Justice at Dawn

by Valerie Massey Goree

  He nodded. “So, Travis. You mean you like Vicky more than Irene? How’d you get the handcuffs off her?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

  Under his breath he said, “Whew. She’s still incapacitated.” A twinge radiated through Cooper’s knee. He rubbed it and rested against the rock. What was Travis’s goal? He obviously wasn’t interested in surrendering, at least not yet. They’d have to offer more incentives.

  “Travis, if you give up before the cops arrive, we’ll make sure your aunts aren’t charged with kidnapping. I have contacts—”

  “Don’t you get it. I’m not going back to that place they call a school. And I sure don’t want to live with Vicky or Irene.” He grabbed a handful of his aunt’s hair and pulled her head back.

  “OK. Let her go. Please.” Cooper almost made it upright before the kid released her.

  “Travis, hey, I know what it’s like to be an orphan. It’s kinda unsettling, isn’t it?” KC’s words stopped the boy’s pacing. He neared the doorway and stared out over Irene’s bowed head.

  “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. You have no idea what it was like after my dad was killed, and my aunts were in jail. My mom was so drugged up she forgot to take care of me. It’s all Sadie’s fault I ended up in that place.”

  “But Sadie has called the cops by now.” Tilting her head, KC glanced at Cooper and frowned. She mouthed, “He’s really angry at her.”

  “I miscalculated his involvement.”

  A diabolical laugh ended their exchange. “Sadie didn’t make it to a phone. In fact, she didn’t get very far. I siphoned the gas out of Irene’s car.”

  39

  No wonder the cops hadn’t arrived.

  KC stared at Coop. “How far could she have driven?”

  He shrugged. “There’s no way Travis siphoned out all the gas. A vehicle can go several miles even when the gauge is on E. Maybe Sadie reached the highway and will flag down someone to help.”

  Wide awake now, KC removed the tightly wound bandage from her head. The action relieved some of the pressure but didn’t ease her headache. Concussion symptoms, but why the constant pain in her abdomen? She chewed her bottom lip. Can’t dwell on the possibilities in their dire situation. Father God, help me rely on You.

  Time to refocus. “I wonder where the kid got the supplies to make the bombs. I did see an old garden hose behind the cabin. He could have used that to siphon the gas.”

  “He’s resourceful.”

  “Hey, Coop, should I head down the track to see how far Sadie went?”

  He shook his head. “You need to rest. We’ll have to trust that she’ll get to a phone soon.”

  A shiver trickled over her body. “I’m cold. Help me put on my jacket, please.” She untied the knot holding it around her waist then Coop held the coat so she could slide her right arm into the sleeve. He draped the rest over her bandaged side and secured a few buttons. “Thanks.”

  “No prob—”

  “Lookee here, dear Aunty Irene is waking up!” Travis hollered. “How about I untie her? Together we can finish you off.”

  The last thing they needed.

  KC rose to her knees and peeked over the bushes.

  Sure enough, Irene wiggled and squirmed in the chair.

  Travis removed her gag but left the ropes intact.

  “Let me go, you ungrateful little brat.” Irene’s head almost swiveled off her neck as she tried to get a look at her nephew.

  He kept to the safety of the cabin interior, alternately grunting and screeching like a troop of baboons.

  “Irene, do you know why Travis is acting this way? Is he on any medication?”

  Coop’s voice seemed to take Irene by surprise. She glared at the undergrowth where he and KC hid but didn’t respond.

  “I don’t need drugs, but they sure do help. I like to act this way all the time. Why follow the rules when it’s way more fun to do what you want?” On all fours, Travis crawled out between the legs of Irene’s chair and made faces at them. “I’m in control, for once.”

  “Travis, I’m thirsty.” Irene lowered her head to look at him. “Let me go, please.”

  At Irene’s request, the kid laughed and backed inside. Seconds later, he held an opened bottle of water to her lips and let her drink.

  “Hey, Travis, we’re thirsty, too.” KC coated her words with as much sweetness as she could muster. “Please, toss out a couple of bottles for us.”

  Her ploy backfired.

  “I don’t care if you die of thirst. In fact, that would make my day.” He pranced behind Irene, back and forth, back and forth, as if marching to his own brand of music. “Make my day.” He repeated the words in a gruff, gravely voice. “I’m a cop. Make my day.”

  KC glanced at Coop. “What should we do?”

  “He’ll tire eventually, and when he does, we’ll try to subdue him. As much as it pains me to say, we’re better off if he doesn’t release Irene.”

  “Maybe I can keep him occupied here while you sneak behind the cabin and climb in the bathroom window. With the use of only one arm, I won’t be able to.”

  “I did think of that. OK, I’ll give it a stab.” Coop crawled to a tree trunk and pulled himself upright.

  KC kept watch on the doorway and nodded to him when Travis was out of sight. “Go quickly.” She grimaced. Telling Coop to be quick was as feasible as expecting her to do a handstand. Neither would happen.

  No sooner had Coop reached the side of the cabin and Travis appeared behind his aunt. “I have a proposition for you agents. I’ll give you some water and even food in return for something I want.”

  “We’re listening.” KC responded how she thought Coop would.

  “Not, you. I want to talk to the man in charge.”

  Humph. “You can negotiate with me.”

  “Nope. I heard him say you were on a training mission. I want the boss.”

  So he’d been in the vicinity when they’d chatted with Sadie and Bar…Irene in the cabin. Now what? No sense aggravating the kid by insisting he talk with her.

  Coop appeared beside her. “What do you want, Travis?”

  “Not much. You come out with all your weapons held high. I’ll keep my rifle aimed at you. Then you leave them on the porch, and I’ll deliver the water bottles.”

  “We only have a rifle.”

  Why did Coop tell him that? KC cocked her head. “Will you tell him where the other weapons are?” she whispered.

  He quirked an eyebrow, held his finger to his lips, and shook his head.

  Of course, why let him know where the weapons were? If the sedan was immobilized, Travis could arm himself with more firepower.

  “The rifle is all we have, kid. Do we still have a deal?”

  “Uh-uh. I don’t believe you.” Travis rested his head on top of Irene’s. She tried to dislodge it but froze when he brandished a knife and held it to her throat.

  How did a ten-year-old get his hands on such an implement? KC judged the blade to be at least ten inches long, curved like a hunting knife.

  Coop prodded her arm. “He’s not open to negotiating. Unless I surrender my rifle, he won’t give us anything. I’m sure he can’t see us, but if we keep silent, he may think we’ve left. He may not know how badly he injured you, nor how my knee limits my movements.”

  KC nodded, glad for a chance to ease the tension. The waves of nausea seemed to have ebbed, but pain zapped through her abdomen. Deep breathing helped. She closed her eyes, sure Coop would keep watch on Travis and his aunt. And the knife.

  A minute or two later, Coop gasped.

  KC opened her eyes. “What now?”

  “He’s threatening to cut Irene.” Coop pushed a branch aside. “Don’t do it, Travis. Causing bodily harm carries a stiffer penalty than brandishing a knife. Put it away, please.”

  “I will if you surrender your weapons. All of them.”

  “We only have a rifle.”

  Coop’s pistol burned a spot on KC’s t
high, snug inside her jacket pocket. Did Travis know about it?

  As if Coop could read her mind, he wagged a finger at her, but his next words took her by surprise.

  “You’re a sharpshooter.”

  “Yes?”

  “Using a rifle, but how good are you with a handgun?”

  KC frowned. “Not as accurate as a rifle with sights. What do you have in mind?”

  “I don’t see how we’ll get out of this situation unless we can incapacitate Travis. Who knows if or when Sadie will contact the authorities? We have to take action. Can you hit Travis at all? I know he hides behind Irene, but maybe I could get him to show himself.”

  Previously, Coop had asked if she was delirious. Now she questioned his state of mind. “You really want to go there?”

  He hung his head. “Sorry. I’m running on empty. We should be able to subdue a ten-year-old kid without resorting to a shootout.”

  “I’d agree if we were both physically sound. Let me try something.” She snagged the pistol and aimed at the doorway. Although the weapon weighed six pounds max, her hand shook. Without the use of her left hand to steady it, there was no way she’d attempt a shot at such a narrow target. “I can’t. Not going to risk hitting Irene.”

  “It was worth a try. Put it away.”

  KC had no strength to stash the pistol and placed it on the ground.

  Scraping wood caught their attention. Travis maneuvered Irene’s chair inside the cabin and slammed the door.

  “Now what is he doing?” KC craned her neck then turned to Coop. “The kid is unpredictable.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. But now I might be able to get close enough to aim through a window—”

  A rifle blast echoed through the still air, followed seconds later by another. Both originated in the cabin, one fired out an east window, the other from a west window.

  “Seems Travis is trying to prevent us from approaching the cabin. He’s too savvy for his age.” Coop rubbed his knee, an action he repeated often.

  “He probably learned a lot of unsavory behaviors from other kids in the juvenile system. He certainly is more world-wise than Hannah.”

  “We need to move. Travis might not have actually seen us, but he knows our general position.” Instead of getting up, Coop scooted backward to a clump of trees and sat behind them.

  KC couldn’t scoot. “Keep watch while I join you.” She stuffed the pistol into her jacket pocket, knelt, and sort of crawled to their new spot. Gasping, she collapsed beside Coop as the pain in her abdomen intensified. If not a return of cancer, what was it? Her rapid pulse, dizziness, and fatigue could be symptoms of shock, but the pain? Uh-uh.

  “I’m worried about you, KC.”

  “Me, too.” She swiped her hand across her forehead. Clammy, to say the least.

  “I think I should head to the highway, no matter how long it takes.”

  And leave me here alone? Yes. I can stay hidden or fend off the kid if I have to. “OK. I have your pistol.”

  Coop grabbed a slim trunk and began to haul himself upright. A rifle shot hit their previous location.

  They both ducked. Good thing they had moved. After a minute of silence, Coop peered through the low branches, and KC did the same. The smoke bombs had fizzled out, giving him a clear view of the cabin. “The living room windows are closed. Travis must have fired through the holes in the door.”

  “Do you think he’s trying to harm us, or is he playing games?”

  “That last shot would have hit one of us for sure. I have no idea what his intentions are. He obviously knows this area well. He could leave via the back door any time and get away.”

  KC rubbed her temple. “Travis reminds me of a boy I worked with at Riverview Children’s Center six months or so ago. Jaxson had no intention of carrying through with his threat to jump off an overpass but was desperate for the attention it got him. After he received professional counseling, he joined my theatrical group.” Convinced she was right, she added, “Maybe all Travis wants is to be heard and not ignored.”

  “You could be right. How can we give him a platform?”

  “Start by asking pointed questions that will encourage him to share what’s eating away his innards like acid.”

  “KC, you have a way with words. Do you want to begin?”

  “Sure.” She cleared her throat.

  The cabin door screeched open. They focused on the doorway.

  KC had formulated her first question but waited as Travis poked his head around the frame.

  “Good evening, agents. I have news for you.” For once he didn’t dance as if his feet were being bitten by fire ants. “I lied a while back. You used yellow climbing rope to tie up Vicky.”

  Coop flinched beside KC. True.

  “We have walkie-talkies. She just let me know she’s taken your beloved Sadie and her brats hostage again.”

  40

  The kid’s words ricocheted in Cooper’s head. No, no. Was he delirious now? One look at KC’s gaping mouth and wide eyes and he knew Travis had admitted Sadie was in danger again.

  “We’ve been bested by a ten-year-old. I can’t believe it.”

  “What can we do now?” KC sat crossed-legged, leaning forward.

  “Are you still in pain?”

  She shrugged. “Some but sitting like this helps. Is there any way we can enter that cabin?”

  “My thoughts exactly. We need to create a diversion, and then I’ll get in somehow.”

  “I’ll question him. See if he’ll venture out onto the porch.”

  “Good.” Cooper slung the rifle over his shoulder. “Start talking.”

  But Travis thwarted their plans once more. He shoved Irene into the doorway. She now wore a sweater, but her arms and torso remained secured to the chair. “Listen, agents. I’ve seen you limp, Mr. Cooper, and I know I injured KC. I figure that’s why you haven’t tried to leave. So, here are my new rules.” He flourished the knife, angling it close to Irene’s throat. “Let me hear from you, so I know where you are, or she bleeds.”

  Cooper nudged KC. “Humor him.” He raised his voice. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Why are you threatening to harm your aunt, Travis?”

  “We won’t have a nice little conversation. I’ll do the talking. You’ll do the listening.” Travis removed the knife but used Irene’s body as a shield. “From now on, I need to hear from each of you every hour, on the hour, or Irene gets cut. Or I call Vicky to hurt Sadie. As simple as that. Their lives are in your hands. Any questions?”

  Cooper exchanged glances with KC. To give the boy his due, he’d outsmarted them several times. “OK, Travis. It’s getting late. Do you want us to stay here all night?”

  “Yep.”

  “We’re hungry and thirsty. Can you at least let us have some water?”

  “Nope.”

  “We’ll cooperate, but we don’t understand why you’d want to injure your aunt. Irene, can’t you talk him out of this nonsense?”

  KC poked him in the ribs. “Don’t belittle him or criticize his decisions. If I’m right about his motives, whether he admits them or not, he’ll react negatively to censure.”

  “Right. I’ll—”

  “Don’t worry about Irene. We have an understanding. In fact, she’ll let me know if she sees you moving around. I’m serious about you staying put.” He sliced through the air with the knife. “I kinda hope you mess up so I can see blood. Oh, I checked the clock inside. It’s five thirty-five, so in twenty-five minutes, each of you must holler at me. Say anything you want, but you’d better be loud enough for me to hear.” Again, he grabbed a handful of Irene’s hair and yanked her head backward.

  She gasped but said nothing.

  Snickering, he let go. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “Wait, wait, Travis. Please answer one question.”

  He hiked a shoulder. “OK, Mr. Agent man. Shoot.” His chortle ended in a snort. “I made a joke. Get it?”

  “We do.” Coop
er feigned a laugh. “I figure Vicky nabbed Sadie again to prevent her from contacting the authorities. Got that. But why did your aunts kidnap her and the kids in the first place? Do you know?”

  Since Travis had removed Irene’s gag, she’d said little. Now, she struggled against her bonds, and turned to the kid. “Don’t tell them. If you blab, you’ll be sorry. When I—”

  “I’m not afraid of you anymore.” He thrust the knife into the wooden doorjamb, over and over. “I could slice you as easy as that. So don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”

  Irene muttered then hung her head.

  “My aunts blame Sadie for lots of things. My dad’s death. Their time in prison. Oh, and her snitching on the rich guy which messed with their cash flow. So, when my dear ol’ mama died, and they had to take care of me, they decided to make Sadie pay with her life. Make her watch while someone she loves suffers.” He stuck the knife in the wood again and twisted it. “First, I have to find the—”

  “Stop, Travis,” Irene yelled.

  “Ooh, that’s a touchy subject. All right, I won’t tell them, but the next bit is too juicy to keep to myself.” He preened behind his aunt’s chair. “Irene was going to drug them all, and I mean big time drugs, and somehow use a heater or something that gives off carbon…carbon monoxide. Yeah, that’s it.”

  “You mean Irene and Vicky were going to kill Sadie and her children?” KC spat out the words.

  “It was Irene’s idea, not Vicky’s. She only wanted to scare Sadie.”

  Travis’s explanation, although horrific, had one flaw. “Why didn’t Irene carry out her plan when she first brought them to the cabin?”

  “Ha ha ha.” His mock laugh held notes of anger. “Because I, me, the kid no one wants, figured out why they brought me here. As soon as Vicky parked at her cabin, I ran away. But I listened to their conversations and broke in for food and stuff. They’ve been looking for me ever since.” He ran the knife under Irene’s chin, growling like a wounded bear. “Because Irene wanted to gas me in the same room with Sadie. So she couldn’t kill them with me on the loose. I would have blabbed on them, for sure.” The kid executed a mock bow. “That’s all I know. Got to go. Bye.” Whistling, he disappeared from view.