However, a federal agent who was not Garrett did not understand my need to sleep until next year. He asked me questions in a rocket-fire pattern but my head had an army of tiny men with jackhammers pounding a horrible beat and my mind had a hard time computing the answers as quick as he’d like them. I explained as best I could the direction from where I came and the location where I’d been held.
Apparently, telling him I had no idea how long I’d been walking and that I’d just followed the directions of a pair of earrings was not going over well. Haltingly, I described Jonas and gave a description of my Jeep. I was informed that they’d all been on the lookout for both since I’d been reported missing.
“I’m sorry but I can’t tell you much. I was drugged. It was in the Coke bottle in the Jeep.”
He accepted that for now and then waved the paramedics over. As they wheeled me on a stretcher toward the ambulance, I craned my neck but didn’t see Garrett’s sedan anywhere. My heart fell. I should’ve asked the other agent for him but now I was ushered into the ambulance before I could.
“You’re a miracle girl, that’s for sure,” the paramedic remarked as he jabbed an IV needle into my arm. “The entire state was looking for you and bam, here you are!”
“Yeah. Bam,” I said weakly.
I didn’t remember much except there were too many people asking me too many questions and all I wanted was to be left alone with a couple bottles of wine. I said as much and the doctor slapped his thigh as if that was the most hilarious thing he’d ever heard.
It felt like hours before I was brought into a room where I could blissfully close my eyes. I opened them again only a short time later because of the familiar smell of a manly soap. Garrett.
I bolted upright so quickly I nearly toppled the IV pole.
“It’s okay.” He rushed to me. “It’s only me.”
And I couldn’t find the words to tell him that I knew it was him and that I hadn’t jumped because I was startled but because I wanted to run to him. He sat on the edge of the bed and held me while I sobbed uncontrollably.
“I thought I’d lost you forever.” His voice was rough and ragged in my ear. “I was tearing the state apart.”
“I-I’m sorry.” I cried. “I shouldn’t’ve left. I just... I just...”
“You went to find out about your mother. I know because that’s the page you left open on my laptop. Thank God you did. It gave me a place to start.” He hugged me even tighter. “That page brought me to Marysville and to Ted who said you used his phone to call Jonas and—”
I pulled myself back to look in Garrett’s face.
“Did you catch him? Jonas?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. We will though.” He pulled me close again. “I promise.”
“Because Katie’s still alive.”
At least she was the last time I checked. I hoped it was still true.
My wrists were bandaged since they’d been cut badly from the ropes, but they didn’t hurt me as I clung tightly to Garrett, not wanting to let him go. I knew, though, that he’d have to leave if he was ever going to do his job and catch Jonas and pull him limb from limb while, hopefully, covering him with acid, fire ants and giving him a colonoscopy. Preferably, all at the same time.
“Jill is downstairs with your grandfather. She went and told him the entire story and he’s a bit of a wreck and blaming himself over giving your vehicle to Jonas.”
“I asked him to,” I said.
“I know.”
Garrett kissed my face all over from the top of my head to my chin and every spot in between until I laughed and pushed him away.
“I know you need to get out there,” I said. “It’s okay. Go and find Katie and catch Jonas. Just be safe.”
Just as Garrett was walking out, Gramps was walking in. His usual broad, muscled shoulders were hunched. He looked like he’d aged a dozen years since I saw him last. Jill gave me a hello wave and said she’d been returned to the job as my minder and would be sitting right outside my room if I needed anything.
“The police told me it was Jonas...” Gramps began but I shushed him. “I should never have left you alone with him.”
“Not your fault and everything’s okay.”
He pulled me into an awkward hug and lowered himself into the chair next to the bed. He’d always looked sturdy and strong like an ox but now he looked weary and it pained me.
“Maybe you should give up those long walks with Wookie until you get your energy back,” I suggested. “You’re looking a little under the weather.”
“I’m good as gold. Chopped wood for hours and then hauled it near the woodshed like it was nothing.”
“Yeah, I know you’re strong but you still don’t look good as gold.” I squinted at him. “You’re a wreck. I’m sorry for doing that to you.”
“Well, sure, I’ve just been sick with worry these last twenty-four hours.” He shook a finger at me. “But you’re safe and that’s all that matters. Wookie and I love our long walks. Gave me something to do while you were away. Went out fishing with the guys a couple times too but nothing was biting. Probably Wookie barking his fool head off scared the fish.” He chuckled good-naturedly but it was forced. This had been a huge strain on him and I felt horrible.
“Well, I’m breaking out of here tomorrow and coming back home so I’ll take that big mutt off your hands and you can go fishing all you want. You should probably take a week straight and fish to your heart’s delight. It’ll do you a world of good.”
“You’re coming home?” He looked up in surprise. “I thought for sure they’d be keeping you under lock and key.”
“What for?” I shrugged. “Between you and Wookie I have enough eyes on me.”
The fatigue in his eyes worried me.
“I could’ve done more.” He looked at his feet.
“Don’t be silly!” I said. “The FBI is far more qualified in this situation than you so don’t think for a second you could’ve done more.”
“I’m not talking about this. I’m talking about before. Grandma.”
My stomach rolled at the mere mention of her name. Yes, he should’ve protected me from her but that was water under an ancient, dilapidated bridge.
“Look.” I struggled to sit up straighter. “There is nothing that can change what happened.”
“I love you. You know that right?”
“Of course! And I love you.” My voice broke just a little.
“Your grandmother...well...she knew things that...”
While Gramps fought to verbalize his thoughts, I battled the demons in my head that wanted to dredge up shit I wasn’t strong enough to deal with.
“The past is the past!” I shouted and then lowered my voice. “We don’t need to talk about it.”
And even if the quicksand swallowed me whole, there was no way I wanted Gramps to worry himself sick over something we couldn’t change now.
Jill came into the room and looked at both of us. She’d obviously heard my shout.
“You should be resting,” she said.
I agreed and told Gramps to go on home and take care of my dog.
“Once you’re up to it, I’m gonna take you to my favorite fishing spot,” Gramps said. “Clackamas River, just outside of Portland.”
He patted me on the arm and headed out the door.
Once he was gone, Jill asked, “Need anything?”
After a pause I nodded.
“Can you arrange for my bag to be brought here from—” I hesitated to call him Garrett in front of her “—Agent Pierce’s apartment? I’m going to head home after they discharge me.”
To her credit she didn’t ask questions or make any snarky remarks but just nodded and said she’d make sure it was taken care of. The nurse came in and gave me a s
hot of something deliciously soothing that made me feel like nothing was wrong with the world. When I woke up in the morning Garrett was sitting in the chair next to my bed holding the bag.
“Good morning.” He smiled.
I yawned and stretched and he got up to sit on the edge of the bed and drop a kiss onto my forehead. I noticed for the first time that the worry lines between his eyes had deepened since we met.
“I hear you’re moving out?” He nodded to the bag.
“It’s time I went home.” I sat up and he moved to position the pillows behind my back. “I want to keep an eye on Gramps and, besides, Wookie will keep me safe.”
“And your shotgun.” He smiled. “First time I met you I thought you were going to blow my head off.”
“It’s a good thing you’re so good-lookin’.” One of my arms still had an IV but I put the other one around him and brought him close. We rested our foreheads against each other. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.
“You can come and stay with me,” I murmured. “My trailer is closer to everything that’s happening out here than your apartment anyway, and I promise not to shoot you or let Wookie bite you.”
“Maybe once all this is done. I have to catch this guy first. Until then, I won’t be doing much sleeping. We have a command center set up in town.” His mouth was an angry line. “I checked Jonas out myself and I cleared him as a suspect early on. Obviously, I’m to blame for—”
“No, you’re not to blame.” I tightened my arm around his neck.
He kissed me far too quickly and got to his feet.
“We’re using a hotel in town for our base while the investigation is going on and I need to be with the other agents while the hunt for Jonas continues.” He nodded to the door. “Jill will be keeping an eye on you and there’ll also be at least one other agent on duty at your premises when you get out of here.” He pointed a finger at me. “No more random trips without checking with me.”
“No worries there,” I promised. “I can’t imagine going anywhere or doing anything besides sleeping.” I quickly added, “Unless you need my help... You know...have rods, will travel.”
He shook his head and made for the door but just as he was leaving the doctor walked in the room and Garrett stood near the door and waited.
“So what’s the good word, Doc?” I asked. “Am I free to go?”
“All your blood work isn’t back yet but, yes, I think a couple hours longer on the IV and you can check out.”
“The toxicology report?” Garrett asked. “Do you know what he used to drug her?”
The doctor shook his head. “It won’t be available until later today or tomorrow.”
The doctor came closer to the bed, his eyes softened and he lowered his voice.
“As you know, before we bandaged up your wrists and ankles we took a lot of X-rays.”
“I’m surprised I’m not glowing from the radiation,” I joked but the doctor didn’t smile.
“There were a number of poorly set bones. Old breaks and—”
“Accidents,” I snapped.
“I couldn’t find any medical records and all those scars on your back...” His voice was a hesitant whisper. “We have a very good psychiatric team here.”
Well, this was really embarrassing.
“I’m good. Really,” I said hastily, my voice thick with bravado and my lips offered up a quick, bright smile. “Just wanna go home, Doc.”
“Okay, but anytime you want to see someone, then—”
“I got it. If things change, I’ll give you a call.”
The doctor looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself. Instead, he took my vitals and told me that after one more saline bag in my IV I’d be free to go. They’d send me home with a change of bandages for my wrists.
After he left, Garrett returned for another quick kiss. It was a chaste and brotherly peck that left me wanting to call him back for more. I didn’t want him to go but I couldn’t ask him to stay either. Part of me felt like we’d lost our moment for happiness. I could feel it slipping away like water through my fingers. The killer had thrown us together and was now he was pulling us apart.
Jill drove me home. There were reporters and news vans down the street. Even though they’d been pushed far back from the entrance to our driveway, I could feel their telephoto lens scrutiny on me when we stopped in to see Gramps. Wookie went absolutely nuts with happiness when he saw me. Surprisingly, Jill loved big dogs and didn’t mind him snorting her crotch and drooling on her good shoes. I never would’ve figured her for a dog person but it just goes to show you can’t judge a woman by her occasional bitchy behavior.
Gramps still did not look like his usual self. His large frame felt smaller somehow when I hugged him, but he put on a good show when he served us up some chicken noodle soup from a can and grilled cheese sandwiches which were only somewhat black.
“You’re going to be glad to see this mutt go,” I told Gramps as I was leaving with Wookie.
“He’s a pain in the ass but I didn’t mind the company.”
“You can bring him hunting bunnies anytime,” I remarked.
“You like to hunt, Mr. Hall?” Jill asked. She’d been looking over the small house with curious glances.
“Nah, that’s just what we call it when I take Wookie for our long walks, and he runs off to chase rabbits in the tall grass.”
“Plenty of area to walk here,” Jill said. “This property goes on for, what? A dozen acres?”
“Used to have many times that,” Gramps said. “Slowly sold it off to those with the energy and youth to work it. Kept what I could though. Don’t like feeling closed in.”
Jill dropped me back at my place, and my trailer felt strange and small but that faint smell of dusty curtains and old linoleum was all mine. Definitely not the posh surroundings of Garrett’s Seattle apartment but it felt like home. Wookie ran around happily sniffing the rooms to make sure everything was the same and then collapsed on his bed. I took my bag and dropped it in the corner next to my shotgun.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked. “Are we roomies now? It’s not the Ritz but I do have a spare room.”
“Oh no-o-o,” Jill replied, not bothering to hide her disdain as she took in my cramped quarters. “I’ll be in my car keeping an eye on your place and it’ll go in shifts. Every few hours you’ll get a new agent watching you. I’m on until ten. I’ll poke my head in occasionally to check on you and when the next guy arrives, we’ll give you a heads-up.”
She reached into her purse and tossed me my old cell phone and gave me the names of two other agents who would spot her. Then she left and waited on the steps outside until I locked the door behind her. I looked out the window and watched her climb into her car and get comfortable.
I took my laptop out of my bag and opened my emails. I was not prepared for the assault of hundreds of messages from people who were worried about me when they thought I’d become a victim. Apparently being abducted by a serial killer was akin to celebrity. Everyone I knew or kind of knew wanted to send me a note but, as I scrolled through, there were hundreds whose names I didn’t recognize. It was overwhelming. I gave up and powered on my cell phone. A lot of messages there too. I replied to the text messages from Denny and Margie, who’d heard I’d been found alive and were glad. Denny went so far as to apologize for banging Katie and being so mean to me. He even hinted at a rekindling of our relationship. That would happen only once the devil was serving Grandma iced tea in hell.
A couple of older text messages from Jonas stopped me in my tracks. The messages were from before we’d begun communicating via email. There was nothing evil in his remarks. Nothing to indicate he was a psycho killer wanting to imprison me in a fishing shed and then choke me to death and toss me into a river. His texts just asked how I was and fur
ther texts were statements about how many reporters were at the fill-up station. After that, he’d begun emailing me and I just fell into his trap. My finger paused over the delete button. I resisted only because I knew it could be evidence.
My heart pounded when I got to the old messages from Katie begging my forgiveness and then steadily becoming more pissed with me for not responding.
Her very last text to me read: Jules, don’t let Denny come between us. He wasn’t that good a lay.
It was so typically Katie that I smiled in spite of myself.
I sat there thinking of Katie and reminisced about the good times rather than the not-so-good-you-screwed-my-boyfriend time. Abruptly, in a moment of panic, I put my phone down, got up from my seat and started looking through the stuff that had accompanied me home from the hospital. My filthy clothes from my grim ordeal were bagged. I tugged out the jeans, reached in the front pocket and found the earrings. I closed my eyes in a thankful prayer, then went to my bathroom and pulled a box of dental floss from the drawer.
Wookie eyed me curiously as I pulled out an arms-length string of dental floss and tied it to one of Katie’s earrings. After a moment of deep cleansing breaths, I began the pendulum questioning.
“Is Katie alive?”
The earrings hung very still before swinging slowly left to right, indicating a hesitant yes.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The slow swing of the pendulum hinted that time was running out.
Chapter Eleven
There are a lot of different cities, towns, and counties in Washington State. Asking a pair of earrings to tell me where Katie was being held felt like a hopeless and ridiculous task but I pushed on because I had no choice.
There were a lot of nos.
Until there was finally a yes.
When I asked about Whatcom County I got a positive indication from the pendulum.
“Great,” I said on a long exhaled breath. “Now we just gotta narrow that down a tad.”
Whatcom County was home but it was also twenty-five hundred square miles. If I wanted to get near streams or bodies of water that didn’t help because fifteen percent of the county was water. Also, I was hoping that the water would only come into play once he killed her. And I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that didn’t happen. I was tempted to call Garrett and tell him what I’d learned but, until I got it narrowed down, it seemed an impossibly useless clue. It would take Garrett an entire army to search that much area. I rubbed my bandaged wrists and felt a helplessness wash over me.
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