Hostage Negotiation

by LENA DIAZ,

  “It’s okay. You’re safe,” Zack whispered, his free hand going to her back, stroking lightly up and down as he murmured his litany of soothing words. But for once, she didn’t feel reassured.

  She shivered and looked around the clearing. But she didn’t see it the way it was today. She saw it the way it was the last time she was here. Lifting her hand, she pointed to the left. “Over there, that’s where he kept me, in the box in the ground.” She pointed to the right. “And there, that’s where he would set up a campfire.” Her hands shook as she wrapped them around her middle and stared straight ahead, at the scarred tree she remembered so well. But she didn’t say anything else. She couldn’t, not yet.

  “Thomas, search for the box. Carlson, see if you can find evidence of the campfires. Be alert. If the killer heard us coming, he could be hiding close by.”

  The men headed off to do as Zack had directed.

  “She’s not here,” Kaylee whispered.

  “We don’t know that yet. She might be in the box.”

  “Maybe,” she allowed, but she could feel it deep in her soul that if Sue Ellen had ever been at this particular camp, that she’d been moved long ago to some other place. The whole day of trudging through the woods, slogging through the mud, had been a waste. They were no closer to finding Sue Ellen than they were this morning. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment.

  Thomas rushed back toward them, his jaw set. He gave Zack a quick shake of his head.

  Kaylee stared at him in confusion. “You didn’t find the box?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “But it has to be there. This is where he held me, where he held Mary. I know it.” She headed off to the left, with Zack and Thomas falling in step beside her. This time, she was sure-footed, no hesitation, her feet instinctively taking her right to the spot where she remembered being placed so many times, lowered into that dark, terrifying hole in the ground. But just as Deputy Thomas had said, there was no box, not even a depression to mark where it had been.

  “I don’t understand.” She bent down, ran her fingers across the ground. “He must have moved the box. There’s no other explanation.”

  Zack bent down beside her just as Carlson joined them. She and Zack both looked up in question, but Carlson shook his head, just as Thomas had done. Meaning, no campfire, no burned-out depression in the ground to mark where the killer had created his nightly fires for weeks, months. Nothing at all to show that he’d ever been here, that she and Mary had ever been here, suffering horrible punishments at the hands of their captor.

  No, wait. He might have been able to hide the box, cart away the scorched earth that would have revealed where the campfires had once burned. But there was no way that he could hide everything.

  She stood. “This is where he held me. And I can prove it. This way.” She marched across the clearing with all three men rushing to keep up with her. She passed the first ring of trees into the woods then abruptly stopped. She didn’t have to point or say anything. And she knew, by the shocked sounds of the men beside her that they believed her now, as all of them stared at the enormous scarred fallen tree lying on the ground in front of them.

  And the bloodstains soaked deep into the wood.

  Zack looked down at her. She could feel, sense his gaze on her more than see him, because she couldn’t stop staring at the tree.

  “Kaylee,” he said, his voice tight, raw. “You did good. We’ll get the CSU team out here. The forensic evidence will help us put him away once we find him.”

  “What are those marks all over the log?” Deputy Carlson asked. “Where the bark is missing in chunks?”

  “That’s from the chains,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “He tied me up to the log with chains, put a gag over my mouth. And then, then he’d...” Her voice trailed off and suddenly she was shaking so hard that her knees knocked together. She could feel the strength giving out in her legs.

  Zack swore and caught her in his arms just as she started to fall, lifting her up against his chest. “Carlson, mark this spot with a dozen of those flags. Thomas, take pictures of everything that you can, but watch your step. We need to preserve as much of the scene as possible. I’ll start back with Miss Brighton. Both of you catch up as soon as you can.”

  Without waiting for their replies, he took off, heading back into the clearing again, his steps sure and fast as he strode back the way they’d come, holding Kaylee as though she weighed nothing. His pistol was still in his right hand even though he carried her. He wasn’t taking any chances.

  She clung to him, her arms tight around his neck, her cheek pressed against his chest. “Did you see the tree behind the fallen log?” she whispered. “When I made him angry, if I didn’t do something he wanted fast enough, he would loop the ends of the chains over that tree’s branches. Then he would—”

  “Kaylee, you don’t have to tell me—”

  “—haul me up, several feet off the ground by my wrists and ankles, until I begged for mercy. He broke me.” She couldn’t help it; she started crying.

  He swore and stopped, looking down at her in his arms. “No,” he said, his voice gentle. “He didn’t break you. You survived. And you came back to point the finger at him, to give us the evidence we’ll need to capture him and put him away so he can never hurt anyone else ever again. You’re the victor here, Kaylee. And we’re going to find him. I promise.”

  She nodded miserably, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. She wasn’t sure that she really believed him. But he sounded like he believed what he was saying. And for now, that had to be enough. She let out a shaky breath then pushed at his chest.

  “Put me down. Please. I can stand on my own now. I can walk.”

  He didn’t look like he believed her but he did as she said, keeping one hand at her waist, the other holding his gun pointed at the ground.

  Thomas and Carlson joined them then.

  “Done?” Zack asked.

  “I’ve got a boatload of pictures,” Carlson said.

  Thomas held up the remaining orange flags. “And I lit up the whole area like an airport runway. We’ll be able to find it again in the morning. No problem.”

  “Then let’s get out of here.”

  Their little group started off again, and in spite of Zack’s concerned looks toward Kaylee, she held her own just fine. She was embarrassed that she’d broken down like that. And she was determined not to slow them down again or be responsible for them being caught out here after dark. She moved as quickly as she could, and they made good time heading back toward the road.

  A few minutes later Gene stepped through the trees on one of his checks. He spoke to Zack, who hung back with him behind the others, both of them exchanging information about their individual searches and the results.

  Kaylee glanced back as Zack joined her again, just in time to see Gene disappear back through the trees.

  “He’s not coming with us?” she asked.

  “He is. But he has to let Jasper know to stop worrying about the parallel path. They haven’t found anything of use or concern, anyway. We might as well all stick together and make faster time.”

  She nodded and everyone seemed to silently agree to quicken their pace, because they were moving even faster now. All of them wanted to get as far from these woods as they could, as quickly as they could.

  But after about ten minutes had passed, Zack drew them to a halt, frowning as he peered at the trees around them.

  “Why haven’t Gene and Jasper joined us yet?” he asked.

  Thomas and Carlson looked around, the same worried expressions on their faces as on Zack’s.

  “Something’s wrong,” Zack whispered, as he raised his gun. “Listen.”

  Kaylee blinked at the pistol then strained to hear whatever he’d heard.

  “It’s too
quiet,” he finally said.

  The two deputies raised their guns, too, glancing around, studying the trees around them.

  Kaylee bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her middle. Her stomach churned as a feeling of nausea settled inside her. She didn’t know if she was sensing what Zack was sensing or if his nervousness was just transmitting to her. But all of a sudden she felt borderline terrified, expecting the devil to step out from behind a tree at any moment and grab her, laughing his horrible laugh, glaring at her and promising retribution for her sins.

  “Stay here,” he ordered the two deputies. “I’m going to look for Gene and Jasper.”

  Panic bubbled up inside Kaylee. No, don’t leave me. But he was already gone. She stared at the spot where he’d disappeared between two trees, and desperately tried not to give in to the terror that was starting to make her entire body shake. But she wasn’t just scared for herself. This time she was scared for someone else...for Zack. He was risking his life out here for her. All of these men were. And if something happened to any of them she could never forgive herself.

  A guttural shout sounded from the woods. Then a bloodcurdling scream.

  Kaylee gasped as the two men looked at each other, eyes wide. Another scream sounded. The men each grabbed one of Kaylee’s arms and took off running toward the sound of the screams.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zack dropped to the ground beside Gene, who was bound at the ankles and wrists with plastic zip ties, his face bloody, a black cloth tied over his mouth. Zack yanked the gag down and ran his hands over Gene’s face, his arms, searching for the source of the blood but not seeing it.

  “You okay? Where are you cut?”

  Gene shook his head. “I’m not hurt. It’s not my blood.”

  Zack looked around then drew a knife from his boot and went to work on the zip ties on Gene’s wrists. “Jasper? It’s his blood?”

  Gene nodded. “Has to be. I was walking ahead of him, just a few feet. And I felt a rush of air, whirled around. Someone hit me with a fist or a tree branch, don’t know. I fell back and a guy jumped me, had the gag on before I could even draw a breath to shout out. Trussed me up like a stupid animal. A pro, I’m telling you. Only took him a matter of seconds. And then he was gone.” He rubbed his wrists while Zack went to work on the ties at his ankles.

  “The screams,” Zack said. “Jasper?”

  “Wasn’t me. Like I said, didn’t get a chance to say anything, let alone scream.”

  Zack slid the knife into his boot and helped the other man up, just as the sound of pounding feet carried to them. He yanked his gun out of the holster and whirled around, pointing at the trees just as Carlson, Thomas and Kaylee burst onto the path.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Carlson said, holding his hands up.

  Zack let out an aggravated breath and holstered his gun. After a quick glance at Kaylee to make sure she was okay, he turned back to Gene. “Direction?”

  Gene studied the trees, orienting himself, then pointed. “There. See how the grass is flattened to the right of that tree? That has to be where he went.”

  “Where who went?” Carlson demanded. “Jasper?”

  “Jasper and the man who attacked him and Gene,” Zack clarified. “Did you see his face? Can you describe him, Gene?”

  The older man shook his head. “All I saw was someone dressed in black, about six-foot tall, fit, strong. His face was covered with a mask of sorts, like a ski mask, but leather or something.”

  Kaylee sucked in a breath, her eyes widening.

  Zack waved toward the flattened patch of grass. “Thomas, you and Carlson head out, stay together, watch your backs. If you don’t find Jasper or a clear trail in five minutes, head back. Strike that. Even if you find a trail, head back. Five minutes max or we come looking for you. This guy knows these woods like the back of his hand, and I’d bet anything that he was waiting for us. He planned this. He’s playing us. It smells like a trap. Five minutes. Got it?”

  They both nodded and took off.

  Gene seemed a bit unsteady on his feet after being tied up, so Zack held on to the man’s arm, waiting for him to gather himself. Kaylee stood too far away for Zack’s comfort. She’d stopped as soon as she saw Gene and the blood on his face, her own face going pale.

  “Kaylee, come here.” He kept his tone low, gentle, trying to calm her.

  She blinked, as if just realizing that she was basically alone, then hurried over to them. The dazed look on her face faded as she observed Gene. In an instant, the scared-looking vulnerable woman was replaced with a confident-looking one, ready to go into battle. Or at least, help a man who was down.

  “Gene, where are you hurt?” she demanded, much as Zack had earlier.

  After assuring her that he wasn’t, the now red-faced Gene shoved away from Zack. Being fussed over by the woman who’d survived months of captivity, probably by the same man who’d just attacked Gene, had him looking painfully embarrassed.

  Zack left the two of them speaking in low tones while he studied the ground, examining the shoe prints and broken branches and flattened grass that told the story of what had happened here. But the story didn’t make sense.

  He crouched down, looking at the last spot where Jasper and Gene’s prints looked “normal,” with one set slightly ahead of the other. That matched what Gene had said, that he was walking in front of Jasper. But what didn’t fit was the lack of prints to show where the masked man had come into the picture. It was as if he’d swooped down from the trees to first grab Jasper then Gene. Where were his footprints?

  A host of other questions raced through his mind. Why would the killer tie up Gene and take Jasper with him? Why not tie up both men, or just kill them? Had he left Gene as a warning? Had he taken Jasper as his hostage in case they caught up to him? Zack had far too many questions and not nearly enough answers.

  The rustling of branches not far away had him straightening, his pistol pointed down at the ground.

  “It’s Thomas and Carlson,” a voice rang out.

  “All right,” Zack called back, waiting until the two men stepped between some trees into plain sight before holstering his weapon. He didn’t have to ask to know that something bad had happened. He could tell by the pallor of their skin. “What did you find?”

  Carlson’s jaw clenched. It was Thomas who answered, after a quick, uncomfortable look toward Kaylee.

  “Blood, lots of it. Footprints. Matted-down grass, broken twigs. Drag marks.”

  There was something else the man wasn’t telling him. “Pictures?”

  In answer, Carlson held up his phone. He handed it to Zack, who quickly flipped through what Carlson had snapped. He handed the phone back to him, gave him a curt nod.

  “All right,” Zack said. “It’s going to get dark soon and we’re sitting ducks out here. We’ve got to get back to the road and get the word out, get some dogs and local trackers out here fast.” Knowing it was probably useless, he yanked out his cell phone to check for service. But as he’d expected, there were no bars. He shoved the phone back in his holder. “Let’s go.”

  They took off at a quick clip, using the orange marker flags as their guides. Carlson, Thomas, and Gene took turns taking up the rear, fanning out on either side of the trail, on the lookout for a possible ambush. Zack stayed by Kaylee. Within just a few hours, including several stops to catch their breath, they’d reached the road. Gene hurried to get into his truck, ready to follow them. Carlson and Thomas climbed into the back of Zack’s four-wheel drive.

  Zack tried his phone one more time as he stood by the passenger door, keeping a lookout while Kaylee climbed into the truck. But just as before, no bars, no signal. He put the phone away, hurried around to the driver’s side and as soon as they were all in, he stomped the gas.

  Dirt and gravel flew out fro
m underneath his tires as the truck’s wheels spun then grabbed, shooting them forward. Ten long minutes later his phone chimed, letting him know he had a text message, which meant he had phone service. He yanked his phone out and made the call to Cole.

  Glancing at Kaylee, who was watching him with scared, wide eyes, he realized he needed to be careful about what he said. As soon as Cole came on the line, he told him what had happened, mostly using the “ten” codes that officers used to report what they’d found. The last code he used was one that had Cole cursing into the phone—the code for dead body found.

  “Who?” Cole demanded. “Jasper?”

  “Negative.”

  A pause, then “Oh, no.”

  “Yep,” Zack confirmed. Neither of them said the rest. They didn’t have to. There was only one other person they both knew of who might be in these woods; the person in the pictures on Carlson’s phone.

  Sue Ellen Fullerton.

  “We’ll need search dogs to find Jasper,” Zack said. “Can’t wait for daylight. We’ll need portable lights for the searchers and CSU team, skilled trackers to keep everyone from stumbling onto a gator or someone’s overgrown pet python they released out here. Maybe some of those highway construction lights could be used to set up a base of operations out on the road.”

  “On it. I’ll call Fish and Wildlife, too, have them notify the family that Jasper’s missing, and also see if we can get more of their guys out here to help with the search. They’ll be able to outtrack our guys. And they’ll know the nighttime dangers out in the swamp way better than us, too.”

  “Sounds good. I’m not stopping at the temporary search base. I’m bringing Kaylee straight to the sheriff’s office. I don’t want her anywhere near this place.” He glanced at her, giving her a hard look. “And if she fights me on that, I’ll personally lock her up in a jail cell and throw away the key.”