Counter attack, p.12
Counter Attack, page 12
Still weaving, the SUV surged forward, dangerously close to Nathan’s pickup. Alex slammed on the brakes. Nothing.
She tried killing the motor, but it wouldn’t die. The SUV hurtled toward a bridge abutment. Jump out? It was her only choice. She fumbled for the seat belt. Why wouldn’t it release?
In desperation, Alex slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to the left again. This time the brakes held, sending the SUV spinning in a 360-degree circle. When it came to a rocking stop, she couldn’t move, not even to release the death grip she had on the steering wheel.
Nathan banged on the window. “Put it in park.”
She stared at him. What was he saying?
“The gear—shift it into park!”
She tried and it wouldn’t budge. Alex turned to Nathan. She was at her last nerve. “It won’t let me!”
“Then unlock the door.”
She pressed the button for the doors. Nothing. Alex gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. Suddenly the SUV shot backwards, the mirror almost hitting Nathan as it continued running in reverse.
She had to get out, but the door still wouldn’t unlock. The emergency brake. Maybe engaging it would stop the car. She pressed the far-left pedal as well as the brake. The car slowed only slightly, and soon the odor of burnt rubber stung her eyes.
A car approached from behind her. She sent up a prayer. Please let them get out of the way. At the last second, the car pulled over to the opposite shoulder of the road, and the driver jumped out.
Just as suddenly as the trouble began, it ended. With her foot still pressing on the brake, the SUV lurched to a stop. Nathan reached her and jerked open the door before she could get her seat belt unbuckled.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
Her hand shook as she fumbled with the seat belt. As soon as she had it unfastened, she scrambled out of the SUV on shaky legs. Nathan caught her before she hit the ground.
“I have you. Just relax.”
No way could she relax with adrenaline pumping through her the way it was. Except none of it was getting to her legs. “Help me stand a minute.”
“Do you want to sit in the Tahoe?”
“No! That thing is crazy.”
Nathan half carried her back to his pickup and lifted her up in the seat. “What do you think happened?”
“I . . . I don’t know. It’s . . . it’s like the car had a mind of its own.”
He blew out a breath. “You scared me to death.”
“Well, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
A blur appeared in her peripheral vision. Kayla.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m alive.”
“I thought you were going to plow into that car for sure.”
“What are you doing here?”
“My duplex is on the other side of the school. I was going home from work.”
Oh yeah. She remembered now.
Alex tried to swallow, but her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. “Anyone have a bottle of water?”
Nathan reached into a cooler in the back seat of his truck. “Here you go. But drink it slowly. You don’t want to get sick.”
Once she’d calmed, Nathan said, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Alex pressed her fist to her mouth and collected herself. Then she took a deep breath. “Everything was fine until we turned on this road. Then it was like someone else took over the SUV. I couldn’t get it to stop, or turn, or anything.”
He stared at her for a couple of seconds and then glanced at Kayla. “Can you stay with her a minute?”
“Sure.”
Nathan turned back to Alex. “I’ll be right back.”
She pulled his visor mirror down and watched as he jogged to her Tahoe and opened the driver door.
Kayla patted her hand. “You scared me to death. Are you sure you’re all right? Do you need to go to the ER?”
Alex forced her attention from the mirror to the young woman. “I’m not injured. No reason to go to the hospital.”
She glanced up at the mirror again. Nathan stomped toward them, his face steely and something white in his hand.
Alex stared at the small blue box he’d wrapped in his handkerchief. “What is it?”
“It’s a device that allows a computer to communicate with the operating system in the Tahoe.”
She stared wide-eyed at him. “Are you saying someone hacked into the vehicle? How?”
“I don’t know. I assumed you’d want someone to investigate ASAP so I called your CSI team.”
That’s exactly what she would have done, but why didn’t he wait? It was her call to make.
“I made the call because this happened in the Pearl Springs city limits. Technically, it’s my case, but your CSI agents are better equipped.”
Once again it was like he’d read her mind.
“Oh, wow!” Kayla said. “Can someone, like, really hack into a car?”
“Evidently,” Alex muttered. “I appreciate you stopping, but you don’t have to wait around with me. I’m sure you have things to do.”
Kayla blinked. “Not really, but if you don’t want me to hang around, I’ll leave.” She turned and started to her little car.
Alex felt a little guilty and called after her. “Kayla, listen, I really appreciate what you did in Chattanooga. But I can take care of myself.”
Kayla shot her a doubtful look, then she shrugged. “Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will, I promise. And thanks again.” Alex had hurt the girl’s feelings, but she had things she wanted to discuss with Nathan in private. Once Kayla drove away, Alex turned to Nathan. “Don’t miss your chance to catch those drug dealers. The CSI team will be here soon—I’ll be fine.”
His jaw jutted. “Someone just tried to kill you. They hacked into your vehicle and took control of it. If you’d been on Highway 14 when this happened, it could’ve been an entirely different story.”
His words sent a cold chill over Alex. Highway 14 had two-hundred-foot drop-offs on the side of the road. Why was someone doing this to her? “Do you think it’s the killer?”
“Who else would it be?” he said, his voice grim.
“How did they get access to the SUV? It’s been sitting in my grandparents’ carport since ten o’clock this morning.”
“The carport is detached and not really close to the house. Anyone could have slipped through the woods that run along your grandparents’ property line and broken into it.”
“But it was locked.”
He held up the blue box. “Anyone who has something this sophisticated would not have any trouble getting past door locks. In the future, you have to check every electronic port to make sure you can’t be hacked.”
Alex didn’t know where to even look for an electronic device much less know where all the electronic ports were.
But she would learn.
29
Nathan stayed with Alexis until her CSI team arrived, and when she tried to smother a yawn, he said, “Come on, I’m taking you home.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving until they process my SUV, and then I’m driving it home. You”—she tapped his chest—“need to get to the high school and be ready to spy on some drug dealers when they arrive.”
Stubborn woman. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Nathan, I’m a sworn officer of the law with twelve years’ training.” She eyed him with a pointed look. “I can handle this.”
“I know you can.” Somewhere down deep, he wanted her to need him, but she never had and probably never would.
“I would come with you, but—”
“No—you’re needed here. I hope they can find a fingerprint . . . or something that will give us a clue to whoever did this.”
Alexis glanced toward the SUV. “I wouldn’t count on it. This person is too slick to make that kind of mistake. And it’s most likely the person who’s been killing those poor women.”
His phone chimed with a text. His CI, letting him know the dealers were on their way. Nathan texted back a thumbs-up.
“Your confidential informant?”
He nodded.
“Then go. You might not get another chance to get information like this.”
Still he hesitated. He hated leaving her, not knowing whether there was another interface on her SUV. He opened the screen on his phone and tapped on an icon. “Download the app I just sent you, then accept the invite to share your location with me. That way I’ll know you made it home safely without bothering you. Or at least that your phone made it home.”
For a second he thought she was going to refuse. “Will it allow me to know where you are?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then.” She grinned. “That might be useful information to have.”
Her phone chimed with the name of the app. She downloaded it, then accepted his invite to share her location with him, and he reciprocated.
“I’ll check the app later to see that you made it home okay.”
“Thanks. And you be careful.”
“I will.” Dealing with drug dealers tended to make a person careful. Nathan checked the time. Nine fifteen. Time to get in place. He jogged to his pickup and a few minutes later approached the rendezvous point. His headlights flashed across a Ford Mustang backed into an alley between the gymnasium and school building.
He idled his motor while the lanky J. R. Whittaker unfolded from the car. It never ceased to amaze Nathan when a man well over six foot drove a car the size of the Mustang.
“Where you been?” J. R.’s deep baritone quizzed him as he climbed into the pickup.
“Had a little trouble on another case. Have you seen any action yet?”
“Nah, but I don’t expect anyone until closer to ten. They’re meeting outside the field house. Probably be a good idea to park your truck nearby and walk to the railroad track and hide on the other side.”
“I thought everything was locked up at night.”
J. R. shook his head. “I’m sure it is, but there’s no gate on the road to the field house.”
Nathan pictured the area. The railroad track was built up higher than the surrounding land and ran parallel to the field house road. Less than fifty feet separated the two. The other side of it would be a good place to hide, and they’d be able to see who came and hear what was said.
Nathan sandwiched his truck between two school buses and grabbed his camera before he climbed out. His phone was good for some pictures, but this late, he’d need his telephoto lens. Just as he walked out from the buses, headlights turned in to the school.
It was too late to step back into the shadows. He unsnapped the retention strap on his holster and pulled his Glock just as the SUV rolled to a stop. The passenger door opened, and Alexis stepped out and walked toward him. She’d put her hair in a ponytail and wore a Russell County sheriff’s department cap.
“You almost gave me a heart attack.” He folded his arms over his chest. “What are you doing here?”
First she waved the driver of the SUV on, then turned to him with a grin as she held up her phone. “Just checking to see if that app works, and it does.”
“I thought you were staying with your SUV while they checked it out.”
“Dylan wanted to take it in to the garage where they could take their time going over it. Instead of taking me home, I had him drop me here.”
“Good.” He looked over her shoulder as J. R. stepped out of the shadows and walked toward them. “Meet J. R., my contact,” Nathan said.
Alexis turned and stiffened. Then she turned to him and scowled. “This is your informant?” she asked, loud enough for J. R. to hear.
“Yes.” He looked from her to J. R., who was approaching and looked as puzzled as Nathan felt. “Hold up a minute,” he said to J. R. “Alexis and I need to discuss something.” He pulled her a few feet away. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s Houdini,” she hissed under her breath.
“Hou—the man at the bar?”
“Yes. Reggie.”
Hoo-boy. Nathan tried to recall exactly what Kayla and Alexis had said about him. Something about him being a creep. But that had nothing to do with the here and now. “I need you to work with him. He has information I need.”
She pressed her lips together and gave him a curt nod. Nathan motioned for J. R. to join them. “I think you two know each other? Maybe under different names, so let me make the introduction. J. R. Whittaker, Alexis Stone. She’s chief deputy to the sheriff here. Prior to that she worked undercover in Chattanooga, and I believe you two met at the Lemon Tree.”
J. R. stared at Alexis, then his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “Short leather skirt, low-cut top, red stilettos. You certainly look different now.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Well, you don’t, Reggie. I knew that wasn’t your name.”
“Au contraire. J. R.—James Reginald Whittaker.”
Nathan eyed Alexis. “Can you two work together?”
“Of course I can work with him. It’ll be no different than doing undercover work.”
“Same here,” J. R. said.
“Good. Then mute your phones and let’s go. We need to get on the other side of the football field.”
J. R. tipped his head. “Lead the way.”
He led the way toward the railroad track, glancing around in the pale light of the full moon. Nathan felt exposed and veered farther away from the field house, keeping in the shadows of the buildings, then the trees that lined the railroad track. Finally they crossed it and scrambled down the embankment. They were a good thousand feet up the track from where they needed to be, and quietly made their way to a spot straight across from the field house.
“I wish we could get inside the field house,” he said.
“Too risky,” J. R. said. “Do you plan to arrest them tonight?”
“No. I want to see who the players are, get a few photos so we can identify them. Then we’ll make a plan on the best way to shut them down.”
Half an hour later they watched from their lair on the other side of the railroad tracks as a car entered the gravel drive to the field house. A Jeep Cherokee. Probably the lawyer’s kid. He snapped photos of the vehicle, then zoomed in on the license plate. It had mud smeared over it. He took a picture anyway.
Three teenage boys spilled out of the car, and J. R. nudged him. Ethan Kennedy, Cole McNeil, and Mason Garrett—the boys J. R. named in the note a month ago. Nathan had been right about who the Jeep belonged to—the lawyer’s son was the driver. Nathan quickly snapped their photos.
A few minutes later, another vehicle, a dark Escalade, entered the drive and inched toward the field house. Probably the dealers. Boy, he wished there were a light at the field house. At least the full moon helped.
Nathan didn’t recognize the three men who climbed out of the SUV. Two of them wore suits that were tailored to fit muscular men. The third man was lean and stood a head taller than the other two. Probably the leader and the other two were security.
He zoomed in on their faces and snapped more photos. All three were Caucasian and hard-looking. J. R. had said in his phone call that they were Russian, and they had an eastern European look to them.
Another person exited the SUV, and Nathan caught his breath. It was the fourth person Reggie had listed on the note.
“Do you know him?” Alexis asked, keeping her voice low.
“Trevor Martin, a known drug dealer around here,” Nathan whispered, gripping the camera. He wished it was the dealer’s neck. How did the teens get mixed up with the likes of him?
The group’s voices reached them, and Nathan pointed the camera at the one he thought was the leader and pressed the button, snapping several shots individually and then all the players together. He was anxious to see what the boys’ parents would have to say about their kids’ activities.
“Are you crazy?” The leader’s voice carried in the night air. There was barely a hint of a European accent. “This is a setup waiting to happen.”
“Hardly. This is the perfect place to meet—isolated, and I’ve made sure we won’t be disturbed.” The local drug dealer rubbed his thumb and fingers together. “Besides, it’s not like I can bring them to you.”
So the dealer was the one who set up the meeting. Nathan would like to know who he was paying off to look the other way. Beside him, Alexis took in a quick breath. “What?” he whispered. She was looking over her shoulder and he followed her gaze.
Kayla?
30
Alex gritted her teeth. It would be a miracle if Kayla didn’t get them caught. “What are you doing here?” Alex whispered. “I thought you were going home.”
“I was, but I was worried about you so I followed you. What are you doing here?”
Alex looked over her shoulder to see if there’d been any change at the field house. The drug dealers were still talking. “It’s a long story. Just try to stay out of sight and be quiet.”
A car door slammed, and they all turned toward the field house. The SUV circled and drove toward the main road while the Jeep stayed behind. Alex watched while Nathan snapped several more photos as the drug dealer held out his hand, and whatever he said was lost.
It was evident what he’d said when each of the teens counted out cash in his hand. He turned to go and called over his shoulder, “Meet me here tomorrow night at ten to pick up your next supply.”
“You sure there won’t be no cops?”
Nathan leaned closer to Alex. “The kid is Jonathan Kennedy’s son.”
“The attorney?”
He nodded grimly.
“You don’t have to worry about any cops. I’ve got that taken care of.”
Another of the boys spoke up. “Want us to drop you off somewhere?”
He shook his head. “Somebody’s picking me up in a few minutes. You boys better get home before you’re grounded—it’s a school night.”
The teens left first, and once they were out of sight, the drug dealer walked toward the main drag. A few minutes later, a white Lexus picked him up. Alex strained to see the driver. “Can you tell who’s in the Lexus?”
