Page 75 of Chasing Creed

Finding Brodie after such an impossible amount of time was beyond anything he’d ever imagined. It was a blessing he didn’t deserve, and he was still so afraid it could all be snatched away in a moment’s notice. How could he ever explain any of that to her?

His property with Hannah rolled over into Blackwater River State Forest. The Blackwater River and several other rivers cut through their property. Portions of the state park shared a border. Some of that was fenced off with signs indicating private property. Most of it was thick forest, far removed from the park’s trails and campgrounds. Rarely did they have hikers get lost on their property.

Anyone who intentionally entered from the park would still need to do quite a bit of hiking. The nearest drivable trail was miles away. But there was one place Creed knew could provide easy access if the intruder came up the river.

Through this part of the forest, the banks along the Blackwater River grew wild, thick and tangled with tree roots and vines. Fallen branches and debris got caught up along the side, adding another layer anyone wanting to launch a boat would need to cut through. But there was one stretch of sandy shoreline in the middle of nowhere. If someone hiked in and backpacked an inflatable, they’d be able to launch it from there. He’d done it himself a time or two.

Creed took a shortcut, weaving along a critter path. Near the river, the forest was alive with the sounds and smells of nature. Those were some of the first lessons he taught Brodie. He made sure she could recognize the huff-chuff of a black bear and the musky, pungent odor of an alligator. In the Florida Panhandle, it was possible to run into either one.

She never left the house without her canister of bear spray and Hank. But human predators? The idea that someone might come with the sole intention of hurting her, that was something he’d hope the isolation of the forest would help him protect her against.

He heard the water before he got a glimpse of it. The river was narrow here but deep and fast-running. Branches swooped down from the live oaks on the banks, some of them long and low enough a boater would need to duck. The sandy shore glittered in the sunlight. The tea-colored water brushed against it.

Creed stayed high on the bank so he could look down. He realized rains could have washed away any evidence of intruders. But if the stranger had used this stop earlier today, there’d be footprints or skid marks from a boat.

He slid down the bank, grabbing tree roots to slow himself. Now on the sand, he took a closer look. He still didn’t see any footprints. Except there were marks. It looked as if someone had brushed the surface. Swirl marks from nothing in nature but maybe created by someone dragging a branch with leaves.

Creed followed the swirls to an area of scrub bushes and a debris pile close to the bank. Immediately, he could see that the branches of white cedar had been cut and dropped on top. A pounding started at his temples. A drumbeat of urgency tightened his chest and balled up his fists.

Hidden underneath the carefully constructed canopy of debris was a small inflatable boat.

51

Creed had already called Hannah and Jason from the sandy beach where he knew he still had cell phone reception. He’d told them what he’d found. He asked Jason to contact his Army buddies and see if they could come for dinner tonight. He’d order pizzas if Benny and Colfax could pick them up.

“Oh, and have Benny bring one of his drones.”

Hannah had huffed her distaste. Maybe about the drones. Most likely about the pizzas. But then she promised to “throw together some molasses cookies.”

When he got to his loft apartment above the kennel, he made his other phone calls. The first one was to Norwich.

She told him that the doctors needed to keep Kyle sedated. According to Lydia, he had suffered internal injuries. But his prognosis was good.

“Is Deputy Perry talking?”

“No, he’s still heavily sedated. Did you know those steel-jaw bear traps are illegal in most states, including Mississippi?”

“As they should be. I think there are probably a whole lot of things on that property that are illegal. Have they found anything else?”

“They have enough right now to keep them busy.”

“What about the girlfriend?” Creed asked, trying to keep any urgency he was feeling out of his voice. This was the information he really wanted. “Do they know anything more about who she was?”

“Alvin said her fingerprints were on record. Turns out she’d been arrested a few times. Her name was Mandy Davidson.”

“What were the arrests?”

“Shoplifting. Possession of drugs, but less than thirty grams or low dosage units that qualified as misdemeanors and resulted in fines only. Some other minor things, but not just in Mississippi. Texas, Georgia, Florida. And those are the ones we know about.”

“Misdemeanors. Doesn’t sound like enough to get her killed?”

“We both know, if you get involved with the wrong people, any little thing might set them off.”

“Perry told me something about a package, but we didn’t find anything.”

“Maybe he can explain more when they’re indicting him for attempted murder.”

He was quiet for a beat too long. Norwich noticed. The two of them had spent a lot of time together working on different cases. So, he wasn’t surprised when she asked, “You okay? I know you’ve got to be bone-tired. I know I am. But it sounds like something else is going on?”