Buried in Bargains

by Josie Belle

  “By that, Mrs. Lancaster, I assume you mean me,” Blake said.

  Ginger leveled him with a glare, and Claire moved herself in front of Marshall Dillon.

  “What are you doing here, Blake?” Maggie asked. “You know the police are looking for you.”

  “Yes, I’m aware,” he said dryly. “Their timing really ruined my plans for the evening.”

  Maggie felt her throat constrict. “By that, you mean your plan to kill my daughter?”

  “That would be the one,” he confirmed. His eyes glinted with wicked malice.

  “Why?” Maggie asked. “Why would you harm Laura? She’s done nothing to you.”

  She began to lean in to Claire in a not-so-subtle push to get all of them away from Blake. The only barrier in the room was the table, and Maggie felt it was imperative to have it between him and them.

  Ginger and Claire seemed to catch on and began to slowly inch away from him. Maggie stayed in front of the table while the others moved. She noticed Claire nudging Marshall Dillon down into one of the seats where he’d be out of sight. Once they were clear, she scooted around the table after them.

  Blake had one hand in his pocket, and Maggie assumed it was a knife or a gun and that his intent was to do harm. If Blake had come here instead of running, he had to be pretty desperate or angry, neither of which left Maggie with a good feeling.

  “Why?” he asked. “Because Laura ruined everything.”

  He looked at Maggie as if she were too stupid to live, which at any other time would have offended her to the core. At the moment, however, her need to survive this encounter dominated any other feelings, drowning out her ability to process anything but terror.

  “Do you have any idea how long I spent romancing Leann?” he asked. “Months. I spent months following her, learning her schedule, discovering what she liked to eat and where she liked to go. And then she vanished on me,” Blake said.

  The anger in his voice was palpable, and Maggie felt Claire and Ginger pause. She knew she had to prod him to keep his attention on her.

  “That’s not romancing someone, Blake; that’s stalking,” Maggie said. “Didn’t you ever wonder why she vanished?”

  “Shut up!” he shouted, and they all jumped. “I was not stalking her. I was doing research, making sure she was the one.”

  His cheeks flamed hot, and he looked agitated. Maggie felt Ginger give her arm a squeeze, and Maggie knew she was telling her to be careful.

  “Yes, she moved here and took a different name, because of him,” Blake snarled. “Not to get away from me, but because he wanted her to do it.”

  “He who?” Maggie asked. She was pleased that her voice sounded calm, because inside she was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

  “You know who—Michael Claramotta,” Blake snapped.

  “You think Michael made her change her name?” Maggie asked.

  “I know it,” Blake said. “I overheard Leann’s boss, Brody, tell her all about Michael Claramotta in Virginia and how he would help her out.”

  “How did you overhear it?” Maggie asked. She leaned in to Ginger to get the other two women moving again.

  “Please.” Blake gave her another condescending glance. “Bugging an office in a deli is child’s play.”

  Suddenly, it all made sense, and Maggie stared at him in horror when she realized what else he had done. “It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who filed the restraining order against Michael. How?”

  “I’m a clerk for the court,” he said. “Creating a paper trail is pretty easy when you know how, and I knew it would make him look guilty of killing her, which is no more than he deserved for taking away the woman I loved.”

  “But why kill her?” Maggie asked. “If you loved her, why kill her?”

  “Because she was doing it again,” he said. He kept his hand in his pocket but ran the other through his hair in frustration. “She was making friends and going out. I worked so hard to get her all to myself, and that stupid butcher and your dumb daughter ruined it.”

  His rant ended on a high-pitched keen that made Maggie wince and tighten up as if he were about to hit her. He didn’t. Instead, he looked across the room, past Maggie, as if he was seeing something that the rest of them couldn’t.

  “Don’t you see?” he asked. “She was my soul mate. That’s why I wanted to know everything about her before I approached her. And I did. I knew what books she read, what movies she went to, who her friends were and where she shopped. I wanted to show her how perfect we would be together.”

  “That’s just creepy,” Ginger said.

  “It is not!” Blake yelled. “It’s research. Knowledge is power, you know.”

  Maggie felt Ginger tremble beside her, and she reached down and grabbed Ginger’s hand with her own. She squeezed her fingers to give her reassurance. Ginger squeezed back to let her know she was okay.

  “How did you meet her?” Claire asked. Her voice was soft, and Maggie knew she was too scared to speak above a whisper, but it worked, because Blake seemed calmed by her tone, and he visibly relaxed.

  “She came into the office where I work to pay a traffic ticket,” he said. “She was very naughty and got ticketed for speeding. But then she smiled at me, and that’s when I knew that she was the woman I was going to spend my life with. She was so beautiful. I knew I had to make her mine.”

  Maggie glanced at Ginger and Claire. Marshall Dillon hadn’t moved from his chair but instead was crouched below the table edge as if he knew that Blake Caulfield was dangerous. Smart cat.

  Blake met Maggie’s gaze and smiled. He knew she was scared, and he was enjoying it. He thought he had them at his mercy, and Maggie realized that was all he’d ever wanted, to be the one who had the power. He’d wanted it over Leann, and he’d tried the same with Laura. If Sam hadn’t gotten to her in time, he would have killed her. Maggie felt a surge of rage at what might have happened.

  “Well, that didn’t really work out for you, now, did it, Blake?” Maggie asked, knowing full well she was baiting him.

  She saw Ginger flinch and knew her tone had been harsh, but Maggie was tired of playing. Blake had them cornered in this tiny room, and it was getting hot. She could feel the sweat beading at her temples, and her breath was getting tight.

  She didn’t like the look on Blake’s face. He looked smarmy and so sure of himself. It made her feel like a spider was scurrying across her skin.

  “No, it didn’t!” Blake snapped. “But that’s okay, because I’m going to make everyone who kept her from me pay.”

  “We didn’t keep her from you,” Maggie said.

  “Yes, you did!” Blake yelled. “I had Leann ready to accept me. She was new in town. She had no friends. And then your daughter shows up, and the next thing I know Leann is going out for coffee and wearing new clothes and makeup, and dancing at balls with other men!”

  His face was red, and he was huffing and puffing as if every cell in his body were consumed with rage. He took his hand out of his pocket and Maggie almost sagged with relief when she saw that it was empty. He fisted his hands in his hair as he glared at them.

  “I had to kill her, don’t you see?” he cried. “She wasn’t doing what she was supposed to do. She wasn’t under my control anymore, and it’s all because of your daughter. Laura just couldn’t let well enough alone, could she?”

  Maggie knew now was the moment. If Sam was bringing Laura here, Maggie would much rather be the one harmed by this lunatic than let him have another crack at her daughter.

  She whipped her head at Ginger and Claire, and shouted, “Tackle now!”

  Blake realized their intent, and his hand shot back into his pocket. Without his arm to brace him, he fell to the floor hard when Claire hit him from the side, Ginger took him out at the knees and Maggie gouged him with an elbow right in the chest. The tussle was messy. There were too many bodies, and Maggie knew she and the others were holding back for fear of hurting each other. Their hesitancy cost them.


  Blake began kicking viciously and managed to clip Claire in the jaw with the toe of his shoe, sending her sprawling backward. Ginger went to sit on his legs, but with his free hand he punched her hard right in the temple.

  Ginger staggered and Maggie cried out, even as she tried to subdue Blake by grabbing his arm. But three middle-aged bargain hunters were no match for a young man fueled by psychotic rage. Before Maggie could get a good grip on him, he had the sharp edge of a lethal looking knife pointed right at her throat.

  Chapter 26

  “Stop!” Blake shouted.

  Maggie froze. Ginger and Claire, who had regrouped and were about to jump back into the fray, held their positions.

  “Get up!” Blake said to Maggie, and then he turned to the others, and said, “Get back against the wall.”

  Maggie rose slowly to her feet while Ginger and Claire scooted back.

  “You’re coming with me,” Blake said to Maggie. “If either of you interfere, I’ll cut her.”

  He turned the knife, letting the overhead light shine down on its blade. Ginger swallowed and nodded, and Claire let out a small whimper. They both looked at Maggie with wide, frightened eyes.

  Maggie gave them a small nod, letting them know they should do what he’d said. She couldn’t have borne it if anything had happened to her friends.

  Blake opened the door. He gestured with the knife for Maggie to lead the way. “After you—ah!”

  Maggie jumped as Blake let out a high-pitched shriek. He dropped the knife and began spinning, as if trying to reach something on his back. Maggie kicked the knife through the open door and out of the room.

  Ginger and Claire jumped to their feet and, as Blake whirled around yet again, Maggie saw a small ball of gray fur digging into the center of Blake’s back for all he was worth. Marshall Dillon had disarmed a killer.

  Blake seemed to catch on that it was an animal on his back, and he turned his back to the wall and looked like he was going to slam backward into the concrete to dislodge the cat. Maggie jumped between him and the wall, lifting her knee to block him. He tried to slam against her, but she didn’t move her leg and used his nearness to snatch the cat off of his back.

  Blake was shoved forward off her knee, and Claire cracked him on the head and back with one of the interrogation room chairs. Blake hit the ground with a sickly smack, his forehead bearing the brunt of the impact. Ginger put her foot on his back while Claire loomed over him with the chair, ready to hit him again.

  Blake didn’t move. Maggie hugged Marshall Dillon close, and he rubbed the top of his head under her chin. She had no doubt that the kitten had saved her life.

  “What do we do—?” Ginger began, but a ruckus sounded from the front of the station house, interrupting her.

  “Maggie!” Sam called. “Maggie, where are you?”

  “Back here!” she cried. She would have run out to greet him, but her legs were shaking, and she didn’t think she had the strength.

  “What are you doing?” Sam asked as he entered the room. He took the scene in at a glance, and then he visibly paled. “Are you all right?”

  They all nodded. Sam stepped forward and checked Blake. Maggie could see that he was breathing, but he had a rapidly growing knot on his temple. With a head injury, it wasn’t safe to move him. Sam seemed okay with that as he reached for his cuffs and secured Blake’s hands behind his back.

  Sam stood up and gestured for Claire to put the chair down. She seemed to have forgotten that she was holding it and lowered it quickly, letting it bang off the linoleum floor.

  “Everything all right, Sheriff?” Deputy Dot Wilson poked her head in, and then she gasped.

  “Deputy, keep an eye on him until the paramedics get here,” Sam said.

  “Yes, sir.” Dot stepped into the room and took up a post out of reach of Blake and in between him and the door.

  “If he comes to, call me,” Sam said. “Ladies, let’s get you out of here. Maggie, I’ve got a young lady outside who is pretty anxious to see her mom.”

  “Is she okay?” Maggie asked.

  “She’s fine,” he said. “Shaken up but otherwise fine.”

  Sam gestured for them to leave, and Ginger and Claire practically ran him down, so eager were they to get out of the room of terror. As Maggie went to walk by him, Sam caught her in a quick hug that included Marshall Dillon. He kissed her head and exhaled a huge sigh.

  “You’re aging me, Maggie Gerber,” he said.

  “Just be glad you brought your fuzzy deputy in with you today,” Maggie said. “Marshall Dillon attacked Blake when he was going to take me away as his new plaything. He—” Maggie’s voice cracked, and she had to clear her throat before she could continue. “He saved my life.”

  “Did he, now?” Sam said. He scooped the kitten out of Maggie’s arms and clutched him close with one hand while he put his other arm around Maggie and locked her against his side. “I think he’s going to have to be officially deputized, then.”

  “It’s the least you can do,” Maggie said. “I really think he has a promising career in law enforcement.”

  Sam smiled, but then his gaze met Maggie’s in a look that was equal parts fear and relief. He pulled her close and kissed her as if he was afraid it might be his last chance. Maggie grabbed his shirtfront and pulled him in even closer. She didn’t want to think about the fact that she might never have gotten to kiss Sam or be this close to him again.

  When they finally broke apart, Sam pressed his forehead against hers, and said, “You know, now that I’ve got you, I’m never going to let you go.”

  Maggie grinned. “I think you’ve got that backward. I’m the one who is never going to let you go.”

  Sam blinked at her, and a small smile played on his lips and spread into a full-on grin as their words created the new promise between them.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said, still grinning. “I’m not the one who cut and ran all those years ago.”

  “Huh!” Maggie scoffed, her grin mirroring his. “Who left for college and never bothered to find out why I dumped him?”

  “Who did the dumping?” he countered.

  They stared at each other as if they were about to engage in a tiff, but the blinding smiles on their faces made it clear that they couldn’t be any happier to be giving each other a hard time.

  Sam pulled her close and kissed her again. “It’s never going to be boring with you around, is it?”

  “Nope, and I’m sure you’ll keep me on my toes, too,” she said.

  “I love you, Maggie.”

  “I love you, too, Sam.”

  • • •

  At five o’clock on the dot on Christmas Eve, there was a knock on Maggie’s front door. Maggie’s mother and sister had arrived earlier in the day and were on the sunporch playing with Josh and visiting with Jake. Meanwhile, Maggie, Sandy and Laura were in the kitchen fixing the holiday dinner.

  It was toasty warm in the kitchen, and Maggie was happy to excuse herself to go answer the door and feel the cold air on her face. Well, that and she was longing to see Sam. The arrest of Blake Caulfield had taken up all of his time over the past two days and, other than hurried phone calls, she hadn’t seen or heard from him at all.

  Blake Caulfield had been arrested for the murder of Leann Winthrop, the assault on Michael Claramotta, the kidnapping of Laura Gerber and the attempted kidnapping of Maggie Gerber, as well as the assaults on Claire Freemont and Ginger Lancaster. Sam was quite certain that Blake was never going to see daylight again.

  Maggie opened the door, and there stood Sam. A light snow had begun earlier and was still coming down, coating his brown hair and clinging to his eyelashes. He had a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of calla lilies in the other.

  “Are those for me?” Maggie asked as she pulled him inside and shut the door behind him.

  “The wine is,” he said. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “But the flowers are for your mother.”
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  “Oh, really?”

  “Hey, if I want permission to keep dating her daughter, I know I need to get in good with your mom.”

  “Indeed,” Maggie said. She was more than a little nervous about her mother’s reaction to Sam.

  “Well, if it isn’t Sam Collins,” a voice said from across the room.

  Maggie glanced over her shoulder to see her mother standing in the doorway, staring daggers through her bifocals at Sam. Lizzie O’Brien was a compact version of Maggie and her older sister. Her red hair had long since gone to white, and she wore it in a topknot on her head. She dressed in comfy slacks and tailored blouses and always accessorized with a nice piece of jewelry. She might be pushing seventy, but Maggie had no doubt that she could take Sam if she put her mind to it. Because if there was one thing that got her mother’s temper up, it was someone who messed with her family.

  “Now, Mom,” Maggie began.

  “Don’t you ‘Now, Mom’ me,” her mother said.

  Maggie looked back at Sam and gave him an apologetic smile, but her mother kept right on going.

  “You broke my baby’s heart,” Lizzie said to Sam. “Now, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  Sam looked her square in the eye and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Huh.” Lizzie didn’t sound impressed.

  “Mom, I told you it wasn’t Sam’s fault,” Maggie said. “Summer Phillips fooled me into thinking that it was him she was fooling around with, but it wasn’t.”

  Lizzie tipped her head back and studied Sam through her glasses, clearly not satisfied.

  “It’s true,” Sam said. “But I should have demanded to know why Maggie refused to see me.”

  Lizzie’s eyebrows lifted, and her face cleared a bit. “Well, you did save my granddaughter from a maniac, and you appear to be learning to communicate.”

  Sam and Maggie waited while she studied them, and Maggie abruptly felt like she had just gone back in time about twenty years. Ridiculous.

  “Are those flowers for me?” Lizzie asked.