Page 61 of Operation: Valiant Angel

The three men descended the stairs. “Got coloring books and crayons,” Sherman said. He held up a pad of paper. A beautiful carousel was drawn and colored in pastel colors.

Wilson knew Reina had drawn it the second he laid eyes on it. It matched one of the posters hung in her living room. He knew Reina had been here. But where was she now? “Blake Henning, Stella Adams, four-year-old Lilly, Reina Ellis. Where are they?” Wilson repeated in the same serious and controlled tone of voice.

“I don’t know,” the man began to say.

Wilson grabbed the paper from Sherman and put it in the Tangos face. “Reina Ellis drew this. She was here. Now where the fuck is she?” His tone was no longer calm, and the volume of his voice also rose.

The man’s eyes went wide, and he shook his head. Wilson pulled out his Cold Steel SRK5 fixed blade knife, a gift from Lambchop. He suddenly thrust all six inches of the black blade into the arm of the chair. The man jumped and let out a yelp.

Wilson pulled the blade from the chair and held it up in front of the man’s face. “It goes in your thigh next. Now where the fuck is Reina Ellis?”

“Not here. Blake took her,” he stammered. He certainly wasn’t going to divulge his part in helping Henning get her into the trunk of the car.

“Took her where?” Wilson pressed.

“Out in the woods yesterday,” his voice cracked as he talked. “She may be alive still. I don’t think Henning killed her.”

“You better pray he didn’t,” Wilson growled.

“Can you lead us to where he took her?” Lambchop asked.

“I can show you the area on a map,” the man said.

“And Lilly? Where is she?” Lambchop asked.

“Stella came back and took her; she and Henning took her. Stella was pissed Henning took that Reina woman, but Henning has the upper hand, and Stella can’t fucking tell him no. Henning’s running things and Stella knows it.”

“Your name?” Lambchop pressed. “And don’t lie. Your prints will prove out who you are.”

“You lie and I’ll fucking bury you in the woods in a shallow grave,” Wilson snarled.

“Eddie Van Sloot.”

“If you’ve lied about anything, I’ll fucking bury you,” Wilson threatened. “And don’t think for a second I won’t.”

Jackson brought a map of the area up on the tablet that controlled the drone. He had it ready to send back out to search for Reina. He held it in front of Eddie Van Sloot’s face. “Where did Henning take her?”

“About five miles due west, there’s this gravel road that leads into a water conservation or overflow area along the Iowa River. There are these holes in the ground for water overflow. They’re deep, like ten feet deep and like six feet wide. The walls are steel.There isn’t any way for anyone to climb out of one of them. That’s where he took her, was going to throw her into one.”

“Yesterday?” Wilson demanded.

Van Sloot nodded.

Wilson did a mental calculation of the temperature over the last twenty-four to thirty-six hours and the expected drop in a person’s core temperature. It was currently twenty-eight degrees, the coldest it had been in the last three days. Knowing that a drop in core temperature of up to approximately one degree per hour was possible if she was not actively trying to generate body heat, she most certainly had suffered hypothermia by now. All special forces team members were well educated in the stages of hypothermia, including at what point death was imminent.

Wilson’s gaze met Lambchop’s. He could see the SEAL was also calculating the odds she’d still be alive. It was theoretically possible that her body temperature had dropped low enough to cause death. Every member of the Shepherd Security Team knew it.

Wilson nodded to Jackson. “Let’s get that drone in the air near those holes and find her.”

“Mother, you’re with me. The rest of you go find her,” Lambchop ordered.

The four men immediately left.

Mother leaned into Eddie Van Sloot’s personal space. “If you lied about anything, that man will kill you and we’ll let him.”

“I, I didn’t,” Van Sloot stammered.

“Now you’re going to tell us how to find Blake Henning, Stella Adams, and that little four-year-old girl,” Lambchop said.

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