“Scotty!” The voice on the other end was warm and rich and deep, with a tinge of relief. "Where are you?"
“On the way to Kentucky. Have you got anything for me?” He glanced across at Georgie and said unnecessarily, “It's mum. I asked her to do a spread and see what she could pick up.” He turned his attention back to the caller. “Just filling Georgie in.”
"Ah, Georgie!” his mother sounded delighted. “Nice to meet you at last. I've been trying to get information about you out of Scotty. But he's not being very cooperative."
Georgie gave a tired grin. It was nice to have something to focus on besides the fear and frustration. “He told me you said we’d meet. Unless there’s another Libran in his future.”
The voice on the other side laughed. “I’m not sure whether he really believed me at the time.”
"Why is it,” put in Scott, "that people like to talk about me as though I'm not here?"
“I guess this isn't the best time to catch up, Georgie, so we’ll take a rain check. Anyway, Scotty…” her voice grew serious. “I'm not sure what you've got yourself into, but there is a lot of darkness around you. You take care."
"I always do, you know that. So what have you got?"
“Georgie, I see your brother near a freshwater source. I'm getting something like a creek, or moving water – it's not still, like a lake, but wherever he is has something to do with lakes. I know that sounds contradictory. I can see green fields around; I’m getting the impression that it's an area where there are farms – but this place is overgrown, like a wilderness. Maybe look for a private holding somewhere. That's all I'm able to pick up now, except that I feel he’s…enclosed. Not in a car. I looked at a map of Kentucky, but no one area is coming to me. My eye wants to go toward the middle of the state, but I could be overthinking this. You know how it is.”
“I know all right,” Georgie said with feeling.
“I bet you do.” There was a sound of wry amusement in the woman's voice. "Anyway, Scotty, I’ll keep all of you in the back of my mind, and do another spread for you soon. If you come up with anything new, let me know so I can add it to the mix.”
“Before you go…I did pick up on something,” Georgie said. “Just before you phoned. It might mean something if we can track Jerry down. I saw a woman, a bit on the chubby side, hair going grey. Eyes a light color, blue or grey.” She stopped, thinking. “She was wearing… well, I don’t follow sporting teams, but it might mean something to the others. She’s wearing a kind of sports jersey, same color as my caravan.” Then she remembered that Scott’s mother hadn’t seen her caravan. “A deep maroon. It’s got a logo, something that looked like a dragon’s head. Maybe that’s a Kentucky team?”
“A dragon’s head?” Scott glanced at her and then returned his gaze to the road.
“That’s what it looked like, but it was all a bit vague. Just an impression.”
“Hmmm,” said Scott’s mother. “Anything else?”
“I saw a dog, I don’t know the breed—kind of mottled grey, it looked like. And there was a tree, with purple flowers. I’ll Google it to see if I can identify it. Possibly it grows in a certain part of Kentucky.”
“I have a feeling it’s probably a tibouchina,”Scott said, his voice sounding odd. “And the dragon’s head you saw… might it be a horse’s head?”
“Well, yes, it could be.” Georgie frowned, looking at his profile. Was he laughing?
“Mum,” Scott said, “could you pop out to the garden next to the tibouchina and take a selfie, send it through?”
Georgie stared at him, and then suddenly understood, her heart sinking.
Oh no. She hadn’t just have described Scott’s mother as being ‘on the chubby side’…had she?
She leaned towards the speaker on the dashboard. “Are you wearing some kind of football jersey?"
“Er, yes. I’m a bit of a Broncos fan.”
“A bit,” murmured Scott. “Try maniacal.”
“I heard that, Scotty. Well, it’s the State of Origin game tonight. What do you expect?” Unable to hide her amusement, she continued, “Don’t worry about it, Georgie. Did you pick up anything else, apart from a plump lady in a Broncos top?”
“Nothing new.” Georgie hid her head in her hands, hearing Layla’s muffled chuckles.
Scott intervened. “Thanks for that, mum. You've given us something to work on. I'll stay in touch.”
“Bye, darling. Take care. Love you.”
“Love you too.” He pressed the ‘end’ button on the steering wheel and grinned at Georgie. “A bit chubby, huh?”
“I did not say that. I didn’t.” She groaned.
Layla said from the back seat, “It's so spooky the way you do that. You saw her clearly enough to identify a football supporters top? In the garden? And you caught it just before the phone rang!”
Georgie heaved a huge sigh. “Yes. It looks like the crystal ball is coming good again. Not much help in finding Jerry, though.”
Tammy had been very quiet. Georgie swiveled in her seat to look at her, guilty because they’d been laughing. “Don't worry, Tams. We’re getting warmer. We’ll get Jerry back, so he can continue to make my life a misery."
“So,” Scott said. “Maybe around the middle of Kentucky, farmland district, and near running water. But something to do with lakes. That’s a wide area.”
“We’ve go more than we had ten minutes ago,” Georgie said. She felt a flash of hope. Surely—surely—they would get there before anything terrible happened to Jerry.
Chapter 10
With a gentle rain drifting down on a jewel-green countryside, Kentucky might look like a picture postcard, but rain was not what they needed right now. They had taken a detour and bumped their way through increasingly rough terrain to the GPS coordinates Vincent had given them, but if Jerry had been there, he had left no trace. Georgie tried doing a crystal ball reading again, but got nothing.
Now, back on the highway, they had pulled over to the side of the road to consult the map again.
They cracked the windows just a little to let in some air, and compared notes. Scott had a map of Kentucky unfolded on his lap, and stared at it with a frown, while Georgie and Layla consulted their tablet computers.
“If your mother's right, Jerry’s somewhere in this area.” Georgie sketched a circle with her finger on the screen of her iPad, encompassing the states around Washington, Marion, Boyle and Lincoln. “We’re looking at maybe eight, nine counties. Even more, if she’s a little bit out. That’s a sizeable chunk of country when we don’t know where he is.”
Tammy was hunched forward, peering at the screen over Georgie’s shoulder. “Switch to Google Earth. Zoom in, and see if you can see some creeks and streams.”
“Not for an area that wide. We could be searching for days." Scott looked up from the map, pinched his nose and blinked a couple of times. "Danny said he found a thumb drive in the back of a drawer, and he's going to get back if there’s any extra information on that. That might help. Meanwhile…” he glanced back the map before folding it roughly, “… since we’ve got nothing else, let’s find out where the dead center of Kentucky is and head for that.”
“Good as anything else.” Layla had started tapping away her keyboard as soon as Scott spoke. Any plan was better than none. If Scott’s mother had said the center of Kentucky – fine, the center of Kentucky it would be.
"Here we go. The geographic center is Marion County. Let’s get going.”
“We can grab some breakfast and a cup of coffee to go in Marion.” Scott glanced up at the gradually lightening sky. “There’s sure to be a diner open early along the way. I’ll just let Danny know where we’re heading.”
He hit speed dial, had a brief conversation with Danny, and then yawned. “Ready to go?”
From the back seat, Layla’s voice sounded. “Wait, I found something else. We could be on the right track here. Look at this.” She passed her tablet through to Georgie. “Just south of M
arion, there’s this long strip of land – see? They call it the land between two lakes. So we’ve got two of the things your Mom was talking about, Scott.”
“Ye-es.” Georgie felt doubtful. She handed the tablet back. “But Scott’s mother said to look near running water, not lakes.”
"Hang on a minute." Scott drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his face a study in concentration. "Marion County. Something sticks in my mind about that area between the lakes…wasn't it originally between rivers? Can somebody look that up?"
"For a guy that comes from the other side of the world, you know a lot about our wilderness areas,” Georgie said.
Scott shrugged. "I've been over here almost two years, in and out of training courses with National Parks and Forests—you get to find out a lot about the different state forests.”
There was a pause, and then Layla spoke. “You’re right, Scott. That land is between man-made lakes—they were originally the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. Go to the top of the class.”
“They’re not likely to be in the actual recreation area,” Scott said. “Just down that way somewhere – it’d be their own property, I’d say.”
Tammy’s phone dinged, and she checked her messages. “Another three names from Danny…he said they might help.” She scrolled through her email, and then sucked in a breath. “Look at this. There’s a couple living south of Marion—Jack and Sarah Smith.” She glanced up. “I wonder…they’ve got a farm of some kind, or property.” She read out the address. “Worth checking?”
Jack and Sarah Smith. The moment she said their names, Georgie’s pulse started to race. She bent down and picked up the crystal ball, resting between her feet.
Layla shoved her tablet through the gap between the seats so Georgie and Scott could see it. “Look at this. They live right down near that strip of land I was talking about. Between the lakes. Or rivers, depending on how you look at it.”
“Jack and Sarah Smith. An alias?” Scott mused. He glanced over at Georgie as she unwrapped the crystal ball. “Georgie? Are you getting something?”
“Yes.” She put up a hand in a ‘shush’ motion. “Give me a minute.”
The tension the truck grew as she closed her eyes and focused on the names. Jack and Sarah Smith. Immediately, the crystal ball began to feel warmer. Georgie didn’t bother looking at it; she simply let images flicker into existence into her mind.
A couple in their thirties, she’d guess: a big guy in a checked shirt; a woman with dark hair dragged back in a no-nonsense pony tail. Two kids… around elementary school age.? Impressions came to her swiftly: the woman at a big wooden table in a kitchen; a couple of kids sitting there with books or something in front of them. A small holding tucked away in the bush…With all of it came a sense of urgency, go go go…
Her eyes snapped open. “Go straight there,” she said. “Forget the coffee.”
“Oh my God,” Tammy said, her voice thick with emotion. “Is that where he is? Have we found him?”
“I didn’t get anything about Jerry. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t there. I can be shown a lot or a little about what’s happening.” She could hear the frustration in her own voice. “Sorry, you know the way it works.”
Scott started the engine. “When we get close, we’ll make sure we’re armed. Keep one of the rifles at your feet, Tams, and we’ll take handguns.”
The very thought of it made Georgie feel sick. Guns, kidnapping, a life-or-death dash to save her brother…this wasn’t what she expected when she hit the road with her gypsy caravan.
Life or death. Those words had come so readily to mind, she had no doubt that they were true. She sat back and watched the road unwinding ahead of them, looking out of the window at the grey sky and the rain on the windscreen.
Hang in there, Jerry, she thought. Just hang in there.
~~~
They decided to play it as though they had no idea that Jack and Sarah Smith might secretly be crazy preppers who had Jerry imprisoned in some kind of Doomsday bunker. They would start with a phone call asking for help with radio contact and see where it led.
Tammy had been busy jumping from one preppers forum to another and reading the posts, and had bookmarked a bunch of Kentucky prepper blogs and groups. Jack and Sarah Smith had posted a number of times, and had joined in a thread about using radios for contact when communications collapsed. It would be logical that someone might approach them for advice. She looked them up in the local phone directory and keyed the number into her cell phone.
They waited until they were ten minutes out from the Smith place before pulling over to get the guns ready, and Tammy hit the green call button. “It’s early,” she said, glancing at her watch. “But if they’ve got kids; they’ll be up.”
Sure enough, the phone was answered almost immediately by a woman’s voice. “Hello?”
“Am I speaking with Sarah?” asked Tammy.
“Yes.”
“Sarah, my name’s Tammy Dyson. I work for the Johnny B. Goode RV Empire. You bought a second-hand 4WD from our lot, about six months ago, and had it fitted out with a few options.”
“Oh!” The woman’s voice warmed, although it held a note of caution. “Yes, of course. Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing wrong with the vehicle,” Tammy hastened to assure her, “or the sale. But we have run into a bit of a problem.” Her eyes met Georgie’s. “You met Jerry, I’m assuming, when you were there?”
“Yes, he was lovely. Very helpful.”
“He drove one of our new units down here to Kentucky yesterday morning, and unfortunately, he’s now missing. We believe you and Jack know a bit about radios and surveillance, so we were wondering if we could ask for your help?”
“He’s missing? Like, he’s just disappeared?” In the background, there was a muttered question in a male voice, and they could hear Sarah giving a quick explanation. She came back on. “You think he came down to see a prepper family here?”
“We don’t know whether it’s a family or an individual, but the last GPS reading for the truck was in northern Kentucky.”
“Northern Kentucky.” She sounded puzzled. “But that’s miles away. What brought you down here?”
“A possible sighting,” Tammy lied. “The thing is, Sarah, we’re quite close to you now. Do you think we might pop in and talk?”
“You’re here?”
“Maybe ten miles from you. But look, if it’s too early, that’s okay. We can make it later.”
“No, no, of course come now! If Jerry’s missing… do you know how to find us?”
“Yes, we have all your contact details from the sale.”
“I’ll make coffee,” Sarah said. “See you soon.”
Tammy terminated the call. “Time to roll,” she said. “Let’s hope we’re not jumping straight into trouble.”
Chapter 11
They bumped along the track that led to the Smiths’ small holding, drove through a gate, and pulled up alongside a solid-looking 4WD that bore a Johnny B. Goode RV Empire sticker on its rear bumper. A dog that looked like part Staffy and part who-knew-what barked half-heartedly from near the door, and wandered over to watch them.
They all piled out into misting rain, watching the dog warily, but he just wagged his tail and submitted to Scott scratching his head. “Not a fierce guard dog then, little guy?” Scott commented, before straightening up to survey the house.
Georgie cast a glance at him, but she couldn’t see any evidence that he was carrying a gun. Ditto with Tammy, clad in a hunting vest and cargo pants; she had pockets everywhere. With her blonde hair caught up under a cap and no makeup on, she looked ready for a day’s hiking. Or hunting. ‘Sandy’ from Grease had completely disappeared.
At that moment the door opened to reveal the real-life version of the woman that fitted the image Georgie had picked up earlier. Dressed in jeans and a chambray shirt with a loose sweater pulled over the top, she had tanned skin, fine laughter lines around her eyes,
and dark brown hair pulled back in a practical ponytail.
“Don’t stand around in the rain, come in!” she called, standing back with the door wide open. “I’ve got coffee…have you been driving all night?”
“Pretty much,” Scott said. They gratefully moved in out of the rain, which started to get heavier as Sarah closed the door.
“You’ll be hungry too. Breakfast? Do you have time for eggs and bacon, or do you need to get on with the search?”
Georgie could have kissed her. Coffee, eggs and bacon sounded like a gift from the gods. “Sarah, that’s so kind of you. All of that would be fantastic. We’ll be sure to replace your supplies.”
“Don’t be silly, anything we can do to help.”
“Thank you. I’m Georgie. This is Scott, Layla and Tammy.”
They followed her into a good-sized family living area, with a six sturdy chairs around a wooden table. A pixie-like girl of about ten and a solid boy a few years younger sat there with empty cereal plates in front of them, staring at the newcomers with curious eyes.
“These are our kids, Carley and Mason… kids, can you move over to the sofa with your tablets now? Headphones on, please…if you can get the work I’ve set done early, you can choose your own activity later.” Efficiently, she shepherded them to an adjoining area and started them on an online learning activity.
“Home schooling?” Georgie asked when she returned.
“Yes. We made the choice years ago, and it’s worked out well. It helped that I was an elementary school teacher before Carley was born.” There was a flash of movement to one side, and she glanced over. “Here’s Jack, with the radios. Jack, let me introduce you to our guests.” She ran through the introductions.
Jack, a tall man in his thirties with steady hazel eyes and a thick crop of greying brown hair, stood in the doorway between the kitchen and a corridor, his arms laden with electronic equipment. He nodded a welcome but didn’t smile, his eyes moving from one face to another. “Welcome to our home. I’m sorry to hear about your problems; I hope we can help.”
Up To No Good: Book 4 Georgie B. Goode Gypsy Caravan Cozy Mystery Page 5
