“M-my fault?”
“If you’d just stayed away, everything would have been okay.” His voice was loud and angry. “Daniel would have married my Veronica. She can’t have kids, but they would have had Chris. Mary made sure of that. All of us would have been happy. Mary too.” His voice broke. “But, Mary worried herself sick thinking you were coming back. Now she’s gone. And, I’m going to make sure my Veronica has what Mary wanted her to have—a family.” He stopped digging long enough to wipe tears from his eyes.
Marti’s skin prickled. She felt cold and clammy. I’m fine. Everything is fine.
She was not fine. She was about to be shot and buried in a shallow grave.
Think, Marti! Think!
“Daniel and Veronica are getting married this Saturday, aren’t they, Mr. Duke? Veronica will have what she wants. You didn’t need to bring me here. Why don’t you untie me now and let’s go back home to see Veronica, okay? I won’t tell anyone what’s happened. We’ll just forget about this, and I’ll move back to Tennessee. You and Veronica and Daniel and Chris can be one big happy family.”
Shane put down the shovel, and Marti was scared to breathe. He walked over beside her. His face was covered with eerie black shadows from the spotlight shimmering across his face.
“You think I’m crazy. You don’t understand, do you? I have to do this. I’ve already done everything I can think of to keep you away. It didn’t work. And, there are people who know what we’ve done.”
Marti’s throat tightened. He would not be swayed. A sob hung in her throat.
Shane walked over beside the SUV and picked up the plastic bag. When he got closer, Marti felt her whole body go numb. It was a body bag—exactly like the coroner used.
Shane laid it down beside her and unzipped the bag. Then he picked up her feet and stuffed them into the bag.
“No! Mr. Duke! No!”
“Shut up, Marti. This will be easier. It won’t hurt like a gunshot would.”
“No! No!” Marti kicked and struggled. She hit at Shane with her head and legs until he exploded in anger. He balled his fist and slugged her in the jaw. Her world turned black, and stars appeared around her. She fought losing consciousness even as Shane stuffed her body into the black bag. A piece of duct tape ripped as he tore it from the roll and placed it over her mouth. She heard the zipper in the plastic as it worked its way around to the end of the bag, but feeble resistance was all she could manage. Her head felt as if it had exploded. The tape pulled at her mouth and pinched as she tried to yell.
Marti felt herself being dragged a short distance then she tumbled into a hole. She tried to move, but her head ached, and she couldn’t remember what to do. The pitch blackness enveloped her, and dizziness made her stomach roil.
The air around her was hot and suffocating. She struggled to get enough air through her nose, but panic had her hyperventilating. There was little oxygen in each panicked breath. Sweat rolled down her face and into her eyes and mingled with tears.
Lord, please help me.
She felt something light hit her from above.
Dirt! He was burying her alive!
Air! I’ve got to have air!
She struggled against the plastic and knew it only made things worse. The more she struggled, the more oxygen she used up. When she stopped struggling she immediately felt sleepy. Being sleepy was the last stage before death, wasn’t it?
God please help me. She tried to poke through the plastic with her fingernails. It was too tough. She tried kicking with her feet, but the bag was too large. Her feet weren’t touching the bottom. She felt the heaviness of the dirt as Shane threw more in on top of her.
Was this the end?
Thoughts of Daniel and their life together flashed through her head, and a great sadness filled her heart. At least she knew when she woke up, she’d be in heaven, and Daniel would eventually meet her there. She felt so sleepy. If she could rest a moment, she might be able to think of a way to save herself. She’d shut her eyes and rest—just for a minute. Marti closed her eyes and remembered no more.
SEVENTY-FOUR
“WE’VE LOCATED THE SUV, SIR.”
The radio in the police cruiser blared out the good news. Daniel’s heart breathed a tentative sigh of relief.
“Do you see anyone around?”
Brent’s voice was steady and calm. How could he be calm at a time like this?
“It looks like Mr. Duke might be digging up his wife’s grave.”
A stab of pain pierced Daniel’s heart. Had he killed Marti already and was burying her body?
“Don’t let him see you. Fan out. Surround the area and wait until we get there. Turn your radios down so he won’t hear.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dispatch. Get Richard out here now and EMS.”
“Ten-four.”
Daniel turned to Brent. “She has to be alive.”
Brent didn’t answer. His mouth formed a tight line.
Daniel splayed hands on the dash. His knuckles turned white with the pressure. “She has to be alive, Lord, please let her be alive.”
“Amen.” Brent jerked the steering wheel to the right. He stopped on the edge of the road and spoke into the radio. “Is everyone in position?”
“Yes, sir. Tailor and Camden have positions in the back, and Don and I are on each side of the gravesite.”
“Okay. We’re coming in.”
Brent plowed forward with sirens blaring. He slid the car to a stop, parallel to the gravesite.
Each policeman around the cemetery flashed spotlights at the grave and bathed the area with light. Daniel saw Shane squint at the police cruiser and take off at a run.
When he saw he was surrounded, he slid to a stop between two tall headstones.
Brent and Daniel slid out of the driver’s side door and crouched behind the vehicle. Brent reached into the cruiser, pressed a button, and picked up the microphone. “Shane Duke. Throw out your weapons and come out with your hands in the air.” His voice boomed across the cemetery.
Daniel waited. Before Brent could say more, two shots rang out. Daniel ducked but at the same time heard the impact in the trees overhead.
The scanner blared. “Should we engage, sir?”
“Hold your fire. He shot into the air.” Brent peeked over the top of the car but stayed hidden behind the vehicle.
“Shane. You’re a respected man of the community. Don’t make us shoot you. You’re surrounded. Give yourself up.”
“Go away, Brent! I have to finish what I started.”
A car pulled up behind them, and a man wearing a bullet proof vest got out and ran up to the cruiser. Richard Darnell. The department’s negotiator. Daniel’s faith took a nose dive. Richard was just out of the academy. How could they place Marti’s life in the hands of someone so green?
Brent turned to the young man and nodded.
“What do we have, Chief?”
“Shane Duke—a murder suspect. It’s possible he has a woman as hostage.”
The man nodded and waved away the microphone Brent handed him. Instead, he raised his voice so Shane could hear him. “Mr. Duke. This is Richard Darnell. I remember you from the Cattlemen’s Association. You and I are members of the same group, I think. Isn’t that right?”
No answer.
“Mr. Duke. I’m here to help you. Will you let me do that?”
At first, Daniel thought Shane wasn’t going to respond, but finally he yelled, “I don’t need help. I just need everybody to go away and let me finish what I started.”
“You know the police aren’t going to do that, Mr. Duke, but I’ll try to help you if you’ll let me. The policemen out here aren’t thinking about what you want, but I’m here to listen to you. So will you let me help you?”
“It’s too late. I’ve gone too far. There’s nothing you can do.”
“There’s always hope, Shane. Do you care if I call you Shane? We’ll just leave the police out of it, and you and I can talk.
Now, would you come out so we can talk—just the two of us?”
“Don’t you understand? It’s too late. I’ve already killed somebody.”
Daniel’s face went hot then cold. No! Not Marti! Please, God, not Marti.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, Shane. There’s always hope. Let’s forget the past and start over right now so no one else will get hurt.”
The silence smothered Daniel’s optimism.
“It’s too late for me . . . and Mary too. We both . . . did things.”
“What things have you done, Shane? Maybe I can help you fix those things.”
“No. It’s too late for Mary.” Daniel could hear Shane crying. “She just wanted to help Veronica. Since they were little, Daniel belonged to Veronica. Then that hussy came along and took Daniel away.” Rage forced Shane’s voice to swell in volume. “But, Mary knew how to fix it. She knew if Marti was convicted of a crime, she’d go to prison. Then Daniel would fall in love with Veronica, and everything would be okay. But they let Marti go. And Mary was afraid she would stay around because of the baby. So she took the baby too. And, that stupid nurse. She just had to stick her nose in.”
Brent looked at Daniel. “He killed the nurse,” he whispered.
Daniel backed up against the car and pressed both hands to his head. Lord, please help us find Marti, and please protect her.
Behind them, the ambulance pulled up to the scene a short distance away and stopped.
“So you love Mary, don’t you, Shane?”
Shane’s cries filled the air. “She was everything to me. That’s why I had to do it. I had to make everybody see what a good person Mary was. I couldn’t let Marti go on chasing after Daniel. I had to make her go away. So . . . I brought her here. Mary would know what to do. When I’m done with her, you can have me.”
Daniel’s head jerked up. He looked at Brent, and his eyes told him they were thinking the same thing. “Marti’s still alive, but that’s her grave he’s digging,” Brent whispered.
Daniel jumped to his feet, and Brent wrestled him down. “No, Daniel. Wait. If you go out there, he’ll shoot you. That won’t do Marti any good. We still don’t know where she is.”
“I have to find out what he did with her.” Daniel’s voice broke on the last word, and he slumped against the car.
Richard continued. “Do you think Mary would want you to kill anyone else, Shane? She’s such a sweet person. Do you think she likes murder?”
“No. I know she doesn’t.” Shane’s voice grew quiet. “And, I’ve already murdered two people.”
“Two people?”
“Jordan was stupid. He was so scared he’d be convicted of stalking Marti that he stole Zach’s knife and left it under her bed so they’d think it was Zach trying to kill her. Zach gave Jordan the keys to Marti’s balcony door, and Jordan framed Zach. Then he murdered him so he couldn’t squeal. He also tried to leave my shoe prints at the shed with an old pair of my shoes he found in the trash—to make it look like I started the fire. The fool. I told him to make it look like an accident.”
Daniel’s heart sped up. He didn’t mention Marti. Maybe she wasn’t dead yet.
“Ask him if Jordan was the one stalking Marti,” Brent whispered.
“Was Jordan the one stalking Marti, Shane?”
“Yes. Mary had proof he robbed a jewelry store years ago when the security guard was murdered. Jordan did time in prison for murder when he was younger, so the courts would’ve given him the death penalty if they could prove he was the one who killed that guard. Mary held that over him to force him to keep Marti away from Texas. Then when Mary died, I offered him half of her insurance money to scare Marti away, but Marti came back anyway. She had to die. And Jordan was stupid, so I took care of him at the shed. Everybody thought I was at the horse auction because I registered to bid.”
Daniel could hear him sobbing.
“But, Mary doesn’t like murder. Mary won’t like what I did. She’ll be angry, and I don’t want her to be angry. I want her to know I’m trying to help her. It’s too late though, isn’t it? My Mary.”
They could hear his sobs, and his words got progressively softer. “There’s no hope.”
“There’s always hope, Shane. Come out so we can talk.”
“No. It’s too late. I’ve already done it. There’s no hope now. Marti’s dead. I’m done.”
They had to strain to hear Shane’s last words, so they all jumped when the piercing sound of a shot rang out from behind the gravestone. Daniel jumped in horror. Had he shot Marti? He strained to see Shane and was shocked to see Shane’s body slumped down beside the gravestone.
“Who fired that shot?” Brent demanded into the radio.
“He did, sir. He shot himself.” There were a few minutes of agonizing silence while the men hurried closer to check on Shane. “He’s dead, sir.”
When Daniel heard their words, he rushed to the grave. He fell on his knees and began tearing at the dirt with both hands. “Marti! Marti, I’m here!” One of the other officers found the shovel and began digging as well. “God, please don’t let her be dead.”
Brent came over to help. “Be careful, she may be right under the surface.”
It seemed to take an eternity before they hit something besides dirt. They quickly uncovered the black plastic and Daniel jumped into the shallow hole beside it.
Daniel tore into the plastic with his bare hands and cried when he saw Marti’s face. Her eyes were closed, her face was cut and bruised, and her hair was matted with sweat. He gently tugged the tape from her mouth and pushed the hair out of her face. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Marti. Wake up, sweetheart.”
Brent pulled him back. “Let the EMT’s work on her, Daniel.”
Daniel squatted back on his feet, breathless. The EMT moved up beside him and put his fingers on Marti’s neck. He looked up at Daniel. “She has a pulse.”
A wave of thankfulness washed over him. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you.”
Daniel and the EMT worked to open the plastic bag and gently lift her out onto the ground. They placed an oxygen mask over her face as Daniel knelt beside her and caressed her cheek. In a few minutes, she opened her eyes in panic and moaned. He leaned in and whispered. “It’s okay, honey. You’re going to be okay.” He hugged her. “I love you, Marti.”
When her eyes found his, her struggling stopped, and her body relaxed. The deputy cut the ropes around her hands and she reached for Daniel. He leaned over and pulled her to him tightly. “I thought I’d lost you, but I prayed to God, and He answered.”
Marti leaned toward him and melted in his arms. Daniel held her and prayed out loud. “Thank you, Lord, for saving my wife. Thank you.”
SEVENTY-FIVE
EVERY MUSCLE IN MARTI’S BODY ached, but she wasn’t going to complain. She was thankful to be alive. She moved slowly in the bed and cringed when her sore muscles cramped. One eye was still swollen, but she could tell the swelling was down from last night. She hated to look in the mirror—afraid she might look even worse than she felt.
“Take it slow and easy, Marti, and you’ll be as good as new.” That’s what the doctor said late last night when she arrived at the hospital.
She pulled the sheet off her body and slid to the edge of the bed. Rain outside the window made pinging noises on the window ledge, so she hobbled across the room to glance at the gray clouds in the sky. Dawn was just beginning, and the faint light over the horizon was barely visible behind the rain-drenched clouds.
Thoughts of Shane entered her head, and instead of anger or fear, she felt only pity. His life had been filled with one catastrophe after another. No wonder he snapped. “Lord, forgive Shane. I want to. He was trying to be kind in his own way. And, thank You, Lord, for sending Daniel to save me. You answered my prayer. I’m sorry for doubting You.”
She didn’t know what to think about what she’d heard last night. She was so sure she heard Daniel thanking God for saving his wife. Yet, that coul
dn’t be right. If Daniel had known she was his wife, he wouldn’t have been holding her and carrying her to the ambulance. Maybe he said “life” instead of “wife.” She must have misunderstood.
She still shuddered when she thought about that black plastic bag, but God’s peace was slowly taking away the feeling of terror when she thought about the graveyard and that shallow grave.
A candy striper came through the door with a hospital tray in her hands. “How about some breakfast, Ms. Rushing? I know it’s a little early, but you’re the first on my floor and the only one awake.”
Marti ran her fingers through her hair. “Thank you. I’ll try to eat something.”
The volunteer smiled. “I’ll put it right here beside the chair if you’d like to sit here and eat. I’ll come back for the tray.” She laid the tray on the bedside table and pulled out a large ice pack from her cart. “Your young man asked me to bring this for that eye. A young rascal might be happy with that shiner, but a nice lady like you probably wishes it would go away.”
“My young man? Do you mean Daniel?”
“I mean that tall, handsome fella who stayed by your bedside all night, that’s who I mean. He got a phone call about thirty minutes ago and said to tell you he’d be back soon. I think it was a police detective—something about a woman named Veronica and a little boy named Chris.”
Marti’s heart sank. She gave the volunteer a trembling smile as she left and tenderly sat down in the chair beside the bed. Daniel had gone back to Veronica.
“Lord, I failed. What would you have me do now?”
Trust me.
“All right, Lord. I’ll try.”
She sighed and lifted the lid off the plate. The smell of eggs, grits, and toast made her stomach growl. The last meal she’d had was the afternoon before in the hospital. She took several bites of eggs and closed her eyes in appreciation. When she opened them again, Pastor Sammons was walking by her doorway. He glanced in the door as he went by but took a step back and stood in the doorway.
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