The Killer Trail (20 page)

Chris would use the element of surprise to his advantage. He started running towards the cabin, estimating he would reach his destination in about ten minutes. The cabin finally in sight, Chris chose a hiding spot in the nearby brush. He searched the ground for a makeshift weapon and found a solid branch.
This will do.
He stealthily positioned himself closer to the cabin and noticed the ATV parked in the back. He reached into his jacket for the cell phone and reviewed the phone's outgoing calls. He recognized the one he'd made to Deanna and skipped to the next phone number before hitting the button.

The call was answered on the third ring. “Hello, Mr. Ryder.” Chris recognized the voice from his first night on the trail, although he still didn't know the man's identity. His smug voice infuriated Chris.

“I've got the phone. Where is Elizabeth?”

“Where are you, Mr. Ryder?”

“That doesn't matter. Where is Elizabeth?”

“She's safe... for now. That could change if I don't get the phone.
Do you hear me
?” The voice on the other end shouted the last sentence, smugness replaced with impatience.

“I'm still here, aren't I?” Chris took a deep breath to keep his anger in check. He could feel that he, too, was losing control, but didn't want to do anything to jeopardize Elizabeth's safety. “So where do we go from here?”

“I want you to start by answering my question. Where are you?”

“I'm at the entrance to Woodland Park,
”
Chris lied.

“Good. There's an old cabin located within the park. I want you to go—”

“I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never seen any cabin in here, and I sure as hell won't be roaming around looking for it.” Relieved that he had guessed correctly where Elizabeth had been hidden, he also knew he was being lured into a trap and he decided to set his own. “I'll meet you in a safe place—right here at the park entrance.”

After a brief pause, the voice at the other end responded, “Very well, Mr. Ryder. I'll bring the girl. You bring the phone. Wait there for further instructions from me if you want to see her alive.”

From the comfort of his office, C.L. placed a call to Pierce Hennessy, who was stationed in the cabin.

“I've heard from Ryder. He'll be waiting at the park entrance with the cell phone. Bring the girl. But—and I won't repeat this —neither she nor Ryder are to walk away from the park. Is that clear? Good. I'm sending Moyer to help you and your goon with disposal. Call me when it's done.”

Hanging up the phone, C.L. breathed a sigh of relief. This mess would finally be cleared up tonight. He'd take care of Ray Owens tomorrow
.

Hennessy, too, breathed a sigh of relief as he hung up, happy to finally receive this call from his boss. He'd discovered the cabin while scouring the park for the cell phone and thought it would work nicely as a hideout. But he'd been stuck doing shifts with the Carrier girl for days now and had changed locations a couple times to avoid detection by the cops. He was looking forward to completing the job and collecting his paycheque. He was also still furious that his assault on Ryder the previous night had been interrupted and was looking forward to finishing him off tonight.

Hennessy found the girl enticing in a vulnerable, damsel-in-distress kind of way. He'd tried to have fun with her a few times, and when she had fought off his advances, he'd been tempted to cut her throat. The problem was, he'd been ordered to keep her alive until the job was done. Besides, he figured he'd still have time for fun after finishing off Ryder. In fact, after all the trouble Ryder had caused, killing him would be fun too.

Loading his rifle, he swaggered over to a terrified Elizabeth Carrier. He took the gag from her mouth, removed her blindfold, and untied her from her chair. “Let's go, Princess. Time to roll.” He grabbed his duffel bag, opened the door to the cabin and stepped out into the open.

Chris swung the sturdy branch like a baseball bat and connected soundly with a violent thud against Hennessy's head. Caught off guard, the man lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Recognizing him from the night before, Chris stood for a moment over his onetime assailant to ensure that he was incapacitated.
Jesus, what have I done?
He'd never carried out such a violent act on another person before, and for an instant, he regretted his action and prayed he hadn't killed the man. The next moment, however, he gave in to the intense pleasure he felt from exacting revenge. “Payback's a bitch, isn't it?” he crowed at his opponent's unmoving body.

He heard weeping from within the cabin. He glanced through the open door at the frightened young woman pressing herself tightly against the wall and realized she had no idea who he was or what was happening. “It's okay, Elizabeth.” He battled to catch his breath. “My name's Chris. I'm going to help you get out of here.”

Elizabeth appeared to be in a state of shock, her body trembling, the colour drained from her face. Chris was momentarily shaken by her appearance, which was in such stark contrast to the images released to the media from happier times. Gone was the fresh-faced and bright-eyed young woman. Now her clothes were dirty, her hair matted, and her young eyes terrified. Chris feared that her recovery would be long and difficult.

He turned his attention back to Elizabeth's captor lying unconscious at his feet. Entering the shack, he saw a thick rope pooled at the base of a wooden chair that he assumed Elizabeth had been tied to. He pulled the rope outside, tied the downed man's hands behind his back, then dragged him by the shirt into the cabin and tied him to the chair. Finally, he took the rag lying on the floor next to the chair and used it to gag the man.

Chris glanced at Elizabeth who had not moved since his arrival. “It's going to be okay, Elizabeth. We're going home now.”

“How... how do you know my name?”

He hesitated, not knowing where to start or precisely what to say. He elected for the simple truth. “I heard about you in the news.”

Tears poured from her eyes. “They killed my father.”

Chris resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her to comfort her. After all she'd been through, he wasn't sure how she'd react to being held by a strange man. He struggled to find the right words to say to make it better, but came up empty. Defeated, he softly said, “Are you okay to walk out of here?”

Elizabeth nodded, then suddenly cried out in a panicked voice, “There are other people on the way. I heard him say they'd meet here and then take me to the park entrance.”

Chris pulled out the cell phone and called Sergeant Ryan.

“Brandon, I'm at the park and I've got Elizabeth. It looks like Ray's guy is sending reinforcements. I could use some myself right now. We're at the cabin...” He proceeded to bring Brandon up to speed on what had happened, and gave him directions on how to reach the cabin. “We'll hide out in the woods until you get here, okay?”

His call finished, Chris looked around the dim room. Elizabeth's captor had regained consciousness and was glaring at Chris, blood running down his face.

“Remember me?” Chris glared right back at the man. Then he picked up the rifle and gently escorted Elizabeth outside.

After just a few steps, Chris realized that Elizabeth's ordeal had left her in a physically weakened state. Placing his arm around her for support, he knew that their slowed pace meant they would not be able to venture too far from the cabin. He was about to look for a branch to help support Elizabeth's weight, when she cried, “Someone's coming!”

Chris heard movement in the woods and turned his head just in time for a bullet to whiz past him. “What the...?” he shouted and swung around in time to see the shooter reloading his weapon. Grabbing Elizabeth's arm, he dragged her to the front of the cabin, pushed the door open, and shoved her inside, then lunged through the entrance himself as another shot rang out. He fell on top of Elizabeth, but quickly rolled over and used his foot to slam the cabin door closed. They were trapped inside. Chris frantically searched for the rifle that he'd dropped during the chaos and saw it on the floor a few feet away from him. He clutched it and looked at Elizabeth. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, although her quivering body said otherwise.

Chris looked at the cabin's other occupant, who was struggling to free himself from the rope. The man had been waiting all along for his partner to arrive. W
hat the hell do
I do now?
Fragments of plans flashed through his mind. He motioned to Elizabeth. “You keep your eye on this guy,” pointing towards her captor.

“His name is Pierce.” Elizabeth looked down at him with disdain. “The guy outside is Len.”

“Okay. You keep an eye on Pierce. Don't let him get loose. If he moves, hit him with this.” He gave her the branch he had used earlier. “I'll handle Len. It's going to be okay,” he added.

Chris inspected the rifle. He had never used a gun before so he prayed that just its presence would serve as a deterrent and buy them time. There were no windows in the cabin, and opening the door to search for Len was too risky. He would have to listen for the man's approach and be prepared for the possibility of Len simply charging through the door. He had no sooner finished his thought when a bullet shot through the shack's dilapidated wall.

“Get down, Elizabeth,” He shouted as he did the same.

He heard laughter from Len. “Come out, Ryder. Let's play.”

“Keep shooting, Len. With any luck, you'll put another bullet in your buddy.”

“You're bullshitting me, Ryder,” Len shouted. “And what do I care, anyway? It's you I want. You and that cell phone. Where is it?”

“I don't have it. The police do, and they're on their way here now.”

“Yeah, I'm sure they are,” Len laughed. “Throw it out to me, and maybe we can make a deal.”

“I don't think so,
Lenny
.”

“You're screwed, Ryder. I can keep you trapped inside there as long as I want.”