Cops in tactical gear stormed the room, and the next few minutes were chaos before the sergeant in charge, Gerhart, took a call and verified their identities. When Noah was allowed up off the carpet, he helped his brother to his feet and then checked Murdock’s condition. The man had regained consciousness.
“Who else is involved in this?” Noah bent over him. “Someone gave you up, so you might as well tell me.”
The CEO’s eyes narrowed and his face reddened, but he kept his mouth shut as paramedics arrived. They checked his vitals, strapped him to a stretcher, and wheeled him out of the apartment.
“Did you get anything from him?” GQ asked.
“Nothing, but I have a feeling from his reaction he knows who sent us that tip.” Noah turned as Sergeant Gerhart approached.
“We’ll need to take you both down to the station for statements. I don’t know who you work for, but he has connections. Breaking and entering, not to mention shooting a respected businessman, would normally land your asses in a jail cell.” The cop crossed his arms over his chest. “It still might.”
“Great.” Noah tried to control his irritation and failed. “While I’m happy to cooperate, my brother needs medical attention. He probably has a concussion, and I’d like to make sure his skull wasn’t fractured.”
“Does he need an ambulance? I can call for a second bus.”
“That won’t be necessary, but—”
“In that case, one of my men will drive him to the ER,” Gerhart interrupted. “He can take a full statement from him there.”
Noah nodded and motioned for Garth to join them.
“What’s going on?”
“An officer will take you to the ER to get checked out since it seems I’m going to be occupied for a while. I’ll pick you up after I give them my statement.”
Garth stared at him for a minute. “I can take a cab back to my hotel.”
“No. Wait for me. I want to speak to the doctor who treats you. I’ll call when I’m finished with the police.”
“Sure. Whatever.”
The sergeant stepped away and spoke quietly to a young, uniformed officer before returning. “Mr. Kimball, Officer Boyer will take you to the ER and also get your statement. I’ll be in touch since I expect I’ll have follow-up questions.”
“Fine. I’ll see you later, Noah.”
After Garth left with the cop, Gerhart motioned toward the door. “CSI will wrap things up here. Let’s go.”
Two hours later, Noah finally walked out of the police station after collecting his weapon at the front desk. Despite the late hour, he pulled his cell from his pocket and tapped the screen to call Riley, waiting impatiently while the phone rang.
“Do you need a ride?”
“Huh.” He responded absently to GQ’s question and frowned when his call went to voicemail. “Riley, pick up. I’m worried.”
“She’s still not answering?”
Noah glanced over at GQ. “No. Something must be wrong.” He slammed his fist against his thigh. “I can’t believe that jerk, Gerhart, kept us in there so freaking long.”
“He’d still be questioning us if Detective Brasher hadn’t finally shown up. Took his sweet time, that’s for sure, and then disappeared into the captain’s office without speaking to us. I wonder what the hell is going on.”
“At this point, all I care about is Riley.” He closed his eyes. “And Garth. Damn.” He scrolled through his contacts and tapped again to call his brother.
Garth answered on the third ring. “You finally done with the police?”
“Yeah. It took longer than I expected. What’s the news?”
“Mild concussion. The doc told me to get some rest, which is what I was trying to do when you called.”
“You’re back at your hotel?”
“I took a cab. I’m fine. Just tired. They gave me meds for the headache.”
Noah pressed a hand against the back of his neck. “Okay. I’ll call you tomorrow. I expect you’ll be required to testify once Murdock goes to trial, but who knows when that’ll be.”
“The cop who took my statement told me not to leave the city, that they’ll have more questions for me. I need to get back to work, for Christ’s sake. I can’t tell you how much this whole situation sucks.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but right now I’m worried about Riley. I—”
“Is she okay?”
“She isn’t answering her phone.” Fear clawed at him as he tried to come up with a single good reason why she hadn’t taken his call. Nothing came to mind.
“Let me know when you hear from her. I like that woman.”
“I will.” Noah shoved his phone in his pocket and turned to face GQ. “Can you give me a ride back to headquarters. I left my car—actually Riley’s car—there.”
“Of course.” He tossed the keys to his Corvette and caught them. “You driving back to Princeton tonight?”
“Hell, yes. I’m going to go find Riley.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Noah opened the front door of the bed and breakfast and quietly crossed the entry. A single light had been left burning behind the registration desk, and at two in the morning, no one was around. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the second floor, stopped outside the door to their room, and turned the knob. Locked. He knocked softly and waited.
When Riley didn’t come to the door, he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and used a credit card to disable the flimsy lock. Inside, the room was dark with only a hint of moonlight shining through the open blinds.
“Riley.” He flipped on the light beside the door and blinked.
The bed was empty. Both suitcases sat on the floor, and the bag of food had been left on the table. There was no sign of her laptop case. Or Stormy.
“Mr. Bond, is that you?” The female voice carried up the stairs.
Noah stepped back into the hallway and waited while the owner of the bed and breakfast hurried toward him, a red plaid robe flapping around her ankles. “Riley isn’t in our room. Do you know—”
“My goodness, I hope you two didn’t cross paths. I’m surprised she didn’t call you.” Yvonne huffed a little as she reached his side. “She left here over four hours ago to take the late bus to Boston.”
“She isn’t answering her phone. Why would—”
“Your . . . uh . . . wife said someone was looking for her, and she didn’t feel safe. Maybe I shouldn’t have sent her off in my car. We could have barricaded ourselves inside and made a stand, just like at the Alamo, but hopefully with a better outcome. I’ve got an old shotgun my daddy used to scare away the pigeons that roosted in the eves.”
“She took your car?” Noah raised his voice when she finally paused for breath.
“Yes. Riley promised to leave my Buick at the bus depot in Rutland. I know the manager and can call him to see if she caught that bus. He’s probably fast asleep by now, but I bet he’ll answer his phone.”
“Could you, please?”
“Well, sure. I’d be glad to.”
While Yvonne headed down the stairs, Noah went back into the room to search for Riley’s phone. After checking the bathroom, beneath the bed, and rifling through their clothes, he was forced to conclude she’d taken it with her.
Then why the hell doesn’t she answer?
Grabbing their bags, Noah hurried back downstairs.
“Thank you, Stan. Again, I’m sorry I woke you. Tell your wife I’ll see her at book club on Thursday. Okay. Bye, now.” She hung up the phone and turned to face him, her eyes wide in her pale face. “Riley never arrived at the bus station. I wonder what happened.”
He clamped his lips together to keep from swearing. “Can you give me a description of your car? I have a friend who may be able to track it down.”
“It’s a green Buick Regal. I have the license number.” She pulled open one of the drawers and shuffled through some papers. “Here it is.” She laid a registration card on the desk. This came in the mail t
he other day, and I’ve been meaning to put it in my car.”
He wrote the license number on the notepad she handed him and stuck the paper in his pocket. “I’ll make sure you get your car back, Yvonne. Thank you for your help.”
“Right now, I’m more worried about that sweet young woman than my old car. You’ll let me know she’s safe?”
He patted her shoulder. “I definitely will.”
Grabbing the luggage, Noah left the building and ran to the rear lot where he’d parked. Once he’d dumped everything in the back seat, he climbed in and called Luna. She answered on the first ring without even a hint of sleepiness in her voice.
“What’s going on, Patch? You wouldn’t call me in the middle of the night if there wasn’t an emergency.”
“I figured you’d be awake, anyway. You usually are.” He let out a shaky breath. “Riley left the bed and breakfast around ten in the owner’s car, supposedly headed to the bus depot in Rutland. She never arrived.”
“Do you think she drove straight through to Boston instead?”
“It’s possible, but she hasn’t answered her phone or tried to call me. Is there any way you can search for the car? I have the license number.”
“Only if she was driving on a major road with cameras that record licenses like the ones at toll booths. I may have better luck tracking down her location through her cell phone if she’s used it recently.”
Noah leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, doing his best not to panic. “Anything to give me a starting point.”
“I have her number. All I need to do is hack into her phone records . . .” Luna was silent for several minutes. “The last call she took was shortly before ten o’clock. It looks like she was on the phone when you tried to reach her since the times are less than a minute apart. The cell tower the calls pinged off of is near Princeton, so she was probably still at the bed and breakfast.”
“Who was she talking to?”
“The number is a cell phone. Let me see if it’s registered.” Faint tapping sounded in the background. “Huh, strange. Detective Brasher called her. He called again a minute later, like they were disconnected or something, but she didn’t answer.”
Noah jerked forward in his seat. “What the hell? I saw him at the police station, and he didn’t say a damn thing to me about talking to Riley.”
“She turned off her phone after that so I can’t access her location.”
“Shit!” He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. “What now?”
“I can search the law enforcement database for the license number of the car she’s driving to see if anything turns up. If she didn’t make it back to Boston, there’s a chance something happened on the road.”
“It’s a Massachusetts plate.” Pulling the paper from his pocket, he read the number to her. “I’ll talk to Brasher while you work on this.”
“I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”
“Thank you, Luna. You’re the best.”
“You’re welcome.”
He disconnected and then called Brasher. When voice mail picked up, he swore. “Dammit, man, answer your phone. You talked to Riley, and now she’s freaking missing. Call me.” Laying the cell on the passenger seat, he stared out into the dark while anxiety created a hard knot in his chest, making each breath an effort.
When his cell rang, he lunged for it. Not Brasher. Luna.
“Anything?”
“A patrol car just reported finding an abandoned vehicle in the parking lot of the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. The plates match.”
“I’m not far from there.” He started the engine and put the car into gear. “I’ll be in touch.”
Dropping his phone, he raced down the driveway, tires squealing as he pulled out onto the road. Stepping on the accelerator, he flew through town and up the Mountain Road. Trees lined both sides, creating a dark tunnel illuminated by the car’s headlights. The speedometer crept up past seventy as he reached the crest of the hill and the terrain opened up. Slowing, he turned into the parking area and drove toward two patrol cars near the rear of the lot.
An officer approached him as he got out of the car. “Can I help you, sir.”
“The car over there—”
He waved a hand toward the Buick. The rear end was severely dented, and the passenger side door hung open. The sight of the mangled vehicle made his stomach twist.
“My girlfriend was driving it, and she’s missing.”
“Did you file a report?”
“It’s only been a few hours.”
“This vehicle is registered to Yvonne Rigley, the woman who owns the bed and breakfast in town.” The second cop, who was probably about Noah’s age, approached and gave him a measured look. “Since I don’t suppose she’s the lady you’re dating, what was your girlfriend doing with her car?”
“She had Yvonne’s permission to drive it to the bus depot, but obviously something went wrong since she wound up on the mountain instead. It looks like someone rammed her car with a heavy vehicle.” He drew in a shaky breath. “If the person who did the damage took her—”
“Can I see some identification and get your girlfriend’s name and address? I’ll need to fill out a report.” The first officer pulled out a notepad.
“I found a purse under the vehicle with an ID inside and was about to call it in.” The younger cop held up Riley’s bag. “Do you recognize this?”
“Yes, it’s Riley. Is her phone inside?”
He nodded.
“What about a laptop? Did you find one in the car?”
“No, just the purse. The passenger door was open, and based on the tire marks in the dirt, a second vehicle drove up against the driver’s side door.”
“Probably attempting to trap her in the car.” Noah stared up the dark slope of the ski hill. “I wonder . . .”
“The Buick was the only car in the lot when Officer Fernley arrived. Since it appears this isn’t simply an abandoned car, we’ll take casts of those tire tracks. Maybe they’ll provide information about the make of the other vehicle.”
“If Rylie scrambled out of the car, she and her dog might have run into the trees to hide. Do you have a flashlight I can borrow?”
“Can I see some ID first?”
Noah pulled out his wallet, extracted his driver’s license, and handed it to Officer Fernley. “I’m Dr. Noah Kimball. If you contact Detective Brasher in Boston, he can fill you in on an ongoing investigation that I don’t have time to explain right now. If Riley’s out there, and someone is still searching for her . . .”
The younger cop leaned into his cruiser and returned carrying a high-powered flashlight. “Go ahead and look for her.”
“Thank you.”
Noah ran up the incline, flashing the light on the ground as he went. Recent rain had left the ground soft, and every now and then he made out a partial shoe print. Pausing, he squatted to study a more distinct mark, a boot too large to belong to Riley. The tracks seemed to continue up the open hillside.
“Shit. They could belong to anyone.” He swept the beam across the ground and steadied the light on what looked like . . . “A pawprint. Hell, yes!”
Noah followed the faint marks, both dog and smaller running shoes, until they disappeared into the woods where groundcover made tracking impossible.
“Riley,” he shouted. Plunging deeper into the trees, he kept calling. “Riley! Riley!”
Faint barking came from somewhere higher up the hill.
“Riley.” He pushed through the underbrush in the direction of the barking. “Riley, where are you?”
“Noah!”
Cracking branches and footsteps grew louder before his light picked up movement ahead in the trees. Stormy bounded out of the bushes and jumped on him. He scratched the dog’s ears before catching Riley against his chest as she ran headlong toward him. Her laptop case hit the ground as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I can’t believe you found me.”
He cupped her cold face in his hands and bent to kiss her. “Local cops reported Yvonne’s abandoned car. I was at the bed and breakfast when the call came in. Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay, although I have a bit of a stiff neck from that asshole ramming into me. Did you find your brother?”
“Yes. The police arrested Andrew Murdock.”
“Obviously he wasn’t the person chasing me.” Riley pressed her cheek against his neck. “I was scared out of my mind.”
“So was I.” He tightened his hold on her. “When you didn’t answer your phone, and I found the room at the bed and breakfast empty . . .”
“My purse caught on the car door, and I didn’t have time to go back for it.” Her teeth chattered, and she trembled as she leaned against him. “The only reason I got away is because I’m pretty sure that freak stopped to look for my laptop before he followed me. I guess he gave up searching at some point and took off.”
“Apparently so. The Buick was the only car left in the lot.” Noah stepped back and picked up her laptop. “You’re freezing. Let’s get out of here. The police are waiting, and they’ll want a statement from you.”
“What I’d like to know is how the driver of the Hummer found me in the first place.” She pushed a branch out of her way as she followed Stormy through the trees.
“I’d like to know that, too. I’m just so damn thankful you’re not hurt.” When they reached the open hillside, he moved up to walk beside her. “Why did Brasher call you?”
“How did you—never mind. I assume Luna figured it out. The detective told me I was in danger. When he asked where I was, I hung up.”
“Is that when you left the bed and breakfast?”
She nodded. “I figured if whoever grabbed Garth knew where I was, I didn’t have time to wait for the detective to show up. I planned to take the bus back to Boston, but a man in a Hummer nearly ran into me when I was leaving the inn and immediately gave chase.”
“Did you see who was driving?”
“No, but I heard a male voice swear when I was running up the hill.”
Noah didn’t say anything more until they reached the parking lot. “I found her,” he called. “This is Riley Adair. I’m sure you’ll have a few questions for her, but can you take her statement in your vehicle since she’s pretty cold.”
Lethal Memory (A Counterstrike Novel Book 2) Page 24