Chapter Twenty-Five
Kessler had called the FBI and told Maya HRT was on their way. She was glad to hear that. The Hostage Rescue Team was the
best of the best when it came to a SWAT-type response. She would start the drive over to Stone Creek Falls and wait on the
outskirts of town with Sergeant Parker. He was hanging back and trying to keep an eye on the room in case Abigail tried to
leave. He’d told Maya though that there wasn’t a good spot for surveillance where Abigail couldn’t see him. He was only going
to be able to see a little bit of the motel.
Maya turned on her vehicle and headed out following Agent Kessler. Aaron and Nick were behind her. Josh had gone back to Pinecone
Junction when the FBI arrived. He had some other things to help Pops with. Juniper stood, turned a few circles and then lay
back down, going back to sleep. She was tired and Maya would have to be careful with how much more she asked of Juniper today.
As she drove, her headlights picked up ash and other particles in the air from the fire.
The smoke and smell were still strong. At least a small portion of the fire had been contained, but there was still a lot of it that could easily get going again—especially if thunderstorms came through with high winds and little rain.
The drive was uneventful and much quicker without traffic. It helped that it was nighttime and that many people had headed
home once the fire broke out. Small neighborhoods in the area had been evacuated. Maya was careful to watch out for wildlife.
The fire could drive them to different parts of the forest and she didn’t want to hit anything.
She was grateful for the quiet time to think about everything that had unfolded in a short amount of time. Who was Abigail’s
partner? Was Maya only assuming Aaron because they’d butted heads? How could she find out more about Bernardo and Ross? They
also had connections to Abigail. And now they knew everything too. She couldn’t trust anyone. Did that mean the HRT would
be walking into a trap?
The road straightened and she could see the small town of Stone Creek Falls in the distance.
There wasn’t much to this town and it amazed Maya that the motel stayed open year-round.
Maybe without the fire, the town would have more tourists passing through.
The terrain flattened out into large meadows, but there were rugged peaks off in the distance.
Flames roared up one of the mountainsides, the bright orange glow standing out against the night sky.
That part of the fire was between Stone Creek Falls and Pinecone Junction.
If the winds picked up just right, it could blow the fire right toward Pinecone Junction.
That was part of the reason Josh had to go back to town.
He and Pops were getting information from the firefighters to determine if they needed to evacuate the community.
Maya saw a police cruiser and pulled up next to it “cop style” so they could chat. Kessler had gone on to a location where
he would meet the helicopter and HRT. Aaron and Nick were in a rental car and parked near Maya. The window of the police cruiser
rolled down.
“Sergeant Parker?”
“That’s me. You must be Officer Thompson.”
“Yep.”
“I haven’t seen any activity,” Parker said. “Hopefully that means they’re sleeping and we can surprise Abigail Harper and
get her detained. Quickly.”
“I don’t ever assume that anything will go as planned with Abigail,” Maya said. With the window open she could hear a helicopter
echoing off the mountain peaks. She and Parker both looked up. A few seconds later, a black chopper flew over. “At least the
FBI HRT is here. Hopefully the helicopter didn’t wake Abigail up.”
“There haven’t been lights of any kind,” Parker said. “But they are in the end unit. If she knew I was watching her or wanted
to get away, there’s a window she could get out of and I wouldn’t be able to see her from here. I debated trying to position
myself over on the other side, but then I’d be easy to spot.”
“Abigail is an experienced, well-trained cop. If she saw you, it wouldn’t end well for one of you,” Maya said, leaving out
that she’d put her money on Abigail. Not that she didn’t think Parker was an excellent officer. Abigail had similar training,
but the difference was she was ruthless and didn’t play by the rules.
Maya pulled out her phone and texted Kessler, asking if he wanted her to come with Juniper. He texted right back that the team was just going to go in and breach. They had a no-knock warrant thanks to the danger Abigail posed.
Maya set her phone back down, feeling uneasy. She hoped Abigail didn’t have some sort of booby trap set up. This was all too
simple. There was no way Abigail would go down this quietly. She thought about getting Juniper out and geared up just in case
Abigail took off on foot. Then they’d be ready. But she also knew she needed to let the HRT respond and do their job.
Nick had stepped out of his vehicle. Aaron appeared to be texting someone. Maya once again wondered what the odds were that
Aaron was involved. Why had he come along to Colorado to look for Hope? Nick had mentioned Aaron had offered to help, but
had Nick also asked him? She needed to find out more. Maybe there was a way for Kessler to get Aaron’s phone records and see
who he was contacting. Maybe it was part of his lady troubles, as Nick put it, and maybe that lady happened to be on the run
with a kidnapped kid.
Nick stepped up near Maya’s open window. Juniper was now awake and she let a growl rumble through her throat.
“It’s okay, girly,” Maya said, trying to reassure herself as well as Juniper. But was it okay? Juniper seemed uneasy around
Nick and Aaron. Granted, she was in the patrol vehicle and working to protect Maya, but still . . .
“I heard the team come in,” Nick said after introducing himself to Parker. “Any update?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Maya said. Then she couldn’t help herself. She was too suspicious. “What’s Aaron doing?”
“Oh, texting his girlfriend. The one I was telling you about. Like any of us can have relationships in this job,” Nick said.
“Hey,” Parker said. “I’ve been happily married for ten years.”
“That’s good. Maybe the problem is me,” Nick said.
Maya couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He had one heck of a poker face. Of course, being in law enforcement could do
that to you. Juniper let out a low whine in excitement. Maya turned her attention back to the motel. The team was coming around
the corner, lining up in a stack, ready to make entry. Juniper knew what they were doing and wanted to be there with them.
“Don’t worry, girly,” Maya said. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to do some more work.”
The lead guy had a battering ram and smashed in the front door. The team unfolded in perfect formation, their skills showing
as they made entry. Maya realized she was holding her breath. Nick and Sergeant Parker were also watching intently.
There was nothing. No yelling. No shots. Nothing.
The men started coming back out, their body language saying no one was in the room.
“Damn it,” Maya muttered. Maybe Juniper could be used to at least do a short track and figure out where Abigail had gone.
“I knew it.”
“Knew what?” Nick asked.
“Abigail. Someone tipped her off or something. She’s too smart and has a lot of experience, including standard operating procedures
like how the HRT guys line up. If she was in that room and knew they were making entry, she would have shot half of them through
the wall knowing where they would be,” Maya said, frustration brewing.
Stay calm. This is what Abigail wants. Use her weakness against her.
Kessler approached wearing a bulletproof vest with FBI on the back. He turned in Maya’s direction and waved her over. Juniper
started doing her tap dance, wanting to come along.
“Stay here for now. Don’t worry, I’ll come get you. I’m sure we’ll need you,” Maya said. She stepped out of her vehicle and
crossed the road, Nick and Sergeant Parker walking with her. As she approached Kessler, Maya could see that his face was tight
and drawn, lips pursed.
“I know no one was in the room,” Maya said. “But what else is going on?”
“This.” Kessler showed Maya a note in an evidence bag and an email he received with a picture of Hope.
Hope was tied up, her eyes wide and hair pulled back in a braid. She had on different clothing from the picture Maya saw of
her earlier. The girl appeared terrified. Nick muttered some choice words under his breath including how he was going to make
Abigail pay. You and me both . . .
The note was short and to the point.
Here’s your proof of life. Come and get her, Thompson. Save your niece before it’s too late.
“She’s targeting you,” Nick said.
“That’s an understatement,” Maya answered.
“She really hates you this much?”
“She does. And she hated my mother. And our father. She wants revenge and she’s lost her mind. Bad combo. Any idea of where
they went?” Maya asked, turning toward Kessler.
“We’re working on that,” he answered. “It appears she did go out the side window. Probably saw Sergeant Parker at some point
or something.”
Parker stared down at the ground. Maya could tell he was beating himself up. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not the
first person that Abigail has messed with this way. Trust me.”
He nodded and said, “Okay.”
“It also seems based on recent tire tracks that there was another vehicle waiting for Abigail,” Kessler continued. “Right
now we have no idea what she’s driving.”
The other two agents came over and joined the group.
“I think we found the spot where another vehicle was stashed,” Ross said. “There’s footprints from outside the window going
down the gravel road a way and then tire tracks to the pavement.”
“It’s convenient that someone left her that car. And we need to figure out who,” Maya said. Now she knew why Abigail had come to this town. She’d thought it was a little out of the way and odd when Juniper had tracked this direction. The fact Abigail was gone meant that she’d been tipped off.
“Thanks for stating the obvious,” Ross said.
Bernardo gave a short laugh. “We also need to see if we can figure out where they’re going. She left the note and emailed
the picture, but nothing else.”
Maya glared at them. If it were up to her, Ross and Bernardo would be sent home. But it wasn’t up to her. “She’ll be in touch.”
“Oh yeah?” Ross asked. “What makes you think that?”
“She wants me to come to her so she can have her moment of revenge,” Maya said. “Hope will probably stay alive until then.”
“We’ll work on this tonight,” Kessler intervened.
“I can get Juniper. We can run a track,” Maya said.
“No,” Kessler said. “This time I’m going to ask you to leave. All of you. You’re too close and I’m calling the jurisdiction.
The FBI needs to work this case. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if Abigail makes contact, let me know ASAP.”
He was right. Maya didn’t want to be sent home, not when Hope was still missing. She was trying to think through a way to
argue.
Kessler beat her to it. “You know I respect you, Maya.”
“I know,” she said. He was telling the truth. And he was probably right.
“Go home, get some rest. Let us investigate. If Abigail contacts you, call me immediately. Don’t do anything impulsive,” Kessler said. “I’ll update you first thing in the morning.”
“Me? Impulsive?” Maya said, trying to joke to help ease her frustration. Kessler was right. She knew it. “Call me at oh dark
thirty or if you find her tonight.”
“I will. Promise,” Kessler said turning to Nick. “Same to you and your partner.”
“Don’t you want the marshals helping?” Nick asked.
“I would love the help, but I need officers who aren’t emotionally tied to the victim. Sergeant Parker, you can stay. We need
to talk to your brother.”
Nick was about ready to argue, but Maya interrupted. “Come on. Let’s get going.”
She turned and walked away. Nick followed, muttering more choice words. Maya understood how he felt. She might be sent home
for the night and part of her was only agreeing because Juniper needed the rest, but come tomorrow, she would be researching
more about Aaron and be back to hunting Abigail.