"Can you?" she whispered. She didn't want to do this right now.
He pulled the truck over and parked it beside several other trucks. "We're here." He squeezed her hand. "To answer your question, yes, I can. And so can you."
"No, Chad. I don't think I can." She looked him in the eye, her voice cool. "Not until I have Janelle back safe and sound." She turned to scramble out of the truck. "Only then will I be able to move forward and leave this all behind."
CHAPTER 25
Mack was speaking with four other men when they arrived. Meg opened the truck door and hopped out. They'd parked at the neighbor's house and now stood at the edge of the Williamson's property – just out of sight. She studied the location carefully. This lot was larger and more secluded than the ones they had passed on the way in. There were large mature growth trees offering shade and a huge cedar hedge running down either side of the property. In other words, there was total privacy.
Then she turned to face the cabin or maybe summer palace was a better description. It was huge. And anyone looking at it would assume it held expensive items worth stealing.
There was no sound coming from inside. No banging, talking, no music or sounds of activity. It looked empty. And she so hoped it wasn't.
If Janelle was in there, she'd be kicking up a ruckus if she were able to.
She walked over to Chad who was deep in conversation with the others. He reached out and pulled her closer, letting her into the discussion. "We're going to split up and go in from the two entrances. I want you to stay here."
She stiffened. "No—"
"Yes." he said, firmly. "I want you to stay here and see if anyone flees from the house while we go in." He shot her a warning look. "Do not go after him or her. Do you understand?"
Damn. Still, she nodded quickly. And he was right, if they all went inside someone could flee the place and they wouldn't know. He continued to search her face as if remembering their earlier conversation.
Thankfully, that rage had dissipated between then and now. And as much as she wanted this asshole dead, she wanted Janelle home safe and sound first.
"I'm fine."
He gave one short nod then went back to making plans. Within minutes, the group had broken up and headed toward the house.
After a strong hug and a gentle kiss to her forehead, Chad followed them.
Meg took a deep breath, whispered a silent prayer to the God she'd hoped was there but had lost faith in a long time ago, and slipped to the edge of the hedge so she could do her part.
The five men scattered, trying to cover all the doors on the main floor in the house.
The cry came from the far side. "Police, open up."
One cop on this side, tested the door, finding it locked he backed up, then rammed forward. The door popped open and he fell inside.
An eerie silence surrounded the house. She could no longer see anyone. And that disturbed her more than anything else. It was as if she was alone in a bizarre science fiction film – only the plot made it a horror movie instead. She bit her bottom lip, worrying and hoping she'd see them soon.
There were more shouts from inside but they sounded like the men speaking to each other.
Shit. Her nerves were knotting her inside. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. Where was Janelle? She had to be here. Her heart raced, then slowed. She didn't know where else to look.
"Meg!"
She looked up. Chad was in an upstairs bedroom, his hands cupped around his mouth, getting ready to call her again.
She ran, "What?"
"You can come in. We're searching the house, but it appears empty."
Shit.
***
Chad looked out the window, and watched as Meg raced forward then went back to his room by room search. "Anything?" he called out to the team in general.
"No, except someone has been here recently. And there's food in the fridge."
Interesting. The owners hadn't been here in years, so who was using it? Squatters? Or Pete? He finished checking out the closet and then ducked down to search under the bed. Nothing.
Back outside in the hallway, he heard Meg racing up the stairs. "Are you sure?" she called.
"We're going room by room," said Chad. "This bedroom is empty."
Meg turned to the closet closest to her and opened it, full on shelves but no Janelle. He watched Meg for a moment to make sure she'd be okay. Not only was she okay, but she pulled a small flashlight out of her pocket and searched the top of the closet for an opening. Disappointed, she faced him. "We'll have to find the attic, too."
He nodded, "And we will." He walked into the next bedroom and repeated the process. By the time he'd completed a thorough search, he found Meg standing anxiously at the doorway.
"Next level," she said and bolted down the stairs. He raced after her. Downstairs, all the men were moving through the house in organized efficiency.
They only had the basement left.
Finally, the team raced down the stairs. Meg could hardly breathe, and her side ached fiercely, but that was nothing to the massive disappointment that clutched at her heart and squeezed it when she realized the basement was just a big open room.
"Nothing," she whispered, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, her heart breaking slowly, piece by piece. "There's nothing here."
"Hold on. Let's take a closer look." He walked to the wall closest to him and tapped. The others spread out and did the same but all the walls appeared to be made of solid concrete. And that's what she had expected.
She walked behind the stairs and searched. There was nothing here. She wanted to crawl away and hide, be someplace and let her tears pour out. Instead this horrible tension gripped her tight and made her want to scream.
The shakes started at her shoulders and by the time they'd hit her hips, she couldn't stop them. She stood in place and waited for the men to finish.
"Hey."
Meg spun around. Two men, Daniel and someone she thought was called John were at the far side, heads together.
Everyone ran toward them. Meg, walking very carefully, too scared to hope, and yet desperate for good news, was on their heels.
"There's a crack in the wall here."
"It's wood. Painted with cement like paint to blend in.'
"Actually, looks like he painted the whole foundation here in the same paint."
"Let's get it open."
"Can't see a handle."
Meg closed her eyes, willing them to hurry. "Why not just bust the thing down?" she whispered, praying for patience.
"Because they don't want to hurt anyone inside," Chad murmured at her side. "They've got it now. Hold on."
She gasped for another breath and held it as the door popped open, almost spilling the men inside. A shout went up.
"She's here."
And pandemonium ensued.
***
Meg gasped in joy. The relief was so great she could hardly draw another breath. Oh, thank God. She reached the open door and bolted through it. And came to a dead stop.
There was a single bed in the corner of a long narrow room and a rough plumbed bathroom at the other. The men crowded around the still form in the center of the bed. Meg walked closer, as if in running she'd lose control. She struggled to keep her composure. They'd found Janelle – but had they been in time?
Janelle lay fully dressed in her purple jeans and t-shirt, her runners were still on. Meg choked back a gasp, her hand jumping up to cover her mouth – and the scream wanting to escape it.
Chad stepped toward Meg. "Easy. She's just unconscious."
"Just?" Meg took a long, gasping breath, dropped her clenched hands and slowly stepped up to the side of the bed. Daniel was checking Janelle's vitals. "That doesn't look like a normal unconsciousness."
"She's been drugged." Chad wrapped an arm around Meg's shoulders. "There are needle marks on her arms."
"Oh God." She covered her mouth with both hands and stared at him with wide eyes
. "Poor Janelle."
"Yes…and lucky Janelle." He squeezed her shoulders and tugged her in closer for a long moment. "We found her. And she's safe. She doesn't appear to have been physically hurt. We got to her in time." He let out a huge breath. "Take a deep breath. She's safe. We made it. And an ambulance is on the way.
"Thank God." She let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Right. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. It was a group effort."
Meg sat down on the edge of the bed as the men made room for her. Gently, she picked up Janelle's limp hand and held it tenderly in her own. Even in that position, she could see the round reddened mark on the inside of Janelle's elbow. Her eyes wandered to Janelle's pale face. Her normal porcelain skin looked waxy; her hair was tousled and knotted.
"The ambulance has been called." Daniel straightened up. "She doesn't have any other visible trauma so I'm presuming at this point she's been drugged and is still under. If we're lucky, she'll stay that way until we get her to the hospital where she can be more thoroughly checked over."
Meg closed her eyes at that. They were talking rape. The doctors would need to be sure she hadn't been and if she had a rape kit, it would be done. God. That was hard enough to explain to a traumatized adult, but to a child… She could only hope the drugs were ones that weren't going to hurt her beyond keeping her subdued.
Impossible to think of Pete knowing about such things.
As if he'd read her mind, Chad asked, "Meg, does Pete have any experience with drugs? Would he know how to give them to someone?"
She hated to not know. She forced her mind to think back. "I can't imagine how." Then something twigged. "He's done some work on large animals and helped with horses. Maybe he'd have had some experience through that."
"Who with?" Daniel had a notepad opened.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure of the names. He spent a spring helping someone around here do some work. About forty, fifty miles away maybe."
"Good enough, that can't be too hard to confirm." Daniel snapped his notebook and walked away.
"How are you holding up?"
"Fine." She gave him a watery smile. "More than fine." She lifted Janelle's hands. "We'll both be great. Now."
"We have to find Pete before he leaves the state." Chad said, his tone dark. "If he escapes this area, he could restart somewhere else."
"And who knows what else he's done here." she said, her gaze on Janelle. "But Cia could have been with Pete...or Anto. They were brothers. And both could have been involved."
"That's possible." Chad nodded. "There are lots to sort out yet."
"But the biggest panic is over." Meg pressed Janelle's hand against her check, so grateful to know she was safe. They had a long road ahead of them. And that was okay.
For the first time in hours, she knew they actually were going to have a road to travel.
***
Chad watched the ambulance pull away with Meg sitting at Janelle's side. He hated to be separated, but they had an all-out manhunt going on here.
And for all he knew Pete could have gone back to Seattle by now.
And that had him calling for security for Janelle and Meg from the minute they arrived at the hospital.
"Are you ready, Chad?" Daniel called over to him. "We're splitting the grid up and calling in the local law. Road blocks are up."
"Pete could be driving anything at this point or…" Chad turned to study the terrain around them. "…he could have crossed over to Canada from here already."
"Yep, if he's smart he's long gone, but if he's still here then we'll find him."
"I'm wondering if Janelle is safe in the ambulance." Chad said staring down the empty road.
"At this point, I doubt he'd go after her again. More likely he's cut and run."
Chad agreed but if Pete was also their serial killer he had a lot of history here, and he might not be so ready to let it go.
Daniel was speaking again, "We have a team coming to go over this room. Lock down the case tight so this asshole can't wiggle loose."
"Right." Chad turned back to Daniel. "We can get prints from here and match them to the old case. We all voluntarily offered our prints way back when. His should be on file."
"Good. That would be one step crossed off."
"Let's get to it. It's going to be a long night. Again."
***
Meg had to sit opposite Janelle in the ambulance. She stared down at the little girl, alternating between wishing she'd wake up and wishing she'd sleep through the next couple of hours. The red spot on her arm where they'd assumed she'd been injected looked angry. Her breathing was raspy, having gone from deep comatose to uneven and ragged.
The paramedic was keeping a close eye on Janelle and on the machines monitoring her vital signs. She was doing poorly and Meg didn't need to be a medical professional to know that.
She sat back and closed her eyes, finding herself wishing she had religious beliefs to help her through this time. She'd only ever had herself. She'd been close to her brother Darren. He'd been a huge help to her years ago, knowing many of the people she'd gone camping with. He'd been a couple of years older than her, close to Pero's age. In fact he and Pero had been friends – until Pero's accident. Meg hadn't kept track, she just remembered the odd bits and pieces of conversation she'd heard.
And…she sat back. Her brother had met Pete. He'd never mentioned anything about thinking Pete reminded him of anyone. And her brother definitely would have done so. Even Mack was Pero's family and although he was still waffling, considering where and how they'd found Janelle, he'd finally been forced to admit they might be the one and the same man.
She noticed a road sign as they went by. They'd be at the hospital within minutes. She was surprised when, all of a sudden, the sirens went on and the vehicle sped through the lights ahead. She turned to look at Janelle, but the paramedic was leaning over her right in front of Meg, blocking her view.
Shit. Was something wrong?
The ambulance peeled to a stop, the doors were flung open and Janelle's stretcher was wheeled out, disappearing into the depths of the hospital. Meg got out slowly. They were at the same hospital as Stephanie. God, how many hours ago had that been? She glanced down at her cell phone to check the time. It was past midnight.
She stared up at the starry sky with a full moon enhancing their brightness. Add the artificial lights from the hospital and it was practically evening out there. She walked into the hospital, stopping for one last look out into the balmy night.
Easy for Pete to see in this light.
And easy, too, for the cops to hunt their prey.
CHAPTER 26
Meg looked up from the chair she'd been sitting in for hours. Chad. With a gasp, she rushed over to him and threw herself into his open arms. "I wondered when you'd get here."
He swung her into a tight embrace. She snuggled deeper, laying her cheek against his heart. It felt so right to be here. His arms tightened, and then released her. Reluctantly, she stepped back to look up into his tired face.
And knew he didn't have good news. "He's still out there, isn't he?"
"Yes, the search is ongoing, the roadblocks are up…" He shrugged. "We're doing what we can."
"He's smart. If he wants to leave the country, he will."
"Not likely at this point. We've alerted the airports and border patrol."
There wasn't any point in saying more. The hunt was on. If Pete had made it out, he had made it out. There was little anyone could do that wasn't already being done.
"How is Janelle?"
"It was pretty dicey there for a while, she seems to have had a bad time with the drugs. The doctors say she's stable now but she'll be out of it for a long time."
"Good. Then come home with me. We both need showers and some sleep. We'll come back after a rest and check up on her."
Meg stared at Janelle, undecided.
"You can't take care of her if you aren't in any reasonable shape."
That w
as hard to argue with. Finally, she nodded. "A shower sounds good."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her toward the front doors of the hospital. "I've already set it up for the hospital to call us if there's any change in her condition. Or if there's news on the manhunt."
"Are the others still out there?"
Chad snorted. "We have teams all over the place."
They were in his truck and on the way home when she realized he was taking her home to his place.
And that was just where she wanted to be.
He pulled the truck up into the driveway of a small bungalow in cedar and glass and she loved it immediately. "This is beautiful," she said, a yawn catching her sideways.
"Thanks. Come on in. Let's get you cleaned up and settled for whatever is left of the night." He unlocked the front door and stepped in.
Meg trailed behind. She wanted nothing more than a quick shower and a bed.
He led her to a small bedroom, stopping at a closet and pulling out several towels. "Here's your room and towels and a washcloth. You have a bathroom in your room so you should have all you need."
Except you, her mind screamed. And she'd have laughed out loud if she could have. Of all the nights she didn't have any energy for relationships, tonight was it. She smiled good night, walked inside and closed the door. He never said a word, just headed on down to his own room, presumably.
The hot water was breathtakingly soothing. If only she had some night clothes to wear. She searched the room and found some t-shirts in the dresser. She pulled one on, letting it drop down past her hips. As it was long enough to double as a sleep shirt, she crawled into bed. Turning out the lights, she then fell into a deep sleep.
***
Chad scrubbed the grime out of his hair. It seemed like he'd been crawling through the brush and dirt for days, not hours. He'd been glad to make it back home. Swinging by the hospital had been instinctive. He knew Meg would still be there, watching over Janelle. He would be too in the same situation.
It was, in fact, what he was doing with Meg right now. Watching over her. He wished she was in his bed, but it was too early for that. Besides, he'd said he'd give her until the weekend. And he had meant it.
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