Arctic Christmas Ambush

by Sherri Shackelford

  “What happens to the property?”

  “In the sort of trust Walt was talking about, if no provisions are made, the property reverts back to the original owner.” There was another long sigh. “Now here’s where it gets complicated. Walt wanted to know what would happen if two deeds were discovered, and one of them predates the other.”

  “That’s a pretty specific hypothetical.”

  “That’s exactly what I thought. Especially considering the rumors about what happened to Walt’s father.”

  “What did you find out?” Kara’s ears buzzed. “What would happen?”

  “If there are two deeds for the same piece of property, then it means someone tried to sell the land twice. I know it sounds odd, but things like that happened before computers connected everybody. There’s land in this state that was sold two and three times before the law caught up. When that happens, the person who filed the deed first is the owner. They hold the original title.”

  Shane and Kara exchanged a glance.

  “But what if that original deed was never filed?”

  “A deed doesn’t have to be recorded to be a valid conveyance.”

  “Okay,” Shane said, rubbing his forehead. “So you’re saying that if a trust like Walt was talking about closed, the land would revert back to the original owner, and the original owner is the one with the oldest date on their deed?”

  “That’s it in a nutshell. I’m not going to lie. This doesn’t come up very often.”

  “Couldn’t someone amend the trust along the way?” Kara asked. “Before it ran out?”

  “Absolutely. That’s what usually happens in these cases. When the title is transferred, a good lawyer will catch the oversight and add an amendment. Unfortunately, every profession has its bad eggs.”

  Shane blew out a breath. “Let me get this straight. Adverse possession doesn’t apply if the land is in trust.”

  “Exactly. Adverse possession won’t apply if I give you permission to use my land. That’s what the trust does. It’s basically giving someone permission to use the land for a length of time. When that time is up, that time is up.”

  “So if you wanted to keep the land, it would be in your best interest to destroy any deeds that might dispute ownership.”

  “Well, it’d be illegal. But, yes, I guess. Destroying any evidence of previous ownership simplifies everything.”

  Nausea rose in the back of Kara’s throat. “Thanks, Eileen.”

  Kara could almost feel Eileen shaking her head. “I had a bad feeling when I heard Walt’s house had been destroyed. He had a pretty specific hypothetical question, then he gets murdered. Maybe I’ve been watching too many crime shows on TV, but that seemed like an awful big coincidence. That’s why I wanted to speak with Shane.”

  Shane leaned in once more. “Have you talked to anyone else about this?”

  “Nope. Just you.”

  “Don’t talk to anyone. And I mean anyone.” Shane was reaching into his pocket for his own phone. “Do you understand?”

  “Don’t worry about me. You don’t get far in this business without knowing when to speak up and when to shut up.”

  Kara took the phone off speaker and held it to her ear. “Thank you, Eileen.”

  “Hey, before I forget, I was going to call you about another matter anyway. Walt made some provisions for you in his will. Stop by my office when you get a chance, and we can go over it.”

  Kara figured she was probably the proud owner of two malamutes and their five puppies. That was just the sort of thing Walt would do.

  This time, she didn’t mind so much. “I’ll get in touch.”

  As she hung up the phone, the full gravity of what Eileen had just revealed struck her.

  Kara lifted her anguished gaze to Shane. “It was Graham all along, wasn’t it?”

  FOURTEEN

  Shane’s knees almost buckled. They’d arrested the wrong man.

  “It was him,” Kara whispered. “Graham killed Walt, didn’t he?”

  His throat went dry. “Looks like it.”

  He dialed his phone. Three rings sounded before Jeff picked up.

  “Was Graham on one of the buses?” he demanded without preamble.

  “Hello to you too, boss.”

  “This is important.”

  “All right. Yes. I saw him by the last bus. He was accompanying a group to Anchorage to catch the charter. He told one of the troopers that he was moving up his flight to California. I guess this week was pretty hard on him.”

  “What time did they leave?”

  “About an hour ago.”

  “Coordinate with the Anchorage PD and pick him up. Consider him armed and dangerous.”

  “We’re talking about Graham, right?”

  “Just do it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shane hung up the phone and leaned against the wall.

  Kara caught his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I was looking in the wrong place all along. This was never about you. It was always about the land.”

  He could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Why kill Finn, though? All Graham had to do was destroy the deed proving that Walt had a prior claim on the land.”

  “Unless Graham couldn’t find the deed. Think about it. Finn finds the deed and shows it to Walt. He just thinks it’s a cool piece of history, but Walt realizes the significance and tells Graham.”

  “Graham panics and tries to get the deed back from Walt.”

  “They argue. Graham shoots Walt. Only Graham can’t find the deed and he’s afraid it’s going to turn up. The only other person who might know where it’s located is Finn.”

  Her hands flew to her mouth. “That’s why he burned Walt’s house.”

  “Yep. After he killed Walt, he couldn’t locate the deed. When Finn didn’t have it, Graham decided to burn down Walt’s house.”

  “Do you think it was there?”

  “I don’t care. He murdered Walt. He murdered Finn. He framed Mark. Right now, that deed is the least of my worries.”

  Kara paced the aisle. “Poor Mark. All the reasons we suspected him could easily be applied to Graham. He had access to the cameras. He knew the blind spots. Everything. Graham must have altered the recordings.”

  “I need to get to town. Do you have your keys? I’m short on transportation these days.”

  “They’re in my room.”

  The two of them quickly secured the kennels and made their way back to the hotel. Twilight already darkened the sky. In another half an hour or so, it would be completely dark.

  They took the shortcut through the indoor pool enclosure and crossed into the building and through the dining room. The lights were on, but the chairs had already been flipped onto the tables.

  The front desk was empty.

  Kara shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. With darkness falling and the resort all but deserted, an eeriness settled over her.

  Shane circled around the desk. “I don’t like this. Red and Pete are supposed to be here along with a half a dozen fresh staff members from town. Where are they?”

  “Is there anything on the security cameras?”

  “I don’t see anything. Wait—”

  He glanced up just as an arm wrapped around her neck. She shrieked and attempted to free herself.

  Then she felt something cold press against her temple. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” Graham spoke near her ear.

  Lifting his hands above his head, Shane slowly rose to his feet. “Why don’t you let her go, Graham?”

  “No can do, bro.” Graham’s eyes had a wild, unfocused look. “This is the end of the line.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. Let’s talk this out.”

  “All right, let
’s talk.” He pressed the gun tighter against Kara’s temple. “Where’s the deed?”

  “It was at Walt’s,” Shane bluffed. “You burned it when you burned the house down.”

  “Nope. Nice try. I burned it down because I’d trashed the place. I was worried I might leave some evidence behind. It’s not there. I let the propane tank run and fired a shot from the kennel. I timed it wrong. You lived.”

  Kara’s heart hammered against her ribs. The hotel was completely deserted. Graham must have planned this all along. He’d never arranged for the employees to come back because he’d wanted the resort empty of everyone but her. She was the only other person Walt might have left the deed with.

  Shane appeared calm, but she could see the muscle tick along his jaw.

  “I didn’t even suspect you that first day. When you pulled up in the snowplow,” Shane said tonelessly. “Finn discovered the deed, didn’t he? When he was researching the hot springs.”

  “Can you believe it? You guys have been feuding all this time because some enterprising homesteader sold the land twice. I’d have liked to have met that fellow. Finn didn’t even realize what he’d found. Walt did. He knew about the trust. I don’t know how, but he did. Everyone knows everyone’s business in this town.”

  “That’s why you went to see him that morning.”

  “I parked the snowplow on the road. My snow machine was in the bed.”

  Kara sucked in a sharp breath. No matter what he said, he’d planned on killing Walt all along. Why else would he hide the snowplow on the road while he visited Walt?”

  “You brought a gun,” Shane said.

  He’d obviously come to the same conclusion.

  “A guy’s gotta look out for himself. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

  “Walt is gone. Finn is gone. You don’t need to hurt anyone else.”

  Shane’s gaze flicked to the door and back again. “It’s over. Why don’t you let Kara go?”

  “That’s just it, though. It’s not over. Walt said I’d never find the deed. I can’t risk it. Once he figured out I wanted it, he knew something was up. He put it somewhere.” Graham gave Kara a hard shake. “Did he give it to you?”

  Shane surged forward. “Easy, there. She doesn’t have it.”

  “How do I know that? She was the only person he ever talked to. He must have told her something.”

  Kara tried to jerk away but he held firm.

  “How did you find out about me?” she asked. “About Florida?”

  She sensed Shane was formulating a plan, and she wanted to keep Graham talking.

  “Shane’s computer search history. He did a pretty good job covering his tracks, but I’m better. He was stuck to you like glue after Walt died. Then he started searching a case in Florida. It was clear he thought Walt’s death had something to do with you. I had a box of postcards from when I was a kid. I took a chance. It must have worked.”

  “And you’d let Mark go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit?” she asked incredulously.

  A man who was capable of murder was capable of anything.

  “Collateral damage,” Graham said. “I figured the best way to stop you from looking was to hand you an answer.” The gun moved against her temple. “Enough talk. Put your phone, your gun and your utility belt on the counter.”

  Shane hesitated.

  “Do it!” Graham shouted. “You too.” He nudged Kara. “Give me your phone.”

  Shane slowly removed the items and set them on the counter.

  Kara pulled out her phone and Graham snatched it, shoving it into his own pocket. “Get in the office.” He pushed Kara forward. “It’s easier if there are no bullets in either of you, but I’ll take care of things the hard way if I need to.”

  “Take it easy.” Shane held his ground. “You don’t have to kill anyone else. We can figure this out. We grew up together. You can trust me.”

  “You’re wrong. I’ve got everything wrapped up in this place. Everything! I spent twenty years of my life toadying up to your dad, and it finally paid off.” Graham’s voice shook and Kara’s vision blurred around the edges. He was losing control. “Your dad wanted to stick it to you, and I gave him the opportunity. You wanna tell me why he hated you so much?”

  Kara winced.

  “Because I was a witness to his abuse,” he said calmly. “I was a reminder of what he did. He wanted to bury the past, but he couldn’t as long as I was around.”

  “Figured it was something like that. My mom heard rumors in town.” Graham snorted. “He never really changed, did he? I’d see echoes of what he must have been like sometimes. He was a real jerk. My mom had already been married to a poor jerk. I guess she decided being married to a rich jerk was better.”

  Kara latched on to the mention of his mom. “Think about your mom, Graham. You don’t want to do this to her.”

  “She’ll never find out. I figure I can kill two birds with one stone. We’ve all been trapped here for three days, which means the deed is either here or at Walt’s. If I burn this place down, I can build something better. And no one will ever know the difference.”

  “You can’t.” Shane’s expression was harder than she’d ever seen before. “I won’t let you.”

  Graham pushed Kara forward. “I—”

  A gunshot sounded and Graham twisted around, his left arm flailing. As he stumbled backward, he reached out and caught Kara’s ponytail, yanking her with him. Another shot rang out.

  * * *

  Shane dove for his gun. As he gripped the handle, he caught sight of Red falling.

  Kara gripped the back of her ponytail as Graham dragged her in his wake deeper into the resort. Blood oozed from a wound on his arm, but he kept his tight grip on Kara.

  Shane stalked after them. “Stop.”

  Graham thrust Kara before him as a shield and held the gun to her head. “Get back.”

  Shane stopped, his gun drawn. “It’s over, Graham. Let her go.”

  He wouldn’t take the shot with Kara between them, and Graham knew it.

  “Drop your gun,” Graham ordered.

  “You can’t shoot both of us. Why don’t you aim at me—”

  “No!” Kara shouted.

  Graham shook her hard enough that Shane heard her teeth rattle. “Shut up.”

  Willing her to remain calm, Shane held her terrified gaze.

  He straightened his left arm, his palm facing toward her. “It’s going to be all right. Trust me, okay?”

  She bit her lip and nodded.

  Graham shook her again. “Where’s Red?”

  “You killed him.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Shane could see movement from Red. Better to lie than risk having Graham finish the job.

  Kara stifled a sob.

  Graham dragged her backward. “Then it’s just us again.”

  “Yep. It’s just us. Why don’t you let Kara go? Then it’s just you and me.”

  “Don’t pull your cop garbage on me. This isn’t a negotiation. She’s my insurance.”

  He took another halting step back.

  Shane’s eyes hardened. “It’s too late, Graham. You’ve left too many bodies in your wake. You can’t blame Red’s death on Mark. He’s in jail.”

  Kara’s head strained to the side. Graham was maneuvering her toward the stairwell.

  “You three are going to die in the fire,” Graham said. His eyes had taken on a hazy, cloudy look. “It’ll all be very tragic. Don’t worry, I’ll be very distraught about your deaths.”

  Graham was panicking. As long as Shane stayed calm, he had the upper hand. He had to control the situation in order to protect Kara.

  “I’m giving you one more chance to let her go,” he said. “Because if you hurt her, there’s no place in the world you can hide from me. Do you und
erstand?”

  Graham’s face turned a brilliant shade of red. He knew Shane well enough to fear the threat.

  They were nearly to the exit door. As Shane watched Kara’s face, he realized her mind was working. She was planning something. He met her gaze, and he felt as though she was willing him to understand. Her gaze flicked toward Graham’s foot and back at him.

  He nodded, indicating he understood what she was going to do.

  Once she stomped on Graham’s foot and ducked out of the way, he’d have a clear shot.

  He kept his eyes focused on her, gauging the distance, judging when she’d make her move.

  Graham glanced over his shoulder at the door. Kara nodded. She lifted her foot and stomped. As Graham howled in pain, she jerked away.

  Shane fired as Graham fell against the door, pushing it open and dragging Kara with him.

  He’d been so close.

  He got one look at her stricken face before the door slammed shut. Shane ran the distance and pushed open the door.

  Several quick shots forced him back.

  Breathing like he’d just run a six-minute mile, Shane slouched against the wall. He gave himself only a few seconds before he pushed off and returned to the lobby.

  Red was flat on his back near the lobby doors. He groaned and clutched the side of his head. Blood oozed from the wound.

  “You all right, buddy?” Shane asked.

  Red groaned. “Been better.”

  He shrugged out of his coat and wadded the material under Red’s head, then stood and retrieved his radio from the counter. He relayed what had happened to Jeff and set the radio back down. This time there was no blizzard to slow down the ambulance and his backup. He figured he had about twenty minutes before the posse arrived.

  Red’s arm flopped to the side and he curled his fingers. “Go get him.”

  Shane nodded. “That’s a promise.”

  He refastened his utility belt and followed the path Graham and Kara had taken. When he pushed open the door to the stairwell, the trail of blood was obvious. Maybe he hadn’t missed his shot after all.

  He glanced toward the lower level where the utility corridors were located. If Graham wanted to start a fire and make it look like an accident, the kitchen was the obvious place to start.