Twilight at Blueberry Barrens

by Colleen Coble

  But she hadn’t told them what he said about burning down Claire’s house with her in it. She opened her mouth to tell Danny, but he turned his computer screen around to face them.

  “Here’s a scanned copy of that note.” His voice was grim.

  The handwriting wasn’t familiar. This note was a scrawl that she had to squint to make out. Practice makes perfect, and I have all the time in the world. Kate frowned and glanced at her sister. “What does that mean?”

  Claire shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Danny popped another mint. “Recognize your uncle’s handwriting, Kate?”

  “I’ve never seen him write in cursive. I’m sure he has, but I’ve never seen it. Can you get a copy of his signature on a legal document or something? It might be his handwriting, but I just don’t know.”

  Danny turned the monitor back around to face him. “I’ll see what I can find out. I was sure you’d recognize Paul’s handwriting.”

  Luke leaned forward. “It has to be Paul though, doesn’t it? I mean, with the crossbow bolt and all.”

  “You know as well as I do that there are too many bow hunters up here to count. Paul seemed the likely culprit, but since Kate doesn’t recognize the handwriting, I don’t think we can rule out anything. I’ll keep digging.”

  Kate glanced at her sister. It had to be Paul, didn’t it? The thought of some unknown man targeting Claire seemed even more ominous.

  Jonas walked them to the door, then put his hand on Kate’s arm. “You doing okay? You’re a little green.”

  “Just a little shook up. Thanks for all you’re doing to help.”

  “It’s what friends are for. I’ve got a little time. Want to grab some lunch with me?”

  She smiled up at him. “It’s sweet of you to try to cheer me up, but I need to get back to watch the girls. Thanks, Jonas. You’re a good friend.”

  She followed Claire out into the sunshine. “What a homecoming for you.”

  Claire had regained a bit of her color, and she smiled. “We got a great discount at the Tourmaline, so we’re just extending our honeymoon a couple more days.” She hugged Kate. “You be careful.”

  “You’re the one who needs to be careful.” Anxiety gnawed at Kate as she watched her sister get into the truck with Luke. Uncle Paul’s hatred of Claire seemed to have no bounds.

  NINETEEN

  The girls hadn’t stopped talking about their day with Aunt Dixie until they were tucked into bed at eight. As Drake prayed with them before bed, he glanced up to see Kate in the doorway. She must have come in to get Jackson. She turned away but not before he caught sight of the tears on her cheeks. What was that about? He focused his attention back on the girls, then kissed them and turned out the light.

  He found her in the living room petting the dog.

  “Good boy.” She rubbed his head, then looked up at Drake. She moved over so he could sit beside her. The dog lay down at her feet. “Are the girls all right?”

  He went back to his seat on the sofa. “They had a great time at Dixie’s. She took them to an old swimming hole and let them swim and fish. They’re in bed.” Her face was still a little tear-stained. “Are you okay?”

  Her eyes watered again, but she smiled and nodded. “It was precious seeing you pray with the girls. Like something from a Norman Rockwell painting.”

  His face grew warm, and he looked away. “Your mom and uncle never prayed with you?”

  “They never even went to church with me. I don’t know what they think about God. Did Heath and Melissa teach the girls too?”

  “Yeah. Heath was two when his dad died, and then Mom married Dad two years later. I came along ten months after that.”

  “That’s why your last names are different.”

  The memories flashed through his mind like reels of an old movie. His parents had taught them well.

  “Are they still alive?”

  He nodded. “They live in Costa Rica, and I don’t get to see them very often.” He glanced at her and saw her tears had dried up.

  “I can be back to work tomorrow. Is that okay?” She clasped her hands together on her jean-clad lap. “I mean, you’re not going to fire me, are you? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. My family is a train wreck.”

  How did he answer that when he’d been trying to make up his mind all day? Looking at her anxious face, he knew he couldn’t do it though. “The job is still yours.”

  Her eyes lit. “Thank you, Drake. You won’t be sorry. I’ll be ultra careful with them.”

  “I know you will.” But what could she do if her uncle suddenly showed up? Maybe he should get her some bear spray like Kevin mentioned. “Do you carry bear spray?”

  A smile tugged at her lips and she leaned over to dig in her purse before holding up a can of spray in a triumphant gesture. “Any good Mainer carries bear spray. You never know when you’re going to need it. You’ve seen bears around?”

  He shook his head. “Kevin mentioned they like the berries this time of year, so I was a little worried about the girls.”

  “I don’t have that many berries, so I’m not sure my fields will be much of a draw. But I’ll be watching for them.” Her gaze landed on the computer.

  He went to the kitchen to get on the Internet. It was unlikely he’d find clues to Melissa’s affair with Wang online, but he wanted to see if there were any pictures of the two of them floating around. She and Heath had gone to many fund-raisers, and Wang was known to try to launder his money that way.

  He scrolled through page after page, then finally paused over a familiar face at an event to raise money for Melissa’s favorite project, one for battered women. Melissa wore a black cocktail dress that showed off her model figure. Just off to the right stood a figure only partly in the frame. Though he had his head turned a bit, Drake knew it was Wang. The tenseness in the man’s shoulders and head told of his interest in Melissa. And standing by the serving table about ten feet or so behind Melissa stood his brother. Heath wasn’t smiling and seemed to be staring at Melissa and Wang.

  Was this when Heath first became suspicious of his wife? Drake checked the date of the event. March 15, two weeks before the e-mail transcript began. Bingo.

  “Research into your brother’s death?”

  “Yeah.” He showed her the picture.

  Kate studied it. “Your brother looks a little angry.”

  “Yeah, he probably didn’t like the predatory look on Wang’s face.”

  “How are you going to find out what was going on between them?”

  He shut his computer. “I think I’ll have to call a lot of hotels and restaurants and see if anyone will talk. Wang is known to frequent sushi places and high-end hotels. If I could just get enough evidence for probable cause, I’d ask the sheriff to subpoena his credit card statements. And once the employee knows I’m investigating Wang, I probably won’t find out much. People are scared of him.”

  She chewed on her lower lip, her blue eyes hazy with intense thought. The way her dark-blonde hair fell against her cheeks and neck as she sat there made him want to lean over and tuck it behind her ears. He wanted to get to know what she thought and felt, but it would all have to wait until he found justice for Heath.

  She sat up straighter. “I have an idea. What if we look at those text messages and pick out some prime times when she was likely meeting Wang? I can pretend to be his accountant who is upset about some charges on that date. Maybe we can use the fear he generates to get answers.”

  He looked at her with new respect. “That’s a terrific idea. A woman isn’t as threatening as a man, and you can say the charges are too high for a man by himself. The employee might look at the records and report how many were eating, that kind of thing.”

  “And I can ask for verification on the identity because Wang is being audited.” A triumphant smile lifted her lips. “I think it will work.”

  “Me too.” He got up and held out his hand to her. “This calls for a celebratory cup of hot
chocolate.” She put her hand in his, and he lifted her to her feet. Her soft skin made him want to pull her closer, but he forced himself to step back. “I might even consent to a chick flick over popcorn. I’ve got Netflix.”

  “I vote for Sleepless in Seattle.”

  “I was thinking more like The Princess Bride where at least we have some swashbuckling adventure.”

  The eye roll she sent his way lifted his spirits. “You can’t tell me you don’t like The Princess Bride.”

  “I’ve only seen it about fifty times.”

  He took her arm. “Let’s make it fifty-one.”

  The dog huffed as if he couldn’t believe it either.

  * * *

  The girls squealed as they ran along the creek on her property looking for minnows, with Jackson on their heels. Kate smiled as she walked behind them. The last couple of days had gone very well between Drake and her. He finally seemed to be relaxing with her in charge of the girls. The sun blazed out of a blue sky, and the heat felt good on her face and bare arms.

  Someone called her name and she turned to see Becky Oates walking across the blueberry fields toward her. A small white car was parked along the side of the road. Jackson stiffened, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.

  Kate put her hand on his head. “It’s okay, boy.” She motioned for the girls. “Stay right here. Don’t go any farther along the creek without me. Take the dog.” The girls called for Jackson, but he whined plaintively before he obeyed.

  Becky was huffing a bit by the time she reached Kate’s side. “I was on my way to your house and saw you out here.” Her purple-tipped hair was more garish in the sunlight than it had seemed in the dimly lit bar. She wore jeans so weathered they were nearly white and an orange shirt that clashed with her hair.

  Kate didn’t know what to make of the woman’s friendly manner. She was even smiling. “Um, okay. You probably heard I’ve seen Uncle Paul.”

  Becky nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, studded with three diamonds. “Listen, I want to apologize for how I acted the other day. I was a little stressed by everything. The sheriff had been on my case about that Peece woman, too, and I was in no mood for another interrogation.”

  “Apology accepted.” Kate eyed her warily. “Is there something I can do for you?”

  Becky’s smile looked forced. “D-did Paul mention me at all? Hand you anything to give to me maybe?”

  “He admitted you were the old girlfriend who had stashed the money and fake passport for him.”

  Becky wet her lips. “Did you tell the sheriff I was involved?”

  Kate turned to check on the girls. They were picking up rocks and putting them in the pockets of their shorts. “No, it didn’t seem important at the time. Should I have?”

  “When I put that stuff in there for Paul, I didn’t know it was a fake passport. I thought he was just stashing his valuables where they couldn’t be found, kind of an unusual lockbox. And it was ages ago, a good year before he was arrested.”

  Kate didn’t believe the woman’s saccharine smile for a second. “I didn’t look at the passport either, but I’m sure it was in another name. You haven’t seen him or talked to him? Be honest with me. I didn’t turn you in to the sheriff.”

  Becky hesitated. “Well, I did see him for a few minutes the other night. He showed up with some presents for me in a little trailer he was pulling behind his four-wheeler.”

  Kate straightened and took her hands out of her pockets. “Presents? What kind of presents?”

  Becky shrugged. “Frozen meat, for one thing. And a bunch of random stuff like blankets and kitchen appliances.”

  Kate gaped at her. “He did steal the things from Claire’s!”

  “I don’t get it. What things?”

  Maybe the town gossips hadn’t passed that bit of news around. “Never mind. I thought it probably was Uncle Paul, but we had no proof. Did he leave the area?”

  A worried frown crouched between Becky’s eyes. “I don’t think so. He talked like he’d raid my freezer for meat when he needed it. He headed west through the woods.”

  “Did you tell the sheriff any of this?”

  Becky shook her head emphatically. “I didn’t want him to arrest me for aiding a felon. Until Paul showed up with that stuff, I hadn’t seen him. And I was none too happy to see him then. I’m dating someone else, and I don’t want to do anything to mess that up.”

  “Does Paul know?”

  Becky hesitated, then shrugged. “He seemed different—harder and a little scary. So no, I didn’t say anything. I just wanted him to leave, so I told him I had to get to work. He dumped the bags of meat in my freezer and left the boxes of stuff in the living room. What should I do with all of it?”

  “Call the sheriff. He’ll check it out and maybe Claire can get her belongings back.”

  Becky bit her lip. “Just what I didn’t want to do.”

  “You don’t have a choice. It will look better coming from you than from me.” Kate heard the girls squeal. Phoebe was splashing water at her big sister. “Do you think he’ll go after Claire again?”

  “He seemed pretty mad when he was talking about justice. I felt like I didn’t really know him anymore. It’s hard telling what he might do.” Becky glanced at her phone. “I’ve got to get to work. I’ll call the sheriff on my way there. I sure hope he’s not ticked off.”

  “He’ll be glad you’re reporting it now.” Kate watched her retreat to her car.

  One of the girls screamed, and Kate looked to where Emma was pointing. A small black bear nosed through the blueberries, but he was a good football field away from them. “He’s not going to hurt us. He’s more afraid of you than you are of him. See, he’s running off now.” She corralled the girls and her dog, then headed for home. She had a feeling they hadn’t seen the last of her uncle.

  TWENTY

  The sky was a picture-worthy sight of golds and purples as the sun sank into the horizon. The crimson leaves of the blueberries added to the beauty, and he wished Kate were there to share it with. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he looked through the plants again.

  It has to be here somewhere. He’d been over every inch of his path from the cave to where he’d parked his truck, but his precious trophy pouch was nowhere to be found. He’d spent an hour out here at sunrise, then another hour after he’d seen Kate take the girls to the creek, but he had only blue-stained shoes to show for his efforts.

  Could someone have found it? He didn’t think anyone would be out here except Kate. Could it be in her house? He stared down the road. The lights were on in the cottage, so she was probably making dinner for those brats and Drake. He allowed his gaze to linger on her back door, and he set out for her house.

  He’d just disarmed her security system when he saw the truck lights moving down the road. Though it was unlikely Drake could see him on the back deck, he twisted the doorknob and slipped into Kate’s kitchen. It felt like home to him, and he smiled before moving around the small rooms in search of his pouch. The place was immaculate with nothing on any of the tables in the living room. He continued to the bedroom and found no sign of his trophies there either.

  He retraced his steps and had just reached the kitchen when he heard footsteps on the back deck and saw Kate’s form through the open window. The door to the basement was behind him, so he yanked it open and rushed into the darkness. The musty scent of the space enveloped him, and he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light from the basement window. Old wooden shelves containing home-canned goods lined one wall, and a rusty, dented freezer occupied part of another wall. More shelves held old paint cans and cleaning supplies.

  The door at the top of the stairs creaked, and the overhead light came on. Footsteps started down the steps, and his pulse pounded in his ears as he looked around for a place to hide. There, under the worktable. He shoved aside the old plastic tablecloth covering it, then scrabbled under the table and pulled the plastic back into place. There was a
small gap he could see through, but he doubted she’d be able to see him.

  Her shapely tanned legs paraded past his vision and kept him riveted. She walked past his hiding spot to the shelves full of canned food, then put some of the jars in the box she carried. Green beans and sauerkraut. She turned toward the table, and he held his breath as she approached.

  His hand went to the gun holstered at his side. He didn’t want to reveal himself to her in these circumstances, but the place he’d prepared for her was ready if he had to.

  She moved past him to the refrigerator and put several bags of frozen corn and peas into her box. His knees cramped and he shuffled them. Her head came up at the small sound, and she looked around.

  Her blue eyes were wide, and she clutched the box to her chest. “Hello?” The word came out a bit strangled. “Uncle Paul?”

  She was so close he could reach out and grab that shapely thigh if he wanted. And he very much did want, but he curled his fingers into his palms to stop himself. Her breath came in short, quick spurts, and it made his own chest heave with excitement. She was so close. Would she greet him if he flung back the tablecloth? Couldn’t she feel his love and devotion, the power of his desire for her? They could be so happy together. He pictured them cuddling on the sofa while they watched a movie and ate popcorn.

  He licked his lips. Then she suddenly whirled and sprang toward the steps. Her feet pounded up the stairs, and there was a click that plunged the basement into darkness. He immediately crawled out from under the table and mounted the stairs as fast as he dared. One creaked a bit and he stopped and waited by the basement door. The back door slammed, and he heard her on the phone telling someone she’d been spooked by a noise in the basement.

  Probably Claire. He would have to do something about that unhealthy dependence she had on her sister. All in good time though, all in good time.

  * * *

  Drake inserted Kate’s key into the back door and unlocked it. “It pays to be careful.” She hadn’t wanted him to search the basement, but he’d taken one look at her white face and had insisted on checking it out. There had been too many things going on for him to be comfortable with ignoring it.