***Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.***
There was a flurry of activity at the docks by the time Jacob and Edward parked outside the main building. They hurried out of the Volvo and inside to figure out what was going on.
"Can I help you sir?" a man in his early 30s with a deep booming voice asked.
Edward stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "Yes, I'm Edward Cullen, my wife-"
"Mr. Cullen, we've been expecting you. Chief Swan just radioed in. He should be here in a half hour or so," the man replied. "Sam! The husband is here!" he yelled toward the back room.
A very tall, stern looking man poked his head out of a door and stared at Edward for a moment before motioning him forward. "Please come to my office. I'll brief you on what you need to know," he said.
Edward and Jacob hurried behind the long reception counter and into Sam's office where they were offered coffee and arm chairs. Both refused the kindness, being too edgy about Bella's safety to relax.
"I'm Detective Payne from Seattle PD. This is Sergeant Fischer," he motioned to a shorter, balding man, "and Sergeant Davis," he gestured toward a very young, fragile looking African-American. "We're just waiting on Captain MacDonald from the United States Coast Guard to finish liaising with the Canadians about jurisdictional issues. I've already been in touch with the Victoria Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and we're all set. Once Chief Swan gets here we're going to head out to the island to begin the search," he relayed to Edward as he eyed Jacob suspiciously.
Edward nodded toward Jacob. "This is Jacob Black, a good friend of the family, and I'm Edward Cullen, Bella's husband."
Jacob piped up with, "I'm a tracker from the Quileute tribe," he added nervously. Edward gave him a curious look but said nothing. He didn't want to fully explain the reason for Jacob's assistance.
Detective Sam Payne nodded. "Nice to meet you both. Sorry it's under such difficult circumstances."
Edward nodded in agreement. "Has there been any news since she's gone missing?" he asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately, no. The others on the island have just been sent out to do foot searches for any trace evidence, but as of yet there's been no report," Sam replied sadly.
Edward squared his shoulders. "Okay, so what's the plan? How are we going to find her?"
Sam and Jacob smiled at him encouragingly.
~{0-o-0}~
Bella was pretty sure Aaron would wear a pattern into the floor of the cabin if he didn't stop pacing, but she wasn't about to bring that up. She wasn't certain she would be able to speak; her mouth and throat were bone dry. She was trying desperately to hang onto consciousness but felt herself slipping away every now and then. She didn't want to fall asleep in case she missed an opportunity to escape her captor.
"Fucking bitch… shouldn't have let her go back… where's the boat… dammit!" he growled. Actually he'd said more than that but Bella couldn't make sense of all his mumbling.
As time passed she felt her body get weaker, both from thirst and exhaustion, though she rallied her spirits quite well. She didn't need to see Katie to know she would be saved and everything would be okay. Bella's intuition was on full alert, along with her mind, which brought her some measure of peace during this difficult situation. She knew that somehow, some way, Edward would find her.
~{0-o-0}~
When Dr. Marcus exited the tent, Karon McNeil was already being restrained by Siobhan and Liam.
"Let go of me! He was lying!" Karon raged.
Dr. Marcus frowned. "Release her. This is not a Prisoner-of-War camp, and I wish to have some words with Ms. McNeil," he ordered. They hesitantly let go of her arms but stayed within inches of Karon in case she tried to run. "Now, Karon, why would Mr. Newton say he saw you if that wasn't the case?" Dr. Marcus asked.
Karon snorted. "I have no idea. Maybe he hallucinated or saw someone who looks like me. Or maybe he's out of his fucking mind!" she yelled.
Dr. Marcus shook his head. "No, the boy is quite lucid. He also informed me about your previous connection to Isabella Cullen. Is it true your son James is in prison for attacking her?" The shocked gasps of their witnesses were unmistakable even as they pretended not to pay attention.
Karon covered her face and collapsed on the ground. "Oh James, my sweet boy!" she wailed in between sobs.
Dr. Marcus stood over her and said, "Where is she, Karon? Where is Isabella?"
Karon was still in hysterics but managed to get out a few words: "Stupid bitch seduced him. He would never… full of love… too much like his father."
Dr. Marcus bent down and grabbed Karon by the shoulders, shaking her hard. "Where did you take Isabella?! Where is she!" he screamed.
Karon stopped wailing and stared Dr. Marcus directly in the eye. "She's dead by now," Karon spat, then cracked him in the jaw with her fist. Dr. Marcus fell backward, while Siobhan and Liam held down Karon McNeil as Maggie fumbled to tie her up with nylon rope.
Dr. Marcus got up and immediately dialed a number on the satellite phone. "Yes, this is Dr. Kevin Marcus, I have some information for you…"
~{0-o-0}~
"Do you see anything yet?" Edward asked Jacob as they stood at the bow of the Defender-class boat, which was just one of half a dozen craft speeding toward Nootka Island.
Jacob shook his head sadly. "No. I wish I knew what to look for," he grumbled.
Sam came out to join them. "We just got a radio update. They have a suspect in custody at the dig site," he yelled over the noise of the engine.
Edward made his way carefully to stand next to Sam. "Have they found her?"
Sam shook his head. "Not yet. But we have half the coast guard and Seattle's finest on the case. We'll find her," he replied firmly.
Edward gripped the railing with one hand and lightly tugged his hair with the other. It had only been four hours since he received that phone call, but it was more than enough time for something bad to befall her. He felt sick to his stomach all of a sudden, and as the wave of nausea swept through him, Edward leaned over the rail and vomited into the sea.
Sam patted him on the shoulder. "We should be there soon," he said encouragingly before heading back inside.
~{0-o-0}~
Forty five minutes later, the Nootka Island archaeological site was overrun with law enforcement officers trying to make sense of the area. Karon was untied and placed into handcuffs under constant supervision by armed guards, even as Charlie interrogated her.
"Ms. McNeil, you're better off talking to me," Charlie warned, "because I can help you. If we find Bella alive your sentence will be reduced from accessory to murder, which carries a much more severe penalty."
Karon pursed her lips and lifted her chin defiantly.
Charlie had to count backward from ten to avoid ripping her hair out. "I'll give you one more chance to tell me what I want to know. If you keep this up, I'll make sure you never see daylight again. You or your son," Charlie whispered menacingly into her ear.
The ferocious backlash which ensued actually surprised Charlie. Karon turned from questionable member of humanity into wild beast in a split second as she threw herself toward him, snarling and growling, cursing and screaming. The guards added ankle cuffs as soon as they got her under control.
Charlie backed away, shaking his head. "I don't think she's going to be of any use to us. What's the next step?" he asked Sam. Charlie never got an answer.
All eyes were on Jacob as he assessed the area around Bella's tent.
Edward placed one hand gingerly on Jacob's shoulder. "Do you see anything?"
Jacob turned to Edward and nodded. No words needed to be said for them to comprehend one another's meaning. But the officers saw Jacob as a First Nations tracker, more skilled in the art of forestry, so they were willing to follow him based on that premise.
"Let's go!" Edward said, as they led the trail through the forest.
~{0-o-0}~
Jacob couldn't explain how or why, but he saw Bella's trail like a white, curling mist. It reminded him of the smoke that came out of the airplanes that write letters in the sky, except it was close to the ground. He followed it like a wolf hunting its prey, making sure to stop every so often so he could pretend to examine 'evidence' on the ground. He knew they were on the right track; the further along they went, the thicker the mist became.
Edward had no idea what Jacob was following, but for the first time in his life he was grateful Jacob was there. He and Jacob had had their differences – especially when it came to blows in the forest that one night a couple of years ago – but Edward was now absolutely convinced they would have never found Bella if not for Jacob. And that, to Edward, was enough to forgive any bad blood that remained between them.
It was a very long, grueling trek by the time they reached the other end of the island. The sun had already set and most of their escort was lagging far behind them, having sapped their last reserves of energy. But once they saw the lights up ahead in the distance, the pace quickened substantially. It was potentially nearing the 24-hour mark since Bella's kidnapping (nobody was certain of the exact time) which meant the likelihood she would remain unharmed would soon drop significantly.
When they were within twenty metres of the dilapidated log cabin with its lights shining through the small window, Sam stepped in front of Jacob.
"You two wait here. We'll investigate the cabin," he whispered while motioning to the others.
Jacob gave a curt nod to Edward and said, "Don't worry. She's in there, and she's alive. But," he turned to Sam, "she's not alone. The man in there is extremely dangerous," he warned.
Sam scratched his head in puzzlement. "You can tell that from following their trail?"
Jacob shifted uncomfortably. "No…"
Edward interrupted. "He has to be dangerous if he kidnapped Bella with the help of that psychotic mess back at camp. Please, get her out safely," he pleaded.
Sam nodded reassuringly and walked away to work out the logistics of how they would save Bella. Jacob shot Edward a look of gratitude for covering for him.
