by Linda Ladd
Novak finally slept but started awake during the night. His watch said 2:08 a.m. in its luminous green digits. Then somebody tapped on his back door again. He jumped up, grabbed his weapon, and listened at one side of the door, hoping it was Kiki, and not Wilson and his henchmen. He couldn’t see anybody through the window blinds, so he cracked the door a bare inch. That’s when he saw her. Emma Adamson. Huddled in a little heap on his stoop, wet and bedraggled and sobbing her heart out. The violence of the storm almost drowned her out weeping. He glanced around out back, saw no one, but Kiki’s light was still on next door. She was still awake. Not good, that. She liked to watch his place. He hoped she wasn’t watching now.
Novak grabbed up the small woman and pulled her inside the cabin. She wore a thin white nightgown, made of silk that clung to her body and revealed every hollow and curve. She wore nothing else, no coat, no shoes, nothing. She was freezing, shivering and shaking and closing in fast on sheer hysteria. When she collapsed on the floor at his feet, he got down on his knees in front of her and grabbed her up by both arms. “What happened? Tell me, Emma! How’d you get here? How’d you get away from him?”
“He attacked me! Right after you left the barn! Said I’d been flirting and coming on to you. That I wanted you.” She sobbed loudly for a moment, trembling like crazy, and then her voice went down so low that Novak could barely hear her. “Please help me, please, please. He took Ryan! He’s taking him away for good, and I don’t know where! He said I’ll never get to see him again!” She sobbed some more, then she cried out hysterically. “He says he’s coming back to kill me. So I climbed down off the deck and the guards didn’t see me because of the storm and then I just ran. Hester told me where you stayed, and I didn’t know where else to go! He’s going to kill me! He is! He’ll do it. I know he will!”
Emma lunged up and grabbed Novak around the neck with both arms. She pressed her body up against his chest and tucked her face down into his neck, weeping hard on his shoulder. He held her like that for a minute, patting her back, trying to calm her down, but he was watching the back door. They didn’t have time to let her settle down. She had to compose herself, and she had to do it now.
Novak pulled back, grabbed her shoulders, and gave her one hard shake. That stopped the crying, and she stared up at him, her eyes still swimming with tears. “Emma, listen to me. You’ve got to listen. Calm down. Right now. I’m gonna help you. I promise I’ll help you get out of here. But you have to help me do it. Do you understand?”
Emma just started up with the crying again, clutching his T-shirt and not wanting to let go. He pulled her to her feet and half carried her into the bathroom. He flipped on the light, placed his gun on the sink, and grabbed a couple of clean towels off the rack over the tub. He wrapped one around her shoulders and that’s when he saw her face. She was bruised up again, and worse than before, a big dark mark on her cheek and her bottom lip was split open and bleeding. She had been beaten about the head, all right. A fresh wave of fury ripped through him.
Novak got down on one knee and held her close for a few more minutes, trying to comfort her, trying to get her to think rationally, but he couldn’t waste much more time on that. She couldn’t seem to quit crying, couldn’t quit telling him that Ryan was gone from her forever. That Barrett was taking him away tonight, that they were packing to go away with most of his men, leaving first thing in the morning, and she didn’t know where, she didn’t know how she’d ever find him again. All delivered in her quivering, shivering fit of panic.
“Please, Mr. Novak, please help me. I’ve got to get him back. Oh, please, please, I’m begging you. You’ve got to, you’ve to go up there and get him before it’s too late.”
“All right, all right. C’mon now, Emma, get a grip,” Novak said. He shook her again and stared down into her tearful face. “Look, I’m here to help you. You understand that? Your old friend? Mariah Murray? She got that matchbook you sent to her. The one from the Triangle Club. That’s why I’m here. We came here to take you and the kid back home to Sydney. But you’ve got to get a hold on yourself. Now.”
Mariah’s name shocked her out of her tears. She stared up into his face, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Mariah’s here? In America?”
“Yeah, and she brought me along to help get you out. We knew you were in trouble. I’ve just been waiting for the right time. I’m gonna take you to her, right now. Then I’ll come back and get your son. Listen to me, Emma. We’ve got to do it now. Right now. We cannot wait. Everybody’s still asleep here. No alarm has gone off. My truck’s right outside the front door. Can you walk on your own?”
“Please, please don’t leave me here!” She kept saying that over and over, as if she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
“I’m gonna give you one of my shirts to put on and my jacket, okay? Get them on and then calm down and be smart. Do you hear me, Emma? You’ve got to be quiet and do what I say so I can get you off the compound and somewhere safe. But we’ve got to go right now.”
That’s when her crying let up. She stared up at him, blue eyes latched on his face. Novak could barely stand to look at the way Wilson had battered her face. The guy had slapped her around, all right.
“C’mon, get changed like I said, and let’s get the hell outta here.”
It looked like the storm was going to help them, after all. The downpour was drumming loud and steady atop the cabin’s metal roof, making a nice loud racket. Clacking and spattering and drowning out everything else. That meant it was making a racket at the bunkhouse, too. They wouldn’t be heard. He stepped out on the front stoop while she hastily stripped off the gown and donned his shirt and jacket. He glanced down the road, found the bunkhouse dark and totally deserted. Hester’s cabin was dark. Kiki’s light was still on. He went back inside, jerked the blanket off the bed, and threw it around her shoulders. Maybe if Kiki saw them leave, she’d just think he had brought a woman home for the night.
Novak put his arm around Emma’s shoulders, aware of how tiny she felt, almost like a child. He ran down the steps, half carrying her along with him, and hurried through the downpour. He thrust her inside the front seat of the truck and then pushed her down on the floorboard. He kept the blanket draped over her, and then he walked slowly around to the driver’s door. He still didn’t see anybody as he got inside the truck and headed down to the Shoot Club. Low parts of the road were half flooded, streams of rainwater gushing down the middle, turning the dirt into mud and the gravel slick and hazardous. Nobody was around. Nobody tried to stop him. The guards at the highway gate were inside their hut. They barely looked up when he drove past and turned out onto the highway. Home free. At least for the moment, and that might just be long enough.
After he was out of sight of the gate, he floored the truck and headed back into Sikeston and Mariah’s safe house. It took too long. The storm rocked the truck with fierce winds, the deluge making it hard to see. He pulled out his phone, fought the static on the line, but Mariah picked up at once. He said, “I got her. We’re on the way. Get things ready.”
He didn’t give her time to ask questions, just hung up, and fought to see the highway. Emma stayed balled up on the floor, sobbing softly and mumbling her son’s name. Getting her to leave before he got Ryan out was going to be difficult. He was probably still at the cliff house with his father. Wilson might have found her gone by now. But maybe not. He hoped to hell not. Couldn’t be helped. But all hell was going to break loose soon, no doubt about it.
By the time Novak got them to the hunting lodge, Mariah was waiting on the porch. When the truck skidded to a stop, she ran toward them. She jerked open the door and helped the quivering girl climb down and walked her hastily into the house. Novak followed, watching the road behind him. He didn’t think he’d been followed, but he wasn’t sure. Conditions were too bad. Whatever else happened, he did not want Wilson to find this safe house.
Inside, Emma had revived her sobbing. She held on to Mariah’s neck the same way
she had clung to him, thanking her, over and over, telling her she couldn’t believe she’d come. Okay, fine, but enough of that crap, thought Novak. They had to get the hell out of Georgia.
“Emma, stop it! Stop your crying and listen to me. You’ve got to tell us everything. And I’ve got to get back there and get your kid before Wilson takes off with him. We’re wasting time, damn it!”
Novak’s tone had been harsh, and Emma’s look of joy fled her face in a big hurry. She heaved in a deep breath, and bit her wounded lip. It started bleeding again. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll be calm now. I promise. Tell me what to do. We’ve got to get my baby away from him . . .” Her voice was so breathless that it just faded away at the end.
“Here, come sit down,” Mariah was saying to Emma now. “Let me get some blankets and make you coffee. You’re so cold. Your skin feels like ice.”
Mariah moved into the kitchen, and Novak squatted down in front of Emma’s chair and took both her trembling hands. They felt small and icy inside his fingers. “Okay, tell me exactly how you got out of that house. Did anybody see you leave?”
“No! No, I don’t think so. Barrett locked me up in my room and took Ryan downstairs. I think they were going to pack up Ryan’s things. I think all of them were still there when I got out across the deck. I think his Jeep was still out front. I was so scared. I don’t know. I was scared and I didn’t know what he’d do if he saw me. He’s never been so angry as he was tonight.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I didn’t know where else to go. I thought you’d help me. After what you said in the barn. So I came to you.”
“Yeah, you did the right thing. It’s hard to believe you made it out, but now you’re safe. And you’re going to stay safe. Chances are, he’s not gonna hurt Ryan. Right? Is that what you think? He’s his son. He’s not gonna beat him up like he did you. So just stay here and let Mariah take care of you. Can you tell me anything else before I head back? How many men were up there when you left?”
“None. Except the guy under the deck. He sent them all away before he started . . .” her voice broke pitiably. “Before he came to punish me.”
Novak could not wait to get his hands on that guy. Wilson was going to find out what punishment really was. “Mariah can protect you here until I get back with the kid. Just try to stay calm and do what she says. I’ll get him. I’ll bring him back, and then we’ll all get out of here for good. It’s going to be all right now, Emma. Believe me.”
His calm words began to reassure her. She nodded and dried her face as if she did believe him. He wasn’t at all sure he believed it himself. If the boy was already gone, it would take a miracle to find him.
“Okay. I’m going back in. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t do anything. Just sit tight and wait here with Mariah.” Novak looked up at Mariah when she showed up with the coffee. “Got that, Mariah? You stay here with her and wait for me to get back with the kid. Don’t do anything stupid or risky. Don’t leave and don’t call anybody and don’t open that door to anybody.”
“I know what to do. Don’t worry about me.”
“Lock the door behind me. Stay away from the windows and be ready to shoot anybody who comes through that door. Got it, Mariah? Don’t let anybody get close to you, or you’ll end up dead. Keep your weapon in your hand and wait for me. I’ll be back with the kid as soon as I can.”
Novak left them at a run, hoping what he’d told them was true.
Chapter Twenty-four
By the time Novak made it back to the Shoot Club, misty rays were backlighting the shadowy mountains all around the horizon. The sky was the color of steel, a dull, depressing gray. The storm was mostly gone, but the morning was dark and overcast. Gunmetal clouds swept swiftly under fierce winds coming out of the south. Rain began to pelt his windshield about the time he reached the compound. The guards at the metal highway gate were gone. The staff parking lot was empty. It looked as if Barrett Wilson had pulled up stakes and cleared the hell out of town, kit and caboodle, just like Emma had said. Novak hoped that did not include his son. He headed up into the foggy tree line, driving too fast, sliding a little around curves on the slick, wet gravel, wipers beating hard, hoping Wilson was still at the cliff house with the kid, but in no way counting on it.
When he finally burst from around the curve and out into the clearing around the cliff house, he slammed on the brakes and skidded to an abrupt stop. But not before the cops had seen him. Three dark blue Georgia State Patrol cars sat in the front driveway, blue lights revolving and sending all kinds of flashing reflections against the cypress siding on the house and the surrounding trees. Novak hesitated for a few seconds, thinking about backing out and taking off again, not wanting to tell the cops what he’d been doing that morning. He nixed the flight idea quickly enough when an officer started striding down the drive toward Novak’s truck and waving him forward with a flashlight.
What in the hell had happened? Novak accelerated slowly and drove past the cop cars and parked up close to the garage doors. Inside, the house was all lit up, front door open, every light turned on in every room. As soon as the officer reached Novak’s truck, he jerked open the driver’s door and politely ordered him out of his vehicle. Novak obeyed, raised his hands when told to do so, and waited wordlessly, knowing better than to argue with a patrol officer. A black nameplate on the cop’s breast pocket read Sergeant Richard Lay. He looked to be in his sixties. Tall, six foot maybe, pure white hair, intelligent blue eyes that were looking Novak over pretty damn hard. He was definitely nobody’s fool, Novak could tell that right off the bat, but he looked like a fair man, and more or less approachable. In other words, his weapon was not drawn, not yet anyhow. So Novak played dumb. “What’s going on here, sergeant?”
“Who are you? What’s your business here?”
“Will Novak. I work here. Employed by Barrett Wilson, the owner of this property. What happened up here? Everybody okay?”
“Can’t say that. There’s a dead man floating face down in the swimming pool. That’s what transpired up here. You happen to know anything about that?”
“No, sir, I don’t. I’m just here to take my stint on guard duty for Wilson’s wife. Her name is Emma Wilson. He hired me on as her bodyguard a couple of days ago. Is she inside the house?”
“No, she isn’t. Nobody knows where she is. Nobody was here when we arrived except for a young boy. And he’s not tellin’ us much. Acts scared to death. Maybe even sufferin’ some form of shock.”
“That would probably be their son. Ryan.”
“We’re still trying to piece things together. Can you give a positive ID on Barrett Wilson?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then please come with me.”
Sergeant Lay led him around the curved sidewalk to the pool enclosure. That’s when Novak saw the corpse for the first time. Spread eagled in the middle of the deep end, facedown, feet down, blood turning the water pink around the head. Another uniformed patrol officer was trying to pull the dead body toward the ladder with a long pool hook. Novak stood with Lay on the edge and watched while the other officer tugged and yanked the body until he got it out of the pool. Water gushed out of the clothes as he turned the deceased over. It was Barrett Wilson all right. With half his face gone.
“Yeah, that’s Barrett Wilson. Who shot him?”
“Looks to me like somebody got him with a high caliber weapon, probably with hollow point shells. Took off most of the left half of his head.”
Damn straight, thought Novak. Blood and some of the brain matter and skull pieces were floating around on the surface of the water. “Where’s the kid? I know him. I can take care of him while you’re working the scene. He trusts me. I’ll take him to somebody who can watch over him.”
“He’s down there in the car with Detective Butler.”
Lay turned around, yelled at his colleague, and then motioned sharply with his right arm for the other cop to bring the boy up to them. Novak stood silently as Lay pulled out a cell ph
one and dialed up the county coroner. Novak kept his eyes latched on the patrol car down on the driveway. After a couple of minutes, Ryan got out of the backseat and walked with the cop across the grass toward the pool enclosure. He looked very small and uncertain. He looked terrified, in fact.
“It’s even worse than it looks,” Sergeant Lay was telling Novak. “The kid saw the murder go down. Was standing up there.” He turned and pointed to the upper deck. “He was pretty damn shook up when we got here. Lying on the grass out here and sobbing his heart out. Let’s go down there and meet them. The boy doesn’t need to see his dad looking like this.”
“Maybe I could take him back to my cabin. It’s over at the Hunt Club on the other side of the compound. At least until you finish working the scene. Keep him out of things. I want to help. This is a terrible thing.”
“We’re calling in a search team for the surrounding area. May be other bodies that we haven’t found yet. The wife, maybe. So far, the place looks deserted. Except for you and the boy, we haven’t found squat. Doesn’t look like robbery was the motive, either. The house looks completely untouched.”
