Payback

by Jonnie Jacobs

Gordon cursed and hit redial. No coverage.

  Area. Did they have someone already in the area? Or maybe they didn’t cover this area. He had no idea.

  Frustrated, he looked back the way he’d come, hoping to see a sheriff’s car approaching. Nothing. No cars, no people, no sounds but the rustle of wind and the chirping of birds.

  He couldn’t just sit here. What if the sheriff never showed up? He got out of the car for a closer look at the cabin.

  Suddenly, two sharp cracks that sounded like gunshots shattered the surrounding stillness. A blue jay squawked and flew into the air with a great rush of wings. A chipmunk, chattering loudly, darted up a tree.

  Gordon’s heart leapt to his throat. Had the shots come from the cabin?

  He ran back to the car for the jack crank. It wasn’t much of a weapon and he hoped he wouldn’t need it. Then he raced toward the cabin and peered through the dusty window.

  Inside, Todd and Marta were facing one another, and Todd was pointing a gun at her. Two bodies lay crumpled on the floor. His insides twisted in a knot when he recognized Cassie’s blond head and Jamie’s darker one.

  God. No.

  Gordon’s mind froze. What could he do? The iron crank was heavy but it would be useless against a gun.

  In a burst of crazed inspiration, an idea came to him. He reached for the key fob in his pocket and hit the alarm. The rental car’s horn began blaring loud, staccato blasts.

  Breathing hard and fast, he stood near the cabin door, out of sight, and raised the jack crank. Would Todd ignore the sound or come outside to look?

  The door squeaked open and Todd emerged, gun in his hand. Gordon swung the crank, catching Todd across the chest and knocking the gun from his grip. Then he swung again and slammed the iron down hard on Todd’s skull, knocking him to the ground. He kicked the gun away.

  Marta ran outside. “Gordon!” Her expression was a mix of surprise and anguish. “Come quick. Jamie’s hurt and Cassie’s been shot.”

  Gordon picked up the gun, holding it gingerly. Todd wasn’t moving, but he was breathing. Shoot the bastard like he deserved? Maybe. But he wasn’t going anywhere in the next few minutes. Gordon dashed into the cabin with Marta at his heels.

  She ripped her sweater off, dropped to her knees and pressed it against Cassie’s shoulder. Jamie was holding her head and struggling to sit up.

  “Daddy! Oh, Daddy.”

  Gordon helped her to her feet. “Are you okay? How’s your head?” He didn’t see any blood but he worried about internal bleeding and a concussion.

  “It hurts bad.” Jamie clung to him. “Is Cassie alive?”

  “She appears to be,” Marta said. “But she needs medical attention fast.”

  Through the window, Gordon saw a sheriff’s van approaching.

  Chapter 57

  Two Weeks Later

  Seated in the middle of the couch in her own living room, Marta reached for a handful of popcorn, then passed the bowl to Jamie, who was curled up next to her. Gordon was nestled close on her other side. Marta sighed contentedly.

  “You need more?” she asked Cassie, who was sprawled out in the recliner with her own bowl of popcorn.

  “I’m good.”

  Marta smiled. “Yes, you are. You’re wonderful, in fact.”

  “Not hardly. But I’m working on it.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” Gordon said. He’d been coddling all three of them since the rescue. Cassie’s self-sacrificing courage in facing down Todd had earned her Gordon’s boundless gratitude.

  Jamie shushed them. “I want to hear how the movie ends.”

  Life was slowly returning to normal. They were a family again. A remarkably strong family, Marta thought. Gordon appeared on his way to forgiving her, something she was unable to do, herself. But she was learning to accept what she couldn’t change. And Jamie, whom Marta had worried might carry the emotional scars of her ordeal for many years, had slipped into her old life with impressive tenacity. The first few days had been rocky for all of them, Jamie especially. But now, two weeks later, the volcanic swings of emotion were largely in the past.

  Cassie was staying with them while she recuperated. She’d been lucky. The bullet missed vital organs, and while it damaged her shoulder, the doctors said that with time and physical therapy, she’d probably come close to regaining full use of it.

  The movie ended and Cassie unfurled herself from the recliner. “I’m off to bed,” she announced. “I know it’s early, but I’m beat.”

  Jamie gave her a hug. “Goodnight, Aunt Cassie.”

  “Sleep well,” Marta added.

  Jamie’s cell phone rang—Oliver’s special ring. He called almost daily, even though they saw each other at school. He wasn’t a boyfriend, Jamie insisted. They were just friends. And that was fine with Marta.

  Jamie grabbed the empty bowls and headed for the kitchen.

  “I heard from Scott Jennings today,” Gordon announced. “It looks like the bank merger will happen, but our friend will get nothing.”

  “I thought he was one of the principals.”

  “He was, of Citizen’s Choice. But the deal with AG National was structured in a way that shares of Citizen’s Choice are valued at almost nothing. Todd’s step-siblings will get well-paying jobs and large bonuses, which leaves him out in the cold.”

  “Not to mention facing time in prison,” Marta noted with glee.

  “And hefty attorney’s fees if he doesn’t cut a deal or settle for a public defender.”

  Todd was currently in Siskiyou County jail, charged with attempted murder for shooting Cassie, and facing extradition to Georgia for Carol’s murder. He also faced possible charges for unauthorized entry into the condo in Emeryville, which he’d finagled with a key from one of his many low-life contacts.

  “I hope he goes away for a long time,” Marta said.

  “Me too.” Gordon shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “I have a confession,” he said.

  Marta felt a prickle of fear. “I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

  “Todd had me fooled, too. I didn’t listen when you told me to stay away from him. We continued to get together for lunches and stuff. In fact, I was at dinner with him the night Jamie ran away.”

  “You were there? You knew he was meeting Jamie?”

  “Good God, no. He never talked about her at all. But he did get a call as we were finishing our dinner. I now realize it was Jamie’s call.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I know you’re beating yourself up over what happened. You aren’t the only one at fault, Marta. Todd played us all.”

  “I started it.”

  “The important thing is that we won and he lost. We scored gold because we care about one another. Todd doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

  Jamie, with her phone still to her ear, blew them a kiss on her way upstairs. “Love you,” she mouthed to them.

  “Love you, too,” Marta and Gordon replied in unison.

  Marta felt a glow. How many parents got that kind of affirmation each night? She knew it wouldn’t last, but she was going to savor it as long as she could.

  She recognized, too, that there were challenges ahead. She had returned to work but had yet to decide whether to keep the business going without Carol. Although Gordon’s paper had been accepted for presentation at the History and Humanity conference, a tenure decision wouldn’t come for another year. She knew she’d find reason to be annoyed with Gordon down the road, and he with her, but these were all surmountable bumps in the road of life.

  She laid her head on Gordon’s shoulder. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she said.

  He kissed her cheek. “And I’m the luckiest guy.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jonnie Jacobs is the bestselling author of fourteen mystery and suspense novels. A former practicing attorney and the mother of two grown sons, she lives in northern California with her husband. Email her at jonnie@jon
niejacobs.com or visit her on the Web at www.jonniejacobs.com.