Trouble in Action

by Susan Y. Tanner

  “That all the questions you got, Jemson?” Les sounded irritated.

  “Yes. Of course.” Jemson’s tone was mild.

  Les walked Grant out to his truck and the special agent finally turned away from his study of the board. He met Wolf’s look without flinching and expelled a sigh. “I always love my job,” he said, “but sometimes I don’t like it.”

  * * *

  Wolf declined to go to lunch with Les and Jemson. He left his truck at the front of the office trailer and walked to Kylah’s trailer. Jake had sent him a text earlier that he had the grill going. To his surprise, there were kabobs instead of hamburgers. Jake had gone to extra effort. He noted Trouble’s appreciative sniff as the cat settled into one of the folding chairs. Wolf took one of the others.

  Kylah came around the corner from the barn and smiled at Wolf. “How did it go this morning?”

  “Interesting.” He relayed Trouble’s contribution and Grant’s visit. “Grant said you walked up on their argument.”

  “Yes, and it was a very uncomfortable moment. I don’t think Audra ever saw me, but Grant turned before I could find a way to make myself and Trouble disappear. He was more than upset.”

  “He said she’d added herself into more scenes.” Wolf watched as Jake turned the kabobs as deftly as he flipped hamburgers.

  “Yes, he thought she was taking unnecessary chances. For herself and the baby.”

  Wolf’s gaze swung to her in surprise. “Baby?”

  Kylah looked troubled. “I guess they hadn’t told anyone yet. Apparently, she wasn’t far along. Losing both must make it that much harder for him. He isn’t the most likeable man I’ve ever met but I can’t help but pity him.”

  They were all three silent as they ate. Wolf thought the food was as good as any chef could have made it but the events of the week weighed on him. He suspected it was the same with Kylah and Jake.

  Wolf ate two of Jake’s kabob’s and the vegetables from Trouble’s second. Jake had made him one that was vegetable free but Trouble didn’t seem quite content, staring at the platter until Jake had pulled another from the pile. Wolf had intercepted it long enough to separate the vegetables onto his plate before placing the chunks of pork tenderloin on Trouble’s plate.

  When they were done, he thanked Jake who headed into the barn, then tugged Kylah up from her chair for a quick kiss that he would have liked to have lengthened. But something was tugging at him. He ran a finger down one cheek, savoring the touch of her skin. He didn’t want to leave her. “I’ll be back but it may be late. Stay close to Jake until you see me, okay?”

  She looked at him quizzically. “I’ve got horses to exercise. I’ll be here but … why?”

  “Just a feeling. When I get done with Les and Jemson, I’ve got something I need to do. I’ll explain when I get back.” He laid his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. If anything happened to this woman, he’d be crazy for life. “There’s still a murderer walking around and I don’t know who or where he is.”

  “Or if he is a she,” she countered. He lifted his head to look at her and she smiled a little sadly. “Women’s equality. Some of us are every bit as mean and tough as any man.”

  She wasn’t. Wolf was sure of that. Strong, hell yeah, maybe stronger than him. But mean? He didn’t see it.

  He waited until she disappeared into the barn with Jake before turning to look at Trouble. “Coming or going?”

  The cat seemed to think about it for a moment, then leaped down and followed Kylah’s footsteps. At the edge of the barn, he glanced back over his shoulders as if to say I’ve got this. Somehow, that made Wolf feel a little better about leaving her. Not much, but at least a little.

  * * *

  It was later than he liked when he pulled away from the fairgrounds. He forced himself not to go looking for Kylah before he left. He’d make himself and her crazy with that. She’d been taking care of herself for years and he didn’t doubt she was a force to be reckoned with. And Jake was with her. And that damned cat that seemed smarter than all of them put together. But cats didn’t carry, concealed or otherwise, he reminded himself, and he wasn’t sure Jake did either.

  The sooner he got this done, he told himself, the sooner he’d be back. He needed to put some things to bed. That was all.

  Logan was a six-pack in when Wolf walked around to his back yard. He’d knocked at the front door but the lack of an answer didn’t deter him. Logan’s truck was there which meant Logan was there. The look on his best friend’s face gutted him.

  Wolf lowered himself to the grassy hillock beside Logan, listened to the quiet of early evening around them, and wondered how to ask what he’d come to ask and say what he’d come to say. He didn’t want to be here. But Logan had had Wolf’s back forever and he’d done the same for Logan. He would now, too.

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Logan said without looking at him.

  “That’s not why I’m here.” Wolf pulled a piece of grass and thought about how many times he and Logan had sat right here, the way they were now, talking about anything and nothing. Easier times. Happier times.

  “And I’m not playing twenty questions with you.”

  “Not twenty. Just one.” One damned important one. Wolf sighed. “Were you and Audra having an affair?”

  “Go to hell.” Logan’s voice was filled with fury.

  “Logan, I’m asking for a reason. Were you and Audra sleeping together?”

  For a moment, Wolf thought Logan wouldn’t answer.

  “No.” Wolf started to relax at the quiet word but then Logan added, “There was never enough time with her. I wouldn’t waste what little we had sleeping.”

  Wolf’s heart sank. There it was then. And now he had to say what he didn’t want to say. But he couldn’t let Logan hear it from someone else. Worse, he couldn’t let Logan hear it, unprepared, in front of anyone else.

  “When Audra died, she was pregnant.”

  Logan lowered the bottle he’d been lifting to his lips and stilled. “Go away, Wolf. I love you but I need you to go the hell away.” His voice cracked. “Please.”

  Knowing how he’d feel about now, Wolf got to his feet and walked back to his truck. He had the door open about to step in when he heard Logan’s howl of anguish. He put his forehead on the cold metal and felt his own heart split right down the middle.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I’m headed to shower,” Jake said. “Why don’t you come inside ‘til I’m done?”

  Kylah glanced at him. “It’s too nice a night, Jake. I’ll be fine. Besides Trouble’s right here.”

  The cat blinked at her words.

  “Don’t move.”

  Kylah stretched her legs in front of her. “I’m comfortable right here,” she assured him.

  The door shut behind him and she sighed. The fairground was quiet at this end and she was glad she’d fought Grant over their location. Just her and Jake and the horses. She glanced down at the comfortably curled black cat.

  Headlights aimed her way and she felt her heart lift when the truck pulled in at the office trailer. It could have been someone camping in the back but only Wolf would have reason to stop at the trailer now that the investigation team had claimed it.

  “Come on, Trouble. Let’s go meet him.”

  The cat lifted his head at the sound of her voice and gave a complaining grumble. “Oh, come on, it’s not that long a walk.”

  Still grumbling, the cat went with her the short distance down the gravel road to the small trailer. “Oh, that’s Grant’s truck, not Wolf’s,” she said aloud. A faint light glowed from behind the blinds of the front window. He was probably there to retrieve more of their belongings, his and Audra’s. It seemed a sad thing for a man to have to do alone and she stepped inside, Trouble right at her heels.

  Grant stood in the dim hallway pulling an office door closed with one hand when she said his name. He stilled a moment, tightening his grip on the bundle in his other arm, before he turned t
o face her. “Ms. West. You startled me. I was gathering some things of … some personal things. I came this morning but I had no idea that idiot sheriff had taken over the place. I’m not ready to be around anyone yet, so I left to come back when no one was here.”

  There was a musty smell to the place she’d not noticed before but that was probably lack of people. And that could explain the fine hairs that lifted along her neck. Or perhaps not.

  Grant had begun to edge past her when something slipped from the stack of folders he carried. His free hand came up reflexively to retrieve it.

  Kylah’s heart lurched as her brain recognized what he held. A revolver, what appeared to be a true antique. Her gaze met Grant’s and her stomach sank. Her expression had given her away.

  Trouble hissed and she automatically shushed him. No point in the cat being shot as well.

  “Pity.” Grant was looking at her as if he felt anything but pity. “After I went to such great lengths not to kill you.”

  “But even greater lengths to kill your wife.” Her lips felt so numb she wondered she could even speak.

  “She was going to leave me. I couldn’t let that happen. Divorce is so sordid. We built our careers together. And other … aspects … made it even more shameful.”

  Pieces tumbled into place. “The baby.”

  “Not mine, of course.” He grimaced. “And none of it the baby’s fault. I actually thought about that after, as I hiked back to Audra’s car. Wolf’s call caught me midway. I had to think fast and turn in my tracks. Pretend I was walking toward the reenactment site. Wolf completely ruined the big moment I had planned, the drama of stepping out of Audra’s car at the scene of her death. My devastation would have been dramatic.”

  “Quite the actor,” she murmured.

  “I took lessons from my dear wife who pretended to love me while screwing around with Wolf’s best friend.” He sighed. “And only Wolf got to witness my finest moment.”

  “But poor Maisy McGuire? What did she do to you?” She was stalling, of course, but she was curious as well. After all their conjecture about who and why regarding the death of Ella Necaise’s companion, none of it would have produced Grant Edmunds as a suspect.

  “Absolutely nothing. Nor did I do anything to her. But it proved convenient for me.”

  Convenient. The word chilled her. She knew she needed time. Time to think and then act.

  “Setting those trip wires for your little run through the woods, now that was damned inconvenient. As was climbing a tree and hiking through the woods and back in that damned uniform.”

  She breathed deep, trying to quell her quick rage at his words. Losing her temper would not help find her a way out of this. “Why did you try so hard to cancel the event when that would have ruined your plans?”

  “Because it would be remembered that I did try. And because I knew no one would listen to me. They never do. Not really. Not that I tried hard, not with those that mattered.”

  “And I didn’t.” Still, he’d convinced her. She’d believed he truly wanted to put a halt to the event. Believed he was worried about the danger to his wife, to everyone. More fool she.

  Her cell phone vibrated softly in the back pocket of her jeans. Jake, no doubt wondering where she was. He’d be concerned when she didn’t answer and she prayed he didn’t come looking for her. Jake was tough but he was no match for a bullet.

  “Not in that regard. You matter now. Unfortunately. You’ll need to come with me, of course.”

  “Of course,” she murmured dryly at his polite tone, thinking quickly and coming up with nothing. Nothing of value to use against Grant. Just an image of Wolf’s face and fleeting glimpses of all they might have been. She wouldn’t die without a fight, she thought, feeling unexpectedly savage even as she watched Grant with a wary gaze. She’d do everything she could to live but …

  * * *

  What a pickle. I hope Kylah stays as calm as she is now. I need time to think my way through this situation. For certain, I must not let this wanker remove her from the premises. Jake may think to look for us here if he notes Grant’s truck parked outside but will he come in time and will he bring a gun?

  I cannot count on that. Kylah’s best chance of escape is the moment we exit this trailer. The steps will provide a clear opportunity if she and I work together. I catch Kylah’s attention and tilt my head toward the door, giving her a slow and deliberate wink. Without changing expressions, she returns that wink with equal slow deliberation. She understands me but I dare not become cocky because Grant dare not allow her to live. Her life is at stake and the responsibility of saving her is mine.

  Ah, wait, I hear a truck, and – yes – it is Wolf’s this time! Had Kylah my acuity of hearing and skill in assimilating data, she would’ve known it was not Wolf before we started down the path. But, likely, she would have come anyway. Her heart is very large. I seem destined to be charged with those of tender heart.

  I must trust my knowledge of Wolf’s nature that he will note the truck that really shouldn’t be here and stop rather than drive on past. Even if he isn’t suspicious but, like Kylah, he steps in to check on Grant, it gives me more of an advantage than I have at the moment. I can manage, if needs must, but I’d be happier with better odds.

  Now, hopefully, I can make enough of a racket to keep Grant from detecting the sound of Wolf’s truck moving close and stopping. That lamp atop the file cabinet is a good candidate for the task. I ease my way forward, snaring the cord with one paw and begin to tug. Slowly, stealthily. I can only hope my movement doesn’t trigger an unexpected response from Grant. No pun intended.

  What a satisfying crash. And – most fortuitous – I think it came as I heard the soft thump of a truck door closing. What with Kylah’s obliging shriek, timed perfectly as she tracked my cunning movements with her wise gaze, and Grant’s somewhat bland cursing, even the tread of boots on the steps is muffled. I feel it upon the pads of my paws rather than through my sensitive ears. I add a plaintive yowl to the mix for good measure.

  Hopefully, Kylah’s deliberate yelp has alerted Wolf sufficiently that he is forewarned and armed. I can tell by the way she watches me that she, as much as Grant, remains unaware of Wolf’s presence.

  But, oh dear, there is a noise at the backdoor as well. Is it friend or foe?

  * * *

  Jake had stopped feet from the door of the trailer at the look on Wolf’s face. Wolf knew that Jake, like him, had heard the crash, Kylah’s cry, from inside the trailer. And Jake, like him, held a pistol in one hand. Jake’s expression was grim and Wolf’s heart sank as he accepted that Jake had come looking for Kylah.

  Wolf signaled for Jake to tuck his gun in his back waistband. He pointed to himself then toward the side of the trailer, even as he motioned Jake up the front steps. Wolf needed a diversion to get to Kylah. He prayed Jake would understand and keep a clear head and steady nerves as he walked toward the front door while Wolf circled around to the back.

  He’d heard Trouble’s yowl and the sound was reassuring. Kylah was far from alone. Desperate as Grant might be, Wolf could only hope he wasn’t suicidal.

  Wolf had learned to pick locks in high school. Not one of his better attributes but he put it to good use now. He had no idea how much time he had but realized his time had run out as he slipped stealthily through the back door. Trouble, silent and unmoving, met his stare then turned his attention back to Kylah and Grant who faced the front entrance.

  “Open that door real slow,” Grant said. “Then you’re going to go down the steps even slower. I advise you don’t take your mind off this pistol.”

  Once that door was open, Jake would be exposed but Wolf didn’t dare rush Grant from the rear. Not with a gun pointed at Kylah’s back.

  The door swung out and Wolf’s heart jumped painfully in his chest. But the front steps were empty. Kylah stepped through, immediately curling herself into a ball, throwing herself sideways away from the steps. Trouble hissed as the front door slammed
shut in Grant’s face.

  In the next moment, Trouble was clawing his way up Grant’s pants leg howling like a banshee. Grant’s finger pulled the trigger reflexively. As that shot went wild, Wolf spun him with one hand and chopped the pistol from his hand with the other.

  Drawing his fist back, Wolf made it count … for Audra, for Logan, for the baby … and for the ten years Grant had shortened from Wolf’s life.

  * * *

  Jake is accepting no accolades despite the fact that he was wise enough to position himself atop the porch rail on the hinge side of the door. He knew he’d be hidden behind the door as it swung open. His miscalculation was in expecting Grant to step out first to make sure no one was watching. With his intent being to knock Grant cold by slamming the door on him, Jake barely missed hitting Kylah instead. The possibility still has him rattled.

  With Grant shoved into the back of a patrol car, securely in deputy custody and on his way to the county jail, we’ve all squeezed into the office space once more. There’s no room here for anyone to be comfortable but it is conveniently at hand.

  Jemson’s shoes crunch on the broken lamp base as he moves to stand near the file cabinet. He looks quite pained at the sound, no doubt anticipating damage done to the leather soles of that expensive footwear he sports.

  The sheriff hasn’t quit scowling and Wolf hasn’t turned loose of Kylah.

  * * *

  Wolf savored the feel of Kylah tucked safely against his side. He’d never get over the ice-cold fear of a pistol aimed at her back by a man who’d already killed without compunction or compassion. A small bruise bloomed on her cheek and every time his glance fell on it, rage toward Grant Edmunds swept through him. He suspected there were worse marks elsewhere from her acrobatic tumble out the front door.

  “Grant sure had me fooled. Murder.” The sheriff shook his head. “Huh. I’d never have thought the man would have the nerve to pull a trigger much less the skill to play his part that well.”