She pushed away from the tree and pressed through the underbrush. She had to reach them—had to save the innocent.
Without warning, however, someone reached out to take hold of her. One hand clamped firmly on her arm and another went over her mouth and pulled her backward against a rock-hard chest. She screamed, but the sound was lost in the smothering hold.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Alex met Luke’s warning glance as he turned her in his arms. She’d been almost certain she would find herself face-to-face with Joel Harper, and she fell against Luke in relief.
“I thought . . . I . . .” “Shhh. Look,” he whispered and pointed to the rim path. Harper walked at a rapid clip along the narrow path. Luke pulled her close to him and added, “I saw a rough-looking character give him something. I’ve no idea what it was, but I’m figuring it has something to do with putting an end to Jastrow’s life, and maybe even Valerie’s.”
“What can we do?” Alex questioned, pushing away from Luke to better see where Jastrow was headed.
“I’m not sure. I guess we follow him.” “He’s not stopping at the Lookout, so maybe he’s going to the art studio. It would be deserted at this hour.”
Luke nodded. “Come on, but stay quiet.”
They pushed through the trees as quietly as possible, Alex clinging tightly to Luke’s hand. She thanked God silently for the support of Luke’s presence. No one else in the entire world could give her the feeling of strength and security that Luke gave her. Yet what did it mean? Was this another sign that she was really in love with Luke?
“There they are,” Luke said, pulling Alex to his side. His arms about her felt warm and protective and Alex had no desire to resist him. Instead, she looked through the brush to see what was happening.
She could see for herself that the trio stood just outside the studio. Joel pulled something out of his pocket and waved it in front of Jastrow. Alex put her hand to her mouth, realizing Joel held a gun.
“Shhh,” Luke warned. They watched in silence for several moments before Luke motioned to the right. “We need to get closer.”
Alex knew they could do nothing from this distance, but she didn’t want to see Luke risk his life. There was a part of her that wanted to beg Luke to stay where he was or even turn back, yet at the same time, Alex felt overwhelmed with the need to know the truth.
They cautiously moved nearer, almost behind the three, stopping no more than eight feet from where Valerie stood.
“Please, Joel. Please don’t do this.” Alex could easily hear Valerie Winthrop’s pleading.
“We agreed this was for the best. You don’t want to see something else go wrong, do you, Val dear?”
Jastrow’s expression looked like he was sizing up the situation. For a moment, Alex thought he might jump Harper, but Joel apparently realized his intentions and waved the man back. “Sit down on that rock. Now! You may have held the Huns at bay, but you’ll find it another story dealing with an American.”
“Mr. Harper, I fail to see . . .” Jastrow tried to speak in protest, but Harper pushed him back.
“Sit!” Joel commanded again.
Jastrow did as he was told while Joel Harper fished something out of his pocket and handed it to Valerie. “Take this syringe and load it.”
“I don’t know how,” Valerie protested. “It’s simple enough. Even you can do it.”
Alex watched Val take the vial in hand. “You do it, Joel.” “Pop the cork on the vial,” Joel commanded. She looked at the bottle, then slowly pulled the cork from the top.
“Just put the needle down in there and pull the back on the top. It will suck the contents right up into the syringe,” Joel said, smiling. “As for you, Mr. Jastrow, well, let’s just say that by this time tomorrow, the nation will be mourning more than just the president’s passing. We shall also be mourning the passing of a great war hero.”
“And how is it you plan to kill me?” Jastrow questioned calmly.
“Haven’t you figured it out?” Joel questioned, sounding almost indignant. “You’re going to take an overdose of morphine. The pain you’re suffering has become unbearable, coupled with your horrid memories of the war. It’s just too much for you to endure. Death will be a welcome release.”
“No one is ever going to believe it,” Jastrow said quite seriously. “I’ve never been the type to give up.”
Valerie began to cry. “Please don’t do this, Joel.”
She reached out to touch his arm. He pushed her back. “Don’t whine at me. You know what I’m capable of.”
“But Mr. Jastrow doesn’t have to die. You could just threaten him and get his promise to drop out of the race for president. You’d do that wouldn’t you, Mr. Jastrow?”
The man looked intently at Valerie and then Joel. “Is that what this is all about?”
Joel laughed. “You’re a liability in my boss’s campaign. You’re young, handsome, popular with the women—a war hero, for pity’s sake. It’s difficult for the senator to contend with such things.”
“My father knows nothing about this,” Valerie assured Jastrow, then turned to Joel. “You know Father would never want this. He’s a man of honor.”
“He doesn’t know how things get done in this business. When he first ran for the senate in South Carolina, people still remembered the Civil War. He could appeal to other southern gentlemen who’d suffered as his family had suffered. That’s not the case with the presidency.”
“If that’s all this is about, you should know that I’ve already reached a decision to pull out of the race,” Jastrow said. “I had a talk with my staff this morning. I’ve decided to get back in the family business.”
“I thought you weren’t the type to give up,” Joel said sarcastically.
“It’s not a matter of giving up. I was merely testing the waters regarding the presidency. In weighing the situation, I simply made a logical choice to put off my candidacy until another time.”
Joel frowned and Alex thought for a moment that he’d change his mind. He lowered the gun and bit his lower lip. Alex had never seen him quite this indecisive. Perhaps he would put aside his plan and let Jastrow go.
“See there, Joel,” Valerie said, her tears still flowing. “He doesn’t even plan to continue the race against Daddy.”
Joel squared his shoulders and raised the gun again. “It doesn’t matter. He knows too much now. Get that syringe loaded. Do it now!”
“Please, Joel,” she began to sob in earnest, her hands trembling as she held the syringe and bottle. “Please just stop before it’s too late.”
“If you don’t do as you’re told, you’ll end up like Mr. Keegan, over the edge without so much as a prayer.”
Valerie paled and shook her head. Alex nearly gasped aloud at this, feeling certain Joel was the one responsible for her father’s death.
“So you did kill him,” Valerie cried.
Joel smiled. “No. I actually wish I could take credit for it. The man was a dense-headed bore who held an overinflated image of his own self-importance. He deserved to die.” He looked to Jastrow. “Unlike you, our most heralded war hero. You’re simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or from my point of view, the right time. Your death will be mourned by thousands—maybe even millions. I sincerely doubt Keegan has so much as his wife to shed a tear over him. It’s for certain his daughter won’t.”
Alex felt something move beneath her feet. A deer mouse skittered across the toe of her shoe, causing Alex to shriek without thinking. She looked to Luke, knowing the damage she’d done, and unable to utter so much as a whispered apology before Joel Harper demanded they show themselves.
Katherine Keegan stood before the men who held her life in their hands. They looked at her with skepticism and a hint of confusion. Looking to the man who’d been her guard for the last few hours, she nodded. The man handed her a basket, then reached into his pocket and handed his superior a folded piece of paper.
The ranger in charge too
k the paper and read the contents. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Katherine Keegan reached into the basket and pulled back a cover to reveal a very small infant. “This is my husband’s son. My husband’s and Gloria Scott’s. The woman whose letter you now hold.”
The sheriff eyed her suspiciously. “What does this have to do with anything? Your message to us said that you were ready to talk about your husband’s death.”
Katherine nodded. “And so I am.” “Then what’s with the kid?” he asked gruffly. “The baby is the reason I came to Grand Canyon to ask my husband for a divorce. I’d just learned from Miss Scott that she’d had an affair with my husband, and this baby was the result. She had come to me seeking help. She had actually threatened me with public humiliation, but of course I assured her that was already a daily fact for me.”
Katherine looked down at the sleeping infant. Her heart ached for the suffering and misery her husband had caused this child and his mother. It seemed most unfair that even one more innocent person should pay the price for her husband’s indiscretions.
“I still fail to understand what any of this has to do with your husband’s death,” the sheriff replied.
“I must admit, Mrs. Keegan,” Winthrop’s private investigator, Mr. Stokes, said. “I am rather confused, as well.”
Katherine looked back to the men who eyed her as if she might disappear from their sight at any given moment.
“I was very angry when I came here,” she admitted. “I confronted Rufus about the baby and about his affair with Gloria Scott.”
“And?” the sheriff demanded impatiently. “And he laughed it off. Said there would be no divorce. Threatened me and our daughter if we should so much as hint at my desire to leave him.”
“So he was mad and threatening, and you felt that you had no other choice but to kill him,” the sheriff announced. “Is that what you’re trying to tell us?”
Katherine shook her head. “No. That’s not at all what happened. But if you’ll bear with me, I’ll tell you what did take place that evening.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Well, this is quite a mess, isn’t it?” Joel stated, more than questioned, as he motioned Alex and Luke to come out from the clearing. He was careful to keep Jastrow and Valerie in his sight the entire time. Waving his gun, he motioned to Luke. “You, over there with Jastrow.” He reached out and grabbed hold of Alex. Putting the revolver to her head, he smiled. “And you stay here with me.”
“Let her go, Harper!” Luke demanded, taking a step forward.
“If you want to keep her alive, you’ll do what I say and stay there. I’ve no desire to end the life of one so sweet,” he said, pulling Alex backward against him, “but I’ll do what I must.”
Alex fought against his hold until Joel put his arm around her neck and pulled back hard. For a terrifying moment he cut off her air. Alex became still, knowing he meant business.
“Why not fight this out like a man?” Luke questioned. Alex could see the anger in Luke’s expression. The tick in his cheek, his clenched teeth, and the narrowing of his eyes were sure signs he was beyond mere fear and annoyance. Now he was enraged. She wanted to keep the situation under control, and her mind raced for something she might offer to neutralize the sparking emotions.
“Mr. Harper, this isn’t the way to accomplish anything. You know the authorities have already been notified. They’re on their way, even now.”
“I don’t believe you, my dear. They didn’t believe a word you said to them. The sheriff had a good laugh when he told me that you’d suggested I might have murdered your father.”
“You seemed a logical suspect,” Alex said, hoping if she kept Joel talking and preoccupied with their conversation, someone else might actually think of something to do. “After all, my father was causing you some discomfort.”
“How do you know that?” Joel questioned. “Because my father caused everyone discomfort,” Alex said, trying hard not to move lest Joel tighten his hold around her neck.
Luke shifted from one foot to the other, immediately catching Joel’s attention. “Sit down next to Jastrow,” he commanded. “I want you both where I can see you.”
Luke studied him for a moment as if to ascertain the seriousness of his demand. Joel drew the revolver level with Alex’s head. While his right hand steadied the gun, his left tightened against Alex’s throat. For a moment, Alex panicked. She feared he’d kill her, if for no other reason than to lessen the odds against him.
“Joel, please stop this. You must stop now,” Valerie pleaded. “These people have done you no wrong. They’ve shown only kindness to Daddy and I, and we’ve sorely misused them. Let them go.”
“You simpleton. Don’t you see?” he questioned. “They plan to destroy us. To destroy me. I’ve worked too hard, Val. I’ve worked my fingers to the bone for your father. I’ve rearranged too many affairs to go down without a fight. Your father must be the president, and I must be at his side.”
Valerie stepped toward him. “But if you kill us all, Daddy will never continue to run. He wouldn’t run if I were dead. He would despair of even living.”
“I won’t have to kill you in order to keep you cooperative.” Valerie shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I won’t cooperate with you anymore. You’ve left a trail of death and sorrow behind you, and no matter where you go, those demons of the past will follow. I won’t let you go through with this. I won’t.”
Alex thought Valerie Winthrop had never looked more determined. Not when pursuing Luke. Not when trying to bring a room full of strangers to their knees. No, this time Miss Winthrop knew she was playing a life-and-death game.
“Shut up, Val, and load the syringe.”
She looked down at the items in her hands and Alex strained to watch. Moving even that small bit, caused Joel to tighten his hold once again. Alex had to press back against him to keep from losing consciousness. The idea intrigued her as Joel loosened his hold. If she pushed back against him with all her might, she could very well knock them both to the ground. It would be a risk as to whether or not the gun would go off, but it might be a risk worth taking.
She looked to Luke, who seemed to sense what she was thinking. He shook his head ever so slightly and Alex got the distinct impression he was telling her not to do anything at all.
“Put the needle into the vial and pull back on the top of the syringe. When you’ve managed to empty the contents of the bottle, I want you to take the syringe and inject Jastrow.”
“Why?” Alex couldn’t help but ask. It seemed such a logical question.
Joel laughed and pressed his lips against her ear. “Because, my dear, that’s the way this plan works.” He kissed Alex playfully on the lobe of her ear, causing Luke to take a step forward.
“As much as I would hate to bring any attention upon us, I will use this gun if necessary. Given this setting, I could most likely shoot the three of you, and Valerie and I could be well away before anyone figured out where the shots were fired from.”
Valerie began to cry again. Alex could see that she’d done as instructed and now stood with the full syringe, looking for all the world as if she were frozen in place. Except for her tears, she didn’t move. She scarcely even appeared to be breathing.
Joel turned slightly, nearly sending Alex off-balance. “You see, Mr. Toland, Valerie has morphine, Mr. Jastrow’s dearest friend—his constant companion since the Great War. When Jastrow overdoses on the very drug he uses on a daily basis to control his pain, people will automatically assume he was unable to deal with the pain any longer and took his own life.”
“Out here? Wouldn’t it make more sense to seek the privacy of his room?”
Joel seemed to consider this for a moment. His hold on Alex loosened considerably. “It would have been more ideal. I had hoped that Valerie would work her wiles on the man and get him to take her back to his room, but it didn’t work out that way. People seem to always be thwarting my plans.”
“No one is ever going to believe the man came out here to take an overdose of morphine,” Luke said, pushing his hair back ever so slowly. “You have to rethink this, Harper. His murder is going to be very evident.”
“No. No, it won’t. Valerie will tell them all how he told her he wished to die.”
“No, I won’t,” Valerie said, coming toward Joel. “I won’t do it. I’ll tell them all exactly what has happened here.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Joel said, laughing nervously. “You’re the one who will administer the deadly dose. You’ll be guilty of murder.”
“Then so be it,” Valerie said, looking Joel dead in the eye. Alex could feel Joel tense. “I think I’m going to faint,” Alex said softly. She could only hope that Joel might be taken by surprise enough to forget the gun momentarily. Faking the faint, her knees buckled and she started to slide down to the ground.
“No!” he declared, trying to pull her back up by the hair. “I’m sorry,” Alex murmured, even as Joel tried to steady her. She landed on her knees, kneeling on the hard rock path.
Joel took hold of her by the hair and at the same time pointed the gun at Luke. “Don’t take a single step. Valerie, do what I told you to do. We’ve got to be done with this before someone comes looking for us.” Alex felt a grave sense of urgency. Her ploy had failed. What could she do to help now?
Valerie stepped forward, but at the last minute she turned and lunged for Joel with the syringe held like a dagger. He dropped his hold on Alex and managed to narrowly avoid the needle.
“You traitor!” he screamed, slapping her back. Whether she let go on her own accord or had no choice due to the force of Harper’s blow, Valerie dropped her hold on the syringe and let it fall. Hitting hard against the stones, the syringe shattered and the contents spilled out.
“No!” Joel screamed, pushing Alex aside.
Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01] Page 24