Page 23 of No Escape

Without wasting another second, Will and Charlie rushed to the back door and stepped out into the darkness, the rain pouring down around them. They scanned the area, but there was no sign of Valerie and Suzie.

Charlie leaned down at the wet ground and pointed to some impressions on the rear lawn.

“Two sets of footprints,” Charlie said. “I bet it’s them.”

“Then she’s alive!” Will said, a sigh coursing through him. A swell of relief and worry moved him almost to tears. “Do we go after her?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie said.

“How can we not?”

“Because the outcome is uncertain,” Charlie said, grimly. “Do we track our friend or the man who means to kill her?”

“Agent Carlson,” a woman’s voice said from inside, beyond the back door.

Will and Charlie both spun around, eyes wide, to see the same police officer they had spoken to before. She looked grave, a deep frown on her face.

“We found two bodies at another crime scene,” she said with a heavy heart. “And we believe John Murphy is the killer.”

Charlie looked at Will. The decision weighed heavily on him.

“Valerie would want us to do our duty…” Will said in a low whisper, wishing they didn’t have to make such a call.

Charlie nodded and turned back to the police officer.

“Take us to the crime scene.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Valerie pulled the old truck to a stop in front of a weathered brick building, its tall windows reflecting the morning light. The storm had passed, leaving a fresh, clean feeling in the air. Suzie stirred in the passenger seat, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she awoke.

“Where are we?” Suzie asked, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Valerie pointed to the building. “It’s an old library. We need information, and we don’t have our phones, and we can’t rely on the FBI’s database anymore. We’re on our own, so we have to go back to basics.”

Suzie frowned, her sleepiness quickly replaced by concern. “You mean we’re going to dig through books and stuff like they did in the old days? Seriously?”

Valerie sighed, her exhaustion evident in her voice. “I know it sounds crazy, but we don’t have a choice. We need to learn everything we can about John’s past if we’re going to figure out where he might go next. Besides, we can’t risk using any kind of technology right now. We’re already fugitives; we don’t need to make it any easier for the authorities to track us down.”

Suzie stared at the library, still not fully convinced. “Well, I guess we don’t have much choice. Let’s hope they have something useful in there.”

Valerie nodded and pushed open the truck door, stepping out into the bright morning sunlight.They walked across the street.

“I could murder a coffee,” Suzie said.

Valerie looked at her.

“Oops, poor choice of words,” Suzie said.

“I don’t have any cash,” Valerie said.

“I had some back at Shady Pines…”

“Let’s just go back there then,” Valerie joked.

“I’ll just imagine the soothing taste of coffee and the jolt it gives me in the morning.”

“And I’ll imagine a good Danish,” Valerie said.

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