Читать книгу Tracking Justice - Shirlee McCoy - Страница 14

FOUR

“Stay down,” Austin whispered, his breath brushing her ear. Justice nudged her cheek but she didn’t move, barely even jumped as another shot rang out.

Her heart thundered, her body braced for the bullet’s impact. When it didn’t come, she tried to get up and find cover, but Austin’s body pressed over hers, holding her still.

“They’re not shooting at us, but let’s make sure we don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

“Brady—” She tried to move, but he was a solid wall of muscle, and she couldn’t budge him.

“Dying isn’t going to help your son, Eva.”

“What if they’re shooting at him?”

He was speaking into his radio and didn’t respond.

She didn’t think he would have, anyway. Whatever was happening, it was out of either of their control. Another shot rang out, and she flinched, her body screaming for her to get up, find Brady and make sure he was safe.

Something crashed in the underbrush to their right, and Eva turned her head, saw the gun in Austin’s hand.

“Stay here.” He left her lying on cold, hard earth, her heart pounding frantically, the thick coppery taste of fear in her mouth.

She lifted her head, watching as he moved away. Crouched low. Silent. If she hadn’t been looking at him, she wouldn’t have known he was there. Leaves rustled in a thicket a hundred yards away, and he froze. Eva froze, too, her muscles taut with fear.

“Police. Come out with your hands where I can see them,” he commanded. More rustling. A soft sigh that might have been a moan. A woman stumbled from the thick tangle of overgrowth, blood streaming down her face. She fell to her knees. Managed to stand up again. Confused. Dazed. Not dangerous. That’s what Eva thought, and Austin must have thought the same. He holstered his gun.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” Austin asked, moving toward her.

“What’s going on? Where am I?” she replied, her gaze darting from Austin to Justice and then settling on Eva.

“The Lost Woods. You’re hurt, and you need to lie down.” Eva took her arm, tried to help her to the ground.

“What happened?” She touched her head, frowning at her blood-tinged fingers.

“I was hoping you could tell us.” Austin pulled off his jacket, dropped it onto the woman’s shoulders, his gaze scanning the forest. Danger still lurked there, but Justice lay docile in the shadows of a large oak, his big head resting on his paws.

“I...don’t remember. I think...” Her gaze dropped to his gun holster, her eyes widening. “No!”

“Ma’am, I’m with the Sagebrush Police Department. Just relax, okay?” Austin put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged away, her eyes wild.

“Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to call for a rescue crew to come and transport you out of the forest.”

“No!” she said again, whirling away, Austin’s coat dropping to the ground as she plunged back into the thicket.

Austin started after her, heard the snap of branches and Justice’s quiet bark. Not danger, but someone was coming. He turned, stepping in front of Eva just in case.

“What—”

He put his hand up, cutting off her words as he caught sight of an orange vest. Search and rescue. Hopefully, a police officer. Justice was on Brady’s scent, and Austin didn’t want to stop the search to chase after the injured woman or to find the person who had been firing shots at her.

“Hey! Austin! I heard gunfire and your call for backup. Is everything okay?” Detective Lee Calloway called out as he approached with his border collie, Kip. A fellow member of the Special Operations K-9 Unit, Lee had been a good friend and coworker for years. His dog, Kip, specialized in cadaver detection. Hopefully, Kip wouldn’t have to put those skills to use in their search for Brady.

“We’re fine, but there’s an injured woman heading west. She may know who the shooter was.”

“How bad are the injuries?”

“It was hard to tell. She had a head wound, and she seemed confused. Could be a concussion or a fractured skull.”

“You want me to go after her or the missing boy?” Lee asked.

“Justice already has Brady’s scent. Go after Jane Doe. And watch your back while you’re at it. Someone is wandering around firing shots.”

“Will do. You have a description of the woman for me?”

“Aside from the bleeding head wound?”

“Aside from that.” Lee smiled, but his eyes were shadowed. Yesterday had been long for the entire team. The discovery of Slade’s injured father and the realization that Rio had been taken had hit the unit hard.

“Long blond hair. About five-five. Slim build.”

“Got it. I’ll radio in when I find her.”

After Lee headed west with Kip, Austin shrugged into his coat and backpack. Eva hovered a few feet away, her skin pale, her arms hugging her waist.

He didn’t ask if she was ready.

He knew she would be. Even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t admit it.

“Come on, boy,” he urged, and Justice lumbered to his feet. “Seek!”

Justice took off, barking wildly.

Close.

They were close.

Austin felt it in the tension on the lead, the way Justice’s muscles pulled taut. The bloodhound wanted to get to the end of the trail, wanted to find the person they were seeking, wanted it more than he wanted to sleep or eat or play. That’s what made him a great search-and-rescue dog, his prey drive completely refocused into a stunning display of canine determination.

They crested one more rise, plunged down into a ravine, the ground slick with mud and dead leaves. Justice bayed once and again, frantically clawing at the ground in an effort to move more quickly.

A dozen yards ahead, a rocky outcrop sheltered a small pool of stagnant water. Beyond that, Austin could make out thick foliage partially hiding what looked like the opening of a cave. Six feet high and maybe four feet wide, it was the perfect hiding place for a scared little boy. His heart lurched, and he unhooked Justice. Let him race ahead, his frantic alerts ringing through the cool dawn.

“Is that a cave? He’s there, isn’t he? Brady! Brady!” Eva ran toward the cave, and Austin snagged the back of her coat, pulling her up short.

“Wait here while I check things out.”

“Check what out? He’s there. Justice is going crazy trying to tell us that.”

“I know, but I need to go in first. We heard gunfire earlier, and I don’t want you in the middle of more of it,” he said.

“He’s in there. I know he is.” She tried to twist away, but he kept hold of her coat.

“We don’t know—”

“He’s there.” She looked into his eyes, and he saw hope in the depth of her gaze. Saw it in her face.

He wanted to believe that it was justified, but there was no telling what he’d find in the cave. As much as Austin wanted to think they were running toward a live rescue, things might not turn out that way. He didn’t want Eva to find her son’s lifeless body. Didn’t want her to see what he’d seen too many times.

Maybe she saw that in his face.

She stilled, her green eyes staring into his, her long gold lashes sweeping her cheek and brow. She had eyes like her son’s. He felt the weight of the picture that he’d tucked into his coat pocket. Felt the weight of her dreams and hopes piled on his shoulders.

“You think he might be dead,” she rasped, and he couldn’t deny it.

“Wait here,” he said again, letting go of her coat and running toward the cave.

Thick muck sucked at his boots and splashed up his pant legs, the stagnant pool of water shallow and brown. Eva splashed through it behind him. Obviously unwilling to listen to his request.

He reached the cave a few steps ahead of her, ducked down and moved into dank blackness, following the sound of Justice’s fading barks. A few large rocks butted against the side of the cave, and he skirted around them. From there, the opening narrowed until Austin’s shoulders brushed the walls. Even crouched, his head touched the ceiling. He maneuvered sideways for several minutes, but short of shrinking down to child-size there was no way he could go farther.

“What’s going on? Why are we stopping?” Eva pressed in as if she wanted to shove him out of the way and hunt for Brady herself.

“It’s too narrow. Going farther wouldn’t be safe.”

“I’m smaller than you. Let me go.”

“We’ll both have to back out first. No way can you squeeze past me.”

“Okay.” She backed up and he followed, his headlamp flashing on dark gray rock and moist brown earth. The cave went deeper than he’d expected, curving to the left, whatever lay behind the curve hidden in darkness.

Justice’s long howl echoed against the walls, bouncing through the darkness, and Austin snagged Eva’s hand. “Hold on! Justice is alerting. He’s found something. Try calling your son.”

“Brady? It’s Mom. Are you in there?” Eva called past the lump of terror and hope in her throat. What if he was there, but couldn’t answer? What if he was injured or...

“Momma?” The word was faint, but she heard it. Wanted to climb straight through Austin to follow the sound.

“Yes. It’s me. I have Snowflake, too. I found him out in the woods while I was looking for you. Come on out, and we can all go home together.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but she was so relieved, so thankful, her body felt weak with it.

“I can’t.” He was crying. She could hear the tears in his voice, and if the walls hadn’t been pressing so tight, if Austin hadn’t been wedged so firmly into the opening, she would have gone to her son.

“Ask him if he’s stuck, and ask him if there’s a dog with him,” Austin urged.

“Are you stuck, sweetie?”

“I’m lost. I got inside here, but I can’t get out. It’s too dark.”

“Is there a dog with you, Brady?”

“Yes, but I didn’t pet him.”

“Those are the rules for normal times, but for today, you can pet the dog. He’s special. Like Captain Slade’s dog.”

“Are you hurt, Brady? Can you walk?” Austin called out.

“Momma, are you still there? Who’s that with you?” The fear in his voice was unmistakable, and her heart ached for everything he’d been through, her arms aching to pull him close, let him know that he was finally safe.

“A police detective. He and his dog have been helping me find you. Are you hurt?”

“No, and I can walk, too. And I petted the dog. He’s soft...and he licked my face.”

“His name is Justice,” Austin said. “Do you feel the harness on his back?”

“Yes.”

“If you hold on to that, Justice will lead you all the way out of the cave.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Are you holding on?”

“Yes.”

“Justice, come!” Austin ordered, and then nudged Eva. “Let’s head out where there’s more room to maneuver.”

“But—”

“Justice found your son, Eva. Are you really not going to trust him to lead him out of the cave?” he asked as his radio crackled.

No. She wasn’t going to trust him. Not if she had a choice. Trust was something given and then broken. She’d found that out one too many times. She backed up, anyway because the last thing she wanted was for all of them to get stuck in the cave because she’d succumbed to fear.

Austin’s voice rumbled into the darkness as he called in their coordinates and asked for a rescue unit. Eva tried to let his words comfort her. If he was calling for transportation, he must believe that Brady and Justice would make their way out.

Sunlight speckled the dirt floor near her feet, and she stopped, cold, crisp air swirling around her ankles. She pressed a hand to Austin’s back, stopping him before they collided. Firm muscle contracted beneath her palm, and she pulled her hand away, her heart thumping painfully.

Brady. He was all that mattered, and he hadn’t appeared yet. Hadn’t called out again.

“Brady?” she called, but he didn’t answer. “What if—”

“He’s coming.” Austin pulled off his pack, rifled through it and took out a thermal blanket.

“I don’t hear him or Justice.”

“Justice already found what he was looking for. He’s done alerting, and Brady probably couldn’t hear you calling. The cave is a lot deeper than I anticipated.” He sighed. “I’m glad you were with me. I don’t know if your son would have come out otherwise.”

His words took her by surprise. She’d thought him to be a little arrogant, a lot bossy. Not the kind of guy who would admit that he’d been wrong. Not the kind who she would have expected to give other people credit.

Then again, she’d never been the best judge of character. She certainly hadn’t been when it came to Rick.

“Things always work out the way they’re supposed to.” Her mother used to say that to Eva. It had taken a lot of years for her to believe it.

“True, and this time, they worked out the way that we both wanted them to.” He smiled, and it transformed his face, made him approachable in the easy charming way that would have appealed to her if she ever allowed any man to do that.

“Momma? Where are you?” Brady called, his voice muffled and distant.

Her heart jerked, the need to go to him so strong that she took a step deeper into the cave, peered into its shadowy depths.

“I’m right here, buddy. Are you still with Justice?”

“Yes, but it’s dark, and I’m cold. I want to go home.”

“Just keep walking, then. You’ll be out of there before you know it,” she called, hoping the words would comfort him.

“Use this. Brady might be able to see the light once he gets closer.” Austin handed her his headlamp, and she shone it into the cave. The light bounced off gray walls and brown floors. She wanted it to bounce off Brady’s pale blond hair and freckled face.

She watched the narrow opening, her head pounding in time with her frantic heart. Finally, something moved in the darkness, a shifting of shadows that drew closer and closer, until the shadows had color and shape and form and Brady was in her arms. Clutching him close, she felt him shivering, his skin cold to the touch.

“You’re freezing.” Eva took off her coat and wrapped him in it, alarmed at his paleness. Scratches and dried blood scored his cheek and arms, and his feet were so caked with mud that she could barely see his toes. His pajama bottoms were torn at both knees, the skin peeking from beneath the fabric raw and bleeding.

“That’s because I was cold all night. I was shaking I was so cold.”

“Let’s warm you up, okay?” She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back and trying to will some of her warmth into his cold little body.

“How are you doing, sport?” Austin wrapped the blanket around both of them, then crouched close, Justice panting contentedly near his feet.

“Okay. Are you the police?” Brady’s eyes were wide, his teeth chattering, his lips so pale they faded into his skin.

“Yes. I’m Detective Austin Black. You already met my partner, Justice.”

“He’s a cool dog. I always wanted a dog, but Momma says that we’re too busy to have one.”

“It’s not fair to have a dog if you don’t have time,” Austin responded diplomatically as he tucked the edges of the blanket around Brady’s head.

“If I had a dog, those bad men would have stayed away from me.”

“What bad men?” Austin pulled a juice box from his pack, popped a straw into it and handed it to Brady.

“They’re not nice. They beat mean old Mr. McNeal and they took Rio.”

“You saw the man who did that?” Eva asked, taking the untouched juice box from his hand and looking into his face. His lip trembled, his eyes swimming with tears.

“Yes,” he whispered, looking away, obviously ashamed of something.

“How? You can’t see Captain McNeal’s house from Mrs. Daphne’s.”

“I walked Fluffy. Mrs. Daphne said that I could, because I was bored and I didn’t want to watch stupid old TV anymore,” he wailed.

Despite herself, Eva couldn’t be upset. She couldn’t even bring herself to remind him of the rule that he’d broken. Not yet. That would come when he was warm and clean and safe again.

“We’ll talk about that later.”

“How many men did you see, Brady?”

“Two. The man with the brown hair and the man with the red hair. The man with the red hair is meanest. He hit me right here, because I started crying when he brought me to the woods.” Brady touched his cheek, tears spilling down his face. “He hit Mr. McNeal, too. With a brick. I even saw him do it. Then he pushed Rio right into a van and saw me.”

“It’s okay, buddy.” Eva pressed his head to her shoulder.

“What happened next, sport?” Austin asked gently.

“The man with the red hair yelled for the other man to get me. Me and Fluffy ran really fast, though, and he didn’t catch us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Brady? We could have called the police and made sure you were safe.” Eva brushed Brady’s hair from his forehead and looked into his denim-blue eyes. Rick’s eyes, but so much softer and sweeter than his had been.

“Because you told me not ever to go walking by myself, and I didn’t want to get into trouble.” He started crying in earnest, his face scrunched up and so full of misery that Eva’s heart broke.

“It’s okay.” She patted his back, and met Austin’s eyes, anxious to get her shivering, sobbing son out of the cave and to safety. “How long until the rescue team arrives?”

“Ten or fifteen minutes. It might be best if we bring him out into the sun while we wait. He’s hypothermic, and the sooner we get him warmed up, the better.” He hooked Justice to his lead. “Ready to get out of here, Brady?”

“Yes.” Brady didn’t even lift his head. Exhausted, bruised and terrified, but he was alive. That was all that mattered.

Thank You, God.

Thank You, thank You, thank You.

Dawn peeked through the thick trees and dappled the ground with yellow-gold light as they walked out of the cave. Eva hadn’t noticed the beauty of the forest while they were searching for Brady. Now she couldn’t stop noticing. The tall pines stretching toward the blue sky. The red-brown earth beneath their feet. The soft sound of birds greeting the day.

Justice growled deep in his throat, the fur on his scruff standing on end, his nose pointed toward the rise above the cave.

“Go back into the cave,” Austin shouted.

She didn’t ask why. Didn’t stop to think about who might be coming. She ran, feet slipping on slick ground, Brady in her arms, all the beauty of the morning fading into cold, stark terror.