Then he said, “Tess, you can’t keep going, running on coffee and adrenaline.”
“I can’t leave any stone unturned. If Janie is out there in this cold, I have to find her.”
“Let Yarrow and Bender go. There’s no need for you to go as well.”
“Bender’s been working all day like I have. No, I’m on this. It’s my responsibility.”
“You take too much on yourself.”
“You can’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same if this were some church emergency.”
“Maybe I would, but that is different. I don’t carry a gun or worry that people will shoot me. I care about you, Tess. Your dedication is as attractive as it is terrifying.”
“I have to go.”
She disconnected. The cold hit hard, but for Tess the hit on her heart was the hardest. What chance did she and Oliver have if he didn’t understand her responsibility to her job?
Tess had to take a minute while Bender and Yarrow discussed routes. She’d hit a wall thirty minutes ago, and if she didn’t refocus, she’d be useless on this search. She asked herself a question: What would my dad do?
The answer came to her immediately: He’d pray.
Prayer had always been his default position, and tears threatened as Tess realized that was her weakness. Oliver’s words about her taking too much on herself came blaring back to her. It wasn’t a weakness to need help or backup.
Tess prayed, asking for strength, clarity, and most of all, for another miracle, for Janie’s safety and a good end to this nightmare day.
41
Ice’s eyes were heavy. He had a full stomach, he was warm and dry . . . it would be easy to drop off to sleep. But when his body shifted, pain stabbed him awake. His chest got more painful as the bruise settled in. It only served to make him angry and more committed to making the woman who’d shot him pay. Not to mention the fact that the cut across his cheek would ruin his looks forever.
“Women like scars. Don’t worry about it,” Digger had told him just before he left the plane, saying he had something to do for Cyrus. He and Cyrus had had quite the phone conversation. Digger hadn’t said much, so it was obvious that Cyrus was giving the instructions and he had a lot to take care of in a short amount of time.
At this point Ice didn’t care what women liked. He hated the angry red slash across the right side of his face.
He and Digger were still at the airport, in the plush private jet. This was a rental because Cyrus’s personal jet had been impounded. Ice wondered if Cyrus had really left the country. He doubted it. Digger probably knew exactly where Cyrus was, but he wasn’t saying. Royal hadn’t spoken to Cyrus and hadn’t asked to when Cyrus called. But he was reading between the lines and bet that Cyrus planned to go after Chevy himself. If he really had defeated the ankle monitor, he should get his butt out of the country. The last thing Ice wanted to see was Cyrus in Oregon with a string of marshals and FBI agents on his tail.
Besides, Ice had already been through amateur hour with Gage. If Cyrus did show up, Ice wanted to talk Cyrus out of what he was planning but figured he had at least a few hours before the man arrived. Till then, he needed to rest up, heal up, and plot his revenge against the crazy woman with the shotgun.
–––
Tess felt a little heaviness lift after her prayer. Her dad and Oliver were what you could call prayer warriors, and she needed the strength they seemed to get from the practice. She even made a promise to try harder to go to prayer first, instead of after she felt all worn-out.
Once on the ATV, Tess saw there was a clear trail to follow behind the mobile home park, the remnants of an old logging road, and in spite of the dark, Bender chugged up the road without any problem. Tess sat next to him while Yarrow took a seat in the back cargo area. They traveled up into the forest for nearly an hour before Yarrow told Bender to slow.
“We need to go by foot from here. This is where I caught them on the cam. There’s a big cave about a quarter mile in.” The cave was directly on the route to the back of the Faith’s Place property.
Yarrow had explained to them that he checked the caves regularly, thinking Blakely might use them. “I never caught him there or saw any evidence he’d been there. But one thing for sure: that guy always does the unexpected.”
Stiff and cold, they climbed off the ATV and, with bright flashlights shining, followed Yarrow through the trees. Like Tami’s rescue after an improbable trip down the river, Tess believed they would need just as big a miracle now where Janie was concerned. She felt a headache coming on at the thought of what Blakely might have done with Janie. What a stroke of bad luck that he crossed paths with a killer more cold-blooded than him before he could deliver his ransom note.
“Here!” Bender called out. Tess stopped, not certain what he was seeing. She followed his flashlight beam and still couldn’t make it out. Blinking her tired eyes, she refocused and saw it—a dark opening in the hillside behind the trees.
A new fear gripped her. What would they find inside?
Both men stepped aside and let Tess take the lead.
She stepped between the trees. The stench knocked her back on her heels. It was reminiscent of the odor they’d detected at the cut fence. Tess prayed a dead body wasn’t the source.
Tess, Bender, and Yarrow shone their lights into the black space. Off to one side something glinted—a sleeping bag, the lump making it obvious there was something inside.
Glancing to Yarrow, Tess said, “I’ve got this.” Then she ducked down and stepped into the dark crevasse. She held her breath and knelt down to unzip the bag. She saw hair first and then the face, duct tape across the mouth.
Tess reached forward to check the neck for a pulse when Janie’s eyes popped open, and Tess nearly fell back at the shock. The woman’s eyes squinted at the light. First they filled with fear, and her body bucked; then she relaxed when Tess spoke.
“Janie, it’s Chief O’Rourke. You’re safe, you’re safe.” The woman’s visible relief rippled through Tess like a wave. Finally some good news. Thank you, God.
With Bender’s help, Tess freed Janie from the bag and duct tape that bound her. As she worked to get circulation back into her limbs, Janie began to cry.
“Oh, Chief, it was Ken Blakely; he stopped me when I got to work. He wants all of our money. He says that Garrett owes him—”
“It’s okay. We know all about Blakely. He’s not going to bother you ever again. Are you hurt in any way?”
“Just stiff. My throat is parched. Can I get some water?”
Yarrow handed her a bottle.
As she drank, Tess felt a lot of tension fade away. It looked like Blakely’s attempt to conceal Janie actually kept her from freezing. While the woman hydrated and recovered from being bound and hidden for hours, Tess left the enclosure and radioed the news to Jonkey.
“We found her, she’s okay, and we’ll be heading back down in a few minutes.”
When Jonkey responded with a 10-4, Tess took a deep breath. This was a second miracle.
But as they readied the ATV to accommodate Janie on the way back down to the mobile home park, Tess found her mind wandering to Oliver and the tension between them. The last phone call was crushing. Would it take a third miracle for their relationship to survive all this?
42
Following the emotional reunion between the Coopers, the paperwork, and tying up loose ends, Tess made it home as the sun was rising. Cold and tired to the bone, all she could manage was taking off her boots and jacket and falling into bed. But needed sleep was interrupted a few hours later when the phone rang. It was Steve Logan.
“Sorry to wake you.”
Tess, stiff, bedraggled, and still exhausted, sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s okay. What’s up?”
“The gun you found in the knapsack. The guy didn’t do a very good job destroying the serial number. We were able to figure it out and run the numbers. All kinds of bells and whistles went off. Gun was reported stolen years a
go and used in three murders. It was actually a cop’s duty weapon—”
Tess came wide-awake, her brain exploding with recognition. “It belonged to Isaac Pink.”
“Well, uh, yeah, how did you know?”
Tess ran a hand through her hair, blinking away the last bit of sleep. “Because I know that case. Isaac Pink was a cop killed because he was sheltering a witness.” She went on to explain to Steve the possible connection to Cyrus Beck.
“I’m not quite sure what to do with that. Do you think Cyrus Beck had something to do with Pink’s death?”
“I wouldn’t say it was impossible. And I’m sure Bass would be quick to make such a connection. Have you contacted LAPD?”
“I did. They’re sending a team up here, just not sure when. With the gunman still outstanding, this situation is fluid.”
“I’d like to talk to them.”
“I’m sure they’d like to talk to you. One other thing: do you remember me asking Livie Harp to come to the station today to be fingerprinted? It’s routine. She shot and killed a man; you know we need to identify her officially.”
“Yeah, I remember that.”
“She hasn’t shown up.”
Tess looked at the clock. It was close to 11 a.m. “What time was she supposed to be there?”
“Two hours ago.”
“Do you think she doesn’t want to be identified?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
–––
Oliver hadn’t been able to sleep. After tossing and turning, he finally gave in and got up. He opened the Bible but found that he couldn’t concentrate. A check of the clock told him he could head for the hospital; by the time he got there, visiting hours would have begun and he could look in on Tami. All the way to Medford, Oliver replayed the events of the day before. As much as he did want to check on Tami, more than anything, he wanted to sit down with Tess and unravel all the problems they’d encountered. He refused to believe that their relationship was not fixable.
He stepped off the elevator and ran right into Alana. She must have been coming from Tami’s room. She stood, hands on her hips, and gave him an earful about why she was unhappy with him.
“That woman is not the right woman for you.”
“That woman? You mean Chief O’Rourke?”
She gave an exaggerated nod. “Pastor Mac, you need a woman dedicated to making you a good pastor. Chief O’Rourke needs to be a good police officer. The two don’t mix. Anna was perfect for you; you need to leave it at that. If you don’t, you’ll suffer for it, and so will the congregation.”
Oliver had no response for her.
Alana wagged her finger at him. “Mark my words—it will never work out with that woman.” Then she walked away.
He watched her go before continuing into Tami’s room. His attention was divided the entire time he was with Tami and her mother. This case had made him wonder if he and Tess could truly mesh. Alana echoed Don Cherry, and her words had stirred up a hornet’s nest in his soul. Was she right?
There was no change in Tami, but the doctors had told Rosita that was a good thing. She was holding her own. If she wasn’t getting any worse, there was a better chance that she’d recover.
Oliver was happy to hear that, but his thoughts were on Tess and the friction in their relationship. He admitted to himself that he was more concerned about how she jumped into things feetfirst than he’d let on. Running into the fire was bad enough, but then she put herself into the line of fire again searching for an armed and dangerous killer. He wondered at the irritation that had flared up inside. For a year he’d watched Tess work, seen her handle dangerous situations, and been completely amazed at her courage and dedication.
He stepped into a washroom on his way out of the hospital. He washed his hands and rinsed off his face. Drying off with a paper towel, Oliver studied himself in the mirror. “What is wrong with me?” he wondered out loud.
Her courage and dedication were a big part of what drew him to Tess. Why were they making him so angry now? Tess had not changed, yet Oliver found himself wondering if Alana was right. Yes, Anna had supported him completely and helped him to become the man and pastor he was today. But that was Anna—she loved being in the background, being his support.
Tess was not Anna—and Oliver didn’t want her to be—but she was no less supportive.
Then it struck him hard, in the center of his chest, like a punch. He didn’t love Tess because she was like Anna—because she wasn’t—but he feared that just like Anna, she’d be taken from him violently.
“I can’t go through that again. I can’t.” The realization shocked his whole system as if he’d just grabbed a live electrical wire and pulled it to his chest. Where was his trust in God?
It would be safe to break it off, not leave himself open to another loss like that again. But as he continued to study the man in the mirror, that idea was a nonstarter. God was trustworthy, gracious, and good.
And life was not about playing it safe.
–––
After Tess finished talking to Steve, she knew she’d never get back to sleep, so she started a pot of coffee and took a shower.
As the warm water pounded away at tired muscles, Tess thought about the day before. It had been the strangest, busiest day ever in her law enforcement career. An attempted murder, then an attempted kidnapping and a self-defense shooting, followed by a murder and a kidnapping. With the exception of the self-defense shooting and Ken Blakely being dead, which solved the poaching and the kidnapping, nothing else was resolved and there was a cold-blooded killer loose in this valley.
What would today bring?
She finished her shower and dressed, trying not to think about Oliver. He’d been angry with her the last time they’d spoken on the phone, thought she was stretching herself too thin and needed to call the state police.
He couldn’t understand her need to see everything she had started through to the end. And she’d come to see Oliver as someone who always understood her. Obviously she was wrong.
Was she wrong about their relationship as well? That thought brought a pinch of pain that made her take a breath.
After she finished half a cup of coffee, her thoughts cleared a bit. She realized Steve hadn’t given her any updates on Tami’s case or on the hunt for the killer. He would have if there were any news on either front, she knew. Maybe that meant she could deal with Livie Harp, find out why the woman didn’t go in to be fingerprinted. She knew Oliver had a number for Harp, though the woman didn’t want anyone else to have it. Tess could call him and ask him to call Harp, or she could just drive up there and hope Harp opened the gate.
Tess didn’t really want to talk to Oliver at the moment. Her thoughts switched gears. She wondered about the agent Bass was sending. Was he here yet? If he’d shown up at the station, she would have been paged. She decided to call Bronwyn and ask if the agent had shown up at Faith’s Place.
Bronwyn didn’t give her a chance to ask a question right away. “What great news to hear about Janie Cooper,” she said. “We really needed some good news after yesterday.”
“Thanks, Bronwyn. We did need some good news.” Tess paused, wondering how the Coopers were doing.
“Did I make a mistake letting Chevy go with Livie?” Bronwyn asked.
“She’s an adult. You couldn’t have forced her to stay with you. And I can’t say that she’s less safe with Harp. Has the FBI agent, Wally Ferguson, shown up yet?”
“No. The only federal agent here today was Mia Takano. She was released from the hospital, so she came, got her stuff, and left. She was called back to the office.”
“Okay. Ferguson should check in with me first, but let me know if he does show up.”
“I will.”
Tess hung up, finished her cup of coffee, and poured another. There was so much on her plate this morning, she didn’t know where to start.
She sat at the kitchen table and took out a piece of paper, numbering
the issues in front of her. First, there was the situation with Chevy. What did the Feds want to do with her? That came first, rather than what Livie Harp wanted. Tess needed to visit Harp and find out what was going on there.
Second, there was the issue of the handgun recovered, Isaac Pink’s gun. That was huge. She bet the LAPD cold case guys would be all over that information. But did it mean that Pink’s killer had been here in Rogue’s Hollow, and was he the missing gunman?
Third, there was the gunman himself, presumably Ice. He’d obviously gotten away. Tess feared that he was miles away by now, and they had to figure out how to positively identify him. He had to be Blakely’s killer. The only scenario that made sense was that Ken drove him off the mountain only to be killed for his kindness.
And last but not least, there was Tami Vasquez. What was her status? And could she tell us anything at all about what happened to her?
She perused the list, noting that she’d not gone in order of importance. The most important thing was finding the gunman. Finished, she stood and stretched. She hadn’t yet eaten breakfast and already she had the whole day planned.
But niggling in the back of her mind was Oliver and the breach in their relationship. Could it be repaired? Did she want it to be?
“Do you really think you’re any good for him?”
43
When Digger returned from his errand, he and Royal left the plane and checked into a hotel near the airport. Cyrus was all over the news. Bass discovered that the ankle monitor was disabled, that Cyrus pulled the wool over four agents tasked with watching him and he was long gone. Ice had to admire the move. He wouldn’t have thought Cyrus capable of it. The Feds were scrambling and embarrassed.
Ice appreciated the time to soothe his wounds and rest up before the next phase of his mission. His shoulder was still sore, but the buckshot had really only grazed him. His ribs were another matter. The bruise had spread across his chest and hurt worse when he got up from bed, and he winced. He was getting too old for this. Ten years ago he’d already be healing. All the more reason to collect the rest of his money and disappear to some warm, sunny locale and relax.
Cold Aim Page 22