The first thing Lydia was aware of was the rocking motion of the SUV from the back seat where she lay. Her brain felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton balls. Her muscles were mush. Whatever she’d been injected with had knocked her out.
Her abductor must have been in a hurry. He’d not taken the time to tie her up. When she tried to sit up, it felt like a weight was attached to the back of her head.
She could see the man from the back, still wearing the mask that hid his face.
She couldn’t tell much about him. Was it Norm? She couldn’t be sure.
The SUV kept rolling over the hills. Stars twinkled in the dark night sky. He must be taking her some place remote to kill her. That had been the plan all along. Fear made it hard to take in a deep breath. She turned on her side, feeling around on the floor of the back seat and under the seat. She needed some kind of weapon for when he stopped. Her hands touched something metal. A wrench.
The vehicle slowed down. Hiding the wrench underneath her body, she flipped over onto her stomach. The attacker must have thought that whatever he’d knocked her out with would last until he reached his destination. Playing along with his assumption would give her the element of surprise.
The SUV stopped.
The back door opened. She lay still, feigning unconsciousness. The wrench felt cold in her hand.
He pulled on her feet then flipped her over so that she was on her side and halfway out of the vehicle.
She sat up, smashing the wrench against his bent head three times. He stumbled backward. Clutching the wrench, she jumped out of the SUV. Her muscles were still weak. She could hear the sound of rushing water in the distance and see an evergreen forest off to the side.
The rumbling hum of the river grew louder as she ran. The man reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt. Angling sideways, she hit the man in the shoulder twice. He groaned in pain and let go of her. She sprinted through the darkness over rocks. The river was close.
The man came after her again, tackling her and knocking her to the ground. She dropped the wrench. Landing on her stomach, she tried to crawl away. He held on to her ankle. She picked up a rock, bent her body and threw it. It hit his shoulder. The distraction gave her time to scramble to her feet.
Gaining strength, she ran, still unable to see where she was going.
He grabbed her from behind. She swung around to free herself but stepped too close to the edge of the steep bank. Lydia fell through the air and splashed into the cold water of the river. She could see the man above her making his way down the steep incline. The water pulled her under as the current carried her to the center of the river. She gulped for air when the force of the river pushed her upward.
The attacker followed along the river’s edge.
She tried to swim toward the opposite bank. When the water grew shallower, she was finally able to stand up. Weighted by the water, her clothes dragged her down as she made her way to the shore.
When she looked over her shoulder, the dark figure was still pacing along the opposite bank.
Shivering, she dragged herself to her feet. She did not know who the attacker was, but she knew now, after being so close to him for so long, that it wasn’t Norm.
She bent over as she walked, trying to catch her breath. The cold had seeped into her skin. The man had retreated to the SUV, but she didn’t see headlights go on. He wasn’t leaving. The bang of a rifle shot caused her to fall on her belly. He’d gotten his gun and was shooting at her from across the river.
She lay still, hoping the darkness would shield her. Another bullet hit a rock in front of her. The shot was close enough that it caused her whole body to jerk. She crawled away from the riverbank. Two more shots were fired before she reached the brush that provided some cover. When she peered over her shoulder, the SUV was no longer parked on the riverbank. She feared that there was a bridge he could cross to come after her again. Despite muscle fatigue and cold, she broke into a jog.
Lydia kept heading away from the river, stumbling through the dark. She had no idea where she was. She’d left her phone in her purse. How far had her abductor driven off the main road? Miles? She kept moving, searching for any sign of civilization, lights, a cabin, a camper.
The shivering intensified. She wrapped her arms over her chest as water dripped from her wet clothes.
Cold and bent over, she trudged forward. She may have escaped the attacker in the short term, but she was far from safe.
* * *
Fear sank into River’s chest like a knife when he heard the rifle shots far off in the distance. With Frankie in the lead, he ran toward where the sound had come from. Two other dogs and their handlers who were searching the same area came up behind him but remained spread out.
To keep up with Frankie, he burst into a sprint.
He could hear a river in the distance. The closer they got to the river, the faster Frankie and the other dogs moved. The hound behind him was baying, cutting through the silence of the night. Off to the side, a chopper flew overhead.
They arrived at the river. The intensity with which the K-9s rallied signaled that Lydia had come this way. Frankie and the other dogs lead the handlers down a steep incline to the river’s edge. All the K-9s moved back and forth along the shore. The hound dove in until he was called back by his handler.
Task force member Maren Anderson came and stood by River with her Doberman, Haven.
“Do you think she went into the river?”
