Riddle (27 page)

              At that point Kort pushed the detective as hard as he could and slipped through the kitchen door headed for the front of the house. Bishop was right behind him. “Wait! We’ll go in my car.”

              Slowing only for a moment Kort looked at the detective to see if he meant what he was saying. Then they ran to the state cruiser and in moments were on their way toward the mountains. “Do you know exactly where we’re going?” Kort asked.

              “Damn right I do. I’ve practically worn the ground away to China pacing around there.”

              Kort looked at him sharply. “When? Why?”

              Never taking his eyes from the road he shouted over the sound of the siren. “I told you I didn’t think you were guilty.”

              Cars flew to the sides of the road as the cruiser sped past, siren screaming. Heads turned to see what was happening as cars squealed to get out of the way.. Kort grabbed the dash and held on tightly and repeating over and over in his head, “She’s not dead.”

              As Detective Bishop drove onto the small gravel area at the top of the path he spoke softly but intently to Kort. “You should wait in the car. Before you argue I know you won’t stay here. So prepare yourself. Do not touch,” he took a breath, “do not touch anything.”

              Kort didn’t respond pushing the words to the back of his mind and still telling himself that Grace was alive. He started to rush down toward the water but Bishop grabbed his arm. “Hold it! Look, you can see something happened here.” Pointing to the broken branches and recent tire tracks he continued. “You need to slow down. We want to have evidence against Norma.”

              Kort shrugged him off. “I want to find Grace.”

              Unable to restrain him, Bishop pulled out his cell phone and followed the young man as he made his way through the brush. Calling for back up and medical assistance he scanned the area for more evidence of a struggle. Broken branches and drag marks were evident on the trail and as anxious as Kort was, it was obvious he was moving off the track as much as possible. “Grace!” He called her name repeatedly.

              Reaching the river the signs of a struggle were more pronounced. Rocks, brush, and dirt had been disturbed as though a fight had taken place. Kort continued to call Grace’s name. Detective Bishop looked across the river studying the opposite bank hoping for some sign of the missing woman. The river was rushing, the level high on the bank. Glancing back at Kort he knew the same thought had crossed his mind. Grace could have been drowned, her body could be floating down river. Kort shook his head. “No!” Once again he began calling her name and making his way toward the old bridge.

              The sound of several sirens drew closer and Bishop called out to Kort, “We need to seal off this area and set up a search grid. Come on before you destroy any tracks.”

              Kort turned back to look at him. “I want to look for her.”

              “You will. But we need to set up teams.” Sympathy for the young man swept over him but he pushed his emotions aside and kept his voice even and professional. “Kort, don’t make me put you in custody.”

              The rage Kort had felt when he confronted Norma had dissipated and all that was left was fear that Grace was dead somewhere in the woods. He moved slowly toward the detective as several of the sirens squealed to silence at the top of the path. As they made their way to the cars Kort asked softly, “Do you think she’s dead?”

              Bishop glanced back toward the river. “Actually I don’t think so. I think she is hurt and somehow dragged herself off into the woods.” Looking back at Kort he said, “We will find her. And Norma will be punished.”

Chapter 48

              Kort paced as search parties were organized and a team of forensic specialists sealed off the area. All he wanted to do was go into the woods and begin searching for Grace. Watching the flurry of activity, Kort felt overwhelmed. Everything seemed disorganized and he had little faith in the police.

              Kort shook his head in disbelief. “This is insane. I just need to find Grace.”

              The detective gestured at the crowd around them. “That’s what we’re doing Kort. You’re coming with me to look for her.”

              Straightening, Kort’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

              “I don’t believe what Norma said. But I’m not willing to take any chances if Grace…,” he hesitated, “dies. Butch heard what Norma said too. I’m looking out for you.” His voice softened. “She said something else that puzzles me Kort. She said she and Butch agreed to help each other. I want to know what she meant by that. Butch is responsible for shooting her. I’m going to recommend he be put on temporary leave. There will be an investigation. Right now I don’t have time to worry about that. Right now I’m going to help you find Grace. But once she is safe I have questions for your buddy Butch and he better have some tight answers.”

              Kort stared at Bishop. “Do you think he had something to do with what happened to Grace?”

              “I don’t know. Like I said, right now we’re going to find Grace. That’s the priority.” With that he turned toward the woods. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

              Groups set off in various directions and other than the sounds of searchers calling Grace’s name the only sounds were the crackling of brush and the static of walkie-talkies as searchers communicated.

              As Detective Bishop and Kort moved through the woods several yards apart calling Grace’s name, Kort looked up through the trees at the sky. Darkness had fallen bringing wisps of fog curling around the roots of tree and clinging to low bushes. In addition he could see heavy clouds moving in from the north and knew it was likely they would bring rain or worse yet snow. The afternoon chill had changed to slightly above freezing and the calls of searchers seemed to diminish as the group thinned. Suddenly Bishop stopped and called across to Kort. “We need to head back and reorganize.”

              Shaking his head to indicate he was not prepared to stop Kort continued moving forward and calling Grace’s name. The detective cut across the brush and through the trees until he was able to grab Kort’s arm. “We need to see what has been covered and where else we might look. We could be wasting time.”

              Part of Kort wanted to press forward but another part knew the detective was right. Casting one last look around, he turned and they headed back to the gathering of cars where they had begun their search. Blowing on his hands Bishop mused aloud. “We know she couldn’t have gotten across the road without being seen. I wonder if she could have gotten across the river to the other side.” Glancing at Kort he asked, “What do you think?”

              “I don’t know. How badly is she hurt?” He grimaced as he remembered the crime scene photos of Desiree’s bruised and battered body.

              Bishop sensed what he was thinking. “Kort, Desiree never moved once Norma struck her. Grace has moved and apparently she’s moved pretty far. She may just be wandering and disoriented.”

              “You know as well as I that Norma would not leave her unless she was certain she was dead. She could be unconscious out there and bleeding to death while we discuss organizing groups to find her.” He cast a sideways glance at Bishop. “You believe she’s alive. I’m afraid she isn’t, or if she is, she is dying out there.”

              Before Bishop could respond one of the searchers ran up to them slightly out of breath. “Searchers are here with dogs. A couple of guys came over from Riverview and three more from Sweetwater. We’re trying to figure out where to send them.”

              Bishop and Kort took off running toward the control center with the other man right behind them. Kort was stunned to see a half dozen cars and trucks set up, some with huge spotlights, as well as news trucks with satellite dishes prepared to broadcast the latest details of the search. Several of the news reporters pushed toward Kort but Detective Bishop waved them off . “Keep them on the other side of the road,” he snarled at a deputy before making his way to the dog handlers. Kort was following him when he heard someone call his name. Even though he recognized her voice at once he was shocked to see his mother moving quickly in his direction.

              Her arms went around him and when she moved back to look up into his face he saw her face was wet. “Kort, I am so sorry. What can I do?”

              Suddenly he was a little boy again and he buried his face against her shoulder as sobs wracked his body. She held him tightly, her body shaking with the power of his weeping. “Hush now. We’ll find her. It will be all right.”

              She drew him toward her car, the bright red contrasting with the dark vehicles that surrounded it. She tried to get him to sit inside, but he refused to sit down and simply stood looking around at the activity with a lost expression on his face. Agnes wiped at his face with a corner of her scarf and reassured him but he didn’t seem to hear her. Clutching his hands she began rubbing them. “You’re freezing.” She pulled a pair of gray gloves out of her car and struggled to slip them onto his hands stretching them to cover as much of his hands as possible. He looked down at them, then back at her face. She looked even older, the lines and creases of her face deeper.

              Someone among the group of reporters turned a spotlight on them and Kort shaded his eyes. Agnes shot them an angry look and turned her back placing her body between the reporters and Kort. Memories of how they had hounded her and Kort when Desiree was killed filled her mind. He had been convicted in the press even before he’d been arrested.

              Detective Bishop called out to him from a short distance away. Agnes hurried behind him as he made his way to the group of men standing with three large dogs. Bishop had spread a map of the area across the hood of a car. Several areas had been highlighted in red to indicate they had already been searched. Kort immediately realized nothing had been done on the other side of the river. The detective had noticed the same thing and he looked up at Kort, their eyes meeting, confirming what needed to be done next. Quickly assigning search areas to the men with the dogs he passed around a shirt one of the other detectives had gotten from Grace’s apartment. Kort winced when he saw it recalling how he had slipped it over her head the day before. Agnes had moved away, returning with a container of hot coffee which she pressed into his hands. “Please.” She said it softly her eyes pleading with him to drink it. He accepted it gratefully. “Have you eaten?”

              Kort shook his head, “I can’t now Mom.” He sipped more of the coffee feeling its warmth trickle down into his stomach.

              Bishop began deploying the teams with the dogs sending one across the river and the other two east and west of where they stood. Turning to Kort he asked, “Do you want to go with either of the teams?”

              “Maybe I should go on the other side of the river. I don’t know. I just don’t know.” He rubbed his eyes and bright lights flashed behind his lids. His eyes felt gritty, his mind in a jumble.

              The detective’s phone buzzed loudly and he glanced at the screen as he answered. Swearing, he walked away from Kort. “What do you mean dead? How?”

              Kort followed close behind trying to hear what the detective was saying. His heart was pounding. “Who’s dead?”

              “Well dammit get out there and find her.” He hung up and turned to Kort, running his hand across his mouth.

              “What is it?” Kort demanded. “What’s wrong?”

              “Butch is dead. He was taking Norma in. He must have gotten careless, who knows. His throat, she ripped his throat out. It looks like she bit it out.”

              Kort’s eyes widened and his heart began to race. “Where is she? Bishop, tell me they have her.”

              “I have a bolo out on her. She won’t get far with that leg injury. We’ll get her. Let’s just focus on finding Grace…”

              Kort began pacing. “She’s going to look for Grace too. She’s going to want to make sure she killed her. We need more searchers.” He stopped in front of Bishop. “If she finds her first she will kill her. She’s insane.”

              Turning, Lieutenant Bishop moved quickly toward the command center and Kort fell in next to him, his long legs easily keeping pace with the detective. Bishop immediately began instructing the searchers to spread out and widen the perimeter, filling them in on the latest developments. “We need more men and more dogs. We need to find this girl NOW.” He shouted the last word before turning back to Kort. “Where’s that map?”

              One of the policemen handed him a map with red circles in an expanding grid. “She can’t have gone far.” Bishop looked it over hurriedly. “You know this area. You know Grace.” He pointed at the map. “Your best guess.”

              Tony stepped out of the crowd. “She’s a swimmer.” Heads turned in his direction. “She told me. She’s a swimmer.”

              For a moment Kort stared at Tony. He hadn’t realized the young man had joined the search. “What?” Kort shook his head slightly. “What do you mean?”

Taking a deep breath Tony continued, “She was on a swim team in high school. She told me.”

Absorbing what Tony was saying, Kort looked back at the map. “If she swam to the far side of the river and made her way downstream toward town she might have reached the old bridge. No one uses it because it’s so rickety.” He looked at the detective fearfully. “She wouldn’t know that.”

              Lieutenant Bishop was already getting a group together to follow the path Kort pointed out. But Kort had already grabbed one of the large flashlights and started down to the river’s edge. Hearing footsteps running along behind him he turned to see Tony also carrying one of the large lights. “I’ll go across up here and cover the other side. You stay on this side in case she swam back to this side.” Kort hesitated only a moment before nodding and hurrying down along the river scanning the water and the riverbank with the light as he went. He could hear Tony as he made his way along the opposite bank and they each called out Grace’s name as they went. Once or twice Tony would trip and Kort could hear him swear as he struggled to get back up. The far side of the river was less traveled and the foliage grew closer to the bank. Briefly Kort wondered if he would have done better to take that side, but they were well on their way now. He heard the barking of dogs behind him and further toward the road and when he looked back he saw bright lights bobbing through the brush. There were far fewer lights on the other side of the river and Kort called across to Tony, “Most of the searchers are on this side. You might want to move up the hill a little over there.”

              Tony blinked his light twice and called back, “I’ll try. It’s pretty tangled over here. I have a feeling she’ll have tried to get back to your side.”

              Hoping he was right since the trek was smoother on his side he plunged on, flashing his light back and forth as he called her name. Occasionally he heard the scuttling of some small animal in the underbrush and he would shine his light on it hoping he would see Grace. A few times he caught the bright beady eyes of a family of raccoons and once he thought he saw the red flash of a fox tail disappearing into the night.

              The temperature had dropped significantly although it was still above freezing. Even wearing a jacket and boots Kort could feel the cold leeching into his body. He didn’t know what Grace was wearing and he tried to remember if he saw her jacket in the apartment. Whatever she was wearing if it had gotten wet she would be very cold. In his heart Kort knew the dogs were useless at this point since Grace had been in the water and unless they picked up a scent where she emerged there was nothing for them to track. Still he kept telling himself she had gotten out of the water and found her way to the riverbank, possibly even to the road. Perhaps someone had found her and taken her to a hospital. That thought disturbed him for one reason. Norma was out here looking too. If Norma found Grace first, and Grace was weakened by her ordeal, Norma would have the advantage. Norma would finish what she had started. Pushing the thoughts away he pressed forward, sometimes climbing over tree roots that grew near the water’s edge. A few times he had to step into the river and when the cold water hit his feet it penetrated his boots and left his toes numb for a few minutes.

              It was well into the early morning hours and sunrise would come soon. That would give searchers a greater advantage in looking for Grace. However it meant it was that much longer she had been out in the cold temperatures. Kort stumbled over something in the darkness, something his flashlight had not caught and when he put out his hands he felt something soft but solid. His breath caught in his throat and he frantically repositioned the light. Someone had left a rolled up rug here by the water. For a brief moment he wondered if somehow Grace had found it and rolled herself up to keep warm. When he unrolled it there was nothing inside but hundreds of tiny insects that had made a home within. Cursing he flung it away and moved on.