Cars filled the parking lot at Ranger headquarters. Jake even spotted a TV-news van. “How did the media get wind of this already?” Carmen asked, as Jake slid into a spot at the back of the lot. He had his door open before the engine had even fallen silent. Carmen was right behind him, one arm around Phoenix, who looked as if she might collapse any minute. Carmen hadn’t said much since Marco’s call, but her presence steadied Jake. She wasn’t freaking out about this, so neither would he.
At least a dozen people waited at headquarters, and everyone seemed to be talking at once. At Jake’s entrance, the noise level dropped. Marco hurried to him. “Starfall is back here,” he said, motioning toward the conference room. “I’ll let her tell you what happened.”
Starfall sat at the conference table, flanked by officers Ethan Reynolds and Simon Woolridge. She cradled her baby, murmuring softly to him. When Carmen, Phoenix and Jake stepped into the room, she rose. “I wouldn’t have left her with him if I had had any other choice,” she said. “I had to go for help. You see that, don’t you?”
The idea that she had left Sophie—a child—at the mercy of a strange man made Jake’s vision cloud. He took a deep breath, fighting for control. He couldn’t help Sophie unless he stayed calm. “Tell me what happened,” he said and sat in the chair across from her.
Starfall’s gaze shifted to Carmen, who was settling Phoenix in the chair next to Jake, and her bottom lip trembled, but she sat and made an effort to control her emotions. “Sophie came to me this morning, after you left to take Phoenix to the doctor. She asked if we could go look for cactus.”
“We should have taken her with us,” Phoenix said. “She wanted to go and, if we hadn’t left her in camp, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“This is the kidnapper’s fault, not yours,” Jake said. He turned back to Starfall. “Why did she want to look for cactus?”
“I promised her ten dollars—half of what Werner said he would pay me—for every cactus she found,” Starfall said. “She wanted to earn money to help pay Phoenix’s medical bills.”
Phoenix broke down sobbing. Carmen comforted her. Maybe Jake should have been the one to try to calm her, but Sophie needed him more now. “I told her I’d pay for everything,” he said. “She didn’t have to worry about that.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Starfall said. “Anyway, we set out. I was carrying Hunter and Sophie had my backpack. We headed toward the area where you were camped before. I remembered you said you saw some of those cactus there.”
Jake glanced at Ethan and Simon. “I don’t know what the area is called, but I can show you on a map,” he said.
Simon nodded. “We’ll get Randall and his dog out there. If Lotte can pick up a scent, she might be able to lead us to him.”
“You don’t even know what you’re looking for yet,” Starfall said. “Do you want me to finish my story or not?”
“Go ahead,” Jake said.
She settled back in her chair. “Sophie found some of the cactus and was digging them up, when this big guy steps out from behind a rock and points this huge gun at us. He had a Russian accent, and he told us if we tried anything, he would kill us. I think he would have, too.”
“How do you know the accent was Russian?” Simon asked.
“Because it was. I mean, it wasn’t German like Werner’s, or French or Spanish. It was Russian.” She looked to Jake again. “He was really big—over six feet, with broad shoulders. But he had a gut on him, too.”
“How old was he?” Ethan asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe fifty? Not young. He was really solid.”
“What did he say?” Jake asked. “What did he want with you?”
“He asked about the cactus. Sophie told him we were collecting them to sell to Werner, but he could have them if he wanted. I thought maybe we could make a deal and he’d let us go, but that didn’t work.”
“How did you get away?” Carmen asked.
“Sophie started talking to him, keeping his attention on her. But she motioned to me behind her back. I was so frightened it took me a little bit to realize she was motioning for me to run away. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had my baby to think of and, if I got away, I knew I could get help.”
“What did you do?” Carmen asked.
“At first, I ducked behind the rock. When he didn’t react, I started moving away, going from rock to tree, trying to hide. Every second I kept expecting him to shoot me in the back. But he never did. When I was far enough away that I was sure he couldn’t see me, I took off running. I ran to camp, got my car and came here.”
“You did the right thing,” Carmen said. She looked at Jake when she said the words, and he nodded. If Starfall hadn’t run when she had the chance, Jake probably still wouldn’t know that Sophie was missing. The Russian would have an even bigger head start.
“What did this Russian say he wanted with you and Sophie?” he asked.
“He didn’t,” Starfall said. “He just said he had plans for us.” Her eyes shone with tears. “You don’t think he’ll hurt her, do you? She’s just a girl. A very brave girl.”
“Jake, what are you going to do?” Phoenix clutched at his arm. “You can’t let him hurt her.”
Jake leaned across the table, his eyes locked on Starfall’s. “Did this Russian have a car? Did you see one anywhere nearby?”
She shook her head. “All I saw was the gun. And a backpack!” She sat up straighter. “He was wearing a backpack. The big kind, like campers use, with a bedroll and other stuff tied on it. Does that help?”
Jake nodded. “Werner said the Russian was camping. If he had to hike a ways to get to a car, that would slow him down. We might even get lucky, and he’s still in the area.”
“Then you can find her,” Phoenix said. “She’ll be all right.”
He patted his mother’s arm. “That’s the plan.” No point mentioning that Sophie and her captor might be anywhere in the thousands of acres of wilderness in the area. Finding them wasn’t as simple as heading to the nearest campground.
A commotion outside the conference room distracted him. Marco was already moving toward the door when it burst open, and Daniel Metwater stumbled in. “I came as soon as I heard,” he said.
Phoenix rose. “I should have known you’d be concerned about one of your disciples,” she said.
Metwater ignored her and turned to Jake. “I told you the Russian mafia was after me,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you listen? You’ve got to stop him, or I’ll be next.”
“Why do you think this has anything to do with you?” Jake asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? They knew Sophie was special to me, so they took her. It’s the way they do things—they want to send me a warning. To make me afraid.”
Jake hadn’t even realized he had made a fist and had his arm drawn back, ready to punch Metwater, when Carmen took hold of his arm. “He’s not worth it,” she said softly.
Jake studied the so-called Prophet, his hair a tangle, his shirt half-unbuttoned. He was so focused on himself, he couldn’t even find concern for a child who had been kidnapped. But he might be useful to them after all. “Have you had any other ‘messages’ from the Russian?” he asked. “Any communications at all—letters, visits?”
Metwater shook his head.
“What about Werner Altbusser?” Carmen asked. “Have you talked to him since he was in your camp the day before yesterday?”
Metwater flicked his gaze to her. “Werner has nothing to do with this,” he said.
“Maybe he and the Russian are working together,” Starfall said.
Everyone turned to stare at her. “It makes sense,” she continued. “Werner didn’t want to pay me for the cactus, so he sent the Russian to collect them.”
“But you offered to give them to the Russian, didn’t you?” Jake asked. “Why bother kidnapping Sophie?”
“She told him we would sell him the cactus,” Starfall said. “Of course, since he had the gun, we would have had to give them to him. Werner would have known that—the big cheat.”
“I told you, he took Sophie because of me,” Metwater said. “Why are you standing here wasting time? You have to go after him.”
“We’re getting together a search party to go out now,” Marco told Jake. “Do you and Carmen want to come?”
“I’ll catch up with you in a little while. I have something else to do first.” Jake turned to Carmen. “Can you take Mom back to the camp for me?”
“Of course.” Carmen looked into his eyes, searching. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to see Werner. He knows this Russian better than any of us. He might have an idea where he’s camping.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said. “Do you want me to go with you?”
He shook his head. “I need you to look after Mom. And I know Sophie trusts you. In case they find her before I get back, I’d like you there with her.”
“All right.” She gripped his hand. “Be careful.”
“I will.” But he wasn’t going to leave Werner until he knew everything the German could tell him about his Russian “friend.”
* * *
SOPHIE TRUDGED ALONG in the hot sun, her gaze focused on the broad back of her captor. When he had discovered Starfall had run away, he had yelled a lot—some in English, and some in what she guessed was Russian. Sophie watched him rant and didn’t say anything. He waved the gun at her a lot, but he never actually shot it. She knew that he could—that he might shoot her still. But for now, he had only tied her up, then tied one end of the rope around his waist and led her off across the wilderness. He muttered a lot under his breath—words she couldn’t understand—and, every so often, he glared at her over his shoulder and tugged on the rope to make her go faster, as if she was a dog.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What do you want with me?”
Still no answer. Her gaze shifted to Starfall’s backpack, which he had tied to his own pack. “I can find some more of those cactus for you, if you want,” she said.
He still didn’t say anything, but his head came up, and she could tell he was listening. “Why are people so interested in those little cactus, anyway?” she asked. “I wouldn’t pay a quarter for one.”
“Everything is worth what people will pay for it,” the Russian said. “People will pay a lot of money for all kinds of cactus. I have made much money over the years, selling them what they want.”
“What does any of that have to do with me?” Sophie asked.
The icy look he gave her made her want to throw up. “Some people will pay money for girls, too,” he said. “You do what I tell you, or I might decide to sell you to one of them.”
She swallowed hard. “Is that why you kidnapped me? To s-sell me?”
He kicked a rock, sending it careering and bouncing across the rough ground. “Why can’t you be quiet?”
She stuck her chin out. She wouldn’t let him see she was afraid. “Because I want to know. Why can’t you just tell me?”
He lunged back toward her. She tried not to flinch, but she couldn’t help it. “Do you know how to make someone do what you want them to do?” he growled.
“H-how?”
“You take something of theirs. It causes more pain than if you broke their knees or cut off their hand. If you choose the right thing to take—the right person—then you will have them completely under your power.”
His words made her feel cold all over. “Who are you trying to control?” she asked. If he said Metwater, she would scream. She wasn’t his, no matter what anyone else said.
The Russian narrowed his eyes. “Don’t pretend to be stupid, when I can see you are not. Your brother is a federal agent who has been following that idiot, Werner. Werner is too stupid to recognize him for what he is, but I can spot the police from two blocks away.”
“What do you want from my brother?” she asked.
“I want him to go away. Tell his superiors he knows nothing about me. He can arrest Werner if he likes, that useless cheat. He thought I was so stupid I couldn’t see he was keeping most of the profits from the cactus for himself, even though I did all of the work of finding the buyers and selling to them. I took all the risk, yet he expected me to be happy with the scraps he threw to me.” He spat in the dirt.
“If Werner is the one you’re mad at, why not kidnap him?” Sophie asked.
“Because he could still be useful to me. He is trying to make a deal with the leader of that commune you live in—that so-called Prophet. He wants this ‘Prophet’ to tell all his followers to collect the cactus for Werner. If they agree to this arrangement, I can step in and take over. Then maybe I will get rid of him.”
“Did you kill Reggae?” she asked. Her throat hurt, thinking about the dead man. He had always been friendly to her, and the way he tried so hard to get Starfall to notice him was kind of sweet. “Why? He never hurt anyone.”
“I wanted Werner to know that I meant business by going after one of his workers. If he didn’t turn everything over to me, I would kill everyone close to him, until he was all alone. And, finally, I would come for him.” He smiled an awful, cold expression that made Sophie’s stomach hurt.
He straightened and glared down at her. “Your brother will come after you, no?”
She nodded. Of course Jake would come after her.
“You’d better hope he does,” the Russian said. “If he doesn’t, I will kill you. Even if you are a smart girl.”
* * *
JAKE SPED INTO the lot of the motel, parked behind Werner’s rented SUV, blocking it in, and stormed up to the door of Werner’s room. He pounded on the door, rattling it in its frame. “Open up, Werner! If you don’t, I swear I’ll kick the door in.”
“Who…who is it?” The German’s voice quavered.
“Someone you don’t want to cross,” Jake said.
The chain rattled, and the door eased open. Jake grabbed the German by the throat and shoved him back into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. He forced Werner’s back against the wall. “Tell me where the Russian is camping. Your ‘friend,’ Karol Petrovsky.”
Werner’s pupils dilated, and his skin was the color of mashed potatoes. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Jake tightened his hold. “He has my sister, and I need to know how to find him.”
Werner muttered something in German that might have been a prayer. “Where is he?” Jake demanded.
“I don’t know for sure. I only suspect.”
Jake released his hold on Werner and shoved him onto the bed. “What do you suspect?”
Werner rubbed his neck. “Why do you think I know where he is?”
“That day I caught you in my camp—you were looking for him, weren’t you?”
Werner’s face drooped, making him look much older, and he nodded. “A mutual acquaintance had told me he was in the area.”
“What is he to you? Your friend? Your partner?” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t let his temper and his worry over Sophie get the best of him. He had a job to do, and that meant keeping his cool.
“Not my friend!” Werner shook his head, adamant. “We were partners at one time—business partners.”
“But you aren’t now?”
“No. We had a disagreement over how profits should be divided.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?”
“Months ago. Six months ago. I don’t want to talk to him. Not ever again.”
“Yet you were looking for his camp that day.”
“Yes. But that was before he killed that young man. And then he killed the man who was in the room next door.” He pointed to his left.
“How do you know it was him?” Jake asked.
Werner looked away.
Jake took his hands from his pockets and leaned toward him. “Tell me.”
“I saw him. I looked out the window and saw him. I thought he was coming for me. To kill me. But he went into the room next door instead.”
“Why? Why would he kill that man instead of you? Why would he kill that kid?”
“He must have seen me talking to them. He thought they were working for me. That is how they do things, these Russians that he associates with. They attack people close to you first, to send a warning. They want to make you so afraid that, by the time they get to you, you will do anything they ask.”
“What does Petrovsky want from you?”
“He wants to take over my business.”
“What business is that?”
Again, Werner’s gaze shifted away. “It does not matter.”
“It does matter.” Jake leaned toward him again so that the German leaned back on the bed. “You’re illegally exporting cactus from the United States to Europe, including a number of endangered species.”
“They are only little cactus,” Werner protested. “And there are so many of them. What difference does it make to you?”
“Then you admit that’s what you’ve been doing here?” Jake said. “You were paying people like the young man who was killed to collect the cactus for you?”
“What if I was? Who are you to care?”
Jake pulled his credentials from his pocket. “Officer Jacob Lohmiller, US Fish and Wildlife.” He shoved the wallet back into his pocket and took out a pair of flex cuffs and grabbed Werner’s wrist. “Werner Altbusser, you’re under arrest.” He recited Werner’s rights and confirmed that Werner understood them.
Jake braced himself for a struggle, but the German merely slumped onto the bed again. “I am ruined,” he said. “I was ruined before you came here. Karol is taking my business. I will be lucky if he doesn’t take my life.”
“Tell me where to find him, and I’ll lock him up, too,” Jake said as he fastened the cuffs. “If you get lucky, you can work a deal to testify against him.”
This idea seemed to bolster the German’s spirits. “I will tell you what I know,” he said. “But I don’t know if it will be any help. Who did you say he has taken?”
“My sister. She’s fourteen years old.”
Werner’s eyes widened. “That is bad. Very bad.”
“Tell me where he is. Where is his camp? Is it near where I was camping? Is that why you were looking there?”
Werner shook his head. “I never found it, but I was looking there because last year he insisted I bring him with me on my collecting trip to the United States, and that is the area where we camped. I thought he would go back there because it was familiar to him.”
“Come on.” He pulled Werner with him toward the door.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
“You’re going with me to find Sophie.”
“But I told you—I don’t know where Karol is.”
“Then you had better hope you get lucky.”