Page 15 of Let Her Live

"Let's track him down," she said.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Within the hour, Jake made some calls and got a hit on the plate.

Patrick Yates's camper had been seen pulling into a campground deep within a marsh—a campground that was so remote it didn't see many customers.

Jake drove his car there now, his headlights cutting into the night as he made his way through the dark and winding woods that lead to the campground. Fiona was in the passenger seat beside him, biting her thumb nervously. He could tell this case was stirring up a lot of emotions for her, and it was for him, too—whoever was doing this was sick, and he needed to be stopped.

The closer they got to the campground, the more swampy the terrain became.

The smell of damp earth and brackish water filled the air, and Jake could hear the occasional croak of a frog or the rustling of some unknown animal in the bushes.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the campground. It was a small, run-down place, with only a handful of campers parked in various spots. Jake drove his car up to the main office, where they found a middle-aged woman sitting behind a window, reading a book. Jake rolled down the window of his car and peered out.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Jake said, flashing his badge. "We're looking for a man named Patrick Yates. We believe he may have been seen here recently."

The woman looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. "Patrick Yates?" she repeated as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing."Yeah, I think we have a guy by that name here. Why, is he in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at all," Jake lied, just in case this woman was a friend of Patrick's. "We just wanted to ask him a few questions."

The lady turned back to her book, clearly unbothered by their presence. "Well, you'll find him way in the back, unit 45," she said. "You'll know 'cause he's the only one out there. Don't see a lot of business, with the nicer campgrounds opening up all around us."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jake said, nodding at her before driving off toward the back of the campground. Fiona sat quietly beside him, fidgeting with her hands. Jake didn't say anything, but he could sense her nervousness. He was nervous too, but he had to stay focused. They were so close to finding their suspect.

When they finally arrived at unit 45, they saw the camper that Hennessy had described earlier. It was old and rusted, with a faded painting of a wolf on the side. He flicked off his lights and parked, then got out of the car, his feet squelching in the damp grass and making his whole body cringe. Fiona got out of the car behind Jake. The campground was abandoned, with no signs of life except for the croaking of frogs and the occasional rustling of leaves.The air was thick with the smell of stagnant water and mud. He could hear the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets. The only light came from the moon, which shone down on the swamp like a silver disc.

"Not exactly what I envision when I think about a vacation," Jake commented, glancing around as they made their way toward the camper, which had no lights on.

"I don't mind it," Fiona said. "My family and I used to go camping a lot. I like the wilderness."

"Of course you do," Jake said with a grin. "It suits you, being a bug enthusiast and all."

Fiona's face flushed, and she turned away.

Jake focused on the camper in front of them. Nerves built inside him; it looked like the type of van that would have guns inside it, that was for sure, and considering whom they were going up against, they had to be ready.

It always made him nervous about bringing Fiona out like this when she hadn't completed her formal training yet. But she had made progress, and he knew better by now than to completely doubt her survival skills. She'd even saved his life more than once.

Still, he couldn't help the part of him that was programmed to protect others, no matter who they were.

When Lauren had been his partner, he'd known she was physically capable and well-trained, but that hadn't stopped him from wanting to have her back. It had been more of a confident, mutual trust, but with Fiona, things were a bit different. She was here to be the brains, but in situations like this, it was important for her to know how to defend herself—and fight back. He'd been training her as well as he could be, but she had a long way to go, and he knew that she herself was aware of that.

"Red," Jake said, "I know you've come a long way, but I still need you to stay behind me and be careful, okay?"

Fiona nodded, her eyes locked on the camper. "I know, Jake," she said. "I'll be careful."

Jake nodded and unclipped his gun from its holster. He held it down by his side, keeping it hidden, just in case anyone was watching. He crept forward towards the camper, his senses heightened. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his heart racing in his chest. Fiona followed behind him, her eyes wide and alert.

They reached the door to the camper, and Jake motioned for Fiona to stand back.

He knocked, but to his surprise, the door was already open. Jake sucked in a breath, half-expecting someone to come out, but no one did. The camper had just been left unlocked, its door ajar, which technically gave Jake reasonable cause to go in.

He turned to Fiona. "Stay with me," he whispered before slowly pushing the door open.

The inside of the camper was dark, but Jake's flashlight illuminated the area. It was small and cramped, with a bed taking up most of the space. There was a small kitchenette area with a sink and a mini-fridge and a small table with two chairs. The whole place reeked of sweat and mold.

Jake stepped inside and held up his gun ready to fire. He quickly surveyed the area, checking for any sign of danger, but everything seemed to be in order.

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