“Houston’s police force and our FBI team are spending most of our waking hours and resources looking for her. Isn’t this her first assignment out of your district?”
“It is, but SSA Spelling thought she was ready. She came highly recommended by SSA Dave Spencer in Quantico.”
“Dave Spencer? How did she manage to become acquainted with him?”
“Dave and Jade’s dad were good friends. Actually, Agent Spelling went to the police academy with Tom Monroe.”
“Tom Monroe? He was Jade’s father?”
J.T. nodded and took a sip of coffee. “That’s quite a legacy to live up to, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Absolutely. I had no idea. Still and all, once Jade is found, we have to get to the bottom of this. Agents can’t go off halfcocked and take on a case by themselves. We’re a team. The FBI doesn’t tolerate solo players.”
“Understood, ma’am, and I’m sure she’s going to have a good explanation.”
Tam drummed the tabletop with her fingertips then looked at the clock. “Get a few winks, J.T. We’re heading out in two hours.”
Chapter 47
I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was wet, cold, and confused. I lay outside in the elements—that was a fact. Outlines of trees were taking shape as the vast night above me was giving way to dawn. Bugs found open spots around my jacket collar and pant legs, and I felt them crawling inside my clothes. I swatted things that skittered across my face, and my neck itched from bites. Crickets chirped and bullfrogs croaked in the distance. I knew I was near water. I also knew alligators inhabited Texas lakes and rivers. I had to get to dry land, and the sooner the better. My temples pounded as I tried to recall what happened and how I got to that spot. A lump had formed on the back of my head, but I couldn’t remember why.
Slowly, I got to my hands and knees and assessed how I felt. I was dizzy, my head throbbed, and my body was chilled to the bone and badly bug bitten. I considered myself lucky. It could have been worse. I needed to get to my feet, figure out where I was, and find help.
Voices sounded in the distance. I was sure of it. The breaking light gave me opportunity to see a large body of water beyond the marsh grass. I forced myself to stand up, but I couldn’t get close to the water’s edge. The wet, soggy ground sucked my shoes in deeper with every movement I made. I wouldn’t take a chance of stumbling over a well-hidden venomous snake or a hungry alligator.
Squinting might help me see better. It felt as if my eyes were coated with a foggy film. I stared at the calm, glasslike water and hoped to see something move—something human.
The noise sounded again. I knew it wasn’t birdcalls or the wind. It was conversation and laughter, and it echoed across the water.
I yelled out for help and was shocked at the sound of my own voice. Raspy, raw noises came from deep within my throat. Lying all night in the damp cold probably caused it, but I couldn’t waste the only opportunity I had to get rescued. I heard them again and finally saw what I had prayed for. In the distance, two men paddled a rowboat across the water. I waved my arms and yelled as loud as I could to get their attention even though my throat felt as if I had swallowed barbed wire.
The man sitting at the bow pointed toward me. I waved again and called out for help. They turned the rowboat toward shore and headed in my direction. I thanked God for answering my prayers.
“What in the world?” The man at the bow shielded his eyes and got a better look at me.
“Help me, please. I need to get out of here. I’m an FBI agent, and I believe I was drugged. I woke up out here in the marsh. Please, I need to use a phone.”
“Can you get to the pier?”
“I have no idea where that is. How far? Which way?”
“I can see it from here, ma’am. There’s a dirt path behind you about fifty feet. Go left on that path for one hundred yards or so. You’ll see a sign with an arrow pointing toward the water. The pier is right there. We’ll meet you there with the boat.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll be fine as soon as I get out of this muck and on dry ground. I think I’ve lost one of my shoes, but I’ll try to hurry.”
The tangle of marsh grasses tripped me as I plowed through the mess. I finally hit dry ground, kicked off the remaining shoe that weighed me down with mud, and stumbled forward on the path. My head pounded with each step. I reached the sign and turned left. The pier was directly ahead, and the men were only twenty feet out. I watched my footing as I made my way down the wooden structure and grabbed the rope they threw to me. With the rowboat against the pier and the rope safely secured to a post, the men climbed out and joined me. They stared at me as if I was the creature from the Black Lagoon, and I’m sure I looked the part.
“Thank you so much. You have no idea what your help means to me.”
“Ma’am, are you really an FBI agent?”
“I’m sure I don’t look like one at the moment, but yes, I am. My name is Jade Monroe, and you are?” I held out my damp hand.
The man that had been sitting at the bow introduced himself as Leon Winkler, and his friend was Dan Carlisle. They said they were retired and out to do some Sunday morning fishing.
“I’m so thankful you happened along. Where in the world am I?”
“This is Sheldon Lake State Park, and you were damn lucky to be found at all. This is a 2,800-acre park, and not many people are out here in the cooler months. Speaking of cooler, you’re shaking. You have to be freezing. Take my coat. At least it’s dry.”
“Thank you, Leon.” I slipped his flannel-lined jacket over my stiff, wet shoulders.
“Are those what I think they are?” Dan pointed at my neck.
Instinctively, I touched the multiple spots where I had been zapped with the stun gun. Until that moment, I had forgotten all about them. The cobwebs in my mind began to clear as the Methohexital wore off and the images of Jordan returned.
I nodded in response then asked to use a phone.
“Here you go, Jade,” Dan said. “Use mine.”
At that moment, I couldn’t recall anyone’s phone number except my mom’s. It was still the same number she’d had when we were kids living at home. I dialed it.
“Hello. If this is a telemarketing call on a Sunday morning, you should be ashamed.”
“Mom, it’s Jade.”
“Jade, oh my God, honey, we’ve been worried sick.”
“Mom, I need you to listen carefully to my every word. It’s imperative you call Jack the second we hang up. You do have his number, don’t you?”
“Well, it’s somewhere around here.”
“Never mind. Call Amber, then. Don’t dillydally, just call her now and tell her to contact Agent Harper immediately. Have her tell him I’m safe and at Sheldon Lake State Park. Write this phone number down.” I gave her Dan’s number. “Have Agent Harper call this number right away. Do you have everything I just said?”
“Yes, honey. Call Amber, tell her to call Agent Harper, and give him the phone number you just rattled off.”
“Good. Do it now. I’ll be expecting his call in five minutes. I love you, Mom. Goodbye.”
Leon shook his head, as if in disbelief. “You don’t remember anything about how you ended up here?”
“It’s coming back to me. I’m sure I was drugged and left here to die. I can’t go into details, but you’ll see something on the news in the next day or so, I guarantee it.”
Leon climbed down to the boat, grabbed his tackle box and a thermos, and brought them up. “I got something for you, Jade.”
I gave him a weak smile. “I hope it isn’t worms.”
“Nope, no worms.” He grinned. “But I always carry trail mix with me. Here, have some.” He twisted the cap off the thermos and poured steaming coffee into it. “Here you go. You look like you can use something hot to drink too.”
I held the warm cap between my hands and sipped the coffee. “This is good, thanks.”
“It’s quite a walk back to the entrance, Jade. You’re better off climbing in the boat with us and cutting across the water.” Leon looked down at my feet. “Barefoot? That would take a while.”
“Sounds like a good idea. How far is downtown from here?”
“Downtown is a half hour southwest, unless you’re in law enforcement. I’m sure they can make it in twenty minutes.”
“How long will it take to get back to where you parked your vehicle?”
“About the same amount of time. Let’s head out now, and you can hang onto my phone. No reason to wait on the pier for your call,” Dan said.
“Okay, I’m ready whenever you guys are.”
Leon helped me into the rowboat, and Dan untied the rope, climbed in, and pushed us back with an oar. They turned the boat around, and we headed to the launch and parking lot area. Within minutes, Dan’s phone rang. I checked the screen and knew if it was J.T., he’d block the call to a civilian’s phone. The call was blocked. Dan nodded the go-ahead, and I cautiously answered with a simple hello.
“Jade, is that really you?”
“J.T.?”
I heard a familiar laugh, then a groan, then several curse words. “All I need to know is your location. The rest we’ll deal with later. We’re east of the city right now, trying to pinpoint where Jordan is hunkered down.”
“I think I can help speed up that process, but first come and get me. I’ll be at the boat launch in Sheldon Lake State Park.”
“You got it. Give me a sec.”
I heard J.T. yelling to someone, then he came back to the phone. “Okay, we’re fifteen minutes from you. The cavalry is coming, partner. Stay put and take a breath.”
I hung up and handed the phone to Dan. My personal nightmare with Jordan was over. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for Jeanie. I wiped my eyes with gratitude and thanked my new friends for rescuing me.
“Here we are,” Dan said.
They rowed the boat until we reached the cement launch area, then Leon climbed out. He grabbed the rope and tied it to a tree. Dan and I climbed out after him. Several picnic tables lined the parking lot. We sat and waited.
“I’m working out of the FBI field office in Houston. I’m hoping this case will be wrapped up in a day or two so I can go home.”
“Where’s home?” Dan asked.
I smiled then chuckled. “Just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”
Leon shrugged. “You mean the arctic tundra? Just thinking of those long winters makes me shiver.”
“After living there my entire life, I’m finally making peace with it.” I heard the sounds of sirens approaching then saw the red and blues flash on two squad cars and two black sedans as they skidded into the parking lot. I grinned. “Looks like the cavalry is here.”
J.T. and Agent Tam jumped out of the first cruiser and ran to me. Dave and Bruce were right behind them.
“Jade, are you okay? Do you need an ambulance?” J.T. yelled out orders to the police officers.
“I’m okay, just a bit weak.”
“Let’s get this park searched,” Agent Tam called out.
“Ma’am, don’t bother. I don’t think Jordan spent any time here other than finding a good dump spot for me. These two men are my guardian angels, and I don’t know if I would have found my way out of here without them.”
J.T. and Agent Tam shook Leon and Dan’s hands as I introduced them.
“Jade, you should still be checked over. You look terrible,” Tam said.
“I think most everything will wash off with a hot shower. How about giving me an hour to clean up and eat, then I think I can track down Jordan and end this once and for all.”
I asked J.T. to give Dan and Leon his card as a contact until I got another phone. I wanted to thank them properly before we headed back to Milwaukee. With hugs of gratitude, I thanked my heroes and got in the car. We headed to the hotel so I could clean up.
Chapter 48
Jeanie sat in the same chair as last night, once again wrapped in red paracord. The silver duct tape stretched across her mouth kept her quiet. Her chair faced the front door, and a vacant chair sat next to it. Jordan pulled every curtain closed on the street side of the house then patiently waited on the couch and stared at Jeanie’s phone. A text would surely come in any minute to say when her guest would arrive.
Jordan sipped coffee while her eyes darted from the phone, to Jeanie, then back to the phone. “Oh, I almost forgot. Where is my brain right now?”
She leaped off the couch and disappeared around the corner. The garage door sounded as it opened and closed—twice. Minutes later, Jordan carried a cinder block into the living room, left again, then brought in a second one.
“There, might as well have everything ready to go.” She took her seat again and leaned over the phone. “Awesome, a text came in.” She picked up the phone, swiped it with her index finger, and read the text. She chuckled and responded then threw the phone on the coffee table. “It’s almost show time.”
Jeanie squirmed on the chair. It teetered precariously to the point of nearly falling over.
“Knock it off. Sit still and accept your fate. It will be over with soon enough.”
With her arm over the back of the couch, Jordan separated the curtain with her index finger just enough to see the driveway. She’d need a minute to prepare. Blitz attacks were her specialty. A wide grin spread across her face, and she crossed the room to stand in front of Jeanie. She leaned in, inches from Jeanie’s face. “He’s here.”
With her necessities out of the backpack and ready to go, Jordan stood behind the front door and waited. She heard footsteps on the porch, then she watched as the doorknob jiggled when he unlocked it. Her thumb rested against the stun gun’s red button. He pushed the door open.
“Hey, babe, why is your car parked in the driveway? What in God’s name?”
He barely had enough time to get the words out of his mouth before he was hit with the stun gun. Jordan laid into it and pressed it deep against his neck. A loud grunt sounded, he twitched, and with a hard thud, he hit the ground. Jeanie screamed through the tape and rocked the chair. In a split second, Jordan had crossed the room and backhanded her with such force that the chair tipped backward and crashed to the floor.
Jeanie’s issues were secondary. He needed to be restrained quickly before he came to his senses. Jordan rolled him over and kneed his back to hold him down. She grabbed his arms and zip-tied them tightly. He was waking up. As she held the longest zip tie with her teeth, she pushed up his pant legs, grabbed the tie, and secured his ankles together. She gave the plastic restraint an extra hard pull. With the most important part done, she rolled him again to face her.
The realization hit him as he stared into her eyes. “Jordan?”
She coiled back her fist, punched him in the face, battered him into unconsciousness, then ripped a length of tape off the roll and spread it across his mouth. Jordan struggled to drag his dead weight across the room. With a heave, she propped him up in the chair next to Jeanie and bound him with paracord.
Chapter 49
I felt human again. The dirt and bugs had been washed down the shower drain. I put on a clean pair of clothes then exited my room and took the elevator to the first floor, where J.T. waited in the hotel lobby.
“That’s more like it. You look way less scary than before.”
I didn’t know J.T. as well as Jack, so the punch in the arm I would have given him would be saved for the future.
“Let’s hit the drive-through so you can eat on the way.”
“But the field office is just down the street.”
“That’s right, you don’t know. We set up a command center at the downtown police department yesterday so everyone could combine their efforts to find you and Jordan. There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“And a lot you don’t, either. Let’s get Jordan first and worry about explanations later.”
J.T. pulled up to the ordering board. “What would you like
?”
“Two egg sandwiches, an order of hash browns, and a large coffee.”
“You sure that’s enough?”
“Okay, make it two hash browns.”
J.T. placed the order, and I wolfed down the food as he drove. “At least my pounding headache is going away. I’m not sure if it was from the Methohexital or when I hit the floor with the back of my head.”
“You could have suffered a concussion, Jade.”
“I know, but apparently I’m okay. I couldn’t have stayed awake last night, anyway, since I was drugged. Jordan is really off her rocker, J.T. That woman, Jeanie, was in bad shape when I saw her.”
“The command center is set up with search parameters on the map. Let’s see if that area jogs anything in your mind.”
“I don’t have a phone anymore, J.T. Jordan stomped it, and she has my sidearm too.”
“Great. Not only is she a wack job, she’s an armed one.”
We arrived at the downtown police department at eight thirty and entered the command center. Tam and Boardman stood at the head of the table. A smile crossed Tam’s face.
“Agent Monroe, you look human again. Are you sure you’re okay to participate?”
“I am, ma’am, and I know we can expedite finding Jordan with my help. May I?”
She nodded.
I approached the map and studied the search grid. An inner and outer ring was formed with red pushpins with Lincoln Street running through the center.
“Okay, what am I looking at?”
Boardman pointed at the outer ring. “We searched within that area last night for Jordan’s white van. No results.”
“And the inner ring?”
J.T. spoke up. “That’s the location we searched and documented of all the houses that had a car parked in the driveway.”
I nodded. “Very smart. And according to the eyewitness you told me about, J.T., Jordan’s van was parked where?”
He poked the map on the east side of Lincoln Street. “Right here, against the curb, facing west.”
I sat at the table and rubbed my forehead in thought. “I need a piece of paper and a pen.”
Snapped: An Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Book 1 Page 19