The Girl Who Cried Wolf (8 page)

“Like hell it is,” Reese said.

Kat wasn’t going to listen to any more of this. She picked up her bag and walked into the living room. Reese and Dylan barely noticed her. They’d moved on from the dangers of being in law enforcement to cops not being good husband material. Kat wondered if she should again point out what Reese already had—that Dylan was a cop, too, so the same thing could be said about him—but she didn’t want to get into it with her brother.

Sighing, she walked around them and out the door to Reese’s SUV. Hopefully, by the time she put her bag in the car and went back inside, Reese and Dylan would be done with their little pissing contest.

The sun was close to setting, bathing the sidewalk in late afternoon shadows, and Kat couldn’t help shivering as she realized she was alone. She hurried over to the SUV and opened the back door to toss in her bag when someone grabbed her from behind. She started to scream, but whoever it was clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting off the sound.

It was Carl Sherman. It had to be.

Kat struggled, clawing and kicking for all she was worth, but it did no good. Sherman was too strong. He picked her up like she was a toy and carried her hallway down the sidewalk, then threw her in the trunk of a car. She barely got a glimpse of a dark beard and mirrored sunglasses before he slammed the lid closed, plunging her into darkness.

Chapter Six

“This is your fault,” Dylan growled.

“My fault?” Reese clenched his jaw as he pulled out his cell phone. “Kat walked past you, too.”

Dylan scowled at him. “Who the hell are you calling?”

“The station.”

Dylan snatched the phone out of Reese’s hand and held it to his ear. “She’s my sister. I’ll call it in. You’ve done enough damage already.”

Reese’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“None of this would have happened if you’d done the right thing and kept your damn hands off her.”

If he wasn’t so terrified for Kat right now, he’d clock her asshole brother. “The fact that Kat and I are dating has nothing to do with this. This is about you and some psycho you sent to prison. If this is anyone’s fault, Dylan, it’s yours.”

Dylan glared at him for a moment, and then muttered something under his breath as the call to the station connected. “Yeah, this is Sinclair…”

Reese’s gaze went to Kat’s suitcase as he listened to his partner report the kidnapping. As much as he hated to admit it, Dylan was right. If he hadn’t been arguing with him, Sherman never would have had the chance to grab Kat and she’d be safe right now instead of in that bastard’s hands. If he’d simply believed her when she said someone had been following her, Sherman would be back in prison right now.

Shit
.

He hadn’t even seen Kat walk past him. How long ago had it been—ten, maybe fifteen minutes? When he found her, he was going to tan her ass so hard she wouldn’t be able to sit down. What the hell had she been thinking, going outside unprotected?

Dylan tossed him the phone, then strode to his car without a word.

“Where are you going?” Reese asked.

“To find my sister.”

Reese caught up with him. “Okay. You know this Sherman guy. Where do we look first?”

Dylan spun around to face him. “I don’t want you anywhere near Kat. She’s my sister. I’ll find her.”

Reese swore under his breath. What the hell was wrong with Dylan that he couldn’t put aside his animosity long enough for them to find Kat together? Reese considered going after his partner to try to talk some sense into him, but decided against it. He’d only be wasting valuable time when he should be looking for Kat himself.

The only problem was that he had no idea where Sherman might take her. Since he hadn’t arrested the guy, he didn’t know the first thing about him. Reese had to get in that bastard’s head, and quick, before he had time to hurt Kat.

* * * * *

Kat didn’t know how long she’d been in the trunk. She’d screamed and pounded on the lid until her voice was hoarse and her hands hurt, but it had been a waste of time. No one had been able to hear her over the roar of the engine or the music blaring on the radio. She could barely hear herself.

Where was Sherman taking her? More importantly, what was he going to do to her when they got there? Reese had said Sherman wanted to get back at her brother, so did that mean he planned on using her to lure Dylan into a trap? If so, what was he going to do to her in the meantime? Dozens of horrific things came to mind, and it was all Kat could do not to completely lose it. Reese and Dylan would find her before then.

She took a deep breath and focused on where Sherman might be taking her. They’d been driving too long to still be in the city. They hadn’t stopped at an intersection or street corner in a while, so that must mean they were on the highway. But was Sherman heading north or south? It could have been her imagination, but it seemed as if the car had been going uphill for at least the past twenty or thirty minutes. Did that mean they were in the mountains north of San Francisco? Maybe. But what good did knowing that do? She was trapped in a freaking trunk. True, but Sherman couldn’t keep her in there forever. If she could get away from him, it would be important to know where she was.

Just then, the car turned off the main road. She could tell because it felt uneven, as if it was covered in gravel, and because she bounced around inside the trunk. Was it a back road, or a driveway? Had they arrived at their destination?

The car came to a stop and Sherman turned off the engine. Not a back road, then. Her heart pounded as the car door opened, then closed. Footsteps crunched on the gravel along the side of the car, then came to a stop. The trunk opened and Sherman loomed above her.

Even though she wasn’t fond of the close confines of the trunk, Kat shied away as he reached for her. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to hide and he hauled her out without too much trouble. She balled her fists and tried to punch him, but Sherman was a big guy. He simply wrapped the tree trunks he called arms around her and carried her toward a small log cabin. At least she thought it was a log cabin. It was difficult to see in the dark. Sherman shifted his grip just long enough to open the door so he could drag her inside, but then put both arms around her again.

Kat blinked as bright light flooded the cabin. When her eyes adjusted, she looked around. She’d expected the cabin to be a pigsty, but instead it was tidy and well-cared for, even charming. With its handcrafted quilts and country-style furnishings, it looked almost feminine. Did Sherman have a girlfriend or wife? If he did, maybe she could appeal to the woman.

Sherman kicked the door shut with his foot, then dragged her across the living room and into the small kitchen, where he pushed her down into a straight-backed chair. Grabbing the length of rope on the table, he roughly jerked Kat’s arms behind her back and bound her wrists tightly together. Sherman gave the ropes an experimental tug before coming around to stand in front of her. He’d taken off his sunglasses and his eyes were cold and hard as he regarded her. It took everything in Kat not to look away.

“It’s Carl, isn’t it?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed. “How do you know my name?”

“My b-boyfriend,” she stammered. “He’s my brother’s partner.”

Sherman’s mouth tightened. “Figures Sinclair knew I was out. That’s gonna take some of the thunder out of my surprise.”

“Carl.” Her voice trembled and she tried again. “I know you want to get back at my brother for putting you in prison, but kidnapping me is only going to send you right back there. If you let me go now—”

“I don’t want to get back at Sinclair for putting me in jail. I want to make him pay for what he did to my sister.”

She frowned. “What did he do to your sister?”

“That son of a bitch let her die all alone in this cabin.” Sherman’s voice broke. “She got real sick and with me in jail there was no one to take care of her. I should have been here for her, and it’s Sinclair’s fucking fault that I wasn’t. I couldn’t even go to her funeral, dammit. I figure a sister for a sister is only fair.”

Even though Sherman had kidnapped her and tied her to a chair, she still felt sorry for him and his loss. How crazy was that?

However, that didn’t mean she was okay with being kidnapped.

Kat wanted to point out that it was his fault, that he wouldn’t have been in jail if he hadn’t committed a crime, and that Dylan had only been doing his job. But Sherman wasn’t going to see the logic in that.

“I’m sorry about your sister, Carl,” she said quietly. “But killing me isn’t going to bring her back.”

The hatred in his eyes made her shiver. “I ain’t gonna kill you, bitch. I’m going to fucking bury you alive.”

All the air seemed to leave her lungs, and Kat couldn’t breathe. Sherman’s words echoed over and over in her head.

I’m going to fucking bury you alive.

“I thought about killing you, then dumping your body somewhere for Sinclair to find,” Sherman continued. “But then I figured he wouldn’t suffer enough that way. So, I’m gonna call him and tell him what I did to you. I might even tell him where you are. After it’s too late for him to save you.”

She let out a strangled sob. “You don’t have to do this, Carl.”

Sherman didn’t answer. He only looked at her for a long moment, then picked up the shovel leaning against the wall beside the back door and went outside.

* * * * *

Reese decided the best way to find out where Carl Sherman had taken Kat was to talk to the man’s former cellmate at San Quentin. Apparently, Dylan thought so, too. That wasn’t surprising since he and Dylan thought a lot alike. That was what had made them such good partners.

“What the hell are you going here?” Dylan demanded.

Reese finished signing the visitor’s log before answering. “Same thing you are.”

Dylan grabbed the pen and scrawled his name. “I told you I didn’t want you anywhere near my sister.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad.” Reese took out his gun and slapped it down on the counter so the corrections officer working the desk could hold onto it while he was in with the prisoner.” Look, you want to go twelve rounds with me after we get Kat back? You just tell me when and where and I’ll be there. Right now, we need to concentrate our efforts on finding her.”

Dylan glared at him, the muscle in his jaw working overtime. Finally, he gave Reese a curt nod. “Fine. But after we find her, I’m putting in a request for a new partner.”

Like that was news.

Dylan paced the visiting room like a caged animal while they waited for a guard to bring in Rodney Nolan. Reese didn’t blame him. Every minute they wasted was a minute longer Kat was with Sherman. If the bastard wanted to use Kat as bait to lure in her brother, he would have called Dylan already. But he hadn’t, and that scared the hell out of Reese.

The door opened and a guard escorted Nolan in. The tattooed, blond-haired inmate eyed him and Dylan curiously as he sat down.

“Don’t get many visitors this late,” he said in a southern accent. “And since neither of you is my lawyer, that must mean you’re cops.”

Reese pushed away from the wall. “We’re here to talk to you about Carl Sherman.”

“Sherman, huh?” Nolan shook his head. “Guess that means he must have grabbed that cop’s sister then.”

“That cop is me, asswipe,” Dylan growled. “And you’re going to tell me everything Sherman told you about her.”

Nolan slouched down in the chair and folded his arms. “He didn’t tell me much. Not that I remember, anyway. There is something that might jog my memory, though.”

“What’s what?” Reese asked.

“I’m coming up on parole soon.” Nolan looked from him to Dylan and back again. “You two tell them I helped you and that’d go a long way in helping me get outta here.”

“Consider it done,” Reese said. “Now, talk.”

Nolan turned his attention back to Dylan. “Carl’s sister got real sick while he was in here. Died a couple months before he got out. Since you was the cop that arrested him, he blamed you for not being there for her. He said he was gonna get back at you for it by taking your sister.”

“And doing what with her?” Dylan demanded.

“He didn’t say in so many words, but he was real interested to find out that I got a cousin who drives a delivery truck for a casket company.” Nolan shrugged. “Let’s just say I don’t think Carl’s planning on killing her before he puts her in the thing.”

Reese felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Sherman was going to bury Kat alive. And the son of a bitch already had a two-hour lead on them.

Fuck
.

“Did he tell you where he was taking here?” he asked Nolan.

“Can’t say that he did.”

“Your cousin’s name and address—what is it?” Dylan asked.

Nolan’s eye narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because if Sherman got a casket from him, your cousin had to deliver it somewhere, dirtbag. Give me his name and address. Now.”

“You ain’t going to arrest him, are you?”

Reese finally lost it. He grabbed Nolan by the front of his shirt, dragging him out of the chair and slamming him against the nearest wall.

“If you don’t tell us where we can find him, you can kiss the idea of parole goodbye, asshole. Instead of telling the board that you helped us stop a murder, we’re going to tell them you purposely let a woman die.” He leaned closer. “That’ll make you an accessory after the fact and tack another ten or so years onto your sentence. That what you want? Is it?”

Nolan’s eyes went wide, and he shook his head back and forth. “N-no.”

“Then give us your cousin’s name and address.”

“Fred Carmichael.” Nolan rattled off the address, then swallowed hard. “But he won’t be home. He always goes to this bar on Cobb Street called Chet’s on Tuesday nights to play darts.”

Reese shoved Nolan away. “You’d better not be lying.”

He turned to bang on the door, but Dylan was already shouting for the guard to open it. As he followed his partner out, Reese jerked his head in Nolan’s direction.

“Keep him in solitary until we give you the okay,” he told the guard.

Reese didn’t want Nolan tipping off his cousin, or worse, Sherman.

Dylan punched something in his phone as they jogged to the parking lot. “Shit. It’s going to take us almost half an hour to get to that bar.”

Us, huh? Reese fully expected Dylan to blow him off, but apparently they were going to partner up one more time. For Kat. He prayed to God they weren’t too late.