The Night Monster_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [67]
“Which way did they go after they left your motel?”
“Right.”
“You mean west?”
“Yeah, they headed west. I ran into the street after them. I wanted my money, you know? The driver was heading toward 595.”
I released his shirt and patted him on the head.
“See how easy that was?” I said.
I went outside. The uniform was long gone. I called Burrell and got voice mail. I left a message and asked her to call me back. After a few minutes had passed, I started calling the other detectives in Missing Persons whose numbers were in my address book.
On my last try, Detective Rich Dugger picked up. I had hired and trained Dugger. With his school-boy face and calm demeanor, he could extract more information out of a witness than any cop I’d ever worked with.
“Hey, Jack, what’s shaking?” Dugger asked.
“I need to speak to Burrell. Any idea where she is?”
“She’s racing down the shoulder of I-95. I’m in a car behind her.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s a Jeep Cherokee in the median, and the driver is refusing to get out. Two highway patrol cars have the vehicle surrounded, and traffic is backed up in both directions. We think it’s Sara Long’s abductors.”
It was not uncommon for vehicles to pull into the median on I-95 when they had mechanical problems. “What’s the color of the Jeep in the median?” I asked.
“I’m driving on the shoulder, and can’t see the car yet,” Dugger said.
“The manager at the Sunny Days motel made the getaway vehicle. Sara’s abductors are driving a navy blue Jeep Cherokee with a dented rear bumper and a scratched driver’s door.”
“Shit! Now the traffic’s stopped dead.”
“Can I make a suggestion? Climb onto the hood of your car, and try to see the Jeep that’s stuck in the median.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll call you right back.”
The line went dead. I let Buster out of the car, and watched him chase his shadow. Finally my cell phone rang. It was Dugger calling me back.
“The Jeep in the median is blood red. It’s not them,” Dugger said.
“You need to turn around and get everyone back here. Sara’s abductors are heading west on 595.”
“I can’t. The highway patrol officers are pointing their guns at this guy. We’ve got to deal with this. Later.”
Again the line went dead. Sara’s abductors were in Broward, and I couldn’t get a cop to help me find them. I kicked my front tire in anger, then jumped into my car.
CHAPTER 32
ven with the windows down, the interior of my car was broiling hot. I put on the air, then punched in Karl Long’s number. His secretary stuck me on hold.
“Pick up your damn phone,” I said angrily.
My heart was pounding in my ears. Mouse and the giant were on the run. They’d been waiting for two days to move Sara Long out of Broward County, and now they had no choice. If they didn’t immediately get out, they were going to get caught.
Desperation time.
I knew how to catch them. The motel manager had said they’d driven west. That meant they were either heading for the swampy Everglades, or would drift north through Palm Beach County. My guess was that they’d pick the Everglades. The back roads were desolate, and they wouldn’t have to drive fast, or risk getting stuck in traffic.
Finally, Long picked up the line.
“I’m sorry, Jack,” Long said.
“Your daughter’s abductors are making a run for it.”
“For the love of Christ. Do you know where they are?”
“I’ve got a general idea. Is your private helicopter still available?”
“It’s on the helipad behind my office. My pilot is here as well. Tell me where you are, and I’ll have him pick you up.”
I was still parked in the Sunny Days lot. The motel’s address was printed on the manager’s door. I read it to Long.
“I’m staring at the map of Broward hanging behind my desk,” Long said. “I own a ten-acre parcel of land three miles west from where you are, on the same road. Go there, and my pilot will pick you up in ten minutes.”
“Make it five minutes,” I said.
“I don’t know if he can move that fast.”
“Then kick him in the ass. This may be our last chance to find Sara.”
I dropped the phone in my lap and burned rubber leaving the