Page 61 of Ozzie

“Check,” a female voice says.

It’s not Piper.

“Dammit. This is why I don’t like this game,” a male voice says.

I move away from that area and head back to the entryway, where I find stairs leading to the second level. I take them two at a time and quickly check all the rooms. No one else is here.

By the time I make it to the entryway, I hear Tom andDurango coming this way. I pull out my phone and stare at it as if I’d been here all along.

“Thank you again for showing me. If you give me your number, I’ll be in touch about those flowers,” Durango says.

“Yes.” Tom pulls his wallet out of his pocket. “Here’s my card. My number is on the bottom.”

Durango pockets the card. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you! See you Saturday.”

We say our goodbyes and get into the rental car.

“Only two in the house. The young girl who answered the door and a boy around her age,” I say.

Durango nods. “There was nothing suspicious that I saw. It’s safe to say John and Piper aren’t here.”

“Where the hell are they?”

CHAPTER 18

Piper

I rununtil my legs ache and I don’t hear John behind me. Once I slow down, the grogginess hits me. John has given me a lot of tranquilizers over the last several days. As I make my way closer to the road, it’s now like I’m walking in slow motion. I’m out of the trees, but with farmland to my left, there isn’t much to conceal me.

As cars pass, I kneel as low as I can, hoping they don’t notice me next to the fields. It’s possible John has friends out here looking for him. Although knowing them, they probably continued the bachelor party without him.

Ahead, I spot a sign that indicates Ellington is only five miles away. Hopefully, I can find someone with a cell phone who will let me use it.

Another car with a loud engine comes my way, and I kneel. This one is driving much slower than the others,and my heart pounds heavy in my chest. It draws closer. Why is it going so slowly?

“Piper!” John calls out.

He’s in a car? I move farther from the road and slip on the frosted grass. I won’t lie; the fall hurts even though I was kneeling. But now that I’m down, I stay there, hoping he won’t see me from the road.

“Piper!” The car continues down the road.

I have no idea if he’s driving or a passenger. A light flashes in my direction. He must have a flashlight.

Fortunately, when I fell, I ended up down a small hill. If I were still kneeling, he’d likely see me.

I hold my breath until the sound of the engine fades. When I get up and the cold wind whips at my chest and stomach, I discover lying in frost means I’m now wet. And with the cold air, I might not be able to stay warm enough. Not to mention, I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.

Stop. I can’t let myself wallow in my circumstances. I put one foot in front of the other and then do it again. Despite shivering, I push myself to go as fast as I can, hoping it warms my core temperature. I slip again and go down.

“Dammit!” I shout, then panic. What if he heard me? I remain still on the ground. No, the sound of the car engine would grow louder as it returned.

A car comes from the opposite direction he went. It’s also driving slowly, so I stay low. The asshole must be coming back to double-check. The cold seeps into my bones, and my teeth are chattering so loud I’m afraid someone will hear them.

Someone yells something from the car, but I can’t make it out. The car gets closer.

“Piper!” someone shouts from the window.

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