Chapter 15

As soon as I stepped foot on the dirt road, I glanced down at my watch: just after 11 o'clock in the morning. I figured that a normal pace was about 4 miles per hour, so if I walked a little faster, I should get to the main highway before noon. Keeping my eyes and ears alert, I took off at a brisk pace.

I made it right on schedule and wasn't too surprised that I hadn't heard or seen anything unusual. I was beginning to think that Steve hadn't told Lloyd the location. Or maybe he gave him a false address.

Trying to stay optimistic, I stayed on the shoulder of the highway and attempted to take on the persona of a non-threatening hitchhiker. With a huff at the absurdity of that line of thinking – how exactly does a 'non-threatening hitchhiker' act? I simply rolled my eyes, made sure that my gun was hidden and walked. The thought of flashing my badge occurred to me, but I was afraid that the drivers wouldn't believe it and think it was a trap. Couldn't really blame them, I guess. Not in this day and age.

Fifteen minutes passed before a single car went by and of course the driver blew past me doing at least 70 mph and never slowed down. Discouraged nonetheless, I trudged on, wishing that I had brought something to eat or at least drink. At the time, I had thought that I just wanted to stay light and I was pretty sure that I'd get picked up quickly. When the third driver and one and a half hours went by, I started to regret my earlier reasoning. I had seen six drivers going the opposite direction and was beginning to wonder if I should alter my plan.

Even though I was almost desperate to get back to L.A., desperate for a ride, when I finally heard the 18-wheeler slowing down, crunching the gravel behind me, I was more than just a little nervous. How could I know if it was someone in Lloyd's organization? Or any other type of psycho? I thought of the women back at the house. Anything happened to me – who knew when they'd get out. I shuddered at the thought.

I clenched my jaw and stopped. The massive truck pulled up behind me and though I tried to see the driver, the glare on the windshield made it impossible. I held my position, my hands loosely at my side, open, but ready. I sort of felt like I was at a stand–off at the OK Corral; seeing who would make the first move.

I guess the driver was sizing me up and I must have passed his inspection, because he finally opened up the door and popped his head out.

"Need a ride, Mister?"

I kept an open position as I got my first look at the driver. Tall, about my height, but probably forty pounds heavier and all beefy muscle. He was wearing the requisite flannel shirt over a t-shirt, blue jeans and a ball cap declaring his pride in the Kansas City Chiefs. He looked to be about fifty years old, his face deeply tanned and lined, his eyes hidden behind dark shades and a stubby cigar clamped between his lips.

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm trying to get back to LA. My name is Rick."

The driver didn't answer me but continued to step down from the cab and out and away from the truck. I watched him as closely as he watched me. "You're quite a bit away from LA and I haven't seen an abandoned vehicle for quite some time."

I took a deep breath. "I wrecked my car off road, a ways back. I've been walking over an hour and a half."

The driver continued to give me the once and twice over. "Yeah – okay. Hop aboard, Rick. But no funny stuff. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself – got a wife and kids that I intend to be there for."

Nodding in understanding and relief, I reached out to shake his hand. "Believe me; I've got family to think about as well. No funny stuff." I briefly considered letting him know that I was a cop, but I didn't want to answer any more questions that I had to.

"Well, let's get going. Daylights burning."

When I finally hiked my way up into the cab, I was at last starting to feel hopeful. Shifting painfully in the seat until I found a comfortable position, the driver watched me closely.

"You okay? How bad was the wreck?"

I shrugged my shoulders, remembering that most of my aches and pains were because of the events following the accident. "The right front end was crushed bad enough to make driving impossible."

"Sorry 'bout that. Oh," he paused to snuff out the cigar, "should have introduced myself. Russ Meyers, by the way."

"I can't thank you enough for stopping. Starting to think I was going to have to walk the whole way back."

Russ chuckled. "Well, we're coming up on a truck stop about twenty miles from here. You want something to eat or drink? Anyone you want to call?"

I thought of DeeDee and Linda. God, I wish I –could- call them, but my priority would have to be getting an update on Lloyd Perry and finding a better hiding place. "I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite." I answered, dodging the phone call issue.

"Good enough," Russ replied, then turned his attention to the road and cranked up the radio.

We listened to country music the rest of the way, neither of us wanting to talk. I felt bad that I wasn't able to tell Russ the truth, but I figured the less people who knew, the safer we'd all be.

When we got to the truck stop, I kept a wary eye out for anyone suspicious, but there was almost no one there. So Russ and I picked up some sandwiches, chips and sodas, stretched our legs a bit then hit the road again.

We made it to West LA and he pulled into a large warehouse district just before dark. Russ apologized for not being able to go further but I assured him that he'd gotten me just where I needed to be. I offered to pay him but he wouldn't hear of it.

"Nice to have a little company and reaffirm my belief that there are some decent people out there."

I ducked my head and thanked him again. I spotted a tiny, hole in the wall motel down the street and with a final good bye to Russ, headed out.

Paying cash at the motel and registering under a false name made feel a little safer and the first person I called was my Uncle Tom, Linda's dad. It took almost fifteen minutes to explain the whole situation to him and I was anxious to hear what he thought.

"Ricky, I can't tell you how relieved I am that you called me first. We all heard what had happened on the news. I'll make sure the family knows that you and Linda are okay, but no details, I promise. I'll get Jackie going on getting me the low down on this Lloyd Perry, find out where he's holed up. Now, where do you want to stay?"

I admitted that I wasn't sure yet, but I knew I had to get them back to a place where I could keep an eye on them and protect them. "Let me talk to the Captain. I'm trying to expose as few people as possible. This Perry has a lot of resources and I can't let him weasel his way out this time."

"Don't you worry, Rick – we'll get him. You just call me and I'll get you whatever you need. Do you want me to pick up DeeDee and Linda?"

"No. I gave Linda my extra gun. I need to be the one to bring them back. They've been through enough as it is."

Thanking him, I hung up and thought for a minute. I hesitated to call Captain Cain, but I had to let him know what was going on, even though I had more faith in my family's ability to get to Lloyd, than my own colleagues. He'd slipped through the system once before; what was to keep him from getting off and away again.

In the end, I decided to go ahead and call Cain. He and I weren't exactly best buds, but I had to at least give him some kind of information.

I reached into my wallet and pulled out the card with his home phone number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Cain."

"Captain – it's me, Hunter."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Uh – Captain – "

"Hunter!" Cain exploded. "Where the hell have you been? I've got half the force out looking for you!"

"What about Lloyd Perry?" I broke in.

"The other half is after him."

I could hear him take several deep breaths.

"All right, Hunter. Start talking. And I hope like hell you have a good explanation and that you know something about Steve's wife."

"She's safe. That's why I bolted. Steve's last words told me to go to her."

"Where?"

I hesitated. "Look, Captain, let me tell you what's going on. This isn't going to be easy. Lloyd talked to me before he killed Steve. He threatened me and he threatened DeeDee." I sighed and proceeded to go through the whole thing again, leaving out the safe house's location and the fact that DeeDee had delivered her baby.

"So now what?" Cain asked when I was done. "Where is DeeDee?"

"She's safe. She's with my cousin. I'm going to bring them back, but I've got to have someplace that I can guarantee their safety until Lloyd is taken care of."

For a moment, neither one of us said anything. Finally, Cain spoke up.

"Bring them here."

"What?"

"To my house," Cain told me. "No one would ever think of looking for them here."

I was flabbergasted. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. I live alone, I have a big house, security system, privacy fence and it's a gated community."

I ran it through my head trying to see if there were any holes in the plan. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a pretty good idea.

"No one at the department has to know," Cain continued. "There won't be any leaks – it'll just be you and I. Trust me, Hunter – I –do- understand what Perry is capable of and I don't want to see anything happen to Steve's widow or you. I'll call off the detail looking for you and we'll concentrate on Perry. We've got a couple of leads, but we haven't tracked him down yet. I can promise you that he left enough evidence at McCall's house to certify a guilty verdict no matter what."

"Captain – I really appreciate this." I was overwhelmed. I couldn't believe he was sticking his neck out like this.

"No thanks are necessary, Hunter. The LAPD takes care of its own. Steve McCall was tortured and killed and I intend to do everything in my power to see that the man responsible pays for that." There was an undeniable catch in Cain's voice when he spoke of Steve's death.

I winced, remembering that Cain had seen Perry's handiwork but had spared me. "Give me directions to the house. I'm going to arrange for a car to get DeeDee and Linda. I probably won't be able to get there until the morning."

Cain supplied me with detailed instructions, including the key code for the security gate. "Be careful, Rick and I'll be here when you get here. Call me if there's anything else you need."

Feeling like a load had been lifted; I hung up the phone and called my uncle back to arrange a car for me. He told me not to worry and he'd have his driver Jackie over as soon as possible. Exhausted, I laid back on the bed and fell almost instantly asleep.

Chapter 16

Captain Cain's House

Cain hung up the phone and rubbed his hands over his eyes. What a nightmare, he thought. (But at least I can do something now.) He headed for the front door to activate the security system when he heard the blast of a single gunshot and he fell to the floor. As he lay on his stomach, seeing his own blood pool around him, he was amazed that he felt no pain and furious that he'd never heard the intruder.

Suddenly, he was turned over and he found himself staring up at an all too familiar face. Unable to breathe, he could only stare up at his shooter.

"Hello, Cain. Remember me?"

Cain gasped for air, his vision fading, but he knew exactly who he was looking at.

Lloyd Perry stood over his victim, and aimed his gun at Cain's chest. "I hear you've invited Hunter over. I'm sorry you won't be around to say hi – but I promise to make him and Mrs. McCall feel right at home."

Cain was already dead when Perry pulled the trigger a second time.