“There’s a narrow road to the right up here, Norville. Take that.”
The vehicle left the highway with a lurch when Jeremy located the road. Tim had patrolled enough out here in the county to know this one. It wound around a couple of deep curves and through a narrow canyon. His courage nearly failed him. The area was riddled with abandoned mines. If they got too far off the main road back here, nobody would ever find them.
Jeremy slowed the Jeep to a crawl over the snow-covered road. If Tim’s nerves weren’t already stretched to their limits, this ride would have done it. In a couple of places, the vehicle slid and skittered on a steep section, but the tires managed to find purchase on the snow.
Finally, Cole directed him to stop. “We’re going over there.”
Tim looked where he pointed. He could just make out a dark opening in the rocky mountain. “Are you crazy? That’s an old mine shaft. We can’t go in there. These things aren’t stable.”
“I know what it is. I’ve been here many times. In fact, I have some supplies stashed in the back, including some climbing rope that will come in handy for keeping you two under control for the next day or two.”
Jeremy turned in his seat. “It’s freezing out there and neither of them have coats. They won’t survive till morning.” He plucked at the sleeve of his jacket. “In fact, I’m not sure we will.”
Cole, who wore a thick snowboarding jacket, lifted a shoulder. “We’re not staying.”
Jeremy twisted around and planted his hands on the steering wheel. “I don’t like this. Why can’t we just head back to your place, or even my place down in the valley? We can keep them quiet for a couple of days. Then you can hand over the pin, get out of town and everything will be fine.”
Tim cocked his head sideways to level a disbelieving stare on Norville. Was the guy an idiot? Did he really think this maniac was going to let them go?
“Oh, yes.” Cole’s voice held derision. “Your plans have worked so well in the past.” His door opened. The dome light cut through the gloom that had gathered inside the car. Tim caught Liz’s frightened gaze. He smiled. Don’t worry. We’ll get out of this.
When Cole pulled her out of the vehicle, his smile faded. I hope.
TWENTY-NINE
A freezing wind whipped through the canyon and bit through Liz’s shirt when she exited the vehicle. The setting sun was hidden behind the rocky cliff face that rose to her right. Dark shadows filled the canyon. She wasn’t sure whether her quivering chin was from the cold or from the fear that gripped her with a cruel fist.
She’d been thinking hard all the way over here. Mr. Cole was ruthless. Her temple still tingled where he’d pressed the gun’s barrel against her skin. They had to get away from him, but how? Since Jeremy told her the price the pair of brooches could command, she’d realized that Cole obviously was in this scheme for the money. Since he kept talking about turning the pin over to someone else, that meant he didn’t own the matching piece or the proof of their authenticity. He was probably selling it to the person who did, and for far less than the five hundred thousand the pair could command. Could she use that to her advantage?
She gathered her courage before she spoke. “Mr. Cole, Jeremy told me about the Jersey Brooch, how much it’s worth. I have an idea. My family isn’t wealthy, but they’re not destitute, either. I don’t know what you’re being paid for the brooch, but maybe they could match the price.”
He actually chuckled as he motioned for Tim and Jeremy to precede them toward a dark entrance in the rock. “A ransom? An intriguing idea, but I’m afraid I’ll have to stick to my original plan. I’ve worked on the details for months.”
Liz’s sneakers sank into the soft snow on the path.
“Maybe we should listen to her,” Jeremy said. “We could buy some time for both of us to get out of town. Her family would probably even pay more.”
“There’s only one problem. I don’t plan to go anywhere. I’ve worked hard to position myself exactly where I am. The Jersey Brooch is merely a stepping stone, my ticket into an international organization that specializes in acquiring rare jewelry. It has been my master’s trial, in a way, my final test.” He patted the jacket pocket where he’d stored the brooch. “Which you, Norville, would have failed miserably.”
Jeremy planted his feet in the snow and turned. Tim stopped, as well, and Liz was pulled to a halt by Mr. Cole.
“I’m getting a little sick of your comments.” Jeremy’s voice held the first hint of a backbone Liz had heard since Mr. Cole appeared. “I’m the one who told you about the stupid pin to begin with. I did all the research, even told you who owned the other pin and the sketch, so your mystery guy could get them. You didn’t know anything about it until I told you.”
Tim’s gaze held hers. In his face she saw the realization of a harsh fact she’d just figured out. The three of them were not going to get out of here. Jeremy was the only one who didn’t seem to understand that. Mr. Cole couldn’t leave them alive, not now.
“You’re right, Norville. I owe you an apology. You do have a few helpful skills.” He released Liz’s arm to pull something out of his jacket pocket. “Do me a favor, would you? Check to see if I’ve gotten any voice messages from my European friend.”
He tossed the phone toward Jeremy, who caught it.
“Sure, I can—”
The world crashed to a halt as the gun was pulled away from Liz’s head. A single heartbeat later, a shot deafened her.
Jeremy jerked backward and collapsed to the ground.
Tim leaped forward like a sprinter. Liz was knocked aside as he tackled Mr. Cole.
Beyond the ringing in her ear, a siren wailed. Flashes of red and blue bounced around the canyon walls.
On the ground beside her, Tim and Mr. Cole wrestled. Before the echo from the first gunshot had died away, a second blast tore through the air.
Horror exploded in her mind. “Tim!”
She was afraid to look. Snow soaked the knees of her jeans as she sank to the ground. Car doors slammed behind her.
Lord, please. Not Tim. I couldn’t stand it if—
Strong arms surrounded her. A beloved voice whispered in her ear.
“It’s over, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
The joy that stabbed through her was so intense it was almost painful. She threw her arms around Tim’s neck. She was dimly aware of Jeremy’s moan, and of a uniformed deputy running past her to kneel beside him, and of the man’s shout for an ambulance. But she couldn’t lift her face from Tim’s shoulder. She never wanted to let go of him again.
Tim sat in the backseat of the sheriff’s vehicle with Liz snuggled under his arm. Norville was going to have to wait until a stretcher could be brought into the canyon, but Sheriff Daniels wanted to convey Liz personally.
“I don’t see why I have to go to the hospital,” she complained. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“It’s procedure,” the sheriff told her. His eyes moved in the rearview mirror as he looked back at her. “You’ve been held hostage. You need to be checked over.”
Tim relaxed into the seat and pulled her even closer. “Since we have a few minutes, I want to know how you found us.”
“I sent somebody down to the basement to get you so I could chew you out for taking off by yourself. Found you missing, your weapon on the floor and the tracks outside. We lost your trail, but you told me this morning you were taking that pin to your bank. Easy matter to get somebody to pull up the payroll records and see where we deposit your paycheck.”
Liz’s head came up. “That was smart thinking.”
The sheriff’s head dipped forward to acknowledge the compliment. “We radioed, and you were spotted coming out of the bank by an off-duty deputy. Problem was, he was alone, and practically the whole department was at the other end of town at Eagle Summit. So all he could do was tail you and radio us.”
Tim shook his head. “I never saw a tail.”
“Johnson will like hear
ing that. We were less than five minutes behind you. Didn’t know what the situation in that canyon was, so we were coming in slow and silent … till we heard the first gunshot.”
Tim grinned at his boss’s reflection. “You were a minute too late.”
His grin was returned. “You seemed to have the situation under control.”
“Does my family know what’s going on?” Liz asked.
“Yes, ma’am. One of my deputies is bringing your parents to the hospital to meet us.”
Tim was relieved to hear that. He’d be able to hand Liz over into the capable and protective hands of her father. And then there was an errand he had to run.
THIRTY
Three hours later, Liz walked through the entrance of Eagle Summit Lodge flanked by her parents. She’d not taken a second step inside when she was almost knocked down by an enthusiastic crowd. Jazzy, Caitlin and Debbie caught her in a group hug, squealing their relief, while Uncle Jonathan patted her back.
“Oh, Liz, I’m so glad to see you,” Debbie sobbed in her ear, then held her at arm’s length and looked her over with a worried glance. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” Liz assured her cousin. “Nothing more than a couple of bruises.”
No sooner had Debbie released her than she was pulled into another embrace. Grandma squeezed with more strength than Liz would have given her credit for. “Elizabeth, my poor, poor girl. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Forgive you?” Liz returned her hug. “What on earth for?”
She leaned back to look the older woman in the face. Stress from the events of the past few hours seemed to have added a few wrinkles.
“Tim has been telling us all about the brooch.” She shook her head. “It’s all my fault. I should have waited to give it to you on your wedding day. Then that terrible boy wouldn’t have found out about it, and none of this would have happened.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Liz smiled to take the sting out of her words. “This is not your fault.”
Grandma drew a shuddering breath. “If I had known what it was worth, I could have warned you. But I never had it appraised. I should have thought of that.”
“Nobody thought of that. I’ve had the brooch for three years and I didn’t think of checking on its value until somebody tried to steal it from me.”
Grandma’s heavy brow drew downward. “And to think we’ve been traced back to a …” She looked around, leaned close, and whispered, “to a notorious woman. We need to have that verified.” Her chin rose. “I’d sooner think we came from the other line, the royal one.”
At her side, Dad and Uncle Jonathan laughed.
Mom stepped up and put an arm around her waist. “Let’s take Liz up to her room. She’s bound to be exhausted.”
Actually, she was. Her legs felt rubbery as she headed across the lobby. But she hadn’t gone more than a couple of steps when Mr. Harrison came hurrying over from the front desk to meet her.
“Miss Carmichael, thank goodness you’re safe.” The man grabbed one of Liz’s hands in both of his and actually brought it up to his lips. “We’ve been so worried.”
“Thank you, Mr. Harrison.”
“The police have taken Kate down to their headquarters for questioning.” He hung his head. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the part one of my employees played in your abduction. Unwittingly, I assure you. She didn’t know.”
“Of course she didn’t.” Pity for the man washed over her. “I just hope this isn’t the last straw that sends Eagle Summit into bankruptcy.”
He brightened. “Oh, that’s not going to happen now. Just this morning we found a third-party investor, an avid skier who doesn’t want to see the resort fold. We’ve already talked about hiring a consultant to minimize the damage and reinvent our image.”
“That’s great. I’m glad for you.” Liz tried to sound happy for the man, but she’d caught sight of someone on the other side of the lobby. Suddenly she had trouble concentrating on Mr. Harrison.
Tim stood near the fireplace, speaking into his cell phone. As though he felt her watching him, he looked up. A flutter began in Liz’s stomach when he disconnected the call and started across the lobby toward her, his gaze never leaving hers.
She needed to talk to him. Privately.
“Listen,” she told her waiting family, “you go on upstairs. I’ll be up in a minute.”
Her mother’s mouth opened. Before she could utter a protest, Dad stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Come on, Gail, Liz will be fine.”
Liz shot him a grateful glance. He looked at Tim, and then winked at her before he pulled her mother away. The rest of the group left with them, Jazzy and Caitlin and Debbie all wearing silly grins. Their gazes bounced from Liz to Tim until they’d disappeared around the corner.
Liz met Tim halfway across the lobby. “Hi.”
“Did everything check out okay? You’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine.” She stood before him, staring up into his face. She’d forgotten how easy it was to get lost in his eyes. With an effort, she looked down at her hands, which were clasping and unclasping like they had minds of their own. She whipped them apart and shoved them into her back pockets. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah, me, too.” He gestured toward the fireplace. “How about over there?”
She nodded. Now that she was alone with him, the words she’d planned while she sat in the emergency room had fled. How could she ever explain why she’d hurt him so deeply three years ago? What could she say to excuse her behavior?
Nothing. There was no excuse.
She sank onto the couch facing the fireplace. Tim slid onto the cushion beside her and put an arm across the back. Not good. She couldn’t think with him so close. But when she tried to lean back and put some space between them, she found herself leaning closer instead.
It felt so good to be with him. So right.
Her foot bounced with a fit of nerves. To distract herself as much as him, she asked. “So, do you think the sheriff will be able to find the man who was going to buy the Jersey Brooch from Mr. Cole?”
Tim shook his head. “He’s not even going to try. He called the FBI and they’re already on it. When he passed along the information Norville gave him, they sounded like they had a good idea who they’re looking for.”
Liz looked up, startled. “Jeremy gave them information?”
Tim’s shoulders heaved with a silent laugh. “He’s singing like a choir boy. Trying to cooperate in exchange for a lighter sentence. From what the sheriff has been able to piece together. Cole was planning to frame Norville for three murders—Sinclair’s, mine and yours. He’d set up a meeting between Norville and Sinclair on the slopes right before he shot Sinclair, in order to place him at the scene. He put the body on the lift because he knew Norville worked as a lift operator in college, just like I did. Apparently, he thought that would increase the suspicion around him. Plus. Sheriff Daniels got a search warrant and searched Cole’s apartment. They’re still over there, but they found dozens of different kinds of locks, and some tools made of spring steel, so it looked like he’d been teaching himself to pick locks. Spring steel tools are used in clock repair, so he had some experience using them.”
Liz remembered the clocks on the wall of the jewelry store. “But he wouldn’t have gotten away with it,” she said. “The sheriff knew about the Jersey Brooch. When they didn’t find it on Jeremy, they’d know somebody else had it.”
“Ah, but guess what they found on Cole’s body? Two brooches. The real one and a copy. Not a bad copy, apparently. It wouldn’t have fooled an expert, and probably wouldn’t have fooled someone who has seen the real thing up close, like you. But it would have fooled the police for a while. And of course, with you gone, nobody would have known how long the fake had been in your possession.” His arm slid off the back of the couch and he scooted closer to her. His breath felt warm against her cheek. “Let’s not talk about
that anymore. I want to talk about us.”
His voice held so much warmth she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She couldn’t hold his gaze, but looked instead at the flames flickering in the hearth. Now was the time to tell him. If only she could remember the words she’d rehearsed.
Just spit it out.
“Tim, I am so sorry. I mean, for what happened three years ago with Jeremy.” She swallowed. “I can’t defend myself. I can only tell you that I’ve realized it was never about him. And it wasn’t really about you, either. It was about me. I panicked. Suddenly, forever seemed like too long a commitment.” She dropped her head. “I’ve asked the Lord to forgive me, and I know He has. But I need to ask your forgiveness, too.”
He was silent for the space of five heartbeats.
“What about now?”
She risked an upward glance and found him watching her closely. “What do you mean?”
“Forever. Does it seem too long now?”
Liz’s pulse stumbled. Could she be honest with him? She hadn’t let herself be vulnerable with anyone in a long time, and it was scary. If she told him she’d realized she was still in love with him, he’d have every right to laugh in her face.
Flames reflected warmly in the dark depths of his eyes. Flames … and something else. Hope swelled in her heart. Was that love she saw shining in Tim’s eyes?
Go ahead. Take a risk.
She leaned forward until her face was inches from his. Her whisper was almost a sigh. “Suddenly, forever doesn’t seem long enough.”
A smile teased the corners of his mouth. “Then I have a question for you. Would you consider taking this back?”
Without turning away from her, he reached behind him and pulled something out of his jacket. Liz looked down ….
Murder in D Minor Boxed Set Page 36