Hayes
I scrubbed a hand over my face and then blinked a few times as I stared down at the map again. No matter how long I stared at the damn thing, the little Xs I’d marked off where each attack had occurred, nothing became clear. I pushed back from my desk and stood, stretching my back. It might be time to walk the streets. I’d been locked up in this damn office for too long.
My cell phone buzzed from somewhere on my desk. I patted down the map and other papers until I found the device. I swept my finger across the screen. “Easton.”
“Hayes?” Shiloh’s voice was pained, with a shaky edge to it.
“What’s wrong?”
“We—Dad and I—we’re at the cabin with Everly. She went to get hay and didn’t come back for a while. So, I went to look for her, but she’s not here. The bale of hay is on the back of the four-wheeler, but I don’t see any sign of her anywhere.”
“You checked the cabin?” The question was automatic, as if my response were preprogrammed. Because there was no way Ev could disappear. There was an explanation, a simple one. There had to be.
“I checked, and Dad’s looking in the barn now. But I don’t see her—” Shy’s voice cut off.
“What is it?” I was already moving, grabbing my keys and heading for the door.
“Her phone. It’s on the ground.”
“Don’t touch it.”
“I won’t.”
The desks in front of me blurred as I tried to weave through them. “I’m on my way. Don’t touch anything. Stay with Dad.”
I hung up before she had a chance to say anything else. I pulled in a ragged breath, willing myself to hold it together. Ruiz was talking with the front desk officer, a new guy whose name
escaped me. He took one look at me and froze. “What is it?”
“Ev. She’s gone.”
“Where?”
I spent the next seconds relaying all the information I had. Each breath I took seemed to claw at my insides, begging me to move, to get to the cabin, to find Everly. “That’s all I know. I have to go.”
Ruiz reached out a hand, resting it on my shoulder. “You can’t work this case, Hayes.”
I shook off his hold. “I’m not working it as the sheriff. But you know damn well you can’t stop me from looking for her.”
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to find her. Don’t think I won’t.”
I turned on my heel and headed for the lot. Vehicles were already taking off, lights flashing, headed for Everly’s property. I jogged to my SUV and climbed in. I wasn’t above using my lights, too. I didn’t give a crap if it was an abuse of department resources since I wasn’t on this case.
By the time I pulled up into Ev’s drive, I’d gone completely numb. It was necessary. If I didn’t, I’d lose it and would never be able to get it back. I pulled to a stop in a spot I knew I could get out of quickly. Switching off my engine, I hopped out of the SUV and jogged towards my sister and dad.
Shy had her arms wrapped around herself. “I’m so sorry, Hayes. I should’ve gone with her. I never should’ve left her alone.”
“Hey.” I grabbed her shoulders, and Shy jerked back. I let my hands fall but bent to meet her gaze. “This isn’t your fault. But I need you to tell me everything.”
Shy and my dad walked me through their afternoon with Ev as officers pored over the area. Dad’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t hear anything. No scream. Nothing.”
“Think. Did you hear an engine?”
His eyes widened. “No. And we would’ve. We were done using any tools. We were just placing the feeder.”
“He’s on horseback.” I scanned the surrounding forests. There were endless places for him to go. Up into the wilderness, out into national forest land, to a farm we had no idea about.