“No, she met her friend in town earlier and she waited with her until she caught the bus home. I’m at home now and she’s not here.” Dr. Miller’s voice broke. “Dear God, someone has abducted our baby girl.”
Fifty
The wind had picked up and the branches of the tree outside Jenna’s office window scratched against the pane. The back of her neck prickled as unease crawled over her. If they’d made a mistake, the Shadow Man could be outside watching her and be aiming his rifle at her head right this moment. She swallowed hard and rolled her office chair to one side of the desk, then stood and pressed her aching back against the wall. Taking small steps, she eased her way to the side of the window.
A dark shape appeared in the doorway and she instinctively pulled her weapon and aimed at it, holding the pistol in both hands.
“Hey, it’s only me, Jenna.” Atohi Blackhawk lifted both hands and froze on the spot. “Shane called me, said you might need some company. He said to bring Joe along. He’s talking to Maggie.” He tipped his head to one side and regarded her with interest. “Something spook you?”
Relieved to see a friendly face, Jenna holstered her weapon and took a few breaths to slow her racing heart. “Yeah, I heard a noise outside the window and was taking a look when you suddenly appeared at the door.”
“I’ll close the blinds.” He walked to the window and pulled the cord and the metal blinds shut tight. “Maybe you should have closed these earlier with a lunatic in town taking shots at you.” He turned to face her. “I bet it hurts like hell. No wonder a noise spooked you.”
In an effort to appear unruffled and in complete control of her sanity, Jenna sat down in her chair. “It does hurt but I’m coping just fine. Thanks for caring.” She looked at him. “Don’t worry about me; we’ve a missing girl to locate.”
“Wolfe asked me to remind you to take pain meds.” Blackhawk frowned. “You’re as white as a ghost – maybe you need some now.”
Slightly annoyed, she stared at her daybook. “No need for concern. Emily’s been by and rubbed a pain reliever into my back. I’ll be as good as new in the morning.”
Her cellphone buzzed a message and she stared at it, unable to prevent the rush of anxiety. I’m acting like an idiot and letting the Shadow Man win. It could be any number of people texting me. She snatched up the cellphone and stared at the message ID, then dropped it on the desk. Oh dear God it’s him again.
“Jenna, what’s wrong?” Blackhawk had crossed the floor in seconds. “Is it the Shadow Man again?”
Suspicion crawled through her bones, twisting her gut. She stared at him and one hand crept to the handle of her weapon. “How do you know about the messages?”
“Shane’s kept me in the loop.” Blackhawk frowned. “He figured it was best if you needed to deputize me.” He gave her a quizzical stare. “You can trust me, Jenna. You know that, right?”
Although she doubted Wolfe would keep anyone but the members of their team “in the loop” she examined his expression, trying to find a tell or something to give her a clue to his intent, and found nothing. “No offense but I’m not sure who to trust anymore.” Jenna swallowed the bile creeping up the back of her throat. “It’s been a crazy few days and I’m exhausted.”
“None taken. You should be suspicious of everyone.” Blackhawk backed away, looking concerned. “I know Shane and Dave both did background checks on me the first day we met.” He barked a laugh. “Your deputies are very protective of your inner circle.”
“Yeah, that’s because we had a leak in the office a couple of years ago and it cost lives.” Jenna stared back at the cellphone but was reluctant to open the message in front of him.
“Jenna, I’m here as your backup. If you’ve gotten a message from the Shadow Man, you need to deal with it. As you said before, a girl’s life is at stake. I’m calling Kane to put your mind at ease. I’ll put the phone on speaker.” He made the call. “Hey, man, I never figured Jenna would draw down on me but she had her Glock aimed at my head when I arrived. She’s listening in. Can you tell her I’m cleared for the Shadow Man case?”
Kane’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Sure, yeah, Wolfe filled him in. He’s good people, Jenna.”
Fearful that a man who could appear as a ghost in a girl’s bedroom then vanish without a trace might be able to fake a simple phone call, Jenna considered her options as she chewed on her bottom lip. She needed to ask Kane a question and one which only they’d know the answer. “Do you mind confirming ID? You once told me the name of the love of your life. Who was that?”
“That was Annie. You sure you’re okay, Jenna?” Kane sounded confused. “Why don’t you open the text now and read it to me. We might have time to save Sara.”
“Sure, give me a second.” Heart pounding, she picked up her cellphone and opened the message. What’s your next move, Shadow Man?
As if trapped in a void of disbelief, she stared at the words. It was as if he’d been watching her.
I know it hasn’t been an hour since my last message but I never stick to the rules and now seemed like a perfect time to call.
Sara’s alive but won’t be for long.
How fast can you move, Sheriff, now you’ve taken a couple of rounds in the back?
Are you afraid? I’m getting closer, Sheriff – or should I call you Jenna?
You won’t be quick enough to stop me.
I’m so going to enjoy this one.