Page 69 of Little Child Gone

“What about a cabin?” Miller asked. “Maybe your family never visited, but it was discussed?”

“Mom hates the woods,” Taylor said. “We talked about Florida for spring break.”

Elena had been quiet, her eyes on the birth certificates. “Bianca owns a cabin in the north woods. Shane Lincoln owned it, but after he died in the car wreck, the property went to Bianca. She kept it secret from Jared. That’s where she stayed when she first ran with the kids, until she found work. I don’t think she sold it.”

“Where’s it at?” Nikki asked.

“I don’t know other than somewhere in the north woods. She wouldn’t give me any other information. She was afraid Jared would come after me.”

“Got it.” Liam looked up from his laptop. “The property is in Pine County and is still owned by Bianca Lincoln.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Miller raced out of the room to call the Pine County sheriff. Elena and Taylor watched him, eyes wide with shock.

“I’ll make sure we’ve got all our tactical gear.” Liam hurried after the sheriff.

“What are you going to do?” Taylor asked.

“I’m going to get your siblings from that monster,” Nikki said. “We’ll work with the Pine County sheriff, so things go as smoothly as possible. In the meantime, do you want to go to the hospital to be with your mom or wait here?”

“I should be with her,” Taylor said. “Even if she…” His voice caught.

Elena wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll go with you if that’s all right with them.”

“It’s fine.” Nikki could tell the two had bonded. If Christy did pass, she didn’t want Taylor to be alone at the hospital. “We’ll have a deputy escort you.”

“Just got off the phone with the Pine County sheriff,” Miller said when he returned. “The cabin’s located on the Snake River, near Chengwatana Forest. He’s headed there now with a deputy to confirm someone’s there, but it’s over an hour’s drive for us.” He looked at Nikki. “I can drive.”

Miller’s chief deputy took Elena and Taylor to the hospital, while Nikki and the others loaded their tactical equipment into the Suburban.

“Sheriff just texted.” Miller slammed the back hatch closed. “You need a four-wheel drive to get to the cabin in the winter. It’s at the end of a long gravel drive. Dark sedan parked about fifty feet off the road and looks like they walked up to the cabin. They ran the license plate. It’s a Hertz rental car.”

Nikki let Liam have the front passenger seat and climbed into the back. “He didn’t check it out before,” Nikki said. “Or he would have rented a four-wheel drive.” Jared’s mistake told her he was starting to lose control. That could work in their favor or cause things to end very badly for the Hall family.

“At least Pine County is a straight shot up Interstate-35,” Liam said.

Nikki pulled up the location on Apple Maps. “Definitely not easy to access but looks like it has an amazing view of the Snake River.” The words hung in the air between the three of them. Proximity to the river in these situations was never good.

“Ice is pretty thick on it,” Liam offered. “DNR reported just last week.”

“He won’t hurt Penny,” Nikki guessed. “Amelia is his target right now, so he’ll fight for her until he can’t escape. Caden is the wild card.”

“Caden’s his kid, though,” Miller said.

“And proof of his previous crimes, plus he’s bigger and stronger than Amelia and could fight back,” Nikki said. “He adores Christy. If Caden knows his dad shot her, he isn’t going to keep quiet.”

The late hour meant less traffic, but the snow and sleet forced them to drive slower than the speed limit most of the time.

“The Pine County sheriff isn’t going in, right?” If Miller had been the one keeping watch, she would have trusted him to make the decision to move in only if he thought he needed to before they arrived. But Nikki didn’t know anything about Pine County. She didn’t care about bruising egos. Those kids weren’t going to die tonight.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Once they turned onto the narrow, dark road that led to the cabin, Nikki and Liam wriggled into their Kevlar vests. Miller was in uniform, his bulletproof vest always on. “There’s the rental car. Where is the sheriff?” Worry crept through her. The sheriff should have been right here, waiting for them.

Liam pointed to the tire tracks in the snow, leading up the road to the cabin. “Those are fresh. What the hell is the sheriff up to?”

Nikki’s heart sank to her knees as they drew closer. The entire area had been lit up by crime scene lights, illuminating the cabin. Three Pine County cruisers blocked access to the cabin.

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