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Dela’s nerves started jumping as Heath drove into the small coastal town of Garibaldi. “According to the GPS, you’ll turn left across from the gas station,” she said, reading off the directions on his phone.
He turned and they followed the directions up several streets when it told them to go right. At the end of the street was an old two-story house with a fence around a flat area on the very top. It looked a bit like a larger version of a crow’s nest on sailing ships.
“That’s it up there. The one with the crow’s nest on top,” Dela said.
“Let’s park here and see how close we can get on foot.” Heath pulled the car next to the curb on the downhill side of the road. He leaned over her, opening the glove compartment. His semi-automatic, a box of ammunition, and his backup weapon filled the compartment.
“When did you put those in there?” she asked.
“After we’d arrived at your room and found it ransacked. I didn’t want anyone finding these.” He checked the backup weapon, clicked the magazine in place, and handed it to her. “We’re only using these if we fear for our lives.” He checked his weapon and shoved it into his jacket pocket.
Dela slipped the weapon Heath gave her into her hoodie pocket. Luckily it was a smaller version of Heath’s semi-automatic. They locked the car and walked up the sidewalk. The large house was at the end of the street. She didn’t see any vehicles parked in front of the garage door in the hill underneath the house. Dela wondered if that had been for a carriage at one time and was now used for cars.
There were trees behind the house but to go along the side of the yard they’d be seen.
“Do you have a plan?” she asked, as Heath led them to the last house before the end of the road.
“Let’s go down between these two houses and see if we can work our way around the side without being seen. Keep an eye on the windows to see if anyone is inside and to make sure we aren’t being watched. You take the bottom floor and I’ll keep an eye on the second floor.” Heath grasped her hand, leading her between the houses.
In the backyard of the house closest to the one they were interested in stood an elderly man watching them.
“Hello,” Heath said, smiling.
Dela smiled at the man.
“Why are you sneaking around between the houses? You gonna rob me?” The old man held up the hoe he’d been leaning on.
“We were hoping to get to the back of the house at the end of the road. The architecture is interesting,” Heath said.
The man studied them. “Are you cops? The only people interested in that house are cops.”
Dela glanced at Heath and shrugged.
Heath pulled out his badge and flashed it too quickly for the man to see he was a tribal officer. If the man knew much about law enforcement, he’d know Heath didn’t have any authority here.
“I knew it. As soon as I seen them two and the boy show up, I was sure there’d be cops coming around.” The old man nodded enthusiastically.
“When did the couple and little boy arrive?” Dela asked.
“Night before last. But I knew they’d be showing up. The man had been here earlier carrying in sacks of groceries. The only reason someone would stock up on food was if they planned to stay for a while.” The man set the hoe back down and leaned on it.
“Have they gone anywhere today?” Heath asked.
“Not that I saw. They parked the car in the garage when they came the other night. I only know that because when they backed it in, the lights shone in my living room window.”
“Thank you. It would be best if you stayed in the house until we can determine if these are the people we’re looking for.” Heath motioned to the house.
The man studied him for a few seconds and headed inside.
Dela walked to the back gate in the fence. She needed to get her eyes on either Reuben or Felicity before they could let Stedman or Quinn know that this was the right place.
Keeping to the trees on the uphill side of the house, they made their way to the back of the property. A small shed that appeared to be as old as the house, sat at the edge of the trees.
“Think we can get down behind that and keep an eye on the windows?” Dela whispered. Even though they were a good thirty yards from the house, the wind was blowing, and she didn’t want her voice to carry to any of the occupants.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try and get an eye on them or even hear what they might be saying.” Heath took the lead, his hand in his pocket, toward the backside of the shed.
Dela had a hard time going downhill and keeping the windows in sight. She needed to watch where she placed her right foot or tumble to the bottom.
Heath pulled her in behind the building when they stepped out of the trees. They stood still, listening.
The sound of someone moving around inside the shed had her staring into Heath’s eyes. She mouthed, “There’s someone in there” and pointed.
He nodded and crouched down, pressing his ear against the wall.
Dela pressed against the building and leaned, peering around the corner toward the house. A curtain fluttered at a window on the second floor. The back door opened. Felicity walked out carrying a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.
Dela pulled back and tapped Heath’s leg with her foot. “Felicity is coming,” she once again mouthed.
He nodded and kept his ear to the wall.
Dela pressed her ear to the back of the shed. She heard sniffling.
“Mommy brought you some milk and cookies,” Felicity said, in a singsong happy voice.
“I want to go in the house with you, Mommy,” a child’s voice said.
“Shhh, I told you that your uncle doesn’t like children. I have to be nice to him for just a little longer and then the two of us will go far away from him.”
“I want Daddy. Where is Daddy?” the small voice questioned.
“Quiet! There will be no talk of Daddy. That makes me angry and you know what happens when I’m angry.” Her voice sounded like one of the evil characters in a cartoon.
“Don’t hurt me, please, Mommy,” the child pleaded.
“I won’t if you stay here and eat your cookies and drink your milk like a good boy.” There was the sappy sweet tone again.
It was enough to make Dela want to vomit.
The door closed, shaking the building. Dela slid back to the corner and peered around. Felicity walked up the three steps to the porch and entered the house.
Dela moved back to Heath who now stood. “We need to get the boy out of here,” Dela whispered in Heath’s ear.
He nodded and put his mouth to her ear. “I’ll come up with a distraction in the front of the house and you take the boy to the neighbor we talked with and call Quinn.”
Dela shook her head. “I should do the distraction. What if the boy is slow or refuses to go with me? You could pick him up and pack him. I can’t carry him up that hill.” She pointed to the hill that would need to be traversed to stay out of sight.
Heath frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you trying to distract them. They know you. They haven’t met me.”
“Reuben has. Remember, you were in the office with me the day Sidney took over.” She pointed to the corner of the building. “I saw someone move a curtain upstairs when Felicity came to the shed. That means Rueben is most likely in there with her.”
“I’m sure I can get them both occupied if I walk up to the door and knock on it. They are going to want to see what I know.” She didn’t care to be that easy of a target, but the boy and Heath had to get away. She’d also text Quinn before she walked up to the front door.
Heath scowled. “You wouldn’t walk up to that door and knock on it, would you?”
“Can you think of any better way to keep them occupied while you get Asher out of here?” She smiled, even though her insides were icy with fear.
“I think we need to figure out a better way. Like call the Garibaldi Police and have them do a drive up and knock on the door.” Heath pulled out his phone and typed Garibaldi Police in the browser.
“Damn!” Heath peered into her eyes. “There isn’t a City Police at this time. You have to call the county. They’ll take as long as trying to contact the State Police.”
“Let me text Quinn and see how quickly he can get here,” Dela brought up her messaging and texted Quinn. At the house in Garibaldi. So are Felicity and Reuben. Found the boy. Need assistance.
She waited several minutes with no response.
“Call him,” Heath said.
“If he’s not answering my text, he’s not going to answer a call.” Dela peered into his eyes. “He’ll get my text and be here in time to help. I’m going to the front door. I’ll go up into the trees and come out near the front corner. When I do that, you go into the shed and get Asher.”
“Dela, I don’t like this. We can just wait.” Heath reached out to her.
“We can’t wait. What if Felicity comes back out here and hurts the boy when he asks about his father? I won’t risk it. I’d rather have her take out her anger on me than on that child.” As much as she didn’t want to face the monster she knew Felicity to be, she would never forgive herself if she stood here and the woman came back and hurt her son.
Dela kissed Heath and took off for the trees, her hand holding the weapon in her pocket.