by C. M. Sutter
I knuckled the counter. “Okay, thanks.”
After tapping the code on the security pad, I passed into the bull pen. The room stood empty. I glanced into Jack’s office and it was empty too, so I took the hallway to the conference room—it was the only other place they could be. Voices sounded to my left as I rounded the corner. Jack, Mary, Mitch, Clayton, and Billings were already there and looking over the county map rolled down at the back wall.
I pulled out my usual chair and took a seat. “Hey, guys, it sounds like trouble is brewing in the Slinger area.”
“It sure is.” Jack rubbed his forehead. “See Kate yet?”
“Not yet, boss, but I’m sure she’s close. Jade dropped me off at the front door after the luncheon with our mom.”
“Sorry to interrupt everyone’s day, but finding this guy is crucial. We have—”
Kate turned the corner and entered the conference room right as Jack started his sentence. She took a seat next to me, pulled out her notepad, and gave Jack a nod.
“Okay, here’s what I got from the family.” Jack opened his folder. “The soon-to-be ex-husband, Brian Cox, is thirty-seven with blond hair and blue eyes. He stands five foot ten and weighs about one ninety, according to Trish’s family. He’s an armed hothead who drinks too much, is abusive, and has a hard time holding down a steady job. Not a good mix by any means. He’s considered a loner except for the time he spends with a like-minded cousin. Brian carries a Beretta M9 .22 that was legally registered in his name.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “How can he carry that pistol with a restraining order on record?”
“He can’t anymore, and that’s another strike against him.” Jack rubbed his brow. “Anyway, the wife, Trish, also has blond hair and blue eyes. She’s thirty-five, stands five foot four, and weighs one hundred twenty-five pounds. She moved out six weeks ago and back to the family home she grew up in, where her mom, dad, and grandma still live.”
“Hence the three-generation Mother’s Day party,” Billings said.
I tapped my pen on the table. “The fact that it was Mother’s Day and he was alone and angry may have been what caused him to explode and barge in on the family festivities. Didn’t he have a mother of his own he could have visited?”
Jack shrugged. “I didn’t ask Trish’s family that question, but you’re probably right about the reason for his outburst. As of now, we have four deputies out searching a five-mile radius around Slinger. The local PD has their hands tied within the city limits, but they’re watching every road that leads in and out of town. We have to widen the search, and we need more cars out there looking for this maniac. It sounds like he’s a ticking time bomb.” Jack pointed at the map, where he had push pins situated around the perimeter of Slinger. “This is the search area so far, but nothing has come in over the radio yet. We need to get out there, widen our perimeter, and pitch in.”
Billings spoke up. “And there’s no way to get eyes in the sky?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s the National Guard’s monthly training weekend. The choppers that would normally be available to us are in the field this weekend and out of the area. We’re on our own.” Jack pointed at the map again. “The BOLO is statewide, but Waukesha, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, and Ozaukee Counties are on high alert. I want everyone in a cruiser alone. We have to expand the search and can’t afford to double up.”
“We don’t have enough vehicles, boss,” Kate said.
“We have two extra patrol cars that aren’t being used right now. Clayton and Billings, you’ll drive those. Everyone else, grab a cruiser, and I’ll take my Challenger. We’ll spread out in a ten-mile radius of Slinger and work our way in. Keep your eyes peeled for that Jeep and do not approach if you see it. Get on the radio, call out your location, and wait for backup. I’ve alerted the state patrol, and they’re watching the freeways. Any questions?”
Each of us responded with a shake of our head.
“Good. Amber and Kate, divide up the roads west of Slinger. Clayton and Billings, scout out the southern roads. Mary and Mitch, head north, and I’m going to follow up with some of these leads from the family. I’ll keep everyone posted. The deputies who are already out in the field can fill in the gaps and head east. Keep your radios tuned to our channel and stay in regular communication with each other. If you need me, call my cell.”
Chapter 6
Trish sobbed into her hands. “Brian, why are you doing this? You shot my dad, for God’s sake! You’ll end up in jail or worse if he dies.”
Brian punched the side of her head, and a loud thud sounded as she bounced off the passenger window. She groaned.
“I told you to shut up ten minutes ago, and you’re still blabbering. Do I have to knock you unconscious to get my point across? Women are meant to be seen not heard. What part of that don’t you understand?”
“You aren’t going to get away with this, you know.”
He raised his hand again, and she flinched. “This is your last warning, Trish. I’ll throw your ass out the car door while I’m driving seventy miles an hour. I bet road rash down to your bare bones wouldn’t feel too good, that’s if you lived through it.”
Trish stared out the window. Minutes later, Brian turned right onto a dirt road that was barely wide enough for one vehicle to pass through.
“Is this where you’re going to kill me?”
With a threatening scowl aimed her way, Brian ignored the question and continued on. A half mile in, he slowed the Jeep and veered left.
“Whose car is that?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He tucked the Jeep in under the branches of a large oak tree and killed the engine. “If you move, you die.” Brian climbed out of the Jeep, shook the mop of blond hair out of his face, and crossed in front of the vehicle. He pulled the passenger door open and grabbed Trish’s arm. “Get out and move it.” He pointed at the vehicle fifteen feet away. “We’re leaving in that car.”
A look of horror engulfed her face. “You had this planned all along? You sick son of a bitch.”
She tried to squirm out of his grip, but a quick slap across the face silenced her.
“I said to get in the car. If you try to run, I’ll shoot you in the back and leave you out here for the coyotes to snack on.”
Chapter 7
Hours had passed since I last checked the time. It was now going on five o’clock. We had been searching the countryside since two o’clock, and no sightings of that gray Jeep or Brian Cox had come in over the radio. I let out a sigh and rearranged myself in the seat. We still had three hours of daylight left, meaning three more hours of searching. I pulled up to the four-way stop sign at the edge of Washburn and Dodge Counties. Surrounding me were recently plowed fields that now were cloaked in blankets of green. The newly sprouting crops were pushing their way through the rich black soil. I called Kate’s cell phone while I decided on which direction to turn.
“Hey, where are you?”
“I’m out in the boondocks near Druid Lake. I will admit it’s really pretty out in this neck of the woods.”
“I bet. See anything suspicious?”
“Just a couple of deer romping through the brush. How about you?”
“I’m near Monches, but I haven’t seen anything except a group of afternoon bikers. I feel like I’m driving around aimlessly.”
“That’s because you are, but so are the rest of us. Have you heard from Jack?”
“Yeah, he called my cell about twenty minutes ago. He was on his way to Brian’s cousin’s house near Thompson. Trish’s family told him that Brian and that particular cousin were nearly inseparable and like two peas in a pod. For all we know, Brian could be holed up there. Either way, Jack wants to pick the cousin’s brain.”
“Thompson is really close to where I’m at. Maybe I should call Jack and see what he wants me to do next. I’m on a dirt road that leads to who knows where, but I’m about to turn around as soon as I find a spot. I could head in your direction if
he says it’s okay.”
I stared at the road. My choices were left, right, and straight ahead, and straight ahead looked the most interesting. “There’s plenty of ground to cover out here and a lot of narrow back roads.”
“Hang on a sec. I see something that looks out of place.”
I crossed the intersection and pulled over to the shoulder. As I waited to hear what Kate was investigating, I tapped my email icon and checked for new messages that might have come in. I still hadn’t decided which way to go.
“Amber!”
I pressed the phone against my ear. “Yeah, what did you find?”
“I have eyes on the Jeep. It’s pulled off the road and sitting under a tree. I can see the back of it through my binoculars.”
“What! Is anyone in it?”
“I can’t tell. It’s under the tree limbs, and the windows have blackout tint on them.”
“Kate, you need to back away and right now. If he’s in the vehicle and sees you, it could be all over with for the wife. Jack has to be close. I need to know what road you’re on so I can call for backup. Do not approach that vehicle, do you hear me?”
“I hear you, and I’m backing out right now. I didn’t see a street sign at all. It’s just a one-lane dirt road.”
I pressed the map app on my phone. “What road did you turn off of? I have to let everyone know where you are. They’ll need to block that dirt road unless it dead-ends at a farm field.”
“Um, shit! I can’t back out and think at the same time. I don’t know if it dead-ends. I don’t have a map in front of my face. Okay—”
I interrupted. “Take a breath, Kate, and just recall how you got there. I’m checking my map to see where you are. I’ll be able to tell you if that road goes anywhere or not.”
“All right, I was on Druid Lake Road heading west off of Highway 83. I remember I had just passed the Ashippun River that goes under the road. Just beyond the bridge and to the right is where I turned in. The Jeep is about a half mile back. If Jack went to Thompson, tell him to head north on Highway 83 and turn left on Druid Lake Road. I’m not that far west of him.”
“I’ll call him now. According to the map I’m looking at, that dirt road dead-ends. Brian has no way out except past you. Block the exit and wait for Jack. I’m on my way too.” I clicked off the call and spun the cruiser around in the road then headed north. I engaged my radio and told everyone Kate’s location. I made the call to Jack’s cell since he didn’t have a radio in his personal car. I tapped his name in my contact list and pressed the speakerphone icon, then placed my phone in the cup holder.
“Hey, Amber, I’m at the cousin’s house and just getting started with him. What’s up?”
“Boss, Kate found the Jeep, and you’re the closest to her location. She can’t tell if anyone is inside or not, so she backed away. The Jeep is located on a dirt road that dead-ends. I told her to block the exit.”
“Good thinking. Give me her location. I’m on my way.”
I was ten minutes from Kate, according to the GPS on my phone. Jack was en route, and Mitch and Mary were close behind. Clayton and Billings were the farthest away, at the border of Washburn and Waukesha Counties.
When I arrived, I found Kate’s cruiser and Jack’s car blocking the only exit from the dirt road. Jack was leaning against the roof of his car with his binoculars propped between his hands. Kate looked to be talking to somebody on her phone. I pulled up and parked behind Jack’s Challenger then got out.
“What have we got?”
Jack shrugged. “Dead quiet, that’s what. I can’t see the Jeep from this angle, but I don’t see anyone out and about walking the path either. As soon as the rest of the crew arrives, we’ll go in on foot, but we need to stay out of his field of vision for our own safety. Somehow, we have to establish whether he is or isn’t in that vehicle.”
“I’ll grab the binos from the cruiser. Maybe they’ll show us something once we’re closer.”
Moments later, Mitch and Mary arrived. Jack jerked his head at me. “Find out the ETA for Clayton and Billings. The more eyes we have on that vehicle, the better, especially if he tries to run.”
“You got it, boss.” I made the call to both detectives. Clayton was two miles out, and Billings was four. “They should be here within five minutes, Jack.”
Jack tipped his head toward the brush. “Okay, Mitch, you’re coming with me.”
I waved my hands before they headed out. “First, put on your vests.”
Jack nodded. “Nearly forgot. Thanks, Amber.”
Mitch pulled out two vests from the trunk of his cruiser and handed one to Jack.
“Okay,” Jack said as he fastened the Velcro straps, “we’re going in twenty feet on the right side of the path and will circle around. We need to get eyes on the front of that vehicle. If blackout tint covers the side and back windows, then the only place we’ll be able to see in is through the windshield. As soon as Clayton and Billings arrive, tell them to go in from the left side. I want you three women to cover the road. If Brian knows we’re heading in, he may try to sneak out on foot. Watch the woods from both sides of that path.”
“Yes, sir,” Mary said. “We’ll let the guys know what to do the second they get here, and we’ll keep a close watch on the woods.”
We watched as Jack and Mitch headed toward the tall grasses and brush on the right side of the road. Minutes later, the crunch of gravel sounded at our backs. I turned to see Clayton slow down and park on the opposite side of Druid Lake Road. He climbed out and crossed over to us. “Where are Jack and Mitch?”
I tipped my head and pointed. “They’re in the weeds. As soon as Adam gets here, Jack wants you guys to go in from the left side. We need eyes inside that Jeep. At this point, nobody knows if Brian and his estranged wife are in the vehicle or not.”
“Got it.”
Billings arrived five minutes later and pulled up behind Clayton’s car. Mary went over Jack’s instructions with him, repeating what I had told Chad. “Mitch has his radio, so make sure yours is on too so you can communicate with them.” I knuckled Adam’s chest. “Put your vests on, guys. Jeez, you’d think I was your mom or something.”
Chapter 8
Jack led the way into the thick brush. Tall grasses tangled around their feet and slapped their faces as they passed through. Mitch followed on Jack’s heels as they crept forward and stayed within the dense cover.
With his hand cupped to his mouth, Jack turned and whispered in Mitch’s ear. “Kate said the Jeep was under the overhanging limbs of a large tree on the left side of the trail.” He pointed ahead. “We’re about a half mile in, and that prairie oak farther up is tall enough to pull under. Let’s circle wide, get in front of it, and take a look with the binoculars.”
Mitch nodded, and they continued on using hand signals. A whisper from Billings came in over Mitch’s radio. The message was that he and Clayton were heading in from the left.
Jack and Mitch circled wide and positioned themselves several hundred feet in front of the oak tree. They needed a decent visual of the tree’s base to see if the Jeep was actually tucked in there. Jack raised his open palm as if to say Mitch needed to stay put and keep an eye on their surroundings. He pointed at himself and motioned that he was going in. On his hands and knees, Jack crawled forward. Inch by inch, he slowly moved closer to the path and hoped the swaying grasses wouldn’t give him away. When he could see the tree clearly, he separated the grass at ground level and peered through—the Jeep was parked under the tree. Jack felt his heart thump. He raised his field glasses while trying not to stir the weed cover in front of him. He pressed the glasses against his eyes and took a look. Through the windshield—the only place without tinted windows—he saw an empty vehicle.
Son of a bitch.
Jack lowered the binoculars and rubbed his eyes. He was buried in allergy-inducing flora in every direction, probably the worst place for him to be. He lifted the glasses again and adjusted the focus. The
Jeep’s front seats were definitely empty. He watched for movement coming from the rear but saw nothing. He backed away and regrouped with Mitch.
“The vehicle appears empty. There wasn’t anyone in the front, and from what I could see farther in, the back looked empty too.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Radio Billings and see if they have eyes on the Jeep yet. Maybe they can get a better view from their perspective. No matter what, we have to be certain that vehicle is empty before moving in. I won’t put Trish Cox in harm’s way.”
Mitch made contact with Billings and told him of Jack’s discovery.
“We’re fifty feet from the front left of the driver’s door. From our point of view, the vehicle also looks empty. Should we move in?”
“Hang on.” Mitch raised his brows at Jack. “What do you want to do?”
“Call Amber and ask if they’ve seen any movement in the woods.”
“Hold tight, Adam. I’ll radio you back in a minute.” Mitch contacted Amber. “See anything suspicious at your location?”
“Not a thing. Quiet as can be.”
“Okay. We have eyes on the Jeep, and it looks empty. Maybe that’s why Brian wasn’t alarmed when Kate happened on the vehicle—nobody was inside. We’re going to move in.”
“Be careful, Mitch. That goes for all of you.”
Mitch returned the call to Billings. “We’re moving in. Jack says to stay low and use cover whenever possible. Go to the back door on your side. Jack is taking the passenger side, and I’m going for the liftgate. I’ll give you guys the signal on Jack’s say-so.”
“Roger that. We’ll be waiting.”
The four men moved in on the Jeep simultaneously, staying as close to the ground as possible. Jack scurried to the back passenger door with Mitch rounding the rear of the vehicle. Clayton and Billings did the same on the left side. With Jack’s hand signal to Mitch, and Mitch’s nod to Billings, they drew their weapons and pulled the doors open at the same time.