Page 41 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
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Reed snapped back to a standing position and grabbed the flashlight. He still had his gun gripped in his right hand, and he gave the Glock an adjustment, getting it ready in case he had to use it.
But he didn’t see anyone, and he didn’t hear anything else.
Hallie and he stood there, waiting. Listening. But after several long moments, there still wasn’t another sound.
“Go ahead and call for an ambulance,” he whispered to Hallie.
Mrs. Robey needed medical attention, and she needed it now. Unfortunately, she might not be getting it until Hallie and he made sure it was safe for the EMTs to come into the house.
Hallie made the 911 call, requesting an ambulance. “I’ll text Shaw and Jesse to let them know we heard something. One of them should come in to be with Mrs. Robey, but, I want the other one to stay outside in case it’s the killer and he tries to escape from an upstairs window.”
Good idea. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened after the killer had tried to gun down Hallie. If they’d caught the killer then and there, then Mrs. Robey wouldn’t be barely clinging to life right now.
Praying that he didn’t add to the woman’s injuries, Reed holstered his gun and passed the flashlight to Hallie so he couldfree up his hands. With some effort, he got the ropes off Mrs. Robey. She practically tumbled into his arms, and he eased her onto the floor, shucking off his jacket so he could cover her with it.
With her gray hair no longer hanging in front of her face, Reed could see several angry-looking gashes on her head and the blood that had oozed and then matted around them.
Blunt force trauma.
The sonofabitch had tried to beat her to death.
Her eyelids fluttered, and her mouth began to move so Reed crouched beside her, pressing two fingers gently to her wrist again to check her pulse. It was still there. Barely. She certainly wasn’t getting any stronger.
“Mrs. Robey, who did this? Can you tell us?” he asked.
Reed hadn’t expected a response, but her eyes opened, and he could see her trying to focus. Trying to communicate something. She murmured one word before slipping back into unconsciousness.
“Run.”
Hell. That definitely hadn’t been what Reed had wanted to hear, and he wasn’t going to do that. Not a chance. He would do everything to save her, and that meant making sure it was safe for the EMTs to get to her.
Hallie obviously had the same thought because she fired some glances around the room. “No other way in here other than the backdoor.” She went over to make sure it was locked. It was. “We’ll have to make sure whoever’s upstairs doesn’t get back down here to the kitchen.”
Yes, because the killer might try to finish off Mrs. Robey. And that’s where Shaw or Jesse came in. The woman wouldn’t be alone, and if the killer managed to set fire or some other sick, twisted move, then the deputy stood a chance of getting her out.
Hallie and he started moving, making their way back through the dining and living rooms. Keeping watch in case the killer had sneaked down the stairs and was lying in wait for them.
They had just reached the still open front door when Reed heard Shaw say from the porch, “It’s me.”
Shaw came in, the rain dripping from his parka. “Jesse’s keeping watch. Where is Mrs. Robey?”
Reed tipped his head to the kitchen. “Stay with her until…well, until,” he settled for saying.
“Good luck,” Shaw murmured, heading toward the injured woman.
There was another creaking sound, and Reed knew it had definitely come from upstairs so that’s where Hallie and he headed. Lightning flashed outside, briefly illuminating the steps and the landing on the second floor.
And that’s when Reed saw what he’d missed earlier.
The water on the steps, likely from wet shoes. And then he saw more on the landing above them. It was just a smear of motion. Maybe even a shadow caused by the storm that then disappeared out of sight.
But Reed didn’t believe it was a shadow.
Apparently, neither did Hallie because that got them moving even faster, and Reed didn’t have to tell Hallie to be careful. She knew the risks. Knew they could be walking straight into the line for fire. That’s why they stooped lower when they reached the top. Best not to make themselves easy targets.
Thankfully though, no one shot at them.
