20. A Bad Seed
CHAPTER 20
A Bad Seed
L evi kept his gun holstered. Working with civilians meant the weapon being in plain sight would make them nervous. Nervous people made mistakes.
He and Troy kept the other three between them, with Levi leading and Troy watching their six. Marcus was leading another team starting where they’d found the car yesterday, and Sam’s team was working from their farm south. Stan had several of his buddies with him, checking around his property. Other teams were checking potential camping spots, and other places Ed could be hiding.
Levi would have preferred to search with only trained people, but everyone wanted to help, and as far as they knew, Ed had never been dangerous before meeting up with Glen. But Ed had a gun. He was probably frustrated and scared. Not a good combination with a firearm.
They borrowed a small boat and moved to the other side of the water. For over an hour, they worked their way along the land in a logical search pattern.
When they moved to the next section, further back from the creek, it didn’t take long to spot signs of a human making his way through the area. Levi held up his hand in the universal sign for stop and waited for Troy to join him. He pointed out the flattened area where someone had walked and the broken branches on a couple of bushes.
When Troy nodded, he turned to the others and kept his voice low. “There are signs someone has passed this way. At this point, there’s no telling who it is. Keep close and keep talking to a minimum.”
Troy fired off a text to Marcus, and they kept moving. Many of the trees didn’t sport foliage until about ten feet up, so it was fairly clear going. He kept his gaze roving the space, including up. If Pringle was hiding, he might be up in a tree. Did he know enough about the outdoors or battles to search for higher ground?
As they moved further into the bush, it was more difficult to track the movements. He slowed several times and checked with Troy for his opinion, too. Whoever they were following was meandering. Levi didn’t know the area well enough, but Troy said there was nothing out this way but trees, hills, a few creeks, and eventually, New Hampshire. “But there’s a ravine not far past this next hill. If he’s looking to hide, he might be there.”
When they spotted the ravine, Levi motioned them all to go low. They stopped a dozen yards from the edge. He motioned everyone to sit and that he was going to do a check.
Isla stopped him with a hand on his arm. When he looked, she pointed off to the right. It took him a moment to find what she’d seen.
What looked like a piece of clothing peeked out from beneath a bush. He squeezed her hand with a grin. With a series of hand signals, he and Troy worked out a plan. He motioned for Isla and the others to scoot back and waited until they’d moved at least a dozen yards.
Reg earned himself a little more respect when he put himself in front of Isla and Piper, helping to keep them both safe.
With a nod, he and Troy drew their weapons. Levi moved left and to the edge of the ravine while Troy moved along the bushes on the right.
At the ravine, Levi looked over the edge before moving closer. The cloth could easily be a decoy, while Pringle hid on the slope below.
The ravine had a steep incline. It wouldn’t be easy to manage for a non-climber. He didn’t know if that was part of Pringle’s skill set, either. Certainly difficult with the footwear he’d been wearing at the cabin. Those shoes had barely had a tread.
Levi moved a few yards, checked in with Troy, and studied the ravine again. And again.
Finally, they were close enough to see that it was clothing. A sleeve. An elbow?
Was the guy sleeping in the bush? Was he dead?
Silently, they did a visual search from where they were, looking for evidence of a trap. Finding none, they inched forward with periodic checks around them.
The three others hadn’t moved, which helped them concentrate on the task.
When they were close enough, a soft snoring sound reached them. Still unsure if it was a trap, he and Troy slipped through the final bushes with their guns drawn.
Ed Pringle sprawled on his back, hands behind his head, fast asleep. Levi snatched up the gun from the pack that sat nearby.
Still nothing from Ed.
Sharing a head shake with Troy, Levi lifted his gun and nudged the man with his foot. “Ed Pringle. You’re under arrest.” Levi didn’t have the authority to make that statement, but it would be true soon enough.
Pringle finally stirred, but it took another nudge with Levi’s foot for him to open his eyes. They nearly bugged out of his head.
Pringle shrieked and threw his hands in front of his face. “Don’t shoot me. Don’t kill me.”
Then, he used one hand to take ear buds out of his ears. The idiot was sleeping in the bush wearing ear buds. How could he possibly be that stupid?
Levi motioned with his gun. “Roll over and put your hands behind your head.”
“Don’t kill me.”
“Roll over and put your hands behind your head. Now.” He didn’t raise his voice, but he put a whole lot of mean into the words. This wasn’t just a pathetic man. This was a pathetic man who’d tormented Isla, and Levi wanted to rip him limb from limb.
Pringle rolled over. Levi kept his gun aimed while Troy pulled out some zip ties and secured the man’s hands behind his back.
Easiest damn capture in history.
Which made him itchy. Troy must have been feeling the same because he didn’t put his gun away either. They both checked their surroundings again, but nothing was out of place. No sounds, scents, or movement. Birds chirped nearby.
He and Troy hefted the man to his feet and marched him toward the other three, who didn’t stand until Troy motioned to them that it was all clear.
“Isla!” Pringle’s voice was full of relief.
Isla frowned at him and didn’t answer.
“Isla. You know me. Tell them to let me go.”
Isla’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. Her gaze went from Pringle to Levi and then back again. When she didn’t answer, Pringle repeated his plea.
When they were close enough to speak without shouting, he said it again as if she hadn’t heard him in the first place.
Isla’s hands went to her hips. “Are you serious? After you tried to kill me?”
Pringle’s head shook so hard he almost lost his balance. “I was just following instructions. It wasn’t my idea. It’s not my fault.”
“You sabotaged my car, but it’s not your fault?” Her voice had risen about an octave, and Levi could see her body trembling.
“He told me to do it. He told me how. It’s not my fault.”
She reached forward and poked Pringle in the chest. “Your actions. Your choices. Stop trying to blame your imaginary friend.”
Pringle shook his head again. “Glen’s not imaginary. He’s the one who told me how to do it. It was Glen Hicks. He says he’s your cousin. It was all his idea. He hired me and gave me all the instructions. It’s not my fault. You have to let me go.”
Isla stepped back. “You’re such an asshole.” And then she turned and led the way through the bush. Piper and Reg both held up their phones to show they’d taped the whole interaction.
He was in love with a hell of a smart woman.
L evi walked beside Isla on the march back to the farmhouse. Troy led the way with Pringle. Piper walked just behind him with Reg to Isla’s other side as they brought up the rear.
Levi kept his gun out and his senses wide open. They had one asshole, but there was another one out there. Last they’d heard, he’d been in Texas, but the Army had taught Levi to trust nothing but the most recent intel and to suspect even that.
Marcus and his team joined them as they crossed the field. When Pringle saw the deputy in his uniform, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground. “It’s not my fault. You can’t arrest me when it’s all Glen’s fault. He told me to do it. I can’t go to jail. Isla can tell you it’s all because of Glen.”
Marcus didn’t look in Isla’s direction. Instead, he stared down at the whining man on the ground.
It took less than a second of silence before Pringle started babbling. “I’ll tell you everything. Glen came to find me. He talked me into doing things so he would have an alibi. I’m a scientist. I didn’t know it was illegal.”
Marcus continued to stare him down. Pringle’s eyes moved to find Isla. “Tell him, Isla. Tell him I’m not a criminal. I’m a scientist. I’ve got important work to do.”
Isla raised her eyebrows. “Like stealing my research and trying to take credit for it?”
Pringle’s eyes widened as if he was shocked. “You’ve got to help me, Isla. You know me.”
Levi was proud of how she didn’t back down, how she kept her voice steady and her eyes on him. “I know you’re not as smart as you think you are. I know you’d rather steal someone else’s work than do your own. And I know you’re weak enough to agree to kill me.”
“I didn’t try to kill you. I just tried to scare you.”
“You sabotaged my car.”
“It was all Glen’s idea. You were supposed to get scared and stop trying to supplant Glen in the will.”
Reg’s body jerked at that confirmation of what had been happening.
Isla rolled her eyes. “If you were the scientist you claim to be, you might have checked out some facts. Nothing Glen told you is correct.”
Pringle’s eyes widened as if that thought had never occurred to him. Levi exchanged a glance with Marcus. They had enough information from the idiot for now. A full videotaped confession in front of them was a hell of a good start.
Levi holstered his gun and took Isla’s hand. When she looked up, he squeezed her fingers. “Do you want to check on the fields with me?”
She nodded and turned away from Pringle. Levi couldn’t have cared less about the fields at the moment, but he wanted to get Isla away from the overpowering emotion she had to be feeling. He hoped a few minutes away from Pringle and even well-intentioned friends would help.
They didn’t talk as they walked across the fields toward her property. They were about halfway when they heard Hopper barking behind them. The lab bounded across the field, tongue lolling as if he hadn’t seen them in days instead of only an hour or two.
There was nothing quite like a dog to lift the spirit. Isla laughed and rubbed down the lab when he arrived. If Levi had to bet, he would assume that Tessa had let the dog loose. The analyst had been coordinating the teams from the farmhouse, and he’d seen signs that the quiet woman was very intuitive. She’d probably realized Isla could use some of Hopper’s joy.
Levi checked behind them and saw that the group had disappeared either inside the farmhouse or around the front to where the cars were parked. “How are you?”
She patted the dog again and then moved into Levi’s arms. He wrapped them around her and held on.
After a few moments, she stepped back. “I think I’m okay. I’m thrilled he’s in custody, and that he didn’t hurt anyone. But it’s weird. I’d built it up so much in my head, and it wasn’t anything like I imagined.”
Levi chuckled. “Same.”
She grinned. “Who wears earbuds when they’re on the run from the police?”
“He proved himself a dumbass today.”
“I never knew him that well, but he was a respected scientist who had the reputation of a charmer. All he did today was whine and complain and blame others. There wasn’t a glimpse of the man I knew.”
Levi nodded. “He was probably out of his element the moment Glen talked him into a partnership. Then, nothing went as planned for him until he was on the run from the police and sleeping in the woods. I bet part of him is relieved to be caught.”
“Why would he think he could blame his actions on Glen? Even if Glen paid him or promised him something, he’s the one who sabotaged the car.”
“I think he’s in for a few nasty realizations over the next few days, never mind the years he’s going to spend in jail.”
Isla shook her head, and her eyes turned serious. “Thank you again.”
He ran his fingers over her cheek and then into her hair. “No need to thank me. We’re in this together.” Forever. He would do anything it took to keep her safe. To keep her at his side and ensure she was happy. Forever.
A loud whistle from the farmhouse broke the moment, and he was glad. He wanted the moment to be perfect for her, and this wasn’t it. He didn’t even have a ring.
And they still had a second asshole to catch. Levi took Isla’s hand, and they headed back to the farmhouse to plan how to make that happen.