Page 88 of Dark Roads
“Did you check with Jonny? They had an argument the other day. She came back upset.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Mason was lying, sending Thompson in the wrong direction. Beth shifted her weight, pushing her body back and forth. If she could make the camper rock, Thompson would notice. Her shoulders were hitting the side, but the noise seemed muffled, like she was cocooned, her box padded. He’d made it soundproof.
“I’ll give him a call. I’m sure she’s fine, but we’ve got to follow up.” Thompson seemed so calm, so unconcerned. How could he believe Mason’s lies? She wanted to scream. “Noticed you parked in the alley today. You need help unloading something?”
Beth held her breath.Please let Mason say something suspicious. Please let Thompson insist on checking the camper.
“It was just a few tools, already got them inside. Thanks, though.”
Silence for a moment, then Thompson said, “Your eye okay? It looks sore.”
“Got some debris in it when I was sweeping.” Mason cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I really need to get back…”
“Sure. Let me know if you hear from Beth.”
“Of course. I’m worried about her too.”
Thompson was leaving.No, no, no.Beth stretched her body and strained at the ropes, her shoulder muscles tearing, the skin on her wrists burning, but she had to get Thompson’s attention. She choked on her saliva, retching and gagging, her eyes streaming. For a paralyzing moment she thought that was it for her. She was going to suffocate, alone in a box, but she finally got some air through her nose and caught her breath. Just in time to hear footsteps moving away.
Beth woke with her head crammed into a corner. She’d fallen into an exhausted sleep. Her mind had shut down with shock. Now the camper was moving. She didn’t know how long they’d been on the road. Hours? Seconds? Every mile brought her closer to her death.
She thought of the police showing up at her parents’ door to tell them they’d lost their daughter. They’d be alone now, forever.
Mason. All this time it was Mason. She’d worked with him, talked with him. Breathed the same air. Laughed and smiled. She’d been so grateful when he gave her a job. Hailey had never guessed the real killer. No one had, and he wastherethe entire time. Front and center.
The truck stopped. The distant slam of the door. Now a closer noise, a lock clicking open. The camper door. Footsteps, scraping sounds above her. She attempted to roll onto her side so she could hit him in the face with her forehead, but the top was opening, and she was blinded by brightness. Something came into view, blocking the light. She blinked. Mason’s eyes, his beard hovering right above her, then his fist coming down.
She woke on a concrete floor. Hands moved her roughly.Her arms flopped. She was untied, but her muscles felt numb, tingly. She’d lost circulation. She was still gagged, and her skin was cold. Then the sudden realization. She was naked. She rolled onto her knees, and something hard came crashing down on her back. She fell flat, her face scraping against the concrete. Hands picked her up, flipped her over. She was looking up at Mason.
He towered over her with a metal rod in his hand. A camera hung around his neck.
“You’re going to pose for me.”
Beth shook her head, her palms out in a plea. She begged him with her eyes.
“You’re the first one I’ve had time with.” He sounded so pleased, sharing this news like she was supposed to be honored. “The others happened too fast. I had to take their photos after they were dead. Then I built the cooler in the camper. My lucky day when you walked into the diner.” She stared at his face, his mouth moving, saying these angry, terrifying words. This couldn’t be the end of her life. She was only twenty-one. She wasn’t supposed to die like her sister. She was supposed to avenge her. She was supposed to fix her family.
Mason tucked the rod under his arm, raised the camera, and aimed it at her. He pressed the shutter. She blocked her face with one hand, tried to curl her body up and cover herself with the other.
“That’s good,” he said. “I like that.”
CHAPTER 35
Hailey
Thompson chatted briefly with Mason. Then he walked away. I watched in disbelief. Should I go to Mason’s place, or stay here? I paced along the edge of the woods, indecisive. Wolf watched me. Around noon, I caught motion behind the diner’s windows. TheCLOSEDsign moved like Mason was checking it. Nothing for a few minutes, then the side door opened. He was getting into his truck. He had waited a long time and I wondered at his patience. The idea that he might dump her body turned my legs to liquid, but I couldn’t follow him on the highway. My indecision melted away. I had to get to his house and hope she was still alive.
I rode the bike recklessly, Wolf balanced with me, taking turn after turn. As I neared Mason’s property, I passed the spot where Dad had crashed. The bark on the trees was still scraped from when his truck had launched into the air. I’d never understood why he was going so fast. I’d never known him to speed. He didn’t normally even take that route up to the mountain. Now I wondered if Dad might’ve stopped at Mason’s to retrieve his tools and seen something. Something bad. I swallowed hard.
After the next bend, I cut across the road, jumped a ditch, and made the bike climb a hill so steep I had to use my feet to balance. The tires spun at the top, churning up dirt. Wolf leaned against my back. We coasted down the other side into a hollow and parked beside the creek.
I told Wolf to guard the dirt bike, gave him the last bone, and hiked up the hill as fast as I could in the direction of Mason’s house. I was still wearing my backpack, and I had gloves on. I wasn’t leaving fingerprints behind. One knife was in my ankle sheath, and the other on my hip. I didn’t know what kind of weapons Mason might have. I wished more than anything that I had my gun, but I’d used all my ammo when I was trying to ambush Vaughn, and I couldn’t take the time to get more.
Mason’s house sat in a small clearing surrounded by trees. I surveyed it from the edge of the forest. Small, rustic, wood siding. No signs of life. Behind the house, at the end of a second driveway, there was a large metal building. A garage. Mason’s truck was parked in front. He’d backed it in like he had to unload something from the camper. My stomach did an ugly flip.
I used my binoculars to check the house. One security camera by the front door. I’d have to avoid it. I moved from tree to tree until I’d reached the garage. The engine on the truck was still ticking.
