He shuffled under the covers she’d pulled up to his chin, the tightness of the bandages she’d wrapped around his arm and shoulder restricting movement.
It had hurt like hell when she and Ross had cut away his shirt and dressed the wound, the procedure taking all his stamina not to yell out when the iodine had been applied.
By the time they’d finished, he’d been genuinely exhausted, but relieved to know the knife had only pierced soft tissue and stood a good chance of healing well – if he could get out of the truck stop alive.
His thoughts returned to the couple on the motorcycle. It couldn’t be coincidence that they’d apparently appeared moments before he’d reached the truck stop.
His gut clenched, and he realised they must have been sent out to hunt him down. If they knew who he was, then Nina’s life was at risk every minute he stayed with her.
The sooner he could reach a phone, the better for them both.
As he’d approached the truck stop, he’d seen the phone lines swinging in the wind, but they were still intact. What he couldn’t know until he tried was whether the lines held all the way to the exchange, or whether the storm had uprooted trees and damaged the precious connection.
He wondered if John had managed to escape.
He rubbed the palm of his hand over his face. He couldn’t assume John had raised the alarm, which meant he still had to find a working phone, or another means to get help – and fast.
Kyle gritted his teeth, vowing revenge. He raised his head off the pillow, turning to take in the temporary dressing that covered the upper part of his arm. He’d been lucky.
He groaned, the room spinning, before he let his head fall back. He’d never known such tiredness.
Sure, he’d been stabbed before – shot once, too – but the accumulation of stress under cover for six months followed by the night’s events had caught up with him.
Somehow, he had to find a way to fight the exhaustion and get to a working phone without alerting his enemies.
If they weren’t already in the building with him.
***
Nina chewed a fingernail while she waited by the front door.
The boarded-up windows next to her stifled the room but did little to stop the sound of rain lashing the panes of glass.
Dani and Sean had set themselves up at one end of the counter, talking in muted tones. Nina let their voices wash over her, mulling over the strange conversation with the man sleeping in her bed, either passed out or doing a very good impression of a man who had passed out.
What the hell had he meant about her being in danger? And why all the questions about Ross and who else was in the building? She sighed, annoyed with herself. The stranger was delirious, delusional. He’d been injured, somehow, and had then walked through the storm for help. It was no wonder he was scared.
As Nina checked her watch again, Ross slipped beside her.
‘Anything?’
‘Not yet.’ She craned her neck and peered out the small opening they’d left in the wood panelling to use as a peep-hole through the glass. ‘It’s been nearly an hour. That’s more than enough time to get as far as the creek and back, isn’t it?’
‘I’d have thought so.’
‘Hmm.’ She sighed. ‘Did you phone your dad?’
‘There’s still no signal, and I can’t get through on the landline either.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m sure they’ll be fine. Dad’s lived through a few of these storms over the years, and Tim was nearly finished boarding the house up when I drove down here.’
‘Do you think Phil’s okay?’ said Nina. ‘Should we go and find him?’
Ross frowned. ‘Give it another ten minutes,’ he said. He pushed her gently to one side and peered out through the opening in the boards. ‘It’s getting worse out there again, so he’s probably being careful, driving slowly.’
‘We should never have let him go.’
Ross snorted. ‘He would’ve gone anyway – I’ve been watching him since the storm started. I don’t think he liked being cooped up in here.’
‘Do you think he’ll go all the way into town?’
‘I think he was just planning to check the creek level across the main road, that’s all. If he can get into town, I’d expect him to come back here to get his truck first. Try not to worry too much.’
He pulled her into a hug and lowered his mouth to hers.
Nina turned her head and raised her hands. ‘Ross, I – I’m sorry. This isn’t the time.’ She sighed and rested her forehead on his chest. ‘Sorry.’
He rested his chin on her head, and she felt his breath across her hair. ‘No, Nina – I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.’ He straightened. ‘I’m glad you came back.’
‘Ross, when this storm is over, we need to talk.’ She sighed. ‘I’ve got so much I need to say to you.’
‘Same here. I’ve missed you, you know, and you looked so sad for a moment there.’ He straightened and rubbed her arm. ‘I’ll always be here for you; you know that, right?’
She nodded and then squinted as a vehicle swept into the forecourt, its headlights momentarily blinding her as it passed the door and slid to a halt.
‘He’s back.’
Ross moved away from her and opened the door, then stood back to let Phil in.
A gust of wind blew the door out of his hand, sending it crashing against a shelving unit behind it. Rain blew through the opening, seeking a way into the building.
Nina cringed as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky above the canopy, followed a moment later by a crash of thunder that shook the walls with its ferocity.
A silhouetted figure dashed across the forecourt towards them, hunched against the rain and strong wind.
As Phil stumbled over the threshold, Ross slammed the door, a muted rumble of thunder echoing against it.
Nina took one look at the expression on Phil’s face and rushed to his side.
Hands shaking, he let her help him out of his overcoat and then removed his hat, throwing it onto the counter. Water began to pool around his feet, but Nina ignored it, more concerned with his pale complexion.
‘What’s wrong?’ she said, taking him by the arm. ‘What happened? Are you okay?’
He shook his head and took the towel that Ross passed to him. After drying off the worst of the water, he leaned against the counter.
Sean and Dani had joined them, worry creasing their faces.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Dani, clutching Sean’s arm.
‘Phil?’ urged Ross. ‘You’re beginning to worry us. Did you manage to cross the creek?’
‘No. No, I didn’t.’ Phil paused, took a deep breath, and rested his shaking hands on the counter.
‘There’s a dead man in a car parked near the creek. He’s been shot.’
9
‘Here, sit down,’ said Nina, coaxing Phil onto one of the stools next to the counter. ‘Your legs are shaking.’
She tried to ignore her own hands, which trembled as she spoke.
Phil allowed himself to be seated, then leaned an elbow on the counter and rubbed his hand over his face. ‘Sorry – I’ll be okay in a minute.’
Ross squeezed his shoulder. ‘Take it easy. You’ve had one hell of a shock.’ He turned to Nina. ‘Do you want to grab that spare blanket from your bedroom? I think Phil might feel a bit better if we can get him dry and warm.’
‘Sure.’ Nina hurried out of the shop area and down the passageway towards her room. She slowed as she approached, peered round the door frame, and exhaled when she saw the stranger fast asleep, facing towards her, his arm draping over the side of the bed.
She ran her hand through her hair, her mind racing.
The man had sounded genuinely concerned for her safety earlier, so was he capable of killing another man?
What was the connection between him and the dead man Phil had discovered in the pick-up truck next to the swollen creek?
She cursed under her breath, realising that she should
have demanded he tell her his name when he was awake and they were alone.
The stranger stirred in his sleep, snorted, then rolled away from her, his features hidden.
She moved quietly across the room, grabbed the spare blanket from the foot of the bed, and pulled a towel from the linen cupboard before she crept out again. She went to pull the door shut, frowned, and then pushed it open again.
Just in case.
Returning to the front of the building, she hurried to Phil’s side.
Sean stood nearby, concern etched across his features. Dani clung to him, her face pale in the light from the candles on the counter next to her.
Ross took the blanket from Nina and wrapped it round the shivering man’s shoulders.
‘Here, dry your hair,’ said Nina. ‘I’ll make you a hot drink in a minute.’
Phil nodded, towelled his hair, and then scrunched the material between his fingers, his breathing heavy.
‘You said you saw a dead man?’ prompted Sean. ‘Where was he?’
Phil ran a hand through his damp hair. ‘Just before the creek floods the road,’ he said. ‘It looks like his car lost control or something – it’s over to one side of the asphalt, on the verge.’ He swallowed. ‘I only saw it because my headlights caught the reflectors on the back of the car. I thought he might have been stranded – you know, bogged down in the mud – and I was worried the creek might flood even worse than it has, so I stopped behind the car and went to see if I could help. I – sorry…’
He broke off, and Nina looked away as he tried to gather his wits.
‘I’m sorry – I just keep seeing him,’ he said, wiping his eyes.
Ross squeezed Phil’s shoulder. ‘You’re doing fine,’ he said. ‘How do you know he’d been shot?’
‘When I reached the driver’s seat, I found him slumped over the steering wheel,’ said Phil. ‘I thought he was asleep, so I went to give him a shake to wake him up.’ He hiccupped. ‘Then I saw all the blood over the windshield and in his hair.’ He stopped again, and a tear splashed his cheek. ‘I’ve never seen a man shot in the head before.’
‘Jesus,’ murmured Ross. His eyes met Nina’s.
She shook her head. She couldn’t speak. Instead, she placed her hands on her hips and moved away from Phil and the others while she tried to hold herself together.
Sure, she knew that sort of thing happened in the larger towns, and certainly in the cities with their problems of overcrowding, under-employment, and drug abuse, but here?
And why?
Who was the man? What had he done to deserve such a violent end?
She heard Ross, still asking questions, his voice a gentle murmur.
‘Phil? What are the roads like?’
The other man sniffed. ‘The creek’s burst its banks. The water level’s covered the bridge. The road was underwater for about four hundred yards leading up to the bridge. It looked like it was still rising.’
‘No chance of getting the emergency services here tonight then.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘Nina?’
She looked up at Ross’s voice. He’d moved closer to her, concern in his eyes.
‘Are you going to be okay?’
She nodded. ‘I think so.’
‘Good.’ He glanced over his shoulder at Phil as the man rubbed the towel between his fingers to coax the cold from his hands. ‘Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.’
Nina jumped as Ross pushed past her and wrenched open the front door.
She followed him as far as the threshold and then squinted through the torrential rain as he sprinted over to his truck. She shrugged at Sean and Dani who were staring at her, frowns on their faces.
‘I don’t know what he’s doing, either,’ she said, and returned her gaze to the forecourt.
***
Ross hurried towards his truck, his feet sloshing through deep pools of water collecting in the pot-holed surface of the garage forecourt while rain dripped from his chin and nose.
His feet slid in the mud, and he threw out his arms for balance as he ran, the deafening torrent of rain obliterating any other sounds around him. By the time he reached the vehicle, his clothes were soaked through, the cold water leaching into his skin.
Climbing into the tray on the back of the truck, he staggered forward until he reached the locked aluminium toolbox mounted near the back of the cab. He knelt, ignoring the water that ran off his hat and down his neck, and reached into his pocket. Extracting a small bunch of keys, his fingers located the small one he sought, and he unlocked the toolbox.
Holding the metal lid open enough to reach inside, but keeping it at an angle so the contents would remain dry, he leaned forward, extending his arm until his fingers touched cold metal. He tightened his grip and pulled.
The next flash of lightning illuminated the barrel of the hunting rifle, its firing mechanism and wooden stock wrapped in an old towel to protect them.
He swung the weapon over his arm and then reached back into the toolbox and pulled out a sports bag, looping its long canvas strap over his shoulder.
He let the lid fall shut, re-locked the toolbox, and slid back to the ground.
Next, he wrenched open the driver’s door. He clenched his teeth and swallowed hard as he remembered John’s instructions.
If something goes wrong, do anything you can to slow them down.
He reached out and pulled the keys from the ignition, stuffed them into his pocket, then swung the cab door shut and stalked back to the building.
Nina’s eyes opened wide as Ross pushed his way through the door, the rifle slung across his shoulder and the bag in his hand.
‘Ross, what are you doing?’
He slung the bag on the counter, loaded the rifle, and swung himself onto a stool, the weapon balanced across his knee.
‘I’m not taking any chances. Either there’s a killer out there in that storm, or,’ he said, his jaw set, ‘he’s lying on his back in your bed with a stab wound to his shoulder.’
10
Lightning split the clouds overhead, an electrifying crackle that shook the walls of the building.
‘That was close,’ said Ross, and Nina heard the slight tremor in his voice before he handed the rifle to her and disappeared to the back of the building.
Nina leaned over and pushed the buttons on the front of the radio, trying to pick up something other than static.
A faint mist of voices and music faded in and then out again before being lost to the airwaves.
She gave up and turned the volume down, the hiss of white noise beginning to grate on her nerves.
She resisted the urge to try the telephone again. With the storm so close, it was unlikely it’d be working, and she had no intention of receiving an electric shock if the line was hit at the same time the receiver was in her hand.
It would have to wait.
She stared up at the ceiling. Above their heads, the tin roof creaked as it tried to break free from the joists. Somewhere, a corner flapped in the wind, and she crossed her fingers, hoping the wind would change direction before the panel was ripped from the structure.
Rain lashed the windows in waves, buffeted by the wind. At one point, she thought the windows would crack under the pressure, the droplets pummelling the panes of glass.
She spun at the sound of footsteps on the tiled floor and raised her eyebrows as Ross joined her, a bottle in his hand.
‘Bourbon?’
He shrugged, put five glasses on the counter, and uncapped the bottle. ‘I spent enough time here with your father to know where he keeps the emergency supplies,’ he said, tipping a generous quantity of the amber liquid into each of the glasses.
Nina frowned, wondering if there was more to his off-hand remark, whether he was chiding her for being gone so long. She shuffled on the stool, thinking of her father and Ross becoming so close in her absence that they regularly shared a drink.
She watched as he slid one of the drinks along th
e counter to Phil who stopped it, then held up the glass in a toast to Ross. ‘Just what the doctor ordered,’ he said, his hand shaking.
Ross nodded and handed glasses to Sean and Dani. ‘Here. We’ve all had a shock. This might help.’
Handing back the rifle, Nina accepted her drink from Ross and savoured the warm burn as the liquid hit the back of her throat. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the thought of Ross sitting with her father here in the evenings, when she’d been hundreds of miles away in the city, trying to put as much space between herself and Mistake Creek as she could.
When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her over the top of his drink.
Then he turned away, and the moment passed.
She noticed that Sean held his glass in his hand, not drinking, but Dani had already finished hers and had placed her glass on the floor next to her feet.
‘Why are you selling the business?’ she asked, and stretched, cat-like, before curling her feet up under her.
‘My father’s been running the business for years,’ said Nina, grateful for the excuse to take her mind off the evening’s events for a brief moment. ‘He used to do well with the accommodation block out the back, but the drought scared the tourists away – no-one’s interested in seeing the valley struggling.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ve got no idea how Ross’s neighbour is doing so well – everyone else around here is desperate, but he seems to be doing okay.’
‘That’s the Hudson place we stopped at, right?’ said Dani.
Nina nodded. ‘I don’t know him personally – there was a different owner of that farm when I used to live here.’
‘He’s probably got other businesses elsewhere that help to prop it up,’ said Phil. He shrugged. ‘That’s what I’ve heard anyway. And he’s not exactly legitimate,’ he added.
‘Really?’ Nina twisted in her chair to face him. ‘What do you mean?’
In response, he pointed to the fragments of the stranger’s shirt strewn across the counter.
‘That white powder? I reckon that’s something to do with him.’
‘What makes you so sure?’
Two FBI thrillers: Before Nightfall and Mistake Creek Page 26