by Sharon Dunn
Jude studied the house, his head tilted up.
A shot reverberated through the winter cold. Jude ducked back down but then he took off running toward the front of the house. He’d seen her. She needed to meet him downstairs. She heard the door open just as she stepped on the top step that lead down to the main floor.
She hurried down the creaking steps, which were old and not stable. She could hear footsteps now in the other room. Though her heart pounded with excitement at seeing Jude, she dared not cry out. The kidnapper had no doubt seen which way Jude had run and was on his heels.
She was on the third to last stair when the board broke and her foot fell through. She tried to pull it up, but her boot was wedged in place. She was going to have to slip out of the boot and then reach through and get it.
Jude entered the room and ran over to her.
“I’m stuck. We don’t have much time.”
“Boy, am I glad to see you.” His hand rested on her cheek and he gave her a quick kiss.
Even in the frenzy of needing to get away, the gesture melted her heart. She pulled her leg through without the boot.
From the other room, an intense banging sound filled the whole house.
“I locked the front door, but it’s just a matter of minutes before he breaks it down or goes to the other door.” Jude pointed at the back door, which was in the same room as the attic stairs.
There was no further banging at the front door in the living room. Was he waiting for them to burst through that door so he could shoot them, or was he running around to the back of the house to use the other door?
Lacey gripped Jude’s arm. “We’ve got to go out through the attic window. It’s the only safe option.”
Jude nodded.
Lacey slid back into her boot, flipped around and climbed up the stairs. “These aren’t real strong.”
Jude was right behind her. “I see that.”
They reached the floor of the attic just as they heard the back door swing open and bang against the wall. While they scrambled across the attic floor, she could hear the kidnapper stomp through the house. They had only minutes before he would check the front door and potential hiding places. Once he saw the stairs to the attic, he would probably figure out where they’d gone.
Lacey glanced around for something to use as a rope to lower down with. She had counted on being able to find something in the space that was stuffed with unwanted items.
The kidnapper’s boots pounded on the wooden planks as he entered the kitchen and stopped. He was no doubt looking at the attic stairs.
Jude bent a foam mattress cover and shoved it through the window. “Come on, we’re jumping.”
There was no time to think. No time to argue. Jude disappeared in an instant and she was right behind him. She stuck her legs out the window and pushed off. She landed hard on her knees. The snow and the mattress cushioned the impact.
Jude grabbed her hand. “We have to find his snowmobile or there is no way we’ll be able to escape.”
They ran toward the little shed. The third dog was waiting outside it, sitting and looking up expectantly. The dogs were warm in there and they had food. Jude stopped and opened the door so the third dog would be safe until help could come for them. His two compatriots greeted him with excited yipping and bouncing.
The move had cost them precious seconds. But it made Lacey admire Jude even more. They rounded the corner of the little shed just as another bullet whizzed past her. They ran into the forest. Without a flashlight, they couldn’t see and were forced to slow down once they were in the trees.
Jude pointed. “He came from over there. We need to follow his tracks.”
Lacey knew without looking that Mr. Wilson’s body was off to the side. They moved as fast as they could in the darkness. She peered over her shoulder. The bobbing light behind her told her that the kidnapper had just entered the forest.
Jude chose a route. She stepped in behind him. When she glanced back, the bobbing light was no longer there. “Jude, I think he figured out we’re trying to find the snowmobile and he’s going to try to get to it first by swinging around that way.”
Jude stopped and tilted his head, probably thinking or listening. He scanned the whole area around them. Though it was hard to make out much in the darkness, Lacey didn’t see a snowmobile, only tracks that led out of the forest.
“Let’s try to get there first.” He glanced over his shoulder, then took off running. The steady rhythm of their footsteps crunching through the snow was all she heard.
There was no good choice here. They couldn’t go back to the house and wait out the night. The kidnapper would come for them. Staying out in the elements without transportation wasn’t a good idea either.
The forest ended, and they were faced with an uphill trek. They followed the tracks. The ground leveled off. They were on a sort of side road. She could see the tracks leading toward the forest and the parallel grooves that a snowmobile would make, as well.
She sprinted to keep up with him despite the deep snow. She could feel her leg muscles fatiguing.
The yellow-white glow of a headlight blared at them. Coming at full speed. The kidnapper had made it to the snowmobile before them. They ran to the side of the road and headed back downhill. She slipped and fell, rolling part of the way. The snowmobile came down the hill after them.
Jude found her and reached both hands out to pull her to safety. They ran. The snowmobile could only follow them as far as the edge of the forest. The trees grew too close together to get a snowmobile through.
Before they even got to the tree line, the snowmobile veered back up to the road. They entered the forest and slowed down.
She stopped to catch her breath. Her heart pounded wildly from fear and exertion. She could see Jude’s breath as he sucked air in and out. He stood with his hands on his hips.
“Do you think he’s going around to the other side to catch us when we come out?”
Jude shook his head. “Let’s just keep moving. We should be able to hear him if he is close and still on that snowmobile.”
“Thanks for saving me back there,” she said.
He took her in a single-arm hug, squeezing her shoulder. “No problem.”
They moved slower, walking single file. Lacey listened for the sound of a snowmobile motor. She thought she might have heard it behind them. She dismissed the noise as just being her imagination.
They stepped out of the forest. “I say we go to that room where the dogs are. It’s warm and the rifle is there. If he hasn’t gotten to it already. I have a few bullets left in my gun. One of us will have to stand guard at all times. If he comes through that door...”
Jude didn’t complete his thought, but she knew what he meant. If the kidnapper wasn’t already back on the property waiting for them, they could wait until daylight in the little room, but they’d have to shoot the kidnapper if he tried to get in. It wasn’t a bad idea. The dogs could alert them to anyone approaching.
All the same, the thought of having to shoot another human being, even someone on the wrong side of the law, sent chills down her spine.
They approached Mr. Wilson’s homestead with caution, moving from one place of cover to another looking for the kidnapper or his snowmobile.
THIRTEEN
Jude peered above the pile a snow. Lacey pressed close behind him. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck. Though much of it was covered in shadows, the little back room was within their view.
He couldn’t see any movement anywhere, but their pursuer could still be lying in wait. He could have gotten back to the homestead way faster on the snowmobile than they could on foot. “Should we make a run for it?” They had one final sprint to get to the room where the dogs were.
“I’m with you.” She patted his shoulder.
Jude burst to his feet, h
alf expecting to be shot at. Lacey was right beside him. When he got to the door of the little room, the dogs barked on the other side. He touched the doorknob and pulled his pistol out. His heart squeezed tight. There was a chance the kidnapper was waiting inside for them.
Lacey stood off to one side. He did as well, turning the knob and pushing the door open. The dogs burst out, yapping and jumping on them.
Lacey laughed. “Someone is glad to see us.”
Jude looked around the dark room searching the corners. The lantern must have gone out. “I think we are in the clear.”
He stepped inside.
“I’ll stay out here for a minute with the dogs so they can go potty.”
Even that made his chest tight with fear. “Not too long in the open, Lacey.”
He fumbled around until he found the lantern. The fire was still going, which provided some light when he opened the door. He relit the lantern and came to stand at the door with Lacey who was pressed close to the wall.
The dogs ran around sniffing all the new smells. Jude whistled and two of them came running. The third dog, the white dog who had been in the forest with Mr. Wilson’s body, lagged behind.
They stepped inside, closing the door once the last dog had come in and settled on the beds with the other dogs. Jude turned the lantern on low. If the kidnapper did come back, he’d see the smoke from the woodstove and know that they were there. Maybe they should just let it die out. The room looked to be well insulated. They’d probably stay warm until daylight.
He put his own gun back in the shoulder holster. Jude stepped across the floor and grabbed the rifle, which was still propped in a corner. He checked to see that it was loaded. “I’ll take the first watch.” When he glanced over at Lacey, he read fear in her expression. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
She nodded and settled down by the fire, pulling a blanket over her body as she lay on her side. Jude chose a position opposite the door where if the kidnapper came through, he’d have a clean shot. The little room had two windows on opposite walls from the door. He’d have to watch those too.
He jumped up to see if he could lock the door from the inside. He could not. The toy that had belonged to Maria still sat in the corner of the room. His chest squeezed tight and he prayed that she was still alive. The prayer came easier this time. The roads weren’t plowed yet, so the kidnapper could only move Maria somewhere else on the mountain or hide her in Lodgepole and she’d have to be transported via snowmobile. Maybe she had been in one of the empty cabins and moved here once the kidnapper feared they would be searched.
Lacey drew the blanket tighter around herself and tossed from one side to the other before growing still. Her breathing slowed. Bart, the border collie they had met in the forest, came and sat beside Jude. The dog licked Jude’s cheek and then lay down close to his legs. It gave him some peace of mind to know that the dogs would alert if anyone drew close.
He watched the door for what felt like several hours. When he could no longer keep his eyes open, he woke Lacey so she could stand guard.
He handed her the rifle. “You know how to shoot one of these?”
“It’s required for my job. Just in case I have to deal with aggressive wildlife.” She took the rifle. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Her eyes were soft and welcoming, glowing with affection.
“I’ll be okay,” she said. “Get some sleep.”
He lay down where she’d been and pulled the blanket over his body. It took him only a few minutes to fall asleep. He slept until light coming through one of the windows woke him.
He rolled over. The rifle was propped in the corner and Lacey was gone. Panic filled his awareness as he sat up and tossed the blanket to one side. He took in a breath. The dogs were gone too. Maybe she had just stepped outside to watch the dogs. He opened the door and glanced around. His chest felt tight again until he heard dogs barking.
Lacey came around the corner of the main house with the dogs trailing behind her. She held something in her hand. She smiled when she saw him. She ran toward him and held up two granola bars and an apple. “I found us something to eat at the main house.”
His stomach rumbled at the sight of food. “Thanks.” He looked around.
Both of them lifted their heads at the same time. Though it was faint they could hear the sound of a snowmobile engine. It could be someone from town searching for them or it could be the kidnapper coming back to look for them in the daylight.
“We better get out of here.” At least now, he knew where they were in relation to the road.
They ran back to the little room, leaving the dogs inside but the door ajar so they could get out if they needed to. Once they got back to town...if they got back to town, they’d have to make sure someone came up to rescue the dogs. Jude grabbed his one glove and tossed Lacey hers. He stuffed the granola bar in his pocket.
They sprinted toward the trees. They were only a short distance into the forest when Jude saw why the kidnapper had given them a brief reprieve. Mr. Wilson’s frozen body was no longer there. They had gotten maybe five hours’ sleep total. That was how long it took to hide evidence like a body. He suspected that the kidnapper would continue his search until he killed both Jude and Lacey, thereby wiping out any chance that he would be caught.
The snowmobile motor noises stopped. Though he could not see through the trees, he had to assume that the kidnapper had come back to search the property for them since it was the most likely place for them to hide.
“They have got to be looking for us by now,” Jude said. “Let’s see if we can get to the road and be spotted before the kidnapper finds us.”
The cold air chilled his face as they ran parallel to the side road that led to Mr. Wilson’s property. Lacey kept pace with him. He pushed a tree branch out of the way and jumped over a log. Both of them were gasping for breath when they heard the snowmobile start up again. The trees had thinned enough that he could see the road up ahead.
They stepped out into the open. Behind him he could hear the approaching snowmobile. They had a view of the road as it wound down the mountain. He glanced up the road where there were several sets of snowmobile tracks.
“What should we do?” He detected the fear in Lacey’s voice as she gripped his arm.
His mind reeled. The unexpected. They needed to do the unexpected. “We’re heading back toward the house through the trees, but we will loop around it and then up the mountain. The kidnapper is expecting us to head down the mountain toward the road. We’re just going to have to trick him.”
Their tracks in the snow would tell the tale to the kidnapper, but he would have to follow them on foot once he figured out they hadn’t gone back to the house.
They were only a short distance back in the trees when they heard the sound of another snowmobile. Without a word, both of them turned and ran back toward the road. In the distance coming down the mountain was a different snowmobile.
Thank you, God.
They stood out in the road knowing that the kidnapper would stay hidden to avoid being caught. The snowmobiler stopped and flipped his visor up so they could see his face. “I’m from town. Lev sent me. We’ve all been looking for you.”
“Boy, are we glad to see you.” Without knowing why, Jude felt some hesitation.
“Hop on, it’ll be a tight fit, but I’ll take you back down the mountain.” The driver flipped his helmet back down.
What were their options? None really. They could stay up here with the known kidnapper.
“We should go,” Lacey said. Her voice held a pleading quality.
Lacey got on the snowmobile. He let go of his suspicions and squeezed in behind her. The snowmobile lurched forward.
He was glad to be headed back to safety and warmth, glad to be holding Lacey. Without a helmet his face got cold. He nuzzled in close to Lacey’s neck. She
patted his thigh.
His positive thoughts hiccupped. It seemed a little strange that the snowmobiler hadn’t radioed the other searchers that he and Lacey had been found.
* * *
Tension threaded through Lacey’s chest when the snowmobiler veered off the road that lead back to town. She pulled away from the driver’s back where she’d been nuzzled in close to cut the wind on her face. Something was wrong.
She angled her head to try and see where they were going.
The driver took them up over a berm. The snowmobile caught air and landed hard, skidding to one side. All three of them fell off. Lacey rolled as a whirlwind of snow encased her. At least the landing was somewhat soft. Her face was chilled from the wind and she’d lost her hat in the fall. The flurry of snow died down and she saw Jude on all fours trying to get up. It appeared the driver had caused the accident on purpose.
The snowmobile engine was still running. The driver jumped to his feet and ran toward the snowmobile. He intended to leave them behind. She still wasn’t fully able to figure out what was even going on. They were in a sort of bowl surrounded by forest above them.
Jude had gotten to his feet and was chasing after the driver of the snowmobile. Jude tackled him. They rolled around in the snow and then Jude pinned the man down. “What is going on here?”
Lacey pushed herself to her feet and ran toward where the two men were.
Still holding the man down by resting his knees on the other man’s stomach, Jude nodded toward Lacey. “Take his helmet off.”
