Chapter 31
After an uneventful night where Huck kept his girlfriend from being shot in the head, he clicked off his cell in his office.
Finally. Damn bear. Grabbing his coat, he whistled for Aeneas and strode through the office, reaching Ena at the front desk.
“A resident reported in at the subdivision and we have the bear. I’m headed out to get her now. ”
Ena glowed. “That’s wonderful.”
Huck couldn’t take it any longer. She was practically swinging her hips. “What’s going on with you?”
“Walter proposed.”
“Ah.” Yeah, that was the rumor. They hadn’t dated long. At all. “Congrats. When’s the date?”
She shrugged. “Haven’t set one. We’ve only been dating for a couple of months. There’s no hurry, Huck.”
That was good to hear. “I’ll be back in a few hours.
” He considered taking one of the other officers but figured he’d take Laurel instead.
He’d found that changing locations often, especially to places not normally frequented, was a good idea.
He pushed open his door and moved to the FBI office door, scanning in his ID.
Oh, he probably wasn’t supposed to have one to the FBI office, but Kate had tired of buzzing him in so often that she’d just given it to him.
He climbed the stairs, walking through the open doorway and finding Laurel in the conference room, her butt on the fifties-style table.
She faced the three glass boards: one with her face, an unknown sniper, and several pictures of subjects.
The next with the lab and all of the victims with lines connecting them, and the final one of Abigail and her multiple crimes. “See anything?”
“Not yet,” Laurel murmured. “They’re getting blurred together. It’s annoying.”
No doubt. “I see you have a few suspects for the sniper finally.”
She shrugged one slim shoulder beneath a white sweater she’d paired with dark slacks. “Agent Norrs sent them over. I don’t see it, but he’s working this constantly while guarding Abigail at all times, so I’m not going to argue.”
Man, he bet Abigail hated that. No doubt she’d tried to get rid of Norrs a few times, but the guy was like a bulldog. “You don’t think she’d kill him, do you?”
“Only if it served her purposes, whatever those might be.” Laurel sighed. “I’m not seeing the pattern.”
“How would you like to get out of here and scare a bear this fine morning?”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “A bear?”
“Yep. I’ll show you what Aeneas was bred to do.
” He leaned down and scratched the dog behind his ears.
“I’ve also mapped out several locations around the illegally harvested yew trees for us to search.
I was thinking—if you had a hidden and secret lab that used the trees, wouldn’t you want it close? ”
Her eyes widened. “I truly would. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“You can’t think of everything. You just found out there was a second lab, maybe, last night.
” Sometimes she was too hard on herself.
“Let’s go. I’ll cover you to the truck.” He’d already checked and there was nobody out there, even behind the building where he now had lights and cameras at the ready.
“The sniper, if he’s still around, won’t think to look for you in bear territory.
” And Huck knew when he was being followed.
“Okay. I’ll get my coat.” She hustled out of the room.
He waited until she returned and then escorted her down the stairs, making sure to keep his body between her and any danger.
The spring day held a blue sky and a lukewarm sun, but at least the rain had finally stopped.
Once in his truck, he drove out onto the main road and then around the river, staying quiet as he let her mull through her thoughts.
Nobody followed him.
He found the bear nicely in the cage with frosting all over its mouth.
He thanked the neighbors, hooked the cage to the back of his truck, and rejoined Laurel.
“We’ll take her about twenty miles up into the mountain and let her go.
Be prepared to make some noise.” He glanced at her.
While she appeared to be all brain, she had a huge heart.
“We’ll scare her but it’s for her own good. ”
“I know,” Laurel murmured, watching the trees fly by outside. “We want to associate people and danger to her so she stays away from homes.”
Of course she understood.
He soon reached a good area where the bear could head into the woods where there was plenty of food and a great stream with fish.
Huck killed the engine, and an encompassing silence settled, broken only by the distant calls of awakening birds.
Turning to Laurel, he instructed, “Stay in the cab until we’re ready. Safety first.”
He exited the vehicle, and Aeneas leaped down beside him, muscles taut with anticipation. Together, they approached the cage. The bear charged the door and bounced off. She was a good-sized one.
Huck glanced at Aeneas, who responded with a focused stance, ready to do his job.
“Okay, Laurel,” he called out. “Go ahead and come out. I want you in the back of the truck, gun out.”
She followed his instructions, curiosity glimmering in her stunning eyes. She climbed into the back of the truck. “I’m ready.”
“Great. All you need to do is jump up and down and make a lot of noise. I’ll shoot into the air.
” Huck unlatched the cage door and swung it open.
The bear hesitated. Seizing the moment, Huck fired a shot into the air, and the sharp crack echoed through the trees.
Simultaneously, he and Laurel shouted loudly, their voices merging into a clamor designed to instill fear.
Aeneas barked fiercely, sounding happy to be back at work.
Startled into action, the bear lunged from the cage, eyes wide with alarm.
It bolted toward the forest, claws tearing into the earth.
Aeneas pursued briefly, nipping at the bear’s heels, reinforcing the lesson, barking wildly with no fear.
After a short chase, Huck called Aeneas back, and the dog returned promptly, mission accomplished.
Laurel laughed. “Textbook execution,” she remarked, admiration in her tone.
Huck nodded, scanning the treeline. “It’s about reinforcing boundaries,” he replied. “With luck, she’ll steer clear of human settlements from now on.”
Aeneas sat beside Huck, panting lightly, his gaze fixed on the point where the bear had disappeared. The forest gradually returned to its natural rhythm, the brief disturbance fading into the vast expanse of wilderness.
Laurel looked around. “You asked me earlier? What about you? Where would you hide a secret lab?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d search from the air. Why don’t we take a look around, enjoy the spring day, and then try from a helicopter tomorrow?” If there was even a hidden lab anywhere close by. The lab could be in Seattle.
She smiled, looking more relaxed than she had in days. “That sounds like a nice day. Well, unless we find the lab.” Her brows drew down. “I hope we find it. I don’t like Tyler’s warning.”
“Yeah, me either.” Huck walked down the side of the truck, leaned over, and lifted her, allowing her to slide down him until she reached the ground.
She reached over the side for her gun carrier. “If we take everything at face value, we have a lab creating some sort of dementia cure that might have a side effect of creating lesions in the brain that kill people. So it could be a weapon as well.”
That’s what he thought. His gut turned over. “So an attack would mean . . .”
“They might be trying to test it. On a population.” She paled. “This is just conjecture.”
But it was the only explanation that made sense. “We have to find that lab.”
* * *
The aluminum bat cracked against the ball, sending a line drive straight toward third base. Viv crouched, gloved it clean, and fired to first, the ball popping into the mitt before the runner was halfway down the line.
“Nice one, Viv,” Tatum called from shortstop, her red ponytail bouncing as she jogged toward Viv. She was a cute sophomore with a scattering of freckles across her nose and a wicked arm that was deadly on double plays. She leaned in, smirking. “You know the cop watching from the dugout? Kinda hot.”
Viv glanced toward the dugout. Officer Tso sat alone on the wooden bench, arms crossed, sunglasses tucked into his collar.
He looked fit beneath the Fish and Wildlife jacket.
Not exactly “hot,” in Viv’s opinion, but solid.
Steady. The kind of guy who saw more than he let on.
He gave a quick nod as her gaze met his, and Viv looked away before he could read too much in her expression.
She wasn’t used to being watched. Not like this.
Coach Weaver called, nodding with approval as she tucked her clipboard under her arm. “All right, hustle it in. Batting practice next.”
Viv motioned to the school. She needed to use the bathroom.
Tso frowned.
Viv wiped her forehead and gave him a short wave to signal she was fine. Not disappearing. Not running back to the lab. She just needed to hit the restroom.
Coach blew the whistle. “Batting lineup in five!”
Viv jogged past the benches, peeled off toward the locker room, and pushed the door open. The scent inside hit her instantly: a mix of lemon disinfectant, fabric softener, sweat, and someone’s too-sweet cherry body spray. Her cleats clicked over the tile as she headed straight to the bathroom.
Her bladder was screaming.
The light in the bathroom flickered once. She ignored it and ducked into the first stall. Quick, no time to mess around. She’d be first up for batting if Tatum volunteered to catch again.
She flushed, stepped out, and walked to the sink. The mirror was cracked along the top edge, warped enough to stretch her reflection. She washed her hands, still half-focused on timing and swing mechanics.
Then she looked up.
John Fitz stood in the doorway.
He looked exactly as she remembered. Short. Round. Hair combed too neatly. Like someone’s weird uncle who talked too close. His Oakridge Solutions ID wasn’t clipped to his collar now. There was no mask of professionalism. Only purpose.
Her heart hit once, hard. “Wrong room.” She’d left her phone in the dugout. She didn’t take her eyes off him.
His answer was silence.
And then he moved.
Viv pivoted and bolted for the door. He was faster than he looked. She hit the tile hard when he grabbed her from behind and slammed her against the wall near the showers. Her shoulder cracked the tile. The sting registered distantly.
She twisted and slammed an elbow into his ribs. He grunted but didn’t let go. His hand clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream.
The smell of him hit her next. Chemicals. Rubber gloves. Something sharp and acidic beneath the surface.
He shoved her into the corner. She kicked his shin, hard, and tried to scratch his eyes, but he turned at the last second and slammed her against the bathroom mirror. The glass didn’t break, but it shuddered.
Viv struggled harder, muscles burning.
“Should’ve kept your nose out of it,” he muttered, breath hot on her ear. “Little girls don’t belong in grown-up places.”
Viv bit his palm.
He cursed and jerked her sideways, toward the narrow window above the second sink. It was half open from earlier in the day. She kicked and shoved, but he was stronger than he looked, all solid muscle beneath the round frame.
Her hip hit the sink hard. Her fingers scraped porcelain. Her voice rose in her throat, but he caught her again, slamming her head to the side just enough to daze her.
The last thing she felt before the cold hit was his grip on her sweatshirt collar.
Then they were out the window.
The glass exploded around them as he dragged her through it. Her arm slashed against the frame. Her cleats caught nothing but air. She hit the ground hard, breath punched out of her lungs.
Viv rolled, twisted, tried to crawl. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her back.
She opened her mouth again to scream.
His hand clamped down, and the darkness rushed in. She whimpered once and then was out.