Here's another chapter because some of you are desperate to know what happens next!
You Don't Know Me
Chapter 28
The Endgame Begins
The drone had flown overhead and recorded a bit of the snack time happening below. Boyd was teasing Jane with food and water, but gave Jane none for himself. Murf kept up a running commentary so Lisbon and the rest knew what he could see. Then Jane and Boyd plunged into the foliage again and disappeared. Lisbon and her team were so very close now. The breaks that Boyd had taken had given the CBI agents a huge advantage to play catch up and with luck, they would soon be within striking distance. Could they disarm Boyd and get to Jane before Boyd killed him? Lisbon felt her throat constrict as she raced as quietly as possible closer and closer to the deranged young man ahead of her. Carlson reached for his emergency radio and called SAC PD for backup via helicopter. They would need it very soon.
(Boyd And Jane)
Boyd sat on a rock and Patrick did likewise, sick with fatigue and fear. Both men surveyed the valley below them in silence, each contemplating what would soon come to be. Jane was weary, but Boyd was energized by the power he had over the man he had hated for so many years. Now his plan could finally be brought to fruition, but he had to play by the rules his Daddy had taught him so many years ago as a child.
For this to be a righteous kill, he had to let Jane go free and then track him, like he would with any large game. The fact that Jane couldn't escape didn't diminish the fun of the hunt. As the
sun got lower in the late afternoon sky, Boyd knew he had to begin the hunt soon, before it got too dark to bring down his prey
"Is this how you thought it would be?" said Jane quietly, stalling for time to catch his breath and staring at his captor.
Boyd faced Jane, surprised by such a question. Shouldn't Jane be begging for his life just about now?
"I've thought about how to find you and end you for years. Yeah. This is exactly what I hoped for" said Boyd with pride. "I hoped for a moment like this ever since my Dad died but didn't think it would work out." He sounded so young and disillusioned. Boyd stood up and leered down at Jane, his gun dangling from his hand casually.
"I could have killed you any time Jane." He jammed the gun into Jane's forehead, finger on the trigger. " Anytime! No one would have known why. I could have picked you off anywhere and walked away free as a bird, with no one the wiser."
Feeling the barrel of the gun grinding into his skin, Jane stared up into his young face. "So why all this Boyd? This theatre piece that relied on the assistance of a foolish young girl? Surely that only made this more dangerous for you?" he asked, curious to know how this made any sense to Boyd. With relief Jane saw the gun drop down again.
"Well that's just it. Killing you would be easy, and too quick. My father suffered for months in prison, shamed by the other prisoners and rejected by my mother."
"He raped young girls Boyd. He needed to be shamed" said Jane with emphasis on the word 'shamed'.
"I bet they wanted it! I bet they came to him all hot and bothered and figured they would have a better time at Bright Arch if they gave my Dad a little something extra" explained Boyd. "They were sluts, all of 'em!" Of course, Boyd blamed the girls for their suffering.
"So assuming what you're saying was true, then you believe your father should have been free to continue to have sex with children?" proposed Jane. "The last time I checked, it was still against the law no matter what the girls did."
Boyd moved closer, anger once again flaring up in defence of his father's crime. "He wasn't hurting anyone, but he went to prison and he was murdered! He only had 4 years to serve and he would've been home again. We could've moved out into these hills and left the city behind with all of you asshole cops. But he never made it past 4 months before he got shivved in the prison laundry. And that's your fault Jane! For that, you have to pay." Boyd waved his gun in Jane's face and looked like he was dangerously close to using it. Jane had to diffuse his anger somehow.
"So you set me up for a terrible crime using a girl who already hates me, and you're in business. I go to prison, the same prison as your father, and with luck, someone sticks me with a homemade knife and I die like your Dad, right?" said Jane, looking Boyd in the eye.
"It would have meant something. Something to me" moaned Boyd. "Killing you randomly, that was too easy. You had to suffer like he did, go to prison with shame like he did, and piss off the other prisoners 'cause you're a cop. Sooner or later someone would kill you."
"But you chose a foolish girl to work with you and she let you down, right Boyd? She couldn't be controlled like the puppet you wanted."
Boyd looked at Jane knowing he was right. Carol had ultimately been his undoing.
(CBI Team)
Cho, Lisbon, Van Pelt and Carlson were running full out now through the trees, with Murf keeping up while balancing his monitor against his chest. The drone was flying ahead of them, searching the ground for any hint of movement or the shape of two men hiking through the hills. Lisbon prayed that Jane was finding some way to slow Boyd down just in case someone was following them. It was a desperate thought. They had so much ground to cover and Jane was still far away, if in fact they were heading in the right direction. So much could happen before they reached Boyd to disarm him and free Jane. Running full out now they didn't dare to stop for a moment to rest. Any advantage Jane's slowness had given them would be wasted if they stopped their pursuit to catch their breath. They could be too late after all.
Another 20 minutes passed and Murf let out a whoop of surprise. He had just spotted Jane and Boyd in a clearing! As the team gathered around, they saw Boyd standing over Jane as he crouched on his knees. Were they too late to save their friend? Was this the moment Boyd would kill Jane as they watched it play out on the monitor?
Before they had a chance to voice their concerns, they watched as Boyd dragged Jane to his feet and pushed him forward again. He was still on the move! As the drone lifted higher, Murf sent it ahead to find out exactly where everyone was going.
A minute later he called out to them again with the information they needed.
"They're heading to the valley a mile in front of Eagle's Bluff!" he shouted, consulting a paper map. The drone clearly showed the outline of the Bluff, and the map showed them they were now within striking distance of their quarry. At this wonderful news, Cho, Lisbon, Van Pelt and Carlson took off running with renewed vigour. They would catch the bastard very soon!
(Boyd and Jane)
Boyd stood up and gazed down into the valley, watching the sun as it got lower in the sky. Turning to face Jane, he took out his knife and played with it absentmindedly.
"I had so many plans, so many chances to nail you, but when Carol sat down next to me at the bar one night, drunk and angry, mad at the world and you in particular, it was like a gift from God" he grinned. " I figured if I could train her to act just right, and say just the right things, you would be on a one way bus trip to the Federal Prison."
"That required incredible patience on your part Boyd. You should be congratulated" said Jane, appealing to his ego now to negotiate some kind of a resolution. "And yet here we sit."
Boyd nodded, accepting the praise of a man he hated like it was due to him. Jane knew he was running out of time. The sun was getting lower by the minute and there was no sign of the CBI, or SAC PD, or even the Park Rangers coming to his rescue. He was on his own. Jane thought of his friends so very far away. He hoped Rigsby was still alive. Then his mind drifted to Lisbon's face. When he imagined her, she looked worried and sad. Her presence felt so strong to him, so real, even though he knew she was far away. Good.
Good.
That meant she was safe, and that was all that mattered to him now. He didn't want her anywhere near a psychopath like Boyd.
Boyd looked at Jane and then his watch. Damn it was getting late. Best get the show on the road.
"Stand up!" he barked, waving the knife at Jane and startling him out of his thoughts of Teresa. Jane stood up slowly, not in any hurry now to accommodate his nemesis.
"So how will you do it?" Jane asked. "What are the rules?' He knew this was going to be a game, with a winner and a loser. The chances of him being the winner were very slim. He surprised himself at being able to ask his soon-to-be murderer how he was going to kill him. Such was his state of mind now.
"My Dad taught me to respect all animals for what they can do. They all have a place in nature, and as such, I have to respect them when I hunt them. You don't shoot a deer or a fox without giving it a fighting chance to make a run for it. So I will afford you the same chance. You won't get any respect mind you, but I will give you a good head start."
Boyd turned and pointed to the valley below. "You take off running and do your best to make it out of the forest. If I lose you and can't find you, you win! But when I do find you, I will bring you down like a buck in the spring." Boyd grinned like a cheshire cat just imagining that shot hitting his target.
He put his knife in the sheath on his belt and picked up his crossbow again. Jane looked around desperately, trying to see if there was a safe haven to run to and hide, but there was not much cover close by. Boyd pulled out a bolt and fitted it into the groove on the crossbow, concentrating on his task while Jane felt a shiver flow up his spine. Jane started to back away, planning to make a foolish attempt at hiding in the trees anyway.
"Don't do it Jane!" Boyd shouted at him, stopping him at once.
Boyd turned to face his captive, a confident smirk on his red, burnt face.
"Time's up shit head. It's just you and me and none of your little cop friends will ever find you." Boyd put his free hand on Jane's lapel and gave him a shake.
"I hope you're a good runner" he whispered as he suddenly turned and shoved Jane over the crest of the hill, sending him sliding downwards, slipping in the damp earth. Jane scrabbled to gain purchase in the loose dirt, his balance thrown off by the unexpected push down the hill. He flung himself forward, rolling and pitching until the land levelled off. He picked himself up and started running as fast as his smooth shoes would allow. He felt like he was a mouse who would soon be snatched up in the claws of a very large cat. There was a stand of trees 30 feet ahead and Jane ran for it, lurching left and right in a zig-zag pattern, imagining the swish of a bolt at every turn. Boyd lifted his crossbow into position as he watched Jane run, giggling to himself. He'd let Jane gain some ground, believe he had a fighting chance, then he'd let loose his bolt to reign death on his panicked prey down in the valley.
(CBI Team)
Cho and Carlson ran ahead with Van Pelt and Lisbon trying their best to keep up. Murf was running and trying to control his drone at the same time. As Cho and Carlson slowed down, the other three caught up and looked at the monitor. Jane and Boyd were very close, almost close enough to run out and touch, but the heavily armed Boyd would have the advantage over Jane, shooting him as soon as the others rushed him. As they watched, they saw the man stand up and put an a bolt into his crossbow. Oh God, this is it! Time to go! Without a word Cho and Carlson ran forward through the trees and Van Pelt headed to the left and Lisbon turned right, rushing to get into position with their guns drawn. They reached the edge of the trees hiding them, facing Boyd and Jane in the clearing. Before they could attack, they watched in horror as Boyd pushed Jane over the lip of the hill and out of sight. Murf stayed behind as he had no weapon or knowledge of how to use one. Boyd would have to be brought down by force on three sides.
(The Valley)
Jane reached the trees and skidded to a stop, trying to catch his breath. He looked up the hill and couldn't see Boyd, but he knew he was up there somewhere, watching. He couldn't go backwards as the trees ended in just a few yards, but they continued for some distance going forward. Geography dictated his actions now. He headed in that direction, pumping his legs as high as he could with his sore ribs. The bolt couldn't find him if he got far enough away, and stayed in the trees, so he had to make that happen. The trees that had looked so thick from the top of the hill now showed what they really were, thin stands of old trees more and more spaced out than he had expected. Hiding here would be very difficult. Boyd had known this of course and was just waiting for Jane to run out of cover. Jane ran forward, hoping the bolt wouldn't be able to fly this far even if he was out in the open. The trees suddenly stopped and Jane was facing a large pond. Desperately considering his options, he realized there was no way through it, he had to go around it. The left side of the pond faced into the woods but a steep cliff overhung the water, impossible to climb and providing a natural barrier to his escape in that direction. The only other way to go led right back out into the open valley. Was he far enough away now? Had he outrun the flight of a crossbow's deadly bolt? With no other options left, Jane burst out of the trees and ran for his life, not daring to slow down or look over his shoulder. The land here was marshy and pockmarked with holes left behind by rotted out tree stumps. Jane crashed and fell into one soggy hole as he made his desperate escape. Boyd saw him fall as he calmly adjusted the trajectory of the long bolt on the crossbow. He had known perfectly well that Jane would have to run back out into the open. He knew this land and it was no friend to a stranger. Jane heaved himself upright and took off running again, chest screaming in pain, wet and afraid of what was coming. Any moment now he would be out of range, over 30 yards now, surely out of the range of Boyd's vengeance.
(CBI Team)
Cho and Carlson emerged from the trees running at Boyd, yelling for him to drop the crossbow. Lisbon and Van Pelt did the same coming at him from both sides. The arrival of agents took Boyd completely by surprise and he almost did drop his crossbow as they startled him. Almost.
As Cho screamed for him to drop it and get on the ground or he would shoot, Boyd nodded his head signalling compliance without turning to look at the CBI agents. He looked as if he would cooperate with them, and yelled "OK OK, don't shoot!" but his hand was still on the aimed bow and his finger reached to depress the trigger even as Cho was racing towards him. At that exact moment a large black object dropped from the sky obscuring Boyd's view. The humming drone sideswiped his crossbow and flew into his face just as Boyd's finger pulled the trigger. As he dropped the crossbow in surprise, the bolt exploded from the string and torpedoed down down down the valley, whistling in the evening wind toward a target very far away. Across the marshy ground, Jane ran on, feeling he had gone far enough now, at least 35 or 40 yards, far enough to be in the clear, far enough to see safety with each step.
The bolt sang as it slammed into Jane and felled him in an instant.
