Sunrise Crossing

by Jodi Thomas

  “Dr. Santorno?” Fifth asked, gently guiding her back to their conversation.

  “Oh, yes, the professor. I do hope the poor man is all right. After that terrible fall he had in the rain the other night, my sister and I have been worried about him.”

  “What fall?” Fifth had forgotten about the fall. It hadn’t sounded like a big deal when he’d heard about it earlier and the professor hadn’t looked any the worse for wear the next morning. But now he needed Daisy to run through the facts again.

  “Oh, it was the night it rained so hard last week. He said he stepped sideways to miss what he thought was a snake and ended up in that deep ditch over by Yancy Grey’s old house. If some kid hadn’t come along, no telling what would have happened. He might have lain there and died. Our professor. Makes me shudder to even think about how it could have ended.”

  Fifth frowned. How could anything happen in his town without him knowing every detail, and when in hell had Gabe Santorno become “our” professor? He wasn’t some stray dog the sisters had adopted from the pound. Fifth might be the sisters’ deputy, but Santorno hadn’t been around long enough to belong here.

  “Who was the kid who helped?” Fifth, for once, had lost his appetite for breakfast.

  “I didn’t get a good look. When I saw the professor all muddy and bleeding, I didn’t think about the kid. The professor said she was a petite woman, but he didn’t get her name.” Daisy smiled. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t make a very good witness. I thought she was a boy. Dressed like one as I remember, but had on yellow rain boots. I remember seeing them as I closed the door. She was almost to the street by then, but those boots were shining in the streetlight.”

  Fifth asked a few more questions, but all he got were repeat answers. Daisy had a habit of saying things twice, and if you didn’t get away fast, she’d run through it all again just as a refresher course. “Miss Daisy, would you call the sheriff and tell him everything? I’m working on another case but he’ll want to start checking into this one.”

  She stood at attention. “I will, Deputy.”

  “Thanks. Your help is deeply needed.” He’d made her day. If there was any truth to the story a farmer related to Philip, who related it to Daisy, who related it to him, the sheriff should know about it as soon as possible.

  As he walked to his car, he dialed Madison. “Morning,” he said when she answered.

  “I’m already at the chopper. Where are you and that cowboy? We’re supposed to do a flyover to see if we can find any tracks of shooters on his land.”

  “What are you wearing?” Fifth grinned.

  “Shut up,” she answered.

  He laughed. “I love it when you yell at me. Once I figured out it was your own brand of foreplay, I see it in a whole different light.” He didn’t have to see her face to know she was blushing beneath those beautiful red curls. She might think herself tough, with a smart mouth, but she clearly wasn’t used to someone who was so attracted to her he’d wade through all the bull. Man, when Madison O’Grady wrapped herself around him, he felt nothing but loved—or maybe used. She was a demanding woman. He’d better start working out so he could keep up.

  “Fifth.” She woke him out of a great fantasy. “Why’d you call? I don’t have time for this kind of thing.”

  “You had time for it last night before we left the office and again when we had to stop on the way to your cousin’s place. I love the way you catch your breath every time...”

  “We are not having this conversation, Fifth.” He could hear the slight giggle in her voice. “I’m standing out here waiting for you and Clint Montgomery to show up so we can fly.”

  “I’m driving toward you right now. We’ll talk about that catch in your breath later. I’ve got to be all business right now.” He knew they had to talk before they were with Clint. “One question, darlin’. When we were at Parker Lacey’s farmhouse next to Montgomery land, what did you see by the back door?”

  “Is this a test?”

  “Yes.”

  “A hook by a bolted back door with a flyswatter hanging on it. Blue handle, I think.” Madison was silent for a moment. “A rug so old it looked ragged. A pair of rain boots.”

  “What color?”

  “Yellow.”

  “Bingo.”

  “I give up. What do I win?”

  Fifth turned onto the north road, passing Yancy’s place. “I thought that was what I saw, but I knew you had time for a better look. I think the boots belonged to our invisible guest in the house, and I also think there’s one man in town who knows who she is besides the three mute, honest people at the farmhouse.”

  “Really. Who?”

  Fifth wished he could see Madison’s face as he said, “Gabe Santorno. The professor we both know is far more than he claims to be.”

  “Holy cow,” Madison whispered. “There just seems to be more and more pieces of this puzzle that don’t fit together. We’ve got an invisible guest in a farmhouse being shot at and a stranger who’s lied about his past.”

  “Don’t forget he was an army ranger, an arms specialist, and has had no documented means of employment for the past ten years.”

  He filled her in on everything Daisy had told him at breakfast.

  “The boots belong to the same person. Our invisible guest. The fourth place setting,” he ended.

  “And all we know about the invisible lady is that she has three good friends hiding her and she’s petite.” Fifth made a mental note to stop by the farmhouse as soon as he finished with the flight. “If I find the professor, I plan to ask him a few questions. Apparently, the guy didn’t come home last night.”

  “I see your cruiser,” Madison interrupted. “The cowboy’s blue pickup is right behind you.”

  “Right. We’ll talk about this later, babe.”

  “Don’t call me ‘babe,’” she snapped.

  “You got it, babe.” Fifth laughed as he ended the call. There was something about a mad redhead that turned him on.

  When Fifth pulled up he was all business. The three of them talked for a few minutes, then climbed into the chopper. Montgomery told them where the entrances on his land were and they flew over them all, crossing back and forth.

  Sure enough, when they flew low, they saw fresh tracks in one field, but not on Clint’s land. The tracks were on the land he’d sold Parker Lacey, and from the looks of it, whoever had driven across her land had broken the lock on the gate to get in or out.

  Fifth leaned up between the two front seats. “Do you know of any reason someone would want to cause trouble for Parker? She seems like a nice lady.”

  “None at all.” Clint sounded angry. “I farm that field every spring. The lock was solid and there was nothing in the pasture to steal.”

  “Maybe they were after her?” Fifth almost added or whoever she’s hiding, but he didn’t want to put Clint on the spot. Not just yet.

  Clint shook his head. “She owns a nice art gallery in the trendy part of Dallas.” The cowboy seemed to think about it and added, “She’s been a good neighbor.”

  Twenty minutes later, they landed near where the pickup and cruiser were parked.

  Fifth said he’d go into town and collect the sheriff, and then the three of them could walk to where the tracks turned around. Maybe they’d get lucky and find a clue.

  Madison shook hands with Clint and said she had to get to work, but she’d be happy to help if she could.

  Montgomery looked at the small helicopter that had saved them so much time. “Does the government just issue you one of these like some folks get a company car?”

  Madison laughed. “No. At work I fly a V-22 Osprey. This little chopper is all mine.”

  Clint nodded. “Right, the Osprey. Half airplane, half helicopter, totally badass.”

  “You
know it?”

  “No, I read about it in the paper when I was in New York. Since then I’ve seen a few flying around here. Test flights out of Amarillo, I’m guessing.” Clint tipped his hat. “You must be one hell of a pilot, Madison.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  Fifth could tell Montgomery had made a friend. He didn’t know whether to be proud of his almost-girlfriend or jealous. Clint was older, but not that much older.

  “We’d best be moving,” Fifth interrupted. “I’ll meet you at your place, Mr. Montgomery.” Fifth suddenly wanted to keep it formal between them all.

  “Right.” Clint nodded a goodbye and headed for his pickup.

  Fifth waited for Montgomery to drive away then walked Madison back to the chopper. “He probably Googled helicopters last night just so he could impress you.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think he had time.”

  “Why?”

  “The guy hasn’t been home. Didn’t you notice that he was still wearing the same clothes he had on last night? Spaghetti stains and all.”

  Again, Fifth was impressed by how observant Madison was. “So, if he slept somewhere, I’m guessing it was the farmhouse.”

  “From the looks of him, he didn’t sleep much, if at all.”

  “Right,” Fifth said, as if he’d noticed that, too. “Question is, which one did he sleep with? The owner he said was a good neighbor or the invisible guest with questionable taste in footwear.”

  “I’m guessing Parker, because I saw nothing, not even friendly flirting, between her and Yancy Grey. I’m not even sure they were friends, even though Yancy must have been invited to dinner. So if Yancy was in her house, he wasn’t there to see Parker.”

  “Right,” he said again as if he was with the program. “Only I didn’t see much between Montgomery and Parker. They didn’t look like they fit together. She’s a polished lady and he’s a shit-kicking cowboy.”

  “When he came back in the house last night, he only looked at her. For a few seconds everyone else in the room didn’t make it into his line of vision,” Madison countered.

  “So, let me get this straight. We’re looking for an invisible person who three, maybe four people—if you count the professor—are trying to protect. All we know about her, besides her shoe choices are terrible, is that she’s petite and matches up with Yancy Grey.”

  “Right.”

  Fifth shook his head. “I’ve been in town two years and have yet to see a woman match with Yancy. The guy’s a loner. Talks to old people all day. Works every night on an old house that will probably take him years to build.”

  “Work on it, Weathers.” She laughed as she kissed him on the cheek and climbed into her chopper. “You may find he has time for something else.”

  “I will. See you Friday about seven.” Fifth pushed his luck. “And wear a dress.”

  “Not a chance, Weathers. I don’t plan on wearing anything.”

  Fifth stood perfectly still and watched her fly away. He was in way over his head, he realized. After Friday night’s date with Madison, he had a feeling he’d never be the same.

  Hell, if she thought Montgomery looked bad after a night rolling around in bed, she’d probably think he’d died. Madison had already left a few bruises on him that Fifth wished he could show off.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Alone

  TORI AWOKE IN total darkness. There didn’t seem to be enough air to fill her lungs. She pushed at the thick bag that covered her. The bottom was tied too tightly around her waist to even get a few fingers out. She felt like she was in a straitjacket with a hood. The tie around her shoulders had slipped loose, making the heavy material no longer press against her head and chest.

  Slowly she worked one hand up to her face and felt blood on her cheek, and also dripping from her lip. Her left eye was so swollen she didn’t think she could have opened it enough to see light, even if there had been any light inside the bag.

  Rolling first one way, then another, she couldn’t do more than a half turn before hitting what felt like a wall covered in something. The space was too small for her to straighten her legs out completely.

  For a moment, she panicked, thinking she was in a coffin. All was black, without any color. It crossed her mind that maybe this was what death felt like.

  But she knew she was hurting far too much to be dead, and something sharp below her left hip poked into her side.

  No, she wasn’t dead. At least not yet. But whoever tossed her here had taken no care. Her attacker had wanted to hurt her at least enough to take any fight out of her. He’d wanted to frighten her.

  Slowly she tried to calm her breathing and think. What did she know for certain? Someone had followed her at dawn or been waiting for her in the trees. If he knew she’d cross there, then he probably knew where she was staying and maybe even that she’d spent the night with Yancy.

  When he’d caught up with her in the trees, he’d obviously planned to kidnap her. He had the bag and ropes with him. She had no idea what time it was now; she could have been out an hour or a day. It could still be morning or after midnight.

  Whoever had attacked her was a man. Big, thick, with a fist that felt like a sledgehammer. He’d been impatient and angry, taking out his frustration on her. He’d frightened her so completely she hadn’t put up much of a fight. He took her easily—almost too easily for it to be his first time kidnapping someone. When she’d fought, he’d used more force than was necessary. She guessed that crying or pleading wouldn’t work on a man like that.

  Tori moved her feet. Her boots had disappeared. The flooring beneath her felt like cheap carpet. The air smelled of motor oil.

  She was in the trunk of a car. He hadn’t bothered to tie her legs or her hands beneath the bag he’d wrapped around her. He hadn’t gagged her.

  Tori concentrated. He must have thought she wouldn’t be able to get out, and that wherever he’d parked the car would be too far away for anyone to hear her screams. She thumped three times on the side wall of the trunk. Then three more and three more. SOS, she kept saying as she pounded. But no one outside answered the code for help.

  No one came. She was alone.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to think of a color, any color, to make herself calm. But none came. Her world was suddenly only black.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  GABE WAITED FOR the sisters to leave the house for their early morning hair appointments, then slipped into the bed-and-breakfast. He took a shower, changed his clothes, ate most of the muffins they left next to the coffeepot, and all the while he was silently cussing himself.

  He’d watched Tori and the others eat dinner in Yancy’s house last night. He’d stood in the shadows and smiled as they’d laughed and talked. For a moment, he’d bought into the possibility that they were safe. Yancy had friends and someone to love. Things Gabe had never allowed himself to have.

  When the man in the blue pickup had dropped Yancy and Tori off at the retirement center, Gabe knew the two were settling in.

  He’d been in the building a few times, visiting with the retired teachers, so he knew that Yancy lived in the little room behind the office while he fixed up his old house. Gabe had even added the office number to his phone when he’d promised the teachers he’d come back again. In truth, they were a wealth of information, about the history of the town and the people.

  The office/sunroom area wasn’t fancy, but no one would bother the young couple tonight without Yancy hearing the door.

  Gabe had waited until the light went out in Yancy’s room before he moved on. He’d even seen his son’s room once, when he’d walked to the back of the office, looking for a restroom. Yancy kept neat quarters. Not big, but to a kid who’d just got out of prison when he came to Crossroads, the room must have seemed grand.


  Now, with the lights out, Gabe knew the couple was in for the night. His guardian duty was over, but not his work. He planned to walk the few miles to Parker Lacey’s farmhouse and check things out now that he knew Tori wasn’t there.

  Since he feared someone was watching Tori, it would be wise to make sure the windows were locked. It might not keep out the professionals, but it would slow down the amateurs. With her parents offering so much money for her return, there was no telling how many people were looking for her, and her encounter with the highway patrolman put her in the general area.

  But when he got to the house, Clint Montgomery’s pickup was parked out front beside a Jeep. Apparently, Yancy and Tori weren’t the only two having a sleepover. Checking the paperwork in both glove compartments, Gabe found that each vehicle belonged to Montgomery.

  Gabe had spent the next three hours roaming through Clint Montgomery’s property: first, the front house, which obviously no one lived in. Then he checked out the other buildings on the man’s land. He’d found something very interesting in the last barn. A writer’s loft apartment.

  He sifted through the unlocked loft, learning everything he wanted to know about the cowboy. He even found a desk computer that wasn’t protected by a password. Gabe saw that as an open invitation. Montgomery’s finances were solid. He subscribed to what looked like every farming or ranching magazine online. The only game running was solitaire, and the past ten web searches dealt with cow diseases or crop rotation. The only thing that seemed out of place was a subscription to an art magazine from Dallas. The rancher didn’t seem like the type to follow the art scene, but Parker Lacey might have something to do with his interest. Gabe also found a full cabinet of rifles in Clint’s loft, none of which had been fired lately.

  Tired, Gabe had returned to Yancy’s apartment a few hours before sunrise. He’d curled behind flower bushes that were just starting to bloom and slept for a while. Funny how much he knew about this town. At first he’d been looking for clues that would help him locate Tori; then his search widened to include any friends or relatives he’d left behind when he’d run all those years ago. Only the relatives were dead and any close friends had moved on. Now he searched for a stranger, someone who didn’t belong but was an expert at fitting into a community.