The Only Girl Left Alive: The McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller Series: Book Three

by Susan Lund

  Then, of all things, Eugene left the van, having changed into dark clothing while inside, a hood pulled up over his head, a backpack on his back.

  He went on foot down a side street to the woods near a high school and disappeared into the trees. Michael waited, and was just about to get out and follow when he saw an old Chevy sedan drive out of the woods just a half-block away. The man in the driver's seat wore a hoodie. When the vehicle stopped at a stop sign, Michael trained his binoculars on the vehicle and focused on the man's face. It was Eugene. No doubt about it. Michael started the car and followed. There was only one reason for Eugene to have changed clothes and taken a second vehicle onto the highway.

  He was going to where he had Tess.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The day passed incredibly slowly, and Tess grew increasingly anxious and frustrated. Earlier, she had tried to break her restraints, remembering the police video she’d see, but only ended up getting deep cuts in the outsides of her wrists. Defeated, she slept for a few hours, then woke with a start, glancing around to get her bearings. Unfortunately, it wasn't a bad dream, but was instead her reality.

  Hours had passed, and while she was glad that Eugene hadn't returned, she had to do something to save herself. She was unwilling to sit there any longer and wait for him to come back. Determined, Tess tried to do something to free herself. Luckily, the chair was meant for a child, so she was able to inch her feet around to the sides and make her stance wide enough to stand up.

  It was intensely awkward, but she managed. She maneuvered over to a workbench against the wall and lifted her arms up and to try to snag the zip ties that held her wrists together on a vise that had been fastened to the side of the workbench. She threw her entire weight into it, hoping that the force would break the plastic tie. The zip ties broke, her arms flying free and the motion propelling her forward. She tripped and fell on her side, the chair falling with her because her feet were still fastened to the legs.

  In falling, she knocked her head hard against the floor before she could get her arms around for protection and saw stars. On top of that, she had hurt her arm, twisting it under heras she landed, her entire weight falling on it.

  She cried out, and lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath from the intensity of the pain. She knew she had to get off the arm or she'd do more damage. Using her good arm, she pulled herself up by grabbing onto the foot of the bed. For a few moments, until the worst of the pain passed, she cradled her arm, lying on her other side, the chair still strapped to her ankles.

  When she felt able, she reached her good arm up behind her head and was able to work away at the knot that held the ball gag in place. Finally, she managed to get the knot undone enough that she could pull the rope over her head and spit out the ball. She gasped for a moment, swallowing and coughing.

  "It's okay," she said to Elena. "I'm going to get us out of here."

  Elena nodded in response, unable to speak around the ball gag.

  Tess's left hand and wrist were sore, but she managed to reach down to her ankle with her right hand and pull at the zip tie. It was tight and she could barely get her finger between it and the table leg. How would she break it? She needed to somehow get on her back and try to ram the chair against the floor. If she did that enough, she might break one of the ties. She managed to wriggle away from the chair a few inches and then lifted her legs, lifting the chair with them and slamming it down hard on the floor. It failed the first time, so she repeated it. Her muscles started to tire, but finally, she did one particularly hard slam and one of the zip ties broke. Her right ankle was finally free, a considerable gouge in her skin as a result.

  It gave her hope. She pushed herself up on one hand and glanced at the chair. It was now on its side in an awkward angle, but it was only attached by one zip tie. She tried to free the foot by moving the whole ankle down over the end of the leg until it was free.

  "Oh, thank God," she said and examined the damage done to her wrists and ankles. There were deep cuts in the skin on her outer wrist that oozed blood, and the same on her ankles.

  No matter. She'd face much worse if Eugene came back and she was still restrained.

  She stood up, wincing at a pain in her ankle, and went over to Elena. She sat on the bed beside the girl.

  "I'll get you free," she said removed the ball gag.

  Elena gasped and coughed, swallowing her saliva.

  "Help me!" she cried out. "He said he was going to kill me the next time he saw me!"

  "I'll get us out of here," Tess said, her hands gripping Elena's shoulders to calm her. "Let me find something to cut these and then we'll run, okay? You have to try to stay calm so we can do this properly and escape."

  Elena nodded, her brown eyes still wide with fear.

  Tess stood and glanced around the room, looking for something to use to cut the zip ties that held Elena's hands and feet to the bed frame. There was a spoon over on the table next to a bowl, which she assumed Eugene had used to feed Elena. She grabbed it, using it as a wedge between the bed frame and the zip tie, using as much of her weight as possible to try to break the tie. She pushed with all her might and sure enough, the zip tie broke, freeing one of Elena's hands. She went to each of the bed legs and did the same and soon, Elena was free.

  "Let's get some clothes on you," Tess said and found the bag of clothes, helping Elena to get dressed in a sweater and pair of leggings, socks and the shoes she had obviously worn the night she was abducted. Over top went her puffy coat, which was at the bottom of the bag. Tess figured Eugene was planning to burn everything at some point, and she was thankful he hadn't already. It would be cold outside after the sun set.

  "Can you climb up the ladder?" she asked, pointing up to the hole in the floor.

  "I think so," Elena said, but when she tried, her legs collapsed. She had probably barely eaten for days, and who knew what horrors Eugene had subjected her to. There were bruises on her arms and thighs where he must have held her down. Her eye was swollen shut. Her lip was fat, and some dried blood was caked in the corner of her mouth.

  "You go up in front of me, and I'll help you up."

  Tess helped Elena with one foot at a time, using her own body to keep Elena from falling. It was hard, but Elena was small, and soon they reached the top of the ladder. Tess pushed the carpet away to reveal the room. The place was dim, with the only light coming from the lantern in the pit. Tess got Elena up, then she climbed back down and retrieved the lantern as well as the blanket. They might need it in the woods, if they had to hide.

  She glanced around the shack and saw a tool kit against one wall. Inside was a hammer, a long screwdriver, and miscellaneous files, as well as screws, nuts, and bolts.

  The hammer and screwdriver could be useful as weapons, if need be. She tucked them into the bag that held the blanket.

  "We'll walk through the forest just inside so we can't be seen by anyone on the road. When we get to a main road, we'll flag down a driver and get them to take us to the nearest police station. We'll be home in no time."

  "Do you think so? What if he comes back?"

  "We'll be careful," Tess said and lifted one of the blackout curtains to check outside. There was a clearing around the shack and a narrow driveway that curved away into the distance, tall pines on either side. The sun was rapidly sinking, casting tall shadows across the yard.

  "Let's go," she said to Elena. "Follow close behind me."

  Tess opened the door and pulled Elena behind her, holding one of the girl's hands. They ran to the brush beside the house and went deeper into the forest, about a dozen feet inside. Tess kept one eye on the road and the other on the woods ahead of her, trying to keep as far from the road as possible without losing sight of it. She had no idea where they were. She’d been unconscious, so there was no telling how far they were from Paradise Hill. He had complained that he had to get back to town, and that he'd moved her car to another site to throw people off her track. They couldn't b
e too far away, given the time frame, but in the dense forests around Paradise Hill, it could be hard to find their way back to civilization. Who knew how long before they got to a main road and someone passed by?

  Before they got too far, after maybe fifteen minutes of walking, a car drove up the road, passing them in the darkness. It had no lights on and Tess knew who that was—Eugene. He had come back for them and would be furious when he realized they were gone.

  "That's him," she whispered to Elena. "We're going to move a little farther into the forest so he can't see us."

  "He has those night eye things," Elena whispered back. "He can see at night. He'll find us."

  She sounded defeated.

  "No, he won't see us," Tess insisted. "We'll stay hidden."

  "I'm so cold," Elena said, her teeth chattering.

  The forest was wet from the rain, and the air was close to freezing. Elena would be extremely weak. Tess felt sympathy for the girl, but if she wanted to live, she'd have to tough it out.

  "We'll stay as far away as we can," Tess whispered again and gave Elena a hug. "Wrap this around you. It'll keep you warm. Plus, it's dark so it'll be harder to see you." Tess pulled the blanket out of the plastic bag and wrapped it around Elena's shoulders. "There. If anyone comes after us, you hide under a bush and wrap that around you. It'll hide you. Okay?"

  "Okay,” Elena replied.

  They walked further through the forest and then Tess saw another vehicle drive up the road towards the shack. Who was it? One of Eugene's perverted accomplices?

  In the darkness, Tess couldn't tell, but she didn't want to find out. Instead, she kept pushing on, following the road in the hopes they would come to a busier highway where she could flag someone down.

  A few moments later, she heard noise in the forest behind her—like someone was following them. She grabbed Elena and bent down, her mouth by Elena's ear.

  "Hide," she whispered and then pointed to a large tree with several thick bushes around it. "Go in here. Cover yourself with the blanket."

  Elena obeyed. Once Tess was certain the girl was hidden, she moved away about ten feet and hid herself in a bush, the hammer in one hand and the screwdriver in the other.

  "E-lay-na… Where are you?" Eugene called out in a sing-song voice. "I'm coming to get you. You think you can escape, but I can see you, even in the darkness."

  Tess tried to breathe as quietly as she could, but it was hard—her heart was beating so fast. Then she saw Eugene, walking along, his hand held out in front of him.

  He had a gun.

  He was wearing his night vision goggles and would be able to see them…

  Just before he got to her, bright headlights blared on, shining an intense light into the forest where they stood.

  "Give it up, Kincaid!"

  It was Michael.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  A vehicle was tailing him about four blocks away.

  It was a Jeep. Michael Carter had a Jeep.

  Eugene cursed under his breath and tried to decide what to do about it. Obviously, he couldn't go directly to the shack with Carter on his tail. He'd have to divert, return home, make it look like he was just out for a long bike ride.

  Sure, it was late, but he couldn't sleep. That was the story in case he was stopped. He was known as a long-distance cyclist. It would be expected that he’d go out for long rides to prepare for upcoming races.

  He doubled back and rode past the Jeep, which drove by him at speed.

  Good.

  That would upset Carter. He must have been suspicious as well, which suggested that Eugene had made a few mistakes in the past weeks since Tess returned to Paradise Hill. One mistake was attacking her that night in the motel. The other was attacking Carter, but he just couldn't stop himself.

  He hated the bastard.

  Eugene rode to his apartment and acted as if he'd just been out for a ride.

  When he arrived back in his living room, he stood in the darkness and fought the urge to smash something. Now he'd have to wait until the evening to go and finish his work at the shack.

  Never mind.

  He'd take his secondary vehicle to a location in Easton and take the late delivery there for cover. He'd make sure Carter wasn't following him the next time.

  He barely slept, upset that his plans had been thwarted, but he'd get by on adrenaline alone. He checked his rear-view mirror frequently, looking for Carter’s Jeep, but never saw it. After a long day of deliveries, he signed the vehicle out for a trip to Easton. After he finished unloading boxes at the client's location, he drove to the truck stop and ordered his usual burger, fries, and drink. He took the meal back to the van and ate it quickly, needing the boost in blood sugar to get him through the night.

  The coast was clear—he'd seen nothing out of place during the day, no pesky Jeep trailing him—and so he after he finished eating, he walked to where his secondary vehicle was parked a half-block from the truck stop. Then he drove to the cabin where he'd taken Tess and Elena, and parked his vehicle, eager to get inside and get to it. He only had an hour, but that was more than long enough to do what he needed to do. He was already hard as rock in anticipation.

  When he got to the cabin and opened the door, he knew immediately that something was wrong. The carpet covering the opening to the basement room was thrown back. When he got to the edge, he knew what he'd find.

  The girls were gone—both of them.

  He climbed down and checked the zip ties lying on the floor beside the chair Tess had been tied to. There was fresh blood on them. It was cool but still wet, meaning that whatever they had done to escape had been done recently.

  They wouldn't have gotten far if that was the case…

  He climbed back up the stairs and pulled his night vision goggles out of his backpack, grabbed his gun, and checked the clip. Then he went hunting.

  He loved hunting, so this little diversion was just that—in fact, it made the whole business so much better.

  This was true sport.

  He scanned the forest and decided that the two had most likely gone straight into the trees rather than take any other route. Tess would want to avoid the road in case he came back, but she'd want to walk close enough to it not to get too lost. Most likely, Tess would walk until she found a major road and try to flag down a passing motorist who would take the two to safety.

  For all Eugene knew, they already had found someone, but most likely not. It was a five-mile drive to the main road, and it would take Tess and Elena at least an hour, likely more, to get that far—especially if they were walking through heavy underbrush.

  In the darkness, Eugene could see the shapes of the trees because of the light-enhancing qualities of his infrared sensors, and as he got farther along the road, he stopped and listened, hoping to hear the two females walking through the trees. There were a lot of fallen branches and twigs that would crunch under their feet. His own steps were making quite the racket in the quiet of the forest.

  Sure enough, he heard the sound of branches cracking underfoot, and knew they were just a couple of hundred feet ahead.

  He had them. He smiled to himself and held out his weapon, pointing it ahead. He would shoot Tess as soon as he had her in his sights. Then, he'd find Elena and take her back to the shack so at least he'd get to enjoy her death.

  Tess had gone and fucked everything up. He'd really like to make her suffer for it, but at this point, he just wanted to finish the hunt and get to the coup de grâce.

  All his dreams, all his plans for Elena—he'd barely brushed the surface of them over the past few days she'd been at his mercy.

  He was not going to let Tess ruin everything for him.

  He saw a blur of brightness ahead in the trees and knew he'd reached their location. Good. He crept slowly forward, trying to hide the sound of his footsteps, knowing how to step to disguise himself. He stopped to listen and heard them just ahead.

  Two figures, separated by about a dozen feet, one small
and stationary, one larger and moving. Elena would have hidden, and Tess would be moving, trying to divert him.

  He smiled to himself. He had them now. It was just a matter of shooting Tess to disable her, get her out of the way, and then he'd take Elena.

  "E-lay-na…Where are you? I'm coming to get you. You think you can escape, but I can see you even in the darkness."

  He saw Tess up ahead, noting Elena's location, and followed her, planning to get within a dozen feet and then shoot her. He held the gun out, pointing at her, waiting until he was close enough to shoot so he didn’t wing her. He wanted her dead.

  Suddenly, a bright glare of lights shone on him, in his eyes, and he had to stop and rip the night vision goggles off. For a moment, he stood there, a blinding pain in his eyes from the goggles, which amplified the ambient light enough for vision. Faced with bright light, it intensified it to an unbearable level.

  Someone had driven a vehicle up and turned on the lights into the forest. They were only a dozen feet inside the canopy, and the lights were bright enough to penetrate the thin underbrush and illuminate the entire area.

  "Give it up, Kincaid!"

  Michael Carter… Damn him!

  Eugene shot at the light, more of a reflex than a real attempt to aim and fire, but he was furious. He heard the bullet ricochet off the ground uselessly. He ran to Elena, remembering where she was, and grabbed her, intending to use her as a shield so he could make his way back to the cabin. He grabbed her, pulling her up and into his arms so she faced outward, and walked with her away from the light.

  "I have Elena," he shouted. "I'll kill her happily, and you know it, Carter. Let me go now or I'll shoot her in the head."

  "Let her go," Michael replied, his tone firm.

  "Not likely," Eugene replied. He backed away from the lights with Elena cowering in his grasp, his arm extended, his weapon pointed towards the car lights.