“I don’t think Jackson is in there,”Faye whispered.
Neither did Hunter. How the hell was he going to save Clara? He took the bullhorn and clicked the button. “Louise? You have three minutes. Come out and we’ll help you. If you make us come in, you won’t live to see Jackson again.” It was all he had to bargain with.
One minute passed. Then another. A shot echoed, and then an old truck zoomed through the alley outside, heading downthe dirt road.
Hunter jumped into the front seat, waited until the other two got in, and then raced behind the police cars. They were going to catch this psychopath.
* * * *
Faye knocked her head against the back seat of the SUV as they came to yet another dirt road that led in three different directions. After shooting the officer guarding the back door of the store, Louise had stolen Clara’s old truck. The elderly lady was in the passenger seat. Unfortunately, the back alley led to a fence that Louise had managed to lock with a padlock kept there.
It had taken ten way-too-precious moments for the police to find bolt cutters.
Roads climbed the mountains in every direction, and they’d been searching for well over two hours, keeping in communication with the other police officers, as well as civilian volunteers that both Hunter and Raider had argued against including.
The county cops hadn’t listened.
The locals probably did know the mountains much better than anybody else, but Louise wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. Was Clara still alive? Faye wiped her forehead. What if something she’d said had gotten the lady killed?
“You did an excellent job,” Hunter said, reading her mind as usual. He moved his head, scanning the area around the narrow road, which had a mountain rising on one side and a drop-off on the other. “Finding similarities between the two women definitely helped.”
Raider kept reading his phone. “All right. More information from our source. Turns out that Louise had a summer job at a convenience store throughout junior high. She quit suddenly once she started high school, but there’s no mention of why.” He kept reading. “Ah. The owner was a guy named Burt Samms, and he ran the store with his wife, Velda. Burt was later accused of molesting a neighborhood girl, but no chargeswere brought.”
Well. That was that, then. Faye shook her head. “So Louise, since she’s just abandoned her life in general, is now out to make all convenience store owners in small towns pay?” The logic was twisted, but serial killers didn’t need reasons that made sense to anybody else.
“Where does that leave Jackson?” Hunter switched on his high beams to better illuminate the forest.
Who knew. Louise was unstable, but she cared about Jackson in her twisted way, so hopefully he would be safe until they could reach him. But how in the world was it possible he didn’t know about the violence?
Something among the trees caught her eye. “Hey.Wait a second.”
Hunter slowed down. Then he stopped and jumped out of the SUV, running for a stumbling Clara as she emerged from the trees. He caught the older woman and lifted her, carrying herto the vehicle.
Faye threw open the door and scooted over, yanking a blanketfrom the back.
Clara patted Hunter’s chest. “My, you’re strong.” He set her down gently.
Faye covered her with the blanket and gently removed branches from her hair. “We’ll get youto a hospital.”
Hunter ran around to the driver’s seat, jumped in, and gunned the engine while Raider quickly calledin the report.
Clara smoothed her wrinkled hands over the blanket. “I don’t need a doctor, young lady. I’m just fine.” She pulled another twig out of her hair. “Although I sure would like my truck back, if anybody has found it yet. It was my first husband, Earl’s, you know.”
“I didn’t know.” Faye studied the woman. Bright eyes, good breathing, no shaking. She seemed all right. “Can you tell uswhat happened?”
“Oh.” Clara shook her head. “That woman was as crazy as anouthouse rat.”
Faye made sure the blanket was tucked around the woman. “Yet you stayed alive.You did good.”
“That’s because of you.” Clara reached a gnarled hand to pat Faye’s, her palm cold. “Got me to talking about my crappy second marriage, and she related. Said she found a good man now, though.”
Faye winced. “Did she say anything aboutthis new man?”
“Nope. Just that he supported her completely and would love her forever.” Clara shivered. “Sad girl, honest. But she only has one oar in the water, if you know what I mean.”
Hunter swung the car around, headed toward town. “Did she say where the man is, or where they’re going next?”
Clara settled back in the seat, her dirty tennis shoes on the rubber mat. “Just that they were heading somewhere safe where they could live off the land. Not sure what she meant about the land, considering she cleaned me out.” Clara drew a twenty-dollar bill from her pocket. “But she gave me this back so I had some money for a taxi.” Her gray eyebrows wrinkled. “We’re a small town. Don’t even have taxis.”
