Page 71 of Seeking Evil

“But you don’t know what T looks like. How will you know?”

A good question. “I’ll know. Just stay here out of sight. If there’s trouble, get out of here.”

Dawn shook her head. “No, you can’t. It’s too risky.”

“I’ll be okay. I’m a trained agent. I can handle myself.” As she headed away, those words came back to haunt. She was highly trained, and yet an old man had managed to get the better of her. She was weak from walking, and God only knew what type of drugs she’d been injected with. She wasn’t a match for Henry. She wouldn’t stand a chance with someone as demented as T.

Sierra eased toward the house. So far, so good. Once at the side, she did her best to keep to the shadows as inch by inch, her heart pounding in her ears, she reached a set of windows.

A loud thud echoed through the silty darkness. Sierra tried to identify the location.

Dawn? As much as she wanted to call out to her friend it was too risky.

Lord, keep her safe.

Curtains blocked the first set of windows. She moved to the next. There was just enough space between the curtains to see inside. A cozy living room appeared through her sliced view. A sofa and a couple of chairs gathered around a large fireplace. There were photos on the mantel.

When Sierra spotted one she recognized, a smile spread across her face.

Another had her turning to flee.

She ran toward the place where she’d left her friend. Before she reached the trees, what sounded like the crunch of dried leaves snapping underneath someone’s foot had her halting.

Sierra whirled. A shadow emerged from the darkness and charged for her. She recognized the person.

Something sharp was jabbed into her neck. “No.” She tried to lunge for her attacker but they stepped easily out of her way.

“Why?” she pleaded as her legs gave way. She dropped first to her knees and then to the ground unable to save herself.

Her eyesight blurred. The figure moved past her to where something else lay on the ground. No. Dawn’s lifeless body was dragged away, and all Sierra could do was watch and wait for her turn to die.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Ithink I have something.” Hannah’s excitement grabbed Zeke’s attention right away.

After interviewing Derek, he couldn’t have felt more discouraged. In his opinion, there was no way the man had taken Lindsey and Dawn. Especially not Sierra. He confirmed he’d never driven a vehicle, and he’d suffered a work-related injury a few years back that affected both shoulders. There was no way he could have lifted those women into a vehicle or carried them anywhere.

Hannah turned her laptop around for the team to see. “It’s about a kidnapping that happened outside Pinedale almost forty-four years earlier.”

“You’re kidding?” Zeke couldn’t believe this was the first they were hearing of it.

Hannah brought the newsletter article up on the screen. “Fourteen-year-old Colleen Owens went missing from her family home outside Pinedale. Police had no clear leads. There were never any suspects mentioned. The police believed it was someone passing through the area. According to the parents, Colleen was walking to town like she had on numerous occasions.”

Zeke read further down. Colleen had never been found.

“Are the parents still around?” Zeke realized the likelihood of that was slim.

“No. They died twenty years ago within a few months of each other.” Patrick rose. “I remember hearing about that case when Deb and I first moved here. I’ll get the file.” He left the room.

“Are there any other family members alive?” Zeke asked.

His sister told him no. “Grandparents passed away before her parents. It doesn’t look like there are any living relatives around.”

“What about the house where the family lived?” Zeke wondered who currently owned it.

“The family moved away from the area a few years following Colleen’s disappearance. The ranch was sold a couple of times. Its current owner is George Underwood. He’s owned it for more than twenty-five years.”

Patrick came back. “Let’s see here.” He opened the folder. “Looks like Colleen told her parents she was meeting up with her friend Tillie. A neighbor girl. The two were in the same grade and hung out together. Tillie was interviewed but said she didn’t have any plans to meet up with Colleen. She believed Colleen had a secret boyfriend she was sneaking into town to meet.”

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