Harry Hunter Mystery Box Set

by Willow Rose

  She hadn’t moved for quite some time now and was getting anxious and restless. It was hard not to panic when you couldn’t move.

  Please, God, have someone find me. Lead my dad to find me. I know he’ll listen to you. Don’t let me down. Don’t forget about me.

  Josie laid still while sweat trickled down her forehead and landed on her lip. It tasted salty and made her feel even more thirsty. Josie would do anything right now for something to drink. After hours inside this place, she was beginning to feel dizzy and like she couldn’t stay awake much longer. She kept dozing off and waking up again, and she knew dehydration was starting to set in. It wasn’t good for her heart, and she had more than once felt a huge pinch, one that made her cry out behind the gag. And now she felt it again. A stabbing pain went through her chest, and she was certain she was running a fever too. The tiredness, the weakness, along with shortness of breath and tightness of her chest were some of the symptoms she could feel if her body was rejecting the heart, she had been told.

  She was feeling all of that right now. All of it.

  This was too much strain and stress on her heart. Her body couldn’t cope with it anymore.

  Hurry up, God. It’s getting serious now. I’m running out of time. Get my dad to me, please.

  A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she dozed off, then woke up again, only to realize she was still in the same darkness but feeling even more tired now. She closed her eyes again and thought of her family, of how happy they had been once, how happy she had been when she was just a child. Before everything went bad. Before her mom had…

  Josie dozed off once again in the middle of a thought, no longer having the strength to fight the luring sleep calling for her.

  In the distance, she thought she heard her father’s voice, but she didn’t know if it was just part of her dream.

  A few seconds later, it didn’t matter anymore.

  Chapter 47

  The anxious brown eyes looking back at me from inside the dryer blinked a few times while deciding whether to trust me or not. They belonged to a young boy, nine, maybe ten years old.

  The realization of what I had found made me cry out with distress. I pulled back and looked at Ferdinand, shaking my head in disgust.

  “A…a child?”

  He narrowed his eyes while looking at me. “Maybe you ought to stop now, Harry. Before you go where there is no way back.”

  “Oh, I think we’ve reached that point, don’t you think?” I asked, biting back my tears. “I think we’re way past that.”

  I turned to face the stacked appliances leaned up against the wall in front of me, on top of one another, as high as the ceiling. How many were there? One hundred? Two hundred?

  Heart throbbing in my chest, I ran to the front of the stack, ripped off the bubble wrap, and opened a freezer. Another set of anxious eyes was staring back at me while the mouth gasped for air. The woman reached out her hand toward me. It seemed she was more dead than alive. I kept the lid open, then ripped the cardboard off the next one, where I found another young boy, maybe fourteen.

  Who were these people?

  “Where do they come from?” I asked while opening the next, frantically pulling at the wrapping, tears streaming across my cheeks. The cruelty in this seemed impossible.

  “Who knows?” Ferdinand said. “Where do any of us come from? We help them to a better future.”

  “Refugees?” I said addressed to him. “You’re smuggling refugees? How many of them arrive alive, huh? After hours, maybe even days inside these things, how many survive, huh? What did you promise them? A better life? If they only gave you their savings, is that it? They gave you all they had, thinking you’d help them get into the promised land? And then what? They’ll get arrested and sent back? Or end up in the streets? If they make it that far.”

  He shrugged. “They know the risks.”

  I stared at him, startled, appalled. These were human lives he was talking about. How could anyone be this cruel and still call themselves human?

  “Was Wolfe in charge of it all and then handed it down to you?” I paused. “No, wait…he didn’t know about the refugees, did he? You added that part later when he retired from the force. He was the one who had made a little extra through selling these appliances and making sure the port authorities looked the other way. He had made a small business out of it, then handed it down to you when he left and couldn’t take care of it anymore. But you changed it, and he didn’t like it. That’s why he had to go. He wanted you to stop what you were doing; it had gotten out of hand. Maybe he even threatened to expose you, am I right?”

  “You expect me to answer that?”

  “You don’t have to. I know when I’m right. So, you had David kill him, but there were witnesses, and you then had to remove them too. But you hadn’t counted on Emilia’s heart causing Josie to dream about you and how you killed her, and about where to find the body.”

  “That was an unfortunate turn of events,” Ferdinand said. “Everything else was going so smoothly and had for years.”

  One of his goons made a move, and I grabbed David again, then pulled him close to me, placing the gun against his temple.

  Ferdinand signaled for his goon to stand back. “It’s too bad, Hunter. You could have been in on it. I would have cut you a deal. We could use someone like you on our side.”

  “Who else is in on it?” I asked. “Who do you work for?”

  That made Ferdinand laugh. “You don’t seriously expect me to answer that, do you?”

  I pressed the gun against David’s temple, hard.

  “WHO?”

  He laughed again. The sound of his laughter felt like knives to my skin. I couldn’t stand the sight of the man. He made me sick.

  Still grinning, Ferdinand reached inside his jacket, pulled out a gun, and shot David three times in the chest. David’s body went into spasms, and he slid out of my hands. I stood behind, blood smeared on my clothes, then looked up at Ferdinand, eyes wide with shock.

  “He ratted me out,” Ferdinand said. “He was supposed to kill the girl. That’s why he came to your house. But instead, he warned you. Probably because he wanted you to take me down, so he could have everything to himself. I’ve been expecting him to make his move for a little while now. Now, he can’t. And neither can you.”

  With that, Ferdinand lifted his gun again, pointed it at me, and fired.

  Chapter 48

  I threw my body to the ground. The bullet whistled past me, grazing my shoulder as I fell. I landed on my side with a loud thud, panting for air as a regular gunfight broke out.

  Once the goons saw that I was still alive, they all simultaneously pulled their guns and shot at me. Luckily, I managed to jump behind a dryer. I heard the bullets hit it on the other side and ricochet off it, causing the bullets to fly everywhere while I crouched down, covering my head.

  Once the shooting stopped, I peeked out. That was when I realized the goons hadn’t been the ones doing all the shooting, and now most of them were on the ground, some in a pool of their own blood, others screaming in pain, while some were on their knees, holding their hands above their heads, pleading for their lives.

  Behind them all stood someone I knew very well. He smiled from ear to ear as he saw me.

  It was Fowler.

  “Hunter!”

  Seeing him, I dared to get out from behind my cover. I walked to him while the officers he had brought moved in and arrested the ones that were still alive. Fowler pulled me into a hug. It felt awkward since he was never much of a hugger; yet it was by far one of the best I had ever gotten.

  “Al told me where to find you,” he said. “She was worried and had you tracked down, then called me with your exact location. She said you might require assistance. Boy, was she spot-on. We arrived right after you did, SWAT team and everything. We were ready to move in until we heard you two talking. I decided to wait to make sure I heard everything.”

  “I don’t think I have eve
r been this glad to see you,” I said and hugged him back.

  “Whoa there, soldier. Don’t crush me,” he said as I let go of him.

  I looked around, then realized something.

  “Ferdinand. I don’t see him anywhere. Did you book him?”

  A SWAT officer came up to us. Fowler asked him, and he shook his head. “Haven’t seen him, sir.”

  My eyes grew wide, and I frantically looked around us. “Could he have gotten away?”

  We ran outside, then around the building. There was a big empty space in the parking lot.

  “The truck,” I said. “There was a big white truck parked here. Where is it now?”

  Fowler growled loudly, then turned to his officer. “I thought we had this place surrounded. How did he get out?”

  The officer looked confused.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” I said and ran to my car parked behind the next building, then jumped in and roared it to life. I backed out, swung it around, then floored it while calling Al on my phone.

  “Al, I need your help.”

  “Hunter! Where were you? Have you found Josie?”

  “I need you to track down a white truck for me using your surveillance cameras. It’s leaving the harbor now or left within the past few minutes. Can you do that?”

  Chapter 49

  “I already have it tracked down,” Al said on the other end.

  Putting the siren and lights on, I raced down the road, took a sharp turn, then continued, going down the only road leading out of there.

  “What? How?”

  “I have it right here on my screen, showing it’s driving down MacArthur Causeway, and going onto I95 now, northbound.

  “That’s great, Al, but how do you know this already?”

  “Well, it isn’t exactly the truck I’m chasing as much as it is Josie.”

  “Josie? You know where she is?”

  “Yes, she’s in the truck, moving up I95.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Because I didn’t know sooner, you fool.”

  “I don’t understand. How do you know now then?”

  “Take a right now and get onto I95, continue north,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said and did as she said.

  “Listen, I didn’t know this till now. I didn’t know she was on a truck. I just knew she was at the harbor. When you brought her to my place, I had a feeling I might end up losing her somehow. I told you I’m no good with kids, no matter the age or size. I knew I couldn’t keep an eye on her constantly. So, I put a transmitter in her pocket while she slept, one so small she can’t feel it, and no one can see it.”

  “So, you knew she was at the harbor when I left your place?”

  “I knew I could track her, and I tried to tell you, but you rushed out of there so fast I didn’t get to. Now, if you would have picked up your phone for once in your life, I would have been able to tell you this sooner, but you didn’t, and so I called Fowler. He was my last resort since I can’t stand the guy, but I had to make sure you were safe.”

  “So, you’re my guardian angel,” I said, smiling at the phone, eyes focused and determined on the road ahead.

  “Take the exit now,” she said. “Get off I95. I found a shortcut. The truck is about a mile ahead of you now, but there’s a small traffic jam. You’re gaining on him, fast. But you need to get around the jam.”

  I took the exit, roared across an intersection while cars cleared the way for me, as I came blasting through with sirens blaring and drove back onto I95. I had barely made it when I spotted something in the distance, something sticking up between the cars.

  A truck. A big white truck.

  “I see it,” I said. “I’ve got him!”

  I floored the accelerator once again and came closer still, forcing cars in my way to move to the side. Now, there were only two cars between us. Snorting in anger, I pressed the car to perform to its utmost, and soon I was right behind it, then I pressed up on the side of the truck.

  “Come on; come on,” I said to the old car as I nudged it along, praying it would soon surpass him.

  “You’re almost there, Hunter,” Al said on the other end. “Now, give it all you have.”

  But Ferdinand had seen the lights and heard the sirens by now, and he sped up, pressing the truck to go faster. Still, I made it up on his side and could now look directly at him next to me.

  “That’s right, you bastard,” I mumbled while looking straight at him. “I’m coming for you!”

  Chapter 50

  I signaled for him to stop, to pull over, but he refused. No surprise there. I could hear a chopper approaching in the distance and prayed that it was Fowler, sending assistance.

  “STOP, you idiot!” I yelled at Ferdinand, waving my arm wildly. “Before you get us all killed!”

  And worst of all, my beautiful daughter.

  We approached a car that was driving slower than us, and I had to slow down significantly so that I wouldn’t ram into it. Growling, I watched as Ferdinand took off on the inside lane, while I had to wait a few seconds for the car in front of me to shift lanes and let me pass. I groaned and yelled something I knew I wouldn’t be proud of afterward, then floored the accelerator. I heard a sound from above and looked up, then realized it wasn’t a police chopper, but a news helicopter.

  “Where the heck is my backup?” I yelled into the radio. “I need all roads closed on I95 northbound, and air support!”

  Dispatch confirmed they were on their way, and as we passed an entrance to the highway, I spotted two police cruisers racing out behind us, just as I drove past them. I reached the back of the truck and sped up to get back up on his side. Seconds later, I succeeded and could once again see his sweaty face inside the cabin, grinning back at me, his eyes manic and crazy.

  As I pressed the Chevrolet to its utmost, I finally caught up with him. I pulled the wheel forcefully to the side and rammed into his front left side, knowing very well he was the biggest, and I would probably be the one ending up getting hurt. I just knew I had to try and stop him before Josie was hurt. If he had trapped her in one of those appliances in the back, chances were that she was running out of air, or at least exposing herself to an amount of stress her heart couldn’t take at this point. I feared another heart failure, one that would prove to be fatal this time.

  The truck swerved to the side but returned to the road just as quickly, this time knocking me forward. My car skidded sideways, turned to the side, and as I looked out the side window, I saw the truck roaring toward me.

  I closed my eyes as Ferdinand blasted toward me, then turned the wheel fast and got the car back into its own lane just as the truck roared past me.

  Sweat springing from every pore in my face, I stepped on the accelerator once again and drove up on the side of the truck again, trying to repeat what I did earlier. Ferdinand looked down at me, still grinning, then pulled the wheel and knocked into me instead. My car bumped sideways and hit the guardrail. The noise of the car scratching along it hurt my ears, and I let out a loud scream as I tried to regain control of my car. Meanwhile, Ferdinand had been so busy watching me, he hadn’t noticed the cars in front of him, and soon he knocked into one of them. There was a terrible noise as he tried to brake, and the truck skidded sideways and crashed into a couple of other cars in front of it before it ran off the road and into the grass.

  I held my breath as it roared toward a line of trees, knocking a few of the lighter ones over, cracking them like sticks before it finally met its match in an old magnolia tree and banged into it. The truck came to a sudden halt with a loud crash, and everything stopped inside of me.

  Chapter 51

  “Josie!”

  I pushed the door but couldn’t open it. I then leaned over and grabbed my Swiss Army Knife from the glove compartment before I crawled to the passenger seat, opened the door, and jumped out into the road. I ran for dear life toward the truck on the side of the road, barely able to breat
he because of the fear rushing through me. I knew Josie was onboard that truck somewhere since Al had told me. My only guess was that she was in the back somewhere.

  Smoke was emerging from the front of the curled-up truck, but my focus was on the back. The cargo had fallen to the side when it hit the tree. I ran to it, unlocked the hatch, then pulled the doors open and jumped inside.

  “Josie?”

  The appliances had been tossed around in there like were they nothing but light Lego blocks in a box. A big fridge was right by the door, and the first thing I did was to grab the cardboard box wrapping and cut it open with my knife, then pull it off with everything I had, but it still felt like it was too slow, way too slow. It took forever before I could finally pull it off and open the door to the brand-new fridge.

  A set of eyes stared back at me. Someone was in there all right, but it wasn’t my Josie.

  Leaving the door open so the young woman could crawl out, I exhaled, then climbed over the fridge and moved further inside the truck. I cut open a washer, a dryer, and more people crawled out, some—especially the children—I had to help out. One little girl couldn’t even stand on her own two feet; she was so weak. I had to carry her outside, where I hoped and prayed one of her parents were among those that I had set free. Seeing the girl, a woman made a squeal and grabbed her in her arms, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  I then returned inside and found the last box that hadn’t been opened. I cut open the wrapping around it, then the box it came in. Thinking there was no way my tall girl would ever fit inside of that small washer, I prepared myself for not finding her. Frantically, I removed the Styrofoam, throwing it everywhere while crying heavily.

  Where are you, my sweet Josie? Where are you?