Out Of Control (22 page)

“You
know word’s out, and any minute we’ll have a media mob. I don’t want any of the
press inside this building.”

Gaylen
nodded. “Believe me, they won’t get in. Go on. I’ll take care of things here.”

****

Dana
heard the news when she stopped for gas at the Gas and Go and overheard two
women talking about it at the next pump. When she finished, she approached
them. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but hear what you were saying. Is there a
young girl missing?”

The
women stared at her. Finally, one of them said, “You’re that writer stirring up
all the mess from those old cases, aren’t you?”

Dana
pasted on a smile and held out a hand. “Not stirring up, just investigating.
But you’re right. I’m Dana Moretti, the author.”

Their
stares were unblinking. Then one woman gave her a limp handshake. “I suppose
you want all the gory details about what’s going on.”

Dana
shook her head. She was getting used to the hateful attitude that kept
following her around. “I’m just really concerned there’s another victim. Can
you tell me who it is?”

The
women looked at each other.

“Shannon
Fowler,” the handshake woman said. “Lives at the edge of town. She got off the
school bus and no one’s seen her since.”

Sentence
by sentence, Dana pried the details out of them, trying not to show how upset
she was. It was
him
. All her intuition told her it was. But why now? He
was safe. Had been for twenty-five years. So why had he started again? What was
driving him now? God, she hoped people were wrong and her showing up hadn’t
triggered it.

And
why was he after older girls now? Was it too dangerous to go after the little
ones? And how was he choosing his victims?

Temporarily
pushing the Garzas to the back of her mind, she headed for Cole’s office. Maybe
she could help in the search. Use her volunteer SAR experience. Nausea bubbled
up in her throat. Maybe by now Shannon had been found safe and sound. Alive.
Not a body.

Not
again, she prayed. Please, God, don’t let it be happening again.

Chapter
Nineteen

The
lot at the sheriff’s office was filled with news crews and a variety of
vehicles parked every which way so Dana had to find space more than a block
away.

Cole
must be having fits.

She
didn’t even know what she was doing here. He’d be much too busy to see her.
Still, she was pulled by an invisible string and wanted to help if she could.
Realizing the back door would be her best option, she skirted the building and
was almost at the side when a woman yelled out.

“Hey,
isn’t that Dana Moretti over there? What’s she doing here?”

A
reporter blocked her path, shoving a microphone at her. “Miss Moretti? Deandra
Billings, NBC news. Can you tell me why you’re here?”

“Sorry.
I really have nothing to say.” She forced herself to be polite. She hated
newshounds.

“Just
a few words. Please.” The woman moved closer, signaling to her cameraman to
follow. “Are you working on a new book? Does the murder and disappearance have
anything to do with it? Give us your take on what’s happening here.”

“I
don’t have a take. Sorry.”

She
moved up one more step, trying to edge away, but the woman was actually blocking
her path. Suddenly hard fingers closed around one arm.

“This
way,” a strange masculine voice said.

She
looked up to see one of Cole’s deputies holding onto her.

“Back
off,” he told the reporter. “All of you. When we have something to tell you, we
will. Meanwhile don’t make things worse by harassing people.” He literally
dragged Dana inside and pushed the door shut. “Sorry I had to drag you like
that.” He gave her a tired smile and held out his hand. “Gaylen Kleist. Grace,
our dispatcher, recognized you from the other day.”

“No
apology necessary,” she breathed. “I really appreciate your help. These people
don’t need me to be the focus of what’s going on.”

He
gave her a curious glance. “Just exactly why are you here?”

“I
heard about Shannon’s disappearance and I wanted to volunteer to help search.”
She brushed her hair back from her face. “I’ve work with a lot of SAR teams
while researching my books. Things the teams and the police might miss because I
search differently.”

“You
get no special treatment and no information,” he told her. “And anything you
learn has to be cleared with Sheriff Landry. If it turns out all you want is to
dig for information, I personally will take you back to your house, help you
pack, and show you the edge of town.”

And
he’d have every right to do just that.

“Of
course. I completely agree. Just tell me where I’m needed the most.”

He
studied her for an endless moment, as if debating with himself. “All right,” he
said at last. “Sheriff Landry’s out at the staging area at Hancock Road. This
county’s more than six hundred square miles so we had to pick a starting place.”

“Is
that close to where Shannon lives?”

“Yes.
Sheriff’s thinking whoever took her might have dropped her close to home. There’s
nothing out there for miles but hay fields, pasture, and trees. And the Fowler
house is smack in the middle. Hardly anyone every goes down that road except on
purpose, so there wouldn’t be much danger of whoever this is being seen.”

“You
think she’s already dead,” Dana guessed.

Gaylen
looked at her. “Yes, and so do you. Come on. I’m just heading out there. I’ll
take you with me. And hope Cole doesn’t take my head off for bringing you.” He
looked at the deputies manning the phones. “You guys good? I’m heading out to Hancock
Road.”

They
both nodded, giving Dana a look of curiosity.

“Okay,
then. Grace can get me on the radio if there’s a problem.”

“We
may be rookies, but we’re not dumb,” one of the men told him. “We can handle
this. And we’ll keep the media out of here.”

Gaylen’s
mouth twitched with an involuntary smile as he hustled Dana out the back door
and into his SUV.

“Hang
on,” he told her. “I’m taking a short cut to avoid the vultures.”

In
a minute, she realized what he meant. Instead of pulling out onto the highway,
he drove across the field behind the building, jouncing across bumps and holes
until he reached the road running parallel to the street the office was on.

“Now
I see why all of you drive SUVs,” she commented when they were back on pavement
again.

“Lots
of places in this county with bad roads or sometimes no roads at all. Only a four-wheel
drive will do you any good if you have to reach someplace over rough terrain.”
He reached for the microphone on his radio and pressed the transmit button. “Grace,
patch me through to the sheriff, will you?”

In
a moment, Dana heard Cole’s voice, rough-sounding through the static. “Where
are you, Gaylen?”

“On
my way to you. I, um, have a passenger with me who stopped in to see you. I
thought you’d want me to get her away from the news vultures cluttering up your
parking lot. The television folks you predicated all showed up.”

There
was a crackling moment of silence before Cole spoke again. “I assume she can
hear me?”

Gaylen
held the microphone in front of Dana’s mouth.

“Hello,
Cole. I don’t want you to think I have an ulterior motive here, but I’ve worked
with SAR teams before.”

Another
pause. “You told me you often see things with a different eye. Pick up things
someone else might miss.”

“That’s
right. Not always. I’m not a trained investigator, but I’ve learned a lot while
researching my books.” She cleared her throat. “And unfortunately, I’ve found
more than my share of bodies.”

“Fine.
But anything you learn out here stays locked down until this case is over. Are
we clear?”

“I
understand.”

“All
right. Gaylen, bring her right to me as soon as you get here. Tina’s arrived
and we’re about to get things organized.”

Chapter
Twenty

He
chuckled at the chaotic scene on television. He was alone at home, sucking on a
beer and amusing himself with the media circus. They’d find Shannon soon
enough. He’d made sure to leave her where it wasn’t too obvious but easily
discovered. Just like with Leanne. After all, what was the fun of doing it if
he couldn’t show off?

He
laughed to see the young sheriff spinning his wheels, trying to cope with a
situation far beyond anything he’d expected when he took the job.

He
leaned back in his recliner, popped the lever and put up his feet. He’d give
them another day. Maybe two. Then he’d be after his next victim. He couldn’t
move too slowly. He had to get to Dana Moretti before she dug too deeply into
the past and found information better left buried. Or worse yet, found a thread
somewhere that led to his current activities.

No,
he needed to keep his focus and finish the job he left undone twenty-five years
ago.

Chapter
Twenty-One

He
had finally decided to drive to the sheriff’s office and scope things out. He
was always so visible people would think it strange if he didn’t show up. But
by the time he got there, most of the crowd had left. Even the news vans were
gone, probably chasing after the sheriff.

“Hey.”
Wanda from Harry’s diner came jogging down the steps from the building. “I
figured you’d show up down here sooner or later. Work or play, you never miss a
chance to help out.”

“Glad
to do whatever I can,” he smiled. “Terrible thing, you know. Just terrible.”

“That
poor girl,” Wanda agreed, her voice filled with sadness. “I just hope we find
her alive.”

He
dropped his eyes to hide the salacious glee that gripped him. “Yes, so do I. So
where is everyone?”

“Sent
off by the deputies to search the areas around where they live. This is a big
county. We don’t need everyone searching in the same place.”

“Have
they finished looking close to her home?” He tried to make the question as
casual as possible.

“Beats
me. I heard Cole called in Search and Rescue, so maybe he’s got them covering
that area. Gaylen took that writer woman out there, too, though I sure don’t
know what anyone thinks she can do. She needs to get out of here.”

Oh,
no, I have plans for her.

“Maybe
so.”

Wanda
pushed up the sleeves of her blouse. “Well, I’m heading back to the restaurant.
Harry’s making extra coffee and setting up donuts and stuff to take out to the
volunteers. See you later.”

He
watched her go, trying to decide what his course of action should be. He looked
at his watch. Best to go on home and monitor things from there. He didn’t want
to do anything that would call unusual attention to him.

Still,
he wished he could be there when the body was found.

Meanwhile,
he could make a little more mischief.

****

As
they approached their destination, Dana saw two SUVs from the sheriff’s
department set up as roadblocks. A deputy recognizing Gaylen waved them on, and
they bumped along on the shoulder for about a hundred yards.

Dana
spotted Cole next to his vehicle. He was talking to a tall blonde in jeans and
a black T-shirt with some kind of logo on it. Several more cars were parked on
the shoulder and a large group stood silently waiting. Behind them in the field
were two four-door cab trucks with Solize SAR painted on the doors. Next to
them were three men wearing the same black T-shirts as the woman, all looking
as if they were carved from granite, faces included.

Dana
followed Gaylen to where the group was gathered, waiting for Cole to spot her. He
looked up and motioned Gaylen over, then shifted his gaze to her.

“Hang
on,” he mouthed.

She
nodded and moved to the side. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she scanned the
crowd and realized they weren’t your average volunteers. At least half of them
were wearing Solize T-shirts, which made them regulars. The others were talking
quietly among themselves while awaiting instructions.

Dana
wandered toward a car parked away from the others. One look at the weeping
woman inside and the man with his arm around her was enough to tell her they
were Shannon’s parents. Another man sat in the back seat, leaning forward,
obviously talking to them.

Dana’s
heart pinched. She knew full well the terrible place these people were in. Like
the Kellys and her parents. She prayed that Shannon would be found alive, but
the sick feeling she had inside told her it was already too late.