by Jill Sanders
She laughed. “Are you drunk already this morning?” She blinked a few times and stretched her arms over her head.
“No.” He rubbed his hand over her shoulder. “Instead of working on the house today, do you want to take a drive with me?”
Her eyebrows jumped slightly. “A drive?”
“I was thinking of hitting this little café I know for some of the best chocolate-chip pancakes ever. Then we could swing up to the national park, take a hike with Dopey, and maybe find someplace quiet to eat dinner on the way back.”
“You had me at chocolate chip pancakes.” She chuckled.
They showered and dressed. He enjoyed seeing her in the tight worn jeans and the new hiking boots he’d bought her. She pulled on a flannel jacket, and they strapped Dopey into his car harness, tossing his water bowl on the floor.
“I still can’t believe they sell these things for dogs.” Dylan chuckled as the dog happily laid down with the safety harness.
He drove to the little café in Dillon, a small cozy town much like Haven. It was a good hour away but totally worth the long drive.
They sat out on the front patio, Dopey lying by his feet, and ate the sugary pancakes as they watched the sleepy town come to life.
“I can’t believe I’ve lived in Montana this long and still haven’t explored much of it,” Dylan said between bites.
“I’ve lived here all my life and still haven’t been to a few places myself,” he said.
“Like?”
“Well, I haven’t been to Great Falls or Flathead National Forest.” He thought for a moment. “I might have been there once when I was a kid, a fishing trip, but I’m not positive.” He shrugged.
“Where are we going today?”
“I thought we’d hike at Table Mountain.” He waited and decided it was time to spill the beans. “The real reason I wanted a drive was that I found out that the lawyer, Don Hathaway, has an office in Butte.”
She set her fork down and tilted her head. “Are you thinking of stopping in on him?”
“Not really, but I was thinking of asking around to see if anyone in town has seen or dealt with Carl.”
“Trey,” she said softly, “you could have trusted me with this. You didn’t have to persuade me with chocolate.”
“But it helped.” He smiled and reached for her hand.
“Trey, what do you hope to gain from this? I’m sure the police have already thought of looking for him here, especially after your mother called and talked to Mike last night.”
“Yeah.” he sighed. “I just needed to try.”
She was silent for a while, her eyes searching his. “We’ll go to Butte first, then go on our walk.”
“Thanks.” He took her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it.
They left the sleepy town and headed for Butte. The town wasn’t a hopping metropolis, but compared to Haven, it was city life.
They started by stopping at the police station and showing them a picture of Carl. The local office was already looking out for Carl and had no news as to his whereabouts but told them they were free to ask around town.
They walked Dopey through the main streets and asked anyone they ran into. Everyone seemed nice enough, but no one had seen him.
They passed by the lawyer’s office, but it was closed for the day.
“What about here.” Dylan motioned towards the grocery store. “If he’s been in town, he would have needed something from the store.”
“Good idea.” He took her hand and crossed the street. “You stay here with Dopey.” He nodded to the sign that said no pets allowed. “I’ll go in and check.”
He walked into the small store and made his way towards the checkout clerk.
He was waiting in line when he glanced out the window and saw Dylan talking to a young mother who was coming into the store. She showed the woman the picture of Carl on her phone and her eyes grew big as she nodded her head.
Trey stepped out of the line and made his way outside.
“Well?” he asked. The woman had already left to go inside.
“She says she saw him at the gas station just this morning.” She motioned to the end of the street. “She remembers him because he fell against his car and she helped him up. She said he looks weak, like he’s sick.”
Trey’s stomach rolled. “Maybe there was something to him being sick after all.” He took her hand and they started walking towards the gas station.
They were halfway there when a horn blasted. Glancing around, he sighed. “I should have counted on this.”
His brothers pulled up in the parking lot and got out. “Like minds…” Tyler said, giving Dopey a scratch on the top of his head.
“We have a lead.” Trey filled them in on what the woman had told Dylan.
“I’ll head in and ask around,” Tyler suggested.
The rest of them chatted as they waited outside.
When Tyler came back out, he had a frown on his face.
“The clerk says she’s seen him a few times. The address on his checks is Beef Trail Road. She’s given me instructions.” He held up a piece of paper. “How do we deal with this?”
“We need to call the police,” Dylan jumped in. “They need to handle him.” When the rest of them were silent, she glared at him. “It’s the smartest move. The safest,” she added.
He sighed loudly. “She’s right.” He knew the three of them wanted to confront the old man, but if something happened… His eyes met Dylan’s. He knew he couldn’t live with the knowledge that someone he loved had gotten hurt because of his pride. “She’s right,” he said again, this time with more strength behind his words. “We’ll drive back to the local PD. They’re just down the street.” He motioned to where the police station sat.
“Why don’t you guys go ahead? Trent and I were going to grab some food.” Tyler motioned to the diner across the street.
“We’ll meet you there after we’re done,” Trey said, taking Dylan’s hand as they started walking again.
“They aren’t ditching us, are they?” She glanced back over her shoulder.
He watched his brother’s walk into the diner. “No, they aren’t that sneaky. Besides, I heard Tyler’s stomach growl.” He smiled and walked a little faster.
Chapter 22
She was surprised that Tyler and Trent were just finishing up their lunches when she and Trey walked up to the patio area.
“So?” Tyler glanced up at them.
“They’re sending a car up to the address now. They said they’d give me a call when they know something.” Trey sat down and grabbed a fry from his brother’s plate.
They ordered sandwiches and the four of them sat around until Trey’s phone chimed.
She listened as he talked to the police. When he hung up, she knew the trip there hadn’t done any good.
“The place was emptied out. They said it looked like he’d been staying there but had moved out sometime during the night.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, a move the three of them did often.
“What do we do now?” Trent asked.
Trey glanced over at her. “Now Dylan and I go on our hike, and we all regroup when we get home tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tyler glanced at his watch. “I promised Kristen I’d watch Timothy so she and her mother could do some shopping.”
“I’ve got to go with Addy to her mother’s place, help her move a few heavy things,” Trent told them. “We’ll have to regroup after. How about the Dancing Moose around eight?”
“See you then.” Trey tossed down some cash to pay for their meal.
Dylan watched the landscape pass by her outside the truck windows. Dopey was fast asleep in the back seat and Trey was quiet as he drove.
“We’ll find him,” she assured him.
“Yeah. It kills me knowing he might be the one who caused all this mess.”
“Who else could it be?” She’d thought long and hard about it. “I m
ean, you said that he was skilled in explosives. He was the last person I saw before leaving the office that day. You caught him on camera blowing up the trailer. Who else would have reasons to start the fire? To kill the lawyer?”
“Lots of people,” Trey answered. “We haven’t heard from our usual suspects. Darla’s been quiet since your brother left town. No one has seen Dennis in weeks, since after he was brought in for questioning. Still, no one can prove he was the one who rented the car they found Rice in.” He turned off the main road and pulled into the parking area of the hiking trail.
“How is that possible?” she asked as they got out. Dopey jumped out, excited to see dirt and trees surrounding them.
“The rental place says that someone picked up the car using a code that allows you into the vehicle. The man who called it in put the rental under Dennis’ name but paid with a disposable credit card. For all we know, Rice could have rented the car himself.”
“And shot himself in the head and threw the gun away?” she asked.
“Right.” They started walking up the trail. He’d thrown the backpack with their water over his shoulder. “Still, they had found Rice in the passenger seat. That means someone else drove him up there.”
“Someone who wanted everyone to think it was Dennis Rodgers.” She glanced over at Trey. “Is Dennis a smart man?”
He thought about it before answering her. “He wasn’t smart enough to remove Kristen’s shoe from the back of his truck after he kidnapped her.”
She nodded. “Still, he did walk free after that.”
“Yeah.” Trey sounded disgusted. “Maybe he’s smarter than we all were led to believe.”
“He’s worth looking into. I’m sure the police have done so.”
“He’s still a free man,” Trey reminded her.
“Right. Still, maybe he killed Rice long before the explosion. Set a timer of sorts, then showed up at his ex’s just as everything went down.”
Trey was silent for a while. “It’s worth considering.” He took her hand. “Later.” He nodded to the view.
They hiked up the hill, quiet as they made their way. She was huffing and puffing by the time they reached the first peak.
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of these views.” She sighed and smiled as she looked out over the valley. A crystal lake sat down in the basin surrounded by green hills and blue skies with only a few puffy clouds overhead.
When Dylan turned around to smile at Trey, he shocked her by bending down to one knee.
“I know we’ve already done this, but I needed to do it properly. Someplace like here.” He smiled at the view. “Dylan McCaw, I can’t imagine a day without waking up beside you, watching you sleep. I love you more than I ever imagined loving someone.” Her heart did a little jump and tears filled her eyes when he pulled a small box from the backpack pocket. “This time, let’s make it official. Will you marry me?”
He slid open the box and she gasped at the beauty of the white gold ring. There was a beautiful blue diamond and several smaller diamonds around it. It sparkled in the sunlight. She’d never seen anything like it.
“Yes, a million times, for the rest of our lives, yes.” She chuckled as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Get up here.” She pulled him into her arms. The kiss was just as powerful as the first one he’d given her and that amazing kiss he’d given her after the explosion. His arms around her was the best feeling she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t believe she’d been lucky enough to find someone like him and to know that for the rest of her life, she would enjoy him, like this.
“Now that we’ve made it official, there’s just one more thing I have to ask you.” He smiled down at her.
“Anything,” she said, smiling back up at him.
“Can we stop for ice cream on the way back?”
She laughed. “I was hoping you’d ask me that. Let’s go. I’m already hungry again.” Dopey let out a playful bark and raced around them.
Going downhill was a lost faster than going up. Dopey kept tugging on her arm, so Trey took his leash and helped her when the path got too steep.
“Next time we go hiking, I get to pick the path,” she joked after tripping over a stone.
When they arrived back at the truck, his cell phone chimed. “We must have been out of range.” He frowned at the messages that kept coming.
“We have to go.” He tossed the bag into the back and snapped Dopey into his harness.
“What’s up?” she asked, strapping her seatbelt on quickly.
“Family meeting has been moved up. Here.” He handed her his phone. “Read the rest of the messages out loud as I drive.”
The first message was from Tyler.
-We made it back to Haven and ran into Dennis. The man was acting pissed and strange.
The next one was from Trent.
-Man, you’d better come back to town. It looks like they are going to bring in Dennis. They found more evidence in the car.
Tyler messaged again.
-Dennis is on the run. No one knows where he is. Word got out that the police had evidence. I’m not sure it’s true, we’re heading down to the station now. I’ll keep you posted. p.s. I hope Dylan likes the rock you picked out.
She looked over at him. “I love it,” she said. He smiled over at her and took her hand as he hit the highway.
“Your mother texted you next.” She read the text out loud.
-We’re all down at the station. They want us all down here for our own safety. Where are you?
“Call her,” Trey broke in.
Dylan hit redial and speaker. When his mother picked up, Trey spoke up.
“Mom, we’re coming back into town. We should be there in about half an hour. What’s going on?”
“Okay, sweetie. Well, we’ll go over everything once you get here. We’re heading over to the Dancing Moose now with Tony and Tom. We’ll be there until you arrive. Keep your eyes peeled and drive safe.”
“Will do, tell everyone we’re on our way,” he added before she hung up.
“What is going on?” Dylan asked, unable to believe that things could take such a turn so quickly.
“I’m not sure. Looks like we’ll find out when we get there.” She let him focus on driving as she continued to scan his family’s text messages. There were a few other messages, all about meeting with the police. A new message popped up and she read it for Trey. This one was from Mike.
-If you see either Dennis or Carl, do not engage. Call or text us immediately.
“Reply back and tell him we’ll be in town in about”—he glanced down at the clock—“twenty minutes.”
She texted a quick message back. She noticed then that her fingers were shaking.
“Hey.” Trey reached over and took her hand. “It’s okay. I’m sure they just found more proof that Dennis had something to do with Rice’s murder.”
“Yeah, that’s not what worries me. The fact that the police are worried for your family, that’s what worries me.”
The thought of something bad happening to any of the people she’d grown to love in the past few months was unbearable.
“Hey, we McGowans are made of tougher stuff than that.” He smiled over at her. “We’ve survived fire, being blown up, and being frozen.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“Yes, but this is different.”
“I know,” he said softly. “We’ll get through this. I promise.”
Trey parked next to his brother’s truck. Dopey was fast asleep in the back seat, and he decided to let the dog enjoy the sleep. The dog barely opened an eye as they got out.
“He should be okay.” He had walked over to help Dylan out of the truck and assured her as she glanced in the dog’s direction. “I think we wore him out with that walk.”
“Him and me. My legs are going to be sore tomorrow.” They were halfway across the parking lot when a sound caused him to turn around.
He had less than a second to push Dylan from his side. S
he went face first into the asphalt parking lot, catching herself on her hands and knees. A second later, the sedan slammed into his hip, and he flew across the parking lot.
His shirt was torn away as he skidded across asphalt. The sting of his skin tearing was instant.
Before he could recover fully, he was staring down the barrel of a gun.
“You had to ruin everything by surviving the trailer fire and that the blast. No one should have been able to survive the blasts.” Dennis Rodgers stood over him, the weapon aimed directly at Trey’s heart.
One part of his mind heard Dylan scream and the sound of several people running. He was sure that before his family reached him, he’d have a bullet through his chest.
He was sprawled out on the black asphalt, bleeding from his new scrapes and cuts.
“Dennis.” He blinked a few times. What could he say? How could he stall the man? “What’s this all about? At least show me the decency of telling me why I deserve to die.”
The older man’s eyes narrowed. “You still don’t know.” The man chuckled, the weapon never wavering from its mark. “I can’t believe he never told you.”
“Told me what? Who?” he asked, trying to see out of the corner of the eye if help was on its way.
Too late, Dennis noticed the group gathering around him. “Stay back,” he called out, his gun moving closer to Trey’s chest. “Get back,” he said again. Trey could hear more footfalls, this time as everyone moved away.
Trey prayed that Dylan was safe. He could hear her crying and begging for his life.
“No, Rice never told us anything. Why don’t you tell me now?”
“Not Rice,” Dennis screamed, spit flying from his mouth. The man looked thinner than the last time Trey had seen him. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had a wild look as he stared directly at Trey. The man’s eyes never wavered from him.
“Who then?” Trey asked, as he tried to steady his heart rate. It wouldn’t do him any good to freak out, so he tried to take a few deep breaths, even knowing they may be his last.
“The McGowans with their stupid family rules. Who the hell makes it so that the youngest son gets all the rewards?”