by Sharon Dunn
Once the cargo was loaded, the five passengers got on board. LeRoy was already sitting in front of his instrument panel looking at a document on a clipboard. “Pick a seat, any seat,” he said.
Landon settled in a window seat at the back of the plane. Natasha sat beside him. The other three men settled in, as well. After he collected everyone’s fair, LeRoy fired up his plane, closed the entry door and took his seat in the cockpit.
There was a knock on the door.
With a groan, LeRoy got out of his seat and opened the door. Though they could not see who he was talking to from their side of the plane at the back and opposite the door, the conversation sounded friendly enough. LeRoy exited the plane. The cargo bay was opened once again and something was put inside.
A moment later, LeRoy stepped back in, putting some cash in his pocket. He smiled at the passengers. “Looks like we’ll be traveling with a full load folks.”
A man got on the plane taking the empty seat right behind the pilot. The seat backs were high and Landon couldn’t see the man’s face but the final passenger had the same build as the hitman.
SEVENTEEN
Natasha noticed that the Landon tensed when the last-minute passenger showed up and took a seat. She leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Do you think it’s him?”
Landon kept his eyes on the mysterious passenger though the view was only of his arm and the top of his head. “I never got a good look at him, but that guy has the same build as our hitman. They loaded something into the cargo bay before he got on. It could be his rifle.”
As LeRoy taxied across the tarmac and positioned the plane at the end of the runway, Natasha gripped the armrests. The butterflies in her stomach were acting up again.
Landon put his hand on top of hers. “For someone who doesn’t like to fly, you sure are doing a lot of it.”
His hand felt warm and his touch calmed her somewhat. She appreciated his sensitivity about her feelings. “Maybe as soon as we level off, you can move up and see if you can get a look at him.”
“Good idea. I never really saw his face, but his reaction will tell me everything,” Landon said. “It seems like a bold move to me to get on the plane with us.”
“If that other plane wasn’t his pilot’s, maybe this was the only way he could not lose us,” she said.
“He’s not likely to try anything with all these people around...if it is him.”
LeRoy pushed the plane forward, gaining speed and then lifting off. The butterflies coalesced into a tight ball in her stomach. The ascent when the plane was at an angle was the worst part for her. Landon kept his hand on hers.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.
The plane leveled off.
LeRoy spoke up. “Folks, I need you to stay in your seats. Looks like we’re going to hit some turbulence right away.”
“Oh great—” Before Natasha could complete her sentence, the plane bumped up and down. Her seat belt pressed into her skin. She felt nauseous.
“It’s worse in the small planes. You feel everything.” Landon’s voice was gentle, filled with compassion.
After about ten minutes, the turbulence became less jarring. Landon unclicked his seat belt. “I’m going to pretend like I want to have conversation with the pilot. See how our mystery passenger reacts to me.”
A clanging noise caused the plane to jerk. The engine sounded like it had sputtered, or maybe it was something else. Everyone on the plane visibly tensed. The passengers who had been chatting fell silent. LeRoy stared at his instrument panel. His shoulders nearly touched his ears.
Something was wrong.
“Folks, I think we will have to turn around. There is something going on with one of my engines. I just can’t take a chance,” LeRoy said.
Natasha pressed her head back against the seat, fighting off the despair she felt. Tears warmed her eyes. When was this going to be over?
Landon grabbed her hand and pressed it between both of his. She turned to gaze into his brown eyes. The anguish she felt wasn’t just about the delay in meeting up with Marshal Henderson. She knew that once she did, she’d have to say goodbye to Landon.
“Thank you for seeing me through all of this,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.
The plane seemed to be losing and then gaining altitude as it limped back to the tarmac. LeRoy talked in a low voice on the radio. He probably didn’t want to worry his passengers, but it was clear from his tone that they were in an emergency situation.
When she glanced through Landon’s window, all she saw was trees. They must be getting close. The plane lost altitude and then suddenly they were bumping along the runway. Her body was jerked one way and then the other. Landon never let go of her hand.
The plane came to a sudden stop.
LeRoy jumped up from his seat and opened the exit door. He turned to face the passengers. “Please exit in an orderly fashion front to back.” His attempt to sound calm was thwarted by the waver in his voice.
The mystery passenger got up first and disappeared.
Natasha had only a glimpse of him from the side. Long hair had hung in his face.
The passengers exited. Before the last one was down the four stairs that led to the tarmac, she had released her seat belt and stood. Landon was right behind her. Even before her feet touched the snowy ground, she heard a fire engine as it rolled toward the plane. Something must be on fire. LeRoy got out of the plane and hurried around the back of the plane.
Natasha noted that the other plane that had been on the tarmac earlier was gone. She could feel her mood sinking. How were they going to get out of here?
All the passengers but the mystery passenger stood some distance away, watching as the fire truck disappeared on the other side of the plane. LeRoy came around to their side of the plane. “You folks all okay?”
Everyone nodded.
“Guess we’re spending Christmas here,” one of the passengers said.
Landon wrapped an arm around her back and squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll show my trooper credentials and commandeer us a car. We’ll drive through the night.”
“We’re missing someone.” LeRoy turned one way and then the other. “Did anyone see where that last passenger went?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Natasha studied the belly of the plane where the cargo bay at been left open. She stepped toward LeRoy and spoke under her breath. “Looks like he grabbed his baggage before he disappeared. Do you know what he stashed under there?”
LeRoy shook his head. “Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a blanket. Sort of long and narrow. Part of my job is not to ask questions.”
A chill ran down her spine. So it could have been a rifle. She studied the trees that surrounded the tarmac. Was he hiding out there, waiting to take his shot?
Landon grabbed her arm. “Let’s see if we can get a vehicle. Towns like this don’t have a lot of law enforcement but they usually have a mayor or something.”
The other passengers drifted away after LeRoy refunded their money. Landon approached LeRoy, who handed him the cash he had paid. “Do you know someone who might be headed toward Anchorage today?”
“On Christmas Eve? Most people are with their families, eating too much and watching Christmas movies.”
“Do you know someone who could loan us a vehicle? Is there a mayor in this town?”
“The mayor is also the fire chief, so he’s on the other side of the plane.”
She glanced again toward the trees and grabbed Landon’s arm. “I would feel better if we weren’t out in the open like this.”
“I agree,” he said.
They hurried around to the other side of the plane where a fireman was winding up a hose. The fire engine looked like it was from the seventies.
Landon
pulled his badge out from where he kept it in his chest pocket. “I need to transport this woman to Anchorage ASAP. We were hoping to fly out. Is there anyone headed that way or maybe there is a vehicle we could borrow?”
The man who had white hair and a beard looked at them for long moment after studying Landon’s badge.
“Please, sir, it’s quite serious. This woman is in danger.”
“I suppose I can find you something. I have a brother in Anchorage. We’ll make arrangements for him to come get the car.” He pointed to the fire truck. “Get in.”
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief once she was inside the cab of the fire truck.
Within the hour, the mayor/fire chief having found them an older car with a full tank of gas, they were on their way.
The road they drove on was often only one lane. After two hours, they had seen only one other car. Sparkling lights in the distance suggested small settlements or maybe even a farm with several buildings.
They had agreed to switch off driving with her going first. Landon crawled into the back of the car to sleep. With the headlights illuminating for only a short distance, the road clipped by. She felt a little fatigued herself. She wished she had a radio station or book on tape to keep her awake.
She looked ahead at the long, straight stretch of road. When she checked her rearview mirror, her breath caught. Behind her, she saw the glow of two headlights.
She was pretty sure they were being followed.
* * *
Natasha’s voice seemed to come from very far away as she said his name softly several times.
Landon opened his eyes. “Yes,” he said.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s a car behind us. What are the chances of someone else being on this road on Christmas Eve?”
Landon checked his watch. He’d been asleep for several hours. It was getting close to the time when he was supposed to take over the driving. He straightened and looked out the back window at the other car.
“How long has he been there?”
“I noticed him about ten minutes ago. I just went over a bunch of hills, so maybe he was there earlier.” She glanced again in the mirror. “Now that we’re on a straight part of the road, he keeps getting closer, like he’s trying to close the distance between us.”
His body tensed. “Is there anywhere else he could have come from besides the town we left?”
“Sure, I saw lights in the distance that could have been little settlements or several buildings. What bothers me is that there are only two of us on this road. For the most part, there is no way to pass. Why does he keep getting closer? When I speed up, he speeds up.”
Landon leaned over the seat. Natasha was pushing sixty, which was about as fast as she could go without risking an accident given how poorly maintained the road was.
“As soon as you see a place to pull off the road, we’ll switch drivers. There’s got to be a gas station or something somewhere along here.” Again, Landon glanced out the back window at the menacing yellow headlights. He was even closer than before. “If he goes by, maybe he was just a guy trying to stay awake by being a jerk and playing a game with you. People have been known to do that.”
Natasha sped up even more as the car behind them drew closer. There were no lights anywhere up ahead. He appreciated how coolheaded she was despite the fear she must be wrestling with.
They drove for another twenty minutes. A sign on the road said another town was five miles away. The other car was now maybe ten feet behind them.
“I can’t go any faster. If I hit a patch of ice, we’re toast.”
“I agree,” he said.
The road turned into a two-lane. She slowed down. Still, the other driver did not pass. They climbed a hill. Landon had a view of the town when they came down the other side. It didn’t look like much. A single streetlamp illuminated a building but there were no lights on inside. Of course, nothing was open Christmas Eve. He could see some other lights farther away that might be houses.
He suspected the population of the settlement was less than a hundred. As they drew closer, he saw that the dark building was a grocery store and post office.
“Should I pull in there? What do you think?”
“Sure. It’s a paved parking lot and it looks like they plowed recently.” He touched his gun where it rested in the holster. “Don’t signal before you turn in. That other car doesn’t need to have a warning of what our plan is.”
She nodded and sped up as though she were going to drive past the building. At the last second, she turned.
The other car shot past them. Landon stared at the red taillights. It didn’t look like the car was slowing.
She turned into the lot, leaving their vehicle running while she opened the door and hurried around to the front passenger side. Landon pushed his door open, stepped out and got in behind the wheel. He glanced at the road, seeing only darkness. That didn’t mean the guy wasn’t looking for a place to turn around and come back at them.
Landon shifted into Reverse, got turned around and headed for the parking lot exit.
Natasha stared through the windshield at the distant houses with their glowing golden windows. Snow had started to drift down in soft swirling patterns and the moon was only partially covered by clouds. “It’s so quiet here.”
“Silent night, holy night,” he said.
“Last Christmas was pretty crazy. I had just testified at Tan Creti’s trial. I celebrated with the police officer assigned to watch me at the safe house. They were able to set things up so my sister and my nephew could come by for a couple of hours, but I’d say this Christmas Eve has that one beat.”
He picked up on the note of sadness in her voice. “I’m glad I’m here with you anyway.”
“For now,” she said.
Landon pulled out of the parking lot, wondering if she, too, was thinking that every mile brought them closer to saying goodbye. He studied the main road and the one perpendicular to it. They didn’t have much choice but to go back up on the main road.
“Do you think that guy was just someone late in getting to a relative’s house or something?”
“I don’t know.” He was fully aware that the driver could have pulled off somewhere and was preparing to line up a shot at them. “Let’s hope that is the case.” He clicked off the headlights and slowed down. “All the same, we don’t need to make ourselves an easy target.”
He stared through the windshield and falling snow, moving his gaze from side to side, looking for possibilities for a hiding place for a sniper. They came to a sign that announced they were exiting the city limits. He continued to drive. Fluffy snow danced and twirled past the windshield.
Natasha yawned and rested her head on the seat back. “Now I wish I had crawled into the back, like you did, to sleep.” She turned her head toward him and closed her eyes. Within minutes, it was clear she was asleep. Despite what might lay ahead, there was something peaceful about seeing her sleep.
Another half hour passed, and she awoke with a start.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
“No bad dreams?”
“I wish I could say no to that question.”
“I’m glad you’re awake. You can keep me company. I was getting really bored.” He pointed at the dashboard. “This car is so old, it has a cassette deck.”
She laughed. “I’ve heard about those. I didn’t realize that was what it was.”
“Check the glove compartment to see if there are any tapes in there.”
She shrugged and opened it up. She pulled out two cassettes. “So, it looks like we have some children’s music or eighties’ hit-makers.”
“Tough choice. You pick.”
She laughed and pushed a tape into the deck. The drum track of the first rock song came on.
“I know this one
. My dad used to listen to this stuff when he was working in the garage.” Landon started to sing along. She joined in. By the third song, they were laughing at their inability to hit high notes or sing on pitch.
His voice faltered when the car began to wobble and swerve. One of their tires had blown. He gripped the steering wheel and slowed down. “Just what we need—a flat tire.”
She clicked off the music. “It’s not an accident, Landon. I think I saw the flash of a rifle up there. Someone took a shot at the car.”
EIGHTEEN
Before she had even completed her sentence, another shot was fired. Judging from the way the car wobbled and jerked, the bullet had gone through the body of the car. Heart racing, she ducked down. The shots were coming from her side of the vehicle.
The car lumbered along as though it had square wheels. Landon gripped the wheel and crouched low in his seat. “We’re not going to get much farther in this thing.”
“It’s still the safest place right now.” She lifted her head, trying to see where the shooter might be, staring at where she thought the shot had come from. She saw only shadows falling over the snow-covered hills.
Landon’s voice jittered from the vibrations of the car. “You’re probably right.”
The car jerked and then came to a full stop. The engine was still running. Landon turned it off. They both hunkered down in their seats, so their heads were beneath the dashboard.
The level of terror she felt was like a weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe. “What do we do now?”
“The shots came from your side of the car. He’s probably up on that hill. It will take him at least ten to fifteen minutes to reposition and get closer to the road.”
“But then he can just come up to the car and pick us off. Even if you’re able to get a couple of shots off, you would be guessing. We can’t see him in the dark.”
“I don’t think he wants to get that close unless he’s forced to,” Landon said. “He must know that I am armed.”