Skye Cree Boxed Set Books 1 - 3

by Vickie McKeehan

  Chapter 26 Book 3

  Skye heard wheezing and someone gasping for air. She didn’t realize she was the one having trouble breathing until she flicked open her eyes. She tried to focus. Unable to speak, she tried to block out the white bright light that wanted to blind her. As her eyes cleared, she saw two of Josh crouching above her. She watched as tears rolled down both his faces. Maybe it was the raging pain in her head that had her seeing double.

  When the image finally merged together as one, everything inside her seared with heat. She felt a flash of energy as it spread throughout her body, organ to organ, limb to limb. Every nerve in her tingled.

  She tried to sit up, swayed a little. “What happened to Berkenshaw?”

  “You got the bastard.”

  “He’s dead?”

  “A knife buried up to its hilt through his heart generally does the trick every time. That’s my girl.”

  Her head still buzzed with a dull pain. “Is Zoe all right?”

  “I don’t know. We need to find her.”

  “Go.” She pushed at his chest. “I told her to head back to the car. You have to see if she’s there.”

  “I’m not leaving you here alone, Skye.”

  “There’s another killer here, Josh. Did you get the other one?”

  “There’s no denying somebody was here to bash your skull in.”

  “It felt like they used a baseball bat. You have to go find Zoe. I don’t know how long I was unconscious.”

  “Not long.”

  “But by now, he could already have her. Go!”

  “Come on, get up and go with me. Can you stand?” When she nodded, he pulled her to her feet even though she was far from steady or a hundred-percent. “We’ll both go find her. Do you think you can walk?”

  About that time, her eyes tracked to the spot where Kiya lay, spent. There, under a rocky mountain maple, with golden paintbrush all around, the silver wolf looked near death.

  Skye’s heart simply broke. She went over and kneeled to where Kiya struggled for breath. As the wolf’s violet eyes fluttered closed, Skye ran a hand through the thick coat of silver fur. Her fingers gripped the medicine bag around her neck. She began to chant, asking for help from the Great Spirit.

  “Fight like I fought and you’ll be okay. You have to fight, Kiya. Don’t die on me. Don’t let go. You will not die.”

  Josh went down on one knee, stroked Kiya’s head. “The merge took everything out of your wolf, Skye. Kiya’s weak just as she was before when she did the same for me. But she’ll be okay. You know she’ll be okay. All she needs now is time to heal.”

  A sob caught in her throat. “I’ll be back, Kiya, I have to go make sure Zoe’s okay. You understand that, right?” When the wolf lifted her head to howl, Skye got to her feet, still wobbly.

  “Come on, we need to go find Zoe.” Josh grabbed Skye’s hand, leading her through the underbrush, back through the creek bed.

  Having been through the transformation himself, Josh knew about how long it would take for her to start feeling revitalized. It wasn’t until half an hour later that he could tell that Skye began to gain her strength back twofold. He recognized the moment it happened. He saw a light come into her eyes—the aura around her brightened. Instead of sluggish steps, her pace quickened in the way she maneuvered around the vegetation.

  As they made their way back to the road where they’d left the car, the two said nothing. It took them twenty minutes to reach the Subaru and when they did, they found it empty.

  “Damn it! Zoe! Zoe!” Skye shouted as she hit the hood with her hand out of frustration. The force put a dent in the metal. In her dismay, Skye didn’t even notice to what degree her strength had increased. “Maybe she’s hiding. Zoe! Come on, Zoe! It’s us. Where are you?”

  When she started to storm off to search in what Josh termed was the wrong direction, he took her hand. “You’re still disoriented. Remember things have changed. Use your instincts, Skye.”

  She leaned back on the vehicle, closed her eyes, thought of her protectors, the wolf, the hawk, the crow. Channeling those positive forces into a ball of light, she took several deep breaths and let her new abilities take over.

  “Zoe’s in complete darkness, a room without windows. Wherever it is, it’s not that far away. We have to hurry though. Let’s move out.”

  They headed east, talking as they went.

  “Feeling better?”

  “I would if Zoe had been where she was supposed to be. I never should’ve told her to go back.”

  “Not gonna work, Skye. Even if you had done that and Zoe had stayed planted where she was, the other guy would’ve come along and likely snatched her after taking you out.”

  “Okay. True.”

  “So how do you feel?”

  “Energetic. Recharged. Like I could scramble up Mount Rainier in one climb. Now I know how you must’ve felt after it happened to you.” She sighed. “But poor Kiya.”

  “Even though we talked about two killers, we never actually ran with it.”

  “It’s one thing to theorize he had help in disposing of Willa and quite another to affirm he used another person. But you won’t convince me Berkenshaw started out relying on a partner,” Skye interjected. “He was a loner back then. I’m certain of it.”

  “I think that’s true. He killed Trisha Danes and Ellen Schreiber, by himself without the help of anyone else. But Vanessa Farrington, Maggie Bennett, Willa Dover, Selma Tolliver, and God knows how many others, he had an accomplice, which means he had to take his time finding the right recruit.”

  “Working in tandem? It’s not unheard of. There were the speed freak killers, Shermantine and Herzog, in California, and then Ng and Lake who worked together holding their victims captive for long periods of time. Then there was the pair of lovers, Coleman and Brown, who terrorized the Midwest in the eighties. And let’s not forget the Hillside Stranglers who turned out to be cousins. Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi worked together for three years, to name a few. I could go on but you get the picture. So it certainly isn’t the first time.”

  He shouldn’t have been surprised at the way she could rattle off a string of sick minds at the drop of a hat, and yet, he was. “You’ve done your research.”

  “I’m always doing research into the mind of savage killers. So who do you think we’re dealing with here, Josh? Berkenshaw’s son? His brother? A cousin? A BFF?”

  Josh cocked a brow. “Whoever it is has lost their other half. That leaves them vulnerable. When we split up back there, I felt someone following me. I was pissed off at you for separating until I heard footsteps behind me. Before I could do anything about it, I heard Kiya howl and knew you were in trouble.”

  “You know what we have to do.”

  “Yeah, we have to do whatever it takes to locate the lair.”

  As they plodded up another incline and down a ravine, they went over what they knew.

  “We know the location is close to the base. We know there has to be a building around here somewhere that houses his dungeon.”

  “What about backtracking to that old train station? Maybe we missed something there,” Skye wondered. “But you didn’t pick up on anything when we were there last time.”

  “As you’ll find out on your own, it isn’t an exact science,” Josh explained.

  Suddenly she stopped walking. “The floorboards? The train station had a lopsided floor with space underneath. Could there have been—?”

  “No. The train station is due west from here. We keep heading toward the military base.”

  “Right.”

  They slogged through a muddy marshland just as the sun peeked out behind another layer of pesky clouds. “It’ll be dark soon,” Skye noted.

  “Don’t worry. You should be able to see just fine with your new super powers.”

  Skye found that funny. “Really? I guess it’ll be an excellent test. I hope Kiya is okay. Maybe we should’ve brought Atka.”

  Josh grinned
imagining the pup’s playful energy out here in the woods and her tendency to wander around curious about everything. “Atka would be all over this place. She needs seasoning before we turn her loose on the likes of Berkenshaw. And Kiya’s slow recovery is the price of her valor. Our wolf will be fine, just as she was after giving me her bloodline. Now, she’s given it to you. I hate to suggest this, but try to put Kiya out of your mind for now. Focus on the hunt, on Zoe. Keep your mind on the goal. You sure you’re feeling okay? You aren’t a hundred percent yet, are you?”

  “A little fuzz-brained still but I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me.”

  Up ahead, an open field came into view, a meadow laden with blue-eyed grass and golden lady’s slipper. They spotted a female hiker heading toward them from the opposite direction, the first person they’d encountered besides Berkenshaw. As the woman drew closer, in a friendly gesture, she sent them a casual wave of her hand as backpackers often do when they meet others on the trail.

  After the hiker had passed them heading in the opposite direction, Josh looked over his shoulder, muttered, “That’s strange. She’s the first sign of life we’ve seen since tramping all over this place from the road in and back again.”

  “Except for Berkenshaw.”

  “She seemed surprised to see us, especially you,” Josh decided.

  “She did, didn’t she?”

  They both stared at each other until all at once they came to the same conclusion. “It’s her!”

  Turning on their heels, they took off running. The minute they did, the woman looked over her shoulder and began to sprint to reach the thicket of trees.

  But Josh and Skye ran her down in a dozen long strides.

  Out of breath, the hiker finally pulled up short of the woods. “Hey, what gives? If you plan to rob me, you’ve picked the wrong person. I don’t have any money.”

  “Maybe you could tell us why you’re out here in such an out-of-the-way spot. Alone.”

  “I don’t know what you mean. I’m backpacking, found myself off the main trail in this place. Besides, two people start chasing me, I start trying to get away from them.”

  About that time, Skye noticed a series of blood droplets on the woman’s sleeve. The spots seemed perfect for castoff from whatever the woman had used to bash Skye’s skull in earlier. “Where did you ditch the baseball bat you hit me with?” Skye asked.

  The woman’s eyes went on guard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You guys are talking crazy.”

  About that time, Josh caught Skye staring at the woman’s jacket and followed her eyes to the red drops. “Where’d you get the blood?”

  “Huh?” The hiker looked down at her hoodie. “Oh that. I had a nose bleed earlier.”

  “Where’s Zoe?” Skye asked matter-of-factly.

  “Who? I don’t know a Zoe. Ah, so you’re out here looking for someone? This area’s pretty secluded. If they got lost you may never find them.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Skye shot back. “We were just about to call the cops. I thought you said you wandered from the main trail, just happened upon the area. You talk as though you know it well. Where were you two hours ago?”

  “Two hours?” The woman looked at her watch. “Not that it’s any of your business but I was over by the creek.”

  “Cut the crap,” Skye snapped. “Zoe isn’t lost. A serial killer by the name of Jason Berkenshaw abducted her. I think you know where she is because you put her there. So I’ll ask this one more time. Where is Zoe?”

  This time the woman’s calm, pretend demeanor changed. She became agitated. When she tried to reach inside her pocket, Skye pushed her back a step. “You’re the one who hit me. Helluva swing you have there. What did you do with the bat? How long did you work with…let me guess…your boyfriend? Who are you exactly?”

  In answer, the woman spat out, “Jason was my husband! And you killed him, you bitch! You were supposed to die back there. Why didn’t you?”

  Josh grabbed her arm right before she could lunge at Skye. He tightened his grip, put pressure on the woman’s shoulder, making sure she calmed down. “Where’s Zoe?”

  Skye took the opening, began to go through the woman’s pockets. When she found a Beretta that matched the one she’d knocked out of Berkenshaw’s hand during the fight, she knew this was the killer’s accomplice. The Washington State driver’s license confirmed it.

  “What do we have here? Looks like her name’s Adela Berkenshaw. She’s five-six, auburn hair, with deep brown eyes and this says she was forty years old on her last birthday.” Skye sized Adela up. “Well, Mrs. Berkenshaw, I hope you don’t have kids running around anywhere because you’re going away for a long time. Now tell us where Zoe is.”

  Adela threw her head back and laughed. “You’ll never find the little bitch. She’ll starve to death before you guys even stumble upon anything. Jason and I have been in this area for years. We know it like the back of our hand. We’ve been at this for a long time. And we’re good at what we do.”

  Josh took out his cell phone, dialed Harry. He went into a lengthy spiel about their suspect before giving him the bad news. “Berkenshaw’s dead. But Jason had a wife who helped him.” Josh listed all the particulars from Adela’s driver’s license before adding, “No, she won’t be going anywhere, at least not until you guys get here. We still haven’t found Zoe. So don’t drag your ass taking the long way around.”

  With that, Josh gave him directions to their location while Skye kept needling and poking at Adela.

  “You know, Jason had a girlfriend in the nineties who looked a lot like you.”

  “He did not.”

  “Oh yeah, he did. She ended up dead, murdered. Her name was Ellen Schreiber.” Skye picked up a strand of Adele’s hair. “Is this reddish color your natural shade or did you tint it—for Jason. Did he ask you to dye it this color?” By the look on Adela’s face, Skye determined she’d hit a nerve. “Ellen’s hair was gorgeous and natural. Yours isn’t. Good ol’ Jason probably talked you into dyeing yours to match Ellen’s. He had a hard time letting Ellen go—a really hard time. That is, until he put a knife through her heart—sorta like I did his.”

  “Jason loved me. You don’t know who you’re messing with, little girl, I’ll rip your heart out.”

  “I see that,” Skye drawled, her tone calm as glass. “Where were you headed when you saw us? You were coming from deep in the woods, right, Adela?”

  “Go to hell.”

  “You first.” Skye took out her cell phone, scrolled through her contact list until she found the one belonging to her dad. “I need to put out a call to arms,” Skye announced as she punched in the number. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

  As soon as Travis answered the phone back at the Foundation, Skye told him, “Round up the troops, anyone who can help, we need volunteers to search for Zoe.” She gave him the specifics as she heard the wop wop wop of a chopper overhead.

  Looking up, she spotted a helicopter circling them with the Pierce County logo on the side. “Looks like your ride is here, Adela. You be sure to have a great day.”

  Skye walked off to meet Harry at the Huey. After bringing him up to speed on Adela, she directed him to where they’d left Jason’s body.

  Once a sheriff’s deputy slapped the cuffs on Adela, Josh and Skye decided to backtrack to where they’d first encountered the woman in the clearing. They didn’t wait around for Harry or the search team. With darkness approaching, every minute counted.

  Stepping through bunchberry and patches of bog rosemary, they searched for any disruption in the earth, any part of ground that looked as though it had been recently turned.

  After trekking farther into lush backwoods, they fought the scrubland and the dense undergrowth, so thick it was like a jungle in some places. “We should’ve brought a machete to hack through this stuff,” Skye grumbled when her hair got caught on a spray of brambles.

  “Two of them,” Josh added as he helped untang
le the mass of strands from the bush. “No wonder we couldn’t find this place.”

  While shafts of remaining daylight illuminated the way, they shuffled down into a gully filled with dead vines surrounding a surplus of old engine parts.

  “Now we’re talking,” Josh stated. “This has a military feel to it. We’re close.”

  They almost missed the rusted-out Quonset hut, complete with a corroded door, because it was overgrown with head-high weeds. Cordgrass and the shorter dagger-leaf rush guarded the area around it. Sitka spruce and noble fir grew in spotty patches as though someone had cut down a grove of trees to stake their claim.

  Discarded metal ammo boxes had been used as a tiny porch and steps. But now, the containers were scattered about, littering the area. They moved several of the crates out of the way so they could peep inside. Decades of neglect had left it in disrepair. There was nothing much left except the shell. The back of the place had been gutted. But what they found there was another solid row of vegetation growing in overrun hedges.

  “I’ll hold it back for you to go through first,” Skye offered as she picked up several prickly climbing plants. “How’s that?”

  “Look, there.” Josh pointed to a carved-out section of hillside. Near the bottom of the grade hidden almost out of view was the entrance to the Berkenshaws’ concrete bunker—an intimidating door built from steel.

  “They spent a lot of time disguising the entryway,” Skye decided as she took in the stack of evergreen branches tied together with a camouflage tarp across the top. About that time she looked up, spotted the crow and the hawk circling overhead. “No one could pick this out from the air. See how it blends into the surrounding hillside?”

  Josh nodded. “It blends in perfectly with the topography.”

  He took one look at the heavy portal and uttered, “This door is from a shipping container. Looks like they used whatever supplies they could scavenge.”

  Eyeing the multiple locks used to deter trespassers from breaching the security, Skye whistled through her teeth. “This is gonna take some muscle.”