Woeful pines, p.7
Woeful Pines, page 7
She sprinted from car to car and then to a stray burn barrel, closing in on her objective. The living room window on the side nearest the woods was her target. All of her senses were on alert in case someone stepped outside. In seconds, she reached her goal, but the bug wasn’t where she’d left it. She thought it must have fallen off.
Emily looked around quickly to ensure she was still alone and then started searching in the weeds. Nothing.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck and Emily froze. She hadn’t heard anything, not a sound, but somehow she knew she wasn’t alone. Emily closed her eyes and lowered her head for a second before she turned around. Two people stood in front of her. Emily started in surprise. She was losing her edge.
“Uh hi, Deputy. Would you believe that my car broke down and I was looking for a lift? I heard someone out here owns a towing company.”
The overweight deputy with the three-day beard growth just stood watching her. His companion, Mike Kurth, also had little to say. He did at least sneer at her.
“No? How about, I was just in the neighborhood?”
Clayton Brown removed the toothpick from his mouth. “Looks like you got a trespasser, Mikey.”
“Yep, looks that way. Any ideas what I should do about that, Clay?”
“Well, the law says you have the right to defend yourself.”
Mike snorted. “She don’t look like much of a threat to me.”
“She does if she has a gun. Maybe we should search her to be sure.”
The men glanced at each other and Emily got the message. They intended to plant a gun on her, if they didn’t find the ankle holster, so they could shoot her. If they did that, the joke would be on them. She’d have them disarmed and restrained before they blinked. All she needed was an opening.
“No, we’re not going to do that. I have another idea. A better idea.”
Mike reached behind him and pulled out a pistol he had obviously concealed in the small of his back. It wasn’t an ordinary handgun, but Emily recognized the type and its purpose. Her heart rate increased as he calmly aimed the weapon in her direction.
“Hey, did you get that out of my car?” Brown asked.
“You don’t want to do that,” Emily objected. “If I go missing, a whole lot of people are going to show up asking questions.”
Kurth bobbed his head as if he was considering her assessment, but then he said, “Actually, I really do want to do that. In fact, you’re just in time to pull my butt out of the fire. It’s time for another delivery.”
“Delivery?” Emily had the feeling this conversation wasn’t going her way.
“Good night.”
Emily quickly reached for the throwing knife at the small of her back. She wasn’t fast enough, unable to compete with the speed generated by a tranq gun. The weapon made a hissing sound when it fired and she felt the sharp prick of the tipped barb embed itself in her shoulder. The tranquilizer flowed into her system and Emily only had time to gasp before the lights went out.
Chapter Seven
“SHERIFF? SHERIFF!”
JENNA jumped slightly and sloshed hot coffee across her hand. She jerked again in reaction and this time some of the scalding beverage landed in her lap.
“Shit!”
She carefully set the cup on her desk, wiping absently at the mess while she looked across the bullpen toward Janet Wise. The dayshift dispatcher was trying not to laugh but amusement danced in her blue eyes.
“What?”
“Sorry,” the younger woman apologized somewhat insincerely. “I just asked if you were okay. You were in the same position for so long, I thought you’d fallen asleep.”
“I’m fine.” Jenna stood and walked over to the kitchenette for a wet paper towel. “At least I was before I scorched the flesh off my crotch.”
Janet snickered and went back to her paperwork while Jenna dabbed at the wet spot on her trousers, making the stain even worse.
What was she doing anyway, Jenna wondered. She felt exhausted from chasing Emily around at night because she thought...what? That Emily was some sort of ninja assassin sent by the government to uncover conspiracies in Woeful Pines? Please. She was just some woman on vacation who liked to keep odd hours. The information in the computer files was probably meaningless. So Emily was cute? That was no reason for Jenna to stalk her. Now Jenna was falling asleep at her desk and couldn’t even focus on work. She decided that was enough.
“Janet, I’m going home. Call me if Deputy Randall can’t handle it.”
The dispatcher looked surprised, but had the sense not to question her boss. “Okay, Sheriff Yang.”
Jenna had just settled into the Jeep when a huge yawn caused tears to leak from the corners of her eyes. She started the car and pulled out of the lot with visions of her pillow dancing in her head. It felt like days since she’d enjoyed a decent sleep. Two miles down the road, her radio sputtered to life.
“Sheriff Yang, respond.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she complained before picking up the mic. “Go ahead, Janet.”
“Sheriff, Jake Taylor just called. Says he had a blowout and went off the shoulder near Pike’s Bend. He called for the Kurth brothers to pull him out of the ditch, but they didn’t answer the phone.”
Jenna silently counted to five and then asked, “And where’s Deputy Randall?”
“Oh, he’s up at Mill Creek. Ben Jeffries was complaining about Old Man Crandall’s moonshine still again. He’s trying to keep them from killing each other.”
Perfect. “Do you still have Jake on the phone?”
“Yeah.”
“Tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes to haul him out with the winch.”
“Right, Sheriff. I’ll try not to bother you again.”
Jenna didn’t bother to respond. She hung up the mic and picked up speed. Five minutes later, she turned left on Clermont Road and spotted Jake standing near the shoulder. At first glance, he looked like a mountain man, bushy beard reaching his chest, black eyes glittering in a dangerous manner. Jenna grinned when she saw him. Jake was a nice man with a PhD in botany.
She eased off the road with the front of the Jeep angled toward his white Honda Civic. The shoulder was steep, at almost a thirty-degree incline. Jake definitely needed help pulling his car out of the ditch. The Jeep was equipped with a winch on the front end, standard equipment for these rural settings. In no time, the vehicle was back on the road and Jenna waited until Jake had changed the flat. At least he had a spare and she wouldn’t have to ferry him back and forth for a replacement.
Twenty minutes later, Jake thanked her and drove away. Jenna was free to head for home, but she started wondering where Mike and Joey were. Those two never missed the opportunity to make a few dollars. Janet said they hadn’t answered the phone when Jake called for a tow, but Jenna knew they always carried a cell with them.
Jenna rubbed her eyes and tried to ignore the headache she felt coming on. It was nearing five o’clock and she wanted nothing more than to go home and straight to bed. She would just drive by their house first and make sure everything was all right. After that, she was going home and she would not chase after the elusive Ms. Bannon tonight.
The morning had dawned clear and bright, but storm clouds had started moving in again around early afternoon. They obscured the sun now and the day began to have the feel of early evening. Jenna hated the rainy season. When she turned off the main road toward the Kurth homestead, trees pressed in on both sides and long shadows reinforced that impression. Jenna’s body responded to the dark, urging her toward sleep. Her head nodded forward and she forced her eyes open, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs.
She almost turned around, but realized she was less than a mile from the house. Jenna nosed the vehicle past a fallen tree and into the clearing. She could see the two-story residence as well as the scattered remnants of vehicles dotting the landscape. Jenna wondered why the Kurths kept the old junkers. Did they really think they were going to fix them up and sell them?
Jenna spotted the tow truck and decided the brothers had knocked off early for the day. Question answered. Satisfied, Jenna navigated a tight three-point turn and headed back down the private road. She happened to glance in her side mirror and slammed on the brakes without thinking about it.
What was Deputy Brown’s patrol car doing out here? He wasn’t scheduled for duty for another two hours and he knew it was against policy to use the county vehicle for private business.
By themselves, each of the tiny incidents of the day meant nothing. If people wanted to take the day off from work that was no big deal. If a deputy decided to promote public relations, there was nothing wrong with that. However, in the five years she’d lived here, the Kurths never took a day off and Deputy Clayton Brown didn’t give a damn about public relations.
Something was going on that she needed to know about. Jenna reached down and flipped the vehicle controls into four-wheel drive. The Jeep bounced as she pulled off the road and into the scrub brush. Jenna drove slowly back toward the house but stopped as soon as she had a clear view of the front door. The weeds were tall enough to conceal the vehicle and any stray glints of metal could easily be overlooked considering how much debris already littered the area.
Jenna reached into the glove compartment and removed a pair of binoculars. She trained her sights on the front door and prepared to watch for as long as it took.
Three hours later, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. So far, she hadn’t seen anyone move inside the house though the lights had come on some time ago. She was reluctant to leave because the patrol car still sat in the yard and Brown was an hour late for his shift. Jenna knew he wasn’t the most reliable officer, but she didn’t think he would completely ignore his responsibilities without a good reason. She just couldn’t imagine what it could be and until she did, Jenna wasn’t going anywhere.
Except the bathroom, she thought squirming around some more. It was dark. No one would see her.
Jenna ensured that the dome light was switched off before she opened the car door. A few steps away from the vehicle proved far enough for her purpose. She had barely refastened her trousers when Jenna heard the sound of raised voices. Struggling with her gun belt, she held it with one hand and rushed back into the vehicle. Jenna grabbed the binoculars and looked toward the house. With the onset of darkness, she couldn’t see very much. She could just make out Deputy Brown and Cheryl Brenner, the waitress from the diner. They were yelling at each other, but Jenna only caught snatches of what they were saying. Cheryl got into her car and drove away. She would have left tread behind if there had been any pavement available.
What was that about?
The front door opened again before Jenna could speculate further.
Mike and Joey Kurth walked out onto the porch, but they were so close to each other that they seemed off balance. Brown didn’t seem inclined to assist as he followed them. The brothers carried something heavy and awkward between them. Whatever it was, the object was rolled up in a rug. Jenna couldn’t really tell what it was because of the darkness. She lowered the binoculars and tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
Was that...? No, it was way too cliché, but Jenna could have sworn it looked like a body.
Jenna heard the trunk of Deputy Brown’s patrol car thump closed. A few seconds later, the vehicle started and headlights came on. Jenna slumped down in the seat even though there was no way they could see her. The Kurth’s tow truck also fired up and followed the cruiser slowly down the lane headed for the highway. Instinct filled in the blanks to her questions. She’d seen a body wrapped in a rug tossed into the trunk of a police car.
Automatically, Jenna wondered if these people could be involved in the other disappearances around the area. The brothers certainly had the means to find stranded motorists and she didn’t put it above Deputy Brown to abuse his authority. She had nothing more than speculation as far as that situation was concerned, but she did know they were up to something now. Someone was in trouble.
As soon as the vehicles passed, Jenna started her Jeep. She pulled around to get back onto the lane but kept her lights off. When they merged with other traffic, she would have to switch her lights on or become a hazard. Fortunately, other cars would also provide camouflage.
Jenna followed the battered tow truck and police car down the back roads, forming a crude convoy. She trailed them with her lights off and at a considerable distance, far enough away to avoid detection yet close enough not to lose sight of her target. She was tempted to pull them over and see if it really was a person inside the rug. She had the probable cause for such a stop, but held back for a variety of reasons.
It occurred to her this tied in with the plague of disappearances, but there was more. All of those kidnapped were driving through on their way to somewhere else, and reported some type of car trouble. This scenario didn’t fit. Then there was Cheryl and Deputy Brown. Their presence indicated involvement. How many others were mixed up in this? Jenna felt strangely betrayed. She had lived with these people and trusted them. Could they really be responsible for all the recent pain and suffering? If so, she was going to need to reconsider her career. She’d fancied herself a better detective. Jenna remembered Emily’s reaction to the brothers. Even she, a newcomer to the area, seemed to notice something off about them.
She recalled how Emily’s demeanor changed when they encountered Mike. After that, Emily had become scarce and Jenna was surprised to discover she missed spending time with her. Jenna had started thinking Emily was some type of undercover investigator. Had she figured out what Jenna somehow managed to miss?
Brown eyes widened in shock and concern when it occurred to her who was inside the rug. Suddenly, all thoughts of professionalism flew out the window. She had intended to gather evidence to expose the extent of the kidnapping ring before intervening but timing had just become everything. Her foot pressed down harder on the accelerator in an effort to close the gap to her prey.
Jenna prepared to hit the lights and sirens, but the brothers suddenly pulled onto an old logging trail and stopped. The unanticipated move kept her hand off the switch. They were deep in the woods and backup would take a long time in arriving. Jenna realized she’d never been to this place before, but the hulking mounds of earth visible through the trees told her they were near the local cave systems. The Kentucky hills boasted extensive caverns and many of those were popular tourist attractions. These, however, were well off the beaten path.
She started to exit the SUV when Jenna realized her Sam Browne was still unfastened from her impromptu bathroom break. She hitched the heavy belt up with one hand as she climbed out and carefully closed the door. Jenna pulled her uniform back into place, following quietly as she did. In the time that it took her to close in, Deputy Brown helped the brothers unload their cargo from the cruiser. Then he set off on his own, ostensibly to return to duty. Jenna couldn’t follow everyone and if she tried to call for backup, Deputy Brown would intercept the radio transmission. She chose to go after the Kurths and try to rescue their victim.
Mike and Joey grunted and cursed enough to make following them down a game trail fairly easy. The fact that one of them carried a flashlight ensured she wouldn’t lose them in the darkness. Jenna carried her own light at her waist, but turning it on would give her presence away. She couldn’t take the chance.
In the car, Jenna had been ready to stop the brothers and demand to see what, or who, was inside the rug. Now, she schooled herself to patience, sure she was about to discover the meaning behind all of these shenanigans. Most of all, she wanted to keep Emily safe, but couldn’t ignore the chance to find any of the other victims.
Up ahead, the boys ducked inside a substantial opening in the rock face. Jenna waited a second and then followed quietly. Her eyes needed a second to adjust, but she didn’t take the time. If there was more than one tunnel inside the cave, she might lose them. Jenna kept one hand on the stone wall and walked toward the bobbing light source. At one point, her toe caught a protruding rock and she almost tripped. Jenna bit off a curse and shuffled forward, hoping the Kurths would stop soon.
“Hurry up, Joey. We’re burning daylight.”
Joey grunted under the weight he carried. “The sun’s already down.”
“I know that, you idiot. It’s an expression.”
“Sit her down, Mike. I gotta rest for a second.”
“Suck it up,” the elder brother sneered. “I don’t want Garran to think we’re not coming.”
Joey didn’t respond, but a little farther in Mike said, “Hold on, I need the transmitter.”
Jenna stood less than ten feet away, crouched up against the rock wall at the edge of illumination cast by Mike’s flashlight. The rug lay on the dirt floor while Joey stretched his back and caught his breath. Mike searched briefly for something in his pockets. He pulled out a device Jenna couldn’t identify in the darkness and aimed it at a column of rock. It was just another pile of stone, the same color and appearance as the rest of the cave. She held her breath in anticipation.
Inconceivably, a small green glow started near the base of stone.
“Let’s go,” Mike ordered.
He shoved the transmitter back into his coat pocket and bent over to grasp the end of the carpet. Joey hefted the other end and the brothers stepped sideways across the front of the pillar toward the wall. Then they stepped into the surface of the cave and vanished.
