by Sandra Cox
She felt herself flush. It was as if he could read her mind. Or did her face just reflect her thoughts? She gave herself a mental shake and slid into the old leather chair that creaked as she settled in.
She brought up her emails and scrolled. “Here it is.”
He leaned over her shoulder and she caught the scent of horses and sunshine.
“Mind if I sit down?”
“No of course not.” She scooted out of the chair.
He scanned the email. “Ron Smith of Smith’s Horse Rescue. And he doesn’t list a phone number, interesting. Did you tell the police where you were heading?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’d be expecting a visit shortly.” He swiveled in his chair. “Hank, one of us should go to Madison and check out this address. It’s probably bogus too but you never know what will turn up.”
Hank’s look was suspicious. “Who’d you have in mind going?”
If the lack of trust frustrated Jack, he kept it hidden. “Call it.”
“You go, I’ll stay with Marnie.” The edge to his voice made it obvious he wasn’t really happy about having to make a choice.
“I’ll be glad to stay if you want to go.”
“What I want is to do both,” Hank snapped, then took a deep breath that made his wide chest rise and fall beneath his short-sleeved blue shirt. He was in a quandary and everybody knew it. Jack could go to Madison and come back with bogus information. On the other hand if he was in cahoots with whoever was trying to get the amulet, Hank would be leaving Marnie wide open if he went to Madison.
Jack looked at him. “At some point you are going to have to decide if you trust me. And from now on, if you aren’t around I will be.” Jack’s face lost the good-humored, absentminded expression he often wore, replaced by tight skin across bones, sharp eyes and a grim expression.
“We’ll see.” Hank ran his fingers through his unruly graying red hair.
Jack reread the email giving directions and the address then hit the print button. He plucked up the paper that glided out of the printer and stuck it in the pocket of his tee shirt. Placing his hands on the keyboard, he said, “Now if you’ve no objections I’m going to forward this to an old pal of mine.”
She moved closer to read the email address. “Your friend a computer geek?”
He twisted in his chair and winked. “Not just a geek but one who decodes for the government.” He turned back and hit the send button.
“And now we wait or rather you wait. I’m off for Madison.” He reached for her business cards setting on the desk. He picked one up, looked at it and stuck it in his pocket. “I’ll call if something comes up.”
“Okay.” She nodded.
As he walked out of the den she went to the window and watched him run down the steps then walk with long easy strides to his car. Damn, she loved tight faded jeans on a long-legged man.
As he gunned the engine and backed out, she let the curtain fall and turned to Hank. “I want to trust him, Hank.” She gave a deep sigh from her belly.
He put his arm around her. “Me too, honey, me too.”
* * * * *
He reached for the pills, trembling so badly he could barely twist the cap off the bottle. He pushed two white tablets in his mouth and swallowed them dry then leaned his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes, waiting for them to take effect. He had to get the amulet before he was reduced to a wheelchair.
As his heartbeat slowed and the shaking subsided to manageable proportions, he positioned the high-powered telescope and aimed it at the house five miles away wondering how long it would be before they thought about checking the neighbor’s rental cabin. He’d run her off the road outside of Madison in hopes they wouldn’t discover he was staying nearby. But he was afraid the bungled attempt on horseback had cost him that edge. No matter. Tonight was the night. He could feel it in his aching bones. He would set a trap and lure her to the barn. If she didn’t come out he’d go in after her.
Chapter Six
Maureen checked the clock in the kitchen as she paced. Eleven o’clock. She’d expected him back earlier. She shrugged. It was none of her business. It certainly didn’t mean he was in cahoots with the enemy and had decamped. Just then she heard a car door slam and ran to the window and saw Jack getting out of his car. She felt a sense of relief out of all proportion to the situation as she opened the door.
The light from the moon streamed out of the dark lighting the sidewalk as he strode toward the house.
“You shouldn’t open the door at night like that.” His voice sounded raw with fatigue.
“Hello to you too.”
“Where’s Hank?”
“In the living room watching TV.”
He wiped his feet on the mat and stepped into the kitchen. The light haloed his blue-black hair and accentuated the deep circles under his eyes.
She looked at the red rims around them and asked, “Where have you been sleeping?”
He straightened, though she could tell it took an effort. “Cot in the tack room.”
“I made the bed up in the attic. You can bunk up there.”
“Thanks.” He stifled a yawn. “Sorry, I think everything’s catching up with me. Every time one of the horses stamps or neighs, I jump up and check on Pegasus.” He smiled down at her. “You did a miraculous job of healing him but old habits die hard. I’ve been with him twenty-four-seven over the past couple of months.”
“So you’ve been running on nerves.”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I drove through a fast food place and picked up a burger and fries. But I wouldn’t turn down a glass of iced tea if you’ve got some made.”
Opening the cabinet door, she pulled out a glass, walked to the refrigerator and stuck the glass in the ice cube door watching as the crystallized cubes came tumbling out, then opened the frig and poured a golden red liquid over the ice and handed it to him.
He took a deep swallow his Adam’s apple bobbing then made a face. “There’s no sugar in it.”
Maureen laughed, the first laugh she could remember since this mess started. “You aren’t in the South anymore, Dr. Wolfe. We Northerners have some concern for our waistline and our teeth.”
“Very wise I’m sure but do you have any sugar?”
She pointed toward the tall white pantry. “In there. Spoons are in the third drawer on your right.”
He opened the door and rummaged. “Has Tweaker answered?”
“Haven’t been online, I was waiting for you. Did you find anything out?”
“There’s no such address. Street’s right but the numbers stop at a thousand. Didn’t have any one thousand and three.” He pulled out the sugar and then rummaged in the drawer for a spoon.
She winced as he heaped several spoonfuls into his tea.
He stirred then took a sip. “Ah, much better. Let’s go check your messages. Tweaker’s usually pretty fast.”
As they walked down the hall Jack guzzled his tea, the ice cubes clinking against the glass.
“How do you track down someone by email?” Maureen inquired.
He shrugged. “I’m the wrong person to ask. Tweaker said something about switching everything to text and tracing it back to the IP. Then big brother takes it from there.”
He opened the door of the den and stood back to let her walk through.
She went to the desk and pointed toward the chair. “Go ahead. My email’s still up.”
He sat down and tapped the mouse. “There it is.” He clicked and scanned the email. “His name is Victor Price, Tweaker sent a picture.”
Her hair fell forward as she leaned over his shoulder. With an absent gesture, she twisted it into a makeshift ponytail.
She tapped the desk impatiently waiting for the picture. When it popped up she gasped, “That’s not the man. The man in the photograph is misshapen to the point of grotesquery. The person that ran me down is handsome as
the devil.” She leaned closer squinting then felt her heart give a hard thump. “The eyes. They’re the same.”
They looked at each other, comprehension vying with horror. “You don’t suppose…” Her voice trailed off.
“Somehow he’s managed to get the beauty and creativity amulet,” he finished.
He ran his thumb over the dark shadow on his chin making a light rasping sound. “You know if someone collected all five they could rule the world.”
“Do you know who has or had the other four?”
“No but we damn well better find out.”
He stared at the screen, his expression blank his eyes unfocused.
Maureen straightened. “Get some sleep. This will keep ’til morning.”
He gave a huge yawn nodding in agreement. “I’m toast.” He pushed back his chair and stood up.
“I’ll show you your room.”
“Just point me in the right direction, I’ll find it.”
“Take the stairs in the living room to the third floor. “
“Goodnight then.”
“Goodnight.”
He walked across the room. When he reached the doorway he stopped, put his hand on the door frame and turned. He smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Red, we’ll figure this mess out.”
Biting down on her lip, she nodded.
He looked at her for a moment then, as if satisfied, turned and walked out the door.
As Maureen watched the well-oiled door swing shut behind him she touched the amulet and felt a jet of calm spurt over her. Somehow they would figure it out. They had one-upped Victor Price twice now, three times if you counted losing him in traffic. They just had to continue doing so.
I might as well do the paperwork while I’m here. Settling in at the desk she worked for several hours then stretched her arms over her head. Time to call it a night. She leaned her head back and slid down in the chair letting her body go limp.
Wolf’s toenails clicked across the floor as he went to the door and whined. She raised her head, listening. Was that the kitchen door slamming? She prided herself on her acute hearing, which she’d inherited from her dad. Still it was hard to tell with the study door closed. Maybe Hank had gone to the barn to make one last check on the horses. “It’s okay,” she soothed the wolf.
Wolf trotted to the window, thrust his nose through the curtains and began to bark.
Pushing out of her chair, she walked to the window and saw Hank slip into the barn. She frowned. Was there a light flickering inside?
Wolf whimpered and pushed his nose into her hand. She patted his head staring out the window and into the dark night. “Okay, it won’t hurt to check it out.”
With Wolf beside her, she walked out of the den, through the house and onto the enclosed porch where she grabbed a flashlight off the catch-all shelf.
As she approached the back door she put her hand on the animal’s ruff and felt his fur standing up in spiky tufts. A chill ran down her spine. Should she go back in the house and wake up Jack? No, by the time she got up to the third floor, woke up Jack and came back down it could be too late for Hank if he was in trouble.
The screen screeched in the quiet night as she opened it. Wolf shot through it before the door was completely open running silently toward the barn. He pawed at the partially open barn door and pushed through it as Maureen’s feet touched the brick sidewalk still warm from the heat of the day.
Crouching, she hurried down the walkway then crept into the barn and stood in the dark letting her eyes adjust. She heard Wolf growl followed by a zapping sound. He yelped. Then all was silent.
Fear rolled over her like a tidal wave. Someone was in the barn. Damn, why hadn’t she been smart enough to wake Jack? Her hand holding the flashlight shook. She was afraid to turn it on. Afraid she’d make a target. She began to back out. A beam of light directed at her face blinded her. She threw her hand up in front of her eyes as she stumbled backward unable to see. Then she heard the funny zapping noise again and a second later felt a lightning bolt strike her chest and knock her to the ground where she lay twitching.
The demon with the angel’s face bent over her. Victor Price!
“Finally,” he said.
She felt her pupils dilate as her eyes followed his movements.
Twitching almost as much as she was, he bent down and yanked the amulet from her left arm then heaved an ecstatic sigh.
No! She tried to force the sound past the tremors running through her throat.
He took a white cloth out of his pocket, his hand still trembling but less so and poured something out of a brown bottle on it then brought it toward her face. “Night night,” he said and shoved it over her nose.
Everything went black.
* * * * *
She was in a girlie fight being repeatedly slapped. Well she’d just see about that! She drew back her fist and even though her arm felt like a wet noodle she had the satisfaction of hearing her heckler respond in a decidedly masculine voice. “Ow, dammit!” Now that was odd.
“Maureen, wake up.”
She tried to open her eyes but they felt glued together. Good God, she hadn’t been struck blind had she?
“Maureen, open your eyes. Are you all right? What happened here? Has everyone turned into Rip Van Winkle?”
What? She felt her forehead wrinkle like corrugated cardboard. “Hank?” Her voice came out a dry croak.
“No, it’s Jack. For God’s sake open your eyes. Are you okay?” A warm muscled arm held her against a hard surface that thumped erratically under her ear. The other hand ran up and down her legs and arms. She curled into the solid wall of heat holding onto her dream state as long as she could knowing when she surfaced life was not going to be pleasant.
“Come on, girl, wake up. I don’t want to slap you again.”
Again?
She forced open her eyes and glared at him. “Again?”
Relief flickered over his face. “The spirits be praised.”
“Again?”
“If it will make you feel any better you hit me back. What’s going on? What happened? Hank and the dog are sawing logs too.”
She felt her chest tighten and her heart begin to pound. As if she were lifting a fifty-pound weight, she moved her right hand to her left forearm and clasped it. It was bare. The amulet was gone! Memory flooded her in waves, Hank and Wolf on the floor. Victor Price. The taser. The chloroform. No wonder her head felt like yesterday’s train wreck. She threw her chaotic thoughts in reverse…Hank and Wolf! Were they all right?
She pushed against Jack’s chest. Damn, she was weak as a kitten. “Please see to Hank and Wolf.”
A groan sounded from the back part of the barn. She pushed again. “Please,” she said aloud while keening inside, “my amulet.”
“Shh. It’s okay. I’ll see to it.” He got to his feet then pulled her up. She swayed. He held on to her elbow balancing her.
They walked toward the back of the barn, Maureen’s heart in her stomach afraid of what she would find.
Clutching his head, Hank got to his knees.
She pushed at Jack’s arm. “Go ahead and help him.”
“And leave you to fall flat on your lovely face. I don’t think so. What the hell happened here anyway?” The arm supporting her was rigid, his expression grim.
Hank came staggering toward them. “Marnie, are you all right?”
She moved away from Jack’s supporting hands into Hank’s arms and laid her head on his chest.
He patted her on the back.
“There, there, baby. Are you okay? Did that son of a bitch hurt you?”
Maureen assumed he was talking about Price but she wasn’t a hundred percent sure.
“He took the amulet, Hank.” The words ripped through her throat and mouth like raw glass. It was all she could do to keep from throwing back her head and howling out her pain like a wolf.
“What?” Jack said at her elbow, his voice sharp.
She felt Hank�
�s arms tighten about her. “Price?”
She nodded her head against his chest. “Yes.”
She could feel the tension run through the older man like wired electricity. “Where were you, you bastard?”
“He was sleeping, Hank.”
The older man ignored her, his eyes never leaving Jack. “Pretty damn convenient.”
“Hank…” Marnie began before he set her aside.
“I was—” Jack began. “Oof.”
Hank had charged him like a drunken bull falling on top of him into the hay. He drew back his fist.
“Stop it,” she screamed. “Do you hear me, stop it!”
Jack grabbed the older man’s arms, pushed with his feet and heaved, flipping him. He pinned Hank down, the cords in his arms standing out as his muscles strained. “She already punched me and that’s going to have to do. Listen to me,” Jack wheezed. “I slept like the dead. And I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry I let you down.”
The first bright morning rays of sunshine poured through the barn door like a beacon lighting both fighters as dust motes danced over them. “I’m sorry,” Jack repeated.
Wolf whined as he tried to stand up and fell over. She bent down and petted him. This time yesterday she could have run her hand over him taking the remnants of the chloroform from his body through her system and into the amulet but not now.
“Two grown men fighting like a couple of schoolboys. You should both be ashamed.” A sneaky tear that she’d been holding back leaked out. She was very much afraid she was crying for herself.
Both men struggled to their feet.
Hank looked embarrassed. “Ah, honey, don’t do that. We’ll get it back somehow.” He turned to Jack, his features hardening. “Damn odd you managed to sleep through the dustup.”
“And just how much of a dustup did I sleep through?”
Hank brushed the question aside as if it were of no consequence. “Okay so there wasn’t much of a dustup. But I still think it’s damn odd.”
Jack gave an exaggerated sigh. “I was out on my feet but it doesn’t excuse the fact that I wasn’t here to help you and I fell down on the job.”