Hide'n Go Seek (30 page)

Encouraged, Kali considered the situation. Julie needed her help. She was out of time. They had a potential location, and all the stops needed to be pulled to make the most of the next few hours.

If heavy painkillers worked and allowed her to function at a safe level, she might pull this off. If she fell and ripped her stitches...well, better to not go there.

Kali walked experimentally around the room, then attempted to twist and bend slightly one way and then another. Painful, but not agonizing, sore yet doable. She could do this. First, she needed to get the hell home, grab Shiloh and head to the park. Ticking off her mental to-do list, she didn't see any of it happening short of an hour. That meant starting her search alone and in the dusky light. Damn.

"What are you doing out of bed, Kali?"

Kali smiled with relief. Her doctor had perfect timing. She quickly explained what she needed and why.

He frowned and shook his head.

She interjected before he could refuse her. "I know this isn't your recommendation. I understand this is a really bad idea. Except a woman is dying. I have to find her."

Thankfully, her doctor had dealt with survivors of several local disasters. His frown deepened and he pursed his lips. "Why can't someone else go?"

"Everyone who can - is. I understand the damage I could cause again, however, the bottom line is that even if I rip out the stitches, the damage won't kill me. If I stay here, Julie will die."

"Overdramatizing, aren't you?"

"No," Kali said softly, sadly. "Julie is out of time. We have to find her soon."

The doctor studied her face, then made a decision. "Get dressed and come down to the nurses' station. I'll give you something for right now. When you finish tonight, you return here. Not home, not the boyfriend's house, but here. Agreed?"

When she didn't answer immediately, he added, "That's the condition. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it. I'll be at the station in five minutes." Kali turned away, opening up the locker at the far wall, searching for her clothes. The cargo pants, although blood stained, were serviceable. Wearing the same underclothes weren't her choice, but she had no option. She pulled on the few clothes she found, realizing belatedly she had no shirt and there was no sign of her sweater. Damn it. The doctor must have cut it off when she'd been brought in.

A nurse walked in. "I guess you don't need my help getting dressed. You've done just fine."

"I'm okay, so far, but I can't find a shirt or my sweater. I'm presuming they were destroyed?"

The nurse walked over to look in the locker. "Possibly. But there's a pile of clothes in the Lost and Found. Give me a moment."

What a relief. Kali hadn't relished the idea of walking out topless. There was no way she was going to attempt to wear a bra. In the small bathroom, she washed up and ran her fingers through her hair. Dried blood clung to the ends. More blood dotted her arms and chest. Using the washcloth, she did a quick wipe, removing the worst of the mess.

"Here. Try these on."

The same nurse held out a black tee shirt and a hoodie in royal blue. Perfect. The nurse dressed her like a two year old with her arms in front sliding the tee shirt close to her chest before slipping it over her head. "Let's wait until the doctor gives you a shot, then put the hoodie on."

Then Kali tackled her shoes, a much harder proposition. Biting her tongue, she finally finished and stood up again. "Okay, let's go."

She walked out of her room.

And came face to face with a guard – one of Grant's men. Easily six feet four, with steely eyes and linebacker build, he didn’t look like compromise was in his dictionary. He raised one eyebrow and stared down at her.

"Oh shit."

The eyebrow went higher.

She sighed, and considered. "It would be so much easier if you overheard my conversation with my doctor." She waited a beat. "Did you?"

He nodded his head.

"Oh, thank heavens. Sooo, I’m hoping that like the good doctor you understand? I have to do this? A woman’s life is at stake?”

Again silence, then a clipped nod.

Were all Grant’s men so taciturn? She brightened. "Then you’ll let me go?"

"Yes. But I’m going with you."

She brightened. "Actually, I’d be pleased to have you. But...I can’t have you telling Grant. He’s not going to let me go or let you let me go."

The guard narrowed his gaze as he stared down at her as he tried to sift through her words.

"I have to do this. Julie’s dying. I might be able to save her."

One final clip of that close shaved head and relief flooded through her. "First stop is home to collect Shiloh, my search and rescue dog. Then to the site. We have not time to waste."

She raced to the nurses' stations, where she signed papers and waited for the doctor. The guard, Scott, she'd managed to drag his name out of him, drove. She leaned forward, but every bump in the road jostled her spine and threw her backwards. At her house she headed inside where Shiloh waited, wiggling in excitement.

"Hello, Sweetheart. Did you miss me? I'd love to cuddle, but we need to go to work." Kali walked into the kitchen and filled her pockets with granola bars and energy drinks. Water bottles had to be filled, dog bones collected and, what else? Another five minutes and Kali decided they were ready to go. Flashlights, rescue bag, snacks, drinks, warm vest and a blanket for Shiloh. At the last minute, Kali snatched up Shiloh's Teddy Bear. Shiloh understood and waited at the door.

You had to love a dog that gave her all, no matter where or when.

Scott backed out of the driveway and headed in the direction of Roystan Park. Kali had to push her seat all the way to the furthest setting and sit on the edge to avoid hitting her sore back with every bump. Chewing on her lip, she wondered how much ground Grant had covered. Then snorted and laughed a little grimly. It didn't matter. She'd have to go over the same miles to confirm they hadn't missed her. Shiloh could pick up a human scent within a quarter of a mile and track it forward. "Have you any idea where they are in the park, Scott?"

He shook his head. "Haven’t had an update."

Kali called Grant. "So," she asked, "Any news?"

"No, nothing yet. But it's early yet."

"How many miles do you think you have to cover?" Kali turned the Jeep to the right. It should take her another five minutes to reach Roystan Park.

"About ten. The hydrogeologist gave us a map of the underground creek. It's on the west side of the park, running parallel to the back fence."

Her heart sank. Ten might be more than she could do.

"What do I hear?"

Kali heard the frown in his voice and lied without a qualm. "The nurses' trolley is coming."

"Oh. You rest and heal. I promise I'll call if I hear anything."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." Kali clicked off before he had time to ask questions.

Shiloh knew the park relatively well, since they'd spent many a happy day roaming the area. Although, she didn't remember seeing a fence along the back. By the time they pulled into the parking lot, they'd already driven several miles in. The kidnapper could use the access roads to go wherever he wanted to, but she couldn't take the chance of missing Julie by not starting this search in an orderly fashion. Since there were a couple of FBI vehicles in the parking lot, she could only presume the rest were using the service roads. There should be a dozen vehicles here. "Scott, I’m going cross country." As she went to give him instructions, a group of FBI came out of the woods, powerful lights shining in eerie patterns in the sky. "Scott, I have to go before Grant finds out. Grab them and follow me, if you can. You should be able to see my light ahead. I'm going up this fence line." She pointed it out.

Unloading what she needed, Kali clipped Shiloh onto her lead and headed off, the adrenaline pumping.

The underground creek surfaced south of here. The park was a huge rough rectangle but the entrance led to the parking lot in the center of the park. Left and right were both options. Going left would offer the most mileage and had a slight downhill slope, but the creek traveled closer to the surface on the right.

Shiloh would decide.

"Shiloh. Go look. Let's find Julie."

Shiloh barked once, looked at Kali then took off left.

Of course. Right would have been the easy answer.

The wind had picked up, causing a brutal chill. The sun had long gone. It was the middle of summer and Grant couldn't believe he was zipping up a fleece vest and still cold.

Blame it on Roystan Park. It was so heavily wooded neither sun nor heat reached deep or stayed for long.

He checked his map again. The geologist had showed him which side of the park to search and the approximate width of the long strip that held the most potential.

Kali had to be upset at missing this. Well, she'd been through too much already. With any luck, they'd find Julie soon. If luck was on their side. Grimly he returned his attention to the long red strip on the map in his hands. They'd be bloody lucky to cover half this mileage tonight. Forty men weren't close to enough.

"Hey, Grant. Let's get these men moving."

Grant passed over the spare sheets in his hands. "Here are the maps. Let's go."

The hard work began.

The cold had settled deep under her skin. Julie hated the endless dark. Exhaustion had set in. Not enough, though. Her body still screamed with pain every time she twitched.

How much longer?

Surely someone would notice the pipe in the ground soon. She wasn't done yet. That bastard could gloat all he wanted but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of dying in this underground hell. She fanned the faint flames of anger. It kept her warm at night. Endurance had stepped in. Replaying memories of happy times kept her mind busy, which helped, but reminded her of those people already gone from this world.

And that she might join them this night. She was so cold. A part of her was ready to die.

Kali and Shiloh, Stan, all those SAR specialists probably didn't know she was even missing. How ironic. She'd been pissed at them for entering her home before. Now she could only hope they were still concerned enough to check on her again.

Typical, you never knew the value of your friends until it was too late. Or the value of law enforcement. She hadn’t even been nice to the guard waiting for her at home early this morning. She'd booted him out so fast.

God, she was a fool.

Closing her eyes, she twitched slightly. Nerve endings jumped to life like a thousand hot needles throughout her body. Julie spit the grime from her mouth but couldn't do anything about the hot tears streaming in rivers her cheeks. Who'd have thought she'd end up like this - again?

She'd been saved once before. What were the odds of being saved a second time?

Kali, where are you?

K
ali picked up speed, giving Shiloh a long lead. She couldn't afford to slow the pace, neither could she allow Shiloh to take off. Whatever the doctor had given her allowed her to maintain a strong steady pace. Kali didn't want to sprint in her condition unless she absolutely had to. Who knew when the shot would wear off?

She figured Scott would be behind her, possibly with one or more of the other men, but the pace had been brutal so far and the night was far from over. She couldn’t waste time finding him. He should be able to follow her lights, anyway.

The twilight resembled a gray fog, blurring light and dark. Not a street lamp in sight. No, this wilderness park deserved its name. It housed many long-lived species of trees and plants. The tree canopy was full and heavily covered in green leaves, leaving the moonlight to search for pathways to the under layer. It was also cold.

Kali kept an ear tuned for Grant's group as she raced thirty feet parallel with the fence. She was grateful the stuff the doctor had given her hadn't smothered her other senses. The tingle at the back of her neck stirred, keeping her focused and moving forward.

Thank heavens for commercial flashlights. Hers circled the woods in a continuous movement, adding a weird glow to the night. Nothing like adding gloomy and creepy to kidnapping and murder. Kali shook her head, throwing off the ugly vibes with determined effort. Julie. She needed to find Julie. Nothing else mattered

As the miles churned under her feet, Kali searched for landmarks, anything that twigged. There were lots of flat heavily treed areas that wouldn't take kindly to digging. A sinking knot settled into her stomach. She faced a huge job, especially in the dark. Grant should have a dozen canine units out here. This park was massive. People were known to get lost in here for days.

Kali understood the trust issue, but Julie's life ebbed by the minute.

Tonight Shiloh's skills came into play, with Kali's as the handler. As she moved through the brush, her mind locked on her weird skills. She'd yet to take the time to study it. She'd always assumed they happened naturally. Lately natural had become wild and weird. It confused, terrified and if she was honest, delighted her, at least since meeting Stefan and having the realization that she might be able to control these skills. They had found David and Melanie. Now if only she could find Julie...alive.

Every action had an equal reaction, and energy left a record. Happy events left a happy energy. Violent acts left an angry energy. Murder was the most violent act of all. Even a violent death had a softer tone than the jagged black-edged forces of a murder. The energy left behind was the wildest, most pissed off energy signature of all.

It belonged to the victim.

The trick to finding these victims of violence was really in their angry energy signatures. Energy clung, whispered and twisted in churning threads. People who died in their sleep left no energy. They didn't have the same anger or need for retribution as ones who died through violent means.

It was possible she could find other victims if she paid better attention. Any devastating event, accidental or not, would also leave an energy signature. But fear was damn powerful. Her resistance to the process had stopped their softer presence from making it into her psyche.