Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ryan waited until they were in the cruiser before expressing his frustration. He shut the passenger door a little too hard. “Now what?” So far, it seemed as if every lead had fallen flat and they were no closer to the answers needed than when he found Charlie at Pete’s place.
“We go back to the station and regroup,” Boone told him without hesitation.
“I want to speak with Junior, and I don’t care what Eddie says.
If he’s innocent like Eddie claims, then he won’t mind speaking with us.
” Boone sighed. “The answers are out there somewhere and although it may not seem so, we’re getting closer to them.
The killer is nervous. He’s striking back. He’ll get reckless.”
Ryan wanted to believe this, but right now it seemed they were years behind the killer and barely catching up.
“I’m going to try Lila again.”
Ryan grunted at Charlie’s announcement while he went over what Jason and Grant told them. He’d known drugs were around back then. Ryan hadn’t been na?ve enough to think their small town was exempt. But he had no idea the extent it had invaded Pine Haven.
“She’s still not answering.” The worry in Charlie’s tone grabbed his attention.
“Try the café’s number.” He looked over his shoulder as she called the business.
“Hello, can I speak to Lila?” She paused for a moment. “When did you last see her?”
Ryan frowned. Lila wasn’t at the café. Something was definitely wrong.
“Hang on.” Charlie moved the phone away from her mouth. “She hasn’t been in the café at all today. The person on the phone is one of the waitresses. She said the last time she saw Lila was when they were closing last night.”
“We need to go to her house.” Ryan told Boone while the scope of Lila missing settled around him. This was bad. Had the killer taken Lila?
“On my way now.” Boone hit the lights and siren and floored the gas pedal.
Lila’s place was in town. Boone made the necessary turns until they were sitting in her drive.
Ryan looked over at Charlie. “Wait here.” Her huge fearful eyes didn’t need any further confirmation she understood.
He exited the cruiser with his weapon drawn. He and Boone advanced on the house. Boone looked through the windows in front of the garage. “Car’s inside.”
Ryan wanted to believe that was a good sign. The knot in his stomach wouldn’t let him.
As they approached the front door another disturbing sight. The door stood slightly ajar.
Once he and Boone were in place, Ryan pushed the door open the rest of the way using gloves. What greeted them was frightening. The living room was in complete disarray as if there’d been a struggle.
Boone motioned Ryan to take upstairs while he searched the ground floor.
Ryan eased up the carpeted stairs. The first door appeared to be the primary bedroom. He twisted the handle, opening the door. Nothing appeared out of place.
Had Lila been preparing to leave for work when she was attacked? If so, then it was possible to narrow the timeframe when Lila went missing.
On the bed, something grabbed his attention. A piece of paper that seemed out of place. Ryan crossed the room and picked it up. The words jumped from the page.
You should have left things in the past. Now, it’s her turn to pay the price for what happened that night.
“Anything?” Boone called up.
Ryan stared at the words. The message was clear. Because he and Charlie had continued to delve into Abby’s disappearance, Lila would be the killer’s next victim unless they found where she’d been taken.
“I have something.” Ryan forced out.
Seconds ticked by in time with his pulse. Boone came into the room. “What is it?”
“He has her.” Ryan handed the note to Boone.
“This is bad. We have no idea where he’d take her, and it could be hours since he grabbed her.” He checked the temperature of leftover coffee sitting on the counter. “It’s cold.”
Ryan reread the note. “What happened that night. He must be talking about Abby’s disappearance.”
Boone scanned his face. “That’d be my guess. What are you thinking?”
“We need to start the search at Abby’s old house and push out to the bridge where Charlie and she were supposed to meet up.”
Boone nodded. “I’ll radio it in.” He stepped away.
Ryan headed downstairs to speak to Charlie and realized she was standing in the doorway. “What happened here?” she whispered, her voice strained.
Ryan crossed to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “He has her.”
His grip tightened when Charlie swayed. Her hand flew to her mouth. “How? Why? Lila wasn’t involved in what happened.”
Ryan gathered her close. “I don’t know, but we’ll get her back.” While Charlie clung to him, Ryan’s uneasy feeling had him wondering if he’d lied. Pete was dead because of something he’d learned about what had been set into motion fifteen years earlier. What if Lila was next?
“Backup’s heading to Abby’s place.” Boone joined them.
Ryan reluctantly let her go and Charlie stepped back.
“I hate putting you in danger, but we need every person we can get to search.” Boone’s attention went from Charlie to Ryan.
“Why don’t you two go to the bridge and search there?
I’ll send the officers from Abby’s house once it’s cleared.
I’m going to wait for Doug before heading over to assist. I’ll have Will pick me up. ”
Ryan cupped Charlie’s arm as they headed out into the afternoon skies that were heavy with snow.
Once he’d reversed and was speeding toward Pine Haven Bridge, he debated on the wisdom of letting Charlie be part of the search.
“I’m going,” she said, reading his thoughts. “Lila is my friend. I don’t want what happened to Abby to happen to her.”
He didn’t respond. They both knew the risks. Charlie had lost so much to this suspect. It wasn’t his place to tell her to back off. But he would do everything in his power to protect her. Even if it cost him his life.
On the outskirts of town, the Pine Haven River wound along the road backdropped by breathtaking snow-capped mountains. The road continued to steadily climb. The river weaved through the mountainous terrain sometimes getting close to the foothills.
“I haven’t been back here since that night,” Charlie admitted in a low voice.
Ryan wasn’t surprised. She’d rarely spoken to him about what happened.
The first snowflakes began to fall as he parked in the small gravel parking area and got out. Charlie climbed out of the cruiser and waited for him. She glanced up at the sky. “It’ll be dark soon. We’re running out of time.”
The desperation in her voice reminded him that there was a timeclock on Lila’s life.
“Let’s head over to the bridge.” He hoped there’d be some clue to identify where the killer might have taken Lila.
Ryan kept a close watch around the countryside knowing full well this could be a set up. He tucked Charlie to his left and away from the road. Across the highway, there were numerous places to hide.
They stepped up onto the wooden bridge. The frigid waters of Pine Haven River were fifty feet below. There was no sign anyone had been here recently. Snow dusted the wooden planks undisturbed.
“Nobody’s been here,” Charlie said in frustration. “Now what?”
Ryan glanced over the railing at the waters below. Something caught his attention. “What is that?” He pointed to the spot.
Charlie leaned over and looked before she grabbed his arm. “It’s another note.” She brushed past him.
Ryan scrambled to catch her. “Hold up. We need backup. This feels like a trap.”
She looked up at him. “It probably is. He’s playing with us. But Lila’s life is in danger. We have to do something.”
Ryan hit the radio and told Boone what they’d found.
“I’m on my way. Don’t go down there until I arrive.”
Ryan told him he copied. As soon as the transmission silenced, a sound pulled Ryan’s attention from Charlie.
Was that?
Before he had time to realize the truth, the crack of a gunshot forewarned what was coming. The shot slammed into his upper body sending him stumbling backwards.
As the darkness came, he realized someone was screaming.
Charlie. His Charlie.