Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

couldn’t see me because his eyes were burning.’
    ‘Good for you,’ Hector said fiercely and made her smile a little.
    ‘I got to the top of the tree and looked around and he was telling the truth.’ Her tiny smile faded. ‘There was nothing for miles. Just trees and mountain.’
    ‘Still is,’ Ford muttered and she patted his knee.
    ‘I stayed in that tree for hours. He went back to the house and came out with a gun – and Kelly. He was dragging her, the gun up against her head, yelling for me, calling my name, saying that he’d kill her if I didn’t come out. I almost did. But I was too scared to move. And I figured he’d kill us anyway. He passed right under me as he dragged her through the woods, looking for me. I was sure he could hear my heartbeat. And then Kelly yelled, “Run!” He hit her in the head with the gun but she yelled again, this time that she was sorry. That he’d told her I was dead. He hit her again and she went really still. He dragged her back to the garage.’ She sighed. ‘And that was the last time I saw her.’
    ‘That’s why he kept you gagged,’ Joseph said quietly. ‘He didn’t want her to know you were there.’
    ‘I figured that out, much later. After a while he got in his car and drove away. I guess he figured I’d made it down to the road. While he was gone, the gas truck came and I got down from the tree. It was a guy with a pickup truck and he hauled the tank with a hitch. I’d almost run up to him for help when Beckett came back and asked if he’d seen a girl running around. Said his sister had left her brat with him and that I’d run off again. The gas man said if he saw me, he’d bring me back. So I said nothing, just waited until Beckett went back into the garage and the gas man took the hose around the back to fill the tank. Then I climbed into the bed of the man’s truck and hid under a tarp. I didn’t breathe until the truck started and we’d been driving for a while.
    ‘The police report said you were found in Dayton, Ohio,’ Novak said. ‘How did you get there?’
    ‘The gas man stopped at a convenience store. I got out and hid in the next truck over. It had a camper top so I opened the hatch and crawled in. I figured I’d wait till the gas man drove away and then I’d find help. But the driver of the camper came out at the same time. I was too scared to come out and then the camper was moving. Didn’t stop for a long time. I fell asleep. Next I knew, we were at a rest stop and it was night and I was so cold. I climbed out when the driver went to the men’s room and I went into the ladies’ room where it was warm.’
    ‘Why didn’t you ask the driver for help?’ Hector asked kindly.
    ‘I don’t know. I think I was so scared at that point . . . I didn’t want to go with a man and I didn’t know how far I’d gone. I was afraid they’d take me back to Beckett. A few weeks in isolation can mess with your mind.’
    ‘Not to mention the trauma,’ Agent Kerr murmured. ‘Who found you?’
    ‘A nice lady. I don’t even know her name. She called the police who told me I was in Dayton. They asked me what had happened, but by then all I could hear was Beckett’s voice in my head, telling me he was going to kill my mom. I was too scared to talk. They didn’t have Amber alerts then, so it took a while for them to figure out who I was. Once they did, the police took me home.’
    She pressed her hand to her stomach. This was one of the worst parts to recall. ‘My parents were waiting for me in the living room with Aunt Vivien when the sheriff brought me home. And in the kitchen doorway was Beckett.’
    Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday, December 4, 9.30 P.M.
    ‘I don’t believe you,’ Cole whispered, but Kim didn’t answer. After telling him all kinds of lies, she’d gone unconscious, or maybe was pretending to be.
    He didn’t believe a word she’d said. Couldn’t.
    But deep down he knew some of what she’d told him had to be true. He prayed all of it wasn’t. Although he knew it probably was. She said Mitch had killed people. Enjoyed killing people. And was apparently pretty damn good at it.
    She’d told him she’d met ‘Doug’ in September, fifteen months ago. That’s when he and Mitch had just moved back here from Florida. Mitch had been one mean SOB to live with. He was on the run again, although he pretended it was just another job change.
    But a week after they’d moved back into this house, something