Part 6 (1/2)

It was a long shot, but at this juncture, she'd take a long shot over no shots. She scanned the room, thinking she should say something. But there was nothing new to say. They'd covered the same ground today as they had yesterday. Nothing but dead ends.

She slid into a chair, ran a hand through her hair, and stared at the wall. The waiting was always the hardest part. Hours, days, weeks, months . . .

Years.

That was a lot of whys.

”No further sightings in Tennessee?” she asked absently.

”None.”

”Nothing new from the DMV?”

”No.”

She slammed her hand on the table and took her frustration out on no one in particular. ”Come on, people! There has to be something out there that we're missing! Think!”

The door swung in. ”Got a hit,” Jay said, phone still plastered to his ear. ”He had a smartphone in the truck for work. Said he reported it stolen with the toolbox. Cell phone and charger.”

She felt her pulse spike.

”Did he have it on?”

”He couldn't remember.”

She was out of her chair. ”Phone number and carrier.”

Jay asked the owner, quickly jotted down the information on a pad, and handed it to Benner.

”Call them . . .” Olivia said.

But he was already calling.

She could hear the throb of her pulse in her ears as she paced. Her lungs tightened. If the cell phone had been left on, they would be able to track its movements for as long as the phone had held its charge.

On the other hand, if the cell phone had been off, or died before Alice had been taken, they would know nothing.

It would be back to waiting. G.o.d, she hated waiting.

Benner covered the receiver with his hand. ”They got it. It'll take some time for them to work it on their end, but they've got an active signal. Phone's still on.”

ACCORDING TO THE data provided by the carrier, the blue truck carrying Alice and her abductor had traveled north out of Greenville on US 25 on the night of the abduction. Well outside of town, the man had veered west on I-26, exited near Asheville Regional Airport and made his way onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Despite the difficult terrain and dense vegetation, the wireless company had been able to track the vehicle's southbound progress into the mountains to where it had angled off the main road and onto a ribbon of dirt road that disappeared into the woods. Five miles in, the truck had stopped where it had remained for the past three days.

Because the smartphone had been in standby mode, the battery life had been conserved long enough for them to determine the exact GPS coordinates of the device. And the truck.

Within hours, a tactical team had been a.s.sembled and converged on the location.

Olivia knelt in the thick shade that pooled beneath the trees at the clearing's edge and scanned the scene. Thirty yards away, the blue truck was parked next to an old cabin with a green metal roof that drooped over a covered porch. The building's darkened windows gazed out like hollow eyes at the thick forest that crowded it on every side.

Her attention lingered on the truck for a long moment.

”You okay?” Benner said at her side. He was clad in a black Kevlar vest and held a 9mm by his side.

”I'm fine.”

They'd staged their operation from the main road and moved on foot to avoid drawing attention. The plan was simple: Olivia and Benner would enter the front with Asheville SWAT and secure the cabin. Local FBI a.s.sets would provide secondary support on the exterior. Speed was the key, which is why they were moving now, with the sun still high in the sky, not later. Every minute they waited was a minute wasted.

”Adam Three in position,” a voice crackled in her earpiece. The backup unit was in place.

”Copy that, Adam Three,” she whispered. She gave a nod to the captain of the SWAT unit. ”Let's roll.”

He motioned his team of five forward with Olivia and Benner bringing up the rear. Moving low and fast, they left the cover of the forest and angled toward the northeast corner of the cabin in single file, weapons raised.

Olivia's pulse quickened with each step, her nerves raw and humming with adrenaline. They reached the edge of the cabin, rounded the corner, pa.s.sed beneath the front windows in a low crouch as they closed the distance to the front porch.

The SWAT leader lifted a clenched fist as they approached the front stairs, bringing everyone to a silent halt.

Olivia's eyes flicked from the door to the window. No movement that she could see. She scanned the clearing, half expecting the man to make a run for the truck. But there was no sign of the man, no sign that they'd been seen.

We have to move . . . we have to move . . .

After a breath, the man motioned forward with two fingers. One of the men broke rank and climbed the steps with a black battering ram at his side. In unison, the others followed close as he crossed the porch and, in one smooth motion, swung the metal ram.

It connected with a loud boom that rattled the cabin's front windows. The force of impact nearly knocked the door from its hinges as it swung open violently.

The man stepped aside, dropped the ram and drew his weapon as the others rushed past him and into the cabin.

Olivia entered the dimly lit cabin close on the SWAT unit's heels.

Weapon leveled, she crossed the room, eyes sweeping right to left as she went. The main room was empty. Daylight filtered through the grimy windows and the tang of woodsmoke and bacon hung on the air. Her focus clicked through the surroundings, registering every detail as she moved toward a narrow hallway straight ahead.