by Lisa Harris
“Suspect’s vehicle has just passed the Elkmont turnoff, but he’s refusing to pull over,” the dispatcher relayed.
“How far ahead are they?” Nikki asked.
“A quarter of a mile at the most,” Anderson responded, still trying to maneuver through the traffic.
Red brake lights flashed in front of them. Nikki strained to see what was going on. A dozen cars were stopped in the middle of the road, blocking the way.
Nikki’s fingers tapped against the armrest. “We’ve got to get around them.”
The ranger eased his vehicle through the line of cars. A man had climbed out of his car, camera in hand. A group of kids hung out the window, next to an SUV with its back hatch open.
“There’s a bear up ahead causing the holdup,” Anderson said, pointing to the right.
Nikki spotted the bear close to the side of the road, digging for bugs in a tree. Anderson flashed his lights, not wanting to scare the animal as he weaved carefully through the line of cars until they were finally out of the bottleneck and could speed forward.
A minute later, Nikki spotted the second ranger vehicle.
“The suspect’s car’s in front of him,” Tyler said.
Anderson flipped on his lights, then sped to catch up with the two vehicles.
“He’s still not stopping,” Nikki said.
God, please let her be here. Let her be alive . . . Please.
Nikki felt her heart race as the suspect’s vehicle sped up. He’d been meticulous up to this point, but everyone had a weak point. It was too easy to believe you had everything under control. To miss a crucial detail that in the end would become your downfall. This situation was no different.
The car ahead of them picked up speed down the narrow, tree-lined road.
“This is what I was hoping to avoid,” Anderson said, gripping the wheel as he pressed on the accelerator.
The vehicle swerved ahead of them, barely avoiding hitting another car head-on. Overcompensating, it fishtailed, then veered off the road to the left, slid down the steep embankment, and plunged into the river below.
12
Nikki watched, horrified, as the car slammed into the riverbed. The current swept over the hood. The vehicle bobbed for a moment, then settled against the rocks.
If Bridget was in there . . .
She banged on the dashboard. “Stop the car. I’m getting out.”
Anderson pulled over and slammed on his brakes. The other rangers were already heading down the embankment.
“Go. Both of you,” Tyler shouted. “I’ll contact park dispatch to report the emergency, then direct traffic before some rubbernecker causes another accident.”
“Make sure the search and rescue team responds along with the rescue vehicle. With that storm coming in, the river’s already started to rise.”
Nikki was already out of the car, crossing the road. She skidded down the steep embankment, glad she still had her sturdy boots on. Two rangers had already made it to the suspect’s car. Anderson followed behind her. The river wasn’t deep enough to completely swallow the vehicle, but the impact of the crash could have been enough to seriously injure the passengers inside.
God, don’t let it end this way. Not when we might have just found her . . . Please, God . . . Please . . .
Water swirled around her legs as she stepped into Little River, the coldness sucking her breath away. She pushed against the current, making her way to the car behind the other officers, who were opening the driver’s door. Water gushed into the car and lapped against the man who sat clutching the wheel. A trickle of blood ran down his temple.
The similarities between the man and the sketch were uncanny. And add to that the fact he’d tried to run . . .
One of the rangers held up his hand to stop her from approaching the car. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to—”
“I’m Special Agent Boyd with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.”
“She’s with us, Bruce,” Anderson said, coming around the vehicle behind her.
Nikki looked through the windows of the backseat and the front passenger side. Except for the driver, the car was empty.
Where was Bridget?
The rangers pulled the driver from the car, pinning down his arms when he started to pull away.
“Justin Miller?” She walked up to the man, shouting above the roar of the water. What if it was too late? What if he’d already killed her? Buried her? “Tell me. Where is she?”
He struggled to keep his balance between the officers as the water rushed past their legs. “Who?”
“Bridget Ellison. Is she in the car?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His gaze pierced through her like a steel blade.
“Tell me where she is!”
Anger coursed through her when he didn’t answer. She slid into the driver’s seat. The front windshield was cracked but not broken. Water lapped at her calves. She was looking for something . . . anything that might give a clue that Bridget had been here. A couple of beer cans floated in the water next to a cell phone, a charger, and a ball cap. But no obvious sign Bridget had ever been here.
Grabbing the cell phone before it floated away, Nikki shoved it into her pocket, popped the trunk, then trudged through the rushing water toward the back of the car. It was the only other place to look. Hiding Bridget in the trunk made sense. He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see her.
The trunk opened. Spare tire, jumper cables, a flashlight, a couple of empty water bottles, a tactical rifle case, a small ice chest, and some hunting gear.
But Bridget wasn’t in the car.
Nikki slammed the trunk shut, then sloshed back through the water toward the embankment and the officers.
“Find anything?” Anderson asked.
“She’s not here, but there’s a rifle case and hunting supplies.” Nikki’s stomach twisted, the disappointment palatable. “Found a cell phone we might get something out of.”
“I’ve already got a crew coming to get the car pulled out, but you need to get out of the water. You’re going to freeze.”
Miller looked at her again with his icy gaze. He had to be lying. It had to be him. The Angel Abductor. The man who took Bridget. Late forties. About the right height. She stood near enough that she could smell the liquor on his breath and clenched her hands at her sides, straining with everything she had not to belt him.
“Wait,” Nikki said.
The officer holding Miller paused.
“Tell me, where is she?”
“Who?”
“The girl you abducted this morning.”
“Abducted? Are you crazy?” The man laughed. “I thought you were after me for DUI. So I had one too many. Arrest me.”
“We’re planning to. But I also have a witness who can put you at the scene of the abduction. And there are weapons in the back of your car.”
“I haven’t broken any laws by having a weapon in my vehicle, and I didn’t abduct anyone.”
“We’ll give you time to question him back at the ranger station, Agent Boyd,” Anderson said, starting up the embankment. “For now, we all need to get out of this river.”
Miller shot her a twisted smile as he looked back at her. He was lying. Hiding something. She had to be on the right track. Maybe he was working with someone. Maybe he had already killed her. But he knew who Bridget was.
He brushed past her as he and the officers made their way toward the embankment. The moment she moved in behind them, he jerked away from the officers, knocking one over. Before anyone could react, he grabbed her and dragged her away from the car in the thigh-deep water.
Nikki felt his icy grip on one arm, the other around her neck. She felt the blade of a knife pressed against her throat as Miller stumbled away from the ranger back into the water, dragging her with him.
Immediately the officers drew their weapons.
“Don’t do this,” Anderson said, weapon raised, a half-dozen feet away fro
m them.
Nikki fought to control her panic. If he’d taken Bridget—if he was the Angel Abductor—he was capable of murder.
“There’s nowhere to escape,” Anderson shouted above the rush of the water. “Let her go.”
Miller pulled Nikki back a step from the car, the icy water swirling around them. “I swear I’ll kill her.”
Nikki glanced around her. Heavy rains in the past month had made the water level higher than normal. She looked up at the embankment. A crowd was growing at the top. Tyler and another officer were making their way toward them. She could see the fear in Tyler’s eyes. But the officer was right. Miller might think he could get away with this, but there was nowhere for him to go.
Despite that, he pulled her back another step, dragging her deeper into the strong current. After absorbing a number of smaller streams, the river had gained considerable strength at this point, causing her to have to struggle to keep her balance. Miller took another step back across the uneven bottom of the river, while the blade of the knife pressed harder against her neck.
“He’s right. There is no way out of this.” Nikki fought to keep her voice even. “This is only going to make things harder for you.”
“You’re accusing me of kidnapping someone. Another strike and they’ll put me away for life.”
“If you’re innocent, adding the abduction of a government agent isn’t going to help you. Just tell me where she is.”
“Help me? Right. You already believe I’m guilty.”
He took another step backward, pulling her with him. He clearly wasn’t thinking rationally. The water was getting deeper. Nikki fought against the cold. Teeth chattering uncontrollably, she waited for an opportunity to slip away from his grip. He took another step and stumbled. A second later, he was under the water. Nikki’s knees buckled as he dragged her with him. Water swept over her, pulling her downstream, farther away from the officers.
He was still hanging on to her, dragging her with him as the current pulled them away from the car and the officers. Nikki gasped for air as she went under, trying not to panic. She’d read of drownings in this river. While parts of the river were a lazy oasis for tourists, there were other sections with strong currents and hidden sinkholes. Fighting against his grip, she tried to find her footing, but the water was too fast at this point. Her limbs too numb.
She managed to surface and grab another deep breath of air before Miller pulled her under again. But they were going too fast.
His fingers dug into her arm. She sank into the darkness. Nikki fought for air. Her head smashed against a rock. Stars exploded. But she had to stay conscious. Had to get away from him, or both of them were going to drown.
Images flashed through her mind as she fought for the surface. Sarah . . . Bridget . . . Jamie . . . Tyler . . .
Struggling to keep her head above the water, Nikki drew in another deep breath. With every ounce of energy she could muster, she dove down into the water, breaking away from Miller’s grasp. He tried to grab her, but she swam deeper until she was finally free.
Seconds later, with her lungs burning, she made it to the surface and drew in a breath, but she was still unable to get her footing as the current dragged her farther downstream. She could see Miller’s red shirt as he bobbed a few feet away. Struggling to stay above the surface of the water.
They were shouting for her. Tyler, Anderson, and the rangers. Somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t see them. Her arms ached; her head throbbed from where she’d hit it. She knew the rangers trained for swift-water rescues, learning to use the current to actually assist in the rescue. But most of the time there was no way to overcome the power of the water.
Her legs hit something and she stumbled to her feet as she felt the bottom of the river.
“Nikki?”
Something slapped the water beside her. She grabbed for the rope connected to a flotation device. With the water churning around her, there was no way to put the vest on properly. Sliding her hands through the armholes, she pulled it as tight as she could against her chest.
The rope went taut. They were pulling her toward them. Carrying her up the embankment. Tyler was suddenly there, wrapping his arms around her. Telling her to be still. Telling her that everything was going to be okay. But she couldn’t stop shaking. Couldn’t feel her hands.
“It’s cold . . . so cold.”
“I know, baby. I know. But you’re okay now. I’ve got you.”
Someone handed Tyler a blanket. He wrapped it around her, still holding her tight. She could feel his breath against her face. His arm around her shoulders. Warm. Secure. Safe.
“Where is he?” she asked, worried about Miller. If they lost him, they’d lose the only lead they had to Bridget.
“They’re pulling him out now. This part of the river is shallow.”
“I can walk,” she said, then questioned her statement. Her legs felt like jelly.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, but was thankful he didn’t let go of her. She had to keep pushing herself if they were going to find out what he’d done with Bridget. Her legs burned as she made her way back up the embankment, her head spinning as she tried to walk.
Tyler was still holding on to her when they made it to the road. “We’re almost there, Nikki.”
At the top, Tyler took another blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Did they get him?” She searched the river.
“Yeah, Anderson and another guy just pulled him out.”
“I want to question him as soon as we get back.”
“You’re not doing anything until we get you warm and checked out.”
“That was him, Tyler, but she wasn’t there. She was supposed to be in that car.”
“We’re going to find her, Nikki.”
“I don’t know anymore. What if we’re too late?”
Tyler sat her down in the back of a squad car that had just pulled up and wrapped his arm around her waist. “We’ll wait here for the ambulance.”
“I’m fine, Tyler. I need to talk to Miller—”
“You can talk to Miller, but for now, I’m going to make sure you’re okay.”
She nodded, too tired to argue. Her teeth were still chattering. Her head still throbbed. She needed to focus. But she’d hoped with this lead that all of this would be over. That she could go back to Nashville with Tyler. See her family. But Bridget was still out there somewhere.
Nikki watched as Anderson and another officer topped the embankment with Miller, handcuffed him, and led him toward the other vehicle.
“Why wasn’t she there?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Nikki. Maybe it’s not him. You know as well as I do that the description was vague. Someone knows a girl is missing. They see a man who fits the description and they call it in. Maybe it was nothing more than that. A coincidence.”
“Then why did he run? She’s here, Tyler. I can feel it. He never took his victims far, but he always had a plan. We have to figure out what that plan is before it’s too late.”
Nikki leaned her head against Tyler’s shoulder, his arms tight around her, as she closed her eyes and started praying.
13
Gwen handed Nikki a stack of clothes she’d managed to come up with. Her third set for the day. “Compliments of Anderson’s wife.”
“I need to meet her. She’s a lifesaver.”
“She’s about your size. Even the shoes should fit,” Gwen said, shooting her a sympathetic gaze. “Which is good because yours are going to take awhile to dry out. Do you need anything else?”
“Another mug of hot coffee?” Nikki asked. Medics had checked her out and deemed her fit to go back to work despite Tyler’s clear, yet unspoken, objections. “Never imagined the water would be so cold this time of year.”
“You got it.” Gwen walked with her down the short hallway. “You can change here in the staff bathroom. That will give you a bit more privacy. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll he
ad to the station to meet with Miller. Jack has already left.”
“Thanks.”
Nikki locked the bathroom door behind her, then started peeling off her wet clothes. She pulled on the gray T-shirt and jeans that looked to be about her size. The coral zippered fleece might not be classified under professional attire, but it would help warm her up. At this point she wasn’t sure she was ever going to thaw out again.
She studied her pale reflection in the mirror, knowing that what she was feeling wasn’t simply about what had happened out there in the river. She’d been scared, but she’d get over being held at knifepoint. It was the possibility she’d looked into the eyes of her sister’s abductor that had chilled her more than the icy waters.
Which was why she was second-guessing her ability to control her emotions. What if she had made a mistake in taking this job? Her first time to take the lead on a case and she was falling apart. That couldn’t happen. She’d allowed everything about this case to become personal, which in turn had left her struggling to function. Memories swept through her like she was back in the river. Pulling her under, out of control, and she didn’t know how to fight back. Wasn’t sure she knew how to come up for air.
Nikki took in a deep breath, tugged down the bottom of her shirt, then glanced back into the mirror. She ignored her bloodshot eyes as she tried to do something with her damp hair. Not that it mattered.
She needed answers from Miller, but that wasn’t all she needed. She needed to talk to her mom. To hear that everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay. That Jamie and the baby were fine. That they’d find Bridget. And in the process, they’d find Sarah’s abductor.
She pulled out her cell phone and speed-dialed her mom’s number, about to leave another message when she finally answered.
“Mom?”
“Nikki. Are you okay?”
She hesitated. “Yeah. I just . . . I just wanted to check in.” And hear your voice. “I hadn’t heard from you for a while. I left a voice message earlier.”
“The cell phone use is limited where I am. But what about you? I’ve been worried about the girl you’re looking for. Have you found her yet?”
