Using the flashlight, she stumbled around until she could hear the surf. She followed the sound; it got louder and louder.
Suddenly she was outside ... on the rocky shore. Water pooled around her ankles. The moon peeked from behind the clouds. She didn’t recognize the area ... didn’t see any of the islands.
Don’t stand here like an idiot!
She started running. Didn’t matter which way.
Up the cliffs. There were trees up there. Probably a road somewhere. She climbed, letting the moonlight guide her. She fell repeatedly. Didn’t stop until she reached the tree line.
Use the phone.
Her cell phone and flashlight were still clutched in her bound hands. She dropped the light, worked the phone into position. The screen didn’t light up ...
“Son of a bitch!”
The battery was dead.
She dropped it, picked up her flashlight, and headed into the woods.
There had to be a road or a house ... or something.
She would find help.
On cue her body shuddered.
If she didn’t freeze to death first.
42
Public Safety Office, Friday, March 6, 5:50 a.m.
It was almost daybreak.
Kale paced the lobby. They’d called off the search two hours ago to wait for daylight.
He’d raised hell when the chief first mentioned taking a break to wait for the sun to come up. But, like him, the deputies participating in the search were half frozen.
It was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Sarah being out there in the cold or worse ... being tortured.
The chief was already reorganizing the groups, laying out the new search grid. Kale needed him to work faster. He needed the sun to come up.
Agent August strolled past him, hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets. He glanced at Kale. “She’s a survivor, you know.”
Kale gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to hear anything this prick had to say.
“Two years ago she had a little meltdown.” August studied Kale’s face as he spoke, analyzing, concluding. “A total mental break, they say. She spent seven days in a padded room. But she came back. She’ll come back from this.”
Kale hadn’t intended to, but he blinked. The burn of emotion wouldn’t be assuaged any other way. He didn’t know if anything thisasshole said was true, but he knew that Sarah had to be the strongest woman he’d ever met. Who wouldn’t have a meltdown considering the kind of work she did and how invested she got? Or if you considered her childhood.
August smirked and shook his head. “You shouldn’t get so hung up on her. She’ll go when the investigation is wrapped up, and you’ll be left here wondering what the hell happened.”
Kale took a swing at him. The bastard dodged in the nick of time.
“Conner!”
Hands grabbed at him and held him back.
August just laughed.
