Colder Than Ice (29 page)

He told himself not to feel overconfident, not to underestimate the guy. Hell, if Bryan could move silently through the woods, Mordecai probably could, as well. And then there were his voices and spirit guides, who, according to Dawn, were not all in his head and were sometimes deadly accurate.

God, even if he outmaneuvered the loon, he was still in more than a little trouble. He had no idea where the hell he was. He knew the way back was downhill, but this mountain felt as wide as it was tall, and he could go downhill and still end up miles away from his goal.

It was dark. And now that they were walking, virtually tiptoeing through the woods instead of running, it was getting colder and colder. The air chilled his nose and face. His hands were cold, and he wished for a pair of gloves. The breath in his lungs was icy, and he exhaled thick clouds of steam and wondered if they were visible from very far away.

“Bryyy-annn. I'm still following you.”

Bryan closed his eyes and swore in a harsh whisper. It wasn't working; the bastard was still keeping up.

Dawn was going to freeze before long. Hell, out here overnight, they both might. Then he glimpsed a pair of headlights moving along a road far below. He nudged Dawn. “Look. Look down there.”

She looked, saw what he saw, nodded. “So?”

“Listen to me, Dawn. I have a plan.”

She looked at him. “I hope it's better than the last one.”

He nodded. “It is, but you're not going to like it. You saw the car, the way it moved around the base of this hill. If you go down, you're gonna hit that road, and from there you can find your way to help. Get hold of my dad, tell him what's going on.”

He spoke emphatically, but in whispers. He was terrified this wouldn't work, but he vowed he wouldn't go far until he was sure it had.

“You think I'm going to leave you out here all alone?” She shook her head firmly. “No way, Bry.”

“You have to. If we don't get some help, we're either going to freeze to death or he's going to catch us. One of us has to go for help.”

“Why don't we both go?”

“Because he would follow. And he might catch us before we made it down there.”

“So you want me to go alone and just leave you here?”

He nodded.

“It won't work. He's just as likely to follow me.”

“No, he won't, because I'm gonna hide you so well a rabbit couldn't find you, and then I'm gonna make so much noise crashing off in the opposite direction that he'll be sure to follow me. Once I get a ways out, I'll stop, listen for him. If he's not still on my trail, I'll come right back, in case he's on to you.
But if he does follow me, I'll keep leading him upward. Once you're sure he's long gone, you head down toward that road. Mark the spot where you come out of the woods, so you can tell them where to start looking. Okay?”

She blinked at him.

“Dawn, you've gotta get me some help. I'm the one he's after. He doesn't care that you're out here. Please, do this.”

“You think I don't know what you're doing? This is a typical guy stunt. Protect the helpless female, lead the bad guy away and send her scurrying for help.”

He put a hand on her cheek. “If he caught up to us and something happened to you…I don't know what I'd do.”

Her lips trembled, though she tried to look angry. “Macho garbage.”

“I can handle this if I don't have to worry about you, Dawn. And I can move faster on my own.”

“Liar.”

He sighed, not sure what to do. The next thing he knew, he was leaning closer, kissing her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him. He tasted salt, knew she was crying. When he lifted his head away, he cupped her neck in his hand, his face close to hers, and whispered, “We can't handle him alone, Dawn. We need help. It's not macho to admit that, but I don't have a choice here. I need you to get word to my father. I'm counting on it.”

She sniffed, nodded. “All right.” Bryan heard footsteps in the distance, then crunching of underbrush. Still many yards away, though. “Come on, it's now or never. He'll be close enough to hear what we're doing soon. Get under this pile of deadfall. I'll cover you up and then lead him away.”

She let him lead her. He crouched down, lifting fallen limbs
and briars enough so that she could crawl underneath. She couldn't get all the way inside, but enough. He lowered the brush again, rearranged some of the limbs on top, then added some more from the ground nearby.

“Don't move until you're sure he's gone. Even if it takes a while. If he doesn't follow me, I'll come back. Okay?”

“Be safe, Bryan. Be careful. I'll be fast.”

“Don't be fast. Quiet's more important. At least till you get down there a ways.”

“All right.” She sniffled. “God, I hate this.”

“I do, too. I'm going now.”

“Bye, Bryan.”

“See you later, Dawn.”

 

“We're going to find him.” Beth had said it a dozen times in the past couple of hours. But if she couldn't convince herself it was true, she didn't suppose she had much hope of convincing Josh.

“I can't stand this waiting.” He was pacing the floor. He'd pushed his hands through his hair so many times it was sticking up all over, and she swore there were worry lines etched into his brow that hadn't been there before.

“I don't like it, either.” She sent a resentful glance toward the living room where Arthur Stanton had commandeered her phone lines as well as his own cell phone and a computer he must have had in his car. “He has troops on the way, he tells me. And he says it as if it ought to give me cause for celebration.”

“It should,” Josh said. “You'll have a lot more protection.”

“Yeah. Let's not forget what happened to me the last time government troops came to the rescue. One of them put a bullet in my gut.”

She saw him turn away quickly, thought he had winced at her words, reminded herself he was the one going through hell right now, not her. She moved toward him, slid her hands up his back and curled them over his shoulders. “But it'll be good when they get here, because it'll be that many more people looking for Bryan.”

He sighed. “I want to be out looking for him myself.”

“So do I. We'll go, just as soon as we have some idea where to look. Whether that government watchdog in there likes it or not.”

He nodded. “We should have something soon. It was nice of that guy who owns the print shop to run off all those flyers for us.”

“Stanley Kipp,” she said. “One of Maude's many friends. So were all the others who showed up here tonight. By now they've got the town papered in those flyers, and have spread the word far and wide that he's missing.”

“We got a hit,” Arthur said, slamming down the telephone. He came across the room to where Joshua and Beth were alternately pacing and sitting. “Bryan spent last night at a motel outside town.” He licked his lips and averted his eyes.

“What else? What aren't you telling me?” Joshua asked, reading his face.

Arthur sighed. “Josh, uh, he wasn't alone.”

Josh's brows went up.

“Oh, hell. The girl,” Beth said softly.

Josh swung his gaze to her, looking astounded. “What girl?”

“I didn't know what to tell you. There was a…an article of girls' clothing…on his bedroom floor the other day. I had a feeling he'd struck up a romance with one of the local girls.”

“He had a girl—in his bedroom?”

“Josh, he's seventeen.”

Josh gaped at her, then stared at Arthur. “This girl was with him in the motel?”

“Apparently, yes. But they were in a room with two beds, Josh.”

“Oh, well,
that's
reassuring. Here I am scared to death he's been abducted by an insane murderer, and he's holed up in a cheap motel with some—”

“Let me in, Goddammit!”

The shrill cry came from the front porch. It was a girl's voice. And one Beth knew as well as she knew her own.

B
eth went rigid at the sound of that cry, then surged to the front door ahead of the men, both of whom were telling her to wait, and yanked it open. The police officer Frankie had stationed on the porch had his hands on the outer arms of a girl who was struggling to break free.

“Let her go!” Beth's voice came out firm and deep, a tone of command so powerful it startled her. The cop turned to look over his shoulder at her, and the girl stopped struggling and looked up at her, her eyes desperate and damp. Straggles of blond hair had escaped the knit cap she wore, and there were leaves and bits of berry briar tangled in them and clinging to the hat. Her face was scratched and smeared with mud. So were the front of her coat, the knees and bottoms of her jeans, her shoes. And her hands…

She tore free of the cop and flung herself into Beth's arms.

“You know this girl, Ms. Slocum?”

Beth nodded, holding her daughter close, stroking her back. “Dawny, my God, what's happened to you?”

“Dawn?” Joshua repeated the name, and Beth caught his eye and nodded once, then tried to focus on the broken words that punctuated Dawn's sobs and gulps.

Modercai
and
forest
and
Bryan.

Beth gripped her shoulders and stared down at her face. “Slow down, take a breath and tell me what happened.”

Dawn sniffled, nodded jerkily and wiped the back of one muddy hand across her face, smearing more mud there. “Mordecai is after Bryan.”

“You know where Bryan is?” Josh shouted.

“I know where he was. I—I didn't want to leave him. He made me come for help. I can show you.”

Josh gripped her arm. “Let's go.”

“Joshua, for God's sake,” Beth said. “Look at her. She's half-frozen, wet through, scratched and bruised and God knows what else. She needs—”

“No.” Dawn put a hand on Beth's shoulder. “No, we have to go now. I'm fine.”

“We can take my car,” Arthur Stanton said, pulling out his key ring, aiming it and hitting a button. The car came to life in the driveway, headlights flashing on, engine humming softly.

“I'll take mine, too, and use the radio to call for more help,” Frankie Parker said.

The others who had gathered in the house were already thundering down the porch steps, shouting about getting search parties organized and who had ATVs that could be used as they got into their vehicles.

Dawn was shivering, her hand like a block of ice when she closed it around Beth's and tugged her toward the waiting vehicles.

“Wait.” Beth pulled free and ran back inside, yanking her coat and Josh's from the closet, and a blanket from the back of the sofa, then rejoining Dawn outside. They jumped into the back seat of Arthur's car. Josh got into the front with Stanton.

As they pulled away, the chief followed. Beth held Dawn in her arms, stroking her shoulders, trying to comfort her as snow fell in the twin beams of the car's headlights.

“Here,” Dawn said when they'd gone only a few yards. “Turn off onto that dirt road there. I walked along this thing for I don't know how long, looking for a house, a car, anything. But I marked the spot where I came out of the woods—it'll be on the right side.”

“What did you use to mark it, Dawn?” Beth asked her.

“One of my socks. The other one is at the spot where I last saw Bryan.”

“He was okay? When you last saw him?” Joshua asked.

Dawn nodded. “He was fine. And it was only a couple of hours ago.”

Joshua sighed in relief, then lifted his head again, facing Dawn from the front seat. “You have to tell us what the hell has been going on. Have you been with Bryan ever since he supposedly left for California? Hiding out in a motel outside of town?”

Beth saw Dawn's eyes widen, and then they shot straight to hers. “It's not like it sounds. I swear we weren't—we didn't—it wasn't anything sexual.”

“Well, then, what the hell was it?” Josh asked.

“Jesus, no wonder Bryan can't talk to you!”

“Dawn—” Beth warned.

“I'm sorry, but it's true. God, does he really think we would have risked our lives just for a chance to get laid?”

Josh's face registered shock at the frankness of her words, but Beth wasn't shocked at all. “Cut him some slack, Dawn,” Beth said. “He's worried about his son. That's all.”

Dawn relaxed back on the seat. “That's no reason to take it out on me.” She faced Beth, addressing her, not Joshua. “Bry and I were in touch online. When Maude died, I got the feeling something was up, and then your house exploded, and I knew. Mom and Sean were out of town on a story, so I decided to come up here and make sure you were okay.”

Beth closed her eyes. God, Julie didn't even know Dawn was here?

“Once I got here, I convinced Bry to hide me so you wouldn't go ratting me out or sending me home. He hid me out up in his room.” She turned to Josh. “Where I slept on the bed, and he took the floor.” She sent him a look that should have wilted him as she spoke, then turned her eyes right back to Beth's again. “And we started doing a little digging. We thought we had a good shot at helping find Mordecai, so when you all decided to send Bryan packing, we faked you out and checked into a motel.” She looked up at Joshua. “A room with two beds.”

“All right, all right. I'm sorry I offended you,” Josh said. “But I still don't see what drove Mordecai to go after my son.”

Dawn lowered her eyes. “He lost a daughter,” she said. “Maybe he's looking for a replacement.”

Beth felt her daughter's pain, and she saw the sympathy appear on Josh's face, as well, but before either of them could say anything, Dawn jerked her head up again. “Slow down, Mr. Stanton. It's up here somewhere.”

Arthur slowed the car to a crawl, and everyone scanned the roadside for Dawn's marker as she went on. “Bryan and I staked out the funeral, and sure enough, Mordecai showed up. He was watching the two of you. We followed him when he left, found out where he was staying. But he spotted us, and we had to run for it. He recognized Bryan somehow. I don't even know how he knows him. I don't think he ever realized who I was.” She paused there. “That's odd, don't you think? I mean, even if he didn't see me clearly, wouldn't that sixth sense of his or his guides or whatever have told him?”

“Honey, he's not right,” Beth said. “Who knows why his mind or his senses work the way they do?”

“There it is. That's the spot where I came out of the woods!” Dawn thrust her arm between the two men in the front seat, pointing excitedly.

Arthur pulled over, and the headlights picked out the dirt-streaked white sock knotted around a low-hanging branch that stuck out over the road.

“What happened tonight, Dawn?” Joshua asked. He asked it gently, his expression no longer hostile.

“Bry and I were lurking outside Maude's house, waiting for you guys to leave so we could get in. I was going to look for Arthur Stanton's number, or maybe Lieutenant Jackson's, so we could phone someone and tell them where Mordecai was. I wasn't sure we could trust the local police, and if we told you or Beth, you'd have sent me back home and Bry off to California.” She shrugged. “Though Bry did insist that if we couldn't find the number tonight, we had to come clean with you. Anyway, Mordecai walked up on us in the woods. We ran, he chased. After a while Bry hid me in some brush and ran off in the other direction.” She lowered
her head. “He led him away from me so I could come down here for help.”

Josh nodded. “So he's up there?” As he spoke, he opened the car door, got out and stood staring at the rising, forested mountain. Snow was falling around him, big flakes of it drifting at a steadier rate than before.

Dawn opened her door and got out, as well. She pointed to a stream. “I found that stream and followed it down, so it would be easier to find my way back up. Follow it up a long ways. There's a spot where the slope levels off and the beavers dammed the stream up to make a tiny pond. When you get to that point, the stream veers right. You need to keep going straight up. About fifty yards, to the pile of deadfall where Bry hid me. I tied the other sock there to mark it. From there, Bry headed up, but at an angle off to the left.” She pointed to illustrate.

Joshua nodded. Beth and Arthur had gotten out of the car to join them, and Frankie's squad car had pulled up behind them. “I'm going up,” Josh said. “Arthur, you and the chief can organize the volunteers, form a search party. Maybe get us a helicopter out here.”

“And someone ought to check out the house he was using,” Arthur added.

Josh shot a hand to his arm. “I don't give a rat's ass about the house or about catching Mordecai, Arthur. I want every resource devoted to finding my son. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “After he's safe,” he corrected himself.

Josh turned to Beth, and suddenly his face changed. It was as if he were suddenly torn. “Beth—”

“Don't even start with that protective bull, Josh. You have to go after your son. I'll join you in the search—just as soon as I get Dawn situated.”

He thinned his lips, shot a look at Arthur Stanton. “Don't leave her alone. Not for one fucking minute. Keep her safe until I get back.”

Arthur looked surprised. Then Josh snapped an arm around Beth's waist and pulled her to him, bent his head and kissed her hard. “Be safe, Beth.”

“You, too,” she whispered, cupping his face with her hand. “Find him, Josh.”

He nodded, then turned and started up into the woods.

Beth watched him out of sight, then turned to Dawn. “Where is this house Mordecai was using?”

“That little town between Blackberry and Pineville.”

“Pinedale,” Beth corrected, then looked at Frankie. “She means Bonnie Brook.”

“Yeah, that's it,” Dawn said. “It's on the main road, one of a whole row of big Victorians all clustered together. Pretty.”

“I know where that is,” Chief Frankie said. “Which one is he in?”

“The one with the pink-and-green trim.”

Frankie nodded. “I'll get one or two of my men on that. Just to watch it, in case Mordecai tries to go back there tonight.”

“But Josh said—” Dawn began.

“Josh is upset,” Beth interrupted. “If Mordecai gets Bryan, chances are that's where he would take him. Frankie's right—we have to cover it. And also, organize all the searchers we can get our hands on.”

“I'm on that,” Frankie said. She was already reaching into her car for the radio.

Beth put an arm around Dawn. “I'm going to take Dawn back to my house.”

“Not alone you're not,” Arthur said. He held open his car
door. Beth got inside. Dawn followed, and Arthur Stanton drove them back to the onetime inn.

 

“There's a hot bath just about ready, Dawn.” Beth handed her a steaming cup of cocoa. “Take this with you and go soak.”

Dawn took the cocoa between her palms and took a sip, but she was shaking her head even before she swallowed it. “I just want to put on some dry clothes and head right back out. We have to look for Bryan.”

Beth put a firm hand on her shoulder. “One teenager at risk is more than enough, Dawn. You're going to soak in that tub and drink your cocoa. And
I'm
going to contact your mother.”

Dawn thrust out her lower lip. “She and Sean are in D.C. Doing preelection reporting for News Four. They won't be back for another three days.”

“And you have her number there?”

Dawn sighed, but nodded.

“Write it down for me before you get into the tub.”

Sighing as if Beth were asking her to surrender a kidney, Dawn turned to the telephone stand and scribbled a number on the pad there. “Don't send her into a panic. Tell her I'm okay, but I'm damn well not leaving here until this is over.”

“Dawn, don't be ridiculous. This doesn't involve you.”

She lifted her eyes, locked them with Beth's. “He's my father. If it doesn't involve me, who the hell
does
it involve?”

Beth frowned at her daughter. “It's not your responsibility.”

“I feel like it is. I feel like I have to see this through to the end. And I know you understand that, Beth, because I know it's how you feel, too.”

Beth had to avert her eyes.

“If you send me home, I'll run away and come back the first
chance I get.” She sighed, turned and headed up the stairs. “Tell Mom I'll call her before bed. She'll want to know when she's going to get the chance to lecture me.”

“I'll tell her.”

Then she was out of sight. Beth heard the bathroom door close, sighed and went to the telephone. She understood all too well what Dawn was feeling, though she had to admit Dawn's feelings came as a surprise to her. She was too young to take on so much.