“I’m coming in, Sarge.” She tossed back the covers and sat on the edge of her bed. “Be there in thirty.”
Talkeetna Alaska
River Park Campground
1:00 A.M. AKDT
On the northwest side of town, Nikki hid in the scarce shadows by the public restrooms of the campground, waiting for her ride. This time of year, the sun merely dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a wedge of time where the night sky was as dark as it ever got—a deep dusk that would eventually turn to morning.
The best time to make her escape.
Her duffel bag lay near her feet as she paced with hands in her jacket pockets. In the distance she smelled a campfire, and saw its glow through the trees. Soft voices and the lingering aroma of a late night dinner drifted toward her, making her stomach growl. She hadn’t counted on this. Who would be up and cooking this time of night? She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous question. Why should she care?
In no time she’d be gone. All she had to do was keep a low profile until then.
In the background the confluence of the Talkeetna and Susitna rivers surged against a steel gray sky. Normally, the white noise of the water would be soothing, but not tonight. The unsettling rush made her more anxious. Dressed in a royal blue windbreaker and jeans, she wished she wore another layer. It felt chillier by the river, and a brisk evening breeze had kicked up. Maybe nerves had more to do with her shivers. A silver Subaru Outback would pick her up, and the signal of flashing headlights had been prearranged.
She knew after tonight her life would change forever.
“Come on,” she whispered under her breath.
She’d done all her thinking. No regrets. She didn’t see the point in having second thoughts. Drained, she finally slouched onto the canvas bag, straddling it. She kept her eyes on the drive into the park. And to ward off the cold, she rubbed her thighs with her hands.
Nikki hated making her ride drive through town to pick her up, but the campground wouldn’t draw many locals this time of night. And since it was close to her home, she wouldn’t have to lug her duffel far. It made sense at the time she arranged it through her friend Ivana, but now she felt out of place…and alone.
In the fanny pack around her waist she carried the essentials she’d need for the trip. She’d been told to leave any credit cards and her cell phone behind, making it impossible for her mother or the law to trace her once she got where she was going.
She had followed her instructions to the letter, severing all links to the life she’d left behind.
This should have felt liberating, but it only reminded her of the deceitful way she skulked out of the house in the middle of the night. She left her mom a cryptic note, saying only that she had gone and would contact her when she could. Anything more would have been trouble.
But a strange mix of dread and relief came when headlights pierced the gray murkiness, flickering between the tall stand of evergreens. A car eased toward the park. At that distance and angle, Nikki couldn’t make out the color or make. She stood and craned her neck for a better look. About the time she poked her head up, a young man emerged from the trees to her right. He barged down the trail without a care in the world.
“Oh shit,” she gasped, nearly leaping out of her skin. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. Didn’t know you had this section of the park staked as private property.” He grinned. “Just here to drain the lizard. You okay?”
Between the river noise and the distraction of the car, she hadn’t heard him coming down the path. The guy was tall and lean, with dark hair. He had a nice smile and kind, soulful eyes. She gauged him for late teens or early twenties. With her heart still racing, her judgment meter was way out of whack. Normally, he would have been her type, but she had more on her mind.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Nikki sneaked a peek past him toward the headlights. She had to ditch him fast or all bets were off. “I had to use the restroom, that’s all.”
The kid chuckled. “Yeah, right. So why’d you lug the duffel with you? Planning on staying awhile?”
Nikki swallowed and blinked—caught in her lie. After a quick second, she collected her thoughts enough to glare at him with hands on hips, going on the offensive.
“Why don’t you go and take care of your…lizard.” She raised her chin in defiance. “I got better things to do than talk to you.”
Pretty lame, but it was all that sprang into her head. The guy smirked and walked by her with a shrug, more amused than pissed. But before he got near the men’s room entrance, he glanced over his shoulder and checked out the car driving up. Maybe in the shadows and the glare of the headlights, he wouldn’t see much. Or God willing, the whole incident wouldn’t register with him. He vanished into the darkness of the men’s room, but not before the damage had been done.
She had overreacted. Chalk it up to a bad case of nerves, but now someone had seen her and the car. Her only prayer was that the kid would be gone in the morning, before the search for her had begun.
As planned, the vehicle parked and flashed its lights twice. From this range and through the headlights, Nikki couldn’t see inside. Almost sick to her stomach, she reached down to pick up her duffel bag and hoisted the strap over a shoulder. She looked up the footpath and down, to make sure no one else saw, then ventured from the trees. She walked toward the car, gravel crunching underfoot. Even up close she still was unable to see the driver’s face. And no one got out. When she reached for the door, doubt kicked her heart into high gear and throbbed in her ears.
She knew once she got inside there’d be no turning back. After taking one last breath of the crisp night air, she opened the rear door and tossed in her bag, then slipped into the front passenger seat and shut the door behind her.
She didn’t want to believe in regrets.
Harrison Police Station
3:25 A.M. CST
After Sam got to Harrison Station, Sergeant Miller filled her in on what had happened and directed her to the holding room where they’d detained Jess for questioning. Detective Ray Garza was interrogating her now. Baker had been taken into custody but was kicked loose. No arrest.
So why were they still questioning Jess?
Sam was digesting all the details of her friend’s encounter with Baker and the aftermath when she opened the door to the adjoining observation room. She found Chief Nathan Keller dressed in a pricy suit and standing in the darkened room with only the light from the adjacent interrogation room shining through the two-way mirror. He glanced at her with little acknowledgment and turned his attention back to the interrogation without saying a word.
Sam contemplated the possibility of slinking from the room, but for the sake of her friend she took a deep breath and joined the chief, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the dimly lit room.
When she caught her first look at Jess, her eyes widened with shock. She fought to stifle her reaction.
Jessie was battered and bruised. Cuts and scrapes on her face were stark under the fluorescent lights, making her skin appear ghostly pale. Jess stared at Detective Garza, sitting across from her, her face unreadable, her eyes blank. Sam knew that look. Jess had survived worse than Garza could dish out in his wildest imaginings. No way the detective would break her.
A voice came over the speaker overhead, sounds of the interrogation.
“Tell me one more time, what were you doing at the hotel?”
“I already told you.”
Jess sounded tired, but there was an underlying intensity to her demeanor, a shrewd feline ready to pounce on its prey. At times Sam could read her friend, but only if Jess let her.
“I came to talk to Baker. I got a tip he’d be there.”
“Talk? About what?”
“A private matter, between me and him.”
“Since when do you talk with a Colt Python in your hand? The hotel clerk said you chased after Baker, carrying a weapon.”
