Holiday Mountain Conspiracy

by Liz Shoaf

  “Dogs are supposed to be on a leash if they aren’t being carried.”

  “Says Miss Rule-Stickler,” he mumbled.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head and swept his hand in front of her. “I can control my dog off-leash. Lead the way.”

  The Georgia princess sniffed and started walking toward an area marked as the park entrance to the swamp. They followed a short path, then stepped onto a planked walkway with a small cable strung through square wood that disappeared into the murky depths of the water.

  Mary Grace spoke over her shoulder. “We’ll stay on the designated path for about half a mile, and if the old canoe Bobby and I sometimes used when we entered the swamp from this direction is still there and floatable, we can be at the shack fairly quickly.”

  Ned stared at the lowering sun. “It better be fast or we’ll get caught in the swamp after dark.”

  Mary Grace threw him a challenging grin. “You afraid of a few swamp critters, Ned?”

  He gave a mock shudder. “Aye, I’m a mountain man, not a swamp rat like you.” He knew how to survive in a swamp, but his words were still true. He much preferred mountain lions and bears to gators.

  She marched ahead and soon they stepped off the planked walkway and onto a path. Mary Grace led him into the woods off the designated public pathway and shortly after that they arrived at a slight embankment shouldering a wide expanse of murky water. She muttered under her breath while she searched an area next to a cypress tree, very close to the swamp. The woman never stopped talking. Ned kept a close eye out for gators. They were known to hide right below the surface and strike hard and fast.

  Ripping away some undergrowth, she whipped around and pumped a fist in the air. “It’s still here, after all this time. If it’s floatable, we’re in business. If Bobby is at the shack, he had to have gone in from the back of Gram’s house.”

  Ned put Krieger in a Stay and helped her pull the canoe from the clutches of the forest. Green, peeling paint adorned the outside, and it looked water worthy, but Ned pulled it to the edge of the bank and pushed it in to make sure. He let it float a few minutes and, when it didn’t take on water, deemed it safe.

  They climbed aboard and he grabbed the only set of oars. Mary Grace raised a questioning brow, but he only grunted and started rowing. He had always appreciated nature and found a small measure of peace among the huge cypress trees flourishing in the swamp. Lily pads floated aimlessly in the water and plant life was abundant.

  “How far?”

  Holding on to both sides of the canoe, she twisted around. “Such a conversationalist. Do you just sit there and grunt when you’re on a date?”

  Since he hadn’t been on a real date in years, he only grunted again.

  “It’ll only take about ten minutes in the canoe. It’s pretty far from civilization. Even if whoever is after us and Bobby found out about this place, it’s doubtful they’d ever be able to locate it.”

  Mary Grace was still twisted toward him in the canoe when Ned saw TB stick her head out of the pouch and her ears prick. He followed the dog’s gaze, but before he could make a move or say anything, the rat dog popped out of the pouch, landed on Mary Grace’s leg and dove into the water. TB evidently spotted movement and decided a chase was on. Her dog definitely wasn’t swamp savvy. As Mary Grace stood screaming in the canoe, threatening to overturn them, Ned muttered out loud, “Not again,” right before he told his dog to stay, slid out of the canoe and prepared to fight a gator. He was right, the woman and her rat dog were nothing but trouble, he thought as he pulled the sharp blade from his boot and placed himself between a hungry gator and his next meal.

  * * *

  Horrified at the scene playing out in front of her, Mary Grace stood frozen in the canoe until Krieger’s half growl, half whine broke her trance. She quickly plopped back down, but found herself unable to tear her gaze away. A huge alligator with beady eyes was silently gliding through the water toward Ned. He pushed Tinker Bell toward the canoe.

  “Grab your dog out of the water if you can.”

  His calm words broke through her haze and she went into action, frantically calling Tinker Bell toward the canoe. She recognized the moment her dog realized she was in a precarious position and started paddling her tiny legs as fast as she could. Mary Grace scooped her out of the swamp water, hugged her precious baby close before placing her in the dog carrier, then yelled at Ned, “I have her. Get back in the canoe.”

  She thought she heard the words too late now right before the gator’s large mouth yawned wide open in preparation for an attack. Ned dodged the powerful jaws after they snapped shut and grabbed the beast around the mouth, preventing it from attacking again. The water was chest high on Ned, but it looked like he’d found his footing. Her heart in her throat, she sat, mesmerized, as he pulled the gator through the tall grass and onto the embankment. With quick, efficient movements, he released the animal and jumped out of the way. She could now see it was a young alligator as it slithered back into the water, evidently deciding to search for a less troublesome snack elsewhere. It didn’t look nearly as dangerous as it had in the water and her breath left her lungs in a giant whoosh when she realized Ned wasn’t hurt.

  Dripping wet, with his big hands propped on his hips, he stared at her sitting in the canoe. “Now I see why the park requires dog leashes.”

  She ignored his taunt, so happy no one was hurt, and grabbed the oars, paddling as hard as she could to get to the embankment. She made sure the young gator was long gone before pulling the canoe on land and lifting Tinker Bell from the carrier and placing her on the ground, then racing toward Ned. She reached up high, grabbed his head, pulled it down and planted a big kiss right on his lips.

  “I’m so, so sorry. I never dreamed Tinker Bell would jump into the water. I can’t believe you risked your life to save her from an alligator. You’re a hero, that’s what you—”

  Her words stopped abruptly when he wrapped his long arms around her waist, lifted her off her feet and kissed her into silence. Only after he dropped her back down did she come to her senses. It took her a moment to assimilate what had just happened. They’d kissed each other, and she liked it. A lot. But that wasn’t possible. She knew next to nothing about the man’s personal life, and he thought her brother had betrayed him.

  “Let it go, Mary Grace. It was only a spur-of-the-moment thing. I can see your thoughts running a mile a minute through that pretty head of yours. It was only a kiss. We need to find the shack and get out of this swamp before dark.”

  He thought she was pretty? She shook off the fanciful thought. He was right. It was only a we-made-it-through-that-terrifying-ordeal kiss, and she needed to find her brother. After that they would part ways. If the idea left her feeling more than a tad gloomy, she ignored the emotion as she scooped up her dog and climbed back into the canoe. Krieger followed Mary Grace and Tinker Bell. Ned pushed them off and climbed aboard. He rowed and she forced her racing thoughts to silence. All that mattered was finding her brother alive and getting answers. She wouldn’t allow anything else to get in the way of that.

  As they approached the tree with an upside-down sign reading Mirror Lake that appeared upright in the water’s reflection, she motioned for Ned to pull over. She was surprised to see someone had attached a tattered Christmas bow below the sign. Ned hopped out and pulled the canoe onto the bank. Mary Grace stepped out, followed by Krieger, and led them into the wilds of the Okefenokee Swamp. Ned told her to be as silent as possible and let him approach the shack first in case someone had gotten there ahead of them.

  On foot it took them fifteen minutes and she breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the rusted tin roof of the shack. A good portion of the small structure had been taken over by undergrowth. If possible, it looked even worse than it had when she and Bobby used to play there as kids. Gram Ramsey never worried a
bout them in the swamp. She taught them about snakes and alligators and how to avoid them.

  Silent as a gentle breeze, Ned gave Krieger a hand signal that she assumed meant to stay put. Ned slipped past her and moved into the woods to her right. Mary Grace remained hidden behind a huge tree and jerked in surprise when Ned silently appeared on her left. She hadn’t even heard him. He must have been really good at his job when he was in the military.

  He whispered into her ear, “Looks clear now, but someone has been here.” She stiffened and he added, “But I think they’re long gone.”

  She whispered back, “How can you be sure?”

  “I found tracks leading to and from the shack, in the opposite direction of the lake.”

  Mary Grace whipped around in horror. The tracks were from the direction of Gram’s house. She closed her eyes and prayed out loud. At the moment she didn’t care whether Ned believed or not. “Dear Lord, please, please protect my grandmother.”

  After a few more seconds, she opened her eyes and leveled a stare at him. “We have to leave right now. What if those prints belong to the bad guys and not Bobby? I can’t take that chance because whoever is after us might be headed back to Gram’s.”

  Ned placed his large hands on her shoulders, ignored Tinker Bell’s warning growl and looked her in the eye. “Listen, the footprints could belong to your brother. Maybe he holed up here for a while and then left. We’re here, so let’s check out the cabin and see what we can find.”

  Mary Grace said another quick prayer and swallowed hard. “Fine. But then we’re heading back to Gram’s as fast as possible.”

  He whispered a command to Krieger and the big German shepherd crept through the woods, then reappeared close to the sagging front porch of the shack. The dog slipped inside, and a minute later came back to the front porch and sat.

  “All clear, let’s go,” Ned said.

  Mary Grace sent up yet another prayer, asking for direction and information. She hoped Bobby had left a message of some sort and she knew exactly where he would hide it.

  Memories assailed her as she stepped through a front door that was barely hanging on by one hinge. It was a one-room shack. No bathroom, no kitchen, only the old table and two chairs she and Bobby had placed there. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. Over the years an entire host of animals had taken refuge in the shack. There were animal droppings everywhere and one corner held a little skeleton, no doubt another animal’s dinner.

  After prowling the small space, Ned approached the table and picked up an envelope. “It’s addressed to you,” he said, before tearing the letter open.

  “You’re rude, you know that?”

  “Many people have told me that over the years.”

  While he studied the letter, Mary Grace casually roamed the room. Precious childhood memories assailed her, but she chided herself to stay focused. With her back to Ned, she quietly pulled the end of a rotten board from the wall and slipped her hand inside. Her heart beat rapidly as her fingers touched something solid. An envelope. One meant for her eyes only.

  Mary Grace and Bobby had concealed childhood treasures in their secret hiding place all those years ago in case anyone else visited the swamp cabin, and now she thanked their ingenuity.

  Slipping the letter into her jacket pocket, she lightly pushed the board back into place and slowly turned when Ned started talking, his eyes focused on the letter in his hand.

  “Your brother is implicating a very powerful person.”

  Mary Grace rushed to Ned’s side, her investigator’s nose twitching up a storm. “What does it say?” She grabbed the letter out of his hand, quickly skimming Bobby’s words. She went into journalistic overload when his accusations settled into her mind. If what Bobby was saying were true, and she had no reason to doubt him, she was looking at the story of the year. A possible Pulitzer Prize winner.

  Her pulse quickened and she looked at Ned. “I can’t believe it. Bobby is pointing a finger at Chief of Staff Hensley. He thinks someone overrode his computer the night you and Finn were in that gallery. Ned, he didn’t know someone was there waiting for you. This proves he’s innocent.”

  Mary Grace was so filled with joy at proving her brother’s innocence she grabbed Ned and gave him a big hug. Mortified to the tips of her toes, she pulled back, but at the same moment, on the fringes of her mind, she heard a noise very similar to the one at Ned’s mountain cabin. In a split second, she found herself hefted into Ned’s arms while he speared them toward the open front door. Just as they reached the edge of the porch, an ear-splitting explosion rocked the foundation of the shack and the powerful force lifted them into the air.

  ELEVEN

  Ned twisted his body midair so he would take the full impact of the landing. His breath whooshed from his chest and out of his mouth. He’d have a few bruises on his back, but overall he was convinced they had fared pretty well. The warmth of Mary Grace’s body in his arms diverted his attention from their dangerous circumstances. He had grabbed her from behind in the cabin and her soft back was snuggled close to his chest. For a mere moment he allowed himself to consider how different things would be if he could allow himself to trust someone. Mary Grace, with her smart mouth and incessant talk, could easily slip past the protective barriers he’d painfully erected over time.

  With years of practice, he compartmentalized any tender emotions and gave a sharp whistle for Krieger, hoping his faithful companion had been outside during the blast. He scrambled up from the ground, placed Mary Grace on her feet, grabbed her hand and guided her toward the nearest trees, keeping them both low. Tree bark stung his face as a bullet hit a tree nearby. It was close, way too close for comfort. Pulling Mary Grace in a zigzag pattern through the woods, he finally got them to the canoe. She clamored aboard and Krieger came tearing behind them and jumped into the craft. Ned pushed them away from the bank as fast as possible and started paddling with all his strength. Thankfully, there was a bend in the river and they lost the shooter. At least for the time being. She was most likely in shock, but he was thankful Mary Grace stayed quiet while he placed some distance between them and the shooter. It was going on full dark now and the enemy could be anywhere, but the darkness was to their advantage.

  Mary Grace finally came alive and Ned was glad to see it. Her voice trembled, but he was proud that she was trying to be brave. “What are you doing? Where are we going?”

  “Right now I’m putting some distance between us and the shooter. My gut tells me he, or they, will come after us. A swamp is a great place to leave dead bodies. Nobody around to witness the killing, and the swamp critters would most likely take care of the carcasses.”

  She grimaced, and he almost regretted his words, but he wanted her to realize the extent of the danger they were in.

  She slumped her shoulders. “I can’t believe someone tried to blow us up again. This is crazy. You’d think someone as powerful as Chief of Staff Hensley could come up with a more inventive way to get rid of us. I can see why someone is trying to kill you, but why me and Bobby?”

  Ned had been thinking about that and there was only one reason why they would want Mary Grace dead. “Your brother is up to his eyeballs in this and you’re a reporter. Maybe they’re afraid Bobby told you something, which he did—he sent you to me—and they know you’ll never give up on a juicy story.” His last words were filled with sarcasm, but that’s how he felt.

  Ned kept rowing with quiet efficiency and waited for the storm but was surprised at her insight when she finally spoke.

  “Ned, what if they set up Bobby to take the fall, knowing he would run and then contact me? Maybe they were aware Bobby knew where you were and was hoping I would lead them to you.”

  Ned didn’t answer. Night had fallen and the moon was hidden behind a host of clouds. Creatures of the night were awakening with a loud ruckus and Ned had no doubt that there were many gators gliding sil
ently through the swamp, hunting for their next meal.

  “We can talk after we set up camp.”

  “What?” she shrilled.

  He grinned when Mary Grace reacted just as he had thought she would. He loved her feistiness. Most women would be in a complete panic after everything that had happened.

  “We can’t spend the night in the swamp,” she insisted. “It’s too dangerous and I’m not spending the night alone with you.”

  “Unless you want to announce our position to the enemy, I suggest you keep your voice down.”

  Her voice lowered to a furious whisper. “I have to check on Gram. What if someone tries to hurt her. I’d never forgive myself.”

  Ned knew he had to allay her fears. He loved his grouchy grandfather as much as she appeared to love her gram.

  “We’ll get there as soon as we can, but it’s not safe to travel through the swamp right now. The shooters are probably still out here, and there’s always the danger of the swamp critters. We’ll wait until daylight before we try to make our way back.”

  Mary Grace faced forward in the canoe and he heard soft murmurings as she soothed TB. He hadn’t thought about how upset the tiny dog would be. Krieger was military trained and gunshots and bombs didn’t bother him. It was shocking how drastically Ned’s life had changed in such a short period of time. He’d gone from hunting his enemy to protecting a spirited woman and her puff dog.

  He steered the canoe toward one of the few solid-looking banks and hopped out, pulling it onto land. Krieger leaped out and Ned held out a hand to Mary Grace. A flash of annoyance crossed her face, but it was accompanied by the barest spark of vulnerability visible in her eyes before she pulled herself together and took his hand.

  “Fine, I’ll find us a safe spot to sleep,” she said quietly. “We probably shouldn’t build a fire in case they were able to follow us. At least we didn’t take our backpacks off at the cabin. We’ll be fine.”