CHAPTER 60
A twig snapped, jerking Jericho out of sleep. Rolling quickly, he grabbed Medora’s gun and sat up, leveling it at where he thought the sound had come from. Twelve feet away, where he had left his backpack when he fell asleep last night, a small red squirrel paused from digging through the plastic peanut wrappers and protein bars from his dinner last night and gave him a quizzical stare.
Muttering a curse, he put the gun down and winced. The sudden movement had stretched the skin around the bullet wound that he had stitched up with a needle and thread from the Keeling’s house last night.
Leaving the squirrel to whatever it could find, he glanced at his wristwatch and looked around. It was just after two in the afternoon, he had slept through the entire morning. After raiding the Keeling’s house, he’d disappeared back into the mountains, hiking a good five miles through darkened wilderness before settling down under a rock outcropping in a small ravine. He was guessing that with the FBI involved, there would soon be an all-out manhunt for him, if it hadn’t started already. From his Ranger training, he was an expert at all-terrain operations, but even an experienced special forces veteran could only avoid scent dogs and aerial infrared searches for so long.
A burning feeling began to form in his stomach as he thought of Angie and Medora. Anticipation flooded his senses as he thought about finishing his lessons for Angie. And rage for Medora, his ex-wife who betrayed him.
Pulling the hand-knitted afghan that he had taken from the Keeling’s spare bedroom aside, he reached into his pocket for his cell phone. After a moment it powered up. He had managed to charge it while at the house, so it was at full power. A small orange dot blinked next to the text icon, announcing a waiting message.
10266 Coral Cove. We’ll be waiting the message read. A sinister smile began to form on his grime-encrusted face as he typed his reply. Time to die he responded. Slowly.
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A brief shudder reverberated through Medora as she read his reply. Then she punched her phone off with a firm resolve. It’s time to end this, she thought grimly. One way or the other.
Shortly after she and Angie had agreed on their plan, Agent Walsh and Detective Sears had shown up to take their statements. While Angie described her abduction and subsequent imprisonment to Walsh, Medora recounted to Detective Sears the events after she left the beach. When she reached the point of Brian’s death, she explained that she had followed Harper’s orders, and that he must have somehow escaped the cuffs. Sears had paused for a moment as if deciding to pursue a different line of questioning, but then went back tracking the timeline of events.
After they were both finished, Agent Walsh explained what would happen next. As Medora expected, Walsh suggested hiding Angie until Jericho was captured, and if he eluded their net, then Witness Protection would be on the table.
Angie then expressed her resolute desire that Medora be one of her protectors, and that she wanted to stay at her house. After a brief argument, the lawmen relented, and arrangements were made for police protection at Angie’s seaside cottage.
Shortly after Walsh and Sears left, Dr. Watson came in to clear the two of them to leave. Medora had been evaluated with a concussion and was prescribed bedrest and over the counter pain medication. If she began to feel faint or dizzy, she was to lie down and immediately call the hospital. Angie was found to be physically fine, thought the trauma had caused extreme agitation, resulting in a spiking of blood pressure and a low-grade form of shock. She was also released with a prescription for Xanax and instructions to meet with a therapist to evaluate for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Medora wanted to go back to her place to get some things, so the two officers that were guarding them, Mattis and Green split up, with Mattis going with Medora, and Green accompanying Angie. Plans were already underway for the protection for Angie while the FBI was coordinating bringing assets to Wolf Hollow for the massive manhunt that was about to ensue.
Medora said good-bye to Angie, squeezing her hand in silent comfort as she promised to be at her home within a few hours. Angie, needing the human contact, drew Medora in for a hug, her body trembling slightly at what lay ahead. Medora, her head still throbbing, embraced her tightly and whispered fiercely “stay strong, we’re going to get him!”
Angie nodded into her shoulder and took a deep, shuddering breath. Medora had no illusions about Angie’s ability to help take out Jericho. She was just the bait, Medora reminded herself darkly. And bait was expendable when hunting prey.
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