He looked scared. Wayde looked scared too. Pepper got up and sauntered towards them. I feared they’d shoot him so I acted like I fully controlled him. “Pepper! Down! No attack. NO ATTACK! Sit!” Thankfully he stopped dead in his tracks and sat.
Tannya kept right on going. By this time we were all on our feet. Derek had stepped in front of me but I could still see. I felt something poking in my back. It was hard. Miss Kitty had stepped up behind me. “Here,” she whispered. “Give it to Derek.”
I reached one hand behind my back and grabbed what felt like a small gun. I never turned my head to look at it, because I didn’t want Wayde and Scooter to notice. I had no idea how Miss Kitty had gotten it out of her purse so quickly. I was shaking so much I almost dropped it. I wasn’t used to handling guns. I was so scared. They were done playing games and were serious now, yet Tannya didn’t seem to care at all. All that pent-up anger at Scooter was coming out right now. Not the best timing, but it seemed to be working to calm them down a little.
“You’re stealing phone and internet and cable TV from me,” Tannya kept yelling. “Do you know what they do to you if you steal cable TV? Do you? Are you crazy? You trespassing jackass. I hate you! I’m going to have you arrested for all of that! I hope they throw the book at you!” she screamed.
“Tannya, I’m sorry! I did it because you threw me out. I missed you and wanted to be close to you. And, well, who’s going to watch the house for you and make sure you’re safe way out there by yourself?”
“No one! You left me. You chose drugs over me! I threw you out because you were dangerous! I asked you to get help and you wouldn’t. You don’t get to be by me anymore.”
“I know. But, baby, I’ve changed. I don’t do drugs anymore. I’ve been clean for almost a year. I’ve been watching over you and the house and trying to be there for you … even though you didn’t know it,” he said sincerely.
Tannya looked at him, stunned. She shook her head and dropped her finger.
“Here,” I whispered to Derek and poked him with the gun. He reached his hand back and took it. I could feel him fumbling with it, but I kept my eyes on Wayde and Scooter. He was probably trying to figure out what kind it was and where the safety was.
“OKAY! I think we’ve gotten a bit off track!” Wayde said. “Ladies and … whoever the fuck you are,” he said referring to Derek. “We need the packages you stole. They’re ours, and we want them back now!”
No one said anything.
“NOW!” he screamed out of frustration.
“Whoa! Gentleman … I think you’ve got the wrong house. These ladies are just having a girl’s night in, and telling stories. We have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re more than willing to help you find what you’re missing, but we don’t need guns for that. So put the guns away and tell us what you lost.”
I was very impressed with Derek’s demeanor. He was holding it together really well.
“Who the hell are you?” Wayde asked.
“I’m staying here. The owner is my friend. Who are you? You’re the one who kicked in the door. Why don’t you tell us who you are and what you need,” Derek said calmly.
“What, now you’re in charge?” Wayde teased.
Tannya stepped back by us. Derek continued talking. “We’re more than willing to work with you. Just tell me who you are and what you’re here for.”
“I’m Wayde, and I’m here for the stolen packages.”
Derek studied him. I was surprised as hell that Derek just got him to do exactly what he’d asked.
“Okay, Wayde, I’m Derek, Sara’s boyfriend. I don’t think we know which packages you’re talking about. What’s this about stolen treasure that Tannya keeps referring to?”
“She thinks it’s her treasure but it’s not. The packages stolen were mine.”
“So where are hers then?”
“I don’t know! I didn’t have anything to do with her treasure. But these women stole packages from my ship, and I want them back.”
“Okay,” Derek said calmly. “Ladies, is this true? Did you take this man’s stuff from his ship?” He carefully eyed each of us. He tucked the gun in the back of his pants and turned away from Wayde and Scooter.
“What happened was, they fired a cannon at Sara’s pontoon and broke the awning. We knew in this LARP, if you break anything that belongs to anyone else you need to replace it or compensate for it. Well, they didn’t want to compensate for it so we took a few packages to cover the cost of the damage,” Val said. “But now they’re gone. The other LARP group must have taken them.”
Wayde huffed. “You fired at us first! And you blew up my dock!”
“Whaaat?” We all said in unison with confused expressions.
“Look, you’re more than welcome to look around. We didn’t steal your treasure. I don’t know who did, but it wasn’t us. We’re willing to help you out though. Feel free …” I said gesturing my arms open. “Take a look around if you want. Derek can escort you around, just stay out of my private laundry areas.”
Everyone looked at me. “Go ahead, we have nothing to hide,” I said and sat back down at the table. Tannya sat down too, and then Val and Miss Kitty.
Derek looked a bit freaked out. “Well, gentleman, would you like the tour?” he asked unsurely. “I’d appreciate if you’d put the guns away though.”
Scooter put his gun away and slipped off his shoes. He was ready for the tour. He looked happy at the opportunity. He stood there proud, with his hands on his hips and set the gun down by his shoes. This guy had to be the world’s worst criminal. We were all in shock at how soft he suddenly was. Wayde stood there dumbfounded. He smacked Scooter on the back of his head and told him to bring his gun with. Wayde left his shoes on for the tour.
“Feel free to look in rooms, behind doors and cupboards. Just don’t make a mess, okay?” I said.
“Okay,” Scooter answered. Wayde shot him a look. Derek led them into the kitchen first, where they looked in all the cupboards and drawers, and then moved down the hall to the bathroom. The washer and dryer were in the closet at the end of the hall. The doors on it were closed.
When they stepped into the bathroom Tannya fist bumped me. “Good plan, they’ll never find it, and they’ll stop bothering us,” she said.
“Yeah, good thinking. Then tomorrow we can take it to a buyer and get cash instead,” Miss Kitty said. “That’s much easier to hide.”
I looked at Val. She didn’t seem on board with it. I think seeing Wayde again was pulling at her heart strings.
I heard them come out of the spare bedroom and stop at the laundry closet. The doors opened and then the cupboards above the washer and dryer opened and shut. Then, like the polite gentleman he was, Scooter closed the closet doors.
We all grinned. “Now we just have to get through my closet. There are a few packages under my winter sweaters folded up on the floor.” I crossed my fingers. I could hear a few drawers slide in and out, then my closet opened and a few seconds later closed.
“Well, guys, that’s the house. There’s no basement, just a crawlspace,” Derek told them.
“We like to see that too!” Wayde demanded.
Derek showed them the way. A few moments later they were back. The crawl space was completely empty so it only took a second to realize there was no treasure in there.
“Well, boys, I guess this was all just a misunderstanding. Sorry you wasted your time,” I said as I stood to meet them.
Scooter was already putting his shoes back on as Wayne angrily said, “This isn’t over. I don’t know where you girls hid it, but I know that you have it. I’ll be in contact tomorrow. Get the treasure ready. We will be getting it back. You have twelve hours.” Then the two stepped out and slammed the door.
Derek turned the lock then faced me and gave me a look that I’d never seen before. I was a bit nervous. “Sara, I told you to stay out of trouble and keep out of this mess.”
Uh-oh, the horns were growing. “Excuse
me? I didn’t ask for your advice or your help. We can handle this ourselves,” I snapped and put my hands on my hips.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. We’re strong independent women!”
“Oh, yes, I can see that,” he said with a sarcastic tone. “Then you will need this, not me,” he said and reached behind him. He pulled the gun out of his pants and looked at it. It was a tiny, bright pink pistol. He looked at it with disgust and handed it to Miss Kitty.
She took it and put it back in her purse. “I’m sure you have a permit for that,” Derek said to her.
“Pffft, somewhere at home in a file, I’m sure,” she said with a nonsense hand wave.
Derek rolled his eyes and rubbed his head. “You need to call Rex.”
“Why? They already left.”
“Just do it. He’s trying to solve a case, and in case you forgot, there is woman being held against her will out there somewhere.”
“Who? Jodi? I doubt it’s against her will. She probably likes the action and the attention. If they untied her, she’d probably jump on them first chance she got!” I slapped my hand over my mouth. Whoops, might have gone too far there. I was surprised by my venomous words towards her. Guess the happy pill was working. “Okay, I’ll call him,” I said and went for my phone.
They all watched me while I put the phone to my ear. I felt like they were judging me. Maybe I was too harsh. I didn’t care. I was tired of being the smart, quiet, nice, morally right one. I just wanted to scream and break something.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Rex, its Sara.”
“What’s up? You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ve been home for a while. Just a wash and a few replacement stitches. Then I had two IV bags and some cookies and juice and now I’m great. Well, except that Wayde and Scooter Potter were just over here.”
“Really? What happened? Is Derek there? What did they want?”
“Woah! Slow down there, robo-cop. Yeah, yeah, Derek’s still here. They just wanted a tour of the place to look for some packages they think we stole,” I said and winked at the girls.
Derek was looking at me with wrinkled brows. He went to the table and picked up my water glass and smelled it, and then took a sip. When he looked back at me, I stuck my tongue out at him. He puffed air out his nose, and squeezed his brows together.
“Are they gone now?”
“Yes, they didn’t find anything so they left. They said that we had twelve hours to get the treasure together and that they’d be in touch in the morning.”
“All right, I’m going to swing by Wayde’s house again. Let me know if you hear from them again.”
“All righty!” I sang and hung up. “He’s going to drive over to Wayde’s and see if he can find them. He said to keep him posted.”
“Fine, I’ve got a killer migraine. I’m going back to bed,” Derek said. “Happy to be of assistance,” he said and gave us a fake hat tip.
“Thank you!”
“Thanks, Derek.”
“We appreciate it, Derek” they all said to his back as he walked down the hall. He waved one arm over his head and shut the door.
I gave them all a look. “Whatever! We didn’t need him. We can totally do this by ourselves.”
“I really think we should go to bed,” Val said. “By the sounds of it, we’re going to have another long day tomorrow.”
“Do you think they’re going home?” Miss Kitty asked.
“No,” I said. “They’re not that dumb.”
“All right. Well, let’s all meet at Morning Glory tomorrow for breakfast and see what happens,” Tannya said. “I have to work starting at six, but I bet I can get someone to cover for me later if I need to.” Miss Kitty offered Val a wing of her house. She’d have her own bathroom and bedroom, and she told her she’d love the company. Aunt Val said she’d love that. I offered for her to stay with me, too, but she wanted to stay in the mansion. She still had all her stuff in the car so it was just as easy.
I walked to them to the door and shut and locked it behind them. I fed Faith, scooped her litter box and took the kitchen garbage out. Then I swept and washed my bathroom and kitchen floors.
After that I scoured the shower and tub … and the sink … and the toilet. By that time, I was finally starting to feel tired. Stupid happy pills!
After I brushed my teeth, I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. I laid there and tossed and turned. I couldn’t sleep. I still had way too much energy. I watched the clock until 2:30 a.m., when finally Derek rolled over.
“Seriously? What’s the matter with you? Aren’t you tired? You had a really long day. You should be sleeping like a baby.”
“Sorry, I can’t sleep,” I said and sat up. I flipped the light on next to the bed. “Are you tired?”
“I don’t know. For the last half-hour I’ve been laying here awake waiting for you to finally lie still. At least the headache’s gone.”
“Good. So are you up for an adventure?”
“What?”
“Come on, you only live once. Come with me on an adventure.”
He studied my face. “Now?”
“Yes.”
“Wha wha … what kind of adventure?” he asked and rubbed his eyes. He sat up a little straighter.
“Just trust me. There’s something that I want to do. Come with me, please.”
“Umm … okay. Do I need to get dressed?”
“Yes, brush your teeth and throw on some warm clothes. We’re going outside, but no one else will see us. We’ll leave in five minutes,” I told him. Then I whipped the covers off and ran to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth too and then went back to my room and got dressed. I passed Derek in the hall. He looked at me like he was amused.
“Do I get to know?”
“Nope, but you’ll figure it out soon enough.”
After he was ready, I went to the entryway and told him to put on his shoes on. He did and then we grabbed our jackets. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and the keys.
Outside it was quiet. There was no wind, and the city noise was far away. The moon was big and bright and high in the sky. It reflected beautifully off the lake. When Derek veered off towards the Jeeps I whistled. “Hey, sexy, it’s this way.” I made my way towards the pontoon.
“A boat ride?”
“Not exactly,” I said with a wink. “We’re getting on the pontoon and going on a short trip.”
He shot me a look. “Sara …”
“Shh!” I said and placed my finger over his lips. “You don’t get to be in charge. I’m the captain now, and what I say goes.”
He stopped talking and a sly smile formed on his lips.
“Now, untie us and have a seat,” I said. “Sorry about the mess.”
He looked around and shook his head.
I drove us slowly over to the ship. I was hoping it was still above water. It was, but I swear one side looked lower than the other. I didn’t say anything to Derek, though. I didn’t want it to ruin my plans.
“So what exactly are we doing?” he asked.
“Well, when was the last time you were on pirate ship?” I asked with a grin.
“I guess, never.”
“Well, that’s about to change, baby!” I was so excited. This was going to be fun.
“Sara, I think this is a bad idea,” he said. “How do you know there aren’t any people on it?” he asked as we approached.
“There’s no way they’d risk coming back here. I don’t see any lights, and the rowboat is still over there, too,” I told him. “I want a tour. I’ve never been on a pirate ship before either,” I said slowly, almost begging.
I stopped the pontoon, and Derek grabbed the rope ladder and held us steady until I tied us off. I slipped the keys into my pocket. Then I went back by my seat and grabbed both the wine and an electric lantern from under one of the seats.
“All right, climb aboard, matey!” I told Derek and started up the ladder. Wh
en I got to the top I took a quick peek around. There was no sign of anyone. “Come on up. Nobody’s home.”
I looked over the edge while he climbed. “This is trespassing, you know.”
“Really? Nah, I don’t think so. I think this ship was built for a LARP, and I am part of a LARP. I am new, so maybe I was confused about the rules,” I told him with a wink. “Who’s going to tell anyway? I know I won’t.”
He got to the top of the rope and climbed aboard. “Sara, you’re very … adventurous lately,” he said with a look of concern. I knew he meant moody. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Everything! I don’t know. Just look at this!” I stepped back on the deck of the ship and spun in a circle with my arms out, still holding a flashlight and bottle of wine. “Gosh, Derek, doesn’t it feel good to just be free? Doesn’t it feel good not having to worry about getting caught or behaving or doing the right thing? It’s amazing!” I said with a huge smile. “I’ve never felt this free. I’ve always had to answer to someone for every action I ever made—to my parents, my husband, my teachers, my boss, my friends. But lately,” I said, stopping and relaxing with a deep exhale. “Lately, it’s just been me. I’m living for me. And I’m enjoying it.”
“I hope I have some part in that,” Derek said putting his hands on my hips and pulling me close.
“You do. A small part for now, but a part nonetheless,” I said quietly. “I want you in my life. I just don’t want to rush anything. I like where we’re at.”
“I like this, too. You never cease to surprise me, that’s for sure.” I tipped my head and smiled. “Like tonight, for instance. It’s the middle of the night, and I’m on pirate ship with you, trespassing!” I leaned forward and kissed him.
I lifted up the wine bottle. “I didn’t bring glasses. I hope you don’t mind sharing the bottle.”
“Not at all.”
I twisted the top of the bottle.
“Oh, the expensive kind, eh?”
“Hey, it’s not in a box. And just for the record, some pretty good wines come in boxes, and twist tops as well,” I told him with a tip of my chin.
“I’ll take your word on that.”
I smiled and took a swig, then passed it to him. He took a drink too.
Destroyed and Detained : Sara Martin Series Page 21