Dark Horse

by Melissa Pearl

  “Where did you used to live, Ms. Parker?” Nate started with the same question he did last time, hoping to trigger something new.

  “Richard and I owned a small farm about ten minutes out of town. The road leading north. It borders Finch’s Forest. Do you know it?”

  Nate nodded and forced a smile.

  She smiled back and dipped her head. “We lived there for many years. So happy together. So happy.” This was where he’d lost her last time. She’d started rattling on about marriage and happiness and Richard. He’d managed to steer her back to Jamie one more time but as she’d tired, her chatter become harder to understand and she ended up talking in repetitive circles.

  Nate had to control the interview more tightly this time around. “So, Ms. Parker,” he cut her off. “The blue pickup truck. The man. He’d check his watch and run up the hill?”

  “Oh, yes. I could see him quite clearly through my binoculars. He didn’t know I was watching. He always looked so sad.”

  Nate gritted his teeth as the old lady repeated herself, going over the same details in exactly the same order.

  His phone vibrated and he jerked to pull it out of his back pocket. “Excuse me for a moment.” He raised his finger and read Cam’s text.

  Got directions to the old mill. Checking it out now.

  Nate’s heart hitched, his stomach clenching as he suddenly wished he were with her. What if Sally was there?

  Keep me posted.

  He sent back the quick response and resisted the urge to get up and leave. Cam was probably right. Oscar…August…wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep Sally in Aspen Falls. His best bet was probably what Jessica could find out back at the station.

  So why was he wasting his time with a lady who was losing her mind?

  “Are you okay, Detective?” Ms. Parker leaned forward in her seat. “You look worried, dear.”

  Nate swallowed and gave her a closed-mouth smile, then got hit with inspiration. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but desperation was leading him on this one.

  Forcing his posture to relax, he rested his elbows on his knees and played to Ms. Parker’s romantic tendencies. “The woman I love is missing.”

  “Oh, dear.” Ms. Parker touched her chest.

  “I need to find her. I’d do anything to find her and bring her home safely.”

  “Well, of course you would.” The woman’s eyes glistened and she started blinking. “That’s true love. Putting your woman and family before anything else.” She bobbed her head. “True love.”

  Her soft words hurt as regrets tried to seize him. It took him a moment to find his voice again. His eyes were burning as he croaked, “Like the true love this man had.”

  “Yes.” Ms. Parker let out a dreamy giggle. “She was beautiful. Blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. So pretty.”

  Nate’s stomach pinched. Mila Schnyder had blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was pretty. She was in love. She was the girl this nervous man ran up the hill to see. That man was Jamie, and he was linked to Oscar. And somehow that connection had to help. Somehow that had to lead to Sally—to his love with blonde hair and sparkling eyes.

  Oh God, please help us find a link, Nate silently begged.

  And the second the prayer left his mind, a thought hit him like a lightning bolt.

  “Wait. How do you know she had blonde hair? I thought you only saw him.” Nate rushed out the words. “Did she come down the hill one day? Did you see them together?”

  “Well…” The lady blushed and tipped her head. “I really shouldn’t say.”

  “Please, Ms. Parker, it could be very important.” Nate strained to keep his tone calm and in check.

  “I was with Nelly, and I shouldn’t pry, but he intrigued me.”

  “Who’s Nelly?” Xavier frowned.

  “My horse.” She grinned. “So I decided to follow him one day. He trekked for about twenty minutes, up the hill to an old cabin that had been abandoned. I didn’t even know it was there.”

  Nate licked his lips, hungry for more of the story. “Go on.”

  “Well, I left Nelly by the tree, worried she’d make too much noise. I crept very quietly up to the house, and that’s when I heard them speaking. He was saying how much he loved her and nothing could keep them apart. She had a sweet voice. She loved him too, but was crying. When I got to the window, I heard him say they should run away together. She agreed and then…” Ms. Parker’s cheeks flushed pink. “Well, they…”

  Nate’s eyebrows rose. “They…?”

  “They made love.” She giggled and leaned forward to whisper. “They didn’t know I was watching.”

  Xavier cleared his throat and shared a quick look with Nate.

  Pressing his lips together, Nate blinked a couple of times and then asked, “Ms. Parker, do you know which direction the cabin was from your farm? Do you think you could tell us exactly where it is?”

  “Oh.” She gave him a pained frown and scratched the side of her head. “Well, I… Richard and I owned a small farm near Finch’s Forest. Do you know it?”

  Nate held in his sigh and quietly asked, “Was the cabin north? South? East? West of your house?”

  “The cabin up the hill?” She blinked. “I went there one day. I didn’t even know it was there. I was with Nelly.”

  Xavier shuffled on the seat beside him, and Nate could feel his mounting frustration.

  “Up the hill,” he said softly. “From your house.”

  “Yes. They were going to run away together, and they did because he stopped coming back.”

  “So the cabin is quite isolated, then?”

  “I didn’t even know it was there. Very old and creaky. Hadn’t been lived in for years. A good place for secret lovers to meet.” She smiled at both of them and giggled again. “They didn’t know I was watching.”

  Nate looked to Xavier, swallowing thickly before wrapping up the conversation.

  At least he’d learned something new. There was an isolated cabin in Finch’s Forest, up the hill from Ms. Parker’s old farm. No doubt another dead end.

  As they walked back to the car, Nate got another text.

  The old mill is clear. Sorry.

  Nate cursed and smashed his fist on the roof of the car.

  “What do you want to do now?” Xavier asked.

  Sharp breaths spurted from Nate’s nose before he roughly grumbled, “Head back to the station. See what Jess has found for us.”

  “You don’t think it’s worth checking out that cabin?” Xavier asked.

  Nate paused and looked across the roof of the car, skeptical. “You do?”

  “Well, maybe. I mean, it’s worth a shot, isn’t it? If this Jamie guy thought it was completely hidden, then he might still think it is.” Xavier ran a hand through his hair and huffed. “Look, I know it’s a long shot, but she’s my sister. I’ll follow any lead I have to, no matter how small.”

  Nate studied his expression, understanding exactly how he felt. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out his phone and called Cam.

  “Yeah, hi,” he replied to her greeting. “We might have a lead. You got Ollie and Blaine with you?”

  “They’re in the cruiser behind me. Where are we going?”

  “We’re looking for a cabin in Finch’s Forest. I need to check satellite images to try and find it, but it could be a go.”

  “We’ll head toward Finch’s Forest and wait for you there.”

  42

  Sunday, May 27th

  10:50am

  Sally ached from temple to toes. Her skin was raw where she’d been cuffed. Her limbs were screaming for movement and circulation. About an hour ago, they’d re-tied her wrists behind her back and shoved her back to the floor. It was much more uncomfortable and her arms and shoulders hurt.

  She’d been in the room for hours and hadn’t even come close to escaping. The windows were bolted shut and the only other exit was the door, which she’d never be able to sneak through with two hyper-alert guards stan
ding nearby. They could hear her every time she moved and always rushed in to make sure she wasn’t trying anything.

  Jamie—the nicer brother had finally told her his name—had carried her to the toilet an hour ago. That was the excuse she’d used to explain why she was standing by the window. It had been nothing but humiliating, but Sally was grateful it’d been him and not August.

  The way August kept walking past the door and stopping to check on her gave her the creeps. She couldn’t decide if he was trying to psych her out or if he was intending to eventually pounce. Trying to stay strong against that kind of mental torture was hard work and Sally could feel herself breaking.

  She had no idea what the time was, but the curtains across the windows let in a bright enough light to assume that it was early morning or later.

  It was Sunday. And a pretty shitty way to spend one of her rare weekends off.

  Her mind wandered back to Aspen Falls—her family, her friends…Rusty. Nate.

  Her heart ached for each of them. If she’d known she wouldn’t be seeing them again, she would’ve taken more care—hugged a little harder, chatted a little longer. Tried to make things work before walking away.

  She should’ve talked to Nate before the big breakup. She could’ve told him how she was feeling. She should’ve stood up for him when her family went to town, criticizing his work ethic and inability to open up. She shouldn’t have shared so much with them. Complained so hard.

  She’d made so many mistakes, and now it was too late.

  Her chin bunched with the onset of tears. Hope of escape was waning. Although Jamie was nice, her comments and sweet pleas had yet to sway him.

  Footsteps approached and Sally stiffened.

  August appeared in the doorway again.

  He stepped into the room. “It’s turning into a long day. All that’s left to do is wait, wait, wait.” His husky voice sent shivers down her arms, and not the good shivers but the kind of goose pimples that made her want to claw her skin and scream.

  The door creaked as he gently pushed it shut with his foot.

  Sally squirmed, shuffling back as far as she could. The damn wall stopped her, the peeling wallpaper tickling the inside of her arms.

  The smile on August’s lips was menacing. She knew it was him and not Jamie because of the dark hunger in his gaze.

  Crouching down in front of her, he trailed his finger down her cheek and swiped the tear forming in the corner of her eye. “Don’t cry now. It’s okay. I’ll make it quick and painless.” Her chest shook and heaved as his finger glided down her neck and dipped into the gap between her breasts. “By tonight, I’ll be rich and you won’t be alive to even remember this. It’ll all be over. Quick.” He snapped his fingers. “Painless.”

  Sally closed her eyes, releasing another tear. It ambled down her cheek, unaware of her inner turmoil.

  “You know my one regret in this whole thing, though”—his finger trailed over the curve of her breast—“is that we never took it to that next level.”

  “Get your hands off me,” Sally managed through gritted teeth. If her hands had been available, she’d be slapping and clawing at him with everything she could. But her only weapon was a seething glare.

  He ignored her and kept outlining her shape. “You just wouldn’t let go of him, would you? Your sappy heart just kept holding on. Even though he didn’t want you.”

  “He wanted me.”

  August laughed. “You honestly believed those lies he fed you at the lake house? Yeah, he wanted you back, but he wasn’t about to change.” August’s voice hardened, along with his grasp. Sally winced as he squeezed her breast like it was a stress ball. “People don’t change, and why should he have to? He’s a man, and you’re nothing more than a pitiful woman…only good for one thing.”

  He lunged at her mouth, his hot tongue smearing her lips as he tried to kiss her.

  Sally clenched her jaw and squirmed away from him.

  “Stop it!” she cried. Rough hands yanked her away from the wall, tugging at her clothing. “No!”

  She wrestled as best she could, her tied hands and ankles making the fight an impossible one.

  The door suddenly flew open.

  “August!” His brother rushed toward them, grabbing the back of August’s shirt and pulling him away. “Leave her alone!”

  August fell back with a hard thud and glared at his brother. “Butt out.”

  Jamie planted his feet in front of Sally. “If I can’t feed her a scrap of food, then you don’t have the right to maul her. She doesn’t deserve that shit. At least let her die with a little dignity.”

  “Always such a fucking romantic!” August shot to his feet. “She’s just a woman. A worthless piece of shit.”

  “She’s not Mom! You don’t have to hate on every woman out there just because she was a psycho bitch!” Jamie’s voice shook. “They’re not all worthless. Some of them are…perfect.” Jamie dipped his head while August rolled his eyes and scoffed.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. You need to get over that chick!” August’s eyes narrowed, his lips curving into a malicious smile. “What was her name again?”

  “Mila,” Jamie croaked.

  “Mila.” August mocked her name, making Jamie’s head jerk up. August sniggered, obviously taking great delight in torturing his brother. “Well, from what you’ve told me, if you hadn’t shown up to take her away that night, she’d probably still be alive. You ever think about that?”

  There was a sickening beat of silence, and then Jamie roared and lunged at his brother, clipping his chin while screaming expletives.

  Sally inched away from the tussle, eyeing the open door behind them. Resting her elbow on the floor, she started an awkward sideways shuffle.

  Hopefully the boys would fight long enough and hard enough that she could inch her way to freedom.

  She felt like a snail, the door taking forever to get within reach. Her mind started playing tricks the nearer she got.

  They’re going to stop fighting soon and notice you.

  Where the hell are you going to go once you get through the door?

  Are you going to shuffle back to Aspen Falls? You don’t even know where the hell you are!

  Sally fought her doubts and kept moving until the sound of screeching brakes outside made her pause.

  Jamie and August jerked away from each other.

  “What was that?” Jamie’s eyes rounded as he scrambled to the window and peeked outside. “Fuck! It’s the cops!”

  August was already on his feet, snatching Sally and dragging her across the floor.

  She opened her mouth to unleash a scream but was stopped by a knife blade pressing into her cheek. “I will slice you open right here.”

  Instinct made her clam up. She couldn’t have released a squeak if she’d wanted to.

  “Move.” Jamie rushed toward them, snatching Sally’s other arm and painfully dragging her to a dirty rug in the corner. “There’s a cellar. We can get under the house.” He kicked back the dusty rug to reveal a door in the floor. Throwing it open, August hauled her into the cramped space. Her cry of pain was muffled by his hand across her mouth.

  Jamie struggled to pull the rug back into place, then closed the door above them and crouched down, helping August control her. She was wrestling as best she could.

  The cops were here.

  She couldn’t let this opportunity pass her by.

  “Stop fucking moving.” The knife was positioned against the pounding artery in her neck as August’s panicked whisper punched into her ear. “You stay quiet and still.”

  43

  Sunday, May 27th

  11:10am

  “You take the back,” Nate mouthed while indicating with his fingers.

  Blaine and Ollie nodded and headed around the back. Nate glanced over his shoulder and directed Cam with a flick of his head.

  She took the other side of the house while he approached from the front. The old cabin oozed a creepy vi
be that screamed anything but romance to him. It was a horrible place to meet up with a girl, and Nate would never entertain the thought of making love to Sally inside what he was sure was an insect-ridden cabin. The place reminded him of the hovel in Ash Lake that Vern Schnyder had sentenced himself to.

  Nate wanted his weapon drawn and ready to go, but he couldn’t be certain that Sally was even at the house. It was a miracle they’d even found it in the first place; it was well hidden among the trees, and spotting the edge of it in satellite images had been a lucky break.

  He assessed the old, decrepit structure, taking mental notes as he walked. It looked and felt completely abandoned. Nate’s hope was stretched so thin he wasn’t sure he could cope if they came up empty-handed.

  They had twelve hours left until the drop, and if this lead was a complete dead end, he’d be furious for wasting time on it. They didn’t have the luxury of making mistakes. Sally could be dead in twelve hours if they didn’t find her.

  Nate snapped his eyes shut for a moment, reminding himself not to get too far ahead of himself.

  One step at a time.

  Jessica and Higgs were back at the station, still hunting down other leads. Even Lucas had shown up and was pitching in.

  They’d find her.

  They had to.

  Nate clenched his jaw and rapped on the door. “Police! Is anyone home?”

  He was met with silence.

  Nate pounded a little harder and shouted once more, but the house gave back an empty reply. He glanced over his shoulder, desperation thrumming through him. Like hell he’d come this far only to walk away.

  Gently extracting his gun, Nate checked the safety and then softly murmured, “If they’re not going to answer, I should just let myself in.”

  Nate raised his leg and kicked the door. It took three attempts and his leg was frickin’ sore by the time the front door swung open, but he didn’t have time to think about that.