Part 19 (1/2)

Jacob leaned over, placed his hand on Genny's shoulder, and said, ”Okay, i gi do, where do we begin?”

Genny closed her eyes. No one spoke. No one moved. The only sounds were three people breathing. And then somewhere off in the distance a wolf howled. Genny's eyelids flew open.

”He's moving her right now,” Genny said as she lifted her head from Dallas's chest. ”I see a long stretch of winding road. He's bringing her up the mountain.” Genny sighed softly, then wilted against Dallas, seemingly exhausted.

Jacob rolled down his window and called out to Bobby Joe, ”We need some roadblocks set up immediately. All the roads leading up the mountain.” He rolled up the window and turned to Genny. ”Anything else?”

”Dammit, can't you see she's totally worn out.” Dallas glared at Jacob. ”She can't take any more of this. Whatever goes on with her when she's doing whatever it is she does, it's sapping every ounce of her energy.”

”East,” Genny whispered. ”Go east.”

Ignoring Dallas's protective outburst, Jacob backed up, turned the truck around, and headed down the driveway directly behind Bobby Joe. The deputy went southwest, toward town. Jacob went in the opposite direction.

After a few minutes, Jacob cleared his throat. ”We'll stop by Sally's. If we get anywhere close to Misty, those hounds of Sally's will pick up her scent.”

”You'll need something that-” Dallas said.

”Got one of her blouses in a sack back there.” Jacob nodded toward the backseat. ”Bobby Joe picked it up at her house while he was there this evening. That boy's always thinking ahead.”

Genny's small, delicate body lay coc.o.o.ned in Dallas's arms. She was a delicious weight against him. Her heat seeped through their clothing to warm him. Hadn't it been less than an hour ago that he had promised himself he'd steer clear of this woman?

But he could no more stay away from her than he could stop breathing. And for the life of him he couldn't figure out why she had such a hold over him. Maybe it was because he was beginning to buy into her psychic hoodoo. If Genny was right, if her predictions were accurate, they might catch a killer tonight. Possibly Brooke's killer.

But for the first time in eight months-since Brooke's death-something else had suddenly become as important to him as finding the man who had killed his niece. Protecting Genny. If he had to choose between Genny's safety and apprehending Brooke's murderer, what would he do? A few days ago there would have been no choice to make. But that was before Genevieve Madoc cast her spell on him.

Chapter 15.

He parked on the dirt road and turned off his headlights. There was little chance that anyone would come along this time of the morning and spot his vehicle, but it paid not to take chances. The barn was a good fifty feet from the overgrown lane. One day while driving around the area last autumn, he'd found this place and mentally marked it down for future reference. An abandoned building out in the middle of nowhere. A perfect place for the ceremony.

It would help if there was more moonlight, but he would make do with the flashlights. At dawn he would open the barn doors to let in the morning suns.h.i.+ne. Antic.i.p.ation zinged through his veins, giving him an adrenaline rush. Victim three. He was getting closer and closer. The very thought of what was to come exhilarated him. He popped the trunk, checked on Misty to make sure she was still unconscious, then lifted his black hooded robe and slipped it on. He took out the wooden box containing the sword, stuck it under his arm, and picked up the large flashlight he'd need to make his way to the barn.

Although it was a cold night and remnants of ice and snow still lingered in various spots, he barely felt the frigid night air. He was strong...and growing stronger with each new sacrifice. It was only a matter of time until he became invincible.

He took the vinyl boots from the trunk and slipped them over his shoes. Next he pulled on a pair of thick gloves. The shoes he wore were Italian leather and he had no intention of ruining them in the night dampness that coated the earth or in any muddy slush lingering after the snow melted.

Making his way slowly but surely, he crossed the open field. When he reached the barn, he opened the rickety wooden doors. As they parted to reveal the murky interior, their hinges creaked and moaned. But who would hear the mournful wail? He s.h.i.+ned the flashlight right and left, back and front. The vast s.p.a.ce was mostly empty, except for a set of weathered wooden sawhorses that he'd found in the loft the first time he'd explored the old barn. He placed the box containing his sword on a rotting wooden trough. s.h.i.+ning the flashlight down at the ground, he found it moist beneath his feet. He s.h.i.+ned the light upward and noted that part of the ceiling was missing and the rest looked as if it might come tumbling down at any time.

He moved first one sawhorse, then the other into place directly in front of the two large doors, then retrieved the half-inch piece of plywood that he'd left here yesterday. Laying the plywood atop the two sawhorses, he created a perfectly functional altar.

After checking his watch and noting that it was nearly four o'clock, he trudged back to the car to retrieve the most necessary item for this morning's ceremony-the sacrifice.

Jacob wasn't a religious man, but he'd been doing his share of praying tonight. Everything that could be done was being done, but it might not be enough. City, county, and state law enforcement officers were spread out over the mountain, which covered countless miles and endless acres. All the local members of the search party tried to remember every old barn in the area. Jacob knew it could take a couple of days to check out all the barns in Cherokee County. Genny and Jacob agreed that the barn where the killer had taken Misty was empty, probably abandoned, yet they also knew they could be wrong. Genny would be the first to admit that her visions weren't always one hundred percent accurate, that she was not infallible.

Their group now consisted of not only Genny, Dallas, and himself, but Sally and her hounds, Peter and Paul, as well as half a dozen lawmen-Bobby Joe and Tim Willingham, two of his deputies; three Cherokee Pointe policemen; and one highway patrolman. During the past few hours, they had found and searched three barns east of Genny's house. Two were unused and empty; one belonged to a retired farmer who stored his old tractor inside.

They kept in radio contact with the other groups-five in all-and so far they'd come up empty-handed. As they pulled off the road alongside the fence that skirted the old Wells farm and the two other vehicles parked behind his truck, Jacob checked his watch. Four-fifty. Time was running out. It would be dawn in less than two hours. If they didn't find Misty soon, it would be too late.

He tried not to think about Misty as his lover, tried not to remember that she was Bobby Joe's sister, but the fact that she meant something to both of them wouldn't leave his mind. Twenty-four hours ago they'd had s.e.x. Rollicking, raunchy, good-time s.e.x. He didn't love Misty, and sometimes she got on his last nerve. But she was a good ole gal who'd never hurt a living soul. The very thought that some maniac planned to slit her wide open and drink her blood enraged Jacob. But he didn't have time to waste on emotions.

Jacob got out and met the other team members who gathered around near the hood of his truck. Sally Talbot opened the back door and dragged herself out of the backseat, then whistled for Peter and Paul. Both hundred-pound dogs bounded from the truck bed and came straight to their mistress. After grabbing hold of their leashes, she scanned the area with her aged but still sharp eyes. She puckered her lips, spit, and wiped her mouth. Dallas emerged from the cab, then lifted Genny out and onto her feet. He kept his arm securely around her waist and when, after she'd taken a few steps, she faltered, he swung her up into his arms.

Jacob turned to Genny. ”Are you picking up on anything?”

With her arm around Dallas Sloan's neck, she stared out into the darkness, at the shadowy outline of the old barn. ”There's someone inside.”

”G.o.d Almighty,” Bobby Joe cried out. ”Is it Misty? Have we found her?”

”I-I don't know. I can't be sure.” Genny's voice quivered.

Jacob looked right at Dallas. ”Put her back in the truck and stay here with her.”

Dallas nodded.

”We're going in,” Jacob said. ”Sally, you wait here. Keep Peter and Paul quiet for the time being. The rest of you spread out. I want the barn surrounded. I'll go in alone. Does everyone understand?” When no one contradicted him, he added, ”And whatever the h.e.l.l y'all do, be careful.”

Jacob had lost track of how many rescue missions he'd been a part of during his years as a SEAL. He might lack training as a sheriff, but he was an expert when it came to going in after a hostage.

As he drew close to the barn, he motioned his team into place. He leaned his back against the north wall and listened. Silence. While the others secured the perimeter, Jacob circled the barn, and he found the doors at the back of the barn missing. Silently, he crept inside. With his weapon drawn and his flashlight in his hand, he kept his back to the wall. He switched on the flashlight and searched the interior, moving the beam slowly as he checked things out.

When the beam of light hit a bundle on the ground, Jacob moved in. Cautiously. The bundle grunted and rolled over. When the light hit the man's face, his eyelids flew open and he yelped as if in pain. Jacob didn't recognize the man, but he could tell from his ragged clothes, matted hair, and dirty face that he was probably a b.u.m, a drifter who had sought shelter for the night.

”I ain't done nothing wrong,” the man hollered as he rose to his feet and put his hands over his head. ”Don't shoot, mister. I'm harmless. I swear.”

”Keep your hands over your head,” Jacob instructed.

”Yes sir.” The man placed both hands on top of his head.

”Come on in,” Jacob called to the others. ”It's not Misty. It's just a drifter.” Jacob focused on the trembling man. ”What's your name?”

”Curry Hovater.”

”Where are you from, Curry?”

”I move around a lot. I've lived in Kingsport and Bristol and Johnson City.”

”Have you been here alone all night?”

”Yes sir, I sure have. Just me and the mice.”

”Willingham,” Jacob called to his deputy. ”Take Mr. Hovater with you. And when we go back into town, get him some breakfast from Jasmine's and then put him on the next bus out of town.”

While the others stood around watching Jacob, waiting for his orders, he turned his back on them and shut his eyes for just a minute. He wanted to pound his fists against the walls and tear this ramshackle barn to pieces. h.e.l.l! He had thought maybe they'd find Misty alive in this old barn.

He turned toward the men and barked out a command: ”Let's get moving. We've still got a lot of territory to cover.”

As they made their way around a sharp curve in the winding mountain road, every nerve in Genny's body came to full alert, but she couldn't manage to open her eyes. She had spent endless hours concentrating on finding Misty, using every ounce of her strength to keep her senses alert and active. This was the first time in her life she had forced herself to remain connected for so many hours to the forces that powered her sixth sense. The darkness kept trying to suck her in, but she fought tirelessly to keep herself safe.