A Fall of Woodcocks (The Birdwatcher Series Book 5) Read online

“I want to take you up on your offer,” Sarah said.

  “I see,” Tyler replied. “Do you know where he is?”

  “No, but I know where he’s going to be. Can you get a car and meet me?” The very words she was saying sounded crazy to her. Asking a serial killer to come and pick her up! Was she insane?

  “Where are you?”

  “Can you get the car?” she persisted.

  “I can, but we’ll be faster if I get a bike.” Sarah thought about this for a moment. She planned to have been in the back seat of car with a gun on him the whole time he drove. The motorbike would be faster, plus the leathers would give them a level of anonymity they couldn’t get in a car. Would she be able to hold a gun on him on the back of a bike though? She didn’t think so, and also he would have the ability to throw her from the bike without warning as she wasn’t used to rising one.

  “No, it has to be a car.”

  “You’re the boss,” Tyler said.

  “Meet me at Fairchild Mall in an hour?” Sarah said.

  “Is there a car park?” he asked.

  “Yes, text me what car you get and when you’re on the way.” Sarah hung up without another word.

  Sarah walked the streets in a large circle around the mall while she waited. Close to an hour later the message came in with car make and license plate number. Did he think that was funny? She went back to the mall car park and watched out for the car. She was still looking for it when she heard wheels approaching fast behind her. She turned and jumped out of the way just as a car came screeching to a halt. She pulled her gun and aimed at the driver’s window as it rolled down.

  “Nice reflexes,” Tyler said smiling out at her.

  “You asshole,” Sarah said, her hear thumping in her chest from her fright. “Open the back doors.” She heard the locks on the car release, and she pulled open the back door and looked inside. She didn’t know what kind of tricks he might pull on her. “I’m going to keep this gun on you the whole way,” she said, “and if you so much as blink in way I don’t like I’ll put a hole in you, got it?”

  “Got it,” Tyler said shaking his head like a guy dealing with an old battle-ax. It angered her how normal he was able to act around her after all he’d done. Sarah climbed into the back of the car.

  “Drive,” she said. “I’ll give you directions on the way.” She put the phone with the GPS coordinates of the waterfall on it beside her where Tyler wouldn’t be able to see it. It was going to be a long drive.

  Chapter 32

  Tyler glanced at Sarah in the mirror when they were out on the open road. He hadn’t seen her in while and she looked tired. She didn’t look at his reflection but concentrated her gun on his body as she watched him. Did she have any idea what she was doing?

  “Are you sure you want to do things this way?” he asked her.

  “What way?” she asked.

  “Going to Spalding, in place he knows? With no backup at all?”

  “He doesn’t know I’m coming. He doesn’t know I know where he is.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Tyler asked, he knew how difficult it was to get one over on Spalding and to be honest he doubted Sarah had the ability.

  “He can’t know,” she said, though she didn’t sound too confident.

  “He knows a lot more than we ever will,” he said. “Why don’t you just tell me where he is, I’ll get him, and this will all be over?”

  “You’ll kill him you mean,” she said meeting his eyes in the mirror now before adding coldly, “like all the others.” Her voice held up, but Tyler could sense the hurt in her as she said this. He sighed.

  “I’m sorry I lied to you Sarah. That part of me is something I do my best to control but sometimes I just can’t keep it in. I’ve tried.”

  “Your murders were planned and always while you were away from home. It wasn’t a spontaneous outburst of rage or anything like that. Don’t make excuses for what you’ve done!”

  “I’m not making excuses,” he replied, “I’m just telling you how it is.”

  “Well don’t, I don’t want to hear it. I also don’t want Spalding dead. I want to see him tried.”

  “If he’s not dead at the end of this, it means that you will be,” Tyler said matter of factly.

  “We’ll see,” she answered in defiance. Tyler shook his head. He was going to have to do something to save her from herself. But what? He could refuse to take her where she wanted to go but that would mean giving up his own chance of getting Spalding. He doubted he would ever be able to track down the killer again now that his method had been exhausted. There was nothing for it, he was going to have to go along and wait for any opportunity to kill Spalding that arose.

  It was late in the night when they arrived at the mountain range where Spalding’s waterfall was located.

  “Looks like we’ll be on foot from here,” Sarah said looking at her map. “We’ll sleep now for a few hours and then go up.”

  “Sleep?” Tyler said. “How far of a walk is it?”

  “Long enough,” she said. “Turn off the engine and put your hands through the steering wheel,” she ordered. Tyler did as she asked. “Close your eyes,” she said. He did and she got out of the car and pulled open his door. “Keep them closed of the gun goes off,” she said. She was nervous as she leaned over as quietly as she could and strapped handcuffs on his wrists. To her surprise he didn’t flinch and hadn’t tried anything at all.

  “I’m a light sleeper, if you try anything I’ll shoot you in a second.” Sarah said as she go back into the rear of the car and lay down, her gun still on him.

  “You don’t have to worry about anything,” Tyler said, “we’re on the same team for this thing.”

  “And after?” she said.

  “After I’ll be going to jail, and I doubt we’ll ever see one another again.” The idea filled him with regret, but he knew there was no scenario where he could ever gain her trust again, or anything else he might want from her. Sarah didn’t reply to this and he wondered what she was thinking.

  They didn’t talk again before Sarah fell asleep. Tyler did his best to get comfortable and sleep himself, but it wasn’t easy the way she manacled him to the wheel. He wondered how long it would take him to escape from this situation and he didn’t think it would be long. But he didn’t want to escape, not right now. Had she known his mind Sarah would have known that he would have happily slept beside her without ever harming her and staying in this car all night until she woke. But how could he expect her to believe that after all he’d done to her?

  Hours later, as dawn was breaking, Tyler woke with a start and in doing so banged his head on the wheel. Sarah jumped up into action.

  “What? What?” she said not sure for a moment where she was or what was going on. Then she saw the gun in her hand and Tyler in the front seat. “What are you doing?” she shouted at him, the gun fully aimed again.

  “Nothing, I must have slipped on the wheel and banged my head while I was asleep,” Tyler said. Sarah looked out of the car.

  “It’s nearly light,” she said. “Time to get walking.”

  She gave Tyler the key to the handcuffs and let him free himself while she stood outside the car with the gun. He got out and stretched his back and legs. It had been a rough sleep and he didn’t feel the better for it.

  “Walk ahead of me, that way,” Sarah said pointing with the gun. “I’ll direct you as we go.”

  “Are you going to keep that thing on me the whole way up?” he asked looking at the gun. He knew the answer already.

  “I can’t trust you Tyler, you’ve made sure of that. Sorry if you feel put out by my keeping my guard up.” Her tone was as sarcastic as he’d ever heard her. He nodded with pursed lips and then started walking into the woods. Sarah was kitted out for a hike and thankfully he’d gotten some new clothes too thinking he’d be spending sometime out of doors. He looked up and saw the mountains spread off out into the distance. This was a range he’d been too before,
but he didn’t recognize this part of it.

  If the opportunity arises Tyler planned to take Sarah out. Nothing too serious but she couldn’t come to wherever Spalding was. She would likely kill Tyler if he killed Spalding in front of her. It would be like taking everything she had spent her adult life working for away from her at the last moment, just as she was about to finally win. What she didn’t understand was that there was no way she could really win if Spalding was still alive.

  Perhaps in time she would come to see what he was about to do as a good thing. She might contact him in jail and thank him one day.

  Chapter 33

  Sarah had never been so scared, so excited and so nervous at the same time in her life. She walked through the woods with Tyler ten feet in front of her, his back to her and on their way up to the waterfall where she would hopefully surprise Spalding and arrest him. They were not far from the waterfall now and Sarah picked up a small tone and tossed it at Tyler. It hit and he turned to look at her.

  “We’re not too far now. No talking from this point on.”

  “Shouldn’t we make some kind of plan?” he asked.

  “I already made one,” Sarah said. She took a gun from her pocket and tossed it to him. Tyler looked down at it. “Don’t get excited, it’s not loaded.” Tyler bend over and picked it up.

  “What am I supposed to do with it then?” Tyler asked.

  “Point it at Spalding and follow my lead.”

  “You think he’s going to believe we’re working together again?” he asked.

  “They think I care about him believing is that you’re willing to shoot him if he gets out of line.”

  “This isn’t a great plan,” Tyler said, shrugging.

  “Well, like I said, no talking from here on in, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  They trekked on and half an hour later the first sounds of the waterfall came to Sarah’s ears. It was still a bit off by the sound unless of course it was much less loud at the top than below. The whole area was beautiful, and it was odd that Spalding and she could find the same thing so joyous.

  Up ahead the light of the sky or a clearing started to come through the trees. She glanced around trying to be sure there wasn’t anything around them that could hide Spalding. Tyler stopped suddenly and Sarah did the same right after, mid-step. Tyler pointed ahead but didn’t say anything. Sarah craned her neck to see what he was looking at and then saw a patch of red in the clearing. Suddenly the sound of the waterfall was much more loud in her ears. What was it she was looking at? It moved or shimmered or fluttered and she racked her mind trying to place it. Then it came crystal clear with one more step. It was the side of a tent. It had to be Spalding’s tent.

  Sarah waved her hand to get Tyler’s attention and when he looked at her she made a motion with her hands telling him to make a route around to the other side of the tent and hold back. Tyler nodded that he understood and set off in to the bushes.

  Now she felt all alone, and her heart pounded heavier than it ever had in her life before now. She allowed Tyler some time to get to the far side, each moment listening for Spalding discovering him, and then she started to creep forward towards the tent. With each step the gushing water grew in decibels. It was hard to hear any other noise and this gave her pause. Why would Spalding choose a place like this to hide out if he couldn’t see or hear when someone was approaching.

  Movement up ahead. Sarah froze. The full tent was clear now, but the movement had come from beyond it. She stood to her full height and through a gap of about eight inches between the top of the tent and the canopy of the trees she saw Freeman! He was tied up, looked beat up and groggy. He was by a wooden rail at the edge of what must have been a drop down to the waterfall. He was alive though, for now. She moved forward again looking for her target. He had to be here somewhere.

  And he was.

  “Welcome Sarah,” his loud booming voice said as he stepped into view behind Freeman, putting a gun to the dazed detectives head while holding him firm with his other mighty arm. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, I must admit.” Sarah stepped out of the trees into the clearing.

  “That was the plan,” she said, her gun cocked and aimed at Spalding’s head. If she just squeezed she could take off half him head from here. But what would happen to Freeman then? And what of her dream of seeing Spalding incarcerated?

  “How did you find me?” Spalding asking casting a disinterested look into the sky as though looking for a drone of helicopter. “I suppose Megan told you?” he said.

  At this Sarah’s stomach dropped and she felt sick. How could he know Megan had told her where to come unless...? No, it couldn’t be. Could it?

  “I haven’t spoken to Megan since you had Ellie try to kill her,” Sarah said.

  “That wasn’t my idea, Ellie came up with that plan all on her own. It was unexpected but I liked it.” Spalding’s voice was like a proud father taking about his favorite daughter.

  “Everything that’s happened is down to you, Spalding. Everything.” She couldn't believe how hard it was for her to not pull the trigger. Her blood boiled as images of her mother came back to her in floods.

  “Sarah, get out of here,” the muffled pained voice of Freeman came to her.

  “Don’t worry Freeman,” she said, “I’m going to get you out of here.” Spalding laughed.

  “Surely by now you must know better than that, Sarah!” he said.

  “If you try anything with him, you’ll get the same fate a second later,” she warned.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” Spalding said. “This is the Sarah I’ve been watching for so long. The little girl with the growing anger, the young cop with the edge, the FBI agent who can’t play by the rules when they don’t suit her needs.” His smile grated on her, but the worst thing was that everything he was saying was the truth.

  “Why don’t we just stop playing and you come along quietly?” she suggested.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Spalding grinned.

  “Are you kidding me?” Tyler said emerging from the bushes on the other side of the tent. “There’s nothing you’d like more than being ring master in a great media circus.” The unloaded gun was aimed at Spalding, his eyes locked on his enemy. Spalding smiled and then looked back to Sarah.

  “This was the last pairing I expected to see after what he did to you Sarah,” he said. “I guess I should say well played.”

  “It’s temporary.” Sarah said.

  “Didn’t I tell you do not trust her Tyler?” Spalding said and Sarah threw the briefest of looks Tyler’s way.

  “I don’t listen to anything you say,” Tyler replied. Spalding looked to Tyler feigning hurt feelings.

  “That’s the kind of attitude that made me have to send Sarah those newspaper clippings,” he said.

  “That was a mistake,” Tyler said and then looking at Sarah he said, “and so was giving me a gun.” Sarah couldn’t react in time. In a flash Tyler shot his gun three times in quick succession before she got a shot off on him taking out his gun arm. Spalding went sprawling backwards letting go of Freeman who fell to the ground. Spalding leaned against the wooden rail with a hand clutching at his neck which was flowing freely with blood. Tyler was going for the gun with his other hand and Sarah shot him again sending him to the ground. Spalding smiled, blood coming from his mouth.

  “I told you not to trust her. Tyler.” Spalding tried to get to his feet and Sarah saw the two holes in the side of his ribcage, how the bullets had missed the heart she didn’t know. But it was bad, Spalding was not going to survive this, not without medical attention that couldn’t possibly get here for hours even if she called right now.

  “You bastard!” she screamed marching to Tyler and standing over him. He wasn’t badly wounded, but he was incapacitated. But then without attention he would be in trouble too. She looked at Freeman, he was only half conscious but looked like he was going to be fine.

  “This is what I always wante
d for you Sarah,” Spalding said. She turned and saw he was back on his feet looking at her standing over Tyler. “I always knew you could do it.” Sarah looked down at Tyler as he fought to stay conscious. “You won’t forget this,” Spalding said, “and one day soon you’ll thank me for all of this.” With that Spalding leaned back and toppled over the edge of the rail.

  “Nooooooo!” Sarah cried out and she ran to the rail and looked down. Spalding came to a crashing halt with sickening thud against the rocks down below. His body was motionless, and Sarah knew that even if he somehow survived this fall, he would never survive the gunshot wounds he brought down there with him. Her heart sank as her whole life seemed to suddenly be meaningless. Her dream of seeing Spalding in a cramped cell for years on end lost in a moment.

  “Sarah?” the low growl of Freeman’s voice came to her. She went to him and got down on her knees by him.

  “Freeman, are you okay?” she asked.

  “Make a run for it,” Freeman struggled to say. “I think the tent is locked and he’ll be a while getting out.” Sarah looked to the tent, its opening gaping wide and allowing her to see inside. She looked back to Freeman and saw his eyes were closing and he was losing consciousness again. She lifted his eyelids and saw his eyes were glazed over. He’d been drugged and he wasn’t out of the effects of it yet. She didn’t know if he was in any danger or not, but her gut told her he would be fine. There were some cuts and bruises on him but nothing that looked too serious. He closed his eyes, but he was breathing evenly like in a deep sleep.

  Movement came from behind and Sarah got up and turned to face Tyler again. He was trying to get up but was in too much pain. He was losing blood and no doubt weakening by the moment. Their eyes met. Sarah bent and took up the gun Tyler had used. It was the one she had given him.

  “I took the precaution of carrying a few different kinds of bullets in the lining of my clothes,” he explained through gasps and exhalations. He tried to smile but it didn’t come off.

  “You took away my entire life’s work,” she said. She was more furious than she’d ever been in her life.