One Week Later…
Zane Colter had lost track of how much time he’d spent in his home lab in Rocky Springs examining samples.
When he finally lifted his head, it was dawn—and he hadn’t slept a wink. He could see the sun rising over the mountains, but he didn’t give a shit.
I finally figured it out. I know where she is.
Damn! He desperately wanted to call Chloe, but everyone had agreed to give her as much time away with Gabe as possible, all of them hoping her and Gabe wouldn’t see the US news.
Despite his worry, he smiled, recalling how happy and carefree Chloe and Gabe had looked when they’d Skyped a few times. He forced himself to relax, knowing that if Gabe had his way, now that the two of them had seen the sights in Thailand, they wouldn’t even surface again any time soon, and would be unlikely to catch the news. Zane was relieved to see his sister finally looking like the cheerful, sweet sister he’d known when they’d been growing up. And she was happy. For that matter, so was Gabe. They sent plenty of photos, many of them Zane now had stored on his cell phone, of the silly things they were doing just because…they could. The contentment, the ecstatic glow on his sister’s face was one of the best things he’d ever seen. He cherished those photos, and he looked forward to seeing more of them in the future. Chloe needed this trip, and she needed to finally have this kind of happiness with Gabe in her life. Hopefully, his sister would have no interest in the US news, especially local news.
Yeah, he was pretty sure they wouldn’t find out what had happened just a few days ago. Or he hoped they wouldn’t. Not for a while.
He glanced at the Rocky Springs newspaper, which was right beside his workstation. In Rocky Springs, the incident and the note had been big news. Still was. Everybody was talking about it, and the case had now drawn national attention.
He glanced at the headline:
“Physician Commits Suicide. Admits Responsibility for Missing Woman in Rocky Springs.”
Thank God that Chloe and Gabe had been long gone when James’s death had occurred.
“Fucking coward,” Zane spat out with disgust, irritated that James had taken the easy way out. The bastard had killed himself while he was still in the hospital, but the asshole couldn’t just die. He had to leave that damn note.
I win! You’ll never find Ellie before she dies.
Bullshit. That jackass wasn’t going to win…ever. He was just going to be dead, and good riddance to a psychopath like him.
Zane had actually been happy when he’d heard that James had offed himself. Chloe would never have to see his face again when she came back home to Rocky Springs with Gabe. It meant that his baby sister could completely free herself of any reminders of her past.
Except…the asshole had left that one-line note, the one about not finding Ellie in time.
Gossip and rumors had floated around this part of the state since the incident had occurred a few days ago. The police had searched James’s house, but they weren’t saying what they’d discovered.
For Zane, they’d been too damn slow. Ellie’s life was hanging in the balance somewhere, and he was pretty sure their theory was that she was already dead.
She’s not dead.
Zane wondered if he should approach the police with his analysis, but he wasn’t sure they’d move fast enough to help save Ellie. If his theory was correct, she was imprisoned, probably already dying because James was no longer alive to keep her hydrated and fed. It was also getting cold, and she could be freezing.
“Fuck it. They had their chance,” he said angrily to himself. He’d found the soil samples himself on James’s tires, and he’d found the key.
He knew the general area where she was being held captive, and he had the key to free her. Now all he needed was her exact location.
There was no question in Zane’s mind that he was going after her himself. The question had been whether or not to notify the police of his findings. More than likely, they’d try to keep him from interfering with their investigation. The problem was, he doubted they had a clue where she was or any faith that she was still alive. They’d move too damn slow for his liking, and not quickly enough to save her life. Hell, Zane was already worried that he was going to be too late.
Fortunately, he was familiar with the locality, and he could find her himself.
I just need to get to her in time.
Deciding in favor of going it alone, Zane raced downstairs and grabbed the keys to his four-wheel-drive.
He needed to find Ellie fast, or she wasn’t going to make it. He had no idea how long it had been since she’d been left food and water. Obviously awhile since James had been laid up in the hospital after Gabe had kicked his ass.
He sprinted to his vehicle, oblivious of the cold wind that was buffeting his body or the fact that he hadn’t slept in days.
Nothing mattered except Ellie.
Zane decided that he’d come back with Ellie, or he’d die trying.