by Dana Mentink
His pallor was ghastly in the pale moonlight. She drew him in and turned on the lamp. “What happened?”
“He’s got her.”
“What?”
“Virgil. He’s taken Tammy. He called from her phone and told me he’d been trying to get you, but your phone was disconnected.”
“Ruined from the water,” she said mechanically, her nerves firing to life. “What...what did he say in the message?”
“He said you’d recovered the jewelry and he wants it back. You’re to bring it to Tammy’s trailer right now, no police or cowboys. If not...”
“If not?” she prompted, terrified to hear the rest.
“He’ll kill her.”
* * *
Liam couldn’t sleep. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning before the sun was up, he found himself hollow-eyed, unshaved, staring at the coffeepot in the bunkhouse, watching it drip. He wanted to go to the saddlery, to lose himself in the pieces waiting for his attention. The place always comforted him; the supple strength of the leather held such potential. Soft and strong, like a certain woman who’d arrowed right into his core. Maggie was there in the saddlery, for how much longer, he didn’t know. They’d reached a dead end in their search for the jewelry. A dead end for other things, too.
You and me... She’d said that, revealed the feelings she had for him, and part of him was elated that she cared for him, wanted him, in spite of his weakness.
But Maggie didn’t deserve a man who wore a mask, a man whose world was narrowing day by day. He felt anew the terror at not being able to find her in the waves.
A man who was flat-out scared.
What would happen in the future when he went completely deaf? He’d had to leave his beloved Green Berets. Would he have to let go of working the ranch, also? How would he make a living? Tend to a family?
Family. That notion amped up his nerves. Gus and Ginny had made him part of their brood and out of that he’d become uncle to a boy he adored. How would he hear the cheers from the Little League field when Charlie hit that homer? Listen to Charlie say his prayers at night? Hear the boy say, “I wuv you, Uncle Weeum.”
Anger took hold of him and he slammed a hand on the countertop. He’d never been one to feel like a victim. Hadn’t he managed his family drama without complaint? Learned to let go of his military life? Why did God have to take away his chance with Maggie?
He made us to do things together.
But surely God wasn’t trying to teach him that now, at this point in his life, when he’d made Liam to be a man to take care of others since he was seven years old?
“God,” he said savagely, “what are you trying to do here? ’Cause I don’t get it.”
He was not surprised when he heard paws scratching on the front door. The dog had some uncanny way of knowing where and when to find Liam.
Sure enough, Jingles sat on the porch, gaze bright in the predawn gloom. Resigned, Liam let him in and poured kibble into a bowl. Jingles set about chomping it down in record time. Then he swiped a tongue over his mouth, sat back and regarded Liam with those unblinking eyes.
“I guess you aren’t such a bad dog,” Liam said, sinking to one knee and rubbing his ears. The dog turned to rubber, sliding on his back and presenting his tummy for Liam to scratch. He laughed. “Maybe you just aren’t cut out for herding. But, hey, I never learned to cook, so I guess we can’t be good at everything, right?”
Jingles’s paws scrabbled in an invitation for Liam to keep up the tummy scratches. He thought about how this odd lump of a misfit animal had guided him through the waves to Maggie. “Yeah, you’re a good dog, Jingles,” he whispered. “A real good dog.”
Jingles wriggled as Liam got to his feet. He still felt like a wrung-out towel, knowing how badly he’d let Maggie down, but something about the wacky dog’s devotion encouraged him. When Jingles cocked an ear, Liam stepped outside to scan. A car he didn’t recognize was just pulling out of the front gate, two figures in the front seat. It took him an extra minute to identify Joe as the driver and, in the passenger seat, Maggie.
“Where do you figure they’re headed at this hour?”
Jingles was right on his heels as Liam shrugged on his barn jacket and headed to the truck.
TWENTY
Maggie clutched the pink backpack, trying to keep breathing through the panic. “How did he get to her?”
“I don’t know.” Joe’s knuckles were white on the wheel. “This whole thing is crazy. We gotta just give him what he wants and get Tammy back safe. Did you have any success at Yoriko’s?”
“We found something.”
He looked at her strangely. “What do you mean? I thought for sure you’d find the jewelry.”
“I’ll explain later,” she said, not wanting to bother with an explanation of the empty jewelry case. Goose bumps prickled her skin. What would Virgil do when he found out the case was empty? In the suspense movies Tammy loved to watch, the hero would have some clever plan, a diversion, a hidden backup guy. Maggie had nothing but one slender fragment of an idea: hand the backpack over, grab Tammy and run. She wanted to explain to Joe that she had no idea where to look next for the ransom for her sister’s life, but Joe’s hands were already shaking, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down convulsively.
“Joe,” she instructed as they headed up the graveled driveway to the trailer, “keep the engine running. Be ready to get us out of here quick.”
He shot her a questioning look but there wasn’t time for a follow-up as the light went on in Tammy’s trailer.
Maggie got out of the car on rubbery legs.
Virgil stepped onto the porch. “Thanks for coming,” he said as if they’d agreed to meet for lunch. “We’ll all be glad when this situation is resolved.”
“Where’s my sister?” Maggie demanded.
Joe stood next to her. “Let us see her.”
Virgil laughed. “You don’t watch enough TV, do you? That’s not how it works. Give me the jewelry.”
“Not until I see that my sister is safe.”
“Look,” Virgil said, teeth bared, “I don’t have time for this. I have people I owe and an insurance claim pending. Now I hear that Vivian is making arrangements to return to live with dear old Uncle Bill. I have you to thank for that.”
Her mouth managed to form words in spite of her bone-deep fear. “No, you have yourself to blame, trying to terrorize us, blackmailing my sister.”
Hatred blazed in his eyes. “You’re going to give me what I want. I’ll settle things here with the insurance claim before dear Viv rolls into town.”
“You’ve gone too far with this abduction,” Joe said. “You crossed the line.”
Virgil chuckled. “But I hold all the cards. I have Tammy. If you give me the jewelry, I’ll let her go unharmed and erase the video of her theft.” He snapped his fingers. “All this trouble goes away, just like that. Think of it as my Christmas present to you.” He laughed. “A get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s so much nicer than the alternative in which both women die.”
Joe’s teeth crunched together. “You were wrong to involve Tammy in all of this.”
Virgil regarded him, chin cocked. “You have it bad for that girl, don’t you?”
A branch cracked from behind them in the woods. Virgil flinched. He pulled a handgun from his belt and swiveled a glare at Maggie. “If you brought help, I’ll shoot you right here, right now.”
Her mouth went dry with terror. “I didn’t tell anybody. I promise.”
He wiggled his fingers at her. “Backpack. Now.”
She forced her limbs into action, holding the backpack out to him.
“My sister...” she started.
He unzipped the backpack, darting looks at the woods behind him. He tossed out the jacket from the pack and grabbed the velvet box, the gun still secure in one hand.
But he’d stripped the rubber band off the box and flung it open. He howled at the sight of the empty box, aiming the gun at Maggie.
“No,” Joe shouted.
From the woods behind the trailer, a shot rang out and Liam charged from his hiding place in the trees. Virgil dropped the pack and ran for his car as Liam and Jingles burst from the foliage, sprinting toward him. Virgil did not return fire, instead leaping into his vehicle and peeling out of the drive in a shower of gravel.
Maggie gulped back the fear and pounded up the steps to the trailer. “Tammy!” she screamed. The door slammed wide and she groped for a light.
Frantically she searched the bathroom and closet and even under the bed. She sank to her knees and began to sob. Her sister was not there.
* * *
Liam helped Maggie to a chair in the trailer and tried his best to comfort her. His head was whirling. He’d managed a quick call to Helen on the way over. She’d confirmed that Tammy was gone and she had no idea how. The thought that Virgil might have waltzed into the Lodge unnoticed sickened him. He might have hurt Tammy, Helen, any of the guests, to get what he wanted.
“We have to call the police,” he said.
Joe shook his head. “Virgil will kill her. He said so.”
Liam worked to keep his voice calm. “Joe, he didn’t get what he wanted. He may take that action anyway.”
Joe shook his head. “No. He hasn’t gotten the jewelry.” He flashed an angry look at Maggie. “Why did you try to trick him with an empty box? What were you thinking?”
“You’re not going to badger her now,” Liam growled. “The cops know how to handle things like this.”
“I...” Joe started. His phone rang and his mouth slackened. “It’s Virgil.”
“Put it on speakerphone,” Liam said, jaw tight.
“Nice trick,” Virgil said. The words were composed but Liam heard the quick panting that indicated he was on the verge of losing control. “I guess we’re even. You didn’t bring the jewelry and I didn’t bring Tammy. We’re going to try this again, one more time. If I don’t get what I want, I will kill Tammy and then I will hunt Maggie down and murder her, too. I’ll tell you the time and place next time I call.”
“How do we know you even have Tammy?” Liam said. Proof of life. That’s what they needed.
“Maggie...” One word, two anguished syllables cut off quickly, but not so fast that Liam couldn’t hear the strain in her voice.
“Understand now?” Virgil said. “She’s alive. They’re both alive, until you double-cross me.” The phone disconnected.
Liam sank to his knee in front of her. “Maggie, this is a police thing now. They know what to do.”
“No,” Joe said, the word sounding torn from him. “He’ll kill Tammy next time. I know it. Give him what he wants. Her life isn’t worth some diamond jewelry. If you think you can trick him with that empty box...”
“That’s enough for now.” Liam helped her to her feet. “I’ll take her home. She’ll decide what she wants to do without pressure from either one of us.”
“But...”
“Go home, Joe. If Virgil calls, text me right away.” He gave him the cell number for the new phone Chad had found for him since his was beyond repair thanks to the salt water.
“What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
“Wait to hear from us.”
“But...”
Liam ignored him this time, leading Maggie out to the truck and easing her into the passenger seat.
She was wide-eyed and staring the whole way back to the ranch. When he settled her into a chair in the saddlery, she jerked a look at him.
“What...what should I do? Should I tell Joe we don’t have the jewelry?”
He shook his head. “I think not.”
“Why? He loves her.”
“Because the less people who know, the better, and...”
“And you don’t like him?”
“Not particularly.”
She laughed bitterly. “Because he’s in love with your ex?”
Liam blew out a breath. “Maggie, I would hope by now you know that my motive in helping out here isn’t about my past with your sister.”
She dropped her head and the tears started again. “I’m sorry. I’m...”
“Upset. Understandable.” He swirled her hair away from her cheek and caught the trail of tears with his thumb. “If I could take this pain on my shoulders for you, I’d do it in a hot minute.”
She still didn’t look at him. “My sister must be so scared. I don’t know what to do.”
He tried again to reason with her about the police, but she only seemed to retreat further into her shell.
“All right,” he said after a deep breath. “If you’re not going to let the police in, then you have to let me help.” He smiled. “We’ll go all Green Beret on him.”
She gave him a watery sliver of a smile. “Not candy diplomacy?”
“No, ma’am,” he said. “What I have in store for him is anything but sweet.”
“Liam,” she whispered, “are you sure this will work?”
“Certain as the sunrise,” he said, praying deep down that his words were true.
TWENTY-ONE
Just before noon, he found Maggie haggard and jittery, pacing circles on the floor. She could not be enticed to eat, but he managed to get her to drink a couple sips of coffee. He drank some himself. He should eat something, but nothing awakened his appetite. He felt every sore muscle and hitched sinew, courtesy of the mighty Pacific.
His pulse jumped when the new phone buzzed with a call.
“He wants to meet tonight at the festival,” Joe said. “At the Train of Lights, eight o’clock, with the jewelry.”
Liam was not surprised. Plenty public so Virgil could blend in with the crowd. “Okay. How do we find him?”
“We don’t. He’ll find us.” He heard Joe’s quick breathing. “So what is the plan?”
“The plan is we do what he says.” To a point.
Joe heaved out a breath. “And in the meantime we’re just supposed to pretend like nothing’s happened?”
“That’s correct,” Liam said. He clicked off.
Maggie looked shaky but strong enough. “So we spend the day on business as usual?”
“Best idea, in case Virgil’s got eyes on us somehow. The whole town will be at the festival for the food and caroling tonight. Then trolleys are scheduled to transport groups from the Lodge to the station to get on the train.” He was speaking as much for himself as for her, planning in his mind how to best use Mitch and Chad. “I’m going now to do some reconnaissance and scope things out with my brothers. You can stay here and rest.”
“I don’t need rest. I’m going to the Lodge, too, in case...oh, I don’t know. I just want to be there.”
He scrambled ahead of her outside and opened the passenger door of his truck. “I’ll take you. Get in.”
“Thank you, but I’ll go myself.”
“No. Why would you think that’s a good idea?”
She sighed. “It’s just easier to...”
To not be around me? He thought about his last heartfelt conversation with her. Don’t care for me....
“Maggie,” he said, closing his eyes for a second and striving for control. “Your knee is hurt and you’ve been through a trauma. Virgil is a loose cannon. The common sense thing is to let me give you a ride. Get in the truck.” He paused. “Please.”
He thought she would decline but, after a moment, she climbed in.
His palms were clammy on the steering wheel. What should he say? He wanted to keep the topic away from the panic she had to be experiencing about Tammy. He settled on, “How are you feeling? I mean,
physically? Knee okay?”
“Banged up, but I’ll live.” She didn’t look at him. “How about you?”
He shrugged, intending to feed her some macho “only a scratch” kind of comment. Instead he blew out a breath. “Actually, I imagine this is what a bowling pin feels like after a strike.”
She stared for a moment, then smiled. “Thanks for the honesty.”
It felt good to have made her smile again, with a frank assessment, no less.
She twisted to check on Jingles. “I’m glad you’re okay, too, Jingles. Haven’t eaten your candy cane yet?”
“Seems like he’s saving it for a rainy day.”
The rest of their chatter quieted until he pulled up at the Lodge. Before she could hop out, he stopped her.
“Listen, I, uh... I mean, I know this has been sort of a nightmare and all, but I—I’m glad I... I mean, I’m happy I can be here to help you.” As the words left his mouth he knew he’d cemented his title as “grand idiot.” She’d offered her heart and he’d provided her a helpmate. What a dope.
She gave him a smile, shy and composed. “Me, too. Friends are hard to come by. Maybe we can stay in touch...”
“In touch? Are you leaving?”
“Before... I mean, last night, before he took her, I’d been making some plans.” She swallowed. “I am going to talk to Tammy about where we should go from here.”
“No need to go, is there?”
“I’ve already overstayed my welcome at the ranch.”
“You’re not...”
She shook her head. “If somehow we manage to get out of this alive...” She stopped and started again. “If Tammy is okay and not sent to jail, I’ll return to Arizona. I’ll stay as close as I can for as long as I can, but it won’t be here in Driftwood. That’s the only scenario I’m permitting myself to consider right now.”
“It’s gonna be okay,” he said. “We’ll get her back and Virgil is the one who’s going to jail. So you’ll be able to live in Tammy’s trailer.”
“She’s only paid up until the end of December.”
