Page 91 of Lost Hours
A pair of headlights swung into the lot, and she got out of the car to wait. Nolan. Good. She was glad he arrived first so she could reemphasize his laid-back role on the op.
His vehicle lurched to a stop next to hers, and he was out of it in a flash. He wore his usual polo shirt and cargo pants, but had also added tactical boots and vest. He looked darkly dangerous as he hustled over to her, and their upcoming mission hit her full force.
A woman might be waiting and depending on Mina for the ultimate rescue. One mistake was all it would take to end her life.
Mina crouched in the woods and surveyed the log cabin with her binoculars. A faint light shone from the back of the house through a big picture window, but she spotted no movement inside. Still, she wouldn’t move ahead. El was at her patrol vehicle, running the plates on a black Jeep Wrangler parked out front of the log structure. They’d had to leave their vehicles a good distance away so the engine noise wouldn’t travel in these woods and alert their suspect.
Nolan, along with the rest of the SWAT team, were hunkered down with Mina waiting for El’s return.
“I really don’t see this Anderson guy being someone who would abduct Becca or kill the mayor,” Nolan said. “Did Dylan find any connection between them?”
“Nothing yet,” Mina said. “But he wasn’t certain there weren’t any.”
“The guy would really have to go off the rails to do something like this,” Abe said.
Mina lowered her binoculars. “Seems unlikely, but then, when I worked in Portland, I interviewed suspects you’d never expect to commit murder doing so.”
A sound came from behind, and they all swiveled to see El slipping between trees. She dropped next to Mina. “Jeep is registered to Knox Anderson.”
“Okay, so that says we have what appears to be an upstanding citizen at his cabin containing Becca’s phone.”
“It seems as if they’re sleeping.” El shifted in the long grass. “I suggest if we can find an unlocked door, we enter silently rather than breaking down the door and forcing a hostage situation.”
“I agree,” Mina said. “One of us should go ahead and look for that open door.”
“I’ll go,” Abe volunteered.
Abe would be Mina’s last choice to send in as a scout. If any of them were trigger-happy, it would be Abe, and she could easily see him breaking protocol and causing the very situation they wanted to avoid.
“As lead on this investigation,” El said. “I’d like to be the one to go.”
“Then move,” Mina said. “Check for the door. Do not enter. Return with a report.”
El started to rise.
“Make sure your radio is off,” Mina said.
“It’s off, but I’ll check it anyway.” El fumbled with her radio and then scooted through the scrub to the clearing.
The detective stealthily advanced toward the cabin, darting behind tall evergreen trees, the pale moonlight highlighting her body just enough for Mina to see movement. She crept up the four steps to the front porch and rose to look into the big window. She edged to the door, checked the knob, then took the same path down to circle behind the building.
As Mina waited for El to reappear, she counted, forcing herself to remember to breathe. She’d reached fifty when El’s body materialized on the side of the cabin.
She traced her steps back to them and settled next to Mina. “Front door is locked. Back door is unlocked. Front area is a kitchen-living room combo. Light is coming from the hallway that leads to the back entrance. Three doors in the hallway. One is closed. Likely bedrooms and bathroom. No sign of a security system or any kind of booby trap.”
Mina quickly made a plan. “El and I’ll go in. Clear the open areas and leave the closed door for last, at which time we’ll announce ourselves and force our way inside it. Abe and Banfield, you have the front door. Ewing the back. Don’t enter unless things go south.”
“And me?” Nolan asked.
“Stay here until I call you.”
His shoulders slumped, but he nodded. “I’ll pray for a safe resolution.”
“That’s always appreciated.” Mina stood, but left her rifle with Nolan. “Let’s move.”
She didn’t bother taking El’s circuitous route, but raised her sidearm and made a straight line toward the building. She paused at the front to let Banfield and Abe climb the steps to the porch. She checked the picture window to make sure there was still zero movement inside. Good. Nothing. She signaled for El and Ewing to follow her around back.
A gravel path led alongside the building that seemed to be in nearly new condition, but she chose the grass for silence. At the back, she climbed the three steps to a small porch to open the door. Thankfully, it didn’t make a sound.
