Chapter 57
FIFTY-SEVEN
McGaven and John stood at the command center on the construction property getting updates, but no news. They were frustrated, but still believed Katie had chosen the area to look for the sheriff.
McGaven’s phone beeped. “It’s from Katie!”
“What does it say?” said John.
“She says she’s found the sheriff and he’s in rough shape. She can’t get to him because of Buck and Junior.”
McGaven sent a text telling her to keep her phone on and they would find her and that she needed to sit tight. He nodded when she replied.
“What?” asked John.
“She’s going to sit tight and wait for rescue.”
John let out a sigh of relief.
McGaven gave the new information to Sergeant Hardy and Commander Jamison to regroup and to head out to find Katie by her coordinates—they would have to carry out the sheriff due to the fact that a helicopter couldn’t land in the dense forest. It would take a bit of time, but Katie was giving updates.
“Are you sure Katie said she would wait?” said John.
“I know what you’re thinking, but she’s keeping watch and she’s not going to move.”
John shrugged.
“I know… I’m worried too. But Katie can take care of herself.”
McGaven and John didn’t have to say they knew Katie would run in alone, guns blazing, if she had to, but they couldn’t do anything but wait.
“Commander, I want to go with the group,” said John.
The commander hesitated but then nodded. “Go get suited up.”
John left.
McGaven wanted to go as well, but his experience wasn’t like John’s. He would stay and coordinate as well as update the appropriate personnel. He was glad John was going.
Katie kept her eyes glued to the cabin. No one came around and she wondered where the men had gone.
She took the time to ponder things, trying to connect her uncle to the killing spree from more than a decade ago.
They had solved half the murders with forensic evidence, but they still needed more evidence if they were going to close the Griffin Sr. case, not to mention the big question was who were in the other graves.
The weather was cold—and becoming colder. Katie could feel chills throughout her body. She had to focus on moving her uncle to safety and for him to get medical attention. She continued to struggle with fighting her tears. Raw emotions were whirling inside her.
Suddenly, she heard someone coming. Footsteps approached.
She strained to see who it was and when they came into view it was Junior, carrying a container of some kind.
To Katie’s horror, she realized it was a gas can as he began dousing the area around the cabin and then went inside and did the same.
No…
Katie didn’t take time to plan; instead, she jumped into action. There were pieces of wood near the cabin, she grabbed one and bolted inside swinging hard. She made a direct hit to the back of Junior’s head and he went down.
She stopped briefly to nudge Junior’s body to make sure he was at least out; she didn’t care if he was dead.
“Katie,” said the sheriff. His voice was strangely raspy as he struggled to move.
Seeing his condition up close made her weep and she didn’t care if she wailed with her pain. She kept looking at the door, expecting Buck to come back. How could he have gone along with something like this? How could he be the killer?
Katie studied her uncle’s restraints. She had never seen anything like it before.
She tried to loosen them, but it only caused her uncle to shout out in extreme pain.
She pulled her hunting knife and began to try to pry loose the nails in his hands.
She managed to free one, but it made him scream in pain.
Trying to focus on freeing her uncle, she kept working the weird contraption—which made her think of the trap with the swinging branches at the construction site.
With her uncle’s blood running down her arms, she continued to loosen everything.
Finally, his arms were free and dropped downward.
She saw him try to lift them, but they were like heavy weights.
His neck was in a belting contraption she could easily free him of by unbuckling it.
She did so and breathed a sigh of relief, but then her uncle became unconscious and flopped forward.
She caught him and, remembering her training, she was able to put him over her shoulder and move him.
Her first priority was to get him to safety and wait for rescue.
Everything was a blur and surreal. Katie couldn’t feel herself moving and pain didn’t seem to register. She heard her uncle moan. She couldn’t think about what would have happened if she hadn’t tracked down the cabin. She let out a frustrated cry as she carried her uncle through the doorway.
Katie moved as fast as she could, trying not to fall or stumble, and went into the forest area near Cisco. She couldn’t carry Uncle Wayne anymore. She gently laid him down, took her jacket off, and covered him.
“Cisco heir,” she said.
Within seconds, the big black outline of a hero dog appeared.
Katie situated Cisco to stay with her uncle. The dog obediently downed by his side.
The sheriff stirred slightly and opened his eyes. He stared at Katie and gently touched her face with his fingertips. “Go. Get free from here. I love you so much,” he managed to say. “Go…”
“I’m not leaving you. Help is coming,” she said, wiping her tears. “Your department is behind you and coming to save you…”
The sheriff nodded but didn’t say anything. Then his eyes suddenly widened and stared behind Katie.
She turned to see the outline of the big man who called himself Buck. He stood motionless. Arms at his sides. He appeared more like a monster from a horror film and not a decorated Marine living off the grid.
Katie got up and walked toward him. “Buck?”
He didn’t say anything.
“Buck, how could you do this?” She kept walking to him.
“I need to pay for my sins. I want you to know, I only partook in the murder of Bruce Collins—we all did.”
“Junior was a bad man. Why would you work with him?” she said.
“No little boy should have to endure what the four of us did. It bonded us for life no matter what. We would always have each other’s backs.
Each one of us had to listen when one of us had to endure the…
the screams… the feeling that we might not make it…
and the fact no one would believe us… Why?
My brother and I could take it, but Grand and Junior weren’t as strong and they…
broke. Bruce Collins broke them… all of us…
We have physical scars, but it’s the emotional ones that won’t heal. ”
“What are you talking about?” Katie suddenly understood what the root of this entire investigation was. Her heart ached for the four little boys. She knew Buck was telling the truth. His eyes said everything.
“We tried… we tried to tell the police what was happening to us, but he didn’t listen.”
“Who didn’t listen?”
“Deputy Wayne Scott. He didn’t care.”
Katie understood what he meant. “Buck, he did care. I can promise you that. My uncle is a very caring person. But he was a deputy and would have passed on his report for others to investigate. It wasn’t his fault.”
Buck looked at her. It wasn’t in hate or even the demeanor of a man wanting to hurt her. Katie believed he wanted to help her by protecting her and that he cared about her.
“Thank you,” he said. “You took the time to visit me in the hospital. No one else would do that.” He pulled something out of his pocket and raised it toward the doorway of the cabin. It was a lighter. He turned back to look at Katie. “I’m sorry.”
“No, Buck!” she yelled. She knew what he was going to do. “I can help you. We can work together to close these murder nightmares. There are people who can help you… please… please don’t do this…”
He looked at her, shaking his head. “My fate has already been sealed. The explosion in the military didn’t complete the job, but now… I’m going to finish it.” He tossed the lighter inside the cabin causing it to ignite the gasoline. The flames instantly engulfed the room.
The immense heat and pungent smell of the gas was overwhelming. It made Katie’s throat hurt and she started to cough.
Katie grabbed Buck’s coat. “Don’t do this.”
“It’s okay. It all ends now. I’ll finally be at peace.”
“You have a chance of making a good life. Think of your brother.”
“I am thinking of my brother. That night the four of us were brutally victimized and the night Bruce Collins killed his wife and daughter was when my life ended. I’ve been just a ghost wandering. But now I’m ending it.” He walked toward the door opening.
“No!” The heat was too much and Katie had to retreat slightly. “NO!”
“One of the highlights in my life was meeting you, Detective Katie Scott,” Buck said. He smiled and stepped toward her, but then he pushed her back hard causing her to fall.
Katie helplessly watched in horror as Buck calmly walked into the burning inferno; his body completely engulfed in the fire.
Katie staggered to her feet, experiencing so much grief and pain she was unsure for a moment of what to do.
She dropped to the ground on her knees and then managed to crawl to her uncle and Cisco—her family.
The tragedy of the Collins family and how it spread through other lives was unconscionable and beyond heartbreaking.
She felt a gamut of emotions: relief, sadness, and even hope.
“Uncle Wayne,” she said as she lay next to him. “I love you…”
There was no reply.
She turned to look at her uncle. He had stopped breathing.
“No!” Without wasting time, she quickly started CPR as the forest flickered with light from the fire.