Hard to Kill

by C. M. Sutter

  “Damn it.”

  When I heard a sound behind me, I spun. The blankets on the bunk began to move, and under normal circumstances, I would have approached with a drawn gun—but I was barehanded. Either an animal or a person was beneath that bedding, but I had no idea which one I’d find.

  “Who’s there?”

  Moaning sounded—and it was human. I grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it off the bunk. A badly beaten Lila lay beneath.

  “Jesus! Lila, what happened? How—Where is Leon?”

  She couldn’t speak, and my question went unanswered, but I could put two and two together. Leon must have regained consciousness before she called 911. Maybe she had been too afraid of retaliation to make the call at all, but there she was, beaten within an inch of her life, and Leon, the truck, and my phone were gone—not to mention Bandit. I pounded the wall and cursed. We had to get help, and the only way to do that was by getting Hanna’s phone from the tent and making an urgent 911 call.

  I turned to the door and yelled out to Hanna. “I need you inside—hurry.”

  She bolted to the trailer. “What’s wrong?”

  “Lila’s on the bunk and in bad shape. I know you’re a vet, but you’re still a doctor. Is there anything you can do for her injuries right now?”

  “Let me get a closer look.” Hanna moved the remaining blankets to the side. “Jesse, she’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “Can you stop it? I need to get back to our campsite and find your phone. Mine isn’t here. It’s obvious that Leon beat the crap out of her before she got through to 911. Maybe seeing the phone set him off. Who knows? But he either destroyed it or took it with him. I’ll call 911 and then drive to the main building. I have to let them know what’s going on.”

  The look on Hanna’s face was pure fear. “What if—”

  “He won’t come back. I’m sure he thinks Lila is dead. I promise I won’t be long. I’ll grab the flashlight too.”

  “Can’t you just get my phone and the flashlight and come back? We can call the main building from here.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Lock the door, and when I come back, I’ll yell out that it’s me.”

  “All right, but hurry. I’ll do what I can for her wounds.”

  Once I got to the SUV, adrenaline kicked in, and I pressed the gas pedal to the floor. I took off down the road and wished more than anything that I would see my pup in the headlights and have him jump into the Explorer next to me. As much as I needed to find Bandit, I had to help Lila first. From the way she looked and the amount of blood around her, she could be knocking on death’s door. When I turned in to our campsite, the SUV skidded in the loose dirt. After shifting into Park, I jumped out and left the headlights on to help me see into the tent better. I thought it odd that the zipper was open but didn’t have time to worry about it. I crawled in and felt for the flashlight in the pocket.

  What the hell! Where is it? Hanna said she brought it inside.

  I patted the floor, tossed my sleeping bag to the side, and patted the spot where it had been—no cell phone.

  “Come on. This can’t be happening, damn it!” A twig snapped behind me. “Bandit?” I spun, hoping to see my pup, but instead, a man’s silhouette broke the headlight’s beam. “Thank God. I need help!”

  He came closer. “Yes you do, Detective McCord.”

  That was when I felt the thud against my skull.

  Chapter 18

  Where is he? He said he’d be back in ten minutes.

  Hanna dabbed Lila’s bloody face with a wet rag then rinsed the cloth in the sink. The woman was in bad shape with jaw, cheek, and skull fractures. Her arm hung awkwardly—likely broken in numerous places. The blood loss was significant, and she needed dozens of stitches.

  “Come on, Jesse. Where are you? I need your help, and Lila needs an ambulance.”

  Hanna peered out the trailer’s window and, other than a full moon, saw no lights whatsoever. She searched the trailer for a first-aid kit but came up empty. Nervousness was setting in—Jesse was taking too long.

  “Damn him. He promised to come straight back.”

  A familiar sound caught Hanna’s attention—whining, and then scratching at the door.

  “Bandit?”

  A frenzy of loud barks and frantic scratches told Hanna it had to be him. She carefully pushed open the door, and the pup bolted inside.

  “Bandit, you came back. Your dad will be so relieved when he sees you!” She hugged the dog then filled a bowl with water for him. “Here you go, buddy. Drink up and then relax. We have to hang out here for a while.”

  More than an hour had passed, and Jesse was still gone. Something was wrong—Hanna felt it in her knotted stomach. Lila’s condition was worsening, and she needed immediate help.

  “Bandit, we’re going to have to get help somewhere from someone. We can’t wait any longer.” Hanna tore through the cabinets and found what she desperately needed—a flashlight. “Thank God! Now to find somebody who has a phone and a car. Wait one minute, Bandit. I have to get something.” Hanna remembered seeing a clothesline outside that was strung from tree to tree. With the flashlight in hand, she left the trailer and returned minutes later. After tying the cord to Bandit’s collar, she was ready to head out. “I can’t risk losing you again. Let’s go.” Looking back as she grasped the doorknob, she called out to Lila. “I know you can’t hear me, but I promise we’ll be back with help as soon as we can.”

  Leaving the trailer behind, Hanna and Bandit headed out on foot. She scanned the area before choosing which way to go. A glimmer of light beyond the trees beckoned her to turn right. Not sure which direction led to their own camp, Hanna headed for the light.

  “I hope to God that’s a campsite and somebody is there.”

  Bandit led the way down the road while Hanna kept a tight grip on the rope and her eyes on the light as if it were a beacon. Fifteen minutes had passed, and they were closing in on the site when the light vanished.

  “No, no, this can’t be happening! Where did it go? Which way do I turn?” She yelled out in hopes that the person who had the light was nearby. “Hello, hello. I need help. Please, is someone out there?” She flicked the flashlight off and on and stared in the direction she thought the light came from.

  Within seconds, the light reappeared, and a voice answered. “Who’s out there? What’s going on?”

  “Thank God. My dog and I are coming toward your light. There’s an injured woman down the road who needs an ambulance. We don’t have a phone or a car. Please help us.”

  A man holding a camp lantern appeared. He squinted at the two. “Aren’t you the woman and dog that were on the pier earlier today?”

  “Yes, that’s us. We were with my boyfriend, but now he’s gone missing. I don’t know where he is, but that woman down the road is in critical condition. Do you have a phone?”

  “It’s in my trailer. Come inside where there’s light. By the way, I’m Jeff, and I spoke to your boyfriend earlier today. Something about a missing sleeping bag.”

  “Yes, yes, but that doesn’t matter anymore. We need to help the woman in the camper. She’s been badly beaten.”

  “I’m pretty sure I know who you mean, and the man from that site is a real nutjob. I was going to move to a different campsite in the morning because of him. I hear him yelling at her all the time.”

  “Well, now she’s really hurt, and he’s nowhere to be found. We need to call 911.”

  “Yep, I’m on it.”

  Hanna watched as Jeff made the call. After giving the dispatcher their location, he hung up. “Okay, they have to come from Carbondale. It’s going to take twenty-five minutes.”

  “Can we go back to their trailer? I have to make sure she’s still alive.”

  “You bet. Let’s take my truck.”

  Moments later, back in Leon’s trailer, Hanna led Jeff to Lila so he could see her condition.

  “Wow, she’s in bad shape.”


  “But she’s still breathing, so that’s something. I hope the ambulance gets here soon.”

  “The police are coming, too, since a crime was committed here.”

  “Good, because I need to find out what happened to Jesse. Something is definitely wrong.”

  Chapter 19

  After Lila was stabilized, Hanna and Jeff watched as the EMTs loaded the woman onto a gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance.

  Hanna shook her head. “Thank God she’s in good hands. Now I can breathe again and focus on Jesse.”

  An officer entered the camper and took a seat at the table. “I’m Officer Todd Owens, and I’m going to need a statement from both of you.” He tipped his chin at Hanna. “Let’s start with you. Tell me everything you know.”

  “I don’t have a lot of firsthand information, only what was explained to me by my boyfriend and Jeff.”

  Todd frowned. “Where’s your boyfriend now? I didn’t meet anyone other than you two.”

  “I don’t know. He told me to stay here and do what I could for Lila. I’m a veterinarian, and although I operate on animals, it’s still the same basic skills to stop bleeding that it would be for humans. There wasn’t much in the camper to work with, though.”

  She waited as Todd wrote down that information.

  He looked up. “Go on.”

  “Okay, so Jesse and I came here because he loaned Lila his phone earlier to call 911. From what I was told, her husband has a horrible temper and beats her. Jesse stopped by because things from our campsite had gone missing over the course of the day, and he was asking other campers about it. I forgot to mention that he’s a Chicago homicide detective, and I guess detecting is in his blood.” Hanna took a sip of water and continued. “Jesse stopped by Jeff’s place, talked to him, and then said he was going to continue on.”

  Jeff took his turn. “I advised him to avoid coming here. I told him the guy was bad news.”

  “But he didn’t heed your warning?”

  “Apparently not.”

  Todd looked at Hanna. “Then what?”

  “Then Jesse confronted Leon.”

  “Leon? That’s the man’s name who’s residing here?”

  “Yes. I don’t have a last name, but I assume the people at the park registration counter would know. From what Jesse told me, Leon attacked him and tried to strangle him. Lila coldcocked him with a frying pan, essentially saving Jesse’s life. That’s why Jesse gave her his phone to use. He told her to lock herself in the camper, call 911, and have the police take Leon away. I don’t have any idea how that went so wrong.”

  “Why didn’t Jesse stick around?”

  “Bandit here went after Leon when he attacked Jesse. Leon kicked at him and scared him off into the woods. After Lila knocked out Leon, Jesse came back to our camp and picked me up so we could try to find Bandit. An hour or so went by with no luck. Jesse wanted me to call his phone to make sure Lila was okay and that Leon had been arrested, but I realized I must have left my phone in the tent. We came here so he could check on Lila himself and get his phone back, and that’s how we discovered her. Jesse’s phone was gone, so he went to our camp to find mine and make the call to 911. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

  “And that was how long ago?”

  Hanna wiped her eyes. “It’s going on two hours now. I know something happened to him. Jesse would never leave me alone in a situation like this.”

  Officer Owens gave Hanna and Jeff a concerned look. “Do you think Leon could have ambushed him to finish off what he’d started?”

  Hanna began to cry. “I was so focused on Lila, I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but yes, that’s entirely possible. I haven’t met the man, but between what Jeff and Jesse have said, he sounds dangerous and volatile.”

  “And Jesse is a City of Chicago homicide detective?”

  Hanna nodded. “I need your help. We have to find him.”

  “Okay. Do either of you know what kind of vehicle Leon drives?”

  “No, but Jesse mentioned it being a truck.”

  “Thanks, and I’ll get the make and model from the park registration people.”

  “Can we take a look around our campsite?” Hanna asked.

  “Absolutely. Jeff, do you have anything more to add?”

  “Only that from what I’ve heard of Leon’s ranting, the guy is either on something, or he has a hatred for everyone. I haven’t met him face-to-face, and I deliberately avoided that. I was even going to move to a campsite farther away from him in the morning.”

  “What’s your site number, Jeff?”

  “Fourteen-G.”

  “Okay, if we need anything more, we’ll be in touch.” Todd turned to Hanna. “Let’s head out.”

  “I’m not sure how to get there, but we’re on the west side of the lake in site Twelve-C.”

  After Jeff gave Owens the directions, Hanna turned to him. “I appreciate your help so much, Jeff. Thank you, and I’ll keep you posted.”

  Hanna closed the squad car’s back door behind Bandit and climbed into the passenger seat, and Officer Owens drove away.

  After they rounded the lake, Hanna pointed at the site on her left. “That’s it right there. My Explorer isn’t here, though.”

  “That’s what Jesse drove off in?”

  “Yes. It’s the vehicle we brought here for our camping trip.”

  “Okay, I’m going to put out a BOLO on it, but first, I need the plate number, year, and color.”

  “It’s a 2018 dark-red Ford Explorer. The plates are the standard Illinois design, and the number is 4703-AK2. No dings, dents, or bumper stickers on the vehicle either.”

  “That’s good, thanks. I’ll call it in, then we’ll check the tent and surrounding area and head to the registration building. I need to put out a BOLO for that Leon character’s vehicle, too, as well as an APB on him for attempted murder.”

  Hanna used the flashlight she’d taken from the trailer, and Todd used the squad car’s side-mounted spotlight to scan the area, but they came up empty. Jesse wasn’t at their site or the adjacent ones. The two checked along the water’s edge and saw nothing.

  “Searching the area at night won’t be easy, Miss Bradley, and with the vehicle missing, it’s leaning more toward him not being here.”

  Hanna continued the back-and-forth motion with the flashlight. “I know.”

  Bandit seemed preoccupied with the tent. He sniffed, scratched, and pawed at the mat in front of the entrance.

  “What’s going on with your dog?”

  “I’m not sure.” Hanna aimed the flashlight where Bandit was pawing. “Officer Owens, it looks like blood!”

  He pointed his flashlight in that direction as he walked to Hanna’s side. “Check out that branch lying next to the tent.” He aimed his flashlight at the bark of a three-inch-thick branch that had fallen from one of the oaks. “That looks like blood too. Let’s go to the registration building, find out what we can on that Leon guy, and then I have to make some calls. I need more officers out here as well as a couple of search dogs. I’ll see what my sergeant suggests.”

  After speaking with the person in the registration building—who gave him Leon’s last name, truck model, and plate number—Officer Owens had what he needed to issue the BOLO for the Dodge Ram and the APB for Leon Stanley, who, according to the database, had already spent time behind bars.

  Outside, Todd and Hanna took seats on the oversized porch lined with rocking chairs and picnic tables, and he made the call to his sergeant.

  Five minutes after he began the story, Todd hung up and placed his phone on the table. “My sergeant is sending out a few more officers and two search dogs with their handlers. If Jesse is anywhere in the general area, they’ll find him.”

  Hanna stared at her folded hands. “What if he’s in the lake?”

  Todd went silent for a minute. “Let’s just hope he isn’t. The dogs could still follow his scent to the water’s edge if that was the case.”

&n
bsp; “Officer Owens?”

  “Call me Todd.”

  She smiled. “Can you do me a favor, Todd?”

  “Sure, name it.”

  “Will you look up the number for Jesse’s commander? His name is Bob Lutz, and I have to tell him what’s going on.”

  “You bet. Do you know what district they work at?”

  “The second.”

  “Good. I’ll check that precinct’s website, and his contact information should come up. Somebody will find a way to connect us to him.”

  Hanna waited as Todd went through the process. After getting an officer on the line, Todd explained who he was and that he needed to speak to Commander Lutz right away. “He is? At ten o’clock on a Saturday night? Sure, I’ll hold.” Todd gave Hanna a thumbs-up. “The commander is actually at the precinct. Somebody named Phil Chase went to get him.”

  “He’s one of their weekend detectives.”

  Todd handed his phone to her. “The next person to speak should be the commander.”

  “Thanks, Todd. You’ve been such a huge help.” When Lutz came on the line, Hanna’s eyes instantly welled up. “Commander Lutz, it’s Hanna Bradley, Jesse’s girlfriend. Sir, Jesse’s gone missing, and I think he’s been abducted. Yes, the officer is still with me. Okay, hang on.” Hanna handed the phone to Todd. “He wants you to put it on Speakerphone.”

  “Sure. Commander, this is Officer Todd Owens. I’m here with Hanna.”

  “Officer Owens, what the hell is going on? Hanna said Jesse went missing?”

  “That’s correct, sir. There seems to be a very volatile camper here that Jesse had a confrontation with earlier today. The man tried to strangle Jesse and then beat his own wife within an inch of her life. Now that man is missing, and so is Detective McCord.”

  “Jesus! What’s the man’s name?”

  “Leon Stanley, and the criminal database shows he spent a nickel term for assault, not only on his wife but plenty of other people too. Seems he was selling steroids as well, and his roid rage makes him not only powerful but a loose cannon. Jesse’s life could be in real jeopardy.”