Chapter 8
EIGHT
Lydia’s heart pounded as the tan SUV got closer to their bumper. River pressed the accelerator to the floor then turned his head side to side, maybe trying to find a possible escape route.
He pulled the radio. “Lizzie. We’re being chased. Could use some help.”
“On it. Let me get turned around.”
“I just turned on to the highway,” said River.
The first hit to their bumper propelled Lydia forward in her seat. The seat belt dug into her flesh. Her heartbeat revved up.
The SUV zoomed forward, so its front was even with the back end of River’s patrol car. The vehicle kept up with them as River increased his speed. The tan SUV sideswiped the patrol car, sending it off the road, then seemed to follow them from its position on the road, probably to take another shot.
The land was flat, bumpy, with trees in the distance.
“Unbuckle your seat belt and get down low.” River glanced all around. “We got to play some defense here.” He turned the wheel to head back to the road.
Lydia did what he said even though she wasn’t sure what he had planned.
River performed a tight turn. She heard a banging noise as Frankie slid around in her kennel. The K-9 whimpered. River spun the car completely around then braked. He was using his car to block the road.
River had unbuckled his seat belt and pulled his gun. He pushed open his door, which was on the far side of the road, away from the tan SUV.
She lifted her head above the ledge of the passenger’s-side window. The SUV was only yards away, the motor still running.
“Get down,” said River.
A single shot was fired. Her heart raced as she squeezed herself into the space on the floor underneath the dashboard.
The momentary distraction had given River time to move to the hood of his car.
A volley of shots caused her to wince each time a round was fired.
A second later, River jumped back in the patrol car and pressed the gas. “He’s getting away.”
When she crawled back into her seat, Lydia could see the rear end of the SUV as River sped toward it. Just as River got close to the other vehicle, it suddenly turned onto a dirt road. River sped past, turned around and went back to the dirt road where the tan SUV had gone.
She saw Lizzie’s patrol unit coming toward them as they turned. Once they were on the road where the tan SUV had gone, she spotted its taillights before it disappeared around a bend. Forest bordered them on both sides.
As they rounded another curve, she realized they were on the road that led to the border between the hiking trail and Gregory Larson’s land.
It was the road the car had been spotted on the day Elsie disappeared.
She could see the forested hill, and beyond that was the hiking trail, but there was no sign of the tan SUV.
River slowed down. Lizzie caught up with them.
Lydia looked all around. “I don’t see him anywhere.” The road they were on came to a dead end. He couldn’t have driven through.
River slowed the car. “He must have turned off somewhere.”
She didn’t remember seeing any roads that intersected with the one they were on. Maybe there had been an opening in the forest that would have provided a degree of cover.
Lizzie’s voice came through on the radio. “Where did he go?”
“Not sure. I’m going to backtrack in the car. If you want to deploy Reena, maybe he hid the car somewhere and took off on foot.”
While Lizzie got out of her SUV with her golden retriever, River backed his patrol car up until he could get turned around.
They rolled along the dirt road slowly, both of them watching their respective sides of the road.
The tan SUV would blend in with the trees.
Still, unless the driver was able to go deep into the woods, it seemed like they would be able to spot it.
“If the guy abandoned his vehicle and took off running, Lizzie’s dog would find the scent. When a person is afraid, which is the case anytime you are on the run, he or she emits a scent that the dogs can pick up on.”
If that was what had happened, where was the SUV?
River activated his radio. “Anything?”
Lizzie’s voice came through. “Nothing.”
“Thanks for your help.”
“No problem. I’ve got to get back into Ridge. I’m checking out the homes for unwed mothers to see if Gayle was seen at any of them.”
“And to figure out if the home itself was used to facilitate the illegal adoptions?”
“That’s one of the theories we’re working with anyway. Those babies had to be born somewhere. I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Emmett’s probably going to want to do a video call soon. We’ve got task force members in Denver trying to figure out which free clinic Gayle may have gone to.”
“Lots of channels of inquiry.” River let out a heavy breath. “Something’s got to turn up. Mia is out there somewhere.”
Lydia picked up on the frustration in River’s words. River struck her as a patient person. But two missing girls in separate cases and no progress on either was probably wearing on him.
Lizzie’s words were a reminder to Lydia that River had another case he needed to be working on.
River spoke into his radio. “Hopefully something will lead us to Mia’s whereabouts.”
“Hopefully,” came the other officer’s response.
River put the radio back in its slot and drove toward the paved road.
“I know you have to get back to work on the task force investigation.”
“Only if I can get an officer to watch my place. I’m not leaving you alone, Lydia.”
They drove back into town to his house. River walked close to her, with Frankie on the other side of her, as they made their way up the walk.
Once they were at the door, River unlocked it. He squeezed her arm. “Stay just inside the doorway. Let Frankie and me clear the rooms before we go inside.”
River wasn’t taking any chances.
She turned and locked the door behind her while River and Frankie moved from room to room. Her phone rang. Sheryl. Lydia closed her eyes and pressed her palm against her chest. She dreaded having to give Elsie’s grandmother the news that Elsie still had not been found.
“Sheryl, hello.”
“I don’t even need to ask. Your voice tells me everything. Sweet Elsie.”
“She’s out there. I feel it in my bones,” said Lydia.
“How are you holding up?”
“Best as can be expected.”
“Where are you? Norm went by your house and it was locked up.”
She debated whether she should tell Sheryl about what had happened at her house. Sheryl’s over-the-top reaction to every crisis tended to feed her own fear rather than calm her down. “The police thought it would be best if I didn’t stay there.”
“Norm wanted to drop off a gift card for food delivery. I’m sure the last thing you’re thinking about is cooking. We want to help any way we can. Where are you at? He can bring them by for you.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m all right. I have lots of time to cook. I’m in a safe place.”
River came back into the room. Frankie trotted over to her, wagging her tail. “Mother Caldwell, I gotta go.”
“You take care. Thoughts and prayers and all that.”
“Thank you,” said Lydia.
River held his phone in his hand. “Look, I’ve got to do a video call for the illegal adoption case. The team is all over Colorado chasing down every lead. Something’s got to break here soon. Maybe Emmett has good news.”
It was well past noon. “I can fix us some lunch.”
“I don’t have much in the way of food, but you worked your magic once before.”
While River set up his laptop for the video call, she scoured the cupboards, coming up with a can of chili that she heated on the stove. The crackers she found looked a little stale. Maybe she should have taken up Sheryl’s offer for Norm to drop off the gift card.
Then again, she doubted that River would think delivery people coming to his house and seeing her would be a good idea.
Between the sparse contents in the cupboards and fridge, she couldn’t come up with any more meal possibilities.
The freezer held only one frozen pizza. They were going to have to go to the grocery store soon.
River sat his laptop on the kitchen table.
“Should I be listening to this meeting?” she asked.
“It’s all right. Maybe you can give us a fresh perspective.”
Lydia dished up the chili. When she brought the bowl over to River, only one woman’s face was on the screen. She had dark hair and a bright smile.
Lydia returned to get her own bowl and wash her hands.
“Hey, Eva,” said River.
“I’m glad you’re early to the meeting. Saves me having to call you. It’s about D. J. Ketterling.”
“Yes. You have news?”
Wiping her hands on a towel, Lydia stepped closer to the computer.
“He was found dead down by a warehouse that was known to be a drug hangout.”
“An overdose?” River’s shoulders slumped.
Eva nodded. “The coroner estimated that he’d been dead for at least a day. That means he was dead at the time of Elsie’s kidnapping.”
Lydia felt like the walls were closing in on her. She slumped down in a chair beside River.
“I’m so sorry,” said Eva.
Another dead end.
“I’m still working on verifying Prentiss Grafton’s alibi,” said Eva. “If he’s not telling the truth, he’s your prime suspect.”
* * *
Before River could even process Eva’s news, two more faces appeared on the screen. Emmett, his boss, and Maren, who had helped him track down the father of Gayle’s baby. He reached over and gripped Lydia’s hand where it rested on the table. The news about D. J. Ketterling had hit her hard.
Three more faces popped up on the screen.
Autumn, Eli and Lizzie. Autumn Riley, who was a handler for Bear, a bloodhound trained in tracking and cadaver detection, was engaged to the half brother of Jenny Clarke, the first victim of the adoption ring.
She’d been found murdered in Canyon Creek.
Eli Blackwood had red hair and a beard. His Belgian Malinois, Wrangler, was trained in suspect apprehension.
Some years ago, Eli’s wife and infant daughter had been killed.