Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Laney gripped the steering wheel of her vehicle as she flew down the highway toward Piney Woods.
It was only nine o’clock, but it felt like the day would never end.
A shooting, questioning Garrett, the attack on Papa Earl, and now a missing child.
It felt like she hadn’t had a minute to catch her breath.
“So you think Garrett and Mitch are working together?” She spared a glance at Jonah.
He held onto the handle above the door with one strong hand.
The streetlights played across the curve of his nose and his high forehead before casting them back into shadows.
He hadn’t shaved since early this morning, and bristles covered his cheeks and chin.
She knew intimately what they’d felt like as he’d kissed her, and she tore her gaze away to focus on the road.
The conversation with Breanna weighed heavily in her mind.
Laney was half-tempted to blurt out everything.
Her fears. Her feelings. She realized now how silly it was to have kept them to herself.
Jonah had been right that day in the woods.
They were friends first. Best friends. And they always found a way through difficult things together.
If she’d told him what was going on in her head and her heart…
Then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess now.
Because she loved him. She knew that with every fiber of her being. It didn’t erase the fears, or her worries, but…Breanna had been right. Jonah was in her heart. He’d been there for a very long time, and together, with prayer and patience, maybe they could find a way forward.
But this was not the time to go into all of that. Not with a killer on the loose and a missing child to find.
“We can’t be certain Garrett and Mitch are working together, but it makes sense.” Jonah looked down at his phone. “Chief Deputy Williams says that Garrett isn’t at home. They’ve contacted his lawyer, but if he knows where Garrett is, he’s not saying.”
Laney turned through the main gate of the park and raced for the visitor center.
She hopped out of her SUV, released Scout, and then hurried up the walkway.
They were met by Ranger Zoe Papadoulos, whose worried expression and clipped tone immediately conveyed the child hadn’t been found yet.
“The family is staying in Cabin 10. According to the parents, they were roasting marshmallows with another family and their kids when their four-year-old disappeared.”
“How long has she been missing?”
“Approximately an hour. The parents spent some time looking for her on their own before calling the park’s emergency line.
Chief Ranger Dawson was working late, so he responded along with me.
He’s currently at the campsite, as are Ryker and Tate.
They’re searching the area and talking to nearby campers.
” Zoe lifted a plastic evidence bag. “I collected a blanket from the child’s bed for Scout. ”
A grateful surge washed through Laney. Zoe had followed perfect protocol by collecting a scent item before anyone had even suggested it. Despite the chaos of recent days, her rangers were performing exactly as trained.
“Thank you.” She took the blanket, her heart aching at the sight of the pink fabric covered in cartoon princesses. “Where are the parents?”
“Inside the lobby.”
“And the girl’s name?”
“Alli Yates. Her parents are Sarah and Harry Yates.”
Laney’s entire body stiffened. “Alli Yates. Red-hair, blue eyes, 3 feet 2 inches, and around 35 pounds?” When Zoe nodded, Laney's stomach dropped. She turned to Jonah. “It’s the same little girl I helped the other day, the one who fell down.”
The worry and anger roiling through her were reflected in his expression. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
She didn’t think so either, but they needed to be strategic. “We can’t jump to conclusions. Alli may have wandered away. She’s done it before. While I speak to the parents, call Ryker. Get an update on their search.”
He nodded and moved off while she headed inside to speak to Alli’s parents. Both of them were distraught. Sarah’s eyes were swollen from crying, and her husband looked lost. Laney introduced herself.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You helped Alli when she got hurt.” Her gaze dropped to Scout. “Alli’s been talking non-stop about your dog...” She dissolved into tears again, pressing her face into her husband’s shoulder.
He kept an arm around her. “Alli’s independent, and she’s wandered off before, but never too far. We searched all the campsites near us…called her name…” He seemed bewildered. “She was right there. Playing with the other kids. And then the next…”
“We’re doing everything we can to find her.
I have my staff and the Texas Rangers on site.
The Kirkland County Sheriff’s Department is en route.
” Laney knew her attempt at comfort fell on deaf ears.
These parents would not be whole until their child was back in their arms. “Does Alli have any medical conditions?”
“She has asthma.” Harry pulled an inhaler out of his jacket pocket. “It can be severe, especially if she gets upset or exerts herself too much.”
The worry in his expression cut Laney to the core. It also amplified the urgency in finding Alli. If she had been kidnapped, the stress of the event could trigger an asthma attack. Even if Alli had wandered away on her own, the fear of finding herself in the woods at night could be deadly.
Laney extended her hand. “May I take that with me?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have any other inhalers? At the campsite maybe?”
Sarah wiped her face with a crumpled tissue. “There’s one in Alli’s backpack. And another inside my purse on the counter in the small kitchen.”
“Okay. My ranger, Zoe, will stay here with you. She’ll be in constant contact with the search teams and provide continuous updates.”
Harry rose. “I should come with you—”
“No, sir.” The last thing Laney wanted either of these parents was to discover the worst had happened on scene.
She prayed Alli would be found alive and unharmed, but as much as her heart longed for that, she needed to follow protocol.
“The best thing you can do to help us is to stay here. We may have questions that only you can answer, and we need to be able to reach you quickly.”
Laney spared a few more precious moments reassuring the parents and then conferred with Zoe, ensuring she would stay at the visitor center and help coordinate.
Before leaving, Laney grabbed a walkie-talkie in order to communicate with her team.
Then she stepped back outside onto the sidewalk, Scout at her side.
Jonah hung up the phone and turned to face her. “Alli’s still missing. Ryker says there aren’t any witnesses, but someone in a neighboring campsite saw a black Jeep Cherokee speeding down the main road around the time of the disappearance.”
Her worst fears were coming to fruition. “If Alli was taken by car, then Scout won’t be able to track her. We need to find the Jeep and use that as a starting point. Call Ryker back. Tell him and Tate to head toward Bear Creek ASAP, toward the area Garrett told us about in his interview.”
She jogged to her vehicle, and a minute later, was racing down the main road of the park.
While Jonah spoke with his colleagues, Laney used the radio to communicate with Andy.
She informed him that Alli was an asthmatic and where the additional inhalers were.
“Ryker says that a black Jeep Cherokee was spotted leaving the area around the time of the kidnapping. Expand your search to look for it.” She rattled off the license plate number.
“It’s the same Cherokee registered to Nolan Carlson. ”
“The murder victim?”
“Yes, we think the killer stole his vehicle and is using it to get around. It’s also a strong possibility Alli has been kidnapped. The primary suspect is Mitch Caldwell. The secondary suspect is Garrett Wheeler. If you see either man, consider them armed and dangerous. Act accordingly.”
“Understood. Are you coming to Campsite 10?”
“No. I have a potential lead on the Jeep that I want to check out. I’ll be in touch if we find anything.” She signed off and dropped the radio into the cupholder.
Jonah grabbed the handle as she deviated from the main road onto a smaller one. “Garrett could’ve been lying about where Mitch likes to hide out. It’s not guaranteed we’ll find the Jeep there.”
“I know, but it’s the only lead we have at the moment.”
Her cell phone rang, the name flashing across her dashboard.
Brett Morrison. He’d likely heard about the kidnapping and was calling to offer to help.
Laney normally appreciated his get-to-it attitude, but it was times like this that his need to impress her was a challenge.
Instead of calling her, Brett should be following protocol and phoning the staff line, which Zoe would manage.
She nearly let the call go to voicemail, but a whispered instinct told her to answer it. “Superintendent Torres.”
“Hey boss,” Brett’s words were whispered. “I found Mitch Caldwell.”
Her heart stuttered, and she let up on the gas. “What?”
“I spotted him driving a Jeep through the park and followed it. I was careful…hung back so he wouldn’t see me, you know. The Jeep is here on a dirt road near Bear Creek. I’ve parked my truck down a ways and am heading through the woods on foot—”
“Don't take another step!” Laney commanded, her tone sharp and unyielding. “Mitch Caldwell is a wanted criminal. He’s possibly armed and dangerous. Head back to your truck immediately. I’m on my way. Send me a pin so I know your exact coordinates.”
“You got it, boss.”
He hung up, and a second later there was a text message with his coordinates.
Laney braked completely and navigated to the location.
“This is on the outer edge of the park boundaries. There’s a well-used hiking trail that overlooks the limestone bluff and the creek, but not much else.
It’s the perfect place for Mitch to be hiding out. ”
“How close is this location to the area Garrett indicated on the map?”
“It’s near, but it’s not the same.” She forwarded the pinned location to Jonah, as well as the other Texas Rangers.
Scout whimpered from the backseat, picking up on the tension.
She glanced behind her. “It’s okay, girl.
” But there was worry buried in her dog’s eyes.
Was she concerned about Laney? Or had hearing Brett’s voice over the car’s speakers upset her?
Laney inhaled sharply as an idea jabbed her. “Oh…Jonah. What if we’ve been wrong this entire time? What if the killer is someone who wasn’t on our suspect list at all?”
His head swiveled to face her. “What are you talking about?”
“Brett.” Her mind raced. “As the front desk clerk, he interacts with everyone on staff, including the volunteers. Everyone goes through the visitor center. He checked in Ava and Tyler, along with Lisa and Nolan. His cologne smells the same as the killer’s.
Scout nearly bit him when he got too close to me.
He was in the lobby on the day Alli got hurt…
and now he just happens to spot Mitch driving through the park at the same moment we’re searching for Alli… ”
She’d never quite bought Garrett’s involvement in the murders. It made logical sense, but there had always been a niggling doubt she couldn’t quite dislodge. “Brett knows Garrett. They’re buddies. He may even know where Garrett’s boat is kept and what the combination code to the lock is.”
Horror sank into her as she realized too late what she should have known all along. “Brett could be the killer.”