Page 60 of The Missing Couple

“We have to hurry,” Charly said, fear throttling through her.

The door suddenly burst open. Charly instinctively turned the gun in that direction. Laney Rogers stood there, the rifle belonging to Charly in her hands. She glared at Billie. “You’re a dead man.”

“Shoot,” Billie said under his breath as he raised his hands in surrender. “Now!” He rolled to the right.

Charly pulled the trigger.

Laney fell to the floor, issuing those bloodcurdling screams again. Charly had shot her in the calf. The rifle had flown from her hands. If she’d pulled the trigger, she hadn’t pulled it hard enough because the weapon didn’t fire.

Sheriff Malone and several of his deputies suddenly poured into the cabin, stepping over and around Laney.

Charly only then noticed the lights flashing outside. EMS personnel were the next to crowd into the cabin.

Then everything started to happen at once. Martin was rushed away. Paramedics were seeing to Laney and Paul.

“He killed my husband,” Laney screamed.

“Kerwin is on his way to the hospital,” Malone assured her. “The paramedic thinks he had a heart attack but he’s stable for now. Laney Rogers, you are under arrest.”

While the sheriff read Laney her rights, another deputy was doing the same with Paul even as he was loaded onto a stretcher.

Billie grabbed Charly by the arm. He tucked the gun she’d used on Laney into his belt. “We have to go now.”

She nodded.

Just as they stepped off the porch, a voice stopped them.

“This part is mine,” Sheriff Malone said. He came down those steps. “I have cruisers en route to the port right now. Kerwin told me where to look before I let them take him to the hospital.”

“I have to be there,” Billie argued.

The sheriff nodded. “You and Charly can ride with me.”

Lake City Marine Transport

Lake Guntersville Park Drive, 11:42 p.m.

SHERIFF MALONE HAD the owner of the transport service on site by the time they arrived. They located the shipping container and the manager opened it. To Charly’s surprise, Sheriff Malone allowed Billie to enter first. EMS was standing by.

Thirty seconds later he came out with his sister in his arms. “There are two more in there.”

Billie carried Briana to the nearest ambulance, and a paramedic immediately started to examine her.

Charly’s knees nearly buckled as she watched the scene play out. Deputies carried the other two women out of their prison. All were loaded into ambulances and rushed away.

Sheriff Malone ushered her and Billie back to his cruiser. “We’ll follow them to the hospital.”

Charly reached for the rear passenger door. “You should ride up front, Charly,” he said. “We need to talk.”

Billie opened the front passenger door for her and then got into the back himself.

Charly wondered if she was going to be arrested for shooting Laney. But it was either shoot or be shot.

In the backseat, Billie was speaking softly to someone on his cell phone. She figured he was letting all the parents know he’d found his sister and her husband. Charly’s tears started to flow again. God, she was a mess.

When Sheriff Malone had maneuvered onto the street, he glanced at her. “After you and Billie left the office, Kerrick decided he had some things to say.”

She could only imagine what that jerk had said. “Is he going to testify about what they’ve been doing?”