by Hope White
He found himself more concerned with his own welfare than usual.
Because of Zoe and their potential future together.
As they approached the bunker, Deputy Hauf put up his hand and snapped a flashlight off his belt. “Wait for me to give the all clear.”
Romeo had other ideas and took off ahead of Deputy Hauf.
“Romeo, back,” Jack said.
The dog stopped and turned to look at Jack. Jack tapped his thigh. The dog trotted to Jack’s side, visibly frustrated.
Deputy Hauf entered the bunker.
As Jack and Sally waited, he noticed her unzip her jacket and rest her hand at her waist, where he assumed she kept her firearm.
Jack continued to scan the area for signs of anything unusual. Seconds stretched by slowly, as he worried about how he’d tell Zoe if or when they found Shannon’s body. He wanted desperately for Zoe’s friend to be alive. The thought of grief crushing Zoe’s heart...
Pain ripped through him as surely as if he were feeling the potential grief.
He found himself silently praying, an odd, yet comforting feeling.
I’m new at this, God, but I could use Your support. Whatever we find, please help me find the words to comfort Zoe. Amen.
The pain in his chest seemed to soften a bit.
“Clear!” Deputy Hauf called.
The two K9 teams joined Deputy Hauf in the bunker. Jack was relieved that Shannon’s body wasn’t inside. The deputy was standing over an extinguished campfire. Jack knelt, took off his glove and touched the burned kindling. “Not warm.”
Romeo burst into a round of barks. Deputy Hauf aimed his flashlight at the dog. Romeo was sniffing and pacing. Butch rushed up to him and barked. Jack spotted a scarf on the ground. With a brown stain.
“Blood,” Jack said.
Deputy Hauf squatted, pulled a knife off his belt and used the tip to push the scarf aside. “This could belong to anyone.”
“There’s more over here,” Sally said, aiming her flashlight into the corner where it appeared more articles of clothing were strewn on the ground. “More blood stains, like someone was trying to stop bleeding.”
Jack pulled out his own flashlight and scanned the small area.
The beam illuminated a sparkle of silver against the dirt floor. “Deputy Hauf?” Jack motioned.
The deputy crossed the bunker and picked up a silver chain with the tip of his knife. A charm dangled from the end.
“It’s a heart and a cross,” Hauf said.
“It belongs to Shannon Banks,” Jack said.
“How do you know?”
“She and Zoe have tattoos, same design.”
“I’ll call it in,” Sally said, stepping out of the bunker.
It seemed that Shannon had been injured, but wasn’t here now, which meant she’d hiked out on her own. That seemed hopeful.
“What’s this?” Hauf pulled a tarp off a small mound to reveal plastic bags of a powdered substance. “This must be where they store the drugs.”
Which meant, authorities would conclude Shannon’s involvement in the drug ring since she was here, at the secret storage bunker.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean—”
“Jack,” Sally cut him off as she reentered the bunker. “They need you back ASAP. Zoe is gone.”
* * *
The sound of men’s voices awakened Zoe. She tentatively opened her eyes. She was on the floor, staring at a gray wall.
“What are we waiting for?”
“Confirmation he’s got her.”
Her? As in Shannon?
“Then what?”
“We end this thing. Let’s go.”
A few moments later there was the sound of a door clicking shut. Zoe sat up and looked around. She was in a one-room shed. A small lamp stood on a crate in the corner.
She spotted a man lying on the floor, his back to her. Rubbing her hands together, she realized the shed wasn’t heated nor did it have windows.
She was a prisoner. Had they gotten Kelly, too?
The man coughed.
She tentatively crossed the shed. “Hello?”
He rolled over.
“Randy?” she said, recognizing him from the photo at Shan’s house.
“I don’t know you.”
“I’m Zoe Pratt, a friend of Shannon’s.”
He nodded, but it seemed like he was out of it. The left side of his face was discolored with bruises, his pupils dilated, and he clutched his ribs with his arm.
“You’re a DEA agent,” she said.
He pinned her with dull green eyes.
“Agent Trotter told us about you, how you were assigned to make Shannon fall in love with you.”
A slight chuckle escaped his lips and he winced, closing his eyes. “Funny story... She would have made the better agent.”
“What do you mean?”
When he opened his eyes again, Zoe knew instantly what he meant.
“You love her?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah, I fell for a drug dealer.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true. I lost my perspective.”
“No, I mean the drug dealer part.”
He nodded and closed his eyes.
Great. This guy loved Shannon, yet even he believed she was a drug dealer.
“Why are we here?” Zoe asked.
“Leverage. They’ve been trying to get Shannon to tell them where the drugs are,” he hesitated, breathing slowly. “They think she’s been stealing from them. But...”
“But?”
“I saw her...in the mountains.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah. Acted like she had no idea what they were talking about, what they wanted.”
“See, I knew it. She’s not involved.”
“She escaped.” He winced as he shifted position. “Now that they have you, they’ve got the advantage. They think she’ll do anything to save us.” He looked at her, a sad smile easing across his lips. “The two people she loves.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Randy shook his head and closed his eyes.
* * *
Jack returned to town in a state of...disassociation. He couldn’t quite define any one feeling surging through him.
Anger? No. Frustration, yes. Panic, definitely.
Disappointment, most definitely.
She’d gone against his wishes and left her safe accommodations.
Jack pulled up to the lodging and the first thing he noticed was the room service tray on the ground by the door. Why would she have ordered room service if she was going to flee?
He approached the duplex and the door swung open. Detective Perry scowled at him. “Okay, you know her better than anyone else in town. Where would she go?”
“Hello, Detective Perry.” Jack entered.
“She’s gone,” Perry said. “Probably met up with Shannon. She’s made so much money, she’s probably paid for fake ID’s and fled the jurisdiction.”
“No, that’s not Zoe. You don’t know her.”
“And you do?” Perry said. “Come on, Jack. You’ve known her for less than a week. I checked, she was having problems at work. They said she’d taken time off to reevaluate things. She comes up here, and she and Shannon cook up this kidnapping ploy, and then Zoe waits for Shannon to give her the green light to meet up.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Great, well, if you know her so well, where’d she go?”
“I don’t know.”
“She didn’t text you or call you? I mean, being that you’re such good friends.”
“I haven’t heard from her.” His gaze drifted across the room. He imagined her there, making tea, petting Romeo...smiling.
“You don’t seem very upset,” Detective Perry said.
“I’m upset.”
“You know what this means?” Perry asked.
Jack looked at him.
“It means she’s been manipulating you,” Perry said.
Jack went to look out the window. Where are you Zoe? Why did you go against my advice to stay put?
The betrayal hurt worst of all.
Was it all a lie? Their intimate conversations? Discussions about faith? Her acceptance of his quirks and awkward demeanor? Had she been setting him up all along?
The thought tore through his insides. He hadn’t felt this kind of pain when his ex-fiancée ended their relationship.
Detective Perry stepped up beside him. “Jack, I’m sorry.”
Jack glanced at him, sensing Perry was apologizing for more than his harsh words.
“You’re a smart guy. Help me out,” Perry said. “Let’s assume she isn’t partners with Shannon.”
Jack eyed him.
“I’m willing to take a leap of faith. If that’s the case, why would she leave?”
“The only thing that would motivate her is the well-being of her best friend.”
“Shannon.”
“Yes.”
“Then we’re back to square one.”
“Not necessarily. I can track her phone.”
Perry quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m not a stalker.”
Perry put up his hands. “No judgment.”
Jack sat at the table and opened his laptop. “This program is better than the typical phone-tracking app. Give me a few minutes.”
As Jack typed in the parameters, Detective Perry paced the living area.
“You’re going to give yourself ulcerative colitis,” Jack said.
“So I’ve been told. I hate being blindsided, first by the Feds, then by Zoe Pratt, the supposed victim.”
So did Jack. He still wasn’t sure what was going on, and the flood of emotional energy was so overpowering he chose numbness over emotion in order to process what was happening.
Zoe had left him.
Intentionally. There had been no sign of a struggle, no reports of a woman screaming. She’d left of her own volition.
Although, the food tray outside still bothered him.
As the program searched for Zoe’s phone, Jack stood and went to the door.
“Where are you going?”
Jack opened the door, picked up the tray and brought it inside. “There are two plates here.”
“Yeah?”
“She ordered food for two.” He lifted the covers to reveal uneaten meals.
A ping rang from his laptop. He went to view it.
“She’s not far away.” Jack stood. “Are you notifying Agent Trotter?”
“They’re in the mountains examining the bunker. I’ll call a few of my deputies. Let’s go.”
Jack hesitated, surprised that the detective was including him in the search-and-retrieval mission.
Perry opened the door and looked at Jack. “Unless you don’t want to.”
“I’ll follow you in my truck.”
* * *
A key rumbled against a lock and Zoe dashed to her corner. She turned her back to the door and pretended to be asleep. The door shut with a click. She interlaced her fingers and prayed.
Jack, please find me.
That’s when she realized if everyone thought Shan was a criminal, they might throw Zoe into that category as well, considering she’d mysteriously disappeared. She had to do something to let Jack know she was in trouble.
“They’re both asleep,” a man said.
He must be on the phone. But what would he do when the call ended?
She reached for her Holy Spirit charm to calm herself. As her fingers touched the smooth silver dove, the answer became clear.
“It’s better if we do it up there anyway. Easier to dispose of the bodies.”
The bodies? As in dead bodies? Her heart raced.
A sudden needle prick at the base of her neck made her yelp.
She swung her arm to push the guy away.
“Keep still.”
Suddenly he was yanked back. Randy was trying to defend her, get her free. As the men struggled, she scanned the small shed and spotted a footstool.
The kidnapper shoved Randy against the wall.
Zoe swung the footstool at the kidnapper’s head. He spun around and grabbed Zoe’s wrist. It was the guy who attacked her on the mountain and took Shannon. A shudder ran down her spine.
“Enough,” he said. “Or I’ll kill you both right here.”
He shoved her aside and she stumbled, falling on the dirt floor of the shed. As she looked up, it felt like she was watching a movie, like she wasn’t the one in the shed being brutalized.
The drug. It must already be taking effect.
“Now let’s go,” he said, pulling Randy up. “You, too.”
She knew he was talking to her, but her mind felt soggy.
He grabbed her arm.
She wrapped her fingers around her necklace, yanked hard and dropped it by her side.
Find this, Jack. Find my necklace and come save me.
One last time.
FOURTEEN
Jack tracked Zoe’s phone to a shed on the far perimeter of the resort property. Detective Perry contacted the resort manager, Curt, to notify him they needed access. Curt gladly gave Detective Perry the key.
Two sheriff’s deputies, two DEA agents, Detective Perry and Jack surrounded the small shed. Perry led the team. He approached the door. Inserted the key and turned the lock. With a nod to his team, he swung the door open. “Police!”
His deputies followed him inside the shed.
A few long seconds of painstaking silence passed, then—
“Clear!”
Jack hurried into the shed behind DEA agents. And saw a woman on the ground wearing a knit cap. “Zoe?”
He wasn’t even sure if he’d said her name aloud. His heart clenched.
Detective Perry put out his hand for everyone to stay back. The two deputies, Ortman and Hauf, made room for Jack. Detective Perry gently rolled the female over.
It was Shannon’s friend, Kelly.
Relief warred with panic in Jack’s chest. It wasn’t Zoe, which was good, but then where was she?
“Ma’am, can you hear me?” Detective Perry asked.
Jack vaguely sensed the other DEA agents searching the shed.
“I...what?” she said.
“Detective?” one of the DEA agents said, as he picked up a cell phone.
Zoe’s phone.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” Perry said.
“Her name is Kelly,” Jack offered.
“Kelly, can you hear me?” Perry said.
“I...yes.”
“What happened?”
“Zoe... Shannon...”
“They were here?”
Kelly nodded. “It’s cold.” She wrapped her arms around herself and started shivering.
“Find me a blanket,” Perry said. One of his deputies rushed out of the shed.
“You saw Shannon Banks?” Perry redirected to Kelly.
“Yes. She and Zoe left.”
“Do you know where they went?”
Deputy Hauf returned with a blanket and Perry wrapped it around Kelly’s body.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Did they say where they were going?”
“Canada.”
Perry nodded at the DEA agents. “Notify Trotter so you can intercept them at the border. We need an ambulance.”
“On its way,” Deputy Hauf said from the doorway.
Detective Perry helped Kelly sit up. He glanced over his shoulder at Jac
k. “Sorry.”
Jack nodded but didn’t respond. What could he say? That yes, he was, in fact a complete fool? He shook his head and glanced down.
That’s when he saw it. A flash of silver on the floor. He crouched and picked it up.
Zoe’s silver dove charm. She never would have left it behind, not intentionally.
“You find something?” Perry said.
Jack glanced sideways and noticed Kelly watching him with an odd expression. Zoe would know what it meant. As Jack struggled to interpret its meaning, the blanket slipped off her shoulder.
Exposing a patch on her black hoodie. Of a bald eagle.
In a flash, things started to click in Jack’s head.
If it had been Kelly giving drugs to Jeanie...and perhaps to Walter...
Kelly was the drug dealer, not Shannon.
Anything that came out of Kelly’s mouth was a lie; the story about Zoe and Shannon heading to Canada meant as a diversion. But he needed to play along. He didn’t want Kelly informing her cohorts that they’d been exposed.
Jack nodded at Detective Perry. “They’ll call off the search for Shannon Banks since she’s on her way to Canada. Are you done with me?”
Perry studied him with a curious expression. “Sure. Thanks for your help.”
“You’re welcome.” He exited the shed and walked toward his truck.
Curt, the resort manager, pulled up in a company vehicle. “Did you find them?”
“Kelly, yes. But not Zoe or Shannon.”
“How is she?”
“She’ll be okay,” Jack said, assuming as much since she was involved in this criminal activity.
“Will Search and Rescue—”
“They’ll most likely call off the search since Miss Banks and Miss Pratt are said to be heading to Canada.”
Curt sighed. “So, the threat is over.”
Not hardly.
With a nod, Jack got in his truck and considered his options. Time was of the essence. The real criminals, of which Kelly was one, were sending authorities north to Canada, which meant Zoe and Shannon were not heading north.
He took a deep breath and decided to flip the entire hypothesis on its head.
If Shannon was the victim...
If Shannon, as the DEA claimed, was transporting product across the border but didn’t know the contents of her transport... But someone else did—Kelly—and she started to skim off the top...
