Pieces of her, p.2
Pieces of Her, page 2
“I know that, my friend,” Jim said. “And I believe you.” He put the papers for the gold-digger case aside; the old man was dead, and there was no rush to get that sorted out. Now, finally, he had a case worthy of his sleuthing skills. “Let’s not waste a moment more,” he said to Andrew. “Let’s find out who took your son, and let’s get him back.”
3
Thankfully for Jim, there had been no snowfalls since Saturday morning, so Keith’s tracks in the snow were still there, although now the woods were strewn with hundreds of other tracks from the search parties who had been out looking for the missing boy over the weekend.
“These other tracks are going to muddy the waters, unfortunately,” Jim said to Andrew as they walked over to the thicket of shrubs where Keith’s footprints had mysteriously vanished. “But I’ll see what I can do.”
Andrew stared forlornly at his child’s last footprints in the snow, next to the bobcat’s. Both sets of footprints were now distorted and would be gone in a few days.
“So this is it?” Jim asked, scratching his strong jaw covered with a dense layer of salt-and-pepper stubble, as he surveyed the surroundings. “This is the spot.”
“The cops said maybe he saw a rabbit or something and crept quietly across the snow to go after it, and that’s why the footprints suddenly disappear here,” Andrew said. “But I ain’t buying that crap. He would have heard me hollering for him. He would have called out to me. Someone took him, Jim. They took him from this very spot. I don’t know how they did it, but they did. I know it.” He fixed a piercing stare into Jim’s eyes.
Jim nodded sympathetically; he could see the terrible anguish on his friend’s face, could see that his friend hadn’t slept in three days. “Don’t worry, Andrew, even if they don’t believe you, I do. I think Keith was abducted. And I’m going to do my utmost to find out who took him and where he is. I’ll get your boy back to you, my friend, I promise you, I’ll get him back to you.” He thought about how he would feel if Felicity had been abducted, and the thought made him sick to his stomach. It also made him more determined than ever to find Keith and his kidnapper.
He walked slowly around the scene, peering intently at the snow-covered ground and running a number of improbable scenarios through his head. All evidence pointed at the child simply vanishing into thin air, but that was, of course, impossible. There had to be a logical answer, one that everyone had overlooked because it wasn’t immediately obvious.
Then, something that Andrew had said an hour earlier in his office popped into his head: “It was as if an eagle flew down from the sky and plucked him off the ground.” Of course, no eagle on earth was powerful enough to pick up an eight-year-old boy, but the idea that Keith had been taken from above had merit in Jim’s mind.
“Andrew, how much does Keith weigh?” Jim asked.
“Uh, around sixty, sixty-five pounds,” Andrew answered. “Why?”
Jim didn’t respond to his friend’s question. Instead, he kept examining the scene. “Given that we don’t have commercially available jetpacks yet,” Jim murmured to himself as he examined the scene, “How do we get a sixty-five-pound boy off the ground and up into the air?”
The answer had to be above the thicket, or at least very close to it. Jim had a theory in his mind, but he needed evidence to back it up. He walked over to the closest tree to the thicket of shrubs, which was a tall, sturdy pine. Nothing seemed to stand out about this pine; it looked like every other one of the thousands of trees in the forest. However, Jim was sure it would provide him with a clue to tell him exactly what had happened to Keith.
“Andrew, I need a boost,” Jim said. “Help me get up into this tree.”
Andrew was too exhausted and stressed to argue or ask questions about why his friend needed to climb a tree at this point in time. He simply trudged over and helped Jim up into the tree. Jim climbed as high as he could, closely examining each bough and the trunk and the bark. Soon enough, around thirty feet up, he found what he was looking for.
“Got it!” he yelled down to Andrew.
“Got what?”
“I’ll take a picture and show you.” Jim took out his phone, took a picture of what he was looking at, and then climbed down.
“Take a look at the bark here,” Jim said, showing Andrew the picture he had taken.
“Uh, what am I supposed to be looking at?” Andrew asked. “Looks like tree bark to me.”
“Tree bark that’s been rubbed smooth right here, by a cable or a rope. See these marks on the trunk? That’s a cable or rope with significant weight on it … likely the weight of an adult man and a child.”
Andrew gasped. “Holy shit! You’re right! I knew it, dammit. I knew someone had taken him! I knew he didn’t just get lost! How the hell did they get him up into the tree, though?”
“I have a distant uncle who’s a ranch hand in Texas,” Jim said. “You have ever seen an expert lasso a calf or a hog, even if they’re running around like crazy? Well, your boy wasn’t running around. He was probably just walking—a very easy target for a strong man who’s handy with a lasso. I know it sounds crazy, but I think that’s what happened. Someone was up in this tree, they lassoed Keith and hauled him up, probably knocked him out cold before he could yell … and then they got outta here fast.”
“Oh my God,” Andrew gasped. He looked as if he were about to pass out. “I think … I think I’m gonna puke,” he groaned. “Someone took my boy, some sick, evil manic has taken my little boy…”
Jim hugged him gently. “I know it’s a terrible thing to have to think about, to have to come to terms with, but I think Keith is still alive. In fact, I know he’s still alive. I can sense it. And I know it’s really hard for you right now, but we’re going to get him back safe and sound.”
Jim wasn’t just saying that; he genuinely believed the kid was still alive. He had a sense for these things, something he had inherited from his grandmother, who had been a strong believer in the supernatural and someone who had always said she could see ghosts and hear the whispers of the spirits of the dead.
The main question for Jim was not whether the boy was still alive, but rather, where he was and who had taken him.
“What kind of sick fuck waits around in a forest in a tree to snatch children?” Andrew gasped. “How is such a thing even possible?”
“I don’t think it was as simple as that,” Jim said. “In fact, I’d say that if we climb up many of these trees, we’ll find the same marks. I’d say there was a network of cables between trees, allowing someone to move through quite a large area of this forest without leaving footprints behind.”
“How the hell didn’t I see that when I was looking for Keith for all those hours on Saturday afternoon?” Andrew asked.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Jim said. “You were looking for signs on the ground like any rational, logical person would. If I were in your shoes that day, my eyes would have been on the ground, too. The kidnapper was likely watching you, and as soon as you left, I bet he got busy with cutting down all his cables out of the trees before the search party got here.”
“So … you think he was targeting Keith specifically?” Andrew asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jim said. “I think he might have had cameras set up in the trees where he could keep an eye on the woods. He may have been planning this for a few days, to take any kid of roughly the right age who came wandering into an area covered by his network of cables. I think it was just awful luck for you that Keith happened to be the one who walked into the spider’s web, so to speak.”
“My God,” Andrew murmured, his bloodshot eyes bulging with shock. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe that’s what happened to my boy…”
“I know, man, I know. It’s a horrifying thing to think about, but don’t worry. I promise you we’ll get him back.”
“How the hell did the kidnapper move between trees with my kid?” Andrew asked.
“Like I said, the kidnapper probably used something like chloroform to knock him out, and then he would have strapped him to his body. Sixty-five pounds is heavy, but not crazy heavy for a strong man who’s used to doing this. Ziplining between trees, he could have gotten a good distance away in a short time. And I think I know how to find out where he got off the zipline.”
“Where? How?”
“We’re going to have to split up,” Jim said. “Take a look at the base of every single tree nearby. The one he climbed out of will certainly have a flurry of footprints in the snow. And they’ll be right near the base, too, so you won’t confuse them with the search party footprints.”
“Got it,” Andrew said. “I’ll head west. You head east.”
“Yeah, and if you don’t find anything within a hundred yards, come back here, and then we’ll do north-south.”
The two of them split up and began examining trees one by one. It didn’t take Jim too long to find the marks he was looking for. There was a clear indication that a man had climbed down to the ground from one of the trees around fifty yards from the spot from which Keith had been abducted. “Found it!” he yelled to Andrew, who came running breathlessly through the trees.
The tracks went in a straight line from the tree down to where the ground began to curve downward in a gentle slope. They were covered over here and there by the footprints of people from the search parties, but because they were in a perfectly straight line, it was easy enough to pick up the trail again after it had become lost in a flurry of other people’s footprints.
“We’ll find this scumbag, we’ll get my boy back, and then we’ll beat the living shit out of him before taking him in,” Andrew growled, clenching his hands into rage-tight fists.
Jim knew right away that it would neither be that simple nor that easy, but he didn’t say anything; he knew how badly Andrew needed to vent. They followed the footsteps for around a mile until the slope got a lot steeper.
“Are you sure these are the right tracks we’re following?” Andrew asked.
“Look at the right foot,” Jim said. “See the slight difference in angle and the fact that it’s a little larger? That tells me that this is a man carrying a large, heavy item on his shoulder. That item was Keith, I’m sure of it. These are the tracks.”
The men kept following the footprints until they came to a shallow creek—and there, as Jim had suspected, they would stop the instant he had heard the gurgling of running water, the footprints disappeared.
“Shit,” Jim muttered. “I knew it. He went into the creek, probably followed it for a long time, staying in the water so his tracks would be lost.”
“No,” Andrew groaned mournfully. “No! There’s gotta be a way to keep tracking him! We can’t lose him now, not with my poor boy missing for two days!”
Jim was doubtful that they would find much at this point, but he didn’t want to discourage his friend. “There are only two ways he could have gone,” he said. “Upstream or downstream. I’ll go upstream. You go downstream. Look for footprints on either side of the creek. I’ll call you if I find any. You do the same.”
“All right, all right, let’s do this,” Andrew said determinedly. He headed off downstream while Jim walked upstream.
Jim paused, though, to think. What was nearby here? Where would the kidnapper be going? Upstream led deeper into the woods and hills and eventually the mountains where the source of the creek was. Downstream led to civilization. He was quite sure that upstream was the correct direction to take; after all, the kidnapper had gone to great lengths to stay out of sight of anyone, and he certainly wouldn’t want to take the risk of being spotted carrying an unconscious child anywhere near where people might be.
“Upstream it is,” he said and walked slowly up the stream, keeping his eyes peeled.
For quite some time, no tracks were coming out of the water, aside from a few animals’ footprints. The terrain was becoming more rugged and steep, and it was getting more difficult to follow the course of the creek as the vegetation on the side of it was growing thicker and closer to the edge of the water.
Jim took out his phone and saw that he’d been following the course of the creek upstream for an hour. He was about to give Andrew a call and tell him to quit and head back to the car when he noticed a set of footprints coming out of the water in the snow on the opposite bank. It was a couple of yards away, but they looked very much like the footprints of the kidnapper.
He splashed through the creek and picked up the trail again, hiking up the steep bank of the creek, and when he got to the top, he had to throw himself down behind a large shrub, with his heart racing in his chest … for there, just fifty yards from him was a large, rough-looking man carrying a large roll of cable—just the sort of cable that might be strung between trees to use as a zipline.
“All right,” he whispered to himself, trying to get his thoughts together and stay calm as he drew his pistol. This would be the first arrest he had made of a dangerous criminal since his police days, and he felt like these last few years of investigating fraud or cheating spouses had made him soft. “Nice and easy, nice and easy … let’s do this.”
Then, with his pistol in his hands, he jumped up and yelled at the man.
4
“Freeze!” Jim yelled, his heart pounding. “Hands where I can see ‘em, now!”
Adrenalin raced through his system; the last time he had felt a rush like this, he had been chasing two armed robbers down an alley in town, back when he had been a cop.
The big man with the cables had his back to Jim. He did not attempt to turn around or look over his shoulder. Instead, he simply raised his hands above his head, complying meekly. Jim scrambled up the last section of the bank and strode briskly over to the man. He couldn’t quite see his left hip from this angle, but there was definitely something holstered there, maybe a large revolver.
“You go for your gun, and I’ll put a bullet in you; I’m warning you,” Jim said. “Stay cool, keep those hands where I can see ‘em, and don’t try anything stupid.”
“Uh, okay, man, I’m not gonna do anything, just take it easy,” the big man said. He sounded nervous and afraid, and the first inklings of doubt now began to creep into Jim’s mind. “I don’t have a gun, by the way, no weapons on me at all.”
Jim got within twenty yards of the man and leveled his pistol at his quarry’s torso. “Turn around real slow, real easy,” he said, “and keep those hands where I can see ‘em.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll do whatever you say, man,” the big guy said, “look, my wallet’s in my truck, and you can just take all the cash in it, okay? I’ve got like, maybe a hundred bucks in it, and I—”
“I’m not trying to rob you!” Jim said.
When the man turned around, he saw that the “revolver” holstered on his hip was actually some sort of surveying tool. Now he was sure he had the wrong man, and he felt like an idiot.
“I’m a—” he paused, stopping himself before he said “cop.” Even after all these years, it was hard not to say it. “Private investigator,” he finally said with a sigh. “Jim Irons.”
“I’m uh, Fred, Fred Danson,” the big man said. He had a large brown beard, a round head of prematurely thinning hair, and thick coke-bottle glasses. He was wearing blue coveralls that looked like they had seen better days, and they had the logo of an internet service provider on the front pocket. “I’m just out here laying fiber optic cable for the network … I uh, I didn’t do anything wrong, I’ve got permits for all this work. They’re in my truck if you need to see them.”
Jim let out a long, slow sigh and lowered his pistol. “Sorry, Fred, I thought you were someone else. You uh, you didn’t see anyone else out here, did you? A big man like yourself might have had a kid with him?”
Fred shook his head. “I’ve been out here laying cables since dawn. A couple other workers are helping out with the cables, but uh, I haven’t seen anyone else around here. And um, we’re kinda in the middle of nowhere, so I’m not sure who you were expecting to find out here.”
“It’s a long story, never mind,” Jim said. “Sorry for scaring you like that. Where’s your truck, by the way?” He did want to find out exactly what roads had access to this area; even though he hadn’t found the kidnapper’s tracks, Jim figured he might be able to find something on the road, for he was quite sure the man would have taken Keith away in a vehicle.
“It’s okay, you nearly made me crap my pants for a second, but it’s all good,” Fred said, grinning as he wiped the nervous sweat from his brow. “Damn, I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before. I feel kinda … charged up now!”
“Wait until you’ve not only had a gun pointed at you but have had actual shots fired at you by someone hell-bent on killing you,” Jim said. “But anyway, we’re getting sidetracked here. Your truck?”
“Yeah, yeah, follow me; it’s around a ten-minute walk.”
While they were walking, Jim called Andrew, who reported disappointedly that he hadn’t found any tracks coming out of the creek. Jim told him to go back to his car and go home and get some rest; he would keep him updated about any findings.
“Here’s the access road,” Fred said when they reached his truck, which was parked in a small clearing, at one end of which was a dirt road leading into the woods. “You follow that for around two miles, then you’ll hit the blacktop. Once you’re on that, it’s a twenty-minute drive to get back to town.”
