Vengeance Road. Rick Mofina

about the case.

      There was only one thing he could do now.

      He reached to the floor behind the passenger seat for his lantern flashlight. It had a new six-volt battery and an intense-focus beam. The light was strong.

      He left his car and headed for the woods. If he was going to search for more answers, the shallow grave where they’d found Bernice Hogan’s corpse was the place to start.

      16

      Jolene Peller’s body swayed rhythmically to the low drumming of big wheels rolling at high speed.

      As she floated in and out of consciousness, she tried to seize upon a way to claw out of the darkness.

      She needed to think. Think of what she knew.

      Her prison—or tomb—whatever it was, was still moving.

      She knew she’d been abducted.

      But who had done this? And why?

      Someone had bound her hands, gagged her and imprisoned her. She had muzzy memories—or was it a dream?—of someone removing her gag, feeding her bread, chocolate bars, giving her water. Giving her a plastic bucket for a toilet, ordering her to relieve herself. There was tissue, but her hands remained bound with tape.

      Mercifully the bucket had a lid.

      Then she was forced to swallow capsules.

      Drugs?

      Someone was keeping her alive.

      Like a captured animal.

      Who? Who was doing this and what was he going to do to her?

      Or had he already done something to her while she was unconscious?

      The image made her retch. She swallowed. Please no. Jolene pushed back her tears.

      Please.

      What did he do to Bernice?

      Jolene had no concept of where she was, or how long she’d been here. She was wearing the same clothes she’d worn when she tried to help Bernice.

      She wanted to shower, to cleanse herself of this foul, stinking nightmare.

      She knew by the steady drone that she was still moving. Maybe this was her chance to do something.

      But what?

      She was gagged. Her hands were bound, but not her legs or ankles. She was free to move, but she was blind in the absolute darkness. Maybe her abductor was watching her now with some sort of high-tech equipment? Maybe if he saw that she was awake he’d come to her?

      To do what?

      Jolene’s breathing quickened.

      She was so scared. She whispered a prayer.

      Stay calm.

      Using her fingertips, she felt in her pockets for her cell phone. It was gone.

      Take it easy.

      She steeled herself then probed the soft pad. Feeling its indentations, quilting and seams, she concluded that it was a mattress.

      Single-size.

      Pushed against a wall.

      Jolene drew herself into a sitting position. She was woozy. She waited and breathed slowly. Then she ran her fingers over the walls. They were solid wood with a rough pitted surface. At times, she felt the steel hardware of a hinge-and-bolt assembly. Felt the line of a door frame. But it was shut up so tight, no light, or hope, leaked through. At times she felt the head of a nail or screw protruding from the wall.

      It was familiar.

      In high school, when she was a part-time supermarket cashier, she’d helped inventory all the departments, even the warehouse. The big storage containers and trailers smelled like this and had the same rough surface.

      They were heavy, insulated, sound-absorbing walls, like those in a cooler. It was not refrigerated but it was cold. Near her were old blankets that smelled as if they’d been used for horses.

      Jolene stood.

      Waves of dizziness rolled over her and she steadied herself against the wall, waiting for them to subside.

      She raised her restrained hands above her head, felt nothing but air.

      Then carefully, starting with the nearest wall, she began inching her way around the boundary of her prison, steadying herself against the to-and-fro motion as she felt for a latch, a light switch, a door, a window, anything.