Beneath Winter Sand

by Vickie McKeehan

  “But…”

  “No buts. A minute ago you were lecturing me about rules and regulations…and laws. I can’t just go over there and say, ‘hey, Andy, guess what? I’m your sister.’ I need to know a lot more facts before I do anything like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like anything concrete about his parents. Who were they? Has he ever suspected that he was adopted? Does he look like his parents? Faye says no, but what does he think? There are steps, Julianne, to confirming it.”

  Julianne held up her hands. “Sorry. You’re right. I got carried away. You know who would know more about Andy than just about anyone else, besides Quentin, of course?”

  “Why Quentin?”

  “He befriended Andy, reached out to him long before anyone else did. Quentin is the one who sent Andy to Ryder for a job working on the new hospital. Andy owes his steady income to Quentin.”

  “And Ryder who hired him,” Caleb tossed in.

  “Exactly. So, whether you like it or not, Ryder spends a lot of time with Andy every day, five days a week. He could ask Andy all kinds of things while they’re at work, casually, without raising red flags. Believe me, these construction guys have eight hours, sometimes more, to talk about all kinds of personal stuff while they’re on the clock. So, do I get to tell Ryder now about what’s going on or not?”

  Hannah’s shoulders relaxed. “Sure. If he has any questions, tell him to call me. I’ll even make up a list of things to ask Andy if he needs it.”

  Hannah started to walk away and then stopped. “And it wouldn’t hurt if Ryder wanted to go that extra mile and swipe some DNA off one of Andy’s soda cans or his thermos.”

  Julianne couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Jeez, I think you’ve been watching too many crime shows. This is getting more covert by the minute.”

  “So, do you think Ryder will do it?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll see. Ryder does like those crime shows. He never misses an episode of Forensic Files.”

  “Great. Then he should feel on top of the world knowing he helped solve a twenty-year-old mystery.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Hannah waited an excruciating twelve hours before hearing back from Julianne that Ryder had agreed to covertly ask Andy a series of questions. That morning, she also learned that Ryder had called Andy in to work on the hospital project under the guise they could finish framing out what would be the operating room.

  “It’s on,” she told Caleb before heading out the door to her shift at The Shipwreck. “I don’t suppose you could offer to lend your muscle by helping them out? It is Saturday.”

  “You want me to help build a hospital all the while eavesdropping on Ryder’s conversation and Andy’s answers?”

  “When you put it like that? Yes.”

  He snatched her around the waist, rested his brow on hers. “I never knew you were such a sneaky little minx. I like it. But I can’t just pop in and offer to help out of the blue without raising some major red flags. It’s better if Andy feels completely at ease with Ryder. And if I understand the plan, the two guys will be alone in the building.”

  “You’re right. Bad plan. Bad Hannah. I’m anxious, is all. Good thing I have my shift at the bar to keep my mind off Andy.”

  “Yeah. Right. Like that’ll make a difference. Look, I hate to bring it up, but are you still planning to go with Eastlyn when she talks to Eleanor?”

  “I was. Do you not want me to go?”

  “I don’t. Not really. You’ll probably have to take a long, hot shower afterward. Because getting that close to Eleanor will leave you feeling…tainted.”

  “As I understand the process, they’ll be a glass wall between us. It’s like a separate room.”

  “Won’t matter. Getting within ten feet of Eleanor presents a certain risk factor…to you. You need to understand that you’ll be on her radar after the visit.”

  “You’re afraid she’ll somehow convert me into one of her followers? I’m not that easily influenced, Caleb. I’m hardly naïve or gullible.”

  “Were you able to bone up on her past?”

  “Caleb, I know practically everything Eastlyn does. She’s caught me up in a quick course she calls Eleanor-ology.”

  “That’s cute, but this is no joking matter.”

  “Stop worrying. I’ll be fine. I gotta run. But if you hear anything from Ryder, text me.”

  While Hannah dealt with a Saturday afternoon crowd at The Shipwreck, Caleb loaded Molly up in his truck and headed to Promise Cove to deliver that pallet of herbs, overdue by several days.

  Not long after leaving the city limits, he and the dog drove past a coastline packed with lush scenery. The view became a forest of cypress, alongside woodsy redwood that bumped up against the staggering coastal cliffs. The landscape whizzed past Molly as the dog rested her chin on the pickup’s window frame.

  It took less than twelve minutes for Caleb to reach the turnoff that led to the bed and breakfast. He bumped along over a new bridge Nick had built because of heavy rains in the area.

  Caleb pulled into the driveway and parked behind an older model Volkswagen Golf with out-of-state plates. It looked as though a tourist from Nevada had found lodging at Promise Cove for the weekend, a typical occurrence since this was the only place to stay within a fifty-mile radius off the interstate.

  Caleb set Molly down outside his pickup in case she needed a potty break. “You stay put right there, and don’t go running off, or Hannah will have my head if you get lost.”

  As he strolled past the little station wagon, curiosity had him peeking inside. One look told him something seemed amiss. The interior was littered with food wrappers, aluminum cans, and other trash, as if the driver had been living out of the car.

  Not such a typical occurrence, considering the pricey rates at Promise Cove, he thought now.

  Caleb headed up the steps to the wide wraparound porch, and rapped on the door. No one answered. He waited and then knocked again. When there was still no answer, he started back down the steps only to hear what sounded like a muffled scream coming from inside the house.

  In an instant, he made the decision without thinking. He flung open the front door. To his left, he spotted a man standing in the living room holding a gun, the barrel pointed at Nick’s head while Jordan and two frightened little kids, looked on.

  “Come any closer and I’ll shoot the boy. All I want is the gold,” the man said to Caleb.

  “Excuse me,” Caleb said, playing dumb. “What gold?”

  “You know damn well what gold. That bag you stuffed into a safe deposit box on Monday,” the man snarled through clenched teeth. For emphasis, the gun-wielding guy used the weapon to bump against the back of Nick’s head. “It’s tucked away in his bank. And I want it.”

  Caleb held up his hands in mock surrender. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement from the doorway. In a stealth effort, Molly inched her way up to the door on her belly. The dog positioned herself right behind Caleb.

  Stalling for time, Caleb shifted his feet and went into an insulting rant in hopes of rattling the gun-wielding guy.

  “What kind of an idiot are you, man? I mean, you look like the dumbest SOB on the planet. Don’t you realize the bank’s closed now, locked up tight until Monday with an alarm system that doesn’t operate until nine a.m.? Didn’t you explain that to him, Nick? Or is this guy too stupid to grasp something that simple?”

  “Already tried that,” Nick stated, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. “I tried telling him I can’t very well retrieve the bag if I’m sitting here.”

  The stranger turned the gun toward Caleb. “You’re here now, you’re gonna get it for me or I’ll kill this entire family. I’m not waiting till Monday.”

  Until that point, Molly had been hidden out of sight. But the dog shot out from behind the door, leaping at the guy’s legs, which is the only thing little Molly could reach.

  The distraction gave Caleb an opport
unity to bull rush the man’s midsection. He hit him so hard that he drove the man halfway across the room and into the wall. Pictures fell to the floor and shattered.

  Once the man’s back hit the wall, Caleb could feel the air rush out of the man’s lungs. He heard the gun clatter on the hardwood floor and skid somewhere under the window.

  Caleb pounced. His fists began to fly. He pounded the guy’s face, pummeling him with wild fury. He sent all his pent-up rage into every punch. Blow after blow obliterated the man’s jaw and nose. While he gave the guy a beating, Molly chewed on the man’s leg, taking hunks out of his ankle.

  Nick picked up the weapon as he shuttled Jordan, Hutton, and Scott into the entryway. “I want you guys to run as fast as you can out of the house.”

  “What about you, Daddy?” Scott shouted.

  “I have to help Caleb. You go with Mommy. No argument. Go! Now!”

  The kids went scurrying down the hallway with their mother. Once Nick knew they were on their way to safety and away from the asshole, he turned back to help Caleb.

  He took one look at Caleb’s relentless onslaught and realized it was over. Latching onto Caleb’s arm in motion, Nick put an end to the fight. “You’ve got him now. It’s okay. You can quit now. He’s unconscious. He’s not going anywhere.”

  Out of breath, Caleb sat back on his heels, wiped the sweat out of his eyes. “Who is this bastard?”

  “No idea. He showed up about twenty minutes before you got here pretending to be lost and needing a room. We let him in,” Nick said with a shrug. “I guess it’s one of the pitfalls of owning a B&B.”

  Nick bent down to pick up Molly, stroking the pup’s head and held her to his chest. “And who is this little angel?”

  “That’s Molly. Hannah found her a week ago in the mountains, half-starved and brought her back to town with us. I’ve always heard mutts make the best guard dogs. Now I know it’s true.”

  “This asshole locked our Quake up in the laundry room off the kitchen. Otherwise, I think Quake could’ve done what Molly did. I’m grateful you two came along when you did.”

  Caleb looked down at the man on the floor. “What do we do with him?”

  “I want him out of my house. Let’s drag him outside and tie him to the nearest tree until Brent shows up.”

  “Sounds like a plan. You have blood on your mouth.”

  “Yeah. The bastard pulled the gun on Jordan first and when I reacted, he hit me across the mouth with the pistol.”

  Caleb took in the stranger’s nose, bloody and crooked. “I think I got him back for you.”

  Nick slapped him on the back. “Any time you and Hannah want a weekend out here, just say the word. Accommodations are on the house. Bring Molly with you. There’s always room for the dog.”

  While Nick and Caleb secured the man so he couldn’t go anywhere, Jordan had called Brent. As they took the time to loop a rope around the stranger’s feet and body, in the distance, they heard sirens approaching.

  Two patrol cars pulled into the lane. Brent got out of one, Eastlyn, the other.

  “What the hell happened?” Brent wanted to know.

  Nick replayed the scene again.

  “I’ll go see if he has ID,” Eastlyn volunteered. A few minutes later she came back. “Nevada driver’s license identifies him as Craig Mooney, age 46. I also found this letter in his jeans pocket, return address says Eleanor Jennings, Chowchilla Correctional.”

  Caleb’s jaw tightened with rage. “I figured as much since he was after the gold. So we’re dealing with another asshole fan of Eleanor’s?”

  Eastlyn shook her head. “I’m fascinated by how she gets these guys to do whatever she wants—from behind bars no less. I checked, she doesn’t even qualify for conjugal visits.”

  “Yeah, well, it seems her power of persuasion is off the charts. But you be sure to ask her about it when you sit down with her. It seems all she has to do is demand, and these poor schmucks are willing to commit kidnapping and murder to get it done for her.”

  “You’ll charge him with kidnapping, won’t you?” Nick asked. “I want him charged with assault. I’m pressing charges to the max.”

  Brent rocked back on his heels. “He threatened to kill a child, so yeah. I’ll throw every charge I can at this guy just to make sure he doesn’t bond out.”

  “That’s some comfort anyway,” Nick groused. “Now it’s time to explain to my kids what the hell just happened. They’re scared to death.”

  “Don’t worry. That’ll be in the report we send to the DA’s office.”

  Hannah heard the news from Caleb via text. But a more lengthy, colorful version circulated around town from Tandy Gilliam when he came in to play pool with Archer Gates.

  “Got yourself a real warrior there, Hannah,” Tandy said. “Not every dog would’ve pounced like that, ’specially a little bitty thing like Molly. Maybe you shoulda called her Zena, warrior princess.”

  Hannah smiled and traded Tandy’s empty glass for a full one. “Maybe. First time I saw her though I knew she had a strong spirit and a true heart. I knew she’d be fierce and loyal.”

  “You can just tell like that?” Caleb asked from the doorway, holding Molly.

  Hannah went over to inspect his face. She took his chin in her hand. “You look fine, don’t even look like you’ve been in a fight, not a scratch on either one of you.”

  “That’s because the guy never landed a punch. Did he, Molly?”

  “Lucky me. I have my very own hero and a warrior dog.” She fluffed Molly’s wiry coat. “And you? Such a tough little girl disguised as a guard dog. You get extra Kibble tonight.”

  “Don’t I get anything special?” Caleb wanted to know.

  Hannah fluffed the hair on his head, and whispered, “You get the same thing you got last night.”

  “I can live with that,” he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

  From behind the long, mahogany bar, Durke cleared his throat. “Technically no dogs are allowed in here.”

  Caleb held up Molly. “Haven’t you heard? She’s my service dog. She eases my stress.”

  Durke grinned and swatted his rag on the counter. “I’m feeling the love here already. Never let it be said I’m so rigid that I can’t make an exception for a therapy dog.”

  “There you go,” Hannah said, and promptly reached over and gave Durke a hug. “I’m going to miss working for you.”

  Durke’s brow creased. “Are you leaving town and never coming back? I thought you were just going up to the hilltop to grow stuff and do good for all vegetables everywhere? Grow me some wine, girl. Grow me a nice Chianti and then we’ll talk.”

  She patted the side of his face. “I’ll no doubt be back in to eat, drink, and make merry like a regular customer. I look forward to not being on my feet for eight hours, carting beer back and forth.”

  “You’ll miss the tips,” Durke quipped.

  “And you’ll miss your stalwart employee.”

  “No argument from me.”

  Caleb and Molly were still hanging around when Ryder showed up.

  Hannah had to suppress the urge to rush him with a bunch of questions. Caleb picked up on that and did it for her.

  “So…any progress with Andy? Did he suspect you were grilling him?”

  “Yes. No. At least I don’t think so. One thing I do know for sure is the kid definitely doesn’t have a clue he’s adopted. Although he did hint at one particular weird incident.”

  “Which was?”

  “When he started kindergarten, he remembered there was a big deal about his birth certificate. He recalled how the situation got worse because his parents panicked. It was so apparent that his mom homeschooled him for the first two years despite having a full-time job.”

  “How did that work exactly?”

  “Babysitter, I suppose. Anyway, it went on like that until one day the school district knocked on their door. From what Andy said there was an embarrassing scene. By this time, he was about eight
and his mother had given up her regular job to stay home with Faye, who was only two at the time. He said he recalled conversations that centered around trying to figure out a way to do something about his birth records.”

  “Hmm,” Hannah said. “He remembers all that? How do you suppose his parents finally worked it out?”

  Ryder had done some thinking on that. “Applied for a social security number and from there dummied one up. It’s not unheard of.” He pulled an empty soda can resting inside a zip lock baggie out of his pocket and put it on the counter. “I felt a little silly collecting this. But this is the can that Andy drank from with his sandwich today. I’m one-hundred-percent certain.”

  Caleb grinned. “I didn’t think you could pull it off. Thanks.”

  “Neither did I. But he turned his back at just the right moment and I snapped it up, Andy none the wiser.”

  “I hate doing this behind his back,” Hannah admitted, chewing her lip. But she was thinking about the next step. “Based on what you learned so far, what do you think my next move should be?”

  Ryder bobbed his head toward the dog. “Ask him to puppy sit and see where it goes. Andy’s a sucker for animals. And he’s always looking ahead, looking to make some extra cash. My advice would be to get to know him a little better before you yell, ‘surprise! I’m your sister.’ It wouldn’t hurt to let him see that you don’t have an ulterior motive in what you’re about to do.”

  Hannah took the advice to heart. That’s why she suggested to Caleb that a circle of friends might be the answer. “They could help me coordinate a campaign, one that would show Andy I could be the perfect big sister if given the opportunity.”

  The plan meant enlisting the help of several people, mostly those who Andy had encountered for one reason or another, and trusted. Neighbors like Kinsey, who’d helped Andy battle social services. His employer Ryder, and others like Quentin and Sydney who he knew he could depend on, if needed.

  But before the first phase could become operational, Hannah needed a favor from Eastlyn.

  “You have to take this soda can to the lab and have it tested for Andy’s DNA.”