She stepped outside into the twilight of early evening. There were no other cars in the parking lot besides the patrol vehicle. She could see Frankie’s head in the front seat as she sat behind the steering wheel.
Lydia stuck the key in the lock and turned it. A noise in the trees at the back side of the convenience store drew her attention. A man wearing gloves and a mask reached out and grabbed her. A needle went into her arm. There was no time to scream before his hand went over her mouth, and she was dragged into the forest. She could feel herself slipping away. Her eyelids were heavy, and her limbs felt like they’d had weights placed on them.
The last thing she heard was Frankie’s barking.
* * *
River stared at the screen while holding the remote. Even on fast forward, watching the comings and goings at the gas pumps was tedious. As busy as Eva was, maybe sending the files to her would be faster.
The store clerk poked his head into the storage room. “Your dog is going ballistic out there.”
“What?” He set the remote down on a box and jumped up from his chair. By the time he got outside, his heart was pounding. Frankie never sounded the alarm over nothing. He hurried around the side of the building to where the restrooms were. He walked toward the one for women, lifting his fist to knock on the door when he saw the key stuck in the lock.
All the air left his lungs as he wheezed in a breath and turned a half circle.
Something had happened to Lydia. He looked toward the forest at the rear of the store and then out at the parking lot. His patrol car was the only vehicle in the lot. He sprinted toward it. It had been less than five minutes since she’d left the store. Frankie might be able to track her.
His hand was on the driver’s-side door, where Frankie moved from one seat to the other, clearly agitated. He caught movement in his peripheral vision and turned to see the tan SUV emerge from the trees and pull out onto the main road.
He yanked the door open and jumped in behind the wheel just as the SUV disappeared over the hill. Frankie settled into the passenger seat.
“Hold on, girl.” He pulled out of the parking lot and floored it. There were no other cars on the road at this hour. He could see the red glow of the other vehicle’s taillights. The SUV abruptly turned and disappeared into the trees.
He sped up, turning onto the dirt road where the SUV had gone. The canopy of tall evergreens made the early evening even darker. He switched on his lights. His car bumped along. Years of rainfall without repairs had made the road rutty. He didn’t see the other vehicle anywhere. He had to be on this road, there had been no other turnoffs.
“We’ve got to find her.” He was having a hard time taking a deep breath. Frankie licked his face. If it hadn’t been for her, the abductor would have been long gone by the time River wondered why Lydia hadn’t returned from the restroom.
He kept his eyes on the road but reached out to rub Frankie’s head. “You’re about the best partner a guy could have.”
The trees thinned out and turned into rolling hills. He spotted the other vehicle’s taillights. The tan SUV turned at what must be a crossroad at least a quarter mile away.
He pressed the gas, but progress was slow on the primitive road. He came to the crossroad and turned in the direction he’d seen the other SUV go. The driver must have gone over the hill.
River prayed that he would get to Lydia in time.
When he got to the top of the hill, he saw a forest down below but no vehicle.
He drove to the edge of the forest as the muscles at the back of his neck twisted. Still no sign of the SUV.
His gaze bounced around the landscape. Had the driver turned off his headlights so he’d be harder to spot at a distance? From the top of the hill, he could see several intersecting roads. Could the SUV have pulled into the trees? Maybe there was even a road there that River couldn’t see from his vantage point. There were too many places the guy could have gone.
Frankie whimpered.
“We’re not giving up,” said River. “We just need some help.” He grabbed his radio.
The police dispatcher’s voice came over the line. “Officer Jameson, what is it?”
A lump had formed in his throat. “Galvanize search and rescue and get as many officers as you can over by Ridge Mountain.” If any of the task force members were close to Ridge, he knew they would come and help as well.
“Location?”
“The dirt road on the east side of the forest after the last gas station. I’m about four miles in.”
“What is the situation?”
“A woman has been kidnapped in a tan SUV.” He closed his eyes, feeling a tightening through his chest. “Her name is Lydia Caldwell. We have to find her before it’s too late.”
THIRTEEN
