Blood Stained (30 page)

"Call 911," she told Olivia as she handcuffed Adam. No other weapons on him. She took his Bluetooth and listened but the line was dead. Grabbed his phone. Colleen was already assessing Karen's wound.

Olivia ran to her mom's side. "I can't believe you did that. For me."

Karen grabbed her daughter into a one-armed hug and kissed her forehead. "I should have stood up for you a long time ago. From now on everything is for you. And Darrin."

"Get on the phone," Jenna ordered as she tried to get a line of sight out the window. Stupid things were angled so sharply it was hard to see down to the driveway.

"The kids," Caine said, rolling to his knees awkwardly with his hands cuffed behind him. "We need to get to the kids. Let me take you there."

Jenna saw the van pull down the drive, couldn't see the plate in the dark. She could try to follow in the Taurus. They hadn't disabled it. She wasn't sure why, seemed like they'd be smarter than that, but if they spotted her, they'd kill Lucy. Better to wait for backup. That was procedure. But with the sheriff's department stretched so thin, it might take time. "Are the kids in danger?"

"They are if he finds them. I'm sorry, so sorry. I thought I was saving them. But he—" Adam sputtered to a halt.

"What does he want with the kids?"

"He's their father. He-he's my father." He squeezed his eyes shut as if the truth was too painful. "I think he might hurt them. Or let Morgan hurt them. She killed Deputy Bob. Right in front of me. And," he took a breath, opened his eyes again, "and she liked it. She laughed. He didn't deserve that. He was a nice man. But she gutted him like a fish."

"Where are the kids?"

"In a cave. I have to show you, you'll never find them otherwise. Please. Don't let her do that to the kids. Please."

Olivia came in, holding the phone. "They're sending an ambulance from Alexandria. They want to know if the scene is safe."

Jenna made her decision. Someone had to save the children. She took the phone. "This is Inspector Galloway. The scene is safe. Tell Sheriff Zeller that Agent Guardino was taken hostage. They're in a white van, Ohio plates, marked Guardian Security on the van's side. The man is Clinton Caine, five-ten, one-eighty, brown, brown. Wearing a black jacket, jeans, work boots. The girl is Morgan Ames, thirteen, wearing a light blue ski jacket and jeans. She killed Deputy Bob."

"Zeller here," the sheriff's voice interrupted her. "What the hell's going on?"

"I have Adam Caine in custody. His father just abducted Lucy. We also ID'd the girl as Morgan Ames, from Lawrence Kansas."

"Clinton Caine is behind all this—"

"Adam knows where the children are. He's going to take me there. I'll call you with directions as soon as I get there." She looked over her shoulder at Caine. "How long will it take?"

"Driving or walking?"

Like she was going to hike through the woods with a prisoner. "Driving."

"Fifteen, twenty minutes. Tell him it's near the old Stolfultz barn. He'll know where I mean."

"Did you get that?"

"Yeah. I shut down operations at the school. All the mutual aid from Blair and Cambria County are providing back up for the Staties at the Mall."

"The Mall was a diversion. Just like Lucy thought." Seemed like Lucy had been right about a lot of things. 

"I'll get the State Police, see if they can get a helicopter searching for the van, as well as set up roadblocks. It'll be thirty minutes or more before I can get someone over to that side of the county. There's a pile-up with injuries on Route 45."

Adam shook his head, panic straining his features. "No. They can't wait. We need to go save them. Now!"

"Have them meet me at the barn. As soon as they can." She hung up and gave the phone back to Olivia. Then she hauled Adam to his feet. "Come on. We're going for a drive."

<><><>

Well at least she hadn't wet herself, was Lucy's first clear thought once she regained control of her body. That was one of the most common side effects of being tasered—and Clint's stun gun seemed to have been modified for extra voltage. 

And this was just the start, a grim voice in her head reminded her.

The van rocked and rolled around sharp turns and bumps in the road. Then it stopped. The main road, she thought, trying to get her bearings. But when she looked out of the section of the windshield she could see, it was just sky and the tops of trees. Then the van lurched onto even rougher road, its wheels slipping against the snow covered ground.

Not the main road. Probably a logging trail. Which meant they could be anywhere on the mountain. Another lurch and she rolled onto her side, her face against the floorboards. The stench of diesel made her nauseous. She forced it aside, just like she had her fear. Think, dammit. Think.

He wouldn't take her too far. He needed to stay in cell range of Morgan. Which, from the Hardings' house, meant staying on this side of the mountain and the south end of the valley. Which also meant she was in range of help if she could grab a phone.

She pressed her hip against the floor. No telltale feel of her keychain and the small knife she kept there. He must have taken them. Her backup gun? No, Jenna had it.

"You back with us?" Clint called from the front of the van. "Wouldn't want you to miss any of the fun." The van stopped and he turned the ignition off. He turned around in the front seat, his arm draped over the back, and stared at her. 

Just sat and stared.

The van was dark. The only light was the feeble sunbeams fighting through the snow that quickly covered the windshield. With the engine off, it quickly grew chilly. 

Yet Lucy was sweating. Her shirt stuck to her and she could smell the acrid stench of her perspiration. She forced herself to lie still, keeping eye contact with Caine. He was used to total control and power over his captives, body and mind.

But this time was different. She wasn't in the dark. She knew what he was capable of. She had no hope of anyone finding them. Which in a way was freeing. It was just her and him. And she had a helluva lot more to live for than he did.

Caine did what he did for mere pleasure. Lucy was fighting to get back to her family alive.

An unbidden smile twisted her lips. He laughed at the sight of it. "This is gonna be fun."

Chapter 33

Jenna made the kid drive. Technically a no-no, but what choice did she have? Not like she trusted him behind her or even beside her. To her relief, he didn't give her any trouble. 

"Used to drive all the time for my dad," he told her, as if they were taking a trip down memory lane instead of to rescue the kids he kidnapped. "I'm tall for my age, so it was easy."

"Did you help your dad in other ways?" She didn't add: Like rape and torture his victims? 

Adam swallowed hard, his hands tightening on the wheel. "I helped him find fish. Yeah. Wasn't very good at it. He never let me touch any of them. Said I would ruin it. But he made me watch a few times. Before we got Morgan. After that," he shrugged, "it was their thing. I was in charge of stuff like getting food, stealing cash."

He sounded remorseful, but Jenna wasn't buying it. How could anyone—even a kid—not know what he saw was wrong?

They pulled up to the barn where Bob had brought her yesterday. "We're not going in there, are we?"

"No. There's another cave. Smaller. Just through those trees." He pointed to the forest that spread out from the side of the barn at the base of the mountain. The sun was gone now and in the light of the car's headlights, the trees swayed in the wind looking as if they weren't too happy about anyone trespassing.

Jenna wasn't happy either. Especially not about another cave. She called the sheriff's station. Backup was delayed at least another half an hour. Maybe more.

Well, hell. Sit and let those kids freeze to death? Or worse, let Caine Senior to find them? Or play the hero and rescue them?

She wanted to do the first. Play it by the book. That way anything that happened wouldn't be her fault.

But all she thought was what would Bob do? What would Lucy do?

They wouldn't play it safe. They'd save those kids and not care about being a hero. Easy for them. They already were heroes. Even with a gun at her head, Lucy hadn't been afraid. Jenna wanted to run away and hide. Of course she didn't, her training wouldn't let her. But that didn't erase the fear she felt when Morgan aimed that gun at her.

"Please," Adam begged. "We can't wait. He'll find them. I know he will. He's too smart—and when he wants something, he always gets it."

Jenna made her decision. "Okay, let's go. But if you try anything, I'll shoot you like a dog."

Not so heroic, but kids or no kids, she was coming out of this alive.

<><><>

It was so easy. The redhead's car had a safety latch inside the trunk, making it child's play for Morgan to hide there, hear everything they said, then slip out again. Easy peasy to follow their trail through the snow after that.

She watched from beneath a hemlock, shielded by its low hanging branches. Adam sidled behind a rock and vanished, followed by the redhead. Another cave. One so well hidden, no one, not even the search teams, would ever find it. Clever boy, her big brother. Maybe more clever than she gave him credit for.

She pulled out her phone. The reception here was lousy. A single bar, but good enough for her needs. "I found them." She gave Clint directions to the cave. "You can't miss their trail. Now that the snow's stopped, it's obvious."

"That means the cops will find it."

"They're half an hour out. So you need to hurry."

"We're ten minutes away. No worries, baby girl. We'll have plenty of time to have some fun."

She wasn't sure about that. Lately Clint had been taking way too many risks. Almost like he wanted to be caught. No, that wasn't it. Like he needed the
rush
of almost being caught. 

Fine for him. But not her. She liked her freedom, being able to blend in, go anywhere, do anything. She'd always be grateful to Clint for giving her that freedom, showing her how powerful she was. But that didn't mean she was ready to rot in prison for the man. 

She pulled out her knife and followed Adam's footsteps into the cave. She owed big brother for his betrayal back at the house. And she'd smelled the fear radiating off the redhead. 

She'd be long gone before the cops came.

Plenty of time for fun.

<><><>

Jenna swallowed the urge to scream as she followed Adam into the cave. She didn't have Bob's hand to hold this time, so she clutched Adam's arm instead. Had to keep her prisoner close. Although she already felt like an idiot for not thinking of another way to save the kids. As it was, she moved Adam's restraints to the front and made him hold the flashlight. She didn't like giving him a potential weapon, but it was the only way to keep her gun hand free.

He was docile enough so far. But they were on his territory. And totally out of her comfort zone. The blackness closed in on her as it had yesterday. Not so bad, thanks to the light Adam held, but bad enough.

All he had to do was turn the light off and she'd be a goner. 

"Keep moving," she snapped at him when he hesitated. They were in a large cavern at the front of the cave with two paths in sight: one leading down and one leading to another chamber to the side.

Her blood pounded in her throat and she thought he was going to make a move. She raised her weapon, ready to pull the trigger. But all he did was clear his throat. 

"I wasn't sure—would you, I mean, there's a lantern in the bedroom. We could set one in here. It's pretty bright. If that's okay."

Thank God his back was to her. She'd almost shot him. "Yeah. Get it."

He handed her the flashlight and bowed his head to step into the side chamber. He emerged a second later holding a Coleman lantern. He lit it and moved to the second path. "If I leave it here, you'll always know your way out."

"Don't you need the light?" she asked as he led her down the path and across a small stream. 

"No ma'am. I know my way around here light or dark. Sometimes it's easier in the dark. Not so scary."

She doubted his father's victims would agree.

They passed through a chamber with pale white rock formations and cave art scattered at shoulder height, reminding her they weren't the first humans to pass this way. Then she saw what he meant about scary. There was another stream—or a branch of the same one—but this one was riotous, white water rushing and she had no idea how deep. 

Marion Caine's body had been lost in an underground stream like this. Swallowed by the mountain and never seen again.

"Usually not so high or wide," Adam said, backing up a few steps before leaping across the water, the flashlight bobbing with the motion. "Must be the snow. It's warm enough inside here to melt." He stood on the other side and held his handcuffed hands out to help Jenna across. 

He could have just run. Could have pushed her into the water before he crossed. Could have done a lot of things. Still, she wasn't about to trust him. "How much farther?"

He nodded to a cavern on the other side of some tumbled boulders. There was a faint light coming from it. "In there."

They must have been close because suddenly there were cries of help from beyond the boulders. "Help! Help us, please! Marty's hurt bad!"

Jenna grit her teeth, took three steps back and leapt, flying through the air and remembering doing the same on her horse when she was young. She landed hard, almost slipped back into the water, but Adam caught her and set her onto her feet.

"This way." He hurried up the path and stooped low to make it into the next cavern. Jenna followed him. It was smaller than the area at the front of the cave but the air was crisp, less stale. A faint glow came from an area below a drop off. Camping supplies littered the ledge including another lantern Adam knelt to light. Beyond him was a wooden ladder.

"Lie down, face down," she ordered Adam, not trusting him at her back when she got close to the edge. Who knew how far down the bottom was.