“Don’t know. Doctor’s son. I guess it’s possible. But if he’s over in the Carolinas, it seems a bit far away to abduct someone and then collect the payout.”
“That makes sense.”
“Then again,” Cassie said, “criminals aren’t known for their smarts.”
Mona smiled.
“I’ll get a couple of my folks rolling and we’ll see if we can find this SUV. I’ll give the father a call while on the road.” Cassie turned to Marla. “Good job.”
Marla shrugged. “It just seemed so odd.”
“I’m glad it did. And that you followed up on it.”
Marla scratched an arm through her shirt sleeve, stared at her shoes.
“Where’re you staying tonight?” Cassie asked.
“Probably head over to Reverend John’s.”
“Good idea. This rain’s supposed to get worse.”
Marla looked up. “You think he’ll be okay?”
Cassie sighed. “Depends on who’s got him and what their agenda is.”
Marla looked down, kicked one foot at the asphalt, sending a small pebble skittering. “He was nice.”
“Come on,” Cassie said. “After I get the phone number, I’ll take you over to Reverend John’s.”
“I can walk.”
“It’s raining.”
Marla shrugged.
“Humor me,” Cassie said.
CHAPTER 13
5 HOURS EARLIER
Buck did his best to divide his attention between caring for Dennie and memorizing where they were going. No easy task. For sure, they had turned north at The Crossroads, but after that Dalton seemed to meander in no particular pattern. Up, down, right, left, paved roads, gravel roads, and a couple of U-turns. He tried to locate distinctive landmarks in case he found some way out of this and had to run for civilization. He pictured doing that with bullets flying. But, the farther they traveled the less likely that seemed a possibility. In truth, he now had no idea where they were or what direction they were going.
“Do you know where you are?” Buck finally asked.
“I’ll figure it out.”
“We’re running out of time here. Your brother can’t last much longer.”
“He’d better.”
“Then land somewhere,” Buck said. “It’s the only chance he has.”
“I’m trying. Now shut the fuck up so I can think.”
“Thinking won’t help him much.”
Jessie twisted in his seat. “Dennie don’t look so good, Dalton.”
“We got to find the right spot.”
“How you going to do that driving around in circles?” Jessie said.
Dalton glared at him. “That pharmacy dude said there were lots of cabins up here.”
“I know,” Jessie said. “We’ve passed a bunch of them.”
“Not isolated enough. We need a place where no one can find us.”
“How come he told you that?” Jessie asked. “About the cabins?”
“I convinced him it’d be good for his health if he helped a little bit.”
Dalton slowed. He pointed to a pair of dirt and gravel tracks that led up into the trees. No house was visible.
“This might work,” Dalton said.
“I don’t see anything,” Jessie said.
“There’s a mailbox. Right there beside the road. There must be a house of some sorts.”
He turned up the slope, the SUV gyrating over its rutted surface, the overgrowth of weeds scraping the undercarriage. Dennie moaned with each lurch but said nothing. Dalton switched off the headlamps. The darkness was instant and deep. Almost disorienting. A hundred yards ahead on the left, a house appeared. Dark except for a single window that emitted light through a curtain.
Dalton eased to a stop a couple of hundred feet short. He leaned forward, examining it over the steering wheel. He switched the engine off.
“Wait here,” Dalton said. “I’ll check it out.”
The interior lights seemed harsh when he opened the door. Dalton eased it closed and walked up the road. Buck watched as Dalton veered to his left and disappeared into the stand of trees that flanked the home.
“How are you doing, Dennie?” Buck asked.
“Not so good. I’m cold and thirsty. And my belly hurts like a bitch. It’s throbbing like a smashed thumbnail.”
Buck felt his wrist, finding the pulse. Weak but steady and not too fast.
“You going to be able to help me?” Dennie asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re a fucking doctor. I thought you guys could fix anything.”
Buck looked at him. “If we were down at the hospital, in the operating room, I’d say your chances would be very good. Out here in the middle of nowhere, it’s not that certain.”
Dennie groaned and clutched his belly. “Jesus. We should’ve taken the nurse.”
“Nurse?” Buck asked.
“A nurse came out of the ER right before you did,” Jessie said. “Dalton was going to grab her, and then like a miracle, you appeared.”
“Lucky me,” Buck said.
“You ain’t the one that needs luck,” Dennie said. “I do. Maybe the nurse would’ve been better seeing as you don’t know what to do.”
“I know what to do, I’m just not sure it’ll work under these conditions.”
“Great. Just fucking great.”
“Listen, Dennie,” Buck said. “I was a surgeon for a couple of years before I moved over to ER medicine. I’ve done this more than a few times.” He looked out the window, “Just not in a place like this.”
“Where the hell is Dalton?” Jessie asked. “You think he ran into some trouble?”
“Dalton can handle himself,” Dennie said.
CHAPTER 14
4 1/2 HOURS EARLIER
Fifteen minutes later, Dalton reappeared, walking down the drive as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. He climbed in and cranked the engine.
“Looks good. We’re all set.”
“Who lives here?” Buck asked.
“No one,” Dalton said. “Probably a vacation home.”
Why would they leave a light on? Buck thought. His impulse was to ask, but he said nothing. Not the time to stir the pot.
The rutted tracks ended at a garage door. Dalton angled to the right and behind the house, parking the SUV in the backyard beneath a tree, well hidden from the drive and the road.
The home was wooden, single-story, and had a plank rear gallery that extended its width. The back door, flanked by two windows, stood open and light, from what Buck saw was a kitchen, spilled through, casting a trio of lit rectangles across the deck.
While Jessie carried the bags of stolen medical supplies up the four steps and inside, Buck and Dalton helped Dennie from the truck. He groaned with every movement and when he finally stood,
