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Hutchings could not take any more and let out a belly laugh at the two men. The handcuffs rattled against the steel bar bolted to the metal table as his shoulders shook.
“You guys are fuckin’ hilarious. You should really take that act on the road. Rookies, both of you.”
After the short flight to Denver, the staff sergeant was escorted to an FBI safehouse downtown. They removed his jacket, and he was thrust into a metal chair bolted to the floor. Handcuffs were wrapped around a steel bar on the table. Wearing a dress shirt and tie, he waited in the interrogation room for two hours until the men arrived.
The first man reminded Hutchings of a football player, with a nose that had been broken too many times. The other was slightly smaller, but his chest still stretched out the stock G-man blue suit. Steve just stared them down and asked his own questions with every question they asked. Neither man would respond. The file folder on the table was an inch thick, and after ten hours of flipping the pages, they started over at the beginning.
Steve remained awake throughout the night as they grilled him with trick questions and blatant lies to get him to talk. They wanted to know the full history of Noah Hunter and his involvement with Leslie Taylor. Past cases were brought up, and a detailed account of Noah’s arrest record was questioned.
“Tell us about Noah Hunter’s ex-fiancée. How well did you know her?”
Hutchings knew more about what happened than he ever told Noah. It was not his first rodeo. But if the sun were shining, he would not give these goons a weather update. However, if they did not know the full story of Megan Brooks, then sure as shit, he was not going to mention anything. Over my dead body.
“Do you guys have a license? Sorry, but I just have to ask.”
Broken Nose glanced at his partner and frowned. They had an equally long night, and both were just as tired as Hutchings. Finally, he sighed. “I give up. A license for what?”
“For this horrible fishing expedition.” Hutching shook his head and grinned. “You guys should really consider a career change. Seriously.”
The cuffs rattled again as his shoulders shook.
The second man tapped a thick finger on the paperwork and sighed. “Let’s start over at—”
After a quick knock at the door, a woman stepped inside. She carried Steve’s suit jacket over one arm. “We’re done. Send him home.”
Hutchings did not know what happened, but he sure as shit wanted to find out. “I’m starting to like it here. How about you fill me in?”
The broken nose guy stood. “I’ll take you back to Arrow Point.”
The other suit collected the paperwork and reached into a pocket for his keys.
Hutchings stood and placed his right hand over the left wrist, and the handcuff fell onto the steel table, and after a bit of fumbling, the other shackle was removed. He adjusted his tie and reached out for his jacket.
“You guys are fucking rookies. Seriously.” At the shocked expression on their faces, he shook his head. “You don’t know how to shim a set of cuffs? What the hell are they teaching you nowadays? Next time, make sure to remove a suspect's tie clip.”
The two-inch clip had a small APPD badge on the front, but the thin prongs on the back easily slipped inside the mechanism. As to how they could overlook it, he had no idea. Lack of training, most likely.
“Now, you are going to have to help me out. I’ve been sitting too long, and my hip is sore. If I fall, you’re fuckin’ going down with me. You look nice and soft.”
With a final look at the cuffs on the table, the smaller man with the deep chest gave up. “Fine. Let’s go, pops.”
As they filed out of the small room, Hutchings turned as a large hand gently guided him by the elbow. Two steps later, he let out a sharp cry of pain and stumbled. A strong hand steadied and escorted him outside to a waiting car. No one noticed as broken nose’s wallet slipped into Hutchings’s suit jacket.
Fuckin’ rookies.
*****
A FRAGMENT OF BARK tore from the trunk, inches from Noah’s head. The jagged piece jutted out like an accusing finger. Leslie dropped beside him as the shot echoed across the clearing.
“Jesus.” Her fingers dug into his shoulder as she gasped for breath.
“Go straight up the hill from my position. Keep this tree behind you. Run!” Noah’s hand twitched for a weapon but only grasped dried needles and pinecones at his feet. There would be no point in firing the pistol. The distance was too far.
Leslie didn’t hesitate and flew back up the slope. Dirt cascaded down with her efforts. The tree vibrated from the impact with a dull thud when a second shot rang out. The echo was lost among the trees and wouldn’t have carried far.
Noah didn’t waste time looking for the shooter. The adrenaline helped propel him up the incline in three long strides. “I should have brought a rifle.”
Leslie ran like a deer through the woods, and Noah had trouble keeping up.
A thousand dry cedar branches snapped as he held an arm up to guard his eyes and head. Now wasn’t the time to be subtle.
When they burst out of the woods, the car was parked a hundred yards south of their position.
“Hold for a second. Listen.” Noah froze in the tall grass. At first, he could only hear the distant sound of birds and the hum from the hydro wires above. The familiar retort of sticks snapping grew steadily louder. The shooter was running and sounded like a bear charging through the woods.
“Shit.” Leslie took a step toward the vehicle.
Noah shook his head. “That’s where he will emerge. We have to go the other way.”
She winced. “Any chance it’s a mistaken hunter?”
The third shot sounded closer. “I don’t believe in coincidences. Let’s go.”
Noah turned north along the hydro cut and darted for the far side. Leslie stayed close behind. He tried to stay positive, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of dread. Options were few and far between. The maps had shown nothing but wilderness for fifty miles north of this part of North Carolina. Eighteen miles south were more built-up areas. The best bet was to change direction and make it back to the car. After they left the interstate, it was a forty-minute drive. The only thing Noah recalled passing was an abandoned gas station.
“Damn.” Noah glanced back over his shoulder and shook his head. The grass was bent along their trail. A blind man could follow them. “We need to make some distance.”
However, soon as they left the hydro cut and entered the woods, Noah swore to himself again. The cedar and spruce trees grew close together, and he doubted they could make it through without alerting the countryside.
“If we have problems getting through here, anyone following us will as well.” Noah dropped to his hands and knees. “Try to keep low, but more importantly, silent.”
He wasn’t sure how much of a lead they had, maybe ninety seconds. It would have to be enough. Leslie shook her head. “I have a different idea if you are up for it.”
The sound of breaking branches grew closer, and Noah could not think of another option. Time was ticking. “What did you have in mind?”