Dangerous Sanctuary. Shirlee McCoy
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knows where the road is and which direction we need to go to find it.”
“The moon has nearly set.” He stopped, pulling her up so that they were arm to arm. “See it?”
She did. Now that he mentioned it. A yellow-white orb gleaming through the trees to their left.
“Yes.”
“I’m using that as a guide.”
“What are you going to use when it’s set?” she asked, still not certain they were heading in the right direction.
“I’m hoping we’ll hit the road before that happens.”
“And if we don’t?”
“We’ll camp for the night and use the sun to guide us in the morning.”
“I don’t think camping out with Absalom’s men on our trail is a good idea.”
“You think getting lost is a better one?”
“What I think is that I should have stayed in Boston and let the local authorities locate Mary Alice. Just like Wren said.”
“Why didn’t you?” He started walking again, and she followed, picking her way through thick undergrowth, thorns catching at the gauzy cotton pajamas she wore.
“Because Mary Alice is my best friend, and I didn’t want to wait for the slow wheels of justice to turn. Plus, I was worried. Disappearing like this is out of character for her.”
“Do you have any idea why she did it?”
“She called off her wedding in December. Maybe that. Maybe something else. She wasn’t talking much these past couple of months. Her parents gave me access to her computer. I looked at her search history, her email accounts. There was nothing there that hinted she was looking for a place like The Sanctuary.”
“Cults have a way of finding vulnerable people.”
“They usually don’t prey on people like Mary Alice.”
“What kind of person is she?”
“Successful. Has a loving family. A good network of friends.”
“Wealthy?”
“Yes. But not vulnerable. Although...”
“What?”
“Like I said, she broke up with her fiancé right before the wedding. She’d found out he was cheating.”
“Seems like that would make someone vulnerable.”
“I should have realized that.” And she regretted how easily she’d allowed herself to excuse the distance that had been growing between them, how eager she’d been to believe there was nothing wrong.
“It’s not your fault,” Radley said as if he could read her mind.
She didn’t respond. She was tired, her hands throbbing, her legs heavy. She didn’t have the energy for explanation or debate.
“How long do we walk before deciding the road is in some other direction?” she asked instead.
“You’re tired.”
“I’m worried about getting lost out here. If we’re going the wrong direction, we’re walking into hundreds of miles of wilderness.”
“You’re not putting much faith in my navigational abilities.”
“Because I know nothing about them. Statistically speaking—”
“How about we don’t?”
“What?”
“Talk statistics. Math was never my strong suit.”
“What was?”
“Survival,” he replied.
If he’d been any other guy she’d ever spent time with, she’d have laughed. But then, the guys she’d spent time with outside of work preferred the inside of computer labs to the great outdoors.
“I’m glad one of us has those skills.”
He stopped, gave her time to move up beside him. “See that?”
He pointed through the trees.
For a moment, she thought she was seeing the moon again—a shiny ball low in the sky. Then she saw another of the same. And another.
“Lights,” she breathed, stepping forward.
“Wait.” He snagged her pack, pulling her to a stop. “Those are the gate lights.”
“Gates?”
“To the compound? You remember arriving, right?”
“I arrived during the day. The lights were off,” she responded. “The parking lot is right across from the gate.”
“Right. Both our vehicles are there. I parked next to your Explorer.”
“My Explorer isn’t going to do either of us any good without keys.”
“I have a spare key attached to the chassis of my truck.”
“I’m surprised you’d keep a spare key in an easily accessible location. You don’t seem like the kind of person who takes chances.”
“I’m not, but for this trip, I decided an extra key might be a good thing.”
She wasn’t surprised.
She’d seen the way Radley prepared for work, the way he tackled cases, the way he pushed himself. She knew he didn’t go into anything unprepared. And, going into a place like Sunrise Spiritual Sanctuary would make most law enforcement personnel worry.
A compound in the middle of nowhere.
Very little information about it.
Word of mouth bringing in clients.
Endless potential for things to go wrong.
Honor had known before she’d arrived that there was something more to Sunrise Spiritual Sanctuary than what was listed on their webpage. Instead of doing more research, maybe visiting the area and asking some questions, she’d contacted The Sanctuary and pushed ahead in her effort to find Mary Alice. She’d brushed aside her gut instincts. She’d brushed aside Wren’s concerns. She’d even brushed aside Dotty’s disappointment that they would miss their weekends together.
“Sometimes, my stubborn determination is a detriment to my well-being,” she muttered.
“We can talk about that during the debriefing,” Radley responded, and she thought she heard amusement in his voice. “Let’s get to the truck and get out of here.”
“Good idea,” she agreed quickly.
She stepped forward. He pulled her back.
“Hold on.”
“Why?”
“Listen.”
The way he said it made her hair stand on end.
“What am I listening for?” she whispered.
“The silence.”
Now that he mentioned it, things had gone quiet. No branches breaking. No muffled voices. No crickets chirping or animals rustling. No sign that they weren’t the only two living beings in the vicinity.
Absalom’s men had changed tactics. She didn’t need to be a specialized field agent to realize that.
“They’re probably heading to the parking lot,” she whispered, her head bent close to his, the words barely carrying through the darkness.
“That’s what I’m thinking. I know part of the compound is fenced. I was able to do some reconnaissance before I checked in, but I don’t know how far the