by Lynn Cahoon
“I want leather,” Lisa whined again.
What this man saw in the brat was beyond me. Unless the fact she was barely eighteen made the childish behavior acceptable. I was putting on the lid when I saw the wince on his face. Maybe Lisa wasn’t totally in control. I tried a new tactic.
“I think leather’s overrated. Kind of tacky and hot. Not fun to sit on with shorts.” I wiped the cup with a napkin, trying to slow down my actions.
Reno laughed. “You got that right. In the heat, leather will rip the skin right off the back of your legs. Or at least it will feel like it has.”
His comment got him a not-so-playful arm slap. “Stop agreeing with her. You have to please me, not her.”
He grabbed her hand roughly, and I could hear her gasp of pain across the room. “I talk to who I want. You or her, there’s no difference. You’re both diversions on a long night.”
His gaze drifted to me. “Come out from behind that counter. Bring the coffee for Miss Priss and let me see you. Maybe we’ll have to take some time on this assignment. You know, have some fun.”
My blood ran cold. I glanced out the window toward the darkening night. Tuesday didn’t have a lot of foot traffic, and Toby’s girls would have returned to their normal lives by now, knowing their favorite barista was getting ready for his nightly patrol. Some days, I didn’t get one customer on Tuesday before I closed.
I carried the cup with me and crossed the dining room floor, my hands shaking. Trying to walk fast enough not to seem enticing, but not wanting to get there any faster than I had to. I couldn’t think of a way out of this. I wasn’t strong enough to break loose if the guy tackled me. Now I wished I’d taken those self-defense classes with Jackie last spring when she’d asked. I handed the mocha to Lisa.
“Ouch, that’s hot.” She held it with two fingers, carefully setting it down on the coffee table.
“Duh. It’s a hot drink.” Reno laughed, apparently pleased with his joke. He motioned to me with the gun. “Sit down, take a break with us. I want to hear your thoughts about this decision.”
I lowered myself into the chair across from him. “Would my vote count?”
He stared at me, cocking his head as his gaze ran down the length of my body. “Maybe. You a runner? You look like a runner. Lean, strong, and tanned.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice. I wanted to run right then. Get up and dash through the door, but I’d have to unlock it first, then get away from the deadly duo without getting shot, then find some shop that was open where I could secure everyone there from being shot. Mission totally impossible.
“So how did you frame Ray?” I leaned back in the chair, trying to appear comfortable.
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Reno laughed. “Oh hell, we both know I’m going to kill you anyway, why not? But don’t you want to know how we framed you?”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “You can’t help bragging, can you? You know I helped. You never would have gotten onto The Castle grounds without me.”
“Whatever. I’m trying to tell this lovely woman a story. Stop interrupting.” He leaned closer. “Did you even find our little gift, or did that dog of yours bury it in the yard?”
“You’re talking about the censer?” My heart was beating so fast, I felt like throwing up. Hold it together, Jill. You’ll find a way out of this.
“Whatever you call it. So your boyfriend must have hidden that piece from the district attorney. I thought after we’d dropped it off, you’d be carted off to the big house.” He leaned forward and leered at me. “I’m sure your boyfriend got some traction out of destroying that little piece of evidence.”
“You forgot, my house was the old mission site. Censers were common at missions.” I didn’t feel the need to tell him that Justin had verified the relic had been stolen from The Castle.
Reno grinned and leaned back. “I never was any good in history class. Too many dates and battles to remember.”
“So your plan didn’t work,” I said, with much more bravado than I felt. “Too bad.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be just as dead. So, you’ve probably figured out Craig was transporting for us. He brought in the stuff, we gave him a bonus, then the next shipment, same deal. The creep got greedy, cocky even. He went into the city and started nosing around for other buyers. Like that wouldn’t get back to Sargent. The man was an idiot.”
“So you killed him for being an idiot.” I guess I could understand that. Many times I wanted to kill Craig for opening his mouth. I would have thought he would have been more tactful with a drug-dealing motorcycle gang, but maybe not.
He laughed. “I don’t know why you keep assuming I was the one who killed Craig. Maybe it was the little girl here. She’s a hothead, you know.”
“Hey. Stop talking about me like I can’t hear you. I’m sitting right here.” Lisa shook her head. “Men. You have to keep a strong hand on them, otherwise they think they can do anything.”
If we’d had beers and a campfire, I’d think we were best friends. But instead, these were the last people I’d see on this earth. A noise sounded from the back. “No,” I whispered and glanced at the clock. Aunt Jackie’s show would have ended about five minutes ago. And she’d be walking through the door right about now. I watched the door to the back, willing it not to fly open.
And somehow, my wish was granted. The door remained closed.
CHAPTER 22
“Did you hear something?” Lisa glanced at Reno.
He shook his head. “You’re the one who said she always works alone on Tuesday nights. Didn’t you check the back?”
Lisa’s eyes widened. “No. I mean, I wanted a mocha.”
“So go check the back.” Reno waved the gun at me. “And you go stand by the counter. We’re done chatting.”
“And I was just feeling the love.” I strolled to the counter. “I take it you’re not paying for her mocha?”
“I don’t think your heirs will notice one lost coffee drink.” He sneered. He watched the swinging door, but Lisa had disappeared and not returned. “How big is that back room?”
He didn’t wait for me to answer. “Lisa? What the heck’s taking you so long?”
No answer from the back.
He glared at me. “What’s going on?”
I shrugged. “How should I know? I’ve been in the pleasure of your company the last few minutes. Besides, the walls are pretty thick. She probably didn’t hear you.” Totally true; sometimes when I was in the back, I didn’t hear anything that was happening in the shop. Jackie would get so mad, she’d look like she was ready to blow.
He motioned me toward the door. “Go and get her.”
I made a small salute. “Yes, sir.”
He grinned. “It’s too bad we don’t have more time. You might be more fun than Lisa. At least fun to break.”
I tried to keep the shiver that ran down my body from being visible. Show no weakness, I thought. I turned on my heels and headed to the back. I called out behind me, trying to make my voice sound stronger than I felt, “In your dreams.”
As soon as I walked through the door, I was pulled to the side, a large hand covering my mouth. I felt a scream bubble in my throat, but then saw Greg standing in front of me, his finger raised to his mouth. I nodded and the hand released me. Toby was standing behind me. He pushed me toward the back door, where I saw Tim motioning me to hurry. I turned back to Greg, and mouthed, “Aunt Jackie?”
He nodded, which I took as meaning she was fine, but then Tim pulled me the rest of the way out of the doorway. In a lowered voice, he pointed toward the building next door, where Josh Thomas was standing, motioning me to the opening.
When I got there, Josh slammed the door. “Thank God they finally got you out.” He led me up the stairs to a small office where Lisa sat, handcuffed and gagged, her feet tied together. Aunt Jackie stood over her, a baseball bat in her hand.
“I was worried about you.” My aunt nodded at her charge.
“We’re standing guard until Greg gets the big guy under control. Then they’ll both be turned over to the state police, who are sitting in a cruiser at the end of town.”
I watched my aunt play prison guard and shook my head. “You know this isn’t a game, right?”
Then my sweet aunt smiled and she looked like a grandmother on television, soft and loving. The vision ended as soon as she opened her mouth. “Kicking butt and taking names.”
Lisa snorted and Jackie pushed her shoulder with the bat. “Be quiet, child.” Jackie examined me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. I’d figured I’d taken my last breath in my shop. Now I worried about Greg, and whether he’d be able to take down Reno without being harmed himself.
Twenty minutes later, Toby came into the room and collected Lisa. They had Reno in the back of the cruiser, and were taking the pair to the waiting state police officers. Greg came into the office for a minute, hugged me hard, and then left with Toby. I took that hug as meaning he forgave me for our fight last night.
I watched them leave and then sank into the couch Lisa had vacated. “I am so tired.”
My aunt sank down beside me and handed me a chilled longneck beer bottle. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”
I didn’t argue, just took a swig and then another. When the beer was half gone, I leaned back and closed my eyes. A thought occurred to me. “Wait, how did you even know I needed help?”
Josh finally spoke. “You never wave when I walk past. You glower, you pretend you don’t see me, or if all else fails, you turn your back to the window. When I saw you waving and the closed sign on too early, I knew those other two were trouble.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. The same obsessive tendencies we’d made fun of after the business-to-business meeting had saved my life.
Josh continued, “I’d seen that girl with the hooligans who kept talking about breaking into The Castle.” He paused. “I think she was in my shop the morning I was attacked. I remembered hearing a girl’s voice, and when I saw her in your shop, I knew she was up to no good as soon. So I called the police.”
I closed my eyes. “They killed Craig.”
“We kind of figured that.” My aunt’s voice had a twinge of humor.
Tears fell down my cheeks, and I put up my hand to brush them away. I hadn’t expected this rush of emotion to overwhelm me, especially over Craig. I sipped on the beer, trying to clear my thoughts. “And coming down to the end, it was about money. Craig’s greed did him in.”
Josh cleared his throat. “I don’t know if that’s true.”
My anger flared, and I stared at him. “You’re kidding, right? After all this? Me being held hostage in my own shop by a contract killer and his psycho girlfriend and you’re still defending him? And why were you taking exorbitant appraisal fees from him? Were you part of this, too?”
Josh had the good sense to blush. “No. I mean, yes, I took the fees. He and I had an arrangement that I’d charge a slightly higher fee for my services, then we’d split the money.” His eyes flashed. “We weren’t doing anything illegal.”
“Maybe not illegal, but probably immoral.” Jackie sniffed.
Josh hung his head. “I didn’t feel right about it. And I told Craig I wasn’t going to do it anymore. That’s why we were fighting the day he died.”
Another piece of the puzzle fell into place for me. “So you cut off one of his income sources.”
“Don’t talk about him that way,” Josh pleaded. “Craig was a good man. Give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Seriously?” My head throbbed.
“I meant we don’t have the whole story yet.” He came and sat next to me, his girth making the couch groan. “I know Craig could be a pain. But he had an amazing eye for antiques. He really believed in preserving the history of South Cove. Building something future generations could enjoy.”
“And he believed in tearing down sites like the mission wall that didn’t fit into his plan for the town.” I didn’t want to get into this argument now. “Look, I appreciate your help today. If you hadn’t called …” My throat constricted as I thought about what could have happened.
“I’m glad you’re all right.” He patted my hand. “For today, we’ll leave it at that.”
Aunt Jackie took his action as our cue to leave. “Let me drive you home. We’ll do a girl’s night at the house. I’ll even make sausage pasta.”
Leave it to my aunt to know the one thing to make me feel better after a busy evening of being held at gunpoint. I finished the beer and stood. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”
Thirty minutes later, I was in the backyard sitting on the stones left of the mission walls. I wondered if any of the original occupants of the mission had sat there, listening to the sounds of the evening and wondering what their future might bring. Emma lay at my feet, watching the woods for chipmunks. I couldn’t be the first to use this site to meditate about things to come, changes that might occur. I thought about my friend Miss Emily, the woman who’d left me the house. Had she come out here to think, to plan, and finally, to remember her life and the men taken from her too early? I missed her.
A chill hit me and I saw a shadow. Then I looked up into the setting sun and saw Esmeralda standing there. She floated over and settled on the wall next to me, her skirts shifting and making an odd sort of music that seemed to fit my neighbor’s personality.
“I stopped by to check on you, and Jackie said you were out here.” Esmeralda took in the tree-lined spot. “I can see why you like it here. Very positive energy flow.”
I chuckled. “Actually, I like to hang out here because it’s usually quiet.”
Esmeralda didn’t take the bait. Obviously, snarkiness must be forgiven in a recently released hostage. “Sometimes you don’t know what you need, you only think you do.”
“And I’m to stay on the path.” I regarded the woman sitting next to me. I wouldn’t call us friends, but maybe there could be a possibility we would be more than casual acquaintances. If I stopped being rude. “Sorry, I’m on edge.”
She waved her hand and the line of bangles on her arm jingled. “No worries. Look, I know people think I’m crazy, but I do have visitors from the other side. And I can’t turn that part of me off.”
“I’m not doubting your …” I paused, searching for the right word, finally settling on “gift. I have a hard time believing sometimes.”
Esmeralda smiled. “You and most of the people in this town. But I can deal with nonbelievers.” She leaned back and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. I could swear the dwindling light from the sunset focused on her face for a moment. I was obviously feeling the effects of the second beer I’d brought out with me.
I reached down and stroked Emma’s head, willing myself to enjoy the moment. Soon I’d have to head back to the house and my aunt’s pasta dinner. I drank in the smell of the ocean floating on the evening breeze, cool and comforting.
“The answer is with the dog. Talk to the woman with the dog.” Esmeralda’s voice broke into the moment. I turned and looked at her, but she still had her eyes closed. Was this a trance?
“You okay?” I didn’t move, not wanting to interrupt the signals she was receiving from wherever.
Esmeralda’s eyelids fluttered, and she glanced at her watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I’ve got a reading tonight.” She smiled. “Got to go do my woo-woo.”
I watched her stand. “So what about the dog?”
Esmeralda frowned and glanced at Emma. “She’s a good dog. Very protective.” She waved as she left.
I watched her leave, wondering if she’d even realized she’d spoken. And a chill ran up my spine as I considered the possibility she was the real deal. A fortune-teller—speaker with the dead—a prognosticator. That thought made me giggle, and Emma wagged her tail. “Let’s go eat.”
As I stood, my heel scraped against something sharp, again. I picked up my foot. This time it hadn’t brought blood, but I
was tired of the wall hurting me. I kneeled and dug up the dirt next to the wall. A piece of metal was stuck under a rock. I used a small, sharp rock and uncovered a dirt-encrusted item.
Back at the house, I went directly to the kitchen sink and moved Jackie’s colander filled with pasta to the counter. Running water over the piece, I realized it was a sextant, one of those things ship captains used to navigate before GPS and the modern world took over their plotting. A very old sextant.
My heart raced. Jackie came over and stood by me, looking at the metal in my sink. “I think I may have found the proof to save the mission.”
CHAPTER 23
When Amy showed up on the doorstep with Justin in tow, thirty minutes later, I knew she hadn’t just called him to come over. I opened the door and let the two in, both tanned and smelling of sweat and the sea. “Stealing some surfing time?” I asked, smiling at the two.
Amy hugged me hard. “I can’t believe we were off playing while you were being held hostage.”
“Where did you hear?” And then I guessed, the story was probably all over town, topic de jour at Diamond Lille’s even. “The diner?”
“The grocery store, actually. We ran into Sadie when we were picking up something to grill and she told us.” Then Amy slapped my arm. “You could have mentioned you were held at gunpoint when you called.”
“I kind of figured that was a face-to-face conversation.” I smiled at Justin. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve got something to show you.”
We walked into the kitchen, where Aunt Jackie was starting to set up the table for dinner. “You two hungry?”
“Starving.” Amy went to the cupboard and grabbed plates.
I walked Justin over to the countertop where the sextant lay drying on a towel. “Is this what I think it is?”
He whistled. “I haven’t seen one in such good shape outside the museum for years.” He bent his head lower to look at all sides. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to age-date it so it supports your mission wall claim.”