by Leigh Bale
“You come on back when you can stay and chat longer, you hear?” Viola called after them.
Toni waved and flashed her brightest smile. “I’ll look forward to it.”
They returned to the diner and picked up their food, then got in the truck and Mac started the engine.
“Put on your seatbelt, hon.” Mac glanced at her. “And stop worrying.”
She complied while Mac drove out of town. After putting a straw in his drink, she dug into the white sack for their food. She unwrapped his cheeseburger and handed it to him. Holding it with one hand, he drove with the other and took a big bite, chewing with relish. She watched his lean jaws work, unable to prevent a satisfied smile from curving her lips. His presence helped her feel closer to Eric and she could almost forget the circumstances surrounding her brother’s death.
Almost.
Mac glanced in his rearview mirror and frowned. “Don’t look now, but I think someone’s following us.”
Toni turned and saw a white jeep behind them, gaining fast. It soon snuggled close against their rear bumper and she tensed, remembering the day before when the gunman had tailgated her car, then chased her through the forest. Dust billowed up around them and she couldn’t make out the driver’s face.
“Hey, man! Slow down.” Mac ignored his fries and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
A bad feeling blanketed Toni. “Slow down and see if he’ll pass by.”
Mac pressed the brake when the jeep rammed their bumper. They jerked forward and fries tumbled across the front seat.
Oh, no! Not again.
“Hey!” Mac gestured at the other driver to back off.
Bam!
The driver hit them again. Toni’s head snapped back from the impact. She stared wide-eyed and her breath caught in her throat.
“Mac, it’s him. The same man who shot at me on Thorne Mountain.” Terror scorched her with the memory as she stared out the back window.
Mac pressed the accelerator. His old truck pulled ahead, but not for long. The engine wasn’t what it used to be and the jeep hit them again.
Toni studied the man’s hostile expression. “I think he’s yelling at us. I’ve never seen a total stranger look at me with such hatred before.”
“Well, I’m not stopping to chat.” Mac floored the accelerator.
Dust billowed through the air vents. Toni coughed as she gripped the arm rest on her door.
The jeep zoomed forward, driving neck-and-neck beside them along the narrow road.
Toni stared out her window at the jagged rocks below and began to pray.
Please help us, Heavenly Father. Get us out of here safely.
The jeep smashed against the side of Mac’s truck, trying to force them off the road. The seatbelt bit into Toni’s shoulder as she bounced against the door. Mac locked his jaw and glared, his gaze shifting back and forth between the road ahead and the other driver.
They skirted the dirt road, doing eighty-five miles per hour. Small rocks flew up, pelting the windshield. To the right, a narrow gulley ran along the edge of the road. At this speed, if the other driver forced them off the side, Mac’s truck would roll.
Wham!
The ponytail man hit them again hard. What did he want? If he’d been the one who trashed Mac’s cabin, he knew she no longer had Eric’s letter. So, why did he want to kill them?
Thump-smash!
“I’ve had enough,” Mac yelled.
The gulch yielded to an open field of tall sage brush and tufts of dried cheat grass. Mac spun the steering wheel hard and the truck left the road, driving through the field, leaving billows of dust in its wake. Sage brush slammed against the front fender, but the truck swallowed it up as it sped on by.
The ponytail man tried to pursue, but his jeep bottomed out on sage and came to a dead halt.
“Yee-hah!” Mac whooped as he drove the truck over mounds of dirt and headed for the mountains.
Behind them, Ponytail got out of his vehicle and raised a fist in the air, looking furious.
Toni breathed in great drafts of air, trying to calm her shattered nerves. “You think we lost him?”
“Oh, yeah. This old truck may not be fast, but it’s got sand. And I know how to get back to the next road. That guy’s stuck there unless he can dig himself out. Can you dial 9-1-1 on your cell phone? I’d like to call Sheriff Parsons and see if he can pick him up.”
Toni dialed the numbers, but the surrounding mountains caused too much static on the line. “The call won’t go through.”
“By the time we reach the next gas station with a land line, it’ll probably be too late.”
“I’m just glad he’s far behind us. Do you recognize Ponytail?”
“Ponytail?”
“Yeah, that man back there. Viola described him pretty well.” She shivered with the thought of being chased through the forest by the gunman.
“Nope, I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“Do you think he’s the one who trashed the cabin this morning?”
“Could be. Remember, he had a partner. The freckled man.”
“But why would Ponytail want to kill us?”
“He must think we have Eric’s missing file,” Mac said.
“But if he kills us, he may never find it.”
“True.”
They reached the main road and Mac slowed the vehicle as they drove up onto black pavement. Returning to a sane speed helped restore Toni’s composure. She glanced over her shoulder, praying they really had lost Ponytail for good.
“Mac, what could be in Eric’s file worth killing for?”
He brushed her arm with his fingertips, his touch brief but soothing. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
He flashed her a smile of encouragement. She shuddered to think what might happen to her if she were all alone trying to figure this out. She gave silent thanks Mac was here with her. Though her stomach felt tied in knots, she relaxed a little, feeling safe with him.
As they drove out of the mountains and headed along US 95 into the desert toward Las Vegas, she tried not to think about what might happen if they didn’t find Eric’s secret file. Then she reconsidered. What would happen if they did find the file?
At this point, neither option held any appeal.
Chapter Eleven
In Vegas, Mac parked his truck out front of Toni’s home. She stared at the house with white and blue trim. A small patch of lush lawn swept around back, edged by flowerbeds of desert marigold, silver cholla and purple cave primrose. In spite of her advanced years, Grams kept the weeds pulled. On weekends, Toni mowed the lawns and watered everything.
“I’d feel better if you went to see a doctor first,” Mac told her. “You may need some X-rays.”
Toni pressed a hand against her sore ribcage. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I can take a deep breath without my side hurting as much. Except for my sore fingers, I feel fine.”
He frowned, but accepted her decision without comment. The afternoon sun filtered through two Joshua Trees in the front yard. Dad had planted them when they’d first moved into the house just after Toni’s third birthday. She didn’t have a single memory that didn’t include her childhood home.
Thankfully, her grandmother’s car wasn’t in the driveway. “Grams said she’d stay at Aunt Holly’s until I get there. She was going to have Uncle Glade pick up Cara.”
The front windows looked black and vacant. A symbol that joy no longer lived in this house. In one window, a small flag with a single star remained suctioned to the window pane. A reminder that they had a marine serving in a war zone. Neither her nor Grams had the heart to replace it with a gold star, which meant Eric wouldn’t be coming home.
“I dread going inside,” Toni confessed.
“I know, but I’m here. Come on.”
His words renewed her confidence and his smile stirred her heart. They headed up the walkway. Mac took her key from her trembling hands and unlocked the front
door. She turned the knob to go inside, but Mac lifted a hand to intercede. “Let me go first.”
He stepped into the entranceway with Toni right on his heels. At that moment, Cara came bounding down the stairs, her backpack slung over one shoulder. Toni stared with surprise. Cara wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Why aren’t you with Uncle Glade?”
The girl drew up short, her gaze darting to Mac. “Because I’ve been with Shannon. What are you doing home?”
“I live here, remember? Have you talked to Grams this morning?” Grateful her sister was safe, Toni sighed inwardly as she gaped at Cara’s gothic attire. Everything black. Black boots, hose, skirt and vest. Even her spiked hair, nail polish and lipstick were black as sin.
“Nope. I’ve been busy. You’re never home in the middle of the day.” Cara’s tone sounded sullen.
Toni ignored the urge to snap back at her younger sister, but couldn’t help feeling as though Cara had been sneaking off somewhere. Obviously Grams hadn’t reached Cara and the girl had no idea what had happened.
“Hi, Mac. You guys getting back together?” The teenager hugged Mac, wearing a half-hearted smile.
Toni’s face heated up like road flares.
Mac answered before Toni could think of a response. “Hi, sweetheart. How’s your soccer and guitar coming along?”
The color drained from Cara’s face, replaced by a pale look of remorse. “I…I don’t play sports now and I don’t have time for the guitar.”
Mac crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “Really? Why not? You’re so good at both.”
She shrugged. “Just because.”
Toni shifted nervously. If the truth be known, Cara’s grades had fallen steadily since their parents died last year. Eric’s death seemed to throw her off the deep end. With such a low GPA, she’d been tossed off the soccer team. Toni worried about her sister. It seemed she’d lost interest in all the good things she used to enjoy in life, replaced by fast friends and ugly habits Toni shuddered to contemplate. Even counseling hadn’t helped.
Mac gave Cara a fond smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. You play the guitar better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
A flush of pleasure suffused the girl’s face. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, I’ve always been proud of you. An honor student and the star player on the girls soccer team. If you start playing again, I’ll make a point of coming to your games whenever I’m in town.”
“You’d do that for me?” The girl looked hopeful and Toni couldn’t help thinking how much she must miss Dad and Eric. Kids needed both a woman and a man’s loving influence in their lives.
“Absolutely! I wouldn’t miss a game.”
“Why aren’t you in school?” Toni asked.
“No school today. It’s staff development, remember? I told you about it last week.” Cara’s voice held an edge of resentment. She hesitated on the bottom step, her gaze sliding toward the door, as if she longed to escape.
“Sorry, I forgot.” How foolish of her. Grams had said Cara wouldn’t be home until this evening, but the man with the ponytail could have shown up with Cara alone in the house. Toni’s gaze swept over Cara’s skin-tight sweater, which showed a substantial amount of cleavage and midriff. The teenager looked like a hoodlum with her garish makeup and hair spiked to thorny points.
“I’m going out.” Cara tried to edge past Toni and Mac.
“Uh-uh. We’ve got a problem I need to tell you about. And you’re not going out looking like that.” Toni shook her head and crossed her arms, positioning herself in front of the door.
“What’s wrong with the way I look?”
Toni’s eyes widened. “If you can’t figure it out, then you didn’t learn much from Mom and Dad.”
Toni hated arguing with Cara in front of Mac, but it couldn’t be helped. Cara seemed to take special delight in picking public fights.
Mac leaned against the wall to rest his leg, averting his eyes, as if he wished he could disappear. Parenting came at the most awkward moments. For months, Toni had tried to be both Cara’s sister and friend. Over time, they’d become enemies instead.
“Don’t bring Mom and Daddy into this,” Cara said. “Don’t you remember what it feels like to be young?”
Toni braced a hand against the wall to steady her nerves. Still in her twenties, she felt closer to eighty. “Of course I do. It was last Tuesday.”
Cara snorted. “You pick on me every chance you get.”
“Cara, I’m not picking on you, but I do care about you. Where are you going? Who will you be with? And when are you planning to come home?”
Cara’s face hardened, her eyes flashing with anger. “You’re not my mother.”
Their voices escalated.
“Excuse me,” Mac interceded in a soft tone. “May I suggest a small compromise?”
“No!” In the heat of battle, both Toni and Cara spoke in unison as they turned and glowered at him.
He flinched, then chuckled and lifted his hands as if to ward them off. “Whoa, come on, ladies. I can give you an outsider’s perspective.” He smiled at Cara. “Why don’t you change your shirt into something more modest and you can be home by six o’clock. Deal?”
“Mac, she has homework,” Toni interrupted. “I don’t let her go off with friends until her work is done.”
Cara stomped one foot, leaving a slim black mark against the baseboard of the wall. “You just want to keep me prisoner in this house. You don’t trust me.”
“You lost my trust, Cara. Remember you were arrested last month for shoplifting, and then you stayed out all night without telling me where you were. Grams and I walked the floor, fretting, calling the hospital and police, afraid you might be in trouble or dead. Now, you have to earn our trust back.”
Cara breathed a melodramatic sigh. “Did I ask you to stay up all night worrying about me? Huh? Did I?”
Toni’s face stiffened. “We stayed up all night because we love you, Cara. It’s not fair for you to worry us needlessly. You know Grams has been sick. She needs rest. Think about someone besides yourself for once.”
Cara bit her lip, her eyes angry and sparkling with tears. Toni didn’t know what it might take to get through to her. To make her realize how much she and Grandma loved her.
“Hey, Cara,” Mac gave the girl a half-smile. “How about I order an extra-large pizza and you spend the evening over at your Aunt Holly’s with us? I’ll even help with your homework. I’m pretty good at math.”
Cara looked him over like he had a stink bug plastered to his forehead. “I don’t think so. I have to go to Shannon’s house to study. We’re working on a poster for art class. It’s a team effort and Shannon’s my partner.”
Toni thought this over. She then quickly explained about the ponytail man shooting at her and trying to push her and Mac off the road that morning. She omitted the part about Eric’s stolen letter. “It may not be safe for you to be here at the house alone. I want you to go to Aunt Holly’s place.”
The girl shrugged, seeming unconcerned. “No one’s gonna come here. Besides, I’m on my way out. Shannon’s mom will give me a ride over to Aunt Holly’s place after we’re finished with our project.”
Mac glanced at Toni, raising his eyebrows in question. “If she changes her shirt first, does that sound okay?”
Not exactly, but getting Cara to concede to change her immodest top was a big milestone as far as Toni was concerned. Certainly more progress than she’d been able to achieve with her sister in the past months. Maybe taking baby steps was the key to softening her sister’s rebellion.
“Okay, but I want you over at Aunt Holly’s place by seven o’clock tonight, not at Shannon’s. Until we find out what the ponytail man wants, I think it’s for the best. Agreed””
Cara gave an impatient nod.
“Good. But Cara, I want you to take this seriously. This man tried to kill us. Do you understand?”
“Of course. I’m not a chi
ld.”
Yes, you are! Toni wanted to shout the words at her sister, but bit her tongue instead.
Cara gave a happy sound of victory before turning to pound up the stairs to go change her shirt.
Toni glanced at Mac. “I hate to admit you handled that situation better than me. After our parents died, I used to let Cara do anything she wanted, until she got into trouble. Then, I pulled in the reins and we started fighting all the time. I’ve tried reverse psychology and grounding her, but she just sneaks out of the house. It’s been hard on all of us and I don’t know how to get through to her.”
He quirked one brow. “I’m sorry it’s come to that, but things will change. Thankfully, all kids grow up.”
“I just hope it’s soon, before she does something serious to ruin her life.”
“She might surprise you. When it comes down to it, she’ll remember the good values you and your parents have taught her over the years and make the right decisions.”
“I hope you’re right.” She stepped into the living room, feeling better in spite of everything.
Mac followed her, glancing around. His gaze centered on a framed picture on the mantel of Eric looking handsome in his dress blue uniform. The photo rested next to a tall, delicate green vase, the glass etched with scenes of bluebirds and pink, exotic flowers.
“That’s pretty,” he said. “I remember the day Eric bought it for you.”
“You were there?” she asked.
“Actually, I picked it out. He couldn’t decide between the vase and a red handbag.”
She chuckled, then clutched her sore ribs. It still hurt to laugh. “Thank you. I’d rather have the vase. Eric never was very good at picking out gifts. I think that’s why this one means so much to me. He gave me the vase the last time he was home on leave.”
Just after she and Mac had broken up. The vase was a cherished gift. Knowing Mac had picked the vase out made her feel strange inside. As if both men had given the vase to her. She wasn’t quite sure what to think of that.
He stepped near and she looked up at his face, lost in the depths of his brown eyes.
“I’m sorry for ever hurting you, Toni. I wish things could be different between us.”