Chapter 6
The farm supply store in Goodlettsville was just closing when I pulled into the parking lot.
I ran to the door before the manager could lock it.
"Police," I said, flashing my badge. "I need your help."
The manager, an older man with gray hair and kind eyes, hesitated.
"We're closed, Officer."
"It's an emergency. A little boy has been kidnapped. I think the people who took him are customers of yours."
He opened the door wider.
"Come in. What do you need?"
"I'm looking for a black SUV. Late model. Had a bumper sticker from your store on the back. Do you remember anyone who bought one recently?"
He thought for a moment.
"We give those out free with any purchase over fifty dollars. Lots of people have them."
"Think. Anyone who stood out. Anyone who paid cash. Anyone who asked about farm equipment or supplies for a remote property."
The manager's face changed.
"There was a man. Came in about a week ago. Bought a whole bunch of heavy-duty locks. Chains. Some tarps. Paid cash. Asked about the best way to secure an outbuilding. Said he had 'valuables' he needed to keep safe."
"Can you describe him?"
"Tall. Muscular. Short brown hair. Had a scar on his left cheek. Looked like the kind of guy you don't want to mess with."
That was Ryan.
"Did he say anything about where he was going? Any mention of a property location?"
The manager shook his head.
"No. But he did ask about the back roads. Said he was looking for a shortcut to some property he owned up near the Kentucky border. Around the Red River area."
Red River.
It was an area north of Goodlettsville, near the state line.
Remote.
Wooded.
Lots of old farms and cabins.
Perfect for hiding people.
"Thank you," I said. "You might have just saved a little boy's life."
I ran back to my car.
The Red River area was only about twenty minutes away.
But it was huge.
Hundreds of acres of woods and farmland.
I couldn't search it all alone.
I needed help.
But who could I trust?
Sarah was back at the station, covering for me.
The captain was corrupt.
Half the department was probably on Webb's payroll.
And then I thought of someone.
Tommy Carter.
He was a retired detective.
Had been my training officer when I first joined the force.
He had left the department five years ago, saying he was sick of the corruption.
Sick of the good guys losing.
He lived up near the Red River area.
Had a small cabin there.
If anyone knew the area, it was Tommy.
And if anyone could be trusted, it was him.
I called him.
He answered on the third ring.
"Jake Marlow. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Tommy, I need your help. It's Daniel."
There was a long pause.
Tommy had been one of the detectives assigned to Daniel's case.
He had worked it for two years before they finally closed it, calling it a cold case.
Tommy had never believed Daniel was dead.
"What about Daniel?"
"He's alive, Tommy. I know he is. And I think I know where they're keeping him. But I need your help. I can't trust anyone at the department right now. They're dirty. All the way to the top."
Tommy didn't hesitate.
"Where are you?"
"Goodlettsville. Heading toward Red River."
"I'll meet you at the old general store on Highway 41. Ten minutes."
He hung up.
I pressed the gas harder.
Ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the general store.
Tommy was already there, leaning against his old pickup truck.
He was older than I remembered.
More gray in his beard.
But his eyes were still sharp.
Still the eyes of a cop who had seen everything.
I got out of the car.
"Tommy."
He nodded.
"Tell me everything."
I did.
I told him about Evan.
About the hospital bracelet.
About the journals.
About the farm in Millersville.
About Ryan escaping.
About Evan being taken.
Tommy listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he was quiet for a long time.
"So Henderson is dirty," he finally said.
"I think so."
"Always knew there was something off about that guy. Too smooth. Too connected. Never liked him."
He spit tobacco juice into the dirt.
"Okay. Here's what we know. They're heading toward Red River. They have the boy. And they probably have Daniel somewhere nearby. They won't keep them too close together, but they won't keep them too far apart either. They need to be able to move fast if they're threatened."
He pulled a map from his truck.
Spread it across the hood.
"Now, the Red River area is big. But if I was hiding someone, I'd pick one of these old abandoned farms. The ones that have been in families for generations. The ones no one pays attention to anymore."
He circled several areas on the map.
"These are the most likely spots. Remote. Accessible only by back roads. Good cover. We'll start with these."
"We?" I asked.
Tommy looked at me like I was crazy.
"You didn't think I was going to let you do this alone, did you? Daniel was like a kid brother to me too. I helped raise him, for God's sake. When he disappeared, it broke my heart. If there's a chance he's alive, I'm going to help you find him. Even if it means going up against the whole damn department."
I felt a wave of gratitude.
I wasn't alone anymore.
"Thank you, Tommy."
"Don't thank me yet. We've got a lot of ground to cover. And not much time. Let's move."
We split up.
Tommy took the northern properties.
I took the southern ones.
I drove down dirt roads that hadn't been maintained in years.
Past overgrown fields and abandoned houses.
The sun was starting to set.
Darkness was coming.
And with it, more danger.
I was checking the third property on my list when I saw it.
A black SUV.
Parked behind an old barn.
Hidden from the road by trees.
My heart started pounding.
This was it.
I pulled my car off the road, hiding it in the trees.
I grabbed my gun.
Checked the clip.
Made sure there was one in the chamber.
I called Tommy.
"I found them. Old farm on Miller Road. South side. Black SUV behind the barn."
"I'm on my way. Ten minutes out. Don't do anything stupid until I get there, Jake. I mean it. We don't know how many of them are inside."
"I'll be careful."
May you like
I hung up.
And I started moving toward the house.
