Page 9 of Run for Her Life
Zoe scanned the area around the tree. There was patch of disturbed soil, more speckled than the area around it. “Look.”
“Could just be an animal.” Lisa stepped forward and lightly brushed over the patch with her boot. A squeak escaped her throat and she sprang back. Ethan shone his flashlight at her feet.
Zoe’s face fell. The world changed—darkened and stilled.
A pale, waxy hand protruded from the soil. The fingers were slightly curled and dirt was lodged under the intact nails, now crawling with small insects. On one of the fingers, a diamond ring flanked with two sapphire gems glittered under the dirt. The sour and sweet smell of decay flooded Zoe’s nostrils.
“I think we just found Annabelle,” Zoe whispered to Aiden who was silent and rigid next to her.
Lisa was already on the radio, calling for backup. But Zoe couldn’t stop staring at the hand sticking out of the shallow grave. It wasn’t a hoax after all. That lock of hair and that note addressed specifically to Zoe.
And then there was another sound. A sharp snap of the twigs, a wave of rustling leaves and receding steps. It wasn’t the wind.
Someone was in the woods with them.
SIX
Zoe shot out of there like a bullet. Her legs moved like a machine, leaping over the bulging roots and thorny shrubs. Leaves scraped her face and hair as she weaved her way through the choking woods. She felt a sharp stitch under her ribs. She saw her target—a shadowy silhouette moving a few feet ahead, visible due to the silvery moonlight and the faint glow from a phone.
With another surge of adrenaline, she pushed off a fallen log, catapulting in the air before crashing into him.
“Ah!”
Zoe landed on top of the man on the ground with a thud. Pain shot through her as her head slammed into his but she kept her weight on him. “FBI.”
“Son of a bitch. Get off me!” he hissed through gritted teeth.
Zoe couldn’t see anything in the dark. His phone had flown in the air when she landed on him. He writhed under her, trying to break free. He was of medium build and she was short. But she had rage—renewable, infinite, replenishable rage that injected her with strength. “Fleeing a crime scene. I ought to arrest you.”
Footsteps neared and Aiden and Lisa appeared, standing over them.
Zoe grabbed the man by the back of his collar and pulled him up harshly. Lisa pointed a flashlight at him, revealing his curly mop of hair and thick glasses. “Adam? What the hell are you doing here?”
“You know this guy?” Zoe panted in disbelief.
“He’s a reporter.” Lisa sighed. “An annoying one at that.”
“What are you doing in the middle of the woods at this time?” Aiden asked.
“Okay, you can let me go now.” Adam scowled and yanked away from Zoe’s grip. She let him go, deciding he wasn’t stupid enough to flee now that he had been identified. “I followed you,” he said to Lisa.
“Followed me? From where?”
“I was at Bernie’s across the street from the station when I saw two suits pull up and talk to you. I know a story when I see one. And when I saw your car heading into the woods, I figured something was up. You found a body?” His eyebrows waggled.
Zoe and Aiden looked at each other.
“For God’s sake, Adam, it wouldn’t kill you to be more sensitive.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “Agent Storm, he’s as harmless as a puppy. He just likes to sniff around.”
“Why did you run away?” Aiden asked.
“It was a reflex! Besides, I know how pissed Lisa here would be with me. We go way back.”
“By ‘way back,’ he means he tries to poke his nose into every case,” Lisa explained. “Adam, get out of here. We got work to do.”
“No. He’s not going anywhere,” Zoe said. “He was fleeing a crime scene. We are holding him for questioning.”
“I know him. I can vouch for him.”
