At the Crossroads

by B. J Daniels

  “Emeralds.”

  She began to go down the list, fighting to concentrate. He acted like this was just another job like so many other deputy jobs they’d worked on together. But it was hard to focus.

  “The jewelry taken was expensive,” she said. “It would have taken a trained eye to know what to take. Or a list from the owner. Definitely an inside job.” Didn’t she remember another case a few years ago like this one?

  Her head hurt, and her eyes blurred. She could tell Culhane was in pain as he disinfected the wound and began to bandage it. She could have done it so much more quickly and probably more neatly if he had let her.

  Sighing, she looked at the list again. Sometimes they felt like an old married couple. Except for the passion that arced between them, making the air around them hum. She could feel it in the close confines of the pickup cab and knew he did, too.

  The list. The words jumped out at her. “Here we go. An emerald-and-diamond necklace worth half a million was stolen almost two years ago.” She felt her heart bump in her chest. “Oh,” she said as realization hit her when she saw which house had been burglarized. “What if Bobby wasn’t saying water?”

  “He was saying water,” Culhane said without looking at her.

  “Or was he saying Atwater?” She saw him raise his head and shift his gaze to her. She had his full attention now. “Gilbert Atwater of Atwater Construction, Big Sky, Montana, was burglarized almost two years ago and again recently.” Even Alexis knew that the man was a powerful, wealthy builder who was active in politics. “Isn’t he one of Sheriff Garwood’s friends?”

  She handed Culhane the list and heard him swear. “Atwater.”

  “According to the list, the emerald-and-diamond necklace stolen the first time was never recovered,” she said. “Estimated value? A half mil. If they collected the insurance on it, it might be embarrassing if the thief stole it again.”

  He shook his head. “It had to be insured for at least that. But we can’t prove any of this without the necklace. If Jana took it...”

  “She probably wishes she hadn’t, if she did. Maybe that’s why she was at the motel this morning,” Alexis said. “You’re thinking she followed Al, huh?” He smiled. Like him, she loved it when they were on the same page. “So were Furu and Cline following Al or Jana?”

  “Good question. But you’re right about Jana. She has to regret taking that necklace. It isn’t like she planned to pawn or sell it. She’d know that would be impossible and get her arrested—if not killed. But it wouldn’t surprise me if she thought she could use it to make a better deal with the sheriff.”

  “Blackmail?” Alexis asked.

  Culhane nodded. “If he agrees to it, she’ll be walking into a trap.”

  His cell phone rang. He glanced at Alexis and then picked up.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  THE MOMENT HE heard crying on the other end of the phone connection, he knew. “Jana.”

  “I thought they killed you,” she said through her sobs.

  “I’m fine. Let me help you. Trust me, you need my help.”

  More tears, more sobs. “No one can help me. It’s too late.”

  “No, it’s not.” She’d followed Al to the motel because she’d wanted Culhane’s help. Or she’d been put up to it. He hated that, with her, he had no idea what was the truth. But she was more than his proof that he wasn’t a murderer. He didn’t want to see her dead. “Wherever you are, I’ll come there. I’ll get you out of all of this.”

  Her strangled laugh sounded more pained than her tears. “I never wanted to involve you. I swear. That’s why I lied about the baby. I know you went out to the ranch. You know, don’t you?”

  He wanted to ask about the father of her baby but told himself it no longer mattered. “Tell me where you are.”

  Another sob. “They’ll follow you.”

  “No. I’ve lost them. You know you can trust me.”

  Silence, then finally, “It’s a small old cabin all by itself at the foot of the mountain.” She gave him the directions. “Promise me that you’ll come alone.”

  He didn’t promise, but he wished he could come alone. “I’m on my way. Stay there.” He disconnected and looked at Alexis. His love for her, coupled with the fact that he was sure she was carrying their child, made him want to lock her away for safekeeping. Not that she would hear of it.

  “I don’t think we should both go. It could be a trap. Furu and Cline followed her to the motel. Maybe Jana had tracked Al there, but if not...”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Alexis said and smiled. “I heard enough of the conversation to agree. It is probably a trap.”

  For just a split second, he thought she would take his advice and stay safe.

  “But you aren’t going alone. I have a plan.”

  He shook his head, seeing that there would be no talking her out of it. “I do love a woman with a plan. But we’re going to need a few more supplies first.”

  * * *

  ALEXIS COULD SEE how hard it was for him to agree to her plan. She thought about last night in the shower with Culhane and later curled up in bed. He knew. He hadn’t said anything, but there was no doubt that he knew about the pregnancy. Now he wasn’t just scared for her. Just as she’d feared, he would be more protective. He needed to take care of himself and let her do what she knew how to do. But he was Culhane Travis. He always did the right thing, the good thing. Just like now.

  “I know where this cabin is,” she said as he gave her the directions Jana had given him. “I’ll get out some distance from the cabin and circle around back. You take your time and go to the front.” She could see he wanted to argue, but she wasn’t having it. “I’ll fire a shot if it looks like a trap. You do the same. Otherwise, text me when you get in and the coast is clear. Unless you think she’s more apt to tell you what you need to know without me there.”

  He shook his head. “She knows about you. Whether she likes it or not, we’re a team.” His words sent a waterfall of pleasure rushing over her—just as did the look in his eyes. “We do this together.”

  She swallowed, feeling as if he was talking about more than this trip to meet Jana. There was worry in his tone but also resignation. He couldn’t change her nature any more than she could his. She looked away as he drove. She couldn’t think about the future, unsure if they would survive the next thirty minutes.

  Would Jana set a trap for Culhane to walk into? Alexis had no doubt that the woman would. But would she involve Furu and Cline? Only if she’d already made another deal with the sheriff.

  As deceptive as the woman was, Jana could have lied about where she was or could even take off before they got there. Or she could just simply set him up. No wonder Culhane had trust issues, she thought.

  Clouds hung low over the mountains as he turned down the road. Snow. She could feel the temperature dropping. It had been an especially dry fall, but this coming storm could change that. Once the ground was covered with snow, it would probably stay until spring. The weatherman was predicting a white Christmas.

  “We’ll go with your plan,” Culhane said. “If it’s a trap, we get the hell out of there.” He glanced over at her. “No taking any chances, agreed?” She nodded.

  The road narrowed as it wound back into the deep pines at the base of the steep mountains. Alexis put down her window and breathed in the cold, fresh air. The clouds seemed to drop around them making it hard to see. Through the fog, she could barely make out a small cabin ahead. Smoke curled up from the chimney, and one light shone inside.

  “Stop here,” she said and checked the clip in her weapon before she dug another from her purse, making Culhane groan. Hopefully she wouldn’t need anywhere near that much firepower, but it was nice to know she had it just in case.

  She looked over at him. There was so much she wanted to say. He leaned over and gave her a q
uick kiss. She felt him reach for her as if to pull her to him, to keep her from going. “Good luck,” she said as she bailed out too quickly, before either of them changed their minds.

  In an instant, she had disappeared into the trees and fog as snowflakes began to fall.

  * * *

  CULHANE SAT FOR a moment listening to the sound of the pickup’s engine as snowflakes whirled around him, making him feel as if he were caught in a snow globe. He felt a chill, even though the inside of the pickup cab was still warm, still carried Alexis’s scent.

  He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want Alexis doing this. The two of them had faced other challenges together. But now the cost was so much higher. They both had too much to lose. Not that it would stop them. The only way they would be free of this was by making sure that nothing happened to Jana.

  Culhane checked his weapon to make sure it was loaded and then turned around. He found a side road and a place to hide the pickup in the pines. Getting out, he took the backpack he’d bought along with the supplies they’d picked up. Then he sprinted in the direction of the cabin. As per Alexis’s plan, they should both arrive at the cabin about the same time.

  Culhane didn’t see Alexis, but he knew she would be close by, if not already at the back door of the structure. He’d gone along with her plan because he thought she would be safer bringing up the rear. As the cabin came into view, he hoped he was right. He headed for the front door, weapon drawn.

  * * *

  ALEXIS WORKED HER way through the pines. She could see the cabin ahead. She felt a quickening in her belly and slowed. Now wasn’t the time to think about how badly things could go wrong or to chastise herself for taking chances with not just her life but that of her baby. If she felt this way, she could just imagine how Culhane did.

  She reminded herself that she was good at her job. She wasn’t taking unnecessary risks. She doubted, though, that Culhane would see it that way. As she moved quietly through the thick pines and falling snow, she could smell the smoke rising from the cabin’s chimney.

  There was no movement around the building. No vehicles that she could see, as Culhane had hidden the pickup in a spot back down the mountain. They were to meet there, should they become separated. Or worse. As the snow began to fall harder, she wondered if she would be able to see him.

  Alexis dropped down the mountainside to the back of the cabin. She was anxious to meet this woman who’d conned Culhane Travis and ruined him on marriage and children.

  As she approached the small weathered dwelling, she pulled her weapon. Nothing around her moved. The snow was falling harder now, silencing an already-quiet world. She felt a chill. Maybe it was the quiet. Or the snow. Or knowing that they were meeting a woman they couldn’t trust, but she felt as if they weren’t alone on this mountainside.

  She tapped at the cabin door lightly. No answer. She knocked harder and heard movement inside. She knocked again and heard the door being unlocked. Had whoever opened the door already let Culhane in?

  The knob in her hand, she moved quickly the moment the door was unlocked, shoving the door inward with her weight behind it, and heard someone stumble and fall. She quickly forced her way in, her gun drawn, not sure of who or what she would be facing.

  An attractive blonde woman lay sprawled on the floor. Jana? Seeing Alexis, the woman began to crabwalk backward. “Where’s Culhane?”

  “I’m right here,” he said as he crashed through the front door.

  Jana swung around at the sound of his voice and clamored to her feet to back up against the wall. “You were supposed to come alone. I can’t believe you brought...her.”

  “Don’t act like the jealous wife, Jana. Tell me what’s going on. Did you set me up for murder?”

  Alexis sheathed her weapon and quickly locked the back door before moving through the small space to the front window. Something about this felt wrong. She couldn’t shake the feeling she’d had earlier. She peeled the curtain back just enough to look out, but she didn’t see anyone. Then again, with the snow it was impossible to see in the distance.

  “How can you even ask if I set you up?” she cried. “I just had to disappear. I had no idea you’d be blamed for my murder.”

  “Tell me about the necklace.”

  Jana frowned. “I don’t know anything about—”

  “The emerald-and-diamond necklace you stole.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Jana, I’m trying to help you,” Culhane said, pleading in his voice. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  Alexis turned away from the window for a moment. She could see that Culhane didn’t believe Jana. She knew the feeling.

  “After you were picked up for shoplifting, you made a deal with the sheriff. Don’t deny it,” he said.

  For a moment the woman looked as if she would keep lying, then she broke down. “That’s why I had to disappear.”

  “Where is the necklace?” Culhane demanded. “I know you stole it from Atwater’s house at Big Sky. Come on, you can’t sell or pawn it. All it will do is get you killed. Hand it over, and I might be able to save your life.”

  She made a pouty face but then dug the necklace out of her jacket pocket and dropped it into his hand. “The jewels aren’t real, anyway,” she said.

  Alexis blinked. They jewels weren’t real? The Atwater necklace that had gone missing months earlier had to have been real jewels. The necklace would have had a certified gemological appraisal to confirm its value. “You took it to a jeweler?”

  Jana scoffed. “What? You think I’m stupid? I took it to a fence I know. They told me the jewels weren’t real. It’s worthless.”

  Culhane stared at the jewelry in his hand. “What did you hope to do with this when you stole it?”

  “I don’t know. I saw it. I liked it. It’s a sickness,” she whined. “I didn’t know it was fake. So why is it such a big deal that the sheriff wants to kill me?”

  “I don’t have time to explain it to you,” Culhane said and glanced at Alexis.

  She turned her attention back to the road outside. Through the crack in the curtain and the falling snow, she saw movement. Two figures dressed in dark clothing were headed their way. Sheriff’s deputies.

  “We have to get out of here. Now,” she said as she hustled away from the window. “Out the back. Just as we thought. It’s a trap.”

  * * *

  CULHANE SWORE. ONE look at Jana, and he knew it was true. She’d set them up, letting them walk into a trap. “Jana—”

  “I told you they would follow you,” she cried.

  He shook his head as he pushed her toward the back door. But at least he had the necklace. “You fool. I don’t know what kind of deal they offered you, but they have no intention of keeping it. Jana, they plan to kill us both.”

  She began to cry. “I was scared. They said they would let me go free if I did this one last thing.”

  The three of them scrambled out the back door into the falling snow. Jana went first with Culhane right behind her. He had hold of her coat sleeve, but when he turned back to check on Alexis, Jana pulled free and took off at a run down the mountainside.

  “Get her!” Alexis cried, coming out of the cabin right behind him. “They’ll kill her!” And frame Culhane.

  He could see that Jana was headed for the road—the same road the two deputies were coming up. If they saw her and killed her... But he didn’t want to leave Alexis.

  “Go!” she cried again. “I’ll double back to the truck.”

  That was enough to get him moving. He raced after Jana down the mountain, hoping he could reach her before the deputies saw her. Maybe with the snow falling so hard—

  He hadn’t gone fifty feet when he heard the gunshot. His heart dropped as he slid to a stop. He blinked in the falling snow, unable to tell where the shot had come from.

  His heart pleade
d with him to turn back, to find Alexis. He stumbled forward, knowing that Alexis was trained for this. She was armed. Jana was completely ill-equipped for any of this. If they killed her, he knew they would plant evidence that would send him to prison—if he was lucky.

  He’d taken only a few steps when he saw her. Jana. She stood below him on the mountainside, a gun pointed at his heart.

  At least now he knew where the gunshot had come from. So would the deputies if he didn’t move fast.

  “Give me the necklace, Culhane,” she said, the gun wavering in her hands. Fortunately the woman was a bad shot, or he’d be dead. “I need it to buy my freedom.”

  He nodded. Arguing with her right now seemed like a bad idea. “Fine.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. Even with the fake jewels it was heavy, unless that, too, had been a lie. Then he took a step toward her.

  * * *

  ALEXIS HEARD SOMEONE go charging into the cabin’s front door as she took off out the back. Huge snowflakes fell in a wall of white in front of her. She started through the pines the way she’d come when she heard a gunshot. Her pulse jumped. Culhane?

  Jana had set them up. She’d seen at least two deputies earlier. What if there were more? The pickup was parked down the road in the pines. For a moment, she didn’t know where to go or what to do. She didn’t know who’d been shot.

  She stopped to look back, feeling disoriented and scared that the deputies had shot Culhane. Or shot Jana to put the nail into Culhane’s coffin for her murder.

  She had to go back. She couldn’t leave Culhane.

  Alexis started to turn when she heard a sound off to her right. A twig broke under a boot heel. She couldn’t see anything for the snow and the dense pines around her. But she knew she was no longer alone.

  Move! Another twig broke off to her left. She started to turn, her weapon ready, when the gun was wrenched from her hand. She heard heavy breathing and was grabbed from behind. Something dark and scratchy was dropped over her, her arms quickly pinned to her sides as straps bound her. She struggled only to find herself being bound even more tightly. She tried to breathe, but the smell of the thick blanket made her gag.