Page 50 of The Outcast
Aubri’s father, Magni, called while we were in one of the drones, heading toward the town where the stolen drone was found.
“Any news?” Aubri asked.
“Freya found Keith’s address. We have a group of Huntsmen in the area who are arriving in less than half an hour to search through his place. Hopefully, we can learn more about him and get a clue to where he would take Sparrow.”
“Let’s hope he’s stupid enough to bring her back home to his house,” Aubri said.
Magni’s deep voice was somber. “I doubt it, but if he does, we’ll have people waiting for him. We’re all involved. Mason and Solo are coordinating the soldiers, Raven and Leo are handling the police, and your mom and I are gearing up right now to go out and search with all the others. Even Khan is coming.”
“Did you talk to her parents?”
“Yes, Kya is staying back at the school, but Archer and the boys are joining Boulder, Jones, Thor, and the rest of us. Wewillfind her, and hewillpay for this. I guarantee it.”
Aubri exhaled noisily and her shoulders relaxed a little. It was as if hearing her father tell her everything would be fine was a soothing comfort to her.
“We’re flying toward the coordinates where the drone was found; will we see you there, sir?” Indiana asked Magni.
“No. I don’t believe for a second that he stayed in that area. He’s taking her away from there. We’re distributing our troops and search parties across the country right now. That way when we get a tip, we’ll have someone close.”
“Understood.”
After Aubri ended the call, the three of us fell quiet. We had left the candidates at the inn and told them to search the town although we were confident Sparrow wasn’t there any longer.
“When we find her, I want to deal with Keith,” Aubri muttered. “If he hurts Sparrow, I’ll fucking torture him for it.”
“He must have a mental illness, Aubri. He needs help.”
She ignored my words.
“The world needs the help we Northlanders can provide. I’m tired of foreigners thinking we’re primitive barbarians. Keith is fucking everything up.”
Aubri’s wristband lit up again and this time it was Raven.
“Are you three still headed to the town where Keith left the drone that he stole in Karensville?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen up. We now have three reports of missing drones in that town. This fucker might be a candidate for the mental institution, but he’s intelligent. He sent at least two drones off in different directions and took another. One of them went to the East Coast and two went to different places in Alaska. The question is, which one did he take Sparrow in, and which drones were empty? He’s sending us on a wild goose chase, but we have police searching the drones for traces of Sparrow and I’ll report back to you when I know more.”
“If he’s so intelligent, couldn’t he just plant evidence of her in all three?” I asked.
“He might have. Personally, my hunch tells me that he’s taken her back to Alaska with him. He grew up there and feels safe. Solomon, Thor, and Mason are headed for the drone that was found in Goldencreek. We have teams going to the other drones as well.”
“Raven, give us the coordinates to Goldencreek. Solo always had a strong intuition when tracking criminals. We’re going where he’s going,” Aubri said.
“I’m sending you the coordinates right now.”
Indiana changed our destination while Raven continued talking. “By the way, I dug out the old case from Keith’s father’s death. You’re not going to like it.”
Aubri met first Indiana’s gaze and then mine. Taking a fortifying breath, she said, “Tell us anyway.”
“Keith Moore’s mother was one of the first Motlanders to arrive as part of the Matching Program back in 2437. For some reason, she went back to the Motherlands when Keith was three or four years old. Freya did some research to locate his mother. It turns out that she’s still in the Motherlands but not doing too well. She’s in a place of reflection with severe mental health problems. But anyway, the case that I found talks about Keith’s father, who was described as a strict disciplinarian. Apparently, attempts were made to remove Keith from the home when his father neglected sending him to school. Unfortunately, the father moved them around a lot and ended up in a remote part of Alaska, living off-grid. Keith never got the help he needed and then one day when he was fifteen, he wandered into a small town and admitted to killing his father.”
“We already knew that. He told us himself,” I said.
“But did he tell youhowhe killed his father?” Raven asked.
“No.”
