“Sure, Frank,” Webb managed to wheeze out.
“Why in the hell do you give a damn about that kid any way? You got a hard-on for kids?” Frank asked. “Tell you what . . . if I get my hands on her again, I’ll let you watch what I do to her.”
A flash of anger erupted in Webb and he prayed his eyes didn’t betray him. Frank was crazy enough to cut his throat and leave him where he fell. “Whatever you say, Frank.”
“Damn right it is,” Frank said and stepped back, taking the blade from Webb’s throat and releasing his arm from his chest.
Webb’s breathing slowly returned to normal. He kept his eyes on Frank, half-expecting him to make another move against him.
“Get your things,” Frank snarled. “I’ll be waitin’ outside.”
Webb’s eyes bored into Frank’s back as he stepped out of the cabin and slammed the door behind him. A parade of thoughts marched through his head as he tried to figure out what to do.
“Damn,” he said aloud.
Reaching beneath his bunk he pulled out his duffel bag. He’d come too far to turn back now. He had a job to do and, by God, he was going to do it. But I’m doin’ it on my terms!
His fingers touched the cold steel of the revolver and he pulled it out of the bag. He’d brought the extra thirty-eight in case of an emergency. If this didn’t qualify, he didn’t know what would! He wasn’t sure if Frank knew about this gun so he quickly stuck it in the waistband of his pants, pulling his shirt out to cover the bulge.
Things were getting out of control, of that much he was certain. The thought came to him that before this was over he might have to kill the son of a bitch or the son of a bitch would kill him.
He picked up his duffel bag and left the cabin.
Chapter 22
OH, MY GOD!”
Nona couldn’t believe her eyes. There, in the middle of the bed, were bundles of hundred-dollar bills bound in bank strips. She couldn’t even imagine how much money was there; she had never seen so much in her entire life. Her mind reeling, she tried to comprehend it all.
Simon was silent as his hands sifted through the pile of money. His face was without expression, but his brow was furrowed.
“It’s this damn money, isn’t it? This is why they’ve taken Maggie!” she blurted. “If I’d known this was what they wanted, I would have given it to them.”
Nona had known that her half-brother was corrupt, but she had no idea that he was stupid enough to have stolen this money. Didn’t he know that she and Maggie would be suspected as his accomplices? If he did, he evidently didn’t care. She should have opened the package when she’d first received it, and turned the money over to the police. If she had, this mess would be over.
“Wait a second,” Simon said, pulling her from her thoughts. “What’s that?”
Nona’s glance followed his to the floor and a note taped to the inside of the box. Written on it, in bold script, was her name.
“Another note,” she said.
She reached for the note cautiously, as if she were a snake handler and the paper was poisonous to the touch. She pulled the paper from the tape, but before she could start to unfold it, a strange feeling came over her. Looking up, she found Simon staring at her intently. His eyes moved quickly over her face as if searching for something.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
“I guess I’m afraid of what it will say,” she admitted. “Every bit of news I’ve had from Harold for the last few years has been bad. Every phone call, every letter, every time I’ve talked to him face to face has turned out to be bad for me and Maggie. This won’t be any different.”
Gently, Simon put his hand on her arm. The touch was comforting and she thanked God that he was with her to share the problem her half-brother had thrust upon her.
“This time it’s different. I’m here with you.” Simon bent his head toward her. His breath was warm on her face.
She looked into his eyes. “Thank you for being here.”
“Go ahead and read the letter.”
She opened the note and began to read.
My Dear Nona,
If you are reading this letter, then you believe something has happened to me and you felt the need to open the package. I’m certain that you were surprised to see what was inside. Well, maybe not too surprised! I know that you believe me to be a snake in the grass and you’re not far from the truth. I’ve done some pretty despicable things in my life and I’ve not been a good brother to you and our younger sister, and you may think I’m asking a lot of you to keep this money for me. When the time is right I will share it with you and Maggie. Be careful that you don’t tell anyone about it. Some people might think it’s stolen, but I assure you that with clever investments from our father’s estate, I earned it for us. If anyone asks you about me, tell them you haven’t heard from me in years. Another thing, if you try to bank this money you’ll have to explain where you got it and both of us will be in trouble. I’ll be in touch with you in a few months and give you further instructions. Please believe me when I say I’ve done this for you and Maggie as much as for myself.
Your brother,
Harold
She had been surprised at the contents of the first letter, and she was even more surprised at this one. Harold had been right; she thought him to be one of the most contemptible people alive. Now he was trying to make good for the wrongs he had done to her and Maggie . . . maybe.
Without asking, Simon took the note from her hand and quickly read it. When he finished, he folded the paper and placed it back inside the shoe box.
“What could he have possibly been thinking?” Nona asked, her mind in turmoil.
“With Harold, you can’t be sure.”
“He is asking a lot to involve me in his scheme.”
“Harold was looking out for himself and, by offering to share it with you, thought he was being generous.”
“This is stolen money! I couldn’t possibly keep it, even if he says he earned it with the money Father left us. I don’t believe that. I think I’d be just as guilty as he is if I kept this money.”
“Yes, you would, and I think Harold realized this when he sent you the money.”
“Then why did he send it? Did he think I’d just hold it for him? Why didn’t he put it in a bank someplace?”
“He’s using you, Nona.”
“I don’t know what happened to change Harold. We were both taught by our father to be honest and respect the property of others.”
“It’s not all here,” Simon said, breaking into her thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
“The money.” Simon scratched his chin. “This is a fair chunk of cash, but it’s not even close to what was stolen.”
“He stole more than this?” Just being close to this much money made the hairs stand up on the back of Nona’s neck. She couldn’t imagine that Harold had taken more than this.
“Lots more.”
“Then where’s the rest of it?”
“Lining his pockets. He’s using it to live the high life.” Simon shrugged. “It seems to me that his generosity only went so far. I bet we’d find him sitting on the beach somewhere sipping margaritas while you and Maggie deal with his crime.”
Another flash of anger traveled across Nona’s face. Harold had broken the law and left the mess in her lap.
“This money belongs to the bank.”
“And that’s exactly where it’s going,” Nona exclaimed firmly. “I’ll take this money to the police. The sooner it’s out of my hands, the better I’ll like it.”
“I don’t think it’s that easy.”
“Why not?”
Simon took her hands and slowly explained. “I’m afraid that if Maggie was taken because of the money and it was known that you had turned it in, there would be no reason for them to keep her alive.”
The power of Simon’s words was as real as if he had struck her in the face. Nona’s hand flew from his grip to her m
outh. “Oh, my God! You’re right, Simon! You’re right!”
“Right now, they need her alive. If the money is still unaccounted for, the kidnappers will need her for leverage. They’ll try to force you to tell them where the money is.”
“But they haven’t contacted me, and besides she doesn’t know anything.”
“We know that, but they don’t.”
“I’ll kill them. I swear, I’ll kill them if they hurt her,” Nona said fiercely.
“That’s why we have to be especially careful. We can’t let anyone know about this. Not Mabel, not Jack, not the police. This has to stay between us until we get Maggie back.”
“So what do we do?”
Simon began gathering the money up and packing it back inside the shoe box. “I’ll keep it.”
Nona thought briefly of her suspicion of him when they’d first come to the camp. He knew a lot about Harold, things that even she didn’t know. It was a surprise to find out that he and Harold were related. Who was this man who was so willing to share her troubles? Nona knew she had feelings for him, was possibly in love with him, but she honestly didn’t know much about him. As bizarre as it sounded, could Simon be involved in the bank robbery? Had he been after the money all along?
“We’ll need to . . .” Simon stopped in mid-sentence, then turned to look at her. Straightening up, he studied her closely, his jaw rigid, his gaze steady. She was mesmerized by his eyes. They stood looking at each other as if they were two statues, frozen in time.
“You still don’t trust me,” he said quietly.
“Simon . . .” She was hushed by one of his fingers pressing gently on her lips.
“Nona,” he said softly, “from the moment I saw you at my grandfather’s apartment building, I wanted to know you and take care of you and Maggie because I knew what Harold was capable of doing. Yes, when I got you to come here, I knew Harold had robbed the bank. No, I didn’t know he had squandered all of your inheritance.”
Nona opened her mouth to speak, but Simon said softly, “Let me finish.” His eyes held hers. “I’ve come to care for you and hope that you return my feelings. If anything should happen to you, I’d never forgive myself for bringing you here. As soon as we get Maggie back, I’ll drop a few hints that you have given me a package to hold, so if they come after someone, it will be me.”
“Drop a few hints? To whom?”
“Everybody. Jack, the Hogans, Russ, and the sheriff’s men. Jack will spread the word.” He finished and took his finger from her lips and kissed her softly.
Tears welled in her eyes. “I wish we had never come here.”
The emotions that had frayed her nerves for the last two days suddenly overwhelmed her. She fell forward into Simon’s embrace. Sobs shook her. She buried her face in the curve of his neck, letting go all that she had been holding back.
“Don’t cry, honey,” he whispered, and peppered her forehead with small kisses. “When this is over, we have some serious talking to do. I’ll warn you right now, it’ll be hard for me to let you go back to Little Rock.”
“I probably won’t go back to Little Rock when we leave here. I want to take Maggie to a smaller town.”
“Don’t think about that now. It’s going to be okay, honey. You’ll see.”
Through the haze of tears that clouded her eyes, Nona said a silent prayer that he was right.
As LeAnn put the last of the dishes in the cabinet, she looked out over the lake at the glorious sunset; deep mauve and orange streaks raced up from the horizon. What few clouds were still in the sky looked like bruises against the vivid background. She couldn’t hold back a smile.
“You look happy.”
LeAnn turned at the sound of Jack’s voice, to find him standing behind her. Simon had insisted that Jack stay with her when she went to her cabin.
“I don’t think I should be,” LeAnn answered. “To tell you the truth, it seems selfish to be happy after all that’s happened.”
“Why do you think it’s selfish?”
LeAnn shrugged. “There’s been so much bad news lately. Ernie has been dead only a week. Even though we had problems, he was still my husband. On top of that, Maggie’s still missing. It doesn’t seem appropriate to smile.”
“It seems like the perfect time to me,” Jack said softly, his words chosen carefully, his eyes on her profile. She was pretty. Her wheat-colored hair lay in waves against her cheeks. He sniffed. “Your hair smells good.”
LeAnn’s heart thumped when she felt his nose in her hair and then his warm breath on her neck. She lifted her shoulder up to her ear. “That tickles,” she said.
“That doesn’t tickle,” he answered. “I’ll show you what tickle is.” His fingers went down from her arm to her ribs.
“Stop that.” She giggled.
Jack’s lips touched her cheek. “You like this better?”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“Are you surprised at that?”
“Of course I am. Have you looked at me lately?”
“Sure. About every five minutes.”
“Then you must know that my complexion is bad, I have no waistline, and my ankles are swollen.”
“I don’t see all that. All I noticed was that some time ago you must have swallowed a watermelon seed.”
“Oh, you’re so funny.”
“Well, I’ve got you smiling, haven’t I?”
Jack had helped her clean the cabin, refusing to allow her to lift even a chair. He had swept the floor and helped her with the dishes, something that Ernie hadn’t done once during their brief marriage. Ernie had expected her to wait on him hand and foot when he was home. She wondered how it would have been with the baby. He would have been jealous of the time she spent with it. She felt a brief moment of sorrow for the man he could have been, for the boy she had known in school. She mentally shook herself. It wasn’t good to live in the past. It was her baby’s future and her own that were important now.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jack interrupted.
“I don’t think they’re worth that much.” LeAnn’s face was a deep shade of red. Not for anything did she want him to know about her problems with Ernie. That was over and done.
“The way you’re blushing, I’d say they’re worth a couple of dollars.”
“Yes, but . . .” LeAnn’s words were cut off by a solid kick from inside her belly. It wasn’t the first time the baby had moved, but it was still enough to catch her off guard.
“What happened? Your face changed colors suddenly. You’re pale now.”
“The baby is moving around.”
“You’re not going into labor, are you?” he asked ner-vously. The look on his face was a mixture of excitement and fear.
“No, silly! The baby just kicked me really hard, that’s all.” She laughed. The feeling was so wonderful that she felt a powerful urge to share it with him. Taking his arm, she rested his hand on her stomach and held it in place. “Wait just a second, she’ll do it again.”
“She? How do you know it will be a girl?”
“Woman’s intuition. When I think about the baby, I just assume it’s a girl. I just . . .” Another kick interrupted her and she exclaimed, “Did you feel that? Did you, Jack?” She looked into his face. His mouth was set in a wide grin, a look of wonderment on his face.
“That was amazing!”
They stood in the kitchen, smiling at each other, waiting for another series of movements from the baby. She was happy to be sharing this moment with him. She knew, for certain, that her feelings for Jack were growing. No man had ever paid her the kind of attention that he gave her. She tried not to think that the reason he was with her was because Simon had ordered him to stay with her. Whatever the future held, she would have this moment to remember.
After a couple of minutes, LeAnn became aware of barking dogs. She looked up at Jack and saw that he was listening as well.
“What’s got into Sam Houston and Cochise?”
“I bet
ter see.”
Jack stepped to the door and looked out into the ever-increasing darkness. LeAnn followed him and peered over his shoulder. The sun was behind the hilltops. A few lamps had come on around the camp. There was just enough light to see the dogs running back and forth along the edge of the woods, barking.
“Something’s got them worked up.” Jack stepped out onto the porch and searched the edge of the woods. “There’s something out there they don’t like.”
“They didn’t bark at the sheriff’s men today.”
“Cochise didn’t feel threatened because it was daylight and Simon was with them.” Jack moved so that his body was positioned in front of hers. “Go back in the house, LeAnn.”
A low growl came from Cochise, frantic sharp barks from Sam Houston. LeAnn’s imagination worked overtime. Whoever was out there might be the person who had killed Ernie and might have come back to kill her and her baby. She put both hands on Jack’s arm and squeezed tightly.
“What is it?”
“Stay back. Stay behind me,” he warned.
Suddenly, Sam Houston backed away from the bushes, his teeth bared, growling angrily, hair standing up on his back. LeAnn gasped as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows. A second, smaller figure followed the first.
She glanced at Jack and was surprised to see a gun in his hand.
Chapter 23
SIMON PUT THE LAST OF THE BUNDLES back into the shoe box and closed the lid. It was a relief to Nona to share the responsibility with him. If Maggie had been kidnapped because of the money, whoever had taken her would probably be returning to the camp to look for it.
“Do you think they know we’ve got it?” She voiced her fears.
“Why do you think they’re here? Of course they know. But I’m better equipped to take care of myself than you are . . .” He started to tell her that he was experienced in this sort of thing, but suddenly stopped, his lips clamping together tightly. He couldn’t tell her that he was almost certain that Ernie had been involved and that was why he was killed.
On Tall Pine Lake Page 19