The View from Rainshadow Bay

by Colleen Coble

  “Pop.” She shook his stockinged foot. “Wake up.”

  He jerked with one eye at half-mast. “Wha-up?” The eye closed again.

  She shook him again and spoke louder. “Pop, you have to wake up. I need you. Someone wants to kill me.”

  He blinked and opened both red eyes. His bleary gaze couldn’t seem to land on her and stay. “Tha’ you, Shauna?”

  “Yes, Pop. Here, have some coffee.” She lifted the cup to his lips and helped him take several swallows. “Have some more.”

  He obediently drank down more of it, and keeping an eye on Zach stalking from the front to the back windows, she broke off pieces of the sandwich and fed it to him.

  Fifteen minutes later he had downed all the coffee and most of the sandwich. His eyes were a little more focused, and though he still slurred his words, she thought he might be sober enough to answer her questions.

  She carried the plate and cup back to the kitchen and poured more coffee for him, then dragged a kitchen chair in to sit beside him. The sofa was too far for him to focus.

  She gave him the cup, and he managed to hold it with only a little tremble in his hand. She sat beside him. “Dad, do you know who owns that metal building about two miles east of here? The one with no windows and two locks on the door?”

  Something shifted in his eyes. He looked away and took a sip of his coffee. “Wha’s this all about, Shauna?” He put down the cup on the table beside his chair and leaned back with his eyes closed. “Don’t be nagging me, girl. Let a man get some rest.”

  Was he deliberately slurring his words more than he had a minute ago? “Pop, open your eyes and look at me.”

  He blinked at her sharp tone, then opened his eyes. She leaned forward. “Someone shot at us just now.” She pointed to Zach. “He’s standing guard because we think that person might have followed us here.”

  Her father reared up and started to stand, then fell back into the chair. “Get me my gun! I’ll teach him not to come onto my property.”

  “Teach whom? Do you know who wants me dead? Listen, a lot is going on.” She launched into a condensed timeline of the murders and how the killer seemed to be stalking her. “Your grandson is in danger too. We both are. Zach is doing his best to protect us, but it’s hard when we don’t know where to look to figure this out. Jack was killed too, and he left a video telling us to check out Jupiter. We think he might have meant the Jupiter Quadrangle, so we brought my chopper and started searching.”

  He was gazing somewhere past her shoulder as though he didn’t know she was in the room. “You found the doomsday machine, didn’t you?”

  She considered him carefully. “Doomsday machine?” Was he hallucinating? Did he understand a single word she’d just said? She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Once upon a time he’d been one of the finest engineering minds in the country. It was sad what alcohol had done to him. Maybe they should just take his old truck and leave before that guy opened fire again.

  “Killed your mama. Wanted nothing to do with it then,” he mumbled.

  “What killed Mom? What are you talking about?” She took the coffee mug and held it to his lips. “Let’s get more caffeine in you.”

  He knocked it away, and the cup clattered to the scarred wooden floor, spilling its contents. “I told him I wouldn’t help him, but he kept pestering me and pestering me. It was my fault everyone died, and I couldn’t fix it.” He bolted to his feet and stumbled past her to the hall and into the bathroom.

  She heard him retching and sighed. “He’s not making any sense,” she told Zach.

  The silhouette of his expression was grim as he studied the front yard through the window. “We need to talk to him when he’s sober. In the meantime, I think we need to get back to the helicopter and hightail it out of the forest. We can bring the sheriff back to check out the building.”

  “If it even has anything to do with the shooter. We don’t know for sure.”

  “We weren’t far from there when he opened fire. I think he knew we found the place and was trying to make sure we never told anyone.”

  She nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ll grab Pop’s keys, and we can take his truck. Do you think it’s safe to leave him here alone?”

  Zach shook his head. “We’d better take him with us. We can sober him up and try to squeeze some sense out of him by the time we reach the chopper.”

  Seeing him standing there so strong and focused made a warm sensation curl in her belly and float up to her chest. She could count on Zach, and she loved that about him.

  Chapter 33

  The path back to Marilyn’s cabin was full of potholes and blown-down limbs. He tried to avoid bottoming out in the craters, but several times the undercarriage smacked down in a deep dip. He’d tied up Marilyn, and she sat with a clenched jaw in the backseat without saying much.

  She blinked when foliage scraped the side of the car. “Are we going to my cabin?”

  “Yep. Seemed like a good place to hole up for a while.”

  She lapsed back into silence and looked out the window. He glanced into the rearview mirror to try to decipher her expression. Was she planning on trying to escape? Her face was closed and her mouth set.

  Alex was right behind him. “I want my mommy.”

  He felt a pang. Maybe there was a way around disposing of them. If he could pull this off without them realizing who he was, he might be able to head for the airport and leave them to walk out of the forest on their own.

  It was a nice dream, but in his heart of hearts, he knew it was unlikely he could spare their lives. Not and live in any kind of security.

  He spied the cabin ahead and slowed the vehicle, then pulled it into what was left of the driveway overgrown with azaleas and pine trees. He stepped out of the vehicle into knee-high weeds, then yanked open the rear door. “Let’s get you both inside.”

  When Marilyn struggled to maneuver because of her bound hands, he grabbed her forearm and hauled her out. She yelped, then clamped her lips shut.

  He motioned to the boy. “Come on, kid.” Holding his stuffed bear, Alex climbed out and stood, blinking back tears.

  The bolt cutter in the trunk should make short work of the door. He motioned to the porch. “Be careful. The floorboards are rotted, and you might go straight through.” He grabbed the tool, then walked to the door and cut the bolt. It fell to the buckled floor with a clatter, and he shoved at the door. It resisted opening, and he put his shoulder into it. With a squeal from the rusty hinges, it finally opened.

  He stepped out of the way and gestured to Marilyn and Alex. “After you.”

  She wrinkled her nose and didn’t move. “The place isn’t habitable. There isn’t even a bathroom, just an outhouse that is probably filled with black widow spiders.”

  He hadn’t thought of checking any amenities, but he shrugged off her concerns. It wouldn’t matter soon. “Inside.”

  She stumbled over the warped threshold and entered the cabin. He motioned to Alex. “After you, boy.” He waited until the kid entered, then stepped into the space himself. The furnishings had been nice once upon a time, but raccoons had evidently called the place home for a while. The leather sofa lay in shreds. Mice or rats had destroyed a rocker upholstered in orange by the window, and droppings of some kind littered the scratched walnut tables.

  Sad to see it in such disrepair. He kicked a pile of rubble out of the way. “Why’d you leave this place for the animals?”

  “Jack and I quit coming after my husband died. It was never the same without him.” Her voice trembled, and she bit her lip.

  Alex grabbed one of her bound arms. “Grammy, I want to go home. This place is scary, and there’s nowhere to sit.”

  “I thought of that. There are chairs in the trunk, and I’ll grab them. We won’t be here long, just until your mom gives me the key.”

  “You keep talking about a key, but I have no idea what you are talking about. I doubt Shauna even has what you want.”

 
The stupid mask was making his face as hot as a furnace. “She has it. Clarence gave it to her.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You killed Clarence?”

  He shrugged. “He was poking his nose in where it didn’t belong. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice.”

  “There’s always a choice between right and wrong.”

  Where did she get off lecturing him? She didn’t even know who he was. “I’ll grab the chairs.”

  He went back through the creaky front door and grabbed the three chairs he’d packed in the trunk, then returned to the house. She had moved from the front window to the back door, which she was struggling to open with her tied hands. “I nailed it shut from the outside when I was here last week. You can’t get out that way.”

  There was no way out at all. He unfolded the chairs. “Sit.”

  Marilyn eased down onto the seat of the one closest to her. “I need to use the bathroom.” Her lips twisted with disgust. “Can you check the outhouse for spiders?”

  “Yeah, fine. Come with me.” He grabbed a dilapidated broom from the corner and herded Marilyn and Alex out through the front and around to the back of the house.

  He lashed her hands in front of her with the rope, then tied the other end to the handle of the outhouse. “Just want to make sure you don’t do something stupid like try to run off.” He didn’t think she’d leave her grandson, though.

  The outhouse door creaked when he opened it and he peered inside. Tons of cobwebs crisscrossed the inside of the space, and several spiders scurried away. The webs looked like black widows had taken over the space, just as Marilyn had predicted.

  He backed out. “I don’t think you’ll want to use this. No amount of knocking down cobwebs is going to clear out that nest of spiders.”

  She blanched and looked away. “I-Is there a bucket or anything like that around?” Her voice held an edge of desperation.

  He spied one half hidden by weeds near the back door. “There’s one.” He knocked out the bugs inside and took it around to the back of the outhouse. “I’m going to untie your wrists, but I’m keeping Alex with me. If you try to run away, I’ll have to hurt him.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “I won’t run.”

  Lewis’s junker truck wouldn’t start no matter how much Zach fiddled with the battery cables. He resisted the urge to kick the tire and yell with frustration. He had to get Shauna to safety. He rummaged in the lean-to shed for tools to work on it but found only carpentry items like a rusty saw and a hammer with a cracked grip.

  Now what? He listened to the chirping birds in the trees and considered the options. One last time he climbed in the truck and turned the key. Nothing. They would have to hike out of here, and dread curled in his gut at the thought of a sniper stalking them.

  He walked back to the house. Shauna still plied her father with coffee, and Lewis looked a little more alert.

  He stopped by the recliner. Shauna appeared to be cooler and more collected than Zach felt. “The truck won’t start.”

  Her dark brows winged up. “Did you try cleaning the cables?”

  “Yep. The engine won’t turn over. We’ll have to walk out of here, and we don’t know if that sniper is still out there.” He slapped his palm against his forehead. “I’m an idiot. I should have called the sheriff as soon as I got here.” He lifted the phone beside Lewis from its cradle and held it to his ear. “No dial tone.”

  “I told them to shut it off. I was tired of getting sales calls,” Lewis mumbled.

  Shauna rose from the chair and carried the coffee cup to the kitchen. “We need to find a cell signal and call the sheriff.”

  “We haven’t had a signal since we landed the helicopter.”

  “So we’re back to square one and walking out on foot.” She turned to her father. “Pop, you’re going to need to come with us. Can you walk?”

  “’Course I can walk. I’m not an invalid.” Lewis wasn’t slurring his words any longer, and his rheumy eyes looked a little clearer.

  “Wait here a second.” Zach went down the hall to the gun cabinet in the bedroom and selected two more rifles and two more pistols. Lewis was a crack shot when he was sober, so all they could hope for was that he was coherent enough to help. In spite of his flaws he’d want to protect his daughter.

  Zach grabbed boxes of ammo too and returned to the living room, then handed Lewis and Shauna a rifle and a pistol. He stashed the ammo in the backpack. “We’d better get going if we want to reach the helicopter by dark.”

  Shauna loaded a rifle, then shouldered it before tucking a pistol into the waistband of her jeans. “I’m ready. Come on, Pop.”

  Lewis lurched out of the chair and reached for the rifle. His hands steadied as he loaded both weapons. “Tell me again what’s going on.”

  Did he even remember Shauna asking him about the building? Zach went through the sequence of events again. “Any idea who is shooting at us, Lewis? Who would want to keep us away from that building?”

  Shauna touched her dad’s arm. “You said something about it being your fault. What did you mean?”

  A truculent expression settled on his face. “I don’t know what I said. I don’t remember. Let’s go.” He set off for the front door and let it bang open behind him.

  Shauna looked at Zach and sighed. “I think he knows something, but I’m not sure what it’s going to take for him to tell me.”

  “Maybe when the bullets start whizzing, he’ll spill it.”

  “Maybe.” But she didn’t look convinced. “He’s a stubborn old man.”

  Zach embraced her with one arm and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’d much rather you stayed here where there’s a little bit of protection, but I can’t fly the chopper out of here for help. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Shauna.”

  She laid her hand on his cheek. The soft feel of her skin made his pulse jump, and he turned his head to kiss her palm. Her smile came then. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” He reached over and opened the door all the way for her. “Stay alert.”

  “Alert is my middle name.” She gave him an impish grin and went out the door.

  He let his gaze linger on her sweet curves as she walked away. Now that he’d finally admitted to himself how he felt, the thought of losing her was a knife in his guts. He stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind him.

  He’d do everything in his power to protect her.

  Chapter 34

  Now what was he supposed to do to make sure they didn’t escape while he got to an area with cell phone service? Marilyn had been subdued after he brought her in from the toilet break, and Alex sat on his grandmother’s lap with his bear clutched to his chest. All he really had to do was make sure Marilyn couldn’t get away.

  Ah, he knew what to do. “Alex, come here.”

  The boy looked up and shook his head. “I want my grammy.”

  “You’re going to come with me for a little while.” He stepped to the chair where they sat and dragged the kid from the old woman’s lap. The boy cried and reached for his grandmother.

  “Stop it.” He yanked the kid back. “Marilyn, I’m going to lock the door. You better not try to climb out the window or escape in any way. If you’re not here when we get back, you’ll be visiting a fresh grave beside Jack’s.”

  Her hazel eyes widened and her mouth trembled. “Don’t hurt him.”

  “It’s all on your shoulders, lady. Do what you’re told, and he’ll be on your lap in half an hour. I won’t be gone long. I just need to call Shauna and arrange to exchange you and the boy for the key. This will be over soon if you cooperate.”

  She gave a jerky nod. Her auburn hair was a tangled mess, and her blue sweater had smears of mud on it. The gray slacks had a tear where she’d caught it on brambles in the woods. A pang of pity surprised him, and he shoved it away.

  He’d grabbed her purse on the way out of her house so he dug around in it until he
found her cell phone, then took Alex’s hand. “I’ve got a candy bar in the glove box for you.” The boy kicked and screamed, but he ignored the kid’s temper tantrum and dragged him out the door to the vehicle.

  He opened the rear door and pushed the kid inside. “Buckle your seat belt, and you can have the candy bar.” He had a satellite phone he could use, but he wanted to make sure Shauna would answer the call.

  Alex sniffled but buckled his seat belt.

  It was a little ironic to even care about the seat belt when things were likely to take an unpleasant turn in a few hours. He got the candy bar from the glove box and tossed it into the back. “There you go. We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  “You’re not really Spider-Man. You’re not nice at all.”

  “So I’m told. Just shut up and eat your candy.” He drove off along the bumpy road and kept checking Marilyn’s cell phone. No bars.

  He finally got one bar and pulled onto the shoulder to call Shauna’s number. The call rang, then stopped. He cursed and drove back onto the road. A better signal couldn’t be too far down the road.

  He glanced the rearview mirror and saw Alex’s mouth smeared with chocolate. “Pretty good stuff, huh?”

  Alex swiped the back of his hand across his lips. “Grammy says she knows who you are. The sheriff is going to put you in jail for pretending to be Spider-Man and kidnapping us. You need to let us go before you get in more trouble.”

  He froze. Marilyn knew who he was? How could she know? He was using a stolen SUV and wearing a mask. She couldn’t possibly identify him.

  “Who did she say I was?”

  “She didn’t tell me, but she knows. I want my mommy!” Alex wailed and hugged his bear.

  Great, he would have to listen to that caterwauling until they got back to the cabin. “Cool it, kid.”

  But Alex cried even harder. Gritting his teeth, he drove farther down the road. There had to be a cell tower around here. Maybe he should climb a ridge and see if he could pick up a decent signal. The kid would be a problem, though. He’d be better off driving until he got a couple of bars.