“You son of a bitch!” I stomped on his throat, grinding my foot as hard as I could into the cartilage beneath his jaw. He howled again and rolled sideways, reaching for a knife in his boot.
There it was again, flashing in the low light. The knife he’d held against my neck. The knife he’d used to kill so many innocent young women.
I lurched to the dining room table that held the weapons and fumbled for the biggest gun I could find. I knew they were loaded. I’d heard the men talking about leaving them “ready to fire” when they were preparing for Valentino’s attack. “Safety’s off,” they’d said when they went through their checklists.
I aimed it at his crotch, my chest heaving. “Valentino. Look up.”
He squinted through blood-streaked eyes, waving the knife furiously in my direction.
“This is for all the girls you’ve killed. And for stabbing my husband.” I started to pull the trigger, but felt big hands reach behind me to take the weapon out of my hands.
Sky.
“Marcella. No.” He took the weapon and aimed it at Valentino. “A head shot’s cleaner.”
A grim smile stole over my lips. “Do it.”
Chapter 33
Before Sky could decide whether to follow my fervent command to shoot Valentino, the sound of approaching snowmobiles growled from the woods, filling the air with mechanical thunder and whines.
I glanced with relief toward the sound, then ran to Quinn, who lay still on the floor. “Honey. Hold on. Help’s coming.” I hovered over him. When I felt his cold hands and face, I collapsed atop him, gently covering him with my body. I sobbed as if he’d already died—from panic, from paralyzing fear, and probably some of that was because of what Valentino would have done to me. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I pictured Quinn dead on the floor from bleeding out, and me dead at the hands of Valentino’s knife.
But it wasn’t going to happen that way. Not now.
Sky kept his gun trained on Valentino, walking backwards to pick up the landline. “We’ve got a dial tone.” He punched in a number. With short bursts of words that reminded me of military movies, he requested a chopper to airlift Quinn to a hospital. “What? You can’t take off in this?” He looked outdoors at the blinding snow, frowning. “Okay. I hear them coming.” He lowered his voice, the gun still trained on Valentino. “Listen. We need a doctor or paramedic to come in by a sled, then. I don’t think this patient can be transported.” He paused, looking at the killer, who had pulled up his pants to my relief, but still lay huddled on his side, glaring at us through red eyes. “And we have the Valentino Killer.” Another pause. “That’s what I said. Yes. He’s with us now, and unless he pulls something, you’ll get him alive.”
Valentino’s chest heaved once and his eyes widened. It seemed he’d never been on this end of the game.
I was torn between wanting to stomp all over him and scream at him for hurting my Quinn, and not wanting to leave my poor husband. He hadn’t shifted or moaned in a while and I wondered if he was still breathing.
“Sky?” I said. “I think he’s getting worse.”
Sky rocketed into action, moving so fast I could barely keep up. He grabbed the duct tape from the table and in three long strides arrived at Valentino’s side. With an expression of hellish fury on his face, he whipped the gun across Valentino’s face.
The killer’s head snapped sideways and he went limp. Sky secured his arms and legs, and for good measure, he taped his mouth, that disgusting pathway to the words that had seemed so vile spewing from his lips.
I smiled. “Take that.”
Sky rushed back to Quinn’s side and felt his pulse. “Weak, but steady.” He checked the wound, unsticking the tape and the dishcloth. “Bleeding’s stopped.” He picked him up like a child and brought him to the couch. “He shouldn’t be on the floor, it’s freezing.” He rolled Valentino’s inert body into the corner to make room for sliding the couch closer to the woodstove. He pushed and pulled it across the room. “There. Now he’ll be warm enough.”
I dropped on my knees beside my husband and lay my hands on Quinn’s still face. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Dak barked from the bedroom, and with a start, I realized he was still tied up in there. I hurried to let him loose, and he jumped all over me, licking my hands and face and wagging his tail as if to say how sorry he was that he couldn’t help me in my time of need.
The sound of snowmobiles reached the driveway and suddenly stopped. In seconds, the back door burst open and Copper and Callie hurried inside, followed by two male officers, quickly introduced as O’Brien and Barker.
Callie stared with open mouth at Valentino for a moment, then ran to me and wrapped her arms around me while I told her what happened. I heard Sky delivering a much steadier version of the story to Copper, who roughly cuffed Valentino, reading him his rights in spite of the fact that he seemed unconscious. With Officer Barker, Sky helped bring the killer out to the sled, where they would deliver him to the hands of the county jail.
Callie turned to Quinn, who still lay unmoving. She watched for a few seconds, then hurried to Copper, taking her arm to turn her toward my husband. “We need an ambulance. Quinn’s hurt bad.”
Copper strode to Quinn’s side, taking in the situation. Her obsidian skin glistened with melted snow, and in spite of her perpetual state of calm, even she looked worried. It scared me.
She spoke with authority. “Roads are shut down from here to Speculator and below, to Northville.” She glanced out the window. “No flying until the winds and snow die down.” Her gaze settled on Quinn again. “How bad’s the wound?”
“Not good,” I stuttered. Terror clogged my throat and I reached for Copper’s strong hand. “Please. Help him.”
Sky returned from helping the officer drag Valentino out to a sled.
I heard the roar of the machine as O’Brien left to bring him up to the jail.
Without electricity, and with all the doors opening and closing, the cabin started to grow cold. It was hard to tell if dawn had broken through the heavy snow that continued to fall.
I left Quinn’s side for a moment to stoke up the stove and crank it higher, then braved the storm to shovel a short path for Dak to use at the front door. He needed to go, and having been tied up like that in the bedroom seemed to have traumatized the poor pooch. When I brought him back in, he shook the snow from his coat in a flurry. I threw my parka in the corner, then glanced at my friends, who all stared at me with misery in their eyes.
“What?” I said, dread creeping into my throat. “What is it?”
Chapter 34
Callie’s face fell and her voice cracked. “He’s worse, Marcie.”
I raced past her to Quinn’s side. His skin had faded to an even greener gray and cold perspiration ran down his face. “Oh my God. Quinn.”
Sky ran to the essential oil bag and started anointing Quinn with as many powerful oils as he could lay his hands on. “I believe in this stuff,” he said. “We’ve gotta give him every chance in the book.”
“What oils are you using?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Well, frankincense, of course. Then thyme, basil, oregano, lemon, rosemary, cedarwood, and cypress. Several of these are used in the ‘raindrop’ procedure Gary Young does on people’s spines to re-align their energy and help them heal. One thing for sure, I know they won’t hurt.”
When he was done, Copper and Sky conferred in a corner, shooting worried glances toward me.
I jumped to my feet, running for Quinn’s winter gear. “We’ve got to do this ourselves, guys. We can’t wait for the storm to clear up. Come on, help me get him dressed.”
Copper stopped me at the mudroom. “Honey. The trip might kill him. He’d be jostled all over the place. The bleeding could start up again.”
I paled and set my jaw. “He’s dying here, Copper. If we don’t get him to a hospital, he’s got no chance in hell of surviving.”
Copper looked doubtful. “W
e don’t know that.”
Sky interrupted. “Marcella’s right. He’s getting worse. His pulse is weaker. And his respiration is ragged.” He turned. “Look at him.”
Copper finally agreed.
I had to leave Dak behind, and prayed he wouldn’t freeze in the cabin if the woodstove died down before the power came back. I re-stoked the fire one last time, putting as many logs as possible in the chamber. After piling up a bunch of blankets for him near the stove, I left the heat on sixty-five in hopes that the power would come back on. Hurrying, I set out a dish of fresh kibble and water after walking him one more time.
We bundled Quinn in layers of sweaters, socks, coats, blankets…anything we could lay our hands on. Copper and Sky gently lifted him and set him in a tow-behind trailer, right next to me. He had to sort of sit up—leaning against me—and he was still unconscious. His head flopped to the side, but I pulled up his hood over a wool cap, then lifted a scarf over his nose and mouth, and finally covered both of us with a blanket to keep the snow and wind down to a minimum. Dawn must’ve broken, for the woods seemed lighter inside the blinding whiteout.
“Copper,” I yelled from the trailer. “How can you see where you’re going in this? The road’s gone.”
She turned to me before starting her sled. “Trust me. I’ll get us there.”
Callie’s sled roared to life. Sky rode with her, Officer Barker from Copper’s team took up the rear. Our unlikely rescue caravan headed along the snowy lane. I closed my eyes and prayed Copper would get us where we needed to go.
The trailer wasn’t heated, of course, and the wind cut through the blanket and my clothing, biting deep down to my bones. I shivered, and knew Quinn was probably freezing, too. He just didn’t know it yet.
We stopped about five minutes out. I knew something was wrong, because it should take us at least an hour to reach Speculator. I wondered if Copper was blind in the storm and needed to wait for the wind to die down.
Copper turned off her engine, and the two sleds behind us pulled to a stop.
I lifted the blanket to look outside, but couldn’t tell where we were from my vantage point. All I saw was white. Swirling white. Quinn felt even colder—if that were possible—and I started to worry anew.
Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted on leaving the cabin. Maybe he would’ve been safer in the cabin. It’s really nasty out here.
I covered him up as best I could and craned my head out the side. “What is it, Copper?”
She got out and came to my side. “Looks like a wreck up ahead. Another sled. I… Oh, crap. It’s one of ours.”
I hurried out to stand beside her, shielding my eyes. There it was, an official Hamilton County snowmobile with POLICE written across its side. It had overturned and the trailer was missing.
I looked around and realized we were not on any old snowmobile trail in the woods, but we’d been zooming up the main drag, Route 30. Three feet of snow covered the ground, but the drifts were even higher. Of course, there were no cars in sight, except for an abandoned red minivan about a quarter mile up the road. Nearby I spotted the road sign for Pumpkin Hollow. We’d been up that road a few times last year when searching for Sky and questioning Doc Trebangle, a gentle man who was a huge part of the original medical trials using the curly pondweed essential oil blend. He still worked at Project Hope, and his trailer was situated about a mile up the road.
A voice came from our right. “Hold it right there.”
The man had been hiding behind a shed. I looked in his direction and felt a rush of relief when I noticed the parka and hat with local police insignia.
Copper turned to the figure. “O’Brien? Is that you? Put the rifle down and come out. It’s me, Runyon.”
He approached, but he didn’t lower the rifle. “Don’t move, Runyon.” He swung the gun toward the rest of the caravan, moving it slowly back and forth.
“O’Brien?” Copper’s voice faded when the man grew closer.
I watched, staring through the snow, trying to understand. Had O’Brien gone insane? Maybe hit his head in the accident? And where was his prisoner?
It came clear in a rush. The man stepped closer, motioning Sky, Callie, and Officer Barker up front. “Stand over there. All of you.”
Numb with shock, I looked into the smiling face of Marcus Lowry, the Valentino Killer.
Chapter 35
Valentino waved the gun toward Copper. “Runyon. Instruct your man and that big Viking to toss their weapons over here.”
Copper turned to the men, but before she could say a word, Officer Barker dropped to one knee and took a shot at Valentino.
He missed. Like a striking snake, in one smooth motion Valentino crouched, aimed, and fired at the policeman who’d jumped back to his feet, hitting him in the leg.
Barker went down, moaning softly.
Sky pulled his gun, but the killer now had him in his line of sight. “I wouldn’t do that, Viking. Or you’ll end up like your friend there.”
Callie screamed and clutched my arm. We ducked behind the sled.
Beside us, Copper yelled, “Stop shooting. We’ll cooperate.” She rushed to Barker and knelt beside him. “Everyone. Do what he says.” She wadded up her scarf and held it against the wound on Barker’s leg. “Lowry. Where’s my officer. Where’s O’Brien?”
“Listen to the amazing Amazon cop, everyone.” Valentino’s smile widened when he turned to her. “Your officer? So sorry. He didn’t make it.” He motioned to a mound of snow behind the shed.
Copper’s expression tightened. “No way.”
“Oh, it’s true, Miss Amazon. He’s a goner. Not too bright, I must say.” With a flourish, he waved his gun toward us. “Now, quickly, the guns, people. Over here.” Valentino looked up at the sky, where heavier snow began to fall. “Move it!”
Copper and Sky tossed their weapons toward him. Copper picked up Barker’s gun and threw it with the others.
To my horror, Valentino stashed the guns in the sled towing Quinn.
He seemed to sense my concern, his eyes darting toward Quinn’s figure in the back. “No worries, beautiful. I don’t want to trail a dead Indian behind me. Disconnect the trailer,” he said. “You, Viking. Do it now.”
Sky’s eyes met mine, grim and determined as he hurried to where we crouched.
Callie gripped my arm, panic written all over her face. She touched her brother’s arm when he knelt beside her in the snow to uncouple the trailer. “Sky?”
He shook his head as if to discourage her from speaking. “There. It’s all yours. Now take it and go.”
Valentino laughed. “Not quite yet. I still have to decide who to take with me.”
He stared at me. His broad smile—that goddamned smile—faded, and his eyes burned in my direction. “You,” he shifted his view and pointed the rifle at Callie, who shivered at my side. “Get the keys out of the other sleds. Now!”
He barked the last few words and she jumped like a frightened rabbit. She pulled keys from both ignitions and held them quaking in her hands, advancing slowly toward him. Copper tensed at our side, and I knew she was afraid he’d take Callie with him.
Callie couldn’t handle it. There was no way in hell. Not after what she’d been through in her tumultuous life.
Valentino said, “Throw them over there in the snow bank.”
Callie did as he asked, and our only link to Quinn’s salvation sank into a giant mound of snow.
Valentino approached the first sled, checked for the keys, and then turned the gun on me. “Get over here, beautiful.”
I straightened and looked him in the eyes, pleading. “Listen. We have to get my husband to the hospital. Please. Don’t do this.”
He chuckled. “The Indian boy? Don’t worry. He’s already a goner.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “No. He’s not.”
He stepped forward, eyes menacing. “Want me to finish him off right here, right now?” He pushed the rifle at me, lifting my chin with its
tip. “Or I could do you right now. Remember what I said I wanted?”
My mind played over the words. How could I ever forget? Food. Sex. Revenge.
“I got my food, honey. But you denied me the last two items on the list.”
My legs buckled and I nearly dropped to my knees. “No.”
“Oh, yes. Now climb aboard. We’re going for a ride. And you’re driving.”
Chapter 36
“I’m driving? I’ve never—”
He grabbed my arm and forced me onto the sled. “You’ll figure it out. You know how to drive a car, right?”
I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. “Of course.”
Sky watched with horror as I straddled the seat. Callie started to cry.
Copper crouched beside Barker, still holding the scarf to his thigh. She spoke with a clenched jaw. “You don’t need her. She’ll just slow you down.”
Valentino looked sideways at her as if she were an annoying bug. “Really? Did you learn that in Negotiating 101?” His voice had taken on a needling tone now, and I imagined it was much less charming than the singsong voice he’d used to seduce his victims.
Sky stepped forward. “Take me instead.”
Valentino still held the gun on them. He erupted in laughter. “You’ve gotta be kidding.”
Sky came closer. “I’m serious. Listen, I can help around your place. I’m strong. I can split firewood. I can…fix things.” His voice trailed off as if he couldn’t think of anything else to entice the killer.
I’d never heard Sky sound so desperate.
“You’re not exactly my type,” he huffed. “Stand back. I’ve got the one I want. She owes me.”
I sat still, my mind exploding.
My husband’s going to die.
I’m going to become Valentino’s love slave.
Tall Pines Mysteries: A Mystery/Suspense Boxed Set Page 83