Return to Red Creek Nathan Hystad (e books free to read .txt) 📖

“I won’t say anything. Her roomie at Bellton gave her away. I won’t even tell her I called you first, deal?” Paul didn’t want to cause any more waves than he had to. Maybe going to Red Creek wasn’t going to be so bad. He could see Darrel, and they got along now. He had a hard time remembering their rocky relationship before twelve years ago. They’d become fast friends, and while they were very different people, they were bonded for life.

“When are you going to be here?” Beth asked.

“An hour, give or take,” Paul said.

“Okay. I’ll get some groceries. We can have a nice family dinner tonight.” Paul could hear his sister fumbling in her kitchen for a piece of paper. She always made lists before going to the store.

“Sounds great. See you soon,” Paul said, feeling much better about the whole scenario.

Taylor had only wanted to visit her cousin and aunt and uncle for the holiday. Was there anything wrong with that? He’d kept them apart for so long, with the exception of the odd visit to the city from their end. No wonder Taylor had decided to go there. Her school was nearby. Now that he thought about it, he was surprised she hadn’t gone to Red Creek already that year. Maybe she had.

He forgot Beth was still on the line. “See you guys soon. Red or white, Terri?”

It was a game between them. Terri preferred red wine, and Beth didn’t care, and she always got it wrong when bringing a bottle to Manhattan with her.

“Surprise me,” Terri said with a laugh.

The call ended, and Paul felt better.

Stevie grinned at him from the backseat when he checked the rearview, and Paul decided to go with the flow. He wasn’t going to let anything ruin his return to Red Creek. It would only be the second visit he’d made in over thirty years, but he’d be damned if it was going to be anything like last time.

Fourteen

Tom’s shoes were caked in mud, and so were his pants, up to his knees. He didn’t care. Along the trail, he was sure he’d seen signs of sporadic footprints between the nearby condo and the Karlssons’ home a mile and a half up the hill. Nothing definitive, but he was positive someone had come this way.

He had no warrant, but he didn’t give a crap today. He was miserable, a looming headache threatening to take over at any moment as he lifted his leg over the fence separating the Orchards condo area from the field and forest beside it.

It was now early Saturday afternoon, and the sky was overcast, but it was getting warmer. He could feel the sweat dripping down his sides from the muddy walk, mixed with the nervous anxiety surrounding him. Fredrik Karlsson had been abducted from his house, from his own damned window. What had the kid been thinking, to open it like that? Or maybe it had never been locked at all, and the perp had slipped in, grabbing the boy from his bed. That would explain the pillow on the floor. But he hadn’t seen any footprints on the bedroom floor, and if the perp had come from over here, he would have been covered in mud, just like Tom was now.

The fence was the same wooden design as the one near the Karlssons’ house. Tom had seen photos from the old orchard as it was on fire, twelve years ago. The fence surrounding the property had been ten feet high, with barbed wire at the top to make sure no one climbed it. He wasn’t surprised that an apple farm needed such levels of security.

Tom was also amazed that the local sheriff’s office hadn’t investigated the land better, especially the old decrepit house and barn on the property that the tunnels led between. They were either in on it or just grossly incompetent. Tom chuckled to himself. Or both. It was more likely they were on the take, and idiots.

Tom stood there on the lawn of the condo building, staring toward it. There was a shed nearby, but other than that, there were no other structures in the vicinity. Someone had taken that boy, brought him here, and if that was the case, he was still in the building. Fredrik Karlsson was in one of these units, he’d bet his damned badge on it.

He could go about this a few different ways but didn’t think he’d be able to do it solo. Tom preferred it that way, working by himself, but if he started busting down doors and chose the wrong one first, the perp would get spooked and run. He couldn’t have that. Tom pulled out his phone and made the call. “Sheriff Tyler, please,” he said, and the secretary asked him to hold a moment.

“Tyler here,” the sheriff said.

“I found him. He’s in the Orchards. Bring backup. Call Gilden too. Bring them now,” Tom said, gaze fixed on the condos.

“Are you sure? I was out there snooping around yesterday and it was as clean as a whistle,” Tyler said.

“Bring the warrant and the men, and we’re going to find what we’re after. I know it.” Tom hung up and tried to stay out of sight while he waited for the backup. He opened his suit jacket and made sure his gun was in place, safety on – for the time being.

_______________

“So the kid did see the shadow creature? Isn’t that what we expected?” Brent asked as they cruised the highway toward Red Creek.

Taylor was a little shaken, and she gripped the steering wheel tightly to keep her hands from trembling. The fear in Trevor’s voice had been palpable. “It wasn’t just that. He said the shadow watched him for months, stalking him. Why? Why not grab and go? It had no problem holding on to me, but when it reached for Trevor in front of the house, its hand went through him.