Chapter 37

Joe walked Bulka away from the pier. They had found nothing there. Too many people had walked on the pier during the rescue operation. Joe led Bulka along the flattened path where all the fire trucks, police cars, and an ambulance had driven. Everyone had come in along the same path. Even Joe. Even the suspect. Everyone had unwittingly driven over the man's footprints. Searching the dirt path seemed futile to Joe, so he walked Bulka into the woods and brush. They searched for footprints and clues in the shade of tall trees and among pine needles.

Fire trucks started leaving the area, driving over the path, flattening it even more. The ambulance slowly backed up and drove over the path. One of the police cruisers followed as an escort to the hospital and to guard the victim once she was there.

Joe shook his head. So much activity and all of it obliterating the clues. Finding a footprint was going to be next to impossible, but he kept at it, leading Bulka this way and that. She had no scent to latch onto and instead, sniffed for human traces in the bushes and around the trees. She and Joe covered a lot of ground, heading in the general direction of the highway. Joe figured the man went there, to the road, to hitch a ride.

At last, Bulka picked up a scent and started leading Joe. He let her off the leash and she wandered through the woods, nose down, eyes and ears alert, tail wagging. Joe studied the path Bulka was following. It was one a person would choose if they wished to be hidden from the highway. Always better to sneak up to the highway and be standing there when a car came along as opposed to be seen hiking out of the woods. That could look suspicious. What had one been doing in the woods, a driver would ask themselves. Well, Joe knew full well what this someone had been doing in the woods and it would likely make the evening news.

"Whoa! Hold up, Bulka." Joe couldn't believe his eyes. There in the black soil by the road was a beautiful footprint.

Joe got down on one knee for a closer look. It was pristine. This could be the piece of evidence that hung the bastard who'd attacked Vanessa and the woman in the trunk. Bulka tried to sniff the footprint and Joe shooed her away. He feared she might step on it.

"Git, girl. Here, let's both get away from it and the road." A car flashed by as he snapped on Bulka's leash and led her to the edge of the trees.

Joe phoned Ziegler and informed him of the print. Ziegler said he'd be right there and that, by the way, a Crime Scene Investigation Unit was on the way.

"Great," Joe said, "Bulka andmeI will stand guard until you or the CSI unit gets here."

Ziegler chuckled softly. "Can't be too careful. FYI, I've got a sketch artist coming in from Ames. That's a town about twenty miles away. He's going to meet with our victim – her name's Jolene Brown – this afternoon after the doctors check her out."

"How's Miss Brown doing?" Joe tensed, expecting the worst.

"Not bad. Roughed up a little. Our prep zapped her with a stun gun. Sound familiar?"

Joe's jaw tightened and a muscle twitched violently in his cheek. "Yeah, sounds like what happened to my fiancée."

"Speaking of which," Ziegler said, "I'd like your fiancée to take a look at the sketch the artist does, once it's done, and see if she can ID it as the same guy who attacked her."

"Good idea. I'm sure she'll be happy to look at it."

"Perfect, we'll set that up for tomorrow morning. I'm on my way to your position. See you a few minutes."

Joe ended the call. The muscle in his cheek was still twitching. Vanessa was front and center in his mind. He wondered how she was doing and if she and Nancy had found anything in his notes. He didn't have time to call them and ask, but suddenly, he realized he'd been gone longer than his stated two hours. Vanessa and Nancy might have started to worry about him. He should text them before Ziegler arrived.

# # # #

Nancy and Vanessa stood in the kitchen. Nancy laid her gun on the counter and massaged her temples.

Vanessa glanced at the gun and then at Nancy. "Did you find anything outside?"

Nancy put her hands on the kitchen counter and looked out the window over the sink. The view was of the side yard, not of the trash container. "A lot of footprints," she said and turned to Vanessa. "Somebody – several somebodies – surprised Frank and took him. I found tire tracks, too."

A hand rose slowly to Vanessa's mouth. "Oh my god. Who? Who'd want to take Frank?" She could understand Joe being taken. He was actively involved in the murder investigation.

Nancy shook her head, placed a hand on a hip, and massaged her forehead. "Hard to say. But given what we know, I'd say Nicholson was involved. He's been trying to stop Joe from investigating from day one."

Those were Vanessa's exact thoughts and she thought of something else, too. "Nancy, do you think Joe was the real target today and not Frank?"

Nancy stopped rubbing her forehead and arched eyebrow at her friend. "You might be right. Joe could have been the intended target."

"So, they took the wrong brother?" Vanessa said.

Nancy's lips settled into a grim line. "They can still use Frank to lure Joe in." Suddenly, Nancy spun and looked around the kitchen. She didn't see what she was looking for and strode into the living room.

Vanessa followed, her achy knees slowing her down a bit. "What is it, Nancy? What are you looking for?"

"Frank's phone. If he has his phone, I can call him. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, maybe he's outside somewhere."

Vanessa could see that Nancy did not seriously believe this. It was merely wishful thinking.

Frank's phone was not in the living room. Nancy did an abrupt U-turn and headed back to the dining table where she and Vanessa had pored over Joe's notes. Nancy's phone was on the table next to Joe's notebook and notepad. She grabbed up her phone and punched in Frank's number. The women heard Frank's phone chirping in the bedroom and hurried there. Nancy scooped Frank's phone off the bedside table and ended the call. As she stood there with Frank's phone in her hand, she wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he did not have his phone.

The phone chirped in Nancy's hand and both women jumped. Nancy realized her phone in the kitchen had chimed, too.

Nancy looked at the screen on Frank's phones. "It's Joe," she told Vanessa. "He's texting all of us."

The women hurried back to the dining table. Nancy grabbed her own phone and read the message to Vanessa. "Joe says he and Bulka are out with Detective Ziegler. A woman was found tied up in the trunk of her car early this morning. The car had been pushed into the river."

Joe's message swept through Vanessa's mind and the whole world held an eerie chill. Another woman had been attacked less than 24 hours after her own attack. "Is, is the woman okay?"

Nancy nodded and continued, "Firemen rescued her. Joe thinks her abductor was the same man who abducted you."

Vanessa felt herself wilt and sank onto a chair. Another woman had suffered because of that horrible man. "Where's the man now?"

Vanessa's weak voice caused Nancy to search her friend's face. Nancy softened her tone. "Joe and Bulka are searching for clues and Ziegler is questioning the woman."

A frown darkened Vanessa's brow as she looked up at Nancy. "He might be, here, in Healy. The man. He might have followed us here."

Nancy lowered herself and sat next to Vanessa at the table. "I don't think he followed us. I was watching for a tail as I drove. However, I'd be foolish if I said it wasn't possible."

Vanessa ran a shaky hand over her hair and hooked pale blonde hair behind an ear. "Please, Nan, be honest with me. Where do you think the man is now?"

Nancy paused and considered her answer. "Honestly?" Vanessa nodded. "Here, in Healy. It's the most logical answer. We know he followed Joe to River Heights. Once he realized Joe had left River Heights it would make sense for the man to assume Joe went back to Healy. Given that theory, then our mystery man would also return here. He probably had to check-in with his boss, too. Joe said this man, whoever he is, is working with Boxberger and Nicholson."

Vanessa nodded slowly as thoughts whirled in her head. "Another question, do you think this man was involved in Frank's disappearance?"

Nancy shook her head, dismissing the idea. "No, the timing doesn't fit. Frank went missing early this morning and this woman and her car were pushed in the river early this morning. The man couldn't be in two places at the same time."

"No, I suppose not." Vanessa sat hunched at the table, her knees aching. She wondered what they should do next. Only one thing came to mind. "Should we call Joe and tell him about Frank?" Vanessa breathed deeply in anticipation of a response.

Nancy pushed aside the fear and worry settling around her heart. The initial shock of discovering Frank gone was receding, being replaced by a desire to find him. She lifted her chin. "Yes, we have to. Joe needs to know about his brother and he needs to know before one of the kidnappers contact him." Frustration furrowed Nancy's brow. "I wish there was more we could do."

"Joe's with that detective," Vanessa said, hope surfacing in her voice. "Maybe he can help."

Nancy nodded. "Maybe he can."

Vanessa noticed that Nancy had gone very pale and did not appear overly confident in Ziegler's help.

# # # #

Joe pointed to the footprint and a wide grin broke across Ziegler's face. He looked over at Joe. "This is good, Hardy. Real good. I'll have the CSI unit cast and photograph this the minute they get here."

Joe's phone binged and he checked the screen. "Excuse me, it's my soon to be sister-in-law. Might be important." Joe's mind went to his notes. Maybe Nancy had found something.

Ziegler nodded and Joe stepped out of earshot to take the call. If Ziegler had been watching he would have seen Joe's expression go from neutral to panic to anger.

Ziegler was bending over, staring at a partial boot print when Joe returned to his side. "I found another print," Ziegler said with a grin.

"Yeah, great." There was no enthusiasm in Joe's voice. "I have to go. My brother's missing."

Ziegler straightened up and a concerned frown creased his brow. "Missing?"

"My sister-in-law says he's vanished. She found footprints and tire tracks. She suspects he's been kidnapped."

Shock registered on Ziegler's face. "What? How? When?"

"This morning, about the time we were driving here."

"Damn," Ziegler hissed. "I, um, all I can think of is Nicholson and Boxberger. You think they had something to do with your brother's disappearance?"

Joe squared his shoulders. "I can't think of anyone else who would want to take Frank."

"But why?" Ziegler said. "What do they accomplish by kidnapping your brother?"

Joe shrugged. He felt helpless and removed from the situation. He hadn't been home when it happened. Now his brain scrambled for a solution. "I'm not sure. Maybe Nicholson's trying to send me a message. Back off, Hardy." Joe threw his hands in the air and let them fall. "Hell, I don't know. I need to get home. I need to be with my fiancée and sister-in-law in case whoever took Frank comes back."

Ziegler nodded his understanding. "Yeah, of course. Listen, I'll put out a BOLO on your brother."

Joe gave half a shrug. "I don't think it'll help, but thanks."

Ziegler laid a hand on Joe's shoulder. "If either Nicholson or Boxberger contacts you, you call me, you hear? I don't want you going off all by yourself trying to save your brother. Nicholson's not somebody you mess around with."

Joe swallowed hard and blew out a breath. "I'll keep you posted."

Ziegler gave Joe a look. "Now why do I not believe that?"

Joe tugged on Bulka's leash and started walking her toward the river and Frank's SUV.

"Don't try and be a hero, Hardy," Ziegler called after him. "If Nicholson calls you, you better call me."

Joe didn't respond. He just kept walking.

# # # #

His knees were drawn up to his chest. The earth was cool and damp beneath his feet. They had taken his boots and socks and bound his ankles together with zip-ties. They had also taken his jacket and shirt. He was nude from the waist up and cold. A chill was seeping into his bones. His bare back rested against the earthen wall. It, like the earth beneath his feet, was cool and damp.

Frank had a sick feeling he might die here, wherever here was. His hands were bound behind his back and he was blindfolded. The blindfold seemed unnecessary. Not a speck of light peeked around the edges of the blindfold. Frank was somewhere dark, damp, and underground. He was somewhere he didn't want to be.

He was alone with his thoughts and those thoughts kept circling back to Nancy and Joe. By now Nancy had realized he was gone and had called Joe. They were looking for him.

He hoped.

But where would they look? They had no clue where he was. He had no clue where he was.

Boxberger. He's the one who knew. Frank hoped Joe hunted Boxberger down and beat the information out of him.

A shiver trickled down Frank's spine. I gotta keep it together, Frank thought. Think positive thoughts. Joe will find me. Joe and Nancy. I just have to hang in there. Have faith in them …

A/N: Thank you everyone that has left a review. Reviews are always appreciated and help to motivate an author. I try to PM everyone and thank them personally. If I missed anyone, I apologize. As a side note, I still do not get notified when a review is posted to any of my stories. I also do not receive notification if someone PMs me. It's kind of frustrating. I have emailed the 'powers that be' and told them about the problem, but so far, I have not received a response. I have asked two other authors if they are receiving notifications and they are. Guess I'm the lucky one who is not. Take care everyone!