Chapter Seventeen

Edward

The first I knew there was something wrong was when I got the note through the post. On the outside was a picture of a smiling cat and inside a short letter,

"I have the canary. Try to find her before I clip her wings. James will be avenged. Victoria.

I cursed, how had Victoria found Bella when I couldn't and what had she done with her? There was nothing else written on the card but there must be a clue somewhere in the note. I studied it for hours but I couldn't see what, then I turned the card over and saw the tiny printing in the corner.

Printed in Challis, Idaho.

Was that the clue? Did I need to go there? It was all I had so I took a flight out and drove to the town looking for the printing works. The town was obviously run down and tired and there was nothing obvious. No sign to a printing works so I called in at the local Post Office for directions. The clerk behind the counter had no idea what I was talking about so she called through to the back and an old-timer came through grumbling as he did so. She asked him and he started to laugh,

"Boy you are about thirty years too late. That printing works closed down about then, threw a lot of people out of work I haven't heard that name in years."

He gave me directions to the old works which hadn't yet been pulled down and I drove out sure I would find Victoria and Bella here but I was disappointed. The place was just rubble with a few structures almost standing but no sign of any human or vampire. I checked the place out but I couldn't find any clues as to where to go next so I drove back into town and found the old guy again, sitting outside the Post Office in the afternoon sun.

"You find what you were looking for?"

I shook my head,

"Sorry about that. You could try the new printing works. They tried moving to a new location but it didn't work out. After that another company took the name"

"Who? Do you remember?"

"Can't say I do, it was something to do with animals I think. Deer Leap printers I think that was it."

"Do you know where they were based?"

"Now you're asking, let me think, it was on the edge of a town I remember that. Philly I think but I don't know that they're still operating these days."

"Never mind, thanks for your help."

"No problem. Say why were you asking son?"

"I'm trying to trace someone I think might be employed by them, or connected with them in some way."

"You have a name? I might be able to help."

"Swan, Bella Swan, or Victoria but I don't know her other name."

"Oh, you a friend of Victoria? You should have said. What's your name?"

"Cullen, Edward Cullen"

"Oh right. I have something for you. Victoria left it here but said I was only to give it to a man named Cullen if he tried to trace the printing company out of the area. I almost missed you."

"Well what do you have? I'm running short on time."

The guy fumbled in his pocket and came up with a creased and dirty envelope. Victoria must have been planning this for some time. I took the envelope from him and ripped it open impatiently while he stood looking expectantly at me. Realizing he was waiting for a tip I grabbed a few dollars from my pocket and handed it over. Looking down with a smile he sauntered off happy. The note was short and sweet. Just an address in a town close to the state line. I looked at my watch and realized it was close to dusk so I set off immediately. If this was another derelict mill I might have to hunt for the next clue and all the while Bella would be in Victoria's non too caring hands. I had to find her and rescue her before Victoria got bored with her game of cat and mouse and killed her.

Jasper

I drove to the hospital just before lunch, eager to get Bella out and back to Peters where we could look after her but when I got to her room it was empty, the bed stripped and her chart gone. Finding a nurse I recognised I asked but she said that Bella had discharged herself, leaving a letter for the doctor to that effect. No one had seen her leave but she certainly wasn't in the hospital this morning. Alarm bells rang immediately, Bella wasn't mobile enough to get herself out of the hospital without being seen, even in the middle of the night. Going back into her room which had already been disinfected for the next patient I could smell another vampire and I felt myself shudder. I recognised this scent although I'd only smelled it once before, on a field during a baseball match, Victoria!

She had traced Bella here and snatched her from the hospital. Going to the window I looked out, the drop was a good one but not beyond a vampire even with a human in tow. Taking out my cell phone I rang Peter.

"Bella's gone. Remember the tale I told you about the tracker we killed in Phoenix? His mate has taken her."

"Give me ten minutes and I'll meet you"

"I'll start tracking, if she's in a vehicle we're going to have a problem."

I went out through the window scenting Bella in the alley as I stood. Her scent was noticeable until I got to the far end of the car park when it faded out, Victoria had a vehicle so which way was she likely to have gone? Peter and Char appeared a few minutes later so we split up hoping somewhat forlornly that there would be some clue as to direction. I ran for over a mile with no clue when my phone buzzed,

"Major I got a trail I think. Bella's resourceful and they're headed east."

I took off through the trees ignoring tree roots and any minor roads, I was going too fast to be seen by humans in any case.

Three miles east I caught up with Charlotte

"Peters on his way, he'll catch us up. I found this with Bella's scent."

She held up a scrap of strapping,

"Good girl Bella, lead us to you."

We couldn't go too fast in case we missed a turn off but by leapfrogging each other we were able to track fast. The trail headed east for a long time before the vehicle had obviously stopped for a while. When it started up again Bella had used the food wrappers as a trail before going back to the strapping.

"She's going to run out of strapping soon."

"Well lets hope they stop first. What worries me is that it was on her for a reason, without it she's going to be in pain."

"Better pain than untraceable or dead Major"

I guess I couldn't argue with Char on that point.

"So why didn't this Victoria just kill Bella at the hospital? Why take her away?"

"I think she's under the impression that Bella is Edwards mate and she's looking for revenge. I think she might want to kill Bella in front of him."

"Then shouldn't one of us be looking for him? Find him, we find Victoria and Bella"

"OK Peter you go see if you can trace Edwards movements."

"And just how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Do we have any idea where he was?"

"Start in Forks. Use your contacts and see if he's flown anywhere or rented a car. Come on Peter we're short on time here"

"OK, you go on. If I find anything I'll ring, if you do, check in. I'd like to meet this red-haired psycho."