“I’ll be here. I need to take a shower and get cleaned up. Maybe I will feel a little better after.” She responded.
As he was standing at the edge of the parking lot one of the officers made his way over to talk. Just to pass the time. Adam made small talk for a few and decided to ask him if he knew what was going on.
“As far as I know they haven’t located anything yet. I can’t guarantee that, but it’s all I got.” The officer said. “I know how hard this has to be on ya’ll. Just try to stay positive. It’s the only thing we can do.”
“You got that right. Your mind is a crazy place, forming thoughts that aren’t conducive to anything, not letting go of their grip.” Adam replied.
When he was finished with his cigarette he offered the officer a bottle of water or something. He knew he had been standing out here for a long time.
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks though bud. I’ll keep an ear open for ya.” He returned.
“Thanks.” Adam said.
Instead of going back upstairs, Adam decided to go for a short walk. It would burn off some of that unused energy and give him a chance to try and clear his head. He couldn’t think. It was a nice night, not too chilly and not hot at all. It made him think of Priscilla and the possibility that she was laying out there on the cold, dark ground all alone. It broke his heart. All he wanted to do was hold her hand and never let it go.
He could close his eyes and picture a life together. A life full of love and happiness, great conversation, great sex, all of it combined to fill their own little world. It couldn’t be over before it started. It just couldn’t. As he was walking along the dark sidewalk of the complex, his phone vibrated to life in his pocket. As he was trying to get it out, he accidentally hung it up. Seeing it was Nina, he called her back right away.
“I’m sorry, I hit the damn button the wrong way getting it out of my pocket. What’s up?” He asked her.
“I think you might want to come back up here for a minute.” She said.
“Is something wrong?” He asked quickly.
“Just come up here.” She said as she hung up the phone.
Turning around he started to run back to the building. Taking the concrete stairs two at a time he bounded to the landing. Before he could put his hand on the door knob, Nina had it open. “You need to see this.” She said.
The television had come to life and they were watching a breaking news report of police activity in the area. The reporter began to speak.
“Tonight, we are bringing you breaking news of police activity. Several different locations are being scoured for any signs of missing local woman Priscilla Barnes. Ms. Barnes is twenty-eight years old, long brown hair, blue eyes, she is five foot five and weighs one hundred and twenty pounds. There is no accurate description of clothing. If you see Ms. Barnes please call 911 immediately. Police are requesting that anyone travelling through one of the designated search areas to please choose an alternative route. We will bring you more as we receive information.”
As the channel cut to a commercial, Adam sat back in the chair. “At least they finally have it on the news. Maybe someone has seen something. Anything.”
“I was hoping for the same thing. You never know. Someone had to be driving along the interstate the night she vanished, but now we know who actually took her. I keep asking myself, Adam, why would Ward want to do this to her?” Nina replied.
“Repeatedly I have asked that same question. I cannot come up with anything that makes any sense. There is no connection between her and Ward. Not from my house or anywhere else that I am aware of. She didn’t know him at all when she met him the night Zena was killed.” He said.
Learning nothing new from the television report, Nina turned it off. The silence in the room was deafening. No matter where they turned it was always the same response. We don’t know. We haven’t heard. She didn’t think answers were ever going to come. On the other hand, she was smart enough to know that this wasn’t going to be an immediate thing either. It took time and planning. There were other lives to protect as well. The men and women in law enforcement were also targets.
On the other side of town in the swampy area past the freeway, a team of forty men and women had gathered and were prepared to make their way to the cabin. They knew that there was no electricity out here, it had never been wired in. Any lights at all would indicate that there was someone at the cabin. They had to take great care to ensure that while they captured their suspect that they didn’t harm the victim.
This scenario was a disaster waiting to happen. If one thing failed to be performed the way it was intended, the consequences could be high. He had to be caught completely off guard. Tony had no way of knowing if he knew they were here. All she could go on was skill, training and instinct. She was thankful that there were others who were in charge of the detailed planning.
Being more than a hundred yards off the road they knew that they would be coming up on the cabin soon, although there wasn’t a precise location for it. The plan was to watch it for any signs of movement before making their move. It would be getting light soon and it would make it an even more dangerous situation. If they could see him clearly, then he could see them. He had to be taken under the cover of darkness.
As the team advanced deeper into the woods, the signal was given for them to stop. Approximately fifty yards to their west was a cabin. Sending one man to silently make his way closer to the structure, the others prepared for whatever they encountered. They formed a straighter line against the building so as to avoid crossfire if necessary. When the scout officer returned to let them know that there was indeed someone inside, they tightened up their line and made a slow progression.
Once they were in close enough range two SWAT officers shifted position to be on the opposite side of the cabin, this way he couldn’t escape from the other side. There was a small glass window next to the door. Another officer was going to quickly break it and throw in a flash grenade. It would knock him off balance and allow them time to enter and apprehend him and hopefully find Priscilla.
As soon as the officer was in place with the grenade the lead agent gave him the go ahead. The sound of the glass break jarred Ward from his sleep. He had fallen asleep with his head on the table while waiting for light. He knew instinctively what was going to happen. Within a few seconds the flash grenade exploded. Agents and officers swarmed the structure and were able to apprehend Ward with no further incident. They searched the tiny cabin for signs of Priscilla.
In the bedroom they found the rope and shackles, but not her.
“She’s not in here Tony.” Someone called.
“As they were handcuffing Ward, Det. Tony asked him where the hell she was. His only response, “Dead.”
Beth wanted to punch him, but took the high road and would let the justice system handle him. He disgusted her and he did nothing but tarnish the name of decent officers.
Now they had him, they had to find her. If she were dead like he said, where would he hide her body? He hadn’t hidden any of the others. Her gut instinct told her that Priscilla was alive. He hoped they wouldn’t look for her so that she would die. She was here somewhere. That much she knew.
Reaching the agents in charge, she told them that they had to continue to search the woods. Something told her that the woman was here. “Call me crazy, but this woman is out here. He doesn’t want us to find her, because right now she is still alive!”
“We are going to have to wait for light to start a manhunt for her. It is too dangerous for our officers and agents to be out in unknown terrain.” He told her.
“Are you kidding me? You have topographical maps. You can see the terrain, it isn’t that bad. A little slippery and wet, but this woman truly could be dying out there. Someone had lost a lot of blood in that car and it obviously wasn’t that asshole.” She was getting angry.
“If you do not send anyone out there, I am going on my own.” She declared.
“I can’t allow
you to do that.” He almost yelled at her.
“Look, we will get a team together and as soon as the sun rises we will be out.” He tried to compromise.
“No. Hell no. I’m going now.” She said as she spun around and took off deeper into the woods.
Yelling for Priscilla she hoped she could hear her. Priscilla couldn’t answer, lying in a hole in the ground with enough leaves and brush to keep her unnoticeable, she shook with fear. She was smart and knew it wasn’t fear alone. It was shock. Soon her body would start shutting down organs. There had been too much blood loss and she hadn’t been gentle with the wounds. She didn’t have to time to be gentle, all she could do was get away. When she heard the grenade explode it terrified her and she ran as fast as she could away from the sound.
In her current state of mind, she thought she heard someone calling her name. It wasn’t the man though, this was a female voice. Someone that was familiar to her. “Here.” Barely any sound came out. She would never be heard like this. The voice was getting closer but she still couldn’t get anything out. If the voice went past her, she would have to wait and hope that they made a return trip back along the same path.
Remembering that she had the knife laying under her, she was going to have to try and get the woman’s attention. Closer and closer the voice was inching. “Priscilla its Detective Beth Tony. If you can hear me please answer. We are trying to help you.” Beth called to her.
For a brief second she thought she heard something. She stopped dead in her tracks to listen. Nothing. She called out again, “Priscilla! Hello? If you can hear me, yell! Help us find you!”
In the quiet of the early morning, she heard it. It was a faint tapping. So faint that she was unable to decide which direction it was coming from. Pushing the button on her radio, she called for help.
“I need people back here NOW, she ordered. “She’s here, I’m trying to locate the direction of the sound. From the cabin head due west. Try to walk quietly and listen for a tapping sound. Hurry up.”
Many different officers headed in the direction of Beth Tony. If the woman was alive, it would be a miracle.
“Go ahead and roll medics also. Get them out here now. We will probably need an airship, order it now we can always cancel it when medics get here if need be.”
“Priscilla! Tap again sweetheart, we are trying to find you! I need your help.” Beth cried out again.
The tapping came again, this time it was clearer and louder. Shining her flashlight across the ground she was looking for anything that it might hit off of. In the distance she could see at least fifteen lights heading in her direction. As she moved her light off to her right she saw it. It was the glint of metal.
Running to where she had seen the light reflect off of the metal she looked everywhere.
“I’m here.” Came the softest whisper that Beth Tony had ever heard. They were also the best words that she had ever heard.
“I’m coming baby.” She told her as she moved the leaves and brush off of the broken woman.
Hitting the radio again, she was in tears when she told them “Get medics in here right now, I’ve got her and she’s alive. Barely.”
Officers raced toward the beam of her flashlight. In such a joyous moment the obvious is almost always overlooked. This woman who was alive now, very well may not be, in mere minutes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The area where Detective Tony had found Priscilla was lit up. The huge flashlights and two spotlights were set up to guide medics in. When medics reached her, she was still on the ground in the hole that she had hidden in. She had lost a tremendous amount of blood from her wounds but she had managed to hang on. Beth Tony knew that this girl would have been gone at any time if they had not located her.
Priscilla couldn’t speak and couldn’t move. She could feel Detective Tony’s hand on hers and tried to tighten her fingers around it but didn’t have the strength.
“Rest, Priscilla. Medics are on their way back now. You did great sweetheart.” Beth reassured her.
Priscilla moved her finger to show that she heard her. Beth thought about the last few minutes and was impressed that the woman had the strength and determination to hit the knife against the rock that was laying on the ground. It was the only way she heard her. Our minds work in a brilliant manner when forced into a life or death situation. Staying collected and calm probably saved this woman’s life. Not to mention the fact that she had enough forethought to cover herself from sight.
Medics had finally reached the group of people standing around both the detective and the woman. Initial assessments were made and it was determined that she should be airlifted to the nearest trauma center. Her vital signs were dangerously low and her lips were starting to take on the hint of blue from cyanosis setting in. They had to work quickly. Starting an IV to get fluids running into her and attempting to get her carefully out of the hole she had hidden in, the medics and the firefighters that were there to assist them, placed her inside the rescue basket. Covering her with a thin blanket to both protect her from any branches or limbs that might hit her on the hike out and to keep her warm. Keeping her from going into shock was imperative.
The hike back seemed much longer than coming in. They had to carry Priscilla and the rescue basket out to the ambulance. Using six people to make it an easier hike, one on each end and two on either side, the men walked carefully through the swampy land. The closer they were to the cabin, the more restless Priscilla grew. She was starting to panic and they had to stop to regain control.
Beth Tony caught up with them to assure her that they had captured him and he was in police custody. She didn’t mention who the he actually was, only wanted to keep her calm to get her out of here.
“Priscilla, the man who did this is in police custody. He cannot hurt you or anyone else anymore. Stay strong and try to be still sweetheart. It’s almost over, let them take care of you.” Beth said.
With no words and only a brief glimpse into the detective’s eyes, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. One of the medics that was holding the side of the basket lost his footing on a moss covered rock, causing him to slip and lose his balance. He had to let go of the rescue basket in order to protect himself from a broken ankle. As it was, it had turned and he wasn’t going to be able to keep going. Another one of the men stepped in and took his place, while another assisted him. Under normal circumstances the hike would not have been terribly difficult. Even a severely injured woman had managed to make it this far into the backwoods.
By the time they had retreated out as far as the cabin, they could hear the incoming Life Flight helicopter coming in for a landing. They would have to transport by ambulance to the landing zone, as there was no room to safely come down. Stopping to ensure that Priscilla was still hanging in and to give the men a moment to rest, they knew that there was only a relatively short distance to cover to make it to the ground ambulance. While needing to work as efficiently as possible, they were still human and people do tire out. They had to put her down and momentarily regroup.
Lifting the basket off of the ground, they continued on their trek. There were so many emergency crews parked up and down the street that they had to walk through them like a maze. Once the woman was loaded into the squad Detective Tony would contact Adam Linston and Nina Powalski, she was sure that they were anxiously awaiting word. It would be a relief to be able to tell them that she had found her alive. It would be an even bigger relief to be able to tell them that she stayed that way.
People were milling around everywhere. Some talking, some were having the car towed out of the swamp as evidence, some were gathering forensics and evidence inside the tiny cabin. Everywhere you looked law enforcement was doing any number of things to aid in this investigation. There would be much to gather and document. Beth wanted the chance to have five minutes with Mike Ward, a man that she had trusted with her life on numerous occasions, a man that she would have trusted with her kids, a man that she had tho
ught she had known for all of these years. Now all she had for him was blind hatred and disgust.
Trying to examine it from a psychological point of view she could not fathom a reason for his total hatred of these women, or any woman who was involved in some aspect of the industry. Somewhere there was an underlying cause, he didn’t simply snap one day and say “I’m going to quit being a cop today and become a killer.” She was educated enough to know that wasn’t how any of this works.
Reaching the ambulance, they quickly loaded Priscilla and prepared to head to the landing zone about three miles from where they were. It would only take a couple minutes, but she was losing valuable time. The paramedic that was with her was worried that she was going to crash before they ever reached the airship. They had to move and they had to move fast. The driver of the ambulance backed up as soon as the firefighter hit the door with his hand after closing it. Turning on the narrow country road wasn’t easy, but he was highly skilled and did so with relative ease. He didn’t need the sirens out here, there wasn’t any traffic, but he hit the lights per the law. As they were speeding off in the direction of the landing zone, Beth Tony knew what she had to do. The first of which would be a relief for her to get taken care of. There were people waiting on any type of word and for now, she had good news.
“Linston.” He answered the phone.
“Adam, hi it’s Det. Tony. Is Nina with you by chance?” She asked.
“She is, is something wrong?” His tone changed to instant worry.
“Could you put me on speakerphone so I don’t have to repeat an entire story?” She asked him.
“Sure, give me one second.” He replied. “There. Can you hear me?” He asked her.
“I can. Nina, are you here also?” The detective asked her.
“Yes I am.” Nina responded.
“This morning, almost two hours ago, we captured and arrested Michael Ward. He has been charged with the murders of Zena Wilkins, Diamond Jacquere and Megan Dryer. There is a possibility that he will be charged with a fourth murder, that of Ms. Dryer’s unborn child. He has also been charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in relation to Priscilla Barnes. We found Priscilla, she is alive. She is in very bad shape though and I don’t want to get anyone overly excited. They are LifeFlighting her as we speak. She’s still with us. Her sheer determination and willpower is what kept her alive. Everything that she did was the right thing to do. We didn’t save her life, she saved her own life. I will be at the hospital as soon as I can clear the scene here, I need to meet up with you so we can go on from this point. Remember, she still has to maintain that strength if she is going to get through this. There are severe injuries and she lost a lot of blood due to those.” She told them.
Dancing In Darkness Page 20
