Where the Shadows Grow Long

Chapter 15

Avery expected to see Sydney right away, casually standing near the fence, a victorious side grin tugging at her lips. Her eyes anxiously followed the headlights as they revealed the dirt parking lot. Something wasn't right. She gently applied the brakes, slowing down, peering hard along the shifting shadows. A swirl of dust exposing a struggle occurring reinforced the sinking feeling she had.

Overwhelmed with urgency, Avery threw the vehicle into park but left the engine running. She took off, calling back for Mike to follow the man leaping from over the top of Sydney. Reaching the gate, Avery felt distant, unreal. She slowed to access the scene flinching as Mike rushed past her.

All her attention towards Sydney. The Lieutenant had scooted as far back as she could and pushed up against the office's splintered wood. Sydney avoided making eye contact with Avery. Instead, she rubbed her neck and faced the direction her attacker had fled.

Before Avery could check on her, Sydney pointed into the darkness. "Not Danny."

The way her voice cracked and waivered concerned Avery, but her attacker was on the run. Gun in hand she took off towards the barn Mike had disappeared into. An engine firing up had her pulling up short of the door. A high pitched revving was the only warning Avery had before the door flew open and the bike whizzed past, almost knocking her over. She recovered quickly and it took her a moment to realize it was a vehicle without a rider to control it. As it lost its power it weaved and wobbled before tipping on its side. The sounds of bodies colliding and Mike's demanding voice had her disregarding the bike and curved into the building unsure what she was about to encounter. She dropped her gun as Mike's bulky frame blocked the view of anyone else. Mike forced him up to a standing position and turned. In the shadows his features were unfamiliar to her.

Between heaving breaths Mike was glowing. "I played a little Linebacker in college."

"You still hold the record for most tackles in a single game, if I remember."

Mike beamed as he pushed the man forward. Avery put her hand up to stop their progress. As they came into the light, she realized the man was not Danny. Mike adjusted his hold realizing her confusion. It was clear his focus was stopping the man not caring who he was.

"Well I'll be," Mike huffed. "Travis Bailey."

The man threw his shoulders back at the announcement of his name, but he kept his glare on Avery.

"You know him?" Avery asked, with a slight alarm.

"We all know him." He paused and a look of disgust filled his features. "He's a real swell guy."

"A swell guy?" Avery asked, still shocked.

"Yeah, he rides his horse through town every day," Mike continued pushing the man forward. "Smiling at everyone, charming the women, helping every old lady across the street."

Avery could feel the arrogance the man exuded and wanted a reaction from her. She instead refused a response and turned her attention back to getting to Sydney. When Avery came up to her, She had moved to a standing position but was using the large log post to hold herself up. One hand held her head, and she was staring into the darkness.

Avery was cautious with her approach, but she still startled Sydney.

"Are you okay?" Avery asked, looking Sydney over, but the heavy shadows gave little light to her possible injuries.

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice raw. "Thankful you showed up when you did."

"Let's get you cleaned up a bit," Avery offered and guided Sydney to the Sheriff's vehicle and raised the liftgate. Sydney sat on the edge while Avery worked the large duffel bag out of the corner and unzipped the middle compartment. She handed cleaning wipes to the Lieutenant and grabbed an ice pack. As Avery smashed the pack in her hands to activate the cold, she examined the side of Sydney's face. The red and blue shades caused from the swelling and bruising contrasted against the pallor of her skin. She handed over the ice pack and Sydney rewarded her with a subtle nod of gratitude.

Concern swirled within Avery as she noticed the red marks spreading around her neck. "I'm worried about your throat."

"I'm fine," Sydney insisted, but the hoarse whisper gave away the physical pain.

"Swelling can get worse-" Avery began to say in protest.

"I'll be fine," Sydney said again, cutting her off, her eyes serious and hard. "Travis helped Danny escape, he must have assumed he would have succeeded in killing me."

"We have a Bolo out on Danny, all hands on deck so to speak." Mike remarked, hanging up from a call.

"Good." Avery nodded. "So, Travis Bailey, why don't I know him?"

Mike pointed to a cluster of trees in the distance. "He rents that obnoxiously large place on the East Bank. Been there plenty of times for poker night. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I liked the guy."

"Of course, being a gentleman goes over big in a small town." Avery tried to swallow the guilt of not seeing any clues to who he was.

"He helped Danny, but his intentions were clear he was after me." Sydney said.

"A partner maybe," Mike suggested.

"He made it clear he was in charge, at the cafe this morning I had agreed with the owner that the murderer was a coward. He challenged me on that label."

Avery shifted her weight as she thought out loud. "Danny worked at Woodford."

"In the town or the prison?" Sydney asked.

"Transporter at the prison."

"Why do all this now?" Mike asked.

"Carter believed Chandler's story that he and my mother had extorted a prominent person. Then she stole the money from Chandler and ran. Travis could have interacted with Chandler but used Danny as a middle man to keep off any prison records."

"Do you believe that?"

"The one thing I believe is that my mom was none of those things they think. But, that doesn't matter if it has led Travis and Danny here and to murder."