Chapter 7

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The sirens wailed through the morning air. Richard drove as fast as the engine would allow, the tires burning over the asphalt. Up ahead, the isolated ranch came into view. There were no other cars nearby. We quickly turned off the ignition, coasted to a stop, and climbed out, clenching our guns tightly. My palms were sweating against the grip of my firearm. We slowly approached the main door, staying hyper-alert to our surroundings. “Clear,” Richard whispered after quickly inspecting the perimeter outside the ranch house. I reached out and slowly pushed the front door. It was completely unlocked. One step at a time, we crept into the entrance, sliding past the doorway. Once inside the ranch, we noticed a pair of shoes left neatly by the front door, placed precisely as if someone actually lived here full-time. “Mmm! Mmm!” A muffled murmur echoed from the adjacent room. Someone was in there, their mouth covered. We both moved instantly, bursting into the room with our weapons raised. Just as we expected, a man was cuffed tightly to a wooden chair, heavy tape slapped over his mouth, his eyes wide with terror as he screamed for help through the binding. “Shh, shh. Is someone else here?” I asked the man quickly. The man shook his head violently. No. I moved forward, quickly untied his bounds, and ripped the tape off his mouth. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked him. So many questions flooded my head at once, but I could only force a few words out. “It's him,” the man whispered, his voice shaking with pure terror. “What? Who?” I demanded. Richard stood right beside us, his gun clenched and raised just in case of an ambush. “I'll sweep the rest of the ranch,” he called out, heading toward the stairs while I stayed with the victim. “Clear! Everything is clear up here!” Richard yelled down a moment later. I turned back to the victim. “We are taking you to the police station for an interview.” The three of us headed out to the vehicle. Richard made a quick phone call to the department on the way, explaining the situation so they would send additional detectives to the ranch to process the scene for evidence.