Buried

by Ellison Cooper

  Tino beamed. Adi laughed at something Ezra said. Nana and Max were deep in conversation. A warm fire roared its cheerful sound in the entry hall. For a brief moment, Sayer was overcome with emotion that felt strangely like coming home after being away. She hadn’t realized how much she had been missing her family, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

  UNKNOWN LOCATION

  Hannah Valdez felt herself vomiting before she was fully conscious. The acidic well of water poured from her mouth like a volcano.

  The spasm rocked her body, sending arcs of pain along her back.

  She realized that she was lying facedown somewhere.

  Terrified she couldn’t move, she tried to curl her fingers.

  They closed over small rocks, cold and wet. Icy water washed over her legs, but she could feel the pitter-patter of rain against her back. Her face pressed against the ground.

  Hannah realized it was raining. That she was on the bank of a river.

  Outside.

  She had survived.

  She tried to breathe in, but another fountain of water erupted from her mouth.

  Moaning, she wobbled up to her knees. An electric bolt of pain from her shoulder said she probably had broken bones somewhere.

  But she was able to take a full breath in and out. In and out. She stayed like that for a long time, unable to think.

  Where was she? She had to do something, but what?

  Sam!

  The thought kicked her brain out of its fog and she stumbled to her feet.

  She swayed wildly, almost falling over, but managed to right herself.

  Hannah turned in a slow circle. The swollen river roared behind her. In front of her, a gentle slope up looked relatively clear. No way she was going to try crossing the river. Up the slope it was.

  All she could think was, Have to find people. Someone to help Sam.

  Hannah managed to climb the slope and let out a cry at the top. A trail!

  She didn’t even stop to think about which direction to go. To the right, the trail sloped downward. Hopefully toward civilization.

  People to help.

  The rain obscured her vision, but Hannah stumbled along, focused only on the ground in front of her.

  She walked until her already battered muscles cried in pain. Her legs shuddered beneath her but were strong enough to keep carrying her forward. Downward.

  Time dilated into a meaningless sensation. Finally she thought she saw something up ahead. A building? Smoke from a chimney?

  Light.

  People.

  What if it’s him? What if this is his house?

  Hannah couldn’t think clearly. Was this safe? Was she walking into a trap?

  Her legs almost buckled beneath her, but she careened toward the building. She had to find help.

  SOUTHERN RANGER STATION, SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA

  Sayer held up a glass, about to make a toast to her friends and family, when the front door burst open.

  A woman fell forward into the room, collapsing onto the tile floor, an animal cry on her lips. Her hair hung in tangled mats of mud. Blood streaked her pale skin. A chunky metal box hung around her neck, attached to a thick leather collar. Her left hand was swollen, fingers bound together with a strip of cloth.

  “Max!” Sayer shouted, and Max went to get his medical gear while she rushed to the woman’s side.

  “Hey, hey,” Sayer gently said as she reached out.

  When Sayer touched the woman’s shoulder she went wild, clawing at Sayer with feral terror.

  Sayer pulled her arms back, not wanting to make it worse. “You’re safe here,” she said softly. “You’re safe now.”

  The woman struggled to sit up, jabbering nonsense. Her eyes rolled, whites flashing like those of a dying animal. Sayer had to calm this woman down before she hurt herself or someone else. And they had to cut that thing off her neck.

  Something about her face struck Sayer like a bolt of lightning. This was Hannah Valdez, their last missing woman.

  “Hey. Hannah, you’re okay.” Sayer could read the fear in the woman’s eyes. “I’m an FBI agent. We’ll make sure you stay safe. No one will hurt you here.”

  The woman took a shuddering breath but couldn’t seem to stop shaking. She curled forward over her lap, sweat slicking her face.

  “She’s having a panic attack,” Max said as he arrived with his medical bag.

  At the sight of Max, the woman recoiled, screaming. She seemed beyond reason, no longer even aware of where she was.

  Max slowly backed away. “I’m making it worse. We’ve got to calm her down. I’m going to hand you a syringe with a sedative. Can you give it to her?”

  Sayer nodded, still making gentle calming sounds to the woman.

  “Vesper!” Adi hissed as the dog broke free of her grasp.

  Sayer turned to see Vesper approaching and was about to block him when he got down on his belly. He inched forward toward Hannah, head bowed.

  Unsure what he was doing, Sayer didn’t want to make any sudden movements, so she let the dog approach.

  Vesper crawled directly next to the woman and put his head gently onto her lap.

  She gulped in air but looked down at Vesper. He scooted closer, pressing his body against her legs.

  The woman put a hand on his head, fingers working his silvery fur. She noticed his missing leg and ran her hands along the scar cutting down his chest. She let out a low moan, but then took another shuddering breath and pressed her face down into the dog’s neck.

  The woman and dog sat together while she slowly calmed down. She finally seemed to realize she wasn’t alone with Vesper. She looked at Sayer with pleading eyes.

  Sayer cautiously reached out and put a gentle hand on the woman’s shoulder. “My name is Sayer Altair. I’m an FBI agent. We’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

  The woman nodded, tears streaming down her face.

  “This man’s name is Max Cho. He’s also an FBI agent, and he’s a medic. Would it be okay if he checked you out?”

  The woman looked over at Max. Her hands tightened on Vesper and she managed to remain calm.

  She nodded, then mouthed something. It took a few tries, but she finally found her voice.

  “Sam,” she croaked.

  “Sam?” Reality hit Sayer like another lightning bolt. “Your daughter?”

  The woman grunted an affirmative. The fear in her eyes sent a wave of horror through Sayer’s body.

  She was shouting on the phone before she even made it to her feet. “Get uniforms to the Valdez residence. Our killer is going after the Valdez girl!”

  She hung up and strode toward the front door in full juggernaut mode.

  “Max, you stay here with Hannah until the paramedics arrive and ride with her to the hospital,” she barked. “Piper, I’ve called the Charlottesville PD, you get on the radio and tell all the surrounding police departments what’s happening. I can get there more quickly on my bike. Kyle, follow me down in your cruiser as backup. Dana, keep working on IDing the skeletons. Ezra, you’re coordinating everything. I’m going to make sure Sam Valdez is okay.”

  Sayer opened the front door and glanced back at her family before running out into the rain.

  VALDEZ RESIDENCE, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

  Sayer skidded her motorcycle to a stop in front of the Valdezes’ Brady Bunch home. Two Charlottesville police cruisers idled out front, lights rolling.

  One of the local cops opened the front door as she ran up the steps.

  “All’s quiet, Agent Altair. No sign of anything unusual.”

  Sayer did her own sweep of the living room despite the three other officers already there.

  Zoe Valdez sat on the sofa, freshly showered and wearing clean clothes. Her face beamed with relief knowing that Hannah was alive and on her way to the hospital.

  “Wait, where’s Sam?” Sayer asked loudly.

  “Uh, they just told us to come secure the Valdez household,” the l
ocal cop said.

  Sayer rounded on the police officer. “It’s the girl he’s after! Where is she?”

  The officer opened his mouth but, seeing the murderous look on Sayer’s face, didn’t respond.

  “She’s at preschool,” Zoe Valdez whispered from behind her. “Someone’s after Sam?”

  “You sent her to school?” Sayer shouted, unable to soften her reaction.

  “I was trying to…,” Zoe said, voice gasping with emotion. “I thought some normalcy … I thought it would be good for her. No one told me Sam was in danger. School’s out soon. I was just about to go pick her up and head to the hospital to see Hannah.”

  “Where?” Sayer shouted.

  “What?” Zoe Valdez seemed slightly dazed.

  “What school?” Sayer demanded.

  “Jefferson Day.”

  “Where is it?” Sayer tried to stay calm, but she knew deep in her gut where the UNSUB was heading. She hoped it wasn’t already too late.

  “It’s in the same building as the local elementary school. Just a few miles, up off Preston next to the campus!”

  “Call it in right now!” Sayer barked at the cop. “Jefferson Elementary off Preston, possible child abduction in progress!” She sprinted toward her motorcycle, pulling out her phone.

  “Ezra,” she shouted, hoping the phone wouldn’t fritz out in the rain, “I think our killer is going after Sam at Jefferson Day School! I’ve got the locals on their way, but send any resources you’ve got! Jefferson Day!” She jumped on her bike and peeled off, almost losing control on the slick road. She yanked the bike back in line, racing toward Sam Valdez’s school.

  She leaned into the downpour pelting her face and body, barely noticing that she forgot to put on her helmet. Sayer drove, frantically dialing the school, but kept getting a busy signal. She couldn’t get through to warn them.

  As she neared the location, she hit traffic and realized it was a line of cars waiting to pick up students at the end of the school day. They clogged the narrow road, forcing her to ride the center line for three blocks before the school came into view. Still a few blocks away, she could just make out a cluster of students under a large portico.

  Cars stopped in both directions prevented her from riding any closer.

  She was about to drop her bike and go the rest of the way on foot when a Charlottesville police cruiser rolled up from a side street and flashed its lights.

  “You, on the motorcycle, hands where I can see them,” the officer said over his loudspeaker.

  Sayer contemplated going for her badge, but she didn’t want to reach into her jacket. As a black woman she knew better than to freak out an already jumpy cop.

  Hands shaking with frustration, she held her hands up, keeping her eyes on the school in the distance. Sayer shouted back, “I’m Senior Special Agent Altair with the FBI. I’m trying to stop a possible child abduction.”

  The officer approached and grunted. “Let me see your badge.”

  Sayer stifled the desire to just punch the cop. Swallowing her temper, she removed her badge and shoved it in his face.

  “Sorry, Agent … Altair,” he read off her ID. “We just got here and I saw you approaching the kids. Been told there’s a possible abduction in progress.”

  “I’m the one who called it in,” she said through clenched teeth as she got off her bike. “You secure the road. I’m going to find our possible target and get her somewhere safe.”

  The cop seemed slightly annoyed but nodded.

  Kyle pulled up behind the local cop, jumped out of the cruiser, and sprinted toward Sayer.

  Sayer and Kyle moved quickly up the hill. While they were still a block away from the school, a black truck pulled to the front of the line of cars. Someone tall in a puffy jacket got out, but Sayer couldn’t clearly see the person’s face, which was hidden by a shag of dark hair.

  “Hey!” Sayer shouted as she ran.

  The kids could sense something was wrong and began to murmur with uncertainty.

  Sayer pulled her gun, but knew she could never use it here. Too many children nearby.

  “Freeze!” she screamed, running.

  Kyle pulled his gun, and for a horrible second Sayer thought he was going to try to take a shot. He sighted down the barrel but then pulled the gun up toward the sky and shouted with frustration.

  The figure scooped up a small girl in its arms and jumped back into the truck. A teacher nearby shouted in protest.

  Door still hanging open, the truck peeled away from the curb. It leaped up on the sidewalk and the engine gunned, forcing people to dive out of the way.

  Sayer ran after the truck. Her feet slammed on the pavement as she let out a grunt of effort to catch up, but the red taillights disappeared in the distance. She tried desperately to read the license plate, but it was already too far away.

  “Call it in!” she shouted down to the police officer as she ran back toward her motorcycle. “Black truck heading east on Preston! Single suspect with at least one hostage. Armed and dangerous!”

  She yanked her Silver Hawk up and laid on the horn as she weaved between cars, trying to catch the fleeing truck.

  Oblivious parents shouted and honked back.

  “Hey, wait your turn like everyone else!”

  “There’re kids here, watch out!”

  Sayer felt her teeth cracking, trying to stay calm, but she finally rode up on the sidewalk as well, shouting, “FBI! Get out of my fucking way!”

  She finally made it to the end of the congestion, leaving behind a line of wide-eyed parents.

  She opened up her motorcycle but only rode a few blocks before realizing it was futile. She saw no sign of the truck. It could have gone anywhere.

  Where were the goddamned locals?

  Where was anyone?

  She pulled over and slammed a hand down hard on her handlebar. It sent a shock wave of pain up to her old scar.

  “Fuck!” She vented her frustration at everything. Letting Sam Valdez get taken right under her nose. She had royally fucked up on this case and now innocent people were going to pay.

  UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

  Sayer parked in front of the University Hospital. She snarled at the media waiting out front, not even offering a No comment as she marched past the cameras.

  Max waited for her in the entry. “Ezra’s got the manhunt coordinated with the Charlottesville police. They’ll call if they find anything. They’re almost done examining Hannah. She was so upset when they brought her in, they’ve let Vesper and the gang stay with her as support. Said we can probably question her in a few minutes.”

  “Fine,” Sayer said with clipped finality. “I’m going to track down Jillian and Grace Watts while we wait. Want to make sure they’ve got protection on their doors.”

  She was directed to Jillian’s room. Sayer showed her ID to the Charlottesville officer at Jillian’s door and stepped just inside. The young woman was encircled by a tangle of wires and tubes. Her eyes were swollen shut. A thick bandage swathed her entire head. But her heartbeat was strong and steady.

  “Agent Altair?” A doctor tapped her on the shoulder. “I’m Jillian’s doctor.” The short man bowed slightly.

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  He nodded, bobbing his bald head. “I actually think so. Her head injury was significant. The cold weather helped keep her stable until you found her. I wouldn’t say that to her husband yet, since things could still go wrong, but in my opinion, she’s going to pull through. And her daughter, Grace, is up and about, terrorizing the children’s wing. Jillian’s family is there with the girl if you want to speak with them.”

  Sayer felt a genuine smile flash across her face like a ghost. At least one thing had gone well on this absolute shit day. “That won’t be necessary. They have a uniformed officer with her as well?”

  “They do.”

  Sayer let out a long breath. “Okay. Can you reiterate that the officer should be with her at all t
imes?”

  “Of course, worry not,” he said cheerfully.

  Max was waiting anxiously out in the hall when Sayer emerged. “They said you can talk to Hannah now. Her room’s just down this way.” He hurried off with his compact speed-walk.

  Sayer followed him for a moment but then stopped, unable to tamp down the tempest raging inside. The sight of Jillian Watts had pushed her over the edge. What had that woman gone through? Little Grace Watts too. And now another little girl had been kidnapped by the very same monster. Thirty feet. She could have stopped it, but she was thirty damned feet away. And now Sam was in the hands of a killer. Frustration boiled over into fury.

  Unable to contain her rage any longer, Sayer let out a roar and slammed her helmet to the floor. The sharp crack echoed down the sterile hall.

  Max stopped and looked back, calm-faced. “Sayer…”

  The red cloud obscuring her vision faded to a dull throbbing behind her eyes. She took a shaky breath and held it for a long time until she felt back in control.

  “Give me a minute,” she managed to say.

  Rage fading, Sayer felt her whole body sag with the weight of what she was about to do. “How can I tell that woman that, after everything she did to escape to protect her daughter … how can I tell her that I just let Sam be taken right in front of me…?”

  “Hey, whoa.” Max came over and put a gentle hand on her arm. “We’re going to get Sam back. To do that, all we’ve got to do is focus. So get your shit together and let’s find that girl.”

  Sayer blinked. Max was right: time to focus. “I’ll see if Hannah can tell us anything that will help, then let’s regroup at the ranger station.”

  Without irony, Max saluted, then led her to Hannah’s hospital room.

  “Good luck in there.” He held open the door, face grim.

  Sayer entered, body still buzzing with emotion.

  Tino sat in a chair next to Hannah, holding her hand. Hannah’s other hand was splinted and wrapped against her chest. Long scrapes and the beginnings of bruises mottled her face and arms.