CHAPTER 13
Sam dialed Bill’s cell phone number as soon as he got off the phone with the Sheriff. He was surprised when it rang a couple times before Bill finally answered it.
“Parker here.”
Sam tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he responded. “Bill, I just got off the phone with the Sheriff. Manaquez has been sighted in Parkston. He took off with a guy’s truck about an hour ago.”
“You think he knows where we are?”
“I don’t know, but don’t let her out of your sight. Put in your earpiece and keep it in. We’re going to do the same on this end so we can be in constant contact with each other. We’re headed back to the farm – we’re only about six minutes away.”
“Got it.”
Bill disconnected the call and rubbed his eyes, looking around him. He hadn’t meant to doze off, but the heat made him just so darn sleepy and he hadn’t slept much the last two nights.
His eyes swept around the living room. So, where was she? He got up off the couch and did a quick search of the house. She wasn’t inside and a visual scan out the windows didn’t find her in the yard either.
Great! Sam was going to kill him!
His adrenalin kicked into high gear as he readied to find Sarah. He holstered his gun from the table, put in his earpiece and went out the back door moving slowly, his eyes taking in his surroundings and searching for her.
Where was she?
Bill stood at the bottom of the back steps and thought about his options. He was going to have to fill Sam in on the fact that Sarah seemed to be missing, and he really wasn’t looking forward to it; but he had no choice. Lying - even a small lie - was not acceptable in an FBI agent and it was the quickest and surest way to lose your job. In an organization whose main purpose was to expose deceit and lies, truth was a precious commodity.
He hit the speed-dial on his phone.
“Uh, Boss – got a problem here.”
“What’s up?”
“Um, I musta dozed off a minute and now I can’t seem to find her.”
“What?” His boss’ voice roared on the other end.
Bill chewed on his lower lip. He hadn’t seen Sam angry more than twice in all the time he had worked for him, but he was angry now and it was his fault.
“Sam, I’m going to head out to the east wooded area and see what I can see from that vantage point. She must have taken a walk. I’ll probably run into her.”
“You’d better! Keep me posted.”
Bill went back through the kitchen door into the family room and grabbed a bag he had stashed at the end of the couch. He pulled out and deftly assembled a .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle - his ‘baby’. He hoped he wouldn’t need it but would take it with him anyway. Just in case.
He shouldered the rifle, went out the front door and bounded down the front steps and ran up the driveway toward the road. His plan was to head to the gated lane and head into the property from that direction. If Manaquez was out there somewhere, that would his best avenue onto the property without being noticed. Hopefully he could catch him before that happened.
Bill ran steadily, praying silently all the way.
Lord, please keep Sarah safe. I really screwed up this time, Lord. Please don’t let anything happen to her because I failed to do my job. Just keep her safe.
He really hoped it didn’t come down to him having to kill someone, but he knew that if it came to saving Sarah’s life by taking another, he would have to do it. It was not only his job, it was his duty.
Keep my hands steady and my aim true, he chanted quietly. That had been his mantra for the years he was at war and it still applied to his daily work. Truth be known, he was still at war – just a different war and on home soil this time.
First though, he had to find Sarah. Hopefully he would run into her out here on the road going for a leisurely stroll, and he could scold her for leaving the house on her own and then walk her back to the house and safety. Hopefully. But the sinking feeling in his gut told him that wasn’t going to be the case.
Sam pounded his fist on the dashboard and felt like jumping out of the truck and running if that would get them there any faster. Bill had a whole lot of explaining to do. Why he would let Sarah out of his sight was beyond comprehension. Perhaps Sam should have stressed more that they couldn’t let their guard down for even a minute, but his team were professionals. They were supposed to know that without him reminding them all the time.
He glanced over at Jess who was leaning forward toward the steering wheel, her hands clenching it tight. Even though he knew by the speed they were going she was pushing the old pickup for all it was worth, it was as if she were willing the vehicle to get there faster just by leaning forward. He knew the feeling.
Sam growled out his next words. “Bill doesn’t know where she is. He’s heading out now to scout around and look for her.”
Jess took her eyes off the road briefly to look at him. “What?”
“Yeah. That’s what I said!”
Sam’s earpiece crackled as he heard Bill’s voice. “Sam, I’m at the east gate near the wooded area. The gate is open and the chain’s been cut. I’m going to check it out.”
Sam felt his heart drop to his feet. Lord, no! They were too late. Manaquez was already on the property.
“We’ll be coming to the front driveway shortly, Bill. We’ll come in that way on foot. No sense stirring up dust and letting him know we’re coming.”
Sam instructed Jess to slow down the last quarter mile from the driveway and had her pull the truck over before they reached the drive. They quickly exited the vehicle and took off running up the long gravel driveway, their guns drawn and ready. Sam’s eyes scanned the perimeter in all directions but couldn’t see any movement.
Where was she?
All around them was silence. The breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees overhead and a part of his subconscious heard the birds still chirping and singing their songs.
And Sarah was out there somewhere with a murderer.
He tried to steady his thoughts so he could think clearly. She had to be somewhere close by if Manaquez was still on the property – and Bill had the only other way off the property blocked; that is, unless Manaquez had come in on foot. If he had, then they were in trouble. He could take her out through the woods and they’d never be able to find them.
Or, Manaquez might have already killed her.
His heart plummeted at that thought but he willed himself to stay positive. God was in control of the situation, he kept reminding himself. No matter what happened, God was in control.
When they reached the house both he and Jess hugged the side of the building and took turns looking through windows. Sarah and Bill weren’t anywhere in the house, so that meant she was still out here somewhere and Bill was still looking for her. When they neared the back corner of the house closest to the barn, Sam held up his hand and they both stopped while he tried to steady his nerves and assess the situation. The only spot that wasn’t visible from where they stood was the backside of the barn and the wooded area. Bill was in the wooded area, so that left only the backside of the barn and hopefully Bill was where could see that area.
“Bill. Do you have a visual?” he whispered into the cordless mic strapped around his neck.
“Yeah, I do. They’re behind the barn. She’s on her knees, boss, and he’s got a gun to her head.”
Sam closed his eyes for a second and felt his stomach lurch. “Do you have a shot?”
“Negative. Not unless you want her hit too.”
“Keep your aim on him, Bill. First chance for a clear shot, I want you to take it, do you hear me?”
“Got it.”
Sam gritted his teeth, said a silent prayer for help, and took off running across the back yard in the direction of the barn, knowing Jess was right behind him. They came to the rear corner of the barn and stopped, flattening their backs
against the weathered wood of the old building. He took a deep breath and then carefully peeked around the corner. Pulling back quickly, he closed his eyes and sent up another silent prayer.
Things were about as bad as they could get.
Sam’s mind struggled with the situation and tried to visualize what Bill was seeing through his gun scope. Sarah was on her knees in front of Manaquez and he had a gun aimed straight at her. They didn’t have time to wait for reinforcements. If they didn’t do something to stop him now, Manaquez would kill her. There was only one course of action left for them to take.
He motioned with his left hand for Jess to follow him and gun drawn, he swung out from the corner of the barn. Before he could get off a shot though, Manaquez saw them and pulled Sarah up from her knees in a chokehold around her neck, holding her in front of him as a shield.
Keeping his gun aimed directly at Manaquez, Sam hollered. “Drop your weapon, Manaquez! It’s over.”
He saw Sarah look across the open space at him, her eyes huge behind her glasses; but after a quick glance to see she was still relatively unhurt, Sam forced himself to concentrate on Manaquez. He sent another silent prayer to the heavens for help. Sam had been in situations like this countless times, but he knew this one was different and he couldn’t let his feelings for Sarah jeopardize his judgment. His own emotions had to stay out of his actions and he needed to stay focused. This kind of stand-off had way too many possible ending scenarios.
And most of them were not good.