"I went to college, worked at Stanton Industries in my old job as a machine operator to help supplement Uncle Sam's financial aid. When I got my B.S. degree the old man offered me an office job. That's when I got to know the rest of the family."
"Your father's other children?"
"Yeah, my big brother, Kenny, the heir apparent, and my sister, Christina. Kenny and I hated each other on sight. I liked Christina, and she liked me. She's the one who hired a lawyer for me when I was arrested for the old man's murder."
Elizabeth longed to put her arms around Reece, to offer him the care and support he'd never known. But she knew he wouldn't accept her comfort right now.
"Your sister believed you were innocent?" Elizabeth asked.
"She wanted to believe I didn't kill our father, but she had her doubts. I could tell every time she looked at me, she was wondering if I'd done it."
"Why did the sheriff arrest you? What evidence did they have against you?"
He glanced at Elizabeth and suddenly realized how much he wanted her to believe him. "The gun was mine. I'd reported the .38 stolen a couple of days before somebody used it to kill the old man. They didn't find any fingerprints. Whoever used it had wiped the gun clean. And the usual paraffin test for powder residue was inconclusive because my hands had been covered with dried blood."
"Motive and weapon. You hated your father and the gun that killed him was yours."
"That's right, only there's more. B.K.'s wife, Alice, and the family lawyer found me leaning over my father's body with blood all over my hands and the gun at my side."
76
"Oh, Reece." She touched him then, unable to prevent herself. He tensed at her touch, but when she hugged up against him, he relaxed and slipped his arm around her waist.
"B.K. had called and asked me to come to his home. He said he had something important to tell me. When I arrived, the front door was standing wide open, so I walked in. I called out. B.K. told me to come on back to the study. Then I heard my father arguing with someone, but I couldn't make out the other voice. Couldn't even tell if it was male or female. B.K. was shouting, saying he could do whatever he damned well pleased, that nobody could tell him what he could and couldn't do.
"Before I reached the study I heard gunshots. I rushed inside and someone hit me from behind. They didn't knock me unconscious, but everything went black for a few minutes and I was pretty shaken up. I didn't see who had hit me. When my vision cleared, I staggered over to where B.K. lay on the floor. He was bleeding like a stuck hog. I knelt down, covering his stomach wound with my hands. He called my name. And then he died."
Elizabeth held Reece in her arms, trying to absorb some of his pain, longing for him to accept what she offered, knowing he had never shared as much of himself with another human being.
"Motive, weapon, opportunity." Elizabeth sighed. "They didn't believe you, of course, about the person who hit you over the head. And the authorities never looked for another suspect."
"Brother Kenny and his mother had their lawyer, Willard Moran, use all the influence the Stanton family had in Newell, and believe me, it was plenty. I spent five months in that damned little jail cell, feeling like a trapped animal, knowing I was doomed."
Elizabeth held him. He hugged her fiercely.
"During the trial my lawyer pointed out that if I'd shot B.K., I'd have hardly had time to wipe the gun clean before Alice and Willard found me. And there was no proof that I'd actually fired the gun. I was convicted on circumstantial evidence."
"The Stantons must be very powerful to possess that much control over the sheriff's department and the district attorney."
"The Stantons own Newell, and if the Stantons say I killed B.K., then the town has no choice but to agree."
"You were framed," Elizabeth said.
"You do believe me, don't you?"
"Yes, of course I do. Did you think I wouldn't?"
He buried his face in her shoulder, breathing her sweet rose scent, accepting her loving warmth as she held him.
Abruptly she pushed him away. The sense of loss overwhelmed him.
"O'Grady! My God, Reece, go upstairs and wait. O'Grady will be here in a few minutes."
"How the hell do you know..." Reece grinned. "I've got to get used to this sixth sense of yours."
"When O'Grady leaves, I want to talk to you about our calling Sam to help us," Elizabeth said.
"No way. This guy may be your step-uncle, your family and friend, but I don't know him from Adam."
"Sam will help us."
"I said no." Grabbing her by the shoulders, he gazed into her eyes. "Understand me, Lizzie. I don't want you calling Sam Dundee."
"You can trust him."
"I don't trust anybody, lady, you should know that by now."
"Even me, Reece?"
He hesitated momentarily. "I'm not sure, Elizabeth. I want to trust you, but-"
The sound of a horn alerted Elizabeth to the fact that O'Grady had arrived. "Go upstairs and stay there until I come and get you."
Reece followed her instructions, and Elizabeth opened the front door, stepping out into the frosty wind, waving at O'Grady as he exited the passenger side of his grandson's Ford Explorer. An eighteen-year-old Rod O'Grady waved at Elizabeth but made no move to leave the warmth of his vehicle. The deafening boom boom boom of the boy's stereo system threatened to bring the icicles down from the roof overhang.
Elizabeth gave O'Grady a big hug, then rushed him inside to the warmth of her cabin. "I told Aunt Margaret that there was no need for you to come all the way up here with the roads so bad."
Elizabeth motioned MacDatho out of the open doorway, then closed the front door.
"You know Margaret. She got one of her notions. Thought somebody was up here with you." O'Grady glanced around the hallway before venturing into the living room. "There's an escaped convict on the loose. I think hearing about the man sent Margaret's imagination into overdrive."
"Did you say there's an escaped convict around Dover's Mill?" Elizabeth asked.
"Reece Landry. Young fellow. Killed a guy down in Newell. Escaped after the sheriff's car took a bad spill off the road and into the side of a mountain near Deaton Crossing."
"Are you staying long enough for coffee?" Elizabeth nodded in the direction of the kitchen.
"No, child, I can't stay. Rod's itching to get back home. Got a date tonight, I guess. He's been cooped up during the storm."
"Are the authorities looking for this Landry man?"
"They used bloodhounds, but didn't have much luck. They figure the guy's probably frozen to death in the woods somewhere by now. The day he escaped they tracked him to the falls, but they didn't figure there was much point going on from there since the storm was getting worse. They saw where he'd fallen through the ice in the stream, but had no idea where he went once he got out of the water. Snow was falling so hard they couldn't see two feet in front of them, and the dogs seemed to be losing the scent."
"Do you suppose they'll be coming up this way soon?"
"Why are you asking me? I figure you already know the answer if you want to know."
Elizabeth smiled. "Humor me, O'Grady."
"Well, your aunt Margaret says they'll be at your door by tomorrow evening. And my guess is she's right. I heard they planned to search the woods for his body tomorrow, and they're already setting up roadblocks on all the major roads and doing a house-by-house search in Dover's Mill. If they don't find his body, they'll keep searching until they wind up in Sequana Falls." O'Grady removed his brown checkered wool cap with dangling earflaps. "Why are you so interested in what the sheriff's doing to find this Landry fellow?"
"Just curious." Elizabeth smiled.
O'Grady scratched his partially bald head, mussing the thin strands of white hair that stuck out around his ears. "I figure I can get back up here with the van in a few days and get deliveries back on schedule. Anything you need me to take down the mountain today? I can get Rod to help me load the
back of his Explorer."
"No, there's nothing that urgent. Deliveries can wait a few more days."
"Any message you want to send Margaret?" O'Grady warmed his hands by the fireplace, then turned to face Elizabeth. "She sent you a message."
"Did she?"
"Yep. She said to tell you that you wasn't to leave Sequana Falls without letting her know."
Elizabeth stood deadly still, a chilling sense of foreboding rushing through her body. If Aunt Margaret had seen her leaving Sequana Falls, then there was every possibility that she would be going. She'd made no plans to leave the sanctuary of her home, and had no premonitions about her future travel plans.
"Tell Aunt Margaret that I'll call her if I decide to take a trip."
O'Grady gave Elizabeth a fatherly pat on the back. "Well, I'll report in to your aunt. You sure you're alone here?"
"I'm never alone with Mac around."
As he walked out of the living room, Elizabeth following him, O'Grady glanced at MacDatho, stretched out on the rug in front of the sofa. "Yeah, I guess he's a good guard dog. Don't figure nobody could get past Mac, could they? Not unless you gave him the okay."
Elizabeth opened the front door, waving goodbye to O'Grady as he crossed the porch, went down the steps and got into his grandson's Explorer. She watched until they disappeared down the road, then she turned and went back into the cabin.
Standing at the foot of the stairs, Elizabeth called Reece's name. When he answered, she told him that O'Grady was gone and it was safe for him to come down.
"I'm going to finish that shave I started earlier when I heard the phone ring," Reece told her. "I've still got a lot of beard left."
"I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee. Take your time."
Elizabeth hurried into the kitchen, ground some coffee beans and put them on to brew. Knowing what she had to do and that there was no time like the present, she went back into the living room, picked up the telephone and dialed Sam's Atlanta business number. As soon as she gave her name, she was put through directly to Sam.
Maybe Reece didn't trust Sam, but she did. Sam would never do anything to hurt her, and if she told him she believed Reece Landry was an innocent man, Sam would listen to her.
"Elizabeth, is everything all right?" Sam asked. "I've heard a bad winter storm hit the mountains. I tried to call, but your phone was out. I finally got in touch with Aunt Margaret."
"Did you also hear about an escaped convict named Reece Landry?"
"I'm afraid that bit of information hasn't been on the Atlanta news. What's this Landry guy got to do with your calling me?"
"Reece is here with me, at the cabin. He nearly died getting to me, but I took care of him and he's-"
"Dammit all, Elizabeth, are you telling me you're harboring a fugitive? Have you lost your mind? Has the man been holding you at gunpoint? Get off this phone now and call Howard Gilbert."
"I don't need to call the sheriff," Elizabeth huffed, shaking her head with disgust. Sam wasn't being as reasonable as she'd hoped he would be. "As a matter of fact, I'm trying to prevent the authorities from capturing Reece."
"Elizabeth, tell me what the hell's going on?"
"I've been trying to do that. If you'll just calm down and listen, I'll tell you what I want you to do." Elizabeth told Sam every detail of Reece's life that he'd shared with her up to the point where the sheriff's car had wrecked in the winter storm. "Reece never stood a chance, Sam. The sheriff's department never tried to find any other suspects."
"What makes you think this man is innocent?"
"My instincts."
"You've looked into his mind, is that it?"
"I've had visions about Reece for the past five months, but I didn't tell anyone. Not you or Aunt Margaret, although I think she suspected something." Elizabeth paused, taking a deep breath. "Reece has been in my heart and mind since the day his father was murdered. I know he's innocent, Sam. He needs your help."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Get as much information as you can about B. K. Stanton's death. We've got to prove who killed Reece's father, or he'll be put in prison for the rest of his life."
"Elizabeth, what are you not telling me?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"I asked if you knew Landry was innocent because you'd read his mind. You didn't answer me," Sam said.
"I can sense certain things about Reece, and pick up on some of his emotions, but... well, I can't read him the way I do most other people. He's able to form some sort of shield around his mind, around his emotions."
"Good God, Elizabeth, you're taking this guy on faith? You're risking your life without knowing for sure whether or not he's really innocent."
"He's innocent, Sam. I know he is. Please help us."
"I'll run a background check on Landry and I'll-"
"I thought I told you not to call Sam Dundee!" Reece stood in the doorway, his face flushed with anger, his amber eyes wild with fear.
"Reece, please try to understand-" Elizabeth gazed at Reece with compassion and a plea for understanding in her eyes.
"Elizabeth!" Sam shouted into the telephone. "Is that Landry? If it is, put him on the phone."
"Wait just a minute, Sam." Elizabeth held out the phone to Reece. "Sam wants to talk to you."
Reece stared at the phone as if it were a slithering snake ready to strike, then glared at Elizabeth. "I thought I could trust you, but the minute my back was turned you called Dundee."
Elizabeth shook the phone at Reece. "I didn't betray you. I'm trying to get Sam to help you prove your innocence. Sam has contacts everywhere. He owns a private security agency in Atlanta. His sources are unlimited."
Reece walked into the room slowly, glancing back and forth from Elizabeth to the phone in her hand. She shoved the phone at him.
"Talk to Sam," she said.
Reece took the phone. "Yeah?"
"Landry?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know exactly what's going on there," Sam said, "but I want to warn you that if you harm Elizabeth, you're as good as dead. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear."
"If Elizabeth believes you, then I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm checking you out, Landry, and if I find out you've been lying, I'll personally cut your heart out."
"And if you find out I've been telling the truth?"
"Then I'll do whatever Elizabeth wants me to do to help you. Now put Elizabeth back on the phone."
Reece handed her the phone. "He wants to talk to you again."
"Sam?"
"I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how much I've been able to find out. Until then, for God's sake, be careful."
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Sam was going to help them. "Thank you, Sam. You can't know how much this means to me."
"What I want to know is how much Reece Landry means to you."
"I'm not sure, but..." Elizabeth glanced at a scowling Reece. "Just call us tomorrow with whatever information you can find. Reece is going to have to leave soon, and he needs something to go on."
Returning the telephone to its cradle, she faced Reece. "Sam is going to help you."
"I think I should leave as soon as possible." Reece glared at her, the distrust glowing in his eyes. "I don't dare trust Dundee. For all I know he's calling the sheriff to turn me in right now."
Elizabeth grabbed Reece by the arm as he turned from her. "You don't have to leave. Sam isn't going to call the sheriff. He would never break a trust. He's an honorable man."
"I'll stay until morning," Reece said, all the while damning himself for a fool for taking a chance by trusting his beautiful witch. "On one condition."
"What condition?" Elizabeth asked.
"I want my gun back."
Elizabeth nodded agreement. "If I go get your gun and give it to you, you promise you'll stay until Sam calls tomorrow?"
"I'm probably a fool for agreeing, but I agree."
"I'll ne
ed to put on my coat. I hid your gun outside, between the compost bins." Elizabeth walked out of the living room, through the kitchen and onto the back porch. When she reached for her coat on the rack by the door, Reece grabbed her by the shoulders, twirling her around. She stared at him, uncertain what he intended to do.
"I would never hurt you. You know that, don't you? The gun is for my protection against the police."
Elizabeth swallowed the knot in her throat, but she couldn't slow the rapid beat of her heart. "I understand."
Reece traced the lines of her jawbone with his fingertips. "I don't want you to be afraid of me."
"I'm not afraid of you, Reece. I'm only afraid of what might happen to you."
Elizabeth pulled away from him, put on her coat and went out into the cold February afternoon alone. It was at that moment she made her decision. When Reece Landry left her mountain, she was going with him.
Chapter 5
We're not going to discuss this anymore!" Reece stuffed cans of soup and sandwich spreads into the duffel bag Elizabeth had given him. "When I leave this mountain, I leave alone."
"But you don't know the back roads. If I'm with you, you're less likely to get caught. We could even get through the roadblocks with me driving. I could fill the back of the Jeep with flowers from the greenhouse and tell the police that I'm on a delivery run. You could hide under a blanket or something." Elizabeth handed Reece a loaf of bread and a carton of saltine crackers.
"You've seen too many movies. This isn't a game. This is for real. If you go with me, you could get yourself killed." Reece eyed the 9 mm lying on the kitchen table.
"And without my help, you could get yourself killed," she said.
Reece looked at Elizabeth, the woman who had saved his life only a few days ago, the woman who wanted to join him in his fugitive's journey. She wasn't small and fragile. She wasn't a whining, helpless female. Mother Nature had put Elizabeth Mallory together like a work of art-round, full-bodied, solid. She possessed an inner strength as well, a strength that attracted Reece as much as her physical beauty. Braless and with her hair tumbling freely down her back to her waist, Elizabeth presented a picture of earthy sensuality.
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