Page 33 of Her Final Hours (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #3)

P anic took hold.

Noah’s chest tightened. His heart raced as he gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. The voice on the other end sent chills down his spine, its tone sinister and commanding.

“What?” His breath caught in his throat, his mind reeling with fear and disbelief. He glanced at Gretchen, her face a picture of horror. Noah struggled to steady his voice, laced with confusion. How? It was impossible. She had been there the whole night. “Is this a joke?”

“I can assure you it’s not.”

“Where is my daughter? Is she okay?”

“Now that’s what I like to hear — a concerned father. You know how many parents aren’t concerned? It’s surprising. Your daughter is alive, Noah. For now. But her life rests in your hands.”

There was no attempt to mask his voice. It was as if he didn’t expect to be caught or wasn’t worried.

Had Noah heard it before? It wasn’t familiar.

Gretchen and Ethan watched him intently, their eyes filled with worry.

Noah’s mind spun in circles, trying to make sense of the situation.

How? She was home. Kerri had dropped her off.

Gretchen had updated him to say they’d eaten supper.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”

“I want what you have. And you want what I have. It’s quite simple, an exchange.”

Noah crossed to the window and looked out, his arm reaching up to close the curtains.

“Go ahead, close them,” the man said abruptly before his tone became soft and menacing.

“It won’t help,” he said. Noah swallowed hard, his eyes scanning the curtain of snow outside.

How could anyone see anything through this?

Then again, he said that it wouldn’t help.

His eyes roamed the room. Was he being watched?

Noah’s mind frantically searched for answers, wondering who could be behind this. His immediate thought was someone connected to the Ashford family. After the stunt they’d pulled with his brother, he wouldn’t put it past them to try it with him. “Do you work for the Ashfords?”

“Ashfords? Come on. You can’t be that na?ve. Think, Noah. Think hard.”

Then it dawned on him — the girl found wandering the tracks.

“Jane Doe?”

The stranger chuckled. “You catch on quickly. I want her. Hand her over, and I’ll return your daughter unharmed.”

“It’s not as easy as that.”

“Of course it is, unless you want us to mail your daughter back to you in pieces. ”

“I don’t understand. If you’ve taken girls before, why not just take another?”

“I have. Your daughter. But that’s not who I want.”

“Then why Jane Doe?”

“That’s of no concern to you.”

“Of course it is.”

“Focus, Mr. Sutherland. Focus.”

“She’s of no use to you. Right now, she can’t remember a damn thing, so if you’re worried that she will give up your name, I wouldn’t fret. She’s told us nothing.”

“You think I’m concerned?” He chuckled. “You’re the one that should be concerned.”

Noah’s heart sank as the weight of the situation bore down on him. He had to buy time to ensure his daughter’s safety. “How do I know my daughter is alive? Let me speak to her; let me hear her voice.”

The stranger spoke back, his voice harsh, his tone carrying an edge. “You are in no position to make demands. You will do exactly as I tell you. Failure to do so will result in your daughter’s death.”

“Why would I do anything without knowing if she’s alive?”

“You’ll have to believe me.”

“Well, if you’re the asshole responsible for all the other missing girls, I think you’ve lost credibility. Put her on the phone, or this ends here.”

Noah knew he was playing with fire, but these situations rarely ended well. For all he knew, Mia was already dead. Just the thought made him want to throw up. He glanced at Ethan. He’d lost so much already. They both had.

“Put her on the phone!” Noah yelled.

There was a rustling on the other end of the line.

Noah’s heart pounded in his chest as he strained to listen for any sign that Mia was still alive and uninjured.

A faint whimper resonated through the phone, followed by her voice, sending a wave of terror coursing through his veins. “Dad. Dad! Please—”

Before he could offer her a comforting reply, the stranger came back on the line. “Satisfied? Cooperate with me, and your daughter will remain unharmed. Cross me, and I’m sure you can imagine the consequences.”

Noah clenched his fist, anger taking hold despite his fear.

“If any harm comes to my daughter. You won’t get shit, and I’ll stop at nothing to hunt you down.”

The man chuckled. “Oh, Noah, threats won’t get you anywhere.

But it might get your daughter killed. You have one job.

To follow my instructions to the letter, and then, and only then, will you see your precious Mia.

Now, it’s late. A storm is upon us. I’m tired.

We’ll speak tomorrow morning when you’ve had time to chew it over.

But understand one thing. This is not a game.

If you attempt to leave the house, or contact or signal anyone, she will die. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The line went dead, leaving Noah standing there, his mind swirling with a mixture of dread, anger, and determination.

“I’m sorry, son,” Gretchen muttered, rising. “I thought she was in bed. She…”

Noah took off up the stairs and burst into Mia’s room to see it himself. The covers on her bed were pulled back, and pillows had been placed where she should have been. He glanced over at her window, where it was partially up; a cold wind was blowing through.

Noah went over and peered out into the darkness. So much snow was coming down that any chance of finding prints would be lost. Had he been so bold as to take her out of her room? Or had Mia exited for another one of her parties, and he was watching the house ?

Noah shut the window just as Gretchen appeared in the doorway.

“She went to bed around eight, said she had some homework to do, and then she would get an early night. I glanced in at around ten. The light was off; I just saw a mound. I didn’t think anything of it.

” Tears flowed, and it was clear Gretchen was beating herself up over it. “I swear, if…”

“There’s nothing you could have done, Gretchen. He probably already knew my schedule. If this sicko planned to take her, he would have abducted her either way — here or somewhere else.” He looked back at her. “Did you hear anything?”

“Nothing. The wind from the storm is…” she trailed off.

“And Ethan?”

“No. And please, son, don’t push him. He’s already upset enough, thinking that you’ll think he knows where she is. He doesn’t this time, Noah.”

He nodded, and then his mind shifted to figuring out how to find her. He didn’t want to play a twisted game with some sicko, but deep inside, a fire burned, a fire that would drive him to bring this person in or, better still — end their existence.

He passed Gretchen, moving down the landing to his bedroom, and located Mia’s phone that he’d confiscated.

It was still where he’d placed it. He checked the texts.

There were multiple ones from her girlfriends and a slew from Teddy asking her why she was ghosting him.

Some were accompanied by emojis that indicated his sexual desires.

Noah gritted his teeth. There was so much about Mia that was hidden from him.

He closed his eyes and wished Lena was back. She always knew what to say.

Gretchen continued, “Before you arrived. I received several phone calls. At first, there was nothing but breathing. I thought it was a prank, so I hung up. He must have the place bugged because after I hung up he called back and told me exactly what I was wearing and which room I was in. That’s when I checked Mia’s room.

He told me to leave all the curtains open. That if I closed one, she would die.”

He knew that a person could see right into the house from the lake as he’d seen it himself.

The waterfront property had tall cathedral windows that allowed lots of natural light in but also exposed them to those lurking outside.

Then again, maybe it was just a ploy to make them think they were being watched from outside.

Surveillance equipment was so small that all manner of devices could be hidden in the home.

He glanced up at the smoke alarms, a device known for holding tiny cameras.

The Adirondack Sheriff’s Office had only recently busted an Airbnb owner for installing cameras inside.

“Has anyone been by today? A plumber, an electrician, any service-related calls?”

“Were you expecting anyone?”

“No. What time did you arrive?” Noah asked.

“Kerri got here sometime around five. I arrived ten minutes before that.”

“And in the day?”

Gretchen nodded. “I had to run some errands. You know — get groceries for tonight.”

Noah mused. That gave whoever was behind this plenty of time to access the house. There were surveillance cameras on the outside, so the first thing he planned to check the footage. Noah took out his computer and waited for it to load up.

Gretchen moved around the room, her eyes roaming, searching for hidden surveillance devices. “Where would they hide them?”

“Hide what?”

“Cameras?”

“Uh… in smoke detectors, clocks, pens, shelves, electrical outlets, air filters, chargers, night lights, stuffed toys, holes in the wall, and so on. Look for anything that seems out of place, any un usual objects,” Noah rattled the list off as he hurried to log in and check footage on the cloud.

After, he would contact Callie and McKenzie.

“Just hold up your smartphone and turn on the camera feature.”

“Why? What am I supposed to see with that?”

“Most smartphone cameras can detect infrared light. Surveillance cameras tend to emit infrared light when working. We can’t see them, but most smartphones can. You might see a burst of white or purple light or a flickering.”

Noah only had the computer on for a few seconds when the phone’s shrill ring pierced through the tension-laden air, interrupting his thoughts. They exchanged a worried glance before Noah picked up the cell phone her abductor had left at the house.

“What did I say?” the man muttered.

His voice was full of worry. “I was—”

“Close the computer and stop searching for devices, or will your daughter pay the price?” the man said.

Noah’s grip on the phone tightened as frustration mixed with fear. That only confirmed they were being monitored in the home; their every move was scrutinized.

“No computers. No cell phones except this one. Now turn them off.”

He crossed to the bed and closed the laptop.

“Now tell your aunt to stop looking. She won’t find them.” Noah motioned to her, and she lowered the phone. “Do it again, and your daughter will die.”

The line went dead again, leaving Noah and Gretchen in a state of helplessness. The weight of the situation felt heavy, but he refused to succumb to despair.

“I’ll get Ethan to bed; he needs to sleep, he has school tomorrow.”

“He won’t let him leave this house,” Noah said. “And by the look of the weather outside, it will be another snow day for sure.”

“Still, it’s late.”

Gretchen left the room, and his mind focused on finding a way to outsmart the abductors and bring her home safely.