The Vanishing Gary Brown (booksvooks TXT) 📖

“Thank you, baby,” she said. “That’s a wonderful wish. Mind if we share it?”

“I suppose. But is it good luck to share wishes, Mommy?”

“When they’re wishes like that, absolutely!”

Virgil shuffled up the stairs, entered the room. “You two almost ready?”

“Ready as we’re going to be.” Sky sighed.

Virgil helped his wife on with her jacket. “Good. Now listen to me, both of you. Everything’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine. We’ll get through this, just like we’ve gotten though everything else.”

“I know,” Sky said. “But right now, I don’t mind telling you I’m scared to death.”

“So am I. But we have no choice. Staying here isn’t an option anymore. The cabin is the safest place we could be right now.”

Virgil picked up the bundle of food and clothes his wife had wrapped in a blanket, slung it over his shoulder.

“When we get outside, stay close to the side of the building. There’s a trail about thirty yards away. It leads into the woods. From there it’s about a twenty-minute hike. Blessing, hold on to Mommy’s hand and don’t make a sound, okay? We’ve got to be very quiet.”

“Like playing hide and seek!”

“Yes, baby,” Virgil replied. He kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Just like hide-and-seek.”

A familiar blanket of cool mountain mist swirled at Virgil’s feet as he opened the door and stepped outside with Sky and Blessing behind him. Dewdrops clung to the tall grass along the trail, glistening like strung pearls in the moonlight.

“Like I said, stay close.”

“Virgil, wait!” Sky said. She grabbed him by the arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shhh! Listen… someone’s coming.” Sky pointed. “There! By the edge of the forest.”

Four silhouettes stepped out from the perimeter of the treeline.

“Back inside, now.” Virgil said.

From behind the crack in the door Virgil watched as four figures walked single file along the trail, past his building, then out of sight.

“Who are they?” Sky asked.

“Outsiders,” Virgil replied. “Two men and a woman. And Prophet.” He turned to Sky. Even in the shadows, she could see the frightened expression on his face. “He’s holding them at gunpoint.”

“Gunpoint?” Sky gasped. “What is going on Virgil?” She looked as though she were on the verge of tears.

Virgil pulled her close. “I won’t let anything happen to us, understand? Nothing. I promise you that. We’re still leaving here. Tonight.”

“But how? If we leave now, we’ll be seen for certain.”

“We don’t have a choice, Sky. We have to get out of here, for Blessing’s sake if for no other reason.” Virgil paused. “Take Blessing back upstairs and wait a few minutes. I have an idea.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Get help. I’m going to tell Reisa what’s happening. Then I’m going to find out where Prophet’s taken the Outsiders.”

“But if he catches you...”

“He won’t. Besides, it’s dark, and I’m on lamp lighting duty, remember? If I don’t go, they’ll wonder where I’ve gotten to and they’ll be suspicious for sure. This way no one’s the wiser.”

“I’m not sure about this.”

“Look,” Virgil replied. “It might not be the best plan, but it’s the only plan.” He kissed his wife goodbye. “Sit tight. I’ll be back soon.”

57

“SPEAK TO ME, Justin!” Mark yelled into his cell phone as he sped along the county road. “Tell me where the hell I’m supposed to be going.”

Justin studied the pulsing locator blip on the GPS monitoring program. “Your position locator is directly over Martin’s signal, Mark. He’s got to be there. Keep looking.”

“It’s pitch-fucking black out here,” Mark replied. “All I can make out is row upon row of godforsaken corn and… wait a minute… I think I see his truck. Yes, okay, I’ve got him. Nice work, kid.”

Mark and Karen jumped out of the Suburban, drew their weapons, and took cover behind the truck. Dan and Cynthia pulled in behind, joined them. The Navigator was parked behind the cab of a tractor-trailer cab, the name Nellie Blue emblazoned across its wind dam. Mark motioned for Cynthia and Dan to cover the cab while he and Karen proceeded to the Navigator.

Both vehicles were empty.

“This makes no sense,” Dan said. He returned his gun to its holster. “Martin left the Nav wide open. The back window’s down and all his stuff’s inside.”

“Check this out,” Cynthia added. She held up Martin’s bulletproof vest. “Claire’s is in there too. Looks like his weapon is still in the lockbox.”

Mark inspected the shoulder of the dirt road with his flashlight. “No skid marks,” he said. “It doesn’t look like they were forced off the road.”

“Why would he be parked behind a transport cab in the middle of nowhere?” Karen asked.

“Good question. My guess is he was following it.”

“Do you think they were set up?” Dan asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You said Martin was outside of Kettawash when he called and told you he was following up on a lead, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So maybe the owner of this rig radioed the details of their conversation to someone else, like Fallon. We don’t know how far the Brethren’s hand reaches in these parts. Maybe the lead Martin picked up was from one of their people. They convinced him to follow and wound up here.”

“You could be right,” Mark said. He paused. “Wait a minute. Wasn’t Maggy with Martin and Claire?”

“Yes, she was,” Cynthia said. “I saw her in the back seat when we were examining the map at the estate.”

“Then where the hell is she?” Mark asked. He opened the back door of the Navigator. Maggy’s leash lay on the floor. He knelt and examined the ground outside her door. “No blood, so there couldn’t have been a fight. Maggy’s trained to attack on command. If someone had tried to take them by force, Martin would have given her the word. That tells me they had no reason not to trust the lead.” Mark looked toward the forest, panned the flashlight beam across the treeline. Shards of light broke through fractured tree limbs and fallen branches. “My guess is they’re somewhere out there.”

From the distance came a low growl. Red eyes