Ch. 16: Descent
Sheridan police were on the scene when Walt pulled up and he was stopped at the door by an officer who held up a hand. Walt's patience had plummeted to zero at this point.
"Sorry, sir, you can't come in. This is a possible crime scene."
Walt shook his head.
"Possible crime scene? My wife…my wife was here. She works here. I need to see her."
"Sir…"
Walt pressed his luck.
"No! Listen to me…my wife works here. Your department was called by the Sheriff of Cumberland County. He's behind me. Was she here when you got here? Is she hurt?"
The officer gave him a long look.
"There wasn't anyone here when we arrived. Hang…hang on."
He held up one finger indicating that Walt should wait. The officer shouldered his way through the cops milling around and disappeared inside. Walt surveyed the street. He spotted Vic's SUV sitting there.
Empty.
If she wasn't here now, that couldn't be good.
The officer reappeared with an evidence bag in his hand. He held it up and towards Walt.
"Do you recognize this?"
Walt stared at the bag. It contained an obviously busted cell phone. Vic's phone.
"That's her phone."
The officer lowered the bag.
"Did you find anything else?"
The young man was quiet. Walt took a breath.
"Son, I know how this works. I'm the former Sheriff of Absaroka County. My daughter, Cady Longmire, is the current Sheriff. I need to know what is going on?"
The officer nodded, still looking unsure as to how much he should say.
"I was the first officer on the scene. When we arrived, the door was unlocked. We answered a call of a possible burglary here earlier, but whoever it was didn't get in. There wasn't anyone here. Just the phone. You're sure that your wife was here?"
Walt nodded and pointed.
"That's her car."
The officer nodded.
"We'll check it…"
Walt turned away from him in time to see Carson Cooper pull up and park sideways on the street. He was out and headed Walt's way. Walt met him halfway.
"She's not here."
Walt was fighting for every inch of self-control.
"What about Zeke?"
Walt shook his head.
"They said no one was here. But, Vic's phone was. It's smashed. This isn't…"
He stopped and swallowed.
Cooper looked at the building.
"I still can't get Zeke. I gave them a description of his vehicle. The HP should be looking for it by now."
"I need to get out there and look for her."
Cooper took his arm.
"You don't know where he's going, Walt. You can't just start driving around and hoping for the best."
"I can't sit here either."
"Walt…"
"If it was Cady, what would you do?"
Cooper sighed.
"I'm not saying go home and sit on your hands. I'm saying we need to make informed choices here."
Cooper's words did nothing to quell the sense of urgency that he was feeling. Every minute that he stood around was more minute he could be looking for Vic.
"We have no information."
Cooper tugged at his arm, pulling him away from the building and the police.
"That's not entirely true. I was listening to the scanner on my way here. I haven't heard about them finding the truck yet, but there was a report of a similar vehicle heading west. I think that's our play here."
"Our?"
Cooper glanced at the Bronco.
"You're gonna get pulled over in that. Let's take mine."
Walt hated giving up that kind of control. But, Cooper was right. He had lights on his and the ID to back it up if he was pulled over. It would give them access and speed that he didn't have. He still wasn't entirely on board.
"I don't want to get you in trouble."
"I'm not worried about jurisdiction."
"Me either. But…"
Walt glanced around at the scene that was playing out.
"…if he's hurt her, if he's…"
He paused and cleared his throat.
"I will kill him."
To his credit, Cooper didn't flinch at Walt's statement. That's exactly what it was and Walt meant every word of it. If Zeke had done something to her, Walt would not allow him to walk away unscathed. Cooper held the eye contact.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we need to find Vic. Our chances are better together."
Walt exhaled and pushed away the fears that were nipping at the back of her mind. If Zeke simply wanted her dead, she would have been at the office. He would have done it. Instead, he took her. There had to be a reason for that.
That was what Walt told himself.
That was what he wanted to believe.
He nodded to Cooper, turning away from the scene.
"Let's go."
The local PD could do their job. He would do his.
xxx
"One thing that always bugged me about you, Moretti, was your mouth. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but it's just not attractive for a woman to talk like a man. Guess that's not uncommon back east."
Jim Wilkins took Vic by her right wrist and pulled her away from the truck. He leaned in and studied her, bringing one hand up and touching the side of her face. Her face must have been red where Zeke hit her earlier.
"You must have mouthed off one too many times. I don't hold with hitting women. Usually."
Vic jerked her face away from him.
"Don't touch me."
He gave her a grim smile.
"Don't worry about that. I suppose I can see the attraction for Walt, or for most men. If your attitude holds over to other aspects of your life, I'm sure it's quite the experience. I just prefer my women a little easier to get along with."
"Must be why you're single."
He huffed out a breath.
"Come on. We need to get out of here."
She attempted to jerk loose from his grasp.
"We…we knew this was you. Bastard!"
Wilkins held her with one hand and reached into his pocket with another. He withdrew a bandana and held it up.
"This is what happens when you won't shut up. Remember that this was your fault."
With that, he used the bandana to gag her, tying it tightly behind her head. Vic tried to pull her head away to no avail. Wilkins pulled on her again.
"Let's go."
He took her arm and pulled her harder than before leaving her no choice but to go with him. She twisted her head to the side and managed to catch one last glimpse of Zeke laying off to the side of his truck. The headlights were still on. She hoped someone would find the truck sooner rather than later.
Her curiosity of where they were going was answered quickly when Wilkins led her to a different car, a sedan, and opened the passenger door. He shoved her in, her head thumping against the car as he did so. She heard the lock click as he slammed the door and quickly made his way around to the driver's seat.
Wilkins hit the gas and they started off.
Vic let her head fall back and rest against the seat. Her head hurt. Her face still hurt. Now her mouth and throat were starting to hurt thanks to her gag. Her hopes of being found quickly had taken a massive hit. They would be looking for Zeke and his truck. She doubted it would take them very long to find it sitting as it was. But, no one knew what she was in now. No one knew who she was with now.
Walt might suspect it. He didn't know for sure.
She still didn't have any idea what in the hell was going on. Not really. It was obvious that both Zeke and Wilkins were involved in this somehow. To what extent and what roles they played she didn't know.
She turned her head slightly to look towards Wilkins. He was driving with one hand and looked reasonably relaxed considering he just killed a man. It certainly lent credibility to the idea that he might have been the one to kill Garrett Perry.
"See? Your company's not so bad when you have less to say. Guess your husband doesn't mind the mouthiness. Or, maybe he tolerates it. You ever ask yourself how a man could fall for two such different women. Walt's first wife…she was different. More what we expect from a wife around here. He was so devoted to her, too. I never thought he would remarry. Kind of makes me wonder, you know? Guess it's a trade-off. Maybe he realized he'll never truly love another woman so he found one that satisfies his urges if you know what I mean."
He looked at her, their eyes meeting.
Checking to see if his words hit their intended mark.
Wilkins turned his eyes back to the road.
"I suppose you're fine with knowing he'll never care about you the way that he did her. "
Vic turned her face to the window. She had about a dozen replies, but couldn't voice them.
"I suppose that women like you take what they can get."
Vic kept her eyes focused on the window. He was needling her, trying to provoke a reaction. She was determined not to give him one. There was time it would have bothered her. He wasn't entirely wrong. She knew the kind of love that Walt carried for Martha. She knew that he would always have that love. Now, with all that had passed between them, she knew the two loves were not comparable. She and Martha were different people. Walt was a different man.
"No smart comment?"
Vic kept her eyes averted.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
Vic swallowed and cut her eyes at Wilkins. He smiled at her.
"Looks that way."
Vic shook her head and looked out the front windshield.
Vic took a breath in an attempt to steady her nerves. They had changed directions. He had backtracked for a ways and headed back in the general direction of Absaroka. She didn't believe he would do that. Too many people would be looking for them. He must have some destination in mind based on the way he was driving.
She let her gaze move down to her hands. They were tight and she highly doubted she could free herself without something to cut the zip tie with or on. The door was locked and a look at the speedometer told her that Wilkins was going over sixty-five. Jumping wasn't an option.
"I will tell you…"
He started again and Vic looked at him.
"…this isn't personal. Not directly. Granted, I've never liked you. But, this isn't about you. It's about your husband and your…what is he? Step son in law?"
Wilkins made a face.
"That what you call him?"
Cooper.
He meant Cooper. This was about Walt and Cooper and what Wilkins perceived he lost.
"It's just…you were the easier one to go after. And…hurting Walt doesn't hurt Walt as much as hurting the people he cares about. Thinking about him stewing over this is…well you get the picture.
She was, indeed, getting the picture.
She was a pawn in a sick game.
But Zeke?
Vic closed her eyes. Wilkins was still talking. His words were blurry to her, though.
"…you what they say about the best laid plans."
She opened her eyes and looked at Wilkins.
Bastard.
xxx
"Would it do me any good to ask you not to kill anyone?"
Walt didn't like riding shotgun. He liked being in the driver's seat both figuratively and literally. He also didn't like this conversation. He did not take such matters lightly. Life wasn't a movie. That didn't mean he wasn't willing in situations where it seemed necessary.
"Depends."
"On?"
It was dark in the cab and all he could see was Cooper's profile against the window.
"What he's done to Vic."
That would not be up for discussion. His hope was that she was fine in all of this. Unfortunately, his life experience kept him from being an optimistic person. In his past, the worst case scenario was frequently the one that he was forced to deal with.
He had to play with the hand that he was dealt.
"Do you really think Zeke would hurt her?"
"Did you really think you would ever have to ask me that?"
"Fair enough."
It hadn't ever occurred to him that the person in their lives who betrayed them was one of the people who was supposedly helping them. Had helped them in the past. Walt didn't know the entire story. There was a chance that he might never know it all, but he would like an explanation for how this happened.
How this man came into their lives and took up residence as someone they considered a friend, yet turned on them.
Why?
"You're quiet."
He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in his own thoughts. He wasn't paying attention to the time. Time was a concept that only mattered in terms of how fast he could find Vic. The actual numbers on the clock didn't mean anything to him.
Not right now.
"Just…thinking."
Unfortunately, it was all he had to do just then.
"Something you want to talk about?"
Walt didn't respond immediately. He didn't even look at Cooper. His eyes were aimed out the windshield at some unseen point he couldn't have named if asked. Vic would tell him it was just like him to retreat into his own mind and that he shouldn't be that way.
She was usually right about it. She was also the best at pulling him out of those moods.
He could sense the hesitance in Cooper. At the end of the day, Cooper was his son in law. He was family. That didn't mean that Cooper was someone he normally confided in. That role was mostly reserved for the person who wasn't here.
Or Henry.
"I didn't see this coming."
Should he have?
Vic would roll her eyes and tell him that he wasn't psychic.
"No one did, Walt. We all trusted him. Hell, I'm the one who helped Vic get the job. That would make me more responsible than anyone. I've known Zeke for years and I didn't see this coming. You can't predict everything."
Cooper's voice was quiet and steady. He kept his eyes on the road.
Walt was smart enough to know there was some truth in the words. That was what his brain told him. His heart told him a different story. It was his job to keep her safe. It was his job to protect her. In that respect, he failed her.
When he didn't reply, Cooper did give him a quick look.
"We'll find her."
Cooper was trying to reassure him. He recognized that. The problem was that had lived out this scenario before. Not this one exactly. But, one where he was unable to help the woman that he loved. It was something similar that took Martha away from him. This wasn't the first time Vic had been in harm's way. With her plan to return to work as a deputy, it likely wouldn't be the last.
What if they didn't find her?
What if they found her too late?
It was these questions that paralyzed him.
"Yeah."
Walt blinked and forced himself back into the present.
"Anything on the scanner?"
He hadn't really been listening. He should have.
Cooper shook his head.
"Not yet. But, if he's headed this way and still on the main road, then we're behind them. HP is setting up roadblocks and have all their guys looking. Everyone is doing everything that they can."
As if on cue, Cooper's cell phone rang. He answered it and Walt listened to one side of the conversation that consisted of mostly one word answers. Something in Cooper shifted as he ended the call and set his phone on the console.
"They have a report of a truck that matches the description on the side of the road. Sending out units."
"We close?"
"Cooper nodded?"
"Yep."
He pressed his foot harder on the gas and the vehicle lurched forward slightly. Walt sat up straighter in his seat and, not for the first time, wondered how far he was willing to go in a given situation.
The answer was the same as it always had been.
As far as it took.
xxx
She was completely disoriented at this point.
Wilkins had turned off the main road about a half hour before. In the darkness, and lacking familiarity with the area, she didn't know where they were. She wasn't sure she could even guess beyond the general area.
The road they were on now was bumpy and not paved. The crunch beneath the tires told her it was gravel. They bumped along at a slower speed. Wilkins had mercifully stopped talking to her. For that, she was grateful. Unless he was explaining what in the hell was going, she wasn't interested in anything he had to say.
Their destination came into view.
A cabin.
Not a rundown one either. God knows she'd seen her fair share of dilapidated hunting camps out in the Wyoming wilderness. This one was set in an area that opened up with tall trees falling back to create a half moon of meadow. Once the headlights hit it, she thought it looked nice enough to be an Airbnb.
What she could see of it anyway.
Wilkins cut the engine and got out. He moved around the car and opened Vic's door, pulling her out.
"C'mon."
He kept his hand on her back, steering her to the door. Wilkins unlocked the door and went in. The lights were off, making it impossible to see the rooms or furnishings until she was led to the kitchen and pressed into a seat at the kitchen table. Wilkins flipped on the lights and glanced around. On the wall near what she assumed to be the back of the cabin was a single window and a refrigerator. He pulled it open and took out a bottle of water. The sight of the water immediately reminded her of how thirsty she was with the gag in her mouth.
Wilkins looked her way as he drank from the bottle. Lowering the water bottle, he set it on the counter and pulled another one from the fridge. He placed it on the table in front of her and removed the gag, letting it hang loosely around her neck.
"Drink something."
She didn't need to be told twice.
Wilkins uncapped the water and she lifted it with her bound hands to her mouth. She drank half the bottle in three gulps before lowering it. Wilkins was watching her with clear thought. She cleared her raw throat.
"What?"
He shrugged.
"Trying to figure out what to do with you. This isn't how this was supposed to play out."
Vic set the bottle down.
"How was this supposed to play out? With me going to prison for a crime I didn't commit?"
"That was the plan. Now, that's all blown to hell."
"I'd like to say I'm sorry. But, I'm not."
He gave her a long look.
"You might be before this is over."
Vic eyed him. In spite of what he was possibly insinuating, she felt oddly calm.
"Are you going to kill me?"
He grimaced slightly.
"I would rather not. I don't consider myself a murderer."
"Did you kill Garrett Perry?"
Something in his expression told him that she might have hit on something.
"Do you really think I'm dumb enough to stand here and confess to you?"
Vic shrugged. He paced around the kitchen. Vic looked around the kitchen trying to find something that could help her situation. The room was sparsely furnished. Unless there was something in the drawers, there didn't appear to be any knives.
She turned her attention back to Wilkins.
"All this because you lost an election?"
He stilled.
"This isn't about an election. This is about my reputation. Everything that I've lost because of Walt Longmire and Carson Cooper."
"Your marriage?"
He made a face.
"My marriage had been over for some time. We just hadn't taken care of the formalities. This is about my job. My livelihood."
"So money."
Against her better judgement, she rolled her eyes.
"Everything that I built for my retirement. A retirement that Walt got to have even though he doesn't deserve it."
"How does he not deserve it? He served his county for years."
"He stunted his county for years. Now, his daughter is in charge and her husband is in charge of my county."
Vic shook her head.
"They're good honest people and you just can't stand that. "
Wilkins made a sound in his throat.
"They're the kind of people who block progress. I would think that someone from Philadelphia would understand that. I would also think that a man who already lost one wife to a misguided crusade would know better."
Vic felt anger surge up in her.
"You are a bastard."
He shrugged.
"Maybe. Walt spent years holding his county back, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong, and using his office to pursue personal grudges. Yet, you see him as a good man."
"He is a good man. He's a man who follows his conscious and not dollars. That's more than I can say for you."
He studied her.
"You really have drank the Kool-Aid, haven't you? You ever stop and think about how different your life would be if you had gotten a job at a good department. Hell, I might have hired you."
Vic shook her head.
"I wouldn't have worked for you. You want to talk about using your office for personal grudges, look in a fucking mirror."
"You're not really in a position to judge me. You do realize I'm the one in charge here. I decide if you walk out of here, or if they find your body. Maybe you should give that some thought."
Vic stared him down.
"Maybe you should give that some thought."
She took a breath after tossing his words back at him.
"He'll kill you. You know that."
"I'm not afraid of Walt Longmire."
Vic shrugged.
"You should be."
xxx
Any hope that sparked inside of him was snuffed out just as quickly.
The truck was easy enough to find. It sat on the side of the road with its headlights still illuminating the road ahead of it. Cooper pulled up behind it, his headlights offering further visibility. It was obvious from the moment they looked at it that the truck was empty. They drew their weapons anyway.
Walt studied the ground as he approached the truck.
"He pulled off in a hurry."
The dead grass was torn up where the truck made a quick exit from the road, tire tracks pressed into the dirt. Cooper nodded as he walked up beside him.
"Yep. Wonder why?"
Walt continued to look at the ground.
"Vic. Maybe."
He could see it. She was certainly capable of causing some damage. Vic was not one to sit idly by and accept what was happening to her. The injuries she sustained during her experience with Chance Gilbert were testaments to her instinct to fight back. It was why she was in worse shape than Sean once they were freed.
Walt pushed the memory down. There was no time for that.
"You think she got away?"
Walt looked out across the dark landscape. Like many places in Wyoming, this could correctly be referred to as the middle of nowhere. The idea didn't feel right.
"You got a flashlight in your truck?"
Cooper holstered his sidearm and nodded.
"Yep. Have a couple."
While Cooper went to retrieve the flashlights, Walt slid his Colt back into his holster. It was both a familiar and foreign feeling. Cooper returned and passed him a light. Walt aimed it at the ground and walked carefully around the truck. He noted how Cooper stayed behind him, trying to watch his step.
Walt stopped as he came around the side.
"Damn."
There, sprawled face first on the ground, was Zeke. Walt studied him, noting the pair of entry wounds in his back. Cooper knelt down and felt Zeke's neck. He looked up at Walt.
"He's dead."
Walt nodded.
That much was painfully obvious. One of the bullets would have likely hit his heart, the other possibly a lung. If he survived the immediate aftermath, he wouldn't have lasted long without medical care.
"Do you think Vic did this?"
Walt's eyes were on the ground, his flashlight moving slowly.
"No. She was…"
He motioned.
"…here. He was shot from back there. Someone else…a man did this."
"You can tell that from prints?"
Walt nodded and gestured.
"Yep. These are Vic's."
He retraced her steps.
"It looks like Zeke was facing her when he was shot. The other man…"
He moved around the body.
"…came from this way."
Walt shook his head. He started to shine the light around the ground. Cooper joined him.
"You think they took her?"
He nodded.
"Her tracks lead off the road. If they were going to kill her then, they would have done it here. Left her to be found."
He was trying unsuccessfully to detach himself.
His light hit something shiny and Walt knelt down. He picked up the items with a clink.
"Her keys."
"You're sure?"
Walt slipped the keys into his pocket.
"Yep. They're hers. Probably fell out of her pocket."
He tried to resist the images of someone grabbing her and handling her in a manner that would cause her keys to fall out of her pocket. It was possible that Vic dropped the keys intentionally But, the steps he was seeing were chaotic. She probably wouldn't have had time. It was more probable that they fell out unnoticed. Still, it was a sign that she was here. A physical link. The fact that she wasn't here told him that whoever took her didn't want her dead. At least, not yet.
That was something.
She left this spot alive.
Walt left the scene and walked down the road. Cooper stayed by the truck, starting to look through it's contents. Walt kept his light on the ground, his eyes searching. Up the road, he found a spot where another car pulled over. He could almost see the scene play out in his head.
The unknown man pulled up and used the darkness to circle around behind Zeke who was facing Vic and the road. After shooting Zeke twice, the man took Vic and pulled off. Unfortunately, with the car pulling back onto the road, Walt couldn't be sure what direction they took.
He inhaled a deep breath of the cold night air.
There was nothing concrete.
There was still the possibility that Wilkins was involved, but no evidence of that for sure. Walt started an arc, trying to trace the unknown man. It was obvious he knew what he was doing. Zeke was smart, but he might have been distracted. He continuously moved his light over the ground.
"Hey, Walt."
Walt turned to see Cooper emerging from the truck. Walt lifted his flashlight and started towards Cooper. Three steps in and he felt something hit his foot. He paused and peered down.
A phone.
Walt carefully picked the phone up from the dead, low brush as he continued to Cooper. He held it up.
"There's a phone over here."
Cooper's interest was piqued.
"Does it work?"
Walt tapped the screen that was now cracked.
"Yep. It's locked."
Cooper joined him, an item in his hand.
"Think it's Zeke's?"
"It's possible. What have you got?"
Cooper held up an item.
"There was a map in the glove box."
They walked around the truck and Cooper spread the map out over the hood. Both men studied it, looking for any markings that might tell them something. Anything. Walt reached out and tapped a spot.
"We're just about here. There's no route marked."
Cooper nodded as he leaned in.
"No, but check this out."
In the top corner there were numbers scribbled out.
"That's…that's a location using longitude and latitude."
"Yes, it is."
Cooper fished for his own phone and it lit up. Walt watched him.
"What're you doing?"
"If I can put those numbers in, I can get an approximate location. Save us some time."
Walt mused as Cooper typed away.
"Guess these things are more useful that I thought."
Copper's head bobbed.
"They do come in handy."
He frowned.
"Signal is weak."
Walt let his gaze wander up. It was turning out to be a clear night with stars sprawled out across the sky. Stars that were too high for the human eye to truly perceive. Were he a praying man, he might have prayed in that moment.
"Got it!"
His attention was pulled back to Cooper who was looking back at the map. He traced the line with his finger.
"Here."
"What's there?"
Cooper looked at him.
"Maybe Vic."
"Maybe."
It was a lead, he supposed. Although, it was entirely possible this map had nothing to do with what was going on.
Cooper held up his phone.
"I need to call this in. Let them know we have a body."
"We don't know what's there."
"I know. But, we need to let the locals know. HP is already on the way."
Walt started to argue, but nodded instead. He didn't respond. He looked back at the map, committing the location to memory. He could hear Cooper talking on the phone now, turning his back to Walt. Walt glanced at Cooper and started away at a slow walk.
It might not be anything. But, it could be.
He tossed Cooper one more look and sped up his walk. Cooper turned just as Walt slipped behind the wheel of his vehicle and lowered his phone.
"Walt!"
Walt ignored him and pulled the door closed, turning the key. Before Cooper could reach him, he hit the gas and pulled off.
xxx
Cady was back in her office. She had gotten touch with Ruby, who agreed to come and stay with Julian and Anna. The sleeping children didn't even know what was going on. Cady had checked on them before she left to find both in their beds and still.
Now, in the quiet office, she was manning the phones and trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She had been hoping that Cooper would call her. She knew that her father would not. He would be far too fixated on going after Vic. She knew how relentless he was when those he cared about were in danger.
That was what scared her.
What worried her.
Between calls to different agencies, she had managed to piece together what was happening.
Whitlock blew in a few minutes after her and busied himself on calls that he wasn't sharing with her. Not yet, anyway. If this were true, it would mean a seismic shift in his case. It would also likely clear Vic. Now, she was the victim. Cady was having a hard time wrapping her mind around all of this.
Vic had been taken by Zeke.
That much she knew.
Where they were now and the why were mysteries to her. She could only assume that all of this was somehow connected. From her office door, she could see Whitlock pacing the office with his phone attached to his ear.
Her attention was drawn when her own phone rang. Her cell phone. Cady grabbed it and stood up at the same time. She answered it as she walked around her desk in order to push her door closed. She didn't relish the idea of Whitlock hearing her conversation. Not until she knew what was going on.
It was Cooper.
"Hey."
"Zeke is dead."
He skipped any normal phone greetings, cutting right to the matter at hand. Cady felt her stomach lurch slightly.
"Dead?"
"Yeah. Your dad and I found his truck. The highway patrol is here now looking over the scene."
"How?"
She heard Cooper shift the phone.
"Shot. In the back."
Cady felt more shock reverberate through her. This entire night was turning into one wave of surprise after another. She wondered how much more was coming. She wondered how much more they could stomach.
"Vic?"
There was a brief moment of silence when all she could hear was his breathing as well as a distant talking in the background. The police, she assumed, working the scene.
"She's not here."
More silence as Cady waited. She simultaneously wanted him to get to the point and did not. The truth was, she was afraid to hear it. There was no way around it, though. Nothing to do except hear it.
"It looks like whoever shot Zeke took her."
Vic closed her eyes briefly. She felt light headed and off balance.
She swallowed and cleared her throat in an attempt to maintain some semblance of professionalism. Right now was not the time for a chink in her armor.
There was more commotion in the background and it sounded like Cooper was walking away, putting some distance between himself and the active investigation.
"We found a map with a possible location. But…"
His voice faded and Cady felt the dread that already existed rise.
"What is it?"
Her voice grew taut. Cooper took a breath.
"Walt took my truck."
He pushed the words out in a hurry. Cady stared at nothing.
"He what?"
Another breath.
"He took my truck?"
"What do you mean he took it?"
"I mean exactly what I said. He took it and left me here."
"That's…"
Cady paused to gather herself, her mind starting to reel.
"…oh my God. That's not good."
She knew as well as anyone the streak of vengeance that her father was capable of possessing under the right circumstances. It was not a new road for him to travel. If he thought it necessary, he would be more than willing to take the law into his own hands. He would be willing and ready take the life of anyone he deemed a threat to those he loved. While it was an admirable quality, it could also be a source of fear and concern when those scales tipped far enough in the write direction.
Or, the wrong one.
"He doesn't even know who he's going after. Or…what he's walking into."
"No, he doesn't."
Cady closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus.
"Can you get a car and go after him?"
"I…I don't know. I'll have to ask around. This is a crime scene so…"
He paused.
"…I can give you the location. I would suggest getting someone there as quick as you can."
"Right."
Cady grabbed a pen and jotted down what Cooper told her.
She heard a creak and looked up to see Whitlock standing in her now fully open doorway. He was watching her with curious eyes. Cady met his gaze. After a few seconds, she shifted her eyes away and looked down at her desk. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the man. While she recognized that he was trying to do his job, his vision had been extremely short-sighted so far.
Oddly enough, this might be exactly what they needed in order to clear Vic. She just wondered how it would end and if it would even matter by the time this was all said and done.
She cleared her throat.
"Keep me posted if you hear anything."
He got the clue that she needed to end the call.
"Sure. Same."
Cady felt her lips curve up just a bit.
"Of course."
She ended the call without saying anything else and tucked her phone into her pocket. Whitlock crossed the threshold and came all the way in.
"Any news?"
Cady sighed and wondered how much she should reveal. Her graze dropped to the scribbled location that Cooper had just given her. Looking back up at Whitlock, she nodded.
"Yeah."