by Lisa Harris
She counted to five slowly, then handed it to him. He threw it into the trees beyond the clearing, grabbed her arm, then started walking the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have a feeling your friends will be back before long, and I don’t plan to be here when they do. I’ve waited too long to have my plans messed up.”
“They know it’s you. How do you expect to get out of here?”
“They have to find me first, which won’t be easy.” He laughed. “I always warn people not to hike off the main trails. It’s extremely easy to get lost. There are few if any other hikers to run into for help, and you can’t even count on your GPS. I can’t tell you how many hikers I’ve spoken to who have no sense of direction. Makes me wonder what they were thinking, actually. But it also goes to show how easy it is to get lost. Or to disappear and never be found.”
They left the main trail as the rain started up again, the cloud cover making the dense woods even darker. Nikki hurried to keep up as the brush became heavier. She stumbled on the root of a tree.
“Watch your step,” he said. “These mountains can be deadly. Stinging nettles, poison ivy, yellow jackets, and black bears for starters.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
Nikki pressed through the thick undergrowth of rhododendrons, ferns, mountain laurel, and magnolias. Past bear scat, salamanders, and moss. She knew he wasn’t exaggerating about the dangers of leaving the trail behind. She’d once heard of these thick canopies described by those lost in them as “laurel hells.” A terrifying place to discover you were lost.
But Randall Cooper—or Kenneth Waters—knew this area like the back of his hand. She followed him up the choked ridge and gazed down the gorge beneath the darkened sky. Praying that Tyler and the others were safe. Praying that Jack and Bridget were still alive. That she wouldn’t slip and fall down the deep gully. And praying someone would find her before it was too late.
But a fall wasn’t what she was really worried about. She had no doubt Tyler and the rangers would return to look for her, but searching here, with darkness only a few hours away, would be almost impossible.
In some situations, darkness actually helped. Night vision amplified light sources, making a search at night easier than in the day. But the brewing storm above them added yet another complication. And Cooper knew it. She just needed them to find her before he killed her. If they didn’t, they’d find her unmarked grave . . . or never find her at all.
He gripped her arm. “I’m assuming you’re not planning on doing anything stupid. But just in case you are, the weatherman reported lower than normal temperatures tonight. You’re going to need me.”
“Just tell me where we’re going and what you want from me.”
Nikki tried to pull away from him, but he shoved her back against a tree, reached into the side pocket of his backpack, and tightly secured her hands with duct tape.
“All you need to know,” he said, “is that we’re going for a walk, but I don’t think I can trust you not to try to escape.”
She frowned. “You were right about one thing. Where would I go?”
Even in the daytime this terrain could be challenging. Six months ago a man had slipped not far from this very spot and later died from injuries sustained in the fall. That wasn’t a chance she wanted to take. Lightning struck in the distance. A misty rain was falling. Already she was soaking wet and cold. If he didn’t kill her, she could end up with hypothermia by morning if she didn’t get warm.
They kept walking as the sun continued to drop toward the horizon. Before long, the only source of light was going to be the moon and the beam of her abductor’s flashlight. There were rocks on the trail, a steep slope to her left. One misstep would send her plunging into the dark void below.
“Hurry up,” he ordered.
She stumbled again, struggling to keep her footing. “How am I supposed to negotiate this trail with my hands tied up?”
“I’ve watched you climb.” He gripped her arm tighter. “You’re athletic. Stay right beside me, and you’ll be fine.”
She shivered, as much from his words as her fear of falling. “Where’s Bridget?”
“Safe. For now.”
A surge of hope seeped through her. If Bridget was still alive . . . “Where?” she asked again.
“Save your questions for later.”
Nikki shivered again. For all she knew, he was taking her in circles. She’d never been off the official trails. Never hiked in a storm with black clouds swirling above them. Even her warm fleece wouldn’t be enough protection. While the days this time of year were typically warm and pleasant, at night the temperatures dropped significantly.
“Do you really know where you’re going?”
Cooper laughed. “I’ve spent years negotiating these trails. Why do you think I brought you here? I know it better than some of these rangers who work here.”
She tried to move farther away from the edge of the trail. Refusing to believe that she would be another one of those who vanished, their bodies never to be found. No. Not if she could help it. But options at this point were severely limited. Without her own flashlight or warm clothing. Without a map or intimate knowledge of the terrain, finding her way out was going to be impossible unless she managed to stumble onto a group of campers. But even that came with its own risks. The man had a gun—and a frag grenade. She couldn’t risk another person’s life, especially with a man whom she knew wouldn’t hesitate to shoot anyone who got in his way.
She needed his gun and his flashlight, and the best she could hope for was to bide her time until an opportunity presented itself.
She also needed answers.
“Tell me how a computer engineer decides to leave behind his corporate world and become a volunteer in a national park.”
“It was a process. I was being sucked dry. My boss didn’t like me, the government was taking a huge chunk of my income, and commuting made for a twelve-hour-plus day. I didn’t have a life anymore. Or at least one I wanted.”
“And prison? Was that a part of that process?”
“I was wrongly accused by a co-worker.”
Right.
Her foot slipped on a patch of rocks. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the edge. “Be careful. You could fall and kill yourself.”
“Would it really matter?” She didn’t even try to bite back the sarcasm. “I thought that was your plan.”
“Not yet.”
“I told you I was going to have problems negotiating the trail tied up. Besides, there isn’t exactly anywhere I can go.”
“Nice try.”
Her mind drifted to Sarah. Was this what Sarah had gone through? Was this what she’d felt like, knowing she was going to die?
She tried to ignore the fatigue laced with panic. She needed to think clearly if she was going to find a way to escape, but even if she had a cell phone, reception was poor in most places up here. Help could be nearby, but she had no idea where the nearest trail was.
Nikki felt her foot slip again. This time she screamed, breaking the relative quiet of their surroundings. Her feet slid out from under her, and she plunged off the steep embankment. Unable to use her hands, she tried to dig her feet into the ground but couldn’t stop herself from crashing through the thick undergrowth and rolling down the steep slope.
Seconds later, her back slammed against a tree at the bottom of the darkened incline. She stopped suddenly. Pain shot down her shoulder. For a moment, all Nikki could feel—all she could hear—was the pounding of her heart. She lay still, knowing he was coming after her. She could hear him making his way down the slope, a volley of pebbles falling in his wake. If she got up now, she might be able to get away, but pain engulfed her body while a fog engaged her brain.
Adrenaline flowed. Her body screamed at her to run, but her legs and arms wouldn’t move. She glanced up at the top of the ridge that she’d fallen from. He would be here any second .
. . She forced herself to sit up. As far as she could tell, nothing was broken, but she was going to be black and blue come morning. Ignoring the pain, she managed to push herself up without the use of her arms and stumbled to her feet. She had to run. Now.
She spun around slowly, with no idea which way to go. The overhanging clouds blocked any patches of sunlight, leaving it hard to see in the thick expanse of trees hovering beneath the storm’s shadows. Back up the incline wasn’t an option. To the left, the trees seemed to thin out, and she could hear the sound of rushing water.
By the time she started running, he was almost to the bottom of the ravine. She kept moving, her shoulder burning as she tried not to worry about what else might be out there. The sounds of the forest seemed amplified around her. She knew bears weren’t the only animals that lived in the park. Wolves, copperheads, timber rattlers, cougars . . . But that wasn’t what terrified her the most. She could hear his footsteps crashing behind her. He was getting closer. She struggled to catch her breath and forced herself to keep moving. He had two guns and at least one grenade. And clearly no qualms in using either.
Strings of spider silk stuck to her face and hair as she ran through a web, but there was no way to brush it off. She kept running straight ahead as fast as she could, but here—unlike on the main trails—the path wasn’t maintained. Swerving to avoid a thornbush, she barely missed tripping over a rotting log.
Help me, God. Please . . .
She glanced back, her heart pounding in her throat. She couldn’t hear him behind her anymore. Had she lost him?
The orange flame of a campfire flickered in the distance. If she could just get to a phone and call for help.
She paused again. Listening for his footsteps. Maybe she had lost him.
She stumbled into the campsite. Two couples sat around a fire, warming up from the chill of the storm. A few college-age kids hung out under the shelter’s covering playing a game of cards. She stopped, realizing what a mess she must look like with her hands duct-taped in front of her and spiderwebs in her hair.
“I’m sorry . . .” She worked not to sound hysterical. “I’m Special Agent Nikki Boyd with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, and I need your help.”
One of the men stood up slowly from where he sat. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
“No. I need a phone, and if you have one, a weapon.” She struggled to ignore the pain in her shoulder as she explained. “And I need someone to undo my arms. The rest of you need to get inside the shelter, quickly. There’s a man after me. He’s got weapons, and he’s dangerous. I can show you my badge once my arms are free.”
A redheaded man in his late forties slowly started toward her after motioning the others inside the shelter. “Are you hurt?”
“Just banged up,” Nikki said. “Please. Hurry.”
But it was too late. Cooper crashed into the campsite. Another man had grabbed a handgun from a backpack, but Cooper already had his drawn. She turned around slowly, realizing she never should have come here and put these people at risk.
“That was a stupid move, Nikki,” Cooper said. “May I suggest that none of you try and do something foolish or heroic.”
The man with the gun hesitated. “I don’t know what’s going on, but the woman’s made it clear that she doesn’t want you around. So if I were you, I’d turn around and walk out of here. We’ll make sure she gets back to safety.”
“And I don’t know what she told you, but that isn’t how this is going to play out.”
“Carl, let them both go. Please,” a woman pleaded from the doorway of the shelter. “Don’t get involved in this. He’s got a gun.”
“I’d listen to her if I were you,” Cooper said. “Because here’s what’s going to happen. She and I are going to walk out of here, and none of you are going to follow us. Is that clear?”
No one answered.
Cooper waved his gun in the air. “I said is that clear, because if it’s not . . .”
The man with the gun took another step forward. “The problem is that the woman said she didn’t want to go with you. I suggest you let her go.”
“You suggest I let her go?” Cooper laughed. “This isn’t your fight.”
“Let her go.”
“I warned you. Why does no one listen to me?” Cooper fired off a shot.
The man with the gun dropped to his knees. Blood pooled across the sleeve of his shirt as the weapon dropped to the ground beside him. The woman screamed. Nikki felt her knees buckle as several of the hikers rushed to help him. How had it come to this?
She walked toward Cooper. She wasn’t going to endanger anyone else’s life.
“That’s more like it.” Cooper grabbed Nikki’s arm, wrenching her sore shoulder in the process. “Maybe that will teach you to listen to what I say. And for the rest of you, if any of you try to stop me or come after us, I will shoot again.”
He pulled her toward the trail.
“You didn’t have to shoot him,” she said, as the shelter disappeared behind them.
“Did you think I was just going to sit back and let you go without a fight?”
“Why don’t you tell me what you want and put an end to this before someone else gets hurt? You haven’t told me anything. Not about Bridget, or why you want me.” Nikki stopped in the middle of the path and pulled her arm away from him. He grabbed her again, but she was finished playing games. Finished watching him win. “Tell me what’s going on. Where’s Bridget? Did you kill her like the other girls? And what do you want with me?”
Cooper hesitated. “You still don’t recognize me, do you?”
“I don’t understand. Should I?”
“You’ve been searching for your sister’s abductor for ten years. And I’ve been planning this moment for nearly that long.”
26
Nikki needed to find a way to get control of the situation. Seconds blurred into minutes as she followed him. Twenty minutes? Thirty? She was no longer sure of anything. Cooper still had the advantage. Not only did he know the terrain, but off the main trails, their chances of running into anyone again were slim. Even if she were able to get away again, she had no idea where the nearest trailhead or shelter was.
I’ve been planning this moment.
His last statement played over and over in her mind. But he’d refused to answer any further questions. Clearly he wanted her to believe that he still had the upper hand.
The rain had finally stopped by the time he led her into a small clearing and pointed to a large rock. “Have a seat.”
“You still haven’t answered my questions.”
“Patience.” He moved aside a few thick branches, his gun still in his hand, and pulled out a large backpack. “Leaving corporate America was the best thing I ever did. I’ve learned to stay prepared no matter where I am. With all of the economic downturns, government shutdowns, war in the Middle East—and more recently Ebola—one can never be too careful.” He unzipped the pack with one hand and pulled out a down vest, while still keeping his eye on her. “Most people don’t realize how very little it would take to bring down the highly fragile power grid we all rely on. And out here, you never know, for example, when the temperatures might drop, which is why you have to always be prepared.”
Nikki tried to interpret the nagging feeling that wouldn’t leave her alone. Something was still wrong. The basic physical evidence of the Angel Abductor and Bridget’s case—in particular the similarities between the Polaroid photos—was strikingly similar. And clearly Cooper—even if he wasn’t the Angel Abductor—wanted her to believe he was that person. But beyond abduction of a blond teen and the photo, the similarities in the cases ended. Cooper didn’t fit the psychological profile the police had come up with, nor did he fit her own evaluation of her sister’s abductor.
The man who had abducted Sarah had managed to stay under the radar for years, careful never to get caught. In contrast, Cooper had left obvious clues he wanted Nikki to find. And for whatever reas
on had led her here.
She watched him slip on the vest, then zip it up. “You’re not the Angel Abductor, are you?”
He laughed as if he’d finally gotten the punch line to a good joke. “I never actually said I was.”
A swoosh of air escaped her lips. “Then if you’re not him, tell me who you are.”
He smiled. “I was wondering when you’d figure it out. Your problem was you wanted to see what you wanted to see. You wanted him to be behind all of this so you could find your sister’s abductor.”
“Why the games?”
He shook his head and dug back into his pack. “You know, you disappoint me, Nikki, because you still haven’t figured out who I am. Especially when I know everything about you.”
“How does Bridget fit into all of this?”
“Bridget was bait. Nothing more.” He pulled out a Clif Bar and fumbled with the wrapper before taking a bite.
“Were you telling me the truth when you said she was safe?” she asked. The more information she could get out of him the better.
“Don’t worry about Bridget.”
As if that were possible.
“Just tell me where she is.” Nikki’s voice rose a notch. “If this is all somehow about me, then there’s no reason to hurt her.”
He took another bite of his bar. “Shouting won’t get you anywhere.”
“Then just tell me why. Make me understand.”
“I plan to tell you everything before this is over, simply because I want you to know. And I want to see your reaction.” He chuckled again. “Sending you on a wild-goose chase . . . do you know how easy it was? The beanie. Her cell phone. The photo and the ring.” His laugh sent chills down her spine.
“She was never even in the park,” Nikki said.
“Of course not.”
Sunlight trickled through a small break in the clouds, leaving a whitish glow across the late afternoon skyline.
“Then where is she?”
He took the last bite, then crumpled up the wrapper before shoving it into the side pocket of his bag. “One thing I’ve learned over the years is patience. You should learn the same thing.”
