Chapter Three #2
“Yeah. We’re really close to the road.” She stared at the ground.
“It’s obvious they were brought this way for that purpose.
If I had my guess, the trouble came to the cabin from this direction as well.
Either way, whoever was with them knew the kind of footwear that wouldn’t leave a recognizable imprint.
” She crouched down. “See that impression?”
He crouched next to her. “I do.” It was nothing more than a slightly flattened grass area—didn’t penetrate the ground’s surface. Too dry here “We’ve seen a few of those, some with a tad more depth. You’re sure all four deputies were wearing the same grid pattern-soled boots?”
She nodded. “Positive. It’s the department’s issued footwear.”
“Then the question is,” Billie said, “why was their vehicle taken off the property while they were brought this way?”
“Easy.” She pushed to her feet. “If anyone happened to be walking around the retreat and saw anything that night, it would appear they had driven away. If the vehicle was seen rolling through town it would, again, give the impression they had left of their own volition.”
Billie laughed. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were an investigator in a former life.” He knew she’d only ever been the owner of this retreat other than her short waitressing stint during high school. Charly Nix was another bit of research he’d done on the flight from Chicago to Guntersville.
“My father taught me to pay attention.” She shrugged. “He used to be the sheriff in Marshall County. And a hunter. He said when push comes to shove, your best defense is in the details. Every little detail matters.”
“Smart man.” He glanced at the ground again. “You ready to keep going?”
“Ready.” She started forward once more.
They discovered the same evidence for the next few minutes as they’d found when they started—right at that step coming down from the deck at the cabin.
Eventually, the forest gave way to a grassy right-of-way on the roadside.
The highway cut through right in front of them. Traffic appeared to be sparse.
Charly did her magic. Studying the ground until she found what she was looking for. She squatted down a few feet from the pavement and looked closer.
“Another heel impression here. Then this line of smashed grass. It’s springing back up now, but it was flattened for a bit.”
“A vehicle pulled to the side of the road here,” he said.
“Yep. Could have been any vehicle passing through except for that heel indentation.” She stood. “This is where they got into a vehicle and drove away.”
Billie studied the grass and weeds. It had been cut in recent weeks so it wasn’t that tall, but it was clear to see the vehicle had left going north. He scanned the road in both directions as far as he could see. No CCTV of any sort out in the country like this.
He turned back to Charly. “We should go back and get my SUV. I’d like to follow the road. Maybe someone who lives in one direction or the other has a video doorbell.”
Charly didn’t look optimistic. “There are houses. Not that many. Some likely too far from the road to help even if they have a camera doorbell.”
He nodded an acknowledgment. “All it takes is one.”
“Right,” she admitted.
They started back through the woods. His cell vibrated in his pocket. He withdrew it, recognized the local area code. He answered with “Jagger.”
“Mr. Jagger, this is Deputy Lathan. We met yesterday.”
“Yes, Deputy Lathan.” Billie glanced at Charly. They both stopped as if being still was necessary for hearing whatever the man had to say. Fear raced down Billie’s sternum and lodged in his heart.
“We found your sister’s rental.”
The fear expanded. “Anything inside?” What he wanted to ask was whether she was inside but that terror currently choking him wouldn’t allow it.
“No bodies. Nothing relevant other than a handbag with your sister’s ID and such in it.”
Billie felt some measure of relief at hearing no bodies were found—at least not yet. “Where did you find it?”
“In the water off Sunset Drive,” Lathan said. “Whoever disposed of it here underestimated the tenacity of the local treasure hunters. Ever since that docuseries about finding lost gold coins and treasure, someone’s always poking around with that magnet fishing stuff.”
“I’d like to see the vehicle.”
Lathan gave him the location of the county’s property and evidence compound and said he’d be waiting.
Billie ended the call. “They found the vehicle she and Martin rented. It was in the water.”
“Is it at the evidence shed?”
Billie nodded.
“Come on.” She hurried forward once more. “I know the place. I used to play there as a kid.”
Billie followed. He wanted to be relieved there was no body…but he wasn’t. As much as this was a good thing, it was also a very bad thing.
Someone had taken his sister, and likely her husband as well, by force, but they weren’t reaching out for a ransom or whatever it was they were after.
The options outside a ransom of some sort were not ones he wanted to consider but at this point he had no choice.
His sister’s life depended on him and on the lady keeping pace with his wide strides.
He’d never really liked the idea of a partner. He preferred working alone. But he had a feeling he was going to need this woman.