The Liar

Clay clamped a hand on Forrest’s shoulder, leaned in to look at the map on his phone. “You and Nobby are going to cover this section here. You keep your eyes peeled for that vehicle, that license plate. Matt, you sure about this?”

“Hell yes.”

“I’m going to have you go into town, hook up with the sheriff, he’ll—”

“What’s going on here?” Viola stepped outside. “What’s happened? Where’s Shelby?”

Griff only waited a beat. “You’re wasting time figuring out what you should say or not, Pomeroy. Richard’s alive—I don’t know how—and he has her. We’re going after her.”

The color drained out of her face, made her eyes blaze like blue fire. “Boy, if you’re putting a posse together, your granddaddy and I are going to be part of it.”

“Granny—”

“Don’t Granny me,” she snapped at Forrest. “Who taught you to shoot?”

“I’m going now,” Griff said.

“Nobby, set it up from here, will you? Griff and I are going.”

“Callie,” Viola called out.

“She’s fine, Griff checked, and we’ve got a man there sitting on the house right now.” Forrest kept going, opened the lockbox on the side of his truck, took out a Remington rimfire rifle, a box of ammo.

“I’ve seen you shoot so I know you can handle it.”

Target shooting was as far as Griff had gone, ever, but he didn’t argue.

Forrest got in the truck, took his favored Colt out of the glove box. “We’re going to get her back, Griff.”

“Not sitting here, we won’t.”

“I’m counting on you to keep a cool head.” Even as he spoke, Forrest punched the gas and they were flying. “We’re going to keep your phone open, in case she’s able to send you another message. Use mine to coordinate with the other teams as they come along. The sheriff’s already pulled in the federals. They got equipment we don’t run to in the Ridge, and better techs. Shelby keeps her head, keeps her phone on, they’re going to track it.”

“He had to be watching her, or be in the house when she went back.”

“We’ll find out when we get her back.”

“He’s going to be the one who killed the woman.”

Forrest’s face was stone as the speedometer inched higher. “I wouldn’t bet against it.”

“I saw him, I think. I got a bad feeling about the guy I saw—when I took Callie to the bookstore, then to the park. He played me.”

“Let’s worry about now.”

The now had fear tearing through his heart, his head, his belly. “He has to have somewhere to go. Shelby said he never did anything without a reason.”

“We’ll find him, and we’ll get her back. Safe.”

Before Griff could respond, his phone signaled. “It’s Shelby. Jesus, she’s got nerves of steel.” He struggled to read the jumbled text as they flew around switchbacks. “Old Hester Road, I think she means Hester.”

“I know where she means. It’s Odd Hester. Scatter of cabins and old campsites, deer stands up that way. Remote. You relay that, Griff, to Nobby, and he’ll take it from there.”

“What the hell does he want with her?”

“Whatever he wants, he’s not going to get it.”

Ice, sharp and jagged, poured in through the tearing fear. “How far away are we?”

“A ways, but we’re traveling a hell of a lot faster than they are. Bring the others along now, Griff.”

He made the relay, yanked off his formal tie.

He wouldn’t lose her. He would not lose her. Callie would not lose her mother. Whatever had to be done, he’d do it. He looked at the rifle across his lap.

Whatever had to be done.

“She’s sending another. Right hardpack track past mulberry stand. Single cabin. Truck. There’s a truck already at the cabin.”

“Might have more hostages. Or it might be his old partner. Let the others know.”

Griff couldn’t say how Forrest kept the truck on the road, not at this speed, not around turns so sharp they could cut bone. More than once they fishtailed or the tires kissed the narrow shoulder.

And still it wasn’t fast enough.

“She’s sending . . . it says . . . William, she means William. William Bunty.”

“Bounty,” Forrest corrected. “I know where it is. She’s guiding us in faster than the fucking feds ever could.”

“How far?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Make it less.” With hands cold as steel, Griff began to load the rifle.

•   •   •

SHELBY EMPTIED the bucket twice, refilled it.

Stalling, as nothing was going to remove the stains from the old wood floor.

But she poured a puddle of bleach from the bucket on the stain, got down on her hands and knees to scrub at it.

“Now that’s the kind of job you’re suited for.”

“Scrubbing floors is honest work.”

“Loser work. You lived the high life for a while. I gave you that.” He gave her a nudge in the ass with his foot. “I gave you a good taste of the high life. You should be grateful.”

“You gave me Callie, so I’m grateful. You always meant to kill them, didn’t you, the people you ran with, the woman who you lived with—she said you married her. Did you?”