“She’s not here! Look for yourself.”
Trevor stepped aside and Kyle searched the storage unit. It was only half full—they had a lot more stuff to move in. But it was clear the Gracie wasn’t here. Trevor had been sitting on Kyle’s grandmother’s favorite rocking chair, the one his grandpa had built her when she was pregnant with Kyle’s dad. The one his grandma said would be his when he got married. For some reason, that angered Kyle even more. Trevor had walked into his life and screwed everything up.
“What’s going on, Trevor?” Kyle asked. “Someone’s been mining for gold on the edge of our property. That’s you, isn’t it?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He wasn’t looking him in the eye.
Kyle rushed him, slammed him against the side of the unit. “Don’t lie to me! Not anymore!”
“Look, okay, I was mining for gold. I would have shared it with you, I swear, but I hardly found any. Maybe if you let me stay, I can go back, dig some more. I know it’s there.”
“My grandpa said Hank Henderson is missing—do you know anything about that?”
“Who? I don’t know him.”
Kyle didn’t know what to believe, but Trevor was not his friend. “Where is Gracie?”
Trevor pulled away from him. “I. Don’t. Know. Shit, Kyle, maybe she just walked away, sick and tired of your holier-than-thou attitude.” He looked back down at his phone.
Kyle lunged and hit Trevor square in the jaw. Trevor dropped the phone and Kyle grabbed it.
“Give it back!”
Kyle scrolled through the messages. He saw one to Cyrus’s personal cell phone.
$150K for Gracie.
“You bastard!”
Kyle ran back to his truck and pulled the gun out from under his seat. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but Gracie was in danger. He couldn’t see straight. He pointed the gun at Trevor. “Where is Gracie? I will kill you, Trevor. I will.”
Trevor stared at Kyle in disbelief. “You don’t have the balls. And Gracie is fine. She was in on the whole thing.”
Kyle aimed and fired.
#
As soon as Lucy got off the phone with Sean, she told Anita what happened. They were driving toward the Cannons’ storage unit. “Sean and Cyrus found Gracie bound in the apartment of a neighbor. She confirmed that Trevor Martin had tied her up, and that when he got the money, he’d tell her father where she was.” She left out the detail that Gracie may have been party to her own kidnapping. Lucy couldn’t imagine doing something so horrific to her family. She had been kidnapped as a teenager and her family had been terrified for her safety. Sean claimed that Gracie hadn’t taken Trevor’s plan seriously, that it was all talk.
“I don’t know what to believe,” Sean had said. “I suspect that she seriously considered it at one point, but changed her mind. But when? How far did it have to go before she wanted to back out? Something doesn’t feel right to me ... but I can’t unequivicably say that she was involved all the way through.”
Lucy didn’t feel the need to share their conjecture with Anita. The police would investigate and come to a conclusion based on the evidence and witness statements. Until then, she needed to make sure Kyle didn’t do anything that would ruin his life.
She said to Anita, “If Kyle knows Gracie is safe, he may stand down.” She hoped. He had a gun and he was both worried and angry.
Anita turned into the self-storage. Two pairs of deputies, plus a Vail PD officer, were already there for backup.
“Let’s ask the manager if he’s seen this guy first. When I talked to him on the phone, he said they record everyone who comes in.”
Lucy didn’t see either Trevor’s truck or Kyle’s truck at the entrance, but the way this place operated, if you had a code, you could access the gate without going through the office, and drive straight to your storage unit.
If Kyle was already here, it might be too late.
Anita showed her identification. The manager didn’t make them jump through hoops. “After you called, I pulled the recording for the last two hours.”
“I appreciate it. We’ll need them, but right now, I need to show you a couple pictures.”
The manager nodded. “But people don’t have to check in here.”
“Just trying to speed things along. We might not be at the right place.” Anita first showed him Trevor Martin’s driver’s license photo. “He drives a black Ford 150, four-wheel drive.”
“Saw a black Ford on the tape. Can’t say he was driving, but you might be able to when you zoom in.”
Anita showed him Kyle’s photo.
“Cannon, right? I see him all the time lately. Nice kid. He’s here—just came through not five minutes before you did.”
“Please block anyone else from entering.”
“Absolutely, Deputy.”
“Where’s Cannons’ storage unit? It’s 1520.”
“It’s one of the largest units, the back row. Go down the center of the complex, turn left and it’s the third on the right.”
“Are there any other clients here?”
“I don’t think so—maybe? A couple came in about thirty minutes ago, but their unit is on the opposite side.”
“Stay in your office.”
Lucy followed Anita back outside. The deputy debriefed the others, and ended with, “We’re going to keep this as quiet as possible—I don’t want to startle either individual. Cannon has a gun, but I don’t want anyone—Cannon, Martin, or us—to get shot today.” She sent two of the cops to go around the far side in case one or both of the young men tried to bolt, and Anita and Lucy jogged down the main aisle followed by another pair of deputies.
They heard shouting as they approached the end of the row, then a gun went off.
Lucy and Anita were first around the corner, both with guns drawn. Kyle had a gun on Trevor, but even though the gun had been fired, Trevor wasn’t hit.
“A warning, Trevor. Where is Gracie?”
“Freeze! Police!” Anita shouted. “Kyle, put the gun down!”
Kyle glanced behind him. “He kidnapped Gracie! He has her somewhere!”
“Gracie is safe, Kyle,” Lucy called to him. She nodded to Anita, and motioned that she was going to circle around so she could look Kyle in the eye. She needed to make him understand that she was telling the truth.
“I didn’t do anything!” Trevor said. He looked at Lucy. “Shoot him! He has a gun!”
“It’s a lie!” Kyle said. “Tell them, Trevor, tell them you’re a fucking liar!”
“Kyle, put down the gun,” Lucy said. “Do it now, more police are coming. Put the gun down.”
“He’s lying! He hurt her!”
“We found Gracie. She was tied up in a vacant apartment. She’s safe,” Lucy said. “Now put down the gun.”
Anita was moving in from the other side of Kyle, but Kyle didn’t notice. The barrel of the handgun dipped down. It wasn’t aimed right at Trevor anymore, and Lucy almost breathed easier.
“You’re not lying?”
“No, I’m not. Cyrus Platt and my husband, Sean—you met him earlier—they found her. She’s safe. Getting checked out at the hospital, but she’s safe.”
“Kyle, put down the gun,” Anita said. “Do it now.”
Kyle glanced from Lucy to Anita, then at Trevor. “Tell them it was your idea! Tell them, Trevor.”
“I—I—”
“We know everything, Trevor,” Lucy said. “We know about the illegal mining. We found Hank Henderson’s body in the ravine. A full autopsy will be done, and we’ll find out if it was an accident or if you pushed him.”
“I didn’t!” Trevor said. “He fell, I swear!”
Kyle put his gun down to his side and stared at Trevor. “You pushed Hank? You killed him? An old man? Who the fuck are you?”
“Drop the gun, Kyle,” Lucy said.
He released it. “Bastard,” he said to Trevor. “You fucking bastard.”
Anita r
etrieved Kyle’s gun and they all breathed easier.
Immediately, two deputies rushed in and handcuffed both young men.
Anita handed Kyle’s gun to another officer to secure. “No one got hurt, that’s a win,” Anita said. “Thanks for the assist, Agent Kincaid.”
“Kyle was acting under duress,” Lucy said. “I hope that helps with the weapon’s charge.”
“That’s up to the D.A., not me,” Anita said. “But I’m with you on this and I’ll do what I can.”
That was the best Lucy could hope for at this point.
“Can I talk to Kyle?”
Anita nodded, and Lucy went over to Kyle Cannon. He looked like he was in shock. “Kyle, I’m Lucy Kincaid Rogan. I talked to your grandparents earlier, and they asked you to call me.”
He stared at her blankly, then nodded, remembering. “Is Gracie really okay?”
“Yes.”
“She didn’t want to go along with it. She didn’t. He forced her to.”
“Look—I don’t know that either of us know the full story, but trust your instincts, okay? Your grandparents need you. None of this is your fault. I don’t even know if it’s Gracie’s fault.”
“What were you talking about mining? What mining? Gracie’s dad and some guy—Rogan—” He hesitated.
“My husband,” she explained.
“Yeah, they were talking about it. I didn’t know what Trevor was doing, but I started to get suspicious because he was going out late every night. And then he told Gracie they should fake her kidnapping and get her dad to pay for her art gallery that way. I kicked him out. Gracie would never have even considered it if she wasn’t so depressed about the whole thing.”
“We don’t know what happened between them. I can tell you that she was bound with duct tape, gagged, and he hit her. She’s making a full statement—I don’t know what she’s going to say to the police, but she told my husband that she didn’t want to go through with it, then he knocked her unconscious and restrained her. She feels intensely guilty for sharing information with him—at least, Sean believes she’s remorseful. Her dad walked away—and she’s going to need someone.”
“What if she’s lying?” Kyle whispered. “What if she’s only saying this because they were caught?”
Sean had obviously thought the same thing, and if Sean couldn’t tell for certain, Lucy didn’t know if they would ever know the whole truth. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “That’s up to the police to figure out. And if her dad doesn’t press charges and doesn’t cooperate with the police, I don’t think there’s really anything the police can do to Gracie—though she hasn’t backed down from her claim. Like I said, trust your instincts.”
“Did he really kill Hank?”
“We don’t know what happened—you heard Trevor. He says Hank fell. But Trevor was in the process of committing a felony—trespassing, illegal mining—and Hank told my husband he was going up to the access road because of strange noises he’d been hearing at night. It’s really up to the D.A. to figure it out—and there will be a full investigation and autopsy. Hopefully, the evidence will prove conclusively one way or the other.”
“I’m sorry I ever brought him here. He hurt so many people. People I care about.”
“You didn’t know. And honestly, he’s not the smartest tack in the box. Everything spiraled out of control and he reacted. And now he’s going to jail.”
Lucy felt compassion for Kyle. She understood guilt—and he had nothing to feel guilty about. She hoped he realized it sooner rather than later.
Chapter Eleven
Sean woke up late Wednesday morning, later than he expected. Lucy was still sleeping, as well she should after their eventful weekend. Sunday and Monday were spent with law enforcement, Cyrus Platt, the Cannons, and friends of Hank’s. For a recluse, Hank had a lot of people who cared about him. His memorial service was on Friday, and Sean and Lucy would leave for San Antonio Saturday morning. Yesterday, he and Lucy simply relaxed. And he planned on doing more relaxing today.
Sean wanted to push everything out of his mind. He didn’t care if he and Lucy never left the cabin again.
He looked down at his wife, his heart full. Movement at the foot of the bed caught Sean’s eye. Bandit raised his head when he saw Sean sit up.
“You’re probably hungry,” Sean said.
As soon as he stood up, Bandit did too and followed him downstairs. Sean let him out, then poured food in one bowl and fresh water in another. He started coffee for Lucy, and thought about breakfast.
All he wanted to do was go back to bed and make love to his wife.
He let Bandit in, then went back upstairs while the dog ate. Lucy stretched.
“You left,” she said.
“It’s ten in the morning. I fed Bandit. Started coffee.”
“True love. You don’t even like coffee.”
“But you do.” He climbed back into bed and pulled her to him. Kissed her.
“Let’s stay in bed all day,” she said.
“I won’t object.”
“You never do,” she teased.
He held her face in both hands. “I love you, Lucy. More than anything in the world, I love you.”
“I know.”
“We have dangerous jobs—I know that. And I can live with it. But if anything happens ...”
“Shh,” she said. “We can’t think that way. You know that. We made our choices and we’ll live with them. The key word there is live. We both have so much to live for.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her again. And again. “You don’t mind that we have a dog now, do you?”
“Of course not. Though I’m going to get a little jealous—I think Bandit is in love with you.”
Sean grinned. “What’s not to love?”
Lucy smiled and rolled over so she was on top of her husband. “Nothing.”
They spent the morning in bed, and by the time they got up and showered, it was well after noon and the coffee Sean had brewed had cooled. He made a fresh pot, and his computer beeped.
He checked his email. He ignored most everything, but a new message came in from Abigail Geiser, the photographer.
Hi Sean:
I am so pleased with the photos I took yesterday morning. I’m attaching a set of proofs. Let me know which one you like the best and I’ll have it blown up and printed to the size you want, then ship it to San Antonio.
I had a long talk with Kyle yesterday. He said the police aren’t going to arrest Gracie, but she admitted that she’d initially gone along with the ransom/fake kidnapping plan before she changed her mind. I’m in shock—I never thought she’d do anything like that. Kyle is heartbroken, but says he’s forgiven her. I don’t know that I could. It’s none of my business, but I feel bad about the whole thing. Kyle says Mr. Platt left for Japan without saying good-bye to Gracie. Maybe Kyle can forgive her, but I wonder if her dad will.
Thank you for the business, and I hope you stop by the restaurant next time you’re in Vail. Give my best to Lucy.
~ Abigail
Ten minutes later, Lucy came downstairs in her robe, her wet hair brushed and falling in waves down her back. She poured coffee, added cream and sugar, and sipped. “I think I can wake up now,” she said.
“You’re addicted.”
“There are worse things to be addicted to other than coffee.”
She pulled a chair up close to him and kissed him. “What are you looking at?”
“Your present.”
“Another present?”
Sean opened the attachments from Abigail. Yesterday morning she’d taken pictures of Lucy on the deck with her morning coffee from the drone. There were several Sean loved, with Lucy looking serene. A few of the shots had her looking sad—but he wasn’t surprised.
“You did this?”
“Abigail. I hired her.”
“Sean—I don’t know what to say. This is … just … so sweet.”
“Just sweet?”
�
�I’m at a loss.” Lucy took over the trackpad and scrolled through the photos. She stopped on one. “This one.”
In it, Sean and Bandit had just returned from a walk. Bandit was sitting next to Sean, and Sean was leaning over to kiss Lucy, but their lips weren’t quite touching.
“It’s us. If we’re going to put this in our house, it has to be of both of us. Because you make me complete.”
Sean kissed her. “Ditto.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Ditto? That’s all you can say?”
He smiled. “Let’s go back to bed.”
“Feed me first.”
“Demanding, aren’t you?”
“You’ve spoiled me all week, now I expect breakfast every morning.”
“It’s twelve-thirty in the afternoon.”
“Brunch, then.”
“On one condition.”
Her eyebrow arched up. “Conditions now?” She smiled. Sean loved when Lucy smiled.
“We eat in bed.”
She kissed him, and Sean pulled her tight against him. Then she slipped away from his grasp and dropped her robe. She was naked.
“If we’re going to eat in bed, then maybe we’d better make love here, first.”
“Here?”
“Now.”
“Your wish is my command,” Sean said and embraced his wife.
# # #
RETIRED
A Maxine Revere Novella
Chapter One
Present Day
Investigative reporter Maxine Revere turned thirty-two on December 31st, though she often doubted that New Year’s Eve was her real birthday. Her mother had lied to her about so many things, Max wouldn’t be surprised if Martha picked December 31st so Max’s birthday would always be a party. The only birth certificate Max had was the one her grandparents had petitioned the court to provide because Max didn’t even know what state she’d been born in, or if she’d even been born in a hospital.
She couldn’t imagine her mother suffering through the pain of childbirth, so there had to be a record of her birth somewhere. But even with Max’s wealth and the countless hours she’d devoted to learning the truth about her paternity, she’d never discovered where she’d been born.
TWO TO DIE FOR Page 11