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Taylor Kaufman loved the great outdoors. She and her classmate, Hannah West, left their college dorm rooms in the predawn hours on Sunday morning for an all-day backcountry excursion for their photography class. There were hardly any cars on the roads in Las Cruces, and traffic on the Interstate was light as they headed west to Lordsburg. Exiting the freeway, they went through a fast-food drive-thru for coffee and breakfast sandwiches, eating in Taylor's truck as they took the highway north toward Silver City. Dawn was breaking. As Taylor drove, Hannah scoured the roadside, searching for an interesting place to take photos when something unexpected caught her eye.
"Look over there." She nudged Taylor and pointed to something up the road. "Did someone lose a mannequin off of a truck?"
"What the hell?" Taylor slammed on the brakes and hastily pulled the truck over. "That's not a mannequin. That's a body. Call nine-one-one."
Taylor dove out of her truck ran over to take a closer look. The woman wore a torn blue dress, and she appeared to be seriously injured. Taylor bent down to feel for a pulse and shouted back to Hannah.
"She's alive! Tell them she's still alive!"
Taylor raced back to her truck. Hannah was on the phone with a dispatcher, and it was obvious that they were asking her too many questions. She grabbed the phone away from Hannah.
"We're heading north on Highway Ninety, and we're about twenty miles south of Silver City. There's a woman lying unconscious on the side of the road. We don't know who she is, or how she got here. All I can tell you is she's still alive, but if you don't get off your lazy asses and send some help, she'll die."
Taylor tossed the phone aside and raced back to the woman, taking off her jacket and covering her up as best she could. She knelt down next to her and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. What she saw next would horrify her. A piece of rope was tied around the woman's wrist.
"I don't know who did this to you, but whoever they are, they're long gone and we're getting you some help. The paramedics are on their way, so just hang in there, okay?" Taylor held tight to her hand and kept talking to her, but it seemed like an eternity before she finally heard an approaching siren. A state trooper pulled over and jumped out of his cruiser.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. My friend and I saw her, so we pulled over and called for help. No one else was around."
He took a closer look, noting the bloodstains on some of the rocks and a small, freshly dug hole a few feet away. He radioed for a helicopter and cordoned off the area. Minutes later the first paramedics arrived. Taylor and the trooper stepped aside and as the paramedics checked her vitals and hooked her up to an IV line. Two more highway patrol cruisers and an ambulance soon arrived. The road would have to be blocked off to make room for the helicopter to land. Taylor and Hannah gave their statements to the officers as the paramedics worked. Before long, they heard the helicopter. It landed on a level section of highway a few hundred feet away. The paramedics had her on a backboard. They carefully loaded her into the back of the ambulance and transferred her to the helicopter. Once it lifted off, one of the paramedics returned Taylor's jacket.
"Will she be okay?" Taylor asked.
"Hopefully. She's on her way to a trauma center in Albuquerque."
***
SUNDAY AFTERNOON BRUCE called Matt and Shane to tell them there had been a breakthrough in the case, and one of the detectives would be coming over within the hour. Everyone looked haggard as they gathered around the dining table. Julie offered to brew a fresh pot of coffee, but they all declined.
"Were you able to find out what ship Donny and Alice are on?" asked Bruce.
"Yes, I was," said Matt. "I contacted the cruise line and found out the ship leaves port in Seattle at four o'clock this afternoon. Someone from the cruise line will talk to them as soon as they check in. I have my phone turned on, and I expect to hear from them within the next hour or so."
"I still can't believe this happened," said Shane. "It's been a couple of months since I blocked him out of her computer, and we changed all of her passwords. So this morning I took her laptop to the office, and I've spent most of the day running diagnostics and doing forensics, but so far I've not found any evidence of him hacking back into her email accounts. So how did he know where to find her?"
"Alice has been sending out emails about the wedding for some time," said Julie. "He could have intercepted one before he was locked out of her account. We'll have to ask the detective about it as soon as he gets here."
"And we still don't know for certain if it was Craig who abducted her," said Bruce. "It could have been one of those random things, and Rachel just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Did he tell you what the breakthrough was?" asked Matt.
"No," said Bruce. "He just said they had news, and he wanted to meet with the family. I'm hoping it means they've found Rachel, and they're getting ready to make an arrest, if they haven't made one already."
The doorbell rang. Bruce went to answer, returning a moment later with a balding man in a wrinkled gray suit. He introduced him to the others as Detective Duane Anderson. He too declined the coffee as he took his seat at the table and opened a folder.
"We now know who kidnapped your daughter. The suspect is forty-two-year-old Craig Thomas Walker."
"I knew it," said Shane.
"Please, just tell us what happened," said Bruce.
"Last night Detective Cruz stopped by the motel where Mr. Walker used to work. He was told that the suspect no longer worked there and had moved back to Sacramento. Detective Cruz was able to get his forwarding address and he contacted the Sacramento police. Early this morning they went to the apartment complex to serve a search warrant. Mr. Walker wasn't there, and according to a neighbor, he hasn't been seen in the past few days. They searched the apartment and found his laptop and smartphone. They took both items into evidence, and they found something on his laptop."
Bruce's patience was wearing thin. "What was it?"
Anderson sighed. "I'm afraid there's no easy way to tell you this, so I'm going to be as straightforward as I can. We've learned that Mr. Walker is a photographer as well as a journalist. In fact, many of his photos were related to the articles he's written. Unfortunately, his interest in photography goes well beyond photojournalism. They found a number of photos of nude women. He's also been recording videos of himself having sex with different women, and he's into bondage. All of the women in the photos and the videos were tied down on the bed, with either ropes or chains, and most of them were gagged as well."
Julie burst into tears while a badly shaken Shane covered his face with his hands. The detective went on.
"While Detective Cruz was at the motel last night he interviewed one of Craig Walker's former co-workers who admitted that Walker had wanted him to contact Rachel about designing a website. He was to meet her for coffee, slip a drug into her drink, and then bring her back to the motel, where Walker planned to shoot a video of the two of them having sex with her."
"Dear god," said Bruce. "So, when was this?"
"A few weeks ago."
"And this creep was willing to help him rape her?" The anger resonated in Shane's voice.
"Not exactly." Anderson's tone was firm. "The young man admitted he'd been brought into the United States illegally as a young child, and Walker had threatened to turn him over to the authorities if he didn't cooperate. He also said that later on Walker told him he'd changed his mind and had never intended to go through with any of it."
"So when was this?" asked Shane.
"Just before he went back to Sacramento."
"But it doesn't prove that he took Rachel," said Matt.
"I'm getting to that," said Anderson. "The Sacramento police have also learned that Craig Walker withdrew five hundred dollars from an ATM late Thursday night, and there's been no further activity on his bank account. In the meantime, Detective Cruz went back to the motel a few hours later. By then someone else was at the front desk, and this man became extremely nervous as soon as Detective Cruz presented his badge and started asking questions. He admitted that Craig Walker had shown up at the motel late Friday night, and he'd let him stay in a room that had been closed for remodeling. He also said Walker paid him fifty dollars under the table."
"I knew it." Shane's fist pounded on the table. "I knew he was back to town."
"He certainly was, and he's gone to great lengths to cover his tracks," said Anderson. "He left his cellphone behind so he couldn't be tracked. He paid cash for his food and gasoline, and he secretly stayed at his former workplace the night before Rachel disappeared. The desk clerk also admitted seeing Craig leave early yesterday morning. We searched the room, but he didn't leave any evidence behind. Earlier today Detective Norman went back to the La Corona to question some of the employees, and a bartender recognized Walker from a photo. He said Walker came up to the bar around six o'clock yesterday evening. He ordered a burger and fries with a beer and he paid cash. No one has seen him since."
Bruce appeared to be in shock. "That's about same time the wedding started, and he was right there."
"Yes, sir, he unfortunately was," said Anderson. "We know Craig Walker has a long history of harassing your daughter. We know he made a secret trip back to Tucson, and he was last seen at the same hotel where your daughter was kidnapped, two hours before she disappeared."
"Do you have any idea where may have taken her?" asked Bruce.
"At the moment I'm afraid we don't. We've learned that he recently re-registered his truck, and we have the license number for his new California plates. We've also alerted the media. Hopefully someone with information will come forward soon."
Julie was desperate. "Could she be at the motel? If he hid in a closed room, then who's to say he didn't bring her back there?"
"We've already served a search warrant," said Anderson. "We've checked every room, including the ones they're remodeling. Unfortunately, she wasn't there, but we've staked it out just in case he shows up later on. In the meantime, we've put out an APB on his truck, and we've alerted every law enforcement agency in the state, as well as in California. The Sacramento police have also staked out his apartment in case he tries to bring her back there. He can't hide forever. He'll surface sooner or later, which is why we're asking for the public's help. Someone somewhere has seen them, and the sooner that person comes forward, the better the chances of finding Rachel unharmed."
After assuring everyone that he or his partner would let them know as soon they had any news, Detective Anderson saw himself out. The others sat around the table in stunned disbelief. Shane finally stood up. His face was chalky.
"I need to use your bathroom."
"It's down the hall, on your left," said Julie. Shane stepped out and Matt's phone rang.
"That's Donny." He accepted the call and put the phone on speaker. His brother sounded angry.
"What the hell is going on? We've just been told to call you because there's some sort of family emergency, but they wouldn't tell us what it was. This had better be damn good, or so help me, your ass is getting kicked."
"Donny, Rachel's been kidnapped."
It took a moment for it to sink in. "What?"
Bruce spoke up. "Donny, it's me, Bruce. Your brother is telling you the truth. Rachel's been kidnapped. She's missing, and we don't know where she is. Right now, all we know is that Craig Walker abducted her from the hotel parking lot sometime around eight o'clock last night, and she hasn't been seen since. Can you put Alice on the line?"
"Hold on a second."
"No problem, son, we can wait."
They heard voices in the background. Moments later Alice was on the line. Her voice was shaking.
"Dad? What's going on? Donny just said Rachel's been kidnapped."
"It's true," said Julie. "Craig Walker showed up last night and he took her from the hotel parking lot."
Julie burst into tears. As Matt tried to comfort her, Bruce filled his daughter in on what had happened. Shane returned while he was speaking. His face looked ashen. As Bruce finished, Alice started crying, and Donny came back on the line.
"I told the lady from the cruise line what happened, and she's going see about getting us a flight home. I'll call you back in a few minutes."
Matt disconnected the call. Once again Julie offered to brew a fresh pot of coffee, but the others declined. Matt's phone rang a short time later. Donny was calling back, and he put the call on speaker.
"Okay," said Donny, "we were able to get a flight out of Seattle which leaves in about four hours, but it's to Phoenix, not Tucson."
"Not a problem," said Matt. "I'll drive up there and pick you up at the airport. What time does it arrive?"
As Matt and Donny finished up their business Julie grabbed a tissue and dabbed her eyes. Returning to her seat, she looked at Shane.
"Can we fix you anything to eat?"
"I'm fine. Thanks."
"Have you had any sleep?"
"No."
Julie looked concerned. "You need to get some rest, Shane. You won't do her any good if you make yourself sick."
"I know."
"Have you told your folks about this?"
"No." He ran his hands through his hair and let out a sigh. "We were supposed to drop my dog off at their place this morning on the way out of town, so I sent my mom a text to let her know something had come up and we were running late. She's called a couple of times, but I let it go to voicemail. I just can't talk about this right now."
"It's okay, Shane. I can call her." Julie looked at Bruce. "Would you mind taking him home when I'm done? He shouldn't be driving right now."
"I can do it," said Matt. "Donny and Alice are supposed to land in Phoenix at eight forty-five. I need to go home and try to take a nap."
Shane punched up his mother's number and handed his phone to Julie. She stepped away and returned his phone a few minutes later.
"She and your father are on their way. They'll take you home."
"Thanks."
Shane put his phone away and stared into space. Matt took his leave, and Kelly and Colin arrived a short time later. Bruce led them into the dining room, where they introduced themselves to each other, regretting that they had to meet under such tragic circumstances. Shane remained in his chair. He appeared to be in shock.
"I should have been there," he said. "If I'd been there, I would have been able to protect her."
"You don't know that." Bruce's voice was firm. "I know my daughter, and she's always been a fighter. Trust me, she would have never gone with him willingly. He had to have had a weapon on him, so what would have stopped him from killing you?"
Bruce's phone rang. He checked the caller ID. "This might be Detective Norman." He took the call, and as they spoke his face turned pale. He gave them a sober look once they disconnected.
"It was Detective Norman. She said they've removed the crime scene tape from Rachel's car, and we can go pick it up at the hotel. Gilbert, from security, has the keys. She also said they recovered three sets of fingerprints from the trunk. The first two they couldn't identify, so they think they're Rachel's and Emma's. The third set belonged to Craig Walker. So we now have our smoking gun." He turned to his wife. "We need to go get her car."
Colin spoke up. "Don't worry about it. Kelly and I will pick it up and we'll get Shane's car when we drop it off. You guys need to get some rest."
"Thanks."
Shane's parents helped him from his chair, and Bruce walked them to the door.