Who Am I?

by Dooley, Lena Nelson

  “Okay.” Greg’s voice broke into the silence. “I’ll get a chopper and pick you up. With a good tailwind, we could get to the cabin by the time Eric and Leiann do.”

  Gerome’s fax machine started printing, and he walked over to grab the map. He studied it for a moment. “Contact the FBI. We’ve cooperated on cases with them before. Since he’s taken her across state lines, they’ll have jurisdiction. Tell them it’s a kidnapping. If we wait until we know for sure whether she went willingly, it may be too late to save her. Have local agents take a four-wheel-drive vehicle to Hunter’s Glen. That’s probably the closest place to Moosehead Lake to set the helo down.”

  Thirteen

  On the way through New Hampshire, Eric drove like a madman. Sometimes he’d take a road, then double back and go another way.

  “Do you even know where you’re going?”

  He turned a fierce scowl toward her. “Of course I do.”

  They passed a sign that said Welcome to Maine. She didn’t see a city, just a little hamlet with a few stores and several houses. Her stomach let out a loud grumble.

  “You hungry?”

  “Yes. But I don’t see a restaurant.”

  Eric pulled up in front of a corner store. A sign in the front window proclaimed Italian Sandwiches.

  “We’ll go in here. You can use the restroom while I buy us something to eat. What do you want?”

  “A cola and an Italian sandwich. And could you get a few bottles of water to take with us?”

  She assumed his grunt meant yes.

  An older man stood behind the counter near an ancient cash register. “What can I do for you and the missus?”

  Leiann cringed, but Eric didn’t seem to notice. She hadn’t liked it when the car salesman and the tourist assumed she and Gerome were married, but somehow this bothered her more. The man turned away before she could say anything.

  After threading around the haphazard displays of all kinds of canned foods and snacks, she found the restroom in a back corner. The lock on the door was an old hook-and-eye kind. When she turned around after locking it, she wasn’t sure she wanted to touch anything. She couldn’t tell what was stained and what was soiled.

  When Leiann emerged, she found Eric standing outside the door. “This is the last stop before we reach Hunter’s Glen, which isn’t far from the lodge.”

  She wandered through the store, gazing at the products while trying to find a phone. If the store had one, it must be in an office or under the counter. If only Arlene or Grandfather knew where she was. Her stomach muscles clenched at the thought.

  Eric picked up a brown paper sack from a smiling woman behind the sandwich counter. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  While he paid the man by the register, Leiann went outside. No phone booth in sight. If she tried to get help from anyone, what would she say? It wasn’t against the law to lie. So far, Eric hadn’t done anything overt to cause her to not trust him. But the farther they went, the harder uneasiness gripped her.

  After they were back on the road, Eric asked her to open his sandwich for him. Leiann pulled back the paper on one of them and handed it to him, then opened her own.

  She picked off the onions and wadded them in a napkin. She was hungry, but the thought of eating made her stomach clench more.

  “There are some chips in there, too. Open a package for me.” He laid the sandwich on one leg and reached over to take the potato chips.

  After she ate as much as she could get past the lump in her throat, Leiann felt drowsy. She stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. She made sure the door was locked and leaned against it. Soon she fell asleep.

  “We’re here.” Eric gave her shoulder a shake. “Hunter’s Glen.”

  Leiann sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. He’d stopped the Jeep at a store with a couple of gas pumps out front. A few other buildings were scattered up and down two roads that crossed beside the store.

  An open phone booth stood not far from where they parked. She followed Eric into the store, going immediately to the restroom. When she came out, he was picking up groceries from the shelves and piling them in his arms. She went around the other side of the display from him and slipped out the door.

  While she approached the telephone, she dug through her purse, looking for enough coins to get through to Arlene. Leiann set her purse on the hood of the Jeep so she could reach every corner.

  “What are you doing?” Eric stood behind her with a sack in his arms.

  “I want to call my grandfather. He’ll be worried about me.”

  He frowned. “I talked to my sister last night from the motel. She said Herman had another spell with his heart. She thought it best not to tell him about us leaving.”

  “Your sister knows where we are?”

  “Of course. I had to get the key to the lodge from her.” He opened the car door and shoved the sack into the backseat. “She’ll make sure everything is all right on that end.”

  “Did she call the sheriff? Are they investigating? Have they found anything?” Questions tumbled from Leiann’s lips.

  “Don’t worry about all that. Pru is taking care of everything.”

  Leiann huffed out a deep breath. “She told me the sheriff would need to get a statement from me, so we need to go back.”

  “We will when it’s safe.” Eric’s placating tone grated on her nerves.

  “I still want to call my grandfather and let him know I’m all right.” Stress ate at Leiann’s insides. “But I don’t have enough change.”

  “I’m afraid you’d be in more danger if you made that call. Just get in so we can be on our way.” Eric took his place behind the steering wheel.

  Leiann climbed into her seat. She wondered how long he planned for them to stay at the lodge. She didn’t like the idea of them being there alone.

  The rest of the drive to the hunting lodge was over rough roads through heavily wooded areas. They crossed several streams with narrow bridges. The roads were narrow. Leiann was glad they hadn’t met any other traffic.

  When they finally pulled into a clearing around a log house, Leiann welcomed the chance to leave the vehicle and really stretch her legs. The building fit the surroundings. Power lines ran from an outbuilding to the house.

  “Do they have electricity out here?” She rubbed the small of her back to get the kinks out.

  “That building holds the generator. I’ll get it turned on.”

  The lodge was surprisingly large, with enough windows letting in light that she had no trouble exploring. The furniture was sturdy wood and leather, and rugs were scattered on the hardwood floors.

  She inspected each upstairs bedroom until she found one with a lock on the inside of the door.

  By the time she came back downstairs, Eric had returned, and the lights worked. He unloaded several items out of the sack of things he’d bought at Hunter’s Glen and put them into the small refrigerator.

  “Where does the water come from?” She turned toward Eric.

  “There’s a well. With the generator on, the pump works. I just lit the water heater. I’m going to check out the surrounding area.” Eric headed out the door but turned back toward her. “Don’t leave the cabin until I get back. Dangers lurk in the woods.”

  ❧

  Gerome’s anxiety for Leiann had him pacing the floor of his cottage as he waited for Greg’s call. When his cell finally vibrated, he grabbed it off his belt. “Mays here.”

  “Hey, man.” Greg’s welcome voice came through loud and clear. “Everything’s in place. Where do we set the bird down?”

  Gerome rubbed the back of his neck. Tension had tied it in knots. “Not close enough for Prudence to suspect anything. I’m going to drive to a meadow on the far end of the estate, near the highway. The people at the house won’t be able to see or hear the helo from there. Go ahead and head this direction. I’ll give you the coordinates from my GPS after I get there.”

  He clicked off the cell and hurried to his pickup. Th
ankful that the estate was so large, Gerome headed across country toward the open field. While he bounced on the seat, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles whitened, he prayed he’d achieve success.

  Soon after he gave Greg the coordinates, the helicopter settled in the long grass. Gerome grabbed the duffel bag he always kept in his pickup, ran under the whirling blades, and jumped aboard, nodding to the pilot as well as his best friend. The chopper lifted off and headed northeast.

  Greg pressed a finger on his earpiece, his brows knit in concentration. “A couple of FBI agents were on a hunting trip near Hunter’s Glen. They found the lodge. They’re hidden in the woods, awaiting our arrival. Local agents are in a four-wheel-drive SUV parked in an open field behind the only store in town. They sent the pilot the coordinates.”

  Gerome blew out a relieved breath. For the first time since he discovered Leiann was gone, hope sparked in his heart. He’d trusted his life to these men more than once, and they always came through.

  The helicopter skimmed through the air just above the treetops. All the colors ran together in a shifting collage, like an impressionist painting. Gerome never did understand why anyone wanted art that was blurry. He liked things in sharp focus. That way, he could see everything around him and quickly assess any danger. But he’d almost dropped the ball when it came to Leiann.

  He hoped he was wrong about Smith, but something in his gut wouldn’t let go of the feeling that Leiann was in mortal danger.

  Lord, don’t let us be too late.

  Gerome hadn’t been able to figure out why Prudence and Eric would want to get rid of Leiann. Even if they killed her, Gerome was still an heir to the Johnson fortune, unless Herman had cut him out of his will back when he’d been a rebellious youth. Gerome didn’t believe the Old Man had done that. Herman had always accepted him, caring for him more than his own father did.

  Were Prudence and Eric afraid that he or Leiann might find out they’d been embezzling from the estate? The Smiths didn’t know the kind of work he did, so they wouldn’t know that he could keep close tabs on anyone around the Old Man. Gerome had been in enough sticky situations to know that people preyed on the wealthy, and he wanted to make sure Herman was well protected. So he regularly checked on what was going on. That’s how he’d detected the discrepancies. And he wanted them to pay for what they’d done to Herman.

  As soon as the chopper set down, Gerome and Greg jumped out and joined the local agents. Gerome suggested that all of them dress like hunters who’d become lost and were seeking help. They purchased everything they needed from the store and were quickly on their way.

  ❧

  Leiann went upstairs to the room she’d chosen. She sat on the bed and tried not to cry. When had her life started getting out of control?

  “When you turned your back on Me, Leiann.”

  She recognized the voice in her spirit. She’d grown up with it. When the foundations of her life were shaken in that lawyer’s office, she couldn’t understand how God had let it happen. The man who’d raised her as his own was a strong man of God. Or so she’d thought. How could he keep the truth from her? How could her mother?

  Didn’t God demand honesty and integrity? Why hadn’t He protected her?

  “I created you in your mother’s womb. I knit you together, and I made sure you were protected and loved.”

  “But why was the truth withheld from me?” She spoke the question into the heavy air.

  “I don’t overrule the free will I gave your mother and father.”

  Tears streamed down Leiann’s face.

  “Just as I didn’t overrule your free will when you hardened your heart against Me.”

  The wall around Leiann’s heart cracked. “I need Your help, Lord. Someone is trying to kill me. But I don’t know who.”

  “Talking to yourself, Leiann?” Eric’s voice startled her. She hadn’t heard him open the door. “Let’s go for a walk. That should clear your head.”

  “I’d rather stay here.” She turned her back on him.

  “Big mistake.” He grabbed her arm and jerked her around. Light gleamed off the barrel of a pistol in his other hand. It was pointed at her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just do what I say.” Eric dragged her through the doorway and shoved her toward the top of the stairs. “I won’t hesitate to use this.”

  Numb, she staggered down the steps, using the banister to steady herself. “Where are you taking me?”

  He motioned with the gun toward the open back door. A path beyond it led through the thick woods.

  Seeing no choice, she started down it. The humid air intensified the earthy fragrance of soil, brush, and trees. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You messed up everything.” His words held a sinister ring as they echoed through the tall trees.

  Her eyes darted all around, looking for something she could use as a weapon. Finally she noticed a sturdy limb lying beside the path. She glanced out the corners of her eyes, without moving her head, to see if there was someplace to hide if she picked it up and whacked him with it.

  “Don’t even think about it. Kick the branch out of the way.” He prodded her with the barrel of the gun, so she complied.

  The cold touch of the weapon against her back made Leiann tremble, but she tried to hide her fear from Eric. “What did I mess up?”

  “Prudence has worked this gig for a long time. The old coot’s worth a ton of money, but she barely made enough to live on. For the past fifteen years, she’s managed to skim a little bit off the top here and there without his noticing. But we wanted more. So she planned to convince him to marry her.”

  Leiann turned toward him. “Are you crazy? I saw no indication that he cared for her like that.”

  Eric forced her back around with the barrel of the gun. “Pru’s real smart. She’d been gradually weakening him. Soon he’d need her to take care of him, and she felt sure she could convince him to marry her so she could do a better job of it. It wouldn’t be a love match, of course. We just wanted his money. . .all of it.”

  “How much money is there?” Although Leiann had some idea about the amount, she hoped all the questions would help her catch Eric off guard.

  “Not as much as there was when she first came to work for him.” He barked out a hard laugh. “But your coming messed up everything. I tried to get you to marry me. That would’ve been another way to get access to the money. But you weren’t interested.”

  God, if I’ve ever needed You, I need You now. “So what are you going to do?”

  “You’re about to have an unfortunate accident.”

  Leiann didn’t like the sound of that.

  “If by some chance your boyfriend”—he spat out the word—“figures out where we are, he’ll come after us. By the time he drives up here, you’ll already be dead. When the authorities start snooping around, I’ll tell them I tried to stop him from killing you, but I had to shoot him in self-defense. That way we get rid of both heirs at the same time.” His maniacal laugh resounded in the remote forest.

  This man is insane! “How am I supposed to die?”

  “There’s a high cliff up ahead. You’re going to fall off it.”

  Not if I can help it. Show me what to do, Lord.

  Fourteen

  Gerome, Greg, and the two FBI agents made good time up the road toward the lodge. Gerome studied the heavy forest bisected by the one-lane drive. No wonder Herman had bought this property. A far cry from his everyday world of high finance, it could take him back to simplicity and nature. When Gerome was younger, the old man had often told him the importance of not losing touch with the simple life.

  Majestic trees soared above them, sentinels of God’s magnificent creation. The density of the underbrush probably held a myriad of wildlife. Gerome wasn’t sure Herman ever hunted when he was at the lodge. He probably spent the time communing with God.

  Now Gerome wished he had taken Herman up on one of his offers to use t
he property. Herman thought Gerome needed it for a refuge since he thought his stepson was shiftless. When this was over, Herman would finally know the truth about what Gerome had done with his life.

  One of the agents who’d been watching the lodge met them on the road before they reached the clearing barely visible up the hill a ways. Gerome jumped out of the vehicle. “What’s happening, Hilton?”

  “We’re not sure.” The man kept his hand on his holster. “They arrived awhile ago and went into the lodge.”

  Maybe she wasn’t here against her will after all. Gerome frowned. Hopefully, his gut finally had made a mistake. “Did she look all right?”

  The man nodded. “She seemed to be. Although she didn’t look happy. Shortly after they went inside, the man came out and scouted the area. Then he went down a path behind the house. One of our agents followed him but kept out of sight.”

  “Where does the path lead?” Gerome visualized what happened as the agent described it.

  “It ends at a large slab of rock above a steep cliff.”

  Gerome rubbed the sides of his forehead with the thumb and middle finger of one hand. “Did Smith go that far?”

  “He stood on the rock for a few minutes. Studied everything around him.”

  “Did he go all the way to the edge?” A frightening scenario formed in Gerome’s mind.

  “Yes. He stood there for a few moments, looking down.” The agent pressed a hand against his earpiece. “The man is almost back at the house.”

  “What happens now?”

  “Myers and I will go around to the back of the house.” Hilton, the senior agent, turned toward his partner. “You take the north side, and I’ll take the south.”

  Gerome had seen these men handle a case before. He knew they were good. “Would it be all right if Greg and I go, too?”

  “If you stay back in the cover of the woods.”

  Greg followed Myers, and Gerome went after Hilton, being careful to stay in the underbrush.

  When they were almost even with the front of the lodge, Hilton whispered, “Targets sighted exiting the rear of the structure. Male is armed and holding female hostage.”