Perilous (16 page)

Chapter 26

Ricky returned from the water after dark. “I’m sorry. The water’s too slow now for me to get anything.”

Neal shook his head. “We need to figure out a better plan for food. We can’t be dependent on just catching fish.”

“Maybe some of these plants are edible,” Amanda said.

“What about animals?” said Jaci. “Could we hunt?”

Amanda snapped her fingers. “There was a rabbit yesterday. I was chasing it when I found Neal.”

A spark of hope warmed Jaci. “If we can catch it, I think I can prepare it.” It couldn’t be much harder than skinning fish, could it?

“But how do you catch a rabbit?” said Amanda, kicking the dirt with her toe.

“We have to make a trap,” Ricky said. “Anyone know how?”

“I think I can build one,” Sara said. “I did it once in Girl Scouts.”

They gathered vines and twigs for making a square trap, following Sara’s instructions.

“Try to mask your smell,” Neal said. “The animal will smell us and stay away.” He picked up some dirt, rubbing it on his hands.

“Should we risk a fire?” asked Ricky.

Neal shook his head. “We better keep a low profile. We still don’t know who’s out there looking for the girls.”

Sara and Neal finished wrapping some vine around a few twigs, tying it in places to make it tight.

Neal gave the trap a test, then smiled and held it up. “Done!”

They completed four more before they were too hungry and tired to do anything else. Together they marched into the woods and laid out the traps.

“Now we sleep,” Neal said. “And hope that tomorrow, we have rabbits.”

Jaci shivered in the light wind, hugging herself. They were starving and freezing. And there was somebody out there, close by, who could be a danger to them. They wouldn’t survive much longer.

She felt the knowledge enter her heart like a lead rock. They were going to die out here.

Neal glanced at her. “We’re going to get you girls out of this. I promise.”

“Thanks,” Jaci said. She moved closer to Sara and buried her face in the younger girl’s hair.

October 14

Little Falls, New York

Carl stepped down from the Canal Side Inn, a wonderful bed and breakfast in Little Falls. He rubbed his protruding belly. Too many meals like the one he had just finished had increased his girth.

A bicycle bell rang behind him, and Carl moved to the right. He watched the bike turn left, heading toward the Erie Canal. What a historic city. Full of charm and interest.

He pulled out his phone. Judge Acuff had listened to his tale with interest and promised him a court order within two days. Judges were busy, though. Carl wanted to call and remind him, but he didn’t want to aggravate the man.

He put his phone away. He itched to do something. Maybe he would take a stroll through the Historic Canal District. It might help clear his mind.

A pleasant autumn breeze blew off the direction of the canal. The phone in Carl’s pocket vibrated. He stared at the caller ID for a brief moment before answering.

“Detective Hamilton speaking.”

“Detective, this is Ranger Lewis, checking in. I’m with the Adirondack Park Services for Area five, which includes—”

“Yes, yes. Do you have word on the girls? Have they been spotted?” Carl leaned forward on the railing over the canal, watching a large barge drift downriver.

There was a pause on the other end. “No, Sir.”

“Thank you. Keep me informed.”

Carl stood for a long moment after the call, cradling his phone in both hands. He dialed Idaho.

“Idaho Falls police department, this is Monica. How may I direct your call?”

“Hi, Monica. Detective Hamilton. No dispatch today?”

“Nope. It’s Patty’s turn.”

“Listen, I need to get a search party organized. A huge one. It’s going to take some work, but I’d like to get a lot of experienced hikers from the cities within and around the Adirondack park system. Can you pass me through to the chief? I’m going to need his help.”

“Sure thing.”

Carl waited for the call to transfer. He couldn’t expect a lot from a search party. They were most effective when undertaken days after a person went missing. And it had been over a month.

Chapter 27

Jaci woke up shivering. A thin sheen of crystalline frost covered everything—the trees, the bushes, the ground, even her arms and legs. She vigorously rubbed the frost off her jeans.

So quiet. In the morning the birds usually chirped in the trees, or a lizard scurried in the underbrush. But today it seemed so still.

“I’m starving.” Sara’s hazel eyes were opened just a little, peeking up at her.

Food. She pushed herself to her feet. “The rabbits!”

“Right.” Sara was up in an instant.

Neal sat up, running his hands through his frosty brown hair.

“You coming?” Jaci asked.

“Of course.”

They made their way to where they had left the traps. Neal picked one up. “Empty.”

“Not this one!” Jaci grabbed a trap and held it up.

The rabbit within the twig box scooted away from her, staring out with liquid black eyes. The large ears trembled in fear.

Sara held up another. “Anyone want a mouse?”

Out of the other three traps, two more had rabbits and the third was empty.

Ricky eyed the trappings when they returned. “That’s it? Three rabbits and a mouse?”

“All right, Jaci,” said Amanda. “You’re up.”

Jaci stepped forward and took the traps. This would be far worse than skinning a fish.

“I’ll help,” said Ricky.

Amanda interrupted. “Oh, Ricky, I was hoping you’d try and catch fish again. Neal can help her.”

“Sure,” Neal said.

Ricky shrugged. “Fine. I’ll see if I can get a fish to top off our breakfast of rodents.” He started down the path to the water.

“And I’ll come along,” Amanda said.

“Come on, then. Maybe I’ll make a spear this time.”

Neal sat next to Jaci. “I’ll kill them for you, okay?” he said. “Then we’ll skin them together.”

“Who, Amanda and Ricky, or the rabbits?”

He laughed. “The rabbits.”

He took the small animals out of their traps one at a time. He turned sideways, out of Jaci’s sight, but she saw his arms wrench and heard the crack.

It’s food,
she reminded herself.

Neal did the hard stuff, using the strength of his fingers to break the skin and rip it off. She looked away, not able to watch.

Ricky came back from the river, empty-handed except for his spear. It proved unsuccessful at catching fish, but was perfect for lancing small animals and roasting them over a fire.

“Thanks, Jaci,” Sara said as she pulled apart one of the rabbits. “This is great.”

“Neal did it. That was an awful job.” She picked meat off the bones. “We’ll be out of this forest soon, won’t we, Sara?”

Sara paused. “Well, I lost the map in the rainstorm. But if I remember right, I don’t think the park goes on much farther.”

Ricky looked at them. “Then you’re going to the police?”

Sara shrugged.

Amanda said, “We have to, and we should call home. Our parents must be going nuts. It’s been, what, two months?”

“It’s been about five weeks,” Sara snapped, her eyes narrowing. “Anyway, if the lines are tapped, they’ll know everything. What if they find us first?”

“Then don’t go to the police,” said Ricky.

“Not an option.” Amanda rose to her feet. “Let’s get moving.”

After about two hours of walking, Sara came to a stop. “Listen.”

Jaci drew up beside her, ears straining.

A man was talking, not more than a hundred yards in front of them.

Ricky grabbed both of the girls and pushed them against tree trunks. Then he dropped down to his knees and peered through the bushes.

“I know they’re around here. I smelled their fire this morning. The girls picked up two hikers, two boys. Right, I’m trying to keep them out of this. I’m backtracking to the fire now. When I find the fire, I’ll follow their trail.”

Jaci couldn’t hear the response, only static-like words that burst from the radio.

Ricky stood up, pressing against Jaci and whispering in her ear, “I have to warn Neal and Amanda. Don’t move.”

Jaci panicked, gripping the tree trunk. She watched Ricky slide to the ground and crawl away.

Breathe,
she told herself. Her face was hot, sweat beading along her hairline.

“Sure, sure, my GPS is on. Find me at any moment. We have to hurry, though. There’s a search party in here looking for them, too.”

Jaci closed her eyes, letting those words register. Then this man wasn’t part of the search party. He was with the other party.

A branch cracked behind her. She stiffened. Where was Ricky? She scanned the trail in front of them, but he had vanished.

The bushes next to her trembled, and a man stepped between the trees she and Sara were pressed against. His camouflaged vest and green turtleneck helped him blend into the surrounding foliage.

If he turned around, or even glanced over his shoulder, he would see her and Sara.

Jaci sank against the tree, willing him to keep going forward. A hand touched her arm, and she jerked her head. Sara motioned around the tree.

Jaci gave a slow nod. As quietly as she could, she moved to the opposite side of the tree. Sara did the same. They stayed that way, staring, motionless, until Jaci let her legs give out and sank to the ground.

“What do we do?” whispered Sara. “Should we run?”

“Let’s stay right here. Get down low, in the bushes. Ricky knows where we are. He’ll come back for us.”

“Okay.” Sara dropped to the ground, nearly disappearing in the leafless brush.

Jaci had no idea how long they sat there, nerves taut, when she heard someone approaching. She peered through the bushes, catching sight of dark green pants. Jaci drew back.

Please don’t look down, please don’t look down,
she prayed.

Sara covered her face with her hands. It was a small movement, but it was enough. The man turned his feet in Sara’s direction. Sara tensed.

Jaci knew at any moment the girl would try to run. Jaci’s hands dug around the twigs and roots, searching for a weapon. Her fingers closed on a heavy branch.

“Ah-ha,” The man said, bending toward Sara’s bush. “Looks like I found something.”

Jaci stood up and hit him over the neck as hard as she could. He turned to face her, surprise on his face, and she smashed the branch into his nose.

He stumbled backwards, blood streaming. His hand fumbled in his pocket.

She swung again. The man reached a hand up to block her, and she kicked his leg. He tripped over a stump behind him and fell backwards.

She swung the branch down with all her might, again and again and again. Then strong arms gripped her shoulders and jerked her up.

“Oh!” She gave a startled cry.

Her captor spun her around. She stared at the man in front of her, at his snarling, angry face, the camo vest. There were two men.

He gripped her wrist until it went numb, and Jaci felt her fingers open, dropping the branch. It was over. She lowered her head.

Behind him Sara screamed, the high-pitched shriek echoing through the trees.

Neal came crashing around the trees, several rocks in his hands. “Jaci, duck!”

She did. Most of the rocks missed, but one smashed into the man’s head. He swore and let go of Jaci.

If he had a gun, he would go for it now. He made no move to grab one, just covered his head and started running.

Ricky burst in, followed by Amanda. “We can’t let them get away,” she said.

“Amanda,” Neal barked. “Move Sara and Jaci away from there.”

He took off after the man. Ricky, brandishing his spear, followed.

Chapter 28

Neal and Ricky returned hours later.

“Let’s go,” Neal said, helping Sara to her feet. “We need to get out of here. Everyone close together.” Neal took up the lead, setting a death march pace.

After several hours of walking, the first brief sounds of civilization began to waffle in through the trees. They could hear the rush of cars, though it wasn’t frequent. Finally, Neal began to slow their pace.

“Ricky?” he asked.

“Good,” Ricky called back.

Jaci’s legs burned from their mad dance through the trees. She slowed, grateful for the change.

“We’ll be out soon,” she said, surprised at how anxious she was to get out of the forest.

“Where do you suppose we’ll come out at?” Neal asked. His voice was level, calm, although slightly out of breath.

Ricky shrugged. “The only city I know outside of the park is Little Falls, and I haven’t been there since we were kids.”

Next to Jaci, Sara stirred. She lifted her head and blinked as if she had just woken up. “I know that name. I think that’s where I was born.”

She tripped and stumbled forward. Jaci grabbed her arm and steadied her.

Unexpectedly, her own knees gave out. Jaci grabbed at a young cedar, feeling the bark dig into the palms of her hands. “Can we rest? Just for a bit?”

Neal didn’t want to stop. She could tell in the way he hesitated.

“We’ll stop when it’s too dark to see. At sunrise we’re out of here. Tomorrow we’ll use my credit card and eat somewhere.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Ricky said. “We won’t be long.”

“Hurry,” said Neal. “Don’t lose sight of us.”

Jaci leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. Her head ached. She swallowed, noting the dryness in her throat. “Ricky? Do you have the water?”

“Yeah.”

She opened her eyes and watched him pull a bottle from the orange bag.

“Here.” He handed her the water bottle, touching her fingers before pulling back.

“Are you scared?” he asked her, zipping the bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes,” he said, looking away from her. “Let’s go. We can’t lose the others.”

October 16

Little Falls, New York

Carl was on edge. No sightings of the teenagers anywhere, and the judge still hadn’t given him his court order. He had called twice yesterday. Perhaps today he needed to ask in person.

He slipped into the city courthouse and rode the elevator up to the third floor. He rocked back and forth on his heels, staring at the numbers as they lit up.

He recognized the cute brunette with clips in her hair behind the glass window. He had spoken to her last time. Carl cleared his throat, stepping up to the speaker.

She looked up.

“I’m Detective Hamilton. May I speak with Judge Acuff?”

She stepped to the counter and looked down at a piece of paper. “Oh. Detective Hamilton. I have a court order here for you, would you like it?”

He fought back the urge to push his hand through the hole and snatch the paper from her.

“How long has that been there?”

“Since yesterday afternoon.” She picked it up and offered it with a smile. “I tried to call you, but the phone number was disconnected.”

Carl glanced at the pink sticky-note on the order. His number was written down in big, bubbly lettering, but the last digit was wrong.

Don’t stress it. You got it now.
“Thank you.”

The elevator took too long. He read through the order as he flew down the stairs.

Bursting into the Vital Records office, he waved the court order at the receptionist. “I have it. My court order.”

He slapped it down on the counter and grinned at her. “The file on Abigail Collins, please.”

She glanced over the court order. “One moment.”

He tried to be patient. In a moment he would know where little Miss Abigail had gone. If the boys knew—if they had any idea—they might be trying to reach her.

She handed him the file. Carl walked over to a chair and sat down.

The first pages were photocopies of the court proceeding where the grandmother was denied custody of Abigail. The next two pages detailed the hearing that gave Elizabeth and Mike Yadle custody of Abigail Collins.

Back up. Carl read the names again. Elizabeth and Mike Yadle. But those were Sara’s parents. He stared at the page in his hands, trying to make sense of it.

He glanced at the date. Thirteen years ago. In that moment, all the pieces came together in his head.

Abigail Collins was Sara Yadle. By pure chance, pure coincidence, Ricky and Neal Collins had met up again with their sister, after thirteen years apart.

Unless Sara had known about them and was trying to find
them.
That was a possibility.

He stepped up to the clerk. “Can you copy this?”

She examined the file. “I’m sorry, I can’t. It’s restricted information.”

“That’s fine.” Carl waved a hand. He didn’t need the written paper. “Thanks for your help.”

As soon as he was in the hall, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the Yadle’s number. His hands trembled.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Yadle, Detective Hamilton here.”

“Did you find something?”

Her voice went up in pitch, and Carl flinched. He could just picture her, clutching the phone, waiting for news.

“Nothing I can say right now, Mrs. Yadle. But I do have a question for you. When you adopted Sara, were you aware of any living relatives?”

“Um… yes. There was a grandmother. We don’t know where she is now, though, and she’s had no contact with Sara. We didn’t want her to get confused… Sara, I mean.”

“That’s all?”

“I’m not really sure, Detective. It’s been so long. I remember the grandmother wanted custody of Sara but the government wouldn’t grant it. My husband and I had been waiting to adopt for years, and we got a call. There was a toddler available. There were siblings, too, but the grandmother wouldn’t give them up.”

There had been siblings.

“Why all these questions, Detective? Do you think Sara’s biological family is somehow involved in this?”

“I can’t say anything more, Mrs. Yadle. Just one more question. What was Sara’s birth name?”

“Abigail.”

“Thank you, Mrs.Yadle. I’ll get a message to you if I learn anything vital.”