Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
With terror coursing through her, Lydia screamed when she heard the rifle shots. More shots were fired. One dog barked and another yelped as if in pain. She couldn’t see River anywhere.
Eli advanced up the hallway and grabbed her elbow. “We need to get you out of here.”
She pulled away. “Where’s River?”
“Come on,” said Eli. Wrangler stayed close to Eli.
She still clutched Elsie’s barrette as she was led up the passageway.
As they ran, she could hear the yawning sound of the huge doors closing. Where were River and Frankie?
Up ahead in the hallway, light still streamed through the midway doors where they had been left open. Eli drew his weapon and pressed his back against the concrete wall, signaling for Lydia to do the same. Lydia reached over to the control panel to shut the doors.
When she looked over her shoulder, River was moving up the hallway with Frankie. She let out the breath she’d been holding. River and Frankie were okay.
Once the doors were shut, Eli signaled for Lydia to follow.
“I’m waiting for River and Frankie,” said Lydia.
“I’ll go on ahead,” said Eli. “Maybe we can still catch this guy.”
River caught up with her.
“I heard Frankie yelp.”
“I stepped on her foot in an effort to get out of the way of the gunfire when Gregory shot at me before I got the doors closed.”
Frankie gave a tail wag when Lydia looked down at her. “Poor girl.”
“Let’s go. We need to find out where Elsie is being kept. Her grandparents might not have a close hideaway, but I bet a real estate agent with lots of empty properties might have one now that we know for sure that he’s involved.”
They moved along the hallway until they got to the stairs that led to the fireplace. Eli was the first to go up the stairs. He yelled back down, “I’m going to see if I can catch Gregory.”
River, Lydia and Frankie made their way up the stairs.
Outside, the car that had previously pulled up was gone. Maren ran toward them. “That guy was just up here to practice fly fishing. I let him go. Ridge police are on their way.”
“Elsie was kept here, but she’s been moved.” Lydia opened her hand to show Maren the barrette. “This was hers. This was in my little girl’s hair.” Her throat constricted and tears warmed her eyes.
River reached over and squeezed Lydia’s arm.
“Eli’s gone downhill to see if he can catch Gregory Larson.
” River leaned close to her as he spoke to Maren.
“If we can’t catch him and find out if he knows where Elsie is being kept, we need to deploy K-9s to any empty and remote properties that Gregory might be trying to sell.
I’ll get on the phone to Eva to see if Gregory owns a cabin or any place a child could be hidden. ”
Maren nodded. “If we can get back down to our vehicles, I can get on my laptop right now to see if we can narrow down the properties from his website.”
“We need to wait for a word from Eli to make sure it’s safe.”
“Maybe I can look it up on my phone.” Maren stepped a few feet away from them.
He turned in a half circle, his words coming out in a rapid-fire fashion. “I’ll call Emmett to find out how many team members we can get here as quickly as possible.”
River turned to Lydia. She held the barrette in her closed fist. He wrapped his arm around her. “We’re going to find her before they can get her out of the country.”
They were so close to ending this nightmare.
His touch warmed her and made it possible for her to take a deep breath. She gazed into his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
He pressed his hand against her cheek. “No place I’d rather be.”
At the most harrowing time in her life, River had stayed with her. It spoke volumes about his character. He didn’t run or hide in a bottle like Sloane had when things got hard.
River stepped away to make his phone calls.
With one hand, she stroked Frankie’s head. With the other, she clutched Elsie’s barrette. It was silver with fabric flowers on it. She looked at Frankie, who gazed up at her with big brown eyes. “He’s all right, isn’t he? That River.” Frankie licked Lydia’s hand. “You’re pretty okay yourself.”
A Ridge police cruiser pulled into the dirt parking lot.
River turned to face her. “We’ve narrowed it down to two properties where they might be holding Elsie.
The guy has places all over the state for sale.
Lizzie and Autumn are closer to the first location.
Eli, Maren and I will cover the other place.
It’s a large log cabin on the other side of Ridge Mountain.
Eli thinks that Gregory got away. The Ridge police officer will give us a ride back down to our patrol cars.
” He pointed toward Maren who stood with Haven.
She had never seen such a look of intensity in his eyes.
“The task force will bring her home safe.” His voice held a tone of deep conviction.
She had the feeling that if it came to it, River would die in order to bring Elsie back to her.
As the three of them and the two K-9s hurried to the cruiser, Lydia’s heart raced. She’d had so many disappointments since Elsie had been taken, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Still, she sensed that she was getting close to being able to hold Elsie in her arms again.
Please, Lord, I want to chase butterflies with my daughter again and receive a million more dandelion bouquets from her. Please give me that chance.
* * *
The Ridge police officer dropped Maren, Lydia and River off at their vehicles.
Eli must have already left by the time they got there.
Maren loaded up Haven and sped away. The Ridge patrol officer lingered while River let Frankie do her business.
The police officer pulled away as River moved to load Frankie.
He had just settled Frankie into her kennel when a strange buzzing sound reached his ears.
Lydia’s hand was on the door handle. “What is that noise?”
The Ridge police officer had gone out of sight around a curve.
Gunshots from the air peppered the earth around them. River caught a glimpse of the drone above them right before he hit the ground. He rolled underneath his patrol car as more shots surrounded him. Lydia pressed in beside him.
With his heart pounding, he moved to the edge of the car and peered up. The drone was just making a turn to come back and fire at them again. “Get in the car!”
Lydia responded immediately. River rolled his body across the dirt. He had a momentary view of the sky before he flipped over on his stomach. The drone was getting closer. He reached for the door handle and flung it open. Bullets hit the top of the car.
As he turned the key in the ignition, he saw that the drone had dropped down so it could shoot through the windows of the patrol car. Lydia slumped down in her seat. He floored the accelerator, kicking up dirt as he headed toward the mountain road.
He heard the ping of a bullet hitting metal.
“He’s there. I saw him in the trees.” Either Gregory had run out of bullets for his rifle or the drone was a better way to guarantee a more accurate shot.
Norm must have taught him about the drones, just like Gregory had probably loaned Norm a gun when they had been shot at from the front and back of his house.
He stopped the car but left it idling. River’s gaze jerked around, taking in segments of the evergreens on Lydia’s side of the road. He didn’t see anything. No sign of movement or color that didn’t blend into the trees. “You sure?”
“A face. I saw a face.” She pointed at an evergreen that looked like it had been split by lightning. “By that tree.”
The drone operator would have had to be close enough to operate with a view on its target, unless the drone had some sort of camera on it. He radioed the Ridge police officer, who would still be close, for backup.
River pressed the button that automatically opened Frankie’s kennel at the same time he pushed open the door. He didn’t need to tell Lydia to stay in the patrol car.
Frankie jumped down from the car and caught up with River, who had already drawn his gun and was running toward the trees. He couldn’t see or hear the drone anymore.
Fully aware that the man had a rifle, he sought shelter behind some brush. When no shots were fired, he sprinted forward to the next place that would provide cover. Maybe Gregory was out of bullets. Frankie pressed in close to his side. He studied the area by the split tree.
River stepped out into the open. Still no shots or sign of anyone lurking in the trees. Sunlight caught a glint of metal. The drone lying on the ground.
His heart squeezed tight. He raised his gun and moved in. Frankie turned slightly and let out a warning bark.
Off to the side, River heard a rustling noise. He’d only made a half turn when a rifle butt collided with his head. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. The sound of Frankie’s frantic barking and someone’s retreating footsteps pummeled his ears.
Gregory was headed toward where Lydia sat in the car. It had been his intention all along to get at her.
As he fought not to pass out and get to his feet, River prayed that Gregory would not succeed in his mission.