The Burning Girls: A completely gripping crime thriller packed with heart-pounding twists (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 3)

by Rita Herron

  Then she thought of Eula Ann Frampton. A woman who’d punished herself for her husband’s sick crimes by tolerating rumors and imprisoning herself on the hill where she’d killed and buried her monster of a husband.

  The sound of brush crackling in the fire boomeranged through the air, a tree falling in the distance, red, orange and yellow flames shooting into the black sky.

  Coughing, Ellie glanced at her compass, making a slight right and sprinting ahead. The woods were burning around her, her hiking boots grinding the scorched ground, the heat searing the soles of her feet through her shoes.

  Spotting flames shooting up about a hundred feet ahead, she took off at a dead run. She heard Derrick’s breathing as she raced behind her, then a crashing sound.

  They finally reached the hilltop, where she spotted the remains of an old building that had been torn down.

  Large boulders resembling giant arrowheads formed a circle around what appeared to be a fire pit.

  In the middle lay Angelica, fire dancing around her, the flames reaching for her hair.

  He was going to feed her to the fire.

  A noise on the other side of the building grabbed her attention.

  “Go after him,” Ellie yelled. “I’ll get Angelica.”

  Derrick jogged past the circle of fire and the broken-down building. A gunshot sounded, and she lost sight of him, terrified he was hit.

  Angelica’s ashen face sought out Ellie, her scream rising above the roar of the fire. Inching towards the flames, heat scalded her face and body.

  Gravel crunched behind Ellie, and she spun around. Shock slammed into her as hard as a man’s big hands grabbed her.

  It was Max Weatherby.

  “It’s him, Ellie!” Angelica screamed.

  Ellie pushed at him, reaching for her gun, but he yanked her arm upward with such force it knocked the breath out of her. She stumbled, off balance, and he lunged at her then, punching her in the face and closing his hands around her throat.

  Ellie jerked her knee up and hit him in the groin, and he grunted but didn’t release her.

  Angelica screamed again, and Max shoved Ellie backward toward the fire. Her back felt hot, the sizzle of the embers popping into the dark night. Summoning all her strength, she jabbed at his eyes, but he deflected. She reached for his hands, digging her fingernails into him, clawing at him to release her.

  “Sorry about this, Detective,” he said, his eyes cold and hard. Distant. “But you and the others have to die.”

  Ellie went into full fight mode and stomped at his ankle, then tried to knee him again. But his hands tightened around her throat, and the world spun in a blinding rush as his fingers pressed into her windpipe.

  Fight, Ellie, Fight. Angelica needs you.

  Raising her elbow, she jabbed him in the chest, tried to wrap her leg around his and pulled at his arm in an attempt to flip him to the ground. She managed to throw him off, and they fell to the dirt, rolling and fighting. Wood hissed, spewing sparks that landed beside her head. Flames licked at her hair and she shoved his chest in an attempt to throw him off her.

  But he straddled her, holding her down, then punched her so hard that everything went black.

  148

  Somewhere on the AT

  Derrick had fired his gun when he thought he’d seen someone running through the woods. But the man disappeared and then a blast sounded. Smoke choked his lungs and stung his eyes as he set off in pursuit, a thin pine crashing in front of him in a blaze.

  Flames rippled along the forest floor. The lack of rain turned the trees and brittle foliage into fuel for the wildfires. If they didn’t save Angelica and get out of here, they’d be caught in the inferno themselves.

  A wave of heat hit him as a section of trees a few feet away burst into flames. Then another boom in the opposite direction and lightning streaked across the tree tops.

  Ellie was right. The killer was setting the fires as a diversion. He must be using a timer or be close by to activate the explosions. Brush rustled as deer raced through the gray haze.

  A shout from somewhere in the distance drifted through the loud noise. Above the trees, he heard a plane soaring, dumping water on the blaze.

  His boots skidded on the grassy slope as he descended the hill, reaching a ravine. He hated heights and screeched to a stop. Sweat coated his skin, and he could taste the burning brush.

  The shout came again. Almost lost in the noise, but it was closer this time.

  Inching toward the ledge, he plastered himself against the rocky wall and moved one foot at a time, inch by inch. Stones tumbled downward into the ravine.

  Wiping his clammy hands on his jeans, he released the breath he’d been holding and made it to the other side of the ledge. Something moved from down below.

  He pulled his gun at the ready and crept closer.

  “Down here!”

  Derrick froze as he spotted Cord lying in the thicket below, blood on his forehead, his foot twisted at an odd angle.

  149

  Crow’s End[

  Heat seared Ellie’s face as she roused from unconsciousness.

  Angelica’s terrified scream reverberated over the blaze surrounding them. “Ellie, hurry! The fire’s closing in!”

  Ellie’s head throbbed, nausea bubbling in her throat. She pried one aching eye open and heat seared her face. Orange, red and yellow shot up all around her. Max was nowhere to be seen.

  “Hurry, untie me!” Angelica shouted.

  Slowly Ellie turned her head. She lay on the ground in the center of the tall stones. She was next to Angelica, who was frantically trying to get up, but her hands and feet were bound tightly. Ellie tried to sit up, but she was constrained as well, and her body felt so heavy she could barely move.

  Dust flew in Ellie’s face, and she tasted burned wood and realized Angelica was kicking at the dirt wildly to try to free herself. Panic brought Ellie back to life, and she scooted toward her.

  “Roll and put your back to me,” Ellie said. “Now.” She dragged herself closer while Angelica thrust herself onto her side. The heat was smothering, smoke clogging her lungs. Angelica trembled as she maneuvered her body so they were back to back.

  Ellie wiggled her hands and stretched her fingers, trying to reach inside her pocket for her knife. But she couldn’t reach it.

  Breath puffing out, she gave up on the knife and used her bare fingers to loosen the rope around Angelica’s wrists. Angelica’s breathing became slower, her cries lower. She was struggling to stay conscious. The smoke was getting to Ellie, too.

  Flames crawled toward them, closing in. Time was running out.

  She pulled and tugged with all her might, and finally felt the rope loosen.

  Her hands and wrists were slick with sweat and she fumbled with the frayed ends and managed to unravel the knot. She pulled it all the way through, kicking at the flames nipping at her feet.

  “Angelica, hold on!” Rolling over, Ellie scrambled to untie Angelica’s feet. “Come on, I need you to help me.”

  The fire caught higher, growing more intense, and she realized the reporter had passed out. Panicked, she shook her, hard and urgently, and Angelica finally roused.

  “Angelica, untie me now!” Ellie shouted over the blaze as she shook Angelica again.

  Angelica moaned and Ellie beat at the flames nipping at Angelica’s hair. Pulling her legs up, Ellie tried to reach her ankles and untie them. Sweat poured down her face and back as she yanked and pulled at the bindings, desperate to escape the flames diving for her.

  Time was running out.

  She shook Angelica again. “Come on, Angelica, get up and help me out of here!”

  Her words finally sank in. Coughing and groaning, Angelica pushed up to her hands and knees. Realizing her hands and feet were free, Angelica untied Ellie’s ankles, grabbed her arm and helped her to stand. They both swayed, dizzy from the smoke, but stumbled forward. Flames sucked at Ellie’s shoes and were shooting up in a wall all around
them.

  “Let’s go!” she shouted.

  Angelica held her arm and together they ran through the blaze.

  Hot air and fire engulfed Ellie, and the tail of her shirt had caught aflame. She stumbled, hanging onto Angelica with all her might. Even when they crossed through the ring of fire, the smoke was so thick you could barely see the trees.

  Angelica staggered, and Ellie coaxed her away. They ran until they escaped the blaze and Angelica collapsed on the ground, with Ellie sinking down beside her and snuffing out the fire that had caught her shirt.

  “Angelica, reach in my pocket. Get my knife.”

  Angelica coughed, her body shuddering with spasms, but she did as Ellie said. Her hands trembled as she removed the pocketknife, but she flipped it open and sawed at the ropes around Ellie’s wrists.

  “Did Weatherby say where he was going?” Ellie asked.

  “No,” Angelica said in a hoarse whisper. “Just that he had one more person on his list, the last one who could expose him.”

  Who was he talking about?

  Finally free, Ellie dragged herself up, grasping the tree to stay on her feet as she searched the smoky haze for Derrick.

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  Somewhere on the AT

  “McClain!” Derrick yelled. “Can you hear me?”

  Slowly, Cord lifted his head. “Call for backup. I think my ankle is broken and my shoulder’s dislocated.”

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” Derrick shouted.

  “Maybe cracked ribs,” Cord yelled back. “I dropped my phone in the fall. Call the ranger station. I don’t think I can climb back up.”

  “On it.” Smoke wafted in thick waves across the sky as Derrick made the call and gave them the general location. “What happened?” he asked the ranger as he hung up.

  “I was ambushed,” Cord said, his voice gravelly with pain. “Didn’t see his face. But he hit me in the back of the head then pushed me over.”

  Derrick’s phone buzzed and he connected. “Ellie?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. But he got away,” she said her breathing shaky. “Angelica needs an ambulance. Where are you?”

  “I found McClain. He was assaulted and pushed over a ledge.”

  Ellie gulped. “Is he all right?”

  “He will be. I’ve already called for help. I’ll call medics for Angelica and for you.”

  “Thanks,” Ellie said, her breath erratic. “I’ll phone Captain Hale and ask him to issue a bulletin for Max Weatherby.”

  Derrick went still. “The arson investigator?”

  “Yes,” Ellie said. “He’s the man we’ve been looking for.”

  151

  Bluff County Hospital

  The next hour passed in a blur. Derrick waited with Cord while the SAR team extracted him, and Ellie rode with Angelica to the hospital.

  Angelica was being examined and treated for smoke inhalation, but the medics said her condition was stable.

  She paced the ER waiting room, anxious to see Cord. She wouldn’t rest until she saw for herself that he was all right.

  The sheriff rushed in, his expression concerned as he approached her.

  “Ellie, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, just pissed that the killer escaped.” She winced as she rubbed her bandaged hands on her jeans. Her skin felt raw all over, her body throbbing.

  A muscle ticked in Bryce’s jaw. “The captain said Weatherby is behind all this.”

  “Not exactly. Hoyt is the mastermind. He conducted mind experiments on Rigdon and Weatherby and turned Max into a hit man. But Weatherby’s still out there, Bryce. He’s planning another kill right now.”

  “We’ve issued a bulletin and I’ve contacted bus and train stations and airports. We’ll get his picture out there, too.”

  The doors to the ER opened, and the medics rolled Cord in. Derrick was behind him, on the phone.

  Ellie rushed to the ranger, her breath catching at the sight of the blood on his forehead. His expression was stone cold, his jaw clenched, his eyes so dark that Ellie saw the pain he tried to hide.

  The medics rattled off his stats to a nurse who was taking over, and Ellie squeezed Cord’s hand. “Hey, you okay?”

  Cord grunted. “I feel like a damned fool, having my own men carry me out.”

  A small smile tugged at Ellie’s mouth, and she raked his sweat-soaked hair from his face. “I get it,” she said softly. “I’m just glad you’re all right.”

  He coughed through the pain. “I can’t believe I worked with that bastard and he was starting the fires and murdering without me realizing it.”

  “He had us all fooled,” Ellie said, mentally kicking herself too.

  “We’re ready to take him back,” the nurse said.

  Ellie looked at the plump woman. “You’d better take good care of him.”

  The nurse smiled and rolled the gurney toward the exam room. When she looked up, Derrick was watching her, his eyes intense.

  The nurse in charge of Angelica appeared and motioned to Ellie. “Miss Gomez is asking for you.”

  Ellie headed through the double doors to Angelica’s room. The reporter looked weak, her hair was a tangled mess, and she reeked of smoke. An oxygen tube fed air to her and an IV pumped fluids into her body.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Ellie.

  Angelica shrugged. “Grateful to be alive. Thanks to you.”

  “No problem,” Ellie said, her throat thickening with emotions. “I found your shorthand note and we have Hoyt in custody. He admitted to Special Agent Fox that he wrote that book which was based on mind experiments he’d conducted on unsuspecting patients. I suspect he brainwashed Max into cleaning up after what he and Dr. Hangar did.”

  “There’s something else, Ellie. It’s about Gillian Roach.” Angelica began to cough again, and Ellie handed her the cup of water on the nightstand, waiting while she sipped through the straw. “I always knew I was adopted,” Angelica said. “When my adoptive mom died last year, I decided to look for my birth mother. An aunt told me about Gillian Roach, so I contacted her.”

  Ellie’s breath stalled. So Angelica had called Gillian about her own adoption, not about Ellie’s.

  “Gillian said she met my mother when she was pregnant, that her name was Isabella, that she claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted by a doctor she worked for.”

  “The same thing happened to Vanessa’s mother,” Ellie told her. “Dr. Hangar’s wife confessed that her husband had been date-raping girls since college. There were several in the eighties. One was Wanda Morely. Another… I think was my mother.” Ellie hesitated. “Did you find yours?”

  “She died when I was a baby. The report I found said it was suspicious but that’s all I found. But that’s why I kept asking you if you were looking for your birth parents.”

  Ellie gasped as she mentally maneuvered the pieces in her mind. “If your mother and mine were both sexually assaulted by Dr. Hangar, that means—”

  “That we’re half-sisters,” Angelica said in a raw whisper.

  152

  Ellie and Angelica stared at each other for a long moment. They’d have to check DNA to be certain, but Ellie’s mind couldn’t help wondering…

  She had always wanted a sister growing up. A friend.

  Maybe Angelica could be both of those things to her.

  Derrick rapped on the door and poked his head in. “Miss Gomez, how are you doing?”

  “I’ll survive. Any word on Weatherby?”

  Shaking his head, Derrick glanced at Ellie. “McClain is okay. A broken ankle which they’re setting, sprained wrist, dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs. They’re going to keep him overnight at least.”

  “Good,” Ellie said. “Meanwhile, we have to find this bastard.”

  “Go, Detective,” Angelica murmured. “Find Weatherby so he can’t hurt anyone else.”

  Ellie squeezed Angelica’s hand, a silent moment of understanding, hope and friendship passing between them. “Get
some rest, Angelica. I’ll keep you posted.”

  On the way out, they stopped by Cord’s room. The ranger looked groggy and was propped against the pillows. To her surprise, Lola from the Corner Café was sitting beside him, holding a water cup.

  For a second, Ellie’s heart stuttered. Lola pivoted and waved up at her. “Hey, Ellie. I heard Cord was hurt and wanted to check on him.”

  Cord blinked and looked past Lola, the drugs and pain fogging his eyes. “El?”

  “Get some rest, Cord. We’ll talk later.” She turned and hurried back down the hall, trying not to think about the tiny stabbing pain in her chest.

  “You okay?” Derrick asked.

  “Angelica said Weatherby was going after someone else. We have to work fast.”

  Derrick sucked in a breath. “He’s coming after you?”

  “Maybe. But he mentioned something about the last one who could expose him. That could mean another rape victim. I think it might be my mother.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  Ellie shook her head. “Before I left Ms. Eula, she gave me a box that belonged to her husband. I want to look through it. Maybe Hangar left the answers in there.”

  “You look like you need a hot bath and some rest right now. In the morning?”

  She needed exactly that. And maybe some Epsom salts. But killers didn’t wait for the cops to go home and sleep.

  “No, tonight.”

  “Then let’s pick up some food and get to them.”

  Ellie murmured her agreement, her mind already racing as she and Derrick went outside to her vehicle.

  He pulled out her keys, and she didn’t argue. She slid into the passenger seat, her earlier adrenaline rush quickly dissipating.

  But she couldn’t turn off her mind. She had to find her mother.

  153

  Crooked Creek