"I'm going home. Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Perhaps we both need to calm down and think about things. And look for ways to communicate better, if there are any to be found," he added pointedly.

  With a sigh, he turned and walked away. A moment later, she heard his car start up.

  Feeling as if this day had reached an all-time low point, May turned and stomped back inside.

  She slammed the front door, shot the bolt, and turned the locks. She felt raw inside as if what had played out had been totally destructive. Owen had been in the wrong—well, mostly. But then he’d blamed her as if she’d caused it all! And she was still mad at him. She didn't know if she could forgive this easily or at all. Eavesdropping outside her window?

  Fuming, May stomped back inside. What a debacle. The day had deteriorated into a series of nasty shocks, ending with this bombshell, and they were still no closer to solving the case.

  And now, there was a rift between her and her partner, and every time she thought about what he'd done, she felt a surge of rage.

  May had no idea what would happen when the morning came, and she had to confront him again.

  ***

  Her alarm sounded at five forty-five, dragging her out of a restless series of nightmares. She'd been chasing a faceless person down a forest trail.

  "Come back! I know you know about Lauren!" she'd yelled, but the person had run ever farther away, leaving behind them a trail of folded notes like breadcrumbs in the woods. And just as May saw a pale, evil face lurking behind the trees and realized she'd been lured into danger by the folded notes, the shrill sound of the alarm cut through her terrifying dream.

  She sat up, wide eyed, heart pounding, forcing away the horrible vestiges of the dream world.

  Today was all about reality. And the first thing she needed to do was head to the hospital. Hopefully, Chloe would be awake and ready for a short interview.

  She could do this on her own, and she didn't need Owen to be with her, which would at least delay the moment until she needed to see him again. Whenever she thought about last night, May felt utterly furious.

  The day was still dark, but it didn't look like rain—yet. She hoped the weather would give them a better chance today.

  She got dressed, headed outside, and climbed into her pickup, wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t heard Owen outside last night. Would he have left a note as he’d promised? And if so, what would that note have said? Would she have wanted to read it, and would he have regretted writing it? Or would the note have made her feel better.

  Would he have mentioned the cheating in the note? How could he think such a thing?

  She couldn’t dwell on this anymore. She still felt too angry. And she didn't want anything distracting her from her questioning. So, she put the thoughts aside and headed out on the short drive to the nearby Chestnut Hill hospital.

  As she drove, she tried to calm down the flare of emotion she felt. She couldn't afford to get sidetracked now. This was all-important. The questioning ahead might provide them with a valuable lead.

  She knew that Chloe would be feeling in pain, traumatized, and would definitely be in a fragile state of mind.

  May felt nervous as she parked, climbed out, and headed up the stairs. She walked into the hospital, breathing the scents of polish and disinfectant as well as the aroma of breakfast that lingered in the air.

  "I'm here to interview Chloe Terry," she told the receptionist.

  The receptionist checked her list.

  "Visiting hours are only from seven to eight," she told May, whose pulse immediately accelerated.

  "I got special permission from the doctor," she said, hoping nothing had gone wrong.

  Frowning, the receptionist picked up the phone and spoke into it briefly while May fidgeted.

  "Okay," she said. "You do have special permission. Chloe's room is on the second floor, ward nine. But the Doc said you can only speak to her if she's awake. She had a troubled night, and they actually sedated her in the early hours, so she could get some rest. If she's still asleep, you will need to come back tomorrow."

  "Understood, and thank you," May said, feeling anxiety clench inside her at this potential delay.

  She hurried to the stairs and rushed up to the second floor, heading along the corridor through the early morning bustle of the hospital. She quickly ducked past an orderly wheeling a cart of used linen and someone else removing breakfast plates.

  There was ward nine. And there, to her relief, was Deputy Banks from Fairshore, waiting outside the door with the ward nurse. The officer looked tired but alert.

  "Morning, Deputy Moore," he said. "Everything looks fine, and there was no trouble last night. I'm being relieved in an hour, and we'll keep a guard here until she's discharged—or the case is solved."

  Well, that was a relief. But what about the all-important questioning? May turned to the ward nurse.

  "Is Chloe awake?" she asked. "The doctor said I could speak to her if she is."

  The nurse shook her head. "She's still sleeping deeply."

  "There's no way we could even speak quickly?" May pleaded. "This case is so critical, and she might know something that could help."

  The nurse shrugged sympathetically.

  "I understand, but for patient welfare, we don't dare disobey doctor's orders. You'll need to come back later."

  May felt disappointment curdle inside her.

  "No problem," she said. She had a feeling that this delay was going to be more than just an inconvenience. May had a strong premonition that it was going to result in disaster. This criminal was still at large, still grabbing women by violent means. They would be too far behind to stop him from striking again. And the only person that could help them was here, behind this closed door.

  But, as she turned away, she heard the ping of a bell sounding from inside the ward.

  "Wait!" the nurse called out to her. "Just a sec. Let me check if that was her."

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  May turned and hurried back to the ward door, feeling tense and expectant as the nurse went inside. She exchanged a glance with Deputy Banks, who looked as anxious as she felt inside. Every one of them knew the importance of the witness testimony from this escaped victim.

  And then, the nurse came out.

  "She's awake. You can speak to her. But don't take too long, and if she gets upset, you'll need to stop. I’ll wait by the door.”

  "Understood, and thank you," May said, feeling lightheaded with relief. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the two-bed ward.

  The curtains on the far bed were drawn, and May guessed that patient was still asleep. But the curtains nearest her were open, and Chloe was sitting up, propped on pillows, looking pale and drained but a thousand times better than she had looked last night when she'd collapsed at the police department's door.

  "I'm so glad you're looking better," May said. "I'm Deputy Moore. I was at the police department yesterday evening."

  Chloe's eyes widened.

  "I remember that," she said in a soft, hoarse voice. “I remember you meeting me. I was so glad to be there. To have gotten away. He was going to kill me. That’s what he promised."

  "You were very brave," May said softly. "And you helped us a lot. You got caught on a camera trap in the woods the first time. That gave us a big break. Can you tell me what happened?"

  Chloe sighed. "I don't remember much about being taken. He bashed me over the head, I think. My head was so sore, I had a headache for days. But I ended up in this . . . this weird underground bunker in the woods. There were other women there."

  Other women? May's eyes widened.

  "How many?"

  "Five of us. I was the fourth one he took. Then another one arrived."

  She was breathing fast now. A machine started beeping.

  “I think that’s enough,” the nurse said, stepping forward.

  “Please, can I just ask one more question?” May said. And to her relief, Chloe echoed her thoughts.

  “I need to tell her. It might mean the others can be saved,” she said.

  So, as of now, these women were still alive? It sounded as if he was keeping them for a reason, and that they had a chance to be saved, if May could get there in time.

  The nurse gave a reluctant nod and stepped back again.

  "What were the others' names?" May asked. It would be vital to tie them up with missing person cases.

  "Giselle, Courtney, Delia and Mary-Jane." She counted off on her fingers. "A couple of them were from far away. From other areas of Minnesota. All of us lived on farms or homesteads. None of us knew him."

  May guessed she had escaped before the most recent victim, Melissa Haven, had arrived.

  "I tried to jam the lock on the door. The first time I succeeded. Then he put me in solitary, to punish me, but I escaped again and got away. But I was so scared." Now her breath was coming fast, and she was looking traumatized all over again. "He threatened to kill me the first time I escaped, and I believed him. I was terrified."

  "You were extremely brave," May said. "What does he look like? Can you describe him to me?"

  "He was tall and very strong, a big guy. He had a rough face, with dark hair and a beard. I can’t tell you more than that, because he always used to shine a light at us when he came in. So, it was blinding and difficult to see him well."

  "His age?"

  "I think maybe in his thirties, perhaps? I'm not so good with ages," Chloe confessed.

  "Did he say why you were taken?"

  "Not really. He kept ranting that there was going to be a catastrophe, that he was going to save humanity, and that we should thank him because we would be the only survivors, and he was going to seal the bunker, so it was invisible. But he never said what the catastrophe would be. He was very deranged. He didn't seem like a normal person at all. And he was very scary. I thought . . . that he might hurt any of us at any time. I felt so bad escaping. Like the others might be in worse danger because of me. But I had to try!"

  May grasped her hand, feeling her fingers cold and trembling.

  “Enough now, Deputy!” the nurse warned. “She’s getting upset.”

  “I’m okay,” Chloe said in a shaking voice.

  May hung on tight to the young woman’s hand. She’d gotten most of what she needed, and now wanted to help to calm Chloe down so she could get the remaining vital snippets of information.

  "You did the right thing. Escaping was the only way you could help," she said reassuringly.

  “Giselle and I had a plan. I took locks of our hair with me the first time I escaped. I tied them to a tree. I hoped that if you found them—if I didn’t make it—it would help you work out what had happened.”

  “I found them,” May said. “They helped a lot.”

  "How are you going to help the others?" Chloe asked her, her voice now hoarse. “We were doing what we can. We were making noise. But I know it made him angry. He’s going to get mad with the others, and I’m worried he might do something really bad.”

  "It's okay," May soothed. "We’ll try as hard as we can to save them. What will help us is if you can figure out where you were kept."

  They needed to get there before the bunker was sealed, that was clear.

  "I'll try," Chloe said, and took a shuddering breath. "But it was underground. Somewhere deep in the woods. There was only one entrance, and we were kept locked in. I know it was a real bunker because there'd been some kind of construction work done. I saw concrete pillars. And there was a generator that we had to get our power from. It was very cold, and we had to stay wrapped up to keep warm. The lights worked sometimes, but they were very dim."

  A survivalist bunker. A doomsday survivalist. That's what they were looking for, May realized.

  "It was dark when I escaped, and I had no idea where I was. I ran through the woods for ages, I was so lost, I was panicking he'd catch me again. My feet were hurting. I worried I was going in circles, and I'd end up back there!"

  "But you didn't. You got away."

  "I used the moon to guide me. It was all hazy through the drizzle, but I could see where it was in the clouds. I kept it on my left so that I didn't circle. And I came out of the woods near the Cedar Walk trail head."

  May raised her eyebrows. That was the closest trail head to Fairshore.

  "I decided to run straight to the police, because I didn't trust that maybe he was friends with people. I had this worry in my mind that I'd arrive at a farmhouse, and it would be someone he knew."

  "I'm so glad you did. It really helped us." May squeezed both her hands gently. "You're going to be okay now. You'll be safe."

  "I hope they catch him," Chloe said, sounding much weaker than she had before.

  And picking up the change in her voice, the nurse moved forward inexorably.

  "That is most definitely enough now," she said. "The patient needs rest."

  "Thank you," May said. "I hope you feel much better soon, Chloe. You've been such a help."

  As May left, her mind was working overtime, putting together what Chloe had told her. Based on the fact she'd exited the woods at the Cedar Walk trail head, and that she'd kept the moon on her left, May thought she could probably narrow down the area where she'd been kept. It was still a big area. She had no illusions about that.

  But at least, now, it wasn't the whole of the woods.

  She headed out of the hospital, got in the car, and drove straight to the Fairshore police department, through the now-brightening early morning.

  Owen wasn't yet there when she arrived, and she felt a rush of relief. She was not ready to speak to him again yet. She was still far too mad at him.

  Had last night broken things between them irreparably? May didn't know. She guessed time would tell.

  Sheriff Jack's car was there, and May rushed in to share her findings with her boss.

  "Morning," she said, hustling into the back office. "I spoke to Chloe."

  "Did you get anything we can use?" Jack said eagerly. Already, he was calling up an area map on the big screen computer.

  "Yes. She was kept in a bunker with other women. I have their names. Some of them were from outside Tamarack County. She escaped and exited the woods at the Cedar Walk trail head. And she had the moon on her left. So where does that take us?"

  "That definitely narrows it down."

  May scooted into the seat behind Sheriff Jack and called up the times of the moonrise and moonset on her own computer while he navigated the map.

  After plotting the two together, there was a rough circle in place. It comprised the forested area where this bunker must be based on the information they had been given.

  "This is the area we need to search," Jack said.

  "It's not a small area," May said hesitantly.

  "No, it isn't. I'll get a police officer to correlate the names and see if we can link up cases. And I’ll personally coordinate the search and get as many officers from other police departments as I can. It might take us days, and I don't doubt this bunker is very well hidden, but a good, thorough search should get us somewhere. And in the meantime, there's something else that we should probably take a look at, because there’s a recent case linked to it."

  His finger rested on a point right on the outskirts of the circle.

  May narrowed her eyes. "That's at the end of Laramie Road. Jack, I remember something about that. It's been on the case report recently. Laramie Road. Why's it familiar?"

  "This area is the base for a group we've been keeping on our radar. And yes, we have investigated a case of assault, when a hiker was physically warned away from the area. It's just outside of the Fairshore jurisdiction, so it was handled by Chestnut Hill."

  "Who was responsible?" May asked.

  "It's a splinter group that recently split off from the local militia, Brothers in Blood."

  With her eyebrows raising, May realized that she knew that name. She'd investigated the Brothers in Blood during a recent case. Their headquarters had been like a fortress. They had been violent and had operated outside of society's laws. Now, there was a splinter group? That could be linked to this, she realized.

  "They call themselves 'New Blood,' I believe," Jack said.

  "New Blood?” May said. Was that what was happening here? Was ‘new blood’ being sought by this territorial group that already had a record of violence?

  “Exactly.” Sheriff Jack nodded. “The name might say it all."

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  As May rushed out of the police department, she saw Owen had just arrived and was climbing out of his car. She caught her breath as she saw him. She felt mad all over again. Anger surged inside her.

  He’d actually thought she was cheating?

  And he’d come to leave a note?

  For a moment, May felt curious about what that note might have said. And then she rethought. She didn’t care what was in that note. She cared that he had shown so little trust in her that he’d crept around outside her house, trying to hear who she was talking to. She felt absolutely irate as the memories returned.

  Eavesdropping was not acceptable. And then he’d hinted she was a bad communicator!

  She was just not ready to think about this at all. And maybe nor was he, because he was staring at her now, looking grim and wary as if he wasn’t sure what reaction his presence was going to unleash.

  "We have to go out to Laramie Road." She heard how sharp her voice was. Get a grip, May told herself. You’re upset, but you do need to work together with him. Fighting while you work is going to cause bigger problems than a lack of trust.

  His eyebrows rose. "Laramie Road? What's out there?"

  Taking a deep breath, May tried to speak more calmly. "There's a splinter group of a new militia branch that has just based themselves there, and it's near the area that Chloe was taken. They've been warning hikers off and are very territorial."

  Without further questions, Owen hustled to May's car and got in beside her.

 

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