Kentucky Murders: A Small Town Murder Mystery (32 page)

He couldn’t just follow the instructions and face this crazy person. What did he want? If it wasn’t money it had to be something else. If Tommy was involved, and obviously he was since the kidnapper was using Max’s place, he could be there to murder Zack for revenge. He would be walking into a trap.

What should he do?

Then his phone rang again and he scooped it up.

“Zack…ah…Sheriff Taylor, it’s Tina Simpson.”

“Tina?”

“Yeah, how’s it going? I wanted to check on the case.”

Zack didn’t know what to say. Should he tell her? Would he be risking the girl’s life, Sharnita’s life? He hesitated before answering.

“Ah, Agent Simpson. I, ah, I guess things are okay.”

“Tell me about the case?”

“Well, ah. Tina, actually I just got a call from the kidnapper and probably the killer of at least one of the original perps. He wants me to meet him at a small shack in the woods. It’s a place where I have a past history.” He felt better that he’d told her.

Tina sat up. “So there is some connection between you and this killer?”

“Well, there’s a connection between me, my wife and that shack in the woods. A friend of mine used to live there. He was murdered. The guy told me not to tell anyone and to come alone.”

“Zack, they always say that. Where are you now?”

“On the expressway about twenty minutes away from Michaeltown.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Zack, you have to let me help. You can’t just give into him. You could be killed.”

“Tell me what to do.”

“I’ll call you back within five minutes.”

“Okay.”

When Tina hung up her cell phone she turned to find a woman standing there in the doorway of her hospital room. She hadn’t noticed her and she had probably been listening to Tina’s conversation with Zack.

“Agent Simpson? I’m Kate Taylor, Zack’s wife.”

“Ah, Mrs. Taylor. This is a surprise. I didn’t expect… I didn’t hear you come in.” She had guessed correctly. Zack’s wife was beautiful.

“I’m worried about Zack and this case you two have been working on. I saw what you did at my office and wanted to thank you for risking your life to stop those men. Are you okay?

“It’s not as bad as it looked.”

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Kate said, “Was that Zack on the phone? What’s going on?”

Chapter 27

He’d been sitting in the car in front of the shack for at least ten minutes, thinking, before finally making
the
phone call.

Now that that was done, he
dragged the unconscious girl out of the car. He thought about how things had not gone so well and had gotten sloppy. He hadn’t planned for the death of the two morons he’d hired to do the job. If they had only followed his instructions and then brought him the girl as planned, they would have been out of it by now and alive. They had caused the events leading to their own deaths. Too bad for them.

At least he had the girl and he would soon fulfill his final objective. Even though he’d warned him, he knew Zack would call in the troops. Every cop and FBI agent in the county would converge on this shack in the next hour. He would bet that Taylor was too proud to ask for help, but in the end he would know it was the right thing to do. He would come to the shack alone, but his backup would be nearby. And that’s exactly what he wanted. This would be the last scene in his sick play and Taylor was in for a big surprise. The bastard would finally pay.

He laid the girl on the floor inside the dilapidated building and found an old wooden chair that seemed to be intact lying on its side in a grassy corner of the room. Picking it up, dusting it off, he inspected it and it appeared to be usable. He laid his .45 caliber revolver down on the floor nearby. Bending over, he picked up the girl and sat her in the chair. He used the duct tape he’d gotten from the car to tape her arms and legs securely to the chair. The tape was really all for show. It wasn’t like she needed to be secured since she wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. She was only the bait in his trap.

---

Agent Simpson explained the call she’d just gotten from Zack to his wife. After all, she wouldn’t be able to hide it from her now after she had overheard the conversation. She might also be able to provide valuable information on this shack Zack had been talking about which would save time.

“What shack was Zack talking about?”

“It happened six years ago when Zack and I first met. My ex-boyfriend tried to kill Zack. It’s a long story, but Tommy went to prison. The shack is a few miles out of town near the factory. That’s where it all happened.”

“Can you show me?”

“Yeah, I think so…it’s been a while since I’ve been out there. But why?”

“We’re going to catch this guy and make sure your husband doesn’t get killed.”

Just then the other FBI agent returned from eating.

“Jones, call the team leader. We’ve got a lead on the suspect. And have the nurse bring me my stuff right away. I need my gun, too. I’m coming along. Hurry!”

Zack’s phone rang for the third time on his drive back to Michaeltown.

He looked at the small screen before answering. “Agent Simpson?”

“Yes, Sheriff. We’re mobilizing to the scene and will meet you there. Don’t worry; we’ll stay out of sight.”

“But how do you know where…”

“Your wife helped us out there. Where are you now?”

“About five minutes from the exit. Then about ten more minutes to the location. My wife is there?”

“Yes. She’s described the area, so we know what to expect. We’ll have snipers in the woods when you arrive. Just play it cool. They have orders to take down the suspect if you or the girl is threatened. My guys should be moving into position as we speak. Kate and I are on our way there. We’ll wait for you at the factory parking lot.”

“Ah, okay. Can I speak to Kate?” Briefly, the line went silent.

“Zack?”

“Kate. Are you okay? Where’s Jimmy?”

“I’m fine. Jimmy’s with my mom. Zack, I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry, honey. It’ll be okay. I’ll see you soon.”

---

Birds sang from somewhere in the nearby woods. All else was quiet. The girl slept silently, held captive on the wooden chair in the dingy shack. No car sat parked out front. The scene was calm, eerie.

---

Zack exited the expressway and turned toward the box factory where he had once worked.

---

Agents Simpson, Jones, and the Sheriff’s wife pulled into the factory parking lot and parked near the back corner of the building, out of sight.

Chapter 28

Jimmy sat on the couch in Grandma’s living room. The TV played one of his favorite cartoons but he had a hard time concentrating on the show.

Where was his Mom and what had happened to Sharnita? He hadn’t seen her since… Then he remembered the men with guns. Now he remembered coming to Grandma’s. Mom was here before. Then she had told him to stay with Grandma because she “had something to do,” whatever that meant. He’d fallen asleep while watching TV.

He decided to be good and stay with grandma. He could hear her in the kitchen. She was probably fixing him a snack. She made really good snacks.

---

Zack turned into the factory parking lot and spotted the FBI car as he approached the far end of the factory. As he pulled up, Agent Simpson and Kate got out of the back seat.

“Kate.”

“Zack, I can’t believe we’re back here again.”

“Yeah, kind of strange isn’t it? I’m not sure exactly what Tommy’s involvement is here, but he’s either pulling the strings or at least knows what’s going on.”

“Sheriff, our people are in position. One agent was able to get a view inside the building with his rifle scope and reports that he sees the girl. She’s taped to a chair and appears to be unconscious. There is no movement or sign of the assailant. They can’t see any vehicles.”

“He’s probably hiding inside.”

Kate had her arm around Zack’s waist. “Isn’t this too dangerous, Zack? You could be killed.”

“I don’t have much of a choice. Odds are that he had second thoughts about hurting a child, left the girl for us, and is long gone by now. Why else wouldn’t he ask for money or something?”

“If you’re ready, you can go ahead now. Here’s your earpiece. You’ll be able to hear us but not talk back. Just draw him out and my snipers will take him down if he makes a move against you. Once he’s in the open, arrest him. We’ll deal with him if he resists.” Tina Simpson limped a few steps closer and Zack took the small earpiece from her.

“Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?” Zack slid the tiny listening device into his right ear canal.

“I wanted to see this through.”

Zack looked at Kate. She was frowning. “Kate, don’t worry. Look at all the help we’ve got this time.”

“How can I not worry? That guy probably has a gun and wants to kill you.” She hugged him again.

“I’ll be all right, honey. I love you. I know I haven’t said that enough lately. You and Jimmy are everything to me.”

“I love you too. But don’t make that sound like a goodbye. I’ll see you in a little while when this is all over.”

He nodded, and then kissed her.

“Okay, Agent Simpson. I’m ready.”

He turned and got back into his Blazer. He made eye contact with Kate one last time and nodded to her. She looked scared but nodded back.

---

Jimmy hadn’t heard from Grandma in a long time. His stomach was growling for those brownies she was making. Then he realized he smelled something burning. He got up and walked toward the kitchen. “Grandma?”

When he entered the kitchen he saw smoke coming from the oven. The brownies were burning! But where was grandma? “Grandma? The food is burning!”

---

Zack turned down the trail leading to the once-familiar shack where his friend had lived, where had Zack almost died.

He could tell the road had been used recently. The grass was flattened down by tires. He remembered making this journey many times back in those days when he had visited Max.

Was this his final time to drive this route? Would he survive this encounter with an obvious madman? He had been lucky once before at this very spot. That probably made his odds worse this time. But six years ago he hadn’t had FBI agents with rifles and high-power scopes covering his back. He had barely managed to fight off Tommy just as Kate and the former sheriff had arrived. This would be much easier. He hoped.

He entered the clearing and again could see crumpled grass from previous traffic. But there was no car or truck anywhere in sight.

He turned off the ignition and listened through his open window. He heard just the sounds of a fall afternoon in the woods. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he opened his door and got out.

As he approached the shack he scanned the woods for signs of the agents, but saw none.

“I’m here and I’m alone.”

No one answered.

“Hello?” a little louder this time.

He continued toward the shack, hoping the killer wasn’t faster than a sniper’s bullet.

---

Kate and Tina Simpson stood listening to a hand held police radio for any word. Nothing so far. Tina was also monitoring the electronic communications system, but it too was silent.

Kate stared at the woods helplessly, knowing Zack was not more than a quarter of a mile through those trees. She could only imagine what might be happening.
When we get through this we’re going to make love every day
, she thought.
And why not have another baby? Zack, my love, be safe. Please?

---

Zack reached the shack and saw through the open door the girl taped to a chair. She wasn’t moving. He slowly poked his head into the entrance, and quickly looked right then left. All clear? He could only hope.

He stepped inside and took one more look around before approaching the girl.

Thank God, she was breathing and only appeared to be asleep. He took out a pocketknife and began cutting the tape holding her. Once free he picked her up in his arms and left the building. Still no killer appeared to shoot them. He rushed over to his SUV and slid her through the passenger door onto the seat. He picked up the portable radio and called, “It’s all clear here. I have the girl and she’s alive. There’s no sign of him.”