Chapter
Fourteen

“Just pass the message along,” Tony said gruffly. He closed his cell phone and put it in his jacket pocket. The dispatcher at the sheriff’s department had transferred Tony to a deputy who insisted Killian would want to take the message directly. Although Tony could have tried to wait until the deputy sheriff was available, he wasn’t sure what kind of cell phone service he’d have once they started going deeper into the mountains. He had to let someone know where he was. He knew he should call Batterson, but he was also aware what his boss’s response would be. Since Tony had no intention of changing his mind, he couldn’t see any reason to listen to Batterson rant and rave at him. He made the deputy write down his message verbatim and read it back. Once he had it right, Tony hung up.

“Where are you going?” he asked Bobby, who seemed to be transfixed by the road ahead.

“This is the main road,” Bobby said. “In a few miles, other roads begin to split off. Most of them lead to areas with cabins or homes. Not places anyone would go who didn’t want to be seen. Up higher, there are roads that lead to a few cabins, some small resorts. Only one goes almost nowhere. It’s secluded. The place you’d go if you didn’t want to be found. I’m not an expert on this kind of stuff, but if I were trying to kidnap someone, it’s where I’d take them. If this guy knows anything about our area, it’s where he’s headed.”

“You can’t be certain which direction he’ll take,” Tony said, trying to keep frustration out of his voice. He hoped this guy wasn’t leading him on a wild goose chase. Why had he trusted him? Had he made a serious error in judgment that had led him farther away from Kate?

Bobby turned to look at Tony, uncertainty on his face. “I . . . I just think it makes sense. I mean, why go up into the mountains? I assume he’s trying to get somewhere . . . private. Am I looking at this wrong?”

Tony remembered the book Bobby was reading when he checked in.

“Do you read a lot of crime fiction?” Tony asked.

Bobby flushed. “I . . . I know that doesn’t make me an expert on this kind of stuff. If you think we should look somewhere else . . .”

“No, actually it’s a good thing. Your instincts are probably right.”

“Could the guy that took Emily be an ex-husband or boyfriend?” Bobby asked. “I don’t really know much about her.”

Tony turned over his options in his head. Even though he wasn’t completely sure Bobby was going to help him find Kate, he couldn’t figure out any way Bobby could possibly be a threat. Besides, right now Bobby was all he had. He decided to take a chance on the man. Kate’s life was on the line and he needed all the help he could get. Bobby cared about Kate. If he knew how serious the situation was, Tony was certain he’d do his very best to locate her.

“A few years ago, Emily was a witness against a man charged with murdering her twin sister. The killer was put away, but because some of the evidence used in the trial has been thrown out, he’s been released. I’m pretty sure that’s who has her. My fear is that he plans on finishing the job he started. You see, he didn’t know Emily was a twin. Not until the night of the attack. I believe he wants her dead, too. Just like her sister.”

Bobby took his eyes off the road and gave Tony a perplexed look. “Are you talking about the Alan Gerard case?”

Bobby was sharper than Tony had given him credit for. “Yes, I am.”

“You think Alan Gerard has Emily?” Bobby’s eyes were large with alarm. “But that wasn’t the name of the victim—or her twin sister. What was it? I saw it on TV, but I can’t remember.”

“Kate. Kate O’Brien.”

“Oh yeah. That’s right.” Bobby glanced quickly at Tony. “Are you really Emily . . . Kate’s cousin?”

“No, I’m with the U.S. Marshals, and I came here to escort her back to St. Louis. To testify against Gerard . . . again.”

“Wow. A real U.S. Marshal. That’s awesome. I’d love to help you,” Bobby said. “It’s an honor.”

“Thanks, Bobby. I appreciate it.”

“I . . . I heard on the news this morning that the authorities decided someone else was the Blue-Eyed Killer. That Gerard didn’t do it. Is that true?”

Tony sighed. As Batterson had said, the story was out. It had even reached Shelter Cove. “Yeah, that’s the prevailing theory now. Has to do with a body recently discovered. DNA—fingerprints seem to point to someone else. Some people involved in the case think Kate’s identification was wrong.”

“Emily . . . I mean Kate, doesn’t seem like the kind of person to make a mistake like that.”

Tony nodded at him. “You and I agree on that. I think that’s why Gerard may have taken her. He disappeared from St. Louis yesterday. Somehow I’m afraid he found out she’s here.”

“So maybe Gerard attacked Kate and her sister? And this Bodine guy killed the other victims?”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

Bobby frowned. “So this is personal for Gerard? Nothing to do with B.E.K.?”

“That’s just the thing. I don’t know. I’m still not even sure that the man you saw was Gerard. But if it is him, my guess is that he really wants to be the next B.E.K. Now that he’s out of prison, he’s free to pursue the B.E.K. legacy.” Tony shook his head and sighed. “Understand that I’m in the minority here. Most people believe Bodine attacked Kate and Kelly. They think Gerard is innocent.”

“But Bodine is dead, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why I think either Gerard or one of his insane fans took Kate.”

At that moment, a curve in the road led to a fork. Bobby slowed the car. “We’re going farther up into the mountains. The way I mentioned. Is that okay with you?”

“If you feel it’s the best thing to do, let’s try it. But if we don’t find some sign of Kate soon, we’ll have to go back to Shelter Cove. Our best bet is to coordinate with local law enforcement.”

A crack of thunder drowned out Bobby’s response, but Tony wasn’t planning to argue about it anyway. The only reason he’d left with Bobby was because he thought they might be able to catch up to Kate quickly. If they couldn’t, they’d have to turn back. Tony wanted to do whatever was best for Kate. He prayed he could find her quickly. The longer it took, the less likely they were to find her alive.

After moving things around inside the trunk and finding a blanket she could use to wipe her face, Kate began once again to look for a trunk release latch. There was some kind of box next to her. When she finally pushed it a few inches away, she saw something that glowed. She wiggled around a bit until she could reach it. It was a small handle emblazoned with a picture of a car, its trunk open. There was also an arrow pointing down.

“Thank You, God,” Kate whispered into the dark. “Thank You.”

Now she knew she could escape. But when? She had no idea where she was. Right now the car was going too fast, but when it slowed down again she’d make her move. If the driver of this car was Alan Gerard, she had to find a way to run. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t live to see another sunrise.

“What do you mean Tony took off?” Batterson asked Mark.

“When the Marshals got to Shelter Cove they were told Tony left with some local man. Said he might know where Kate O’Brien had been taken and that there wasn’t time to wait for backup. Left his apologies to you with someone at the sheriff’s department. That’s where I got this information.”

“Left me his apologies?” Batterson could feel his blood pressure rising, something his doctor had warned him about. “What was he thinking?”

“He was probably thinking that if he waited, Kate would die,” Mark said. “I understand his decision.”

“You know better than that,” Batterson snapped. “We wait for backup. We’re not cowboys, taking off on our own.” He pointed at his phone. “If Tony thought he was right about this, he’d have called me and told me himself. We need the information he has, and now we’re probably going to have to rescue him, too. What a knuckle-headed thing to do.”

Mark handed him a piece of paper. “Here’s what Tony dictated to the person he spoke to at the sheriff’s office. It was supposed to go to a certain deputy sheriff, but he seems to have disappeared, too. One more weird piece of this insane puzzle. Supposedly Tony left you all the information you need. Where they went. Why they went. And who Tony is with. Hopefully, this will help, Chief.” Mark hesitated a moment before saying, “With all due respect, Tony’s a smart, well-trained deputy. If he felt he had no choice but to go after our witness . . . I trust him.”

Batterson started to disparage Mark’s comment but then thought better of it. Mark had a point. Still, protocol had to be respected. Without it there was anarchy.

He waved Mark away. After the door closed behind him, Batterson picked up the sheet of paper and began to read.