Cait twisted in her seat. “Fumié, did you notice anything else out of the ordinary or see anyone else on the road before you were grabbed?”
“No,” Fumié said. “There was a pickup parked on the side of the road. I’d been jogging about an hour and was on my way back to my car when I saw it.”
“Anyone in the pickup?” Rook asked.
“Not that I saw.”
“Maybe someone thought you witnessed something,” Cait said. “How many were there?”
“At least two.”
“I’m sorry to keep asking,” Rook said, “but what do you remember up to the time you were tied up and left in your car behind the saloon? Did you pick up on any of their conversation or an accent?”
Cait watched Fumié for signs of fatigue. She didn’t want to press her too hard for information, but time was critical if they were to catch Wally and his cousin.
Fumié shifted in the backseat. “They were angry and yelled at each other. Like I said, I was on Cross Road where I often run. I was thinking I needed to get back in time to meet Ilia.” Then she gasped. “Oh, no! He must have been worried when I didn’t show up.”
“He’s with Officer Vanicheque,” Cait said. “They were looking for you when they found your Jeep.”
“By the way, it’s being towed to the police station,” Rook said. “Were you parked on Cross while you were jogging?”
“Yes, near a clump of trees. I was getting into my car when I heard the gunshot. I reached for my cell. I thought it would be cool to take a picture of a crime scene. I intended to call the police, but I didn’t get a chance. I was grabbed, and he took my cell.” She grinned. “I got the guy who grabbed me though, kicked him in the groin as hard as I could and slammed my palm into his face. I think I broke his nose because he was bleeding.”
Way to go, Fumié. Cait watched as Fumié rubbed her wrists where they’d been bound. “Can you describe the guy?”
Fumié’s brow furrowed. “Everything happened so fast, but he was stocky, dark skin, average height. He wore a baseball cap backwards. I’m sorry, that’s all I remember.”
“That’s okay. Then what happened?”
“I kicked and screamed. Then another guy came to help the first one. He wrapped a scarf or something around my head so I couldn’t see or breathe very well. He left for a few seconds, but when he returned, he tied my wrists and ankles and taped my mouth.”
“How did you manage to escape?” Fumié couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds.
“Easy. I grew up on a ranch. My dad taught me to shoot, ride horses, and rope cattle. I’m good with knots, and fortunately they weren’t. I started working on the knots as soon as they tossed me into my Jeep.”
“Why didn’t they leave your car on Cross Road?” Cait asked.
“I heard them say they’d have more time to get away if my car wasn’t left in plain sight on an open road. I think the guy who drove my car was familiar with the saloon, because I overheard him say the owner would never call the police about an abandoned vehicle.”
“Did they hit you?” Rook asked.
Fumié hesitated. “One of them slapped me on the side of my head. My ears buzzed.”
“You told this to the doctor?” Cait asked.
“Yes. She checked me out and said I’d probably have a headache for awhile.”
“We’re almost back,” Rook said. “Maybe Vanicheque and Ilia are there.”
“I remember something else,” Fumié said. “The guy I hurt wore a gold chain with a cross.”
Cait stared at her. “The guy who grabbed you wore a gold chain?”
“Yes. I tried to grab it when I smashed his nose.”
Cait pictured the chain she’d seen Manning wear, but he was over six feet with a runner’s build. Then she remembered another gold chain, the one Hank Dillon had worn at the bank robbery. It went into Evidence along with the knife. Did Wally request Hank’s necklace as well as his knife?
“What about the other guy? The one who went to get the cords?”
Fumié shook her head. “I was too busy trying to escape to pay attention to him.”
Cait faced the front as Rook pulled into the driveway. “I hope you won’t have terrifying nightmares from this. You may want to talk to a doctor.”
“I’ll be okay. Each day is a new experience, some good, some not so good.”
Rook parked in front of the house. “Vanicheque’s not back yet.”
Cait opened her door and then Fumié’s and helped her out. She pulled her cell from her pocket and handed it to her. “Call your parents. Let them know you’re here and that someone will take you home soon.”
“Thanks,” Fumié said.
“Let’s go around back,” Cait said. “I don’t have my keys.”
They ran into Officer Perough as they cut between the house and garage. “It’s been quiet,” Perough said. He looked at Fumié and smiled. “Hey. Are you okay?”
Fumié brushed her long hair from her face. “Better than the guy who grabbed me. He may limp for awhile and probably needs a nose job.”
“I need to call in,” Rook said. “Fumié heard a gunshot near where she was abducted.”
Perough frowned. “Dispatch hasn’t reported any gunshots.”
“This happened near Cross Road and Tesla,” Rook said. “Probably no one heard a gunshot or thought it was a backfire.”
As soon as Marcus opened the door, Niki jumped up on Cait. She hugged him and rubbed behind his ears.
Marcus’s eyes were glued on Fumié. “Are you okay?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“My God, Fumié.” June embraced her.
Rook took out his cell phone and stepped into the hall to call Dispatch.
“Fumié, call your folks, and then we’ll talk,” Cait said.
There was a knock at the door. “Should be Vanicheque. He called after the tow truck left with Fumié’s Jeep,” Perough said as he opened it.
Ilia rushed in, followed by Vanicheque. “Where is she?”
Cait cocked her head at Fumié. “She’s on the phone with her parents. You might want to take her home.” Ilia’s face explained a lot to Cait. His relationship with Fumié had progressed beyond friendship, at least for him. Exhausted, Cait longed for a hot shower and bed. She glanced at the large wall clock. It was almost nine but felt more like midnight.
Fumié returned Cait’s phone and said, “Thanks. I told my mom I’d be home soon.”
“I’ll take you,” Ilia said.
“I’d like that.”
Rook returned. “Fumié, are you up to returning to the scene? I need to know where you stood when you heard the gunshot and the direction you think it came from. Officers are going to have a look, but it’s dark without streetlights.”
Eyes wide, Ilia gasped. “You saw someone get shot?”
Alarmed, Marcus asked, “Someone shot at you?”
Cait admired how calm Fumié appeared as she answered everyone’s questions. “Sure, I’ll go with you,” Fumié said. “Or I could draw a map.”
“I’ll get a pad.” Marcus hurried into his office. “She shouldn’t go back out there.” No one contradicted him. When he returned, he handed a notepad and pen to Fumié.
Fumié leaned against the counter and sketched the location, adding a few trees, shrubs, and where her Jeep was parked. Then she drew a large X. “I was standing here when I heard the gunshot.” She drew an arrow. “And this points to where I’m sure it came from. A simple sketch, but that’s all there is. There is a driveway on Cross Road near the corner with some old machinery in the yard. Maybe someone there heard the gunshot.”
Rook ripped the sheet off the pad, folded it, and laid the pad on the counter. “You didn’t mention a ranch before.”
Fumié shrugged. “You can’t see a house or any buildings because of the trees and bushes. Maybe it’s not a house but a business.”
Rook nodded. “Worth checking.” He looked at Perough and Vanicheque. “A couple of officers will be here within the hour to relieve you.”
“Want us back in the morning?” Vanicheque asked.
“Probably, but I’ll let you know,” Rook said. “Cait, officers will cruise the area and walk the property. They’ll try not to disturb you, but please don’t shoot them if you hear strange noises outside your window. I’m leaving to help search for a body.”
Cait smiled as she walked Rook to the door. “Do you ever sleep?”
He smirked. “What do you think? Talk to you tomorrow.”
The Harts returned to their RV soon after Rook left. Marcus took Niki out before going home. Cait offered snacks to Perough and Vanicheque while they waited for their replacements, but they refused and went outside to wait. Ilia took Fumié home.
Cait and Niki went upstairs. The long, hard day weighed heavily on her—a heaviness she couldn’t ignore. And she wondered when RT would return. She skipped the shower she’d craved and crawled between the cool sheets and fell asleep.