Caching Out (26 page)

Just
a few more feet.
He
fought to control the excitement bubbling inside him.

A
voice from inside the house boomed and Gavin froze.

“Em,
what’s the holdup out there?”

Turning
the woman yelled into the door, “Just about finished. He has to find the right
spot!”

Night
was falling fast now, the yard was almost black. Fireflies flashed their
blinking tails. Calling the puppy, the woman sighed in frustration when he just
looked up at her then turned away to chase a bug in the grass. She stepped off
the deck, moving quickly toward the pup. “Time to go in little guy, it’s too
dark to be chasing bugs.”  Bending over, she scooped the puppy up in her arms.

That’s
when Gavin saw it. The gun wedged at the small of her back, reflecting the glow
of the porch light.

Stupid
bitch.
Come to me. Just a few more steps and you’re mine.

Emma
never saw the man coming. Lunging from the shadows, he knocked her down. Landing
on her back, his body covered hers as he clamped a hand across her mouth. The
fall had knocked the air from her lungs and catching a breath seemed impossible.
Struggling, she tried to free herself. The puppy had yipped, falling from her
hands and landing somewhere in the darkness.

Emma
felt his hand slide around to her back, pulling her gun free from where it was
tucked inside her pants.

Leaning
close, he whispered, “I’m going to pull you up now, and we’re going to take a
little walk. If you make even one sound, I will shoot you, got it?”

Nodding,
Emma allowed him to pull her to her feet, the gun still pointed at her chest.

“Hold
your hands out,” he hissed, pulling a piece of red cording from his pocket.

Gavin
quickly tied her hands, one eye on the back door to the house. He then pushed
the woman in front of him as they slithered around the corner of the house and
ducked back through the hedge, making their way behind the house next door and
out into the alley where his car was parked.

Her
breath regained, Emma thought,
You cannot get in that car. Think. If you
scream, he’s going to shoot you and if you go with him, that will be even worse.
You’ve got to stall and give Tate time to find you.
Balking at the door of
the car, Emma turned and kicked at her captor, striking him on the thigh.
Damn,
missed
.

“You
crazy bitch!” Gavin raised the gun, slamming it against her head. The last
thing Emma heard before passing into oblivion was Tate’s voice calling to her.

“Emma! 
Emma, where are you? Damn it, I should have known you wouldn’t stay on the
deck.”  The puppy ran right up to him and sniffed his boot.
Where was she?
The slamming of a car door and an engine starting pushed Tate into a full-out
run. Pulling his gun as he ran toward the sound, Tate stepped into the alley
just as a car spun out, spraying him with gravel. Raising his revolver, Tate
shot at the tires, but the car didn’t slow.

 “Shit!”

Running
for his SUV, Tate pulled his cell out and hit the last number called, “Martin,
the bastard’s got Emma.”

“Whoa
there Tate, slow down.”

“No
time, Martin. He was parked in the alley that runs behind my house. A compact
car, couldn’t get the make or model, but it’s a dark colored sedan. Maybe red.”

“What
about Chad?  I thought he was stationed in the backyard.”

“No
sign of Chad when I came outside, so send someone over to search. This guy could
have both of them, for all I know. The alley would have forced him to the right
on Magnolia Street and where he’s headed, I don’t know. I’ve got to go.” Tate
turned right from his driveway and punched the gas pedal to the floor.

He
paused at the end of the street trying to decide which way to go. Deciding that
the killer wouldn’t want to drive through the middle of town now that he knew
he’d been spotted, Tate turned left. A mile down the road he slowed when tail lights
appeared in the distance.

Just
hang back, Tate, be patient, and let him show you where he’s going.

Gavin
glanced at Emma slumped in the front seat. Reaching over he placed two fingers
on her neck feeling for a pulse.
The bitch is alive. For now anyway
. Glancing
in the rearview mirror, he spotted headlights about a quarter mile back.

“Shit.
Just play it cool, Gav. They’re not gaining on you.” A mile down the road,
Gavin took a right turn without breaking, dust billowed up behind the car as
the rear end fishtailed.
Almost there Gav, almost there.

Emma
groaned, the movement of the car careening around a turn causing bile to boil
in the back of her throat. Without moving her body, she opened one eye a sliver
staring at the killer. She tried to see beyond him to determine where they were
going. No luck.

Just
stay still Emma. Make him have to carry you out and maybe you can get the upper
hand.

Tate
watched as the car ahead turned without hitting the brakes and saw the tail lights
pull a fast back and forth pattern. “Damn, he’s going to Walt’s place, or back
to the cache site where we found the coin…if he doesn’t wreck before he gets
there.” 

Without
slowing, Tate drove past the road that the killer turned on, planning to double
back once the coast was clear. Pulling his phone out, Tate called Martin. “He’s
either going back to the cache site or he’s going to Walt Mabry’s place, there’s
nothing else on that road. I let him go without following, but I’m turning
around now. I didn’t want to spook him with Emma in that car.”

“I’m
on my way. I’ll get some back up out that way too.”

“No,
Martin, don’t come in with lights and sirens blazing. I don’t want to scare him
or have him get in a hurry. I’m going to park and walk, hopefully taking him by
surprise. The last thing we need is for someone to come up like the damned
Calvary. If you get here in time, walk in and keep it quiet. Sound carries a
long way out here.”

“I
got you’re back on this one. You be careful out there and bring our Miss Emma
home safe.”

Martin
glanced at his wife standing in the doorway with his gun and hat in her hands. “You
know me so well, sweetheart. I’ll be back as quick as I can.”  Kissing her on
the lips he slipped his hat on and pulled his gun belt around his waist. Martin
hoped he hadn’t just lied to his wife and that they would all be back safe and
out of harm’s way soon.

CHAPTER 40

Gavin
jumped from his car, and ran toward the barn. He grabbed one of the large
wooden doors and pulled it open enough to drive through. He killed the engine
and stepped out to shut the barn door, glancing at Emma still slumped in the
front seat.
Must have hit the bitch pretty hard.

As
soon as Emma heard the car door close and his footsteps moving away, she frantically
twisted her wrists trying to free her hands before he returned.
Damn it,
she thought.
They’re too tight.
She heard his footsteps again and played
dead.

Tate
let his vehicle coast slowly down the dirt road even though it was now too dark
for anyone to see any dust being raised. A half mile from Walt’s house, he
pulled over, the wheels dipping into the ditch, gravel and rocks crunching
under the tires as he braked. Pulling a flashlight from the glove compartment,
he turned it on keeping the beam low to the ground
.
  He slid from SUV
and eased the door closed with his hip then. The loud metallic click echoed into
the still night and Tate winced.

Following
the road, he jogged to Walt’s driveway then slipped into the foliage on the
fence line, making his way closer to the house.
No lights. Shit, maybe
they’re not here.
  A creaking sound from behind the house now caught Tate’s
attention.  

The
barn.

Taking
a chance, Tate ran from the cover of trees to the side of Walt’s house. He kept
to the shadows and walked to the rear corner of the house where he had a clear
view of the barn. Both the main doors were closed, but a faint glow of light peeked
eerily from a two inch crack at the bottom. He took a deep breath.
Now what?

Pulling
the passenger door open, Gavin shook Emma’s arm. “Time to wake up, bitch. The
chase is over, but the party is just beginning and I want you awake for it.” He
shook her hard and waited a few seconds for her to respond. “Shit. She’s out
cold.”  Reaching inside the car, Gavin locked one arm around Emma’s waist,
hoisting her out before dropping her on the barn floor.

Emma
resisted the urge to tense when he touched her.
You probably won’t get
another chance at this.
Her butt hit the hard-packed dirt floor of the barn
with a thud. Letting her body roll back Emma brought her feet up, kicking at
the man with all her strength.

A
solid blow to the mid-section knocked Gavin off his feet. He fell back on the
floor of the barn and was surprised for a minute, then laughed. The woman struggled
to stand and failed so she tried scooting backward toward the door. Gavin
pulled a length of red cord from his pocket and advanced on her. “You’re going
to be so much fun. I love it when they fight.” 

As
soon as the Gavin was close enough, she kicked at him again, her blow glancing
off his thigh this time. He was ready for her this time and when she kicked, he
grabbed her ankle and twisted, forcing her face down on the floor. He wrapped
the cord around her ankles and pulled it tight then stepped back. “Now, where’s
my coin bitch?”

Emma
rolled over and looked at the crazed man in front of her, knowing that if she
gave him the token he would have no reason to keep her alive. “Why is the coin
so important to you?  It’s nothing but a toy, it doesn’t have any value.”

Watching
his face twist in anger, Emma knew that she’d hit a nerve. The killer loved that
damn coin.
Just keep him talking Emma.

Kicking
her on the leg, Gavin pointed to the computer sitting on a wooden work table
behind him. “I know that you have it, in fact I
always
know where it is
so, give it to me.”

Scooting
back further from his reach, Emma faltered. “Okay, so I have it. Why don’t you
tell me about the coin?  What’s so special about it and why do you put it in
geocaches and then kill the people who find it?”

Slamming
his hand down on the hood of the car, Gavin snapped. “Enough!”  Turning he
walked to the work table and opened his backpack, pulled a syringe out. He twisted
the orange safety cap off. Holding the needle up to the soft light of the
computer screen he pushed the clear liquid upward until a drop oozed from the
needle. He gave it a good thump.

“Maybe
you’ll be a little more helpful once you fall in the K-hole, bitch. Actually, you
won’t be helpful at all, but then you won’t care if I do a little body search,
either.”

Trying
to scoot further away, Emma realized that she’d moved as far as she could, her
back now rested against the barn doors. “No need for that, I’ll give you the
coin.”

Rushing
her, Gavin jabbed the needle into her upper thigh, pushing the drug into her
muscle. “Yes, you will give me my coin, or I’ll just take it after I’m through
with you, doesn’t matter much to me at this point.”

Emma
stared at the man in front of her. His mouth moved but she couldn’t hear his
words over the loud buzzing in her ears. “Wha...” She tried to speak but gave
up, leaning her head back on something hard as the barn walls pulsed in and out
like a strange house of mirrors. Panic filled her gut as she stared at the man
standing over her.
This is it
. She struggled, but failed to move.

Smiling,
Gavin watched the woman, knowing the exact instant that she fell into the K hole.
“You’re there now. Pretty cool, huh?” He walked to the work bench and pulled a
small gray plastic case from his backpack. Flipping the case open and running
his finger across a set of small blades he smiled. “It’s time now, Mama. But
first, I get to have a little fun.” Taking the knives with him Gavin knelt next
to Emma.  

Outside,
Tate slid closer to the barn.
It’s too quiet in there. There’s got to be
another way in, it’s too big to only have one door.

Tate
heard Emma asking the killer about his coin and why it was important to him.
That’s
it Em, just keep him talking.

Sliding
around to the side of the barn, Tate let his hands glide against the rough wood
feeling for a door or loose board. He turned the corner and walked along the
rear of the barn. He had gone only a couple of feet when he felt it. A door. Gripping
the iron door knob he slowly turned it. It opened without a sound. Sliding into
the dark room, Tate squinted, letting his eyes adjust before seeing a faint glow
of light coming from the wall in front of him.

Thank
God.
He
heard them clearly now. Was the killer was talking to his mother?  Was there
someone else in there too?  Tate counted to three before he pushed the door
open.

“Police! 
You touch her with that knife and you’re a dead man.”