Jenna unlocked the gun safe and pulled out weapons. “Everyone’s been stuck inside during the bad weather. I suggest checking eateries in town. Try Aunt Betty’s first. That’s a favorite for that group of people. They could be meeting some of the others there. We could run down the list of the other members of the group and see where they are, but I think we’re wasting time.”
“I agree.” Jo pulled on her jacket and checked the weapon in her shoulder holster. “If we can’t locate Jolene and her mom, we’ll try phoning everyone else in the group. They seem to have become a support group for each other, so it’s likely they’ll know if any of them have gone out for a meal.”
“Let’s go.” Kane took his holster belt and M18 pistol from Jenna.
Jenna nodded to Raya. “Thanks. Hopefully we won’t be long.” She hurried to the door.
Forty-Two
Gripping the handle above the door and allowing the G-force to slam her into her seat as Kane accelerated along the highway, Jenna spoke to the GPS relaying Maya’s address. In the side mirrors she could make out the bouncing headlights of the truck carrying Carter and Jo. She expected them to turn onto another road as they reached town, but a call came through the Bluetooth. It was Carter.
“I just received a message from Jolene. She’s out on a date but will call me in the morning.” Carter snorted with amusement. “I replied it was all good. It was just a regular welfare check. We’ll follow you to Maya’s homestead.”
“Use your coms. We don’t know what we’re up against.” Kane swung the Beast away from Main, taking Maple to avoid the traffic in town. “We’ll need to go in under stealth. If anything’s going down, we don’t need to be alerting anyone. There’s a long driveway into the property and we have a full moon. Turn off your lights when we get there and we’ll sneak in as quietly as possible and park outside the store. We can walk to the house from there without being detected.”
“Copy that.” Carter disconnected. Moments later his voice came through Jenna’s com. “All set.”
The Beast splashed through residual rainwater as they weaved their way along Maple until they took a left turn and rejoined the highway on Stanton. The headlights lit up the forest, making long shadows appear to be running along beside them. Red and orange eyes flashed at them from the thick, lush undergrowth. How many animals were out tonight hunting under the full moon? As they went past the welcome to black rock falls sign, a large owl swiveled its head and turned its big round eyes to blink at them before taking flight. The forest was not a place Jenna planned to enter after dark and it wasn’t only the animals that frightened her. She dragged her attention away from the forest as Kane turned off the highway and took a narrow road, bumping along until they reached a large open gate with a sign: golden yolk homestead. fresh eggs, honey, and produce for sale. When he doused the lights, darkness seemed to press against the doors. Unnerved, Jenna swallowed hard. “Can you see where you’re going?”
“Yeah.” Kane didn’t take his eyes from the road. “There’re lights on in the house. Why isn’t she answering her phone?”
As they approached the storefront, Jenna made out the outline of their vehicles in the shop front windows. The moon reflected like a giant white globe off the glossy black hood of the Beast. They had gone along the driveway to the shop at a very slow speed and seemed to glide to a stop outside the store. Jenna pressed a button on the roof to extinguish the interior lights and they rolled out of the vehicle, gently clicking the doors shut. She went to Kane’s side, surprised to see he had drawn his weapon. She lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “What is it?”
“I hear an engine but the garage door is closed.” Kane gave her an anxious stare. “I hope she’s not attempting to take her own life.”
“Or someone is taking it for her.” Carter loomed closer in the darkness. “I guess we’d better take a look.” He stared at the house for a few seconds. “Seems to me the only way into the garage is via the house.”
Worried for Maya’s safety, Jenna headed toward the front door. “We announce ourselves, and if she doesn’t answer, kick it down.”
“Hang back, Jenna.” Kane touched her arm. “Don’t forget your shoulder. You don’t need to make it worse. Let me and Carter do the grunt work.”
Her shoulder still troubled her and Kane was right. The men could kick down the door more efficiently than she could and faster. “Okay go.”
As Kane ran past her with Carter on his heels, she turned to Jo as they ran after them. “What’s the chance of Maya taking her own life?”
“Minimal.” Jo pulled her weapon as they hurried along the pathway to the house. “She obviously loves her grandpa and I don’t believe she would abandon him in the hospital alone. People who dedicate themselves to others like that very rarely consider suicide as a way out. She could easily put him into a nursing home, but she chooses not to. It’s obvious she cares about him very much.”
Ahead of her she could hear Kane calling out “sheriff’s department.” Moments later the sound of wood splintering echoed through the night. Jenna picked up her pace and, pulling a flashlight from her belt, ran up the steps and into the hallway. On each side of her, she could hear Kane and Carter calling as they cleared each room. She met Kane in the kitchen and he dashed into the mudroom, pushed open the door to the garage, and disappeared into a wave of fumes. Jenna followed, pulling her T-shirt up over her nose to filter the deadly carbon monoxide fumes oozing from the vehicle. Someone had attached a hose to the tailpipe and pushed it through a window of Maya’s truck. She glanced past the truck and into the night. “The garage door is open now. Someone is getting away.”
“Call the paramedics.” Kane had Maya in his arms and was running for the garage door. He laid the unconscious woman on the grass and grabbed Jenna’s flashlight from her hand and took off with Carter close on his heels.
“You go too.” Jo disconnected after calling the paramedics. “I hear someone trying to start an engine. They’re getting away. You’ll need the Beast if you want to catch the killer. Don’t waste time running back for it.” She fell to her knees beside Maya. “She’s breathing and not flushed red yet. I’ll look after her. Go, Jenna.”
Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, Jenna lifted her knees and took off at a run. The gravel pathway appeared to sparkle in front of her under the full moon as she ran back to the Beast. The smart vehicle recognized the chip in her ring, and as she slid behind the wheel, all apprehension of driving the formidable vehicle vanished. The engine roared and she slammed it into drive and took off at speed. The truck’s lights illuminated the backs of Kane and Carter running in the distance. Out of nowhere a vehicle’s headlights came from behind a clump of bushes. Whoever was driving had aimed their truck to run down Kane and Carter. Anger rushed over her. “Oh no you don’t.”
Jenna flicked on lights and sirens and slammed her foot down on the accelerator. Her only intention was to stop the deadly attack by the vehicle. As she got closer, the glow of the other vehicle’s headlights hit Kane and Carter. They split up, both jumping to either side of the trail and rolling into darkness. In the few moments it took Jenna to reach them, the other truck had taken off at high speed, fishtailing its way along the road that led to the highway. She pulled up sharp. Her door opened and Kane scooped her up and deposited her into the passenger seat and then climbed behind the wheel. He took one look behind him to make sure Carter was inside the truck and then slammed his foot down on the gas.
“Whoever is in there tried to run us down.” Kane’s mouth formed a thin line and turned down in the corners. “I got a plate number. Check it out.” He recited the number to Jenna.
When Jenna put the number into the mobile data center, she gaped at the result. “The vehicle belongs to Jolene Hurst.”
“You figure she was out here trying to kill Maya, while I was calling her?” Carter gripped the back of her seat and shook his head. “Man, that is some cool character.”
As Kane hit the highway, the blue and red lights lit up the forest, but all Jenna could make out of the other vehicle were two small red lights in the distance. “Don’t let her get away.”
“Fat chance of that.” Kane snorted. “Buckle up.”
Jenna completely understood speed—heck, she drove a Mustang—but when Kane flipped the button on the supercharger, the Beast turned into a missile. The forest alongside the highway became a dark blur. The woman in the truck drove recklessly, pulling out in front of eighteen-wheelers and weaving in and out of the traffic. Horns sounded and vehicles pulled to one side of the road to avoid collision. In all this chaos Jenna held on tight as Kane weaved the Beast through the traffic. His eyes never left the road as they gained on the retreating vehicle. The gradient of the road as it climbed the mountain increased rapidly and the vehicle in front slowed.
