Much Ado About Murder (Double Barrel Mysteries)

by Barbara E Brink

  Blake knew Tucker’s expertise with a gun was mostly from watching his dad. His father was an avid hunter and marksman. Tucker refused to show interest in his father’s activities but instead pursued fishing and football during his high school days. Fish might be scared of him, but seeing the way he held a shotgun, Blake wondered if he should have insisted he stay at the B&B with Oliver and Shelby.

  He put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Skeleton. Take a deep breath and relax your grip on that trigger. In fact, it would be wonderful if you’d take your finger completely off the trigger.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’m wound a little tight, I guess.”

  “Ya think?” He looked toward Pete’s house. Just over the trees, smoke rose from the chimney. He must have gotten over his reservations about using the firewood from behind the shed. It would definitely be a horrible reminder every time he lit a cozy fire. He handed Tucker the binoculars. “Look, why don’t you stay right here and I’ll go down there. I’ll signal if I need your help.”

  “What kind of signal?”

  Blake took the shotgun out of his friend’s hands and laid it flat on the ground for his own protection. “Sit on that rock. If I take off my hat and wave it in the air, you’ll know to come running. Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot while you do it.”

  He gave Tucker a pat on the back and followed the fence line, keeping an eye on the cellar door. His rifle had a shoulder strap, which left his hands free in case he needed to get to one of his other guns or get to something in the backpack he’d brought along. When he was right above the ruins, he worked his way down the hill to the bluff.

  Bending over the metal door, he examined the padlock. It was strong looking but he’d brought backup. He pulled bolt cutters from his bag. Crouched over the lock, he positioned the cutters. When the padlock finally broke, he sat back sweating and breathing hard. He was glad Linder hadn’t put one of those armored locks on or he would’ve really been in trouble. He almost pulled his stocking cap off to wipe his brow, but remembered Tucker was watching and might take it as a bad sign.

  He set the pack out of the way and bent to lift the door. The distant hum of an engine reached him. There wasn’t enough snow left on the ground for a snowmobile. He got to his feet and peered over the bluff. Definitely a recreational vehicle of some kind. Did Heath own motorcycles as well as snowmobiles? Dancing on the wrong side of the law must be lucrative for his old football chum. Too bad he wouldn’t be enjoying that wealth much longer. He would make sure Heath and Bart never got the chance to spend another penny of the money they took in exchange for destroying human lives.

  There. He spotted a single rider on an ATV four-wheeler tearing across the hard ground, clearly giving a wide berth to Pete’s place, and heading straight for the homestead. He didn’t have time to get up the hill without being seen and there was no place to hide here. It was too open. Except inside the shelter. There was just enough time to make it before the rider cleared the bluff and saw him. He grabbed the broken lock and stuffed it in his bag, pulled open the door far enough to move down the first couple of steps, and let it slam shut over his head.

  The clang of metal rang in his ears as the door shut out all light and left him teetering in pitch-black. It was disconcerting to try and maneuver the rest of the steps without falling and breaking a leg. He finally felt solid ground beneath his feet and paused, listening. The whine of the approaching ATV deepened to a chugging purr as it came to a stop up top. Then silence. Whoever it was would realize real quick that someone had been here.

  A low moan to his left brought the hairs up on the back of his neck. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a penlight. The tiny light was like a lightening flash to dilated pupils. It blinded him for a few seconds. What kind of sick individual would leave a young girl down here in the dark and cold? He moved the light toward the sound. A woman was propped against the wall, sitting on the cold dirt floor, bare legs uncovered. Her head lolled to her chest and long hair fell forward in a tangle. Plastic ties bound her wrists and ankles and a chain wrapped her waist connecting her to a post. He was glad he’d used the light because if he’d tried to move forward without it he would have knocked himself out running into the thick beam in the center of the space.

  Before he could move closer and see her face, muffled voices came from above and he quickly flicked the light off. The solid door made this hellhole nearly soundproof. He could only imagine the desperation and fear this poor girl must have felt when she realized she’d been thrown into a hole in the ground. Were the rest of the girls still at Heath’s place, crammed into a tiny hideaway under his kitchen floor? The FBI had the house under surveillance. They would surely rescue them before Linder managed to ship them off to a fate no one should have to endure.

  A crack of light quickly turned into a blinding glare as the door creaked open. Blake slunk into the shadows and raised his rifle toward the stairs. He couldn’t see the face of the man standing in the opening due to the glare of light surrounding him.

  “Blake?”

  “Tuck?” He stepped out of the corner, still pointing the gun toward the stairs, but backing off on the trigger. “What’s going on?”

  “I clocked him. Shotguns are good for more than duck hunting. He’s down for the count,” Tucker said, his grin smug and self-satisfied as he descended the steps and looked around. He spotted the woman and rushed to her side. “Alice? Alice, wake up!”

  Blake, shocked he’d been this close and hadn’t recognized her, remained where he was, letting his friend have a moment.

  Tucker pushed her hair back and gently cupped her face. Her eyes fluttered open and quickly closed again. A low moan seemed to emanate from deep within her. Blake handed Tucker his pocketknife and watched helplessly as he cut the ties from her wrists and ankles, softly crooning to her all the while.

  “You’re going to be all right, baby. I promise. I’ll never let you out of my sight again. I’m taking you home and putting you in a hot bath. With bubbles, cause you said you loved bubbles. Remember?” When she didn’t respond, he looked up at Blake. “Get this chain off her!”

  Blake opened his pack and took out the bolt cutters again, snipped the lock and extricated it from around Alice. Tucker lifted her in his arms and moved to the stairs. He was amazed at his friend’s strength, emotionally and physically, as he moved up the steps, soft words covering the woman he loved in a blanket of comfort and trust.

  Blake gave one last glance over the dirt-packed floor. A case of bottled water was placed near where Alice had been chained. As though she would know to look for it in the dark. If they hadn’t found her she probably would have died of hypothermia and dehydration if not something more violent. He heard the 4-wheeler start and hurried up the steps into the light. Tucker had positioned Alice on the seat in front of him and held her slumped body there with an arm around her.

  “Wait!” Blake trotted over. He took his belt off and wrapped it around them both, connecting it on the last hole. Good thing his friend was skinny. “In case she starts slipping. Take her to Pete’s. I’ll get the truck and meet you there.”

  Tucker pressed his lips to the top of her head, gave a quick nod, and pulled back on the accelerator. Blake turned around and ducked just as Heath swung the butt of Tucker’s shotgun at his head. He reached up and grabbed ahold of the barrel as it came around, shoving Heath hard. He was already stumbling, obviously dizzy from getting clocked by Tucker in the first place. A huge welt had sprouted on the side of his head. He tripped on a rock with the heel of his boot and fell backwards, slamming into the ground with enough force to elicit a string of muttered curses, once he caught his breath.

  Blake pressed his boot into Heath’s chest, his hand on the strap of his rifle. He had his doubts about whether Heath was capable of getting up on his own after being knocked down for the second time, but better safe than sorry. Tucker’s shotgun had dropped within reach of the idiot so he kicked it away.

  His lip curled with disgust
. “I’d say it’s good to see you, Flintlock, but I’d be lying. Did you show up to finish her off? What did Alice ever do to you?”

  “Wasn’t gonna kill her… trying to help her. I followed Linder… knew he brought her out here.” Heath grunted and tried to shove Blake’s boot off his chest, but he’d run out of steam. He let his hands drop back to the ground, panting.

  “Right. ‘Cause that’s what you do. Help people. Like all those homeless girls you let stay in the crawlspace under your kitchen, right?”

  “How’d you know…?” He moved his head slowly side to side. “The girls… that was Linder’s idea. He knows this guy… promised ten grand if we just held them for a few days. Quick and easy. We’d have enough money to start our pheasant farm.”

  “You really thought Linder was going into the pheasant business with you?”

  “We talked about it in prison. But it cost a lot more than I thought. Cynthia was going to get the money from Dugan, you know, but then his wife turned up murdered. And Linder said he had a better way.”

  “And you didn’t think that was suspicious? That maybe your girlfriend and your business partner were in bed together?”

  His eyes shot wide. “What?”

  “That’s right. Cynthia and Linder murdered Sadie Dugan and covered it up.”

  “Cynthia wouldn’t double cross me.”

  “Of course not. She only does that to all the other men in her life.”

  Heath clenched his teeth and glared. “Are you gonna let me up or what?”

  Blake seized a handful of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. “You and Cynthia deserve each other. You’re both willing to let innocent people suffer and die because you’re too self-centered to see past your own navel!”

  Real concern filled his eyes. “Have you seen Cynthia? Linder said she disappeared. He didn’t kill her too, did he?”

  “Cynthia isn’t getting off that easy. If there is any justice in this world she will spend her best years behind bars developing saggy skin and age spots.”

  Blake grabbed Heath by the elbow and spun him around. He bent and picked up Tucker’s shotgun then used it to jab him in the back, prodding him up the hill to the fence. “Move!”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Would you rather I put you in that hole and leave you there? Because believe me, that would be my first choice.”

  They returned to the Bronco. The hood was covered with a sprinkling of leaves. Blake ordered Heath on his knees with his hands behind his back, then cuffed him and had him sit in the passenger seat. He backed the truck out of the service road because there was no place to turn around. A glance at his watch and he picked up the speed. Twenty minutes since Tucker rode off with Alice. They needed to hurry. She could be in need of medical help.

  Blake glanced at his prisoner. Heath’s face was turned toward the side window, avoiding him. He couldn’t believe this guy was the same kid he’d known in high school. How could someone go from being a practical joker, girl magnet, dog lover, people person who was good at fixing old cars, to an ex-con working for sex traffickers?

  “You going to tell me how you knew Alice was down there if you didn’t have anything to do with it?”

  Heath flinched as Blake’s gruff voice filled the void. He drew a deep breath before responding. “Linder said he thought you were on to him, so he was going to cause a diversion to keep you occupied and out of our hair. I was afraid of what that meant, so I followed him last night. I saw him pull into the B&B. Late. Sometime after ten. I pulled the truck off the road in the trees and waited. When he turned back onto the highway, Alice was in the seat beside him. I could see her when they stopped under the lamppost by the entrance. I didn’t even know she knew him, but I knew she was in trouble.”

  “Since when do you care about doing the right thing?”

  “You didn’t have dibs on being the hero today, did you?” he asked, showing a glint of his old self. “Sorry to infringe on your Superman territory.”

  Blake was still not convinced he was telling the whole truth about his part.

  “How did you know Linder took her out to the cellar?”

  He scoffed. “If you were as smart a detective as you think you are you would have noticed the tire tracks across the field. He cut the fence on our side and took her out there in the dark. He must have drugged her or something. I waited a while before coming back to the house. Didn’t want him to know I’d followed him. He was inside eating a sandwich. Said he was going to Andy’s Bar. Probably wanted to make sure lots of people saw him so he’d have an alibi.”

  “Why didn’t you go out there last night and rescue Alice?”

  “Because I didn’t know when he’d be back. And I was right. He came back within the hour. Said he was going to sleep at my place for the night. When I got up this morning and fed the girls, he was still there. He only left for Houghton a little while ago. I grabbed something to cut the lock, jumped on the 4-wheeler, and here I am being treated like a common criminal.”

  Blake pulled up to Pete’s house. The ATV was parked beside the front porch. He jumped out and pointed at Heath. “Stay put! Or I’ll shoot you and put you out of your misery.”

  The front door opened and Pete stepped outside. He looked worried, his brow wrinkled with concern. “I let Tucker take her to the hospital in my truck. He’s just a couple minutes ahead of you.”

  “Thanks!” Blake climbed back in and slammed the door. “It’s your lucky day. You still have time to give me all the details of this trafficking ring you’re a part of. Make sure you don’t leave anything out. If you’re lucky, the FBI might give you the same deal they’re giving your girlfriend.”

  “The FBI have Cynthia?” Sweat beaded on his forehead as he leaned back and closed his eyes. He was obviously worried she would roll on him to save herself.

  Blake slapped the dashboard to get his attention. “Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

  “Linder knows this bigwig attorney,” Heath began, his voice low and resigned. “He used to work for him in an off-book capacity, before he went to prison. He calls him Rocky. You know, like Rocky Balboa. The guy apparently thinks he’s the champion of criminal lawyers. Always wins his cases or something. Anyway, he has special clients with special requests and he gets paid big bucks to see they get what they want.”

  “How did you get the girls in the first place?” Blake turned onto the highway. Tucker would probably take Alice to Dr. Morgan’s house. The doctor didn’t officially practice medicine anymore since moving to Port Scuttlebutt, but he was much closer than the hospital in Ashland. Tucker knew Dr. Preston Morgan had a thing for Alice and despite repeatedly telling locals he was retired; he wouldn’t refuse to help her.

  Heath shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable. His arms and hands were probably aching or going to sleep, and Blake felt a perverse satisfaction at the thought. “Linder went to Houghton one day and came back with a van. The girls were hidden behind a bunch of boxes. I don’t know where they came from. I didn’t want to know.”

  “What about tonight? Is this Rocky Balboa going to be there too?”

  “Linder said Rocky planned to bring the clients himself. He wanted to test the merchandise.” Heath’s lip curled. “I told him I wanted out. That I didn’t want anything to do with it. I’ve been feeding those girls. Talking to them. They’re sweet and scared.” He blew out a breath. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t go along. And I believed him. He’s crazy you know. I wanted to help them… I just couldn’t.”

  As soon as they reached the B&B, Blake called the number Special Agent Roper had given him. He left a detailed message while Heath sat quietly waiting. The front door opened and Shelby ran down the steps. When she saw who was in his passenger seat, she stopped in her tracks, eyes wide.

  He climbed out and met her at the front of the truck. “Have you heard from Tucker yet?”

  “He called a little bit ago. Alice is going to be all right. Dr. Mor
gan wanted to keep her there for a couple more hours, as a precaution.” She gave a small smile. “Probably hoped Tucker would leave her in his capable hands.”

  “That’s not going to happen. You should have seen the way he cared for her when we found her half frozen in that hole in the ground. He loves that girl. She has to be blind not to see it.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. “I missed you.”

  “I doubt you’ve had time to miss me. You’ve had your hands full.” She glanced back at the truck.

  He sighed. “I better bring him inside. I left Roper a message. Hopefully someone comes by to pick him up soon. I don’t know how much more of his poor me story I can listen to. It’s like Cynthia all over again.”

  She held the door open as he brought Heath through. He led him into the sitting room and pushed him onto a couch. Heath started to complain about being cuffed and uncomfortable and Blake pointed a finger at him. “You move off that couch and I’ll make you lay on the hard floor until they pick you up.”

  He moved out of earshot and spoke to Shelby. “How’s Oliver doing?”

  “He’s fine. Once he heard Alice had been found and was going to be okay, he reverted back to his old cantankerous self. Started giving me orders. I left him in his room to watch TV.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why she puts up with him.”

  “Same reason you did. Love. It’s like Dalton Guthrie said… we’re a family. Families look out for one another.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “Me too. Heath nearly took my head off with a shotgun.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry. He was trying to hit me with it, not shoot me. I don’t think he’s as seasoned a criminal as Linder. That man would have killed me and left me for the vultures without a backward glance. Heath is bumbling his way through crime 101 and failing pretty badly.”

  The telephone rang in the kitchen and Shelby hurried to answer. Blake kept his eye on Heath while she spoke to the caller. When she returned a minute later, she held the phone out, eyebrows raised. “Ashley Rockford. She wants to speak with you.”