Remembering Dresden (Jack Turner Suspense Series Book 2) (32 page)

In about fifteen minutes, he had reached the opening in the trees for the clearing around the shack. The shack was just up ahead.

It was totally dark inside.

Joe Boyd had arrived twenty minutes ago, dressed in dark hunting garb. Using the GPS on his smart phone, he had navigated through the woods and was now positioned near the cabin, set back about twenty feet in the woods. He’d arrived just as Jack had turned the porch light on then came outside to put the journal and scrapbook in place.

He’d watched Jack drive off just as he’d been told. Boyd had his gun ready and pointed toward the porch.

All he could do now was wait.

Carefully and as quietly as he could, Jack walked toward the shack. His gun straight ahead, his index finger resting as close to the trigger as he dared. He didn’t hear a sound.

That is, until he came close to the doorway.

Now he heard something. Muffled sounds. An occasional bump. Was that someone moaning? He had to go inside. If he had figured this right, the kidnapper wasn’t here. He should be at the bigger cabin by now, ready to snatch the journal and scrapbook.

Jack decided to come in low in case he’d guessed wrong and the kidnapper fired his gun chest-high as the door opened. He closed his eyes, said a quick prayer and turned the knob until it clicked. He pushed the door open, grateful that it didn’t squeak. He breathed a sigh of relief when it reached the halfway point.

No gunfire.

He stepped inside. Now he could hear better. There was definitely someone in the room. Someone positioned against the far wall. But they didn’t say anything. He reached up where a light switch should be, but found none. Must be on a pull chain.

He took a few more steps. Still no reaction to his presence. He wished he had a flashlight but, wait…he did. The flashlight app on his phone. After pointing his gun toward the far wall, he tapped the app and the light came on.

“Rachel!” He said as quietly as he could.

It was her, and only her with him in the room. She was sitting in a chair, her eyes and mouth covered by strips of duct tape. Her feet were also taped, her arms to the chair. He put his gun in his waistband, set the phone on a cot next to her, hugged her with one hand and gently pulled the duct tape off her face with the other.

“Jack,” she cried as soon as her eyes focused. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

He freed her arms and she quickly reached down, tore off the tape around her ankles. They hugged tightly.

“We have to get you out of here now,” he whispered. “The guy could come back any second.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s probably at the cabin right now getting the journal and scrapbook. Are you hurt? Can you walk?”

“I’m a little stiff, but he didn’t hurt me.”

“Then we need to go.” Jack helped her stand. He tapped the flashlight app off, plunging the room into darkness once more. He picked up his phone. “Hold my hand tight and follow me. We’re going back through the woods toward my car. It’s out on the main road.”

They stepped outside onto the dirt. Just then, an incredibly bright flash of lightning struck very close, followed instantaneously by a loud crack of thunder. It startled both of them and they dropped to the ground.

“That was thunder, right?” Jack said.

“Yes, but it sounded a little bit like a rifle shot.”

“That’s what I thought. C’mon. We need to get into the woods.”

Right on time, Boyd watched a dark figure emerge from the trees on the far side of the clearing, heading straight for the front porch. He was carrying a gun and his head swiveled back and forth nervously with each step. When he reached the porch, he seemed satisfied that he was alone and stuck the pistol in his waistband. He saw the items on the table and went right for them. Boyd waited for him to pick them up and step back off the porch. As soon as he did, Boyd came out from his position with his gun pointed at the kidnapper’s chest.

The plan was, for Boyd to follow him until he called Jack. But Joe had thought about it. He didn’t want to take a chance of this guy leaving the scene and somehow getting away.

“Freeze,” Boyd said, not yelling but loud enough to be heard over the wind. “This is the police. You’re under arrest. Don’t even think of going for your gun.”

The man obeyed, turned his head toward the sound of Boyd’s voice.

The next moment, there was a bright flash of lightning and a loud bang of thunder. It was so close, Boyd instinctively hit the ground. So did the kidnapper, but something about the way he went down looked strange. The journal and scrapbook flew out of his hands.

Did he just get shot?

Boyd began to lift himself off the ground and was just about to call out to the man when another shot rang out. A bullet whizzed right by his head and struck the tree behind him. Joe rolled away in the opposite direction and headed for the trees. Another shot, clearly from a rifle. The dirt beside him flew up in the air.

Who was shooting at him? When he reached the safety of the trees, he looked back at the man he’d thought was the kidnapper. He hadn’t moved. Boyd couldn’t be sure because of the dim light, but it looked like he’d suffered a massive head wound.

Boyd thought about backtracking through the woods to get more firepower from his car but, just as he moved, another rifle shot hit the tree right behind his head. The guy obviously had a scope.

Boyd was pinned down.

When they reached the edge of the woods, Jack and Rachel heard more loud bangs. Obvious gunshots. Several rang out over the next few seconds, all in the direction of the cabin. “C’mon, Jack. We have to get out of here.”

“I can’t, Rachel. Something’s wrong. I think Joe’s in trouble.”

“What? Why? Is he by himself?”

“Yes. I don’t have time to explain. But please, trust me. Here.” He handed her his phone, swiped the screen revealing a GPS map. “Follow this through the woods. It will take you right to my car. It’s not far.”

“Jack, I can’t leave you like this.”

“Rachel, you have to. Joe came out here to protect us. I don’t know what’s happening, but I can’t leave him stranded. As soon as you get to the car, start driving toward town. Call 911 and tell the dispatcher about what’s going on. Tell her Joe Boyd’s in trouble and to send Hank Jensen’s team out here. Go quick.”

She looked toward the woods then back at him. She flung her arms around his neck. They hugged and kissed. “You stay behind the trees,” she said.

“I will.”

“Do not get shot, Jack Turner.”

“I won’t. I promise. Now go.”

Jack decided the quickest and quietest route back to the cabin was on the beach near the waterline. When he reached the spot in front of the fire pit, he saw the porch light he’d left on in the distance. And what looked like a body lying still in the dirt about ten feet away. It didn’t look like Joe. Seemed too long. He didn’t have to wonder very long.

“Sergeant Boyd,” a voice yelled from the tree line to his right, maybe twenty-five yards away. “There’s no use running from me. As you’ve probably guessed, I’ve got an infrared scope. I know you’re behind that big oak tree. I saw you run there. You move six inches either side of it, I’ve got a nice head shot.”

“That you, Mr. Vandergraf?” Boyd yelled back. “Have you really thought this through? You willing to kill a police officer for your boss?”

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Vandergraf said. “You weren’t part of the plan. You toss your gun down, I’m willing to let you run back through those trees toward your car. The only thing I want is on that front porch. That old journal and scrapbook. That’s all I’m here for.”

Jack’s heart began to pound. He was standing out in the open. If this guy, Vandergraf, had an infrared scope, all he had to do was look toward the lake and he could take Jack out with one shot. Thankfully, at the moment, he was preoccupied looking the other way toward Boyd.

Boyd began to talk again. “You think I’m stupid, Vandergraf. You didn’t come out here with an infrared scope on your rifle just to fetch a couple of old books. You just killed a man right in front of me. My guess is, he’s the guy you and the Senator hired for this little mission. I throw down my gun, there’s no way you’re going to let me make it back to my car.”

“No, I guess not,” Vandergraf said, then laughed. “The good news is, I hear head shots are almost painless. Over in the blink of an eye. But if I have to chase you through the woods, I might have to shoot you four, five, six times to put you down. That would be a shame, and very painful. Truth is, you weren’t even supposed to be here. My orders were to take out my guy here, that history professor who started this whole mess, and his girlfriend. I don’t know what happened to them. Guess I have some more work to finish tonight after you and I are done here.”

Jack had heard enough. Enough to know exactly where Vandergraf was, and enough to know what he had to do next.

As quietly as he could, Jack closed the gap between them. As he got closer he saw Vandergraf pointing his rifle in Boyd’s direction, one eye locked on the scope.

“Hey Vandergraf,” Jack yelled.

Vandergraf turned, lowered the rifle slightly, a look of shock on his face.

“Wondering where I am? I’m right here.” From less than fifteen feet, Jack fired his gun, twice, at Vandergraf’s head.

Vandergraf dropped dead on the spot.

A long moment later. “Jack,” Boyd yelled. “Is that you?”

“It’s me, Joe.” Jack walked up to Vandergraf’s lifeless body, kicked the rifle away. “You can come out now. I think both the bad guys are dead.”

Boyd emerged from the woods then from the shadows into the clearing, gun still in hand. “I’m so glad you came back. I was sure this was it for me.”

“Rachel and I heard the shots. I had my gun with me, just in case I needed it for her.”

“Is she alright?”

“She’s shaken up, but she looked good. She said the guy didn’t hurt her.” Jack pointed to the body that had already been lying there. “I’m guessing this was her kidnapper.”

“Looks like it,” Boyd said. “And the guy you shot is Harold Vandergraf. Senator Wagner’s aide. And I’d say, Wagner’s hit man. No doubt that’s who’s behind this. I’m gonna call Hank. He’s got a team ready to arrest the Senator.”

“I think he’s on his way here. I turned Rachel loose to take my car and my phone. I asked her to call 911 and tell them to send Hank and a team here. Of course, then, I didn’t know how this would be going down.”

“You did the right thing.” Boyd stuck out his hand. “I owe you my life, Jack.”

After shaking it, Jack thought about what happened last year and said, “I guess we’re even now. Say, are you gonna call Hank on your phone?”

“I was but, here, take it. I can call him from my car.” He looked down at the scene. “Nothing’s happening at the moment. You call, Rachel. Let her know you’re fine. She’s suffered enough anxiety today.”

“Thanks. I’ll stand here till you get back.” He watched as Boyd faded back into the trees then called Rachel.

She picked up right away. “Joe, is Jack okay?”

“It’s me, Rach. I’m using Joe’s phone. I’m okay. We’re both okay. Both the bad guys are dead. So you’re totally safe now.” He heard her begin to cry on the other end. “I’m going to stay here for a little while. Guess I have no choice, since you’re in my car.”

“I’m hanging up,” she said. “I’m turning the car around. I’ll be right there. Where are you?”

“The cabin. The real cabin, not the shack. But you don’t have to—”

“I’ll be right there,” she said, still crying. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m going to hang up now.”

“Don’t drive fast,” Jack said. “There’s no hurry now.”

“I won’t,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. So much.”

Jack put the phone in his pocket, his Glock back in his waistband. He looked out over the lake. The sight was actually quite beautiful, totally unlike the scene around his feet. A last glimmer of sunlight poured out through the storm clouds. In the distance, multiple sirens rang out through the trees.

One Month Later

The media frenzy surrounding this case finally began to subside.

It had made the national news three days in a row, the regional and local news for another week. Joe Boyd and Hank had been interviewed on both
Fox News
and
CNN
. In the Fox interview, Boyd had mentioned how Jack had saved his life, bravely taking out the shooter who had him pinned behind some trees. That went over big. Bigger still the part when Joe described how Jack had rescued Rachel from the kidnapper.

Once that news got out, producers from
Fox and Friends
hounded Jack for an exclusive interview with him and Rachel. It was the perfect angle for the morning show. Man risks his life to save the woman he loves. Didn’t hurt that both of them were young and attractive. Jack and Rachel had finally agreed when they were told the interview would be brief and that they could tape it from the local news station.

That interview had led to at least two-dozen more phone calls from other media outlets begging to cash in, but Jack and Rachel had turned them all down. Jack’s agent and publisher had begged them to say yes. “Think of the publicity for your next book.”

All Jack could think of was getting their lives back to normal. Neither he nor Rachel had any interest in extending their fifteen minutes of fame.

Of course, Senator Burke Wagner’s political career came to an abrupt halt two days after the shootout at the cabin. On the morning of that first day, he had feigned shock and surprise at the horrible misdeeds of his young aide, Harold Vandergraf, and the “thug” he had hired, Rob Strickland. How could he be blamed for the illegal activities done by those he’d employed?

Later that afternoon, a search of Vandergraf’s apartment yielded a digital recorder found in the lapel pocket of a suit jacket spread across Vandergraf’s bed. The very first recording was the conversation between Vandergraf and the Senator, where the Senator can be clearly heard giving Vandergraf instructions to kill Jack, Rachel and Strickland. When the DA heard the recording, he promptly set up a meeting with Wagner and his defense attorney.