Page 43 of Her Final Hours (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #3)
“He knew a catcher out of state.”
“Is she still alive?” Callie questioned.
Patrick shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is what Collins told…” He hesitated as if a name had almost escaped his lips, but he caught himself. “What he told the others about holding on to one and losing a shitload of cash.”
“Cash?” McKenzie asked.
“To the sum of three million.”
Cash? Payton? Her thoughts raced, realizing the horrifying truth that had befallen Noah’s friend. But then, a glimmer of hope flickered in her mind. “You shrugged when I asked if she was alive,” she pointed out.
Patrick looked deflated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I know is what they told me when they said Collins was dead. They were making it clear what happens to those who mess up.” She felt no sympathy even as he added, “That’s why I never said anything.”
Even McKenzie understood the terrifying grip that this network had on those involved. They stood there in the snow forest as dark secrets unfolded before them. She needed more information and evidence to bring down the insidious operation.
The sound of a train’s rumble in the distance seemed to underscore the gravity of their conversation. Callie pressed on. “How do they move them, Patrick?”
He met her gaze, his eyes haunted by all he’d seen. “I told you, in vans. They use service vans, the ones that blend in. They’ll take them from homes if needed, but summer campgrounds are their prime targets. No one pays much attention to service people, too many people around,” he explained.
Callie clarified her question. “I meant after. The deliverers. How do they transport them?”
A flicker of realization crossed her face as he glanced away and then back at her.
“They’re using trains?”
He confirmed with a nod. “Freight. During the night.”
It made sense, the girl being found near the tracks. Was Collins in the process of moving her? Had Payton tried to stop him?
McKenzie interjected, full of concern. “Is your father involved in this?”
Patrick shook his head vehemently. “No. No,” he emphasized, desperate to distance his father from these horrors. No doubt, guilt had eaten away at him, especially after his father had tried to help him by continuing to let him work for his company, utterly unaware of how his van was being used.
Callie exchanged a look with McKenzie, a silent understanding passing between them. McKenzie couldn’t help but bring up Tasha, reminding Patrick of the debts and consequences that faced him. “By the way, Tasha sends her regards; she wants money.”
“Doesn’t everyone,” he said.
Callie thought of the cash that Collins had lost and where it all fell into the picture. Was it payment for trafficking women? A one-time purchase amount or the accumulation of ongoing payments?
Just then, Callie’s phone began to ring, interrupting the tense atmosphere. She checked the caller ID and answered, “Yeah?”
The voice on the other end caught her off guard. It was Alicia. “They’ve taken Noah’s daughter.” Alicia’s voice trembled.
Confusion and concern spread as Callie turned her attention to Patrick, attempting to process both the ongoing spat between him and McKenzie and the distressing news from Alicia. “What?” she exclaimed, her mind picking up speed.
Callie’s expression grew tense as Alicia brought her up to speed on the situation and conveyed the perpetrator’s demands.
Alicia sent her a photo of the words she had jotted down, spoken by Jane Doe in her sleep.
At that moment, it was just noise in her head.
She was already trying to process Patrick’s confession.
Callie’s focus shifted to finding Noah and ensuring his daughter’s safety. “Where is he now?” she asked Alicia.
Alicia informed her that he was en route to the doctor’s farm. Callie thanked her and hung up, her mind swirling with worry. She attempted to call Noah’s number, but it just kept ringing. Realization hit hard; the situation had taken a dangerous turn.
“What do they have planned, Patrick?” she asked, full of anger.
“They’ve taken an investigator’s daughter,” she said.
That caught McKenzie off guard, he looked her way and muttered something, but she was focused on Patrick, her voice shaking with emotion.
She had met Mia and understood the pain and loss that Noah and his family had already endured .
Patrick backed away, fear rising. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered.
Callie’s frustration boiled over as she fearlessly trudged toward him. “Who has Mia Sutherland, Patrick? Where are they keeping her? Where do they hold them?” she demanded, her voice escalating.
Silence hung in the air as Patrick refused to respond. “I’ve said too much already,” he muttered, regret washing over him. “I’m not going back inside.”
Before Callie could extract more, his trembling hand lifted the gun to his head, and a gunshot echoed through the stormy forest. Time seemed to slow down as the bullet tore through the side of his temple, his body slumping to the ground.
Horror and despair coursed through Callie as the reality of the situation sank in. The stakes had risen to a terrifying height, swirling amidst the storm’s chaos around them — the race to find Noah’s daughter had become more urgent and fraught with danger.
She tried Noah’s number again, but it went to voicemail this time.