Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Headache still, you said?” Randy asked.
Mallory nodded. “It is still tender, but I can tell it’s going down.”
“I would like for someone to take a look at her, check her for a concussion, but I guess that’s out of the question.”
I knew Randy was doing his job, but there was no way I was taking Mallory to a doctor. “What if I have Bubba look at her? He’s the only other person who knows she’s here. He was a medic in the Marines.”
Randy frowned, then said, “If Mallory will agree to it.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Good. Good. I don’t honestly know how we can figure out how far you ran. You didn’t see any landmarks, which makes it hard to know what way you came from. Adrenaline would have been on our side, so if the average fit person can run a minimum of let’s say two miles a day across uneven terrain, I’d hazard a guess you ran twice that, but you didn’t have shoes on, so that would have slowed you down. If you kept running until exhaustion.”
“She wasn’t very far onto the ranch when I found her. It was sheer luck, honestly, that I took that route home,” I said, as I looked at Mallory and smiled.
“Do you have a map of the area, Liam?”
“I’ve got one in my bedroom.”
As I went to get it, I heard Randy ask, “Are you sure it was only two days of running, Mallory?”
“Yes, two full days.”
Once I returned, I unfolded the map for Randy. “Show me where you found her,” he asked.
“Right here, on the western side of the ranch.”
“So, if you found Mallory here, and let’s say she ran three miles each day, that would’ve put her somewhere around here.” He drew a line on the map. “She could have been held anywhere along this line or close to it.”
“There’s nothing out there but foothills and some farmland,” I said as I studied the map. “Did you see any farms?”
Mallory nodded. “A couple, maybe, or it could’ve been the same one. I went around it, so I didn’t have to go into the open fields.”
“First thing we need to do is figure out who the property owners are in this general area along here. I know there are some larger ranches out there, and most of them belong to folks who live in the city. Some of these are more isolated than your ranch, which means if you wanted to hide someone, that would be beneficial. Problem is, we can’t just go searching properties because we don’t have probable cause.” Randy glanced over to Mallory.
“How do we know she came from the west, anyway?” I asked. “Larson was telling me that Mitch Tanner has been acting strange. Won’t let anyone on his place and won’t say why.”
Randy frowned. “Mitch Tanner? He’s nearly seventy.”
Mallory spoke. “This guy was for sure younger.”
“He doesn’t have boys, either,” I relented, with a shake of my head.
Randy stared at the map. “You’re right. We don’t know if Mallory came from the west. For all we know, she could have been on your property, gotten off it, then came back on. It’s hard to say.”
“I don’t remember seeing any houses, but then I really tried to stay in the woods as much as possible, so it would make sense that I wouldn’t.”
“And you said you went through water?”
“Yes, but not rivers, they were small creeks.”
Randy rubbed his chin. “Liam, will you get me a baggie and some tweezers. I need to get a hair sample from Mallory.”
“Sure thing.”
Mallory stood and followed me into my bedroom, then bathroom. “Liam, what if we’re looking in the wrong area? What if I didn’t come from the west, but was on your ranch longer than we thought?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I just assumed you came from the west because of how you were lying on the ground.”
She sat down on the toilet and wrapped her arms around her middle. “You believe me, don’t you?”
I squatted down. “Of course I do. I highly doubt you gave yourself that shiner.”
Mallory reached up and flinched when she touched her cheekbone. “I’m so scared he’s going to show up.”
Grasping her hands, I said, “Look at me.” When her gaze met mine, I made her a vow. “I will not let anyone hurt you or take you. Do you understand?”
“You can’t watch me every moment of the day, Liam.”
“I can keep you safe and I’m going to, just like I said I would.”
She slowly shook her head. “You don’t even know me.”
“Why do you trust me?”
Looking confused, she shrugged. “My gut tells me to trust you.”
“Just like mine is telling me to protect you. This isn’t because I found you on my land, or because my ex disappeared. Now, if I can find out what happened to Emily while trying to figure out who kidnapped you, then that’s great. But right now, my gut, Mallory, is telling me to protect you with every ounce of my being. So that’s what I’m going to do.”