Caleb glanced across the cab of his truck. “It’s closer than we are.”
All Gabe could do was nod. A lot could go wrong in ten minutes. “The SUV is a rental. A woman from New York City booked it last week.”
“Have they had any luck contacting her?”
“No.”
“Try calling Natalie again,” Caleb urged.
Gabe had already left two messages on the satellite phone. He called the number again, not surprised when it went to voice mail. “She’s still not answering. I’ll try her cell phone.” The chance of the call going through was low but, at this stage, Gabe would try anything. Still no answer.
“She’ll be okay,” Caleb assured him. “Natalie might look like she wouldn’t hurt a fly, but I’ve seen the way she moves during your self-defense classes. She’s fierce.”
Tears stung Gabe’s eyes. She was more than fierce. Natalie was strong, courageous, and one of the best people he’d ever met. She also had a cunning mind and tried to outsmart him whenever they were training. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do.
He wiped his face and took a deep breath. “I should never have left her alone.”
“She wanted to stay. Besides, the police have arrested Chapman. She’s probably playing with Sherlock. It’s only been…” Caleb glanced at the clock on the dashboard, “…sixteen minutes since she left the house.”
Gabe focused on the towering mountain range in front of them. Natalie wouldn’t do anything stupid. Even with Chapman in police custody, she knew to be careful. But with no neighbors and no gun, she was an easy target for anyone looking for trouble.
The flat pasture either side of the road blurred as they drove quickly toward Caleb’s home.
Gabe rechecked his watch. “The troopers haven’t called.”
“They might not be there yet.”
So much of what was happening reminded Gabe of the night Michelle was killed. He’d had a feeling something wasn’t right on that day, too. After calling her phone so many times, he’d given up and called the station. Then his world had fallen apart, and nothing had been the same again.
A beeping noise filled the heavy silence inside the cab.
Gabe’s heart pounded. “Is it Natalie?”
“It’s the house alarm.” Caleb handed him his phone. “Open the icon with the picture of the siren. What do you see?”
“A red flashing dot beside alarm three.”
“It’s the front door sensor. Tap the red dot. If the cell phone coverage is strong, we should be able to see what’s going on.”
The only thing Gabe saw was a black screen. “It’s not working. I’ll call Russell and tell him the sensor was activated.”
After he’d spoken to Russell, Gabe wanted to be sick. “The troopers set off the alarm. No one’s inside the house.”
Caleb’s worried gaze connected with Gabe’s. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Gabe swallowed the bile in his throat. The police were sending more vehicles to Caleb’s house. If Chapman wanted to recreate the worst time in Gabe’s life, he was doing a good job. Four years ago, he was too late to save Michelle’s life. He didn’t want the same thing happening again.
* * *
Natalie moved quicklythrough the forest. Sherlock stayed close, his nose to the ground, sniffing his way toward the cave.
She had no idea who was driving the SUV and wasn’t planning to find out. Gabe had told her the best way to get out of trouble was to leave, so that’s what she was doing. Fast.
Stopping, she glanced at her watch. She’d left the shelter ten minutes ago, but she still hadn’t found the path Caleb had shown them. Taking, a deep breath, Natalie searched the rocky bank above her. The cave wasn’t far away, but she needed to start climbing.
Sherlock sat beside her, patiently waiting for what she would do next.
“We’re going up,” she whispered. “Help me find the cave.”
