Chapter 3

THREE

Louan

Beth loved traveling in the chopper and seeing all that Montana had to offer. The landscapes were diverse, from lowlands to mountains and vast areas of forests. She expected the towns to be all the same, but they were not, each having their own little peculiarities. Scattered across the state, old and new mining towns, industrial areas, cattle and horse ranches, and then the Native American reservations appeared to her. Most of all, she loved the forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers. The views from the air were spectacular. It gave her a peculiar jolt, as if she'd been thrown back in time, when she watched herds of bison moving across the open plains. The variety of wildlife was breathtaking and seeing eagles circling in wondrous freedom made her heart sing.

She understood that her appreciation of animals and nature was unusual for a psychopath. Of late, her friendships with Styles, TJ, Wez, Dr. Nate Mace, and Sheriff Cash Ryder had surprised her. She'd never been able to form a close relationship with anyone, and becoming part of a group of friends astonished her. It made her heart sink at the thought of them discovering that the Tarot Killer lurked inside her. If she could stop killing, she would in an instant, but there was no cure apart from incarceration. Being physically restrained from killing was the only thing that worked, but then a psychopath would be like a tripwire on a bomb. Give them the chance and they'd kill everyone in sight. Not many people understood that the need to kill grew like a festering wound. She would follow her rules, and if she died in the process, she died. The thought of being locked up and drugged for the rest of her life wasn't an option.

"We're coming into Louan now." Styles flicked her a glance. "The firehouse has a helipad, so we're looking for a red X on top of a redbrick in town." He glanced at the instrument panel. "It's close by."

Beth searched all around and found it. "There on the left, about halfway down Main." She turned to him. "Do they know we're coming?"

"Yeah." Styles chuckled. "I called them earlier. I don't figure anyone would be happy to have the FBI land on their roof without notice."

The chopper dropped onto the helipad and Beth looked all around. "I hope the sheriff's office isn't too far. I called them to tell them we'd be dropping by and to ask where we could hire a truck. They're giving us one of their vehicles. We'll be staying at the local motel. It's on the outskirts of town and I'm afraid more of a truck stop. I'm not expecting anything nice, but it does have a greasy spoon right next door."

"As long as the beds are clean, it will be fine." Styles shut down the chopper and stretched. "Sheriff's office first and then we'll drop by the motel to check in." He finished his cup of coffee and pushed the cup back onto the top of the Thermos. "I'll grab our bags."

Beth hurried from the chopper and went to his side as Bear jumped down and ran around sniffing the ground. "The small bag has my laptop, spare phones, satellite sleeves, and spare weapons and ammo." She grasped it as Styles lowered the chopper to the ground. "I packed a first aid kit as well."

"We're going to see if Rene Shoebridge is my sister." Styles gave her a long look. "Do you have some reason to expect trouble?"

Rolling her eyes, Beth took her suitcase from him and pulled up the handle. "You're assuming that the man who is her husband is legitimate. At this time, we don't know if he is the man who abducted her in the first place."

"If he is, give me five minutes alone with him before we take him in. I'm owed that at least." Styles lips flattened.

Not believing Styles would risk his job for revenge, Beth touched his arm. Under her palm, Styles shook with emotion. "Hey, we don't know for sure it's her yet. I know you're angry?—"

"Angry doesn't come close to how I feel about this man. He ruined Ginny's life and destroyed my family. He deserves to pay and I'll make sure he spends a long time in prison." He lifted down his suitcase. "I've been tossing around a few options. Not knowing is driving me insane. Maybe she got away from him years ago. I'm clinging to the hope a family took her in and she's been living a pretty normal life." He snorted. "I can't even imagine why she'd want to live with the man who abused her."

Concerned, Beth moved into his line of vision. "Look Styles, if she's with him willingly, it might not be her fault. Have you ever heard of Stockholm syndrome?"

"Yeah, I know. The thought she might actually care for him makes me sick to my stomach." Styles picked up the bag containing the laptop and weapons and placed it on top of his suitcase.

Beth glared at him. She couldn't allow him to beat up the guy. "You'll need to show compassion for her, not anger. We'll need to bring him in, not beat him to death, no matter how we feel."

"Really?" He started rolling it toward the door on the other side of the helipad. "Don't look at me like that, Beth. We can both read people, and if the situation isn't playing out right, we'll take it from there." He pulled open the door and waved her through. "I need to know if it's her. If it is and she's living with him, nothing is going to stop me taking down that pervert."

They took the small elevator and the doors opened up on the ground floor of the firehouse. The local fire chief was waiting for them outside the door. Beth smiled at him and held out her hand. "Special Agent Beth Katz and this is Special Agent Dax Styles. Thank you for allowing us to use your helipad."

"It's not often we get the FBI in town." The fire chief shook their hands and looked at Styles. "Are you chasing down a criminal?"

"Nope." Styles shook his head. "It's a missing persons case at the moment. Which way to the sheriff's department?"

"Twenty yards along Main on the left." The fire chief pointed out of the door. "It's a large redbrick. You can't miss it."

"Thanks." Styles headed out into the watery sunshine with Bear on his heels.

Nodding to the fire chief, Beth followed. Louan was a clean town and its variety of different stores surprising for a small town. Prosperity oozed from every brick. As she walked past the locals, she couldn't help noticing the way they were dressed. Most were wearing expensive winter gear and really good-quality boots. She slowed her step outside a shoe store and peered into the window. "Styles, wait one second. Look at the winter boots. We can't get anything like this in Rattlesnake Creek." She gave him a determined look. "I need new boots and so do you."

"We're not shopping now." Styles stared at the sky as if seeking intervention. He lowered his gaze to her. "When we're through here, we'll stop by on the way home, okay?"

Shaking her head, Beth stared at him. "Okay, I've already picked out the ones I want."

"Let's go." Styles pulled down his hat to cover his eyes and continued along the sidewalk, his suitcases' wheels squeaking as he went. "I guess I could do with new boots too."

They wasted no time at the sheriff's office and, keys in hand, picked up their ride from the parking lot out back. The vehicle was a sheriff's department SUV and still had the new smell inside. Beth raised her eyebrows at Styles. "Wow, I wasn't expecting this. It's brand new." She asked the GPS for directions to the motel, and they were soon on their way.

The motel was larger than she'd expected and more for drivers and miners staying the weekend in town. The double bed in Beth's room was clean, but the carpet and furnishings were at least twenty years old. The room had a lingering odor of tobacco, and she flung open the door to air out the smell. She unpacked her bag but stared at the suitcase carrying her laptop and the weapons. The room would be easy to break into and she couldn't risk anyone stealing her laptop or the weapons. She heard a noise and spun around to see Styles leaning against the doorframe.

"Sorry to spook you." Styles frowned and glanced at the unopened suitcase. He wiggled the doorknob on her door and met her gaze. "This isn't the safest place in town. I figure we leave the valuables in the SUV and bring them inside when we get back."

Breathing out a long sigh, Beth nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. That door might as well be paper, it's so thin. I could push through the lock using my shoulder. I can't risk anyone taking my laptop. It's encrypted, but criminals are smart these days."

"Okay." Styles took the suitcase and propelled it outside to the vehicle. "Are you ready to go? I can't wait to see if this woman is Ginny."