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Simple? The murder had been simple?
“But no. . . you wouldn’t believe it. You dragged in the law, and then when the law here realized that yes, addicts do fall back, you just had to call your cousin. You know, I was onto you—I knew as soon I saw Mr. Handsome Federal Agent walk in that you’d pulled some strings. Yeah, he needed therapy, my ass!”
“Sandra was in on it, though, right?” Olivia said. “I mean, you needed help, didn’t you?”
“Sandra is an idiot!” Mariah snapped. “She wanted Marcus out of the way because she wanted Aaron running the place. She wanted Marcus’s house, and she wanted Aaron in charge, and she wanted a raise. After that, she wanted the two of them to play house forever and ever. But then, when everything seemed to be coming together once Marcus was dead, it looked like the Horse Farm was going to survive! And Aaron was a jerk—”
“But Sandra just let you kill him?”
Mariah sighed. “Sandra might have been a bad choice as a helper—although she should’ve been good. She can be such a bitch, but she’s really a total coward. And dumb! She actually thought what happened at the stream was an accident! I set up the image of the general so I could get all excited and create a diversion before Aaron was found. She didn’t help me. She didn’t even know. I didn’t count on the ripped-up pieces of that cow being all over—they really did make me scream. And it meant I could leave the picture behind, which made everything that much more convincing. ”
Olivia stared at her. It was almost impossible to fathom the complexity of a deranged mind. The old cliché about method in madness occurred to her. “What. . . what about the darts?” she asked. “How did you come up with that?”
“Olivia, I have to tell you—the dart thing is just great. I make those little suckers myself. I add the tiny feathers and then they fly like a damn. They fall out at the slightest movement, which is another plus, and the concoction I put together is pretty impressive. You’d have to be looking for specific poisons to even hope to find them at autopsy. I learned all that from Drew and Sydney, by the way. They know how to mix stuff up because Marcus insisted they had to be prepared for animal emergencies at all times. ”
“Good to hear you’re such a wonderful student,” Olivia told her. “So, Sandra didn’t know you were going to kill Aaron—but she gave you the key to his place, anyway?”
Mariah didn’t answer.
“She didn’t give you the key, did she? You took it and had a copy made. ”
“I did that months ago,” Mariah said proudly.
“So, Sandra’s really innocent?” Olivia asked.
“No. Sandra innocent? Give me a break. She’s totally conniving. She knew what I was going to do to Marcus. In fact, she told me that if I wanted to make it look like someone else was involved, I should take his horse—or hers. Depending on who I wanted to implicate. ” She giggled. “I would’ve taken Shiloh, but you were riding him that day. As far as Sandra’s concerned—well, if this bit her in the butt, she deserved it. ”
Olivia reined in and turned around. “Where are we going?”
“Don’t you know yet?”
“No, I don’t. ”
Mariah smiled at her. “There’s something I want from you—before you die, of course. ”
“What’s that?”
“I want to see the general. ”
Olivia gaped at her.
“I know you’ve seen him. I should have that. And you can give it to me. ”
“Mariah, I’m trying to stay alive here, but—”
“Then don’t lie. ”
“Ghosts were people, Mariah. They remain the real essence of the person they were. ”
“Spiritual crap, Olivia. Keep at it. ”
“Ghosts don’t just appear on command!” Olivia felt the gun against her waist. There had to be a chance for her to use it. Maybe now. . .
By the time she drew it out, she’d be dead.
“Keep moving and quit stalling. ”
“Why? Because you know it’s all over? That someone will come searching for the two of us. ”
“If they do, we’ll go out together,” Mariah promised her sweetly. She smiled. “You’re always telling the kids to do their best—to reach for what they want and work hard to achieve it. I’m just listening to you, Olivia. So, keep moving. We’re almost there. ”
They rode again and came to the point in the copse where they had to dismount so they could walk the trail to the cemetery.
“Do you think the general’s going to hang around his grave?” Olivia asked.
“You’d better hope,” Mariah muttered. “Now, get down. ”
Olivia dismounted. Mariah waved the gun she was carrying.
“Move. ”
Olivia followed the trail to the small cemetery where General Rufus Cunningham’s mortal remains lay buried. It was still daylight, but the surrounding trees shaded them from the sun.
* * *
The cemetery, situated in the shadow of the forest, was touched by traces of sunlight. It was difficult to tell if anyone had used the trail leading to the cemetery in the past hour or so. Although there were a few signs of recent use, he couldn’t be sure. Still, as they neared the small collection of graves, Dustin became convinced that he was right—and that Jimmy Callahan had been right, as well.
He reined in before they came to the clearing in the woods. Behind him, Malachi and Abby stopped, too.
He slid down from Chapparal and walked back to Malachi. “There are some broken branches here that seem fresh. I think they dismounted a short distance ahead and walked to the cemetery. There’s really only one main trail. I’m going to crawl through some of the trees and bushes to approach from the other side. ” He hesitated. “If I get a clean shot at Mariah. . . ”
“Take it,” Malachi told him. “I intend to do the same. Abby and I will tether the horses and come up along the old trail. ”
Dustin tried to move as quietly as possible—and as quickly as possible.
He thought of the different situations he’d faced in his life.
This was just one woman.
One crazy-ass woman with a gun—a gun she was pointing at Olivia.
He paused, stepping on bracken and expecting to hear the crack of a branch. But he heard nothing. Until, moving forward, he heard voices.
“Olivia, I’m from this land—don’t you get it? This land right here. You’re from the city. ”
“And don’t you get it, Mariah? It’s all connected. The city needs the country, the country needs the city. Look, if you want to see the general. . . you have to be open to him. And he has to be in the area. ”
Malachi finally came up on the cemetery. He hid behind one of the trees that grew around the little area, as if they were nature’s homage to the dead.
They were at the general’s grave site.
Mariah had Olivia by the arm. Her gun was wedged into Olivia’s side. He could take a shot; he could kill her easily. But there was no guarantee she’d go down before she pulled her own trigger.
Mariah suddenly swung Olivia around. Dustin could see that she was sweating, agitated. The hand that held the gun against Olivia was jerky. The trigger might be pulled easily.
“Where is he?” Mariah demanded.
They were looking right at his position, right at where he stood. Dustin straightened his cavalry jacket and pulled the plumed hat he wore lower over his forehead.
“Mariah,” Olivia said. “I told you—I’ve tried to explain. Ghosts don’t appear on command. They exist, and if you’re just open to them—”
“I’ve spent my life being open to the general!” Mariah shouted. “He’s part of me, part of my soul, my existence! You’ve got ten seconds, Olivia—ten seconds!”
Olivia suddenly spun around, jerking something out from under her shirt. She fumbled with it; Mariah, thrown from her, fired.
Thankful
ly, the shot went wild.
Olivia fired, too. The recoil sent her falling back and she tripped, crashing into a tombstone, the gun flying from her grasp. Mariah stumbled to her feet and half walked, half crawled over to Olivia, rising with the gun aimed directly at her.
“Miss Mariah!” Dustin said in a hollow voice, stepping from the trees.
Tension knotted in him fiercely; he was no actor.
“Miss Mariah!”
Mariah turned and looked at him. For a moment, she stared at him in awe. Then she smiled and slowly raised her gun. “You’re not a ghost!” she said. “But good try, Agent Blake. ”
“I’m not alone, Mariah. If you fire that gun, you’re going to go down in a hail of bullets. ”
She aimed at Olivia again. “She goes with me,” Mariah said.
Dustin felt something touch him—or almost touch him. He closed his eyes, praying that the real general had come. A man seemed to rise from mist and take shape before him.
It wasn’t the general. It was Marcus Danby.
“I am a ghost, Mariah. I’m a ghost because you killed me. And because you tried to ruin the good that honest, caring people were doing. You won’t join me, Mariah, when you die. I’m not sure what lies beyond this—where I am now—but I know you won’t be there. I can feel sun and light—and all you can feel is darkness. ”
Mariah’s gun remained on Olivia. She frowned, as if trying to ascertain how they’d created the illusion she was seeing.
Someone else stepped forward, entering into the green shadows of the little cemetery.
Aaron.
“We tried to get the general to come, Mariah,” Aaron said. “But he doesn’t want to know you. ”
“This is bullshit!” Mariah cried. She turned to take aim at Olivia again.
Dustin moved as he’d never moved before. He was out of the trees as if he were propelled by a sudden spark of fire. He caught Mariah in a tackle and brought her down, rolling with her.
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