Part 18 (2/2)
”Another vision,” she told him. ”Must call Jacob. Now.” Her fingers twitched.
”d.a.m.n!” Dallas carried her through the house to her bedroom. All the while she kept telling him to call Jacob. Once he settled her on the bed, he sat down beside her, yanked his digital phone from its holder on his belt, and punched in the number for the Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Hardy answered. Dallas quickly informed her who he was and that there was an emergency with Butler's cousin Genny.
”He's already on his way there now,” Tewanda Hardy said. ”How's Genny doing? I know how badly those visions drain her.”
”Genny will be all right.”
”You take good care of her, you hear.”
”I intend to do just that.”
Dallas replaced the receiver, then turned to Genny. He smoothed the flyaway strands of her jet black hair from her face and caressed her cheek.
”Is Jacob coming?” she asked.
”He's on his way.” Dallas cupped Genny's chin between his thumb and forefinger. ”How did Jacob know you needed him?”
”I'd called earlier and he wasn't there. I told...” Genny took several deep breaths. ”I told Tewanda that I knew Misty Harte was the next victim.” She lifted her hand as if it weighed a hundred pounds, then grasped the lapel of Dallas's overcoat. ”If we can find her, we can save her.”
Dallas put his hands on Genny's shoulders. ”You lie here and rest. Can I get you anything? Water? Tea? Coffee? Something to eat.”
A fragile smile formed on her lips. ”I don't need anything...except you.”
Her comment affected him in a way he didn't like. h.e.l.l, his actions tonight were totally out of character for him. Somehow he'd gotten swept up in all this craziness about Genny's visions. He wanted to help her, but in doing so, he didn't dare release his hold on reality. He had to continue thinking logically.
But for the time being, he simply sat beside Genny as she closed her eyes and rested. In what seemed like only minutes, he heard the roar of Jacob's truck. Then two sets of booted feet tapped through the house.
”Genny!” Jacob called. ”Sloan, where are y'all?”
”Back here,” Dallas replied. ”In Genny's bedroom.”
With Bobby Joe Harte on his heels, Jacob burst into the room. ”Is she all right?”
”I'm fine,” Genny said. ”Just weak, as usual. But this time...oh, Jacob, I saw her. It was Misty. He has Misty.”
Bobby Joe gripped the edge of the footboard of Genny's bed. ”You saw Misty in one of your visions? You saw that the killer has her?”
Genny nodded. ”If we can find her before dawn, we can save her.”
”But how can we find her if we have no idea where he's taken her?” Bobby Joe asked.
Sitting on the opposite side of the bed from Dallas, Jacob reached out and took Genny's hand. ”Is there more you can tell us? Anything that might give us a clue as to where she is?”
Dallas listened and watched in amazement. Was it possible that Genny really did possess psychic abilities? It seemed that everyone who knew her believed she did.
Genny clung to Jacob's hand. ”He has taken her from the place he's been keeping her to an old barn. I couldn't make out much, except the barn is probably very, very old and terribly dilapidated.”
”And probably abandoned,” Jacob said.
”Do you know how many ramshackle old barns there are still standing in Cherokee County?” Bobby Joe asked. ”There's got to be at least a dozen. Maybe more. And they're spread out all over the county.”
”You're right,” Jacob said. ”It could take us half a day to make the rounds just to the barns we know about.”
”You need to form a search party,” Dallas suggested.
”Yeah, you're right.” Jacob turned to Bobby Joe. ”You think you can handle this, what with Misty being-”
”Just tell me what you want me to do.”
”Have Tewanda call in all the deputies,” Jacob said. ”And have her phone Chief Watson and ask him to bring in all his people. Then tell her we need the Highway Patrol involved.”
”I'll take care of it right now.” Bobby Joe headed out of the bedroom, but halted in the doorway. ”What are you fixing to do, Sheriff?”
Jacob squeezed Genny's hand. ”Do you think you've got the strength to come with me?”
She nodded. ”If you'll carry me to your truck.”
”What the h.e.l.l's going on here?” Dallas asked. ”She shouldn't be going anywhere. Look at her. Dammit, she needs a doctor.”
”I don't need a doctor. I'll be all right in a few hours, but we can't wait that long before we start looking for Misty,” Genny explained. ”If I go with Jacob, I might be able to help him.”
”How can you help him?” Dallas asked, but, G.o.d d.a.m.n it, he knew her answer before she replied.
”With my gift of sight,” she told him quite matter-of-factly.
”You aren't strong enough to-”
Genny cut Dallas off midsentence. ”If you're concerned about me, then come with us.” She turned her hand palm up and lifted it slowly toward him in a beseeching manner. ”I need you. I can draw from your strength.”
Allowing himself a moment of sanity, Dallas inhaled and exhaled deeply. He had to make an immediate decision. Looking at Jacob, he said, ”We'll ride with you.” He reached down and lifted Genny up in his arms.
She laid her head on his chest so trustingly, then whispered, ”Thank you.”
As they made their way through the house, Jacob gave Bobby Joe last-minute instructions. ”Contact Tewanda on your way back into town; she can get the ball rolling. Once she's gotten in touch with everyone, I want you to help her coordinate the search party. I'll let you know where we are and where the searchers should start.”
”Want me to pick up Sally, or will you do that?” Bobby Joe asked.
”I'll stop by her place and get her and her hounds,” Jacob replied.
Bobby Joe hurried outside, just ahead of the others, then jumped into the patrol car and immediately made radio contact with Tewanda.
On the way out the back door, Dallas s.n.a.t.c.hed Genny's black coat off the rack and tossed it over her. Within a couple of minutes, Jacob was behind the wheel of the big, brawny Dodge Ram, and Dallas held Genny in his arms on the pa.s.senger side.
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