by Sharon Dunn
He flipped open the first folder, shuffling through the photographs, and then the second as his heart pounded in his chest with anticipation. Was he so obsessed with Mason that he had imagined a connection? One after another, he looked at the photos and laid them aside.
Finally, he found the photograph he’d been looking for. Tyler Mason dressed in his usual expensive suit outside of a hotel in Mexico flanked by two men who were obviously acting as his bodyguards.
One of them was the same guy who had run his truck off the road.
Bryan swallowed. His fingers curled into a fist. If these guys were connected to Tyler Mason, this thing was way bigger than a couple of low-level drug dealers looking to get paid. Could this be the break he needed to blow the Mason case wide open?
“Keyes, I need to get your statement.” Bridget’s head peered around the divider, pulling him out of deep thought.
“Yes, of course. Is Sarah still in the interview room?”
“She was done. She said something about going to find her brother,” Bridget said.
He let go of the photo as it drifted down to the desk. “She’s out there by herself?” A sense of urgency girded his words.
Bridget shrugged. “She called a friend to come get her. What’s the big deal?”
“I’m concerned those guys she tangled with aren’t going to give up that easily.”
“Don’t you think they are still tromping through the woods or sitting in the back of a sheriff’s car by now?”
“I’m pretty sure they have friends in town.” His heart pounded from the sense of urgency he felt. “What was her home address?”
Bridget tilted her head. “I don’t know if I can disclose that.”
He grabbed her forearm. “You heard from the report how determined these guys were. I have a feeling they’re not working alone.”
Bridget let out a breath. “Okay. It was on Madison Street....” She thought for a moment and then looked down at the stack of papers she held in the crook of her elbow, flipping through several pages. “Three twenty-one Madison Street, that subdivision on the edge of town.”
After grabbing his phone off the charger, he stalked toward the front of the station, his mind racing as he walked. His truck was floating down the Jefferson River. His car was parked at his house. He stopped in front of the young officer he’d talked to earlier. “Grant, loan me the keys to your car.”
Grant raised his eyebrows. “Because...?”
“Because you’re my friend and you can come out to my place and get them when you get off shift.”
Maybe Grant picked up on the desperation in his voice, but he tossed the keys without further questions. “You owe me, buddy. I’m going to have to get a ride from my wife to go out there and get the car.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, man.” Bryan pushed through the doors of the station and skirted around to the side parking lot where the officers kept their private cars.
His thoughts sparked at lightning speed as he sat behind the wheel and shoved the key in the ignition. It couldn’t be just coincidence that the same man who worked for Tyler Mason had been after Sarah. Maybe he’d cut short his fire-tower hiatus and come back on the police force if Sandoval would let him pursue the connection.
He’d talk to the chief later. Right now he needed to make sure Sarah was not in any immediate danger.
SIX
“Thanks for the ride, Cindy.” Sarah shut the passenger-side door of the compact car and made her way up her sidewalk.
Cindy leaned out of her open window. “You’ve been through a lot. Take a hot bath and try to forget about it. Don’t worry about coming in to work tomorrow.”
Cindy was not only her friend but also her supervisor at the adoption agency. Still, Sarah shook her head. “Work is the best thing for me. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
Cindy waved and sped off down the gravel road. Sarah crossed her arms. Though it was past dinner time, the sky was still a cloudless blue. At this point in the summer, it didn’t get dark until nine o’clock. The temperatures had soared to the high nineties in the middle of the day and were only just starting to drop. Still, between her river-drenched clothes and the edge of fear she couldn’t shake, Sarah was shivering. It was past time to get inside where she could get warm, and maybe start to feel safe again.
Sarah turned back toward her house. She lived on the edge of town on a two-acre plot. Her nearest neighbor was not visible around a bend in the road. Across the road, there was only a cornfield.
A chill ran down her back when she saw her purse and tote lying on the grass. She’d dropped them when the kidnappers grabbed her. She placed her palm on her chest where her heart pounded erratically with fear. Was she even safe here anymore? Would they come back for her? Or would they give up now that it was clear she didn’t have the information they wanted? Probably not. Though finding her brother seemed to be their priority, eliminating her was now a concern, as well. She was a loose end. She knew what they looked like.
Sarah gathered up her purse and tote. Her cell phone had fallen out. She picked it up and put it in her jacket pocket. She retrieved her extra set of keys from the hide-a-key. After putting her keys in her pocket as well, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Shadows shrouded the living room in gray light. She’d drawn the shades to keep the place cool during the day.
The house was completely silent. She couldn’t recall if she had let her cat, Mr. Tiddlywinks, out before when she’d come home for lunch. She took in a sharp breath as anxiety threaded through her chest. Maybe it was a mistake to come home.
Had the sheriff caught up with the men in the forest or had they found a way back into town? Even if the sheriff didn’t catch them, it would take them hours to walk to a road where they could hitch a ride. She had some time to come up with a plan. She could stay with Cindy for a while, but she didn’t want to bring danger to her friend.
Her thoughts turned to Bryan. She wouldn’t have to worry about his safety—he could clearly take care of himself. She’d been anxious to leave the station without saying goodbye to him. Dormant feelings of hurt and confusion came alive in his presence. Still, she felt the assurance of protection when she was around him. Part of her wished she hadn’t been so hasty in leaving.
The rest of her realized that there was no time to waste. She was exhausted and bruised. Cindy’s suggestion of a nice hot bath sounded wonderful, but she knew she couldn’t. Finding Crew was her priority. The window she had to warn Crew before those men found their way back to town could be closing.
Sarah retrieved a comb from the bathroom and got the glass out of her hair. She set out a change of clothes.
Her stomach growled. She needed to eat something quick. Sarah walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a yogurt. While she ate, she’d come up with a strategy for locating Crew.
Discovery was only a town of about fifty thousand people, but locating a homeless person was never easy. Still, she knew some of their hangouts. She’d start with the shelter where her friend Julia worked.
A squeaking sound alerted her to a fat yellow cat running his paws up and down the glass of the patio door. “Mr. Tiddlywinks. Did you miss me?” She slid the glass door open, allowing the cat to meander in. He rubbed against her leg. She lifted up the fat cat who weighed at least ten pounds. He purred in her arms.
The silence of her house unnerved her. Logically, she knew those men couldn’t come after her so quickly. Still, she couldn’t shake the fear that embedded itself in every muscle in her body. She shuddered as images of the kidnapping washed over her like a wall of water. Only the memory of Bryan’s steady voice, of his hand grabbing hers calmed her.
Sarah sat the cat back down on the floor. She reached over and rested her hand on the countertop for support. While the cat ate his food, she checked to make sure the patio door wa
s locked.
She took her yogurt and stood in the living room staring out across the road at the ditch and the open field beyond that. A car rolled slowly past, crunching gravel beneath its tires. The hair on the back of Sarah’s neck electrified. That wasn’t one of her neighbors’ cars.
She turned back toward the kitchen. A man wearing a mask stood at the patio door, raising the butt of a rifle to smash it against the glass.
Dropping her yogurt, Sarah turned and flung open the front door. The car that had gone by moments before was turned around and waiting ten yards away.
Sarah turned and sprinted up the road. The car rumbled toward her. The masked man with the rifle came around the side of the house. The car drew closer. She struggled for breath, willing her legs to pump. The rumble of the car engine surrounded her.
She dove into the ditch. If she cut across the field, there was a house on the other side. But she had to get there first. And now, in addition to the attacker with the rifle, the man in the car had gotten out and was chasing her.
Sarah stumbled and fell. She rolled over on her back. The man from the car was the first to close the distance between them. He dropped to his knees and grabbed her. She screamed, kicking and flailing her arms. She tore off his ski mask. Car Man was a stranger—he definitely wasn’t Deep Voice or Acne Scars. How many of them are there? she wondered. How many will come after me?
She managed a blow to his nose, and he reeled backward. She crawled through the tall grass. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her backward. Rocks and hard dirt grazed her stomach.
She rolled over on her back, kicking, trying to break free. He lunged toward her, squeezing her biceps and shaking her. “You’re coming with me.” He was all teeth and bloodshot eyes. His fingers tightened around her arms.
Footsteps pounded. She saw an elbow and an arm suction around the man’s neck. He was jerked backward, his eyes wild with surprise.
The man let go of Sarah. She fell to the ground and scrambled away, eyes wide as she looked at...
Bryan!
He had Car Man in a choke hold that he didn’t release until the man had gone still. He let go, and the man fell to the ground, not moving. Bryan glanced toward the road where Rifle Man still jogged toward them.
He reached out for Sarah’s hand. “This way.”
He pulled her toward the field of corn.
Sarah glanced over her shoulder. Rifle Man was taking aim. A red dot appeared on Bryan’s shoulder blade. Sarah pushed Bryan to the ground.
“What’re you doing?” Bryan protested.
She gestured to where the red laser dot was now skimming over the grass.
She caught the look of stunned gratitude on Bryan’s face. They crawled the short distance to the high corn ready for harvest.
A rifle shot zinged through the air, slicing a cornstalk above them. Bryan angled sideways, altering the direction he crawled but still moving toward the shelter of the corn. Sarah scrambled behind him. Once shielded by the rows of corn, they half crouched, half ran.
Another rifle shot popped behind them.
Bryan grabbed her hand. “My car is a ways from your house. I saw what was going on and jumped out. If we can get to it, we can escape.”
He parted the stalks of corn. Crouching low, they moved perpendicular to the rows. He stopped, turned toward her and placed a finger over his lips.
Sarah held her breath and listened. She detected a swishing sound. One of the men was moving through the cornfield.
Bryan lifted his head above the corn and then dove back down. He pulled on Sarah’s sleeve. They wove through the rows, zigzagging and backtracking to try to throw off their pursuer. Again, Bryan tilted his head to get a read on where the man was. Wind rushed over the top of the corn.
A rifle shot hit right in front of them. Sarah stifled a scream but her heart pounded so hard she thought it would break her rib cage. Bryan grabbed her hand and pulled her along the furrows between rows. They ran as fast as they could while still bending at the waist until they came to the edge of the field.
Both of them lay on their stomachs while Bryan separated the stalks so they could look out. Her house was about a quarter mile up the road. She could see the assailants’ car and Car Man not far from her house. He patrolled up and down the road, watching the cornfield. Midway between the cornfield and her house was Bryan’s car, parked at an angle on the gravel road with the driver’s-side door flung open.
Bryan whispered in her ear. “We’ll use the ditch for shelter and then swing around the side of the car so they don’t notice us until the last second.”
Sarah nodded. They waited for the moment when the guard on the road turned his back and then slipped out of the cornfield and crawled up the ditch, soldier-style. Once they were close to the car, they waited until Car Man turned his back again before racing to the back bumper and around to the passenger-side door. Bryan crawled in first and slipped over to the driver’s seat. He slid down low in the seat to avoid detection.
Sarah crawled in, leaning forward—careful not to be seen above the dashboard.
Bryan’s face went pale. His mouth hung open.
Panic spread through her like wildfire. “What?”
Still crouched low in the seat, he padded his pockets and then touched the steering wheel. “They took the keys.”
Sarah’s throat went dry as a shiver ran down her back. She lifted her head a few inches above the dashboard. Car Man had spotted them and was now making a beeline for them.
“He’s seen us.”
Bryan reached under the dash. “Old car like this. I can hot-wire it.”
Rifle Man raced toward them from the cornfield as well, holding his rifle with both hands.
Bryan sorted through the wires he had pulled out.
They were sitting ducks—and both assailants were closing in. “Hurry.” Fear paralyzed Sarah.
The car sparked to life. Bryan reached over and closed the driver’s-side door while shifting out of Park.
“Stay down.” Bryan pressed his hand softly on her head. He hit the gas and sped toward Car Man.
Bryan’s arm rested over her back as she leaned forward, the warmth of his touch seeping through her cotton shirt. She lifted her head just above the dashboard. They whizzed past the man on the road.
Sarah looked out the back window as Bryan gained speed, creating a dust cloud behind them. Both men ran for their car. Her house grew smaller as they sped away.
One thing was clear. She wouldn’t be able to stay in her own home until they found Crew and got to the bottom of this.
The assailants’ car gained on them.
Bryan gripped the steering wheel. “What’s the fastest way back to civilization from here?”
Sarah glanced out the side windows and then through the windshield trying to get her bearings. “Take a left at the next crossroads.”
“If we can get into some traffic, they’re not likely to try to come at us.” Bryan leaned forward, hyperfocused on the landscape in front of him.
The pursuers’ car was within twenty feet of them.
They drew close to the crossroads. The other car edged toward their back bumper. Bryan pressed harder on the gas.
Sarah dug her fingers into the dashboard. “Not too fast. The gravel acts like marbles and you’ll flip the car.”
Every muscle in Bryan’s arm tensed as he spoke through clenched teeth. “We’re all right.”
He stared straight ahead, his gaze locked in place until he made an abrupt left turn at the crossroads, not slowing down and spitting gravel with his back tires. Sarah pressed her back against the seat and dug into the armrest as the back end of the car lifted into the air.
The car landed on the paved road with a bump. Bryan pressed the accelerator to the floor.
Th
e pursuers’ car overshot the turn and veered over to the other side of the road, fishtailing.
The distance between the two cars lengthened. Several cars going in the opposite direction whizzed past them.
Sarah took in a breath. “The highway that leads back into town intersects with this road. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Bryan sat back in his seat, relaxing his grip on the wheel. “Good. Do you have a friend you can stay with?”
“Yes, but that’s not where I want to go right away. I need to find Crew. I have to warn him and find out what this is all about and get him to a safe place, too.”
Bryan glanced over at her. “Let’s get the police to take care of that. I’ll help them.”
“He’s my brother. This is my problem,” Sarah said.
Bryan approached the stop sign where the country road intersected with the multilane highway. “Does your friend know how to use a gun or have a husband who does?”
Sarah looked behind her. The other car was gaining on them again. “You’re not hearing me. I’m not going to my friend’s house until I find Crew. He’s my brother. I will deal with this.”
“Those thugs couldn’t find your brother. What makes you think you can?”
“My determination.” She didn’t want to have to take any more help from Bryan.
“They seem pretty determined to me. You’re not safe, Sarah. Do you understand that?”
“I can handle this.”
He pulled out onto the highway. “Look, I don’t know exactly what is going on here, but this is way bigger than Crew owing a couple of low-level dealers money. Whoever is behind this has resources. You’ve had two sets of thugs come after you.”
Sarah laced her fingers together and bit her lip. Bryan was right. They knew where she lived. They might even know where she worked and who her friends were.