Today she was only interested in doing whatever she had to do to get her boy back. She opened her bag and pulled out the envelope with the note and looked at it. Was this the right thing to do? The man’s threats still froze the blood in her veins, and going against his orders felt dangerous.
She had no choice, though. Zach had taken the necklace for safekeeping, so she couldn’t leave it now anyway. She retrieved the duct tape from her bag and went toward the sign. The back of her neck prickled, and she looked around. Was he here watching her? Probably. He’d want to grab the necklace and get away before someone else happened to see it.
There was hardly anywhere to stand behind the sign. It looked out over a steep cliff, and the ground sloped quickly here. She pulled strips of tape loose and attached them to the envelope, then hung on to the post while she sidled around and slapped the note into place. He might have a hard time retrieving it.
Her left foot slipped as she tried to move to safer ground. For a heart-stopping moment she imagined herself plunging over the side. Her mouth dry, she clung to the post and regained her balance, then moved to a flattened area.
The door to her truck still hung open, and she slung herself under the wheel and started the engine. After shutting the door, she sped out of the lot, her tires kicking up gravel. The clock on the dash read 5:25. She’d made it with only five minutes to spare.
She shook her head. Not really. The guy didn’t have the necklace, and she shuddered to think what he might do when he saw her note. This had been a bad idea. How would she live with herself if something happened to Alex?
She accelerated down the road as fast as the truck would roll. Whatever happened, she needed the necklace, just in case the guy wouldn’t listen. It had taken nearly an hour to get out here, and she had to get that necklace from Zach.
She was nearly to the airport when her cell phone rang. She froze when she saw Marilyn’s name on the screen. Her hands trembled on the steering wheel as she pulled onto the shoulder. “I’m here.”
“You will regret this!” His voice vibrated with anger. “I have to have the necklace now!”
She pressed her hand against her churning stomach. “I don’t trust you. I’m happy to give it to you, but I want my son and Marilyn in eyesight when I do. How do I know that you haven’t already k-killed them?” She bit her trembling lip to keep her voice strong.
“They were fine up until now. I can’t say the same for the rest of the evening.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Look, we both want the same thing. I want you to have what you need. Please turn over my loved ones. Our offer is a good one. You can get out of the country and disappear.”
“You think I’m stupid enough to fall for this? You’ve already told the sheriff, and deputies are all over looking for me. Zach’s not going to fly me anywhere but off to jail. Besides, I already have plans in place, and your idea won’t help me.” His voice hardened. “I’m not taking your offer. You’re going to turn your truck around and drive back to the pull-off where you will hand me the necklace. I’ll give you the address of where you can find them, and then I’ll be gone. One hour.”
“Wait! I—” The call ended before she could tell him she didn’t have it. She called Marilyn’s number right away, but after four rings, it went to voice mail. She tried again and got the same result.
She pounded the steering wheel, then rubbed her burning eyes. She’d call Zach. He could meet her with the necklace. She called his phone, but he didn’t answer. She left a message, then tried his number again. Nothing. Where could he be? She called the sheriff, but got his voice mail too. Dread slithered up her spine and she shuddered.
She rested her head on the steering wheel. Maybe she should go back to meet the guy and explain what had happened. As she raised her head, her phone signaled a new voice mail, and she snatched it up. It was from Zach and had been left an hour ago. She must have missed it somehow.
His voice sounded strong and confident. “Shauna, the sheriff and I are on our way by boat out to the building we saw. I think your dad might have been heading there. I’m sure he knows who this guy is and where Alex and Marilyn are. It will take us an hour to get there so we should be on our way back by the time you leave the meeting place. Be strong.” His voice faltered a bit. “I talked to Dorothy, and she told me how to twist off the back of the necklace. There are three protrusions that make it into some weird kind of key. I’m sending you a picture of it to see if you have ever seen anything like it. Talk to you soon.”
Gone. He was gone and no help to her right now. She checked her text messages and saw one from Zach. The necklace didn’t look the same at all, but something about it was familiar. She’d seen something this would fit into. What was it and where was it? She bit her lip and pressed her fingertips to her eyelids, but the memory wouldn’t surface. She had to let go of it for now and head back to the parking lot.
How did she tell this guy she didn’t have the necklace? She never should have let Zach take it from her. It left her with no bargaining power at all and a sense of hopelessness.
By the time Zach got back, she’d be meeting with this guy face-to-face, and it didn’t look good.
Small twigs and branches crackled under Zach’s boots as he led the way to the building they’d found. His breath came hard in his chest as they ran full-out from where they moored his boat.
The sheriff huffed from the exertion and paused to catch his breath. “Hold up there a minute, Zach. I can’t keep up.”
Zach wanted to put his fist through a tree, but he stopped and exhaled. “We don’t have time. We have to find Lewis.”
“You don’t seriously think the guy is going to accept the alternate offer, do you?” Burchell’s heavy black brows winged up.
“Of course not. You and I both know he has no intention of letting Alex and Marilyn go, but I couldn’t tell Shauna that. We have to figure out who he is and where to find him before he disappears. Time is running out.”
“You’re right. Some of my best deputies are on it, and hopefully he’s leading them right to Shauna’s family.” Burchell motioned with his right hand. “Lead on. I’ll keep up the best I can. If I fall behind, go on without me and get to Lewis.”
Zach took off through the forest again. The woodland seemed determined to slow his progress. Twigs and sticks caught at his feet, and his soles slipped on moss. The aroma of pine and mud filled his nose. The building was just ahead, and his steps quickened. He burst out of the trees into the clearing and saw Lewis talking to a woman about forty feet away. Her back was to Zach, and all he could see was her long, dark hair spilling over a camouflage shirt tucked into camo pants. She had a rifle slung over her shoulder.
Neither of them saw him, so he stepped back into the shadow of the trees and looked around for Burchell. The sheriff stepped from behind a large cedar, and Zach put his finger to his lips and motioned for him to follow. They crept through the trees and made their way nearer to where Lewis stood with the woman. Something about her looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place her without seeing her face.
Snippets of their discussion were carried on the wind, but he couldn’t make sense of anything. He was so intent on getting close enough to hear that he didn’t watch where he was stepping. His right foot came down on a large twig, and the snapping sound was as loud as a gull’s squawk.
The woman jerked around, and her gaze locked with Zach’s. Dorothy’s daughter. Penelope’s mouth grew pinched, and her eyes hardened. In an instant the rifle was off her shoulder and aimed at him. Zach leaped behind a tree as the rifle cracked. The bullet plowed into the bark beside Zach’s cheek.
She’d been the one shooting at them.
Burchell yanked his revolver out. “Sheriff! Drop your weapon!”
Another shot rang out, then he heard tussling and shouts. He peered around the tree to see Lewis yank the rifle from Penelope’s hands. Zach didn’t wait to see what would happen but leaped out of the forest and ran to help. B
urchell was on his heels, still shouting for them to throw down the rifle.
Penelope turned and saw them heading her way. She screamed an obscenity at Lewis, then ran the other direction. Zach cranked up a fresh burst of speed and ran after her. Alex’s life depended on running her down and finding out what she knew. His breath burned in his chest. Just a little faster, just a few more steps and he’d have her.
He hadn’t tackled anyone since his high school football days, but the ability came surging back—he threw himself into the air and at her legs. His right hand closed around her ankle, and she tumbled to the ground with a scream. She tried to kick his grip off her leg, but he held on and reached out with his left hand to grab her other ankle.
Panting, he got to his knees and pulled her toward him. “Where are Alex and Marilyn?” he snarled. It was all he could do to hold on to her legs as she kicked and flailed on the ground.
“Let go of me!” she spat.
“Where’s Alex?” Zach demanded.
She struggled to get to her feet. Burchell grabbed her arm and hefted her up. His hand swatted at his waist. “I’m out of uniform, so I don’t have my cuffs. Where are Alex and Marilyn?”
“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“If you’re so innocent, why were you shooting at us? You shot at us earlier too, didn’t you? And followed us to Lewis’s cabin.” Zach jerked his head toward the building. “What’s this all about?”
She pressed her lips together and stared at him defiantly. Zach looked at Lewis. “You have a key to get in?”
Lewis shook his head. “She might, though.”
“Hold her.” Burchell began to search her pockets, then shook his head. “I’m not finding anything.” He took charge of her from Zach and held her by the arm.
Zach squeezed Lewis’s shoulder. “Lewis, what’s this all about?”
“The Bible always says your sins will find you out.” His eyes flooded with moisture. “It’s true. This is all my fault. I started this, then I was too weak to stop it. My wife died, and it was my fault. Now my grandson is in danger, all because of me. I should have told what I knew years ago.” He picked at nothing on his sleeve and stared at the treetops as if an angel perched there.
The man was unraveling. “Lewis, look at me. Tell me what you’re talking about!”
Lewis’s mouth trembled. “I can’t tell you. I’m going to have to show you.” He turned to the sheriff. “Can you shoot the lock off the door?”
“No!” Penelope thrashed and tried to get out of Burchell’s grip. “You have no right.”
“I have every right.” Lewis marched for the building. “Sheriff, shoot off this lock.”
Penelope let out a nearly inhuman wail and managed to tear loose from the sheriff’s grasp. She dove for her rifle on the ground, then rolled over and leaped to her feet. She aimed the barrel at Burchell’s head. “Throw down your weapons, all of them, or I’ll shoot him.” Her brown eyes seemed lit from within with a zealous glow. Her finger flexed on the trigger. “Don’t make me show you.”
Zach eyed her expression and saw how eager she was to pull the trigger. He threw his gun to the ground and held up his hands. “Let’s all calm down and talk about this.” The sheriff dropped his gun too.
Lewis hesitated, then shrugged and tossed down his weapons. “You won’t hurt us.”
“This is all his fault.” She jerked her head toward Lewis. “Empty your pockets, all of you.”
“We don’t have any other weapons,” Zach said.
“Do what I say!” Her finger moved toward the trigger again. “I can see the bulge in your jacket pocket. Pull it out.”
“It’s not a gun.” Zach’s fingers curled around the necklace and pulled it from his pocket. “See?” He started to drop it back into his jacket, but a slight smile curved her lips.
She waved the gun toward him. “Put it there on the fallen tree and step away.”
Zach frowned but did as she ordered.
In three steps she reached the necklace and grabbed it up with a triumphant grin directed at Lewis. “We’re going back to your cabin to get what we need. Once I take care of these two.”
Lewis shook his head. “They come too or you won’t get what you’re after. You don’t know where it is.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t play games with me, Duval. I could shoot you too.”
“And then you’d really be up a creek without a paddle. They. Come. Too.”
She stared at him, then gritted her teeth. “Fine. Lead the way.”
Chapter 37
His car sat in the shadows of the forest where he could watch the parking lot. Alex had fallen asleep in the backseat. What was he going to do with the kid while he grabbed the necklace? His mother would almost certainly rush to him. The trunk might work, but he’d have to gag him, and he didn’t want to do that. Alex wasn’t so bad, and he was so much like his dad that it hurt to think of having to deal with him.
Was there a way around it? He dabbed lavender on his bee sting while he thought about it.
Before he could decide what to do, the satellite phone on his console rang. He snatched it up. “Everything okay on your end? I’ve told Shauna she can trade the necklace for Alex and his grandmother. She’s bringing it to me now.”
“No, she isn’t.” Penelope sounded gleeful. “I’ve got it in my hot little hands right now, and we’re going back to Lewis’s to collect the drawings.”
He grinned, and the pressure in his chest eased. “How’d you get it?”
“Her new honey had it in his pocket.”
“Zach’s there?”
“And the sheriff and Lewis, but I’ve got everything under control. We’re nearly to Lewis’s house. I’ll grab the plans, then set fire to the place with them in it. I’ll meet you at our spot, and we can get on our way.”
He glanced in the rearview mirror at the sleeping boy. “We can’t let any of them get away or we’ll be hounded for the rest of our lives.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “Just get going, okay? Let’s get this over with and catch that flight to Cambodia.”
“What time should you be done on your end?”
“Send your buyers to the building in the morning, and I’ll turn over the plans to them in your place. You can handle things on your end, then meet me. That will give us time to take care of any loose ends and get out of town. I don’t think we should meet until we’re ready to leave. You got the money, right?”
“Yes, half is in my account as promised. I’ll have to call them. That’s not the original plan.” His pulse ratcheted up at the thought of altering the plan and getting the Chinese suspicious, but he had no choice. “You did great, sweetheart. See you soon.”
He sat back and exhaled. At least he didn’t have to wait and confront Shauna. He could take Alex back to the cabin and make sure Marilyn was still there. They hadn’t seen his face so they couldn’t identify him. Alex’s comment about his grandmother knowing his identity was just bravado. He could leave them confined to the cabin while he escaped with Penelope. The only ones who had to vanish were the sheriff and Zach. Lewis didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to say anything because he’d be implicating himself as well.
He placed the call to the Chinese. “There’s been a slight change of plan. My partner is going to meet you in my place with the plans. I, ah . . . I have some things to handle on my end.”
“This is not acceptable. I will not transfer the money unless you are present. We will not walk into a trap.”
He spit out a silent curse. This guy meant business. There was no dissuading that implacable determination. “Fine. I’ll be there too.”
“See that you are.”
The call ended, and he dropped the phone back onto the seat. He smiled and started the car. By this time tomorrow, they’d be safely away from any chance of arrest. And rich. Very rich.
Shauna parked in the same spot as before and sat back to wait. No other vehicles were around,
so the man must not be here yet. Right now she was a hot mess, trembling and shaking like she had a fever. This was all going wrong, and she didn’t know how to fix it.
She got out of her truck and lifted her face to the salt-laden breeze. Closing her eyes, she prayed for wisdom and courage. She’d never get through this alone. How could birds sing so carefree and happily in the trees when her world was crashing down? The waves rolled onto the rocks below, and she stared down the steep cliff into the water. She felt like she was at the mercy of one of those roiling waves and didn’t know which side was up and which was down.
There had to be something she was missing. Surely there was a clue that would tell her who was behind all this, but what? She ran through all the events over the past few weeks. A hint of lavender floated on the wind, and her head began to throb. Wait a minute, there were no lavender fields for miles. She retreated to her truck and grabbed peppermint oil to rub on her temples.
As the pain began to abate, she realized that every time the murderer had been around, she’d gotten a headache. She stopped and looked around. Maybe the guy used lavender oil as a remedy. It was well-known to help many conditions: dandruff, hay fever, eczema, bee stings.
Bee stings. Something about that issue set alarms flaring, but no matter how much she tried to grasp the memory, it escaped her.
She paced the gravel lot and watched. Her phone confirmed it had been nearly ninety minutes since the last call. Was he not going to show up? Maybe he’d already run off. She knuckled her wet eyes and turned back to her truck. Her phone rang, but the screen read Anonymous. She almost didn’t answer it, but then she realized he might be using his own phone this time instead of Marilyn’s.