The cruiser flew down a dirt road, choked with dust. It was impossible to see a hundred feet in front of the vehicle, and Darren never spotted the farmhouse until Lambert slowed outside the driveway.
“Benson must have fled with Raven and Ellie,” Darren said.
The farmhouse appeared abandoned. Chelsey must have been chasing Benson.
“Hang on,” said Lambert a second before he shot down the road.
The dirt road ended at a T-intersection. The deputy paused at the stop sign and glanced both ways before Darren spied two sets of taillights to the right.
“There they are.”
Lambert nodded and turned right. On the paved road, it didn’t take long for the deputy to raise his speed and close on Chelsey’s car. He flashed his lights, a signal for Chelsey to let them pass. Chelsey’s car rode the SUV’s bumper, the private investigator pacing Benson’s vehicle as the kidnapper tried to shake her.
“Why won’t she pull over and let us pass?”
Darren had no answer. He just stared through the windows into Benson’s SUV, searching for a sign the women were inside and alive. He didn’t see anyone except the driver.
Chelsey swerved into the passing lane. Benson matched her speed, aware Chelsey wanted to cut him off. Lambert took advantage of the opening and accelerated until the cruiser rumbled a foot behind Benson’s bumper.
The Civic and SUV drove in lockstep at over seventy mph down the dark roadway. Lambert’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel. Benson rocketed ahead, but Chelsey pushed her car over eighty and caught up. Darren could see the back end of the Civic shimmying, Chelsey on the verge of losing control.
Before Darren recognized Benson’s intentions, the SUV drifted left. The heavier vehicle clipped the Civic. Darren cried out. Chelsey’s car skidded and launched off the road, disappearing into the trees.
Lambert struck the SUV near the wheel. The SUV spun and came to rest when the back end fell into a ditch. Tires squealed as Lambert brought the cruiser to a stop. Darren was first out of the vehicle. The door to Benson’s SUV flew open, and the burly gym owner limped down the rural route.
“Let Benson go, and help Ellie and Raven!” Lambert called over his shoulder. “I’ve got Chelsey.”
Benson’s footfalls echoed down the lonely roadway as Darren rushed to the SUV, searching for the kidnapped women. Where were they? The backseat lay empty. A cold thought gripped his spine. What if Benson had already murdered the women and dumped them in the farmhouse?
A thud pulled Darren’s attention. The trunk.
He pulled the release and opened the hatch. Raven and Ellie lay on their sides with ropes binding their ankles and wrists. He released a breath when Raven groaned in pain.
The rear windshield had shattered in the collision, and a minefield of safety glass littered the trunk. Blood trickled down their bare legs and arms. The cuts appeared superficial.
“Are you injured?”
Raven shook her head.
“Check on Ellie. She hit her head when Benson spun out.”
Ellie couldn’t focus her eyes as Darren untied the blonde woman’s wrists and ankles. He helped her out of the trunk and sat her beside the wheel, careful to avoid the broken glass. Next, he freed Raven and supported her as she climbed down from the SUV.
“Stay here. I’ll check on Chelsey with Deputy Lambert.”
Raven’s head shot up.
“What’s wrong with Chelsey? She’s here?”
Darren didn’t have time to explain. He leaped the shoulder and ran toward the woods where Chelsey’s Civic had vanished, praying she’d survived the crash. The hollow pit in his stomach burned with worry.
When he reached the crash site, the car’s wheels continued to spin. Smoke curled out from beneath the hood. The car lay upon a tangle of brush, and the crumpled front bumper hung like a broken wing. Darren knew moving Chelsey carried a heavy risk. But they had to remove her from the car before the fire spread. Darren radioed for an ambulance as Lambert lifted Chelsey. Her neck hung limp, the woman’s eyes closed. A lightning bolt gash cut across her forehead and oozed blood.
“Is she breathing?”
Lambert nodded.
“Help me get her away from the car.”
When the deputy set Chelsey on the shoulder, Chelsey’s eyes flicked open. Darren threw his head back in relief.
“Thank God.”
Chelsey eyes swiveled between the two men. Darren noted she hadn’t moved her neck.
“What happened?”
“You crashed your car,” Darren said, brushing matted hair off the woman’s cheek. “Lie still.”
“My car? I don’t remember anything after the farmhouse.” Worry lit her eyes. “Where’s Raven and Ellie?”
“They’re back at the SUV and doing fine.”
Two pairs of footfalls approached. Raven had Mark Benson’s arm wrenched behind his back as she walked him back to Lambert and Darren.
“Ellie’s still at the SUV,” Raven confirmed, answering the question in Darren’s eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. And I can certainly handle apes like this guy.”
Lambert slapped the cuffs on Benson and walked him back to the cruiser. Raven’s eyes stopped on Chelsey, and she dropped to her knees beside the crumpled woman.
“My God, what happened to you?”
“I’m not sure,” Chelsey said. “Darren says I lost control of the car.”
Raven glanced at Darren, and the sick feeling in his stomach grew. Memory loss was common with concussions. But Chelsey hadn’t moved since Lambert set her down.
“I can’t believe you found us,” Raven said, locking eyes with Chelsey.
“Did you expect anything less? I’m the best P.I. you’ve ever worked with.”
“Girl, you’re the only P.I. I’ve ever worked with. Are you all right?”
Chelsey closed her eyes and winced.
“I can’t feel my legs.”
Darren saw the flashing lights in the distance before he heard the approaching sirens.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Sunday, July 19th
1:50 a.m.
Thomas jogged up the walkway outside his childhood home with Aguilar by his side. The moon lingered on the horizon, the house blanketed in darkness as he stared up at the windows. He’d phoned his parents three times while he crossed the village. No answer.
Now he moved
