by Karen Kelley
We walked into the living room.
“I don’t like it either,” Sam said.
I rubbed the goose bumps on my arms. “I have a bad feeling about this. And you know me. My gut feelings are never wrong.”
“Nash strikes me as the kind of man who can get stuff done. I think by this afternoon, we’ll know exactly who was behind all of this.”
“I just hope he’s not walking into something he can’t handle.”
When the doorbell rang, we both jumped, then looked at each other and laughed.
“I hate that fucking doorbell,” I said as I went to see who was there. I was still smiling when I opened the door. When I saw who was on the other side, my smile dropped as a feeling of dread weaved its way through me. I looked into the distance, wishing I could call Nash back.
Chapter 24
Nash
I liked Raymond Hollister well enough. He was one of those men who‘d started from scratch and built a multi-million dollar business. You wouldn’t think it by looking at him. He didn’t wear fancy clothes or drive a fancy car.
His wife had died when Jeff was young. The kid had a string of nannies until he was old enough to go to work with his father. By then, it was too late. The kid had been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and thought he was entitled to anything he wanted, even if his father didn’t think the same way. Still, a father’s bond to his son was ever strong, and he wanted the best for Jeff while hoping for a miraculous change for the better.
His secretary looked up when I came in. A welcoming smile made her look younger than her sixty or so years.
“Mr. Hayes, Mr. Hollister has been waiting for you. One moment please.” She picked up the phone. “Mr. Hayes is here to see you. Yes, sir.” She replaced the phone in the cradle and looked at me, motioning toward the door. “You may go in.”
I nodded toward her and walked to the door. Raymond was sitting behind his desk, looking solemn.
“Have a seat, Nash,” he said motioning toward the chair in front of his desk. “Now, what’s this about my son?”
That was something else about Raymond. He didn’t believe in beating around the bush. I liked that about him. “Remember when I took him to the backcountry?”
“That was two years ago.”
I hoped he wasn’t going to make this difficult. “I don’t believe he’s changed that much. He hated the whole experience. When night fell, the kid was scared shitless. Don and I kept a fire going most of the night just so he wouldn’t be so afraid.”
Raymond grimaced as if he’d just bit into something sour. “Are you saying my son is a pussy?”
I could imagine it would be difficult to have another man tell you that your son didn’t have a set of balls. I didn’t know how to put it any other way, though.
“You don’t have to answer that.” He picked up a pencil and tapped the eraser on his desk. “I know what kind of kid I have. He’s disappointed me most of his life, but I haven’t wanted to admit he needs more help than I can give him.”
There was nothing I could say. Empty platitudes weren’t my style, and I was pretty sure that Raymond wouldn’t appreciate being lied to. I let him talk. I figured that would be of more benefit to the guy than anything else.
“The thing is, it’s my fault. I made Jeff this way when I left him with those damned nannies. They mollycoddled him. Spoiled the kid by letting him do whatever he wanted. Now he thinks he can get away with anything.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling his pain.
He sighed deeply. “So you think someone else is behind setting off the dynamite?”
“I do. I don’t think he would go to the backcountry alone, especially at night.”
“I think you’re right. I don’t think he would have the guts to handle dynamite either. If he’s getting paid to cover for someone, then there’s something more going on here.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I won’t have him involved in anything that might hurt someone. It’s time the little shit grew up and realized he can’t get away with the things he’s been getting away with.” He picked up the phone and punched in a number. “Jeff, come down to my office.”
There was a moment of silence. Raymond’s face grew darker.
“You get your scrawny ass down here right now or pack your bags and move out. Is that understood? You’ve got ten minutes.” He shook his head after he hung up the phone. “I should’ve taken care of this a long time ago, but I kept hoping things would turn around for the better. I’ve been looking at military schools. I think that might be the best place for him. Maybe they can do what I can’t.”
“I think there’s a good kid in Jeff,” I told him. “I saw something when we went hiking. It was almost as if he hated to admit there were some parts of it he enjoyed. Have you ever thought that he might just want to spend more time with you?”
Raymond wore a confused expression. “I used to bring him down to the office all the time.”
“But did you spend time with him?”
“Of course I did. Sure, I made a lot of business calls, but I made sure someone entertained the boy.” He was thoughtful for a moment, then seemed to deflate in front of me. “All these years I’ve blamed nannies, because I didn’t want to admit my own shortcomings. It’s too late now.”
I shook my head. “It’s never too late.”
We talked for a few more minutes until Jeff came strolling into the office without bothering to knock. He looked startled when he saw me, but then his expression turned surly.
“What? Are you sending me on another hike in the backcountry, because I didn’t meet your expectations? Maybe you can even mold me into the kind of son you really want.” He flopped down into the other chair and slouched down.
For a sixteen-year-old boy he had all the moves down to get his father’s attention. The only problem was, it was the wrong kind of attention. I guess he’d decided a long time ago whatever he got was better than nothing.
Raymond glared at his son. “Who put you up to saying you’re the one setting off the dynamite?”
Jeff jumped as if he’d been shot, but then immediately relaxed. “What? Don’t you think I’ve got the guts to do it?”
Raymond leaned forward, arms on his desk. “No, I don’t think you do.”
Jeff raised his chin in defiance. “Well, I did. I lit the fuse and then I threw the stick away from me. There was a big boom. Are you satisfied?”
Raymond shook his head. “No, I’m not. I want the truth, and I want it now.”
Jeff turned his attention on me. “I guess he told you something different. That I might not have the guts to set off dynamite, but I do.”
“Then I guess I’ll file charges for attempted murder,” I said. “You’ll have about ten to twenty years to think about it while you’re sitting in jail.”
Jeff straightened as the color drained from his face. He looked to his father. “What’s he talking about? All I did was set off some dynamite. I didn’t hurt anybody.”
“That last dynamite you set off caused a rock slide that pinned my group down in the canyon. You’re lucky that you’re not facing murder charges. One of the members of my group climbed up the side of a steep mountain, risking her life to bring back help. One wrong move, and she would’ve fallen to her death. Instead of facing ten to twenty years, you would’ve been looking at life in prison.” I saw the sudden indecision on his face. “Unless of course, someone put you up to saying you did it. All I want to know is, will it be worth going to prison over?”
“Dad?”
Raymond looked down at the pencil on his desk, then back at his son. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you with this one. It’s out of my control. I wanted more for you. It’s a damn shame that it came to this.” He picked up the phone. “It’s better if I call the Sheriff and tell him I’m on my way to bring you down there.”
“What are they going to do?” Jeff stuttered.
I turned a hard gaze on him. “You’ll
be put in jail until the trial. You’ll be convicted, because you’ve already admitted to setting off the dynamite. The judge might be lenient, but I doubt it. You almost killed my whole group. He’ll want to set an example for anyone else who wants to pull a stupid stunt like that.”
Jeff sucked in a sob. “You’re not going to let them send me to jail, are you, Dad?”
“It’s not up to me, son.”
“But I didn’t do it. He paid me to say I did it. Five hundred dollars.”
I sat forward in my chair. “Who paid you?”
Jeff looked from me to his father then back to me. “He said he would beat the shit out of me if I ever told. He meant it.”
Raymond’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No man is going to threaten my son.”
“Give us a name, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch you,” I told Jeff.
Jeff twined his fingers together and looked down at his feet. “James. James Scottsdale. He’s the man who paid me to say I set off the dynamite. He said the cops were asking too many questions.” He met my gaze. “I would never intentionally hurt anyone. I’m sorry, Mr. Hayes.”
I could feel my anger rising. I knew James could be a jerk, but I never thought he would stoop so low that he would put my whole group in jeopardy just to save his business.
“Do you know where he got the dynamite?”
Jeff looked at his father, then back down at his hands. “Ernie sold it to him. Mr. Scottsdale said he was going to use it to dig a well on his property in the country. He said he only wanted to scare you.”
Raymond didn’t look pleased by his son’s admission. “So that’s why my supply cost is on the rise. I guess Ernie decided he would give himself a raise.”
“James Scottsdale took advantage of you, Jeff,” I told the kid. “You did the right thing by telling the truth.”
Jeff nodded, then looked toward his father. “What are you going to do?”
“First, I’m going to call the sheriff. Then we’re going to have a heart to heart talk. Something I should’ve done a long time ago. I think there’re a lot of things that we need to talk about.”
“Don’t call the sheriff just yet,” I told Raymond. “There’s some...things I want to discuss with James before he’s arrested. He would’ve let my group die out there. Give me fifteen minutes, and then call him.”
Raymond nodded. “Punch him for me. He took advantage of my son.”
As I left his office, I knew he and his son would have a new beginning. There would probably still be rough patches along the way, but they were off to a decent start. Jeff was a good kid, deep down. He just needed more of his father’s attention to realize it.
As for Scottsdale, there wasn’t any hope. As a guide, he sucked. He’d almost gotten a group of seniors killed when he took them on a hike to the backcountry. Helicopters had to be brought in to airlift them out. His business had gone downhill from there. For some strange reason, he blamed me for his misfortunes. Maybe when Makenna had changed her mind about using him for her guide, that had been the last straw. I guess he tried to get even with me by attempting to ruin my business. Hell, he damn near got us all killed.
I climbed into my truck, then dug my phone out of my pocket. I thought about calling Makenna and giving her an update, but I didn’t think she would approve of me going over to talk with James. Not that I thought we would talk that much.
When I arrived at his office, my anger was at the boiling point. Makenna could have died because of what he did. I slammed on my brakes and skidded to a stop. By the time I’d slammed the door of my pickup closed my anger hadn’t cooled one little bit.
I opened the door of his office and looked around. His secretary took one look at my face and seemed to shrink before my very eyes.
“Where is he?”
She pointed toward a closed door. The glass rattled when the door slammed open against the wall. “What the fuck did you think you were doing by setting off dynamite and trapping me and my group in the canyon?” I didn’t give him a chance to answer as I reached over his desk and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. My fist connected with his face. His chair rolled until it bounced off the back wall. He planted his feet so he wouldn’t roll closer to me.
Damn, that felt good.
James looked around as if he was trying to find an escape route, but I stood between him and the door.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but you’re about to get sued for assault,” he blustered. “Amy, call the sheriff’s office!”
“Don’t worry, James, they’ll be here any minute now. He told us everything.”
“Jeff Hollister is a liar and a hoodlum. He’d make up anything to save his own skin. You can’t prove a thing.”
“I don’t believe I mentioned a name.”
His lips clamped shut. “I heard a rumor he was the one setting off the dynamite. Of course he’s going to lie about it.”
“And what about Ernie? Would he lie as well?”
“Fuck you, Hayes. You’re no angel yourself. You’ve stolen all my business away from me.”
“You’ve brought it on yourself. You’re a lousy guide. You almost got that group of seniors killed. The reason you’re going under is because you can’t get the job done. Maybe if you cared a little bit more about the people you were taking out, and less about the almighty dollar, you’d have a good company. We didn’t have to be competitors. I have more than enough business. There was room for both of us. At least, until you got greedy.”
James came to his feet planting his hands on his desk and leaning forward. “You still can’t prove a thing. There’s no paper trail. I paid Ernie in cash for the dynamite, and that snot-nosed brat will lie about anything.” His eyes sparked with a maniacal gleam. “You weren’t meant to leave the canyon. You were supposed to die down there after I set off the dynamite.”
I punched him again. The son of a bitch had no remorse for what he’d done.
He grabbed his jaw, testing it to make sure it wasn’t broken, then he laughed. You can beat me to a pulp, but it won’t matter. You still can’t prove a damn thing.”
The sheriff stepped inside the room. “Actually, I believe we can count that as a confession.” One of the deputies came in behind him. “Handcuff the bastard.”
“But you can’t,” James protested. “I didn’t mean any of it.” His gaze raced around the room, looking for the closest exit, but there was still only one. He made a run for the door, but the deputy tackled him and took him to the floor. As soon as he had the handcuffs on him, he read him the Miranda rights as he walked him out the front door to the patrol car.
“I guess you were right. There was someone else involved,” the sheriff said. “That still doesn’t let Jeff off the hook. He gave a false statement.”
“I think this is one time you could look the other way. If I’m not mistaken, you’re going to see a change in the kid.”
“You think so? I pegged him as one that would end up in prison someday.”
I shook my head. “No, I think you’re going to see a different kid from now on.”
He studied me for a moment. “You didn’t beat the hell outta him too, did you?”
“Give me a little credit. He’s still just a kid. No, I think his father is going to make a few changes. Hopefully, he’ll give the kid what he needs.”
He pushed his hat a little higher on his head. “I heard one of your hikers, a female, climbed up the side of the mountain and went for help. Is that really true?”
I grinned. “That she did. If you don’t mind, she’s staying at my house, and I’d like to let her know that everything is okay now.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer as I headed out the door. At least now we could relax. I climbed inside my truck and started the engine, then backed out of the parking place. I had a feeling James wouldn’t be around for a while. I didn’t feel a bit sorry for the man. He got what he deserved.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket as
I drove toward the house, then decided against calling Makenna. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, and I wanted to tell her in person. Then I wanted to take her into my arms and kiss her. I couldn’t believe how much I missed her.
I’d never realized how far it was from town to my house. The drive seemed to take forever, but then I was finally pulling into my driveway.
I shut the engine off and climbed out of the truck. As I walked inside, I was met with silence. The kind that told me no one was home. Had Makenna gone somewhere with Sam? Why did I have a bad feeling about this?
“Makenna,” I called as I walked into the living room.
Silence.
My heart skipped a beat as I entered the living room.
The coffee table was turned over and what had been on it was scattered to the floor.
Then I saw the body.
Chapter 25
Makenna
“You killed Sam!” I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I refused to give in to them. I needed to concentrate on getting out of the handcuffs, but they were so tight, they were chafing my wrists.
“I didn’t kill her,” Eric said. “She startled me, and I reacted instinctively. All I did was tap her on the chin.”
“She hit her head on the fucking coffee table hard enough to turn it over. I’d say it was more than a tap. If she dies, I’ll see that you rot in prison. They may even have the death penalty in Colorado. Think about that?”
“They don’t put anyone to death just for simple assault.”
“And you would know this how?”
His grin was smug. “As you say in Texas, this isn’t my first rodeo.” He laughed.
“It might not be your first rodeo, but have you met Nash? There’s a reason I’m living with him right now. He’ll be furious when he finds out you kidnapped me. I definitely wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”
At least he didn’t look quite so sure of himself now. I’d thrown a wrench into his plans. I don’t think he’d even considered the fact that Nash might come after him.
“I guess you’re fucking him,” he snarled.
