Elly's Ghost

by John R. Kess

  “How many days’ walk is the highway from here?” Beckholm asked. “Another two or three days?”

  Both the sheriff and the deputy nodded.

  “Whoever did this is headed for the highway,” Beckholm said. “They may be there right now. You need to shut the road down. You need to do it now.”

  “Consider it done.” Sheriff Neuhaus pointed at the county map. “This right here is a fifteen-mile stretch of highway with only a few dirt roads coming off of it, mostly dead ends. Nobody gets in or out without my approval.”

  “Make sure your people have a description of the girl,” Beckholm said.

  * * *

  “Look at this.” Elly modeled her mud-stained arms, then leaned forward and shook her head. “I feel like there’s a colony of bugs nesting in my hair.” She stomped her feet and scratched her scalp in a frantic attempt to remove the imaginary critters.

  Jay laughed.

  The thumping sound of an approaching helicopter ended Elly’s dance.

  They took cover under a small clump of trees just as a helicopter appeared on the horizon, moving in the distance from east to west perpendicular to their current course.

  “Is that the same helicopter from before?” Elly asked.

  “It looks like the same one. That must be the highway, and that means they’re watching it.”

  “What do we do?”

  “They must have some people on the ground, too.” Jay pulled out his GPS and noted the time at the top. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get a little closer to the road and then wait to see how long it takes for the helicopter to fly back and forth a couple times. That way we’ll know when it’s safe to try and flag somebody down. From here on, we move in silence.”

  * * *

  Nick stared out the helicopter window. He, Beckholm, and the sheriff were on their way deeper into the forest. The helicopter had found another tent, and nearby were two dead bodies, a young male and a young female.

  Beckholm worried what would happen if it was Elly’s body. He would be forced to deal with a grieving sibling when he should be focusing on the case.

  Nick turned to Beckholm. “It’s not her,” he said. “There is no way.”

  “Sheriff,” the pilot said. Everyone in the helicopter could hear the conversation through the headsets. “I’m patching a call through from the precinct.”

  “Go ahead,” Neuhaus said.

  “Sheriff, this is Sanders. I just got off the phone with the forensics lab in Missoula. The bullets found in the engine compartment match the shell casings found at the airport. I also spoke with our lab. They were able to determine the blood found on the tarmac was type A positive.”

  Nick was shaking his head no. “Our whole family has type O,” he said.

  The helicopter circled the area and made its descent. The pilot announced he’d be back as soon as he picked up the forensics team. When the helicopter touched down, the three men exited and were greeted with a nod from a member of the search party, who escorted them over a small hill to a grove of trees. The helicopter took off and headed back.

  Beckholm saw the young woman lying facedown next to a young man. The girl matched Elly’s description.

  Nick circled closer, then shook his head and let out a huge sigh. “It’s not her.”

  “Are you sure?” the sheriff asked.

  “Yes. It’s not her.” Nick turned away, feeling relieved yet sick. He glanced at the girl again, then leaned over and put his hands on his knees.

  “Are you all right?” Beckholm asked.

  Nick nodded as he stood. “How far are we from the highway?”

  “About two miles, if I had to guess,” one of the officers said.

  “Then it’s not that far,” Nick said.

  “Sheriff,” Beckholm said, pointing north toward the highway. “What do you say we—”

  “You read my mind,” Neuhaus said. “All of you follow me.”

  Chapter 18

  Bull sat high in a tree, his binoculars panning over the highway again. He knew the longer he hung around, especially after killing the two teenagers, the better the chance he would get caught and he wondered if it was time to leave.

  Logan was flying the helicopter up and down the highway. Hammer was cruising back and forth in the car he’d stolen a few days earlier in Missoula.

  If the girl had half a brain, she wouldn’t come near this road, Bull thought.

  He tried not to think about the bark digging into his back as he scanned both sides of the highway for the hundredth time. He saw something move and focused in on it. It was the top of a backpack just a few inches above weeds near the ditch. In a moment, the backpack disappeared.

  Bull grabbed the radio with his free hand as he desperately searched to find the backpack again. “Hey, we’ve got movement on the south side near the ditch. Estimate five hundred yards west of my position.”

  “Are you sure?” Belgrade’s voice squawked.

  “I’m positive.”

  Bull listened as Belgrade called Logan and Hammer and told them to return to his position.

  “Bull,” Belgrade said, “have you spotted anything new?”

  “Negative, but I’m sure at least one person is there.”

  “I’m going in,” Belgrade said.

  Bull searched the area again but saw nothing. He swung his binoculars around to see Belgrade mount his motorcycle. Cy had positioned himself behind a nearby tree with his rifle aimed down the highway. With a wave, he told Belgrade he was ready.

  * * *

  Jay heard a motorcycle engine start and then the clunking sound of it slipping into gear. He readied the shotgun, clicking off the safety. “Stay down,” he whispered to Elly.

  The sound grew louder. Jay caught a glimpse of the rider holding a pistol and staring down into the ditch. Jay crouched back down. He knew the rider couldn’t see them—yet.

  Patience, Jay told himself. He judged the speed of the motorcycle, then popped up and fired the shotgun.

  The blow flipped the rider backward off the motorcycle and facedown onto the pavement. The motorcycle continued on for another thirty feet, then fell over as the engine died. Jay scanned the area but couldn’t see anyone. He stayed low as he ran out onto the highway and picked up the motorcycle. He hopped on and waved for Elly to join him. She ran from the ditch and hopped on the back.

  * * *

  Nick jumped at the sound of the shotgun blast. He knew it was close and took off running toward it.

  “Wait!” Beckholm shouted as he followed him. The sheriff was close behind.

  Nick didn’t have to run far before he spotted the highway through some trees. A hundred yards to his right a man was getting on a motorcycle while another lay motionless on the road. The man on the motorcycle waved as if for someone to join him. Nick’s world froze as Elly appeared, wearing a backpack and running up the ditch toward the motorcycle. He knew it was her, even from far away.

  He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Another man knelt just thirty feet in front of him on the shoulder of the highway, aiming his rifle at Elly.

  “NO!” Nick shouted.

  The rifleman swung his weapon around toward Nick.

  Nick jumped behind two trees as the man fired at him. Beckholm and the sheriff dropped to the ground near Nick.

  “FBI! Drop your weapons!” Beckholm shouted. Two more shots rang out and hit the tree Nick was hiding behind. The sheriff pulled out his pistol and returned fire. The gunman retreated to the ditch across the road.

  * * *

  Jay heard the gunfire behind them as Elly hopped onto the motorcycle. He had her wrap her arms around him and hold the shotgun across his lap. He revved the engine, let the clutch out and accelerated down the highway, shifting through the gears. The forest rushed by as the needle on the speedometer rocketed past ninety miles per hour.

  It had been years since Jay had driven a motorcycle. Most of his experience had come from riding off-road at Pende
r’s uncle’s house. The motorcycle he was on now surprised him by how stable it was at high speed. Elly squeezed him tightly as they flew down the highway.

  * * *

  Nick crouched down behind the tree and stayed there. More shots were exchanged from both sides of the highway. Nick felt naked as bullets cracked the bark off trees around him.

  “Stay down,” Beckholm shouted at him.

  Without warning, a white Chevy Lumina pulled up to a stop on the far side of the highway next to the gunman.

  “Freeze! FBI!” As soon as Beckholm said it, more shots rang out. Then Nick heard a door slam, followed by the screeching of tires as the car pulled away.

  Beckholm and Sheriff Neuhaus ran out onto the highway and took several shots at the tires, but the car disappeared in the distance, heading the same direction as the motorcycle. Neuhaus got on his radio and told the dispatcher about the motorcycle and then gave a description of the car, emphasizing the men were armed and dangerous.

  Nick joined them at the road, “It was Elly. She got on the back of the motorcycle. She did it willingly.”

  The noise from a helicopter made the three men look back to the west as it swooped in low.

  “Is that one of ours?” Beckholm asked.

  “No,” Neuhaus said.

  The three watched as it landed on the highway about a half mile ahead of them. They saw the outline of a man run from the woods to the helicopter. Then it took off heading east.

  “Dispatch, this is Neuhaus,” he said into his radio. “Tell Officer Nelson that once she has the girl to get the hell out of there! The suspects have a helicopter, and she’s about to be attacked.”

  * * *

  Elly had never ridden on the back of a motorcycle. She had no idea how fast they were moving, and she didn’t want to know. She buried her head in Jay’s back, trying to keep her face out of the air rushing around him.

  The motorcycle slowed down. Jay brought it to an abrupt stop.

  “Jump off, Elly, and give me the backpack.”

  “What are we doing?” she said, taking it off and handing it to him.

  He stuffed the shotgun into the backpack with the handle sticking out and then put it on.

  “I spotted a squad car over the next hill, about a quarter mile down the road. You need to run to it!”

  “Not without you!” Elly said.

  “Go!” Jay pointed. “I’ll draw them away from you.”

  “Wait—”

  “Run, Elly!”

  Elly watched helplessly as Jay turned the motorcycle around in a quick arc and accelerated back the way they’d come.

  Elly took off running. Why didn’t Jay come with her? What was he going to do to stop a helicopter?

  As she reached the top of the hill she saw the squad car in the distance. A female officer got out of the car holding a shotgun. Elly was getting tired of seeing weapons.

  Elly gasped out words between breaths as she approached the car. “You’ve got to help … You’ve got to help my friend.”

  “Are you Elly?”

  “Yes. We have to go help him.”

  “Get in the car.” Officer Nelson held the rear door open and closed it once Elly was in. She put the car in gear and spun it around, heading away from where Elly had come.

  “No!” Elly screamed. “We can’t just leave him.”

  “My orders are to get you out of here.”

  “Please! You have to help him. You can’t just leave him!” Elly leaned forward and hung onto the wire mesh separating the rear seat from the front. “Listen to me, you have to help him.”

  “Sit back!” Nelson yelled as she sped down the highway.

  A massive headache hit Elly hard. Nothing made any sense. Here was a police officer, someone who could help Jay, and Elly wasn’t able to get her to help him. Elly had to do something and quick.

  “Turn this car around now!” Elly’s fist hit with every word. “Stop the car and let me out!”

  Ignoring Elly, Officer Nelson continued to accelerate and then pushed the button on her mic, “I’ve got her!”

  * * *

  Jay sped down the highway and spotted a dot above the horizon he knew must be a helicopter. He brought the motorcycle to a stop and left it on its side in the middle of the road. He wanted the helicopter to see it and stop there instead of continuing east toward Elly.

  Jay ran to the trees and hid as he removed the shotgun, his rifle, and the handgun from his bag. He reassembled the rifle and reloaded it, then reloaded the shotgun. He pointed the rifle to the west down the highway and waited.

  His plan worked as the helicopter slowed and circled the area around the motorcycle.

  A white Chevy Lumina skidded to a stop next to it. Both doors opened and two men stepped out.

  Jay aimed at the driver and pulled the trigger.

  * * *

  Cy crouched by the front right tire of the car at the sound of the shot. Hammer collapsed onto the ground.

  “Shit! Hammer is hit,” Cy said into his radio. He saw a pool of blood forming under Hammer’s body. “He’s not moving. I think he’s dead. Where are they?” he shouted.

  “We’ll circle around and try to find them,” Bull said over the radio.

  The helicopter circled twice. “They must be on the run—we can’t see them,” Bull said. “Go in after them.”

  “Not without backup,” Cy said. “I’m not going anywhere. Get down here and help me.”

  The helicopter landed on the highway, and Bull ran to the ditch. He took out his binoculars and searched for the shooter. After a minute, he signaled to Cy, who joined him in the woods.

  “I’ve got the right side. You take the left,” Bull said.

  For five minutes they followed tracks and broken branches into the forest. The tracks were far apart, meaning the man they were chasing was moving fast.

  Cy paused and grabbed the radio. “Logan, break off and search up ahead. We can’t hear anything with you above us.”

  “Roger that.”

  Cy put his radio away. A shotgun blast boomed behind him, and he turned in time to see Bull fall. He had only a split second to see out of the corner of his eye the dark outline standing next to him. He turned but it was too late. The ghost delivered a crushing blow to his skull and everything went black.

  * * *

  “Bull, this is Logan, do you copy?” Logan circled the area he last had contact with them. “Cy, this is Logan, do you copy?”

  His fuel gauge told him he’d have to leave soon.

  “Bull, do you copy?”

  Logan scanned the sky for any approaching aircraft and saw none. He scanned the area one last time and saw two bodies lying near each other. His fuel gauge told him he had just enough to make it across the Canadian border.

  Chapter 19

  Elly wouldn’t even look at Officer Nelson when she pulled into a police station garage stall. Repeated attempts to get the officer to do anything that might help Jay had been met with silence. She had listened intently to the radio as reports came in about finding dead men near a motorcycle lying in the middle of the road. Elly wouldn’t allow herself to believe any of those men were Jay. She fought back tears of frustration, fear, and exhaustion, resolving to remain focused on helping Jay.

  Officer Nelson escorted Elly to a room where two emergency medical technicians began asking her questions. The questions went on and on.

  “Look,” Elly shouted, “I’m fine. I need to talk to the sheriff or whoever is in charge—right now!”

  Elly was escorted to an interview room with beige block walls and told to wait. She paced the room, growing angrier with every passing moment. She thought about Jay leaving her and was furious that he hadn’t come with her. Jay had told her he was going to slow those men down, but that didn’t make any sense to Elly. She wondered why he didn’t get in the police car with her. If he had, they’d both be safe right now.

  After twenty minutes the door finally opened. Elly turned, ready to chew out w
hoever walked in. When Nick appeared in the doorway, her will to fight dissolved. Elly stared in disbelief. “Nick?”

  Nick looked exhausted and took a deep breath. He held out his arms, and Elly ran to him.

  When they’d been teenagers, the family’s golden retriever, Lady, had run away from home. Elly remembered the look on his face when she was found four days later. Now, Nick’s relief took on a whole new level and he appeared to be on the verge of tears.

  A lump formed in Elly’s throat as she hugged him.

  Nick held her and said, “Hey. I’m so happy to see you.”

  Hugging Nick, the same brother who Elly figured would never talk to her again, completely overwhelmed her. Any emotion she was hiding surfaced. She couldn’t contain her tears.

  Nick let her cry for a few minutes, then asked her, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Elly’s voice was muffled by his shirt.

  “It’s so good to see you.” Nick repeated.

  They slowly let go of each other. Elly wiped her eyes. “How did you know to find me here?”

  “It’s a long story.” Nick glanced at Beckholm, who’d followed him into the room. “Look, these men are here to help you.”

  “My friend is still out there,” Elly said to Nick. “He may need help.”

  “Then tell these men what happened, and they’ll help find your friend.”

  Elly nodded, and Nick helped her into a chair.

  “My name is Agent Aaron Beckholm. I’m with the FBI.” He showed his badge and sat across from Elly with his notepad open. “I need you to start with what happened when your plane landed at the airport. Talk me through it. Tell me everything.”

  * * *