Page 56 of Seeking Evil

There were plenty of gases that were odorless and deadly.

She jumped to her feet. Immediately, Sierra felt dizzy. Her stomach turned. “Get up.”

“What?” Dawn’s panicked tone reached out to her.

“There’s some type of gas in here. It’s going to asphyxiate us.” She grabbed Dawn’s arm and hauled her up. “We’ve got to get this exit open before we pass out.”

Dawn swayed on her feet.

“Hurry, Dawn.” Sierra grabbed the first rock and tossed it aside. Her limbs began to feel heavy as if weighed down.

“I don’t feel so well.”

“Keep going. Whatever you do, don’t stop moving.”

Sierra believed as long as they were working and focused on escaping, they could stave off the effects of whatever gas Henry used to try and silence them.

The task became increasingly harder. Her vision blurred. The rocks felt as if they weighed tons.

“Help us, Lord.”

Dawn had stopped working and stood there with her eyes closed.

“Hey, no. You can’t go to sleep.” Sierra grabbed her arm and shook her. “Let’s go. We’re getting closer.”

But she had no idea if that were true. After each rock they removed, another one was there to take its place. It would be so easy to simply give in to their circumstances and accept their fate.

“No.” She shouted the word aloud and started singing her favorite song, “Goodness of God.”

“I know that song,” Dawn murmured and joined in.

Their voices harmonized together. Some of the dizziness cleared away. Sierra got a burst of energy that she poured into removing the rubble.

They reached the end of the song. “Keep going.” Sierra started singing it again. This time, their voices rose higher, filling the space that one person had intended to be their prison.

But Sierra believed God had other plans.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Inez must have been watching for them. As soon as they pulled up in front of the office she ran out.

“Thank goodness, you’re here.” She clutched Zeke’s hand before looking at Patrick. “I know he has her. I just know it.”

“Calm down, Inez. We’ll figure it out. Tell us who is missing.” Patrick asked the distraught woman.

“Her name is Lindsey Newton.” She jerked her hands free and started walking purposely. “Her cabin’s this way. Terrance told me he saw her around lunchtime yesterday when he came home for a bite to eat before leaving again.”

Terrance was the last to see the missing woman. Another connection between Terrance and the victims. The declaration didn’t sit well with Zeke.

He and the team followed Inez.

Before Inez could unlock the door, Patrick stopped her. “Hold up. Slow down and tell us why you think she’s missing.”

Inez’s frantic gaze snapped to him. “Because I haven’t seen her in two days. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw her room. Lindsey told me that since climbing had been halted she might go home.” Inez forced herself to take a breath. “I told her to let me know and we’d settle the bill. But I never heard from her, and her car’s parked in front of her cabin.”

“The car’s still here?” Zeke said, surprised. Their suspect had deviated from his MO. Probably out of necessity, yet the fact that he was willing to continue his dark games despite knowing the FBI was searching for him wasn’t a good sign. “You checked her room already?”

Inez nodded. “Yes. Everything’s still inside as far as I know. Her bed’s made. She’s gone, I tell you.”

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