Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace

  Bree heard Samson’s welcoming bark and went to the door. Before she could open it, Mason burst in with Naomi on his tail. His gaze centered on Bree’s face, and he went to her and enveloped her in a huge hug.

  “Kade called me on his way to get the snowmobiles. He said his cell phone must have been in a dead spot because he got a signal once he was on the road. Where’s Davy?” He spotted the little boy lying on the bed. Tears came to his eyes. “Wait until Hilary and Anu hear. I haven’t called them yet. I thought you’d want to surprise them.”

  “I do,” she said, a smile curving her lips at the thought of their wonder. “But there’s more, Mason.” She quickly filled him in on what she suspected about Palmer.

  Rachel stood and turned to the window. Bree watched her as she spoke to Mason. She was wringing her hands.

  Mason seemed to absorb it all quietly. “We’ve got Rachel to testify that she saw him carrying Fay’s body, but we need proof he killed Rob.”

  The distant whine of a snowmobile reached Bree’s ears. “Are they back already?” she said, glancing at her watch. “It’s too soon.”

  “It’s him,” Rachel cried, clearly agitated. “He told me I had to take him to the plane today. I was hoping we’d be gone before he got back. You have to get away; he’ll kill you!”

  Naomi and Mason stared at her, but Bree ran to Davy and scooped him up. He awoke and smiled sleepily at her. She popped him into his coat. “I’ve got an idea,” she said. She handed Davy to Naomi. “Go with Aunt Naomi, sweetheart. She’ll take you out to play with Samson and Charley.”

  Davy frowned and reached for his mother. It hurt Bree not to be able to take him in her arms.

  “What are you going to do?” Naomi asked.

  The roar of the snowmobile grew louder. “Mason, grab our snowshoes from out front. And the dogs—get them in here.” Bree snatched up some of the discarded clothes by the door and hurried to the bed. She stuffed them under the blanket to make it look like Davy’s small body still lay there.

  “Rachel, act like nothing is wrong. Take him to the plane. Mason and I will be hiding nearby. We’ll surprise him, see if we can get him to confess. Naomi, keep Davy out of harm’s way.”

  “I don’t like this,” Naomi said, putting on her snowshoes. The dogs whimpered, sensing something was wrong.

  “I don’t either,” Mason said. “But it’s the best shot we’ve got.” He and Bree put on their snowshoes as well.

  The whine of the snowmobile stopped abruptly by the front door. “Go, go,” Bree hissed. She hurried to the back door and shooed Naomi through with Davy and the dogs, then she and Mason followed. She could only hope and pray Rachel would be able to carry off her part of the plan.

  She sent Naomi, Davy, and the dogs off to the west while she and Mason headed east to the plane. “Let’s get inside,” she told Mason. He nodded, and they climbed inside and crouched down out of sight.

  The minutes ticked by as the cold seeped into Bree’s bones. Then she heard voices approach.

  “Down there,” Rachel said.

  “At last.” Palmer’s voice was exultant.

  Bree’s stomach flipped, and she clutched his screwdriver in her hand.

  “I think you should let me confront him,” Mason whispered.

  “You’re backup,” she whispered. “He’ll think he can overpower me. He won’t know you’re here, and he’ll reveal more to me.” Mason sighed, and she knew she’d won.

  “Wait here,” Palmer told Rachel. “I need to retrieve something from the plane, then I’ll be out of your life.” The whoosh of his snowshoes came closer.

  Bree’s chest hurt with tension. Glancing at the screwdriver in her hand, she remembered the incident she’d been trying to think of. When she’d eaten dinner with the Chambers family, Lily had mentioned a tiff they’d had when Palmer couldn’t find a missing screwdriver. Evidently, he’d figured out where it was.

  Bree rose from her hiding place and held up the screwdriver. “Looking for this, Palmer?”

  He stopped in his tracks. Shock slackened his mouth, then his eyes went flat and hard as he recognized the screwdriver in her hand.

  “You were our friend, Palmer. How could you kill Rob? Was it because he was going to stop you from getting your hands on that mine?”

  “We were buddies,” Palmer said. “He should have been excited to be a part of it.”

  “You never counted on his faith interfering, did you? He told you it was wrong, and you couldn’t let him tell Fay about the gold.”

  “Looks like you’ve got it all figured out.”

  “Enough to know you killed my husband. Why don’t you tell me the rest?”

  Palmer gave her the smile she’d once found charming. “I wanted him as a partner for the new venture. We could have extracted the gold with new technology and made a fortune. He thought we should tell Fay and Steve about the gold and let them decide whether to sell with full disclosure. I couldn’t believe it! He wanted to turn down a chance to make millions. Millions! What kind of man would do that?”

  “A righteous one,” Bree said. This sounded more like the Rob she knew.

  Palmer made a face. “I knew he would blab everything when he got back.”

  “My call didn’t help his distraction,” Bree murmured.

  Palmer grinned. “I thought you’d tell everyone about that.”

  For a minute what he said failed to register. Then her eyes widened, and she wanted to hit him. “You had someone call. There was no other woman, was there? Rob was never unfaithful,” she whispered.

  “People would think he downed the plane out of guilt.”

  Bree just managed to keep her shock in check. “Her real name is Lanna Martin, not March, isn’t it?”

  “You figured that out too, huh? You’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”

  Bree struggled to reconcile this cold stranger with the man who’d been such a good friend. “I met her,” she said. The familiarity of the woman’s voice hadn’t been her imagination. “You went to the lake to make sure Rob hadn’t told anyone about the gold.”

  “I went to try one more time to convince him. I didn’t want to kill him, but the creditors were hounding me. I would have lost everything.”

  “But he still wouldn’t listen, so you sabotaged the plane and made sure he wouldn’t spoil your plans. You didn’t care about killing Davy with him.” It was almost too much to take in. “And Fay found out about the gold anyway, so you had to kill her too. I would imagine you called her on her cell phone and had her meet you at the mine.”

  Palmer shrugged. “Very good.”

  “The assayer had told her about the gold, and she was going to cancel the sale. So you killed her and put her body at the foot of the cliff.” She moved from the plane cabin to the ground and approached him, even though Mason had warned her to keep her distance. She wanted to look in the eyes of the man who’d befriended her, the man she’d turned to when she grieved. Bree wanted to strike him, to put her hands around his neck and choke the life out of him. She stared at this man she’d known and loved as a brother.

  In one smooth movement, Palmer’s hand dipped into his jacket and came out with a gun. “You wanted to find Rob. Now I’ll just have to send you where he is.” He cocked the hammer on the gun.

  Bree stared into the barrel of the gun. She couldn’t let Davy be orphaned. Why hadn’t she listened to Mason’s warning? At all costs she had to stay out of Mason’s line of fire. He would know how to handle Palmer.

  Mason popped up with a gun aimed at Palmer. “Throw down your gun,” he ordered.

  Palmer didn’t even blink. His arm snaked out and pulled Bree against him. He pressed the gun against her head. “Drop it, Mason,” he ordered.

  “You drop it,” Mason said.

  Bree trembled, but it was more from anger than from fear. Palmer couldn’t be allowed to get away with it. “Don’t listen to him, Mason,” she said.

  “You have no choice, Sheriff,” Palmer said.
“Shoot me, and my gun goes off.”

  For a long moment, Bree thought Mason would refuse to drop his gun, then a hiss of frustration came from his throat, and he tossed the gun to the ground, where it disappeared into the snow.

  “Come along, Sheriff. It’s cold out here. I think we can conclude our business back at the cabin.” Holding Bree in front of him, he marched his prisoners back up the hill. They met Rachel at the top, too terrified to have considered running for help, Bree imagined.

  If only Samson were here. If only she had a weapon. Palmer meant to kill them; she could see it in his darkened eyes, blank as a reptile’s.

  Inside the cabin, he grabbed a rope hanging on a nail by the door and tossed it to Rachel. “Tie them up. Be quick about it.”

  Rachel slowly took the rope and tied Mason to a chair, then tied Bree’s hands behind her back.

  “Make it tight,” Palmer said.

  Rachel cinched the rope. The rough hemp bit into Bree’s wrists, and she winced.

  “Now tie her to the chair by the bed.” Palmer moved closer and watched as Rachel pushed Bree into the chair and looped the rope around the back.

  Bree flexed her muscles, thankful she’d been working out and had muscles to flex. Maybe she could create enough slack to work her way free. She prayed for God to send help. Her mind raced for a way out. The gun pointed straight at her heart. If she could keep Palmer talking until Kade and Steve got back, maybe they could overpower him.

  Her heart leaped when she heard a familiar sound at the door. Samson. His low growl told her he knew something was wrong. “How much does Lily know?” she asked, desperate to distract him.

  “None of it. She would have talked to Fay. She’s way too honest. We always said we balanced each other out.” He laughed uproariously at his joke. He motioned with his gun toward Rachel. “Sit down.” When she obeyed, he lashed her to the rocker.

  Bree had to keep him talking. “So why move Fay to the cliff? Mason would likely have assumed she fell and hit her head at the mine.”

  “Authorities investigating her death might have found something. I couldn’t run the risk. She was already dressed for climbing, and I thought no one would be the wiser.”

  This was like something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The Palmer she thought she knew would recoil at the thought of murder. Who was this man?

  “Enough chatter. I’m afraid the time has come to say good-bye, and I have to admit it makes me sad. Lily will be devastated, and I so hate to make her unhappy.” His eyes held a sheen of moisture as though he really did regret what he had to do.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Rachel asked in a small voice.

  “I thought about locking you in the mine and caving it in, but your bodies would eventually be found. I should shoot you, but it needs to look like an accident.” His gaze wandered to the stove. “A fire. There will be no evidence left to determine cause of death.”

  “Our skeletons will be lashed to chairs,” Bree said desperately. “And you think that won’t look like foul play?” Think, think. What could she use as a weapon?

  “I’ll have to take that chance,” Palmer said. “With a little luck, the rope will burn up too.”

  How long had it been since Kade and Steve left, maybe an hour? They should be back by now.

  Palmer approached the stove and picked up the packet of matches lying there. Samson was growling and whining even louder outside the door. Bree had one chance. She shrieked at the top of her lungs. “Samson, help!”

  Palmer brought the gun around in alarm as seventy pounds of brown, black, and white fury crashed through the window. Glass shattered inward with a shower of shards. Snarling, Samson leaped onto Palmer and seized his hand in his jaws. Both man and dog crashed to the floor, Palmer kicking and shouting as Samson pinned him down with his teeth on his arm.

  Wriggling her arms in the ropes, Bree felt the strands loosen.

  Screaming in anger, Palmer tried to bring the gun up to shoot Samson, but the dog whipped his head back and forth, and the gun flew from Palmer’s fingers. With his front paws on Palmer’s chest, Samson pushed his muzzle against Palmer’s throat.

  At the feel of the dog’s teeth, Palmer screamed and thrashed. “Get him off me!”

  “Lie still, Palmer, or he’ll tear your throat out,” Bree warned.

  Bree finally felt the rope give. Twisting her wrists, she managed to get one free, then the other. She jumped to her feet and dived for the gun.

  Bree pointed the pistol at Palmer and moved to untie Mason. “Samson, release,” she commanded.

  With a final growl, the dog stepped back, his eyes still following Palmer’s every move. Palmer shook himself and got slowly to his feet. His wide-eyed stare fastened on the gun in Bree’s hand.

  “You know you won’t use that,” he said easily. He started toward her, but Samson immediately moved to block him. The dog’s low growl stopped Palmer in his tracks.

  “I will shoot you if I have to,” Bree said. “I won’t let you hurt anyone else.” She’d never shot a gun, but she’d empty every bullet in this gun into Palmer if he forced her.

  “Sit in that chair,” she ordered.

  Palmer must have seen the intent in her face, for his smile faded and he moved slowly to the chair. Keeping an eye on him, Bree finally got Mason free and gave him the gun. She picked up the rope and tied Palmer to the chair.

  An ironic smile touched the corners of his mouth. “You’ve surprised me, Bree. I didn’t know you could be so ruthless. Have you thought about what this will do to Lily and the girls? You could just let me go. I’ll get Lily and the twins and leave town.”

  “You killed two people, Palmer,” Mason said. “Even if she wanted to, I couldn’t let you go.”

  Bree called Samson to her. She saw the bloody tracks he left on the floor. “You’re hurt,” she said softly. She knelt to check on the dog’s wounds. Once she made sure the blood was from superficial cuts, she put her arms around him and buried her face in his fur. He’d risked his life for her. “Thanks, Samson,” she whispered as he licked her face. Then she rose to go to her son.

  24

  Kade and Steve parked the snowmobiles outside Louis Farmer’s barn and thanked him. Bree carried her son through the snow to the Jeep. She knew she could put him down and let him walk, but she couldn’t bear to let go of him. If God hadn’t sent Samson at the right time, they would all be dead. There was no doubt in her mind that once Palmer realized Davy was missing, he would have tracked down Davy and Naomi and killed them too.

  Steve and Kade both offered to carry Davy for her, but she refused. She wanted to get him home and pore over every inch of him to make sure he was all right. His good arm clung tightly to her neck, and she breathed in his little boy scent with a joy so overpowering she thought her heart would burst.

  He was several pounds heavier and a bit taller; otherwise, he hadn’t really changed in the year they’d been separated. But Bree knew he had undergone psychological changes after the ordeal he’d been through. She would ask the pastor at Rock Harbor Community Church if he could recommend a good counselor.

  She couldn’t seem to shut off the tap of tears. The rest of the family would be overjoyed. Bree could only imagine Anu’s and Hilary’s reactions. The whole town had mourned with her; now they would all share her joy. Her happiness was tinged with sorrow for what Rob and Fay had gone through. And what Lily and the girls would go through in the years to come.

  They reached the Jeep, and she buckled Davy in with the seat belt beside her in the back. Kade drove, with Naomi in the passenger seat and Rachel in the back with Bree and Davy. Steve had offered to help Mason transport Palmer.

  Davy leaned his head against Bree and fell asleep before they reached the main access road. Bree curled her arm around him and pulled him close. She’d nearly lost him a second time. Anu and Naomi said coincidence was how a nonbeliever explained God’s hand in the world. Now she knew there was no such thing as coincidence. God
moved in the world as he saw fit.

  They reached the edge of town, and Bree asked Kade to drive straight to Anu’s store. Hilary should be there today too. “Lay on the horn and drive slow,” she told him.

  Kade grinned and obliged. Bree felt like a queen as they rode toward Nicholls’s. She lowered the window and shouted into the air, “He’s alive! He’s alive!” The horn blared in cadence to her shouts.

  Davy woke up at the commotion, and she pulled him onto her lap. “Wave, Davy, wave,” she whispered.

  Folks came to their doors to see what the disturbance was about. “Davy’s alive!” she yelled again.

  Davy peeked over the side of the window and waved. “Do I know them?” he asked.

  “They know you,” she assured him. Some ran after the car when they recognized Davy, and by the time the Jeep reached the store, the crowd had grown to the status of a parade.

  The Jeep rolled to a stop outside Nicholls’s Finnish Imports. Bree threw open the door and scrambled out with Davy in her arms as Anu and Hilary came to the door.

  “What is going on?” Anu said.

  “I’ve found him. It’s Davy! He’s alive!” Bree said through sobs.

  Disbelief and shock rippled over Anu’s face. Tears began to stream over her cheeks as her expression registered recognition. “Davy?” She closed her eyes then opened them again.

  Hilary dropped the white vase she held, and it shattered on the sidewalk. She put her hands to her cheeks and began to weep. Stumbling over the broken pottery, she and Anu ran toward the Jeep.

  Bree rushed to meet them. “Remember Grammy, sweetheart? And Aunt Hilary?”

  Shyly, Davy nodded. “Grammy gave me Pooky,” he said.

  The color washed out of Anu’s cheeks until she was as pale as the pieces of pottery littering the sidewalk. “It is my Davy,” she whispered. She held out her arms, and her grandson looked at Bree then stepped into them.

  Anu hugged him for several long moments before she gently passed him to Hilary. Around them, the townspeople murmured, and Bree saw many wiping tears from their cheeks.

  Hilary kissed Davy. “Remember me and Uncle Mason?” she asked.