Burn Out
Page 14
“It looks like an old cabin,” Rachel said. She started to step up to door when a loud gunshot rang out through the woods. She jumped back in surprise.
“What the hell? Stacy?” She turned around to face Mike.
“I don’t know,” Mike said. “It could’ve been a hunter. Hard to tell where it came from.”
Rachel turned back to the door. She wanted to go in and take a look, but the thought of Stacy in trouble was too much.
“We can always come back. Let’s go check on Stacy,” Mike said. “Stay low and follow me.” Rachel followed Mike’s lead as they made their way back to the other cabin. The thick trees and undergrowth made a great camouflage for them.
“Why do I get myself in these messes? I always wind up with the psychos,” Rachel mumbled.
“Shhh. Keep quiet and move faster,” Mike whispered.
“Easy for you. You don’t have a sprained ankle.”
“Sorry, Rach. I forgot.”
They came back to the clearing by the lake and Mike stopped suddenly.
“What?” Rachel whispered.
“I see someone. Just stay behind me,” Mike said as he reached down and got his pistol out of his ankle holster.
“Wait! It’s Stacy.” Rachel pointed.
Stacy was running towards them with the whistle in her hand.
“Just stay down. Someone may be following her,” Mike said.
It was hard for Rachel not to run toward Stacy. She wasn’t sure if she was in trouble of not. In a few seconds she was upon them at the trail.
“What was that?” Rachel asked as Stacy got close. It took her a minute to answer her, she was so out of breath.
“I don’t know. I was just getting back to the cabin when I heard the gunshot. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I didn’t see anyone or hear any vehicles. I hid behind a tree for a few minutes until I could get the courage to come after you guys.” Stacy was gasping for air. “I thought maybe someone was after you, so I came looking for you.”
“No. We thought the same thing,” Rachel said.
“It could have been a hunter.” Mike repeated.
“Did you guys find anything?” Stacy asked.
“Yes, an older cabin off the beaten path. It was boarded up. We didn’t get a chance to look inside. We heard the gun shot before we could do anything,” Mike replied.
“It’s getting dark. Probably too late to go back and check it out. Let’s come back tomorrow,” Rachel suggested.
“Yes, you’re right. It looked deserted anyway. We’ll try again in the morning,” Mike said.
“If Paul is around, he will notice someone has been here,” Rachel said. “That might spook him.”
“Yes, probably so. That’s why we need to come early before he has a chance to do anything,” Mike said.
They quickly made their way back to the truck and got in.
“This place is creepy,” Stacy said.
“Just like Paul,” Rachel agreed.
“It’s a true sportsman’s paradise. Remote, hidden from view with everything a hunter could need,” Mike said.
“Yes, and a perfect place to hid a body.” Stacy shivered.
They rode back to the hotel in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Mike dropped them off and walked them inside.
“Want to stay for dinner?” Rachel asked him.
“Why don’t I cook dinner for you?”
“Sounds great.” Rachel looked at Stacy for confirmation.
“Hey, whatever you guys want to do. I thought I would go over to Jack’s for a bit. He invited me over for dinner again. They are planning a memorial for Mack.”
“I guess it’s just you and me then,” Mike said. “I’ll go change and pick up something from the store.”
“What time to you want to leave tomorrow?” Stacy asked him.
“I say we leave around seven. Get an early head start.” Mike grabbed his stuff. “I will be back in about an hour.”
“Got it. Bright and early,” Stacy said as Mike left. She waited until Mike was gone and said to Rachel, “I’m gonna take a quick shower. I’ll hurry so you can get ready for your big date.”
“What?”
“You and Mike,” Stacy said with a smirk.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Rachel said, pulling a couple of beers out of the fridge and handing one to Stacy.
“The chemistry between you two is undeniable.”
Rachel took a deep pull of her beer.
“Mike? He’s so not my type.”
“Yeah, whatever. The man is fixing you dinner.”
“He offered to fix dinner for us. You are the one who is bailing and going over Jack’s.”
“I would’ve gone somewhere else anyway. You guys need some privacy. And don’t worry, I’ll be home late.”
Rachel laughed. “I am so not talking about this right now.”
“I want details in the morning.” Stacy walked toward the bathroom. “I’m getting in the shower. Be out of your way soon.”
Rachel sat out on the patio drinking her beer. Maybe she would make a move tonight.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Santa Rosa Beach, Wednesday evening
That was cutting it close, Paul thought, as he made his way back over the bridge and into town. Thank goodness he had spotted them first.
He was just getting ready to move Sam back to the cabin when he saw Rachel and her friends walking outside. It was perfect they left the other girl behind. He waited until Mike and Rachel started down the trail before shooting his gun. He knew it would spook them and they would come running back. Now he would have to wait until morning to get Sam. She would eventually come around and see things his way. With Gonzales breathing down his neck, he knew they had little time to escape. First, he needed to change out his vehicles. Everyone knew he had a black truck, but not many people knew he still drove his father’s old pickup. When he got back in town, he would get everything ready to go. His heart quickened with anticipation. Sam and the girls would finally be his and they would start a new life together.
***
Rachel walked in living room to the smell of garlic and tomatoes. It was heavenly. “What is this?”
Mike was stirring something in a pot on the stove. “Spaghetti and meatballs. My mom’s special recipe. Guaranteed to heal what ails you.”
He handed her a glass of red wine.
“Thanks. It smells delicious.”
“You look very nice.” Mike gave her kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks. You too.” Rachel took her wine and sat on one of the barstools, watching Mike work. She had a hard time deciding what to wear. She still didn’t buy much when she replaced some of her wardrobe and the choices were limited. So Stacy ended up loaning her a simple black jersey knit dress with crochet detail on the cap sleeves and upper back. The dress hit just above the knees and showed off her legs. It was still hard to brush her hair and put on makeup due to the heavy bandage on her hand. But she felt like she did a fairly good job. Her eyebrows were still singed, so she had to take an eyebrow pencil and fill in the bare spots. She kept it simple and just put on some mascara to make her green eyes pop and a swipe of strawberry flavored lip gloss across her generous lips. She added mousse to her natural wavy hair to make it glossy. Rachel thought she looked pretty damn good for working with what she had. A spritz of Chanel Chance, her favorite perfume, and she was ready to go.
She looked around the room, surprised. It was magically transformed. The candles sparkled on the table and jazz was playing in the background. This certainly feels like a date, she thought. Very romantic.
Mike dished some spaghetti on the plates. “Please have a seat.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Just let me get the garlic bread from the oven and we’ll be ready to eat.”
She watched as he finished up getting the bread and salad to the table. Rachel thought he looked great in a pair of khaki pants with a polo button down shirt and scuffed cowboy boots on. Sh
e had never seen him out of jeans and a t-shirt, so this was a treat.
“You clean up nice,” Rachel said, teasing.
“Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Everything looks great. Thanks for doing this.” Rachel ate a forkful of spaghetti and savored the taste. “Yummy.”
“Mom would be proud.”
“Yes, she would. This is delicious.”
“I’m sure this nothing compared to fine cuisine you are used to in Miami.”
“I would rather eat this than anything I could get in Miami. This is pure comfort food.”
“How do you like living in Miami?” Mike reached for a piece of garlic bread to sop up some of the red sauce with.
“It’s great. All you can ask for. Great, white sandy beaches with emerald green waters. Nice weather year round. Shopping and restaurants galore. And an international airport to take you anywhere you need to go.”
“Sounds like a nice lifestyle.”
“And the Miami Heat. Can’t forget my sports team,” she said, taking a bite of the salad.
“I never pegged you as sports fan.”
“Sure. I love basketball. I have season tickets. You should come with me sometime.”
“I would love to.” Mike took a generous sip of his wine. “Is that an invitation?”
“Yes. Hot dogs, beer and a basketball game. What more could you ask for?”
“What else do you do in your spare time?”
“Well, unfortunately I don’t have a lot of spare time. When I do I like to shop. I’m an antique junkie. Also, I have a weird thing for learning different languages.”
“I don’t think it’s weird. How did you get started?”
“When I was starting out in real estate, I wanted to do all I could to stand out as a top agent. A lot of my clients were from other countries. So, the first language I learned was Spanish, since Miami is home to many Hispanics. I found it easy and fun to learn. After Spanish, I mastered other languages.”
“Such as?”
“Ringraziarla per questa bella cena.” Rachel waved her hand over the food and smiled. It was Italian for this dinner is delicious.
“Grazie.”
Rachel looked amused. “Farla parla l'italiano?” Do you speak Italian?
“Un po'. La mia mamma è italiana,” he answered. A little. My mom is Italian.
“Nice. I love Italian. It is the most romantic language of all.”
“It sounds really nice when you say it,” Mike said. “What else do you know?”
“German and French. I was working on Mandarin Chinese before I got called on this case.”
“A woman of many talents. Is there anything else I should know?”
“I’m a lousy cook. I have about twenty-five restaurant phone numbers memorized by heart. My kitchen drawers are filled with take- out menus instead of utensils. So this is a real treat.” Rachel pointed to the plate of spaghetti, which was almost gone.
Mike laughed. “Well, I love to cook. My mom taught me everything I know.”
“What are your specialities?”
“Let’s see… Besides spaghetti and meatballs, I can make lasagna, pasta carbonora, and a mean steak and twice-baked potato.”
“That’s more than I can do. Bacon and eggs I have mastered fairly well, though.”
“Well then, you can make breakfast next time,” Mike said.
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. Breakfast. She thought about what that implied.
They finished eating and Mike opened another bottle of wine. “Let’s go sit outside. It’s nice tonight.” There was a little private courtyard just off the living area. Mike and Rachel sat down at the small table. Her bare leg brushed up against his.
“This is nice,” Rachel said. “I’m glad you came over to help.”
Mike reached up and stroked her chin with his finger.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since the first time we were alone together.”He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.
Rachel returned his kiss with more urgency. She ran her hand across his chest and down his left arm. He was so strong and hard. She found herself turned on.
Mike wrapped his fingers around her hair and tugged gently, kissing down her neck. Rachel head was spinning from the combination of the wine and the passion that was heating up from inside of her.
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested in a throaty voice.
And for the first time since she divorced her husband, she opened herself up and made love to another man.
***
The next morning Rachel woke up to an empty bed and the smell of bacon and coffee. She grabbed her robe and went to the kitchen.
“First you cook me a great meal. Then seduce me. Now breakfast? I thought it was my turn to cook.”
Mike turned from the stove, spatula in hand, and smiled. “I thought I’d let you sleep. We have a busy day ahead.”
“You sure know how to turn on the charm.” Rachel gave him a kiss as he handed her a cup of coffee. “If you keep cooking for me, I’m going to have to up the miles I run every day to ward off the pounds.”
“I think you look fabulous.”
They sat down to eat breakfast. Mike asked her, “So we didn’t get around to talking about your visit to Jack’s.”
Rachel finished chewing her eggs and said, “Jack had Mack and Stacy over for dinner the night of his accident. He said Mack talked to him a little about the case and he felt Paul was hiding something, too.” She looked around the room. “Where is Stacy?”
“She’s already up. Came in for a cup of coffee and then said she was going for a run. She should be back in an hour ready to go.”
Rachel smiled. She knew Stacy didn’t run unless someone was chasing her or there was a big sale at her favorite store. She was just giving them more time alone.
“Jack works for the police department, right? They should be looking at Paul,” Mike said.
“Jack is not active on Sam’s case. But he did say Chief Gladstone is not looking too hard at Paul. He is pretty convinced the mafia is to blame for Sam’s disappearance and her body will turn up eventually.” Rachel finished her coffee. “I think he was going to talk to the chief and see if he could convince him to take another look, though.”
“You didn’t tell him about the necklace we found yesterday?” Mack got up and cleared the breakfast dishes away.
“No. I think we need to keep it under wraps until we check out Paul’s cabin again. Besides, I gave Ken my word about not involving the police with the search at the lake.”
“What would he gain from kidnapping Sam?”
“I’m not entirely sure he kidnapped her. Maybe she used him to get away.”
“Well, there is only way to find out.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lake Juniper, Thursday morning
“Huh, still no truck,” Rachel said. “That’s weird. I had Red do a drive by at Paul’s house several times last night just in case he decided to come home. Red said Paul wasn’t home all night. Where is he?”
“Maybe he hid his truck somewhere. Jack said his cabin was located on forty acres of land. It’s a big hiding space.”
“Shall we go check the inside of the cabin again?” Stacy asked.
Just as they were getting out of truck, Rachel saw a figure running from the house. She stopped in her tracks and pointed toward the house.
“Somebody just left.”
Mike withdrew his gun and motioned for them to stay behind him. As they made their way closer to the house, Rachel stopped. “What is that smell?”
Before anyone could answer, the whole cabin blew up in front of their eyes. No one had time to react. The force of the blast blew them back several hundred feet from the cabin. Debris from the impact scattered all around them. Rachel looked at the house as it became a large fiery ball of orange, then black thick smoke filled the air. Her vision was a little blurry and her ears hurt. She could feel the intensity of the heat all around her.
Rachel looked around for Mike and Stacy. Mike was sitting up a few feet away from her. He looked stunned just like she was. Stacy was to her right, propped up against a tree.
“You guys okay?” Mike yelled.
Pieces of black debris still rained down on them. Slowly her hearing came back to her. She checked all over her body. Nothing seemed broken or out of place. “What the hell just happened?”
“Are you okay?” Mike made his way over to her.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said as Stacy crawled over to her. “Let’s just hope Sam wasn’t in the cabin.”
“Did you get a good look at the person coming out of the cabin?”
Stacy asked.
“No, I didn’t get a chance. It could have been anybody.”
“We need to get to somewhere with a cell signal and call the fire department,” Mike said. “Rachel, you go with Stacy and call for help while I go check out the other cabin.”
“No way. I want to go with you. In case we find Sam.” Rachel saw the look on Mike’s face. He didn’t want her to go with him. “Mike, I have to be there.”
“Ok.” Mike tossed her the keys. “There is a flashlight under the driver’s seat. Can you bring it back to me before you leave?”
“Sure.” Stacy headed for the truck.
“Are you sure you are okay? You look peaked,” Mike asked Rachel.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little shook up.”
Stacy came back with the flashlight. “I’ll be back as soon as I get a signal and call the police and fire department.”
Mike took the flashlight. “Be careful.”
***
Stacy got in the truck and headed down the long drive that connected to the highway. Even though it was daylight and the sun was shining bright, the dense overgrowth and tall pines shaded the sun and made it hard for her to see. Especially since her eyes were still adjusting from the blast. She flipped on the headlights and spotted someone limping along the side of the road. She instinctively slowed down. The person was obviously injured. Was this Sam? Did she somehow escape Paul and get hurt in the blast?