Search and Rescue

by Valerie Hansen

  Nevertheless, she did manage to stand by extending both arms for better balance. Carrie sidled behind her. Prodded her with the gun barrel. “Move it or be shot right here. It’s your choice.”

  Time was what Sophie needed; time to clear her head, time for one of the guards to come to the rescue, or even time for Ryder to finish on the highway and return. She was positive Carrie wouldn’t shoot him, even if he confronted her. The rest of them were fair game.

  One step at a time, Sophie staggered forward. Each step brought pain. And the pain caused a rush of adrenaline and made her heart race faster and faster until she wondered if it would pound out of her chest.

  “Please, let me rest,” she begged the older woman.

  “Keep going before I change my mind and give you eternity to rest.”

  “Why?”

  Sophie didn’t really want to know what her adversary was thinking, she simply wanted to keep her talking and stall for time. It occurred to her to call to Lily and tell her to hide again, but what good would that do? The converted upstairs apartment was familiar to Carrie as well as having no alternative exits. There was no way Lily could escape. None.

  An overwhelming sense of doom pushed Sophie’s mind from personal preservation into prayer for Lily. Silently, she pleaded for the child’s life.

  For Ryder’s sake, too, she added. He simply could not lose his only child. Please, Father. Please help me. Tell me what to do and give me the strength to do it.

  Purposely lagging, Sophie viewed each step as a separate hurdle. This was one race she didn’t want to win because the goal at the top of the stairs was Lily. Dear Jesus!

  Her foot slipped. She went down on one knee, still grasping the banister. Carrie poked her so hard in the ribs she gasped.

  “One more trick like that and you’re finished,” the murderer warned.

  Sophie stayed leaning forward and gained the final landing on her hands and knees. If she could trip Carrie from there, maybe she’d fall backward down the stairs and they’d have a chance to escape.

  Unfortunately, Carrie’s mind was as alert as Sophie’s was hazy, and the plan failed.

  “Up,” Carrie ordered, circling wide.

  Sophie obeyed. Titus knew the other woman from her years as police department secretary and didn’t bark. Lily was rubbing her eyes as she sat up and peered through the dimness. “Where’s my daddy?”

  “We’ll see him soon,” Carrie said.

  What amazed Sophie was how tender Carrie had sounded when speaking to the child. The change in demeanor was startling. And it was frightening because it showed how well she could fake an outward manifestation of kindness.

  “I don’t suppose you have handcuffs handy,” Carrie crooned. “Well, no matter. Lily, go in the closet and bring me a leash.”

  The child didn’t move.

  “You heard Mama. Go get a leash.”

  Seeing how frightened Lily was, Sophie offered to do it. “I can get you one.”

  “No. The girl needs to learn obedience. She’ll get it. Won’t you, Lily, dear.”

  Sophie caught her eye and nodded. “Do as Ms. Carrie says, honey. Please. It’s okay.”

  A slap caught Sophie on the cheek and echoed. She staggered and fell backward into a chair. The moment Carrie said, “Don’t interfere,” she realized her error. Still, she couldn’t let the madwoman abuse the innocent child.

  Teary-eyed, Lily returned with a braided leash.

  “Good girl. Now go sit on the sofa and wait.”

  All Sophie did this time was give a barely perceptible nod. It was enough to encourage Lily. She perched on the edge of the cushions and petted Titus. He wasn’t acting too defensive yet but he was clearly aware that something was wrong.

  It took Carrie only seconds to lash Sophie’s wrists behind her and tie them to the chair back. Then she went to the sink in the break-room kitchen and filled a glass with tap water. For a moment Sophie thought Carrie might intend kindness. When the woman laid aside the gun to reach into a pocket and produce several pink tablets, she knew better.

  Water and pills were offered to Lily. “Here you go, dear. Take these like a good girl.”

  Lily vigorously shook her head, bringing wrath down on Sophie. “I told you not to spoil her. Now see what you’ve done.”

  There was no way Sophie was going to encourage Lily to swallow anything, particularly if it came from Carrie. “You don’t have to do that,” Sophie said, ducking and cringing when Carrie stomped across the floor and stood before her.

  Suddenly, the madwoman wheeled. “Tell you what, Lily,” she drawled, sounding half comforting, half menacing, “If you take these pills for Mama I won’t shoot your dog.”

  Lily squealed and threw her arms around Titus’s neck. “No! Don’t hurt him.”

  Hand open, Carrie approached. “The pills, or else.”

  Every time she wasn’t being watched, Sophie had struggled to free herself. One more loop and she thought she’d be able to wiggle her left hand out. There! Almost free!

  Across the room, a sobbing child was sipping water and weeping as she tried to swallow.

  With a final twist and pull, Sophie was loose. She came off the chair with a banshee yell and launched herself at Carrie.

  The other woman was taller but less fit. They went down in a jumble of arms and legs. Titus placed himself in front of Lily and began to bark.

  Carrie thrashed and kicked away. Sophie tried to hang on to her in spite of the pounding in her injured head and recurring dizziness.

  The instant Carrie whirled, Sophie knew why. The gun was back in Carrie’s hand. And it was aimed directly at her. All Sophie could do was try to wrest it from her. She gave another guttural shout and charged.

  The report of the bullet being fired shook the windows and temporarily made her ears ring.

  Shoved backward by the impact she grabbed at her shoulder. There was no pain yet, just a feeling of being punched. Hard.

  Incredulous, Sophie stared at the blood flowing between her fingers. Shock softened the blow enough that she could reason, She shot me. Now how am I going to save Lily?

  Her last thoughts were of Ryder as she closed her eyes and slid to the floor.

  * * *

  Red lights and siren running, the chief slid to a stop in front of the training center. He’d notified dispatch of his actions as he drove. Because of the manpower assigned to the accident he was the first to arrive.

  The building was not only pitch-dark, he didn’t see Benny Sims guarding the front door.

  He drew his sidearm, found the door locked, and tried his key card. The mechanism clicked but the door remained closed tight. Wedged? Maybe. Frustrated, Ryder ran for the rear entrance.

  Marlton was lying on the ground there, moaning. Sims was trying to revive him while Phoenix licked both their faces.

  Ryder almost lost control and shouted instead of merely asking, “What happened?”

  “Don’t know,” Sims said. “When I woke up I was back here and Dennis was actin’ like he is now.”

  “What about Lily and Sophie?”

  The older man looked chagrined. “Sorry, Chief. I can’t say.”

  Ryder burst through the rear door with Phoenix at his heels. The flashlight on his belt was all he needed to follow the dog when he picked up a scent. This time, there was no hesitation. Phoenix bounded up the stairs so fast it looked as if his paws never touched the ground.

  Breathless, Ryder caught up and played the light over the room. Phoenix had gone straight to a figure on the floor and was nudging it with his nose.

  “Sophie!”

  Ryder’s heart nearly stopped. Pushing the concerned canine aside, he knelt at her side and touched her neck, looking for a carotid pulse. Tears of relief blurred his vision when he found
one. It was strong.

  He grabbed his radio and called for an ambulance, then gently rolled her over. There was a lot of blood on her shoulder but it wasn’t pulsing. “Praise God.” Whoever had shot Sophie had missed the subclavian artery. She had a chance.

  It took only seconds to locate a small kitchen towel and press it over the entry wound. He put a second towel behind her shoulder where the bullet had exited leaving more damage.

  His hands were shaking. “Sophie? Sophie, can you hear me?” There was no reply but he did think he sensed slight movement. “Hold still, honey. You’ve been shot. An ambulance is on the way.”

  Her lips moved. Ryder leaned closer.

  “Lily...”

  Ashen faced and barely able to think straight, he listened closely. When Sophie started to go limp again, he begged, “What about Lily?”

  The hazel eyes he loved so dearly opened. Lashes fluttered. Tears gathered. “Carrie.”

  “Carrie was here? She’s the one who shot you?”

  Sophie licked her dry lips and tried to nod, groaning in pain instead.

  “Lie still. It won’t be long now,” Ryder said as his heart shattered into a million fragments. Carrie had his little girl. Unless he got her back, life for him was over.

  Gazing down at Sophie he added, I need her, too, and bent to place a tender kiss on her forehead.

  Her pale skin felt icy, clammy with shock and loss of blood. If he hadn’t known better he’d have pulled her into his arms and cradled her. The smartest thing he could do, however, was continue to slow the bleeding and pray that he’d have the chance to show her how much he cared after she healed.

  She had to be all right, Ryder insisted. She simply had to be.

  He spent a moment praying for her recovery, then leaned over again and kissed her lips, following with a whispered, “I love you.”

  * * *

  Sophie drifted in and out of consciousness, happier when her dreams brought peace than when reality carried suffering. Somewhere, in the midst of all that, she sensed Ryder’s presence, felt him touching her cheek. That was wonderful until she recalled bits and pieces of what had happened to Lily.

  Strong hands held her down as she struggled to rise. “I—I have to go...”

  “To the hospital,” a paramedic said. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  Behind that man she saw the blurry face of her dreams. “Ryder!”

  He grasped her free hand. “I’m here. You’re going to be all right once a doctor patches you up.”

  “No, I have to go after Lily.”

  “What happened? Can you tell me more?”

  “Carrie was here. She took Lily.”

  “Did you see them leave?”

  “No.” Sophie sighed. “But she made Lily take pills. I tried to...to stop it.”

  Another medic urged Ryder to back off. “We’ve given her a shot for the pain. She won’t be talking much longer. Let us load her so we can come back for the other guys.”

  “Is that when Carrie shot you?” Ryder asked. Sophie saw him brace himself to keep from being pushed away as she was lifted onto a wheeled gurney.

  “Yes.” Tears welled. “I’m so sorry.”

  “We’ll find them,” he promised.

  She wanted to offer to go with him, to rise from the thin mattress and strike back. Instead, she sensed movement and heard men talking as they strapped her down before carrying her downstairs and pushing her out onto the sidewalk.

  Bright, flashing lights hurt her eyes so she shut them and felt teardrops trickling down her temples. Where was Ryder? Was he going to come with her? To look after her?

  A niggling fear lingered in the back of her mind as she succumbed to the effects of the narcotics. Something else was wrong, wasn’t it? Something terrible.

  Sophie fought to remember. It was important. Her thoughts cried out for Ryder. He would know. He would fix it.

  Colors blinked at the edges of her closed eyes. A vortex of sound enveloped her with mechanical beeps and internal heartbeats and the wail of a siren.

  Then, everything vanished, including her pain.

  NINETEEN

  Ryder gave the K-9 rookies their orders via radio. Some had to come from the accident scene and pick up their dogs. Others, like Whitney Godwin and Ellen Foxcroft, had not responded to the wreck and were a little closer.

  Protocol insisted Ryder must wait for backup. His heart disagreed. Breaking the rules he’d been hired to enforce would set a bad example but he didn’t care. This was Lily he was tracking.

  Checking Titus, he realized that the old dog was already moving as if he was hurt, so he had no choice but to use Phoenix. Once the younger dog was in his working harness he stopped jumping around.

  The sweater they had used for Phoenix’s tracking test was gone, but Lily’s sandals had been left behind. Ryder picked them up, stuck one in his pocket, and led his new K-9 partner out into the street.

  “Sit.” When he held out the small sandal for the dog to smell, the sight of it tied his gut in knots. “Seek.”

  One more quick sniff and Phoenix was off. He started down the sidewalk toward the police station, then stopped, circled and took off across the street.

  Ryder gave him his head, slowing him only enough to keep pace. He didn’t dare release the dog and chance losing sight of him.

  Phoenix strained against the restraint, pulling as if his life depended upon it. Ryder could totally identify. He, too, was pushing to the edge of his endurance.

  Up and down curbs, around trees and away from town they went. The best part about the long run was that Carrie hadn’t gotten into a car and driven away, leaving no discernible trail. If she had, there was no way any K-9, no matter how special, could have successfully tracked her.

  Bristling and panting, Phoenix slowed. His nose checked the ground, then the air. They had come to one of the abandoned houses that had yet to be torn down or repaired as part of a Desert Valley beautification project.

  Ryder ducked behind an overflowing trash Dumpster next to the ramshackle building and listened. Phoenix was making no effort to go on, nor did he seem confused.

  As far as the dog was concerned, he’d done his job. He’d found Lily. All that was left was for Ryder to radio his position, which he immediately did, then figure out how to gain access to the house without being seen.

  He circled to the rear with his K-9 partner at his side, pulling him back just in time to keep him from scratching on the door. “Sit.” It was more a hiss than a command. He could tell that Phoenix was agitated. That was nothing compared to how Ryder felt. He was ready to smash his way in and tear Carrie Dunleavy limb from limb.

  It took a series of deep breaths for him to regain emotional control. When he was sure he was ready, he slowly twisted the knob on the back door.

  It turned easily.

  A beam of light illuminated the face of a child stretched out on the kitchen table. Lily’s face. And Carrie was standing next to her, stroking her blond hair as the child yawned. It was hard for Ryder to reconcile the mousy woman in front of him with the cold-blooded murderer he knew her to be—until he looked into her eyes and saw wickedness gleaming. She was every bit as evil to the core as he’d imagined.

  “What took you so long,” Carrie asked with a smirk. “One of my cats could have found us sooner than that miserable excuse for a search and rescue dog.” She gave a maniacal laugh. “Too bad your old dog was out of commission right when you needed him.”

  “How did you know that?” He’d entered and closed the door behind him, isolating Phoenix to keep him from attacking Carrie and getting in the way. When Ryder made his move to disarm her, he didn’t want to have to worry about the dog.

  “Titus gave me trouble, just like I knew he would, so I kicked him in the ri
bs. Not too hard, mind you. Just enough to slow him down.”

  “What about Lily? What did you give her?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do. You made her swallow pills.”

  “Just cold pills.” She frowned. “How did you know about that?

  “Sophie saw you do it.”

  Carrie cursed, high and screeching. “She’s still alive? I thought for sure I’d finished her.” She eyed Lily. “Oh, well, at least that woman is out of the way and we can bring our perfect family together as it was meant to be.”

  Ryder didn’t know what to say. Carrie obviously thought of the three of them as a family. He couldn’t imagine anything more loathsome. Nevertheless, he began to build on her fantasy. “You wanted me and now you have me. We don’t need Lily.”

  “Should I kill her, then?”

  “No!”

  “Humph. That’s what I thought. We need our little girl to make a real family.”

  “Right, right.” Ryder holstered his gun and raised his hands partway. “See? I’m unarmed. You don’t need that gun, either. We’re all friends here.”

  As the woman studied him, he hoped and prayed his expression masked his true feelings. Truth to tell, if he got his hands on her, the person who had taken one love from him and was threatening to take more, he wondered if he’d be able to do his duty instead of following the urge for retribution.

  Instincts for revenge were strong, but his faith was stronger, although it fluctuated from moment to moment. If he had returned to the training center and found Sophie dead instead of merely wounded, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to control himself—then or now.

  Carrie smiled. “We are friends, aren’t we? It was such a thrill to see you enjoy my cooking when I brought treats to the station.”

  It took all the self-control Ryder could muster to keep from gagging at the thought. For five years he had treated his wife’s killer as an equal, a friend and coworker. What a fool he’d been! They all had. And how convincing a true sociopath like Carrie could be.