“Five,” she said, and frowned. “Five fires? They’re pretty small, but two are right next to the road.”
“That woman is fucking crazy,” Sean said as he pulled back and prepared to land on the old abandoned airstrip.
“Why would she set fires? It makes no sense-she’d be preventing me from-”
“Hold on tight.” Mouth set grim, Sean fought to control the plane on the short, rocky runway. Nora held on as the tail swerved when they braked too fast. Sean eased up, then down again, and stopped with plenty of room to spare.
“I hope I didn’t damage the plane too much,” Sean said.
“You did great, Sean.” She got out of the plane and looked around. “Brian and his team aren’t here.”
“Maybe that’s why she set the fires,” Sean said, taking off his headgear and walking around the plane for inspection. “To stop you from having backup.”
“But the fire could have stopped me from making it as well.”
Sean shook his head. “If you were on time, you would make it. Your backup might have as well, unless she set one closer to the highway.”
“But it’s September-the forest is dry. This could set off a huge forest fire, thousands of acres. The waste-” Nora was distraught. She couldn’t help but feel partly responsible. “Or she set them to trap us all. She doesn’t care who dies as long as she gets what she wants.”
No. She wasn’t responsible in any way for Maggie O’Dell and her behavior.
She called Duke. “It’s Nora. Sean and I just landed. We saw five small fires close to Last Chance Road while we were descending. But they’re going to spread quickly.”
“Hooper and I smell them. Is your backup there?”
“No.”
“Shit. Hold on.”
Nora looked around the mountainside. The smoke was beginning to rise, she saw billows heading straight up. But a wind was beginning to kick up, and that would be the worst thing for the forest. And them.
Duke got back on the phone. “SWAT couldn’t get through. There’s a fire on the road. Deliberately set bonfire. The fire department is on their way, but it’ll be at least thirty minutes before they can get it cleared.”
“I have to go.”
“Drag it out with her, if possible, Nora. Hooper and I are almost to the cabin.”
“Okay.”
“Nora, please-I can’t lose you or Sean.”
“And I have no intention of getting either of us in trouble. But there’s no way in hell I’m leaving anyone alone on this airstrip with that woman running around setting fires, and until I know that you have Quin, I have to head to the meeting place.”
“I understand, but-just be careful.”
“I promise.” She wanted to say more, but what else could she say? She hung up and motioned to Sean.
“We’re on our own, Sean. But if she sees you, I don’t know what she’ll do.”
“I’m pretty good in the mountains. I made myself a map-” He held it up. She couldn’t read it, but he didn’t seem to have that problem.
“You’re a city boy.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” he said with a wink, reminding her of his older brother. He tossed her a walkie-talkie. “You go, I’ll follow, and I won’t let you out of my sight-even if you can’t see me. And you can buzz me on the walkie-talkie any time.”
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The small roughly hewn redwood cabin with a wide porch along two sides rested in the center of a wide, flat knoll with a hundred feet of open space around all sides. Canyons dropped down on two sides, one so steep it might as well be a sheer drop. An idyllic setting under any other circumstances.
But the fires to the north and west were growing, and they had no idea where Maggie O’Dell was, or whether Quin was dead or alive. Or if there was a booby trap.
But they could find out quickly. Duke took the thermal imager out of the sheath in his belt and turned it on. A minute later it began to register heat signatures in the cabin.
“There’re two people inside,” Hooper said.
Duke shook his head. “No. Just one. Here.” He pointed to the long humanlike shape in an array of colors, from dark to light.
“Move it a bit-see! There. It moved.”
“Too small. It’s an animal.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Small dog or cat.”
In tacit agreement, Duke and Hooper ran low to the ground to the cabin from opposite sides. They made it without trouble, and listened, waiting for a ten count.
There was no sound from inside the cabin. Duke concentrated, bringing up all his past military training, and listened. Nothing but breathing. Gasping.
He double checked the thermal imager at closer range and identified one individual inside.
At the count of ten, Duke went around to the front door. Hooper joined him. “It’s secure,” he said.
Duke kicked open the door and went in low, while Hooper went in high.
Quin Teagan was tied to a chair, her torso covered in blood. She wasn’t gasping, but breathing through her mouth, a low raspy sound. Her head lolled forward.
Duke went to her while Hooper checked the bathroom and closet and cabinets.
“Clear.” Hooper knelt next to the chair and helped Duke untie her from the chair. “The missing Butcher-Payne duck is in the bathroom.”
It took Duke a minute to register that Hooper said duck. “We need sheets. Towels if there’s nothing else.”
Hooper ran through the cabin, found sheets on a Hide-A-Bed. “This is it.”
“They’ll have to do.” Duke eased Quin to the floor while Hooper cut the sheets with his pocketknife.
They tied the strips of cotton tightly around all wounds. The cut on her chest was the worst, and Hooper applied firm pressure while Duke searched the cabin for any strong tape. All he found was duct tape, but it was going to have to suffice. They needed to keep firm pressure on the wound while moving her.
“Nora,” Quin whispered. “Nora.”
“She’s fine,” Duke said, hoping it was true.
“Fire. Trap.”
Duke cringed. He needed to get to Nora and Sean. But Quin would die if she didn’t get immediate medical attention.
“Nora said there was a vial of something to counteract the effects,” Hooper said.
“I don’t know that I’d trust anything O’Dell said,” Duke grumbled.
Hooper looked around. Found two vials, one nearly empty and labeled heparin, one labeled with a name he didn’t recognize. He shoved them in his pocket. “I’m taking them just in case.”
Duke was about to pick her up when Hooper said, “I’ll do it. Save your energy for the trek to Last Chance Road. You’re going to need it. Back me up to the car, then I’ll take her to town where the ambulance is waiting, and you continue to the other road. If O’Dell is setting the fires to create a trap of some sort, you’ve got to alert them and get them the hell out of there.”
The end of Last Chance Road was a loop around a mountain peak more than four thousand feet in elevation. This part of the road was used only for forest patrol and fire prevention-it was so narrow a vehicle couldn’t turn around, so you literally had to drive around the peak, about a half-mile journey, in order to head back to town.
Nora caught sight of Sean only two or three times during the fifteen-minute jog along Last Chance Road until she’d gone around the entire loop. He’d stayed in the middle, on the peak, flitting in and out from behind trees, as sure-footed as a mountain goat. The smoke was getting thick coming from the south, and to the north and west were both deep ravines that were impassable.
She’d come from the east.
She pulled out the walkie-talkie Sean had the foresight to bring with him. “The fire is coming from several points south of the loop, and the other two sides are deep canyons. We need to go back.”
“Roger. I’ll follow your lead.”
Nora looked around for any sign o
f Maggie. Where was she? She started back along the edge of the road, and every hair rose on her skin. She was being watched. Her phone vibrated. She glanced down.
It was a text from Duke, and he’d sent it to both her and Sean.
We have Quin and Hooper is taking her to town. She’s alive, but needs medical attention. I’m on my way to you. The fire is a trap. Get back to the plane ASAP.
Quin was alive. Lorraine hadn’t lied about the cabin, and for the first time Nora felt a sliver of forgiveness. Her anger and resentment toward her mother faded a bit, now that she knew Quin was safe, that Lorraine had helped to save her.
The heavy weight of fear, worry, and guilt lifted from Nora’s shoulders. Now she could focus on her suspect, Maggie O’Dell.
Sean said in the walkie-talkie, “Move it, Nora.”
She started walking, then running. The sense of being followed increased as the smoke blew in her direction. The wind was increasing, which was the worst thing for the fire other than the dry needles and brush lining the forest floor.
A rock the size of a large fist fell from the hill and rolled in front of her, and she had to jump over it to avoid twisting her ankle. Another rock rolled down, and another; then one grazed her in the shoulder, this one smaller but with greater velocity. Damn, that hurt.
She pulled out her gun, unable to see her predator.
Sean asked, “What are you doing?”
“Where are you? Sean, get down here. Someone’s up there!” It had to be Maggie.
They were sitting ducks here on the road. Nora couldn’t see Maggie, but Maggie had sight of her enough to throw rocks.
“I’m coming-I’m on the road behind you.”
Another rock hit her in the shoulder, and she dropped her gun. She dove against the mountainside, grabbing her gun on the way.
Sean rounded the corner, and rocks were flung at him. Maggie must have a slingshot, and was damn accurate with it. A good-size rock hit Sean in the side of the face, knocking him to his knees.
Maggie could stone them to death if they couldn’t find cover.
Nora shouted, “Maggie! Show yourself.”
“You brought someone?” A voice came from above. Nora looked, but couldn’t see anyone. The air was getting thick. “It’s your fault that he’s going to die.”
Another rock hit Sean as he rose, this one in his lower back. He fell back down.
Nora aimed her gun toward where the rocks were coming from and fired. Once. Twice. Three times, then ran to Sean as he struggled to rise from the road.
“Come on, Sean, please,” she ordered.
He stood, shook his head as if to clear it, and ran unsteadily with Nora back against the cliff. “This is the safest place,” she whispered. “Stay close to trees and-”
A rock hit her on the top of her head and she fell to her knees, her vision gone. She tried to shake it off, but couldn’t move. Sean picked her up and sat her back against a redwood. “Nora-shit.” He touched her head and she winced. “You’re bleeding.”
“You can sit there as long as you want,” Maggie’s voice called from above. “You’ll die from the fire if you hide, or I’ll pummel you to death if you move.”
Nora whispered, “Fire tower. I’ll bet there’s a fire tower up there.”
Sean tried calling Duke on his cell. “Damn, I’m not getting through. We’re going to have to make a run for it. If we can get just a bit more down the road, we’ll be out of her range.”
“I can’t. Wait a minute.”
“Okay.”
Nora put her head in her hands and willed herself to stand, but she couldn’t. Sitting still she felt dizzy, but standing she’d pass out. She had to get over this.
“You go,” she told Sean. “I’ll cover you.” Her hand was shaking as it held her Glock.
“You’ll shoot yourself in the foot. I’m not leaving you. I’ll think of something.” He coughed. “If we wait ten minutes, she won’t be able to see us through the smoke.”
“It’ll be too late. Do you hear it?”
They listened to the fire crackling on the other side of the peak. “Small consolation that she’ll die in the blaze, too,” Nora said.
“You’re not going to die. Duke would never forgive me.”
“I could say the same about you,” Nora told Sean.
“Then think.”
Duke heard the gunshots and followed the footpath up the south side of the mountain. Fire was to the west of him moving north, and the wind kept the worst of the smoke away from him.
And toward Sean and Nora.
He picked up his pace, faster than he should be going on the steep path, but suddenly it flattened out on Last Chance Road and he saw the trail to the fire tower J.T. had told him about. He glanced at the digital map. The trail was a steep incline all the way up for more than a hundred yards, which meant he’d be seriously winded, with Maggie well prepared for his arrival.
Or he could go toward the smoke and come up the western slope. Less steep, but harder to breathe.
He chose the path obscured with smoke.
He heard helicopters in the distance. He had to give Maggie credit-she’d set the fires in a pattern, starting closer to the interstate and moving southeast. That would keep the firefighters working first on the flare-ups closer to the population centers, leaving Maggie, him, Sean, and Nora alone on this lonely road.
A text message from Sean popped up on his screen.
I don’t know if this will get to you, but hurry-Nora’s injured and we’re trapped. If we move, that bitch will kill her.
Duke ran into the smoke.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Hooper passed Quin off to the paramedics. She had lost consciousness completely in the car, her skin extremely pale.
“She was injected with heparin,” Hooper told them. He pulled the vials out of his pocket and showed the EMT. “Will one of these counteract it?”
The EMT handed the vials to the lead paramedic. “This is heparin, this is ethylene chlorohydrin.”
“Can that help her?”
“It’d kill her pretty quickly if injected.”
Duke had been right, Hooper thought. If Nora had found Quin she might have taken what O’Dell said on the video at face value and injected her thinking she’d save her, only to end up killing her.
“Is she going to be okay?” Hooper asked.
“She needs blood.” He got a vial ready.
“What’s that?”
“Vitamin K. It will counteract the effect of the heparin, but it’s going to take a while. Have you typed her?” he asked the EMT.
“A-negative.”
“Ask around, we need blood now. She’s not going to make it to the hospital.”
Hooper was B-positive. He called his SWAT team, which was only five minutes up the road. “Anyone there have A-negative blood?”
A moment later, one of the men responded. “O-negative.”
Hooper asked the medics. “Is O-negative acceptable?”
“The universal donor. Get him over here.”
Duke’s lungs were burning as he reached the base of the fire tower. Here, the smoke wasn’t as bad, but it was getting worse every minute. He quietly climbed the ladder to the top of the tower. Maggie O’Dell was holding a slingshot and was so focused on her target that she didn’t hear Duke as he stepped silently into the open-air tower.
Duke quickly assessed the situation. The tower was twenty feet square, open on all sides with three-foot-high walls. There was nothing inside, nothing to hide behind. Just him and Maggie O’Dell.
Her back was to him. Her backpack, full of rocks, at her feet. Rocks that she was pummeling Sean and Nora with below. But the smoke was growing thicker, and he could practically see her body tense in frustration. Her perfect plans were not-so-perfect, Duke thought. In a few minutes Sean and Nora would be safely away, or the smoke would be too thick to see them.
He approached cautiously, slowly, drawing his gun. He didn’t want to shoot her. He did
n’t want to kill anyone, even someone as vile and psychotic as Maggie O’Dell.
She froze. She’d sensed him.
“Hold it right there,” he said gruffly.
She didn’t move.
“Put down the slingshot. I have a gun.” He took another step toward her, a watchful eye on her hands.
She whipped around and fired the slingshot at him. But her aim was off. The rock barely grazed his shoulder. Damn, it still hurt, but he wasn’t out. He held his gun steady on her. “Drop it.”
Maggie’s face twisted in anger. “You! You’re not supposed to be here!”
“Hands up, Maggie.”
“No. You can’t make me.”
“Quin is safe. We found her, she’s already on her way to the hospital. She’s going to live.”
Duke wasn’t certain that was true, but he wanted to convince Maggie that she’d failed. He needed her compliant. He didn’t have handcuffs, but he couldn’t very well wait here in the tower until help arrived. Forest fires were erratic and could shift direction without warning. Right now, winds were low, but at any time that could change.
He didn’t know if she had a gun, but she had a knife strapped to her belt. He watched her hands. A knife could easily kill even if thrown twenty feet, and Duke was much closer than that.
“Get your hands up now!” he ordered for the second time. He saw her calculating her options.
He approached her, finger on the trigger. He would have to shoot her if she went for the knife. She stood there, lips tight, glaring at him. “You’re screwing with my plans,” she snapped. “I don’t like that!”
Duke put the gun to her neck and unsheathed the knife in one fluid motion. She stood perfectly still, neither helping nor hindering him. He didn’t trust her. After everything she’d done, she wasn’t going to come in this easy.
He had no place for the knife, and tossed it over the side of the fire tower.
“You first,” he said, gesturing toward the ladder.
“I don’t want to go.” She crossed her arms.
“The fires you set are heading this way.”
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