Killer Reads: A Collection of the Best in Inspirational Suspense

by Luana Ehrlich

  “It’s about a mile down the road.” Robbie pointed farther down the road.

  Back in the truck. They bumped further down the road and further away from civilization. Finally, an old barn came into view. It looked barely useable. No paint and boards were missing and falling down. A part of the roof was missing.

  A far cry from Dylan’s beautiful barns.

  Robbie jumped out, calling LaTisha’s name as he did. Theresa followed suit and Reggie brought up the rear. After a moment, he turned toward them, “Maybe, she’s in the barn.” The barn doors creaked open as he used both hands to open the double-sized door.

  Reggie walked into the barn behind them. The smell of manure, dirty hay and horses slapped her in the face. Her mind flashed back to the man on top of her before he’d tied her up and put her in the closet.

  She took an involuntary step back toward the door.

  Robbie turned and stared at her. “What’s a matter? Where you going?”

  “The smell. I need some fresh air.”

  “Aren’t you going to help us find LaTisha?” His voice was almost a whine.

  Her eyes scanned the empty stalls. Flies and spider webs were the only sign of life in the barn. “I don’t see any horse in here, Robbie.”

  Theresa’s voice was soft but stern. “You need to take us back up the house. We can wait for LaTisha up there.”

  Robbie’s eyes flittered to Theresa then to Reggie and back. A look of panic filled his eyes. He looked as if he was ready to cry. “I’m sorry, Miss Theresa. I can’t do that.”

  A man stepped out of the shadows.

  CHAPTER 52

  Each of the three forensic specialists was in a different room of Billy Clyde’s cabin searching for the evidence that would lead them to the kidnappers. A fourth person was bagging and tagging items to take back to their lab, including all of Billy Clyde’s destroyed computer equipment.

  Dylan couldn’t imagine what they could learn from that but he’d seen enough crime TV shows to think the effort might not be a complete waste of time.

  Billy Clyde checked his watch. “I would have thought we would have heard from Theresa by now. At least, to tell us if they were going to the hospital or what?”

  His phone rang. “Oh, speak of the devil.” He opened his cell phone and shook his head. “Not them. It’s my boss. Hey, I expected you here by now.”

  A pause.

  Billy chuckled. “You’re lost. I guess I should have given better instructions. Stay where you are. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  ****

  The man took another step out of the shadows. He had a gun in his hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, Reggie screamed. “Run, Theresa. Run.” She turned and ran toward the barn door.

  The man with the gun screamed. “Get her, boy. Don’t just stand there. Get her.”

  Scuffling sounds came from behind her. Couldn’t let him catch her. She forced her legs to move even faster. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Jerking her shoulder away from him, she kept running but a moment later. Hands landed on her back and pushed her down.

  She put her hands in front of her to stop the fall. Pain shot up her knees as she landed on the rock hard barn floor. Muck oozed up through her fingers. She kept moving. No way was she going to let them win. Had to get to the door.

  On hands and knees, she crawled toward the barn door. Her gaze landed on an old rusty feed bucket. She reached for it. Her fingers curled around the handle. In the same moment, she turned on her back and swirled it around to hit her attacker.

  It landed on his knee. A small moan. Using her hands, she pushed herself to a standing position. Only a few more feet to the door. A hand grabbed her shoulder. She pushed it away.

  Somewhere in the barn, Theresa screamed. Reggie turned her head to search for her. Robbie used the distraction and tackled her from behind. A moment later the struggle was over. He sat on top of her with her face smashed against the barn floor. Pieces of straw pricked her cheek, her neck. The smell threatened to overwhelm.

  His weight pressed against her back making it hard to breathe. “Get off me.”

  Robbie lifted off her back slightly.

  She was able to breathe again.

  “Tie her up, boy.”

  Robbie grabbed her hands and put them behind her back. More pain. “Ouch. My shoulder hurts.”

  “Sorry.” He loosened his grasp on her wrists.

  The pain subsided.

  “Thanks.” She whispered.

  “No talking over there. Just tie her up.”

  Robbie’s muscles tensed as the man barked out his orders. Who was that man? It was obvious he was the one in control.

  He encircled her wrists with the rope but not too tightly. Good. Maybe she’d be able to untie them later—when no one was looking. Keeping her voice low. “Why are you doing this, Robbie? You need to think about LaTisha.”

  He looked ready to cry, but he responded in a whisper. “I gotta do it. No choice.”

  That whisper. Familiar. She jerked her head around and stared at him. “That was you. In the house. You’re the one who apologized.”

  His eyes fluttered to her and then back at the man with the gun. “Hush. Just do what he says, and he won’t hurt you.”

  It wasn’t over at all. Dylan tried to make her see the situation wouldn’t be resolved until they knew who’d done it, but she’d just wanted it done and over. Now, she and Theresa were in danger again.

  She had to make him see. “Not true, Robbie. He left me in that closet to die. He’s not going to let us live. Now that we’ve seen his face.”

  The man with the gun moved closer and sneered at her. He kicked dirt in her face. “I said no talking, boy. That’s what I mean.”

  “She’s all tied up.”

  “Good. Stick her in one of the stalls.”

  “Which one?”

  “Which one?” The man mimicked Robbie using a childish voice. “What do I care which one? Make a decision and do it. Be a man for a change.”

  After her feet were tied together, Robbie grabbed hold of her elbows and lifted her up. In spite of being thin, he had no problem carrying her to the stall. He set her down. “Get in there. Just don’t cause no problems.” He pushed her forward.

  She toppled into the horse stall. Her knees hit the hard dirt floor. She winced. They already hurt from the first fall. Theresa sat up against the wall. Hands and feet tied. Her eyes were closed and tears trickled down her face.

  Reggie’s shoulders slumped even closer to the dirty barn floor and a sigh escaped. She’d hoped Theresa had gotten away. On hands and knees, she crawled over to Theresa. Her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m getting real tired of being tied up and shoved around.”

  “Couldn’t agree with you more.” Through the tears Theresa’s eyes flashed with anger.

  “So stupid. I should have figured it out with Dylan and his no venom snake bites and the tattoo.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Theresa’s chin jutted toward the front of the barn. “Robbie’s family. Snake handlers. Someone must have milked the snakes before putting them in with Dylan. That’s why they didn’t have any venom in their bites.”

  Reggie nodded but was still confused. “I don’t see how no venom in the snake bites should make you think of Robbie and his family.”

  “No, but the Bible verse. Mark 16:18. It’s one of the verses snake handlers refer to. I can’t remember the exact words but Robbie has it tattooed—”

  “I recognized Robbie’s voice. He’s the one who apologized to me while I was in the closet, but I don’t think he’s the one that put me in there.”

  “He wasn’t. His tattoo’s on his bicep. Your man had his tattoo on his neck area, right?”

  “Right.”

  “That’s the other man. I know him.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s Denny Reagan. The man who was at our house. The one Billy and Dylan were talking about. The one they were suspiciou
s of.”

  “They were right. What’s he doing here with Robbie?”

  “I have no idea, but one thing’s for sure.” Theresa leaned close as she whispered.

  “What’s that?”

  “We’re going to have to get ourselves out of this mess. Billy and Dylan have no idea what’s going on. They’ll be busy all day with those forensic people. Probably won’t even give us a second thought for hours.”

  Reggie’s heart sank. Theresa was right.

  CHAPTER 53

  Denny Reagan stood at the front of the stall glaring down at them. His boots were scuffed and worn. His long black hair and handlebar mustache made him appear to be the typical bad guy in those old western movies. All he needed was a black cowboy hat to complete the picture.

  Reggie refused to look at him. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. From his general body build and height, she was sure he was the man who’d thrown her in the closet. And from that very short encounter, she’d learned he was a bully who liked to wield his power over other people.

  If she didn’t look at him, he couldn’t see how scared she was.

  “I told you I needed Billy and Dylan here.” His voice had the same twang as Robbie’s.

  “They wouldn’t come. Some people were coming about the fire. I tried.” Robbie’s voice bordered on a whine.

  Denny’s eyes glittered with anger. “I’ll find a way to get them here.”

  Theresa glared at the man. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If you do that, Billy’s going to tear you apart limb by limb. What you need to do is untie us before this thing goes any further.”

  The man threw his head back and laughed. “Really. I don’t think so. I’m the one in control. Your wonderful Billy Clyde has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He has no idea what’s going on here.”

  “So you think.” Her voice challenged him.

  “So I know. And he won’t have any idea until it’s too late for him to do anything about it. Now, you’re going to help me get him here.”

  Theresa’s chin jutted out, and she shook her head. “Not going to happen.”

  Reggie admired the woman’s spunk. She was terrified and wasn’t afraid to admit it. Theresa had been with Billy Clyde a long time. Guess his courage had rubbed off on her. She only prayed she’d have that much time with Dylan.

  From the looks of things, she didn’t think she would.

  He pulled out his gun and aimed it at them. “Oh, it’s going to happen.”

  “Her cell phone’s out in her purse. In the truck.” Robbie walked back into view. His voice sounded panicked. Reggie had the feeling the young man didn’t want any part of this mess. “I can call him and tell him she needs her medical bag. He’ll bring it to her. I know he will.”

  Denny Reagan pulled his eyes from Theresa’s and looked at Robbie. “I suppose that would work. Go get—.”

  “Robbie, are you in here?” A young woman’s voice.

  No. No. No. The last thing they needed was another person here

  “LaTisha. Stay out there. I’m coming. Don’t come back here.”

  Her voice came closer. “Why? I can come—”

  “Stay out there, babe.” Robbie’s voice held a twinge of panic. “Don’t come back here. Go outside and wait for me.”

  LaTisha must not have any idea what was going on.

  A moment later, a beautiful young African-American woman ambled around the corner. Her stomach led the way. “What are—” Her gaze fell to Theresa and Reggie propped up against the horse stall. Her mouth dropped open. “Miss Theresa.”

  She turned to her husband. “What is going—”

  Denny Reagan walked over to her. “It’s none of your concern. It’s family business. Robbie, you get her up to the house. I’ll take care of things down here.”

  A myriad of emotions played on LaTisha’s face. “Oh, Robbie. What have you done?”

  “I ain’t done nothing.” He wouldn’t meet his wife’s eyes. “Just taking care of the family.”

  Her hand covered her mouth. “Robbie. What did they talk you into?”

  Denny moved closer to the pregnant woman. “I said take control of that wife of yours or I will. Now, boy.”

  LaTisha turned on Denny. “You, this is all your fault. I should have known you were up to no good. All that whispering every time I walked into the room. I’m not letting you do this.”

  “Too late, missy. It’s already been done.” He looked at his watch. “In fact, just a few more hours and we’ll all be rich. We just gotta keep Billy Clyde from figuring it out before we can hit the trucks.”

  Reggie stared at him. Money. It was about money and not the president. They’d been on the wrong track completely.

  “Oh, you mean about the Treasury Department? Too late.” Theresa’s voice held a taunt. “He’s already figured it out. You better call it off and go home. It’s all over. When you go for the trucks, you’ll be arrested.”

  Fury flamed from the man’s eyes. He turned away from LaTisha and back toward Theresa, his face a mask of anger. Not sure if that was the tact she’d have taken, but Theresa had a mind of her own.

  Anything to keep them busy so he wouldn’t notice what she was doing. She twisted her fingers searching for the end of the rope tying her hands.

  “What are you talking about?” He glared down at Theresa.

  There she had the rope. Now if she could just untie it.

  Theresa glared back at him. “You heard me. Did you really think Billy wouldn’t figure it out? You know how smart he is.”

  “Then why aren’t they here arresting us?”

  Theresa shrugged. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  Her finger pulled the rope through one of the knots. The rope shifted.

  “He didn’t know who was behind it. Just what the plan was. It’s a trap. A trap that will lead the police right back here—to you.”

  Denny Reagan uttered an oath. He pointed the gun toward LaTisha and Robbie. “Get her up to the house and call your daddy. Tell him not to do it.”

  Robbie grabbed her elbow but LaTisha pulled away from him. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I can’t believe this. How could you do this?” LaTisha’s caramel brown face darkened, her voice filled with the horror of the situation.

  “I told you I didn’t have a choice. It’s not my fault.” Robbie whined. “They were going to take away our land.”

  “You said it wouldn’t affect us.” She put her hands on her stomach. “Our baby. Why would you do this to our baby?”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Uncle Denny said it would be easy money, but he had to get inside Miss Theresa’s house to get to the computers. He needed the computers. We weren’t going to hurt anyone.” His voice broke. “It’s not my fault.”

  “That’s right. It’s not his fault. It’s the government’s fault and we’re going to borrow some of the government’s money to get this family out of the mess they’re in. And you’re going to help us.”

  Reggie pulled another loop through the knot. It was only a matter of time until her hands would be free. Keep them busy, LaTisha. As long as LaTisha was the center of attention, they wouldn’t notice what she was doing.

  LaTisha put a protective hand around her belly. “I’m not helping anyone. I have no idea what’s going on, but this is going to stop right now.” She moved toward them. “I’m untying them.”

  Denny moved toward LaTisha, his face contorted with anger. He pushed the pregnant woman and she toppled against Reggie and Theresa.

  CHAPTER 54

  “I feel more worthless than a tick on a hound.” Dylan paced in front of the cabin. Billy sat on a chair he’d rescued from the deck.

  “I know. My own house and they kicked us out.” Billy Clyde laughed. “Like we were in the way or something.”

  Mark Johnson walked out of what used to be the garage, looking more like an insurance salesman then a spy. That phone seemed permanently a
ttached to his ear. Since he’d arrived, Dylan hadn’t seen him off the phone for more than thirty seconds at a time.

  At least the man had a smile on his face this time. Dylan had been wondering if he knew how to smile. He walked over to them. “Things are under control. The president wasn’t happy about the change of plans but he’s already on his way out of town for an unannounced visit to Dallas.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Mark Johnson nodded. “And as far as you’re concerned, the investigation’s over. We were able to recover the information, thanks to your backup system. No harm—no foul.”

  “So, we’re down to one problem.” Billy Clyde looked grim. “Who’s responsible for this mess?”

  “We’re working on it.” Mark Johnson shook his head. “They aren’t finding any usable prints at the moment but the key is that file they had you delete. We’ve got people rounding them up. We’ll find out what’s going on. Don’t worry about that.”

  Billy Clyde looked grim. “I do worry about that. We’re assuming the president was the target but we don’t know that for sure and until we do know it for sure...”

  Dylan understood where the big man was going with his line of thinking. “Then whoever’s responsible for the kidnapping and house fire is free to do whatever they want.”

  ****

  LaTisha sobbed and held her stomach as she glared up at the man who’d just pushed her down.

  Robbie rushed to his wife. “Are you ok?” He stared up at Denny Reagan. “You got no right to put your hands on my wife.”

  This wasn’t good. Things were getting out of control and when that happened people got hurt. Reggie tugged on the rope and felt it fall away from her wrists. Thank you, God.

  Denny marched toward them.

  She grabbed the rope and twisted it around her wrist.

  He stopped in front of Theresa. “You tell me what you know or I’m going to kill your friend right now.” He slowly aimed the gun at Reggie.

  LaTisha sobbed.

  Theresa’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know anything. I just said that in hopes you would let us leave. Billy has no idea what’s going on. He thinks this is about an assassination attempt on the president not stealing money.”