Page 2 of Texas Cold Case Murder

Without giving herself time to think it through, Nina slipped through the back door and into the darkness. Taking care to close the door soundlessly behind her, she then turned to scan the landscape. She was not reassured to see the small backyard was surrounded by woods. Towering trees that were native to the eastern region of the state. Did wild animals roam around in there? She didn’t necessarily want to find out.

Yet fear of whoever was inside the cabin propelled her forward. Sticking to the shadows for as long as possible, Nina took a deep breath and ran across the small yard.

The sudden, ear-shattering crack of gunfire had her hunching her shoulders and sprinting toward the trees, her heart racing. Her instincts to escape were right! Her uncle’s death was no suicide.

He’d been murdered! Just like her mother had been, twenty-eight years ago!

The trees swallowed her, providing the illusion of safety. But Nina didn’t slow or stop; she kept moving. She had her cell phone and knew she needed to call 911. Was she far enough away from the gunman to do that? She hoped so. Glancing at her phone she only had one bar of service. Would the police reach this location in time? Covering the screen to dim the light, she typed in the numbers. Her spirits sank when the call didn’t go through.

She desperately wanted to call Texas Ranger Jackson Woodlow, too. He knew she’d taken a few vacation days, as he’d called earlier that evening for technical support. He’d mentioned being in Dallas, which wasn’t too far from her current location. But it would still take a while for him to get there. And that was if she could even reach him.

No matter how much she wished for the comfort of the Texas Rangers she worked with, she was on her own.

Nina ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. She risked a glance behind her but didn’t see anything. Would the gunman try to follow her?

The possibility had her pushing forward. The woods were dark and scary, but not as frightening as the armed man or at least she thought it was a man from the weight of his footsteps on the gravel, who’d fired at her moments ago.

After what seemed like eons, but was likely only fifteen minutes, Nina slowed her pace, listening intently. She didn’t hear pounding footsteps indicating the gunman was following her.

But it could be that he was moving silently compared to her frantic pace.

Drawing a deep breath, she calmed her racing heart and tried to imagine the map app on her phone. Swan was five miles to the north of Tyler. To the east of that was the Tyler State Park.

She paused behind a large pine to get her bearings. She’d approached her uncle’s cabin from the south, heading north. That meant the state forest was to her right. Unless she’d gotten herself turned around?

A sob crawled up her throat. She wasn’t the outdoorsy type! She didn’t know how to survive in the wilderness.

Yet anything was better than coming face-to-face with the gunman. Bending at the waist, Nina drew in a deep, cleansing breath. Since she still only had one bar, she decided to send Jackson a quick text message. Sometimes they would still go through in low cell service areas.

Help! I’m five miles north of Swan and a gunman is after me!

Without waiting for his response, she put her phone on silent, tucked it away and moved forward, going from one tree to the next, listening for an indication she was still being followed. The deeper into the woods she went, the more her apprehension grew.

Get lost in the woods? Or go back to the cabin and possibly run smack into the gunman?

Another crack of gunfire rang out. She hit the ground, her heart pounding so loud she feared the gunman could hear it.

He was following her!

She swallowed a sob and crawled through the brush on her hands and knees, trying not to imagine bugs or spiders getting tangled in her hair.

She crawled for what seemed like a lifetime. The silence was far from reassuring. Nina could all too easily imagine the gunman waiting patiently to take another shot.

Her only option was to hide long enough for Jackson to arrive.

* * *

Nina’s text about being chased by a gunman made Jackson’s blood run cold. What in the world was going on? She was supposed to be visiting family on vacation, not running for her life.

He used his hands-free function to call Nina but after several rings, her voicemail kicked on.

“Out of office alert. This is Nina and I’m on PTO. Please call Debra Schilling for technical support or leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I return on Monday.”

Jackson slowed and turned around on the highway. He knew Swan, although it was nothing more than a pinprick on a map. Planting his foot on the gas pedal, he flipped the red-and-blue light bar that lined his rear window and headed east.

Different scenarios swirled in his mind, but none that made sense. Nina was the technical analyst for the Texas Rangers—there would be no reason for her to be in danger.

Unless she’d stumbled upon a crime in progress?