Prologue

Then

Stop. Please stop, you are killing her. Trapped in a filthy cage beneath the bed, she pressed both hands against her ears and curled into a ball. Nothing would muffle their crude comments or the stink of their rancid sweat burning the inside of her nose. As she grasped the thin blanket, her elbows dug into the cold wooden floor. The unpolished planks scraped against her naked flesh, forming sore patches on knees and hips. She trembled in terror as Jodie’s screams penetrated through the gaps in her fingers.

She would be next.

The bed above her head squeaked, dropping dust into her eyes and suffocating her. The ritual was the same. The men barked orders then the click, click, click and flashes of a camera. Each time they visited, Bobby-Joe took her from the barred enclosure in the cellar and stuffed her in the cage under the bed. After they tired with Jodie, she would suffer the same humiliation.

The men owned her.

Silence followed an uttering of curses. The next moment, Jodie hit the floor; her head rolled toward her and she stared at her with wide, fixed gray eyes. The chain of the gold locket Jodie treasured had left an ugly red pattern on her neck. She stared at her in horror. The girl she had known no longer existed. Her open mouth was set in a horrific grin and the purple hue of her lips resembled one of the clowns who had brought her to this terrible place. Gripped with fear she pressed a fist to her mouth to muffle the shriek threatening to spill from her lips. Bad things happened to girls who screamed.

“Jeeze, Bobby-Joe, you’ve gone and killed her.”

“Shut your face, Ely. Dammit, now I’ll have to find me another blonde.”

“Pick her up, Ely.”

“I ain’t touching no dead girl.”

“Amos. Grab her feet. We’ll put her over there.” Bobby-Joe’s sweat-soaked face came into view as he lifted Jodie.

Ely bent and looked at her. “You’d better be a good girl. Shut your mouth and do as I say.”

“She will unless she wants me to take my knife and pay her mom a visit.” Bobby-Joe chuckled, sank to his knees, and grinned at her. “You’ve just become our star attraction.”

“What you gonna do with the other one?” Chris peered at her friend with a concerned expression then looked away. “We can’t leave her here to stink up the place.”

“Wrap her in plastic and we’ll bury her over at Craig’s Rock like the others. I’ll get Stu to pick up a replacement as soon as he can find one.”

“The critters are getting into them at Craig’s Rock.” Ely dropped a roll of plastic on the floor with a grunt. “We’ll need a new place for the next one. What about Old Corkey’s place? It’s downhill from here and it will be easier. There’s plenty of room under the floorboards for at least six or more.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Bobby-Joe reached one long arm inside the cage, snagged her around the waist and dragged her out. She did not struggle or try to run. Legs weak, she fell face first on the bed. Panic caught her breath. She wanted to scream but pushed her mouth against the pillow and closed her eyes.

I will survive. Determined to make it through another day, she bit down hard on her lip and chanted in her head. I am thirteen years old, my mother’s name is Daisy and my father’s name is Luke. I live in Black Rock Falls, Montana. I have been here 140 days.

“Forget her. It’s getting late.” Amos grabbed Bobby-Joe by the shoulder. “We’ll need to bury the other one tonight. We can start fresh tomorrow.”

“She is all wrapped up and ready to be planted.” Ely chuckled. “Anyway, I’m plum tuckered out already and after diggin’ I’ll need a rest.”

“I guess. We’ll need tools. You carry her and I’ll bring my the spades.” Bobby-Joe yanked her from the bed and stuffed her back into the cage. “Come on then, let’s get this over with. Grab your flashlights and one of you bring a rifle. I don’t fancy meetin’ up with a bear.”

As their footsteps and voices faded, the house fell silent and she gaped in astonishment at the cage door. The lock and chain lay on the floor. Terrified of one of them catching her, she pushed on the bars and the entrance opened with a familiar squeak. With her heart in her mouth, she crawled out and peered around the cellar.

The room was empty.

Gasping with panic, she stared at the cellar steps, surprised to see the door slightly ajar and light streaming in from the room above. She froze then moved her head from side to side listening for any noise, any creak of floorboards.

She heard nothing.

Will I have time to escape? A discarded black T-shirt and a pair of socks lay on the floor. She grabbed the shirt and pulled it on then the socks, doubling them over to protect her feet. Trembling with every uncertain step, she inched up the stairs. At the top, she found herself in a pantry and eased inside then peeked out the door. After sucking in a deep breath, she slipped into the kitchen. Beer bottles, water, and candy bars littered the table. She looked nervously around but the small cabin appeared to be empty and a clear path led to a door at the back. I can make it to the back door.

With her stomach knotted in fear, she edged toward the door and turned the knob. The handle turned with ease. She shrank back as anxiety trembled her knees. The moment she opened the door, light would stream out into the darkness, alerting them. Frantic, she searched for the switch and turned off the kitchen light. Waiting until her eyes adjusted to

the darkness, she listened again. When no noise came from outside, she snatched up some candy and a bottle of water from the table and opened the door.

Heart pounding hard enough to break her ribs, she ducked low then slipped out the door, closing it gently behind her. Two steps down and into darkness, she could see the men’s flashlights moving into the forest. The roar of water came from her left, and on the breeze, the familiar smell that only comes from a mountain-fed waterfall. Black Rock Falls. I know this place.

She turned away from the forest and ran toward the noise of pounding water. Ignoring the rocks and broken twigs cutting through her socks, she kept moving. Her family had camped close by last summer and the area was familiar to her. If she could reach the narrow track running alongside the falls, she could follow it all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Panic-stricken they would discover her missing at any moment, she gasped at every noise but kept moving. The roar of water guided her and soon the thick pine forest gave way to a narrow path bordered by rocks. The moon offered a ghostly light but rocks littered the trail and a constant spray of water from the falls made it slippery underfoot.

Throwing caution to the wind, she ran. I have to get away. Throat dry and chest heaving, she lost her footing and fell, sliding down the steep incline. She dropped the water and grabbed a large prickly bush. Thank God it stopped her toppling over the edge of the falls. She lay panting, one hand still gripping the candy, and sighed with relief as the bottle of water rolled to her side. It seemed like she had been running for ages and she desperately needed a few moments to catch her breath. Flat on her back, she stared up into the star-filled sky then a sound came over the noise of the falls. She listened and every hair on her flesh stood up at the sound of loud voices and someone crashing through the undergrowth. She scrambled to her feet and tiny rocks rolled down from above her peppering her back. She turned and her heart leaped in her chest. Bobbing flashlights lit up the mountain behind her. They’re coming.

Terrified, she dived under the bush and curled around the woody trunk. So close to the edge of the falls ice-cold water splashed over her legs. Footsteps and heavy breathing heralded the arrival of two men so close she could reach out and touch them. With her pulse throbbing in her ears, she held her breath, too frightened to breathe, and tucked in her head. A light skimmed the top of the bush.

“If she ran this way, I figure she’d fall over the edge.” Bobby-Joe kicked at the loose rocks. “It’s steep and dangerous.”

“Yeah, and we passed a pile of fresh bear scat. I doubt she got this far and if she did, she’ll be his dinner before morning.” Chris turned his flashlight back up the mountain. “We’ll look around your cabin some more. You should send Ely and Amos home in case she drops by their cabins for help.”

“Good thinkin’.”

The footsteps faded and she waited until the lights moved out of sight, then crawled out of her hiding place and moved down the mountainside. As dawn came, she reached a cabin set close to the falls. Frightened one of the men would be inside, she grabbed women’s clothes from the washing line and slid into the hen house to steal some eggs. After changing in the bushes, she headed back to the falls. Too scared to risk the monsters catching her, she kept away from the trail and hid during the day to rest.

Days later, sick and starving, she reached the highway. She waved down a school bus and told the elderly driver she was lost. On the trip back to Black Rock Falls, she chewed on her nails. Bobby-Joe knew where she lived and if she told, he would kill her mother. She would lie and say she ran away, then no one would ever know. As she glanced out of the window at the mountain, she smiled for the first time in a very long while. I’m free.

Now

1

Tuesday, week one

Amos Price opened the paper sack and checked the items he’d purchased on Monday afternoon. The fourteen-year-old girl he met online insisted he bring a bottle of bourbon and a few other items to their meeting this afternoon. Tuesday had seemed to take a year to arrive but he could not believe his luck and grinned. Excitement rippled through him. Her parents worked and she had played hooky from school to be alone with him. It had taken weeks to convince her to meet him and they had spent hours online in a games chat room. She thought he was eighteen and was so keen to meet him. Last night, after he’d given her the number of his burner phone, she had called. How sweet her voice sounded, so young and innocent.

He pulled his vehicle up some distance from the address she had given him and grabbed the bag. Seeing the street empty and no other houses for some distance, he strolled to the front door. Finding it open just as she had said, he slipped inside. “It’s me, Pete.”

Tags: D.K. Hood Mystery
Source: readsnovelonline.net