Chapter 34
Jaci stumbled along, allowing Sara to pull her forward. They stopped in front of an old house. Halos ringed the lights around the windows. She stared at them. So ethereal.
“No dog. That’s good,” said Neal.
“So what’s the plan? We just knock on the door and ask to spend the night?”
Sara’s voice was in her ear. She tried to pull away, but Sara’s hand was tight on her arm.
“No, I think it’s better to hide. It looks like it might snow. We need to get in there somehow without being noticed. They won’t turn us in if they don’t know we’re there.”
“There might be a cellar. A lot of the old houses in Idaho have one.”
Too loud. Jaci whimpered and put her hands over her ears. Or tried to. Her hands didn’t move.
“Good thinking.”
Jaci felt herself being pulled along again. There was a black hole in front of her, sucking out all the light. Sara guided her toward it. Jaci dug her heels in and fought against Sara’s grip.
She panicked, crying out. Two more hands grabbed her forearms and pulled her in. Silky hairs brushed her face, stuck to her mouth and eyes, tried to suffocate her.
Then she was alone. Someone turned on a light. The orb danced around the stifling darkness around her.
“This thing probably hasn’t been used in ages.”
“Put Amanda down here—careful, Ricky. Okay, good.”
“She doesn’t like dirt,” said Sara.
Someone groaned, low and pitiful. A moan.
“Amanda?”
“Neal? I must have blacked out. What happened?”
“Ricky and I rescued you from the police.”
“How?”
“Not that hard. There’s two of us. I created a diversion while Neal snuck into the police station.”
“And you found out where they’d taken us?”
“Yeah. I walked past a room and overheard them talking about you.”
“But then what? What did you do, hitch a ride?”
“We had to steal a car.”
“You guys stole a car?”
“Okay, I stole it. Neal came along for the ride. We rammed it into the police van.”
“Ricky’s a pro.”
“I’ve never rammed a police car before.”
Jaci heard their voices as if from far away.
“I think I hurt my arm somewhere.”
“Let me see. Well, I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think it’s broken. I think you sprained it above the elbow.”
“What happened to Jaci?” Jaci turned her head at the sound of her name.
“She’s not okay, Neal.”
Neal scooted closer to her and grabbed her shoulders. “Jaci? Can you hear me?”
Of course she could hear him. There was nothing wrong with her ears. She blinked.
“What happened to her?”
“She shot someone.”
“You’re all outlaws now. Just like us.” Ricky’s voice was closer to her now. Strong arms went around her, bringing with them a scent of smoked pine.
“Is she in shock?”
“I think so. She’s not shaking, sweating, or feverish, though, so I think she’ll be okay.”
She closed her eyes. She would be okay? Like they knew anything.
October 19
Little Falls, New York
The antique phone in Canal Side Inn rang at precisely seven in the morning. Carl’s arm flopped off the bed, banging the end table before grasping the phone.
“Hello?” He cleared the morning grog from his throat.
“Detective Hamilton, this is Lieutenant Hodges with the Little Falls police department.”
Carl sat up. “Did someone call about the girls?”
“Not exactly. But there was an incident in Rome yesterday. The report from the state trooper said a stolen vehicle rammed into a police transport off of highway 81. Interviews with the toll booths reported two teenage boys behind the wheel. One said they looked alike. You had mentioned the girls might be traveling with the missing twins from Johnsburg.”
“Ricky and Neal.”
“We think so.” There was no mistaking the pride in Lieutenant Hodges’ voice. “One of the twins was previously arrested in Johnsburg for automobile theft.”
Carl was already changing his clothes. “Do you mind getting me the phone number to a local car rental?” He had no idea how far Rome was. But if he left now, he might make it before lunch.
“No problem. Should I call Rome and let them know you’re coming?”
Good question. Carl considered it. “No. I’ll surprise them.”
Rome, New York
Rome was only an hour from Little Falls. An hour gave Carl plenty of time to think. And he had questions.
Rome was right next to the Adirondack Park, and a logical place for the girls to come out. The girls had phoned Mrs. Yadle. The boys had stolen a car and chased down a police car. None of it made sense.
The only conclusion Carl came up with was that the two boys were chasing something. Something the police had.
The girls. It had to be. And why hadn’t the police contacted either Little Falls or Idaho Falls?
He parked his rental car at the police department, slipping on his sunglasses. It was a bright, beautiful October day. He opened the glass door and marched to the clerk desk.
“Detective Hamilton.” He flashed his badge. “I’m here to investigate yesterday’s incident.”
The woman looked at him. “One moment, please.”
She picked up the interphone. “Sergeant Gates, there’s a man here to speak with you. About what happened yesterday.”
She looked up. “Take the elevator upstairs. Second room on your left.”
“Thank you.” Carl glanced around at what appeared to be a quiet, normal police station.
Sergeant Gates, a large man with sandy blond hair and an easy grin, greeted him at the door and invited him in.
Carl sat in the upholstered chair by the desk. “I’m Detective Carl Hamilton. Can you tell me what happened yesterday when that police cruiser was hit?”
“Where did you say you’re from, Detective?”
Carl pulled out his badge and handed it to him. “Idaho.”
Gates examined it, lifting a brow. “Idaho.” He handed it back. “And you’ve been put on an investigation in New York?”
Carl shook his head. “No. I have other business here. I’m more interested in the perpetrators of the attack.”
“Ah.” Gates nodded. “Two of our officers were traveling to another facility. Somewhere along Highway 81, a large truck crashed into it from behind, knocking the vehicle from the road. It ended up upside down in a ditch.”
Carl scribbled quickly. “Who did the truck belong to?”
“Anthony Stout. He was unaware that the vehicle was missing, as he was in the library studying. We informed him when we called him.”
“Do you know who was driving it?”
“We don’t know as of yet. The toll booths along the way saw two teenage boys driving a black Toyota Tundra. Perhaps you have some ideas?”
“None that I can say.” Carl could tell this man was playing his cards close to his chest, fishing for information. “What about the officers? They didn’t see anything?”
A shadow crossed Gates’ face. “One was unconscious at the time. The other was shot, apparently while in the attempt of pursuit. He hasn’t woken yet.”
Carl looked up, a heaviness gripping his chest. “I’m sorry to hear that. The boys were armed, then?”
“He was shot with one of our guns. They took a gun from one unconscious officer and shot the other.”
Carl shook his head. Not good. “Has the weapon been found?”
“Not yet. We’re searching the surrounding countryside. And as soon as we know who we’re looking for, we’ll have alerts out.”
“Did you check the car for prints?”
Gates checked his watch. “I believe the results should be in within the hour.”
That meant, within the hour the New York police would know Ricky Collins had been in that truck. He would be wanted for grand theft auto, destruction of property, obstruction of justice, and assault of an officer. Big charges.
Somehow, Carl knew, he needed to find that boy before the police did. “Do you have a motive, Sergeant? Do you know why the boys would be after the police?”
Gates shrugged. “It must have been some sort of vendetta. We suspect they’ve been in criminal mischief before.”
“Were there any other passengers?”
Gates’ eyes shifted to the upper left corner of the room. It was quick and subtle, but Carl saw it.
Whatever he’s about to say, it’s a lie.
“Just the officers.”
Carl leaned back in his chair, staring at his notepad and biting the tip of his pen. He debated calling the man on his lie.
He glanced up. “Did you see the fax yesterday that went out to all police departments in New York and Pennsylvania?”
A slight widening of the eyes. “Fax?”
Carl opened his file and pulled out the confirmation sheet. “Yes. Looks like your department confirmed receipt at 7:02 PM.”
“Oh, yes. That fax. I saw it.”
Carl leaned forward. “Have you seen those girls, Sergeant?”
“No, Detective. I haven’t. But if they show up here, I’ll definitely give you a call.” Gates stood and came around his desk. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Was there anything else?”
“Oh, you’ve been of plenty help.” Carl stood as well. “One more thing. Where was the cruiser going?”
“Buffalo,” the man said, a little too quickly.
Carl wrote it down. “Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”
He left his card on the desk and let himself out. The man was lying. Carl had studied his map, and I-81 would never get someone to Buffalo. Gates had tried to pretend he hadn’t seen the fax. And he lied about the girls. They had been here.
He stepped out of the elevator and came around to the clerk’s desk. “I didn’t catch your name. What is it?”
She looked up from her typing. “Betty.”
“Did you work yesterday?”
She nodded and went back to her typing.
He placed his badge on the counter. “I’m about to arrest this entire department for deliberate obstruction of justice. I have a few questions, and if you answer them correctly, I might not have to do that. So, if you’ll please stop what you’re doing and come with me?”
He had her attention now. She stood stiffly and came around the desk.
Carl smiled and slipped his arm around her forearm, guiding her out of the building. He grabbed his badge before they left.
“It’s all right. I won’t hurt you. I need to know what you saw yesterday.”
Chapter 35
Light slipped into the cellar from the crack where the doors met. A rooster crowed outside. Jaci blinked and sat up, wincing. Her head hurt.
Ricky smiled at her. A line of dried, black blood trailed a gash on his forehead. “You look better. How are you?”
She tried to remember why she wouldn’t be fine. Where was she? Why was he hurt?
And then the memory came back to her in a flash. The crash, Ricky, the gun— “Oh,” she cried. “I shot him.” She covered her face with her hands.
His fingers brushed her shoulder. “You saved us. You didn’t really hurt him. Do you remember how we got here?”
She pulled her trembling hands away. “Yes. I remember everything.” Strange the way she could picture the night before, not as a participant, but as an observer.
Neal crouched near a crack in the cellar door, watching. “The farmer is out there.”
“Besides,” Amanda added, lifting a shoulder, “even if you killed him, it’s not like he’d be the first we’ve killed.”
Jaci focused on her, blinking. “What?”
Neal and Ricky both looked at her.
Amanda waved a hand, looking flustered. “Well—those men after us—the ones in the woods.”
“What about them?” Jaci felt like she should know the answer, but all she felt was confusion.
“Amanda.” Neal shook his head.
Jaci turned to Ricky. “What happened to those men, Ricky?”
He swallowed, eyes seeking out Neal. “We had to stop them from following us.” Neal closed his eyes.
“What did you think, Jaci?” Amanda sounded puzzled. “That the boys left them there to sleep? So they could come after us again?”
Jaci pressed her hands to her head. “You killed them?”
“Only one.” Neal’s face was rigid, knuckles white where they gripped the cellar door. “The other one we wounded in the leg. He got away. We tried to follow him, but we think he might have had a car.”
“That’s why you had us moving so quickly.”
“Yes.” Neal exhaled.
Jaci shook her head, trying to relieve the buzzing in her mind. “You killed him. And everyone’s okay with this?”
“Actually, Jaci—” Amanda began. Ricky stopped her with a sharp look.
“They had no choice,” said Sara. “They made the right decision. Those men had to die. I hope the other one slowly bled to death in the forest.”
Jaci took several deep breaths, trying to keep a grip on reality. Why had everyone known this except her?
Neal turned back to the opening in the doors. “He’s getting on his tractor.”
There was a roar as the engine turned on. “Okay, tractor’s on and he’s heading for the fields. Let’s go.” He pushed the door open and climbed out.
Ricky put a hand under Jaci’s elbow, pulling her up slowly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She yanked away from him.
“Remember, there might be someone in the house still,” Amanda warned. “So we’re just gonna grab some food and take off.”
“Right,” Neal said, his hand lingering on Sara’s as he helped her out. “And some pain killers.”
Jaci rubbed her arms. New jacket, bought yesterday. Only yesterday?
Ricky led them to the house. The front door opened with a creak. They could hear a shower going and a woman’s voice singing tunelessly upstairs.
Jaci watched her friends rummage through the cupboards, grabbing bread and cheese and fruit and anything they could carry. They stuffed the orange backpack, and then their pockets. Ricky grabbed a gallon of milk.
Do something.
Jaci opened a drawer. “Neosporin. Well, a generic form of it. And pain killers.” She held them up.
Neal joined her, sifting through the drawer. “And a credit card.” He glanced at her as if for approval.
She didn’t care.
Should she?
She turned away.
What did it really matter?
The shower stopped running.
“Okay, let’s move,” said Neal.
“Should we leave a note or something?” Sara asked, fingering a notepad.
“No,” Jaci said. “But we’ll pay them back someday.”
Neal gestured. “Time’s up. Come on!” They left the farmhouse, struggling under the weight of the stolen goods.
Within ten minutes the milk was gone and most of the food too. Ricky crumpled up the milk jug and tossed it aside.
“We need a plan,” said Amanda. “Are we still trying to walk home?”
“I don’t want to walk home,” Jaci said. “I want someone to give us a ride in a limo, all the way to Idaho.”
“What about when we get home?” Sara asked. “Can’t the kidnappers just come get us again?”
“Why do they want you so bad, anyway?” asked Ricky. “I would think you girls are proving to be more trouble than it’s worth.”
“They’ll never stop hunting us,” Sara said woodenly. “I knew it the moment we escaped.”
“It’s because we know them,” said Amanda, stating it as if it were obvious. “We’ve seen their house, we’ve seen their faces. We can identify them.”
No mention of the necklace, although Jaci knew she still had it. “It probably doesn’t help that you killed one of his men.”
“Maybe we need to find The Hand and kill him,” Neal said sardonically.
Amanda sighed. “Easier said than done. Looks like he’s paid off half the police force.”
“Other people are looking for you,” Ricky said. “Good people. Get to the FBI. The FBI will move you and give you different names. You’ll be safe.”
“Never mind,” Neal said. “Let’s just think on it and head west.”
They entered a small wooded ravine an hour before dusk. The temperature began to drop. It would be a cold night. A cutting wind began to whip the tree branches around them, sending a cascade of red and yellow leaves down to the earth.
It sliced through Jaci’s jacket. She stretched her fingers, feeling how they tightened in the cold.
Her mind kept flashing back to the moment that man had found her and Sara. She had leapt out at him and hit him. And then what?
Ricky rubbed his hands together. “You know, maybe we should stop and build a fire. That would at least keep us warm.”
“Keep moving,” Neal responded. “You’ll stay warmer.”
“Who died and made you dictator?” Ricky grumbled. But he stumbled on after his brother.
Jaci stepped closer to Neal. She wanted to ask him about that day. He had come upon them. He knew what had happened. “Neal?”
He glanced at her, not slowing his pace. “Yeah?”
The words stuck in her throat. “Nothing.”
“You okay?”
She nodded. He watched her a moment but said nothing more.
When Neal finally agreed to stop, they were too tired to make a fire. They crawled under several bushes and slept in a heap.
October 20
Rome, New York
“We got the fax from your supervisor last night,” FBI agent Kyle Marlogue said. “As soon as it’s approved, we’ll organize a raid, hopefully for this afternoon.”
Carl stood with the phone to his ear, surveying the open suitcase. He had started to put away his toiletries and then stopped, not sure if he was leaving or staying put.
The FBI office in Syracuse accepted Betty’s testimony. She had admitted that the three girls had come in. That was all she knew. She’d been quarantined to a safe house until the FBI could get to the bottom of this.
The FBI agent continued. “Seems to me like there’s some back dealing going on. I’m not sure if the Rome police department remembers its loyalties.”
“Agreed. With Betty’s disappearance, we have to act quickly. If they suspect we might know, they’ll destroy whatever evidence remains. We have to catch them off guard.”
Carl’s cell phone lit up on the bed, vibrating on the dark maroon bedspread. “Hold on a second. My boss is calling me.” He picked it up. “Detective Hamilton speaking.”
“Carl. I’ve been calling on the hotel phone for twenty minutes. I need you to call me on the landline. Now.”
Carl frowned. “I’m on the phone with the FBI.”
“Finish up and call me.” The chief hung up.
Carl continued his other conversation. “All right, so where are we now?”
“We meet in an hour to discuss today’s schedule. The raid will be a priority. I’ll call you before noon to give you the details. You can’t come along, but as soon as we have the building and officers in custody, you can join us for questioning.”
That answered his question. He had to stay in Rome. “Great. I’ll wait to hear from you.” He called Idaho.
“Carl,” the chief said without preamble. “I need you on the next flight home.”
“What? I’ve got a lot going on here. The FBI are going to raid the police department sometime today. I need to be there for that.”
“No, you don’t. I sent them the file on the entire case, including all the information you sent to me. They don’t need you. But I do.”
Carl felt a knot form in his stomach. No amount of paperwork or writing could make up for his gut feelings and instincts on this case. This was his case. Now when they were so close to finding the girls, and getting to the bottom of this conspiracy, his boss wanted him to pull out?
“What’s going on?”
“Gregorio Rivera disappeared.”
Whoa. Completely unexpected. “What do you mean? He was on a business trip.”
“Yes, and supposed to come home two days ago. His wife’s freaking out. She didn’t call until yesterday. His hotel number doesn’t work, his work number is disconnected, and his cell phone goes straight to voicemail. She doesn’t know what to think.”
“I know what to think,” he growled. “The scumbag left her. He realized I was on his trail, so he flew the coop.”
“Right. So I need you back here now. I’m getting a search warrant for their property and I want you with the team. Find out where he went. Get phone logs. Find out who he’s been talking to. I want to know if there’s any connection between him and his daughter’s disappearance.”
As much as he disliked the guy, Carl couldn’t imagine that he had paid The Hand to kidnap his daughter. He hadn’t known she would be at the mall that night.
This felt like a tangent. While important, it wasn’t going to help bring the girls back.
He decided to try one last time. “I can fly out first thing tomorrow. Let me take care of this here.”
“Carl, I know you want to be there. But Rivera’s gone somewhere, and something tells me it’s important to this case. Get yourself back here. Next flight.”
Carl had no choice in the matter. He finished packing and zipped up his suitcase. He would call the FBI and tell them to proceed without him.