Chapter 5
Grady had expected the kidnappers would eventually find Lauren’s Porsche, it wasn’t exactly the kind of car that was useful in staying off-grid.
But they’d gotten here far quicker than he’d anticipated.
How had they known they’d come to Wisconsin?
Was it as simple as accessing electronic toll information?
There wasn’t time to worry about how the black SUV had found them there. He needed to get Lauren and Lucy out of harm’s way. Ducking out the side door to the shopping mall, he thrust Lauren and Lucy behind him as he quickly scanned the parking lot. They needed a ride out of there and fast.
“Where are we going?” Lucy asked.
“Shh. We need to be quiet, okay?” Lauren’s voice was a hushed whisper, as if she feared the kidnappers could hear her from the other side of the building. He hated knowing they were in danger.
Again.
It took a minute for him to spot their best option. After making his choice, he glanced over his shoulder at Lauren. “Stay beside me as much as possible. We’re heading for that dark blue car, third in from the corner.”
Lauren frowned in confusion, clearly not understanding his intent.
Yet she would soon enough. He took a step forward, subtly urging Lauren and Lucy to keep pace beside him.
He strode quickly toward the vehicle in question.
It was a later model car that was well known to be easy to hot-wire.
By God’s grace, he’d even purchased a USB drive along with a small laptop computer when he’d picked up the new phone.
The drive would come in handy now.
He was shocked to discover the car door wasn’t locked. Maybe that was a Wisconsin thing, the way it was in Wyoming. Crime wasn’t as rampant way out here away from the big city. Squashing a flash of guilt, he turned to Lauren and Lucy. “Get in.”
Lauren glared at him. “Are you nuts? We can’t steal a car.”
“Get in.” He glanced back over his shoulder, half expecting the black SUV to have made it around the building. “We don’t have time to argue about this. We’ll make things right later, okay?”
Her expression troubled, Lauren nodded and opened the back door for Lucy.
He fished in the bag for the USB drive and then tossed the bag onto the floor of the back seat.
He bent down and broke away the plastic casing around the steering column.
It was easier than he’d expected, possibly because the cold temperatures made the plastic brittle.
When he’d removed the casing, he could see how easy it was to insert the tip of the USB drive into the opening. Turning it, the engine roared to life.
No wonder so many of these types of cars had been stolen, he thought as he slid in behind the wheel. With Lucy in the back, Lauren quickly settled in beside him. He glanced at her as he backed out of the parking space. “You and Lucy need to keep your heads down until we’re far away from here.”
“Okay.” Lauren’s voice was subdued. She still didn’t look happy about what he’d done. She turned in her seat. “Put your head down, Lucy, okay?”
“Okay.” He could tell Lucy was scared, but she did as her mother asked. Grady headed toward a side exit, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror for either the owner of the car he’d stolen or the black SUV with tinted windows.
Once they were on the road, he headed west to avoid driving past the front of the shopping mall. After a few miles, he said, “Lauren, you and Lucy can sit up now.”
“Thanks.” She lifted her head, then turned to look at her daughter. “Are you okay, Lucy?”
“Yeah.” Lucy frowned. “But why did we change cars?”
Lauren appeared at a loss for how to respond. Grady met Lucy’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I saw a suspicious car back at the mall and thought it was better for us to switch to a different vehicle, just in case.”
“We’re safe, Lucy.” Lauren reached back to pat her daughter’s knee. “Don’t worry.”
Lucy nodded and looked less scared, which was a good thing. Grady fell silent as he followed the winding highway lined with trees on either side of the road. Only after they’d traveled a solid ten miles from the shopping mall and the interstate did he relax his tense muscles.
Even then, he knew the danger was far from over. Maybe they’d escaped the kidnappers, but they were still in a stolen car. He was glad they’d gotten warm clothes and shoes for Lucy, along with the electronics he’d wanted.
Now they needed to find a place to stay.
As they approached an intersection, he decided to turn right, heading north. The farther they stayed away from civilization, the better.
“I’ll pay the owner for the car,” Lauren said in a low voice.
He nodded, not surprised by her comment. “I’m sure Rex can reimburse the owner too. I wouldn’t have taken drastic action if I’d had another option.”
“I understand.” She tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “I had no idea it was so easy to . . .” She let her voice trail off, no doubt not wanting to say too much in front of Lucy.
“It’s only this make and model; most vehicles had additional safeguards built in.” He was glad she wasn’t dwelling too much on what he’d done. “Keep your eyes open for a place to stay.”
She nodded and glanced both ways. A frown furrowed her brow. “I don’t see much of anything way out here.”
“We’ll find something sooner or later.” He glanced at the gas tank and breathed a sigh of relief that they had three-quarters of a tank. Gas stations had cameras that could be used to track a stolen car.
“What did you buy at the electronics store?” Lauren bent over to look inside the bag. “A computer?”
“I figured we could do some investigating on our own.” He didn’t want to add the part that being alone with Lauren and Lucy for hours doing nothing would drive him nuts. “I know it’s a long shot, but it can’t hurt to do a little digging.”
“And the USB drive?” She tapped the item in question that still sat in the ignition, much like a key.
He grimaced. “Honestly, I grabbed it at the last minute. I thought that we might need it to store a video or other images.” He was vague on purpose, not wanting to mention his thought process in front of Lucy.
The disposable phones could record a video, but he hadn’t been sure of how much data they could store.
The devices he’d purchased were relatively basic, without any of the bells and whistles of a smartphone.
As it turned out, the USB drive had been a lifesaver in a very different way.
“I see.” Lauren’s troubled expression indicated she didn’t really follow his logic, but she dropped the issue.
If circumstances had been different, he’d have used their new phone to record the black SUV driving by, hoping to get a license plate. He hadn’t noticed if the outdoor mall had cameras mounted on the exterior of the building. If they did, the police may be able to get that information.
The possibility of getting a lead on the kidnappers made him feel better. Keeping a wary eye on the speedometer, no point in speeding in a stolen car, he continued driving north. There wasn’t much traffic on the rural highway. He hoped there wouldn’t be many cops out either.
The first town they came across was Columbia. It had a few hotels, but he wanted something with more anonymity. Another fifteen miles later, they came upon the much smaller town of Fullerton.
“Look, Grady, there’s a sign for cabin rentals.” Lauren gestured to the billboard on the right. “It says it’s six miles away, so I assume it’s located farther outside of town.”
“Perfect.” The directions indicated they should go to the northeast. They were far enough from the shopping mall that he wasn’t worried the black SUV could track them. When they came upon the cabin rentals, he slowed and turned into a plowed driveway leading to a main dwelling.
He put the gearshift into park but kept the engine running. “I’d like you and Lucy to stay here. I’ll get us a cabin.”
“Okay,” Lauren agreed.
Pushing out of the car, he scanned the area.
It was desolate and private, two solid points in their favor.
He could see a couple of individual cabins off to the right.
The billboard had boasted ten cabins, but he could only see five of them.
Maybe the others were tucked farther away from the road.
If so, those were the ones he was interested in.
He opened the door and stepped into the main lodge.
There was nobody behind the front counter, but he noticed there were several racks displaying touristy stuff for sale.
Stuffed bears, bobcats, and deer, along with jars of honey and jam, presumably homemade.
He stepped up to the counter and rang the small bell.
A woman in her mid-sixties came out to greet him.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“I’m here with my wife and daughter. We’d like to stay in one of your cabins.” He smiled reassuringly. “We’d like one deeper in the woods if possible. This is my wife’s first trip to the area, and she’s hoping to see some wildlife while we’re here.”
“Mostly deer in February,” the woman said, eyeing him in a way that made him wonder if she was suspicious of his request. “You might see a bobcat, though, the female had cubs last year. They’re about grown now.”
“That’s great.” He injected enthusiasm into his tone as he pulled out his wallet.
He was running low on cash, despite the fact that Rex had given him two grand to use for emergencies.
He still needed to buy some food for the next day or two as well.
“Thanks so much. I hope you don’t mind if we pay in cash.
” He lowered his voice. “My wife maxed out our credit card, so I shredded it.”
To his relief, the woman shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. “Cash works for me.”
Five minutes later, he was back in the stolen car. He handed Lauren one of the keys to cabin number 7. “We’re set until tomorrow morning.”
She arched a brow. “Just one night?”