The Nora Abbott Mystery series Box Set

by Shannon Baker

  Nora couldn’t comprehend Petal’s words. “What?”

  “I shot Cole and if Daniel hadn’t attacked me I would have shot him, too. Then I would have killed you.” Petal raised the gun and pointed it at Nora.

  “Petal, no!” Nora didn’t understand.

  Petal’s face contorted in rage. “What a condescending, arrogant bitch you are. You have to take care of helpless Petal. Be big and strong for her, make sure no one hurts her feelings. Do you know how I laughed while I manipulated you to do exactly what I planned?”

  The sky lightened. How long until dawn? Minutes? Seconds? “I thought we were friends.”

  “I needed you to turn Sylvia in for embezzlement and the project would have been mine. As it should have been. Once the missing money was discovered it wouldn’t be hard to pin Darla’s murder on Sylvia.”

  “You stole the money? Sylvia didn’t kill Darla?” She focused on Petal’s gun.

  “Don’t you dare think I enjoyed shooting Darla. It was terrible. But I had to do it. For my mother.”

  Keep her talking. “Does your mother know what you’ve done?”

  Petal’s face reflected a frightening combination of tears and pride. “I’m protecting her. Like she protected Sylvia.”

  How would Nora get to the tower before Petal shot her? “It sounds complicated.”

  “What’s complicated is creating a technology and setting it up to cause a volcanic eruption.” Her voice rose to a shriek and she wiped her sleeve across her runny nose.

  “So you killed Mark?”

  Petal’s eyebrows angled into angry slashes. Her lips drew back in a sneer. “Sylvia did that. I told you, I don’t like killing.”

  “But you’re about to kill thousands and thousands.”

  “I have no choice.” Where the old Petal would have been sobbing, this new monster twisted her mouth into a grimace of hate.

  Nora calculated the distance to Petal. “There’s always a choice.” One more step.

  Petal shoved the gun at Nora. “You can’t stop me.”

  Oh yeah? Nora jumped to the right and zigzagged to fling herself at Petal.

  Petal fired. The bullet struck the rock where Nora had been standing. Petal couldn’t aim again before Nora smashed into her.

  “Uft.” Petal fell back on her butt.

  Nora splayed on top of Petal, driving her into the snow. Petal’s arm flung out but she still gripped the gun. Nora reached for it. How was it that petite Petal had the arms of an ape and Nora couldn’t reach her hand?

  Petal screeched and bucked against Nora, bringing a knee up to smash into Nora’s groin. It might have been an effective move if Nora had alternative anatomy. It hurt, sure, but it didn’t stop Nora from scooting on top of Petal and grabbing the gun.

  She should have been able to pull it easily from Petal’s grasp, but Nora’s fingers cramped with cold. Petal held on.

  Nora took hold of Petal’s wrist, yanked her arm in the air and smashed it down on the hard ground. Petal’s grip loosened and she dropped the gun.

  Nora struggled to her feet and scooped up the gun and ran to the outcropping of rocks, desperate to reach the tower. The gun made it hard for her to scramble across the boulders on her hand and feet. She ratcheted her arm back and snapped it forward, sending the gun end over end into the abyss. Slipping and sliding, she finally made it to the top of the rock and located the tower. She would have to climb on the narrow ledge to the fenced enclosure and scale the chain link.

  Her control slipped. A black veil threatened at the edge of her mind. She couldn’t do it. Impossible to force herself to dangle on the lip of the mountain like that.

  Nora dropped to her knees. Her heart threatened to rip through her chest. Her vision blurred. She gulped and choked.

  And there he was. A flash of bright blue in the gray light.

  The kachina.

  He balanced on the ledge next to the fence. Enemy or friend?

  Nora glanced over her shoulder. Petal raced toward her. But she wore Cole’s too-big boots so Nora could outrun her.

  The rocky surface covered with eight inches of new snow threw hidden obstacles in Nora’s path. She stubbed her toes, fell to her knees, and her arm went from excruciating to debilitating. She kept her focus on the kachina.

  He raised his hatchet with one hand. The other held a fistful of feathers. The blue accent of his sash flashed with brilliance. His fierce mask with the slit eyes and plug nose, the face in her nightmares, seemed to encourage her.

  With the oversized coat and boots, Petal should be falling behind but she gained on Nora.

  Just a few more feet.

  Nora launched herself on the five-foot fence. She hoped to start high enough that she’d be able to throw her good arm around the top on the second lunge.

  The toes of her boost were too wide for the narrow chain link openings. She fell back. Without hesitating she jumped to her feet to try again. This time, she worked with her momentum and kicked against the fence as soon as she touched it.

  It worked. With the second lurch up, she threw her arm over the top of the fence, knocking the snow from the rail. Her feet kicked and she pulled and finally fell down the other side.

  “AH!” She screamed at the jarring of her arm.

  The fence clanked as Petal jumped onto it.

  The enclosure left only the barest room to maneuver between the tower and the fence. Nora stared at the tower. How could she destroy it?

  Petal crashed over the fence. She scrambled to her feet. “Stop. Don’t touch it!”

  The thingy. The conductor/transducer/transmitter/inductor. What had Petal had called it? The tunable whatever made of two PVC pipes with wire. She needed to find it and pull it out.

  Petal launched herself at Nora. They careened into the fence. It stretched and swayed over the edge of the mountain. The posts at either corner loosened in their anchors.

  Nora shoved back and they rolled to the ground. Petal ended up on top. The heel of Petal’s hand caught Nora on the chin and pressed upward, driving Nora’s head back. With her one arm, Nora knocked Petal’s hand away.

  Petal was little more than fragile bones wrapped in twenty layers of fabric topped with Cole’s coat. Nora shoved Petal off and stood. She lunged toward the tower and bent under the structural supports. She felt along the stem. There it was! Her numb fingers fumbled with a device about the size of brick, made of two plastic pipes.

  Petal collided with her. She pushed Nora toward the loose fence. Nora’s boots slid on the slick rock and she lurched backward.

  Petal shoved her.

  Nora hit the fence. It creaked.

  One corner post popped from its anchor and tipped outward. Nora screamed. The bend of the wire created a lip in the chain link that would pour her over the side. Her fingers clawed into the openings and she held on. She pushed and pulled herself back to safety.

  Petal stood above her waiting for Nora to climb to the rock so she could push her over the side.

  Petal’s mouth turned down as if she bit into something sour. Her eyes widened. Her arms flew out just before Nora heard a shot fired.

  Petal screamed. A gaping hole blew through Petal’s chest. Warm blood and tissue smacked Nora’s face and spattered against her coat. Petal crumpled to the ground.

  Nora scurried off the fence a few feet through the snow. She stayed on her belly and turned toward the gunshot.

  The man from the Town Car stared through a scope in a rifle pointed at her. He stood on the tip of a rock pile jutting over the ledge.

  Twenty yards behind the man, Cole advanced, dragging his wounded leg. The fool was trying to save her.

  The Town Car guy would shoot Nora, turn and plant a bullet in Cole.

  Nora backed up and squatted on the far edge of the enclosure. She had to get to the tower, giving Town Car Guy an easy target.

  To the east, the outline of Gray’s Peak blackened against the imminent sunrise.

  Nora had one chance. She’d have t
o spring up and grab the tunable whatever from the tower before Town Car Guy could squeeze off a round and kill her.

  Impossible.

  Nora closed her eyes. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and sprang up.

  A shot pinged the fence, hit a rock and ricocheted a hair’s width from Nora.

  She dove for the tower, hitting hard rock under the snow. She lay at the base of the tower. Above her, the device sat in the stem. She’d need to grasp it immediately and when Town Car’s bullet ripped into her and she flew backward, her dead fingers would clutch the bundle and dislodge it.

  One more breath in this life. She jumped up. Her fingers closed on the device.

  The metal of the tower rang next to her ear and she heard Town Car’s gun. He missed.

  She jerked on the device and looked over her shoulder.

  Cole had closed the gap but he wouldn’t make it to stop the next shot.

  The gunman held his rifle up, sighting into the scope.

  Nora caught her breath. She tugged on the device and it inched from its slot. One more pull and it fell to the snow. She knew Town Car Guy’s next shot would kill her.

  But it never came. She jerked her head to see him shoot.

  The kachina appeared behind Town Car Guy. He held his hatchet high.

  The kachina brought it down on the gunman’s back. The shot fired into the air and the man lost his footing. He fought to regain his balance but he slipped to one side. His foot flew in front of him and he fell forward. He hit one boulder and slid off.

  His scream echoed in the morning air.

  Epilogue

  The smell of burnt toast wafted up from the kitchen. The tick-tick-tick of wheels sounded as Thomas brought his bike into his office. Fay’s creaky voice greeting him and Bill joined in the morning murmur of voices down the hall from Nora’s office.

  Creak, thump. Creak, thump. Creak, thump.

  Nora smiled at the sound and continued typing the staff memo. Abbey stood and stretched. He wagged his tail while he walked to the door of Nora’s office.

  Creak, thump. Creak, thump. First the rubber tips of the crutches and then Cole appeared in her doorway. He grinned. “Too bad your office isn’t on the first floor.”

  She pecked her name on the keys of her computer with her one good hand. “And too bad I don’t have voice recognition software.”

  He bent over his crutches and scratched Abbey’s ears. “We’re in pretty sorry shape.”

  Nora pressed Send. “But happy to be alive.”

  Cole shook his head and eyed Nora. “I can’t get over how a gust of wind could have knocked him over the side like that.”

  It wasn’t the first time Cole seemed skeptical. He never saw the kachina, of course, but didn’t quite buy a freak gust. Oh well, he could blame his fuzziness on the concussion he got when Petal shot him and he banged his head on a rock when he fell. She switched topics. “I stopped in to see Daniel this morning.”

  He leaned on his crutches. “Just came from there, myself.”

  “Any change?” She hoped Cole had good news but she didn’t expect it.

  “Still in a coma.”

  Neither one spoke of a moment. Nora sent a silent prayer into the universe and wondered if Cole did too.

  Cole lumbered to one of the wicker chairs and sank down. “I thought about bringing you coffee but didn’t have enough hands for all of that.”

  She shook her head. “I’m off the coffee for a while. I’m afraid there might be more than cream added to it.”

  Fay poked her head into Nora’s office and croaked. “What do I need to know before you leave?”

  Nora pointed to her corn plant. “He needs to be watered every few days. He likes it if you’ll sing to him.”

  Fay questioned with her eyes.

  “Okay, just talk to him when you give him water.” Nora had turned into one of those eccentric plant ladies. Next thing you know she’d be wearing purple hats and talking to herself. She caught sight of the purple ski cap she’d worn that morning. At least she had dogs and plants to talk to.

  And Cole. She had him to talk to.

  “Anything else?” Fay asked.

  “The bills are paid, payroll is set to hit at the end of next week. I’ll be back in time for the staff meeting on the tenth.”

  Fay nodded.

  “I’ll check in every couple of days by cell.”

  “Gotcha. Have a good time.” Fay waved and left.

  A good time wasn’t necessarily what Nora sought.

  Cole studied her. “You sound like a real live Executive Director.”

  “I am a real live Executive Director.”

  “Does it feel good to be in charge again?”

  She laughed. “Again? When have I ever been in charge of anything?”

  Cole grew serious. “So you’re leaving for the rez today?”

  She turned her computer off. “Abigail is supposed to pick me up any minute. Charlie’s been bugging her for the last three weeks to get home.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  The anxiety surged and she stood to shake it off. “Two weeks. I’ll stay with Benny’s cousin. Well my cousin, I guess.”

  “Total Hopi immersion. I won’t know you.”

  Ask. Do it. She braced herself. “Will you be here when I get back?”

  His ears turned red. “Do you want me to be?”

  She trembled and a tornado roared in her brain. Commitment. Saying yes sunk her deeper. It was a bigger deal than even caring for Abbey.

  What a drama queen!

  If she could face down her fear of the mountain and embrace the strangeness of Hopi, maybe she could take this one more step. “I’d like that.”

  His grin widened. “Do you promise I won’t get shot again?”

  She shook her head. “With as much certainty as you can guarantee you won’t break my heart.”

  He pulled himself up. Creak, thump. Creak, thump.

  Nora waited. Her skin tingled with anticipation; her heart stuttered a giddy cadence. Wait a minute. That didn’t feel like fear. It didn’t smell of panic. She remembered happy and this felt strangely like that.

  Creak, thump.

  He finally stood close enough she felt the heat of him through his flannel shirt. His smile faded and his eyes turned that deep blue she recognized. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly against hers. “Nora Abbott,” he whispered. “you are dangerous.”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled the warmth of him. She stepped even closer and wound her good arm around his neck. Even in the city he smelled of outdoors, fresh air, pines, a breeze.

  His crutches banged on the floor as he gently slid his arms around her, careful of her broken arm.

  He bent his head to hers and kissed her in a way that promised more. “I guess you’re worth a bullet or two.”

  Canyon of Lies

  A Nora Abbott Mystery

  To Janet Fogg

  My hero.

  1

  Warren Evans felt the hand of God wrap around him, holding him straight and strong. Others might panic or lose their temper, but with God’s help, Warren waited for the chaos in his head to subside.

  He picked up his phone and resumed the conversation. “I see.” Barely controlled rage strangled his nephew’s voice. “She figured it out. I don’t know how. But she was going to expose us.”

  Warren leaned back, and the well-oiled springs of his chair whispered in his spacious office. He gazed out the window overlooking Central Park, the trees a mass of green. But his thoughts were in the canyon lands of his childhood.

  The Promised Land.

  The impossible red rock formations rising in majestic splendor under the vast sky, a blue never visible in New York City. He imagined the circling hawk and heard its cry echoing off God’s canvas. He longed to see the hoodoos—the tall rock spires that marched across the high deserts of southern Utah—defending the castles of stone carved by wind and water, to feel the searing sun on his skin and
taste the pure air.

  Instead, he addressed his nephew in clipped tones. “Did you get the footage she’s completed?”

  “I’m working on it.” Anger ebbed from his nephew’s voice.

  Warren clenched his fist, resisting the urge to pound it on the distressed surface of his antique oak desk. He stared at his hand, commanding his fingers to relax, then spoke with his characteristic authority. “That means you aren’t sure she has it on tape.”

  His nephew swallowed. “She told Rachel she’d been to Fiery Furnace. We couldn’t take the chance.”

  Fiery Furnace. Mention of the name sent a wave of longing through Warren. He should be in Moab instead of his corner office high above Manhattan’s streets. With the end so near, they needed a steady hand, and he needed the strength and comfort of the land. The first lights announcing evening flicked on in countless other offices, but Warren sat in the growing gloom, straining to see the sky.

  “I’ve done what needed to be done,” his nephew said. “For you.” Bile burned Warren’s throat. “For us. For mankind.”

  Pause. That hesitation of a nonbeliever. “And you’ll lead us.”

  Those words hit like knives. Leading his flock had sustained him for years. But it would soon be over for him. Like Moses and even Martin Luther King, Jr.—though Warren hated to compare himself to a black man—Warren wouldn’t enter the land of milk and honey with his people. God had told him that much.

  But God hadn’t told him who would lead in Warren’s place.

  Time was running out, and Warren needed to decide which of his nephews would inherit the mantel.

  2

  Nora Abbott shut her eyes against the onslaught of icy water. She gasped in shock at the fury of the wave as it slapped at her face and knocked her against the back of the raft. Her feet slipped from the rubber strap that anchored her to the boat. Disoriented, she scrambled to her knees. The raft bucked and lurched, tossing her from side to side. She clutched the rigging threaded around the raft and braced herself to face downstream.