by Connie Mann
Once they walked out the other end of the barn, Leon prodded them toward a group of sheds a short distance away. What little strength Mama had was fading fast, and she leaned more and more heavily on Blaze’s arm as they plodded over uneven ground. She stumbled, and Blaze wrapped both arms around her and tucked her more firmly against her side. She shot Leon a malevolent look over her shoulder. “Please, she’s just a sick old lady. Let her go.”
Leon narrowed her eyes at her tone, and Blaze regretted the outburst. “That sick old lady has been nothing but trouble. She should have kept her nose out of my business.”
Beside her, Mama gasped. “Did you poison the water that made little Glory sick?”
Leon stiffened as though he’d been slapped, and a dangerous glint came into his eyes.
“Shh,” Blaze whispered. “Keep walking.”
“No.” Mama stopped and turned on the man, hands on her hips, indignation shooting from every pore. She straightened to her full height, and even with her head scarf, she looked like a warrior going into battle. Blaze was both proud and terrified.
“Why would you do something like that to your own kin?” Mama demanded. “What is the matter with you, Leon? Your mama would turn over in her grave to see you behaving in such a shameful way.”
Leon grabbed Mama’s arm hard enough to make her cry out and all but shoved her through the door into one of the larger sheds. “If you hadn’t sent your bulldog of a daughter to go snooping around, none of this would be happening. It’s all your fault.”
Blaze saw Mama open her mouth to fire back, but then she spotted Eve lying on the dirt floor, bound and gagged. Fury flashed from Eve’s eyes, but it was Cole, lying on the ground beside her, that worried Blaze. Blood ran down the side of his face, like he’d been hit hard, and he wasn’t moving. Was he breathing? She couldn’t tell. Please let him be alive. Please.
Chapter 34
Nick Stanton shook his head, annoyed. How many more times would Chief Monroe send him out to check on Mrs. Hinkley before her no-good family finally stepped up to take care of her? The ornery old lady’s dementia was getting worse, but none of her three adult children wanted to take charge of her. From what he’d heard, she’d been a mean one when she was younger, and now old age and dementia had made it much worse. He couldn’t really blame her family for avoiding her, but he was getting tired of them calling to say she wasn’t answering her phone and him having to go out there and find her and coax her back into her little cottage out in the woods. She needed someone to take care of her. A caregiver, not a police officer.
He sighed, knowing his frustration had less to do with that whole sad situation than with his frustration over his own life. He didn’t know how to become a real member of the Martinelli family, wasn’t even sure he wanted to. He felt like he was getting to know Sasha and Jesse, Eve, and even Blaze. They’d all gone out of their way to make him feel a part of the family, and he did. Sort of. He didn’t share their family history, but then, when he thought about it, he realized their whole history was as much a hodgepodge as his own life. It was easy to forget that none of the Martinelli sisters were actually related by blood. But they were certainly a family. He longed for that sense of connection. As an only child, he’d never been part of that.
Even Mama Rosa had made him feel welcome, but he felt awkward around her overwhelming love. He knew she wanted him to return all that emotion, but all he felt right now was . . . sad. The anger toward the people who’d raised him was slowly fading, but he wasn’t sure what should take its place. His anger toward Sal Martinelli was something unexpected and frustrating. The man had suspected who’d taken him all those years ago and had kept quiet. Nick could sort of understand Sal’s need to protect Mama.
Actually, no. He couldn’t. You didn’t just shrug when your child disappeared and claim silence was better. Safer. If he’d been in that situation, he’d have moved heaven and earth to find his child, figure out what happened.
He sighed. No matter how many times he thought about it, this was where he always ended up. Frustrated and tired and unsure what to do next, how to behave.
He drove past some imaginary boundary that put him back in cell range, so his phone started beeping with incoming texts and voice mail notifications. He glanced down the list, surprised to see a voice mail from Blaze. Dread hit him hard.
Mama Rosa. That had to be it.
He listened to the voice mail. “This is Blaze Martinelli. We’re at—” The message stopped. What? He played it again, and the same thing happened. He stepped on the gas as he called Blaze back, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited through several rings. When it went to voice mail, he swallowed his frustration. “Blaze, it’s Nick. Call me.”
He turned on his lights and siren and flew down the road toward the marina.
Please don’t let it be Mama Rosa.
Eve growled low in her throat when Leon shoved Mama and Blaze into the shed. Mama almost fell, but Blaze grabbed her just in time. Good girl. She met Blaze’s eyes, and they exchanged a long look. If there was a chance to escape, Blaze would help her find it.
At the same time, Eve was terrified for Cole. She knew he was breathing, but she didn’t know how badly he was hurt. Blood still welled from his wound and ran down the side of his face. Leon had carried him in over his shoulder and dumped him on the floor like a sack of feed, which had probably made his injuries worse.
Eve nodded toward Cole, and Blaze took a quick look and then shrugged. Please God, we need him.
Leon grabbed the roll of duct tape he’d set on a shelf and tied Blaze’s hands behind her. “Sit so I can tie your feet.”
Blaze’s chin came up. “No.”
Faster than Eve thought possible, he tossed her onto the floor amid shouted protests from Mama. He scowled in her direction while he wrapped the tape around Blaze’s ankles. “Be still or I’ll gag you, too,” he warned.
Mama quieted, but her eyes promised retribution. Eve tried to catch her eye, but Mama wouldn’t look at her. She had to make Mama stop. She’d only make things worse. Of course, how much worse could they get? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she shoved it away. It could get much, much worse, and that made her break out in a cold sweat. Why was Leon doing this? What was this all about? The ranch?
Leon finished tying Blaze’s feet, slapped a piece of tape over her mouth, and turned to Mama, whose chin came up exactly the way Blaze’s had. Eve again tried to catch her eye, but couldn’t. Stubborn was good, but sometimes, stubborn could get you killed.
“I do not know why you are doing this, Leon, but I know Althea’s heart is breaking to see it. She did not raise you to be this kind of man.”
“Sometimes, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. The guilty have to pay.”
“They do, but the good Lord says vengeance belongs to Him.”
“And sometimes, He needs a little bit of help.” He grabbed Mama’s arm and yanked it behind her, then grabbed the other one and tied them with the tape.
“No good will come of this, Leon. There is still time to change your mind.”
Leon pulled off a length of duct tape. “Last chance. Either shut up or I gag you.”
Mama pursed her lips and stared daggers at him. He waited a moment, then shoved an overturned bucket in her direction and forced Mama backward to sit on it. At least he didn’t toss her on the floor like the rest of them.
Behind her, Cole let out a low moan. Eve hoped Leon hadn’t heard it, but her hope was short-lived.
“Good, he’s coming around. Then we can get this over with.”
Trying to figure out what that meant had dread roiling in Eve’s gut. She watched as he went to the workbench against one wall and grabbed several bottles. Her eyes widened after she squinted to read the labels. They were all insecticides, and all had the skull-and-crossbones symbol for poison stamped on them.
He reached for two plastic glasses, which he filled partway with water from a jug on the workbench.
Then he added several ounces from each of the bottles to each glass.
When he turned with a grin, Eve looked directly into his eyes and realized that somewhere along the way, he’d lost his sanity. The friendly son of her Sunday school teacher had turned into someone Miss Althea wouldn’t recognize. The grin turned to fury as he walked over to Cole and slapped him, hard.
“What in the—” Cole came to with a jolt and sat up. He looked around the shed, and Eve could tell the moment everything he was seeing registered. His jaw hardened and he stilled, a plan of some kind already taking shape. When his eyes met Eve’s, they narrowed, and she read his determination to get them out of here.
Like he had all the time in the world, he rubbed a hand on the side of his face and carefully examined the blood, which he wiped on his jeans. Then he met Leon’s eyes.
“What are you doing, man? Let these ladies go. Whatever beef you have is between you and me. They have nothing to do with this.”
“A few weeks ago, I might have agreed with you.” He pointed a finger at Eve. “But then she came along and stirred everything up, made a mess of things.”
Eve wanted to protest, but with the gag, she didn’t have many options.
“Fine, then at least let Mrs. Martinelli and Blaze go. They don’t have any part in this.”
Leon’s grin came back, and he giggled. The sound was terrifying. “They might not have before, but they are an important part of your punishment now.”
Eve watched the color leach out of Cole’s face and realized they were both thinking the same thing. Leon was going to hurt them to make Cole pay for some wrong, real or imagined.
Cole leaned back against the wall like they were just having a friendly get-together. “Tell me what’s going on, Leon. If you tell me what’s wrong, I’m sure we can figure out a way to fix it.”
“It’s too late to fix it. Years too late.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. You were always too cocky, too arrogant to think about anyone but yourself. You took what you wanted and never gave a single thought to the rest of us. The heir apparent of Sutton Ranch who could do no wrong.”
Leon started pacing, waving the gun around, and the knot in Eve’s gut grew. He was getting more and more agitated, more out of control.
He stopped, stuck the gun under Cole’s chin. “Except you did wrong, the worst wrong a man can do. Your family has always called yourself Christians, holier than thou, looking down your rich noses at everyone. But you went too far.”
He jabbed the gun harder and forced Cole’s head back against the wall. “Too far! You took the only good and beautiful thing in my life and you used her, and then you threw her away like she was manure under your feet.”
Eve was watching Cole’s face, and she saw the moment he realized what Leon was talking about. The words clicked in her own mind several seconds later, and she felt the color drain from her face, just as it had from Cole’s.
Candy Blackwell. All those years ago. Had to be.
Cole’s body language showed no anxiety as he studied Leon’s face. “You were in love with Candy.”
Tears suddenly rolled down Leon’s dark cheeks, a stark contrast to the gun he held against Cole’s throat. “She was the best thing that ever happened to me. She was good and kind, and we were going to get married.” His eyes narrowed, and he cocked the hammer on the gun. Eve vibrated with the need to jump up and stop him, to get that gun away from him, but she was as helpless as everyone else in the shed. “And then you stole her from me: you talked your way into her bed, and then you abandoned her when she needed you most.
“You killed her.” The last words came out as a choked whisper.
Cole didn’t speak until Leon looked at him again. “I didn’t sleep with her, Leon. Not ever. If she was pregnant, it wasn’t by me.”
Eve’s breath caught as she watched Leon absorb this news.
“You’re lying!” The roar sounded like it came from a wounded animal.
“No. I wasn’t then and I’m not now. But I was an arrogant fool, as you said. There had to be a reason she lied about it, but I never stopped to find out who she was protecting or why. I was too busy trying to protect my own future.” He paused. “Was it your baby?”
Leon reacted to that news as though he’d been slapped. He jumped to his feet and began pacing, running his hands over his head, muttering and waving the gun around. Eve glanced over at Cole, saw the remorse in his expression. He blamed himself, for all of it. Then and now.
Eve shook her head, trying to make him see it wasn’t his fault. How could it be?
Leon whipped back around and took aim at Cole. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t turned your back on her, if you’d been man enough to step up, she wouldn’t have been driving too fast, wouldn’t have, wouldn’t . . .” He broke down, sobbing.
Eve glanced at Mama’s shocked face and then at Blaze, who was tugging at the tape binding her hands behind her back. She gave a quick tilt of her head, like she was pointing behind her. Had she found something sharp back there to tear the tape?
“I can’t believe you poisoned my cattle, Leon. You have a problem with me, that’s one thing. But to do that to my animals?” Cole shook his head in astonishment.
Leon’s sobbing stopped as abruptly as it started. “What are you talking about? I didn’t poison your cattle. I’d never do such a thing.”
But apparently, threatening people was something else, Eve thought.
“Then who did?”
“No idea. But it wasn’t me.”
“But you messed with the fertigation system, didn’t you?”
Leon shrugged and kept pacing, kept muttering.
Cole cocked his head. “Who did you get to help you steal my cattle? That wasn’t a one-man operation.”
Leon stopped, laughed. “You think I’m the only one who hates the Martinellis?”
Chills raced down Eve’s spine at his words. Were there more people involved in this?
“I’m done talking to you,” Leon said. Then he stopped, grabbed the duct tape, and trussed Cole up just like he had the rest of them.
Chapter 35
The man had obviously gone loco. But he hadn’t gagged him yet, so Cole planned to keep him talking long enough that hopefully Hector or Buzz would come looking for him. His hands and feet were tied so tight he was losing all feeling in them, so there was no way he could protect everyone. Worse yet, this was his fault, just as Leon had said. He could pay for his own arrogance, but there was no way he’d let Eve, Mrs. Martinelli, and Blaze suffer for his own long-ago selfishness.
“Did you lock Eve in the shed, too?” The minute the words popped out, he wanted to call them back. He didn’t want the focus on Eve.
Sure enough, Leon swung the gun around and pointed it at Eve, who said nothing, simply narrowed her eyes at him. “She’s been nothing but trouble since she got here. No, since before she got here.” He changed direction and aimed at Mrs. Martinelli. Instead of cowering, the older woman hitched up her chin.
“Althea was a good friend to me, Leon. She would not like knowing you were treating my family this way.”
“You started this, all of it, getting your nosy Nellie of a daughter down here, sticking her nose into things that were none of her business.”
Mrs. Martinelli’s eyebrows rose almost to the scarf she wore, and her voice was filled with horror. “Are you saying you did poison the water at Celia’s cottage? You made little Glory so sick?”
“I never meant to hurt anyone! She wasn’t supposed to drink the water. I thought Celia was nursing her. How was I supposed to know she’d made formula from that water?”
“Why did it matter, Leon?” Cole asked quietly. Sure enough, Leon’s attention and the gun swung back to him.
“Because I didn’t want our property going to that big-box store. I wanted it.”
“And if the water wasn’t good, they wouldn’t buy it,” Cole guessed. He waited a beat,
then added, “But you didn’t poison the well.”
“’Course not. You can’t ever get nitrates out once they’re in your well. Dang kid from the water-testing company was supposed to take the sample from the house so the big-box store would drop their offer when it showed all those nitrates. Instead, he skipped town with his girlfriend.” He leaned closer, put the gun right in Cole’s face. “That property should have been mine. After I flushed the chlorination system, the water would be fine and I could sell it for enough to force you out, take away what mattered to you. Same as you did to me.”
“So you’re the one behind most of the sabotage.” Cole would have to think about who helped Leon pull off the cattle heist. But right now he had to stay focused, look for an opportunity to disarm him.
Leon puffed up with pride. “That’s right. Didn’t none of you all know it was me, neither.”
“No, we sure didn’t. Mainly because I couldn’t imagine you ever doing such things, Leon. Duane could die. Hector almost did.”
“They started poking around, asking questions. They got what they deserved.”
“Let the rest of them go, Leon. This is still between you and me.”
“Oh, it is, all right, but they are part of it. Just shooting you quick-like is too easy. You’re going to watch them suffer first.” He strode over to the workbench and grabbed one of the cups of poison. He held it out to Mrs. Martinelli and said, “Drink it.”
Nick Stanton pulled into the marina with a spray of gravel. He was out of his official SUV and running up the porch steps almost before the vehicle slid to a complete stop. “Blaze! Eve! What’s going on?”
He crossed the porch and pounded on the door to the house, but there was no answer. He turned back to see Sal Martinelli hurrying up from the dock.
“Nick. What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
“Where’s Blaze? She called me but now she won’t answer her phone.”