Page 15 of Not Our Daughter

“Don’t move, or I will be forced to fire my weapon,” the cop said, panting. “This is my final warning to you. Do you understand?”

Cole nodded, grunted. “I understand.”

He again thought about Lisa and Jade. Had they made it out? Were they gone from the house by the time the police arrived? Or had they also been apprehended? Would he and Lisa be separated from Jade and never even get the opportunity to tell her the truth? Would their daughter grow up from here actually believing her parents had murdered her biological mother to take her for their own? That was the story that had been perpetuated in the national media for all these years. Cole felt despair push in on him like a devastating avalanche. It was over. At least, for him. Cole heard the officer call in the arrest on his radio.

“Suspect in custody ... requesting immediate backup ... alley next to Deno’s—”

Then Cole heard a sudden loudthump!The officer made a deathly gasp, then immediately went silent and collapsed right on top of him. What had just happened? Cole pivoted on the pavement, looked back, and spotted a stocky guy with a full beard standing over him with his own gun in his hand. It looked like there was a gunfire suppressor of some sort attached to his weapon. He was probably in his early forties. Blue jeans, cowboy boots, brown trucker jacket. Cole squinted andnoticed a small black symbol tattooed on the back of the guy’s gun hand. He stared at his face and couldn’t believe his own eyes. Although it had been thirteen years, he clearly recognized him. How could he not? The very same face had haunted his dreams for more than a decade.

The bearded guy flipped the limp officer over with the toe of his boot. Then he aimed his gun directly at the cop’s forehead and fired another muffled round.Thump!Cole winced at the horrific sight and felt blood and other tissue splatter across his face. Something told Cole he would be the next victim if he didn’t react immediately. So when the bearded guy turned to take aim at him, Cole kicked his right foot up as suddenly and forcefully as he possibly could, like he was doing a scissor-kick with a soccer ball. His shoe hit squarely on the guy’s gun hand, dislodging the weapon and sending it flying across the alley.

The killer cursed, spun around, went after his gun. When he did, Cole got up and began wildly scrambling out of the short alley, keeping his head low. Although his knee still hurt, he had no choice but to push through the pain. He heard anotherthump!and felt his left arm jerk forward, like someone had just punched him as hard as they could in his tricep. Had he been shot? There was no time to stop and check. He heard yet anotherthump!as he hit the sidewalk out in front of Deno’s Mountain Bistro and slid around the corner. This time, he didn’t feel anything. There were groups of people out on the sidewalk. Cole swerved back and forth, hoping to avoid more gunfire. While he’d doubted the police officer would risk shooting into a crowd, Cole didn’t think this guy played by the same rules. As fast as he could, Cole hobbled back toward the concert venue and quickly got himself lost inside the massive crowd again. He circled back and forth for several minutes before finally making his way out the back and pressing himself up against the brick wall of a restroom facility.

He was out of breath and sweating profusely. He looked down at his left arm and could see blood dripping from his elbow. He examined the spot more closely and found a bloody gash on the outer part of his tricep. He had definitely been shot, which was surreal. But it lookedlike the bullet had just grazed the outside of his arm, and while his arm stung, it didn’t hurt too badly. Maybe his adrenaline was numbing the pain. Cole peeked around the corner, searched the faces. Had the stocky guy pursued him all the way into the crowd? He didn’t currently spot him anywhere. And he certainly wasn’t going to wait around long enough to find out. He thought about his truck. He couldn’t go back to it. The FBI agent or the police would be camped there. He couldn’t even risk a taxi right now.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, quickly pulled it out. Lisa. Finally.

We’re safe and waiting. Where are you?

Cole felt relief pour through him. Rendezvous, a community of mountainside homes and cabins, was only a mile away. He wondered if he could do the climb on foot considering his wobbly knee. But he had no other choice right now.

He quickly typed a reply.

Be there in ten minutes.

And then he took off running again.

Twelve

Cole fought for breath as he made his final ascent up a street called Pioneer Trail to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, where his family should be waiting for him. Because he’d so aggressively attacked each winding road, his legs felt like they were on fire. The running had been difficult on his knee, but it had held up okay. He was almost there. Thankfully the streets were dark, and it was easy for him to pass by homes without being noticed. He wondered if the police had posted anything about him on social media. He didn’t want to have to deal with some old man trying to make a citizen’s arrest right now.

Halfway up the mountain, Cole began to hear police vehicles swarm the city block around the concert below. Word was probably out that a police officer had been shot and killed. It was a horrible thing to witness firsthand and would be a devastating blow for this small town. But Cole couldn’t stop wondering if the police would think he’d pulled the trigger. After all, the last thing the officer had said on his radio was that Cole was in his custody. Had anyone seen the stocky guy go in or out of the alley? Would someone be able to verify Cole was innocent of the crime? He couldn’t get the stocky man’s face out of his mind. It was shocking to see him after all this time. Who the hell was the guy?

That was a question he’d been asking himself for more than thirteen years. A question he’d never come close to answering, no matter howmuch time he’d spent searching the internet and trying to sort it all out. He still had no clue. What was the guy suddenly doing here in Winter Park? How had he shown up in the alley out of nowhere? Had he also been following Cole around? Could the guy somehow be working with the Feds? That seemed highly unlikely considering he’d just shot and killed a police officer. But why had the guy done it? Did he not want Cole arrested?

None of it made sense.

Just like none of it had made sense thirteen years ago.

He couldn’t waste energy thinking about it right now. He needed to place all his focus on getting his family out of town as quickly as possible.

He followed one last switchback neighborhood road and finally spotted Lisa’s Subaru Outback parked along the curb up ahead of him. There was a trailhead near this spot where they would often go hiking. They could see all of Winter Park from up here. Lisa and Jade stood next to the vehicle watching what was happening in the valley below them. They were clearly fixated on the wild scene at Hideaway Park and didn’t notice him at first. Cole had no idea what Lisa had already communicated to Jade. He wasn’t sure what kind of response he was going to get from his daughter. Was she furious at him? Thankfully, when his daughter turned and noticed him, she ran toward her dad and threw her arms around him.

“Daddy, I’m so scared,” she said. “The police are at our house right now.”

“I know, baby,” he said, holding her tightly. “I’m scared, too.”

“Mom won’t tell meanything. She said I had to wait for you.”

“We’ll explain everything soon. I promise. But right now, we have to go quickly.”

Lisa came over to their circle and hugged them both. He wrapped his arms around his whole family, his whole life, and felt momentarily relieved, considering just a few minutes ago he hadn’t been sure he’d have this opportunity again. He could see the shock written all over his wife. Pale face. Wide eyes. Trembling hands.

“You okay?” he asked her.

“I don’t even know how to answer that right now.” Then she squinted at his face and touched his cheek with her fingers. “Cole, is that blood?”

He’d forgotten all about having the police officer’s blood and tissue splattered across his face. He quickly grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and wiped it off.

---