Page 30 of Fear for Her Life

Yawning, Jenna climbed from the Beast outside Aunt Betty’s Café. They left Ben the K9 asleep on the back seat. Rowley opened the eatery door for them and then locked it behind them. Inside, she found a woman resting her head on her arms seated at a table and Wendy making sandwiches and coffee. Jenna waved Rio and Rowley to a nearby table and sat down with Raven and Carter beside the woman. A blood-soaked white dog growled at them but sat immediately when Raven gave the command. “Ms. Hagerstrom, I’m Sheriff Alton. Thank you for waiting for us. This must have been such a shock for you. Are you up to explaining what happened?”

“Before you start, I have fresh coffee and sandwiches for everyone.” Wendy pushed plates of sandwiches on the table and then went back for pots of coffee. “It’s been a long night.” She went back to the kitchen and then carried plates of sandwiches and coffee to Rio and Rowley.

After pouring the coffee and adding the fixings to her own cup, she looked at Fatima Hagerstrom. “When you’re ready and in your own time.”

Fatima Hagerstrom went about telling her story from the moment she left home. The route she took every night at the same time walking Max. She mentioned that it had been very quiet in town and only one or two vehicles went past her during the entire time. She hadn’t seen anyone on the streets and there were only two vehicles outside Aunt Betty’s Café when she looked along the road.

As Carter was taking notes, Jenna kept the questions flowing. “Did you hear anything? A scream or a scuffle? We believe this woman was murdered around the time you left home. As it was so quiet, are you sure you didn’t hear anything at all?”

“No, I did notice it was too quiet.” Fatima dabbed at tear-soaked eyes. “When I’m walking Max, I usually hear a dog barking or the screech of an owl, but I didn’t hear anything. I wouldn’t have known she was there if Max hadn’t run away and come back soaked in blood. In hindsight, I should have called you immediately rather than going to look myself, but I was concerned that someone was in trouble. Maybe they had slipped in the alleyway and injured themselves.” She took in a long shuddering breath. “I had no idea I would find a poor murdered woman. I could see she was dead, but when I saw a shadow move, I didn’t wait around to check. I just ran away as fast as I could. This was the only place open. I couldn’t call for help. I dropped my phone between the alleyway and here.”

“The person you saw in the shadows, can you describe him?” Carter lifted his gaze to Fatima. “Did you believe it was a man? If so, how tall would you say he was? Fat or thin?”

Jenna rested a hand on the woman’s arm. “Close your eyes and think about being in the alleyway and looking at the shadows. What do you see?”

“It’s hard to tell but I think he was wearing a cowboy hat. He was broad but not as tall as you.” She indicated to Carter. “He was surrounded by shadows, so it’s difficult to be sure of what I saw. I do know that someone was in the alleyway. I had to get away. Do you figure they will come after me now?”

Shaking her head, Jenna pushed the sandwiches toward Fatima. “It was very dark. I doubt very much he would have seen your face. I figure he escaped from the other end of the alleyway and will be long gone from here by now. Eat something and drink the coffee. It will make you feel better. When we are done here, I’ll have one of my deputies take you home.” She looked into the woman’s eyes. “If at any time you have concerns, call me and I’ll make sure someone is there immediately. We will keep your name out of this, so no one will know who you are.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it, but my husband will be coming by for me once we’ve finished here. I thought it would be better if he waited at home.” Fatima lifted a sandwich with shaking fingers and looked at her dog. “I just hope the man who murdered that poor woman doesn’t recognize Max. I think for the next few days, I’ll keep him hidden in the backyard.”

“Do you want me to write a statement?” Carter indicated to the statement pad Jenna had placed on the table. “It might be better if Ms. Hagerstrom remains at home until we catch this guy.”

Bone-weary from lack of sleep, Jenna nodded. “That would be a great help, thanks.” She smiled at him. “Please, eat something first. You look exhausted.”

“I will.” Carter took a sandwich and ate it in two bites, sipped coffee, and then went to work using his notes for a reference.

“I’m a doctor.” Raven peered at Fatima with concern in his eyes. “If you have any concerns, trouble sleeping, flashbacks, or night terrors, call me.” He handed her his card. “I don’t have a practice in town. I only do house calls.”

When Jenna’s phone chimed her blood ran cold. She stared at the private number ID and stood to walk away from the others. “Sheriff Alton.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Sheriff, this is Bob Cutter. I’m with the DOC search party. The coordinator instructed me to call you with an update on the prisoners.”

Pushing a hand through her hair, Jenna sighed. “It’s fortunate that I am out on a case at the moment. Usually, I’m asleep at this time of the morning. Go ahead, what have you got for me?”

“As you are aware, we discovered the cabin and the remains of Robert Moore in the forest. There is a garage attached to his property, including a gas tank. So we surmised he owned a vehicle and checked him out with the DMV. Further to this we scouted the area for tire tracks and discovered fresh marks heading toward town. Going on the time these men were at this cabin, if they took the backroads, they could have avoided the roadblocks and be in town by now. We are moving our search to the area of Stanton Forest on the perimeter of town.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Jenna took a deep breath to steady herself. “How long ago did you know about this?”

“I’ve just come on shift and received my orders. I believe the information was available at the time they discovered the body.”Cutter cleared his throat. “I apologize for not getting the information to you sooner. We’ve all been so busy it must’ve slipped through the net.”

Fuming, Jenna turned as Carter and Raven came to her side. “This lack of communication, Mr. Cutter, has cost a woman her life. We would have informed the townsfolk if there had been any inkling that these men had arrived in town. Now a poor woman walking home has been brutally murdered. This is why I’m out in the middle of the night investigating a homicide. I suggest you move your team right away. You need to be checking the outlying ranches and cabins. They’ll be using one of them as a hideout. These are seasoned criminals, vicious killers, they will know exactly how to avoid law enforcement and they won’t care how many lives they take in the process. I suggest you get your act together and do your job.”

“Yes, ma’am.”Cutter disconnected.

Jenna scrolled through the contacts on her phone for her media acquaintances. She made the same call to each of them. “I’m sorry to call you so late, but this is an emergency. Three serial killers who were involved in the bus crash on the highway have arrived in Black Rock Falls. It is imperative that we get the information and photographs of these men across all channels. I need people to stay at home when possible. Anyone moving around should do so in groups. Do not attempt to walk the streets alone at night. We have already had three homicides that we believe are connected to the escaped prisoners. More information will be forthcoming once the next of kin of the victims have been notified. The Department of Corrections and deputies and sheriffs of other counties are currently searching the outlying properties of Black Rock Falls. They will be wearing easily identifiable uniforms. Please inform the townsfolk not to open the door to anyone not clearly wearing a law or DOC uniform.” She disconnected and looked at Carter and Raven. “The reign of terror has begun.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Friday

Crisp cool air lifted Maya Brooks’ hair as she ran along the trail. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, bringing the fresh scent of pine and snow from the ice-capped mountains. As the first light of dawn filtered through the dense canopy of pines, it cast golden spears of light across the forest floor, sparking her imagination with dancing fairies. At this time of the morning, the forest was magical and gave her a sense of peace. After a run, she could face the day and any stress that came along with it. As she moved along the familiar pathway, a break in the canopy drew her attention, and engaged by the view, she stopped. The sky changed from deep blue to various shades of pink and orange and moments later the sun illuminated the peaks of the surrounding mountains. The forest came alive all at once. Squirrels scampered up trees, and birdsong filled the air. She moved on, taking in the fresh green ferns and wildflowers along each side of the trail. As usual she would run to the first bridge, cross over to the other side of the ravine, and then take the trail back to the parking lot.

As she crossed the bridge, the smell of fire came on the wind. Aware of a brushfire in the forest the previous day, she turned to look in the direction of Bear Peak. No smoke was visible and she turned to scan the forest below the bridge. If there was any danger of fire on the other side of the ravine, she would turn back and go the way she came. Seeing nothing, she proceeded across the bridge and headed down the track on the other side. People used this trail for hiking and running. This area of Stanton Forest was never a designated area for hunting, so everyone could move around without fear of being shot. Two hundred yards along the trail, she noticed a makeshift camp. Three discarded sleeping bags sat beside a small fire. As they were some distance from the river, and hunting wasn’t allowed, she wondered why these people camped in the forest. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the smoke. What had made them leave an unattended fire? She scanned the forest, turning around and looking in all directions. A wildfire this close to town could cause massive destruction as all the outlying homes were made of wood.

With no one in sight, Maya headed toward the fire. Whoever had lit it had dug a small hole first, and she used the soil to kick over the embers until it stopped smoldering. She spun around at a sound behind her and stared into the faces of three smiling men. She lifted her chin. “You can’t go off and leave a fire unattended in the forest.”

“Is that right?” One of the men allowed his jacket to fall open, displaying a gun in his belt. “And you’re the law in this forest, are you? Or are you just a busybody?”

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