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“Devil’s Drop,” Wade said. “How the hell did he survive the plunge?”
“He got out before it went over. I don’t know how—he was unconscious when we found him in the woods, and by the time the E.R. docs finished with him, he’d had enough drugs to keep him incoherent for a while.” He lifted his head. “He’ll probably have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. It could have been a lot worse. The Blazer exploded on impact. It’s burned black, completely gutted. They wouldn’t have even known it was the vehicle we were looking for, except that one of the tags came loose on the way down.”
“Thank God he got out,” Kara whispered.
“Do they know what happened? How he wound up over that drop?” Caleb asked.
Jim shook his head. “No skid marks. It’s a dirt road, so the tire tracks are good. It’s too dark to be certain of anything, but we had spotlights. It looks to me as if the Blazer drove straight ahead, then turned right to veer off the road, through the grass and over the drop-off. No signs of veering out of control or fishtailing or sudden braking.”
“How badly is Colby hurt?” Kara asked.
“Aside from a solid blow to the head and a couple of broken ribs, not too badly. The doctors say he’s gonna be fine. He’s got a concussion but no sign of anything more serious. They said we should be able to talk to him in the morning.”
“That’s good news,” Wade said.
Jim nodded. “For now, we’re not saying anything about finding Colby. The press is going to get that the vehicle was found and that it will take forensics teams a week or more to try to determine whether any human remains burned with it.”
Caleb nodded. “If this was an attempt on his life, there’s no point giving his attacker a reason to try again.”
“Exactly. We booked him into the hospital under a false name.” He sighed, shaking his head. “It’s not gonna stay quiet long. Too many cops know, the paramedics at the scene know. People tend to talk. They’ll tell their wives, best friends, and it’ll get around.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said. “But out-of-towners aren’t going to be as tuned in to the local grapevine. They won’t hear for a while.”
“I’m counting on it. Meanwhile, now that every cop in three counties is involved, they aren’t going to get far.”
“Even though he hasn’t been conscious long enough to identify his assailants?” Wade asked.
Jim nodded. “There was a sticky residue around his wrists, ankles and face. One piece of duct tape still on his sleeve. He was definitely held against his will. This accident was either an escape or attempted murder. Colby’s a cop—Chicago cop, but it doesn’t matter. Cops don’t like people messing with their own. Stuff like this goes down, they close ranks. They’re on this.” Jim drew a breath, sighed. “Frankly I feel better about things than I have in a long while.”
“That’s saying something,” Wade said.
Jim nodded, then lifted his head. “Thanks, you guys. This was above and beyond, coming out here like this. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
Wade sent him a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll think of something.”
“You don’t need to stay. There’s a State Police unit outside for the night,” Jim said. Wade got to his feet and Jim did, too. The two shook hands, and then Caleb repeated the gesture. When they left, Jim followed them to the door to thank them again, then remained there and watched as they drove away.
He locked the door, then he turned to Kara. She was standing close to him. He pulled her into his arms and held her so tight she felt truly cherished. “I really think everything’s going to be okay,” he told her. “I really do.”
“I know it will,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. There was so much on her mind. A thousand questions whirled around inside her, eager to escape and have their answers. But this was no time for any of that. He’d been through enough today. “You should get some sleep, Jimmy.”
“So should you,” he told her. “I’ll climb in with Ty. I need him close tonight. So rest easy. Don’t lie awake worrying or listening for things to go bump, okay?”
“Okay.”
He stroked her hair and looked into her eyes. “I’m really,reallyglad you were here tonight.”
She smiled a little. “I’m glad I was here, too. I like being here.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Good night, Jimmy.”
“Night, Kara.”
She went up the stairs and felt his eyes on her all the way.
* * *
Kara slept for five hours, then bounded out of bed wide awake and incredibly upbeat. And maybe that was because Colby had been found and Jimmy was sure things were going to be okay now. Or maybe it was because she was finally letting herself be convinced that his attention to her, his tenderness toward her, came from more than just a casual interest.
She showered, dressed, fussed a little with her hair and barely-there makeup. Then she headed downstairs and felt joyously domestic as she cooked pancakes and sausages in the functional kitchen, brewed fragrant coffee. And she felt pretty—and suspected that had to do with Jimmy Corona’s constant, convincing attention over the past few days.
