"May! Where are you headed?"
"I don't know where he's going. He's taking a back road going north out of Sleepy Hollow. I might lose him," she said. This was turning into such a disaster. What if she didn't catch him at all? He was driving like a demon now.
"You won’t lose him. You’re a brilliant driver. Send me the location as soon as you can. As soon as he stops. In the meantime, I'll get on the road to Sleepy Hollow so that I'm in the area."
She cut the call, feeling grateful for Owen’s reassurance, which had bolstered her confidence and given her the will to speed around these hairpin bends as York headed into the hills.
It was a balancing act that required hanging back enough to avoid being seen, but staying close enough to be able to follow him, as he weaved in and out of the forest, and then out along a dirt track, where it was clear he had driven before, for his driving seemed very confident and sure.
May was starting to sweat with the effort of keeping up, as she rounded yet another bend. If she lost him, she had no doubt at all that his victim would lose her life. This was the only chance she had to save the girl. This pressure was leaving her on the edge of her nerves. But she dug deep inside herself, and was surprised by the resilience and strength of will she discovered there.
She was going to catch this killer and bring an end to this terrifying string of murders. And she was determined to save Berenice, if she possibly could.
How she wished she'd been able to pick up at the police station what he was planning. But then again, he would just have denied it, and in any case, they had no proof at all, other than the connections May had made in her own mind. So this was the only way, dangerous and risky as it was. At least, with every turn they took, she felt surer that he had hidden the girl out here and was coming back.
She clung to the possibility that Berenice might still be alive, though she was certain he intended to kill her.
She just had to pray that she caught him.
Before it was too late.
There! He was stopping! May caught her breath.
With a squeal of tires, York swerved into a clearing. In a cloud of dust, he stopped the car. It was almost invisible from the road. If May hadn't seen the turn and the dust, she would never even have noticed the gray car, parked almost behind a clump of trees.
By the time she'd reached it, he had gone.
Quickly, May took a moment to send Owen the coordinates before jumping out of her car.
And then, she sped down the trail that led deep into the woods. He had to have gone this way. There was only one path he could take, though it was clearly seldom used, a route known only to him.
He must have come here earlier and brought her, dumped her.
Trying to be as quiet as she could, May headed deeper into the woods, dreading what she would find, knowing that backup would never get here in time for this confrontation, and it was only going to be her against him.
And then, ahead of her, she heard his voice.
It sent shivers down May's spine. He was speaking in a wheedling way, with an evil laugh in his words.
"Oh, my baby. You're my queen. I've saved you for last. Last and longest. You're the one I wanted the most. The one who's the most special to me. Show me your face, your beautiful face.
May heard sobbing and screaming, but the cries were muted. She thought the girl was simply too terrified to make a noise.
With her heart hammering violently, she crept forward along the stony, uneven trail, knowing that at any moment she would be in his sight. Then, she would have to take him down, on her own, not knowing what to expect.
May drew her gun. Her hand was trembling.
She stepped forward again. She couldn't delay. Those girls had been killed quickly, and with significant strength. If she was too slow, he might already have done the deed and caused fatal damage in just a few moments.
Taking a deep breath, May rushed forward.
There he was. On the other side of a large clearing, kneeling over the girl, who lay with her back against a tree, her hands and ankles tied. She was desperately struggling, her eyes wide.
"Step away from her! Hands in the air!" May yelled.
But he was too quick for her.
As May rushed toward him, York’s face changed. It hardened into a snarl. With lightning speed, he grabbed the girl and pulled her in front of him.