“Good to hear.’ Kane nodded.
“Just as a sidenote.” Carter eyeballed Kane. “I can shoot a dime out of the sky. Now we’ve stated our creds, are we moving before this kid gets murdered or what?” He turned to Jenna. “I’ll take the Hughes’ ranch, Rio’s SUV won’t be noticed so easy.”
Feeling the tension building up, Jenna took a deep breath. “Okay move out.” She grabbed her phone and called Deputy Walters at Aunt Betty’s to update him on her progress and then they headed out the door to Kane’s truck.
As Rio’s SUV weaved through the crowded festival traffic and then sped into the distance, Jenna slipped into her Kevlar vest and then strapped Duke into his harness. The bloodhound would be an asset and alert them if anyone was hiding close by. Her heart raced as she climbed into the seat and buckled up. She glanced at Kane as he pulled on his gear wearing a combat face expression. “I hope we find her.”
“I figure one of us will.” Kane turned the Beast onto Main and, lights flashing, maneuvered through the traffic. “Although logical thinking doesn’t usually apply to psychopathic behavior but this time it’s underdeveloped. If this is one of the cheerleaders, she’d just be getting started.”
Jenna looked at him. “Should I run it past Jo for her opinion?”
“We don’t have time.” Kane turned onto Stanton Road and accelerated. “This killer is an unknown quantity, unpredictable to the max. She believes she can control people, so will try, and play the injured party. Don’t let her under your guard. Going on the kills to date, especially the repeated post-mortem stabbing of Laurie Turner, we need to be on our guard. This girl will stop at nothing and she doesn’t care who she hurts.”
The truck hurtled into the darkness, the flashing red and blue lights making the forest look surreal. A sea of red and blue glanced over the pines as they sped past, making the dark depths of the forest flicker like a silent movie. Jenna didn’t have to explain that time was against them, Kane was pushing the Beast to the limit of safety at high speed. She could never get used to the way he pointed his truck at a gap between vehicles and seemed to make it through. With her heart in her mouth, she gripped the seat as they hit the straightaway and Kane pulled out. The Beast roared its approval as if it had at last been freed from its cage. They flew down the wrong side of the highway, passing vehicles as if they were standing still, and then tucked back into the lane as they approached a sweeping bend just as an eighteen-wheeler barreled by.
When Jenna heard the voice on the GPS, she leaned forward and turned off the flashers. “About five hundred yards on the right, then take a sharp left into the road to the ranch.”
“Copy that.” Kane slowed the Beast. “There’s an old building some ways from the house. L
ook out for a track on the left, from the satellite image it looks overgrown. I’ll turn off the headlights and we’ll be able to see our way with the parking lights. If there is someone here, we don’t want to alert them.”
They bounced along the tree-lined dirt road and Jenna searched for gaps that might lead to a track to the barn. A space in the trees came up and she made out a dirt road leading through the trees. “Stop. I think I can see the turnoff; we’ve gone past.”
“Okay.” Kane reversed and turned onto a trail.
Jenna leaned forward and peered ahead. “It’s a well-used path, maybe this isn’t the place.”
“It looks about right. The barn should be about a hundred yards from the main track. We have to check this out and fast. That girl’s life could be on the line.” Kane pulled into the trees. “We can walk from here.” He glanced out the window. “We won’t need to use a Maglite; it’s a full moon and I can see like a cat.”
Jenna’s stomach flip-flopped. Going into an unknown situation had sent her adrenalin into overdrive. She gave him a nod. “Let’s go. You first. I’m not planning on walking into any spider webs.”
“Sure, I just love spiders.” Kane grimaced. “Stick to the path and you’ll be fine.”
Ahead of her Kane moved in silence, Duke heading out before him on his leash, and she followed, keeping close to the path. With trees on both sides of the track, their boughs reached out to touch each other across the divide. Moonlight speared through the branches sending zebra shadows across the ground. She moved in closer to the trees and a web caught her hair. She batted it away and then heard a muffled scream. In front of her Duke had become a rigid statue, hackles raised. Unnerved, Jenna took a step forward and tugged on Kane’s shirt. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “What was that?”
Fifty-Six
The Zippo lighter clicked again and as the flame licked her bare toes, Vicky screamed, her cries muffled behind the rag inside her mouth. Unbearable pain exploded in her foot and seemed to grow more intense by the second.
“She’s good and awake now.” The Zippo lifted and the flame danced in the deranged eyes of Marlene Moore. “Get behind her.” She discarded the lighter and lifted a knife, waving it around so it caught the glow from the lantern. “See this?” She moved closer. “Maybe I’ll cut out your eyes, just one for a start. I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the fun.”
Terror consumed Vicky. Helpless, tied up, and at the mercy of two lunatics hell bent on killing her slowly, she tossed her head from side to side and squirmed on the plastic. Tears ran down her cheeks and she fought to breathe as her running nose threatened to block her airways. What had she ever done to Marlene to make her hate her so much?
“I heard something.” Dale Collins’ hands trembled as he grabbed Vicky’s shoulders. “Listen.”
“I don’t hear anything but her whimpering.” Marlene gave a satisfied smile. “But I wanna hear her make those funny noises. Shame about the gag, huh, Vicky? No one can hear you but me.” She waved a hunting knife and a small kitchen knife back and forth in front of her eyes. “Which one should I use first?”
Vicky strained her ears. She’d heard something too. A dog barking but some ways away. It came again, sharp and urgent, closer this time, but Marlene had heard it too and she stood to peer around the stall door.
“It’s a dog.” Marlene whipped her head around to Dale. “Your dog died. Know anyone with a dog around these parts who’d be snooping on your ranch?”
“Nope.” Dale’s voice sounded shaky. “When the sheriff spoke to me, they had a hunting dog with them. If they’ve found us, what are we going to do?”
“Douse that light for a start. I’ll go into the hayloft. If anyone comes in, I’ll have the jump on them. They won’t see me coming.” Marlene ran out the door. “If it’s the sheriff, she won’t be expecting kids to fight back.”
“Maybe we should just let her go and hightail it back to your place.” Dale’s voice was a husky whisper. “It’s her word against ours. We can take the backroads. I’ll drop you and dump the truck.”
“Not a chance.” Marlene sounded confident. “It might just be a dog, chasing critters in the trees. We’ll wait and see.”