If you recognize them, they belong to Janet Evanovich
Escape
Stephanie started to move her hands back and forth. Whoever this guy was, he had used old rope and it had lost a lot of its integrity. Slowly she worked it looser and looser. Her wrists were raw from the movements. Finally, she was able to free her hands and then her feet.
Tiptoeing to the door, she put her ear to the lock. She could hear a tv in the background. Stephanie backed away. She had heard the lock engage. Looking around the room, she noticed that there was no window. She would be going out that door, and she wanted it to be on her terms.
Walking around the room carefully she noticed remnants of a bed frame leaning again the wall. Something here would probably make a good weapon. She also took stock of the jars on the walls. She was looking for something in a jar that would make footing difficult. She found some jars with a reddish sauce. It almost looked like spaghetti sauce. It would have to do. She pulled them down and very quietly opened them. The seals broke with a snap. Stephanie thought it sounded very loud against her beating heart, but whoever was out there didn't appear to hear anything. Quickly she poured the gooey mess near the door and along the floor. Taking the piece of bedframe, she positioned herself by the door and waited.
The tv turned off. There was an excited giggle from the other side of the door. Stephanie shuddered. This scumbag was going to get what he deserved. She hadn't thought anything past putting him in a world of hurt.
The lock turned, the door opened and he stood in the doorway. He had to come into the room to look where she had been lying. He took one step in, then another. Stephanie swung the metal with all her might. It would have been a home run swing if she had been playing baseball. It caught him square in the upper chest and he staggered back. His feet flew out from under him and he crashed to the floor. Stephanie now raised the pipe over her head and swung at him again with all her might. The pipe slammed into him by his ear. He lay unmoving on the floor. He was covered in red sauce mixed with blood. Stephanie stepped around him. She wanted out.
Wrenching the front door open, she ran into the early morning light. She had no idea where she was. She ran to her car. The keys were not in the ignition. Stephanie was not going to go back into that house looking for them. She had no idea where her coat was but it was cold out. She looked around. Then she took off down the trail. All that training in the hotel gyms was coming in handy. Her stride smoothed out. She noticed that the road was not well travelled. Vegetation was growing up between the tracks. Jogging at a steady pace, she ran down the road.
She kept her ears open hoping to hear a highway nearby, or some sounds that would lead her to someone who would help. Suddenly she heard a car coming up behind her. She dived into the bushes on the side of the road. Her car with the man sitting in it sped by. He had blood down his face. He was looking neither right nor left. It looked like he was trying to escape. She stayed in the bushes for a few minutes. Then she scrambled back onto the road and started to run again. Her breath began to sound ragged. She started to tire. The adrenaline in her body was starting to dissipate and she had a real feeling of weakness. Finally stopping, she bent over. Her sides were hurting from the strain. Her chest hurt from the stress. She looked forward. There was still a lot of road to travel. She started to walk. If she quit now, she might curl up in a tight ball and delay her rescue. She could see her breath. She was getting chilled.
~~~o0o~~~
Tank was in the air. He was in communication with Ranger. Boston was on their way. They had a team of eight in the plane. They had loaded four quads in the hold just in case. He thanked the quick thinking men. They would land at the private airstrip in Florence and consider their next moves. Ranger, Ram and Woody would meet them there. Tank received a call from Trenton. Their signal on Stephanie's tracker was getting stronger. They were getting a signal that it was moving. It wasn't much. Quickly he appraised Ranger of the situation. Ranger and Ram jumped into th and sped off. Woody stayed with the FBI agent. Ranger was now on the phone with Trenton. He headed his truck down I 70. The tracker showed nearing Columbus. Ranger phoned back to the agent. He arranged for the police to stop the vehicle just outside the city.
Coming up to the edge of town, Ranger spied Stephanie's rental car on the side of the road. It was surrounded by State Police cars and a man was in handcuffs being led to the back of a patrol car. Ranger and Ram jumped out of the truck.
The sudden movement took the police by surprise and they found themselves with guns pointed at them. Stopping, and putting his hands up, Ranger asked for the senior staff on hand. A Staff Sergeant came forward. Ranger explained that he was working with the FBI and the man they had in handcuffs was suspected of at least one abduction, and possibly tied into a number of sexual assaults and murders. The sergeants eyes hardened and he walked over to the car. Speaking quietly to the arresting officers, he explained the situation.
Ranger asked if they had found a purse in the car. He described it and said that there was a tracker in it. An officer checked around the inside of the car. He found a coat thrown in the back and a handbag under the front seat. Ranger described the wallet contents and Stephanie's name and ID. He described the pen that was a tracker. The sergeant pulled it out of the bag.
They were still standing with him in cuffs. Ranger walked over to him. His voice was hard and threatening "Where did you stash the girl?
The man laughed. "She was feisty. I had a good time with that one. You'll never find her body." Ram dragged Ranger away from him. Two officers put the suspect into the car and slammed the door. Ranger hoped that he had at least one tripping incident on the way to the precinct.
Ram dragged Ranger back to the truck and put him in the passenger seat. He was on the phone to Woody. Woody passed on the information to the agent. They promised to get a team to the station as soon as possible.
The case might be wrapped up. It had been a long investigation. He spoke to Ram again. Ram described the conversation. His hand on the cellphone turned white with tension. He could hear the plastic complain. Backing off the pressure, Ram controlled his emotions. The Bomber was made of stern stuff. Until they found a body, they would assume that she was alive and well. The assailant could be making it up. He was covered in blood, so it was assumed that she had had at least one chance to hit him to protect herself. She had been getting better in self defense training.
Ram hoped it was enough.
~~~o0o~~~
Manny phoned Ranger. He was temporarily assigned to Boston to train new employees and was on the plane. He was the one to suggest the quads. They were on final approach to the tiny airport. By the time Ranger and Ram got there, they would be unloaded and ready to leave. They had a general direction where the car had been. They would try that area first. Every man was ready. The scumbag may have been caught but wifey was still missing. They were all expert trackers and would do everything they could to find her. Silently every man sent a prayer heavenward that she would be found alive.
Tank was at the airport. He was barking orders. He had arranged for trucks and ramps. The quads were being loaded as he spied Ranger's truck racing down the road. He had already set up a command post and Bobby was standing ready. He had a full medical field pack. He was unsure what condition Stephanie would be in, but he was in medic mode and was preparing for the worst. Manny and his team were ready. Quickly they divided up the areas for search. The trucks sped out. Everyone had a job. This is what they practiced for. The unknown was the hardest to fathom. Ranger and Tank hopped in the 4 x 4. They could travel over a lot of terrain with the off road capability.
~~~o0o~~~
Lula knew something was up. Any time Tank raced out like that, it usually had something to do with Stephanie. She waited impatiently for Tank's call. He would let her know what was happening when he could. She said a little prayer for the safety of everyone. She suspected that there was some wrinkle in Ranger's mission that took Stephanie away so suddenly. She knew that her friend had not planned on leaving so soon. She had not seen her Grandma Mazur! Those two had such a good relationship with each other. With age, Stephanie might just turn out like Edna. Life would be interesting!
Author's Note - I loosely patterned this man after Theodore Robert Cowell (Ted Bundy).
