Looking down at the ground, John saw what appeared to be scuff marks, as if someone had been dragged. Theshoe impressions weren’t entirely visible, but it was clear that there were two sets.
“Katie,” he whispered. John knew that he couldn’t search alone and time was precious. Ever since he had met Katie, she had stirred something in him, and in a way, they had always been connected. She had to be all right. His mind cluttered with all types of scenarios as the darkness began to envelop him.
Running back to the car, he called McGaven.
Nearly twenty minutes passed before McGaven and three patrol cruisers drove into the construction area. It was mostly dark now and they were clearly dealing with exigent circumstances.
“Are you sure that she went this way?” said McGaven. His face was drawn and stressed. He chose his words carefully.
“Yes. I retraced everything. The second camera was on the ground and it was clear there was some type of altercation or struggle.”
“Okay, listen up!” said McGaven to the assembled officers. “Katie has been missing for about half an hour. We need to fan out.” He pointed which way everyone needed to go.
John paced, extremely upset. How could he have been so stupid? They should have gone together.
“Hey,” said McGaven to John. “We’re going to find her. After all, it’s Katie we’re talking about. She’s a fighter and survivor.”
“It must have to do with these cases.”
“We don’t know anything yet. What we do know is that her cell is turned off and she has a GPS that she took from the property with the cameras, but the GPS isn’t activated either.”
“That means whoever took her was prepared.”
McGaven didn’t disagree. “I’ve let the sheriff know, so more help willbe coming.”
“Maybe we need to get Cisco?” said John.
“It will take too much time.”
John grimaced and nodded.
“Let’s find Katie.” McGaven gave John a flashlight and the men headed out.
The voices of the patrol officers were heard throughout the woods calling Katie’s name as the movement of flashlight beams began to fill the forest.
SEVENTEEN
Tuesday 2150 hours
Katie opened her eyes. Her mind was groggy and her body felt strange. It took a few seconds for her to adjust to her surroundings; her vision was blurry and the room was dim except for a small fire flickering in the fireplace. At first, she thought that she was at a campground, but as she sat up slowly she realized she had been lying on a sofa. She sucked in a breath, causing her body to tingle and her heart to pound in her ears.
The unknown location ticked her fears and hypersensitive nerves into responding to extreme danger. She swung her feet to the floor. Her first instinct was to find the door and escape. She found the door, but it had a deadbolt that would only open with a key.
Her mind was still murky. She slowly remembered that someone had easily overpowered her with a simple technique called carotid restraint. It was a pressing on the carotid artery on the neck, just long enough for her to pass out. It used to be a technique used in law enforcement, but other methods were used to restrain combatant suspects these days.
Katie massaged her neck as she steadied herself to look for a way to escape.
“I see you’re awake,” said a man’s voice. He had entered from another room where the door had been closed.
Katie spun around, ready for combat if necessary. His appearance shocked her. He was tall like McGaven but stocky in build. She knew she couldn’t overpower a man like that. His dark beard was thick and he wore several layers of clothing like a homeless person might. His hair was also dark, thick, and down to his shoulders. She stared at his face and couldn’t ignore that his eyes told an entire story. They were dark brown and seemed to convey a kindness, but there was also the indication that he had lived through some dark times.
“Who are you?” Katie demanded. She put her hand on her side and discovered her gun and phone were gone.
“Don’t worry, I will return your weapon, phone, and GPS,” he said.
“I’m a law enforcement officer and you can’t hold me here against my will.”
“It was the only way I could speak with you.” He set down hot coffee. “You are in no danger and I want nothing from you except for you to listen. Then you are free to go wherever you want.”
