by Jeramy Gates
“I hope you’re right. Let’s take a look at the house.”
They went in through the front door. Diekmann glanced around the room, soaking it all in. He saw dirty dishes scattered around the room, and a few miscellaneous bits of garbage on the floor. He pulled a photo from the mantle over the fireplace and showed it to Valkyrie.
“That’s Frank,” Diekmann said. “Looks like he was married. Question is, where’s his wife?”
“She’s the one they tied up,” Valkyrie said, nodding at the kitchen. “I’m sure of that.”
They went into the kitchen. Diekmann knelt down and carefully picked up the bloody butter knife with a gloved hand. “She must have cut those zip ties with this,” he said. “Or tried, at least… Her footprints lead outside.”
They followed the trail out the back door and across the patio. The footprints vanished there, but after a few minutes of searching, they found a couple more on the asphalt driveway. This was where the trail seemingly ended. Riley, who had been following them through the scene, taking notes for the article he’d have to write, spoke up:
“I don’t understand,” he said. “How could they just disappear? Where did they go?”
“They didn’t disappear,” Diekmann said. “They stole the car.” He called Nate over. “Did you get Hal on the phone?”
“He’s on his way,” Nate said. “He told me, and I quote: Keep your deputies off my crime scene!”
Diekmann snorted. “Hal hates it when we wake him up. He’s even crankier than me. Do me a favor. Get on the radio and find out what vehicles are registered to this address. Get the plate numbers, too. Issue a Bolo. Looks like they took a hostage this time.”
“I’m on it, sheriff.”
Diekmann turned to Valkyrie. “It shouldn’t be long now. There aren’t many places to go around here.”
“That’s what I thought about the motor home,” said Valkyrie.
“Speaking of, how did you find it?”
Valkyrie grinned. “I have a friend who knows how to track satellite dishes.”
Diekmann frowned. “Satellites?”
“For TV. The one on the motor home was traceable.”
“Clever,” Diekmann said. “I’ll keep that in mind if something like this ever happens again.”
Nate came running up out of breath. “Sheriff, someone just reported an assault in Bodega Bay. The attacker drove off in a tan Mercedes matching the description of the stolen vehicle. His description matches Michael Barnes.”
“It’s them,” Val said.
Diekmann turned to Nate. “Go! Take some men with you.”
Nate let out a shrill whistle and waved down a few of the deputies. Diekmann took a few steps towards his truck and then turned back to face Valkyrie, who was still standing in place, leaning on her cane.
“You coming? Let’s go get your killer!”
“I have my car,” she said. “Besides, I’ll just slow you down. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Moments later, a parade of squad cars went rolling down the lane with their lights flashing and the fog rolling up over them in waves. Diekmann was a split second behind in his old yellow truck. Valkyrie turned around to find Riley standing there with her shotgun tossed over his shoulder. Valkyrie smiled.
“I appreciate what you did for me,” she said as they began their trek back to the car.
“What do you mean?” said Riley.
“Keeping my secret. Not telling the sheriff what you learned about me.”
“He will find out, eventually. You understand that, right?”
“I don’t care, as long as this is all over before that happens.”
“Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“About what?”
“That you were trying to butch me up.”
Val laughed. “Don’t get defensive, Riley. I was just giving you a hard time.”
“No, you weren’t. You said it again, just a little while ago. You said that I should wait in the car until the real men came. Is that what you think of me? That I’m not a real man?”
Valkyrie stopped and turned to face him. “Does it matter that much to you, what I think?”
“Maybe,” he said, and added in a low voice, “Is that what everyone thinks about me?”
She sighed. She started to walk again, and Riley fell in beside her. “Riley, I wouldn’t have slept with you if I didn’t find you attractive. Besides, it doesn’t matter what people think about you. What matters is that you’re happy with who you are. Not everyone can handle running into burning buildings or shootouts with bank robbers. Some of us just aren’t made for that sort of thing.”
“Whatever. It’s not just what people think about me; it’s that they’re right. I’m a pushover. I let Jackie push me around; I let the other reporters do it. Even my mom does it.”
“Did you ever think maybe she’s just trying to get you to stand up for yourself?”
“If that’s the case, I must be a major disappointment.”
“I don’t think so. Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
He paused, tilting his head to the side. “What?”
“I see a man who wasn’t afraid to break into my hotel room even though he thought I might be working for a serial killer. That was a dangerous thing to do, Riley. If you were right, you might have gotten yourself killed. But you did it anyway, because you wanted to find the truth.”
“Not really. I knew that you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Did you? Were you so sure? I don’t think so. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have bothered to bring that little pistol of yours. And just a little while ago, I saw you charge into a serial killer’s lair armed with a shotgun and only a handicapped woman for backup. For all you knew, the killers may have been lying in wait for us. They might even have rigged the place to blow up when we walked in.”
Riley paled. “You thought there might have been a bomb? And you didn’t say anything?”
“Of course not,” Val said, laughing. “It was a possibility, but I knew it wasn’t likely. The point is that you ignored those possibilities. You knew there were dangers, but instead of letting them dissuade you, you faced your fears and did something many people wouldn’t. You’re being too hard on yourself.”
He looked at her sideways. “So you think I’m attractive?”
“I don’t sleep with every guy I meet.”
“Do you think it might… happen again?”
“I don’t know. Will you be thinking about me, or about her?”
“Who?”
“You know who I’m talking about. That assistant of yours. Jackie. Don’t try to convince me otherwise, Riley. I’ve seen the way you look at her. The way she looks at me. I know there’s something going on with you two.”
“The way she looks at you?” he repeated. “What do you mean?”
“I’m a woman. I can tell. I know when I’m stepping into someone else’s territory.”
“You’re saying that you think Jackie has a thing for me? That’s ridiculous.”
“If you say so.”
“Did she say something to you?”
“Let it go.”
“But I need to know-”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I’m not going to have sex with you when she’s the one you want to be with. And if you want to know how Jackie feels about you, don’t ask me. Ask her.”
The couple reached the car in silence. Riley’s head was spinning with the implications of what Valkyrie had said. He desperately wanted to believe it was true, that Jackie had some sort of feelings for him. Then again, if it was true, he may have destroyed that by threatening to fire her.
Meanwhile, Val’s focus was entirely on Loki and Odin. Victory seemed within reach, and it almost seemed too good to be true. She couldn’t help wondering what would happen then. What if she succeeded? What if Diekmann’s men caught Odin, and they put him away for good? Or better yet, if they killed him?
It had been five years si
nce she came out of that well. Since then, her entire life had evolved around finding Odin and getting revenge. It had never occurred to Valkyrie that once she had it, she might not have anything else to live for.
Chapter 26
Valkyrie flipped open the Packard’s custom built center console to reveal a panel of sophisticated-looking electronics with flashing lights, toggle switches and two eight-inch displays mounted across the inside of the lid. She flipped one of the switches and the screens flickered to life. A display in the upper corner began flashing out a sequence of numbers. The sounds of police chatter came drifting out of the car’s speaker system.
“Is that a police scanner?” Riley said.
“State of the art,” said Val. “It scans trunked frequencies, encrypted channels, plus all the usual public and private channels.”
“Oh? Is that all?” Riley said with a sneer.
“Actually, no. It can also scan cell phone calls and cordless phones. Plus, UHF, VHF, shortwave of course, and so on…”
Riley sighed. “Spy car, huh? Did your husband secretly work for the NSA or something?”
Val laughed. “No, he was an engineer. Tom designed all of this, but our friend Matt did most of the programming. He was Kyle’s best friend, back in High School.”
“Talented kid,” said Riley.
“Absolutely. If I wanted to use half of this stuff, I’d have to call him up for instructions. Speaking of which, I’d better update him.”
She hit the speakerphone button on the dash. The sound of the scanner faded into the background, replaced by the sound of Matt’s phone ringing.
“Did you get him?” was the first thing Matt said when he picked up.
Val took a minute to explain everything that had happened. “The car was a tan Mercedes.” she said. “Do you think you could track it?”
“Negative. I lost my satellite linkup an hour ago. I won’t be able to access the system again until tomorrow. If you want, I can scan the local police channels for you…”
“I’m already doing that,” Val said.
“There is nothing else I can do then. Keep me updated if anything happens.”
“Sure thing, Matt.”
Val disconnected, and the scanner suddenly locked onto a frequency. The sound of a police siren came blaring through the speakers. A man’s voice said, “… Robert Twelve! I’m in pursuit of a tan Mercedes heading south on Valley Ford Road.”
“I’m right behind you,” said another voice. Several more officers chimed in that they were on their way. Val glanced at Riley and smiled.
“We’ve got them,” she said.
Riley’s eyes widened. He dug frantically through his pockets and produced his small electronic tablet and a stylus pen. He began scribbling notes across the screen. Val shook her head and giggled as she put the car in gear.
The road through the center of Bodega Bay was dark and quiet, but Val could see police lights flashing up ahead in the fog. She located their source in the parking lot of the High Tides restaurant. Near the front of the building sat an ambulance, and behind it the sheriff’s truck and Nate’s cruiser. The place was closed for the night, and the lot was empty except for a few company vehicles at the south end, and a stack of crab traps and fish nets near the warehouse. After parking, Valkyrie and Riley approached sheriff Diekmann. He was interviewing a man sitting on the back of the ambulance. The man had bandages on his arm and his forehead, but he seemed coherent and cooperative. Diekmann saw Val and Riley headed his way, and disengaged from his questioning.
“Looks like this is just about over,” he said. “We’ve spotted the stolen car. I have several officers in pursuit.”
“That’s great news,” Val said. “What happened here?”
“It was Michael Barnes… Loki. Apparently, he attacked a waitress as she was leaving the restaurant. This man came to her rescue. After a struggle, Loki jumped into the Mercedes and sped off, heading south.”
“What about Odin?” Valkyrie said.
Diekmann shook his head. “No sign of him. He may have been waiting in the car with the hostage. The witnesses didn’t get a good look.”
The sheriff’s radio buzzed, and they listened intently as one of the deputies explained that they had run the Mercedes run off the road. For the next few minutes, the conversation came in bits and pieces. At last, one of the deputies announced that he had the suspect in custody. Diekmann frowned and put the mic to his lips.
“Come again, did you say that was one suspect?”
“That’s affirmative, sheriff. White male, approximately six-three with black hair, wearing a leather jacket.”
“That’s Loki,” Val mumbled.
“What about Odin, and Mrs. Thatcher?” said Riley. “If they’re not in the car, then where are they?”
“They could be anywhere. Loki might have dropped them off here in town, or anywhere along the coast.”
“Then we’d better have a talk with him,” said Diekmann. “You two coming?”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Val said.
Chapter 27
It was one-thirty a.m. when Val found herself in the sheriff’s interrogation room back in Vine Hill. She was seated next to Diekmann and across the table from Michael Barnes, otherwise known as Loki. Barnes had his arms crossed over his chest, and he leaned back in the chair just as far as he could without tipping it. He looked like a pouting teenager.
Val had asked Diekmann if she could be there for the questioning. The sheriff was kind enough to offer her the lead. Valkyrie hadn’t expected that. Her stomach churned nervously as she leaned forward on her elbows and locked gazes with the murderer. She set her jaw and put on her best poker face. Valkyrie had never interrogated anyone before, but she’d seen enough movies to know how it worked. The trick was to get him worked up to the point that he lost control; to convince him she knew things and had powers she didn’t.
“You’ve been careless, Loki,” she said, looking him up and down. “You didn’t leave any prints, but you dumped blood and DNA everywhere. I’m sure you know it’s just a matter of time until we charge you with these murders.”
Loki leaned forward, sneering. “You’ve got nothing on me.”
“Wrong. Have you heard of grand theft auto? That alone is worth three years. Maybe more if we get the right judge. That’s plenty of time to sort out the DNA By the time this is all over, we’ll charge you with at least five murders. You’re going to fry.”
“I’ll escape.”
“I doubt that,” said Diekmann. “Some guy just tried that in the county jail. He figured out how to get around the guards, all the way to the fence. He got shot in the back. He spent ten hours in surgery. Now he’s serving the rest of his sentence in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the neck down. Does that sound like fun to you?”
Loki leaned back in the chair, glancing back and forth between them.
“And that’s just the county jail,” Diekmann continued. “That’s nothing compared to the prison you’re going to. I’m sure you’ve heard about what goes on in those places.”
Loki licked his lips. Val could see from the rapid rise and fall of his chest that reality was setting in. “Your cousin isn’t here this time, Loki,” she said. “Nobody’s going to swoop in and rescue you. You’re going to do real time. How do you feel about that?” Val leaned back, smiling as she looked him up and down. “Do you know what happens to rapists in prison? Why do you suddenly look so worried? Did it just get real?”
“Stop it,” he said. “Stop talking to me.”
“Do you know what Death Row is like? Do you know what happens when they inject those chemicals into your arm and your chest gets tight, and suddenly you can’t breathe?”
“Stop it! Stopstopstop!”
“Sometimes judges are lenient, if you cooperate,” Valkyrie said. “Who knows, you might even be able to get that sentence reduced. A few years in prison definitely sounds better than the gas chamber, right?”
Loki turned his head
from side to side, trying to avoid her gaze. He wrung his hands, and stared at them for a moment. “What do you want from me?”
“You can start by telling us where your partner is, and the woman who lived at that farm house.”
Loki’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t screw around with us,” said Diekmann. “Tell us where your partner is, or the deal’s off.”
Loki turned his head left and right, swaying in the chair. He clasped his hands and brought them up to his forehead. “They were there,” he mumbled. “You found the house?”
“Of course we did,” Valkyrie said. “We also found Frank Thatcher, who you murdered with a shotgun!”
“No, not me,” Loki protested. “Odin. That was Odin!”
“Then where is he?”
Loki screwed his face up like he’d just eaten a bad lemon. “He was there! I left them both at the house. They were inside...”
Val exchanged a glance with the sheriff. “If you can’t help us out Loki, then I’m afraid we’re just going to-”
“Wait!” Loki cried. “What do you want? I’ll tell you everything. Do you want to know what he did? It was Odin. All of it was Odin! He killed the old man. He killed the family in the forest, too. He wouldn’t even let me try. He said I wouldn’t get it right.”
Valkyrie felt emotion welling up inside of her. It was terrible, what that family had gone through. What it must have been like, watching their two captors argue over who would get to kill them. She wanted to weep for them -wanted to reach out and choke him- but Val forced her emotions back.
“How did you meet Odin?” she asked, forcing her voice to calmness.
Loki fidgeted uncomfortably. “Can’t tell,” he mumbled. “Can’t tell, or he’ll kill me.”
“Odin?” said Diekmann. “He’s the least of your worries.”
Loki rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. “No, not Odin. The other one.”
“Other one?” said Val. “What are you jabbering about, Loki?” She slammed her fist on the table and he flinched. “Tell us! Do it now, or we’re charging you.”