“Redding was found in a truck with pink and purple scrapes along the side. Sam’s pretty sure he was the one who ran you off the road.”
“Well, why didn’t somebody say so?” Layla wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “I wish I’d taken a better look at the photo, tried to memorize the guy’s face. I want to recognize him in case I run into him again—figuratively speaking.”
“You won’t,” Michael said flatly.
“Oh, sure. That’s easy for you to say. He didn’t do his best to send you to kingdom come.”
Gently, cautiously, Michael cupped his hands around the points of her shoulders and faced her. “I know he won’t try to hurt you again.”
She tried to twist away but he held her fast. “How can you be so positive?”
“Because he was found dead this morning. In the same truck that was used to try to kill you.”
Layla gasped. “What—what did he die of?”
“Carbon monoxide. Sam said it looked like a suicide.”
“But?” She could tell Michael was holding back a lot more than he was revealing. “Come on. Tell me. I have a right to know.”
“Sam suspects Redding may have been murdered. At least he’s investigating his death that way until he can prove otherwise.”
“And if he can’t?” Layla didn’t want to know more, yet she had to ask. Staying naive while the world around her was coming unraveled was more than foolish. It was dangerous.
“If it turns out Redding didn’t commit suicide,” Michael said soberly, “then we’ll know for sure that others were involved.”
Layla shivered. When Michael opened his arms, she stepped into his embrace without hesitation and laid her cheek on his chest. “This is getting scary.”
To her chagrin, Michael agreed. “Yes. It is. I wish I could do more to protect you.”
“I’ll settle for a hug like this once in a while,” Layla joked, trying to keep from taking his comforting nearness too seriously. She backed slowly away and smiled up at him. “Thanks. I needed that.”
Michael looked relieved and a little embarrassed. He touched the brim of his hat and nodded as he said, “My pleasure, ma’am.”
Late that afternoon, having checked every nook and cranny for venomous creatures and finding none, Layla was pacing the cabin floor and trying to accept Michael’s revelation. She’d relived the incident so many times, the details of running off the road were beginning to blur.
When she closed her eyes she could visualize the attacker looking back at her from his speeding truck, but what good was that memory when he’d been wearing a ski mask? It could have been anyone. It still might be. There was no ironclad guarantee that the man who had died in the damaged truck was working alone. Maybe he wasn’t even the person who had smashed it into her!
She hoped the dead man had been her attacker. To believe otherwise left too many loose ends.
Michael’s knock on her door startled her. She managed a smile just the same. “Hi.”
“Hello, sunshine.”
“It’s Rainbow,” Layla said. “Come in. You must be frozen.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“My middle name is Rainbow. Didn’t Fiona tell you?”
“No.” He entered, rubbing his hands together, and headed straight for the warmth of the hearth. “It fits you, though. Boy, it’s cold. I’m glad you started a fire.”
“Me, too, as long as it doesn’t wake up more hibernating snakes. Have you had any more sick cattle?”
“No, none.”
“Good. I don’t know if I could handle another catastrophe right now. I’m really beat.”
“How about doing something that will make you feel better?” Michael asked. “I’m about to head to the evening church service Sam mentioned. Would you like to join me? We can grab a bite to eat at Fiona’s afterward.”
“Thanks but no thanks. I’m still getting over the fancy dinner at the Broadmoor. You go ahead.”
Michael shook his head. “Nope. I told you I wasn’t going to let you out of my sight for very long. We both go or nobody does.” As he spoke, he paused to pet her affectionate blue heeler.
“Be sensible,” Layla argued. “There are plenty of people on the ranch who can look out for me, not to mention Smokey there. You don’t have to be my shadow. Besides, the bad guy is dead. You said so yourself.”
“I’m not about to take the chance he had friends.”
“I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Well, one of us better.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She folded her arms and hugged herself. “Have you heard anything more from Sam? Did you tell him about the snake?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“Only that he thinks we should continue to take precautions.”
“That’s a no-brainer.” She rolled her eyes. “So, what you’re telling me is that if I won’t go to church with you, you won’t go, either?”
“Right.”
“Of all the ploys I’ve ever heard to drag unsuspecting people into church, that’s definitely the winner.”
“It’s not a ploy. It’s the truth.”
Shaking her head, Layla sighed and began to pace. “You don’t understand. Going with you to church will be just like it was at the Broadmoor. I won’t belong. I never have.”
“I thought you were a Christian.”
“I am. What does that have to do with it?”
“Plenty,” Michael said. “The congregation at Good Shepherd is special. They’ll love you. You’ll see.”
“Hold it.” Layla’s eyebrows arched. “You drive all the way into Colorado Springs to go to Good Shepherd? What’s wrong with finding a nice church in Cripple Creek?” She saw his countenance darken, his eyes reflect inner sadness.
“My family likes Good Shepherd.”
Layla quietly waited for him to explain further. When he didn’t, she asked, “What else?”
“I used to go to a little church down the road,” he said pensively. “I met someone there.”
“Tammy?”
Michael’s eyebrows arched. “I see you’re up on local gossip.”
“Sorry. I didn’t pry, honest. It just came up in conversation. I think Holly mentioned it.”
“That figures.” He sighed deeply, audibly. “The folks at that church are wonderful, too. The place just holds too many memories for me. I prefer to go to Good Shepherd and visit with old friends and family.”
“Perfectly logical. Which brings me right back to my original point. There is no part of Colorado Springs society that will ever accept me, period. I’ve had years of experience trying to fit in without giving up my sense of self. It’s never worked.”
“Oh yeah?” Michael began to smile.
“Why are you so smug all of a sudden?”
“Me? Smug? Let’s just say I’m confident. Tell you what. I’ll stand right outside while you get ready so you’ll know I haven’t phoned ahead and set things up. Come to church with me, if you dare, and I’ll prove what an accepting place Good Shepherd is.”
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“Not in this case. I think you need that chip knocked off your shoulder. For your own good, of course.”
“For my own good? Right.” She frowned. “Okay, I’ll go. But I won’t like it.”
Michael chuckled. “We’ll see. Wear that skirt you had on when we first met. And plenty of your noisy jewelry. Might as well do this up right.”
“You are determined to get me ostracized, aren’t you? All right. As long as you promise to stay with me and defend me while we’re there.”
The look on his face was more than self-satisfied, she noted. He was beginning to look positively gleeful.
He raised his right hand, palm out, as if taking a solemn oath. “I promise, Doc. I’ll be right by your side the whole time, stuck to you like a burr in a horse’s mane, whether you like it or not.”
“Now that is a pict
ure I could have done without,” Layla replied. “Okay. Wait outside. I’ll hurry. I wouldn’t want you to freeze to death just to drag me to church.”
As Michael left she thought she heard him mutter, “I can’t think of a better reason.”
“So, Redding’s dead. Congratulations. Maybe you’d like to explain to me how that helps our plan.”
“It was necessary,” El Jefe replied.
“I don’t see why.”
“You’d have seen plenty if he’d talked.”
“Led the cops to Ritchie, you mean?”
El Jefe’s anger was evident. “It was a whole lot more than that. If Redding knew the mayor’s office was in our pocket because of Owen Frost, there’s no telling who he might have blabbed to. The fewer stupid street punks we have in on our plans, the better.”
His companion nodded. “I see your point.”
“Good. Remember who’s running this operation.”
“You are, Chief. You know I’ll always support you in anything you decide to do.”
“Then next time, make sure Ritchie knows he’d better take care of matters personally. Or else. We’ve already had far too many slipups.”
“You made Redding’s death look like an accident?”
“No. Suicide. The poor guy was despondent over shooting the mayor and nearly killing Vance’s vet. He knew he’d be prosecuted and couldn’t face the idea of life in prison.”
“Will the cops buy that?”
El Jefe cackled. “Of course they will. They don’t have a clue who they’re up against. They’re all idiots.”
Looking away to keep from revealing too much critical emotion, the other person kept silent. Idiots? Maybe. Versus the madman Baltasar Escalante had become? Definitely. If they actually got away with all this, alive and wealthy, it wouldn’t be because of his masterful plan. It would be in spite of it.
Layla shivered when the headlights of Michael’s truck illuminated the broken rail where she’d skidded off SR 67. “Whew. Looks like that was a closer call than I thought. How far down does that canyon go, anyway?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“I figured as much.” She pressed her lips together. “Someday, we’ll have to drive past here in the daylight so I can get a better look.”
“It’ll make you thankful. I know it did me.” He swallowed hard. His hands gripped the wheel tighter. “There are few places along that particular stretch that have enough vegetation to catch you the way those trees did. Your guardian angel probably has gray hair by now.”
Layla laughed nervously. “I imagine she’s been gray for quite a while, poor thing.”
“Meaning you’re a risk taker?” Michael kept his eyes on the road except for one split-second glance at her.
“I used to be. I like to think I’ve matured enough to use caution when it’s called for. I wasn’t speeding when I ran off the road, you know. That other truck came out of nowhere.”
“It sure did.” Michael nodded in the direction of a gravel offshoot. “I suspect it was waiting for you on one of the side roads along here. Once the driver spotted your truck, all he had to do was pull out, fall in behind you, and wait till you were in the worst possible position. He had to have been familiar with this road or he wouldn’t have been able to identify the most dangerous sections at night.”
Answering, Layla was surprised to hear a quaver in her voice. “It still seems unreal, like a bad dream. If I didn’t have my truck as proof, I might be able to convince myself it didn’t really happen.”
“You’d be a lot better off accepting the wreck as a serious warning.”
“Do you really think it was?”
Michael’s voice deepened. His jaw muscles clenched, accentuating his strong, square chin. “Only a fool would doubt it. There’s something weird going on around here and it looks like you and I are involved up to our eyebrows, like it or not.”
“I don’t like it,” Layla said flatly. She tried to lighten the somber mood. “Think I could get a good deal if I traded in my old truck for a tank?” To her relief, Michael went along with the silly conversation.
“Colorado Springs does have a military base but I don’t think they sell antiquated tanks,” he said. “Sam’s brother, Travis, is married to Tricia, a retired air force major. We could ask her to find out for us.”
“Another useful cousin?” Layla rolled her eyes. “Is there anything your relatives aren’t involved in?”
“Nope,” Michael said, starting to smile. “And my brother is an air force pilot. Now that I give it some thought, we’re pretty much into everything, especially regarding Colorado Springs.”
“No wonder somebody’s out to get you. Who’d you make mad enough to go to all this trouble to hurt you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said, who did you make mad?” She watched a hint of cautious understanding start to shadow Michael’s countenance. Clearly, he was engaging in deep introspection.
Finally, he said, “I’m glad you brought that up. There’s only one source of evil I can think of that might affect all of us, beginning with Uncle Max.”
“What?” Layla swiveled as best she could without removing her seat belt and stared at him. “Who?”
With a determined shake of his head, Michael said, “It happened before you came back to the area. Forget I mentioned it.”
Chapter Nine
Layla grew so introspective after her disturbing conversation with Michael, she barely noticed their approach to Good Shepherd Church. She couldn’t, however, fail to be impressed by the sight of the old brick edifice, complete with bell tower and graceful spire.
“It’s beautiful,” she told Michael as he parked in the lot. “That’s what churches are supposed to look like.”
He smiled. “My, my, Doc. You surprise me. I never took you to be such a traditionalist.”
“I can be, in certain instances. Guess it all goes back to growing up around here. I’ve seen this building lots of times. My mother always admired the stained glass windows.”
“From the outside?”
Layla gave him a derisive look. “Yes, from the outside. My folks weren’t much for church while we lived in Manitou Springs. I’m thankful they started practicing what they preached after we moved away, though.”
Michael held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I wasn’t putting anybody down. I just meant the windows are even more dramatic if you see them from the inside, particularly on a sunny day when the light streams in through them.”
“Oh.” Layla made a face. “Sorry.”
“No problem.”
Michael got out and circled the truck. By the time he reached the passenger side, Layla had already climbed down and was waiting for him.
He offered his arm. “Watch your step. As cold as it is tonight, there may be fresh patches of ice.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Determined to walk to the door unassisted, she spread her arms like a circus tightrope walker and led the way. Michael was right. The surface of the parking lot did have slick places.
He was hovering as if he expected to have to catch her.
“I’m okay,” Layla insisted, pausing only long enough to add, “You don’t have to stay so close. Honest.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when she placed her right foot on an uneven patch of snow, heard it crackle like cellophane and felt it give beneath her weight. That wasn’t worrisome. She’d walked on snowy ground before. She knew what she was doing.
This particular patch of snow hid a sheet of ice suspended above a frigid puddle. When Layla’s foot broke through with a splash and hit bottom, it gave her an unexpected jolt.
Overcorrecting to keep her balance, she took a stutter step forward with her opposite foot, which threw her whole body too far forward. The result would have been an awkward fall, had Michael not reached out and grasped her closest, flailing arm.
“Gotcha,” he said, hauling her upright. “Now will you l
et me steady you? I’d hate to bring a guest to church and have her break a leg before she even got through the door.”
“Whew!” Layla spread her stance slightly for better balance, then gave him a lopsided smile. “Okay. This time. Just don’t get any ideas. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”
“I’m sure you have.”
Michael held out his hand and Layla took it. He’d left his hat and gloves in the truck but his fingers were still toasty warm, his grip comforting. No one but him had offered her unconditional assistance in a long time. The more she thought about her growing feelings of belonging, the more she realized how lonely she really was.
Sighing, Layla tried to put away the thoughts that were touching her heart so deeply, so unexpectedly. Going to church had never made her want to weep before and she certainly wasn’t going to let herself get all teary eyed now. Especially not in front of Michael Vance or his friends and family.
A group of warmly dressed parishioners was entering the wide double doors as Layla and Michael approached. He reached to catch the door before it swung closed. His feet slipped. He lunged, made a grab for the edge of the door.
The next thing Layla knew, he was hanging from the door on one side, from her hand on the other, and she was the one holding him up.
“Nice move, cowboy. I thought you were going to keep me from falling down?”
“Looks like it was mutual. Thanks. I can’t afford broken bones, either.”
“You’re welcome.” The silly, embarrassed look on his face lifted her spirits. “If we weren’t already this close, I’d suggest we crawl.”
“Very funny.” Michael straightened his coat and politely held the door for her. “After you.”
Pastor Gabriel Dawson spotted Michael and extended his hand. “Good to see you. Glad you could make it tonight.”
Michael shook hands, then made introductions. “This is Layla Dixon, my new vet. Layla, Gabriel Dawson. And over there is his wife, Susan, holding the baby. The cute little twins are Hannah and Sarah. Don’t ask me which is which.”
The Danger Within Page 10