Deadly Night, Silent Night

by Margaret Daley

  * * *

  The second the police officer gave Alex a report concerning his accident and took his statement, Alex asked the nurse in his hospital emergency room, “Where’s my cell phone? It’s in my coat.”

  “The doctor—”

  “I have to call someone.” The urgency in his voice must have persuaded the nurse.

  She looked around her, spied something, and crossed the room. When she came back, she gave him his phone. “Dr. Stone should be getting the results of your tests soon.”

  “Thanks,” he mumbled while speed-dialing Rebecca’s landline then her cell phone.

  He let it ring until her voicemail came on and left a message both places. “Rebecca, I’m at the hospital. I had an accident. Call as soon as you get this. I want to make sure you got home all right.”

  The second he completed that call he made another one to Clint. “Sorry to wake you, but I’m in the ER. Someone hit me while I followed Rebecca home. I called her, and it went to voicemail. Please go to her house and check to make sure she’s okay.”

  “If it wasn’t for everything that’s been happening, I’d say you’re overreacting,” Clint said, sleep still clinging to his voice.

  “It’s been an hour since we left the hotel. She would have called when I didn’t arrive at her house. On top of that, there’s a possibility my accident was deliberate. The truck fled the scene. The police have a BOLO out on the vehicle. The witnesses said there wasn’t a license plate visible on it, but they gave the officer a good description. I have to know she’s okay.”

  “I’m going. She’ll want to come to the hospital. I’ll bring her.”

  “Just find her.” When Alex disconnected, he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

  He didn’t have time to wait for the doctor and the results of his tests. He knew what was wrong. He didn’t care that a stampede of moose was running loose in his head. His priority was keeping Rebecca safe. If anything happened to her…

  He put his feet down and stood. Immediately, he sank to the floor.

  * * *

  The cold sweeping into the car through the hole the tree created in the windshield seeped into the marrow of Rebecca’s bones. Her teeth chattered. Her body shook. Dressed for an evening at a gala with her short coat, not for outside in a snowstorm, she needed to retrieve the supplies she had in the rear for emergencies like this. But the tree blocked her from crawling between the bucket seats and into the back.

  It wouldn’t take long to freeze to death. If she didn’t put on more suitable clothes, especially if she had to walk out of wherever she was, hiking wouldn’t work. She glanced at the time. An hour since she went over the ledge and bounced her way down the side of the slope.

  Unsnapping her safety belt, she pushed her seat back as far as it could go. Still no room for her to squeeze through and get her supplies. Then she tried to tilt the seat back, but it only went partway. Jammed? And with the headrest, she couldn’t crawl into the rear.

  She shoved against the door. It didn’t budge. What else would go wrong?

  She would have to get out of the car and find another way. But how, trapped and with her head…and leg throbbing?

  Her leg? What was wrong? As she bent forward, her gaze latched onto a pool of crimson red on the floor. She lifted up her gown to reveal the piece of glass stuck in her calf, blood streaming from the wound. Not far away lay the rearview mirror, cracked into pieces. She’d known she was hurt, but adrenaline and shock must have masked the severity of her injury.

  If she pulled the glass out, she’d better be able to stem the flow of blood. Checking her surroundings only told her what she knew: her first aid kit was in the glovebox and blocked by the tree. She had another one in the back with her safety provisions she kept all the time in her vehicle, especially in winter.

  She stared at the lame dress, found another jagged piece of glass on the floor, and used it to cut off the bottom of her gown. Then she took a deep breath, jerked the shard from her calf, and quickly wrapped the gash.

  When she felt her head, her fingers grazed over a lump on her forehead. She didn’t remember how she got it, but at least there wasn’t any blood.

  For that matter, how did her SUV go off the road?

  A memory flashed across her mind.

  She didn’t have control of her car when she went over the embankment. It had sped up when she pressed on the brake. The steering wheel turned on its own. Had someone tampered with her vehicle? How was that even possible?

  A cold blast of air coming through the hole in the windshield made her shiver. Even if she was warmer, she couldn’t stay here. Her thoughts snapped back to what happened. What if the saboteur had caused her crash? What if he thought the best way to get back at her company was to kill her?

  Or was I the target all along?

  She didn’t like her train of thought, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility.

  She had to take charge and save herself. Alex should have been here by now if he’d seen her go over the side of the highway or at the very least he should be here soon. But until she was rescued, she needed to put on warmer clothes.

  She studied the driver’s side window, peeked at what was preventing her from opening the door—snow—and slid her window down. A blast of frigid air took her breath away. This was her way out, she hoped.

  After stuffing the items she needed from her handbag into her coat pockets, Rebecca eased herself into a kneeling position on her seat. The movement caused a white-hot streak to shoot up her leg. Her teeth gnashed together as she fought to ignore her wounds. She couldn’t afford to give into the pain. She took a fortifying breath and wiggled through the opening. Once her butt cleared the window, she tumbled the rest of the way into the pile of snow that enveloped her. She gasped from the frigid air and the burning sensation of agony pulsating through her.

  Quickly, she popped her head up over the rim of the hole she’d made, then struggled to stand. She prayed there was another way into her car because her feet were frozen. But when she checked the door behind the driver’s seat, her hope wavered.

  Keep your focus on the Lord.

  She had two more doors. If none of them were accessible, then she would have to find another way into the rear of the SUV. Her last resort would be trying to remove the tree from the windshield.

  When she trudged through the snow, she scanned what terrain she could make out. Her car had landed on a ledge. Only a few feet from the front of her vehicle, there was a drop off. She wasn’t sure exactly how far down it was. She’d worry about that after she got the supplies she needed. Limping, she rounded the back of the car, that option was looking more and more the only solution for her. She nearly cried at the sight of a boulder up against the rear door.

  * * *

  Alex gripped the bed, dragged himself to a standing position, and then waited until the room stopped spinning. Carefully he made his way to his coat, shoes, and other belongings on the chair, ignoring the aches and pain of each step. As he sat and picked up his wingtips, the door opened, and the doctor entered.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” the older man asked.

  “Leaving. I figure I have a concussion. I know what to look for. I can’t stay here.”

  “It’s a bit more than that. Your body took a severe jolt. I’m surprised you could move.”

  “I’m motivated. Someone I care about could be in danger.” Alex finished tying his shoestrings, clutched his heavy overcoat, and slowly rose. He didn’t want to let the doctor know how much the “jolt” had affected him. “See I’m fine.”

  “You’re not kidding me. Thankfully you don’t have any broken ribs, but they’re bruised, probably from the seatbelt. And that isn’t the worse. Your concussion isn’t a mild one.”

  He wanted to say, “Tell me about it. Believe me, the pain is letting me know,” but he needed to play it low key. “I promise you I’m not going to sleep. I’ll keep myself awake, and if my symptoms worsen, I’ll t
hink about coming back here. If this wasn’t important, I would stay.”

  Again he moved cautiously into the corridor.

  The doctor followed. “You’ll have to sign a form that you’ve chosen not to be admitted to the hospital. You should stay overnight for observation.”

  Alex kept walking toward the waiting room at the entrance to the ER.

  “I’ll be right back.” The doctor scurried away.

  Alex’s cell phone rang. He quickly answered it.

  “Tell me it’s good news, Clint.” He could use that.

  “She isn’t at home and doesn’t answer her cell phone. I didn’t see her or her car along the road. She’s disappeared somewhere between her house and where you had your wreck.”

  “That’s three miles. We need to look for her. Come pick me up and bring Susie and anything else we might need, especially warm clothes and boots for me. Have Tory organize a search and rescue group. I’ll report this to the police. I’ll be in the hospital waiting room. Hurry.”

  Alex stared out the glass doors of the entrance. Snow continued to fall as he called headquarters, praying they could find Rebecca in time.

  * * *

  Rebecca rounded the rear of the SUV and noticed how much her car was leaning on its left side. Shivering, she hurried as fast as she could to the backseat door behind the tree. If she scooped some of the snow away from the car, she might be able to get inside.

  With her gloved hands, she began digging the car out enough that she could open the door. She stopped every minute or two and stomped her feet to get her blood to circulate through them. The tingling sensation, like pins being stuck into her feet, urged her to hurry.

  When she didn’t think she could shovel another handful of snow away from her SUV, she yanked at the door. It gave an inch. She pulled again with what strength she had left.

  Another inch wider.

  I can do this.

  She attacked the snow keeping her from opening it further.

  Finally, she put her whole body behind shoving the door until she could squeeze inside, crawling under the tree along the floorboard. She rose behind the driver’s seat and climbed into the cargo area where her emergency supplies were.

  She quickly removed her unsuitable heels, slipped on two pairs of wool socks, then she tended to the gash on her leg, cleaning and bandaging it. After that, she changed into the warmer clothing before donning her hiking boots. Now she was equipped either to hike out of here or stay with the car and hope help would come soon.

  Then she thought about the way her vehicle went over the cliff. Someone caused the accident and probably knew exactly where she was. She needed to get away from her car in case the saboteur came looking for her. And if she needed to leave, she might as well find her way out of here. She wished it were smarter to stay because she might be able to find out who had a grudge against her and her company.

  She grabbed her backpack and put in all the supplies she might need and the gun she had in case of emergencies. It should only be a couple of miles. She’d hiked over rough terrain before but not in this much snow and not with a leg injury.

  Her car was totaled so there was no reason why she shouldn’t knock the rear window out with a crowbar. Thankfully the boulder only blocked the door from opening. She smashed the piece of iron against the glass until it was safe for her to crawl out. After one last glance in the cargo area for any item she might need, she made a full circle, surveying the landscape around her using her flashlight.

  As she thought earlier, her car was stuck on a ledge. She carefully made her way to the edge to see how far down she would have to go. On either side of her, the shelf narrowed. To the left it ended, but to the right it continued around a corner. Maybe that was her way off the ledge and an easier path to the bottom. She only had one length of rope and didn’t want to use it at the start, if possible. She sidestepped around the bend. The shelf widened. She picked up her foot to continue.

  The earth beneath her crumbled, and she fell, sliding down the slope, snow tumbling after her.

  ***

  Chapter Nine

  Alex chose not to take any medication that would affect his performance while searching for Rebecca. A few over-the-counter pain meds were all he took while Clint drove toward Alex’s wreck site. There was at least seven hours until the sky began to lighten with daybreak, but with the blanket of white on most of the landscape, seeing outside was easier than it would be in total darkness.

  Alex focused on his mission rather than his throbbing head and his bruised ribs that forced him to inhale shallow breaths. Lord, I need You. I can’t do this without You.

  “We’ll start where I last saw Rebecca’s car. I have some police officers looking at traffic cam videos to see if they can find anyone who might have been on that road around the time she disappeared. Then they’ll conduct the interviews. Maybe they saw something or one of them could be responsible.”

  “Tory is organizing a search and rescue team to help. As soon as we have a location, I’ll let her know.” Clint stopped at the light where Alex’s accident occurred. “Any news on the truck that hit you?”

  “No, but the police are looking for that, too. At least the snow has stopped falling. I’m hoping if there are any kind of tracks to follow they aren’t totally gone.”

  Clint threw a glance at the two German shepherds in the back before easing into the intersection. “At least we have Sitka and Susie. If there’s a scent, they’ll be able to track it and find Rebecca.”

  “I’m counting on that. Do you have an idea who might be after her? Maybe the person isn’t tied to the company.”

  “My sister’s whole life is the company. Most everything she does is connected to it. Her only outside activity she does is search and rescue and in that situation, she’s helping people, not making them angry at her.”

  “How about one that didn’t end well? We’ve had several in the past few months.”

  “Then why just Rebecca? She’s one of many involved in a rescue mission.”

  Alex knew that it wasn’t likely, but so far they hadn’t uncovered anything about a former employee. “I mentioned to her that we need to look at current employees, too.”

  “That’s what I’ve been thinking. Neil thinks the hacker did a trial run on the system a few weeks before the attack from a computer in accounting that the whole department could access.”

  “But not the final hack when the credit card numbers were taken?”

  “No, so far the trace leads us on a wild goose chase.”

  “Then we should look at current employees.” Alex pointed at a spot off the highway where Clint could pull off the pavement. “I saw her car before my accident right about here.”

  Rebecca’s brother parked where indicated. “I’m letting Tory know.”

  “I’ll get the dogs ready.” Alex climbed from the passenger seat and slogged through piled up snow on the shoulder of the road toward the rear door.

  He checked each dog to make sure they were dressed with shoes, coat, and other gear to protect them against the cold. The temperature hovered around ten degrees, but the wind had died down so the chill factor wasn’t much lower. As Clint made his way to the back, quiet reigned with little to no traffic at nearly three in the morning. But Alex still handed Rebecca’s brother an orange reflective jacket to wear over his overcoat, and Clint handed Alex a walking stick.

  Alex swung the rifle he’d brought with him over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” Alex held Susie’s leash and moved out first.

  As they headed up the incline where the highway went around a curve, the drainage ditches on each side were filled with snow but not much higher. Either someone managed to kidnap Rebecca or her car went off the road. If one of those happened, there should be evidence to follow. He prayed there was some kind of clue as to what happened to her. He didn’t want to lose her. Not until recently had he realized he’d always loved her beyond their friendship—probably the reason he’d never married. No o
ne lived up to Rebecca in his mind.

  God, I can’t lose her now.

  * * *

  The breath knocked out of her, Rebecca lay unmoving at the bottom of the slope, parts of her buried in the snow that had come down with her. She was almost afraid to move. Her body ached in places she hadn’t realized it could. She definitely wouldn’t recommend the fast route to the bottom.

  Staying with her car wasn’t an option now. Good thing she’d decided moving on was probably for the best since she didn’t want whoever had caused the wreck to find her. Having lived in Alaska all her life, she was used to cold weather. She knew the signs of hypothermia, and when she’d put on proper clothing in the car, it helped her, especially with two layers of wool socks and hiking boots. However, there would come a time when hypothermia would set in if she stayed outside too long.

  Although animals were known to bury most of their body in snow to weather a long, cold night, the more she stayed outdoors the more vulnerable she would be to the low temperature and the person after her. She began digging herself out of the snow she was stuck in.

  Freed finally, she rose, swallowing the groan, and scanned the terrain. She estimated she was probably two miles from her house. If she could make it to the highway, she might be able to flag someone down in the middle of the night even though it wasn’t a busy road. Thinking about that stretch where she went over the edge, she knew she would have a tough time climbing back up to the highway. But about half a mile in the direction of her house, there was a place she could get to the road more easily.

  Keeping an eye on where she was going, Rebecca headed toward the wooded area between her and her destination. Some of the evergreens looked like Christmas trees with snow heavy on their limbs. With all that had been going on concerning the store, she hadn’t had a chance to put up her decorations or tree yet. She carried on her family traditions and always had the whole place done by the first week in December. But not this year.