Baby Brother Blues (Sammy Dick, PI Series: Book 1)

by Trudi Baldwin

  I could hear Karl’s bare feet padding along the tile floor. Even the closets were tiled. Closer and closer he came.

  Then lo and behold, Karl Zaiid himself rounded the corner of the alcove. His eyes were fixed upwards on the shelf above, and at first he didn’t see us. His stark naked body proceeded to ascend the wooden ladder, rung by rung, until his huge, hairy half-aroused you-know-what hung right before our very eyes. I took a brief moment to note that it was pretty huge and pretty hairy. Then I decided that action was our only option. There was no way he was going to descend without seeing us. No way. It was now or never for Delilah and me.

  “Go!” I screeched and shoved the ladder and Karl as hard as I could against the back wall of the closet. Then Delilah and I ran with all the built-up adrenaline we had in us back out through the gigantic bedroom where Liang lay spread-eagled, naked on the bed, fondling himself. He raised up his head in startled anticipation.

  “Run, run!” I whispered, careful not to use Delilah’s name.

  We clacked down the hall as fast as our kick-ass boots would go. Slid around the corner to the front door almost losing our footing completely on the slick tile. Grabbed the front door knob and flung it open. The security alarm started screaming, since we had no time whatsoever to employ Freedom Rings!

  I had no doubt Karl would pursue us. As they say in that fable where the scorpion can’t help but sting his rescuer to death, “It was his nature.” I made a quick calculation as we raced out the shaded entryway and into the blinding sun. We dashed through the desert landscape, rounded the corner of the house and ran at full-tilt toward our surprised horses. I’d rapidly decided that escaping through the front gate was too risky. The closed gate probably self-opened but it would be slow going, and I wasn’t sure if the horses would trigger it. Nor would I have time to dismount and use the Freedom Rings device to get us safely out, if I had to. Plus, the front gate is where Karl would look first. That left the back fence. Karl would never guess we’d come on horseback. He’d concentrate on the entrance first, which might give us enough precious time to escape. We’d have to jump out. But how hard could that be? I figured we could mount and escape before Karl put everything together and before he began exploring the back of his property to look for the intruders.

  I made this fateful decision on the fly as we ran around the corner of the house and past the outer wall of the secret garden to our horses, tied to the acacia trees in the back. I untied and flung myself up on my horse in a heartbeat. Shot a glance at Delilah, but she was already up on Cloud and staring at me with her big brown eyes, bigger than I’d ever seen them.

  Suddenly it looked like a long, long way to the back of the property and fence. I knew the fence was relatively high for amateur jumpers, but the arrowheads made it much worse. Any error would be very damaging, or even lethal. Further, western saddles were never designed for jumping. They were heavy, solid. Designed to stop a calf on a rope and bring it to the ground, not sail over a three-foot-high, arrow-topped fence. Yikes. Bad decision.

  But heading out the front way seemed hopeless. I wheeled The Big Easy toward the back of the property and pointed my arm to the west. “Delilah, we’re taking the back fence! And you’re first because we know Cloud will do it. Starting now!” I was no longer whispering, but yelling like the official dropping the flag at a NASCAR race. On your mark, get set, GO! Fucking GO!

  Delilah, who’d done every kind of riding you can do, took off at a dead run, so low in the saddle it would’ve made any barrel rider haulin’ ass down the homestretch feel proud! I waited a beat, then pointed The Big Difficulty right behind her and prayed he’d follow suit. He answered by executing two swift, high-arching bucks in a row, then settled down and headed after Cloud Nine. He was going so fast I was afraid he’d bypass Delilah, and I wasn’t all too sure he’d take the jump, so I reined him in a little. As I did so, I hazarded a peek behind me to see if we were being followed.

  What I saw almost made me pull up short. Zaiid was sprinting across the desert sand in a jock strap as his only article of clothing. Well, and he’d donned his own pair of kick-ass cowboy boots. Nothing else. Well, there was one more element to his attire. A big ol’ fuckin’ gun in his right hand. Shit! Then I saw him steady himself, put both hands on the gun and take aim at Delilah.

  I started screaming. “Zigzag! Zigzag! Zigzag!”

  Delilah, true to the form that’s made us best friends for our whole short and soon to be shorter lives, started zigzagging like a border collie on an overdose of uppers. Cloud turned left for two strides and then she guided him to the right.

  Bam! A shot rang out.

  I’d been obscured behind some trees, but now I came out into the open and had a clear view of Zaiid as I too zigzagged to the right. I saw Karl recoil from the blast of the shot. He then repositioned his stance and steadied his aim. Just then Delilah leaped back in the opposite direction.

  Bam! He missed! Delilah was still going.

  By now our horses were galloping so fast, we were rapidly retreating from his range.

  I had The Big Difficulty sprinting at an angle to the right and then back left. That angle allowed me to see what Zaiid was doing. Our speed had caused Zaiid to change his tactics because now I saw him dashing toward the stables.

  I leaned close into Easy’s neck. Well, as close as you can get with a big fat western saddle horn jutting into your gut, and urged my horse for more speed. “Go, Easy boy, go!”

  I grabbed the horn and pivoted my upper body in the saddle to see what Karl was up to. What I saw almost changed my whole estimation of Zaiid. For a split second in time, I felt a sense of admiration for him. He’d flung open the gate that enclosed the big appie stud. Bareback and with only a halter on, Zaiid grabbed a handful of Perfect Storm’s mane with his right hand while clutching the gun with his left. He swung himself up in one swift, fluid motion onto the stallion’s back. Seized the top of the halter and kicked. Perfect Storm coiled back like a spring on his muscular haunches and then catapulted through the air straight toward me. Oh holy fuck! Zaiid was now in hot pursuit!

  I didn’t think there was an appie alive that could outrun a thoroughbred, at least over the long distance to the back of Zaiid’s property, but with Zaiid on board and a gun in his hand the odds of us coming out unscathed from this encounter were weak at best. What to do?

  Since the gunfire had stopped, I could see Delilah running straight now. The back fence was in sight. Of all the fine horses in my mother’s stables, if there was one that would take that fence without a moment’s hesitation, it was Cloud Nine. My plan was that The Big Difficulty would see Cloud go over and then decide it was okay for him to follow suit. But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

  I could hear a thudding, pounding sound. At first I thought it was my own heart about to burst right out through my chest. Then I realized it was the beating of the appie’s hooves gaining ground. The stallion was galloping, hell bent for leather across the hard desert floor with the relentless Zaiid on his back, like one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse bearing down upon us, bringing certain death and destruction.

  I figured the chances of Zaiid hitting moving targets when he was astride a moving mount himself were low, but when we came to the fence, we would be sitting ducks against that backdrop as we maneuvered into the jump. A little pop-gun carnival game for Zaiid.

  Whatever. We had no choice. I concentrated on watching Delilah now as she neared the fence. She pulled Cloud’s head up slightly, so he could see what was expected of him. Oh, thank God, he didn’t waver when he looked. We had a chance.

  Then Delilah aimed her horse straight on at the perilous fence and urged him forward. I prayed for her safety and the safety of Cloud in their attempt. Then sweet, sweet Cloud set himself back on his haunches and without a moment’s hesitation launched himself in a beautiful arc across the fence. He sailed effortlessly over, nowhere near the sharp arrowheads. I don’t know how Delilah did it in the awkward w
estern saddle, but she’d made it look easy.

  Speaking of easy, if was now my turn to get The Great Big Difficulty over the fence. My horse and I could both see Delilah and Cloud racing across the desert on the far side of the fence. I was hoping against hope that sight was enough incentive for Easy to take the jump, no questions asked.

  I aimed straight for the fence and slowed down my racing horse to carefully position him, but then I heard a Bam!

  Oh, shit! Zaiid had resumed firing. I didn’t have time to slow down. It was now or never. Leap, you big fuckin’ horse, leap! I aimed Easy at the fence and kicked. He planted both front feet squarely on the ground, dropped his head almost to the desert floor and just plain, flat out refused. His refusal flung me way up over the saddle horn and onto his neck with the saddle horn gouging me in the crotch. If it weren’t for the big shoulders of the western saddle, I would have flown off completely. I grabbed a hank of mane near his ears and used it as a handhold, pushing away from the horse’s neck to get myself back up over the saddle horn and reseated on my damn horse. Then I yanked Easy’s head up and screamed at him, “You get the fuck over this fence, Easy! And I mean NOW!”

  Shooting me at this point was going to be child’s play for Zaiid. I swung Easy around in a fairly tight circle and headed him at the fence for another try. I figured Zaiid had my back pinpointed through his gun sight and was just about to squeeze the trigger, but I could also hear his own stallion snorting and lunging about. Hopefully, that would throw off his aim.

  No matter, regardless of what Zaiid was up to, I needed to get this horse over the fucking fence if I wanted to stay alive. I kicked Easy as hard as I could and started toward the fence. I could see by Easy’s ears that he was contemplating refusing again. I pulled up his head, hoping to stop the refusal, sat firmly in the saddle and squeezed my legs on the horse with all my might.

  Bam! Bam!

  The loudest blasts I’d ever heard in my life burst out behind me.

  Suddenly Easy launched over the fence, clearing it several times higher than it actually was, like he’d been stung by a bee. I swear the horse leaped eight feet in the air. I wasn’t expecting the height or the power and I grabbed onto that saddle horn with everything I had left in me. We seemed to dangle in mid-air for an eternity, a suspended target for Zaiid, but then gravity called us home and my horse and I came crashing down hard on the other side. The rush of our combined weight from such a height forced The Big Easy to collapse on his front knees upon landing. I shifted back in the saddle to help him right himself if at all possible. If I failed, we were dead meat.

  The Big Easy might be difficult, but he’s strong and bull-headed. I prayed now that those characteristics would save us. Sure enough, I felt him gathering in his stubborn strength. He grunted, shook his mane, staggered and heaved himself back up onto all four legs. We were planted there together for a second, both wobbling and panting. Then Easy pricked up his ears and looked in the direction of Cloud and Delilah. I pressed my boots into his sides, and we lurched out again at full tilt.

  I sucked in a huge breath of air and let it out in relief, but I’d forgotten the deep, treacherous wash right behind the property. Easy spotted it almost too late. Just before we went tumbling in, he screeched to a halt, sat back on his haunches and sailed across the enormous width. My crazy, beloved horse landed on the other side, making it look easy, no pun intended, and then galloped like the devil himself was chasing us. No shots rang out at our backs. I leaned low against Easy’s neck to make myself less of a target and sneaked a peek back at our pursuer.

  Zaiid had dismounted. The appie, much shorter in stature than our animals, was apparently no match for the arrowhead fence, and Zaiid had ceased fire. Maybe he’d run out of ammunition. We might just make it out of here alive!

  Miraculously, my cowboy hat and red hair had stayed on. We’d mashed them on tight, mainly to keep the wigs on. I hoped Zaiid would be unable to recognize either one of us. He’d only heard me speak a handful of words and never any names. Plus, I’d cautiously worn the latex gloves the entire time. I was sure neither Zaiid nor Liang would be able to tie me to Tina Brown, much less Sammy Dick.

  Chapter 21

  As Easy and I raced through the desert, I tried to sort our next moves out in my head. I had no doubt that Zaiid would now return to his house, don a few more clothes, rev up his vehicle and give chase. Whatever vehicle he’d choose to drive would outrun a truck pulling a six-horse trailer loaded with three tons of horse weight. Plus, I had excellent reason to suspect he and Liang both drove Porsches. They’d catch our big rig in seconds. What to do?

  Only a single highway, Dynamite Road, also known as Rio Verde, ran in either direction out of the area. It would have to be our escape route. If we skedaddled west on Dynamite in our F-350, we’d hit the edges of Scottsdale proper after a long climb. Or we could attempt to escape to the east on Dynamite to the little town of Rio Verde, curve around south to Fountain Hills and head home that way.

  Either direction was a gamble because Zaiid might take one direction and then dispatch Liang in the other. We’d still be sitting ducks regardless, and I was getting tired of being a sitting duck for Zaiid. Like a cat, I seemed to have many lives, but I’d already used up several today. I wasn’t keen on risking more.

  These were the thoughts careening through my head as my horse swept across the desert in search of the trailer and our buddies. The Big Easy was twisting and turning through the desert underbrush, skirting around saguaros, palo verde stands, and creosote bushes. At last, the trailer came into view. Delilah had Cloud loaded, still fully saddled to save time and ready to go. Easy and I screeched to a stop, almost toppling into the trailer. He was so anxious to load that I was afraid he’d take me right on in with me still on his back. The only problem was that I wouldn’t fit, so I pulled him up short, and executed a flying dismount.

  Delilah grabbed Easy’s reins, pulled off his bridle, threw on a halter, and slapped him on the butt to enter the trailer. Then I heard Delilah scream in terror for the third time today. I turned my attention on her to see what was wrong.

  She drew back the hand that had slapped Easy’s butt. It was drenched in blood. We both stared at her dripping hand with horror-filled eyes. Then we shifted our gaze to Easy’s rump. I finally figured it out. Easy had been hit. No wonder he finally decided to leap over the fence like his ass was on fire. It was!

  Even though we had to get out of there immediately, Delilah and I took a minute to examine the wound. No slug was lodged in Easy’s rump, but a bullet had grazed across his rear, cutting about a six-inch long wedge an inch deep into his hide. Blood was flowing freely from the wound. Delilah ran and grabbed a clean towel from the tack space and swabbed at the wound. That seemed to staunch the flow of blood a little.

  “Oh, Easy, I’m so sorry,” I moaned. “You did such a good job. Well, sort of. Regardless, you didn’t deserve to be hit by a bullet. I’m so sorry.” By now, I was up beside him in the trailer, rubbing his neck and shoulder more to soothe myself than to soothe him. He was munching hay nervously and looking around wild-eyed, his breathing still hard from the exertion.

  “Sammy, I think Easy’s going to be okay, but you aren’t going to be okay because your mom is going to kill you. Right after I kill you first, but before that long-awaited event occurs, we need to get the hell out of here!” Delilah implored. “Or Zaiid is going to be first in line to kill the both of us.”

  I was forced to agree, so I refocused my attention on the problem at hand. I jumped out of the trailer and latched the rear door shut. We hopped into the cab and I fired up the F-350.

  At 138th Street, I turned the huge rig north. Dynamite Road was only a short distance away, so I pushed the pedal to the metal as far down as I thought prudent without throwing the horses around in the back.

  I had been pondering how to save ourselves, and I thought I’d come up with a reasonable idea for eluding Karl and Liang. Do the unexpected. Don’t try to run so far
or so fast. Don’t follow an obvious route that they’d anticipate. They would most likely think we’d head for Dynamite Road with only two choices. Turn left to the west or right to the east to get back to town.

  I’d decided we wouldn’t attempt to escape to the east or the west on Dynamite Road. Rather, we’d escape to the north. At least temporarily, until the heat died down. I turned to Delilah in the front of the cab and explained my reasoning.

  “I have an idea. I’m afraid if we take Dynamite going east or west right now, we’ll get caught by either Karl or Liang, so I have an alternative. Remember my friend Julia, the vet student? She’s home during the summer from Colorado State University. She lives on the north side of Dynamite and further east, right along the edge of Tonto Forest. I suggest we cut straight across Dynamite and get completely away from it. Then head east through the ranches toward the Tonto National Forest. Julia lives in a big home with horses down there. I think I can find it; if not, I have her cell. Why don’t we hole up there for a few hours and maybe she can take a look at Easy’s wound?”

  “Okay, but what do we say to her? Julia, can we hang out here a while? We’ve just narrowly escaped from a breaking-and-entering crime spree, and, oh, by the way, our horse got shot as we were jumping the resident’s back fence while he was in hot pursuit, clothed only in his jock strap, riding an appaloosa stallion and shooting at us with a gigantic gun? Is that what we plan to say to Julia, Sammy?!” Delilah’s voice was filled with more rage than I thought healthy. At least for me.

  I tried to skirt around it. “Even though that story would undoubtedly hold Julia’s interest, I suggest we say we were out riding in the area when Easy was gouged by a tree branch. We thought of her right away, so here we are on her doorstep.”