Deadly Intent

by Valerie Parv

Worry darkened his gaze. “I heard. My guess would be Horvath found a way into the hidden valley and took Sunny in there.”

  She shook out her hair, her scalp still tingling from his touch. “That’s what I thought. It’s an hour’s hike to where we found the entrance, and there’s nowhere to set the plane down closer than this.”

  “Maybe we’re already close enough. Jo Francis discovered her valley when she fell down a crevice beneath an overhang not far from this ledge.”

  “You’re suggesting we fall down a hole?”

  He shook his head. “If Horvath took Sunny down there, he must have improved the access. Where he can go, we can follow.”

  Tucked at the far end of the ledge was the backpack he’d stowed behind a bush before they staged their mock fight. He went to it and pulled out his cell phone. She heard him contact Tracey at Wolf Creek and relay details of their location and what they’d learned, and ask her to pass the information to the searchers.

  Pulling out a water bottle, he handed it to Judy. She drank thirstily and handed it back so he could do the same. “You don’t want to wait for the police, do you?” she asked, aware of his tension.

  “It’ll take them time to get here. Horvath could smell a rat long before and take it out on Sunny.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?”

  His hand on her arm stopped her. “I was thinking of going in alone.”

  She looked down at his hand. “Then think again.”

  He didn’t release her. “I heard you tell Coghlan you’d do anything to keep this land.”

  Incensed that he’d think this was her reason for wanting to come with him, she snarled, “I also suggested I was part of the package. Did you believe that, too?”

  He jerked his hand away. “No.”

  “You can apologize later. Right now, finding Sunny is our priority.”

  “As soon as we get Coghlan trussed up. He’ll be in a nasty mood when he wakes up.”

  He wouldn’t be the only one, she thought. However quickly withdrawn, Ryan’s suggestion that she might be sticking with him for personal gain had hurt.

  Why did she care what he thought? she asked herself as she watched him tie Coghlan’s hands and feet with lengths of the pliant vine cascading from the top of the escarpment. She didn’t want Ryan to care, did she? He was right about her putting her family’s needs above everything else. Not for selfish reasons, admittedly, but did motives matter when the outcome was the same? She was in this to find the diamonds that would save her father and her home. Maybe she was the one who should be apologizing to Ryan.

  The sobering notion kept her mind busy as she followed him down to the valley floor, where he quartered around like a hound on a scent. In the end, she was the one who spotted the cavern tucked beneath a vine-strewn overhang a dozen yards to the right of the ledge where they’d left Coghlan unconscious and tied up.

  Climbing up, she caught her breath at the sight of the rock paintings covering the walls and ceiling. Ryan joined her, motioning for silence and gesturing toward a line of footprints in the sand. Two sets, one large, one small, she saw. Her heart gave a jagged leap. “What now?” she mouthed.

  He pointed at a clump of bushes growing around the edge of the overhang and into a corner where the footprints ended abruptly, pantomiming climbing. She nodded. Silently he slid his arms out of his pack and set it down, tucking something into the belt of his moleskins. A gun, she saw. His search of the area must have turned up Coghlan’s weapon. Wanting to feel reassured, she felt her edginess increase. He knew what he was doing, she reminded herself. She had to trust him.

  She did more than trust him, she suddenly realized. The emotions ripping through her were as powerful as they were unwelcome. Sometime during this adventure, she’d fallen in love with him. The thought of him walking into danger filled her with dread. She wanted to claw him back from the shadowed recess, insist they wait for the law.

  Skywriting wouldn’t be any more revealing, she thought, imagining herself writing Judy Loves Ryan in the smoke as she barreled the Cessna through loop the loops. She blinked the image away. Love was only another word for wife, the one thing she never wanted to be. She was secure only as long as he didn’t know how she felt. Then he’d never take no for an answer.

  So she’d have to make sure he never found out.

  Rattled but resolute, she followed him to where he’d parted the greenery to reveal the steep, moss-covered walls of a hidden crevice. He reached over and pulled something closer. A rope ladder, she saw, understanding how Max had managed to take Sunny into the hidden valley. The little boy would have considered the climb down an adventure.

  Ryan went over the edge, climbing with commando-like stealth, reminding her of the training he must have done as part of his covert career. Emulating him, she was glad he waited for her at the bottom, steadying the ladder. She found herself in a long, sinuous cavern with sheer rock walls towering above a fern-shaded pool. Moss underfoot made the going slippery. The far end of the pool was blocked by a fallen log forming a bridge to a wider, fern-filled amphitheater.

  From a distance came the unmistakable sound of a child crying.

  Chapter 14

  Judy’s body jerked in reaction. When she would have surged in the direction of the cry, Ryan held her back, indicating the fern-shrouded pool at their feet. Slick with moss, the log bridge between them and the main cavern was going to require caution to cross safely. Judy nodded to show she understood and wondered how Sunny had managed the feat.

  Never having liked dark, enclosed spaces, she shivered slightly in the moist air as she followed Ryan across the log bridge. It gave slightly as her weight settled on it and she stifled a cry, but the log didn’t move again as she inched across.

  On the far side, she almost fell into Ryan’s waiting arms and let him hold her for a second or two, then pushed away although every instinct urged her to stay. She looked around.

  Above their heads a frieze of Aboriginal rock art adorned every surface. The paintings ran the full length of the valley, disappearing into the gloom. The only light filtered through a ceiling of ferns thatching the space where the towering rock walls leaned close together, creating a mystical twilight that she suspected was as much light as ever entered this place.

  Abruptly Ryan pulled her back against the rock wall. As she flattened herself, she saw what he’d seen. Fifty feet ahead of them, Max stood at the foot of a steep rock incline. Above him, Sunny was climbing steadily toward a small outcrop. Her heart leaped into her mouth.

  “You get back down here kid, or else,” Max growled.

  Sunny’s determined pace slowed. “No. You said I’d get a surprise if I came with you, but I don’t like it in here. I want to go back.”

  Max’s expression became wheedling. “You haven’t seen the surprise yet.”

  “I don’t care. You’re a bad man. I want my mommy.”

  The little boy stretched out the last syllable into a tragic wail that Judy felt through her whole body. She longed to hold him and assure him everything would be all right. As he continued his upward climb, she began to pray. He looked so tiny and vulnerable.

  “Your daddy’s coming for you soon,” Max said. “If I were really a bad man, I wouldn’t have told him where we are, would I?”

  Sunny sniffled loudly. “Where is he?”

  “On his way. Climb down and we’ll wait for him together, all right?”

  Reaching his goal, Sunny clambered onto the outcrop and sat down, his chubby legs dangling over the edge. He folded his arms across his small chest, a picture of defiance. “No.”

  Max ducked as sand and stones showered over him. “Cut that out, kid. If you don’t come down, I’ll come and get you.”

  Sunny seemed to sense that Max couldn’t manage the climb, despite his threat. “I want to go home,” he wailed again.

  “Why you little…” Judy gasped as she saw the gun appear in Max’s hand, the muzzle lifting in the child’s direction.

&
nbsp; Ryan stepped away from the wall. “Leave him alone, Horvath. It’s me you want. I’ve brought what you asked for.”

  Horvath spun around, bringing the gun to bear on Ryan. “Just in time, too. Get over here.”

  Motioning Judy to stay in the shadows out of sight, Ryan slid his gun into her hand. Her heart pumped as she closed her fingers around cold, heavy metal. Then Ryan lifted his palms to shoulder height and moved toward the other man.

  On the outcrop, Sunny’s legs pumped in excitement. “Ryan, you came.”

  “Stay where you are till I tell you to come down,” Ryan cautioned, his gaze on Horvath. “You’re right. He is a bad man.”

  “Am I in trouble for coming with him?”

  “You’re not in trouble, but I need you to stay where you are, okay?”

  “’Kay, Ryan.”

  Horvath’s eyes narrowed. “How come he calls you Ryan?”

  “Because I’m not his father. You got it wrong.”

  The gun never wavered. “But he does mean something to you. That’s all I need.”

  Ryan patted his shirt pocket, ignoring the gun’s sudden jump. “What you need is right here. There’s no need to threaten an innocent child.”

  “Who’s threatening? I found him wandering in here lost. The kid’s word against mine.”

  “You won’t wriggle off the hook this time. Half the region is out looking for Sunny. I’ve already called the police. They know you took him.”

  Horvath gestured again with the gun. “I have a helicopter hidden in the bushes on top of this ridge. By the time anyone else gets here, I’ll be gone. Put the deed down between us. No sudden moves.”

  Moving slowly, Ryan complied, placing the fragile document on a rock between them. “The deed to this gorge won’t be much use to a wanted man.”

  Max fumbled for the paper, glancing at it long enough to ensure it was genuine this time, before tucking it inside his shirt. The gun stayed steady on Ryan. “I’ll get someone to mine the diamonds for me. They’ll give me a new start somewhere else.”

  “There is nowhere else you won’t be hunted down and caught. Give it up, Horvath. You’ve lost.”

  “You’re the loser, Smith. Not that you’ll have much time to worry.” Aiming at Ryan’s heart, Horvath’s finger began to tighten on the trigger. A deafening report was followed by a shot ricocheting around the rock walls, sending chips flying. When the dust cleared, Horvath was cradling his hand and cursing.

  Ryan launched himself into a flat dive, but pain made Horvath desperate. He scrabbled away, slamming Judy against the rock wall as she tried to intercept him. Recovering, she swung the gun around, but Horvath had already been swallowed by the gloom.

  Ryan rushed to her side. “Let the police take care of him. Are you okay?”

  “Grazed and winded. I’ll live.”

  “Good shooting,” he said.

  “Lots of practice on feral pigs. Like this one,” she added.

  “Can I come down now?” came a plaintive cry.

  Ryan turned back, holding out his arms. “Come on, son. Take it nice and slow. The bad man can’t hurt you now.”

  Moments later, he held a sobbing little boy in his arms. He lifted a tear-stained face to Judy. “Did you shoot the bad man?”

  She brushed the damp hair away from his forehead. “No, I only shot his gun out of his hand.”

  “Wow, like on TV?”

  Holding the child tightly against him, Ryan caressed her with an admiring look. “Just like on TV.”

  Outside there was no sign of Horvath. Banks of thick, dark cloud hung low overhead, threatening an imminent deluge. When Tony Honda arrived with a group of the searchers, Ryan gave up Sunny to Tracey and reported Horvath’s admission about having a helicopter on standby.

  Tony palmed his radio. “I’ll get some people up on the escarpment to look for him. At least you got Coghlan. And Horvath is injured so he won’t get far, thanks to you and Annie Oakley here.”

  “Annie’s the sharpshooter,” Ryan said. “How’s Coghlan?”

  The trussed-up head stockman had recovered consciousness and was now in the custody of a police officer. “As an accessory to kidnapping, he’s looking at a long stretch in jail,” Tony confirmed. “It was probably a good thing you gave the title deed to Horvath.”

  “How so?”

  “He’ll stick around a while longer, lusting after the diamonds. Give us more of a chance to catch up with him.”

  Judy wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. She was torn between wanting Max brought to justice and wishing he’d leave Diamond Downs for good. But Tony was right. As long as Max thought he could get his hands on the diamonds, he wasn’t likely to go far. The thought made her shiver with more than the dampness in the air.

  Ryan’s arm came around her and she leaned against him, drawing strength from him. She might be handy with a gun when it came to shooting feral pigs, but she had never fired at a human being before and was more shaken than she wanted him to see.

  He sensed it anyway. “Can we give our statements later?” he asked Tony.

  The officer nodded in understanding. “No reason why not. We need to get these people back to Halls Creek before the storm breaks. I don’t want to risk them getting trapped. Cade helped Heather take the other children back earlier, but Tracey wasn’t going anywhere without Sunny. The boy’s had a rough day and still needs to be seen by a doctor,” he added in an undertone.

  Judy saw Ryan’s eyes flash fire as he digested the officer’s implication. “I should go with him.

  “If you need me…” He let the statement hang in the air.

  “The police are flying his mother and her fiancé down from Lake Argyle,” Tracey said. “They should be waiting by the time we get back. Until they get here, I’ll stay with him while the police do their job.”

  At the news, Ryan’s grim expression lightened a fraction. “Her fiancé? So Marion is finally doing the deed and giving Sunny his dearest wish, a father of his own.”

  Ryan sounded as if the announcement wasn’t unexpected. Judy hoped he wouldn’t feel too left-out of his protégé’s new life.

  Tracey evidently heard it, too. “He’ll still need his favorite mentor,” she assured him.

  As if to confirm this, Sunny threw himself at Ryan. “Did you hear? My mommy and my new daddy are coming to get me.”

  Ryan swung the little boy into the air. “How good is that? You’ll have lots to tell them, won’t you?”

  Sunny made a face. “For sure. Only I wish…”

  “What, son?”

  “I didn’t get to write my name on the stone while I was up high.”

  Ryan shook his head. “It’s wrong to write things on stone, or on anything other than writing paper, you know that.”

  “Then why was there other writing on the stone?”

  Judy touched Sunny’s small hand. “What kind of other writing?”

  “Squiggly, like when you show someone the way somewhere. A m…m…”

  “Map?” she supplied.

  His face brightened. “That’s it. But the writing was all funny.”

  She exchanged looks with Ryan. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  He inclined his head in agreement. “If the writing was weathered, it could look strange to Sunny.”

  The child tugged at his arm to reclaim his attention. “I could read a little bit. Like this.” Squatting down, he drew a capital J and what looked like a drunken letter L in the dirt with his finger.”

  Ryan ruffled his hair. “Well done. Your writing is really coming along.”

  He hugged the child one last time, then handed him into Tracey’s care. Goodbyes were said, a handcuffed Coghlan was loaded into the police vehicle and the convoy set off. Judy and Ryan were finally, blissfully, alone.

  “Were you sorry not to go with them?” she asked as the dust of departure settled.

  “Sunny’s in the best hands and will soon have his parents with him as well. I’m not leaving you
.”

  “But…”

  He took her chin in his hand. “I’m right where I want to be.”

  It was unlike her, but she read into the statement and felt a glow steal over her. The approaching storm meant that Cade would probably spend the night with Blake at his place, leaving the homestead to her and Ryan. “Annie Oakley doesn’t need looking after,” she tried all the same.

  “Judy Logan does. It isn’t weakness to let someone else take the reins once in a while.”

  If only he knew how she longed to agree, but resistance ran too deep. Once she allowed herself to need him, she would be vulnerable. And she had to stay strong for her father and Diamond Downs.

  Ryan hunkered down beside the letters drawn in the dirt. Taking a twig, he turned the drunken L into a diamond shape. “Jack Logan’s mark,” she said on a gasp of recognition. “Sunny’s writing on the stone must be a map to Great-grandpa’s mine. We should check it out.”

  He straightened. “The map has been there for sixty years. It can wait till tomorrow, if the rain clears. Nightfall and a rising creek will keep Horvath away at least until then,” he said, anticipating her objection.

  “But we’re so close. Not that it matters, now that he has the title deed.”

  “He doesn’t.”

  She flinched as lightning sheeted across the sky, followed by the roar of thunder almost overhead. “I saw him check the document. You couldn’t have made another switch.”

  “I didn’t have to. The deed isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”

  “You’re not making sense.”

  He took her elbow and steered her down the hillside to the plane. “I’ve been doing some checking. In this state, a law called Adverse Possession means if you occupy and use a piece of land without the owner objecting for a minimum of twelve years, the title to that land passes to you.”

  “My family has used Cotton Tree Gorge for decades,” she said.

  He nodded. “If my grandmother’s heirs had claimed the gorge within the twelve years, it would have been mine. As things stand, it’s still part of Diamond Downs.”

  Climbing into the plane, she looked back. “You don’t mind?”