Innocence Taken (23 page)

Finally, Nature yawned. It was around two in the morning. She was tired. Getting to her feet, she set the cup down. The shower she wanted so badly would wait until the morning. “I'll see you sometime tomorrow. Wake me if you go somewhere, I'll go with you."

"If I go anywhere I'll get you up."

"Thanks Sandy."

"For what?"

"For being you. I owe you a lot."

"Are you kidding? My life would be a complete dullsville without you.” She brought the cup to her lips and took a swallow. “Even when you leave me here to do nothing but tend house.” Sandy saw the woman staring at her and gulped down another mouthful. She smiled to show she was kidding.

Nature rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, smiling, as she left the room. She went upstairs to her room. At the doorway, she stopped and took in the sight of her bed. It looked so inviting, especially after so many nights in either a motel or the camper. Changing into her pajamas, she slid under the covers and exhaled a breath of complete ecstasy. The sheets felt like a cloud, the mattress seemed to envelope her in its welcoming pads.

Curling onto her side, she snuggled into her pillow. She wondered what Web was doing. Was he lying in his bed thinking of her? She remembered the feel of his body against hers and longed to be against it again. Sleep embraced her with its comforting arms while she dreamt of the man who finally caused her to love once more.

Web leaned back in the creaky wooden chair. He placed a boot up on the desk while he read through the faxes. Several dealt with local problems involving cattle and the need for police assistance at a rodeo. Of course, the ever-present missing person's bulletins were there. He read them quickly. The ones involving men went into one pile, while the women went into another. The door to the building opened. Web looked up to see Deputy Frewerson step in.

"Saw the light on and came to check it out. Good to see you back, Sheriff."

"Good to be back. Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing much.” The deputy gave his superior a full report. “By the way, why are you here so late?"

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Both men grinned. The deputy poured stuff that looked like mud into a cup and handed it to Web. “Here, this should hold you until you're through that mess.” He nodded his head at the pile in front of Westerly.

Web took the cup with the logo that read
cops know how to holster their weapons best
stenciled on it. It was new. “Where did you get this?"

"Great Falls.. Went there for a new hat and saw it. Knew I had to have it. Has a lot of meaning to it don't you think?” The deputy winked.

"If you go there again, would you pick me up one?"

Frewerson moved toward the exit, “Sure thing, Sheriff. Anyone in particular you want to holster?"

"Frewerson..."

"Hey ... just asking ... what with you taking that long trip and all.” He threw his hands into the air before grabbing the handle to open the door.

"Frewerson..."

"All right, all right, I get the hint, get the heck out, I have work to do."

"You got it."

"See ya later, Sheriff. Don't stay here all night ... okay?"

"Yes mother ... now get!"

Frewerson tipped his hat in departure before he pulled the door shut. With a sigh, Web returned to the papers piled in front. He went through the routine stuff pretty quick, making schedules to accommodate the needs. When that was finished, he picked up the missing reports involving the men. Most were from other states. A few were from the Great Falls and Billings areas. None required immediate attention.

The stack involving the women was saved for last. He wanted to see if there were any similarities to the ones being worked on, the ones involving Rew and Patricia, along with the other girls Nature saw in her reading of the van.

One was about a woman and her daughter who had not returned from a shopping trip. Another was about a young teenager who took off after an argument with her parents, presumed to be a runaway. Many more dealt with similar situations. Near the bottom, one gave information about a dead girl found in West Virginia.. He brushed it off as probably a hiker that took a wrong step and fell.

He sipped at the mud and grimaced. It tasted worse than it smelled. Getting up, he moved to the bathroom and poured the contents down the drain. He rinsed the cup, dried it, and returned it to the peg where Frewerson had grabbed it. Looking at the remaining pile, he decided to go home instead of finishing. More would be waiting for him anyway by the time he showed up tomorrow. Picking up his hat, he turned off the lights and locked the door. He got into his truck, backed out of his parking spot, and drove to his empty house. The emptiness helped his decide on visiting Nature sometime tomorrow, as soon as he finished letting the county know he was back.

In a clump of trees near a small stream, a man watched the house in the distance. He was patient. He knew The One was there. He knew a sign would be given when it was time to go in. Until then, he would give the girl in the SUV all the pleasure she could take. Until then, he would dream.

Sandy decided to go to Great Falls instead of Jordan. She wanted to get something special for Nature to say welcome home. The stores in Jordan were good but there were more options in the bigger city. She left the house shortly after eight in the morning. Nature was still asleep. She did not wake her; the woman needed sleep more than she needed shopping.

Great Falls was about 230 miles from the house. It was at least a four-hour drive. If she put her foot down, she could make it sooner. Turning up the radio, she grooved to the beat blaring from the speakers.

Fifteen miles past Jordan, lights glinted in her mirror. She looked up to see a sheriff's car behind her, the lights on the roof twirling brightly. She glanced at her speedometer. It read ninety-five. Cursing, she pulled off the road and turned the radio down.. The car slid in behind her. She watched as a tall lanky officer got out and approached.

"Morning, Lem"

"Sandy. Where you going in such a hurry?"

"Great Falls. I'm going to get Nature something and I wanted to get back before it gets too late. Wish you were off so you could go with me."

"Me too. Can we get together later on?"

"You asking me out?” Sandy leaned out the window, resting her chin on her arms. She liked Lem and wondered why he had not asked her out before.

Frewerson's face turned a faint red and his gaze fell to the ground. He shuffled a foot before looking up. “Well, yea, if you don't mind."

"Why Lem, you're positively cute when you blush. Of course, I'd love to go out with you. What time do I need to be ready?"

A grin, filled with relief, covered his long face. “Say about seven?” That was a late time for this area, but he knew how long it took to do a roundtrip excursion to Great Falls.

Sandy sat up. “Consider it a date then. I'll see you at seven.” She pulled the truck onto the road after Frewerson stepped back to his vehicle. She waved her arm out the open window as she sped toward her destination. He waved back.

After watching her leave, he got in and pulled a u-turn. He decided to check out the road leading to the Kranderson place. He wanted to check out the area near the wildlife refuge. Kids who skipped school hung out there to smoke pot. If he caught any, he would hang them by their buster browns, then hand them over to their parents. He smiled as he remembered the same thing happening to him when he was a teenager. Old man Random was sheriff at the time. He was the one who found the hiding spot and busted them. He treated them with respect, even though he didn't have to. He let the boys off with only a warning. It was at that point that Lem knew he wanted to be a deputy. When Random retired, Westerly became Sheriff. The dream became a reality shortly after that.

The turn off for 341 came into sight. He started down the road. When he reached the Kranderson place, a glint of sunlight bounced off something hidden in the trees about a half mile from the gate. It was still early so he knew it wasn't Nature. It was probably some kids. He drove his car toward the glint.

The man heard the car long before it came into view. He saw the sheriff's car drive up. He watched as it braked to a stop then turn toward him. He frowned. If the cop discovered him, he would stop him from getting to The One. That was not an option. He had to get to her; he had to take her to the cabin so he could finally be happy. He ducked under an overhang etched out by the stream over time. He peering out to see what happened.

Miranda heard the vehicle pull up. She heard the squeal of the brakes and wondered who was here. It couldn't be the man who took her. He had been there moments before. If it were the police, they would take her away from him. She wasn't sure if that was something she wanted. She was in love with her kidnapper and wanted to stay. Yet at the same time, she wanted him to stop hurting her. She was confused about her feelings. With dread, she waited.

Lem parked near the SUV hidden by a dip in the ground. He watched it for several second before grabbing the handle and opening the door. Nothing moved. No kids frantically squirmed inside, trying to hide stuff from him. In fact, he didn't see anyone inside. The dark tinted windows made it difficult to see. He walked up to it cautiously. The front seat was unoccupied. The keys dangled from the ignition. He turned his eyes to the surrounding area. Again, nothing moved.

He noticed something lying in the back. Moving to the rear, he gripped the handle and pulled. The door opened to reveal a woman. Tape covered her mouth and her hands were tied together. Her upper body was naked; a blanket covered the rest. Lem gawked in surprise. A noise sounded behind him. He tried to turn, but it was too late. The world disappeared as an intense pain shot through his head.

The man watched the officer walk up to the SUV, his hand resting on his weapon. He looked around his hiding spot and discovered a large rock amongst some smaller ones. He grabbed it and returned his gaze to the officer. Now he had a weapon too. When the intruder made his way to the back, the man moved. He was directly behind him when the woman was discovered. The man brought the rock down hard on the back of the head, near the neck. The officer crumpled.

Blood flowed from a large gash. It pooled underneath the head. The man bent over. He felt for a pulse. It was absent. He stood and looked at the woman. Her eyes were wide. They returned to their normal size within seconds.. While gazing at her, an idea popped into his mind. He remembered when the deputy had gone to the house without difficulty. He looked down at the body. The blood started toward the uniform. He pulled it away from the red puddle.

Using the blanket, he soaked the mess off the neck. Small blotches decorated the collar, otherwise, the shirt was clean He stripped the dead man quickly to prevent the oozing stuff from ruining his plans. Once the deputy was undressed, the man rolled him into the stream. The upper half of the body lay in the water. It blocked the steady current enough to cause a detour. A thread of redness intertwined with the clear water. The man watched, fascinated.

Walking to the police car, he held up the uniform; it would fit. He put it on and admired himself. It was perfect, like it was made for him, instead of the previous owner. He reached up and removed the nametag. If The One knew the deputy, it would alert her and he might not get her. Bending over, he picked up the hat and placed it on his head.

The woman saw the deputy fall when the man hit him. She could tell by the way he acted that the officer was dead. After a brief passing of time, he put the uniform on. The transformation to his character was amazing. She felt her heart skip. He was gorgeous. She wanted him to take her. Maybe if she made too much noise, he would. Attempting to talk, she watched for his reaction. He ignored her. All he did was glance to the left. She quieted.

The man shut the door, enclosing her in her prison once more. She heard him reach in and grab the keys to the SUV.. A second later, an engine started. She wondered where he was going and if he would return. She lay still, afraid to try anything. If he returned and found her trying to escape, he might kill her. She did not want that, she wanted to have more sex.

Nature turned over in her bed. The angle of the light shining through the windows told her it was still morning. The house was quiet. Sandy must have slept in too. She tossed the covers back and placed her feet into the slippers located next to the bed. She went down the hall to Sandy's room. It was empty, the bed neat and tidy. Shrugging her shoulders, she went downstairs to the kitchen.

A note sat on the breakfast bar. It was from Sandy.. Nature sighed. Instead of waking her, as promised, her secretary had let her sleep when she left. She crumpled the note and tossed it at the trash bin. It missed. She started across the room to pick it up when a knock sounded at the front door. She retreated to the hall, leaving the ball where it landed.

Nature glanced out the window to see a Garfield County sheriff's car in the driveway. Thinking it was Web, she opened the door. It was someone else. A tall man with dark hair stood on the porch. She didn't recognize him, but there was something about him that nagged at her, something she could not place.

"Can I help you?"

"Nature? Nature Kranderson?"

"Yes."

"Can I come in please?"

"Is something wrong? Did something happen to Web ... I mean Sheriff Westerly?"

"I'm afraid so. May I come in?"

Stepping out of the way, she said, “Of course, please, come in."

The deputy moved past her, into the hall. He stopped and faced her. Nature shut the door. She was turning around when the nagging feeling returned. She brushed it off, concerned to hear what had happened to Web.

"What happened? Is he hurt?"

"He was involved in an accident this morning and is in the hospital. If you will come with me, I can take you to him."