Tuesday
Mid-morning
As Keri sped up the winding roads of Highway 18 toward Lake Arrowhead, her phone rang. She'd hoped that up here in the mountains she wouldn't have a connection and it would go straight to voicemail. No such luck. Against her better judgment, she picked up, hitting the speaker button on the console.
Lieutenant Hillman's voice came through loud and clear.
"Where are you?" he demanded. He wasn't yelling but she could tell it was taking all his effort.
"I'm going to Payton Penn's cabin up at Lake Arrowhead."
"Turn around now," he said. "I told you before that the County and the FBI were taking over the case. Instead of following my orders, you decide to harass a US senator?"
"I wasn't harassing. I was investigating."
"Keri-" He sounded almost pleading.
"Stafford has a half-brother, Payton Penn, who put a note in his mailbox."
"I already know that," Hillman said.
"You do?"
"Yes," he said. "And we're checking him out. But so far what the senator said seems to bear out. Everything supports the theory that she ran away. At most, this is an amateurish attempt to take advantage of the situation to extort money. Penn doesn't want to pursue it criminally. It's a family issue that he wants to handle quietly."
"We should at least check it out."
"The Feds are. And if anything turns up, they'll pursue it. But you going out there only draws attention to something Penn wants to keep quiet."
"Do we work for him now?" she asked, more forcefully than she'd intended.
"Detective, stop!" Hillman shouted. "I want you to turn around right now. You are officially off this case."
"Look, I'm almost to Payton's. I'll just check around to confirm that Ashley's not there. I'll be in and out in five minutes."
"Detective Locke," he said in a calm, quiet voice that worried her more than when he yelled, "you are an enormously skilled cop. But your insubordination is unacceptable. I'm suspending you from active duty, effective immediately. Return to the station and turn in your gun and your badge. You'll continue to receive pay pending a formal hearing, if you want one. But as of this moment, you are no longer authorized to act as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Do you understand me?"
Keri weighed his words, well aware that this was a point of no return. But she'd had many of those in the past. This was far from the worst. She spoke.
"Lieutenant Hillman, are you there?"
"Detective…" he growled.
"Lieutenant, are you there? Hello, hello? I think I'm losing you. You keep cutting out."
"Locke, don't you dare pretend-"
Keri ended the call.
*
Keri parked about a quarter mile down the road from Payton Penn's cabin, deep in the San Bernardino Mountains. She got out slowly, taken aback by the quiet, the isolation. She felt that familiar knot in her stomach as she braced herself for what she might find as she went the rest of the way on foot.
When she reached his driveway, she discovered it was essentially a wide dirt path, leading up a steep hill into the trees. She couldn't even see the cabin from the road.
As she started up the incline, Keri wondered for the third time in the last hour if she should call Ray. They hadn't spoken since he'd embraced Hillman's theory about Ashley running away back at the van. She knew she shouldn't let her anger get in the way at a time like this. Sneaking onto a potentially dangerous suspect's property was a dicey proposition under any circumstances.
But alone was worse.
Ultimately she told herself that she was protecting him by not calling. Hillman had already suspended her. What would he do to Ray if he helped her? Part of her knew she was kidding herself. Ray would come if she asked, no matter what.
She shook the thought from her head. It was too late for that. She was on her own. And she needed to stay on her toes.
The scent of pine wafted through the air as she ascended higher. Her breathing was labored. She felt sweat trickle down her back. Keri lived on a houseboat in a marina-the very definition of sea level. The elevation here was closer to 6,000 feet. And the cool morning was starting to give way to the late summer heat. She guessed it was already pushing eighty degrees. And her aches and pains from the run-ins with Johnnie Cotton and Crabby the pimp weren't helping. Walking was a struggle.
Suddenly a loud bang pierced the air-gunfire from up above. Apparently Payton Penn was home and he was armed.
Keri confirmed her weapon status and checked her cell phone reception. It was still surprisingly strong. She pressed on, fully aware that she was now technically a civilian with a gun on a private citizen's property. She was trespassing. Payton Penn could shoot her and make a reasonable case for self-defense.
For a fraction of a second, Keri considered turning back. This was not the wisest course of action. But if she didn't go up, she wasn't sure when, or if, anyone else would. How would she feel if she found out later that she was this close to Ashley and didn't take the last few steps to get to her?
Keri walked up dirt path, one careful step at a time, mindful of nearby boulders and trees in case she needed to duck for cover. She was closer to the gunfire now. It was intermittent, consistent with target practice.
She was far enough up the driveway that she could no longer hear traffic from the road below. Apart from the echoes from the gunfire, it was quiet up here. The tall trees muffled the noise and blocked out the sun. It felt more like dusk than the actual time-9:45 AM. The road snaked up the side of the mountain, leading to the isolated cabin. Keri realized that this far up, no one would likely be able to hear anyone's screams for help.
It took another ten minutes of walking before the cabin came into sight. The decrepit old place stood in a large clearing in the middle of a circle of trees. An old pickup truck was parked near the front door. The gunfire, coming from behind the cabin, was now almost at full volume.
Keri ducked behind a moss-covered boulder and scoped the place out. No one came into view. The gunfire continued. If this was target practice, it was a long session. The guy was clearly enjoying himself. Keri wondered how he'd react if he spotted her, both of them with weapons in hand.
Her heart pounded. Sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eyes. She wiped at it with the back of her hand, steadied her breathing, surveyed the area one last time, and headed rapidly for the cabin. If Payton suddenly appeared around the corner, Keri would be in plain view.
The gunfire stopped.
Is he reloading? Is he done and heading back into the cabin?
She got to the pickup and squatted behind it, listening. Somewhere up above, a jet rumbled. To her right, bees worked on a patch of wild cactus, buzzing lightly as they flew from one set of needles to the next.
Keri stepped out from behind the pickup, stood there in the open for a heartbeat, and then quietly made her way to the side of the cabin, where she peeked through the screen door. The place was pretty much what she expected-a bulky couch, a ratty wooden coffee table with a dusty old laptop on it, a wood-burning stove, a sink filled with dirty dishes, clutter everywhere. Cigarette smoke hung in the air.
There was no sign of Ashley.
Suddenly the back door of the cabin opened and someone entered, not yet visible. Seconds later, he entered the main room. He bore a striking resemblance to Stafford but he looked harder, more weathered. He was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot. Life had been tougher on him than Stafford. He wore dirty jeans and a loud red T-shirt. Sweat soaked through it at the armpits. He set two handguns on the coffee table. Then he went to the fridge, got a beer, and popped the top.
Keri decided that was as good a time as any to make her entrance. She pushed the unlocked screen door open and stepped inside.
"Don't move!" she yelled, her weapon pointed at his chest. They were only six feet apart.
Payton Penn did as he was ordered. The beer was at his lips and he made no move to bring it down. He seemed surprisingly calm, considering the circumstances.
"Where's Ashley Penn?" Keri demanded.
The man smiled.
"Is it okay if I put this beer down? You said don't move and I don't want to break the rules."
Keri nodded. He pulled the bottle away from his lips and reached out to put it on the end table. But at the last second he flicked it in her direction and leapt at her.
Keri had been prepared for something from him and sidestepped the bottle. She felt some beer splash on her neck but otherwise avoided contact entirely. Payton seemed to realize he had underestimated her but it was too late. She was no longer directly in his path and he couldn't stop his momentum.
Keri took her finger off the trigger and lifted the grip upward so that Payton's head slammed into the magazine butt plate. His legs wobbled and he fell to the ground, conscious but stunned.
"Get up," Keri ordered, tossing her handcuffs at him. "And put those on. If you try anything else, I'll shoot you in the kneecap."
He stumbled to his feet.
"Well, that was interesting," he said, smiling, and added, "Are you afraid to shoot me somewhere permanent?"
She pointed the weapon at his chest and narrowed her eyes.
"If you don't tell me where Ashley is, you're not much use to me. I may have to take you out back and use you for target practice."
Part of her hoped he'd come at her. The idea of making him bleed and cry was extremely appealing. But that wouldn't help Ashley. He seemed to sense that she was on the edge and put the cuffs on without argument. Then he seemed to regain his courage and looked her at her directly. His eyes were twinkling. Keri realized at that moment that he was half crazy.
"Apart from requesting my lawyer, I'd like to invoke my right to remain silent," he said before adding with a wink, "Now what?"
