by Paty Jager
The mousy woman who hid behind her husband the day Shandra visited the Randal house was gone. In her place was a strong, confident, psychopath.
June laughed. “I didn’t pull the trigger, Red did. I told him I was pregnant with J.W.’s baby and he’d found out. That J.W. planned to take the baby and not let me see it when it was born.”
“Why did you want J.W. dead?” Shandra asked, touching her throbbing cheek before scooping her phone off the bed.
“He told me he was going to leave Vivian. He said I was more woman than he’d ever need.” Her eyes darkened and her lips curled into a sneer. “Then I saw his hands all over Cecily one night and later caught him out in the woods with his hands all over some young girl.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “He’d used me just like he used everyone in his life. He thought bringing in help would appease me. I didn’t want help with my work. I wanted him. When I faked the pregnancy, hoping to get him to commit to me, he laughed. Laughed! Said Red should be happy he’d finally have a brat.
“I was taking a walk in the woods when I spotted him with the young girl again. At first I wanted to run up and kill them both. But I noticed he was being too precise about how the girl stood, and that he kept her face turned to him. That’s when I realized he was using the wildlife camera he’d set up there to photograph their actions.” She wiped at the tears and crossed her arms. “I didn’t understand it all. After he posed with the girl in provocative poses, her half-dressed, he told her to dress and sent her away. I followed the girl. She tried to ignore me when I stopped her by her car on the old logging road. I made a grab for her coat and came up with the necklace. The one J.W. had so expertly waved in front of the camera.
“She drove off. I told Red that J.W. was using the cameras to photograph his sexual exploits with minors.” She laughed. “That set him off. He hated the way J.W. did the illegal hunting and following the animals with all his cameras. Red said he was going to turn him in to Fish and Game.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Shandra interrupted.
Ryan frowned at her.
“Why would J.W. make that tape with Clower’s daughter before the investigation started?”
“Clower had been sniffing around here before Red called it in. I think he already knew about the illegal hunting. Or his daughter.” June shook the cuffs holding her hands. “I gotta go pee. Could you take these off?”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m not letting you loose. You can use the facilities at the county jail.” He moved the woman ahead of him down the hall. “Shandra come with me. I’ll need your help.”
Shandra slipped her phone into her back pocket and followed them out to the Tahoe.
“I’m going to buckle her in the back seat and call for backup. Then I’ll go back in. I need to take photos and collect evidence.” Ryan stopped beside the vehicle and opened the back door.
“Want me to move our stuff out of the back?” Shandra asked, moving to the opposite side of the vehicle.
“No, she’s…Oooof!”
Shandra’s stomach churned at the sound of something snapping.
She rounded the vehicle.
Ryan lay on the ground gasping for air. A streak of white flashed through the trees as June dashed into the forest.
Chapter Twenty-six
Sirens and lights made Ryan’s head throb even more. He’d been damn stupid to not treat that woman like a violent suspect. He’d been distracted, thinking about collecting evidence. She’d jammed both her feet into his chest, cracking the ribs on his left side. The force of the blow sent him backwards, smacking his head on the ground, hard.
Sitting on the tailgate of a search and rescue truck, he sucked air through his clenched teeth. Pain speared his chest with each breath.
“You have a couple fractured ribs,” the search and rescue medic said, putting tape over the area that burned with each breath he took.
“You have any idea where she’s headed?” Sheriff Oldham asked.
“No. She’s crazy I can tell you that. Anyone out in those woods looking for her needs to be alert and armed.” Pain radiated through his chest with each breath and movement. Talking was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had to make sure everyone looking for the woman knew how wily she was.
“Check all the buildings. She could circle back and hide.” Searing pain radiated in his chest. “She’s handcuffed. That should slow her down.”
“We’ve checked all the buildings and have people watching them in case she does try to slip back and get her things.” Oldham put a hand on his shoulder. “Miss Higheagle said she would drive you to her place to rest while we expand the search.”
“I’m going to help you search.” Ryan stood. Nausea swirled bile to his throat. His increased breathing increased the pain and added to the throbbing in his head. He dropped back to the tailgate.
“Take it slow and easy.” The medic held out a hand with two pills and a bottle of water in his other hand. “Take these to lessen the pain so you can breathe.”
Ryan swallowed the pills.
“You’re no good to us. The medic said you need to take it easy. You can’t be traipsing around in the forest.” Sheriff Oldham put an arm under Ryan’s. “I’ll put you in your vehicle. Miss Higheagle will take you to her house. I’ll keep you informed about the search.”
Ryan nodded and tried not to inhale deeply as the sheriff slowly maneuvered him to the passenger side of the Tahoe.
“Lil and I can get him out of the vehicle and into the house, sheriff.” Shandra’s voice was a welcome sound. If she drove him to her house, he could keep an eye on her as she nursed him.
Shandra’s chest constricted as she studied Ryan. She’d never seen his complexion so pale. His face was pinched with pain.
“Can you fish the keys out of your pant pocket or do I need to try?” she asked.
Ryan slowly moved his hand toward his left pant pocket. ‘I can’t.” He drew in a short breath. “Same side as…”
“I’ll get them.” Her hand hesitated twice as she leaned over him to reach into the warmth of his pocket to fish the keys out.
He remained with his head resting against the back of the seat, his eyes closed. She didn’t know if it was from pain or he was savoring her hand in his pants. Her heart raced as her fingers moved deeper into his pocket before touching the warm metal.
“Got ’em.” She backed away and closed the door before walking to the driver’s side. She climbed in and carefully set the car in motion down the Randal’s driveway.
She’d bet more than the pain inflicted by the woman had Ryan so quiet. He’d lost a suspect after she’d confessed. Letting a woman get the better of him had to be part of his silence and pain. Seeing him in pain, tugged at maternal urges she hadn’t known she possessed.
“I don’t understand why June killed Red like she did. There was no one else who could have given him the drugs. She set herself up to be caught.” Shandra glanced over at Ryan. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe after getting Red to do the first killing she thought she wouldn’t get caught.” Ryan’s breathy reply barely carried across the cab to her.
She turned onto the county road and then turned up her drive. “I’m going to go slow, but you may need to grit your teeth. You know how bumpy this road is.”
Creeping up her driveway, Shandra had a premonition they would see June soon. It would make sense for her to come to Shandra’s to get food, clothing, or even a horse. She was the closest full-time neighbor. June could hole up in some of the summer houses that were closer to town, but she’d need transportation to get there. Walking would take her a couple days.
Shandra parked as close to the front door as she could get. “I’m going to get Lil to help me move you into the house.”
Ryan started to protest.
“Stay put. I’ll only be a minute.” Shandra slipped out of the vehicle and headed to the barn. She could have entered the back door closest to the tack room where Lil stayed. Instead,
knowing June could be hiding in the trees behind the buildings, she opted to use the door at the front of the barn. She wasn’t going to make it easy for the woman if she was lurking about. Touching her bruised cheek, she vowed to not let the woman get the better of her again.
The front door opened silently. Lil maintained all the working parts of the ranch. No hinge squeaked whether it was a door, window, or gate. Shandra slid sideways through a narrow gap. The light was on under Lil’s door.
Why hasn’t Sheba detected me by now? The dog had good hearing. Her sense of smell also detected things before Shandra saw or heard anything. She walked softly to the tack room door. Sheba’s frightened whimper came from the room.
She calculated the distance from here to June’s house. They had been delayed at the Randal’s for nearly two hours. She could have made a straight line to here.
Centimeter by centimeter, Shandra turned the knob on the tack room door. Then eased the door open a fraction at a time. If June was holding Sheba and Lil hostage she didn’t want them to come to harm. Peeking through the crack in the door, she spotted Sheba cowering under the bed and Lil tied up on the bed.
She eased the door open more. They were alone. She slipped in. Sheba crawled out from under the bed whimpering. “Shhhh. We don’t know the mean person is gone,” Shandra whispered as she ungagged and untied Lil.
“How long ago did she do this?” Shandra asked, tossing the ropes on the ground.
“About fifteen or twenty minutes ago. I heard some banging behind the studio. I went to look and found her breaking the chains on the handcuffs. Before I made sense of the situation, she had me hogtied.” Lil stood and dug under the mattress. She came up with two handguns. “She took my shotgun and one of the horses. The rhythm of the hooves sounded like Apple.”
Lil headed to the door.
“We have to get Ryan into the house and call the search party. They started at the Randal’s, but they’re a good hour behind if they’re headed this way through the woods.”
“Leave the detective. He ain’t any worse off than sitting in the house knowing we’re following her.” She grabbed a saddle bag slung over a hook. “Come on. You can call the sheriff while we follow her.”
“The woman is crazy. We’re crazy to go out there after her.” Shandra grasped Lil’s arm.
Lil’s gaze scanned her face. “I see she unleashed on you already.” She peered into Shandra’s eyes. “I have to go after her. She took my daddy’s shot gun. Poppa gave it to me a year after Momma and Daddy died. He told me as long as I had it I’d always have a piece of my daddy with me.”
Shandra wasn’t sure she wanted to follow a crazy woman with a shot gun. She knew what the woman was capable of without a gun. But if she didn’t go, she knew Lil would go by herself.
“I’ll call the sheriff while you saddle the horses.” Shandra went outside and walked to the Tahoe.
Ryan would have the sheriff’s number on his phone. The problem would be explaining why she needed it and keeping him in the vehicle.
She opened the door. Ryan barely moved, but his hands started to unbuckle the seat belt.
“No. Stay buckled.” She put her hands over his. “I need your phone to call the sheriff.”
“Why?” he asked, opening his eyes, and peering into hers. The pain killers the medic gave him gave his eyes a dull, glassy appearance.
“Lil thinks she spotted June going by here. I want to let him know.” It was a bit of a lie but if she told him the truth he’d try to stop her.
“We need to get inside and lock the doors.” Ryan’s hands moved to the seatbelt again.
“We will. Relax. I’m going to close the door and make the call.” She slipped his phone from his belt and closed the vehicle door. Within seconds she found the Sheriff’s number.
“Greer, what are you doing calling me?” The man’s voice was gruff.
“Sir, it’s Shandra. I returned to my place and found my employee tied up. June’s been here and took one of my horses. Lil and I are going to follow her.”
“No you’re not. Where’s Greer? I want to speak to him.”
“He doesn’t know what I’m doing. I’m taking his phone so you can track me. Don’t call. June has a shot gun.” She clicked the phone off and headed to the barn.
Lil had Sunshine and Duke saddled and ready to go.
“Where’s Sheba?” Shandra asked, looking for her dog.
“I thought it best to lock her in my room. She was shaken up. We don’t need her stumbling into June and getting shot.” Lil swung onto her horse. “I found her tracks. Looks like she’s headed back through the Randal property.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ryan shook his head to clear the fog the pain killers made in his brain. What he couldn’t figure out was why it was taking Shandra so long to get back here and help him into the house and why she hadn’t brought his phone back. Knowing he let a dangerous killer get away didn’t help his situation.
After several tries, his eyes finally focused on his watch. Four forty-five. No wonder the sky was growing lighter. Where the hell was Shandra? He fumbled with the seat buckle and shoved the door open. The shockwaves of his feet hitting the ground reverberated through his ribs, causing a round of nausea. He stood next to the vehicle, waiting for the nausea and pain to subside.
One slow step in front of the other took him to the front door. It wasn’t locked. She must have went inside to get something and maybe sat down and fell asleep. He knew she was beat when they left the police station. Calling out wasn’t an option. His ribs wouldn’t take that much volume of air in his lungs.
After a slow search he was positive she wasn’t in the house. He shuffled to the phone in the kitchen and dialed Sheriff Oldham’s number. The phone went to voice-mail.
“Sheriff, this is Greer. I can’t find Shandra. She used my phone to call you, what is going on?” He replaced the phone, drew in several short breaths, and made his way to the back door. He’d find Lil. She knew Shandra’s every move.
~*~
Shandra let Lil lead. She didn’t like having her friend in the front, but Lil knew how to track. The sky was brightening and the air grew colder. She shivered and huddled down into a more compact space. I should have grabbed another coat to go over this one. She had on her traveling jacket not her thick coat she usually wore when riding in the forest.
Lil didn’t appear cold. She leaned over, peering at the ground. Her winter shearling coat would keep her warm. She held up a hand and slid off her horse.
Shandra dismounted and walked carefully up to Lil. “What is it?” she whispered.
“I think she stopped.” Lil whispered back. “Hold the horses and I’ll take a closer look.”
Shandra grabbed the woman’s arm. “Don’t. If we stay put the search party will find us and her.”
“I don’t take kindly to being tied up.” Lil glared into the trees.
“I know, but I don’t want you hurt. She’s already killed a person and assaulted a policeman.” Shandra held onto Lil. “Let’s just wait a bit and see what she does.”
Lil nodded. But her gaze remained riveted to a spot in the trees Shandra couldn’t see.
They waited ten minutes. Shandra stood beside Duke. Leaning against Duke, using the stirrup as an anchor, she closed her tired, stinging eyes.
Ella tapped her on the shoulder. She is coming and so is help, she whispered.
Duke snorted, but it was June’s voice asking, “How did you get loose?” that jolted Shandra’s eyes open.
The woman had her back to the horses, the shotgun pointed at Lil’s back. The chain on the handcuffs dangled from her wrists.
Shandra stood behind the two horses who were side by side. Apparently, it wasn’t light enough for June to see two horses.
I could send the horses running, but startling her could cause her to pull the trigger.
There had to be a way to keep her busy until help arrived.
“Where do you plan to hide?” Sh
andra asked, ducking behind the horses.
“Who’s there? Get out here or I’ll shoot Crazy Lil.” June’s tone was hesitant.
“How do you know I don’t have a gun on you?” Shandra recalled the two pistols Lil had dug out from under the mattress. She’d had one in her hand earlier and knowing Lil, she probably put the other one in Shandra’s saddle bag.
“If you had a gun you would have used it by now.” Again June’s voice didn’t sound convinced.
Shandra carefully felt the outside of the saddlebag on her side of Duke. Yep. The outline of a handgun pressed against her fingers. The next problem was getting to it and making sure no person or animal was shot on the process.
With slow movements, she unbuckled the flap on the saddlebag and slid her hand under the flap, grasping the handle of the gun.
A horse snorted deeper in the forest. That would have to be Apple. A good diversion.
Shandra whistled for Apple.
He nickered. The sound of hooves echoed along the forest floor.
“What—” June’s voice fell away.
Shandra ducked under the horse’s necks and pushed the barrel of the pistol against June’s back.
Apple burst through the trees and dug in his haunches to stop.
June screeched, pointing the shotgun toward the horse.
Lil grabbed the shotgun.
Boom! The blast echoed through the trees. Before the sound died, pellets rained down around them.
Shandra dropped the pistol, stuck out a leg, and grabbed June’s hair, tripping the woman to the ground. June’s arms were flailing as Shandra fell on top of her. Another blow landed on her already bruised cheek.
Shandra growled as she tried to contain the woman.
June wriggled, swung her fists backwards, and tried to bring her legs up underneath her. Shandra pressed her weight down on the woman, knocking her legs out from under her when she tried to get to her knees.