Chapter 105
ONE HUNDRED FIVE
Ellie and Derrick had met Cord at his truck, where Cord had bound and secured Wheaton. But flames had sparked inside the house, so they’d locked Wheaton inside Cord’s truck, handcuffed to the steering wheel and ran toward the lodge.
The minute they rushed through the front door, smoke enveloped them. Flames danced and ate at the furnishing and curtains and climbed the wall. The stone floors were growing hotter by the moment, and the fire was inching toward the massive staircase.
“Dana Jo and Lou Lou might be in here,” Ellie shouted.
Derrick nodded. “Our unsub may be waiting to ambush us.”
Cord hurried to Ellie’s side. “I’ll go upstairs with Ellie.”
“Copy. I’ll take the downstairs,” Derrick said.
Set on a plan, Ellie and Derrick both braced their weapons at the ready and everyone dispersed. She and Cord took the stairs two at a time, pulling their jackets up to cover their noses and mouths as the smoke rose.
When they reached the second floor, they divided up to search for Dana Jo and her daughter.
“Clear,” Cord shouted after running to the right.
“Same,” Ellie said, her heart pounding as they met on the landing and raced toward the attic. The smoke was growing thicker and darker, the fog making it hard to see. Ellie kept her gun poised as if expecting the unsub to jump out and attack at every turn.
When they reached the attic, Cord jiggled the door while she called out. The locked room raised her fears, and she shouted Dana Jo’s name repeatedly. No response.
Ellie turned the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge, so Cord took several steps back then ran with full force and slammed his shoulder against it. The old wood rattled but didn’t open. He tried a second and third time then used his foot and finally kicked the door open.
Smoked poured into the room in a thick cloud.
“Dana Jo!” Ellie shouted. “Are you in here?”
Coughing, Ellie and Cord raced inside. Ellie spotted crow feathers catching fire on the wall, and Cord jumped over the flames.
“She’s here!” he yelled. “Stay back, El. I have Dana Jo.”
Ellie combed the room for Lou Lou, although the boxes in the attic were beginning to catch on fire. An old wardrobe sat in the corner. Big enough to hide a child.
Sweat beaded on Ellie’s skin.
Holding her breath, Ellie looked inside. No Lou Lou.
Bird feathers were tacked all over the walls, a mound of them on the floor.
“Ellie, Cord, we have to get out!” Derrick shouted from the hall. “The roof is about to collapse.”
Cord emerged through the den of smoky fog with Dana Jo in his arms. “She has a pulse,” he said. “But it’s low and she’s been drugged.”
Ellie waved Cord to go ahead with Dana Jo. He carried her into the hall and Derrick led the way down the stairs with Ellie on their heels.
The three of them ran, dodging flames and struggling through the smoky haze until they reached the outside. The frigid air was welcoming after the smoldering heat they’d just run through.
Cord raced toward his truck and tucked Dana Jo inside out of the storm.
Thankfully Wheaton was still secure. He looked angry but had made no attempt to escape, which would work in his favor in front of a judge. And he couldn’t have set the fire, so if he had answers, Ellie wanted to hear them.
“I called 9-1-1,” Derrick said. “An ambulance is on its way.”
It still could take time in this storm. Ellie hoped Dana Jo would regain consciousness in time to help them save her little girl and identify the man who’d abducted her.
But Mabel hadn’t. And that terrified her.
“I found a tunnel through a secret door in the basement,” Derrick said. “Our unsub escaped through that.”
Ellie glanced inside the truck. “Maybe Wheaton can fill in some blanks.”