Rotten Apple (Bennett Dynasty Book 1)

by Kate Allenton

  “That makes it worse. She was right under FDG’s nose,” he said.

  Anger thrummed my veins mixing with determination into a deadly whirlwind of energy ready to explode. I took a step in his direction. Ms. Delany rested her hand on my arm. “Come on, Gwen, let me help you gather your things.”

  I jogged up the stairs to the bedroom they’d provided me and dropped my suitcase on the bed. Stepping into the closet, I yanked my clothes off the hangers and started packing.

  “Ms. Delany, I know I messed up,” I argued.

  “No, dear, you didn’t mess up; you lost the mark. This is the first mission that didn’t go as planned.”

  I grabbed the gun from beneath my pillow and shoved it into the waistband of my jeans just as Ms. Delany picked up a drawing on the dresser that Petunia had given me the first day.

  “I lost the detail.” The acknowledgment stung like swallowing glass. Petunia wasn’t a detail. She was a five-year-old that had been counting on me to keep her safe.

  Ms. Delany held out the picture. “Don’t you think it’s time to find her.”

  Realization dawned on me. FDG might have gotten kicked off the case, but Ms. Delany knew I’d never give up. She was giving me a head start before the FBI arrived. I grabbed the hand-colored picture. “If you get any lab results back or more information, just call. I’m going to stop by Cassie’s house.”

  My sister Cassie was a tracker. She made money using her scrying skills. Someone might call her to locate a missing earring or other objects. She was a PI that worked with the police when asked to track down bail jumpers. She was a finder of things, and I needed a little girl found.

  “I thought you might say that.” Ms. Delany clasped her hands together and stepped aside to let me pass.

  I jogged down the stairs and met Max’s gaze. Our words went unspoken. There was nothing left to say. He blamed me for Petunia’s disappearance, and I agreed. He was right to kick me off the case, but that didn’t mean that I had to go willingly. Like him, I protected the people I cared about. I wasn’t about to just walk away. When Petunia was safe and sound…well…that might be another story entirely.

  Chapter 30

  Cassie was on the phone when I barged into her house. Her confused look held mine while she spoke. “Your keys are in the crockpot.”

  “Crockpot?” I mouthed the words.

  Cassie shrugged, and I heard the woman scream in joy. Cassie lifted the phone away from her ear to save her hearing. When the celebration at the opposite end of the phone call stopped, she placed the phone back to her ear. “Yes, Maureen. I gather from the screaming that you’ve found them.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “Yes, Maureen, you should put child locks on your cabinets. Little Tommy probably put them in there.”

  Cassie circled her hand in a hurry motion, her face filled with impatience. “Yes, Maureen, you’re welcome.”

  Cassie hung up the phone and set it on the kitchen table, where she liked to keep her map and the crystal.

  “How did you know they were in the crockpot?”

  Cassie grinned. “I sensed it.”

  “No, really,” I asked, crossing the room. I set the hand-drawn picture and the photo of the lake with Petunia and Robin at the lake house, which I’d taken from Johnny’s home.

  “I had a premonition before she even called.”

  “Those aren’t typical for you,” I said, resting my hand on her arm. “Is everything okay.”

  “I’m fine,” Cassie answered and rubbed her temples. “Just a few more headaches than normal. I’m sure it’s just an adjusting phase. I mean Nina normally has premonitions. It could just be a new turn of events for me.”

  Our other sister did have premonitions, but this was the first I’d heard that Cassie had started to have them too. I think I needed to check in more often with my sisters. We were all busy normally doing our own thing, but it was stuff like this that worried me. If Cassie was having headaches, were the others having any other types of issues? I pushed that thought to the side to deal with later.

  “I need to find this little girl. Can you scry?”

  “Sure,” she answered, as if sensing my desperation.

  “She was kidnapped, and the woman who I believe has her also killed a man and poisoned several others.”

  “Oh, no, that poor child,” Cassie said and picked up her crystal. “I’ll try just with the framed picture first.”

  She rested her hand on the picture, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths, letting the crystal dangle over the map.

  The crystal started to sway, slow at first and then in a strong arc until it dropped hard onto the table. We each leaned in. “Lake Tremor.”

  I sighed and picked up the picture. “That was where the picture was taken. Try with the coloring page.”

  “Right.” Cassie repeated the process, and it landed in the same place. She met my gaze. “Any reason they would have gone back to that lake?”

  I glanced at both pictures. It was a familiar place to both of them, and if I had to guess, it was the same lake where Robin’s daughter had died. “Yeah, there’s a reason.”

  I grabbed my things and ran for the door. “I owe you one.”

  “Wait,” she yelled and chased me. “There’s more.” She caught up with me as I was throwing the items into my trunk. “I had a premonition about you this morning too. You’re going to need this.”

  She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket with a phone number written on it and handed it to me. “Whose number?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t try and call it.”

  “Thanks.” I climbed behind the wheel and took out my phone, dialing the number and leaving it on speaker.

  “Fillpot,” a voice said.

  “Fillpot?” I asked.

  “Gwen Bennett?” he asked. “How did you get this number?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Your sister Nina had a premonition?”

  “How do you know about Nina? You know what, never mind. That conversation can wait. I have a situation, and I could use your help. It’s a matter of life and death.”

  “Your life? Or one of your sisters?”

  “Petunia Pierce,” I answered. “She’s been abducted, and I think I know where she is.”

  “Why call me? Why not the FDG agents?”

  “They were poisoned.”

  “Okay, you got my interest.”

  “I have reason to believe that Petunia was taken to Lake Tremor, and if I had to guess, Carter Pierce’s chef, Robin, has her.”

  “I can have a team there in twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen. Make sure they don’t shoot the kid or me.”

  “You got it. Oh and, Gwen…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I look forward to working with you.”

  The line went silent, and I tossed the car into gear and drove like I was a racecar driver heading toward the checkered flag. Another mission and training that came in handy in times like these.

  I didn’t have to call to get the address. I’d memorized all of the Pierces’ holdings in the event we moved locations. The lake house would have made them sitting ducks, and I would have advised against it. Even with the surrounding woods, there wouldn’t be many places to run and not enough security cameras to show that a threat was on the property. Lucky for me.

  I made it to the lake in less than fifteen minutes, parking down the road from the Pierce property so if Robin was there, she’d never hear me coming.

  I grabbed my gun, shoved it into my ankle holster, and grabbed a backup weapon to stick into my waistband. I fired off a text to Ms. Delany as an update and left my phone in the car.

  Trekking through the woods in the direction of the lake, I spotted the two-story log cabin, though I didn’t see Robin’s car. I jogged up to the cabin and pressed my back against the logs as I inched around the home, taking my time to peek in each window as I passed
. When I got to the kitchen, I almost screamed.

  Petunia was sitting at the table with a glass of water and cookies. The window above the sink was open.

  “Eat some cookies, Pet. So you and I can both go visit Sabrina.”

  “Where’s Ms. Cassandra?” Petunia asked.

  “Cassandra had to leave. She wasn’t a good watcher, but she was better than your mom and Johnny.”

  “I want my mommy.” Petunia’s voice was so low I almost didn’t hear her.

  “I’m your mom now,” Robin yelled and slammed a glass of milk down in front of Petunia.

  “You’re scaring me,” Petunia said, getting out of the chair. “I want to go home.”

  Robin sighed and plastered a smile on her face. “I don’t mean to scare you, Pet. I just want the best for you. Your momma doesn’t love you anymore, but I do. You can go play in your room while I get the boat ready. Would you like that?”

  Petunia nodded.

  Robin wrapped a cookie in a napkin and handed it to her. “Eat your snack like a good girl. I’ll be back in a few minutes, but I won’t be gone long. Go play in your room.”

  I hurried around the building to move out of view. The squeak of the screen door that led to the eat-in dining area sounded. I peered around the corner as I watched Robin carry a picnic basket down to the boat dock.

  I slowly snuck back around, in through the door, and ran for the stairs.

  “Petunia.” I called her name in a whisper. “Pet, it’s Gwen. Where are you?” She didn’t answer.

  I opened the door to the master bedroom and found vials on the dresser. I used my sleeve and picked one up. Ketamine, and worse than that, Amelia’s name was handwritten on the bag lying next to it. Shit. I had to find Pet before she ate that damn cookie.

  “Petunia,” I whispered louder, making my way down the hall. I found Pet passed out on the floor, half the cookie eaten. “Goddamn it.”

  I dropped to my knees. “Petunia.” I shook her frail little body. Nothing. Her breaths were shallow, but her pulse was strong. “Damn it.”

  I scooped her up and hurried down the hall. I grabbed the pillow from the bed and opened the closet in a spare room, and laid her on it. Pressing the button on her locket, I triggered the GPS alarm for Rose and Ms. Delany.

  I kissed her forehead. “Don’t be scared, Pet. Robin won’t touch you again.”

  I grabbed the bag and stuffed the vials inside putting them in the closet to use as proof of what was done. Writing a note, I left it in Petunia’s hand with the name of the drug they needed to treat her for.

  I grabbed Petunia’s comforter and one of her larger dolls, wrapping her up in it to look like I was carrying Petunia. I hurried down the house and out the door. I stared down at the lake until Robin turned around and spotted me. Sheer panic laced her face as I leaned in to whisper into the doll’s ear. I grinned and took off running with Robin following me, leading her away from Petunia’s hiding place.

  Chapter 31

  The farther I could get her away from the lake house, the better Petunia’s chances for Fillpot and Delany to reach the little girl before Robin could get her hands on her again.

  I jumped over tree branches. The crunch of leaves beneath my feet didn’t mask my movements. I didn’t slow. I didn’t need to look back to know that Robin was chasing me. Her yells were proof enough.

  “You’ll never get her,” I yelled, egging her on. “She’s mine now.”

  I was almost back to the road where my car was parked when my foot caught a limb, and I went down. Hard. The comforter and doll flew from my arms.

  I inhaled sharply as I scrambled to flip over. Robin was staring at the comforter with a gun pointed at my head. “Where is she?”

  I shook my head and tried to stand, wincing at my twisted ankle. “I’ll never tell you. She’s safe, and somewhere you’ll never get your hands on her again.”

  “She couldn’t have gotten far. That was her second cookie.” Robin’s eyes glittered crazily. Robin put her finger on the trigger at the same time two helicopters lowered, one hovering over the house, the other over me and Robin in the woods.

  The confusion was all I needed. I lunged for Robin, charging at her like a bull. The gun went off, and the bullet ripped through my shoulder seconds before I had her disarmed and on the ground.

  I kept her at gunpoint until Fillpot and his men appeared in the woods. They handcuffed her and carted her away.

  “She got a shot off. I’m impressed.”

  I rolled my eyes and handed him the gun, heading back toward the house. “Petunia is in the closet in the spare bedroom at the end of the hall.”

  “They’ve already found her. Delany gave us the GPS coordinates of her location. It was smart rigging the kid, by the way,” he said, leading me into the kitchen, where he grabbed a dishtowel and pressed it to my arm. “Ambulance is three minutes out.”

  “I’m fine. Petunia needs it more than I do,” I said as a man in fatigues came in carrying Petunia. Her limp body was still frail, and I just wanted to cradle her.

  I rode in the ambulance with Petunia, afraid to leave her side again. Twenty minutes later, we were ushered into the ER, where Max, Carter, and Amelia were waiting.

  Max took a step in my direction, and I shook my head before being ushered into one of the emergency rooms.

  Ms. Delany wormed her way in even though she wasn’t a relative and I didn’t have my own room. She stayed while the doctor stitched the bullet wound. If you’d asked me, I would have said it was just a graze, but neither the doctor nor Delany were satisfied with my assessment.

  I was released, signing paperwork, with Delany next to me. “How’s Cassandra?”

  “Recovering. They all are. It wasn’t arsenic in the baked goods.”

  “I know. It was ketamine,” I answered. “Robin’s daughter died in that lake, and she was convinced that she could be a better mom than Amelia. She was going to kill herself and Petunia so they could be with the dead daughter again.”

  “Thanks to you, that woman will now spend the rest of her time in a psych ward.”

  “Exactly where she needs to be,” I answered, heading toward the exit. I glanced around the parking lot, just remembering I didn’t have my car, when my sister Cassie pulled up. I grinned and opened the car door.

  “Part of the premonition you didn’t tell me about?”

  “What kind of fun would it be if I told you everything that was going to happen? You live for playing GI Jane, and considering I knew you’d survive, I decided to hold back.”

  “Of course you did.” I chuckled just as Max stepped out of the exit.

  “Gwen, can I talk to you for a second?”

  I leaned into Cassie’s car. “Give me a minute, but do not leave.”

  Cassie grinned. “He’s kind of cute, and I’m sure he digs women in distress. You sure you don’t want me to take off?”

  “You leave and I’ll sneak into your house and hide all of your crystals.”

  Her eyes widened, and she held up her hands. “I’m staying.”

  I closed the door and stepped back up on the walk.

  Max’s gaze landed on the bandage around my arm. “You going to be okay?”

  I lifted my arm. “It was just a scratch. How’s Petunia?”

  “The doctors are running tests, but they think she’ll be fine. Knowing exactly what she ingested helped treat her quicker.”

  I nodded. “My sister is waiting so… have a good life, Max.”

  I spun and opened the car door again.

  “Gwen, I’m sorry.”

  “Me too, but look at it this way. It’s a great reminder of why not to mix business with pleasure. Take care.”

  I slid into the car and shut the door. It wasn’t until my sister was turning out of the hospital that my first tear fell.

  I wasn’t a crier. The Bennett women didn’t believe in crying. Not at funerals, not at weddings, and not because of guys.

  Another tear fell, and then the
y turned uncontrollable.

  My sister gasped. “Oh my God. You love him.”

  I swiped at my tears. “I don’t even know him, and I’ll never love a man who doesn’t believe in me.”

  “You love him,” she repeated, and I turned toward the window to watch the trees passing by.

  My sister thankfully turned quiet when I refused to play the tell-all game. Tears streaked down my face, and my shoulders shook as I silently let the pain invade my soul.

  Cassie took me back to my car and dropped me off. I promised to call later.

  Sliding behind the wheel, I shoved the keys into the ignition and drove home. After grabbing Amelia’s incriminating pictures from the trunk, along with Petunia’s drawing and the picture of everyone at the lake, I carried everything inside with my overnight bag. I’d just slapped the crayon-colored drawing onto the fridge with a magnet when my phone rang.

  Unknown Caller filled the screen, and I answered on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Ready to return the favor?” Fillpot asked.

  “I haven’t even unpacked.” I chuckled.

  “Good. I’m sending you a picture. I need you to use your personal program and locate this woman.”

  “How did you know I have a personal program?”

  “You’re bouncing around using our satellites, Ms. Bennett. You aren’t as stealthy as you believe.”

  “What do you want me to do when I find her?” I asked.

  “All I need is the location. I’ll handle it from there.”

  “Aw, Fillpot, did one of your witnesses go AWOL?”

  “Something like that,” he answered the second the computer dinged with incoming mail. “I’ll be waiting for your call, Ms. Bennett.”

  I hung up and pulled up the file. I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. Disbelief registered. I shook my head. “No, this is wrong.”

  My hand covered my mouth, and I slid into the computer chair before my legs gave out. I knew instantly who it was, and I should. It was my sister, who we’d been told died in a car crash with my parents. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a new scar down the side of her face. She’d aged. She was the spitting image of Cassie. “How is this possible?”