Page 24 of Echoes in the Night

Jax

I’m antsy as hell. It feels like time is running out and I’m missing something. Taking a circuitous route, I go back to where I found her. The scene is undisturbed. No one came back to make sure she was dead. Which tells me they knew that the storm would kill her and nature would take care of the rest.

This is a trained killer. The question is, will they come back to make sure?Only if they find out you rescued her.

I head farther up the mountain to where I’m sure I’ll have satellite connection and call Clay on his personal phone.

“What the hell is going on?” Clay asks. “I got your message. I went to see her father and told him you had his daughter.

“He was freakin’ out of his mind. Yelling and screaming. Said he was just going to call me. He’s been worried sick. Because she disappeared.

“Apparently, Maura’s been inconsolable since her grandparents died. She told him she was going camping with friends and then the storm hit. She hadn’t answered her phone. He’d just gotten a call from someone who found her car down by the river.”

“I drove him there. Inside the car was her backpack, a dress, shoes, coat and a suicide note. We’ve been looking for a body. He doesn’t know who you have but he doesn’t believe it’s his daughter.”

“Well, that’s a lie. Don’t trust him. I’m pretty sure he hired a contract killer to dispose of Maura. Where are you?”

“My office.”

“Go somewhere we can talk more privately. Where no one can walk in on you. Your car. And take a recorder.”

“Give me five and call me back.”

When he answers the second time, I start right in. “Turn on your recorder. You’re going to want this proof. Start with your name and position, date, and time.”

When it’s my turn I state my name, rank and serial number. Then explain how and where I found her. What she told me about the missed dinner and then being drugged and taken from the coffee shop.

“If I hadn’t been outside and heard her cries in the wind, we never would have found her body.

“Clay, the guy who took her knew what he was doing. This is a professional hit. He’s blonde, wears expensive clothes, mostly in navy and black. But he may already be gone if he got his money. Are there any cameras near the coffee shop that might have picked him up?”

“Shit. I’ve got guys out on vacation and I’m already running short because of this damn storm. I can see what I can find, but my staff isn’t exactly trained for that kind of high tech stuff.”

“I’ve got an old acquaintance from the military. He owns HARDCORE Security. He’s got an IT expert that can find a needle in a haystack.” I give him Jed’s number. “Call him now, tell him I need help. Let him and his staff listen to these recordings and the others I uploaded for you. Tell him we’re running out of time. If he has backup in the area I can use it.

“One more thing. Since her grandparents died the will has been in probate for some reason and her father has been upset about it. This might be the trigger. Somebody needs to check into that. Into him. I’m wondering if her grandparents left more to her than she thought. She doesn’t have a good relationship with her father. I suspect he’s the one that set this up. Tell Jed all of this.”

“Jax, her dad doesn’t believe you have his daughter. He was truly shocked when I told him. He’s even speculated that maybe you killed her and made it look like a suicide. Or that you’re trying to falsely get money from him since you heard about the suicide.

“He’s planning on coming to confront you as soon as the roads are clear. The old highway near you will be open sometime early in the morning.”

“Getting to my place isn’t that easy, as you know. And I haven’t cleared my road. If it’s her old man like I suspect, he’ll be somewhere public in town. He won’t be the one coming. He’ll send his hit man to take both of us out. They’ll try to make it look like an accident or that I killed her. I need to get back to her. Do what I ask.

“Clay, you know I don’t make silly mistakes on my mountain. If we don’t make it out, it wasn’t an accident. Bury the bastard.”

“Jax, I don’t like this. I don’t like you up there alone. Bring her to town. Let me help.”

“This is my territory. We’re safer there. I’ve got some precautions set in place. Just get a hold of Jed. He’ll get your proof that it’s her old man trying to kill her.”

I weigh out my options as I make my way back to her. Now that they know she’s with me, her old man will be able to give the general location to his killer. He’ll have coordinates. Maybe even a drone to scope out the terrain. I’ve got my own traps and will set a couple more.

Back at the cabin, I do a perimeter inspection checking all my trip wires and other warning systems before knocking on the door. Her smile in the window is strained.

I can tell she’s tense and nervous. I lock the door behind me and quickly get my boots off. Before I can get to my coat, she’s in my arms sobbing.

“Please, don’t leave me again. Please. I hate being away from you.”

I cup the side of her face and slowly lower my lips to hers, keeping my touch gentle and soothing. She’s panicked. Distraught. Shrugging out of my damp coat, I let it fall to the floor. “Hop up here, babe. Into my arms. I need a proper kiss.”

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