Once he and Boone were in place, Ryan pushed the door open the rest of the way using gloves. What greeted them was frightening. The living room was in complete disarray as if there’d been a struggle.
Boone motioned Ryan to take upstairs while he searched the ground floor.
Ryan eased up the carpeted stairs. The first door appeared to be the primary bedroom. He twisted the handle, opening the door. Nothing appeared out of place.
Had Lila been preparing to leave for work when she was attacked? If so, then it was possible to narrow the timeframe when Lila went missing.
On the bed, something grabbed his attention. A piece of paper that seemed out of place. Ryan crossed the room and picked it up. The words jumped from the page.
You should have left things in the past. Now, it’s her turn to pay the price for what happened that night.
“Anything?” Boone called up.
Ryan stared at the words. The message was clear. Because he and Charlie had continued to delve into Abby’s disappearance, Lila would be the killer’s next victim unless they found where she’d been taken.
“I have something.” Ryan forced out.
Seconds ticked by in time with his pulse. Boone came into the room. “What is it?”
“He has her.” Ryan handed the note to Boone.
“This is bad. We have no idea where he’d take her, and it could be hours since he grabbed her.” He checked the temperature of leftover coffee sitting on the counter. “It’s cold.”
Ryan reread the note. “What happened that night. He must be talking about Abby’s disappearance.”
Boone scanned his face. “That’d be my guess. What are you thinking?”
“We need to start the search at Abby’s old house and push out to the bridge where Charlie and she were supposed to meet up.”
Boone nodded. “I’ll radio it in.” He stepped away.
Ryan headed downstairs to speak to Charlie and realized she was standing in the doorway. “What happened here?” she whispered, her voice strained.
Ryan crossed to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “He has her.”
His grip tightened when Charlie swayed. Her hand flew to her mouth. “How? Why? Lila wasn’t involved in what happened.”
Ryan gathered her close. “I don’t know, but we’ll get her back.” While Charlie clung to him, Ryan’s uneasy feeling had him wondering if he’d lied. Pete was dead because of something he’d learned about what had been set into motion fifteen years earlier. What if Lila was next?
“Backup’s heading to Abby’s place.” Boone joined them.
Ryan reluctantly let her go and Charlie stepped back.
“I hate putting you in danger, but we need every person we can get to search.” Boone’s attention went from Charlie to Ryan. “Why don’t you two go to the bridge and search there? I’ll send the officers from Abby’s house once it’s cleared. I’m going to wait for Doug before heading over to assist. I’ll have Will pick me up.”
Ryan cupped Charlie’s arm as they headed out into the afternoon skies that were heavy with snow.
Once he’d reversed and was speeding toward Pine Haven Bridge, he debated on the wisdom of letting Charlie be part of the search.
“I’m going,” she said, reading his thoughts. “Lila is my friend. I don’t want what happened to Abby to happen to her.”
He didn’t respond. They both knew the risks. Charlie had lost so much to this suspect. It wasn’t his place to tell her to back off.But he would do everything in his power to protect her. Even if it cost him his life.
On the outskirts of town, the Pine Haven River wound along the road backdropped by breathtaking snow-capped mountains. The road continued to steadily climb. The river weaved through the mountainous terrain sometimes getting close to the foothills.
“I haven’t been back here since that night,” Charlie admitted in a low voice.
Ryan wasn’t surprised. She’d rarely spoken to him about what happened.
