you know the kind? He can find his car using his cellphone.”
“Ah, that’s useful. We should be able to trace the vehicle.” Kane took out his notebook and pen. “If you give me your son’s plate and cellphone number, I’ll get someone onto it straight away.”
“I don’t have his license plate number.” Mr. Paul’s expression was grim.
Jenna pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Is his car insured by Barker’s here in town?”
“Yeah, we all are.” Mr. Paul brightened. “They’ll have the details.”
“Would you call them, please? It will be quicker.” Jenna went through the contacts on her cellphone and read out the number. She glanced up at Kane. “When we have the information, I’ll ask Wolfe to locate the vehicle, but we won’t wait; we’ll head out toward Blackwater in case they’ve had car trouble and Wolfe will call when he has the coordinates. It is a cellphone dead zone, as you know, so grab your satellite phone and anything else we might need. We’ll take your truck.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kane headed out of the office.
Jenna waited patiently for Mr. Paul to obtain the plate number of his son’s truck, then called Wolfe. After disconnecting, she met the worried couple’s eyes. “Usually when an adult comes up missing we wait a while in case they show, but as he went looking for Sky, we can’t be sure he hasn’t gotten into trouble. The first thing is to find his vehicle. If we don’t have any luck locating him in the next hour, I’ll put out a BOLO.” She stood and waved the couple toward the door. “I want you to file a missing person’s report so we have all Doug’s details on file. If you go with Deputy Rowley, he’ll start the paperwork. I’ll call you when we find him.”
“Thanks.” Mr. Paul led his wife from the office.
She pulled open the bottom drawer to her desk, took out her backup weapon and secured it to her ankle. Her Kevlar vest went on next, then she pulled her overcoat from the peg and shrugged it over the top. She glanced up as Kane’s form blocked the doorway. “Wear your vest; I could be a target and we don’t know who we’re dealing with at the moment.”
“Great minds think alike, they say.” Kane opened his jacket to reveal his vest. “I was going to suggest the same to you. At first, I figured Sky’s vanishing act followed by Ella’s and Doug’s could have been contrived to get you alone in a black spot.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “Although the timeline doesn’t fit.”
Not wanting to discuss the matter in the office, Jenna frowned. “We’ll talk in the car.” She looked him up and down. “Phone? Gear?”
“In my truck with a Thermos of coffee, soup and a stack of sandwiches I picked up at Aunt Betty’s earlier.” Kane smiled at her. “I figured we’d be eating on the run today.”
Jenna pulled on her thick woolen hat and gloves, then followed him out the main entrance. The bitter cold hit her face in a stinging rush. Snow fell, dusting her coat with white flakes and making the sidewalk slippery. Winter had its own special smell, a combination of snow, wood-fire smoke and pine. A blanket of snow covered the town but it was awash with color, from the decorations hanging between the streetlamps and across the main street to the red-cheeked townsfolk, most wearing brightly colored scarves and hats. Kids darted everywhere, puffing out great clouds of steam as they built snowmen or threw snowballs. The pure white snow was fun for the children, but she figured after three months or more they, like everyone else, would look forward to the melt.
She glanced at Kane’s truck—“the beast”, as he called his modified unmarked black Dodge, was fitted with winter tires, for safety. She heard an excited bark and smiled at Duke peering out the window. She climbed into the passenger seat and leaned over the back to rub the dog’s ears. “Hey, Duke, nice harness.”
“Yeah, he has a fear of cages, so a harness was the next best thing to keep him safe.” Kane smiled at her. “I can attach his leash to it as well.” He slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
Jenna waited until they reached the highway before starting a conversation, busying herself with filling two to-go cups with coffee from the thermos. She figured Kane needed all his attention on negotiating the icy roads and idiot drivers through town and the suburbs. The highway into Black Rock Falls, although blanketed each side by endless white, had been cleared and salted since the last blizzard. A bright yellow flashing sign informed motorists: Highway closed between Peak Crossing and Blackwater.
She turned in her seat, cup in hand. “You mentioned something about the timeline?” She handed him a coffee.
“Yeah.” Kane took the to-go cup, sipped then placed it in the console. “Sky went missing Friday night but the doctor didn’t take blood from you until Saturday. If you’re a target, it would make more sense for her to be involved in Doug Paul’s disappearance. I figure she would know you’d run the investigation from home and wouldn’t be out looking for her.” He sighed. “As a sniper, I wouldn’t risk taking down a target with a chopper overhead and a team on the ground. Out here in the snow, I’d be a sitting duck.”
Jenna considered his words and nodded. “Yeah, but she knew I was returning to work today.”
“Exactly.” Kane glanced at her, then his attention went back to the road. “No vehicles on the highway and no search and rescue around to spot a sniper.”
Fear skittered up Jenna’s spine, raising the hairs on her body. “Yeah, if she has a match on my DNA and knew I was alone yesterday, she might have tried to subdue me. She was desperate to get inside the house.” She shuddered. “Why else would she come by when she could have called me? I don’t trust her. I should never have allowed her to take blood.”
“I don’t either and we have people checking her out. If she as much as jaywalked we’ll know by tonight.” Kane’s lips twitched up at the corners. “She may be working with the cartel to get a positive ID on you but because of the timeline, I can’t tie her in with Sky’s disappearance. How could she possibly know Sky and Ella would be on the highway at that particular time?” He sighed. “I wish I knew what prompted Doug and Ella to suddenly go searching for Sky in the middle of the night.”
The satellite phone rang and Jenna picked it up. “Alton.”
“It’s Wolfe. I’ve located Doug Paul’s truck. I’ll give you the coordinates.”
Jenna uploaded the information into the GPS. “Thanks. Anything on Doc Weaver yet?”
“Not yet. I’m expecting an update soon, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” Jenna disconnected and looked at the GPS screen. “The truck is about a half-mile ahead on the highway.”
The truck came into sight as they rounded a bend. Someone leapt from the cab, ran into the middle of the road and waved their arms. She could see her mouth working but could not hear her. “Is that Ella Tate?”
“I figure it’s a possibility.” Kane grimaced. “If so, where’s Doug Paul?”
“Maybe he’s injured.” As Kane slowed his vehicle, Jenna’s attention went to a line of deep grooves leaving the road and cutting through the frozen bank of snow. “That doesn’t look good.”
“Nope.” Kane sucked i
n a breath. “Looks like someone ran off the road and into the ditch.”
They pulled up behind Doug Paul’s truck and Jenna spotted the faded red taillights of a crumpled wreck through a coating of snow. The vehicle sat at an odd angle. The driver’s side wheels had cleared the ditch but the other side hadn’t been so lucky. She turned to Kane, pulling up her hood. “I’ll take a look, and you’d better get Ella out of the cold.”
She jumped from the truck and gasped at the icy chill seeping through her thick clothes. Breathing out great clouds of steam, she made her way toward the wreck then stopped mid stride at the horrific scene before her. A body stuck half out the windshield and a sparking trail of blood had frozen to the white paintwork. “Oh, my God.”
Twenty-Seven
The sharp smell of antiseptic drew Doug out of a deep sleep. Voices, low and mumbling, drifted through the miasma in his foggy brain. He dragged open his eyelids but, finding the effort too much and the light far too bright, closed them again. His mom usually threw open the drapes and cleaned his bathroom when she wanted him to do some chores. He opened his mouth to call out and remind her he was on vacation but his tongue had stuck to the roof of his mouth. Where had he ended up last night? His mind wandered back to his day and he remembered leaving the house with Ella and hunting for Sky. A stark image of a woman thrust through a windshield flashed into his mind and he opened his eyes. Above, a bright light shone down on him. Heavy drapes surrounded his bed. There was an unnerving familiarity to the beeps and sucking sounds of the machinery. The same noises he remembered from visiting his grandpa in the hospital in the days before the old man died.
Am I dying? What the hell had happened to him? He turned his head to call out to the distant voices and the room tilted then a tidal wave of nausea hit him. Oh, that can’t be good. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths until the feeling passed. Under him, crisp, smooth sheets pressed against his flesh, so he was not suffering from paralysis. Yet he felt strangely unattached to his body and checked to make sure he had all his body parts. He wiggled his toes and moved his fingers, but the effort to lift an arm sent pain searing through his left side. Agony had awoken like a sleeping tiger to gnaw at his flesh. Dear Lord, had someone shot him? He trembled, panting in torment. Sweat coated his brow and salty rivulets stung his eyes. He tried to force words from his dry throat. “Help me.” His voice came out in a raspy whisper, but someone heard.