Innocence Taken (24 page)

Nature looked at the man standing before her. Something was amiss. The officers under Web knew she did not travel in a police car, unless forced to. There were too many unwelcome feelings inside. They always suggested she follow them in her own vehicle. She glanced at his shirt. Where a nametag should be resting, there was none. Her inner voice screamed at her. She looked up at the eyes watching her.

The man saw the suspicion enter her eyes. He knew it was time, time to move. As quick as a striking snake, he attacked. He grabbed her arm and threw her around, slamming her into the door while wrenching her arm up her back, thus stunning her. He pressed up against her, holding her against the wood. He pulled the handcuffs clipped on the deputies belt out and wrapped them around both her wrists before she had time to recover from the sudden move..

She started to struggle. He hit her. She tried to kick him. He drew back and slugged her across her jaw, hard. This time, she went limp. He had knocked her out. Catching her, he lowered her gently to the floor. The arms under her caused her chest to arch upward. He admired her breasts. He cupped each one, feeling the nipples under the clothing. Feeling himself rise to the occasion, he quit. He did not know how much time he had before the other woman came home. He wanted to be far from here when she did.

The man picked up The One and tossed her over his shoulder. He made sure nothing looked out of place as he turned to leave. Nothing was. He carried her to the police car and placed her in the passenger seat. Getting in, he drove to where the SUV sat. He transferred Nature to it. He backed it out of the dip and parked the cop car in its place. Satisfied, he changed out of the uniform. It had served it purpose. He tossed it into the open window, along with the hat and gun belt. He kept the handcuff key.

With eager anticipation, he drove the SUV back to MT-200. He was going home; he was going to the cabin. He rubbed his crotch. Soon he would do the same thing to The One. Until then, he had to give himself pleasure. Until then, he had to put as much distance between the ones who thought they loved her, and the one who loved her now. The clock on the dash read 9:20 a.m.

Web stretched after the long meeting. The other members of the committee had left after accomplishing almost nothing to help with the manpower shortage the department suffered. He yawned and he glanced at his watch. It was 5:35 in the afternoon. He stood and made his way to the phone. He wanted to call Nature. He wanted to take her out to eat. As he reached for the receiver, the door to the conference room opened. It was Deputy Sandpiper.

"Sheriff, glad I caught you."

Web saw the concern on his face. “What is it?"

"It's Frewerson. He didn't report in this afternoon."

"Maybe he left without doing so. He's done it before.” Web stayed where he was. He intended to call Nature after Sandpiper left.

"We thought of that, so we called his house. There was no answer. Harrison went over to check. No one was home.” The deputy hesitated. “We tried calling him on the radio. He still didn't answer."

"When did you hear from him last?"

"This morning."

"Nothing since?"

"Nothing."

Web sighed. “Let's go find him.” He knew dinner was out. He had a missing deputy, which took precedence over food. He grabbed his hat off the table and exited the room, Sandpiper right behind him.

"When we find him, you'd better keep him away from me, because if I get a hold of him, I'm going to slap the dog shit out of him."

"Sheriff ... if we find him goofing off, you won't be the only one."

Sandy made it home by six. She had an hour before Frewerson showed up for their date. Carrying the heavy packages inside, she shouted for Nature. “Hey! A little help here!” No reply came.

She moved into the kitchen and set the bundles on the bar. She saw the ball by the bin and picked it up. It was her note. She smiled. She knew her employer was probably fuming at her for leaving without her, but ... oh well. She needed the sleep.

Going upstairs, she looked into Nature's room. The bedcovers were still down, something Nature didn't usually do. Sandy made the bed as a favor. She figured Web had called and the two were out. She moved to her own room and took a quick shower. After the long drive, the hot water relaxed her tired muscles.

With towels wrapped around her body and her hair, she walked to the oversized closet and picked out a sleek black dress. She returned to the bathroom and sat at the vanity table. The sound of a hairdryer filled the room. It was 6:30 p.m.

Web drove all over the county looking for his deputy. He was still missing. None of the other officers reported seeing him either. The sheriff was worried. It wasn't like Lem to up and disappear like this. He shined his spotlight at the trees next to road 543. It lit up the area around them, leaving the rest draped in darkness. So far, all he saw were eye shines bouncing off animals hidden in the growth. He kept the cruiser's speed slow in case something showed up.

His cell phone started ringing. He flipped it open and saw Natures number on the screen. Putting it to his ear, he said, “Hey."

"Hey."

"Sandy?"

"Who else? Can I speak with Nature?"

"She's not here."

No sound followed. He thought he had lost the connection. “Sandy?"

"Web ... have you seen her today?"

"No, I've been in meetings all day, then hunting for my missing deputy."

"Missing deputy ... is it Frewerson?"

"How did you know?” His stomach began to turn, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"He was supposed to meet me at seven. He didn't show. I was mad and wanted to talk to someone about it. After what you just told me, I put two and two together."

"When was the last time you saw Nature?"

"This morning, before I went to Grand Falls.. I peeked in on her while she slept. Why?"

"Sandy ... I'll be right over.” He flipped the phone shut, tossed it into the passenger seat, and slammed the gas pedal to the floor, making the gravel under the wheels shoot out like bullets. He almost fish tailed out of control when the tires met solid pavement. When the sign for 341 came into sight, he slowed before turning. He floored it again once he hit a straightaway.

The gate for Nature's place was up ahead. He was about plow through it when his headlights reflected off something to the right. He slammed on the brakes and lit the area up with the spotlight. The reflection bounced back. He spun the wheel toward a clump of trees. As he skidded to a stop, a sheriff's cruiser sat before him. He could tell it belonged to Frewerson.

He exited his car with caution. He didn't know if anyone was still inside, waiting to ambush him. With his weapon in hand, he crept up to the back. Taking a quick look in with his flashlight, he found it empty. The front seat was another matter. A uniform lay crumpled on the seat, a hat on top of it, and a gun belt next to it on the floorboard. He put his gun away and grabbed the mike hanging on the dash.

"Sandpiper ... do you read me?"

"Yea, Sheriff."

"I found Frewerson's cruiser. But I don't see him."

"Where are you?"

"Near the Kranderson place."

"On my way. Be there in a few.” As the mike cut off, Web heard a siren wailing in the background.

He searched the area around the car. A dark pool of something was under the trunk. He knelt down and touched it. His fingers glowed red when he trained the light on them. The bad feeling he had when talking with Sandy grew. He knew Frewerson never left anything in his vehicle, much less his uniform and prized hat. He straightened and directed the light farther out.

The rainbow effect of water bounced off the trees. Web moved closer. At the edge of the embankment, he carefully looked over. Frewerson lay half in, half out of the stream. He wore only his underwear. Web leaped down the short drop. He raced to the fallen man. Congealed blood, partially washed away, covered the back of his head. His eyes were open, forced that way by the water. Web felt the side of the neck. He knew he wouldn't find anything. He didn't.

His thoughts returned to his earlier conversation with Sandy.. Nature was missing. He bolted up to his car. Slamming it into gear, he plowed across the open ground toward the gate. He drove right through it, leaving a mangled mess of metal in his wake. The distance to the house was covered in seconds.

As he slid to a sideways stop, Sandy flew out the door. “What's the matter ... did you find her?"

Web leaped to the porch and ran inside. He ignored the questions tossed at him. He searched every part of the expansive house, hoping Sandy was wrong, that Nature was in a room, missed by the previous search.

Sandy ran behind him, shouting, “I've already done that. She's not here."

He stopped by the front door to catch his breath. Sandy grabbed his shoulders, “Web ... what's wrong? Tell me."

He locked his eyes onto hers. “Lem is dead. I found him near the gate."

"Oh...” She let go and stepped back, her eyes wide with shock.. That's when her foot bumped into something sticking out from under the stand near the door. She looked down to discover a slipper. Sandy had missed it when she came home, due to the packages in her arms blocking her view. “That's Nature's.” She bent over and picked it up. “Wonder why it's here? She always leaves them by her bed when she's not wearing them."

Fear gripped Web's gut like a vice and twisted it several times.

"What do you think happened?” Sandy asked. She set the slipper on the stand.

He didn't answer. His mind was racing. Grabbing her hand, he pulled Sandy out the door.

"Let's go. I have to get to the office."

"Why?'

"I think Nature's in some really deep shit. I need to make some phone calls so I can try and track down where she was taken."

"Web, what are you thinking? Where is Nature?” Her voice filled with the same fear he felt deep inside.

"I think she's in the hands of a killer ... the same killer who did the Mosby girl."

Web threw himself into the car. Sandy did the same. He floored it into a spin and started out the way he came. Sandy noticed the gate when they flew past. She knew then the seriousness of the situation. While Westerly raced to the office, Sandy prayed they would find her employer, her friend, before it was too late.

Nature woke to light shining in through tinted windows.. She had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was the deputy at her door, telling her Web was hurt. That was before he attacked, knocking her out.

She knew she was in a moving vehicle. The steady rocking motion informed her of that. She tried to shift her position, but found her arms restrained behind her and her feet tied together. Tape covered her mouth. A chill ran up her spine as she realized she was naked. The only thing keeping the cold air at bay was a thin blanket covering her. Glancing around, she saw the other woman.

The woman stared at her with blue eyes speckled with dots of green. Her blonde hair was a mess. Some of it was still in a ponytail, but the rest was free ... unlike them. Tape covered her mouth as well. Bruises were on her face. Nature's eyes took in everything; she saw the bruises covering the rest of the exposed naked body. Her legs were not restrained. She wondered why the woman had not tried to escape. Because of the tape, she couldn't ask.

Nature rolled her head upward. She looked toward the driver's seat. A man with short dark hair sat behind the wheel. His attention was focused on the road. As if sensing her watching him, he briefly glanced back at her. A smile was on his face. She saw it was the same man who impersonated the deputy this morning.

"Don't worry, love, we'll be home soon."

He turned his head forward. Nature felt her heart beat faster. She knew who he was now. To confirm her thoughts, she let her senses take in what her hands felt, the carpeting beneath her. The zing of the man: the man who killed Rew, the man who kidnapped and tortured Patricia, the man who killed so many before them, coursed through her. She was more afraid now than at any other time in her life. She knew what he did to his captives; she had seen it in her dreams. She hoped she would not have to experience it first hand. She hoped Web would find her before then.

The sun progressed across the sky toward night. Darkness now enveloped everything. They had been on the road since this morning and, except for gas, the man had not stopped. She knew he must be tired, and hungry. She was. She was surprised he had not taken her yet.. The visions told her he usually raped the girls early on. Why he waited was beyond her. The only thing she knew was that when he finally did; her dreams ... or rather nightmares ... were going to become a reality.

Web sat behind his desk, the phone against his ear. He immediately called Detective Franklin when they arrived. Sandy paced back and forth. She was frustrated. She wanted to go find Nature, but didn't know which way to go. The ticking noise from the clock hanging on the wall drove her nuts. It read 2200, or 10 p..m. in regular time. The sound of a phone being set back on its cradle brought her attention back.

"Well? What did he say?"

"It looks like the girls listed by Nature were all from a central location. He picked up a piece of paper and showed it to Sandy. “See? Patricia was from Florida, Katherine from Georgia, and Connie was from North Caroline. The rest were from one of those three states or Virginia or South Carolina. He moved some papers covering a map. Using the paper as a guide, he poked thumbtacks into each spot where a girl was abducted.

He leaned back when he finished. “Do you see a trend?"

"They appear to follow a line, kind of up I-95, right?"

"Correct."

"But what about these three?” She pointed to the pins for Rew, Vicki and Sarah. “Vicki was taken from Tennessee, Rew from the northern part of Virginia, and Sarah from near Charlottesville. They don't seem to fit the pattern."

"I haven't figured that out yet.” He stood and started to pace in the same spot where Sandy had moments earlier. His frustration grew with each pass. The longer it took ... the more likelihood of not finding Nature alive. He had finally found someone worth loving and he was not going to lose her. Not like the last time.