“Call them again. In the interim, will you do me a favor and stay the hell out of that goddamn tunnel?”

He disconnects without saying good-bye. Shaking my head, I hit end, then dial 911. I get the same dispatcher and quickly identify myself. “I need the ETA of that deputy.”

“He’s ten minutes out.”

“Get him on the radio and ask him to run with lights and siren.”

“Will do.”

I thank her and snap the phone onto my belt, then shine the beam into the mouth of the tunnel. The passageway looks ancient; it was probably here long before this barn was built. That’s when I notice the footprints in the dust on the steps, and I realize someone has been down there—recently.

I’ve nearly talked myself into walking outside to wait for the deputy when a scream rings out over the pounding rain. It’s female and the power behind it unnerves me.

I yank my .38 from my shoulder holster. “Shit.” With my left hand, I fumble for my phone, hit REDIAL with my thumb.

Two rings and the dispatcher answers. “Nine one one. What’s—”

“I’ve got a possible homicide in progress. I need assistance right now.”

“Ma’am, the deputy is seven minutes—”

The rain is like thunder on the roof and drowns out the rest of the sentence. All I can think is that whoever’s down there doesn’t have that kind of time. “Call the Highway Patrol—” Another scream echoes from the depths. “Send an ambulance.”

It’s an awful sound and rattles me to my core. “Goddamn it.”

“Ma’am?”

And in that instant, I know I’m not going to follow protocol. There’s no way I can stand here and do nothing while God only knows what happens to a young woman just out of sight. “Tell the deputy there’s some kind of underground passage in the slaughter shed. I’m going down there.”

Snapping my phone closed, I clip it to my belt. I shine my beam into the mouth of the tunnel and start down the steps.

CHAPTER 20

There are some decisions you make that you know will affect the rest of your life. Decisions where the line between right and wrong is blurred by circumstances. There’s no time to weigh consequences or rein in emotions you should have left out of it. And while my intellect tells me it would be wiser to turn around and wait for that deputy, the part of me that is a cop tells me to go get that girl.