Page 103 of Three Girls Gone

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. All it means for certain is Wilcox was here,” Trent said calmly.

Amanda couldn’t understand how he was holding himselftogether so well. “We could tell that by the Kia. This…thatis a message, Trent. He’s already killed her, or he’s very close to doing so. This is his game, and he knew we’d track him down. This toy is like him telling us, we’re just a little too late.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Trent pushed back.

Amanda admired how he was clinging to light in this darkness while she was struggling for ground. But his optimism was foolish and naive. She turned to Traci. “Report over the radios and loop everyone in on this.” One of the other officers who had come over beat Traci to it.

Amanda set out toward the woods. She could hear Trent’s footsteps cracking over small twigs in her wake. She stopped walking and turned around to face him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not letting you go out there alone.” He thrust a pointed finger at the woods.

“Time is running out for Eloise, Trent. I feel that. Let me go on my own, you go your way. We’ll cover more ground, faster.” Going off alone presented a risk, but it was one she was prepared to take. She had her gun, her training, and her wits. Even if she was being borderline obsessive about one little girl right now.

“I don’t know. You seriously think that’s a smart thing to do? You thought he was panicking when he thought Katherine was getting close. What do you think his mental state is now, with cops chasing him through this park? There’s no telling what Wilcox will do if you run into him.”

“Trent, please. If you fan out that way fifty yards and head toward the river like I’m doing, we’ll meet up soon. This is our best chance of stopping Wilcox and saving Eloise.”

He stood there, facing her. She could feel his eyes drilling into her through the night.

“Seconds count, Trent. Every. Single. One. As you just said, there is a lot of backup here. I’m safe.”

“Tell yourself that. This guy is unhinged.”

“He might be, but there’s a little girl who needs us.”

“Fine,” he consented. “But one sign of Wilcox, and you yell like a freaking banshee. Got me?”

“Got you.”

Trent set out east, and Amanda continued going straight. The river was a bit of a walk from here, and a thick forest stood in between. With Trent gone, it suddenly felt like the trees had eyes. The darkness closed in around her, but she kept moving forward with her flashlight’s beam fixed ahead.

Taking one step at a time for Eloise…

But she stopped, holding her next breath at the sound of dogs barking in the distance. Had one of the K-9s found the girl?

She set out in that direction, hurrying her pace until her path was blocked.

Marshall Wilcox stepped out from behind a large tree. Eloise was limp in his arms, cradled like a baby. She couldn’t tell if the girl was alive or not.

FORTY-FOUR

Amanda reached for her gun. She froze with her hand over her holster.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Marshall seethed. “And I wouldn’t call out either. Or Iwillkill her.”

So she is alive…He must have drugged her. “PWCPD. Surrender the girl.”

Marshall laughed. “And why would I do that?”

“You’re caught, Marshall. Just let the girl go.”

“I don’t answer to you,” he hissed.

“Please, we can talk about this.” Why hadn’t he just stayed hidden? Either he was feeling self-destructive or this fed into his game.

“No.” He turned and walked away from her, exposing his back, giving her a clear target.

She reached for her gun, tempted to take it, but what if he detected the danger and her bullet struck too late for Eloise? No, she couldn’t take that chance. She couldn’t scream either. She took Marshall at his word. He was prepared to kill the girl. This left her with one choice. Follow him.