Serve and Protect (Heroes of Evers, Texas #3)

by Lori Ryan

  “Sure,” she said and stepped farther out onto her porch. She pointed across the street. “It was right in front of that little tree. Maybe a little ahead of it, but somewhere around there,” she said as she gestured to the small tree in Ashley’s yard.

  “Thank you,” Garret said, handing her his card. “If you think of anything else, please let me know.” He’d said the words so many other times in cases. Today, he meant them in a way he never had before. He desperately wanted the woman to remember more about what she’d seen. She’d said she didn’t know the woman and Ashley had seemed like she’d walked up willingly. She didn’t witness an argument or fight, but then, she’d only seen them for a few seconds before she’d moved away from the window.

  Garret jogged down the steps and across to Ashley’s, where Cora stood waiting for him.

  “Did she see something?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “She saw Ashley talking to a woman about Ashley’s age. Dark hair. A small blue sedan.”

  He walked to the sidewalk in front of the tree and looked around.

  “Shit.” He bit off the string of curses he wanted to let loose. There was a foot-wide spot of blood on the gravel road next to the curb. It looked sticky enough to be fairly fresh. Not within hours, but certainly within the last day or so. He looked up as Cora approached.

  “Is that—” She gripped her stomach. “Oh God, that’s not blood, is it?”

  “I’m afraid so. We don’t know it’s hers, though.” He took out his phone and called Doug. He needed to know if Bill Franks was still in custody or if he’d made bail. And he needed to know the make and model of Franks’ car and of Michelle Davis’s car. Technically, he probably didn’t have enough to open a missing person’s case on Ashley. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t call in every favor and every connection he had to be sure she was safe.

  As he was making phone calls, Ashley’s family members began to arrive, and the neighbors all came out to see what was going on. He questioned everyone, even the neighbors he’d already talked to. He needed to find someone who had seen who Ashley had been with yesterday. If that person had taken her, they were coming up on twenty-four hours missing, a fact that made his gut churn. How the fuck had it taken him twenty-four hours to realize she was missing?

  He looked at his messages. If she was taken by the woman the neighbor had seen, the last few texts he’d gotten from Ashley’s phone had been sent by someone else. Someone who had her phone, and likely had her. Someone who, hopefully, hadn’t hurt her yet. The odds were against her right now, but he would cling to that hope. He’d cling to anything. Because he wanted Ashley in his life, in his world. In his heart.

  27

  Garret was quickly losing his mind. They had virtually nothing to go on. They’d gotten a picture of Michelle Davis and shown it to the neighbor who had seen Ashley the night before. She said it could have been the woman, but she wasn’t certain. Michelle Davis did drive a blue sedan so they had put out a BOLO to all law enforcement in the county and several surrounding counties for the vehicle.

  “I hate to say it,” Garret said quietly to Doug as he watched Cora cry. Ashley’s sister was on the couch with her mom on one side and one of her brothers on the other. She was blaming herself for not realizing Ashley was in trouble sooner. Yeah, welcome to the club on that one. “I think we should interview the girl.”

  Doug raised his eyebrows. “Evie Davis?”

  “Yeah.” Garret nodded. “We don’t have anything else to go on. We need something. Anything. Maybe she can give us a clue as to where her mom might have taken Ashley.”

  Bill Franks was still in prison, but Michelle had visited him several times and the only theory they had was that she was going after Ashley to help him. They hadn’t found any other motivation for anyone else to have grabbed her, and it just didn’t feel like a random kidnapping to Garret. Doug frowned at him. Garret knew questioning the child wasn’t going to be a popular move, but they needed to find something to go on. Anything.

  His partner raised his phone and began to scroll through his contacts. “Let me see if the caseworker can go over and talk to her, find out anything about where they were living before Franks’ or anyplace they spent time.”

  Garret felt the muscles in his jaw tense but he nodded. He’d let them start with the caseworker questioning Evie, but if they didn’t get anywhere, he’d go talk to Michelle Davis’s daughter himself. He needed something to go on here.

  He felt the tension build and looked around, angry with himself for not having a single damned lead. Ashley was out there with God knew what being done to her, most likely terrified, possibly hurt. He couldn’t even begin to let himself think about the alternative. That she might be dead before he could reach her. He wouldn’t go there. Couldn’t go there.

  “Hey,” Doug said, with the kind of pointed look that had brought the man from the category of partner, to mentor, to brother. “We work the case. Just like any other. We look at every angle, chase every lead. We just work the case. It’s all we can do.”

  “Yeah,” Garret said, but his teeth were still clenched tightly together and his body felt like it could snap in half if he moved wrong, he was wound so damned tight. He knew he needed to keep his head on straight for this or he’d make a mistake, overlook something, but damned if that wasn’t the hardest thing he had to do. He needed to be doing and right now, he was just waiting.

  They had the sheriff’s office here to help, a search and rescue dog on standby, and a BOLO out on Michelle Davis and her vehicle. But other than the BOLO, there wasn’t anything they could do.

  It was another thirty nerve-wracking minutes before they got a call from the caseworker, and Garret had to admit, he was surprised to hear back that soon. He thought for sure he’d have to call and push to get answers. The worker must have driven straight over to interview Evie when they asked, and Garret knew he owed her for that. The people who worked for child services were overbooked and understaffed, and dropping everything to get them information meant something.

  Doug put the phone on speaker after Doug, the sheriff, and Garret had stepped away from the group. Sheriff John Davies had a great deal of knowledge about the surrounding area and they were grateful to have his help. Besides, he was married to a woman who was good friends with Ashley. He was almost as motivated as Garret to get her back safely.

  “Evie didn’t have much to say. I can keep trying to talk to her, but she said one thing that I thought you could start looking into,” said the caseworker. “She said she and her mom slept in an old cabin for a couple of weeks before they moved in with Bill Franks. The way she talks about it, they were squatting and the place sounds abandoned and isolated.”

  The words isolated sliced at Garret’s heart. He pictured Ashley alone and hurting and frightened in a place where no one would happen on her to help. And where he had very little hope of tracking her down.

  “Any idea where it was?” He asked the question they were all thinking.

  “She isn’t sure, but she says they had to hike into it for a long time and she never saw anyone else around there. She would see other people when they drove in. There would be people camping and stuff, but then nothing for a while and nothing near where they stayed. She said the other people were camping at the crayon lake.”

  “Where?” John Davies asked, and Garret knew what he was thinking. There wasn’t any place called Crayon Lake.

  “I don’t know,” answered the worker. “I couldn’t decipher it either, but I thought you guys might. She said her mom called it something and she can’t remember the name. But, to her, it sounded like crayons. Or, her mom said it was like crayons. She wasn’t sure.”

  The men looked at each other for a few long minutes before the sheriff raised his brows and leaned toward the phone that Doug still held on speaker between them. “Can you ask her if she means Inks Lake? It’s got a lot of camping and hiking in the park but there’s also a more isolated area in the back of the par
k that’s pretty rough, not cared for or maintained at the moment. There are no open trails up that way, and I could see a cabin being hidden up there.”

  “Hang on,” answered the caseworker, and they heard some muffled comments in the background. “Yes, that’s it,” she said when she came back on the line. “She says they used to drive by Inks Lake before hiking in to the cabin. I tried to see if she remembers anything about where they parked to hike, but she doesn’t know. I’m not sure she can be much more help.”

  “Don’t worry, we can take it from here,” Garret said, feeling hopeful for the first time since he’d seen the blood on the street in front of Ashley’s house. “I owe you.”

  When Garret and Doug had radioed to update the BOLO with a probable location and begun the two-plus-hour trip to Inks Lake, Garret glanced in the rearview mirror. The sight was a little overwhelming and pretty damned incredible. He’d expected the law enforcement officers who would help in the search. He’d expected the search and rescue dog and handler team. He’d even expected a few friends and family.

  The caravan of vehicles that entered the highway went for what seemed like miles. There had to be twenty or more cars back there, each filled to capacity. It seemed the whole town of Evers had turned out. All for Ashley. And he got it. She was special. Beyond special. Despite her background, she’d opened her heart to others and had made all of these peoples’ lives better for it. She brought something to their world they weren’t willing to give up. And if that meant they needed to go search every inch of Inks Lake State Park, they would.

  The drive was more time wasted, but at least he felt like he was moving toward her. Making progress of some kind. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

  28

  The call came as they approached the main road into the park. The state park rangers had located Michelle Davis’s vehicle parked on one of the small access roads at the back of the park, just like Sheriff Davies predicted. They gave quick instructions for finding them and the entire entourage arrived minutes later. Garret was right behind Adam, the man handling Duke, the bloodhound they’d decided was the best first shot for trailing them into the woods. He kept pace with Adam as the dog kept its nose to the ground and plowed through the overgrown trail as fast as it could.

  Garret didn’t have to be a search and rescue handler to recognize the dog’s body language. When Adam had given him a piece of Ashley’s clothing to scent and the cue to seek, the dog had taken only seconds before his whole body went into action. He was clearly scenting and working toward a target, shoulders hunched as though he wanted to be closer to the ground. Closer to whatever it was his nose was taking in.

  Adam held a long, bright orange line loosely in his hand and the two of them jogged to keep up with the dog. They had to slow eventually, when the overgrowth became too much to take at a fast clip, and Garret felt his frustration mounting once again.

  How far in had the women gone? He began to wonder if maybe the dog was just wrong. Maybe the cabin was off the trail somewhere behind them and the dog had only kept going because the trail seemed to tell him to go that way. Although, when he thought about it, that was probably stupid. The dog had no concept of a trail as cut by humans in the woods. And John Davies had told him this dog and handler were the best of the best. Apparently, Adam Dean was some sort of legend, not only locally, but nationally.

  It took all Garret had in him to trust the man and his dog. The trust paid off when the trail broke open to reveal a very small, broken-down cabin. Really, it was more of a shack, with busted windows and a roof that looked like it wouldn’t hold out even the lightest of rain. Adam called the dog back to him and Garret was surprised to see the dog stop mid-trail and return to Adam. The man grinned when his dog put his paws up on his shoulders and took the treat he offered, followed by thorough ruffling of his sides and scruff. Garret didn’t have time to wonder about the dog’s manners.

  He looked to the men who were coming up behind them quietly. They must have somehow convinced the entire cadre of Ashley’s friends and families to wait until they knew what they were dealing with before following them up the trail. Doug, Sheriff Davies, and three of his deputies stood awaiting orders.

  He signaled to indicate he and Doug would cover the front of the cabin, while the others should cover the sides and rear. Adam and Duke stayed behind on the trail as the men approached, and Garret had to work to still his breathing. He was used to the increased heart rate that came from approaching a dangerous situation, but in most cases he could easily regulate both and focus on the job at hand. Or at least he could ignore the heart rate and regulate the breathing such that it wasn’t loud as a wind tunnel testing site.

  Right now, he could hear the pounding of his blood coursing through his veins and every breath coming in what seemed like ragged gulps. His hand moved to the butt of his service weapon and he steadied himself as his thumb flicked open the safety catch of his holster. There were no signs of life from the cabin. No noise. No shadows or figures moving past the windows.

  He moved to the side of the cabin, coming at an angle beside one of the windows as Doug covered him. He didn’t need to look to know that the other officers would be taking up positions on the other side. He raised up and looked in the window, quickly scanning the single-room cabin. His heart stopped when he spotted the crumpled figure of a woman on the floor and the pool of blood beneath her. Long dark hair, slight build. He sucked in a breath as he scanned the remainder of the room. He heard the words of the other officers in his radio as they confirmed they saw no other people inside the structure. He felt a numbness he’d never known as they breached the cabin and he moved to check for a pulse.

  His entire body felt as though it was dying, one piece at a time. His hands went numb, his feet, then heart. There was no pulse when he placed his fingers to her neck. He could see where one side of her neck had been gouged with a large piece of glass. Her body was cold. There would be no efforts to resuscitate, even as everything in him screamed to bring her back.

  He felt the cups of coffee he’d been chugging all day toss in his stomach and he knew he’d be sick any minute. He was too late.

  Too late to save her. Too late to tell her how he felt about her. Too late to tell her he wanted so much more with her. He was about to turn away from her, not wanting to have the image of Ashley’s dead body etched forever in his brain, when his brain clicked back into gear and began to process what he was seeing.

  The hair was dark, but it was shorter and stringy, not glossy and full. The body was a little too tall and heavier set than Ashley was. He reach out and flipped the body. It was Michelle Davis. The dead woman was Michelle Davis, not his Ashley.

  His eyes met Doug’s, who stood above him.

  “It’s not Ashley!” Doug called out to the others. Garret knew they were all thinking the same thing. If Michelle was dead, who had Ashley?

  Garret swore as he stalked from the cabin. Adam was jogging up to the front of the cabin, Duke in tow. He must have been radioed by one of the men inside. Garret clenched his jaw as he watched Adam pull the sealed bag that contained a swatch of Ashley’s clothing from his vest. He let the dog scent the article again and then gave the signal to search. And, once again, Garret followed, keeping pace with handler and dog, praying the dog could work his magic one more time.

  29

  This time, as soon as they hit the woods, they had to slow to a crawl. Or, what felt like a crawl. Though the trail they’d followed coming up had been narrow, at least it was a trail. Here, there was nothing. The brush was knee high and thick. But Garret could see where someone else had crashed through here earlier. The damage made it apparent. He wished he knew enough about tracking to be able to tell if it was one person or two, or a large person or small. Hell, he didn’t even know enough to know if deciphering those details was possible. He wanted to know if Ashley had left on her own or was taken by someone. Bill Franks might still be in prison, but he didn’t know if Michelle Davis had som
eone else working with her or not.

  He didn’t know why Ashley had gone this way instead of back down the trail, unless she was being followed. The thought of her being pursued rekindled his fear and stoked it to a roaring inferno. It was not at all the way he was used to feeling. Even when they’d had a missing child case a few years back, he’d been able to handle it with nerves of steel and a calm perseverance that brought the child home safely.

  Right now, he’d give anything to find that detached calm as Doug and he followed Adam and the dog over logs and brush. By now, he could hear the group of additional searchers being assembled behind them. He knew from experience, they’d be assigned a section of a grid, each walking only feet from one another, looking for signs of Ashley. They would do as he, Adam, and Doug were doing now, calling Ashley’s name every minute, hoping—straining—to hear some sound. Any sound. Anything to lead them to her.

  *

  Ashley tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but each movement brought a throbbing pain from one of her injuries. Whether it was her head, her hand, or her ankle, something was constantly shooting a painful reminder to her that she needed to find help. Quickly.

  But nothing was happening quickly right now. Picking her way through the thick underbrush was slow going. This wasn’t a casual walk in the woods. The brush came to just above her knee and the sad excuses for shoes she had on were providing very little protection from the branches and roots stabbing at her feet and ankles.

  She had forgotten about her hunger a while back, but thirst still plagued her and she was fending off dizziness. She’d spent a little time trying to find the path they’d taken to get to the cabin, thinking if she hiked in what she thought was an easterly direction, she should hit it. She not only didn’t hit it, she became more disoriented the more she tried to find her way. When she’d given up on finding the trail, she’d gone back to heading toward what she thought was south, but she hadn’t hit the road at all. In fact, she was fairly sure she might have gone in a big circle at one point.