BATTERED BLUFF

by Beck, Jessica

  “Nobody said that you did,” I told Hank, trying to settle him down. It was clear that the handyman was on the edge of losing it himself, and we didn’t need any more breakdowns tonight. “Let’s just concentrate on getting Jasper back.”

  Hank nodded, and I could see that my attempt had helped him get control of himself again.

  “Can you at least walk?” Jake asked Jasper as we all started toward the sound of his voice.

  “Yes, but I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a jam,” Jasper said.

  “Describe it to us,” Killian ordered.

  “I was going for help,” Jasper whined. “Beatrice needs to get off this mountain.”

  I wasn’t sure what I expected from Killian, but he was fairly calm as he said, “That’s what we’re going to try to do as soon as we can, but for now we need to get you back up here with us where it’s safe. Keep talking.”

  “I slid down a ways,” Jasper explained. “I tried to climb back up, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

  That didn’t surprise me, since I’d noticed from the first moment I’d met him that Jasper wasn’t all that fit.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon,” Killian said, comforting him as best as he could, and then he turned to Hank and asked softly, “Is there any chance we can get to him where he is?”

  “I wish I’d brought that rope with me,” Hank conceded.

  “I can go back and get it,” I volunteered as I started back into the fog.

  “You don’t need to be going anywhere,” Jake said as he reached out for my arm. “We can figure something out, but what I can’t afford is you wandering off into this fog and falling yourself.”

  “I can find the house. I think,” I said as I glanced back in the direction I believed we’d just come.

  But I couldn’t be sure. The fog just might end up killing us all before the night was over.

  Everyone but Vera, whose decision to stay behind was beginning to seem like the smartest thing any of us could have done.

  “Let’s all hold hands,” I said. “That way, if one of us stumbles, the others can keep them from falling.”

  “I don’t think we need to do that,” Hank said, clearly uncomfortable about the idea. “Besides, what would we do about our candles?”

  “The fog above is starting to break up a little, and we’re in luck,” I said. “There’s a full moon tonight. We’ll have enough light to see by. Besides, there’s too much of a chance we’ll all end up like Jasper if we don’t.” When he still hesitated, I put my candle out and stuffed it into my back pocket. The holder wouldn’t fit in, but at least enough of it would go in to keep it from falling out of my pocket. “You can hold on to yours if you want, and Killian can keep his, too. That should be enough to see by. Come on. I’ll take your hand, you big sissy,” I told him as Jake grabbed hold of my other one.

  Killian had no problem taking Jake’s hand, and we walked side by side forming a human chain, with one light in front and one in the rear.

  “Keep talking,” I called out to Jasper.

  “I’m getting hoarse,” he said, whimpering a bit. “I’m freezing, too.”

  “You’ll be wrapped up in a blanket sitting by the fire soon enough,” Killian told him. “Tell us about your rock collection.” He then added softly to us, “It’s the only thing I’ve ever seen him passionate about. In fact, I’ve never been able to get him to shut up about it.”

  “They’re called geodes,” Jasper said in a condescending manner.

  “My mistake,” Killian said, and I could see his grin in the moonlight. “What exactly is a geode again? I forget.”

  “Seriously? I’ve shown you my collection a dozen times. Weren’t you paying attention?”

  “Humor me,” Killian said as we got closer and closer to the voice lost in limbo.

  “In layman’s terms, it’s a cavity in a rock, usually quartz, that’s filled with crystals or minerals,” he explained. “But that does nothing to explain their brilliance, variety, and beauty.”

  “Tell us more,” I said.

  And then the earth fell out from under my feet.

  Chapter 14

  “HANG ON, SUZANNE. I’ve got you,” Jake said as my feet were suddenly dangling out over space. “Hank, do you have that side?”

  “Yep, but I’m starting to slip myself,” he said. “Help me get her back up here with us.”

  I tried to help them, but there was nothing under me to allow me to fight the pull of gravity down into the fog.

  Suddenly I felt myself being pulled upward, and a moment later I was on solid ground again. It was all I could do not to collapse in a heap, and if it hadn’t been for Hank and Jake still holding on to me, I might have done just that.

  Once we were ten steps away from the edge of the precipice, I let go of Hank’s hand and threw myself into Jake’s arms. He stroked my back as I clung to him for dear life, not afraid of falling, but afraid of what might have happened if we all hadn’t been holding hands.

  “It’s okay,” Jake said softly in my ear. “You’re okay now, Suzanne.”

  “I know. I thought I was lost for a second there, though.”

  “I would never let that happen,” Jake said, and I believed him.

  “What do we do now?” Killian asked. “I’m not sure it’s safe for us to climb down there together and get him.”

  “There’s only one thing we can do,” Hank said. “If we go back for that rope, we may never find him again, or be too late to help him. He’s going to have to climb up himself.”

  “I can’t see that happening,” Killian said. “He’s not strong enough.”

  “He might just surprise you,” I said. “Besides, what choice do we have?”

  Killian nodded, and after looking at the others, I realized it was going to be my job to coax him up the hillside.

  “Jasper, it’s too dangerous for us to climb down to where you are,” I told him, fighting to keep my voice calm.

  “You’re going to just leave me here to die?” he asked, the panic thick in his voice.

  Killian started to reply when I shook my head. The two men had a combative relationship, and what we needed now was cooperation. “We’re not leaving you,” I told him soothingly. “You have to come to us, though.”

  “I can’t,” he said, whimpering a bit as he spoke.

  “You can. You have to do this, for Beatrice,” I said.

  It was probably a low blow using the man’s dead sister as motivation, but honestly, what else did I have in my arsenal? He wouldn’t do it for Killian, for himself, or even his precious geodes, but I had a feeling he would try to move mountains for his sister. After all, hadn’t that been what had gotten him into this mess in the first place? “Come on. Follow my voice,” I said.

  “Why are you the only one talking to me? Did the others abandon me?” he asked.

  “We’re still here,” Jake said.

  “Nobody’s going anywhere,” Hank added.

  “I’m here, too,” Killian said.

  That seemed to buoy his spirits. “Do you really think I can do this, Uncle K?”

  He looked at me and shrugged. “The truth is, I don’t,” Killian said softly.

  “Then lie to him and tell him what he wants to hear,” I said fiercely.

  “You bet,” Killian answered loudly with more enthusiasm that I thought he had in him. “You can do it!”

  That seemed to be the last nudge Jasper needed. “Okay. I’m going to try.” After a few seconds he said, “Keep talking, Suzanne. It’s helping.”

  “I had some geodes when I was a kid,” I said. “They’re really cool, aren’t they?”

  “Are you telling me the truth, or are you just trying to make me feel better?” he asked me from below us. I heard some scraping noises coming from him too, so I knew that he was doing his best to join us.

  “I’m sure they weren’t as cool as your collection, but I went on a field trip to a gem and mineral show in school, and I bought a bag of geodes th
at hadn’t been broken up yet. It was so cool using a hammer to crack them open. The ugliest rocks I’d ever seen suddenly transformed into ones with really cool crystals on the inside. They looked like miniature caves.”

  “You should see mine,” Jasper said with pride as he continued to make his way up. “I’ve got one that’s as big as a chair...”

  His words were cut off as we heard him slide downward, and I wondered if that was the end of Jasper.

  The main noises stopped, though I heard trickling sounds of dirt-clods and rocks continue to fall even after he’d stopped himself. “Are you okay, Jasper?”

  “I slipped a little,” he admitted.

  We’d gathered that much, but I couldn’t afford to be sarcastic while a man’s life might be hanging in the balance. “But you’re not hurt.”

  “I’m pretty muddy, but other than that, I’m fine,” he said, and to my amazement, I heard him begin his climb again. I thought for sure that the setback would rob him of his last bit of strength, but to my surprise, he somehow managed to keep climbing.

  “Then just think about how great a shower is going to feel in a few minutes,” I told him, doing my best to keep him climbing, no matter what.

  “Yeah. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be warm and dry,” he said.

  Was he actually getting closer? I could hear his voice much more distinctly now. “You’re doing it, Jasper. You don’t have far to go now.”

  I wasn’t positive that it was true, but I hoped it was.

  Hank reached for my hand. “Come on. Let’s see if we can pull him up the last few feet.”

  He started forward, but Killian balked. “He’s my nephew. I’ll do it.”

  “No offense, Boss, but I’m a bit stronger than you are,” Hank said.

  “I’m well aware of that fact, but he’s nearly all that I’ve got left of family, and I’m not going to let anyone else down.”

  “There was nothing you could do about Beatrice,” I told him, my heart breaking yet again for the man.

  “I’m not sure that’s true, but thanks for saying it,” Killian said as he took over the lead despite Hank’s earlier protests.

  I looked at Jake, who just shrugged and went along with his friend. It wasn’t the best way to save Jasper, but I could see it was the only thing Killian would allow.

  “Feel for the edge of the cliff with your foot,” Hank told his boss as Killian started off into the heavy fog. It was picking up again, and I had to wonder if our mission wasn’t doomed to fail. “Be careful, okay?”

  “I will be,” Killian said softly. “Jasper, you’re close. We’re going to reach a hand out to help you, so when you see it, grab ahold of it.”

  “Is Hank strong enough to pull me up?” he asked.

  “It’s not going to be Hank, it’s going to be me. I’m going do it,” Killian said. “Come on up, boy.”

  That seemed to be all that Jasper needed to finish his ascent. Suddenly, I heard Killian cry out, “Take my hand in yours. I’ve got you!”

  “I’m slipping!” Jasper shouted a second later, and it was clear to me that Killian was going to lose his grip.

  Jake’s hand let go of mine.

  He quickly reached down to grab Jasper by his shirt collar and single-handedly pulled him up.

  “I’m sorry. I thought I had you,” Killian said. “I just lost my grip all of a sudden.”

  “No worries, Killian. We got him. That’s all that counts,” Jake said as he patted his friend on the back.

  I saw the man my husband had just saved get on his hands and knees and pant heavily, broken from exhaustion and grief. It really had been that close, but Jasper was finally safe again.

  As safe as any of us were at the moment, at any rate.

  “It’s getting c-c-c-colder,” Jasper said as he shivered on our way back to the house.

  It felt the same amount of chilly to me as it had before, but then again, I hadn’t been out in the cold air and the rain like he had, either.

  “Just remember what I said before and keep thinking about how good that shower is going to feel,” I told him as we came into the parking lot and walked up the stairs.

  “That’s the only thing I’m trying to think about right now,” Jasper said. “I still can’t believe that Beatrice is gone.”

  “It’s got to be tough, losing her like that,” I told him.

  “It is,” he nodded as he looked at me. “Thanks for talking me up that hillside. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.”

  “You’re most welcome,” I said. “After you finish with your shower, come back downstairs and I’ll make you some fresh coffee.”

  “That would be perfect,” he answered as we all walked inside.

  “What were you thinking, going out wandering around in the fog in the middle of the night? What kind of idiot does that?” Vera asked him as he walked past her.

  If he heard her, he didn’t choose to respond, which was probably just as well.

  Once Jasper was upstairs, I said, “You could be a little nicer to him, you know? After all, he just lost his sister.”

  “So? I lost a friend and a business partner, but you don’t see me going off the deep end,” she snapped. “Why aren’t you more torn up about Abel than you are, or your niece either, for that matter?” she asked Killian.

  “The truth is that I’ve had so much death in my life that it doesn’t seem to matter all that much to me anymore,” he said sadly. “We’re all going to die, and for most of us, it’s going to be sooner than later.”

  “Wow, that’s a cheerful thought,” she said sarcastically.

  “Take it easy, lady. He’s had a tough time of it,” Hank said as he started to walk toward Vera. He could be a large and menacing presence, and I could see Vera shrink back a little.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said defensively. “This situation is a mess. At least we all should be able to agree on that.”

  “Nobody’s arguing the point,” Jake said. “Suzanne, is there any of that hot cocoa left?”

  “No, but I promised Jasper coffee, so I can make some of each,” I said.

  “I’ll join you,” Jake answered.

  “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll stay out here by the fire and warm up a little bit,” Killian said.

  “That sounds good to me, too,” Hank added, looking at his employer worriedly.

  “Well I’m not going anywhere, either,” Vera said. “I didn’t go out to find Jasper, and I’m not moving now. I just got comfortable.”

  “Fine. We shouldn’t be long,” I told them.

  Jake and I disappeared into the kitchen, and as I started working on getting fresh beverages for everyone, I asked my husband, “Is Killian all right? He sounds like he’s one good nudge away from following Beatrice over the rail.”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about that,” Jake said, “but I wanted to wait to talk to you until we were alone.”

  “Leandra’s declining health has really gotten to him, hasn’t it?” I asked. “He sounded really despondent in there just now.”

  “He did, but that wasn’t what I was talking about,” Jake said. “Did you get a good look at Beatrice’s face when I uncovered it?”

  “I just glanced at her, but she looked so peaceful it was almost as if she was sleeping, wasn’t it?” Before Jake could reply, something suddenly occurred to me. “It shouldn’t have looked that way though, should it? If she jumped, she would have hit face-first when she landed, but there wasn’t a mark on her that I could see.”

  “The back of her head had a nasty dent in it, though,” Jake said.

  “But there wasn’t enough room for her tumble and fall like that, was there?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Jake said firmly.

  “Then that means that she didn’t jump, or was even pushed,” I said, putting it all together. “Someone must have clobbered her in her room and then chucked her over the side of the balcony. Throwing her out would have probably made her fl
ip once on her way down, making her land the way she did. Jake, Beatrice didn’t commit suicide, did she?”

  “I think there’s a good chance that she didn’t,” he said resolutely.

  “Who would want to kill her, though? I know that she was annoying, but come on, murder?”

  “The only suspect I can think of is Jasper,” Jake said. “You heard how hard she went after him on the deck. Maybe he finally had all that he could take and pushed her back, literally.”

  “If that’s true, then why did he try to go get help?” I asked, and then suddenly I knew the answer. “He wasn’t going for reinforcements. He was trying to escape.”

  “I think it’s a real possibility,” Jake said. “We can’t let that happen.”

  “Well, he’s not going anywhere right now,” I answered, feeling a twinge about being so nice to someone who might be a killer.

  “No, but we can’t let on that we suspect anything in the meantime,” Jake said. “Can you do that, Suzanne?”

  “No problem,” I said.

  He didn’t accept that answer easily. “Really?”

  “Okay, maybe a little problem, but I can do it. You can trust me, Jake.”

  “I know that. I do, with my life,” he answered as he patted my shoulder.

  The coffee and cocoa were soon ready, so I grabbed a tray and put the carafes on them, along with cups, spoons, some cream, and some sugar as well.

  I didn’t leave the kitchen, though.

  “I just had a thought,” I told Jake.

  “It was bound to happen sooner or later,” he answered with a slight grin. “Sorry, that was entirely inappropriate.”

  “Sure, but it was funny too, so I’ll let it slide,” I said. “Are we one hundred percent sure that Abel died of natural causes?”

  “Why would Jasper kill a man he hardly knew?” Jake asked.

  “He could have seen or heard something that implicated Jasper in his sister’s death,” I said, “or someone else might have done something to him. Do you remember how Abel nearly shoved Vera off the balcony before you could stop him? What if she decided to take matters into her own hands before he could make good his threat?”