The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,63

to pull her over the railing and into the Colorado River below.

Twenty-Three

Madison was already heading down the steep riverbank when she saw Barrick pull the woman over the edge and jump. She watched as the two hit the water and went under. Madison scrambled toward the shoreline, scanning the currents for them to emerge.

“I need backup now!” she shouted into her earpiece. “We need to get them both out of the water.”

She searched the fast-moving current and spotted the woman bobbing as two more officers came up behind her.

“There she is.” Madison ran along the edge of the water another dozen yards, trying to get ahead of the woman, before stepping into the chilly river.

Karen flailed her arms above her as she tried to get to shore. Madison grabbed for her hand and just missed. The woman slipped back into the water. Madison scurried farther down to the water’s edge, trying to keep her own balance and not get swept into the current.

Together with the officers, they managed to help pull her out. Someone handed Madison a blanket, and she slipped it around Karen’s shoulders. She crouched beside the woman as she tried to catch her breath, then glanced out across the fast-moving water. Barrick had to be close by, but where?

She turned her attention back to the woman. “Karen, I’m Deputy US Marshal Madison James. Your husband’s on his way down here right now. Are you okay?”

“I think so. I just cut my leg, and I can’t . . . I can’t breathe.”

“I want you to take some slow, deep breaths. You probably had the wind knocked out of you. You’re going to be okay.”

Madison turned to one of the officers who helped rescue Karen. “See if you can get some paramedics down here.”

The officer nodded and stepped away.

“Karen, are you okay?”

Her husband wrapped his arms around her as she broke down sobbing.

“She has a cut on her leg, but she should be fine. Give the paramedics a few minutes to check her out. They’ll probably want to take her to a hospital just as a precaution, but you can stay with her.”

Madison moved aside in order to let the paramedics treat her, then had one of the officers take down the woman’s contact information.

She climbed back up the embankment, then ran across the bridge to the other side where officers had spread out in a search for Barrick. She found Jonas barking out orders at someone on the phone. “Where is he?” she asked after he hung up.

“We don’t know. He disappeared.”

“How is that possible? We all saw him jump. He has to be down here.”

“We need to get everyone over here now.” Jonas called over the incident officer. “I want him found. Set up a fifty-mile perimeter with roadblocks. I want his photo up on local news stations across the state.”

“Yes, sir.”

Madison felt her heart sink. How had they finally caught up with him, only to lose him again?

“He’s gone, Madison,” Jonas said. “He somehow managed to slip away in the chaos. But it’s not over. We’ll find him.”

Madison glanced upriver, trying to go through what his limited escape options had been.

Jonas met her gaze as she turned back to face him. “We assume he went downstream with the current, but what if he swam upriver while we were busy in the confusion, making sure the hostage was okay.”

“Giving him a few seconds to swim upstream underwater and disappear into the crowd,” Madison said.

“There is another option,” Jonas said. “He could have hit his head and gotten dragged under the water.”

Madison grimaced at the thought.

The police chief ran up to them. “One of my officers just called in. He spotted Barrick at the farmers market a few blocks south of here.”

“Tell him to follow, but don’t engage, and that we’re on our way. In the meantime, make sure your officer keeps him in his sights.”

The street music got louder as they approached the farmers market a few minutes later. Tented booths displayed farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and an assortment of other local products for sale. The crowds were heavy this time of day, with both locals and tourists, so this could be nothing but another foolish quest.

Where was he?

A red hat bobbed ahead of her. She looked closer. Same build as Barrick. It had to be him. Madison pressed through the crowd, making sure she kept her eyes on the moving figure.

“I might have him,” she said into her radio. “He needs to be surrounded before he’s