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  “Wait!” Jenna moved to his side and pushed him against the wall. “Always assume someone may be down there with a weapon. Keep your back to the wall and ease open the door.”

  The door opened without a sound but it was pitch-black at the bottom of the stairs. “This is Sheriff Alton. Come to the bottom of the stairs where I can see you.”

  “I can’t.”

  Jenna’s heart missed a beat at the small glimmer of hope. The voice was young. “Is that you, Sandra?”

  “Yes.”

  She flicked a glance at Rowley, and his eyes flashed with a rage she had not seen before. She took a breath. “Is Alison with you?”

  “No. I don’t know Alison.”

  Jenna flicked a look at Rowley’s concerned face then called out again. “Are you alone?”

  “Yes.”

  It took every ounce of willpower not to charge down the stairs. She edged back into the pantry and unclipped her flashlight from her belt. “I can’t see a thing down there. Can you see a light switch anywhere?”

  “Nope, it must be inside.” Rowley turned on his flashlight.

  She turned to Bradford. “Watch the door. Rowley, with me.”

  With Rowley close behind and holding their flashlights flush to their Glocks, they flooded the cellar with light. She sighed with relief at finding the girl seemingly alone. Still unsure if Bobby-Joe was hiding under the bed or in the shadows, she edged down the creaky old stairs step by step. “I can see you, Sandra. If anyone else is hiding in here, we are armed. Come out with your hands up.”

  “I’m alone. No one else is here.” Sandra’s small voice sounded weak and shaky.

  She holstered her weapon and ran to the girl locked in a cage. “It’s okay, we’re going to get you out.” She opened her mic. “Kane, we have Sandra and she is fine. No sign of Alison or Bobby-Joe.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Get right over to the back of the cage, Sandra.” Rowley appeared at her side with an ax and smashed the door with a couple of blows.

  Jenna peered at the huddled, wide-eyed, trembling figure and her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. What kind of animal does this to a young girl? “You’re safe now.” With delicate care, she eased her from the cage and, shielding her from Rowley’s line of sight, glanced around for something to cover her. “Grab me those clean bath towels then go back upstairs.”

  After taking the folded towels from Rowley, she turned back to the girl. With effort, she kept her emotion in check. “I’m going to catch the man who did this to you. I want you to stay upstairs with Deputy Bradford, ah, Paula, for a few minutes. She will look after you, okay?”

  “I want to go home.”

  Jenna wrapped her in the towels. “Very soon.”

  In the kitchen, she instructed Bradford to find Sandra something to eat, locked the front door, then left with Rowley by the back, glad to hear the bolt sliding into position. She jogged back to collect Duke, confident the dog would lead them straight to Kane. As they headed up the mountain trail at a run, she opened her mic to speak to Bradford. “Sandra will need to be examined. Don’t allow her to wash no matter what, okay? Stay alert—we don’t know where Bobby-Joe is at the moment and Alison is still missing.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Kane, what’s happening?”

  “I’ve moved into position behind a boulder high up on the west side of the trail. I have a visual of a man tied to a tree. His condition is unknown but he is bloody. It looks like someone cut his throat. Hang on, I’ll set up my rifle and take a look through the scope.” Silence hung heavy between them for a few long seconds. “Oh, shit!” Kane paused and Jenna could hear him take a deep breath. “Alison is the killer, repeat, Alison Saunders is the killer.”

  Realization hit Jenna like a cannonball. She swallowed the lump in her throat as the missing links in the case dropped into place.

  “Alison wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Rowley flashed her a look of concern. “There must be some mistake.”

  Jenna glanced at him but kept up the pace. “We’ll find out soon enough. Did you hear that, Kane?”

  “Yeah, sorry, man, it’s her. She is covered in blood and pacing up and down in front of a mutilated body. She has a pistol and is scanning the trail as if waiting for someone to arrive.”

  “Okay, we’ll keep out of range.” Jenna stopped walking and surveyed the area. “We’re going in left of the main trail. Can you cover us from your position?”

  “Yeah, I have a clear line to the target.”

  “Oh, Jesus, don’t kill her, Kane.” Rowley’s voice raised in panic as he spoke into his mic. “It has to be a mistake.” His eyes pleaded with Jenna.

  Panic drove Jenna faster along the trail. On her order, Kane would take out Alison without a second thought. The idea made bile rush into her mouth. She bit out the words. “Stand down unless she is a threat. We have no idea of the situation right now. If she is the vigilante, remember I want her alive to answer questions.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kane’s clipped reply grated on her shattered nerves. “Standing down, awaiting orders.”

  58

  Hidden in shadows, Kane lay flat on his stomach and rested the sniper rifle on a convenient rock. Through the high-powered scope, he followed the movements of Alison Saunders. Her normally neat hair was tangled and her white skirt and pink blouse spattered with blood. Deranged was a good word to describe her appearance, and Jenna and Rowley would walk right into her line of fire if they continued up the trail to the top of the falls. He moved his attention to Bobby-Joe Brandon’s blood-soaked naked body. He had stab wounds to his upper torso, a knife protruded from his chest, and his head hung down.

  Jenna spoke in his ear. “I can hear the falls, where are you? Duke is pulling to the right.”

  Kane rolled on his side and scanned the forest until he found Jenna. “I see you. I am on the right up high in the shadows. Alison is still staring at the trail as if she is waiting for someone.”

  “So, if we continue on the left we’ll be walking into a trap?”

  “Roger that. Suggest you circle round and use the trees for cover until you are closer to her position.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I won’t allow her to shoot you, Jenna.”

  “Dammit, Kane, we don’t know for sure if she is the vigilante.”

  He shook his head slowly in despair. “By the state of Bobby-Joe, this is her best work yet, and for the record, I don’t have to kill her.”

  “I’ll be able to talk her down.”

  Kane peered through the scope at the wild-eyed woman pacing the top of the falls. Talking her down would not be an option. “From what I’m seeing now, she is way past negotiation.”

  Rowley’s voice came through his earpiece.

  “I’ll talk to her. She’ll listen to me.”

  Kane shook his head. “It’s not a good idea.”

  To his horror, Rowley burst through the trees and into the open. He could hear the conversation through his earbud.

  “What do you want, Jake?” Alison placed the pistol on a rock. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on killing you.”

  “I would like to know what you are doing up here with Bobby-Joe Brandon.” Rowley’s voice sounded in complete control.

  “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. I guess you’re with the sheriff?” Alison gave a short laugh. “I guessed she would figure out who I was soon enough. I didn’t think I’d have to wait so long.”

  “Yeah, she’s here. Why didn’t you call me to help you?”

  “You wouldn’t understand. Men never do.” Alison spread her bloody hands. “And you’d want me to give myself up. It’s not going to happen, Jake.”

  Jenna’s voice broke into the conversation. “I’m right here, let’s talk.”

  “Sure, come on up, but leave Jake behind and don’t hold a gun on me either. I’m no threat to you.”

  “Okay, but if you pick up your weapon, Kane has orders to shoot.” Jenna’s voice was as steady as
a rock. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand.” Alison folded her arms over her chest in a nonchalant pose.

  Kane opened his mic. “Keep her out in the open.”

  “Roger that.” As Jenna weaved her way between the trees, Kane heard a sharp intake of breath. “I have eyes on the victim. She has cut his throat. Use reasonable force, Kane, if she goes for her weapon. I’ll keep my mic open. Rowley, watch my six but keep out of sight.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Kane aimed his rifle at Alison. “I’m locked on target.”

  He dropped into that place where his racing heart slowed and his breath came in an even flow. The calm he needed to make the shot, to kill, disable, or protect slipped over him and he waited.

  Jenna moved through the trees, the pounding of water blocking out the sounds of the forest. She kept her attention fixed on Alison, waiting for her to dive for her weapon, but Alison had backed away from the pistol and stood perilously close to the edge of the falls. When the girl spoke, she could hardly hear her. She would need to get closer and trust that if Alison had a weapon hidden behind her back and threatened her, Kane would be fast enough to protect her. “Come closer, I can’t hear you.”

  “No can do.” Alison raised her voice. “You see, I don’t trust anyone in law enforcement and you have a deputy pointing a gun at me.”

  Jenna shouted at her over the noise. “You can trust me, and if Bobby-Joe hurt you as a child, then I guess you had good reason to get even with him.” She took in the almost blank expression on Alison’s face and, seeing no obvious threat, moved closer. “Let’s talk but put your hands where I can see them.”

  “You’re not going to allow Kane to shoot me.” Alison held her hands out at her sides. “I’m unarmed.”

  “You wanted to talk, so let’s cut to the chase. Why did you murder Bobby-Joe Brandon? Did he molest you as a child?”

  “Molest is such a nice, clean word, isn’t it. Let me spell it out for you, Sheriff. He kidnapped me eight years ago, used me, then kept me in a cage under his bed. I was there for the pleasure of him and his friends. I watched him and his friends rape and murder innocent girls.” She gave Jenna a cold look. “Bobby-Joe was a vicious son of a bitch and he laughed when they screamed. They meant nothing to him.” She snorted. “If the girls died, they would say they ‘planted’ them at Craig’s Rock or under the floorboards at Old Corkey’s place.”

  A shiver went down Jenna’s spine at the memory of the bleached white bones at Craig’s Rock. “Why didn’t you tell the sheriff?”

  “I’m sure he was involved.” Alison gave a hysterical laugh. “He could have been one of the others, the ones in the masks, so I kept my mouth shut. As soon as I could, I killed him.” She smiled almost prettily. “What a surprise it was to see Amos Price in town. Soon after, I found out the others had returned to Black Rock Falls. It took some time to find them in the online chat rooms but I’m a patient woman.”

  “Who are these men? Tell me and I’ll put them away for a very long time.”

  “It’s too late. Amos Price, I murdered with nicotine sulfate. Ely Dorsey, the one in the motel, I skewered him through the ear. And good old Chris Jenkins, I stabbed him to death.” She gestured to Bobby-Joe’s corpse. “You can see how I made Bobby-Joe pay.” She swiped at her mouth as if rubbing away the distaste for the men. “I’ve left a diary in my house with every detail I can remember: names, dates, and the girls I witnessed them kill.”

  Unable to grasp how cool and detached Alison appeared telling how she had murdered five men, Jenna swallowed the bile in her throat. She had to keep her talking and obtain as much information as possible while Alison was prepared to speak. “Did Stu Macgregor have anything to do with the pedophile ring? We know he went to jail for kidnapping Angelique Booval and she mentioned others were involved.”

  “He was the procurer. When Bobby-Joe gave him an order, he picked up a girl. Macgregor didn’t join in during the time I was with Bobby-Joe. I guess he stopped kidnapping girls when he came out of jail. I read they chemically castrated him and that’s the only reason he’s not dead.” Alison opened her arms wide. “I disposed of the monsters who hurt me but the network is wider than Black Rock Falls. I made Bobby-Joe show me all his photographs and thumb drives but he will have a camera in the cellar filled with images of his latest victim. Did you find the girl? He will have her locked in his cage. I would have searched for her but I was a little preoccupied.”

  Jenna stared at her in disbelief but pushed on. “Yes, Sandra is safe.”

  “‘Safe?’ What a stupid word.” Alison snorted. “The memory of being raped never goes away but I guess you have some idea of what it’s like to have men holding you against your will, don’t you, Sheriff? Can you imagine being trapped in a filthy cabin and having men lining up to use you?”

  A wave of understanding hit Jenna. Yes, she had wanted to kill the men who kidnapped and tried to rape her. She held no remorse for either of them but killing in self-defense was different. She had defended herself and not hunted them down to seek revenge. Cold realization marched a path down her spine. Before her stood a cold-blooded killer and she was trying to manipulate her. On the edge of falling into a debilitating flashback, her vision blurred then Kane’s reassuring voice came in her ear.

  “Jenna, she is playing for sympathy, using your experiences against you. Don’t let her get in your head.”

  The flashback receded and she tapped her mic twice to signal she was okay. The next moment, Rowley moved in her periphery. What the hell is he doing?

  “Ma’am.” Rowley’s voice was pleading. “Let me speak to her again.”

  Jenna whispered her reply, hoping her mic would pick up her voice. “Stand down, she has made it clear she doesn’t want to talk to you and you will only complicate things.”

  She took a few slow steps closer to Alison. If she gained her confidence, she might be able to persuade her to give herself up. In the meantime, she would use her negotiating skills and keep her talking. “Do you know the names of any other men involved in the pedophile ring or any other victims you haven’t recorded in your diary?”

  “No, but you are aware of Lizzy Harper, Angelique Booval, Pattie McCarthy. Jane Stickler must have come after me but I mentioned her as well. You see, I was in the hospital the night Bobby-Joe killed her and I took a beating for my trouble. I escaped that night but she died in front of me just like the others. Did you know he used a dead man’s card to get into the hospital that night? He was smart, but then psychopaths are intelligent.” She barked out a sarcastic laugh. “I wanted vengeance for all the girls they killed, all the lives they destroyed.” She rubbed her mouth. “You can tell the others they’re safe now. I’ve killed all the clowns.”

  Beads of sweat turned to rivulets and ran down Jenna’s cheeks. Worried she might be losing control of the situation she swallowed hard and forced her voice to remain steady. “I’ll tell them but come with me now and I’ll make sure you get to tell your story.”

  “Yes, tell my story.” Alison’s young gaze moved over her and her black hair moved almost in slow motion in the breeze. Behind her, a rainbow arched over the edge of the falls. Her lips lifted in a small smile then she opened her arms and fell backward over the edge, disappearing into the mist.

  Jenna rushed to the top of the falls but all she could see was the pounding water rushing down the mountainside. She pressed a hand to her mouth in disbelief. Footsteps sounded behind her but she could not drag her eyes away from the tumbling water.

  “God, no.” Rowley dashed past her, his hat falling from his head. “Alison. Oh, Jesus. No!”

  Jenna reached out and grabbed his arm. “She’s gone.”

  59

  On her return to the office, Jenna released a very disgruntled Stu Macgregor from the cells, and after the stern warning Kane had given him, she doubted they would see him in town anytime soon. After handing over copies of the information collected from Bobby-Joe’s cabin to the
FBI, she discovered the pedophile ring had spread throughout the country. The men Alison had murdered were the tip of the iceberg. When she read Alison’s diary, the details made her sick to her stomach. The woman had suffered mental anguish after escaping Bobby-Joe’s cabin years previously. With no one she could trust, she had waited patiently until she found the men who abused her then taken the law into her own hands.

  Thursday, week two

  The following day, Jenna regarded the deputies seated before her desk. “The information from Brandon’s cabin included missing girls from throughout the state and I’ve turned all our information over to the FBI. We will still be involved to some extent but this is way over our heads. I believe Bobby-Joe used many of the images as security or even blackmail. I’ve identified a number of prominent men in the photographs.” She glanced at Wolfe. “What did you discover?”

  “Everything Alison told you checks out: the poison used, the meat skewer, and she left the knife used on Chris Jenkins sticking out of Bobby-Joe. Forensics teams are working on exhuming the remains of the other girls.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “The only thing we don’t have is information on how she killed the last sheriff. His death was recorded as natural causes.”

  “He was cremated as well, so we have nothing to go on. I suggest we let that one go.”

  Jenna rubbed her temples, it had been a long day and it wasn’t even lunch yet. “So many things fell into place when I read her diary. When we checked the missing girls on file from all over the state, I read an old case file about a local girl who ran away from home then turned up with a few scratches and bruises five months later. The report said she’d suffered memory loss likely caused by a head injury but not how she survived alone up here in the mountains. I did wonder why there was no medical report to exclude sexual abuse on file. The sheriff at the time filed the report as a returned runaway and closed the case. He blacked out the names, I guess to protect her. I figure that was Alison.”