Caroline forced herself to breathe normally. Well, as normally as she could manage, considering this was possibly the showdown that she’d been preparing herself for.
And the one that she’d feared.
She wasn’t immune to the panic that wanted to explode inside her, but she reminded herself that this was necessary. It would be impossible for her to put the past behind her if she was still dealing with it. And she felt in her gut that the attacks were connected to her past.
Specifically, to Eric.
Either someone thought Eric had spilled secrets to her, or else they were just tying up loose ends that they believed Eric had left behind. Lily and Zeller fit with the first theory. Kingston with the second.
“Did Gunnar spot a man or woman?” Caroline asked Jack. Even though she whispered her question, it practically echoed in the empty room.
“He’s not sure.” Jack whispered, too, but there was an angry edge to his voice. “Gunnar said he only got a glimpse of someone dressed all in black before the person ducked off the road and into some trees.”
There were certainly a lot of trees, and they dotted the landscape all the way from the road to what was left of the old gardens surrounding the inn. Someone could use them for cover, but eventually the attacker would have to come out into the open to make it inside.
Well, maybe.
It was possible to get into the house by crawling through the underbrush at the back, but it would still take some maneuvering.
“You want me to move to one of the front rooms so I can try to see this person?” Clarie asked.
Jack stayed quiet a moment, obviously giving her question some thought. “No. Gunnar and Manuel have good positions. They should be able to see if anyone approaches the inn, and if need be, one of them can move closer to get a better shot with the tranq gun.”
Caroline knew it was theshould bethat was eating away at Jack. He wanted absolutes when it came to her safety, but that wasn’t going to happen. The best they could do right now was to have a good shot at putting an end to this.
“What kind of range is there on the tranq gun they’re using?” Clarie asked a moment later.
“They actually have tranq rifles, and the range on those is supposed to be 210 feet. But Gunnar didn’t think it was smart to risk a shot that far out. He’ll want closer.”
Caroline agreed with that. It wouldn’t be like firing an automatic or semiautomatic, and if they missed on the first shot, they’d have to manually reload. That could give the person time to get away. However, Kellan had assured them that Gunnar and Manuel were both good marksmen with steady hands. And if they failed, then they’d go for a nonkill shot with their regular weapons.
There was also a possible problem with the tranq itself. It wouldn’t have an instant effect, and it could take several minutes to incapacitate the person. Still, the drug should make it a whole lot harder for their visitor to try to kill them. Plus, as soon as Gunnar or Manuel fired the tranq, they’d move in to apprehend.
“Zeller’s stupid if he doesn’t smell a trap,” Jack muttered just loud enough for Caroline to hear.
That, too, wasn’t setting well with him. Jack didn’t want to think of a fellow lawman being at the center of this, but it was possible. Zeller had the means and opportunity. He had a possible motive, as well, if he was trying to cover up his involvement in the sex-trafficking ring.
But Jack was right that Zeller should be able to smell a trap.
After all, the marshal had personal knowledge of her case and had almost certainly gone over every record of hers that existed. He might know that there were no other memories for her to recover. However, she was hoping he had enough doubts about her, about what she’d possibly remembered, that he would take the risk of coming here.
Of course, it was just as likely that he could have hired someone to do his dirty work, but she didn’t want to think about that now. If Zeller was guilty, he would come, and then Jack could arrest him.
Caroline peeked out through the sliver of space in between the boards and tried to get a glimpse of this possible attacker. Nothing. She could definitely see some trees and vines, but not a person. Listening didn’t help, either, because the only things she could clearly hear were the patter of the rain and her own heartbeat in her ears.
Jack’s phone dinged again, the sound shooting through the room and nearly causing Caroline to gasp. Clearly, she didn’t have her emotions under control as much as she wanted.
“It’s from Gunnar,” Jack said after giving Caroline a quick look. No doubt to make sure she was still okay. Just because she hadn’t gasped out loud, it didn’t mean Jack hadn’t sensed her nerves. “He got another glimpse of the person, and he’s pretty sure it’s a woman.”
Maybe it was Lily, and if so, it meant she hadn’t sent a henchman but planned on doing the job herself. Of course, that didn’t mean the woman didn’t have hired guns in the area.
“Gunnar couldn’t tell if the woman was armed,” Jack went on, reading the text. She saw him click the button to set his phone to vibrate, probably so the killer wouldn’t be alerted by the sound of any other incoming messages. “But she just ducked into some oaks on the east side of the inn.”
Caroline wasn’t exactly sure which way east was, but she turned her attention back to the window in case the woman came that way. Behind her, she heard the soft clicks of Jack texting.
“I told Gunnar to try to get closer to the woman so he can take her or get a better shot,” Jack explained. “But Manuel’s staying in place so he has a bird’s-eye view of the house and grounds. This person might be a decoy, and I don’t want someone else sneaking up on us.”
A decoy would definitely be something their attacker would try. He or she had never come at them head-on and likely wouldn’t want to do that now. The person was basically a coward, and that played into the mental profile she’d done. So yes, they needed to expect some kind of trickery or deception, and with the sprawling grounds around the inn, this woman could be drawing their attention while someone—maybe another hired gun—slipped closer to them.
