The Caspian Wine Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Series

by Maggie Thom

  “She’s so ugly, she’s beautiful. Her dress is a little worse for wear and her hair needs a good cleaning and combing.” It was a filthy matted doll that had meant the world to her. The pug nose on Miss Piggy looked like it had been pulled one too many times as the snout stuck out like a twisted and dented cone.

  “This was yours.”

  “Wh-what? Oh-oh yeah. I thought it was long gone.” She couldn’t ignore the excitement that was building. “What did you want to show me?”

  He reached in the drawer and pulled out a packet of papers, rifling through them before handing a small square one to her.

  “A picture? Of who?” She stared hard at the photo. “It’s me. Oh my god. It’s a picture of me.” The girl of about four or five had long brown hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in days. A pink, muddied ribbon hung limply down one side of her face. Mud dotted her forehead and one cheek but a huge grin minus a few teeth was what grabbed her attention. The little girl looked happy.

  “Are there more?” Bailey sat up straight, reaching out.

  “I’m checking.” He flipped through the blank pages but found nothing else. “Sorry. That’s it. What were you hoping to find here?”

  She studied her younger face before answering. “I don’t know. I just know I had to come here.” Meeting his gaze, she held up the two items. “I can’t believe this is all there was to find.”

  “Does anyone else know about this place?”

  “I didn’t know about this place.”

  He looked at her dubiously.

  “Okay, well not consciously. So I don’t know. I know my mother never talked about it. Mr. Lund told me he’d sold it. I don’t know.” As she went back in time to the few memories she had of the place, she had a sense of peace and of fun. And just as quickly, she felt herself tense; something dark had happened. Had it just been because it was another move?

  Suddenly, she wasn’t in the past anymore and that same sense of doom was growing stronger. Something bad was coming. She jumped to her feet, startling Guy, who waddled backward to get out of her way. He put his hands on the bureau to brace himself.

  “We have to leave. Now. Don’t ask.” Stuffing the picture in her back pocket, she clutched the pig in her hand as she hustled her way through the cabin. She raced across the open space, not waiting for him, and climbed into the SUV, started it and turned around in the tight space. Guy jumped into the passenger side just as she was moving forward again.

  “What’s going on?”

  She hit the gas pedal. If there had been any paint left on the side, it was soon in the process of being scraped off. They hit a rut so hard the vehicle slammed forward, only to send them flying in the next moment. She held tight to the steering wheel but still couldn’t stop her head from pitching forward and hitting the top edge of it. Guy, she noted, grabbed the door and the dashboard as the seatbelt didn’t seem to be keeping him in place either. She knew it was crazy but she also knew she had to get out of there quickly. Easing up slightly, she maneuvered through the tight, overgrown laneway. Finally, they broke through the brush and were soon back on the road, spitting gravel as she gunned it. Backtracking the way they’d arrived was no problem, as a map of the area was as clear to her as though it was sitting in front of her. When she hit the T intersection to go right, though, a half ton truck barreled down on them. It felt personal. Going with instinct, Bailey turned left.

  “That driver either has a very heavy foot or we’ve got company.”

  He looked out the back window. “Where exactly are we going?”

  “I don’t know but out of here.” Slowing only slightly, she turned once more to the left, keeping a close eye on the vehicle that was fast gaining on them.

  “It looks like a truck from the motel.” Guy glanced at her but she was too busy concentrating on the road.

  “Did you ask questions about northern B.C.?”

  Guy’s silence was telling.

  “Could he have put a tracker on the car? Followed us to Jasper and asked questions, like what we traded the car in for?”

  “Dammit. He obviously has connections just like I do.”

  She frowned at Guy’s comment but didn’t break her focus. She slowed enough to let the truck get within six inches and then stomped on the gas pedal. It wasn’t quite soon enough but it did change the impending impact to a glancing blow. The vehicle fishtailed but before she was able to do much more than straighten them out, the guy rammed them a second time. The seatbelt cut into her shoulder as she flew forward after thumping back against the seat. She shook off the bile that was crawling its way up her throat. This was life or death. Her hands gripped the wheel tightly as she cranked it, trying to pull out of their wildly skidding vehicle. The rear end snapped from side to side. It took all her skill and strength to keep it from taking them into the ditch or from sending them spinning right around.

  “He’s coming again, Bailey.”

  She had to make a move. Glancing in the mirror, she noted that the vehicle was rapidly moving toward them.

  “Hold on.” Going with the natural swing of the vehicle, she turned the wheel to the left and gunned it just as the rear end of her vehicle hit the far right of its skid. They zoomed into the ditch, bouncing their way through the rough terrain. Between that and the snow sucking the tires into a path, the SUV straightened out. They slid down the incline and entered a narrow passage between Black Spruce trees. Branches slapped and scraped the sides of the rental, sometimes giving such a high pitched sound it grated on her nerves like fingernails on chalkboard. It made her cringe.

  Too occupied to see how Guy was handling the ride, she was thankful he wasn’t giving her instructions or yelling at her. She hoped he wasn’t knocked out cold. Turning sharply to the left, the rear end slid sideways, wiping out two young trees. In the rearview mirror, she could see the half ton was no longer behind them but forging its own path from their side. She focused on zigzagging through the trees, driving through spaces that looked like a compact wouldn’t fit.

  “Look out!”

  The snow was no longer their friend. She cramped the wheel but not in time. The deep pocket they’d hit grabbed the SUV, sliding it sideways into a large poplar. She flinched but didn’t stop, punching the gas pedal instead.

  “Duck.”

  She did and slammed on the brakes at the same time which was all that saved them. The half ton zoomed past which also luckily moved the aim of the gun pointed at them. The shot went high, skipping off the top of their vehicle. Cramping her wheel to the right, she gunned it. The tail-end fishtailed to the left, slamming into another tree and stopping them. The wheels spun but they weren’t moving. Looking around frantically, she was glad to see their company had run into much the same problem. He was shoving his truck into drive and then reverse, rocking back and forth, trying to get unstuck as well.

  “Dammit. Let’s go.” Bailey slammed her hand on the steering wheel as she mimicked the other driver’s actions. A mixture of snow, dirt and grass flew up behind them but they weren’t going anywhere.

  “Stop. STOP!” As soon as she lifted her foot off the pedal, Guy jumped out.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Getting us some traction.”

  He grabbed some branches from the evergreens and proceeded to break them off. She had a moment of guilt about the damage they’d done. Shaking that off, she pulled away just in time to see the truck grill aiming right at them—and coming fast.

  “Guy!”

  “Go.” He dove in, yanking the door closed behind him.

  She hit reverse. They spun. She slammed it in forward. They got enough traction to move a few inches. She hit reverse and then drive again. She glanced sideways. The emblem on the grill was very clear and getting closer. It was the evil smile beyond it that scared her senseless. Shoving into low gear, she pushed on the gas pedal. The tires caught, shooting them forward like a slingshot. But it wasn’t quite quick enough. The truck hit the rear left cor
ner, sending the SUV into a spin and then into a tree. The jolt of the sudden stop sent Bailey slamming backward and then sideways. A bit dazed, she shook it off as she looked for their assailant. The crash had sent him sliding down a knoll. It was the break they needed.

  Bailey stomped on the pedal and they surged forward, grinding and scraping as they pulled away. The SUV gained speed as they went. A quick look in the mirror showed the truck wasn’t moving. He was stuck, but that didn’t stop him from firing off some shots. Bailey drove like a madwoman with no idea where she was going, simply relying on instinct to get them out of there. Ahead, the road peeked at them between the branches. With her foot hard on the pedal, she headed straight for it. It was so close. She was so focussed on getting onto it and getting out of there, she didn’t see the mound until the Ford Escape climbed the sharp incline and shot through the air, narrowly making it between two poplars, nearly stripping them bare. The landing slammed them down hard. Bailey flopped around like a rag doll in a clothes dryer. Instinct caused her to hit the brakes. Shaking off the shock that loomed at the edges of her consciousness, she didn’t waste time thinking but relied again on instinct. The tires spun, spitting snow, dirt and grass as they bounced out of the ditch and finally made it onto the route of escape.

  Guy sat back in his seat, facing forward. “That should slow him down.”

  “What?” She didn’t take her eyes off the road.

  “He tried to follow us but he went a bit sideways and hit an evergreen head on.”

  Continuing on instinct and what she hoped was a reliable sense of direction, she zigzagged down country roads.

  “Back to Jasper?”

  “No.”

  She wasn’t clear at all where they were going but knew she had to listen to her gut. She had to follow her past.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “What’s going on? I expected to hear from you already. Tell me this has been resolved.” Geoff straightened his tie as he looked out his office window. The expanse of the orchards, the leaves gently fluttering in the wind, reminded him of all he’d fought for. This was his life, his legacy. No one would take it away from him, no one.

  “Listen, asshole. I did you a favor twenty-nine years ago. Not the other way around. You came to me. I’m handling this situation.”

  You damned well better be. Or we all pay.

  “Tell me you know where she is.” The silence was so long and tense, he feared the man on the other end of the phone might be plotting more than just the girl’s death.

  “For your information and in case you want to come and take care of the problem yourself,” there was a pregnant pause, “she’s in Edmonton. You know, the capital of Alberta.”

  Geoff ground his teeth but didn’t respond to the jibe. This man would soon be out of his life forever. The last link they had to each other was Cassidy. If this man couldn’t do it, he’d find someone who could.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  The phone went dead. Geoff looked at the receiver in his hand for a moment before setting it down. He might need someone else anyway.

  “You seem stressed, Geoffrey.”

  His head snapped up, his eyes narrowed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, sneaking into my office, Dorothy?”

  “Ah, we’re going to play those games, are we, Geoffrey. My name is Dorothea. Your memory seems to be going. Maybe it’s time I stopped you from being my right hand person. Hmmm.” She walked in as though royalty and sat at his desk, in his chair.

  The rage rushed through him so quickly he was barely able to stop himself from grabbing her cane and beating the living daylights out of her. Again. It had been so long since he’d reacted so strongly to her.

  Does she know it’s because of me she’s carried that cane around for 50 years? That did bring a smile to his face.

  “Aahh. I’m glad to see you’re going to be sensible, Geoffrey. I need to talk to you about some concerns I have regarding the contract negotiations with that small winery in Southern California. It seems we’re paying an exorbitant fee.”

  Oh, you have no idea, my bitch of a sister. He felt elated and sad almost simultaneously. He wished he could be there to see her expression when she put it all together, when she found out there was no winery. There was no money. Sighing, he glanced outside. It was almost sad that this amusement was coming to an end. He’d have to move on. He took a deep breath, smiled and walked to the straight-back leather chair he kept for guests. He sat down and explained to his sister what made the fictitious California winery worth every penny they were putting into it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Okay, I didn’t ask questions all the way here.” Guy sat up and looked around.

  “Huh?” Bailey pulled her unfocused gaze from the slow moving traffic in front of her to glance at Guy.

  “Where are we?”

  “Edmonton.” They had driven in silence the entire way, her mind preoccupied with what she needed to do.

  “And we’re here because?”

  Frowning, she glanced at him. What the hell was he talking about? “I’m tired. I need some answers. I figured this was the best place to get them.”

  “Oh, what’s here?”

  My past. “A library—one that can hopefully show me old footage of a baby being stolen from a hospital in Quebec twenty-nine years ago.” She glanced in her right hand mirror then zipped into the other lane. “Right now, we’re going to find a hotel. One that is nice, warm and odor-free.” She arched her eyebrows at him.

  “Hey, I was just trying to find us an out of the way place. I never thought to ask the guy if they’d fumigated.” He slouched in his seat and crossed his arms.

  Ignoring him, she headed downtown, parking in a centralized garage. “Let’s get a room.” She got out, raised her hands over her head and arched her back, groaning as she did so. And as she did everything else, when she was ready, she went.

  He scrambled out of the vehicle, slammed the door, his footsteps echoing in the garage as he raced to catch up to her. He fell into step beside her. When they walked into the lobby of one of the most expensive hotels in the city, she wished she had a camera.

  “What in the hell are we doing here?”

  “We’re staying here. And you’re paying for the room.” Walking up to the counter, she smiled at the desk clerk, who seemed a bit hesitant to take her information.

  “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’d like a room with two double beds.”

  “We are not staying here,” Guy whispered harshly into her ear.

  Tugging her arm out of his grasp, she smiled at the desk clerk and whispered out the side of her mouth, “Oh, yes, we are. You’ve dragged me all over the place. You’ve uprooted my life. You tell me someone wants me back after all this time. Well, someone’s gonna pay. And it ain’t gonna be me.”

  “We have two rooms available both with two queen size beds; one has a Jacuzzi, the other doesn’t.”

  “Jacuzzi.”

  “No Jacuzzi.”

  The desk clerk maintained a professionally tolerant expression.

  “Get out your wallet.”

  “I’m not...”

  Bailey smiled openly at the woman and winked like it was a girls’ problem. “Give us a moment.” She grabbed Guy’s hand and pulled him a few feet away. “You owe me. My life was fine until you entered it.” She ignored his dismissal of her claim. “You’re going to continue to screw up my life until we figure out what happened when I was a baby.” She patted his cheek. “So be a good boy and get out your damn credit card. I’m sleeping here, after I soak in the hot tub.”

  “Wait. It can’t be in our names.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because, in case you’ve forgotten, we have a friend or two tailing us. Do you want them to find us?”

  She knew her cheeks paled to a pasty white. It must have worried him because he wrapped his arm around her and escorted her to a plush leather chair. He fanned her face with his hands.<
br />
  “Then what...”

  “Give me five. I have a friend who can get us in here under assumed names.”

  She didn’t have the energy to question him or really, even care how he was going to do it. She watched as he walked a short distance away and made a phone call. If his hand ripping through his hair was a sign of how the call was going, it didn’t look good. He walked back to her while clicking off his phone.

  “Sit tight for ten minutes and we’re in.”

  She hadn’t moved from her slumped position. Exhaustion rolled over like a steam truck, leaving her limp and drained.

  His phone rang almost exactly ten minutes later. He didn’t answer or even look at it; he simply tapped the screen to stop the ring. He reached out his hand. She shifted her coat to her left arm and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Within minutes, they were being escorted to the elevator. Bailey wondered if they did this for all their guests or if they were getting special treatment because they had no luggage or because all of a sudden they had a reservation which they’d forgotten they’d made. Acting had been something she’d become very good at over the years.

  In an attempt to appear normal to the hotel employee, Bailey had whispered to her that she couldn’t tell her husband she’d booked a Jacuzzi room, he’d never have gone for it. But by embarrassing him, he couldn’t back out of paying for it. The hotel clerk appeared to accept the excuse but continued to look at them strangely. It hadn’t really dawned on Bailey until then how disheveled they must look. Then Guy told the woman they had no bags. The fact that she gave them a list of all the shops downtown and even a few coupons for discounts was a broad hint that they weren’t looking their best. Bailey hated the feeling of being judged like when she was a kid living on the streets, always feeling like she didn’t belong or wasn’t good enough. Biting her tongue she gave an abrupt nod.

  The woman would certainly tell all her friends about the scraggly looking couple that showed up at one of the swankiest hotels in Edmonton. Bailey just hoped she’d never have to see her again, a feeling that was probably mutual.