“I bus tables.”
“There’s a restaurant down that road?”
“A restaurant? Oh, my goodness, no. La Grande Maison is lots more than a restaurant. There’s like a big, fancy-schmancy hotel what has lots of guest houses and a marina and some high-end shops that cater to rich folks. More than one restaurant, too. My boss said that if I do a good job, then I can like move up to waiting tables, earn lots more money. He said the tips there are real good. He said rich people from all over the world stay there.” She described the estate. “You wouldn’t believe the fancy iron gate I have to drive through. When I get to the gate, I like have to call the security guard—my Otis is one of ‘em—from my cell and then he releases the gate. It just opens up like magic.”
“Strange. I’ve never heard of La Grande Maison.”
“It’s kind of a secret. I’m not supposed to tell anybody about it. But I’m so excited about working there I just had to tell somebody. You won’t like rat me out, will you?”
Aurora smiled. “You can count on me to keep your secret.” She hesitated. “I’m sure there’s no point in asking you, but have you by any chance seen a pretty lady with chestnut colored hair driving a gray Corolla? She might have been with an exceptionally handsome man, you know, movie-star type handsome.”
The woman pulled the nozzle out of her tank, hung it back on the gas pump, examined the picture. “I don’t remember seeing any folks like that. Why?” She looked at her watch, frowned. She didn’t want to be late for work on her second day.
“My friend Carole has disappeared and I’m trying to find her. She’s in great danger.”
“I’m sorry. I ain’t seen her.” She started to drive away, then stopped. “I did see a gray Corolla, though. Like a kinda old one.”
“Where did you see it? When?” Aurora could hardly contain her excitement.
“Lessee, it was last night when I was taking the garbage out. I like moved out of sight of the kitchen door to get a quick smoke—it’s against the rules for the hired help to smoke inside—and I saw the valet drive by in this old gray Corolla. I remember because it looked so out of place with all the big expensive cars.”
“You don’t happen to know what time that was, do you?” Aurora crossed her fingers, said a silent prayer.
“I believe it was between seven and eight o’clock.” She looked at her watch again. “Gotta go or I’ll be late for work.”
“What’s your name?” Aurora asked.
“I’m Monique. Nice meetin’ you. ‘Bye, King.” Monique waved as she pulled onto the road.
Not as nice as it was for me to meet you, thought Aurora. She let King out of the car to do his business in the grass next to the road. She tried to call Sam. No answer. She pulled out the piece of paper she’d written Luke’s number on and dialed him.
“Aurora, any news yet?” Luke asked. “I hope so, ‘cause I’ve hit nothing but brick walls. It’s like Carole’s disappeared into thin air.”
“I may have a lead. How soon can you get here?” Aurora told him about her conversation with Monique, gave him directions.
“I’m on Toler’s Ferry Road. I can drive straight to Route 40, meet you in about 30 to 45 minutes. What about Sam?”
“He didn’t answer his phone. Probably out of range. Actually, I’m really surprised I got you. Maybe you can reach Sam. Please try. See you in a while.” Aurora hung up, put King in the car, and raced to the restroom. Triple speed.
Back in her car, Aurora tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. She still had time before Luke arrived. She dialed Uncle Charlie.
“Uncle Charlie, have you ever heard of a place on the lake called La Grande Maison?” she asked.
“No. Why?”
“I think Carole is there, probably not of her own free will.” She told him about her conversation with the woman at the service station.
“Let me make some calls, see what I can find out. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Uncle Charlie. You know I appreciate and love you.”
“I know, Aurora. I love you, too. I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Okay, King,” she said, “that took all of three minutes, maybe four. I can’t just sit here and wait. How would you like for us to cruise that road, see if we can find the mysterious La Grande Maison?” From the back seat, King whined, nudged her neck. Aurora laughed and started the engine.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
Thursday, 12:20 p.m.
Behind her the dogs barked again, louder now. Carole pictured them galloping through the woods, then on the road, closing in for the kill. And she was the kill. Would Win allow that? Of course. Stupid question, Carole. Would the dogs go for her throat first? Would they kill her fast or enjoy ripping her apart bit by bit? She ran down the road toward somewhere. She didn’t care where as long as it took her away from the dogs.
In the distance a vehicle came toward her. Carole stood in the middle of the road, waved her arms. The car slowed to a crawl.
“Git outta my way!” yelled the driver. “I’m gonna be late for work!”
“No, please, the dogs, they’re going to kill me! Help me, please help me!”
“Move or I’ll run right smack over you! I’m not kiddin’!”
Carole stepped out of the way, watched as the car drove on up the road. She heard the dogs, closer now. Once they came around the curve, they’d see her. Somehow she found the energy to pick up her pace.
“Stupid woman standing in the middle of the road like that,” mumbled Monique. “I shoulda just run right over—. Omigosh. I sound like Daddy.”
Monique stopped the car, looked in her rearview mirror as Carole, stumbling and weaving, disappeared around a curve. I oughta help her, she thought. But if I do I’ll be late for work, lose my job. I cain’t lose my job. Otis would git like madder than hell at me. He might git fired, too. And it would be my fault. Then he’d git real mad. If she hurried she’d reach the iron gate on time. She pushed on the gas.
The Dobermans bounded out of the woods in front of her car. Monique slammed on brakes, missed the dogs by inches. The dogs never even stopped. Looking out her window, she watched them race down the road. Now she understood what the woman meant—dogs were going to kill her. She couldn’t let that happen. She turned the car around.
“Stop!” a man screamed. Two other men dashed out of the woods toward her. “Give us your car!”
Monique looked from the men to the still-running dogs. All the men waved guns. One of them was Otis. She remembered what the nice lady with the black Lab had said.
“No!” she shouted. She turned the steering wheel to the left, stomped the accelerator. Something hit her car. What? She glanced in the mirror. Bullets! The men were shooting at her! Except for Otis. I love you, Otis, she thought as her car leapt forward.
Carole forced herself to concentrate on the slap-slap of her shoes hitting the pavement. She must keep going. Run, Carole, run. Funny, that sounded like a first-grade reading book. She smiled at the thought. Run, Carole, run. But she was so tired. What was the point? The dogs would tear her to pieces. And she prayed as she hadn’t prayed since she was a freshman in college.
She stopped running, sat down in the middle of the country road that had no yellow line. Never in a million years would she have guessed she’d die this way. She worried about Luke, Aurora, all the people who loved her. For their sake and mine, please, God, just let it be quick.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
What was that noise? A horn? Go away, she thought. But the noise wouldn’t stop. A hand grabbed her arm, pulled her to her feet. A voice hollered at her.
“Come on, lady! Hurry up! The dogs will kill us both unless we gi
t in the car!”
“What?” Carole struggled to walk, felt herself shoved into the passenger side. The door shut. Dogs, close now, snarled, growled.
Carole looked out the window, saw the young woman trying to get to the driver’s side of the car. Two Dobermans, their teeth bared, inched closer.
“I have a gun!” Carole said. “Stick your hand through the window!” She stuck the .22 toward the open window. “The safety’s off. All you have to do is point and shoot. Take it!”
“I can’t reach it!” screamed Monique.
Carole opened her door, hollered at the Dobermans.
“Here, boys. Come and get me. Yoo hoo!” Up the road, two security guards and an exhausted Win ran toward the car. “Yoo-hoo, doggies! Here I am. Come get me.”
The dogs circled the car looking for Carole. Monique jumped in the driver’s seat, locked the doors and started the engine. The head of one of the dogs appeared at the window.
“That was close. Thanks. You okay?” Monique asked.
“Yeah. And thank you. What’s that noise?”
“Only bullets. Those guys are like shooting at us,” said Monique. “My car ain’t gonna look too good. They don’t like you much, do they?”
“Nope. And thanks again for helping me.” Bullets slammed into the car.
“We ain’t like out of the woods yet. Are you Carole?” Monique asked.
“How’d you know that?”
“A friend of yours told me.”
“What friend?”
“Don’t know, but she’s looking for you. She’s like really worried. Oh, yeah, she has a black Lab.”
“Where was she?”
“The gas station at the intersection six miles from here.”
“In the direction we’re going?”
“Yep.” She looked in the rearview mirror. A vehicle popped around the curve a quarter mile behind them. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” asked Carole.
“A Humvee just stopped, picked up the three guys. Now they’re calling the dogs.”
Carole turned around, stared out the back window. “The dogs are standing beside the Humvee.”
“Maybe they’ll like turn around, go back where they came from.”
“Not a chance. I know Win.”
Carole glanced at Monique. “Oh no, the dogs jumped in the Humvee! Can’t this car go any faster?”
“Not on this road.”
“They’re coming this way.” Ping. Ping. “Oh, no. Here we go again.”
Bang! A rear tire blew. Monique’s car lurched toward the shoulder.
“Look out!” she shouted. “I can’t control it!”
Carole reached over, grabbed the steering wheel. Both women struggled to keep the car on the road. Kerthunk. Kerthunk. Kerthunk.
“How long can we keep on like this?” Carole asked.
“Don’t have a clue. Like ‘til it quits, I guess.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Thursday, 12:35 p.m.
Dr. Blackman tapped Blanche’s shoulder.
“What?” she asked, struggling to pull herself from a sound sleep.
“Mrs. Southerland, your husband is out of surgery. He’s in recovery and will remain there for several hours. I’ll let you know when he’s back in his room.”
Blanche looked at the book on her lap. She was still on page one. “I didn’t get very far, did I?” She smiled. “Guess I fell asleep almost as soon as I sat down.”
“That’s understandable. You were tired; you’ve been under a lot of stress. I think now, though, since we’ve removed the source of infection, we’ll see fast improvement in your husband.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you have a car in Charlottesville?”
“No, friends brought me. I’ll rent a car to go home when Tom’s better.”
“You’ll have ample time to go to the cafeteria, eat a leisurely meal. I suggest you do that. I’m sure that’s not happened for a while.” The doctor’s beeper sounded. “Gotta go. Get some food and rest, Mrs. Southerland.”
On the road to La Grande Maison, Aurora rounded a curve, jammed her foot on the brakes. Her Jeep skidded to a stop. From the back seat King barked. Aurora stared. The car ahead looked vaguely familiar. She had prayed to find Carole or her car, but this wasn’t it. King barked again, growled. Monique! Of course. The car stalled in the middle of the road belonged to Monique! But two people, not one, were inside. Was that gasoline leaking from the vehicle? Puffs of black smoke rose from under the hood. Farther up the road, a vehicle barreled toward the smoking car.
King scratched furiously at the window, whined, growled. A woman jumped out of the car, waved frantically. “Help us!” she screamed. “They’re going to kill us!”
Aurora couldn’t believe that the woman screaming and waving in the road was Carole. Monique vaulted out of the driver’s seat. Both women dashed toward Aurora’s Jeep.
“Hurry!” yelled Aurora. She unlocked the doors. “Run!”
Carole and Monique dived inside the Jeep and slammed the doors. In the driver’s seat, Aurora spun the car around and pushed on the gas seconds before the men in the Humvee fired. In the rearview mirror, she saw Monique’s car explode into flames. The Humvee didn’t even slow down.
“Lie on the floor! Pull King down with you!” Aurora looked out the window. The Humvee was close; she could see the driver and two men in the front. Another man and two Dobermans filled the back. She put her .38 on her lap.
Attempting to keep the Humvee from coming up beside her, Aurora swerved across the road.
“Ram ‘em!” shouted Win as the Humvee gained on the Jeep. The front bumper slammed into the Jeep’s rear end. The Jeep slowed, allowing the Humvee room to pull up alongside.
“Shoot her!” Win hollered at Otis. “What the hell are you waiting for?”
“No!” screamed Otis. “My girlfriend’s in that car! I might hit her!”
“That’s the idea, you idiot!” screamed Win.
Aurora stomped on the brakes. The Humvee shot past the Jeep, ground to a stop. Aurora waited. Carole and Monique peered over the seat. Carole cocked her .22.
“Monique, can you use a gun?” asked Aurora.
“You betcha. And I’m a good shot.”
“Take my .38, see if you and Carole can hold them off if they come toward us.” She grabbed her cell phone, dialed Sam, prayed he would answer.
“Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my call a minute ago?” asked a frantic Sam.
“Four guys are trying to kill us. One of them’s Win. I’ve got Carole and Monique. Uh-oh. They turned the dogs loose.”
“Dogs loose? Where are you? What’s going on? And who’s Monique?”
“Hold on.” Aurora asked Monique the name of the road and relayed the information to Sam.
“I’m only a few miles from you. Luke’s here, too, and the police are coming now. I can see their lights. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Hold on, Susie-Q.”
The Humvee’s door opened. A man jumped out, ran toward the Jeep. When a bullet ripped into his back, he screamed and collapsed to the road.
“That’s Otis! They like shot Otis!” Monique unlocked the door, reached for the door handle.
“No!” said Carole. “Don’t be a fool! They’ll kill you!” She struggled with Monique, tried to keep her in the car. The .38 fell to the seat. Aurora reached over the front seat, grabbed the gun. King jumped at the window, roared, bared his teeth.
“Monique, listen to me! Look! The dogs are circling the car. They’ll attack you if you get out. Monique, use your head!”
“But what about Otis? If the bullet didn’t kill him, the dogs will.”
“No, they won’t. The dogs are after me,” said Carole, “and you. They won’t attack Otis.” She hoped she sounded convincing.
“Why would the men shoot Otis?” asked Aurora.
“Because he was trying to protect me. He’s protected me ever since I ran away from home.” Monique sniffed, wiped her e
yes. “He’s a good man most of the time, just got in with the wrong people.”
“Uh-oh. They’re turning around,” said Aurora.
“What are we going to do?” Carole asked.
“I don’t know. We’re certainly no match for a Humvee. That monster could flatten my Jeep easily.”
“Can we outrun it?”
“Don’t know. We don’t want to head back toward La Grande Maison. And driving past them without being shot or rammed would be difficult without running over Otis.”
“Maybe we could like run, reach the woods before they catch us.” At that moment, the Dobermans leapt against the car, slobbered on the windows, barked and growled. King barked back at them.
“Guess that’s out,” Monique said.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
“They’re leaving,” said Aurora.
“I don’t believe that. They’re not the type to like just quit.” asked Monique.
“They’ve cranked up the monster. Why?” said Carole.
“The dogs quit attacking the car,” said Aurora, “and now the Humvee’s picking them up.”
“Down!” screamed Carole. Bullets slammed into the side of Aurora’s Jeep as the Humvee roared past.
Aurora rolled down the window, poked her head up over the seat, fired back with her .38. The Humvee sped toward La Grande Maison.
“What was that all about?” asked Monique. “I cain’t believe they just gave up.”
“Me either,” said Carole.
“There must be a reason,” said Aurora. “Maybe they haven’t left for good.”
Carole and Monique nodded.
“Let’s see if this Jeep will start.” The engine started on the first try. “That’s a relief. Let’s get outta here.”
“Wait! I have to get Otis!” Monique jerked open the door and ran to his side. Kneeling next to him, she called his name, patted his face, put her cheek to his nose. She felt for his pulse.
“How is he?” Aurora asked softly. She and Carole stood beside Monique, ready to help if needed.
Secrets at Sweetwater Cove Page 20