Midnight Sacrifice Read online

  “You’re already dressed.” With an exasperated glance, she quickly tugged on her clothes. Pity.

  “I didn’t see any point in waking you.”

  “How long did I sleep?”

  “Couple hours. The storm hung around longer than expected.”

  She tugged on her jacket and boots, then grabbed a few things from her pack. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Just behind that tree over there, and no, you cannot come with me.” She secured her holster behind her hip.

  “You have to talk to me the whole time, and if you take longer than five minutes, I’m coming after you.”

  “You show up behind that tree, I’ll shoot you in the foot.”

  “Have I told you how sexy that temper of yours is?” He grinned back at her.

  She stalked out of the shelter, but her shoulders were shaking. “We should be serious.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there are three girls missing.” She disappeared from sight, but her boots rustled in the underbrush.

  “Those girls are going to be missing whether or not we’re freaking out. Staying calm will help us find them faster.” Under the constant threat of attack in Iraq, Danny had learned that humor, as inappropriate as it sometimes seemed, could help him keep his shit together.

  “I guess.”

  He packed up the stuff they’d used, redistributing their supplies so he carried the bulk of the weight. Mandy’s pack got the two-pound tent and featherlight sleeping bags.

  Mandy walked back into the cave. Droplets clung to her yellow jacket. “You really think we’ll find them?”

  He handed her the lighter backpack. “I don’t do odds.”

  She swung the straps over her shoulders. “This feels awfully light.”

  “We drank a bunch of the water.” He shrugged.

  She raised a brow. She wasn’t buying it.

  “OK, I can carry more weight that you. We’ll move faster this way. That’s what’s important, right?”

  “Right.” She nodded. “And thank you. Let’s get moving.”

  They headed back to the trail. Though the rain had stopped, the air carried enough moisture to dampen Danny’s face. Patches of mist drifted through the forest. An hour later, just as dawn brightened the sky to pale gray, they emerged from the woods. The path summited and dropped into a steep decline. Beyond, a huge lake sprawled. Fog hovered over the glassy surface and clung to the tall reeds of the shoreline.

  “Look!” Mandy pointed to something in the weeds on the slope. She shifted the beam of her flashlight to illuminate a silver rectangle. “Cell phone? No, it’s a camera.”

  While Mandy retrieved the device, Danny scouted the area. Dawn broke over the lake. Golden sunlight gleamed off the rippled surface. The scent of organic matter and decay drifted off the vegetation near the water’s edge.

  “Damn. It doesn’t work.” Mandy turned the compact camera over in her hands.

  “Could have water inside.”

  “Or the battery died.” She put it in her pocket. She dropped her pack and marked the spot where she’d found the camera by tying a yellow ribbon around a twig. “Maybe the memory card is still good.”

  “It might not even be their camera.”

  “True.” Mandy’s gaze drifted out over the lake. “I was so hoping we’d find them here.”

  Danny rubbed her shoulder. “I know.”

  “Where are they?”

  In the dim predawn light, Nathan parked his assistant’s car in front of the barn. In the passenger seat, Bill’s leg jiggled. They got out of the vehicle.

  “Where is she?”

  “Just inside.” Nathan pointed at the double doors. “Go on in.”

  Bill hesitated. “It’s dark in there. I don’t like the dark.”

  “There’s a light switch next to the door. I’ll turn it on for you.” Nathan prodded Bill’s back.

  “No.” Bill balked. “This doesn’t feel good. I don’t want to go in there.”

  “Run!” The feminine shout came from within the barn.

  Bill’s big blue eyes went wide. He backed up, stumbling backward and tripping on his over-sized feet. “Mandy!”

  Nathan fired the Taser.

  The barbs shot out and struck Bill in the thigh. His huge body jerked. Twitching, he fell on the closed trunk with a clunk. A wild spasm drove his elbow through the cover of the brake light. Bits of red and clear plastic fell to the dirt. Bill rolled off the vehicle and crashed to the ground like a felled giant redwood.

  Nathan stared down at the twitching man. Mandy’s brother was quite large and could potentially be a serious problem. Nathan hastily retreated to the barn’s small office, filling a syringe with tranquilizer and jogging back. Tears flowed down Bill’s face as he wild-eyed the needle. Nathan jabbed it into Bill’s still-spasming leg.

  Bill quieted. Crisis averted.

  The barn door rolled open. A camp light, raised lawn-jockey style, illuminated the barnyard.

  “How are you going to get him up there?” His assistant pointed through the open door to the stack of wooden cages. The uppermost layer was above Nathan’s head. The man in the bottom cage was shielding his son from Nathan’s sight. The young blonde woman above him did likewise with her prone companion.

  She was the one who’d shouted. Deep in her tear-swollen eyes, rebellion lurked. He’d have to watch that one.

  Nathan gazed down at Bill again. He weighed more than two hundred pounds. Nathan’s muscles had suffered as much as his brain these last few days. Weakness prevailed over his entire system. There was no way he could lift even a small person over his head, let alone Bill.

  Confusion nearly overwhelmed Nathan. His gaze pinged around the space. Surely, he’d planned for this. He wiped sweat from his brow with a grimy hand.

  His eyes stopped on a series of ropes and pulleys hanging from the rafters. Relief flooded him. He’d set up a system just for this purpose when his brain had been functioning at its peak. The ropes slid along the beam to the side of his cage structure. A leather harness once used for horses had been adapted to fit around a person. He strapped Bill in. Rusted pulley wheels squeaked as the apparatus dragged him into the barn. Nathan made some adjustments. Hauling on the ropes, the pulleys lifted Bill from the ground. Securing the rope to a support beam, Nathan pushed Bill through the opening in the front of the cage and removed the harness. The remaining cage side was secured with long screws.

  Bill wasn’t getting out.

  “Time to call Mandy.” He jumped down and walked out of the barn. His assistant followed.

  “There’s no cell service out here.”

  “That’s why we’re driving toward town.”

  “In daylight?”

  “I’ll wear a hat and coat. No one will suspect. We don’t have to go all the way into town. We’ll pick up a signal on the outskirts.” Nathan donned his jacket and hat. His fingers fumbled on the zipper. “You’d better drive.”

  As much as Nathan hated being in the passenger seat, ceding control of the vehicle to his assistant was the best choice.

  The thought of speaking to Mandy, of hearing her voice again, spurred his spirits and consumed his thoughts. So much so that he didn’t notice the vehicle behind them until it was too late.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Conor circled the block, looking for a parking space. His POS sputtered. “Oh, come on, baby. I know I haven’t treated you right, but please don’t die on me now.”

  He gave her some gas. The engine revved back to life.

  “That’s my girl.” He nosed into a spot around back and checked the time on his phone. The museum had just opened.

  In the first room off the entryway, nasty little Lindsay was dusting exhibit cases. “Mr. Sullivan, what can I do for you?” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t limiting his options to museum business.

  “I’m looking for Dr. Hancock.”

  “Dr. Hancock isn’t here.”
Lindsay flashed an evil smile. Something was up.

  “I’ll wait.”

  Lindsay shrugged him off. “Whatever.” She dusted her way toward the hall and clomped up the stairs.

  Conor began his museum tour with the doorway marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. Dr. Hancock’s office was small and tidy, which would make searching it easy. An antique desk took center stage, but the rest of the furniture was bargain-basement. The desk drawers were full of office supplies. He opened a metal filing cabinet behind the desk and thumbed through the hanging files. Ah-ha. A neat label identified the file on the theft. He pulled the manila folder free and swiveled around.

  “What are you doing here?” Dr. Hancock stood in the doorway.

  My bad. “I was looking for a piece of paper to leave you a note.” Conor whipped out an excuse faster than a grinch with a stolen Christmas tree.

  “Look, Mr. Sullivan. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but if you’re not out of this museum in one minute, I’m calling the police.”

  Lindsay appeared in the doorway behind the doctor. “Here’s a box for your personal things.”

  “Thank you.” Dr. Hancock said through clenched teeth. She took the box and set it on a chair. She gave Lindsay a White Witch–worthy glare. Lindsay backed away. Not as dumb as she looked.

  Dr. Hancock frosted Conor next. “I would appreciate you vacating my chair and my office so I can pack up.”

  Conor tried to shove the file under his arm, but she snagged it on her way past. “They canned you?”

  Her lips compressed into a white, paper-thin line. “At this point, I’ll be lucky if I’m not arrested.”

  “Why would you be arrested?”

  “The thieves entered through a first-floor window. There was no sign of a forced break-in. I’m being investigated.”

  “That sucks.” Conor lingered. “Since you’re already fired, why not show me that file?”

  “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “Because if I find your stuff, it’ll clear your name.”

  She hesitated for all of two seconds. “Meet me at the diner across the street in thirty minutes.”

  With equally heavy feet and heart, Mandy emerged from the trail. Danny was right on her heels. Four vehicles sat in the clearing: the girls’ Ford Edge, Jed’s truck, and two other SUVs.

  “You look beat.” Jed frowned at her.

  Jed’s description summed it up. She’d taken a beating, both physically and emotionally. Lack of sleep. Hiking through most of the night. Making love with Danny again despite her decision to put distance between them.

  Not finding the girls.

  “Two other teams went out after the storms passed over. They aren’t back yet, but so far, no one has seen any sign of the girls.”

  “Where’s Doug?” Mandy pulled the camera from her pocket. “We found this. But we don’t know if it belonged to one of them. It isn’t working.”

  “He got a call. Said he’d be back.” Jed opened the truck door for her. “Doesn’t matter. He already called the state for help when you reached the lake this morning without finding anything. We’ll have a full-scale search-and-rescue operation up by this afternoon.”

  Mandy swayed. Danny and Jed each grabbed an arm. With no energy left for protecting male egos, she ignored the look that passed between them.

  “Let’s get her back,” Danny said.

  In the truck, she leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes.

  “We’re here.” Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

  She jerked awake. They were parked behind the inn. She must have dozed off. Grabbing her pack, she got out and trooped across the grass. On the back porch, her fingers fumbled with the wet laces of her hiking boots. The dog barked inside.

  “Honey doesn’t usually bark much.” Jed clumped up the porch steps.

  “Mandy?” Danny stopped behind her. She turned. He was pointing few feet to her left. She followed his finger. Next to the back door sat the pot of drooping pansies.

  Mandy’s empty stomach cramped. She lunged for the door.

  Three retirees in fly-fishing vests were in the kitchen helping themselves to juice and muffins.

  “Good morning.” Mandy slowed her steps. “Is my mother around?”

  “We haven’t seen her,” one fisherman said. “We’re getting a late start today, though. She could’ve been up earlier.”

  Honey ran to the door to the family quarters and scratched. Mandy pushed past the dog. The living room was empty and quiet. Too quiet for a house with Bill in it. Mandy went down the hall that led to the bedrooms. She knocked lightly—“Mom?”—then opened the door. Her mother lay facedown on the braided area rug. One hand clutched her chest. The other extended toward the nightstand, where the cordless phone charged.

  “Call 911,” Mandy barked over her shoulder. Jed and Danny appeared in the doorway. Jed grabbed the phone. He moved to the corner of the room and dialed.

  Mandy gently rolled her mother over. “Mom.”

  Her mother’s eyes fluttered. “Find,” she wheezed, “Bill.”

  Danny jogged down the hall, opening doors and calling for her brother.

  Mandy’s heart kicked again, pressure and panic constricting her throat. “Mom, where’s Bill?”

  Her mother’s eyes drifted shut. Danny dropped onto his knees beside her. “He isn’t in the apartment.” He pressed his fingers to her mother’s neck. “She’s hanging on.”

  Barely. Her skin was gray, her breaths shallow.

  Jed’s boots clumped in from the kitchen. “Ambulance is on the way. Called Doug, too, but nobody can find him.”

  She looked up at Jed. “Bill’s gone.”

  Numbness spread through Mandy’s body; her mind overloaded as every fear she’d harbored for the past four months came to fruition. Her mother lay dying, and Mandy had failed to protect her brother. Bill, who would never hurt anyone, was now at Nathan’s mercy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Conor dug into a slice of blueberry pie. Across from him, Dr. Hancock sipped black coffee. Voices and utensils echoed in the tile-floored diner.

  The doctor’s French-manicured fingers flipped open the file. “The objects stolen are: a box of Celtic coins; a bronze cauldron; a few chips of the bluestones from Stonehenge; a bronze shield; three small bronze figures of horses; and some jewelry, including a ring.”

  “May I look at that?”

  She handed him the file.

  Conor sifted through a pile of photos. “What’s the value of all of this?”

  She quoted him a modest figure. “That’s it?” He picked up a photo of a big metal pot and turned it over. Belenos Cauldron, bronze, 4th Century BC, Scotland, 1987.

  She stiffened. “The true worth of these pieces is in their historical significance.”

  “I apologize, Dr. Hancock. I only meant that the pieces seem undervalued to me.”

  She sniffed, seemingly mollified. “Frankly, I don’t know why anyone would take the risk to steal our artifacts. They’re hardly things that could easily be converted into drug money.”

  Yeah. Fencing a mammoth tusk would take some work.

  “If the pieces weren’t that valuable, why were you fired?”

  She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “The Celtic collection was actually on loan from a museum in Edinburgh. The loss isn’t so much financial as an embarrassment.”

  “What would you use a cauldron for?” Conor asked.

  “Cauldrons were used in daily life for cooking and such, but this was a more ornamental piece. Given the weight and complexity of design, it’s more likely the cauldron was either a gift or an offering of some sort.”

  The hairs on Conor’s neck wiggled. “Offering?”

  “The Celts believed all forces of nature were controlled by the gods. Offerings were necessary for all aspects of life: good crops, success in battle, health, the weather. Usually these were conducted on one of the Celtic holidays.”

  “They celebrated the solstices, righ
t?” Maybe nothing was going to happen until June. They’d have more than a month to figure out what was going on.

  “There are eight major holidays. The solstices and equinoxes, plus there were four sacred days in between. The next holiday is Beltane, or May Day.”

  Uh-oh. So much for being safe until June. “When is May Day?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Shit.” Conor’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Danny’s number lit the display.

  “What’s up, little brother?”

  “Bad shit. That’s what.”

  Conor’s gut tightened as Danny brought him up to speed on his disaster of a night.

  “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Conor ended the call.

  “What happened?” Concern furrowed Dr. Hancock’s brow.

  “Some people have gone missing.”

  “Does it have anything to do with my stolen exhibits?”

  “Maybe.”

  She tossed back the rest of her coffee. “Give me twenty minutes. I’ll pack a bag.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you aren’t,” Conor said. “If I find your artifacts, they’re going to be with a killer.”

  Dr. Hancock snatched her folder out of his hands. “You lied to me and broke into my office. I don’t trust you. For all I know, you could want the artifacts for your own purposes.”

  “It’s too dangerous. You could get hurt. I’ll take the pictures with me and let you know if I find them.”

  “Not good enough, Mr. Sullivan.” Dr. Hancock grabbed her purse. “Finding those artifacts is the only way to clear my name. I’m going, with or without you.” She left, forcing Conor to hop to it to keep up.

  He followed her silver BMW to a garage under a swank condominium complex. Her penthouse was all glass and wood and gorgeous views. Either her job at the museum paid a lot more than Conor thought or the doctor came from the kind of money that was understated and very, very old. True to her word, she had an overnight bag packed in no time. She also changed her clothes to jeans, boots, and a blue sweater. Casual dress looked good on her. Her uptight do and attitude, however, remained.