Page 93 of Little Girls Sleeping
She moved her raw fingers in a systematic way, beginning with the area behind her head and searching clockwise. She realized straight away that the coffin was wider than necessary. She took the time to feel for anything that seemed weak or unstable. When she couldn’t search with her hands, she had to rely on her feet to feel the lower end of the coffin.
Another ten minutes or so had passed.
Without warning, the vehicle abruptly stopped, causing her to slide and hit the end of the coffin.
Her head was higher than it had been before; she appeared to be at a slight angle, as though the vehicle was no longer on flat ground.
She had to make a conscious effort to breathe quietly as she strained to listen. The low hum had not stopped. The distinct opening and closing of a heavy car door sounded next to her head.
No voices.
No audible footsteps.
The minute of waiting seemed to morph into an hour.
There were no other distinguishing sounds.
Suddenly, the startling crash of a tailgate slamming open reverberated around her. Katie knew what would happen next, and she was still no closer to a plan than when she had first found herself in the coffin.
Her nervousness escalated, her head pounding as her blood pressure steadily rose, which made her body and limbs buzz with a strange energy.
There was a high-pitched screech, and she realized that the coffin was being slowly pulled from its current location. The sound of raw wood scraping against the metal of an SUV or truck continued, causing her to grit her teeth and ball her hands into fists. As the horrendous noise stopped, the coffin hit something hard, smashing her head against the top of the box.
She was on solid ground.
Fifty-One
Katie had tensed as the coffin fell. The impact was sudden and violent, slamming and contorting her body. The pain in her head heightened as an unrelenting stabbing discomfort gripped her forehead, blurring her vision, while her elbows were battered and her hips bruised from the force.
She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the next assault.
After a minute, she opened her eyes, still unable to see anything clearly except for the pinprick of light from the lower left corner. Otherwise, darkness abounded and kept her company, though it could do nothing to repel the impending threat.
Perspiration dappled her skin, causing her to shudder uncontrollably, rattling her bones. Fighting the urge to cry out, she kept silent, gritting down on her teeth and maintaining her position as best she could. Her nerves spiked, warning her body and mind what was about to happen, as thefamiliar sounds and the smell of dust ignited her memory of the battlefield.
Voices behind her yelled of the threat up ahead. The sour taste never left her mouth. The never-ending jangling of large-caliber gunfire rang in her ears. Her ribcage and skull took the brunt of the reverberation. Heat from the foreign climate turned up the escalating inferno inside her heavy uniform. A large explosion slammed her to the ground as dirt blasted her face. Her thoughts were pity and helplessness. Throughout her momentary misery, a wet nose against her face resuscitated her enough to give her the energy needed to crawl. She felt the lean canine next to her wriggling forward, mimicking her position and movements.
An ear-piercing screeching noise interrupted her memory, tossing her back to reality with a shock as she gripped her fists and held her breath. The noise continued around the perimeter of the coffin, and she realized that someone was removing the screws with an electric screwdriver. She placed her hands in front of her in a shaky fighting stance, ready for anything.
The top of the coffin was ripped away, causing a bright light to temporarily blind her. She couldn’t see anything, only a lightning whirlwind of white accompanied by a sharp pain behind her eyes. Unclenching her fists, she covered her face with her hands. Her pulse rate heightened erratically and she could hear her own rapid breathing, but she was paralyzed.
It seemed like minutes but was barely thirty seconds before her vision began to clear. She looked up and the first thing she saw was the blue sky accompanied by a few wispy clouds. A couple of birds flew over. Outdoor colors began to darken and she saw immense green trees towering above her, leaves blowing gently in the wind and branches swaying in unison.
She dropped her hands to her sides and focused on the dark figure standing above her. At first, it was difficult to focus, but as her vision came crashing back, she gasped, remembering where she had seen the red roses.
Charles Rey stood there with a shotgun pointed at her head.
Fifty-Two
“Everyone listen up. We have a code red involving one of our own.” Sheriff Scott was standing in front of a huge computer screen showing an aerial view of the two counties surrounding Pine Valley. It was in a special room at the police department that was primarily used for Homeland Security emergencies or any type of national or state-wide disaster.
All available police officers, volunteer officers, recruits, search-and-rescue personnel, and administrative volunteers were present, including Deputy McGaven and Chad. More volunteers were being co-opted from other departments as the sheriff gave instructions.
“Every second counts, so I’m going to make this brief,” he continued, swallowing hard so as not to show his emotions. “Here’s what we know. At approximately 1300 hours today, Charles Rey kidnapped Detective Katie Scott from her residence.” He cleared his throat. “Rey is believed to be driving his late-model Ford truck, license RWX 32J7. He is six foot one, fifty-six years old, one hundred eighty-nine pounds, and knows his way round various types of weapons. At this time, we have found Dena Matthews, who is in a stable condition, and have enough evidence to connect Rey to all three unsolved murders. Forensic services will be searching and documenting his residence.”
One of the deputies asked, “What types of evidence were found?”
“The investigation is under way and I’m not at liberty to discuss this part of the case right now. The main objective is to find Rey as soon as possible. It is unclear what he will do with Detective Scott, but we will not take any chances.”
