Javi and Tori switched seats, giving Javi a clean line of fire as Tori started up the golf cart again. Javi shouted, "Stop, Tally! It only gets worse from here." He fired a warning shot into the mud. The sound reverberated, but the golf cart ahead of them continued its flight.
The dense canopy of the redwood forest blurred above as Tori jammed her foot down on the accelerator, the electric whir of the golf cart’s motor rising to a high-pitched scream. Javi clutched the frame, his knuckles white, as they zipped past giant trunks that had stood sentinel for centuries.
"Gabriel Tally, stop!" Tori's voice was a fierce command, cutting through the wind like a blade.
"Damn it, Tally! Pull over!" Javi barked, reaching for the radio at his belt but realizing there was no point. Too immediate for backup. It was just them and the suspect amid the towering giants.
Tally glanced back, his face a mask of desperation. He veered sharply, trying to dodge between two trees, but Tori was relentless.
With a calculated flick of the wheel, Tori guided their cart dangerously close to the ancient bark, narrowly avoiding a collision with the rugged reddish-brown of the redwoods.
"Careful, Tori!"
"Trust me," she said tersely, her gaze never wavering from their target.
Ahead, Tally's cart hit a patch of uneven ground, and his vehicle jolted violently. It was the opportunity Tori was waiting for. Without hesitation, she pushed their cart faster, closing the gap until they were mere inches behind.
"Stop, or I will force you to stop!" she yelled, but Tally merely hunkered down, urging his cart forward with a reckless abandon that spoke of guilt.
"Enough of this," Tori muttered, her jaw set. With a surge of adrenaline, she rammed the nose of their cart into the back of Tally's. The impact was a crunch of metal and a jolt that ran up her arms and rattled her teeth.
Tally's cart lurched, spun out of control, and with a sickening crunch of bending metal and snapping branches, it came to an abrupt halt against a tree. Tori forced their vehicle to a screeching standstill, the smell of burnt rubber hanging heavily in the air.
"Got you," she breathed out, a mix of triumph and fury in her voice, and prepared herself for what was to come.
The forest air burst with the sharp crack of a shotgun, shattering the momentary silence that followed the crash. Splinters of rubber and a scream of escaping air marked the demise of their golf cart's front tire. The vehicle, now a wild beast on three wheels, bucked violently, throwing Tori and Javi sideways.
"Down!" Javi shouted a second before they were flung from their seats, tossed like ragdolls across the forest floor.
Tori hit the ground hard, her breath knocked out of her in a whoosh that mingled with the earthy scent of disturbed soil and crushed ferns. She rolled instinctively, the motion driven by drilled-in muscle memory, coming to rest against a damp bed of reddish-brown leaves.
"Javi!" she coughed out, pushing herself up on trembling arms.
"Here," he grunted somewhere to her left, his voice laced with pain but alive.
Adrenaline surged through Tori's veins as she shook her head, trying to dispel the disorientation. Her hand went to her side, grasping the familiar shape of her service weapon, its weight a comforting presence.
"Stay down," she hissed at Javi, knowing Tally wouldn't hesitate to fire again.
With deft movements belying the ache in her muscles, Tori plucked leaves from her hair, which had come loose during the tumble.
Eyes narrowed, Tori peered through the dense underbrush, seeking the silhouette of their quarry. There! A shadow moved against the towering redwoods, Tally making a break for it. His golf cart still worked, limping along, though rattling something fierce—the front a mess of broken glass and bent aluminum.
"Stop, Tally!" she called out, but it was no use. He was running, propelled by fear or guilt—she didn't care which.
Rising to a crouch, Tori steadied her breathing. With practiced ease, she aimed her weapon in the direction of the fleeing figure, every fiber of her being focused on the fleeing golf cart.
"Enough running," she whispered, just as she squeezed the trigger.
The crack of the gunshot tore through the forest, a stark interruption to the rustling whispers of giant redwoods. Tori's aim was true; the rear tire of Tally's golf cart exploded in a flurry of shredded rubber, sending his escape vehicle careening into a gnarled tree trunk with a grave finality.
"Got him!" she shouted, adrenaline surging through her veins.
Javi, still on the ground, looked up, his eyes wide with both alarm and relief. With a nod from Tori, he scrambled to his feet, and together they dashed toward the disabled cart, their boots thudding against the damp forest floor.
"Gabriel Tally!" Tori barked as they approached the wreckage, weapon still trained on the figure now clambering out of the cart with a limp. "Do not move!"
Tally stumbled, his face contorted with frustration or pain—perhaps both. He glanced back at Tori, his eyes darting between her and Javi, calculating his chances.
Tori's hand clamped down on the multi-millionaire's wrist as she yanked his arms behind his back. The metallic click of the cuffs echoed through the forest, punctuating the gravity of the moment. Tally's shoulders tensed, his arrogance tangible even in surrender.
"I want my lawyer," he growled, his voice rife with indignation. "You have no right to treat me like a criminal without—"
"Save it for someone who cares, Tally," Tori cut him off, her gaze unwavering. She knew the protocols; Tally was entitled to legal counsel, but that wouldn't stop her from getting answers. Her mind buzzed with unanswered questions, each one a piece of the puzzle she was determined to solve.
Javi, meanwhile, had begun a methodical search of the damaged golf cart, his eyes scanning for any clue that could tie Tally to the crimes they were investigating. As he rifled through the contents scattered by the collision, something caught his eye—a concealed compartment.
"Hey, Tori," Javi called out, his tone shifting to an edge of disbelief.
She turned just as Javi pulled out a clear plastic bag, the white powder inside stark against the dark green foliage around them. A whole kilo, unmistakably cocaine, lay exposed in Javi's steady hands.
"Damn," Tori muttered, the word slicing through her surprise. This changed everything and nothing all at once. The presence of drugs added another layer to Tally's already questionable character, yet it offered no direct link to the deaths haunting their investigation.
"Looks like you've got more explaining to do," Tori said, her eyes locking onto Tally's now pale face. His smugness had evaporated, replaced by the sheen of sweat on his brow. Yet there was a resilience in his silence, a stubborn refusal to confess.
"Lawyer," was all Tally would say, the single word hanging between them like a challenge. But Tori was unfazed. She had been through this dance of defiance before.
Tori's instincts honed from years on the force told her that the drugs were a critical piece of the puzzle. They hinted at Tally's involvement in a world beyond their small town's picket fences—a world where wealth was measured in illicit powders and hushed transactions. But as she cuffed his wrists with quick, practiced motions, she knew these narcotics weren't the smoking gun for the murders. Still, they were leverage, and leverage was power in an investigation.
"Let's go," she said, her voice carrying the weight of authority as she directed the defeated man toward the damaged golf cart. The forest around them seemed to lean in, watching as if nature itself sought justice for the lives taken.
With a hand firm on Tally's shoulder, she pushed him onto the seat in the back, ensuring he was secure. He didn't resist, but his eyes shot daggers at her through the rearview mirror. Tori met his gaze with steely resolve.
The cart jostled over the uneven forest terrain, Tori's focus sharp as she navigated between the towering redwoods, moving slowly on their damaged wheel. The scent of pine and damp earth filled her nostrils, but the smell couldn't mask the stink of corruption that seemed to emanate from the man sitting behind her. She glanced at Tally in the rearview mirror, his face a mask of stoicism now that the adrenaline had faded.
"Five thousand dollars through your so-called charity," Tori said abruptly, her words slicing through the hum of the motor. "That's a hefty sum for someone who claims to be innocent."
Tally's gaze snapped up, meeting hers in the mirror. Surprise flickered across his features, like the first crack in a well-crafted armor. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, voice laced with feigned ignorance.
"Cut the act, Tally. We've seen the transfer records. Your charity sent five thousand to the Whitmores. You were involved in altering the seismic records and the crime scene report."
He blinked, staring at her.
He then cursed.
"Look, it was just a favor for a friend, okay?" Tally's retort came quickly, too quickly, and Tori could spot the desperation beginning to seep into his tone. "I didn't ask questions. I just... facilitated the transaction."
"Facilitated," Tori repeated, tasting the word as if it were something sour. "That's a convenient way to put it. But favors for friends don't usually involve thousands of dollars funneled through fake charities." Her fingers tightened on the wheel, her knuckles turning white.
"Who was this friend then?" Javi interjected from beside her, his eyes never leaving Tally, his hand resting near his holstered weapon.
"Doesn't matter," Tally shot back, locking his jaw in defiance. "I did nothing wrong."
"Except maybe accessory to murder," Tori muttered under her breath, more to herself than to him.
"Murder? Bullshit."
"You know what you did." But Tally looked genuinely surprised by her accusation. Irritated, arrogant, but also surprised.
"Believe what you want," Tally said, tilting his chin up, the very picture of arrogance. "You won't find anything linking me to these... incidents."
"Maybe not," Tori conceded, her mind already racing ahead to the next move in this deadly chess game. "But I'm sure the station will have a few more questions for you."
The cart's electric hum filled the silence for a second. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the man in cuffs to crack.
"Who's the friend, Tally?" Tori prodded, her voice steely. "Who are you covering for?"
"Look," Tally said, a sneer pulling at his lips, "I don't have to tell you anything."
"Fine," Javi snapped, frustration lining his brow. "We'll let a judge sort it out then." He glanced at Tori.
Tori stopped abruptly, causing Tally to jerk forward and nearly fall from his seat. "If you're innocent, prove it. Where were you the past three days?"
"Out of town," Tally answered, too quickly. His defiance wavered, a crack in his armor that Tori noticed immediately.
"Prove it," she demanded again.
With a huff, Tally reached into his pocket and Javi grabbed his wrist.
"I'm getting my wallet, asshole," Tally snapped.
Javi removed the thin billfold for him. "First compartment," Tally said. "Yeah... there." He pulled something out with his cuffed hands and then threw a crumpled piece of paper at her feet. "There’s your proof," he spat.
Javi bent down to retrieve the document, unfolding it carefully. His eyes scanned the details before passing it to Tori. An airplane ticket, the destination clear: Tijuana. The dates coincided perfectly with the timeline of interest.
"Business trip," Tally said, a hint of smugness returning to his voice. "You won't find my fingerprints on any murder weapon."
Tori examined the ticket, her trained eye searching for discrepancies. It appeared legitimate. This could be the alibi that excluded him from their narrowing list of suspects. She handed the ticket back to Javi, who nodded slightly, acknowledging the new turn in the investigation.
"So who asked you to bribe the Whitmores?"
"Wasn't a bribe. Lawyer."
"We don't know you were on that plane," she countered.
"Call TSA," he said, smirking. "They'll vouch."
He seemed confident. Too confident.
What if he was telling the truth? The thought troubled her.
Just then, Tori's phone vibrated against her hip, a sharp contrast to the stillness of the towering redwoods surrounding them. She glanced at Javi, who was securing Tally's wrists with handcuffs, before she pulled out her device and answered the call. The voice on the other end was breathless, urgent.
"Agent Spark, we've got another one. Redding. Looks like it’s our guy again."
Her heart skipped a beat, the news clawing at her insides like an ominous storm brewing on the horizon. She turned away from the men, her gaze instinctively drifting northward as if she could see the two-hour stretch to Redding through the dense forest canopy.
"Understood," she replied with calm efficiency, though her mind raced. "I'm on my way."
"Another?"
She nodded.
"You heading out?"
"Someone's gotta process this asshole."
"You going alone?" Javi asked, his voice laced with concern. He stood now, Tally secured and standing beside him, a look of disdain etched across the man's face.
"Can't waste time," Tori said, snapping her phone shut and sliding it back into place. Her eyes were the color of the turbulent sea, mirroring the internal chaos that each new victim stirred within her. "You take Tally in. I'll head to Redding and catch up with the team there."
Javi hesitated, his protective instincts wrestling with the practicality of splitting up. "Be careful, Tori."
"Call me the moment you get anything out of him," she instructed, her eyes narrowing, her jaw set. Time was not on their side.