Chapter Thirty
CHAPTER THIRTY
As the sheriff knocked on the cabin door his instincts were telling him there was a major drama unfolding, and it wasn’t just because of Doug’s comment. But the last person he expected to see when Doug invited him in was Dr. Jim Green.
“Hello, Sheriff Cooper.”
“Dr. Green! What are you doin’ here?”
“It’s a long, sad story and I have to tell you about it, but at the moment Katy Miller urgently needs your help.”
“She’s in the shack in the empty field next to Blake’s ranch, and she’s in trouble,” Doug interjected urgently. “Can I fill you in on the way. We have to go right now.”
“You bet.”
Hurrying out to the sheriff’s cruiser and climbing in, the sheriff sped up the drive while Doug quickly relayed the events of the previous few days. He began with finding Jim Green in the tiny cabin and hearing the vet’s horrifying story. Then explained how he and Katy had been shocked to see Beth Green at the Moonshine Restaurant with the man calling himself Craig Bradley.
“Okay, got it. But why is Katy in trouble?”
“She took my truck to the cabin to pick up Jim’s address book, then sent me a text. I’ll read it to you. I’ve arrived, but I don’t see the sack of sand anywhere. Is Billy still coming to help me load it? He’s not here. The thing is, Sheriff, she wasn’t there to pick up a bag of sand, and Billy wasn’t supposed to be there to get it into the truck.”
“Damn! She sent you an SOS!”
“That’s what Jim said. I didn’t spot it but he did. There’s been some other stuff, like Katy thinkin’ she saw a Bigfoot…though I don’t think that’s related.”
“You never know, but it’s shocking to hear Beth would poison Jim. I just can’t believe it. Ah, there’s the thicket,” he added, swiftly slowing and pulling to the side of the road.
“Billy should be there by now.”
“Text him. Tell him we’re here, ask where he is, and to move into the thicket and wait for us..”
“Wait! That’s him running over here. He must have already been in the trees and saw us,” Doug declared.
“Okay, let’s go.”
* * *
Inside the cabin Katy was trying to control her panic. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped in the truck with the brutal imposter. And she still didn’t know if the bang on the roof had been a signal from Billy or Doug, or something completely random.
“Give me the keys,” Craig suddenly ordered.
“But you know they’re in the truck.”
“Oh, right,” he muttered, hobbling towards the window that looked across at the field, then quickly turning he strode into the bathroom.
As he moved out of sight Katy knew it might be her only opportunity to get away. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter, and with her back against the wall she crept towards the bathroom and peered inside. Seeing him staring out the window, she reached around, and with trembling fingers, took hold of the handle and gently closed the door.
Her heart was hammering so hard she could scarcely breathe, but she managed to push the tip of the blade into the door frame. As it effortlessly slid into place she almost cried with relief. Knowing when he tried to push the door open it wouldn’t move, she raced outside and jumped into the truck, only to discover the key fob was gone. Panic-stricken she climbed out and ran towards the thicket. When she saw Doug hurrying towards her, she couldn’t believe her eyes. With tears streaming down her face she fell into his arms, barely seeing the sheriff a short distance away holding his gun in the air and moving stealthily towards the cabin.
* * *
Inside the bathroom Craig had just discovered the door was jammed shut. In spite of his wounded leg, he turned and launched a powerful sideways karate kick. Ignoring the pain from the gash in his leg he ripped away the wooden slats, climbed through and raced outside.
Seeing Katy running towards the thicket he gave chase. But barely a split-second later he heard a noise behind him. Jerking his head around, to his horror, he saw a large black dog literally in the air flying towards him. As they tumbled to the ground Craig tried to scramble away, but Butch sank his teeth into the gaping injury on Craig’s leg, evoking a high-pitched cry of excruciating pain.
* * *
A few minutes after Sheriff Cooper and Doug had met up with Billy in the thicket, they had spotted Katy racing from the cabin to the truck. The sheriff had started moving cautiously forward and had ordered Doug and Billy to stay put, but when Katy ran from the truck Doug had darted past him and swept her up in his arms. Moments later the wounded man had stumbled from the cabin calling Katy’s name and staggered towards the trees.
The sheriff was about to raise his gun and apprehend him, but they had all stared in shock as Butch had appeared from nowhere speeding across the empty field.
Before the sheriff could step forward or Doug could call his name, the dog had flown through the air from what had seemed like yards away, landed on Craig, brought him down and sank his teeth into the open wound.