At the Crossroads

by B. J Daniels

  What he hadn’t planned on was his past coming back to haunt him. Now he was wanted for murder, and if he couldn’t find Jana... He might not get the chance to ask Alexis to marry him.

  He reached under the covers to place a warm hand on her slightly rounded stomach. He closed his eyes, imagining a future with this woman and the child she was carrying. He held that image as he welcomed sleep, even with its demons that he would have to battle.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CULHANE WAS AWAKENED from a troubled sleep by the phone. He fumbled for it, his eyes still closed. Alexis stirred, still curled next to him. He found his phone. He didn’t expect another call from April. But maybe Jack had given the number to Jana. “Hello?”

  “Sorry to wake you but I’ve some news you’ll want to hear.”

  “Al.” It came out on a sigh. He hadn’t talked to his deputy friend since early yesterday morning when he’d asked him for help.

  Alexis sat up at the name and blinked, quickly wide-eyed.

  “Any chance we could meet?” Al was asking. “I’ll bring the coffee and doughnuts.”

  Ten minutes later, Al tapped at the motel-room door. He was a wiry man, standing about five ten, but Culhane had seen him take down men twice his size. His fresh-faced, average-guy appearance made his adversaries often underestimate him. He just didn’t look like someone who would kick your butt with the least amount of provocation.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Al said after he brought in three coffees and a bag of doughnuts and the three of them had sat down. “But something’s fishy. Jana Redfield is picked up for shoplifting, but when she’s fingerprinted, her prints and DNA come up in the ongoing criminal investigation involving break-ins up at Big Sky. Then the sheriff lets her go. We’ve been trying to solve that case for months, and he just releases her.”

  “You think she and Garwood made a deal,” Culhane said, thinking it was just like the Jana he’d known. “Which means she ratted out her cohorts. Makes perfect sense. If one of her partners in crime found out that she’d snitched on them, it could explain why she was now missing and presumed dead.”

  “Bingo,” Al said. “Right after that, Garwood ran two names through the system. Leo Vernon, a parolee working as a cook at a café in Buckhorn, and Bobby Braden, a nineteen-year-old local handyman. Both had records. But he didn’t put out BOLOs on them. I think he was waiting for you to be picked up first.”

  “You’d already tied Leo to Jana when you gave me his whereabouts yesterday morning,” Culhane said, feeling himself wake up as the pieces began to fall into place. “I wonder if Garwood heard that I ended up meeting both of them?”

  Al laughed. “I think he heard. He was in the worst mood yesterday.”

  “There’s no way he can track that information back to you, right?”

  “Don’t worry,” Al said. “I’m being careful. The sheriff treats me as if I’m not all that bright, and I let him believe it.” He smiled and took another doughnut.

  Culhane hated that both Leo and Bobby had been unable to tell him anything. But the sheriff didn’t know that. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Jana hadn’t just thrown the two men to the wolves. What if she’d lied and neither had been involved in the robberies? What if she was protecting someone else she was much more afraid of?

  But he reminded himself that he’d seen Bobby coming out of her apartment. Bobby had known her. But neither Bobby nor Leo could have killed her because Leo was in Buckhorn at the café grill and Culhane had seen Bobby coming out of her apartment not long after he’d talked to her.

  “What bothers me is that I can’t see Jana being the mastermind of the burglary operation,” he told Al. “Nor Leo or Bobby.”

  Al nodded. “Whoever is robbing these expensive homes has inside information, knows exactly what to take and doesn’t seem to be worried about getting caught,” he said. “These break-ins are often in broad daylight. They all involve jewelry. Jewelry that is insured to the max.”

  “Jewelry the owner just happened to leave lying around after a cocktail party or late-night dinner with friends instead of putting it in the safe, right?” Culhane said. “We aren’t talking crooks who blow safes, right?” Al nodded. “Have any of them been caught?”

  “Not that I’ve heard.”

  “These rich folks who are robbed, they’re the same people the sheriff parties with, right?”

  Al smiled. “You’re thinking what I am. Insurance fraud.”

  “Sure sounds like it to me. The jewelry owner collects the insurance. Later he secretly gets the item back, and the thieves get paid. If we’re right, then the sheriff has to be involved.”

  Al took a sip of his coffee. “So yesterday, Garwood sends Furu and Cline over to Jana’s. Apparently they tore the place apart. I don’t believe they were looking for evidence. The crime-scene techs had already been there. Whatever they were looking for, they didn’t find it.”

  “You think it’s something Jana stole during one of the burglaries at Big Sky?” Alexis asked. She’d been sitting quietly, drinking her coffee and listening.

  “Something she shouldn’t have taken,” Culhane agreed. “How did you come up with that?” he asked her curious.

  “Shoplifting,” Alexis said. “She probably has a problem with sticky fingers.”

  Culhane laughed. “You nailed it. Jana’s kleptomania was a problem even seven years ago. I’m betting you’re right and that she has taken something that the sheriff needs back pronto.”

  “Which would explain why she faked her death and disappeared,” Alexis said.

  “She could be using whatever she took as leverage,” Al said.

  “More like blackmail,” Culhane said. “She could have already stolen it before. Any idea how long she’s been back in the area?”

  “I could check her employment records,” Al said. “You didn’t know she was back?”

  He shook his head. “Who does Garwood have on the burglaries? Furu and Cline?”

  “You guessed it.”

  “Al, I think you need to be really careful. If Garwood suspects you’re looking into this...”

  “I’m not worried about losing my job.”

  “I’m talking about losing your life,” Culhane said.

  The deputy chuckled. “Garwood is corrupt but—”

  “He’s dangerous, maybe more so now. If I’m right, he is trying to frame me for murder. He doesn’t know how much I know about his illegal activities, but I think he’s afraid of what will come out in my wrongful-firing lawsuit against him.”

  Al seemed to think about that for a moment. “If you’re right, then he must have something pretty big that he fears will surface.”

  “He’s always hung out with some of the rich and connected in Big Sky, so there’s that,” Culhane said. “I think you’re right about insurance fraud. He’s in the perfect position to cash in on this—and help his rich friends as well.”

  “Because of that, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect himself,” Alexis said. “Culhane and I getting fired was nothing compared to what he might do to you.”

  Al looked at her. “I’m curious. Why didn’t you sue for wrongful discharge, too?”

  She shook her head. “I’d had enough. I prefer to be my own boss.” She looked over at Culhane. “I tried to talk him out of it as well.”

  “It’s not that I want the job back. It’s that someone has to stop Garwood,” he said.

  Al nodded. “That’s why I’m willing to stick my neck out.” He reached into his jacket pocket. “I got a copy of the names of the Big Sky residents who have been burglarized over the past two years and a list of what they say was taken. It seemed safer to copy them from Garwood’s computer last night than photograph or scan them on my phone.” He grinned. “I just happened to get the sheriff’s password one day when I was in his office.” He shrugged and got to
his feet. “When I applied for the detective position, the sheriff said I wasn’t ready.” He handed the papers to Culhane who handed them over to Alexis. “I’d better get back. I know that no one from the sheriff’s department followed me here, but I have had a tail lately, usually by Cline when he’s off duty. I doubt it was his idea to trail me.”

  “But that means you’re on Garwood’s radar,” Culhane said as he rose to see Al out. “Please be careful. Just meeting us could get you thrown into jail for aiding and abetting a criminal—if you’re lucky.”

  Al smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep my head down. I bought a disposable phone to call you.”

  “You’re worried about him,” Alexis said after Al left.

  “He doesn’t believe Garwood would go so far as to have someone killed.”

  “But you do.”

  His expression confirmed it. “See anything in the names that jumps out at you?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Jana’s partial to emeralds,” Culhane said. “She used to talk about what she would buy if she were rich. Emeralds were at the top of the list.”

  “That might explain why Garwood sent Furu and Cline over to search her apartment,” Alexis said, studying the list.

  “Jana is neck-deep in all this,” he said. “If we’re right, she has something that Garwood desperately needs. And if he wants the murder rap to stick, then Jana has to be found dead. She’s running scared because she made a deal with the devil. Now the devil is after her. Garwood must be shaking in his boots. This could bring the whole scam down and him with it.”

  “But only if Jana—and whatever she might have stolen—is found,” Alexis said and noticed Culhane move to the window to peer out.

  * * *

  CULHANE FELT THE hair rise on the back of his neck. He got up to move to the window and, parting the curtains, looked out. He had a feeling. He searched the almost-empty parking lot. Nothing looked amiss, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were no longer alone.

  As he was rubbing his neck, he spotted her. Jana. She stood across the street next to a large pine tree. Clearly, she was watching their room. How had she known they were there? Al. He’d been followed. Just not by any law enforcement. Or maybe she’d followed them from the ranch last night. He’d been looking for large black SUVs and cop cars—not whatever transportation Jana had now.

  Quickly turning from the window, he grabbed his jacket. “Jana’s out there. I’m going after her on foot.” His gaze met Alexis’s. All the worry he had about her—and his suspicion that she was carrying his baby filled him. “Please. Stay here. Stay safe.”

  With that he turned and raced out the door. Jana saw him and took off at a run as well. He streaked across the busy street, nearly getting run down, but didn’t hesitate. His legs were longer. He could outrun her.

  He just hoped that Alexis did what he’d asked her as Jana turned down an alley ahead as if doubling back toward the motel. He’d never been able to understand the woman, and now was no exception. Why had she been watching the motel?

  Around another corner, down an alley, and he saw her ahead. But it was what he heard that had him concerned. Tires spinning out on pavement. Someone was chasing them in a vehicle. Jana hadn’t come alone, apparently.

  * * *

  ALEXIS SAW CULHANE nearly get run down on the busy street and knew she had to do something. She quickly threw her things into her bag, grabbed the truck keys Culhane had left on the small table and headed for the pickup.

  As she climbed behind the wheel, she could see the course the two seemed to be taking. That wasn’t all she saw. A large black SUV was also chasing them, trying to second-guess where they were headed. She saw the vehicle race up the street and come to a screeching halt. Both doors flew open, and Furu and Cline jumped out and took off down an alley.

  Shifting the pickup into gear, Alexis drove quickly to the abandoned SUV: the engine was still running. Pulling up behind it, she grabbed the Swiss Army knife her father had given her for Christmas when she was ten from her bag and jumped out.

  “What you are doing is highly illegal,” she said as she opened the knife and jabbed the blade into one tire, then another, before getting back into the pickup.

  She’d seen the direction Culhane had been headed. Now she drove in a wide circle around the blocks as she tried to catch sight of Jana. She had her window down, thinking she might hear something as she passed one alleyway after another. The sound of a gunshot startled her because it was so close by.

  Another shot rang out. Alexis stopped short and jumped out, this time with her weapon, although she knew that if she used it against either deputy she’d be more than breaking the law. It didn’t matter that they were dirty. Or that they were trying to kill Jana and Culhane as well.

  But it wasn’t the deputies who came flying out of the alley. It was Jana. She ran to a small vehicle parked at the curb and jumped into the passenger seat as it sped away. Alexis got the license-plate number but little else before Culhane came limping out of the alley not a minute behind her.

  “How badly are you hit?” she cried as she rushed to him.

  “It’s not from a bullet,” he said, sounding as if in pain, as she helped him into the passenger side of the pickup and quickly jumped behind the wheel and took off. “It was a splinter from a wooden door frame. Cline always was a lousy shot. But he’s death on door frames.”

  In her rearview mirror she saw the two deputies come out of the alley and onto the main street—and notice their flat tires.

  Fortunately, she and Culhane were too far away for them to shoot.

  It wasn’t until she’d put distance between them and the deputies that she looked over at Culhane. He was pulling up his jeans and wriggling out of his boot.

  For a moment all she saw was blood. She must have made a sound because he said, “It’s just a flesh wound. I thought I told you to stay in the room?”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  “Thanks.” He smiled and reached over to place a hand on her thigh for a moment before looking in his side mirror.

  “They won’t be coming after us for a while,” she said. “I slashed a couple of their tires.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him grin.

  “What would I do without you?”

  She hoped he never had to find out as she felt a flutter in her stomach and kept driving.

  * * *

  “YOU HAD THEM BOTH?” Sheriff Garwood demanded of the two deputies standing in front of his desk. He’d seen the way they’d come into his office and closed the door and known that they’d blown it. “Obviously not.”

  “We were so close,” Cline said. “We followed Jana to this motel.”

  “Why didn’t you bust her there?” Garwood demanded.

  “She wasn’t staying there,” Furu said. “She was across the street watching it.”

  “Because Culhane was staying there,” Cline said excitedly. “When he saw her and started chasing her, we thought we’d bag them both. I wounded him.” The deputy sounded proud of himself. “I could have finished him off, but Alexis showed up, and he got away. But we were that close.”

  The man actually thought he got points for getting close. “This isn’t horseshoes, Terry,” he said with a curse and looked at Furu. “Now what?”

  The deputy seemed to consider that. “The way I see it, we have several problems. I don’t know if you’ve been following the news out of Buckhorn, but some law enforcement has been questioning why a man wanted for murder would stick around to save a hostage.”

  Willy groaned. “That damned Culhane. It’s like he’s taunting us.”

  “I think you might have missed the point,” Furu said. “Without a body, we have no murder case.”

  “I think you’re the one who’s missed the point. Get me the body.”

  Furu sighed. “The s
econd problem is that they may be connecting the dots. I got a call from Jerome at the ranch.”

  Garwood felt his stomach knot. Jerome had called Furu instead of him? True, he’d had Furu handle things out there as needed, but Jerome had to know who was in charge. “They know about the baby?”

  “Jerome isn’t sure. But even if they did, they don’t know who the father is or who adopted the boy. Those records are conveniently not available. Jerome assured me they have no way of learning the truth. Not even Jana knows.”

  Garwood tried to still the sick feeling inside him. “With everyone looking for him, why hasn’t Culhane been picked up by now?”

  Furu shook his head. “Is there any way to reach out to Jana?”

  The sheriff studied the deputy for a moment, again aware of the intellect behind those dark eyes of his. Furu was too good at his job. Once this was over, Furu was going to have to go. No firing this time. That was the mistake he’d made with Culhane.

  “Are you suggesting we try to make a deal with her after the last deal I made with her went so well?” Garwood asked.

  * * *

  ALEXIS STOPPED AT a pharmacy and went in for what was needed to patch Culhane up. When she’d come back out, he’d insisted on taking care of it himself. He was right. The wooden sliver had only sliced through the flesh of his calf. He’d been lucky.

  She tried not to think how close he’d come to getting killed. Wasn’t this what she’d feared? They weren’t planning to take him in alive. If the deputy had been a better shot...

  “Do you have that list handy that Al gave you?” Culhane asked.

  She knew what he was trying to do. Keep his mind off his injury. She pulled the sheets of paper from her bag. “What am I looking for?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “Emeralds.”