A Merciful Fate

by Elliot, Kendra

  Mercy glanced ahead at Sandy’s back, straight and tall as she sat on her horse.

  “What did you find?”

  “You knew Ellis Mull had four sisters, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “The youngest, Shawna Mull, started some heavy spending about seven years ago. She was seventeen when the robbery happened. I can remember her terrified face during our interviews. I chalked it up to her being a high school student with the FBI in her face, but now I wonder if I didn’t look hard enough at her because of her age.” He sighed. “Sometimes our personal mind-sets work against us.”

  “What kind of spending?” asked Mercy. Shawna’s face was blurry in her mind. The pictures of the four sisters had blended together.

  “Trips to Europe. Cruises.”

  “What’s she do?”

  “She’s a checker at a grocery store. Her bank accounts look normal—there’s nothing to reflect she earns enough to do this. I’m getting this information from her social media accounts. People document every step they take these days.”

  “Sounds like we need to talk to her.”

  “You busy this evening?”

  Mercy looked behind her. She and Sandy were already in the middle of nowhere. “I’m tied up for several hours. You should take . . . Dammit. You can’t take anyone to the interview because you’re officially off the case.”

  Eddie’s out of the loop. Jeff is sick.

  “It’ll have to wait until I get back.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Would you believe I’m on the back of a horse? It’s for work, I swear.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m on a wild-goose chase.”

  Sandy turned around and grinned.

  “But no geese are involved,” Mercy continued. “A friend has a hunch about where Bree Ingram might have buried some money—if she was actually involved in the robbery.”

  “Mercy,” he said slowly. “Do you know how many times I followed up on a lead about buried money? They all led to squat.”

  “This might too. There’s a lot of dirt out here.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Bree called it Horse’s Head Rock.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up, but let me know how it goes.”

  “I will. But I really like your lead on Shawna. It’s very promising. We can set something up with her tomorrow.” Mercy ended the call.

  I like the information on Shawna. Part of her wanted to turn around and go interview the woman, but Sandy’s story about a stack of money from Bree had to be checked out.

  She called Pearl next and learned Kaylie was sleeping, no infection had appeared, and Eddie was still crashed out, to the amusement of Pearl.

  Relief tinged with worry wove through her chest. She’d hoped to hear the doctors had declared Kaylie completely in the clear.

  No change is good. Better than sliding backward.

  The horses entered the pine forest, and the temperature dropped in the shade. The trees were denser up ahead, and the trail was noticeably steeper. Justin increased the power in his legs as he moved up the slope, and Mercy leaned forward, shifting her weight to help.

  “It opens up on the other side of this stretch of forest,” Sandy said. “More open, flat areas and then the ridge. You’ll love the view.”

  Mercy wiggled her hips, searching for a comfortable place in the saddle, wishing the ride were shorter.

  Sunlight struggled to penetrate the forest. Mercy could see clearly, but the dimmer light and the loss of the ability to see for miles were unsettling and threatened to trigger some claustrophobia. She took deep breaths, searching for a distraction. She settled on Sandy’s red hair, admiring the woman’s long ponytail.

  I’m embarrassed I thought she might be involved in the robbery.

  She patted her horse’s neck, and his ears swiveled in her direction.

  Actually Sandy’s done nothing to wipe out that theory. Instead, my focus has been moved to Bree as being involved in the robbery.

  Her hand paused on Justin’s warm neck.

  Sandy moved that focus. To a woman who is currently unable to speak.

  Apprehension shot through her, and she stared at Sandy’s straight back.

  No cell service. Remote.

  I’ve been talked into a buried treasure hunt.

  Mercy touched the weapon at her waist. Echoing through her head was Detective Ortiz’s assertion that Kaylie’s bullet might have been meant for Mercy.

  Someone might want her off the investigation.

  Am I riding into a trap?

  THIRTY-FOUR

  A beat-up red truck passed by as Ollie waited to pull out of the Eagle’s Nest Dairy Queen.

  Instantly his gaze went to the license plate. It wasn’t the same one he’d seen that night at Bree’s, but he didn’t care. The previous plate had been stolen; this one could be too.

  He’d followed two other red trucks since the attack. The first had had a SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY sticker in the rear window and been driven by a teenage girl. The other had been driven by a senior citizen who walked with a cane. Ollie had wasted two hours following these trucks until the drivers exited. Possibly either vehicle could have been driven by someone else the night of Bree’s attack, but Ollie’s gut told him neither red truck was right. He knew Deschutes County was doing its own search, but he couldn’t sit still when he spotted one.

  With his hot dog in hand, he cranked his wheel and pulled out after the red truck, cutting in front of a blue sedan whose driver expressed his displeasure with a long honk.

  Ollie ignored him, his gaze glued to the back of the truck.

  He finished his hot dog in two bites and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  He’d studied the photo he snapped of the license plate at Bree’s a hundred times. The photo had shown only a small section of the tailgate, but the hint of a dent had shown in one corner of the picture. The tailgate was open on this truck, an ATV extending onto the tailgate and held in place with several straps.

  Could be another false alarm.

  He swallowed his pessimism and settled in to follow the vehicle, his plans to go back to the hospital postponed. He couldn’t see who was driving the truck. The ATV blocked his view. After a few turns he was positive it was a man but couldn’t guess at the age. The truck turned onto a two-lane highway heading out of town, and Ollie frowned. Please don’t drive to Eastern Oregon. He had less than a quarter tank of gas. Truman’s rule to always fill the tank before only a quarter was left rang in his head.

  Dammit.

  He knew he should follow Truman’s advice. But there was so much of it.

  He hung back, not wanting to raise suspicion in the light traffic. After twenty minutes the red truck slowed and turned on its blinker.

  Ollie’s hot dog threatened to come back up. The truck was turning onto the road that passed by Bree’s home.

  It’s a coincidence.

  Sweat ran down his ribs under his shirt.

  If this is the guy, he’d be stupid to drive by Bree’s house.

  Ollie barely breathed for the next two miles. When the truck turned down Bree’s driveway, his vision tunneled, and dizziness attacked him. He drove past the driveway, too terrified to look down it.

  I’ve got to call Mercy.

  A quarter mile ahead, he parked at the same small turnout where he’d seen the truck the night of Bree’s attack. With shaking hands, he dialed Mercy. It went immediately to voice mail, and he left a jumbled, nervous message, his heart pounding in his chest.

  He dialed Truman next. Voice mail. He left another scramble of a message.

  What the hell?

  Do I call 911? He shook his head as he imagined explaining to an operator that he’d seen a red truck.

  He sat still, a million options running through his head. His hand seemed to creep to the door handle of its own accord, and he knew what he was going to do. He got out of his pickup and darted through the und
erbrush toward Bree’s. I won’t get too close. I’ll just get a photo and hope it’s the real license plate. Bree’s not there. No one can get hurt this time.

  Pleased with his plan, he increased his speed.

  It felt as if he ran forever. His lungs hurt, and he tripped twice, nearly landing on his face. The house finally came into sight, and he spotted the truck down near the barn. It was parked next to a Ford Explorer and a black Tahoe.

  Ollie squinted at the Tahoe’s license plate. That’s Mercy’s vehicle.

  Confusion swamped him. Was she meeting the driver of the red truck? Why here?

  Nothing made sense.

  Two men had already unloaded the ATV from the long bed of the truck, a pair of narrow ramps tossed aside. Mercy was nowhere to be seen.

  I’ve got to get closer. He stuck to the shadows of the home and then followed a hedge toward the barn, his back hunched as he tried to stay hidden.

  “We should have brought two,” one of the men complained.

  Ollie stopped and lowered himself to the ground behind the hedge. The men were out of sight about twenty feet away.

  “You can stay here.”

  “Like hell. I’m going.”

  “Then you’ll have to deal with riding behind me. Get over it.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Silence stretched for a long moment. “Is that really how you want to talk to me?”

  “I’ve taken all the risk. I’ve about had it.”

  “What exactly are you trying to say? You done? Because you can just say the word, and you’re out.”

  Bitter laughter. “I’ll never be out, and you know it.”

  “It was your choice.”

  “Don’t I fucking know it. But it wasn’t my choice to shoot that girl.”

  Ollie stopped breathing. Kaylie?

  “She was about to blow everything open and put it online. She got too close. We didn’t have a choice.”

  Tabitha Huff. Ollie closed his eyes.

  “If we didn’t have a choice, then how come I do all the shit work?”

  “You didn’t help me with Leah.”

  Who?

  “That was your fucking ugly business.”

  The engine of the ATV came to life, and Ollie scooted closer, trying to listen over its noise. He could still hear the men’s voices, but not the words. He peered through a thin spot in the hedge. Mercy’s Tahoe was between him and the men. Moving to his hands and knees, he crawled through, the wiry branches scratching his face and arms. He dashed to the Tahoe and crouched low, moving around to the front of the vehicle.

  “You sure you want to do this? She’s a federal agent.”

  “I’ve got no choice.”

  The ATV’s tires crunched over some gravel, and after a moment Ollie saw the men head south on the ATV through one of Bree’s fields. Each had a rifle slung over a shoulder.

  Mercy.

  He dialed her number. Voice mail. “Dammit!”

  He hit Truman’s number again.

  Truman waited at the bar for his sandwich. He hadn’t been able to get Nick Walker’s turkey club out of his head after his talk with Ina. On the walk back to town, he’d stopped back into Leaky’s and ordered a club to go for dinner, knowing he’d be working late. He pulled out his phone as he waited and noted he’d missed a call from Mercy and one from Ollie. He listened to Mercy’s recording. Horseback? With Sandy? He grinned at the thought of her on a horse, and his curiosity was piqued by her vague reference to a theory.

  Must not be worth mentioning yet.

  Fine with him. He started to open Ollie’s voice mail.

  “Evening, Truman.”

  Karl Kilpatrick pulled out and sat on the stool next to him. He held up a finger at the bartender, who nodded.

  Truman put his phone back in his pocket. “Evening, Karl. On your own for dinner tonight?”

  “Yep. Deborah didn’t want to leave the hospital, but I’ve got animals to feed.”

  “Gotta feed yourself first,” Truman said with a grin.

  “Damn right. Deborah is an incredible cook, but sometimes I just want a beer and burger by myself.”

  Truman nodded. “Any news on Kaylie?”

  “No change. The doctors say that’s good news. She was awake while I was there. Poor kid.” His face was glum.

  “She’s tough, but it will take a long time to move past this.”

  “She’s had enough trauma in her life.” Anger flashed in Karl’s eyes.

  Does he still hold Mercy responsible for his son’s murder?

  Truman kept his mouth shut. Karl and Mercy’s issues were their own. He noticed Karl seemed thinner than usual. He’d always been a tall, lanky man, but his face was narrower and the skin under his chin looser. Mercy had mentioned her father hadn’t looked well the last time she saw him. Truman had to agree.

  He knew better than to ask. You didn’t ask men like Karl about their health. That was private. He would stay mum about an illness until he fell over dead.

  That’s his right.

  Besides, Deborah would inform the family if there were a real problem.

  “That agent get fired for shooting Victor Diehl yet?” Karl asked, his eyes sharp under bushy eyebrows. “Man was just living his life.”

  Truman counted to ten. “Diehl shot Eddie Peterson. And then pointed a gun at two agents at close range.” He purposefully didn’t mention that one of those agents was Karl’s daughter. Karl knew that fact; Mercy had told him herself.

  “They had no business being on his property.”

  “I’m not the person to talk to about this. If you have a problem, take it up with the FBI.”

  “Hmph.” The bartender set a beer before Karl, and he took a long draw. The tavern briefly lit up as the front door opened. Truman did a double take as he recognized Samuel’s profile in the light. He held up a hand in greeting to his officer. Samuel’s jaw was tight and his eyes hard.

  Uh-oh. What happened?

  “Truman. Karl.” Samuel nodded at Mercy’s father and then focused on Truman, his expression completely businesslike. “I’ve been looking into the finances of Sandy’s B&B like you asked me to.” His tone was grim. “That place almost went tits up several years ago.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Sandy said it’s been a hard road,” said Truman, unease growing in his belly. Samuel clearly had something on his mind.

  “She had a lot of repairs and remodeling done one year. I hunted down her contractor because I found it odd since she was virtually broke. He said she paid every single bill immediately—and some of them were pretty big invoices—in cash.”

  Truman’s skin crawled. “That’s what cash is for.”

  Exasperation crossed Samuel’s face. “One time she invited him into her office to pay him. Shocked the hell out of him when she opened a small safe right in front of him and counted out three thousand dollars.”

  Truman stared at Samuel.

  “And he could see more cash in the safe.”

  “That’s a lot of money,” said Karl, who’d been blatantly eavesdropping.

  Truman’s phone rang. Ollie.

  “Hey—”

  “Truman! I found the truck and I found the guy and he and another guy are headed out on an ATV and Mercy’s truck is here too and they’ve got rifles—”

  “Ollie. Slow the fuck down. What are you talking about?” Did he say “rifles”? Anxiety bloomed in the base of his spine.

  The boy sucked in a breath. “I followed a red truck. They went to Bree’s,” he said in a staccato. “I think Mercy is here somewhere and they said they’re looking for her.”

  The anxiety shot up his spinal cord, giving him an instant headache. “Did you see Mercy?”

  Karl turned and looked at him sharply.

  “No. Her Tahoe is here. They got on an ATV and headed across a field . . . One of them said he shot Tabitha Huff. And one asked the other if he wanted to do this to a federal agent.”

  Holy shit. Truman steadied his
breathing. “Did you say ‘rifles’ before?”

  “Yes. Each had a rifle.”

  Mercy said she was going somewhere on horseback with Sandy.

  “Ollie, is Sandy’s Ford Explorer there?”

  “There’s one here. I dunno whose it is.”

  “Shit.” Truman’s mouth went dry.

  “What do I do, Truman? I can’t follow them.” Ollie’s voice shook.

  “I know. It’s okay, Ollie. Mercy told me where they were going.” His mind raced with panic as he tried to calm the teen. I have no idea how to find the place she mentioned.

  “Where?”

  “Horse’s Head Rock.”

  Karl’s eyebrows shot up.

  “You know where that is?” Truman asked Karl, who nodded. “Ollie, stay there. I’m going to send Ben to get you.”

  “I can drive.”

  “Stay put anyway.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  “How do I get there?”

  Adrenaline pumped through Truman. He and Samuel focused on Karl Kilpatrick. The closest person at his disposal who knew how to get to Horse’s Head Rock.

  “Helicopter would be the best way,” Karl said, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes pensive.

  “Helicopter? Karl . . . do you really think I can afford a helicopter? I’m lucky to have all our department vehicles running smoothly at once.”

  “How about asking the FBI to pay for it? I’m sure they have the big bucks.”

  “Is this horse head location that remote?” Samuel asked.

  “Yup.” Karl looked from one man to the other.

  “Mercy said she was riding in,” Truman told him. “If you can get there by horseback, you should be able to get there by four-wheel drive.”

  “Nope. Not happening. There’s a dense forest and rocks to wind through. Got a dirt bike?”

  “Jesus Christ.” Truman felt time ticking away. “Mercy is being followed by two guys with rifles. One of them killed that reporter, and I’m wondering if one of them shot your granddaughter.” He glared at Karl. “One theory is that they thought they were firing at Mercy. Ollie just told me they mentioned Mercy specifically.”

  Karl held his gaze. “Your best bet is getting in on horseback.”