“Saddled with a baby?” Wendell sounded shocked at that. “I thought you loved our baby.” His face was getting red with anger.
“Of course I love her. I just didn’t expect to have one so soon. I thought we’d be together before that happened.” She moved up close to him, trying to soothe his hurt feelings.
“It doesn’t matter when it happened. I love her. She’s my daughter.” I couldn’t see any resemblance to him. His hair was dark brown; Hannah’s was the same shade of sandy brown as Jim’s.
“Maybe the bank found where you transferred the money, and got it back,” I suggested, hoping to distract them.
“I’m not that stupid,” he snapped. “It was in a numbered account in the Caymans. I had a passcode on the account. Without that, no one could touch the account, and I’m the only one that knows it.” Jane jerked around to glare at him. Something told me that even she didn’t know it. That didn’t sit well with her either.
“Are you behind that big store coming to town, too?” I asked. As long as he was willing to tell me all of his misdeeds, I figured I’d check that one out as well. I didn’t want to accuse Jack Johnston of something he hadn’t done.
“Hell no,” he exclaimed. “How would that store benefit me?” Of course, he didn’t care about anything that wasn’t a benefit to him. It was stupid of me to think otherwise.
“So there are two crooks on the town payroll.” It wasn’t a question.
“I’m not a crook,” he shouted, rousing Hannah out of her light sleep causing her to cry again. Jane shushed her when he turned to glare at her.
“No?” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “What do you call murder?”
“I told you I had to do that. I was protecting my family. It isn’t murder if you’re protecting someone.”
“That isn’t exactly how that works. There’s still the fact that you embezzled the town’s money. That’s illegal, and you can’t explain it away.”
“The town has insurance, so does the bank,” he scoffed. “The insurance company would replace the money. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
“That’s insurance fraud. The list of your crimes is getting longer.”
“No, I’m not a criminal.” He stormed at me, shoving me against the wall. To everyone’s surprise the rickety wall gave way under the sudden pressure, and I found myself on the ground outside.
Wendell stepped over the broken boards, looking down at me. “Are you all right?” He was as shocked as I was by what had happened.
The breath had been knocked out of my lungs, and I took several gasping breath. “What do you think?” I asked when I could talk again. I moved slowly, assessing whether anything was broken. The rotten boards had easily given way, slowing down my momentum as I fell. There were scrapes on both palms, and it hurt to move my wrist, but I considered myself lucky. It could have been worse.
He reached at his hand to help me up, but I didn’t want his help. Cradling my sore arm against my ribs, I struggled to my feet for the second time. They weren’t career criminals, just greedy and lazy. That didn’t mean they weren’t going to go to prison. Two men were dead because of them. Before that could happen though, I had to get away. The gaping hole in the wall was the ideal escape route, but I wasn’t leaving without Hannah. I wasn’t sure how I was going to accomplish that.
“Will you get on with this,” Jane snapped. “I don’t want to stay in this hovel all night. It’s getting even colder in here since she knocked that wall down.”
“Gee, I’m sorry about that,” I said sarcastically. “I didn’t mean to inconvenience you. Oh, wait a minute. I didn’t do that. Your boyfriend pushed me hard enough to knock it down.” I held up my arm to show where my wrist was beginning to swell. “I don’t particularly want to stay here overnight either. How about we go back to town? I’m sure by now Jim has figured out Hannah is missing. You know he’ll call Drake right away.”
“I took care of that little problem,” she said smugly. “I left him a note that I went to be with my mother. She’s getting old and wanted to spend more time with Hannah. He won’t miss either of us for several days.”
My hopes plummeted. They’d thought of almost everything. Lord Jesus, please help me find a way out of this. Hannah deserves to have a good life with parents that love her, not killers and crooks
“If you’ll tell us where you moved the money, we’ll let you go,” Wendell said. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
They must think I’m pretty stupid if they expect me to believe that lie. I know who they are. To buy time, I decided to go along with the assumption that they would let me go.
“I don’t know where the money is, but…” I held up my hand when he started to interrupt me. “Someone put a file on my laptop.”
Excited, both Jane and Wendell got closer to me. “What’s on it? It probably tells where our money is.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Beth Ann straightened away from the wall anticipating my answer.
“Well, I wasn’t sure if Max put it there or if the person who broke into my house did. I knew whoever stole all that money was smart enough to put a virus on my computer if they thought Max had e-mailed something to me. I didn’t want to lose all of my files.” I played up to his ego.
“Yes, that is something I would do. But I didn’t have the chance. Where is your laptop?” He was almost salivating at the thought of being this close to the money.
“It’s at work,” I shrugged. “Jane hustled me out of the library so fast I barely had time to grab my purse. Maybe we can go back there and get it now.”
Wendell had to think about that for several minutes as he paced around. He finally shook his head. “We’ll go back there when it’s dark. You have keys to the library, so we can go in then.” Right now that was my best hope. There is an alarm on all the doors. Putting in the incorrect code would set off a silent alarm.
It was going to be a long wait. It wasn’t even noon yet.
“Okay, enough chit chat, let’s cut to the chase.” We had all forgotten about Beth Ann until she spoke up for the first time. “You’re not going anywhere. I want to know where my money is.” Pulling a small gun out of the big bag she carried, she pointed it me. She wasn’t a hostage, she was part of this.
“It’s not your money,” Wendell argued. “It’s mine.”
She gave a humorless laugh. “If you want to be technical, it belongs to the good people of Pine Mountain. I still can’t believe the geeky little guy in college won the heart of the captain of the cheerleading team. Go figure.”
That was the connection between them, I thought. They went to college together. I didn’t know how Jim got tangled up with them.
Beth Ann swept the gun around the room. “But then you had the balls to actually steal money from the town.” She snickered.
“I did it because I’m smart.”
“No, you did it because you needed money to keep that little gold digger.”
“I’m not a gold digger. I love Wendell.”
“Of course you do, Honey, you just love money more, or you wouldn’t have married a man old enough to be your father. You thought you could take him to the cleaners. But you didn’t count on that little bundle of joy.” This time she pointed the gun at Hannah.
Wendell and I both moved in front of Jane. If Beth Ann was going to shoot someone, it wouldn’t be Hannah. “Oh, don’t worry. She’s not the one I’m going to shoot.” She raised the gun, pointing it at Jane’s head.
Giving a squeal, Jane jumped, nearly dropping the baby. I grabbed her in time to keep that from happening. She relinquished her without an argument. Instead, she shrunk down behind Wendell.
Beth Ann gave her a disgusted look. “All you care about is your own skin.”
“That’s not true,” Wendell defended Jane against the verbal attack. “She loves me.”
“Right, that’s why she’s letting you shield her from harm.”
“Isn’t a man supposed to protect those he loves? I’d do any
thing for Jane and Hannah.”
She shook her head in disgust. “I guess you proved that when you murdered your own brother.” He started to argue, but thought better of it when she raised the gun to his head.
While they argued, I took baby steps towards the broken-down wall. If I could make it outside, I had a chance of running into the forest.
“Fred only went along with this because he was in love with you,” he whimpered instead. “But you played both him and Max for fools. You were only interested in the money.”
My mouth dropped open. I hadn’t seen that coming. I managed not to say anything though as I got a little closer to the broken wall.
“You were sleeping with Max and Fred?” Jane stood up so she could stare at Beth Ann.
“Fred was a little young and inexperienced for me,” she chuckled. “I was sleeping with Max. He was good-looking, and he liked buying me nice things. Everything was going fine until this idiot got greedy.”
I was a few steps away from freedom when she swung around, pointing the gun at me. “I’m running out of patience, Holly. Tell me where my money is.”
“I don’t know where the money is. Why do you even think I do?”
“Because you are the last one to see my darling Max before lover-boy here shot him. Did you know he couldn’t stop singing your praises?” she sneered. “I got so tired of hearing how wonderful you are I was ready to shoot him myself. He thought you were smart, and beautiful.” It was like she was jealous of me.
She shook her head. “He didn’t realize until it was too late that I’m smarter than all of you put together.”
“That’s what he meant when he said this was his fault. He said he was sorry for everything because he realized you weren’t the woman he thought you were.” I glared at Beth Ann.
“I am smart,” Wendell said. “I had it all planned out. All I needed was a few more days, and we would have been gone.” He wasn’t bragging anymore. He was lamenting the fact that Max had figured out his scheme.
“You couldn’t outsmart Max though, could you?” Beth Ann taunted. “He figured out what you were doing, and did something with the money before you could get away. Well, I’m smarter than both of you put together. The money belongs to me now.”
“No, it’s mine, not yours.” They were like two children arguing over a toy. He lunged at her. The loud gun shot was deafening. Wendell gasped as he crumpled to the ground. Jane screamed, dropping down beside him. Startled out of her semi-sleep, Hannah began crying. I took another step towards the broken wall, hoping to make good our escape.
“Not so fast.” Beth Ann turned away from the two people on the floor. She stepped between me and the broken wall. There was no way for me to escape with Hannah now. “I’m done asking nicely. I want that money. Just tell me what was on that file, and I’ll leave you here alive.” The gun was pointed at my head.
“I don’t know what is on that file. Honest. If you kill me, you’ll never know either. If you are so smart, why don’t you know where the money is?”
“It never made it to Wendell’s account. Max did something. He said he wasn’t going to let them get away with this. Tell me what was on that file Max left for you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You bitch. You killed him. How could you do that?” Beth Ann had forgotten about Jane until she leaped up from the floor. Her fingers were curled into claws. The red nail polish looked like blood dripping from her fingertips. But maybe that’s what it was. She had been pressing her hands to the gaping wound on Wendell’s chest.
Beth Ann whirled around in time to catch Jane across the face with the gun, sending her sprawling. She was unconscious, but at least she was alive. Hannah was hysterical from the noise of the gun shot.
Looking back at me, Beth Ann smiled. “With that dirty business taken care of, I’ll ask you one last time. What was on that file? It will tell me where my money is.” She raised the gun, pointing it at my head again.
“Drop the gun, Beth Ann, or I’ll drop you.” Drake appeared out of nowhere. His gun was pointed at her.
She looked over her shoulder at him, judging her chances of talking him out of this situation. “Suicide by cop is better than the next twenty years in jail. You’ll have my blood on your hands. Can you live with that?”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. Just put down the gun.” Drake gave a slight nod as she looked over her shoulder at him. Hoping I understood his signal correctly, I sank down to the ground, pressing my hand over Hannah’s ear.
“Sure it does.” She gave a sad smile, swinging her arm around. The explosion from Drake’s gun was loud in the still air. Beth Ann dropped like she was in a slow motion movie.
Suddenly there were cops everywhere. Kicking the gun out of Beth Ann’s still hand, Drake knelt down beside me. Wrapping us in his arms, he rocked back and forth. “Thank you, God,” I whispered against Drake’s neck. I wasn’t sure how he found us, but I was thankful that he had.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jane moaned from her position on the dirt floor. The cut on her face where Beth Ann hit her was still bleeding. “What happened?” She blinked her eyes, trying to bring things into focus. Seeing Drake, she struggled to get up. “Oh, thank God you’re here. I thought we were all going to be killed.” She looked at Beth Ann lying beside Wendell’s still body. “She was crazed, they both were. Thank you for saving us.” She moved towards Drake.
“Just stay where you are, Jane, until we get this sorted out.” He stood up, stepping in front of her. “Are you all right, Holly?” He looked down at me, his eyes dark with emotion.
“I will be now.” I was still sitting on the cold ground, and was beginning to shiver.
“Drake, I need to see if Hannah’s all right. She’s traumatized by this whole experience. She needs her mother.” Her voice was pleading, and she tried to stand up again.
“I said to stay where you are.” His voice was commanding, freezing her in mid-stance.
“Why are you treating me like this? Can’t you see I’ve been hurt? I need a doctor. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m a victim, too.”
“That’s to be determined. Right now, you aren’t going anywhere.”
“You can’t stop me from taking care of my daughter,” she said defiantly.
“Holly will make sure she’s all right.” He motioned to Officer Babcock. “Put her in the back of your car for now.”
“Are you arresting me?” Jane’s voice rose to a shriek. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Seriously, Jane?” I stared at her dumbfounded. “I was right here. I heard it all.” I struggled to my feet with Hannah in my arms. My injured wrist throbbed with every movement.
“I had to say those things. I was protecting my daughter. He threatened me.”
Wendell was dead so he couldn’t defend himself. But there wasn’t much he could have said. He had killed two people.
Drake jerked his head towards the patrol cars that had pulled up beside the rickety cabin. She struggled against Babcock’s efforts to lead her to the waiting vehicle. “No, I haven’t done anything wrong.” She tried to jerk away from him. “I want my daughter. You can’t take her away from me. I have rights.”
“You can tell your side of things in due time. Right now, you’re going to be sitting in the back of that car.” His voice was gravelly with emotions held in check. She continued to struggle against the officer until the car door slammed on her insults.
Turning back to me, he pulled me into his arms. His embrace was so tight, I could barely draw a breath, but I didn’t care. We were safe. That’s all that mattered at the moment. “You took ten years off my life today. Do you feel up to telling me what happened here?” The crime scene unit showed up before I could answer. He stepped away from me to give them directions.
I didn’t know how long we’d been out there. It felt like days. If the warm, wet spot on my blouse was any indication, it had been a long time since anyone had thought to change Hann
ah’s diaper. At least Jane had brought the diaper bag.
“Can I change her diaper while I talk?” My hands were shaking and my legs felt like rubber as the adrenaline drained from my blood stream. I didn’t know how policemen and soldiers lived with this sort of thing.
Drake’s SUV was just out of sight in the trees. Taking us there, he kept his arm around my waist like he was afraid to let me go for fear I’d disappear.
“How did you find us?” I finally managed to ask. Drake turned the car on, and it only took a few minutes for the heater to warm up the interior. Once she was warm and dry, Hannah fell asleep again. I had crackers in my purse for her when she woke up. Jane hadn’t thought to pack any food for her again.
“Linda called minutes after you left with Jane. She said you asked her to call and cancel our lunch date, which we didn’t have.” He gave me a small smile. “That was quick thinking. She said you never left the library during open hours unless it was an emergency.” I had moved from the back seat to sit in the circle of his arms.
“Linda said Jane didn’t have Hannah with her, so I called Dad to check on her. That was the first he knew about any of this. Jane’s phone was turned off. I couldn’t reach you on your cell phone either.”
“Jane took my purse away from me when I tried to call you. It’s in the back seat of her car.”
“Dad found the note she’d left him when he went out to the ranch.” He shook his head in disbelief. “She’s not going to be able to lie her way out of this.”
“How did you find the shack? Jane drove several miles on that dirt track.”
“Tracking the GSP on your phone only worked so far. Once you went into the forest, the signal was lost. I remembered someone telling me Bill knows the forest like the back of his hand.” He gave me a weary smile. “This is the shack we played in when we were kids.”
He looked over his shoulder at the ramshackle building. “It’s in worse shape than it had been then. I can’t believe she let him take Hannah to such a place. What happened to that wall?
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