“You don’t know for sure that he’s married, Deena. Don’t shoot down the possibilities before you even find out.”
“Married or not, my gut tells me he’s definitely carrying around some kind of baggage he doesn’t want to talk about, and I would go out on a limb and say it’s probably something traumatic. Why else would he leave a prestigious job as an FBI profiler to drive rich people around in his limo?” Deena raised her eyebrows in a comical way. “I do have to admit, though, I would definitely watch every episode of Limousine Murders if he ever decided to follow that career path.”
“Me too,” Kate said before she walked to the door. “Come on, Lainey. Let’s get ready for dinner. We’ll pick you up in an hour, Deena. And be ready. Episode Number Two of the Garcia sisters on the hunt for a killer is about to begin.”
*****
Sam Mason stood at the window glancing out toward the gazebo. What had started out as the perfect plan had somehow taken a nasty turn last night. This weekend was supposed to be all about solving problems, not creating new ones. He turned around just as Olivia walked in from the bathroom, and she looked damn hot. The green sundress brought out the blonde streaks in her hair and her greenish-blue eyes.
He loved this woman—had loved her from the first day he’d met her. He remembered that day well. He’d just left the boss’s office after having a conversation about not selling a single car in over a month. How could the man blame him? The economy was in the shitter and nobody was interested in shelling out sixty or eighty grand for a brand-new Mercedes. Yet his boss had read him the riot act and had basically given him an ultimatum. No sales—no job. He’d been thinking about what he’d do if he got fired when Olivia had walked into the showroom.
Walked into the showroom was the understatement of the century.
If he closed his eyes right now he could still see her exactly the way she looked that day. Dressed in a blue silk shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged her ass like saran wrap, she’d made her grand entrance, and every head had turned in her direction—even the women. Once they’d recovered, the salespeople had all made a beeline for her, and he’d been no exception. To his astonishment, she’d bypassed everyone else and walked right up to him.
“Can you show me that red convertible in the corner?” she’d asked.
With just about every option you could imagine, the Mercedes SLR Mc Laren was the most expensive car in the showroom, topping out at nearly a million and three quarters. He remembered thinking he should redirect her to one that was a little more affordable, but something about the way she’d smiled up at him had rendered him tongue-tied.
Standing about five-five with a figure that cried daily workout, she’d pushed a strand of her long blonde hair out of her eyes, and he swore, she’d batted her eyelashes at him. Long story short, he went home with a sale, still amazed at how she’d whipped out her checkbook and paid cash for the expensive car.
But though the huge commission would pay his rent and a lot more for up to three years, it wasn’t the only thing he’d walked away with that night. Somehow, in the course of the two hours he’d spent showing her the car, she’d slipped him her phone number and agreed to meet him the next night for drinks. One drink had turned into many, and before it was all over, they’d ended up at her house with breakfast in bed the following morning.
And what a house it was. On the outskirts of Oklahoma City, the six thousand square foot mansion sat on close to one hundred acres of prime property. He’d been mesmerized by it all, and when over the course of the next week, she’d let him know she wanted more than just a fleeting physical relationship with him, he’d been both flattered and intrigued. How could a woman like Olivia be interested in a nobody like him? He’d grown up one of four children to poor parents who’d barely made it from one paycheck to the next. After he’d graduated from high school, he’d gotten as far away from them as he could and tried to make something of himself. After a lot of disappointing job interviews, he’d ended up at the car dealership where his commissions as a junior salesman left him little to live on after paying the bills.
But Olivia must’ve seen something in him that had intrigued her because six months later, they were married by a justice of the peace in downtown Oklahoma City. That had been a little over a year ago, and so far, the marriage was still in the can’t-keep-their-hands-off-each-other stage. Gazing at her in the sundress, he wondered what his parents would think if they could see him now.
But all that had changed three weeks ago when Olivia came to him and said they had to leave Oklahoma that day. When he questioned her about it, she would only say that a jealous ex had found her, and that he was very dangerous. So without a word, he’d packed a suitcase and gone on the lam with her, spending several days at a time in one hotel after another before moving on.
Then last week she’d told him she heard about this new spa opening up in the middle of nowhere. Said it was the perfect place to hang out until she could come up with a way to keep her ex from finding her and hurting her—or worse. They’d concocted the ridiculous story about checking out the place for possible corporate retreats, and so far, no one had asked a lot of questions. Olivia had promised to reserve two weeks in advance if they liked the spa, and the owner had been so excited at the prospect of getting a big down payment, she’d nearly jumped at the opportunity. He couldn’t believe how easy it had been to find a great place to hide out—and at no cost.
But now they had to go on the run once again before the cops and the media showed up tomorrow night and their picture was plastered all over the Oklahoma newspapers.
*****
Gary Wharton ran through the thick foliage as fast as he could, knowing he only had a short lead on the cop and the FBI guy. He was sure that as soon as the two nosy sisters told the others about the bloodied shirt, they’d be on him before he made it a mile away from the spa. He’d spent the last ten years watching his older brother slowly rot in a prison cell until he was finally shanked by a gang member a year ago, and he swore that would never happen to him.
He cursed out loud when a branch hit him square in the face, ripping open his cheek. He wanted to stop and apply pressure to it, but he couldn’t waste the time. They had to be right on his heels.
He’d known the minute Deena and her had sister walked out of his room that they hadn’t bought his story about not being able to remember what had happened the night before. If they hadn’t believed him, why would they think their cop sister would?
No, he’d made the only choice he could when he grabbed the evidence and ran. He had no idea how long he’d have to hide out in the woods until he could magically reappear with some excuse or another, but with the police coming the next day, he figured it would be at least two days or more. For sure the place would be crawling with cops tomorrow night. All he had to do was hide the shirt and the bottle of Scotch where it would never be found, and then it would be his word against theirs.
He was far enough into the woods to slow down a bit, which was good since his heart was pounding out of his chest, and his breath was coming in short fast spurts. What good would it be if he got away from them and then croaked out in the middle of nowhere with a heart attack? To add to his misery, his hands were beginning to shake, making it hard to push his way past the thick branches.
He needed a drink.
Deciding he had to stop and take a break, he slid down to the ground and leaned against a big oak tree, wishing he’d been smart enough to bring a bottle of water from the mini fridge. But he’d had to get out of there in a hurry, and water was the last thing on his mind at the time. He unscrewed the cap on the Scotch and took a long swig. Even though he hated the taste, the liquor went down easily, and in a matter of moments, he could feel his body starting to relax a little.
He could do this. He’d faced many tough situations before in his miserable life and had always ended up okay. All he had to do was figure out a way to survive in the woods for a few days without food and water
. He just had to keep his cool and not panic.
As his breathing normalized he glanced around at his surroundings. To his left was a small cave-like opening, and for a minute, he wondered if he could squeeze his body into it. Then he decided there was no way, but at least it had given him a glimmer of hope that maybe he could find a larger cave further into the woods and spend the night there. Without a blanket, it was going to be a challenge, but the cave would offer at least a little warmth from the chilly Oklahoma night air.
His eyelids were getting very heavy and starting to droop, and he leaned back further into the tree. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a slight movement at the cave entrance. In fascination, he watched as two adorable kittens emerged and headed toward him. Too late he realized that the woods would not be home to domestic cats. At about the same time he heard a low menacing growl coming from the trees. Moving his hands rapidly, he tried to shoo the little critters away, but they kept coming toward him looking to play. Realizing he was in grave danger, he tried to get up but fell back down just as two mountain lions appeared between the trees, both advancing slowly toward him in apparent attack mode.
The bigger of the two walked in front of the other one and moved a little closer. Wharton couldn’t decide if he should run or try to scramble up the tree before he remembered reading somewhere that mountain lions could also climb trees. Besides, he was so tired he feared he didn’t have the energy to do either. He’d also read that they rarely attacked humans, concentrating on deer and other wild life for their food. With that in mind, he thought maybe if he moved far enough away from the babies, he’d be safe. He began to scoot slowly across the ground, his eyes never leaving the two adult felines.
He opened his mouth to scream, hoping that might send the lions running, at least long enough for him to make a getaway, when he looked up to see a familiar face in the cover of the trees carrying a large shotgun.
“Oh my God! I’ve never been so glad to see you in all my life,” he screamed. “Shoot these sonofabitches.”
But the gun remained silent as the small cats finally reached him and climbed onto his chest. Horrified, he watched as the larger of the two adult lions leaped into the air, and he braced himself. Quickly, he glanced toward the trees for help, but no one was there.
The last thing he felt was the excruciating pain as the massive front teeth ripped into his neck.
Chapter Fourteen
Vince caught up to Maddy and reached out to stop her. He was breathing heavily and mentally scolded himself for letting his body get so out of shape in the two years since he’d left Florida. After glancing down at his watch, he said, “It’s almost six, and we’ve been at this for over an hour without finding any trace of Wharton. Think it’s time to head back and start fresh tomorrow morning?” He looked over his shoulder where the sun was just beginning to descend into the hills. “There’s just nothing like an Oklahoma sunset out in the open, especially this far away from the city lights.”
Maddy’s eyes followed his, and she agreed. “It is beautiful. I’ll give you that, but we’re wasting time, Vince. We’ve got a good thirty minutes left before it gets too dark to see anything.” She pulled back a large oak branch that was blocking her way. “Fortunately, Wharton was kind enough to leave us clues.”
Vince raised his eyebrows. “Or stupid enough. Wasn’t real smart of him to hack down the underbrush and give us a clear path to follow.” He glanced one more time at the glorious sunset that would disappear in the next few minutes. “Okay, another half hour and then we head back to the spa. With no weapons to protect us, I don’t want to be left to the mercy of every hungry predator out here.” He stepped in front of her, brushed the branch she’d been holding further back and made a sweeping motion with his hand. “After you.”
Then he followed her, wondering if Wharton was smarter than he’d given him credit for. Here they were, totally without weapons and chasing a man who’d probably killed Brent Kershaw, and in all likelihood had used his master key to steal the shotgun from the spa’s locked cabinet. If nothing else, he had some kind of hatchet that he’d used to hack out a path through the thick underbrush. He felt naked without his .9 millimeter, which was locked away in his safe back home.
No sooner had that thought popped into his head when Maddy screamed. “Hurry up. You won’t believe this.”
Picking up speed, he pushed through the thick branches and was amazed when he got his first look at what had Maddy so excited. Directly beyond the maze of trees they’d just walked through was a large clearing about the size of two football fields. He caught his breath when he saw Maddy running toward a pile of rubble in the center of the clearing. “Maddy, stop,” he shouted as he took off running after her. “If Wharton has a gun, we’re sitting ducks out here in the open.”
But she was already racing toward what looked like the remains of a burned-out log cabin. He made a quick scan of the perimeter, his eyes trained to search for signs that would indicate someone was hiding there. When he could find nothing that aroused his suspicions, he concentrated on the debris, trying to figure out what had happened there. Spying what was left of some kind of metal stove across the clearing and parts of the roof scattered further beyond that point, he reasoned that there must been some kind of explosion to propel the appliance and roof that far away from the rest of the rubble.
“Over here,” Maddy hollered. “I think I see something.” She ran to the middle of the debris, nearly tripping several times before she suddenly stopped and bent down. “Oh no! It’s a woman,” she yelled, reaching for the carotid artery to check for a pulse. By the time Vince got to her, she was already standing and shaking her head. “She’s dead, and from the feel of her skin, I’d say it happened several hours ago.”
Vince bent down and gently turned the woman’s head toward him as Maddy again fell to her knees beside him. He recognized the face immediately as that of the young journalist from dinner the night before. “It’s Naomi Peterson,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
There was a large, open wound visible on her right temple despite the sandy-blond hair that had clumped around it. A circle of dark blood covered the ground next to Naomi’s head, and her eyes were wide open in the grotesque death stare he’d witnessed too many times to count in his former career. Gently, he reached out and closed them.
“Didn’t Deena say Naomi had gone for a walk in the woods by herself earlier?”
“Yes. The Masons told her they’d seen Naomi leaving from behind the gazebo.” He shook his head, wondering what had possessed this young woman to venture out alone. He’d pegged her as a loner, not interacting with the Elliotts at her table the night before. Had she made the path to this place and not Wharton? Was she looking for something?
“Do you think Wharton may have done this?” Maddy asked.
Vince mulled that thought around in his head. He wasn’t quite ready to jump to that conclusion yet. It made sense that if Wharton was desperate—and according to Deena, he definitely was—then killing Naomi would have been a no-brainer if he’d run into her while trying to get away from the spa. “He could have killed her, but more than likely, he would have hit her from behind to bring her down.” He looked around for a possible bloodied rock or something that could have been used as a weapon.
There was nothing.
“My guess is, she probably stumbled on that piece of metal sticking up over there and fell headfirst into this rock.” He pointed to what might have once been part of a stone fireplace just beyond Naomi’s feet.
Maddy folded her arms across her chest and shivered. “The temperature’s dropping fast. We need to figure out a way to get her back to the spa.”
“Carrying her body back through the thick brush after dark would be virtually impossible, I’m afraid. We can’t risk getting lost out here and having to spend the night unarmed and unprotected from the elements.” He pulled off his jacket and shoved it in her direction when he saw her shiver again.
“I’m okay,” she said, shaking her head. “But we can’t leave her like this. What if some wild animals find her body?” She turned away but not before he saw her face. The tough cop looked like she might be on the verge of tears.
Vince pulled back the jacket, deciding that Maddy’s empathy and emotional connect was what made her a good cop. He knew she could be hard-assed if she needed to be, but her soft side was a definite plus.
He bent down again to cover the body when he spotted something in Naomi’s hand curled underneath her. He slid his hands across her back and tilted her body on its side and was able to retrieve what looked like some kind of book. Although it was burned on one corner, the rest had been preserved fairly well. When he reached for it, he noticed something else on the ground next to it.
Maddy saw it, too, and retrieved it. “It’s a photo.” After staring at it for a few moments, she handed it to Vince. “It could be Naomi as a child, but I can’t be sure.”
Vince studied the picture of a young girl with an even younger-looking boy. An adult male—probably the children’s father—stood beside them, holding what looked to be a birthday cake.
After a glance at the face of the dead body, then back at the photo, he shrugged. “If I were speculating, I’d say you’re right, and this is Naomi with her father and brother. But that would only be a guess.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Wish we had access to the Internet right now so that we could research this and find out if Naomi’s family had ever lived way out here.” He tucked the photo into the notebook and handed both to Maddy. “This is your investigation. The book may or may not have anything to do with Wharton, but you should be the one to check it out.” He straightened the coat so that most of Naomi’s upper body was covered.
Rock Around the Corpse Page 15
