by Hillary Avis
Quickly, I downshifted. The heavyweight Suburban shuddered a little as it slowed, but it wasn’t slowing fast enough. Up ahead, bright lights flashed as a white gate began to close across the road and the ringing in my ears grew louder. Of course—a train was coming.
I cursed, smashing the heel of my hand into the steering wheel. In the millisecond I had at my disposal, I considered my two choices: I could hope that the car would roll to a stop before it hit the gate—or before it was caught on the tracks. Or I could speed up, smashing through the gate, but then be trapped on the other side of a long freight train that might take ten minutes or more to pass. And I knew Jillian and Archer didn’t have that kind of time.
I took a quick breath, braced myself, and chose option C, forcing the Suburban off the road. It bounced awkwardly across the shallow ditch—thankfully not overturning—and complained as it bumbled over molehills and cow pies in the open field next to the highway. I steered toward a small incline and the car finally rolled to a stop.
I tumbled out of the door and sprinted back toward the road. I had to get back to the auto shop. Though it had seemed like many long minutes, mere seconds had elapsed since I passed Edison & Sons. With the roar of the train in my ears, I ran, elbows and knees pumping like Dylan and Ollie’s, as fast as I could back down the highway.
Chapter 23
His truck was still there. My heart beat so loud that the blood in my ears deafened me. I tried to catch my breath as I cupped my hands to the glass on the garage doors to see inside, but with every breath, moisture fogged the glass so I couldn’t see if anyone was inside.
“Cluck it!” I muttered, and grabbed the handle of the office door. If it was locked, I’d smash the glass and find some way to reimburse Gary. To my relief, it turned. Eli was going to be mad at me for going in without him, but what was I supposed to do?
I cautiously pushed open the swinging door to Terry’s side of the shop, and instantly saw Archer and Jillian tied up back-to-back around one of the metal support posts in the center of the room, their mouths covered with duct tape. I couldn’t see Archer’s face, but Jillian’s eyes were squeezed shut as tears poured down her cheeks.
All my caution fell away. I dashed toward them without a second thought and yanked the tape off Jillian’s mouth. She winced at the pain and then said breathlessly, “He’s going to kill us! He said he’s going to dump our bodies in the old gravel quarry.”
“Where is he?” I asked, just as a noise sounded behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, whirling to face—not Terry, but Eli. I’ve never been so glad to have that man sneak up on me in my life. I wanted to collapse in his arms, but I knew he had a job to do.
“He went that way. To get his gun.” Jillian jerked her head toward the back of the shop, where a door was cracked open, allowing a blade of sunlight to slice through the room.
Eli put a finger to his lips and gave a me a look that needed no interpretation as he began edging toward the door. I made myself useful and ripped the tape off Archer’s mouth, then kneeled down to loosen the knots that bound their hands to the post. Terry had pulled them tight, and they wouldn’t budge.
I stood and yanked open drawer after drawer as quietly as I could, careful not to let any tools fall to the ground and alert Terry, wherever he was, as I searched for something to cut the ropes. Finally I found a pair of tin snips and used them to hack away the knots. Jillian broke free first, rubbing her wrists where the ropes had cut into them.
“Go,” I said to her as I worked on Archer’s. “Take off your shoes and run.”
Jillian stepped out of her heels and stood there mutely, frozen, but as soon as Archer’s ropes were off, he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the front door. She kept looking back at me as she ran, her bare feet slapping on the grease-stained concrete floor. I gave her a thumbs-up. I’d be right behind her—after I checked on Eli.
I crept to the rear door. It was open more than a crack now—just wide enough for Eli to slip outside. Through the gap, I heard Eli’s voice, calm and measured over the hum of the air compressor. Gary must have been power washing back here and what—left to run an errand? Or had Terry hurt him, too? I didn’t even want to think about it.
“Go ahead and put that down, now.”
“You put yours down!” Terry snapped. I peeked around the edge of the door and saw them standing in the gravel back lot, both their handguns drawn and pointed at one another. Eli’s whole body was taut, and his focus was so entirely on Terry that he didn’t seem to notice me. Thankfully, Terry’s body was turned slightly away from me, so he didn’t catch sight of me in his peripheral vision, either.
I couldn’t see his expression, only his right ear and the back of his head. He’d taken off the black suit jacket he’d worn to the Miss Honeytree crowning, and his sleeves were rolled up. I guess the July heat had gotten to him, or maybe kidnapping was sweaty work.
“Settle down,” Eli said soothingly. “We can still sort this all out. I can help you. But if you shoot a cop, there’s nothing I can do for you. That’ll be the end.”
“For you, you mean.” Terry wiped his forehead with the back of his free hand, which only then I noticed held his mother’s crystal crown. “There’s no going back now. I need to finish what I started.”
To my surprise, Eli smiled, and his shoulders relaxed even though he kept his weapon pointed at Terry. “You mean cleaning up the pageant?”
Terry jerked his head in a quick nod. “How’d you know?
“Well, I just figured. McKenzie was kind of a mess. And you probably saw how Jillian was trading looks with Archer out there. Doesn’t really reflect well on the title of Miss Honeytree, does it?” Eli shook his head disapprovingly. If I hadn’t known better, I’d think he was genuinely sympathizing with Terry. “You must have some stories to tell, man. Let’s go get a beer.”
“Huh.” The fabric of Terry’s white dress shirt darkened with sweat and clung to the small of his back. His posture rigid, he took a step back from Eli. “No offense, but I think you’re full of it.”
“Come on.” Eli grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he slowly stooped and set his gun on the ground. Adrenaline surged through me. Why was he putting himself—and all of us—at so much risk? My fists clenched at my sides and I desperately wished I could see Terry’s face so I could better understand what was going on. “You and I, we’ve known each other forever. You don’t think I’d arrest a buddy of mine, do you?”
Terry took another step backward. “You arrested Tambra, and she’s an angel on earth. She knew what was right and what was good for the pageant, too. It’s been killing me, every second she’s been in jail for what I did. So don’t—” he broke off, jerking his gun to point at Eli, who was slowly sinking down to...what? Pick up his gun again? Fear tightened my chest so I could hardly breathe.
But Eli just sat calmly down on a tire and squinted up at Terry.
“Get up!” Terry’s voice rose to a panicked pitch as he motioned with the barrel of his gun at Eli. “You’re stalling, I can tell. Get up, now!”
Eli picked a stem of tall grass that had pushed up between the gravel and idly nibbled on the end. I could sense Terry’s frustration rising even further as his shoulders tightened and he began pacing back and forth in front of Eli. Though Eli’s expression was relaxed, he was wary, too, his eyes following Terry’s every move. If he’d been trying to de-escalate the situation a few moments before, now he was just trying to escape.
I looked around for something—anything—I could use as a weapon. If I could sneak up on Terry, maybe I could hit him with a wrench. I didn’t want to hurt him, just give Eli the seconds he needed to get away. But the area I was standing in seemed to be storage for automotive fluid. Rows of oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and antifreeze lined the shelves nearest to me.
My eyes lit on Gary’s power washer just outside the door. At first, I dismissed the wand as too lightweight to use as a weapon. But on a second pass, with precio
us seconds ticking away, I remembered the look on that mama possum’s face when she got the full force of my hose—and that had just been a regular sprayer, not an industrial pressure washer.
I edged out the door just far enough to turn the setting to “high” and inch the wand toward myself. Eli’s gaze flicked to me for just a second, but Terry caught the slip and jerked around to look at me.
The moment he started to turn, I pulled back the lever and let the full force of the water stream right at him.
That possum practice paid off—the jet of water hit his wrist and sent the gun spinning to the ground. I moved the stream toward his face and caught him right in the mouth. He coughed and spluttered as Eli dove for both their weapons. I held the power washer like I imagine a gangster would hold an Uzi, walking toward Terry as he flailed his arms, frantically trying to stop the jet of water with his hands.
He forgot he still held his mother’s crown. The force of the water knocked it out of his grasp. It flew backward in what seemed like slow motion, cartwheeling through the air, and nailed him right in the forehead.
His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed where he stood. I let up on the power washer and Eli was on him in an instant, slapping on a pair of handcuffs before checking for a pulse with two fingers on Terry’s neck.
When he was satisfied that Terry’s heart was still beating, he looked up at me and grinned. “Nice aim. You should have stayed inside, though.”
I felt my knees wobble as the adrenaline caught up with me, and Eli’s face tensed with concern. He left Terry laying on the gravel and came over to wrap me in a bear hug. In the distance, the faint sound of sirens filled me with relief, and I sagged against him. “I had to see if you were OK.”
He rested his chin on the top of my head. “Thank you, I am.”
Chapter 24
July 14, Day 11, Thursday
Mama Possum wasn’t thrilled about the ride in the back of my car. She hissed at me as I unloaded the cage that held her and all five of her babies. Now that the humane trap had finally worked, it was time to relocate the little family to the hollow tree behind Ruth’s house. It had taken a few days to trap the possum family using eggs and cat food as bait, but I was pretty darn thrilled that I wouldn’t have to sleep in the tent anymore. I’d had enough camping for three or four lifetimes, even if it was in my own front yard.
I walked around the side of the house and saw Tambra and the boys already there, hanging a hand-painted “Happy Birthday” banner from Ruth’s pergola.
Ollie and Dylan ran over as soon as they saw me. “Can I pet them?” Ollie asked, crouching down to get a better look at the possums.
Dylan squatted beside him and peered through the wire. “They’re so fuzzy!”
I chuckled and held the cage up a little higher so he wouldn’t stick his fingers in it. “No, I’m sorry—they’re cute, but they’re still wild. We’re going to let them go after we surprise Ruth.”
What better way to celebrate Ruth’s birthday and Tambra getting out of jail than a surprise possum-release party? This little get-together had been Eli’s idea. Unfortunately, he couldn’t attend. Today he was busy supervising a crew that was pulling a car out of the old gravel quarry, where divers had found the wreck under ten feet of water. The police didn’t know what they’d discover inside the vehicle, but I did: the remains of Miss Honeytree 1995 and her unfortunate, not-so-secret boyfriend.
I had a feeling Eli would be tied up with this investigation for a while. That was what it was like to be in a relationship with a law enforcement officer, he’d said. He kept using that word, relationship. I had to admit, it was starting to sound pretty good to me.
I tucked the possum cage in a corner and tossed a blanket over it to keep it dark and cozy for the terrified little family. Then I recruited the boys to blow up balloons so they wouldn’t be temped to poke at the animals while Tambra and I set up the rest of the party. We’d just spread out a flowery tablecloth on Ruth’s patio table when we heard the crunch of her tires on her driveway in front of the house.
“Shhh...” Tambra held her finger to her lips to quiet the boys, who were bouncing with excitement. Dylan and Ollie clamped their mouths shut and ducked behind a bush, giggling their heads off. I found a spot behind the table and peeked over the top.
“That’s Leona’s rig. She must be around here somewhere.” The sound of Ruth’s voice grew louder as she rounded the corner. The instant she appeared, we all jumped out from our hiding spots.
“SURPRISE!”
Ruth’s hand flew to her chest and she staggered backward, right into the arms of Gary Edison. Talk about a surprise! His silver hair was combed back neatly, and his Hawaiian shirt was buttoned to the top button. He looked suspiciously like he was trying to impress someone. And judging by the flush that appeared on Ruth’s cheeks when she looked up at him, that someone was none other than my best friend.
“Oh my goodness,” she fussed, straightening her necklace. “Gary and I were just...” She looked at him and pinked up even more. Gary’s goods might be odd, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she didn’t mind one bit.
He cleared his throat and said gruffly, “I just took her out for a little birthday brunch, that’s all.”
Tambra and I shared a look as the boys ran up to Ruth and grabbed her hands, tugging her over to the corner of the patio where the possum cage was still covered with a blanket.
“Look what we got you!” Ollie proclaimed, waving his arms like a magician over the cage.
Ruth tucked her hair behind her ears and avoided eye contact with me and Tambra, apparently still a little embarrassed to be caught coming home from a—dare I say it—date. “Oh, a birthday present, how nice!”
I grimaced at Tambra. I had a feeling that a cage of possums was not the present Ruth was expecting. But she put on a brave face when Dylan and Ollie whipped away the blanket to reveal the animals, pretending to be thrilled.
“Aren’t they sweet?” she cooed, leaning over them. Gary slung an arm around her shoulders as he examined the cage, too. That casual gesture made me so happy for Ruth. She deserved to be loved by someone, even if it was a kooky guy like Gary. Ruth was pretty kooky herself sometimes, so maybe they were a good match.
“Cute little guys,” Gary said appreciatively. “Good for eating ticks and slugs and such.”
“My dahlias will appreciate that.” Ruth smiled at Dylan and Ollie. “Thank you! What a wonderful present!”
Grins split the faces of the two boys as they swelled with pride. Tambra beamed beside me, too. “Thanks so much for letting them have the run of your place while I was gone,” she said quietly. “You and Ruth both were lifesavers. I know the boys aren’t easy.”
“They’re good kids, Tambra. We had fun.” I stepped between the boys to pick up the cage. “Let’s give them their freedom, shall we?”
The hollow tree, the remains of an old oak that had been struck by lightning a few years back, was about twenty yards into the woods behind the house. The whole group of us traipsed through the brush until we were within a few feet. I set the cage down at the base of the tree.
“Time to say your goodbyes,” I said to the boys. They clustered around me and stared into the cage, where the mama scooted backward, all her babies clinging to her back as she eyed us suspiciously.
“Be good babies and don’t steal eggs,” Dylan said solemnly. “Or else you might get trapped again.”
“And come visit us when we’re at Ruth’s so we can see you grow up,” Ollie added.
I nodded to them and they stepped back so they were out of biting range, in case the little animal went crazy on us after being cooped up overnight. I lifted the door of the cage, and I think we all held our breaths, waiting to see what would happen.
For a few beats, the possum stared at us with the same injured expression she’d worn when I squirted her with the hose. Then, realizing she was no longer trapped inside the cage, she darted—as quickly as a mama can dart when
loaded down with five babies—straight up the tree and into the hollow.
We all burst into cheers. Ruth flung her arms around Gary’s neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. Tambra and I giggled and turned back to the house, doing a terrible job pretending we hadn’t seen. We walked back to the patio to pour lemonade and set out the cake that she’d picked up from the Pastry Palace earlier in the morning. It was shaped like a crab—Ruth was an astrology nut, after all, and the crab was July’s sign—and covered with elaborate sugar flowers.
“I hope she loves Jimmy Buffet music,” Tambra said under her breath as she poked candles where the crab’s antennae would be. We both watched Ruth and Gary walk hand-in-hand out of the woods toward us. The boys ran ahead of them, having given up on another glimpse of the possum family. They picked up speed as they caught sight of the cake on the table.
“I hope he loves the smell of burning sage in the morning,” I cracked.
Tambra nodded. “Just so long as they love each other. That’s all we can hope for, right? Someone to love us.” She smiled down at Dylan and Ollie, who threw themselves against her legs, begging for cake.
I TOOK AN EXTRA SLICE of cake home with me, not for me or for the chickens, but for Eli. OK, I might have slipped Boots a crumb before I shouldered the canvas tent bag and snuck through the fence and across the blueberry field. Two could play this secret admirer game. Three if you counted Boots, who hopped along behind me all the way to Eli’s porch, despite my best efforts to shoo her back home.
I hid behind one of the beautiful blooming hydrangeas next to his porch. His SUV was parked in the driveway, the engine ticking softly as it cooled down. He must have just come home, too. I peeked over the blue blossoms, scanning the front windows, but didn’t spot movement inside. The only signs of life were on the porch, where Boots had hopped up to snuggle in the planter. Apparently, she intended to leave Eli a surprise gift of her own.