Chapter Twenty-Three
Bill Meyers squad car pulled up to the gate of Randall’s private entrance to their property. The headlights glowed on the open gate. Bill turned to Tom, “Okay, that doesn’t look good. Somebody’s opened it. Be on guard from this point forward, okay? If you see something, holler for me. That knife won’t protect you from bullets. Got it?”
“Got it. But I can help track.”
“Okay. You got it.” Bill drove his wide, powerful vehicle through the narrow entrance into the woods and picked up the reflection of a car before them. “Yeah, what I thought. That’s the car registered to Owen Randall. You picked the right spot. Give me a minute to call for backup.” He pulled the handheld mike from his squad’s dispatch radio from its holder. He spoke into the radio, “Dispatch. Car twelve-twenty-seven calling for a ten, thirty-three. Repeat. Car twelve-twenty-seven requesting immediate backup: Ten, thirty-three at Randall property, Northside of Springbrook Nature Center. Suspect vehicle in sight. Rachel, notify the Fed team of this call immediately at the command center at the firehouse, then send out Randy and Taylor to assist. New deputy and I are heading into the property in search of missing person. Got it?” The radio chirped back at him, in a cracked voice: “Ten-four, Bill. They’ll be there as soon as they can. I’m on it.” He returned her message: “Ten-four, I copy. See ya later, Rach”. Tom lifted an eyebrow at him, “You guys swing kind of loose, don’t you?”
“Yeah, well, we’re small town, you know.” Both of the men got out of the car, grabbing gear as they did. “Besides, she’s my girlfriend. Kinda wanted to say good-bye, just in case.”
“Oh, I see.” Tom pulled out a powerful flashlight from his pack and proceeded to survey the surroundings, concentrating on the forest floor and any signs that would assist him in tracking. Bill took out his flashlight and trained it on the inside of Owen’s car and looked for what could be found within.
“No water bottles or canteens or anything. He either took them with him or didn’t intend to stay long.”
Tom kept his eyes trained on the ground and the small cone of light illuminated before his flashlight. “Yeah, I’m sure he wanted a quick in and out. In – Kill her – and get out again. But the asshole who kidnapped her isn’t here anymore, so maybe we’re too late.”
Bill looked up at him in a start, “He’s still here. We’re not too late. If he wasn’t here, then I’d be worried.”
“Got it! I knew it. She’d leave me a trail. We talked about this.” He pointed at the ground and a small stump with blood on it. “She did this on purpose. She stomped on it and made herself bleed …. There’s a blood trail. Let’s go.” Tom was revved now. His confidence in Etta far outweighed any concern for the evil that existed in Owen Randall. “You’re right. We’re not too late.”
“Got a good trail?”
“Yup, every step. Good girl, Etta!” Tom and Bill practically ran along Etta’s footsteps, following the trail quickly. When they crossed over the rise into the next glen, Tom saw the shack he’d remembered from childhood. “Yup, just like I thought. One of those sugar shacks.” He and Bill took off at a run now, entered the shack and saw the evidence of a fight. “She taped up the windows.” Tom went over to the stove, picked up the skillet. “Blood. She whacked him! Good girl. She must’ve gotten a good hit on him. Dammit, Bill, she’s alive!”
“Looks like. Let’s go find her. Remember, that asshole is still lurking about here and he’s injured. Our priority is finding Etta alive, not tracking him down. He has to come up for air at some point.” There was a slight tint of pink in the sky as the sun was starting to rise.
Tom still perused the floor of the forest for signs to track Etta and Owen’s movements. “Here’s more blood droplets. Less of a step-by-step thing now. That’s gotta be Owen.”
Bill moved towards Tom’s location, picked up the blood with his flashlight. “Okay. Let me follow this track. You go see if you can pick-up Etta’s more subtle tracks. She’s less likely to be bleeding by now. You good enough to track her?”
“Oh yeah. I’ll find her. I know her. I taught her everything she knows about the woods.” Tom moved towards an area higher up on the ridge. She’d go high. Yeah, she’d move away from the car if he was chasing her. She’d run and run like the wind. She might even leave him markers. He ran towards the far ridge. That’s where she’d go, towards the pines. He’d told her animals hid in the pines. He stopped as he got to the top of the next ridge, leaned over with his hands on his knees to gain his breath back. He pulled out his flashlight and pointed the light cone down towards the ground again, hoping to find a broken twig, a piece of cloth, anything that would point him in her next direction. Up ahead two or three feet was a glowing piece of white against the forest floor. He bent down and picked it up. A piece of paper? Yup, she was leaving him a trail. He kept running along that ridgeline until he saw the next valley in the forest and the long line of pine trees along the clearing ahead.
He needed to check in with Bill. He pulled his walky-talky from his belt. He pressed down the transmit button: “Bill. I’ve got breadcrumbs on Etta. Over?” Releasing the button he waited for Bill’s response. “Copy. Still following this blood trail. I think I’m just over the next ridge. Looks like we might meet in a bit. I’m seeing an obstacle course in a clearing nearby. Over?”
Etta was awake now. Wide awake and nervous. Owen was so close now, she could hear his heavy breathing. Occasionally he would cough and hack. The guy still hadn’t quit smoking, apparently. She needed to keep her breathing low and even, so he couldn’t hear her. She could hear voices in the distance now and some strange squawking-type of noise. Was that the sound of radios? Or a walkie-talkie? Maybe it was cops? But shit, she had to be quiet or Owen would get to her first.
Owen heard the voices too. He shifted his eyes left, then right, out in the direction of the clearing. He couldn’t make anything out yet, but they were close. He immediately ran from where Etta was to the far ridge over the next rise, away from the voices that were headed in his direction. He had to circle back and get back to the car and get out of there. God damn his head was pouring out blood and ached like a mother. That bitch had hit him hard. He’d have to find a damned doctor to take care of this. Damn her! There was very little evidence against him at this point. He had barely touched the girl. They couldn’t hold charges against him for much of anything, especially if he found Joe Peabody first. He’d have to make a run for it. Once again, he’d slide out of this one. And then he’d get another shot. There was always another time, another place. And if he didn’t, he was a dead man. Owen ran for all his might towards his car and a life on the run.
Etta’s heart was pounding in her chest as she heard Owen run from the position he’d held so close to her, merely feet away from her. She let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. If he’d been looking harder, he would’ve found her and then it would’ve been over. He would’ve taken everything from her: not just her innocence, not just her pride and reputation, but he’d have taken her future. And that future was one she wanted with Tom. She desperately wanted it. A family with him, with a little house and children. God, please help me have that future! That future had been stolen from Henrietta, but by God, if He saved her from this, she was grabbing life with both hands. Maybe it took this close of a call for her to find her life. Yeah, a passion for life. Please let them find me. She knew she couldn’t move from her spot until she was sure she was being rescued.
Tom ran towards the line of pine trees, calling out “Etta! Etta! It’s me, Tom! Come on Etta. You’re safe now. I’ve got a cop with me.” He made a sprint over to the line-up of pine trees, then saw Bill come out into the clearing. Etta’s heart leaped in her chest when she heard his voice, crawled out from her hiding spot, slowly and nervously walked towards the clear and saw him rushing towards her. She ran with all her strength towards him, then they ran into each other’s arms, both of them falling to their knees as Bill walked up towards them, stopping before he got to their reunited bodies. Tom was kissing her neck and her hair.
He pulled back from her to check on her condition, feeling the blood matted in her hair with his hand. “Hey, what’s this?”
“I got hit. It bled. Oh, Tom. You found me!” She showered kisses along his neck. He smelled so good. “I love you so much!”
“I love you too, Etta. But we gotta get you taken care of, honey.” He pulled her arms from around his neck and sat her on the ground and pulled his canteen off his belt, unscrewed the cap. “Here. Drink.”
She guzzled the water from his canteen like a starved animal. Water was drenching her shirt, which was sticky and dirty and covered with pine needles. “Oh, God, this tastes good.” Bill Meyers came up to them, squatted down and held out a hand. “Bill Meyers, Wright County Deputy. I take it you’re Etta?”
Etta looked up at his wide smile. “Yeah. Glad to know you. Thank you!” She pumped his hand with all her might, then threw her arms around his neck too. She whispered in his ear, “Thanks for bringing him.”
He pulled her arms away, “My pleasure. But you better keep the love for him. I’ve seen what happens when he’s angry and jealous. Don’t need that pointed my direction.” Bill stood from his spot. “I hear the troops headed towards the main entrance to the preserve. You okay with her on your own for a bit, slugger?”
Tom looked up from where he was sitting next to Etta, “Yeah, I’ll carry her over there. We’re good.”
“Okay, then I’m gonna go chase around some more for the asshole. He’s still in here somewhere so I need to get back to work. Catch you later, ma’am.” Bill stood up and went back to tracking the blood droplet trail he’d been on before. He found some not far from where Etta had popped out of the forest, then followed it back into the woods.
As Etta watched Bill disappear back into the forest, her eyes fell back on Tom’s face, which was now flooded with tears. His shoulders were shuddering. “Oh, Tom.” She clutched her body to his. “It’s all right. Everything’s all right.”
“Yeah, it is. But I almost lost you. I never want to come this close again, you hear me?” He held her face in his hands. “Marry me. Please?”
“Yes.” His eyes got huge in surprise. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. A million times, yes.” He kissed her deeply. They held each other and rocked against each other. “I never want to be apart from you again, Tom. Never. I don’t care if you go to Antarctica. I’m going along!”
“Okay. So are you bleeding anywhere else? Can you walk?”
“Just the foot, but that’s getting better. I can walk.”
“Okay. I’ll carry you. It isn’t far. How about we start over again, huh?” He stood up, lifted her to her feet and swung her up into his arms.
“It’s a deal. And it didn’t cost me a thing.” She nuzzled her head against his neck and shoulders. She was bone-tired, but she was right where she wanted to be, forever.