Whiskey and Moonshine

by Elizabeth Noble

  “Does any of that scenario coincide with events in your personal life?” Margo asked Mal.

  Mal stood thinking. “Phillipe and I have a working relationship, nothing more. Colt and I have never had words over my—or his—relationship with another person. I have the money. I don’t need to get donations from anyone.” He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to stroke the tension away. “Would you read that message out loud, please?” he asked Agent Richards.

  “Sure.” Richards cleared his throat and began. “Having one of those days like when Zoe had to rescue Mal and Wash. Keep thinking they can’t take the sky from me #kensingtonswildcolt.”

  “What does that part about ‘can’t take the sky from me’ mean, do you know?” Santini asked.

  “It’s part of the soundtrack of the show, the theme song,” Richards said and sang a few lines.

  Santini held up one hand, palm out. “Oh God, don’t ever sing again.”

  “I think I know where he is!” Mal announced. When they all were focused on him, he went on. “Recently Colt had a photo shoot that was at an old hunting shack farther out on my property. It hasn’t been used for years. It’s rundown, but the land it’s on overlooks a valley. Spectacular view. After the shoot was finished and everyone left, Colt and I stayed behind for a picnic dinner.” Mal decided he didn’t need to go into the argument between Colt and him. “I don’t even remember why, but we went into that shack. There was a moonshine still inside that I thought was made by kids.”

  “Why did you think that?” Margo asked.

  “Because it would have blown up if it’d been used. Whoever tried to put it together didn’t know what they were doing,” Mal said.

  “Isn’t using a still inside the wrong kind of building dangerous?” Margo asked.

  Mal nodded. “It is, and I made the joke that whoever it was couldn’t have been from around here because every kid in this area would know that. After it got dark, Colt made the comment that whoever wrote the Firefly song must’ve seen the sky from somewhere like that shack.”

  “And Kensington’s Wild Colt is a new line of moonshine?” Charlise asked. Mal nodded, and he went on, “He’s telling us he’s where you found that still.”

  “We’ll need a map of the area and anything you can tell us about the terrain will be very helpful,” Margo said.

  “I’m on it,” Audrey said. “Be right back.” She ran from the office, no doubt off to retrieve the collection of maps of the area Billy Krems maintained.

  Margo moved to stand behind Richards. “Can you respond with something that might clue Mr. Hale into the fact we’ve gotten his message?”

  Richards nodded. “I think so.” He looked over at Mal. “How does this sound? ‘Browncoats love a good drink. Let’s meet for moonshine.’ And the hashtag Kensington’s Wild Colt. I have a couple of accounts that won’t trace me back to the force. I’ll use those.”

  “Can you add fruit tea before moonshine? Colt will know it’s from me since that’s what we’re basing the new line on.”

  Richards sent the tweet with Mal watching over his shoulder. Almost immediately they were notified that Colt’s account had liked it.

  Audrey returned with a rolled-up map. She spread it over the conference table and pointed to a spot. “Here’s the cabin.”

  Margo leaned over and examined the map. “You mentioned a social media coordinator?”

  “She’s in Indiana,” Audrey said.

  “Tell me there’s monitoring software on her equipment,” Margo said.

  Audrey nodded. “There is. And we provided her with a dedicated laptop for our account.”

  Richards looked at Jeffery. “May I see the monitoring log?”

  Jeffery glanced at Mal, who nodded. “Certainly,” Jeffery said. Richards moved so he could access the requested information from the same computer on which Jeffery had given them the financial information. “She’s in Elkhart, Indiana, and has a severely disabled son who requires 24/7 care.”

  “Good reason to need some extra money,” Santini observed.

  Mal nodded. “It is. Except I pay for health insurance for her and her son. Toby gets what he needs.”

  “Toby’s her son?” Margo asked.

  “Yes,” Mal said.

  Charlise was busy talking on the phone. When he hung up, he told them, “Elkhart police will confirm she’s home. They should get back to us within the hour.” He offered Mal a sympathetic smile. “We have to cover all the bases and rule everyone out. So far the two men on that security footage seem inexperienced, and other than snatching Colt and taking him to a cabin on your property, nothing they’ve done feels well planned out. Stupid can work for us. It can also work against us with disastrous results. So far we’ve had a demand for money, but no instructions how to deliver it. That scares me.”

  “We understand,” Audrey said softly. When Mal glared and raised his eyebrows, she added, “That doesn’t make us more patient.”

  “I know.” Margo looked around at them. “Please know this isn’t our first kidnapping. What we do might seem like a waste of time, but it’s not and often proves to lead us in a direct line to the victim. We all want Colt Hale back alive.”

  “Mr. Kensington, you just sent me a private message via your Twitter account.” Richards sat back and grinned. He read the message aloud. “Bus stop one hour.” He typed a response, explaining as he did so, “I’m asking for proof of life and more time. I told him to make the meet at dawn so there isn’t as much traffic at the bus stop.”

  They all stood behind Richards, watching the computer screen. It took a few minutes, but finally there was an answer. Don’t leave me under big pastel paisley flowers. Four hours. Not a minute longer.

  Charlise sighed. “They did some homework.”

  “That’s him. Colt said that… or told them to say that,” Mal said. He bent down and braced his hands on his knees, gulping in deep breaths.

  Jeffery laid one hand on his back. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” Mal straightened and ran one hand through his hair, dragging in a few more deep breaths.

  Richards sent another private message, reading it to the others as he did. “Bank doesn’t have that much cash on hand. It’s being flown in. Dawn is the best I can do.” The return communication came back in another few seconds. “Fine. Dawn. Come alone.”

  Richards snorted. “They watch too much TV.”

  Charlise’s phone rang, and he stepped away from the group before speaking. “Thank you,” he said after a few minutes. “Kim and her son are at home. The visiting nurses have confirmed no one has been to the house since seven last night, and Kim voluntarily gave the police contact information on her other clients who monitor her keystrokes, location, and posts. Still waiting on word from a few, but two have responded already. If she’s in on it, she’s covering her tracks like some sort of criminal mastermind, and she’s not asking for near enough money for that.”

  “All right. Charlise, get a team into position at the bus station. We’ll need aerial and satellite shots of the land surrounding the cabin. Santini, you’ll lead the team going to the cabin. We’ll wait till after dark and take them by surprise,” Margo said.

  “But…,” Mal began, “what about me? I know this area, and I used to be a hunter.”

  “Not our first rodeo, Mr. Kensington. Remember?” Richards said. “The team at the bus stop is backup in case they move now. You and I can monitor everything from here. As soon as Mr. Hale is safe, I’ll take you to the hospital to meet him.”

  “What do you mean, wait here? They need to see me or….” Mal couldn’t even begin to think what those thugs would do to Colt if Mal didn’t show up.

  Charlise stood and walked over to Mal. “We’re about the same height and build, and I’ll need to borrow some clothes. Mr. Hale seems smart. I doubt he’ll give me away if it comes down to a trade. When you encountered them before, these thugs focused on Colt, and I’m willing to bet they don’t even know what you look like.
Hopefully it won’t come down to a trade, but we should plan for one in case.”

  “But… I can’t just sit here and….” Mal’s voice sounded as weak as his knees were beginning to feel.

  “How about me?” Frank said. He’d been quietly watching and listening up until now. “I know how this should go. I can help.”

  “His record in Special Forces checks out,” Richards said.

  Margo studied Frank for a few seconds. “Okay. It’ll be good to have someone Mr. Hale knows.”

  Once Charlise was dressed in some of Mal’s clothes, they were ready to go. Mal’s office became a flurry of activity that ended in all the police, other than Richards, leaving, Frank with them.

  “Let’s do this thing,” Margo said. “We have a young man to keep safe.”

  Mal sat beside Richards and Audrey beside Mal, taking his hand.

  “They’ll bring him back,” Audrey whispered.

  “Damn straight,” Richards added.

  All Mal could do was sit and hope to see Colt again.

  COLT had no idea how long Sully and Theo’s stupidity and his luck would hold out. When Mal’s message arrived, his captors interpreted it to mean Mal was prepared to meet them with the ransom money, but Colt was hopeful, from the way it was worded, that Mal had understood Colt’s clue and was coming for him.

  The inside of the cabin was devoid of furniture, and since he and Mal had cleared out the still, the only thing left was a built-in sink with a pump faucet. Colt tucked himself into the corner nearest the door in hopes of making a run for it, given the chance. He was at least a little familiar with the area. On the other hand, he had no idea how much time Sully and Theo had spent at the hunting shack, so it was possible they knew as much about these woods as Colt. Right now Theo was hovering close to Colt and holding his gun at his side.

  Sitting cross-legged, Colt pulled his jacket tight, then hugged himself with both arms. It was cold, the cabin was drafty, and despite his best efforts to be brave, he was scared. Mal had taught him some martial arts moves, but the fact remained Colt was next to useless in a fight.

  Colt was cold, and he wanted to go home. Not Phillipe’s apartment, but home with Mal.

  “We should head out now,” Sully said. “I want to get there to check things out at the drop-off, make sure Kensington’s not up to any funny business.” He paced back and forth, rubbing at the back of his head.

  “It’ll be dark soon.” Theo kicked Colt’s foot. “How long?”

  Colt sighed. “We’re in the mountains, so it’ll get dark faster, but I think there’s still a few hours. It was almost three when Mal sent his message. I’ve heard people around here say these woods are full of cougars and bears. They eat people wandering around out there in the dark.” Colt reasoned neither of these city boys would know better.

  “That’s a good reason we should leave now before it gets dark and find somewhere at the bus stop to hide out,” Theo said.

  “I’ve been to that bus stop. It’s got a gift shop, diner, and some showers, I think. Probably everything is locked up at closing. Nowhere to stay concealed overnight,” Colt said.

  “That place was your idea!” Sully snapped. “You told us about it.”

  “For the middle of the day, not to spend the night in. You asked me for a location Malone Kensington would know of but not be too familiar with,” Colt grumbled. Though the prospect of spending the night freezing in this shack didn’t thrill Colt, the idea of traveling anywhere with these two morons was something he liked even less. “I’m sure he’ll be delighted to come out to the middle of the woods.” His gut told him to try to stay here. Mal had understood Colt’s clues; he was sure of it.

  That earned him a kick to his ribs.

  “Would he know where this place is?” Theo loomed over Colt while he talked.

  Colt shrugged. “How should I know? I’ve only known him a few months. He might. We don’t talk about personal stuff much.” Fools didn’t even know they were sitting on Mal’s property. Colt certainly wasn’t going to tell them. Mal knew where he was; that was all that mattered. Colt hoped he’d bought him some time to get help to the cabin and Colt.

  He shifted position so he could pull his knees to his chest and wrap both arms around his legs, trying to create more warmth. Sully and Theo wore winter coats. It was probably already much colder in northern Ohio. Colt had left the house this morning with a light jacket. Fine for a sunny late-autumn day in Tennessee. Not so fine for the chill of the mountains and a colder night.

  The sound of engines approaching caught his attention, and the attention of Sully and Theo. Sully went to the door and cracked it open, peering outside. It didn’t sound like a car or truck, and Colt thought it might belong to a small airplane.

  “I don’t see anything,” Sully groused. He shut the door and walked to the middle of the cabin. He pointed to a window with shutters on the other side, then waved Theo in that direction. “Check out there.”

  Theo moved away from Colt and inched one wooden shutter to the side and gazed out. “No one.”

  Colt looked at the door, trying to judge the distance and decide if he could get through it unharmed. He held his breath and pushed his back more firmly against the wall, then began to slowly creep off the floor. Theo picked that second to turn around. Colt’s luck and at least Theo’s stupidity ran out.

  In a few long strides, Theo was in front of Colt. He pulled a second gun from inside his coat and shoved the barrel of it in Colt’s face. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere, dickwad. There’s more rope in the car. He gets tied up!” Theo shouted.

  Colt cringed back and put one hand over his face, then muttered, “My legs were getting cramped.” Sully nodded and went to the door but stopped when the engine returned. All three of them looked up when it came closer, went overhead, and then faded into the distance again. The engine looped around and came nearer again but didn’t go directly overhead.

  “Is that normal?” Theo kicked Colt’s legs.

  “Stop fucking kicking me,” Colt snarled. “How the hell should I know?”

  “Does your boss have a plane?” Theo asked.

  “I don’t know. Not that I was ever in.” Colt didn’t mention the private jet, which was technically a plane. “I’m not going out there alone.” Colt pointed to the outside. “Please don’t tie me up again.”

  Sully shrugged. “It’s probably better to stay in here and out of sight until it’s dark enough to leave.” Theo nodded but didn’t say anything. He simply stood a few feet from Colt, gun held at his side, staring at Colt.

  Colt rested his chin on his knees and watched the light streaming through the shutter cracks dim, then fade completely. He tried hard not to shiver and tremble, but it was impossible to stop. Biting his lip, Colt squeezed his eyes shut to keep tears from leaking down his cheeks. Even though he tried to hide his terror from Theo and Sully, he knew they saw it, and that made the whole situation worse. Colt sank into a deeper part of his mind, a place where he was safe, snuggled against Mal, whose strong arms encircled Colt, while in Mal’s big bed watching television. If he concentrated hard enough, he could feel Mal’s skin against his. He was beginning to think he had to accept the fact that this was it, and he’d never see Mal or his friends again. He’d never be safe again.

  Something crashed against the door. The sound made Colt jerk to the side.

  “What the fuck?” Theo shouted.

  The door slammed open, and people dressed in dark clothes, body armor with the letters Police across their chests, and carrying guns rushed through and into the cabin.

  “On your knees. Hands up,” a man ordered.

  Colt was already sitting down, but he put both hands in the air. He decided it was probably safe to think they’d know what he looked like. Theo’s moment of intelligence had apparently passed. He waved his gun at Colt’s rescuers, shouting obscenities. One single shot hit him in the knee, and he crumpled to the floor, screaming. Sully made a much smarter decision and dropped to
his knees, put his gun on the ground, and shoved it away, then put his hands up. Colt couldn’t help but snort. Sully and Theo had both been arrested enough times to know the drill.

  A woman stepped forward, grabbed Theo by one arm, and hauled him to his feet. “Shut up,” she grumbled. She turned Theo around and secured him in handcuffs. A man quickly made his way to Sully and had him in cuffs as well in no time. They were hustled out of the cabin.

  Frank followed the cops. The woman who’d dealt with Theo asked Frank, “Would you confirm this is Colton Hale?” She took a photograph from her pocket and held it up, comparing Colt to the photo.

  “He is.” Frank holstered his weapon and strode to Colt, holding out one hand. “Ready to go home?”

  Colt stared up at him for a minute before taking Frank’s hand. He was happy when Frank pulled as Colt stood up, steadying him. Frank used his free hand to turn Colt’s chin and frowned.

  “Are you okay?” Frank asked. “You’ve got a nice collection of bruises there.”

  Colt swallowed hard and nodded. “They hit me, kicked a few times, that’s it. I want to go home.”

  “They’ll”—Frank dipped his head at the cops—“want to talk to you first, and you need to get checked out by a doctor. Mr. K will meet us at the hospital.”

  “Is the hospital necessary? I’m not hurt—not really. Sore ribs and some bruises. I’ve had a lot worse,” Colt said.

  “Colt, first, Mr. K will kick my ass if I don’t deliver you to the hospital. Besides, the authorities will need your statement, and they’ll ask for your medical records in the case against dumb and dumber over there.” Frank let go of Colt, took his coat off, and wrapped it around Colt’s shoulders. “C’mon. Mr. K—everyone—is very anxious to see you. Oh, and no more trips without me.”

  “That’s a promise I’ll keep.” Colt ducked his head and smiled a bit. “I’m pretty anxious to see Mal too.”

  THE next hours were a blur. Frank and one of the police detectives took Colt to the hospital in Gatlinburg. They were met by a woman by the name of Margo Telech, the assistant chief. She reminded Colt of Audrey; he liked her. She was kind and direct and seemed to appreciate the fact Colt wanted all this over with. Frank couldn’t stay in the same room while Colt was examined or interviewed, but he promised to be close enough that if Colt needed him, all he had to do was yell.