Buried

by Ellison Cooper

  She hurried over to his computer screen to see two reporters speaking with solemn urgency on the screen. Fear clenched Sayer’s gut. The reporters’ faces suggested something big was happening and she really hoped someone hadn’t just found the body of Sam Valdez.

  * * *

  “What’s up?” Sayer leaned in to get a better look at the reporters on Ezra’s screen.

  “Uh, I’ve got an alert set up to track anything relating to the case, just to keep track of public knowledge. This looks like some kind of news report that tripped your name.” Ezra clicked on the sound.

  The reporter had a gleam of excitement in her eye. “No one seems to know where the four-minute video came from, but it’s a candid view of the murder investigation currently being run by embattled FBI agent Sayer Altair.”

  Sayer’s mouth fell open as the video jumped to a view of the ranger station entryway. On the video, her birthday party was in full swing. Nana and Adi were passing around plates piled high with enchiladas.

  Sayer let out a groan when Hannah Valdez stumbled in through the front door.

  On-screen, Sayer tried to get close to the wild woman and eventually let Vesper approach Hannah. Sayer crouched nearby while the woman calmed down. Eventually, Sayer put a gentle hand on Hannah’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?”

  In the video, Sayer glanced up toward Max and her expression was clear on camera. Her eyes shone, verging on tears that Sayer didn’t even remember.

  “What the hell is this video?” Sayer growled.

  The video jumped to the conference room, where Sayer stood at the head of the table during one of their meetings.

  She watched herself talking to the team. “I know we all have a lot going on here. Poor Kyle is dealing with the idea that his sister is a murderer who just tried to kill him and might have killed his mother. Max, you’re wondering if you helped a killer escape seventeen years ago. Ezra, hell, you’re learning how to walk again. Piper, you’re stuck in the middle of a criminal investigation you didn’t ask for. Dana, you just got back from a war zone. And I’ve got a whole shitload of political crap flowing from D.C. But none of that matters. You know what does matter?” She strode over to the whiteboard. “These women and this child are what matters. We’re here on the front lines with badges and guns, and test tubes and computers, working tirelessly to stand between innocent people and the evil that walks this earth. We are facing off against a monster because we believe that no one deserves to suffer. Which is why we’re going to buckle down and do whatever it takes to save these people. So let’s figure out what’s next.”

  On the screen, Sayer’s face burned with intensity as the video faded to black. The reporter leaned forward toward the camera. “Difficult to watch. We’ve identified the injured woman as Hannah Valdez, whose daughter was just kidnapped!” She pressed her lips together in an imitation of compassion despite her gleaming eyes. “We’ve verified that this video is real, and as you can see, Brock, it gives us a new perspective on Agent Altair.”

  Brock nodded solemnly. “It does indeed, Belinda. Sayer Altair has been painted as a ladder-climbing, backstabbing federal agent. But the person we see here is clearly emotionally invested in helping those poor victims. Did we get her all wrong? Is Agent Altair the hero of this story? We’ll investigate and find out.”

  “These are from the cameras you set up, Ezra! Who the hell has access to those videos?” Sayer’s voice rose loudly.

  Ezra looked shell-shocked. “No one! That’s an internal feed. It goes straight into my secure computer!”

  “Well, unless you made that video, someone else clearly has access.”

  Pale, Ezra nodded, typing frantically. “Let me check something.”

  Sayer waited, replaying the video in her mind. It had obviously been created to portray her sympathetically.

  The clacking of Ezra’s keys faded into the background as a horrific thought formed in Sayer’s mind. Subject 037. He’d told her he was going to fix the threat to her job.…

  “Ezra,” Sayer croaked. “I think I know who did this.”

  He paused and looked up. “You do?”

  “Remember how I’m interviewing noncriminal psychopaths?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, one of them said he was going to do something to protect my career. He’s implied a few times that he is a very high-ranking government official … maybe even intelligence of some kind.”

  “Jesus, Sayer. Okay, that still doesn’t mean he can access my computer.” Ezra looked like he realized something. “Holy crap, hang on.” He began typing again, face drawn. “Whoa.” He leaned forward, staring at his screen. “Look at this.…”

  Sayer read over his shoulder. “Pretend for a moment that I don’t know what any of this means.”

  “See here.” Ezra pointed to a chunk of code. “This is a RAT, a remote access Trojan. The only people who could pull this off on my computer would be someone from one of the other intelligence agencies. Most likely the National Security Agency.” He looked up at Sayer, eyes wide. “I think someone from the NSA just hacked my computer.”

  Sayer reached up and tangled her fingers in her curls while taking deep breaths. “Is there anything we can do to cut off access?”

  Ezra grimaced. “Maybe.…”

  “Okay, make it happen. I’ve got someone I need to talk to.”

  Sayer stormed down to her cabin and opened her laptop. She impatiently clicked the link to video-chat.

  Subject 037 immediately answered.

  “I was expecting your call.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I’m just sorry I couldn’t save your boss as well, but this should prevent them from firing you. For now, at least.”

  Sayer’s voice fell to a low rumble. “I am in the middle of a case where a child has just been kidnapped. This is interfering with my ability to do my job.”

  “And here I thought you would want to continue doing that job.” Subject 037 sounded amused. “This should ensure that will happen.”

  “This is a distraction that might cost real lives. We are not pawns for you to play with.”

  He let out a dismissive sound. “You love this job, and someone was about to take it away from you. I did nothing but show the public who you really are. Public opinion is about to save your job so you can keep saving people like Sam Valdez.”

  Sayer remained silent, not sure which of the hundreds of things swirling at the tip of her tongue she should say.

  “So, how is the case going?” he taunted her with his cheerful tone.

  Sayer growled.

  “My advice,” he said, voice dropping low and serious, “take your research on psychopaths and think about everyone who has inserted themselves into your investigation. I think it will be enlightening.”

  “I don’t need help from you.”

  “Ah, shame. I suppose that means you don’t want to know what I know about Jake’s death?”

  Sayer’s vision blurred with red static and she squeezed out the words, “What did you just say to me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Don’t you play with me.”

  “Ah, I see I’ve upset you.” He chuckled. “I certainly won’t share what I’ve found, then. Let’s leave it at the fact that I’ve saved your job. Now go catch a killer.”

  He disconnected.

  Sayer stood in front of the laptop in the empty cabin, panting with emotion.

  Her phone buzzed in her hand and she almost threw it to the floor with anger but managed to rein in the reaction.

  With a shaky breath, she looked at the screen.

  Holt.

  Fuck.

  She clicked answer but didn’t trust herself to say anything.

  “What
the hell was that?” Holt said in her scary-calm voice.

  Sayer forced words through taut lips. “Remember my interview subject who got a perfect score on the psychopathy checklist? Turns out he’s most likely someone high up at the NSA. And he just decided to save my job because he likes talking to me.”

  Holt remained silent for a long time. Sayer could practically feel the black cloud of emotion radiating from the phone.

  Finally Holt responded. “So, you’re interviewing someone at the NSA who decided you’re his pet FBI agent and he just did something that ran an end-run around a gang of high-ranking congressmen and FBI muckety-mucks after your job.” She let out a harsh laugh. “Well, I’d say it pays to have friends in high places.”

  “I can’t accept help from a psychopath just because he wants to toy with me.”

  “I’m not sure how you refuse this help. That video is already out there and on heavy rotation. My guess is that you’ve just become a public hero. Which means they can’t shitcan you now. This is literally going to save your ass. Hell, it makes the FBI look like the good guys, which is PR we can use.”

  “But—”

  “Nope, just accept that it’s done. Things are happening here and I’ll fill you in soon. In the meantime, I promise you I’ll enjoy watching them swallow this horse pill.” Laughing, Holt hung up.

  SOUTHERN RANGER STATION, SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA

  Between Sam’s kidnapping, the video, and her conversation with Subject 037, Sayer was reeling as she made her way back up to the station.

  Max, Kyle, Dana, and Ezra were waiting in the conference room with expectant, maybe slightly frightened looks on their faces.

  “All right … let’s get back to work,” Sayer said as calmly as possible.

  “We’re just going to pretend that video didn’t happen?” Dana asked.

  “Nope, we’re going to ignore it because we have much more important things to worry about.”

  “Fair point.” Max cleared his throat. “I finally tracked down Cricket’s old boyfriend somewhere up in Vermont. I just left a message, so hopefully he’ll call me back soon. I’ve also put in a few calls to some old-timers around the region but nothing on an old mine yet.”

  Ezra’s fingers flew over his keyboard. “Nothing on the pit here either. I’ve got a few uniforms heading to the archives to see what they can find on old mines in the region.”

  Max’s phone buzzed, interrupting Sayer’s next comment.

  “Oh, it’s the high school boyfriend calling me back.” Max hurried out into the hall to talk to him. Sayer watched him leave, hoping that something would break soon that would give them a lead, because right now they were dead in the water and a little girl was out there in the hands of a monster.

  * * *

  “Dark Hollow!” Max held up his phone as he returned a few minutes later.

  Sayer felt a thrill of excitement at Max’s expression. “Dark Hollow?”

  “Her boyfriend said she used to take him to some abandoned ranch, a place she called Dark Hollow House. But he couldn’t remember where it was and I’ve never heard of it. Kyle?”

  Kyle shook his head. Ezra was already typing, “Here it is! Dark Hollow. It’s small, only a few miles from here. This could be it!”

  Sayer took a long breath to clear the buzz of the hunt making her heart pound. “All right! Ezra, get a helicopter up to see if they can spot anything.”

  “If it’s in a hollow, it’ll be next to impossible to find a house from the air,” Kyle said, eyes shining with excitement.

  “And I probably can’t find it on satellite imagery either,” Ezra said.

  “Can’t hurt to try,” Sayer said. “Max, if we’ve got a general vicinity to start, could Kona sniff them out?”

  Max gave Kona a pat. “No promises—like I said, rain really messes up scenting. But it hasn’t rained for a bit, and if anyone can do it, Kona can.”

  “Do we all agree this is our best lead?” Sayer looked at her team. They nodded, eyes aflame.

  “All right, Ezra, notify the locals, see if they can track down any more info on this Dark Hollow House. Maybe they can get us coordinates. In the meantime, Max, vest up.”

  “No way I’m staying behind,” Kyle said. “You’re shorthanded. And maybe I can talk her down, make sure that girl gets out of this alive.”

  Sayer stared at the police chief and saw calm determination. Hoping she didn’t regret the decision, she nodded sharply. “All right. Let’s grab Kona and see if we can catch Cricket before she hurts Sam.”

  DARK HOLLOW, SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA

  Sayer, Kyle, Max, and Kona made it to the entrance of Dark Hollow.

  Despite her thick FBI parka and bulletproof vest, Sayer shivered in the cool air.

  “You ready to get to work, girl?” Max asked as he pulled a reflective dog vest from his backpack.

  At the sight of the vest, Kona danced with excitement, ears forward, tail straight.

  “She knows it’s time to work.” Max smiled at her.

  “Don’t we need something that belonged to Sam or Cricket for her to smell?” Kyle asked.

  “Nah,” Max said. “I’m sending her on a general find. She’s just looking for human presence, unless you think there’s something else out here?” He swept his arm toward the woods.

  Days of heavy wind and rain had stripped the trees bare. A thick mat of dead leaves carpeted the ground, already slick and rotting. Even the animals had sought shelter and the forest felt quiet, devoid of life.

  “So, how does this work?” Kyle asked. “Won’t she alert Cricket that we’re approaching?”

  “No way. I’m telling her to give a silent alert.” Max tightened the vest over Kona’s back and gave her a vigorous rub, clearly getting her even more excited. “Kona’s an air-scenter, which is difficult in the rain … but she’ll let me know the second she smells someone out there. She’ll make sure I keep up with her, so you all just need to keep up with me.”

  “Won’t we confuse her?” Kyle said, clearly not optimistic about Kona’s chances.

  Max looked at Kyle, slightly annoyed. “She already knows what we smell like. Kona knows she’s looking for someone new.” He stood and rolled his shoulders, psyching himself up as well. “Once she alerts, I’ll have her follow the scent cone until she’s almost there, then I’ll pull her back with me.”

  Sayer and Kyle nodded.

  They all clicked on their headlamps, piercing the deep blue night.

  After stretching his arms, Max crouched down in front of Kona and gently held her face. He looked into her eyes and said, “All right, Kona, there’s someone out there. You ready to find them?” His voice rose with excitement and Kona quivered.

  Max stood and flung his arm outward, “Kona, go find!”

  The black dog shot off so fast Sayer was sure they would lose her in seconds. But Kona ranged in a wide arc, sweeping back and forth, glancing back to make sure Max was with her.

  Max moved forward with strong strides and Kona took his cue, staying just ahead of him. It was clear that man and dog were both in their element.

  Sayer and Kyle scrambled to follow.

  Heavy mist blurred Sayer’s vision as they moved irrevocably forward at a steady pace. Kona and Max worked together like two parts of a machine connected by an unseen wire.

  They walked for over a mile. In the moonless forest, the eerie light from their headlamps danced along the ground in front of them, collapsing their visibility. As the wind whipped the bare trees, Sayer had the momentary sensation that they were alive, stark branches waving like bony fingers above towering bodies. She imagined those poor victims being led through this horrifying place to be murdered.

  Sayer shook her head, realizing that she was overtired. After another half mile she started thinking about heading back to the station. They needed to stay sharp, and hours marching through the mountains would wear them down quickly. Two more miles and she would call it.

  But then K
ona let out a soft chuff and she sat.

  Max held up his hand. “Okay, she smells someone. I’m going to let her give us a direction, then we should go the rest of the way together.”

  Sayer nodded and Max made a flat-palmed gesture before he flung his hand out again.

  “What’s that?” Kyle asked.

  “I told her to be quiet,” Max said softly over his shoulder as they once again moved forward.

  Kona began to sweep back and forth in smaller arcs and she let out another soft chuff.

  “What a good girl!” Max whispered. He took a moment to give Kona a big scratch and lots of praise. Sayer would’ve sworn the dog was grinning ear to ear.

  “Kona, to me.”

  She moved to his side, ready for action.

  Max refocused on Sayer and Kyle. “The scent is coming from there.” He pointed down a nearby creek. “The scent is pooling up along the ravine. The house must be down that hill somewhere.”

  “All right,” Sayer whispered. “Max, you circle around to the right. I’ll swing left. Kyle, you hang slightly behind us and head straight down. Cricket clearly knows this area well, so be ready for anything.”

  They all drew their weapons.

  Sayer waved them forward and they moved off like ghosts.

  In less than a hundred yards, a rambling ranch house came into view. Though old, it looked sturdy. The boards covering the windows were in good shape, clearly recent additions. A perfect place to hide out.

  She made eye contact with Max and he gave her a sharp nod. The approach felt almost like a dance, three humans and a dog moving in perfect concert, eyes scanning, bodies taut with anticipation. The hunt honed their attention like a weapon.

  Sayer crouched so low her thighs burned with the effort as they began to converge on the house. Her breath became shallow, eyes riveted on the front door. She and Max went wide, approaching from the sides.

  Kyle moved low and fast, making a beeline forward. He got way out ahead of them and Sayer worried that he was too far beyond their cover.

  As she prepared to hiss for him to stop, a shot exploded from one of the windows. Kyle dove to the ground as a second bullet hit the wet leaves at his feet.