by Amy Andrews
Detective Wilshire signaled the Lieutenant with a raise of his palm, to stay seated. Standing up himself, he walked over to Layne, who was now with his back to them, gazing out the glass windows through clouded eyes. His arms were crossed around his trembling body. Wilshire grasped his shoulders and spun him around, resisting Layne’s rejection, and pulling him in close, to hold him tight.
Layne broke down in sobs. Through a broken voice, Layne managed to heave out, “I loved her, man.” His voice grew almost inaudible, and he reiterated, “I loved her.”
“I know. I know,” Wilshire reassured him, stroking his back. “I know it hurts, buddy, but I need you need to pull yourself together, so we can go find the piece of shit that did this to her, okay?”
Layne took a deep sigh, and stepped back from the embrace. Wiping his tears, and getting his breath under control, he turned to his Lieutenant. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I’m sorry,” he said, waving his hands in the air.
Lieutenant Sara Whitten stood from her chair, and walked around her desk to pick up the tipped over wingback. She set the chair in it’s upright position, and casually strolled over to Layne. Looking deep into his eyes, she grabbed a hold of him, and pulled him in quick, where she held him in a tight embrace. “I understand, Layne. She was one of our own,” she whispered in his ear, with one arm embracing his strong back, and the other holding the nape of his neck.
Holding Layne’s resting head on her shoulder, Sara took as much comfort from it, as she was giving. Reaching out, she took Detective Wilshire’s hand. The three of them stood there in a moment of silence, before returning to their seats.
“Learning what we now know about the plate, this could possibly be an inside job. I don’t want to believe that, but it’s looking like that could be a definite possibility,” Sara said. “So far we have Detective Leopold being brutally assaulted and murdered, Detective Shane being toyed with, along with his wife being abducted by the same maniac that got to Kate, and now we know the plate on the vehicle was stolen out of our compound lot. It isn’t making much sense right now, but it’s what we have to go on.”
Detectives Layne and Wilshire looked at each other and nodded. Detective Layne responded, “yeah, Lieutenant. We’re definitely onto that vibe now that we’ve found out that the Jane Doe this morning was actually Katy. I mean, Detective Leopold. Add that to the information we found out about the license plate, plus the personal target directed towards Detective Shane? Seems too much of a coincidence. We need to make sure we keep it on the DL. Anyone could be involved.”
Discussing the facts of the case, Lieutenant Whitten, nor her team of Detectives ruled Verde completely out, because he had not been apprehended yet. No one knew where he was. It wasn’t impossible, but highly improbable that he was their man. The why escaped her. For the life of her she couldn’t figure it out. Lenny was a stand up guy. Why anyone would have anything against him she just couldn’t fathom. Especially if it were an inside job. He was a great detective, a great mentor to the rookie detectives. Not one person on the force had a beef with him as far as she knew. On top of that, he was getting ready to retire. He hadn’t put in his official notice yet, but Sara could tell it was coming.
“Alright, then,” Sara said. “Let’s keep everything we find out between us, Manny, Lenny, and Detective Thorne. Detective Thorne phoned me earlier. Apparently he was headed to Miami for the weekend with a lady friend when he received voicemails from both myself and Lenny. He said he was on the Alley, about to go right by the area, and that he would check it out. I haven’t heard from him since, but we are all aware that cell reception out there isn’t easy to get”
Layne and Wilshire looked at each other and didn’t need to speak words to know what the other was thinking. There was no way in fuck that either one of them would be putting Thorne in the loop of anything, unless it was a hangman’s noose. If they found out it was him behind all of this, that is.
With all of the colleagues in agreement, they decided the only other lead they could follow at the moment, would be to just head out to the Alley, and see where it would lead them. She shot Lenny a text message, filling him in with the information on the VIN number and the stolen license plate, along with the fact that she, Layne, and Wilshire, and Thorne were all coming, hoping he would get it. She didn’t know exactly where he was right now, but if he were out in the thick of the Everglades, she could only keep her fingers crossed, that he could get a cell signal.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - BREADCRUMBS
Lenny covered a lot of ground quickly. He checked his cell phone periodically to see if Lieutenant Whitten had gotten back to him regarding the license plate on the black Lincoln.
He read the text, which made him even more confused. All the while, he was thinking this was the work of someone he had put away…but an inside job? Didn’t make sense. Why? Why would someone do this? These are the things he intended to find out. Or not. When he found whomever it was that did this to Katy and Tessa, it was no holds barred. Answers or not.
Even with all the perplexity, he felt a wave of relief come over him, to see that Whitten, Layne, Wilshire, and Thorne all had his back. At least if something did happen to him out here, Tessa could still be rescued by one of them.
By now, it was dark out, and the full cover of the trees made it even darker. Looking at the countdown on his watch, he estimated it was nearly 10:00 pm. The countdown was at eleven hours and winding down. Placing his cell phone back in his shirt pocket, he unsheathed his flashlight. He was exhausted, but he could sleep later. He was going to go, and he was going to track, until he absolutely could not physically keep his body upright, or his eyes open.
Hearing some movement up ahead, Lenny shined his flashlight in the general direction. He could see the brush moving, but did not see the culprit of the movement. There was no wind to speak of tonight, so something or someone disturbed it. He would have to be extra vigilant in this neck of the woods. Not only was there a delusional madman out here, but dangerous animals. Ones that liked to hunt prey, particularly at night.
Picking up his pace, he had his flashlight in his left hand, and his gun in the other. Looking straight ahead, he walked toward where the disturbance had been. Scanning the flashlight over the area, he saw nothing. He wasn’t sure if he thought that was a good sign, or a bad sign. Probably just a deer, he thought. Possibly an armadillo, raccoon, squirrel or opossum.
Turning off his light for a moment, he stopped to listen. He didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. He closed his eyes, and let his senses do their work. Smoke. He smelled smoke. Clicking the light back on, he continued on, moving the brush out of the way, so he could get into a small clearing. Off in the distance, he saw some glowing embers. Remnants of a recent campfire. This, he thought was a good sign. No one in their right damn mind would be out here camping in the middle of nowhere. No one in their right damn mind. This meant that he was definitely on the right path. He wasn’t sure how much of a head start they had gotten on him, but he knew he was getting close
Coming out of the brush, something across his torso stopped his momentum. At first he thought it must be a vine, until he shined his light onto it. It appeared to be a clear filament, like fishing line. He reached into his pocket, and cut the filament with a quick slice of his knife. Hearing a swooping sound, Lenny abruptly reacted and felt a rush of air blow by his face, as a slender bamboo branch came dangerously close to whacking him, right in the throat area. Taking a moment to get his composure, he realized that this was not some sort of animal trap, or a coincidental happening, but an intentional set up. He would have to be much more careful, to not underestimate his opponent. If not for his lightning fast reflexes, due in large part to his martial arts training, a direct hit to the throat could have left him gasping for air. Possibly crushed his windpipe, depending on speed, weight, and trajectory of the branch. He was fortunate in that aspect, but the branch did catch him on his right upper arm, leaving a pretty good gash. Lenny figured out exactly
what was going on. The trail thus far was easy to follow. So easy in fact, that he knew the abductor wanted to be followed by him, just not too closely.
Emerging from the brush into the clearing, Lenny turned his flashlight off. Once reaching the campfire, he listened for a moment for any footfalls. Upon hearing nothing, he turned the flashlight on and scanned the area. Against a large tree, he found a length of rope that had been tied around the tree, with just enough excess to fit a 120 lb woman snugly against it. He immediately recognized it as the same type of rope he found in the Lincoln Continental. Looking more closely at the ground, he saw two sets of prints. One very small, and one very large. He was relieved at the fact that Tessa was still walking. Running rather, at closer inspection of the length of stride. It appeared as though her captor wasn’t holding her close, or walking behind her, but rather beside her. He knew for sure these were Tessa’s prints. He could feel it in his gut. Small, size five confirmed by the imprint of the shoe, with a number five contained within a circle. Tessa’s size. He knew from shoe shopping with Tessa, that not many women wore size fives, making them a pain in the ass to find. Average women’s shoe size was a seven.
Lenny decided to take the hint, and fall back a little. He could make up the time later, and could move quicker if he were to get a little rest. He sat in the very spot against the tree, where Tessa had recently been. The lunatic he was tracking was indeed very dangerous, but the elements could kill you, or slow you down just as well. Unzipping the duffle bag, he removed a bottled water, and a pack of peanut butter crackers. He gathered the length of rope from around the tree, and stuffed it into the duffle. Either for evidence, or maybe he would use it to strangle the guy, in which case it would still be evidence. Lenny smirked at the thought.
It was a hot and sticky night. Even after the sun went down, it was near eighty degrees, and the humidity was even higher. It was important to keep hydrated, to lessen muscle cramping and fatigue. He didn’t have any idea how far this hike would take him. So far, he estimated that he had gone about four to five miles. His leg and back muscles ached because of the intense walking, stooping, and squats that tracking required, which he had been doing over the past five hours. Noticing that part of his jacket was blood soaked, he figured he needed to take a look at the damage done by the bamboo branch. Gingerly he peeled it off of his right shoulder and arm. A wince settled upon his face, and a “mother fucker,” softly escaped his lips. He removed a t-shirt from his duffle and moistened it with a bit of water to clean the wound. It definitely wasn’t pretty. A large and deep gash continued to pulse blood down his arm. It definitely required stitches. There was only one thing for him to do. Getting up on his knees, he angled himself down, with his arm towards the smoldering remnants of the campfire. Readying himself, he took three quick and successive breaths, and he pushed his arm into the searing hot embers. Inside, he screamed in agony as the sizzle of burning flesh filled the air. Sitting back up, his hands trembled, spilling some of the water bottle’s contents onto the ground. In between his trembles, he managed to get some of the water splashed onto the blackened wound, and lightly pat it dry with his blood soaked t-shirt. Digging through his duffle, he opted for some sunburn spray with Novocain, to numb it up some. He was in such great pain, that he didn’t even feel the sting of the spray. With his ass planted firmly on the ground, he leaned his head back against the tree. Closing his eyes, he raised the bottle to his parted lips, and the water soothed his parched mouth and throat. In the dim moonlight, he alternated sipping the water, and eating the crackers. It was no Ruth’s Chris filet mignon, but it was going to have to do.
As his body took in the nourishment, the heat, exhaustion, and pain overwhelmed him. With all of the adrenaline pumping through his veins, it didn’t register before he sat back against the tree. It came surging over his body like a tidal wave. He couldn’t fight it. His eyelids grew heavy, as his body demanded to rest. In his mind, he was fighting to stay awake, but it was a futile battle. Glancing down at the solar green glow of his watch timer indicated that there was 10 hours left. Okay, maybe just a twenty minute cat nap, he convinced himself. His breathing slowed, and his eyelids drew to a close.
CHAPTER NINETEEN - MAKING ROOM
She was moving much to slow for his taste, so Thorne wrapped his hand around Tessa’s upper arm, and pulled her along. “Tessa, I know you’re tired, but we have to keep moving!” he urged, with impatience.
With a crossed look settling on her face, Tessa shook his hand off of her arm. She stopped and placed her hands on her hips. “Where the hell are we going, Bobby? I mean, shouldn’t we have been back to the road by now? I know I was out of it for a bit, and I don’t remember getting here after the car accident, but I couldn’t have been out for that long.” Now starting to whine, she said, “I just want to get out of this nightmare and go home. Where is your partner? Where’s my husband? Where is Lenny?” she demanded to know. She had been manhandled one too many times today, and she was just about over the shit.
Turning on the charm, and pulling her in close for a reassuring hug, Detective Thorne lifted her face and looked directly into her eyes. “I know you’re scared and tired, Tessa. We’re not going back to the road where your car accident was, because that is not where my car is.” Nodding off in the distance, he said, “I actually have a cabin not too far from here. That is where we are going. I don’t know where Lenny is, but I’m sure he’s looking for you. I just need you to be strong for a little while longer, okay?”
Tessa swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat, but that did not stop a warm stream escaping the corners of her eyes. His smell was familiar, and…wait a minute. How did he know about the car accident, if his car was not parked on the highway, unless…It made her want to immediately pull away from him. Fighting against her body’s instincts, she didn’t give away any hints of her revelation. Impossible. What the hell was wrong with her? There had to be another explanation. He was the only one here trying to get her out of this mess, and away from the damn masked lunatic.
“Okay,” she said, with her lips starting to quiver. Wiping her eyes and getting her composure, she said with confidence, “let’s do this. Let’s go.” Stopping abruptly after taking just a few steps, she turned to him and said, “oh, and Bobby, thank you, and… how much longer do you think it will be? I could really use some aspirin,” she said as she lightly touched the side of her head that now was black and blue with a nicely formed goose egg .
“Tessa, I don’t know exactly how much longer it will be, but very soon, this will all be over.” Taking advantage of their brief pause, he removed two bottled waters and a bag of pretzels for them to share. “Here, I don’t have any aspirin, but this will make you feel better,” he said, handing her the items. At a very minimum, it would keep her mouth occupied for a while, so she couldn’t ask him what time it was. Again. “Let’s move,” he said with authority.
They hiked through the wilderness for several more hours. Tessa was on the verge of calling it quits. She was exhausted, and just wanted to rest. She didn’t care anymore. She could lie down right there and fall asleep within minutes, considering it was close to three o’clock in the morning the last time she asked Bobby what time it was. She felt like a kid on a road trip, constantly asking what time it was, just to find out that only fifteen minutes had passed since the last time she asked. He was probably getting annoyed with it by now, but she didn’t care. She was annoyed too, with this entire day, and everything about it. Just when she was about to give up for the night, a small wooden cabin came into view. It reminded her somewhat, of a Thomas Kincaid painting. She wanted to burst out into a full sprint, but her legs were currently as stable as jell-o. Butterflies of excitement started swirling around in her stomach at the thought of finally getting able to rest, and possibly getting a bite of something real to eat. On second thought, a hot shower to wash away the filth, along with all of her aches and pains would be even better. She could not get to that cabin fast enough
. It was calling to her like a moth to a flame.
Detective Thorne squashed her spirits, when he turned to her, placed his hand against her chest and said, “Tessa, I want you to stay right here. I have to do a sweep of the cabin to make sure it’s all clear. We’ve been fortunate enough to not run into the guy that did this to you. It’s a safety precaution. You understand? You stay right here, up against this tree, until I come and get you. If you hear anyone, or see any shadows, I want you to hide, okay?”
As he was backing her up against the tree, she was looking at him, looking at her, while patiently awaiting a response. She took a deep breath that exuded disgust. “Alright, okay. Just hurry it up will you? I am so done with this whole day already.”
Tessa settled in against the tree with her arms crossed, and watched Detective Thorne make his way to the cabin. By the time he got there, he was nothing but a small shadow off in the distance.
Detective Thorne walked the perimeter of the cabin, peering inside the windows. The snowy television sufficiently lit the small one room cabin enough for him to see that there was a man inside, who was snoring away on a plaid worn out sofa. Approaching the back door, he grasped the door handle, and the door cracked open. He snuck across the room, and withdrew his pistol, pointing it directly at the unsuspecting sleeper. He nudged the Larry the Cable Guy look a like with his foot. Completely startled, his eyes flew open, followed by him holding both hands in the air. Apparently, he noticed the Detective shield.
“I haven’t done anything, Officer, Sir. What ever it is, I didn’t do it. I was out fishin’ all day. Got me some fresh snapper in the freezer if ya don’t believe me,” he stammered in a good ole boy Southern drawl.