Justice Overdue: A Private Investigator Mystery Series (18 page)

He didn’t dare call her name. If the prowler were in the area he would be sure to hear. He stood and glanced around the site again. His eyes stopped when he saw a book, lying at the foot of a tree by the edge of the clearing. He went over, looked closer at the book and frowned. It wasn’t closed with a bookmark tucked neatly inside like Annie always did. She was particular when it came to respecting the written word, and she would never have left the book opened up, face down, and lying in the dirt.

Something was terribly wrong.

His worst fear had come true. He clenched his fists, angry with himself. He should never have gone to the other camp to warn them of danger, when danger lurked right here at their own camp.

He dared to hope she would come walking out of the trees any second, humming quietly to herself, a smile on her face. But he knew in his heart it wasn’t going to happen.

He looked around in desperation, glaring at the dense forest in all directions. Had someone come and taken her away by force?

He glanced at his watch. Andy Fletcher had gone for help almost two hours ago. He should be back soon, bringing the police with him. But he couldn’t count on them. He had to do something—anything. And he had the boys. He wasn’t going to leave them alone, but how could he possibly search for his wife and bring them along.

Did he dare leave them at the other camp and trust Holly to watch them? Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. They wouldn’t be any safer there than here.

His one consolation was in knowing Annie was quick-witted. She’d been in perilous situations before and always pulled out of it, one way or another. But he couldn’t count on that. Someone dangerous lurked about and at least one person was already dead. He shuddered at the thought of losing Annie. That would be impossible to take.

He had no choice. He had to take the boys with him and find his wife. But where would he start? He was surrounded by three thousand square miles of wilderness. And what if the game warden came back while he was gone?

He inspected the ground under the tree and leading into the forest. There were no visible prints in the leaves, moss, and hard-packed dirt of the forest floor, and no other evidence anyone had been there.

He dropped his head back and stared unseeingly into the cloudless sky. Unless she’d known her abductor, which would be highly unlikely, the kidnapper would never have approached her from the opposite side of the clearing. It seemed likely he’d crept up from behind as she leaned against the tree. In which case, did they leave in the same direction he’d come? Possibly, even likely, but that wasn’t proof they’d gone that way. They might have circled around.

The abduction—and he was certain now it was an abduction—must have taken place mere minutes before he arrived. He wasn’t gone for long, and unless the boys had obediently stayed in the tent without a word, they would’ve poked their head out from time to time and noticed her missing.

Perhaps they were still close by, but which direction? Surely not the direction of the lake where he’d been. They would’ve headed off some other way to avoid crossing paths with him. Was the kidnaper watching them all the time? Had he waited until Jake left, and then taken Annie? If so, they might’ve been gone longer than he first assumed, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes. Plenty of time to get far away.

He was faced with unanswerable questions. Whatever he did, and wherever he searched, would be like looking for a needle in a haystack thousands of square miles in size.

He recalled the cabin the boys had discovered earlier. Andy had said a guy named Otis lived there and he was harmless. Perhaps he wasn’t so harmless. Someone was responsible for the body in the woods, and if his fears were correct, the abduction of his wife.

The cabin was his only lead. He couldn’t sit around waiting for a ransom note. There wouldn’t be one. This had nothing to do with ransom. This was the action of a madman and he had to search for Annie. He had no choice.

He went to the tent and ducked inside. “Matty, I can’t find your mother and we need to look for her.”

Chapter 39

Saturday, 6:01 PM

ANNIE SAW THE weathered, grey exterior of an aged log cabin through the trees. Varick Lucas prodded her directly toward it, and she assumed it was their final destination. What she didn’t know was, why was he taking her there, and what was his end game?

She knew from news reports she’d seen and heard, Lucas was a violent killer, yet during their trek through the forest, he somehow seemed less than that, almost friendly, or at least as friendly as someone with a knife at your throat could be.

He gave her another push and she stumbled into the clearing and faced the cabin. It was old, very old, but the rough-hewn logs from which it consisted would easily stand another hundred years. If he intended to keep her prisoner there, it would be an almost impossible task to escape. The building was like a small fortress.

“Keep going,” he said. “Inside.”

He was still behind her, his hand gripping her shoulder, assuring she didn’t make a run for it at the last moment. She would never be able to outrun him, and it was pointless to resist and put herself in further danger. She would bide her time for now, but when the time was right …

He held her at arm’s length, her back to him as he fumbled in his pocket for the key. He snapped open the padlock. The door creaked forward and thumped against the inner wall of the cabin.

He pointed inside. “Go.”

She obeyed, stepping carefully over the doorway and into the dimly lit room.

“Sit there,” he said, pointing to a sturdy wooden chair in front of a stone fireplace.

She sat and faced him as he pulled the door closed and latched it securely. He turned toward her and grinned. “Welcome to my home.”

She didn’t answer. What was the use? She glanced around the ancient cabin. The air was stuffy and stale, but the small room was clean and organized. A bearskin rug lay by the fireplace, tattered and worn. Fishing rods and nets decorated one wall, a small canoe balanced in the rafters.

He dragged a matching chair across the floor, set it in place a few feet away, and dropped into it with a sigh, facing her. She avoided his eyes as he sat quietly and watched her. Finally, she looked at him, stifled a tremble in her voice, and asked, “What do you want with me?”

She felt his eyes on her as they moved up and down the length of her slim frame. Then he said, “I thought maybe I wanted what every man wants.” He shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Though she trembled, she didn’t feel to be in imminent danger. She feared more for Jake and the boys. Did this lunatic’s plan involve them? She knew Jake would be constantly on his guard, especially now that she was missing, but he would be handicapped by the presence of Matty and Kyle.

Jake had assured her the game warden had gone for help. Surely he would be back soon and the police would find her. It couldn’t be long now.

“I have plans for your husband,” he said.

Just what she feared. “What kind of plans?”

He shrugged. “That depends on him, and maybe on you. I can’t say yet.” A strange look came over his face. “Too bad about the boys though.” He sighed. “Collateral damage, you might say.”

Annie leaped forward but Lucas stood and pushed her back into the chair, his hands on her shoulders.

She glared up at him as he stood in front of her, his arms crossed, legs spread.

“You leave the boys alone,” she said in a defiant tone. “They never did anything to you.”

He cocked his head. “You’re rather protective of your boys.”

“I’m a mother,” she said flatly.

He nodded slightly. “And that’s what mothers do, right? Protect their children?”

She clenched her jaw, her brow in a tight line, and spoke firmly. “Above all else.”

He glanced toward the small window in the back of the building. His eyes glazed over, his mind somewhere far away.

Finally, he turned back to her and spoke almost gently. “I had a mother once.” His shoulders slumped and Annie thought she saw pain in his downcast eyes.

“What happened to her?” she asked.

“She died,” he said, almost inaudibly.

“And your father?”

“Dead.”

She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

The fireplace whistled as an early evening breeze tickled the chimney. A mouse skittered through the rafters. The cabin was otherwise quiet and still.

Lucas raised his head slowly.

Then with a sudden rush, the hardness returned to his eyes—the glint of evil that had softened somewhat reappeared, and he exploded from the chair. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He stood and stormed about the cabin, mumbling unintelligibly.

Annie stayed unmoving, her head bowed, not wanting to antagonize him further. Her best hope was when he exhibited some semblance of humanity. She would have to wait for him to calm down.

She chanced a careful look in his direction. His back was to her as he bent over the table, his head in his hands. She heard him moan, as if in pain—emotional pain, no doubt.

Now was the chance she was waiting for. Perhaps her only chance.

She prayed the floorboards would remain silent as she crept to the door. Her hand touched the latch and she lifted it cautiously. The door squeaked as she tugged on the heavy wooden portal.

He shouted as she sprang through the doorway and across the hard-baked soil and grass of the clearing. The forest was but a few steps away. He was but a few steps behind.

She often jogged in the morning, and she was lithe and fast, but no match for him. He roared like a savage as he pursued her, now close behind and coming closer.

He touched her shoulder and she wrenched away, taking a hard turn. She’d evaded his grip for now. If only she had a weapon. She spied a fallen branch to one side, the perfect size. She dove for it, gripped it tight, and rolled to her feet.

He was right in front of her, and she swung the weapon with all her strength. The branch whipped through the air as he ducked, straightened up again, and grinned. “You can do better than that.”

She swung again. His hand shot up and the weapon smacked into his palm. He wrenched it from her grasp and stood glaring at her, slapping the free end of the weapon into the palm of his hand. Finally, he tossed it aside.

“I must say, I admire your spunk,” he said, and chuckled. “But you’re just not spunky enough. Nice try though.”

She looked at him, panting for breath a moment, and then turned to run. She’d taken a chance, given it her best shot, but now as his hand gripped her arm and pulled her to the ground, she knew her best shot hadn’t been good enough.

She fought in vain as he dragged her back to the cabin and threw her on the cot by the wall.

“That wasn’t very ladylike,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to tie you up now.”

Chapter 40

Saturday, 7:16 PM

THE SUN DIPPED in the western sky, scarcely visible above the treetops, as Jake trudged wearily through the forest, the boys following behind. It would be dark soon. The moon would barely penetrate through the thick greenery above, and his desperate search for Annie would be almost impossible to continue.

He couldn’t stay still and wait for the game warden to return when his wife was in danger. He had to do something, anything, but with only a vague idea of which way to go, he was afraid his pursuit was futile.

They had searched the area around the campsite in ever widening circles and had accomplished nothing. They now hunted for the cabin the boys had discovered earlier. Jake felt it might hold the key to Annie’s disappearance, and was desperate to find it.

Matty was uncertain of its exact direction, only that it lay somewhere west of their original campsite. When the boys were lost, they’d followed the sun back, but now in the impending darkness, it would be easy to miss the cabin. A few degrees to the right or left could lead them miles in the wrong direction.

He ducked at the last moment, narrowly missing an overhanging limb across the path. He came to a stop and peered through the trees. The growing gloom of the forest made it hard to see more than fifty feet ahead.

“What is it, Dad? Did you see something?” Matty whispered.

Jake tried to keep the desperation from his voice as he answered, “No, I’m just trying to get my bearings.”

“I think the cabin is that way,” Kyle said, pointing to the left.

Matty shook his head and pointed in another direction. “No, Kyle. It’s that way.”

Jake looked down at Matty. His son was trying to be brave, but Jake knew the boy was aware his mother might be in danger. “We’ll look in every direction,” Jake said. “We’ll find her soon.” He didn’t feel as optimistic as he tried to sound. It would be easy to get lost in the darkness with only the moon and a patchy sky of stars to guide them.

He was startled by the flutter of wings from nearby as an unseen bird took to the air with a screech. The occasional whine of mosquitoes, creaking tree trunks, and the crackling undergrowth with each step, were a constant reminder of the vast wilderness surrounding them.

The faraway howl of a wolf caused Kyle to cling to Matty in fright. He looked around him, his eyes growing large.

Matty soothed his friend. “It’s all right, Kyle. It’s a long way from here, and besides, wolves aren’t usually dangerous. That’s only in fairy tales.”

Kyle looked at Matty, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. He finally released his grip, but continued to keep a careful eye.

“I should’ve brought the flashlight,” Jake said, more to himself than anyone else. “We’ll go back for it.” He turned and went in another direction. “This way, guys.”

He led them to their old campsite, unlocked the door of the SUV, dug around in a box in the cargo area and removed a Maglite. He tested it. It was growing dim. He should have brought fresh batteries.

They returned to the forest, continuing on the route they’d previously taken. He used the light sparingly, illuminating the way through and around the thick foliage, hope in each weary step, coupled with a fear he might find his wife’s lifeless body, discarded like the unfortunate victim he’d discovered earlier that afternoon.