by C. M. Sutter
I hung up and looked at Fay’s map. “Keep going toward Denver, Tommy. We’ll jump on I-25 north, and that’ll take us to I-80, where we’ll head west. Going backward would be much slower since we’d hit every small town along those state highways.”
Tommy knew the route since we’d come from that direction through Cheyenne, Wyoming. We would reach I-80 in two hours, then it would be another four before we would get to that Highway 30 off-ramp. We had a long night ahead of us, and as soon as we got near Denver, Tommy suggested gas, coffee, and bathroom breaks.
“I’ll take over the driving after that so you can get some rest,” Renz said. “Hopefully, the state patrol intercepts them somewhere on I-80 so we can end this nightmare once and for all.”
My phone rang twenty minutes later. Maureen called back to say the roadblocks were in place and that the state patrol driving I-80 would be on the lookout for a white box truck going west. Having the plate number would have been a valuable tool, but we had to make do with what we had, and at that point, all we had was what we’d seen on the truck stop video from last week—Claire climbing into the passenger side of a white box truck.
Chapter 31
At the last minute, Gary swerved left so hard that Leon’s head hit the passenger-side window.
Leon yelped and rubbed his ear. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Playing it safe. I still don’t trust her.” He shot his thumb over his shoulder.
Claire whined. “Thanks. I just crashed against the wall, psycho. I’ve already told you it must have been a coincidence that the cops pulled up to that store when we were there. Geez, Gary, people shoplift and get caught all the time. You need to get a grip.”
“Don’t care, and don’t tell me what to do. My gut says to take a different route. The idea of being on the interstate was already rubbing me wrong.”
Leon groaned. “So we’re taking the slowass state highways instead?”
Gary’s head snapped to the right. “You have a better idea, or would you rather be sitting your happy ass in a prison cell?” Gary sneered when he noticed Leon’s shrug to Claire. “So now you two are going to tag team me?”
“No, I just want to get a good night’s sleep in a real bed.”
“Well, too bad. Maybe you should drive for a while since I’ve been behind this wheel for eight hours.”
“Yeah, okay. Pull over, and I’ll drive. What road is this?”
“State Highway 44. You’ll stay on it until we get to Manila. By then we’ll probably need fuel, a bathroom break, and coffee. After that, we go west on 43.”
“I have to pee.”
“Shut up, Claire. You can wait until we get to Manila. It’s less than an hour away, but for now, I’m going to catch some sleep, so zip it. We have under three hours to go before we’re in Cokeville. Tonight we’ll all be sleeping soundly in real beds.” Gary closed his eyes, leaned against the window, and drifted off.
The violent thrust snapped his head forward and into the dashboard. Gary was knocked out cold, and when he woke, he had no idea what had happened or how much time had passed. He was completely disoriented, and his head was pounding. The door on his side was open, and the truck was in a ditch facing the woods. The only thing he could see out the windshield was the ground and trees in front of him. Looking to his left, Gary saw blood pooling in Leon’s right ear and running down his neck. Gary reached across the console and swatted Leon’s shoulder, but he didn’t move. He called back to Claire—no response. After pressing the seatbelt’s snap, Gary fell forward. “What the hell happened? Leon, Claire?” Groaning, Gary braced himself against the dash and stood. He crawled through the back to see if Claire was okay. “Claire?” Gary patted his pocket and pulled out his phone, then pressed the flashlight icon and scanned the back. Claire had vanished, and the box of the truck was empty. Gary turned back and stared at the open door, then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Claire had fled while he was unconscious. She’d found the opportunity and had taken full advantage of it.
Where the hell would she go? It’s nearly dark out here—wherever here is—and she’s afraid of the dark, not to mention wild animals. There isn’t a car or a house for as far as I can see.
Gary returned his focus to Leon. “Dude, come on. Wake up. You stupid ass, you probably fell asleep while you were driving.” Gary shook Leon then slapped him across the face. “Wake up, you son of a bitch! I need you to help me find Claire!” Gary knew he couldn’t get far on foot, and he had no idea which direction Claire went or how long she’d been gone.
Why does everyone let me down? Why couldn’t they just go with the plan and not screw up? This can’t be happening!
Gary unbelted Leon and pulled him from the seat. He placed him on the floor in the back and felt for a pulse. “No, no, no! You aren’t dead. Please, Leon, don’t be dead. I can’t do this alone, damn you!” Gary felt again, but there was still no pulse. He kicked Leon in the ribs, but Leon didn’t move. Gary spun toward the front. Leon’s phone had been in the cup holder, but it was gone.
Did it fall on the floor?
Getting down on his hands and knees, Gary searched with his phone’s flashlight. He checked in the back, in Leon’s pockets, and between the seats. “That bitch grabbed his phone before she ran off.” Gary jumped into the driver’s seat and shifted into reverse. He slammed the gas pedal to the floor and heard the tires spin.
Okay, okay, slower this time.
He tried again and turned the steering wheel left and right. The truck moved ever so slightly.
“Come on, come on. Get some traction.” He pressed the gas again but not as hard.
Ease up a little and turn the wheel harder.
He was making progress. The truck moved back a foot that time. “Little by little, inch by inch.” He felt the back tires grab, then they hit asphalt. “Yes! Keep it up.” He pressed the gas harder, and the truck lurched back onto the road. Gary let out a relieved sigh, buried his face in his hands, and cursed. Claire was out there somewhere but which way was the question.
Wait a minute. If she had half a brain, she’d go in the same direction we were heading. She heard me say that Manila was only an hour away. Damn it, why did I fall asleep? I don’t know how far Leon went before he dozed off and veered into the ditch.
Gary looked back at his friend.
Falling asleep and rolling into the ditch wouldn’t kill him, so what did?
He put the truck in Park, returned to the back, and lifted Leon’s head. Gary saw that a blood pool had formed beneath it.
What the hell? Did Claire do this? Did she crack him in the head with something?
Gary crossed to the built-in toolbox at the far end of the truck, yanked it open, and saw that the largest wrench was missing. “I guess you got what you deserved, Leon. Trusting Hope was a big mistake, but trusting Claire cost you your life.” Gary climbed out and rounded the truck. He looked both ways and didn’t see headlights approaching from either direction, then he unlocked the padlock that secured the rear doors. He opened the doors wide, emptied Leon’s pockets, and carried him down into the ditch. “Sorry, dude, but you’re no help to me anymore, and I can’t have a dead body in there stinking up the truck. The animals will take care of your sorry ass soon enough.” Gary locked the doors again and climbed back in. Turning the wheel, he pointed the truck toward Manila and floored the gas pedal. He had no idea if the distance was near or far, but if he didn’t find Claire fast, everything would blow up in his face.
Chapter 32
We had just passed Laramie, Wyoming, without hearing a word from anyone.
“What the hell is the holdup? You’d think the state patrol would have spotted them on I-80 already.”
“One would think,” Renz said.
“We still have three and a half hours before we reach the Highway 30 exit ramp to Granger.” I saw Renz’s grin in the rearview mirror. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, but you do realize that you’re going to lo
se consciousness soon.”
I huffed. “Meaning?”
“You’ll suffocate before long with all the jabbering you’re doing.”
“Is that your gentle way of telling me to shut up?”
Fay and Tommy started laughing too.
“We can’t do anything more short of getting a speeding ticket for driving a hundred miles an hour. Sit back. Chill out, and wait for the call from Taft. I’m sure we’ll be the first ones she contacts when they’re in custody.”
“Yeah, easier said than done.”
“How about napping?” Tommy suggested.
“Nah, my mind is too active. I guess I can play solitaire on my phone.”
The SUV went silent for a few minutes.
“Ahh, peace and quiet,” Renz joked.
“I wonder why they aren’t in custody yet. This is killing me.”
Renz kept up the ribbing. “And you’re killing me. Go to sleep, Jade. I’m sure you’ll hear your phone if it rings.”
I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I jumped to the sound of my phone ringing and hadn’t realized that an hour had passed. I actually had drifted off. I looked at the screen. “It’s Taft.”
“Put it on speakerphone so you don’t have to repeat everything to us,” Tommy said.
I cleared my throat and answered. “Agent Monroe here. Yes, ma’am. I’m putting you on Speaker so we can all talk.”
“Hello, Agents. It sounds like the state troopers are coming up empty. Nobody has spotted a white box truck heading west on I-80. They’ve gone in both directions, and even went south for ten miles on Highway 191. They haven’t seen any white trucks at all except a pickup or two.”
“But that’s the only route north out of Vernal,” Fay said.
“Unless it was a ploy to throw us off their real route.”
“So a setup from Claire? Why bother? We didn’t know where they were to begin with.”
Taft continued. “That’s true, but maybe they wanted to get through a congested city without being spotted. If everyone had their eyes on western Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, they could have driven through downtown Denver without so much as a passing glance in their direction.” Her sigh was audible through my phone. “I’m afraid they’ve slipped away, and we don’t know to where.”
“But if the call went through the Vernal PD, then they were really there.”
“I suppose so, but instead of going where Claire said they were, they went somewhere else.”
I gritted my teeth. “How in the hell is it so tough to locate a big white box truck?” A thought buzzed in my head for a second. “Unless—”
“Unless what, Jade?”
“Unless it isn’t white anymore.”
“But it’s a rental. They can’t alter that,” Tommy said.
I rubbed my chin as I thought. “Maybe not permanently, but it is possible.”
Taft told us to pack it up for the night. “Find a decent restaurant, have dinner, then get a good night’s sleep. We’ll regroup in the morning and figure out what the next move should be.”
We signed off, and I ended the call. I noticed the road sign showing Elk Mountain was twenty-five more miles. I checked my phone for the population. “Okay, we’re at the halfway point between Laramie and Elk Mountain. The population of Elk Mountain is under two hundred people, so it’s doubtful that we’d find a hotel or a decent restaurant there. Laramie has plenty of hotels and restaurants and a regional airport in case we need it. I’m for heading back.”
“Same here,” Fay said.
Renz turned off at the next exit. “You don’t have to ask me twice. As long as you’re on your phone, find a nice restaurant and a clean hotel—and preferably close to that airport.”
“You bet. I’m ready to call it a night.”
Chapter 33
The road sign showed Manila was four miles ahead. Gary had to find Claire before she was close enough to town to get phone reception. The winding road, thick tree cover, and mountainous area made reliable cell service nearly impossible. Gary was sure most people didn’t care since he hadn’t passed a single house. Up ahead, a flash of movement caught in the headlights, and the last time he’d checked, deer didn’t wear clothing. It was Claire, and he had to snatch her up before she got any farther. She had walked about a mile from where Leon had gone into the ditch, and Gary was sure she would disappear into the trees the minute she realized it was him.
He saw her stick out her thumb in a hitchhiking gesture. “Careless idiot. You deserve to get picked up by a serial killer and cut into bite-sized pieces.”
Gary clicked on the brights, since the darkness had taken over, with the hopes of blinding her so she couldn’t tell it was the box truck approaching. He slowed to a stop and leapt out just as she realized it was him. Claire dove into the woods with Gary closing in. He was only inches behind her, and he extended his arm to grab her. Gary got tangled in the bushes, and she bolted ahead. Swearing, he picked up his pace and pushed through.
“I’m going to catch you, Claire. You’ll run out of energy soon enough, and it’s going to be me or a wild animal that’ll grab you.”
He stopped and listened. Twigs snapped on his left, and they sounded close. He turned in that direction and continued on.
If only I’d grabbed my phone from the cupholder, I would have a flashlight, damn it.
He stopped again then he heard it—her breathing. Gary knew he was within feet of her, yet he couldn’t see a thing, but to his benefit, she probably couldn’t either. One more step was all it took. Claire charged ahead then screamed. Gary pounced when he heard a thud. In her panicked state, Claire had tripped over a log and landed face down on the ground. Gary had her, and that time she wasn’t getting away.
He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up. “You stupid bitch. What the hell is wrong with you? For some reason you thought it was a good idea to murder Leon?”
Claire flailed wildly and swung. She caught Gary in the shoulder with that same wrench she’d killed Leon with.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Gary fisted his hand, cocked it back, and punched Claire in the temple. She went limp. “Now, we’re going to do things my way, like we were supposed to all along. You three idiots are the ones who screwed everything up.” Claire moaned as he dragged her through the brush and back to the truck.
Inside the box area, he took away Leon’s phone, zip tied her hands and feet together, then zip tied those restraints to the truck’s interior supports. Claire wasn’t going anywhere.
She groaned out his name. “Gary?”
“What?”
“I’m bleeding everywhere.”
“Tough shit. Deal with it. You had plenty of chances to be a normal person, but instead you decided to be a spoiled rich bitch who can’t take any discomfort. Between you and Hope, you’ve killed two people. Leon and me? We didn’t kill anyone. Sit on that thought for a while. If we get caught, you’re going to serve more time behind bars than I will. Now, shut up. I don’t want to hear your annoying voice again.” Gary got behind the wheel but then changed his mind. He still didn’t trust Claire and was sure she would do whatever she could to attract attention every time he stopped. After lifting the lid of the console, Gary pulled out the duct tape, ripped off a six-inch strip, and returned to Claire’s side. He knelt next to her. “Just in case you think you can outsmart me. If you try to bite me or scream, I’ll knock you out cold.”
Claire glared her hatred for Gary but remained still as he stretched the tape across her mouth.
He pushed off his knee and stood, then made sure she was one hundred percent secure. She’d dropped the wrench somewhere in the woods, but there were more items in the toolbox that she could use as weapons, and Gary had no intention of being her next victim. He climbed back in behind the wheel and drove away with over two hours yet to go. Snatching up girls on his own seemed daunting and something Gary had never considered doing, but the thought of keeping all that money for himself was enough to motivate h
im.
Chapter 34
I’d reserved four rooms at the Terre Vista Suites, a nice-looking hotel only three miles from the airport, and there were plenty of restaurants off West Curtis Street, which was only two blocks away.
“Looks like we have a good selection of restaurants near the hotel. Want to stick with the typical American fare—steaks, chicken, that sort of thing?” I asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Renz said. “I’m starving.”
I laughed. “You’re always starving. The Lone Pine Restaurant has a nice menu and great reviews.”
“Then the Lone Pine it is,” Tommy said.
We checked into the hotel twenty minutes later, agreed to meet back in the lobby in ten minutes, and we each went to our rooms to freshen up a bit. It had been a long day, and I was ready for supper, a hot shower, and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow would bring what it would bring, and unless we figured out how Gary and Leon had slipped between the FBI’s and the state troopers’ fingers, we were back to having no idea where they went. Cokeville still weighed on my mind. It was in the general area Claire had described in her 911 call, but it was a long way to drive on just a hunch. I would discuss it with the group over dinner.
We arrived at the restaurant right on time. They were taking the last orders for the night. We put in our orders with the waitress, asked for a bottle of Cab, and were set for the time being. A nice glass of wine and a delicious meal sounded like heaven at that moment.
The restaurant was large but cozy, and I’d noticed that no other customers were seated within earshot. We could discuss the case as much or as little as we wanted without being overheard. I brought up Cokeville to my colleagues.
“Do you guys think they slipped past the troopers or decided on another route? Or do you think the call could have been a setup, like Taft thought, and they never planned to go to the three-state corridor at all?”
Renz shook his head. “I don’t buy that. I think Claire’s call was legit. Either they did something to change the appearance of the truck, like you suggested, Jade, or they took another route and wanted to stay off the interstate, like Tommy had said earlier. Let’s wait until Taft calls us in the morning, go over our options and opinions with her, then decide. If they did actually go to Cokeville or some small town in that general area, then they’re likely going to be there for a day or two before heading to the drop-off location with a truckful of girls.”
