Deadly Holiday Reunion

“He’s too smart for that.” Ella moved around, looking here and there, opening the narrow storage cabinets underneath one of the screened corners while she searched for anything to give her a real clue. “But how did he get in?” she asked, her mind recoiling from the nightmare inside her head. “I don’t see how he did it.”

Jake stared up at the stoned wall of the chimney. “Do you have a door on the back of this thing? A place where you can clean it from the outside?”

“Yes.” She hurried to one of the two big screen doors on either side of the chimney and unhooked the inside latch. “I’ll show you.”

“Wait,” Jake said, stepping ahead of her with his rifle raised. He did a quick search of the woods and the path down to the dock and then squinted across the lake canal to the other shore.

“All’s quiet.”

Ella didn’t argue with him or try to rush ahead this time. Instead, she held her own gun at the ready and scanned the paths down to the lake. Nothing. The dark waters of the big lake flowed by in the same way they’d done for hundreds of years. The tall cypress trees swayed in the midday wind, their sighs revealing no secrets. Turtles lay sunning on old broken logs. Brown triple-strand straw from the towering pines dropped in hushed piles to the forest floor only to cover decades of decay and moist, deep earth. What else did these woods cover?

“We have to figure out the clue,” she said, turning to Jake. “He’s on the move and he’s probably got Macey with him.”

“Or he’s left her somewhere, tied up and scared,” Jake said. “Alone.” He lowered his head, his expression dark and full of a helpless despair.

Hearing the crack in his deep Texas drawl made Ella want to take him in her arms and hold him. Or maybe fire a round from her rifle while she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Here’s the clean-out door,” she said, refusing to give in to the clawing, slithering fingers of fear.

Jake pivoted to the left in front of her. “Did you keep it locked?”

“Yes. Just so no kids or varmints could accidentally get inside. It’s a pretty big door.”

“The lock’s broken,” Jake replied, pointing to the square black-iron door on the back of the stone chimney. “That’s how he left the note.”

“He usually doesn’t leave any signs so the broken lock is significant,” Ella pointed out, the technical facts clearing her head for a brief time. “Maybe he had to hurry and get away. What did the note say again?”

Jake stood, his eyes holding hers. “‘Let the games begin. It’s been too long. Way too long.’”

“What’s he trying to tell us?” Ella paced in front of the clean-out door. She hated that all the horrible memories she’d tried to bury were now resurfacing like dead bones floating in water. “Way too long. Way too long.”

“Does that make sense?” Jake asked, hope in each word.

“I don’t know. I... It’s hard to remember. I don’t want to remember.”

Jake was there, taking her rifle, pulling her into his arms. “I’m so sorry. I thought long and hard before coming here but I’m glad I did. I can’t let him hurt Macey and I sure won’t let him hurt you.”

“I’m okay,” she said, the warmth of his arms shielding her, comforting her, soothing her. “I’ll be okay.”

Jake stepped back as if he’d just realized how close they stood. “We need to stay on top of this. It’s us against him and he knows I won’t bring in anyone else unless he forces the issue. He’s got a grudge going but so do we. It has been way too long. But we get a second chance to bring him in.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” She backed away and wiped her eyes. “Maybe if we take a ride...to...the last place we saw him.”

Ella thought back over the clues so far. “He left a note directing you to the daisy necklace to prove that he’s still alive and then he brought you to me to show he’s not finished with us. That’s two clues.” She pushed at her bangs. “But what does this one mean?”

“Games?” Jake stared off into the woods. “Wait a minute. Didn’t he take you when you were at a park? Near an old baseball field?”

Ella closed her eyes, her heart careening out of her body, her pulse roaring in her ears like a tornado over dirt. “Yes. Right across from the campgrounds on the other side of the lake. Yes.”

Jake held his hands on her arms. “What else, Ella? Way too long. What does that mean?”

Ella gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “He told me it had taken me way too long to find him. That I was too late. Too late.”

“The fourth body,” Jake said, his tanned skin turning pale. “It took us way too long to find the fourth missing girl.”

“She was dead,” Ella said, shaking her head. “Dead when I found her off the path into the woods. Dead. And so he took me.” She started shaking. “He kept telling me that over and over while he dragged me to an old van. ‘Took you way too long. It’s on your head, Agent Terrell. You took way too long to get here.’”

“We have to go to that park,” Jake said. “Now.”

Ella swallowed the scream inside her head and hurried after him. “We need to preserve the note.”

Jake nodded and rushed into the screened gazebo and grabbed the white sheet, not even bothering to keep his prints off it.

But when they got to his truck, he took out his evidence kit and slid the square of paper into a fresh manila envelope and tagged it. Then he placed it in a safe compartment inside the big black case.

“I’ll have to report this and give both the note and the necklace to the nearest state crime lab,” he said. “I didn’t tell the Tyler Police where I’d be on Caddo Lake, only that I was going to do some investigating of my own.”

Ella got in and stared at the place she loved, seeing it now through the eyes of a killer. He’d been here, moving around her yard, touching things in her restaurant. Leaving her a definite message that dared her to come and find him. This farm had become her safe haven and now he’d ruined that with his evil touch.

“I’ll get you,” she said, her hands knuckled into tight fists, her rifle touching on her jeans. “I’ll find you and I won’t let you hurt another innocent young girl.”

Oblivious to her pledge, Jake jumped in and cranked the truck and peeled out. “Where do we start?”

Ella pressed at her growing headache. “The park. It has to be the place. He wants us to go there for some reason.”

“Maybe he’s playing out how things went down with you and him five years ago.”

“He won’t live to see the ending this time,” Ella blurted. Then she sent Jake a remorseful glance. “I’m sorry. I know the law dictates I apprehend him and bring him in and I know the Lord says I should forgive my enemies. But I’m having a hard time with that right now.”

“I’m not judging,” Jake replied. “He’s got my daughter. My little girl. Forget what’s right or wrong. I want him dead and I want to make sure he suffers before he dies.”

Ella closed her eyes. “We’ve both got a lot of praying to do.”

Jake’s expression brewed like an approaching storm. “I’ll pray, all right. I’ll pray that I find my Macey and that this time, I’ll be able to shoot him dead when I see him.”

* * *

They made it across the county and to the park in record time. Caddo Lake covered a big area that straddled the state lines between Texas and Louisiana. Thousands of acres of water and wetlands that twisted and meandered into bayous and swamps lay before them. But Ella remembered how single-minded Jake could be when he had his teeth into a case and now he was a father on a desperate mission. A father trying to save his only child.

How would they ever manage to do that in this vast expanse of woods and water?

She took covert glances over at him, thinking age and maturity looked good on Jake Cavanaugh. He was tall and lanky with a loose-limbed kind of gait that always drew feminine sighs. He had the look of aged leather and sharp spurs, his golden-brown hair too shaggy, his tan hat broken and worn down into a perfect fit across his broad forehead. Right now, his five-o’clock shadow only added to the dark, worry-streaked scowl on his face.

Jake, back in her life. The nightmare starting all over again. Macey missing and with a psychopath. It was too much to comprehend.

But she had to absorb all of it, for Macey’s sake.

For Jake’s sake.

This morning, her life had been perfectly mundane and ordinary, her quiet, busy everyday routine carrying her from sleep to sleep, her weary muscles and bones toughening and strengthening with each step.

This morning, she’d been so close to a peaceful acceptance.

And then he’d come walking back into her life.

The man she’d loved for so many years.

The man she’d left behind because duty and ambition had propelled her out of control. But Jake had saved her, not just from a killer, but from herself. He’d saved her and then he’d walked away again because she was too fragile and broken to see what she had right there in front of her. She’d lost a second chance with a good man.

The man who’d come to her for help with the one thing she’d tried so hard to forget.

The Dead Drop Killer.

“Any idea where he kept you?”

“I don’t remember,” she replied. “I rarely saw the light of day.” She shrugged. “When I ran away, I looked back and saw a dark building. A cabin maybe?”

Jake nodded. “I’ve got people searching for any vacant cabins or fishing camps.”

Ella saw Jake looking past her and off to the right.

They’d reached the park. It was now overgrown and abandoned, a place of haunting memories and nightmare dreams. Rusty swings twisted in the wind, the old chains clinking like tattered bones. The merry-go-round squeaked against the unseen push of air, fighting the memories of laughing children.

Ella fought against those same memories. But they wrapped around her and stifled her in the same way that the gag and the blindfold the killer had placed on her had done. She remembered opening her eyes to the horror of his hideous mask after he’d jerked the blindfold off her face. Remembered thinking she’d never see her dear, sweet grandparents again.

She’d promised them this morning that she’d be careful, that she’d return to them. But first she had to expose her mind to the memories and the nightmares and the buried, hidden things.

Dear God, I don’t think I can do this. I don’t know what to do.

She opened her eyes and saw Jake staring at her.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “I’ll track him and I’ll take care of him.”

“No,” she said, gaining strength because she hated to witness his pain. “No. I can’t let you do this alone, Jake. I won’t let you go without me. We have to find Macey.”

Jake leaned over and touched a rough-edged finger to her cheek. “You’re the only one I knew I could trust.”

“Let’s search the playground and the woods,” she said after she opened the truck door. Then she turned back to him, the rasp of his roughness still soft on her skin. “But Jake, sooner or later, we’ll have to call for help. We might not be able to do this without a team.”

“I know,” he replied. “But I’m afraid he’ll kill her either way. He’s not only holding my girl hostage. He’s got both of us in a choke hold, too. So...I have to go after him.”

Ella got out of the truck and took a deep breath, then looked up at the beautiful blue sky. “Lord, we aren’t really alone. You’re here. I can feel You. Let that poor scared girl hear You, too. Please.”

But the next thing Ella heard was a heart-stopping scream coming from deep inside the woods.

FIVE

Jake and Ella both drew their firearms and headed into the woods. An old walking trail veered off to the right. Ella motioned to Jake and they hurried up the trail.

Ella could hear footsteps hitting the solid dirt around the next curve. She jogged to get a closer look, all the while doing a visual of the surrounding woods.

Jake trotted up behind her. “Slow down. Don’t get yourself killed.”

She shot him a quick over-the-shoulder glance then motioned to a woman running away. “I’m going after her.”

The woman was slender and tall and in good shape by the way she’d sprinted up the path. She wore a light gray jogging suit and had a lightweight scarf wrapped around her neck.

“I’m with you.” Jake whirled around Ella. “Let’s follow her and see where she goes.”

The woman whirled around, her breath coming in gulps, her eyes going wide. When she saw Jake’s gun, she panicked and looked around as if searching for a way to escape. She had red hair and a freckled face that showed she was older than they’d realized.

She hurried toward them. “Did you see him?”

“See who?” Ella called as she met up with the woman.

“A man.” The woman pointed behind them. “He...he knocked me down and then he ran away.” She brushed at her jogging pants.

Jake saw a tear in her dark pants and blood running from her leg. “Are you hurt?”

“Just a skinned knee. He came out of the woods and scared me to death.” She eyed their guns, her green eyes going dark. “Are you after him?”

Jake tapped his shirt pocket with a finger on his badge. “Texas Ranger. We heard a scream.” Without elaborating, he started running backward. “I’ll check the immediate area.”

Ella watched him hurrying away, a prayer for his safety moving through her own fears. “Did you get a good look at him?” Ella asked the woman, her gun down now.

The buff woman looked frightened and skeptical, her gaze darting toward Ella. She pushed a hand through her short, damp hair. “I... Uh...” Then she let out a breath. “Oh, my, I only saw him running away and he was wearing all black, with a hoodie covering his face. He came charging out onto the path in front of me, pushed me down and ran. Scared me so badly, I let out a scream.” She shivered, her hands tight against her stomach. “He went one way and I went another. I just wanted to get back home.”

Ella made sure she kept checking the woods in all directions. Even in stark winter, these woods were still dense. “So you’re out here alone a lot?” she asked the frightened woman. She watched the woman for signs of lying but the lady seemed genuinely surprised and scared.

The jogger nodded, her eyes full of questions, her expression earnest and curious. “I’ve been walking and jogging this trail since we moved here about five years ago. Never had a problem before.”

Five years ago. Had this woman moved in right after Ella had been found? Maybe she had no idea what had happened in these woods or maybe she knew everything.

Ella glanced around, hoping to see Jake, and then looked back at the woman. “It’s a mighty isolated area.”

The woman gulped another breath. “Yes, but I’m careful. I live not far up the path. On the lake.” She patted the pocket of her lightweight jacket. “I have pepper spray but he came out of nowhere. Didn’t have time to grab it.”

Wishing the lady had been able to spray the man in the face, Ella nodded and stepped closer. “We’re looking for someone. The man who ran past you could be a very dangerous criminal. Are you sure you didn’t get a look at his face?”

“I’m sorry, but no.” The woman shivered as the biting wind picked up. “I usually don’t see that many people out here, but today I’m glad you two came along. He could have come back and chased me or worse.”

“Can you describe the man’s clothing again?” Ella asked, her throat tightening. “His height maybe?”

The woman squinted and pursed her lips. “He was tall, medium build, and like I said before, he was wearing black sweats and a black hoodie pulled up over his head. He ran right past me with a grunt but he had his head down.” She blew air up toward her damp bangs. “Should I be concerned?”

“You should be cautious,” Ella replied. “You might want to cut back on your jogging schedule for the next week or so.”

“Not a problem,” the woman said. “I like my solitude but I don’t want to be in the woods with anyone dangerous.” She stared out into the trees. “This place is usually so peaceful and quiet, not much happens out here.”

Ella tried to focus on getting information but she worried about Jake with each breath. Why wasn’t he back?

“Have you seen anything else unusual along the trail in the last few days?” she asked.

The woman shook her head and did a slow march in place. “No, but I’ll sure be on the lookout from now on. I’ll get my exercise at home for a while.”

After a few more questions, Ella took down the woman’s name and phone number and gave her Jake’s name as a contact. “Thank you, Mrs. Parsons. We’ll file this report for now. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, will you give us a call?”

“Of course. Thanks for the warning.” The woman pivoted back the way she’d been running. “Am I safe to get home? It’s only about a quarter of a mile.”

Ella eyeballed the woods. “Maybe we can give you a lift.”

She pulled out her cell and called Jake, hoping he’d silenced his phone at least.

Before she heard a ring, he came around the curve, his face set in a grim line that told her nothing. She didn’t ask if he’d found anything. The less Mrs. Parsons heard or saw the better off she’d be.

“Everyone okay here?” he asked, his tone calm, his face a blank wall.

“We’re fine. This is Maria Parsons. She lives up around the curve.”

Jake slanted his gaze toward the slim woman. “Thanks for your help. I didn’t find anyone.”

“It’s the strangest thing,” Maria Parsons said. “Just popped up outta the blue.”

Jake gave Ella a scowl and a stare. “Let’s get Mrs. Parsons home safely.”

He wanted them out of these woods, Ella realized. And he probably wanted to get a look at where this woman lived.

Because she might have just seen the Dead Drop Killer.

* * *

Jake’s heart seemed to be stuck against his ribs. He couldn’t say anything in front of their witness but he’d come across another note in the woods near the spot where he’d found Ella on that night five years ago.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Mrs. Parsons asked from the passenger’s-side seat. “If we’re in danger around here, we need to know.”

“No danger yet,” Ella said from her perch in the jump seat behind the woman. “We just have to follow every lead. You know how it is with the Rangers. They track people all over the state and they check every angle.”

“I get that,” the other woman replied. “But y’all are scaring me. What did this person do?”

“You don’t need to be scared,” Ella replied after Jake shot her a warning scowl through the rearview mirror. “But you do need to be aware. Carry pepper spray and always be alert by checking your surroundings. And stay off the trail for a few days.”

“I doubt I’ll ever feel safe here again,” Mrs. Parsons replied. “I love this place, though.”

“I love it, too,” Ella said. “You probably have nothing to worry about. I’ll make it a point to call you after we’ve checked around.”

“I’d appreciate that,” the woman said as she pointed to a long driveway. “This is my house.”

Jake pulled the truck up the lane to the simple brick structure. Had Ella passed this house the night she was taken?

“Do you live alone?” he asked, his heart pounding. Taking in a deep breath, he held his growing concern at bay. His daughter was out there with a madman and the longer they delayed, the worse things could become.

“Yes. Widowed. But I have an alarm.”

“Good,” Jake replied. “Be careful and be aware.”

“Thanks.” Mrs. Parsons got out of the truck then turned with a hand on the door. Her green eyes settled on Ella. “I thought you looked familiar. I remember you from the news reports. Are you Ella Terrell?”

Ella swallowed and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Maria Parsons’s green eyes went soft. “I heard the stories after I bought our house, but...I fell in love with this place. And...I understood...all of that was over.”

Jake glanced at Ella then got out the truck to hurry the woman into the house. “Thank you for your help.”

Maria Parsons kept her eyes on Ella. “Who are you looking for?”

Ella lowered her head. “I can’t comment on that.”

Mrs. Parsons gave her a knowing look. “I understand.” Then she reached out a hand to Ella. “Whoever it is, honey, I hope you find him. I sure won’t go back on that trail until you do.”

Ella nodded. “I’m only helping out. I’m not here in an official capacity.”

“If you’ve got a Ranger with you, it’s official,” the other woman replied, her expression full of compassion. “I’m sure it will all come out in the wash.”

“I hope so.” Ella gave Mrs. Parsons a direct glance. “We don’t want to scare anyone so I’d appreciate you keeping this quiet for now.”

Maria Parsons held her hands together, a serene expression covering her face. “I hardly ever see anyone out here.”

Jake took Mrs. Parsons by the elbow. “If you do see anyone who stands out or acts strange, you need to call me.” He handed her a card with his name and phone number.

Mrs. Parsons nodded and waved to Ella. Jake escorted her to the porch then checked inside the house. After reminding the woman to stay safe, he told her a whole team of investigators would soon be roaming these woods.

He couldn’t do this alone and he prayed Macey would be safe until he could find her.

When he got back to the truck, he sat there staring out into the woods for a minute. Ella got out and hopped up front, but she watched until the older woman was safe inside the house. Then Ella put her hands on the dashboard and laid her head against them.

Jake closed his eyes and kept his prayers open and urgent while Ella did her own quiet praying.

He didn’t know how he was going to do this without God’s help.

“Jake?”

He opened his eyes and looked over at Ella. He’d wanted to see her for so long now, but never under these circumstances. Not with his daughter out there somewhere, scared and cold and hurting.

“Did you see him?” she asked. “Did you find something?”

He cranked the truck and pulled out of Mrs. Parsons’s yard.

“I didn’t see him, no. But I did find the next clue.”

Ella inhaled a gasp. “What is it? A note? Something else?”

He pulled a clear square bag out of his jacket pocket. “He left this, already bagged for us.” Jake handed the baggie over to Ella.

She took it, stared down at it then glanced over at him.

“Precious Memories,” she read from the cutout lettering at the top of the piece of paper. Then she saw the newspaper article about her.

“It’s about my rescue,” she whispered, a hand going to her mouth. Local FBI Agent Found Barely Alive in Woods Near Caddo Lake. The headline went on to say that an alleged serial killer might still be at large.

She stopped reading out loud, her eyes moving over the yellowed article. “He kept this all those years.”

“He’s still obsessed with you,” Jake replied, anger fueling his need to find the man who’d taken his daughter. “You’re the one who got away and he doesn’t like that.”

They both sat silent, trying to absorb what this meant.

“Is this it? Just this article?” Ella finally asked, her blue eyes rivaling the clear sky. “This doesn’t tell us anything.”

“But it does,” Jake replied. “Precious Memories, remember?”

Ella put a hand to her mouth. “I sang a solo of that hymn in church one Sunday, back in high school. How did he know?”

Jake pulled up to the old park again and after shutting off the engine he turned to her. “It means he’s known you for a long time and...that he probably lived around here. He might still live somewhere nearby.”

“But how could he possibly be back here without someone seeing him?”

“He’s been hiding in plain sight,” Jake said. “No one ever saw his face. You’re the only one who can identify him and all you know is the same as what Mrs. Parsons told us. He wears all black and keeps his face covered.”

Ella lifted her gaze to the woods, terror washing her skin pale. “Do you think that was him out on the path?”