Revisiting this series

I have been guided to revisit this series and maybe change the main character over to Carrie Hawkins. I will be contemplating what i need to do to change it up and will post any updates here when I get them written.

Until later,

Toni

Blessings.

Episode 15: The Return

Episode 15: 

THE RETURN

By Toni Walker

Nick Boyd changed his mind at the last minute. He had to honor what he told his mother. He had to find Emilie. Mal would just have to wait until later. He wasn’t sure what he’d find when he arrived at Rand’s ranch. But it wasn’t this. He fingered the handcuffs dangling from the front door handle. And attached to them was a 2x4 wedged against the lock. It was a pretty nifty trick, easy to assemble and effective.

“What are you looking at?” Rio Cruz said over the walkie-talkie? Rio was doing a walk-about around the property line to make sure Emilie hadn’t gotten away from them. Considering her horse was here at the cabin, she couldn’t be far away.

“Looks like someone is making sure people stay out or someone stays in. And I seriously doubt its Rand. He’s not big on locking his doors, especially like this.”

“You think we have an intruder?” Rio asked. 

“I think we have something,” Nick replied. “Keep this channel open in case I need back up.” He peered into a window. He knew Rand had built this cabin for privacy not security. There had to be more than one way inside.

*** 

Patrick Donovan inched forward as he scanned the darkened basement. He held Carrie behind him. If there was anything fishy going on down here, he didn’t want her to be hurt by it.

“You heard that noise earlier, right?” Patrick asked, trying to appear confident. Their earlier romantic liaison had been interrupted by a collapse of the porch circling around the house. The area beneath that section of deck was in line with the basement. That was where Patrick and Carrie were heading.

“Can’t you use your psychic mojo to feel out if this is a dangerous suspect?”

Carrie sighed. People who didn’t have psychic abilities didn’t quite understand how they worked. “My gift doesn’t work that way. And lately my ‘mojo’, as you call it, has been a bit off.”

“Hey, no pressure. Just wanting to feel out my options.” Patrick really wished he could feel his hands closing around the neck of a baseball bat. Or something he could use as a weapon.

Carrie Hawkins turned around, peering into the dark corner of the basement. Something niggled at her spider sense. Whomever it was, they were close and nearly as gifted as she was.

Patrick read the searching expression on Carrie’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s here. Someone beside the thing/person that fell through the porch.” Carrie said.

“Good to know. Not sure what to do with the information, but good to know.”

He stepped forward and his foot came into contact with splintered pieces of rotten wood. They looked up and saw the night sky peeking through a large hole in the ceiling.

“I told Rand that this place was an accident waiting to happen,” Patrick said. “Where do you think the thing is that fell down here?”

Carrie already had a pretty good idea. She’d quickly honed in on the energy patterns of the room. And pointed toward a set of cabinets along the right wall. She held a finger to her lips and inched closer.

When she lunged forward and opened the nearest door, a surprise lay waiting for her behind door number one.

A little girl squealed. It was Emilie.

Patrick stepped back a few paces, the shock of her appearance quickly fading. “You just scared the living crap out of me, kid.”

Emilie mumbled a heartfelt apology and crawled from inside the cabinet.

“Someone’s out there,” she said. “Before I fell, I could feel them watching me.”

“You guys and your spider sense make quite a pair. Please tell me it’s not something you can catch, like the flu. I don’t want nor need other people’s emotions piggy back riding in my head. I have enough trouble dealing with my own issues.” 

Patrick didn’t appreciate the fine art of psychic intuition. He liked facts. Facts were easy to figure out, easy to relate. All Carrie and Emilie’s inner mumbo-jumbo just freaked him the hell out.

“Did you actually see someone out there?” Carrie asked the youth.

“Just shadows,” Emilie admitted. “I did see Patrick kissing you, though.”

A look of horrified realization filled Patrick’s eyes. “You can’t tell anyone about that. We just lost our heads for a moment.”

Emilie chuckled. “I think Carly would lose her head of she saw that too.” She turned to Carrie. “Carly scares me sometimes. Just the look in her eyes .. .” she shuddered. 

Carrie had to agree. The young girl had good instincts. She brushed the mussed hair out of her eyes and gave her a hug. “We’re going to get you home, okay?”

A rustling from above had them all looking up. “That might be a little difficult,” Nick Boyd said, peering down at them. “The tires on both cars have been slashed. Yours and Rand’s old pick up. But luckily, mine are perfectly in tact.”

“Perfect,” Patrick muttered. “The calvary has arrived.”

Out of their view, someone approached behind Nick. He didn’t suspect anyone might still be lurking around. The person held a large stone and brought it down hard on the back of Nick’s skull. 

He lost his balance and fell forward into the hole. He crashed at their feet after an amazingly awkward swan drive. It was almost sickening to watch. If he didn’t have broken bones, it would be a miracle. He laid sprawled out on his back. The fall had knocked him unconscious.

“What in the hell is going on?” Patrick said.

Carrie's eyes went blank a she felt herself slipping into an old memory. Sometimes things like this happened to her, but this was different. Someone was forcing her to remember.

“Oh, God. It’s starting again!” The hysteria in Carrie’s voice grew more insistent. “I should have never come back to work.”

“What are you talking about?” Patrick said, walking toward her. Nick stopped him. Carrie huddled next to the fireplace across the room.

“I think I know. Clay Garrison was a serial killer Carrie tracked for the police in Chicago. It was pretty bad. He targeted women who looked like Carrie, even kidnapped her daughter. She’s never gotten over it.”

“That’s horrible. I can’t imagine.”

“You don’t want to imagine. Trust me. I’ve seen the reports. Carrie’s been through hell.” Nick glanced back at her as she stared blankly at the roaring fire.

With Nick’s connection to the police department, he was able to get closer to Carrie in a way Patrick couldn’t. 

“Someone’s leaving her notes like last time. Just like Clay Garrison did.”

“But I thought he was dead.”

“So did we,” Nick said. “So did we.”

"You thought you were so smart, Kara."

It was the voice of Ira Gault, a voice she had thought she'd banished forever. She cringed at the nickname he'd given her. She didn't want to remember. She didn't want to relive the horror.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he whispered. "You're a part of me. We're one."

"What have you done with my daughter?" Carrie had trouble getting the sentence out in one breath. The pain was closer to the surface tha she realized.

"She's quite a looker," he chuckled. "Growing up just like her mommy."

Carrie screamed but no one could hear her. She was trapped in her mind.

Episode 14: I'm Watching You

Episode 14: 

I'M WATCHING YOU

He hadn't just been watching her. He'd been thinking about her too. Michael was more than a little bit concerned about Rand's sudden interest in a look-a-like.

"My sister is the one in the hospital," Michael Donovan said with a bit of venom in his voice. "Don't forget that."

"What exactly are you saying?" Rand Boyd stepped back to look up at Michael. His blue eyes glinted with emotion. "You don't trust her, do you?"

"Why would I trust her? I don't even know her. Neither do you," Michael said. "It's just a little too convenient that she's shown up now, in the same town where Angela grew up, don't you think? It makes me wonder what she really wants with Angela."

Michael was taking Alex's sudden appearance more than personally, and his BS radar was out in full force.

"What's your problem? Are you fighting all of Angela's battles now? Appointed yourself protector? I had no idea the two of you were that close."

"She's my sister. We protect our own." He knew where Rand was going with this. Michael had no interest in Angela in a romantic sense. He merely felt an obligation to take care of her. It was something his mother expected of him.

"But you're not close?" Rand asked, skeptically. "You could have fooled me." Rand turned then said, "Maybe you're even fooling yourself."

When Alex Maxwell returned from the restroom, she and Rand left leaving Michael to think about where his priorities were truly focused.

***

The first thing Angela Seraph became aware of was the intense beeping off to her right. It sounded like an alarm clock, but the tone was muted, as if trying to push through a thick pad of gauze. When she opened her eyes, the room looked almost as blurry as the sound.

An immediate pain erupted in her head. She bit down hard and her tongue throbbed from the pressure. The tinny taste of blood spiraled in her mouth.

Everything in the immediate vicinity was white save for the bit of blood she wiped on her fingertips.

A nurse came into the room wearing a navy blue smock. "How you doin' honey?" she asked sweetly. "Have you decided to wake up and tell us a few things?" She looked at the black woman blankly.

"Where am I?" she croaked.

"Honey, you're in University Hospital. It's one of the best facilities this side of the big city."

She smiled as she attempted to sit up. No thoughts raced through her head, not even worry. It was almost as if she'd become detached from everything.

"What happened to me," she asked fingering the gauze wrapped around her head. She had an intense felling she wouldn't like the answer the nurse offered.

"Train wreck," the nurse said simply. "And man was it a doozie. Nearly leveled the new ball field Doc Donovan helped pay for. But I doubt he even knows about that. When he saw you lying here, he went white as a sheet. The staff is all a buzz with the thought that you're his long, lost sister." The nurse stopped her wild gesturing and leaned in close. "That true, honey?"

Obviously, the nurse wanted the first scoop on the spiraling office gossip.

"I don't know," her voice edging toward panic. "I can't remember!"

***

Doctor Michael Donovan returned to University Hospital with a wealth of feelings weighing down his mind. He saw the nurses down the hall locked in conversation, but he wasn’t in the mood to chit-chat. Before he could think the thoughts as to what to do next. He found himself standing outside of Angela’s hospital room.

A black nurse ran up to him and eased herself in front of the doorway. “You really don’t want to go in there, Doc. Housekeeping hasn’t had time to clean it up yet.”

Her eyes were round and he could tell that she didn’t want him to walk inside the room.

“What happened?” Michael asked gruffly. “What happened to Angela?” He forced his way past her and stepped into the room. What he found wasn’t what he was expecting. The walls were filled with wild writings, scribbled paintings and sequences of numbers. It looked like the chalkboard of a mathematician struggling to figure out a tricky equation.

“She just went crazy. Said she couldn’t remember, grabbed her head, weaved around the room screaming in pain. Suddenly, she got real quiet. Then the scribbling began. I had a couple of the bigger orderlies try to stop her but she had an immense strength. They were able to drag her out of the room, but before they could restrain her, she ran away.

Michael had been studying the crazy writings on the wall when the nurse revealed her bombshell.

“What do you mean she ran away?” The expression on his face was one of sudden horror.

“Just that. She shot out the front door like the hounds of hell were on her heels. By the time the orderlies were able to follow, she was gone.”

Michael didn’t remember leaving the hospital. Later, he would attribute it to some sort of mental shock. By the time his mind was registering images again he found himself parked in front of his mother’s house. It was already dark outside. Half the day had escaped along with any chances of finding Angela.

His mother wasn’t home. It was Bingo Night. She had been in charge of it for years. So her house was dark, making the woods behind seem inky black.

The small cabin where Angela lived when she was in Centralia peeked out from behind the main house. Maybe that was why he was drawn here. Why he drove in a daze to this particular spot.

He stood stone still when a scream ripped through the silence. Michael didn’t think, he just ran toward the noise.

***

“What’s the problem with your friend?” Alexandra Maxwell asked.

Rand still was unsure of Alex’s motives but he did agree with her when it came to Carly. She was bad news.

“Michael is overprotective of every member of his family. He was relatively young when their father passed away, became the man of the house early on. Michael is the only father figure Patrick has ever known.”

“Ah, I see. Glorified daddy syndrome.”

Rand flinched. “Michael is a good man. One of the best doctors I’ve ever known.”

Alex listened to his ramblings but she had more on her mind than some hick doctor’s plans for his foster sister.

She had done what she planned to do. She’d found Angela. Now she had to set her plan into action, the sooner the better.

“You want me to talk to him?” Alex asked.

“Why? You are no one to him. You only look like Angela, you aren’t Angela.”

Alex felt that mental hit and let it roll off her shoulder. She contemplated how to get away from Mr. Macho and before she could postulate a good plan, Rand received a mysterious phone call. His demeanor suddenly changed. Before she knew it, Rand had dropped her off at Patrick’s house and drove away.

She had wanted to get away from Rand, but she also didn’t want to be dismissed. There was nothing she could do about that now.

Patrick’s house was located down the street from his mother’s. Alex heard the same scream Michael did. Usually, a noise like that wouldn’t draw her attention, the big city was filled with screamers but she was drawn to this particular sound. It sounded like her own voice.

Angela.

A figure ran across the street from beside a parked car and into the woods behind the house.

Alex’s curiosity and not her best intentions got the better of her and she set out to follow the figure.

“What are you doing?” she asked herself. “You need to follow the plan.” As she scanned the dark woods, Alex flashed back to the day of the train wreck.

She remembered looking down at Angela who was sitting next to her old lover, the Irish dancer, Rayne. It was almost too perfect. Before she could heave her purse at the scene of the crime, Rayne awoke and looked from her to Angela and back.

“Twins,” he said with surprise. “I never would have guessed.”

“But then again,” Alex said with hatred. “You were never that creative.”

“Is that how you got to old Thompson? You did it with the help of your look-a-like?”

Alex had made the mistake of indulging her indiscretions with J.T. Thompson, a very powerful man in Washington. The man who had already set one of his goons after her.

“I’m not the one who has issues with J.T. Thompson,” she said accusingly. Before she could finish her thought, a section detached from the wall barely missing her and landing on the Irishman.

***

Michael had never allowed himself to get that close to Angela. He couldn’t afford the distraction. Career was his main goal in life… or, at least, it used to be.

“Angela?” He called out. “Are you out here?” There was no response only a cool breeze rustling the leaves of dark bushes all around. The effect was a bit creepy. He stopped and listened and yet still could hear nothing significant.

***

Angela stilled and listened. She could feel someone out there. This was a sensation she’d experienced various other times, almost as if she was sharing skins with another person. An anger welled up inside of her, an anger she knew wasn’t hers. She had never felt such a rush of sudden emotion before.

“Where are you?” Angela called out. “I know you’re there.”

Alex stepped out from the bushes startling her. “You’re the one…” Angela said. “The one from the train. They thought in the hospital I was you.”

“And they’re going to go on thinking that. I can’t afford for Thompson to catch me. So, instead, I’ll let him catch you.”

On the train she’d seemed different, happier. It wasn’t until before the explosion that she realized what Alex was up to.

“I… I wasn’t responsible for that. You asked me to talk to him. You were the one who…” Angela couldn’t bring herself to reveal the truth.

“We’re one. Can’t you feel it? You’ve known all along what I was capable of yet you did nothing to stop me.”

“I didn’t! I didn’t even know I had a sister… much less a twin!”

“Our family is busting at the seams. Daddy sure did get around. I’m not the only one out there, you know. There are more of us. We’re all special in our own way. I have an affinity with numbers. Any numbers. Social security numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers…” she paused. “Nuclear launch codes.”

Angela gasped.

“I’m blackmailing the Vice-President. He knows I know the codes, but his cronies won’t accept that their security can be breached. So, he’s trying to deal with me in his own way.”

“Are you saying he blew up the train? The Vice-President?”

“What can I say. The man has resources and lousy aim.”

“Why are you doing this?” Angela inched backward and found a steep drop off behind her. Fear clutched at her chest. Dead Man’s Cliff.

Alex peered behind her newfound sister.

“Quite a fitting end, don’t you think? You fall and kill yourself. The authorities find you and I get what I want. The VP gets what he wants and we’re all happy.” She smiled and Angela could feel the relief pouring off her in waves. She really was going through with her plan. “Everyone’s happy. Except you, because you’ll be dead.

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” A hulking figure appeared behind Alex. His scowl deepened. He’d heard everything Alex had said.

Alex laughed. “Foster brother to the rescue, eh? Or maybe there is more between you.”

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Michael said. “Because if you kill her, I kill you.”

His threats didn’t seem to effect her. “Oh, I believe you, but I doubt I’m your biggest problem. The VP has already sent his goons down here. I’m sure Centralia’s favorite son won’t be far behind. Hard to believe someone from Thompson’s own hometown could target the government.

“What is she talking about?” Michael asked, apparently he hadn’t heard that part of Alex and Angela’s conversation.

Angela’s voice quivered. “Alex has the governments nuclear launch codes. She’s threatening the Vice-President.”

“This is crazy.” Michael didn’t plan on ending his day this way.

Alex grabbed a hefty looking log and waved it at Michael, then got a good shot to his mid-section. He grabbed the log when she came at him a second time. He forcefully pushed backward sending Alex hurtling into Angela. Angela, who was already close to the edge lost her footing and grabbed for the closest object. Her hands clawed at empty air.

“Michael,” she screamed. Alex regained her footing just as Angela fell in a spectacular arc over the edge.

Michael roughly pushed Alex aside and dove toward the cliff ledge reaching for Angela. He managed to grasp her forearm before she completely disappeared over the side. The action nearly pulled her arm out of its socket.

Angela was near hysteria. I don’t want to die, she thought as her body slammed into the side of the cliff ledge. She screamed as a broken limb punctured her side, then her head collided with a larger branch knocking her unconscious.

Michael felt himself slipping forward over the loose dirt. “Oh, God,” he cried out. “Help me save her.”

Those were the last words he spoke before slipping into the darkness over the side of the cliff.

Alex could only watch helplessly as they plummeted over the edge. Michael’s rough push had hit its mark. A branch was embedded in her back and pushed out the front of her body. It was all over for her. She knew it, but that didn’t stop her from trying to escape. She was nearly home free. Alex stumbled a few yards on the path and fell face forward onto the dirt. Her eyes stared blankly ahead.

Episode 13: Trapped

Episode 13
TRAPPED

“Why don’t we find a way out of here? This wasn’t exactly the way I had my evening planned,” Carrie Hawkins said as she tried to walk away from Patrick. The only problem was, he had a hold of her arm.

“Come on. This gives us the perfect chance to talk privately.” Patrick reached for her face and brushed a strand of blond hair away from her face. “Why did you walk away from me when we were together before? Why did you push me away?”

Carrie recognized that look in his eyes. He’d had it years ago when she left him and he still had it today.

“There’s something you need to know, Carrie.”

“Don’t say it, Patrick. I know Carly tricked you into getting her pregnant, but you have a family now. The past is only going to get us into trouble.”

His hand didn’t stray once it was on her face. He continued to caress her cheek with his thumb.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” she whispered.

“I know exactly what I’m doing. Something I should have done a long time ago.”

He leaned down and gathered her into his arms. Her mind may have fought the feeling but her body had different ideas.

“This is crazy,” she said.

“I’ve missed you for so long it seems like an eternity. Being with you right now, it feels right.”

He didn’t hesitate, his lips captured hers. At first she seemed to fight him, but a few seconds was all she needed to ignore her mind and listen to her heart.

Neither of them noticed the shadow at the window. Someone was watching them as they kissed. The figure grabbed a cell phone from their pocket and sent a text message. The recipient of the message was none other than Carly Donovan!

***

Michael Donovan leaned back in the booth at the front of the Java Hut. The sun was shining into the café, but he didn’t mind the brightness. He was going to enjoy it while it lasted. The weather channel was on over the juice bar predicting severe thunderstorms tonight.

“So much for my golf game,” Michael mumbled as the waitress brought him a cup and poured coffee from a fresh pot.

The waitress smiled at him. She was quite a beauty. One of those women who looked like they’d had tons of plastic surgery but was probably just born that way. Her short red bob with streaks of blonde highlights only had him curious how it would feel running through his fingers. He shook off the intense image as he realized that she’d just spoken to him.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said that you never know. The weather forecasters around here aren’t exactly the most reliable on the planet.”

Mike smiled. “You’re right, but it did smell like rain when I left this morning. The crops around here need it anyway, so I can’t complain.”

He took a sip of the fresh brew and smiled in satisfaction. He did love a good cup of coffee.

“So, are you new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. The thing about Centralia is that it has that small town charm where you eventually get to know everyone’s name.”

She laughed nervously and hesitated as if wondering if he was trustworthy.

“Guilty as charged. I’ve had some personal problems lately. Trying to escape my past, a nasty ex, a crappy boss. You know how it is, I’m sure.”

She offered her hand in welcome. “My name is Shawna Carlyle. I just moved into town yesterday. The owner of the Java Hut, Mrs. Collins took pity on me and my sob story and offered me a job.”

“This is a nice place. Good people. They’ll treat you right here.” Michael waved at Rand who peeked into the front door.

“There are my friends,” he said pointing toward the front of the store.”

Rand approached. He brushed by the beautiful waitress as if she was a piece of furniture. There must be something truly important on his mind to miss out on the beautiful scenery inside the Java Hut.

“If you don’t mind, Michael, why don’t we sit in the back room,” Rand Boyd said.

“Fine with me. That okay with you? Michael asked Shawna.

“Oh, I don’t see why not. Knock yourselves out.” The redhead returned to the cash register where someone was waiting to pay for their purchase.

“What’s with the mysterious behavior, Rand?” Michael asked.

“Be warned,” Rand said. “This is going to blow your mind.”

He waved toward someone standing at the front of the café. Michael noticed Shawna’s eyes follow the woman across the room. He could see true recognition light in her eyes.

Rand cleared his throat. “Uh, Michael?”

Michael pulled his eyes from the waitress and focused in on the woman standing at Rand’s side. His eyes grew wide.

“Angela! What are you doing outside your hospital room?”

“Relax, sport. My name is not Angela. It’s Alex. Alex Maxwell. I don’t know who Angela is, but this is getting a bit old.”

The look on Michael’s face was one of shock and wonder.

***

Nick Boyd knew Carrie was up to something. She wouldn’t have come back to work without a damn good reason. And this psychic woohoo was just that woohoo.

He slammed a hand on the steering wheel as he pulled up into Mama Boyd’s driveway.

“What in the hell is going on between Patrick and Carrie?”

His mother met him at the door. She had a scowl painted on her face.

“Is there something wrong with me? Something wrong with my cooking?” Nadine Boyd asked her son.

“Of course not,” Nick said, kissing his mother on the cheek. Why would you think that?”

“You’ve been back in town for a short while now and yet have not come to visit your mother. So, I ask you again, what’s wrong with me?”

The guilt trip had already begun which only meant one thing. Rand hadn’t been around much either.

“I’m here now, aren’t I? Where’s Rand?”

“Oh, you know that brother of yours, always here and there trying to fix something. I think he’s out at that cabin of his out on the outer forty. Patrick and some pretty blond went out there looking for him an hour ago.”

Nick ran a hand through his messy hair that was in severe need of a haircut.

“Carrie and Patrick went to Rand’s ranch?” Nick repeated. “What in the hell do they want to see him for?”

Mama Boyd popped Nick on the back of the head.

“Watch your language, young man. We’ve got a little girl in this house now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nick said, glancing around the room fro Emile. “Where is the little trouble-maker?”

“That sweet darling is out on that rambunctious horse of hers. I told her not to go far but she’s been riding out to the edge of the ranch.” Mama chuckled. “Drives Rand nuts. On some days, I have to have Rio track her down for me. She’s a good girl but she tries my patience sometimes as well.”

“I’m going to check on Carrie and Patrick and I’ll keep an eye out for Emile as well.”

“Thanks, hon.”

Nick kissed his Mama goodbye and headed for Rand’s ranch. He knew this was a distraction he didn’t need. But whenever Carrie was around he couldn’t seem to focus on work.

Speaking of work, he needed to call his partner, Mal.

“What are you doin’, man?” Mal asked. His voice was rather loud on Nick’s cell phone but his voice did tend to carry more than most people’s. “This train wreck is high priority. We don’t need our agents going out on wild goose chases. Carrie may have her psycho-from-the-past theory but I’ve uncovered something too. There was a professional hit put out on some Irish dancer on the train. I’m talkin’ high end. Expensive.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“And get this,” Mal continued. “His main squeeze is the vice-president’s daughter, Jessica Thompson. And! And, this is the real kicker. The Irish dancer also has a past with our sleeping beauty in the hospital, Alex Maxwell.” Mal chuckled and puffed on a cigar Nick could smell the remains of in his car. “Blows my freakin’ mind.”

“Good work, Mal. Thanks for covering my ass.”

“I know you’d do the same for me and have back when that mess with my ex took all my attention. But Nick, I’ve got to tell you, Carrie fell for your good looks once, she’s too smart to fall a second time. You’re pretty high maintenance and hardly available on a regular basis. Plus, you do have some big competition in town. Back in college, Carrie’s main squeeze was Patrick Donovan. He’s a doc over at the hospital now.”

“I know who he is,” Nick grumbled.

“And I’m sure a doctor’s salary is much more appealing than a police officers.” His partner laughed, dang him, but Nick knew he was right. He didn’t have much to offer a woman.

“Okay, you annoying nag. I’m turning around now and coming back in. I want to look more into this connection between our dead Irish dancer and Alex Maxwell.

“See ya in a few,” Mal said severing the connection.

Nick felt safe following up on this new lead. Patrick was such a do-gooder that he would never cheat on this wife, no matter how much of a monster she was.

***

Emile DeYoung liked visiting Rand’s cabin. She liked to think of it as her own little playhouse. The doors were usually locked and nailed shut but she’d found her own secret way in through the basement.

She saw the man peeking into the cabin windows. What was he doing? Emile grabbed the kiddie cell phone Rand had made her keep with her at all times. It only had two numbers that would work. Home and Rand’s cell. She thought it was a safe bet to call Rand’s cell.

She held the phone in her hand as she snuck up to the doorway at the side of the house. She peeked inside to see what the man was looking at.

Emile rubbed the grime from the glass and saw Patrick kissing another woman.

“Oh, Patrick is so busted.”

Emile heard the unknown man coming her way and she backed up on the porch. The boards beneath her feet were weak and she could hear them creek. But she didn’t weigh much and Emile felt safe walking over them.

She punched the button on her cell for Rand’s phone and waited for the thing to dial. Before she could answer the boards beneath her feel broke and she fell into the basement. Her scream could be heard in the house and by the strange man. The man made it to the hole first and peered into the basement. Emile was lying on the ground. The fall had knocked her out. He could hear Rand answer her call. He picked up the cell and tossed it into the river. No one was going to use their GPS tracking device tonight.