First Last Chance, page 18
“They’ll have DNA, won’t they?”
“Jesus, you think this is an episode of Criminal Minds? The idiots around here can’t trace shit from a cow let alone missing cattle from a herd.”
Darrell got in the car and Redhead followed his lead, giving a glance back her way.
As they kicked up snow and drove away, Ashley picked up her blanket and stared after them, wondering what the hell had just happened. Then the chill cut into her bones, and she turned a full three-sixty, the threat of exposure and hyperthermia kicking her in the gut. In the car with them or out here in the middle of nowhere, she was no better off, and she fought the bite at her hands to get at her phone.
No signal.
“Goddammit.”
Chapter 27
Gabe shouldered off his coat, glad to finally make it back home, then shut the chill of the evening out as he closed the door. The meeting with Pam had gone well, and they’d gotten the process under the wildlife conservation and habitat protection bills to send a cease order for development on the land Sam had sold. He’d also contacted ranchers around here to let them know what was going on and to keep an eye out for any trouble. He wouldn’t put it past Evans to look at ways to reduce the bird population here before everything could be finalized.
It had been a tough day, with heavy flying in bad weather, and he’d pushed his landing times harder than usual to get back here, taking a slam dunk approach to landing over a slower descent. He hoped he’d make it back in time to meet Ashley, but quiet played around the reception hall and her the car he’d given her wasn’t in the courtyard.
He tugged out his phone and thumbed in her number, but Caller Unavailable came up.
Gabe shook snow from his hair. Cell service was a game or Russian Roulette on the best of days, but he couldn’t help feel a tug at not hearing from her. He sent through another text, and buried a smile, refusing to count her one to his…overbearing, overprotective Id that ruled his Superego. He’d looked up the Freudian terms while he’d been away and in many ways. Yeah: he agreed with her.
A call came through a moment later, and as he made his way to the kitchen, needing to talk to Jason, he answered. “Here.”
“Boss, I’ve got the names of the hikers who found Sam.” Clay read them off. “The sheriff’s with them now. No sign of Sam’s car yet. Logan pieced together where he gambled and with whom the night before the ransom note arrived, and everyone is starting to talk. It should only be a matter of time before Sam’s Lincoln’s found, unless Sam remembers something more that’s helpful. But y’know, I can’t help but feel that his kidnapping is nothing to do with Evans, They’re not that explicit. They already had Max working on the inside.”
Yeah, that was where Gabe had gone and had mentioned to Megan. “You’re thinking opportunists?”
“Maybe. Logan does too.”
“Okay, good to know. Thanks for the update.” He turned the corner to the kitchen, then jolted when Ruth knocked the wind out of him as they collided.
“Gabe.” Her breathing was heavy, hard, panic lacing her eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Gabe took her by the elbow to steady her.
“I’ve just got a call from Ted.” Ruth tapped her phone. “Ashley drove to Sally Talltree’s hours ago, and she’s not made it back.”
Gabe started to back away, the lack of texts hitting home a little more. Ashley had sent one to ask him to stay safe as he flew out. He hadn’t received one on the way home, when he knew she wouldn’t let arguments or heat get in the way of her fears over flying and wanting people safe. He pointed at Ruth. “Wherever Jason is, get a call through. Tell him what’s going on and that I’m over at Talltree’s. Get some thermos flasks ready as well. I need to sort First-Aid and emergency foil blankets in case she’s broken down and stranded.” He hoped to God she’d dropped her stubbornness and taken a coat this time.
“On it,” said Ruth as he made it back down the hall.
***
State route forty kept driving to a crawl as Gabe headed for highway nine. By mind map, he knew where Sally Talltree’s shop stood in the foothills. He’d been there several times to grab a slice of pie and a cup of coffee when Sally and Ray volunteered on his campaign for governor.
Snow littered the windshield, and the wipers worked double time. He knew his cars. No one lived around here without thinking breakdown, so he had a mechanic always keeping check on tires and engine. That didn’t say something couldn’t fail, but it was less probable. That left driver skill or whatever came out onto the road to disrupt it. Ashley was a smart woman and used to driving, but not around mountainous areas, so it gnawed hard in his gut that something had taken her off the road.
“Christ.” Gabe swerved to miss a branch that lay a little too innocently in the road, reminding him to pay attention. West of Dayton, the snow fell heavier. The road didn’t lead to any large towns, and the few residents who lived here would have to wait for the weather to warm and the snow to melt before the roads were clear again.
A few miles from the turnoff to Sally’s, a Lincoln sat by the side of the road, so he pulled in next to it and got out. One tire was flat, and he kicked at it, wondering why it bothered him. It wasn’t Ashley’s car. Snow blocked the license plates, and he crouched down and dusted off the back plate.
Gabe wiped a hand over his mouth.
Sam’s. This was Sam’s Lincoln.
This couldn’t be coincidence playing out here. Lose one car, find another.
Gabe got to his feet and checked the door. It opened, and he found fast-food wrappers and paper cups littering the interior. He pulled out his phone, only to find he had no service.
“Damn it.” He got back into his car, hands shaking slightly. This potentially put the kidnappers in the vicinity of Ashley and Sally Talltree’s.
No cars were parked in Sally’s lot, but the lights burned inside. After locking his car, he headed on in. The shop was empty, but Sally’s voice drifted from the back.
“Be out in just a sec.” She came around the corner of an aisle, looking like she’d been on a break outback with the mug of tea in her hands. “Governor Coulter.” She smiled and came over to rest her mug on the counter. “What are you doing out this way so late?”
Gabe kissed her on the cheek. “How’s Ray?”
She grinned. “He’s here somewhere. You need to talk to him?”
“No,” he said, glancing around. “I’m looking for a woman who might have been here earlier today. Ashley Roberts. About five seven, blonde. She was looking for an anniversary gift?” She could have broken down before she got here, and that worried Gabe more as he hadn’t seen anything on the way over. She could have taken a wrong turn.
“Oh yes, she was here. Bought a lovely quilt, then asked to take pictures of Ray and me.” Her eyes widened. “What happened? Is she all right?”
So she’d been heading back to High Peak Lake. “She hasn’t arrived home yet. She’s unfamiliar with the area, so I hoped she may have stayed put when the snow started.” But then she’d have called to let Ted know.
Sally shook her head. “She was here for over an hour. Picked out a quilt and then enjoyed a cup of coffee and piece of pie. But that was hours ago.”
Gabe’s stomach twisted. “Could I use your land line?”
“Sure, right this way.” She led Gabe to a small office, then closed the door behind her when she left.
Gabe punched in Jason’s number.
“Gabe? What’s going on?” Jason sounded out of breath. Panicked.
“I’m at Sally Talltree’s. Get a message over to Sheriff Logan that I Found Sam’s car a few miles east of here.” He gave him the name of the road. “It’s got a Flat tire.”
Quiet hit the line and Gabe could almost hear Jason working it out. “She’s out in the vicinity of the kidnappers?”
“Yeah. Ask Logan to connect with the sheriff in Dayton. I’ll give the highway patrol a call to see if I can speak with Bill Thornton.” Bill was an officer and friend and hopefully he could push to get things moving from there. “I’ll wait at Sam’s car until someone gets there.” It was his only lead.
After finishing his calls, he opened the office door and found Sally waiting for him in the hall. “Tell Ray I’ll stop by for coffee some other time.”
“Just let us know when you find her, please.”
“I will.”
Collar turned up, he made it back to the Tahoe and grabbed a scraper from the back and cleared the window screen. By the time he turned onto the main road, he could hardly see out his windshield, the snow was heavy and the wind punched the Tahoe, making it difficult to handle. If it had been snowing, why hadn’t Ashley stayed there until morning? Stayed safe?
Gabe pulled in behind the black Lincoln as car lights rounded the curve of the road up ahead, full beams broken into a mosaic by the falling snow. Gabe wiped at his window to get a better view and tension eased in his body as Clay pulled his car onto the opposite shoulder.
After tugging on a thick hood, Clay jogged over and climbed into the Tahoe. “I followed as soon as I heard.” He rubbed his hands together, soaking in the warmth that Gabe turned up. “None of this makes any sense. Not unless it is the kidnappers, and with Sam’s car broken down, they needed to jack another car.”
Gabe stayed quiet.
“Sam got out alive, Gabe. Don’t go there, okay.”
Gabe shook his head. “He got lucky. Hikers found him.”
“We’ll find Ashley too.”
Gabe snorted, hating the bitterness behind it. “Jason called Logan, I handled Thornton. The sheriff will be here soon, and Thornton will put a bulletin out on her and the Coulter Creek SUV she was driving.” He looked out into the darkness. “Jason’s no doubt on his way too.”
Another set of headlights came around a curve in the road, and Gabe and Clay stepped out of the Tahoe when the car pulled alongside Sam’s.
“Hey, Bill, you got here fast.” Gabe shook hands with his friend.
Thornton nodded to Clay. “Still have my winter tires on. Besides, I was close, dealing with a drug’s bust. What’s this about someone missing?”
Gabe explained about Sam’s car, Ashley, and the concern over how it all put the kidnappers close to her.
Thornton reached for the radio he was wearing and added more information to the bulletin that he’d no doubt put out earlier.
“Okay, let’s get you back to the local sheriff’s office,” Thornton said to Gabe. “See what they have.”
“I’m not—”
“Leaving her out here?” Thornton pointed back to Gabe’s car. “Ex-governor or not, you will. You know search procedure on the ranch. It’s no different now. We don’t do anything until a grid search and team is put in place. I don’t need anyone else out there going missing tonight. We clear? Get your head into gear and keep it there.”
***
Trying to bury his anger, Gabe pulled in next to the small sheriff’s office in Dayton as Clay headed to the cabin to see Ted to make sure Ashley wasn’t broken down somewhere along that road.
“Governor. Bill.” Sheriff Logan met them at the door before turning down a hallway. “C’mon. I’m assisting Sheriff Reed here in Dayton, and he asked me to take the lead on this. Let’s go in here.” He led them to a meeting room full of deputies. “When was she last seen at Sally’s?”
Gabe glanced down at his watch as he stopped by a table with an iPad showing a map. “About four hours ago.”
“And she was heading east?” Logan ran a finger over the main roads.
Gabe nodded. “She’s not from around here, and I’d set the satnav with the quickest route there and back. Even if she lost signal, I gave her a map. She was heading back to High Peak Lake.”
“And you’re sure that’s Sam Frasier’s car up there?” Sheriff Logan pointed to where it had been parked. “About here, right?” He looked to Thornton for confirmation.
Thornton nodded. “I ran the plates to make sure it was Sam’s.”
Logan didn’t look happy. “That would have taken her close. Could you tell how long Sam’s car had been there? It could be the kidnappers had moved on long before that.”
“No.” Thornton gave a heavy sigh. “Engine was cold and food had been eaten, so I couldn’t judge from that. But it means they could have been getting desperate to carjack.”
Logan nodded. “What are you doing here anyway, Bill?” He a few keys on his iPad.
“Drug issue.” He headed for the door when he got a call through. “Fill in me on the grid, I’ve got to take this.”
“All right.” Logan looked to Gabe. “Do you have a photograph of Ashley? If not, we need a full description.”
Gabe cursed under his breath. For all the photos Jason had taken, that she had, he’d not taken one of her.
After noting her details down, Logan started to read out coordinates. Gabe went to move out out as well, but Logan pulled him to a stop.
“I can’t let you go out there, Gabe. You know that right?”
“I’ve handled enough staff going missing on the ranch land, not to mention cattle.”
Logan shook his head. “This may involve kidnappers, and I draw the line at anyone but my staff handling this. Stay here.” He gave him a frown. “Keep close to the radios and you’ll be the first to hear if…when we find her.”
Gabe felt sick to the stomach. He’d promised he’d find her after he got back.
“You’re no good in this state, Gabe. You’ll do her more than good, especially if she thinks you’re out here running headlong into this kind of grief. Go get a coffee. Try to let us do our job.”
Gabe rubbed at his head, then started to walk away. “You got any news on the whereabouts of Sam’s foreman?”
Logan shook his head. “Nothing yet. An alert’s out.”
“You don’t think Evans is anything to do with this, do you.”
Logan offered a small smile. “Gut instinct says no. But I don’t discount anything until the evidence proves otherwise.”
Tired and frustrated, Gabe nodded then headed for the conference room just as a commotion in the hallway had him looking over.
Jason rushing toward him. “Where is she?” he stammered, out of breath. “You found her?”
“Tell Jason to calm it down and get comfortable,” Logan called from the next room. “He’s going nowhere either.”
“What?”
Gabe stood and backed Jason into the conference room, making sure he found a seat. Jason threw out his arms, and Gabe levelled a finger his way, warning him off.
They were both forced to wait. It was all they could do.
***
Shivering into the darkness, Ashley sat a picnic bench not far from the road, caught between keeping an eye on the road and glancing back at the campsite’s concrete building and offer of a restroom. The air had cooled and the jacket that had been so warm earlier offered little barrier against the wind, so she sat wrapped Kathryn’s quilt around her shoulders.
Sense told her no one would be driving out at this hour, but the more she stared, the more she kept willing just one more minute.
But darkness was thick and heavy around her, and she didn’t like the snaps of branch and call of wildlife behind her. Strange how they took a meaner soul when the lights went down.
She checked her watch, exhausted. It was stupid to stay out much longer, but if she hid in the concrete building an someone did come by, they’d miss her.
Giving a frown, she slipped everything from her purse into her jacket pocket, then left the purse in full view on the park bench with a note attached to it. It was a small chance, but not many resisted an unattended purse in her neck of the woods, and if someone did, on the small chance, drive by, they might catch it out here. That meant she could take shelter and make sure to stay awake if a car did drive by.
Blowing warmth into her hands, she got to her feet and walked over to the concrete restrooms as the bitter chill gripped harder.
The smell wasn’t pleasant, but she huddled in a corner, closest to the windows and road to listen for passing cars.
She’d lived alone for so long, she’d gotten used to it. But faced with dying alone? With the possibility of no one finding her to ease her own daughter’s mind…? A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it roughly away.
Stay awake. She just needed to stay awake. Listen.
***
Jolting under the blanket, Ashley woke and scooted farther into the corner of the restroom, pulling the quilt tighter around her when she realized she’d woken. She stared into the darkness, waiting for her gaze to adjust to any light that might make its way through the tiny opaque window. She tried to think of Gabe, hold on to the good in life: her daughter, Jason, Cody… Lisa…but nothing but desolation kept her quiet and staring. She’d never been afraid of the dark, but then she’d never faced it like this either, how it seemed to breathe down her neck, waiting for her next screw up that pushed her deeper into its kiss.
The sound of a car’s tires crunching gravel twisted her ear to the window, and she pulled her body into a tight ball. Her first thought was Darrell, Redhead, then a Ted Bundy wannabe who’d caught her note, and she scrambled to her feet and ran into a stall, locking the door, backing away until she connected with the wall. Breathing came hard, heavy, and she tried to stop it, to not make any noise.
“Professor Roberts?” A light shone underneath the stall door. “I’m Meredith Chandler, highway patrol.”
Letting out a breath, Ashley listened for a moment longer. She’d not left her name on the note, so it wasn’t a Ted Bundy wannabe, and she’d told Darrell she was a teacher, but even knowing that, she didn’t move.
“Gabe Coulter spoke to us over the radio. He said to tell you he’s still a close…friend.”
Choking out a smile, Ashley rushed the door, but it took two attempts to unlock it her hands shook so badly.
