“Fair enough, let’s go.”
I guess that meant no more answers for me for now but things were lining up already. I knew now how they got her out.
“I’ll be right behind the ambu.....”
“No don’t leave me....”
She grabbed onto my shirt so tight I was almost pulled off balance.
Pure terror shone in her eyes, my guts twisted and the anger came back full force.
E fucking nough of this shit, this is what happens when you let your guard down, when you tried doing shit the politically correct way, when you tried to be what people expected you to be.
Fuck this shit.
I picked her up and walked away from the deputy and towards Matt and mom.
“You found her yet?”
Matt held up his phone to show me he’d still been trying to reach Patti with no success.
“Change of plans bro, forget everything we talked about, this shit......no way.”
There were too many ears around but I knew he understood every word I was saying. Mom pleaded with me with her eyes not to do anything stupid.
Too late for that, stupid or not, shit was about to get ugly.
“Where’s Dyson?”
“They took him in for questioning I think.”
“James?”
“Looking.” He held up his phone again telling me without words that James was on the hunt for Patti.
“We’re headed to the hospital.”
The Captain had already sent the murdering rapist to the station, staying back I’m sure because his only child was still here, I’m sure he had a lot to do, what with other precincts wanting a piece of Travis since he’d attacked women in other areas as well, but he was still here.
I headed in his general direction to let him know we were leaving, there was an old dirt track that led to the lodge area, but my jeep was still parked out on the side of the road.
“We need a ride out of here Captain, she needs to get looked at and......”
“She can go in the ambulance; I’ll have someone follow in your Rover.”
“That’s okay Matt can do it.” I hadn’t even noticed the ambulance.
I beckoned to Matt and told him the news when he came over, throwing him the keys.
Carrie was way too quiet and I needed to get her taken care of before I could leave, I wanted this shit taken care of before the night was done.
In the ambulance I literally had to lay down next to her, she clung on like a spider monkey, arms and legs wrapped around me.
I could think of only one way to soothe her, so with the burning anger pushed to the side for the moment, I sang her a love song as I wrapped her as tightly as possible in my arms until she started to settle.
The whole time my mind was working, there were two options open for Patti, death, or prison.
One would be extremely satisfying for me; the other would destroy her little by little.
There was no question which I would choose.
Carrie hiccupped in my arms; tears freely falling as the weight of what she’d endured came crashing down on her.
“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you, I’ve always got you.”
Chapter 38
Josh
There was still a lot of shit to be done, I needed to be in ten places at once, but there was only one place I could be.
Carrie was still a little groggy when we finally made it to the hospital where she’d been checked over to make sure she hadn’t been raped.
I stayed by her side throughout the whole ordeal while fighting the need to scream and punch the fuck out of something every time she flinched.
Who wasn’t at the hospital was at the station, my father and brother were looking after my interest there.
There was a shit load of law-enforcement from a few of the surrounding towns because word had gotten out that they might’ve caught the rapist.
Only time will tell if he was our guy but it was certainly looking that way what with bodies being found at the site.
One of the deputies was waiting to question Carrie as soon as she was lucid enough.
I just wanted to know how the fuck they got my phone to send her a text message.
I knew something fishy had happened, it never once entered my mind that she had deliberately disobeyed me.
Rodney’s words about a set up played over and over in my head.
Fucking Patti, I knew that bitch had been up to something, now I just had to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.
I pulled my phone out and called Matt.
“Where is Patti?”
“I can’t reach her she’s not answering her phone and her family doesn’t know where she is.
This is fucked up, Rodney says she planned the whole thing but something went wrong, I don’t know what to believe but I do know she’s behind this mess somehow.”
“I’m on it.”
I hung up with him and called James.