Grave Peril

by Mary Alford

  Jamie got behind the wheel and backed out of the garage. Gavin tucked his Glock beneath his seat. The shotgun was hidden behind the back seat.

  “Ready?” she asked. The tiniest of nods did little to clear away her concerns. She eased down the long drive pitted with potholes. Ava and her husband, Henry, had built the house close to the edge of their property when they were first married. Ava had told her that the spot where the house sat was the first place she and her husband had kissed. It was a sweet story that had stuck with Jamie through the years. Tough as nails, Ava had also had a gentle side that very few people other than family and close friends ever got to see. It was what had made her so special. Jamie fought back tears at the memory.

  As much as she didn’t want to give in to her fears, Jamie couldn’t help but worry about her uncle’s safety. She believed if Paxton had been able to reach out to her, he would have by now. The Darlan Mountain Mine was the only logical place where Uncle Paxton would go to hide out. It was his second home—though anyone who knew him would realize this. Would they be too late?

  Jamie stopped when she reached the road, her hands sweaty on the wheel. Once she was positive no one was coming, she pulled onto the mountain road and headed back toward her family home. Her thoughts returned to the frightening events of the previous night right here on the mountain. Dan Miller, the man whose voice she’d recognized from the past, someone sworn to serve and protect, had tried to run her off the road.

  Their car barely made it out of the drive before a deputy sheriff’s SUV appeared behind them, seemingly from nowhere, flashing its lights. With the previous night’s encounter still fresh in her mind, Jamie stared at the rearview mirror in horror. “That looks like the same sheriff’s deputy who came to my house last night. He’s the one who ran me off the road.”

  Gavin sat up straighter in his seat and squinted behind them. “We need to pull over. We don’t want to give him any reason to arrest us. Find a wide spot and stop. Maybe we can find out what he knows.”

  It was the last thing she wanted to do, but Gavin was right. If they ran, they’d look guilty.

  Jamie eased as far off the road as the narrow shoulder would allow. There was no doubt in her mind that Miller had ordered Terry’s murder. If he was capable of doing such a senseless thing, he wouldn’t hesitate to silence them if he saw them as a threat.

  Gavin covered her hand on the wheel. “Try to relax. We don’t want to tip him off that something is wrong.”

  She stared into his eyes, saw the strength she’d always been able to lean on in the past, and slowly nodded.

  Miller got out of the SUV and made his way over to the car. With a quick prayer for their safety running through her head, Jamie lowered the window.

  The deputy’s gaze went from Jamie to Gavin, recognizing them both.

  “I’m surprised to see the two of you together again. What are you up to so early this morning?” The suspicion in Miller’s voice made it clear he was on alert.

  Jamie did her best to sound confident. “I ran into Gavin, and we started reminiscing about when we were younger, growing up here on the mountain. I guess we lost track of time. I’m just heading up to my house now.”

  She found it strange that Miller didn’t ask about her car. Did he suspect she knew it was him who’d run her off the road?

  “Have you seen Paxton lately?” he asked with an edge to his tone.

  It took everything inside of her not to look away. “No, I haven’t. Why do you need him?”

  “Because we found Terry Williams’s body in the woods behind your place last night. We believe Paxton may have murdered his friend.”

  The allegation struck her like a blow. Miller was trying to frame Paxton for Terry’s murder. “That can’t be true. Uncle Paxton would never hurt Terry. They’ve been friends since they were kids.”

  Miller wasn’t moved by her defense of her uncle. “That may be, but it doesn’t change the fact that Terry was found on your property. And people do strange things when their livelihood is threatened.”

  Fear froze her expression. “What are you talking about?”

  Miller smiled smugly. “I’m thinking Terry was going to turn Paxton in for trafficking heroin. Paxton had to get rid of him quickly before that happened. And now Paxton has disappeared, which certainly makes him appear guilty. We know this because we went to your house last night and he wasn’t there. Someone else was, though.”

  Miller’s unwavering gaze held hers. Jamie ignored the reference to them being at the house. “Uncle Paxton didn’t do what you’re accusing him of. He’s in Jamesville.”

  Miller clearly didn’t believe her, but for the moment he had nothing to hold them on. “You can be sure I’ll check on that. You’d better hope he’s there. In the meantime, if you talk to him, tell him to turn himself in. We wouldn’t want anything bad to...happen to him if he tried to flee.”

  Her eyes widened at the threat.

  With a final tap on the side of the car, Miller made his way back to his vehicle.

  Jamie put the window up with trembling fingers. “What do we do now?” She turned to Gavin.

  He peered in the side mirror. “We can’t go to the mine, that’s for sure. Not with him watching us. Let’s head up to your place for now. See if he follows.”

  Jamie eased the car back onto the road and headed up the mountain. A quick check in the rearview mirror confirmed her worst fear. “He’s still coming. Miller’s not letting us out of his sight. I can’t believe they’re trying to frame Uncle Paxton for Terry’s death when they’re the ones who killed him.” She shook her head. “We can’t let that happen.”

  Gavin continued watching as the deputy kept his distance, making it clear he was following them. “We’ll do everything we can to keep Paxton safe. But first, we have to find him before they do.”

  Jamie did her best to keep her speed steady. She couldn’t believe what had happened since she’d been home. Less than twenty-four hours ago, her biggest concern had been freeing a wrongfully accused man. Now she and Gavin were trying to stay out of jail long enough themselves to find her uncle, before Miller and his goons took care of whatever problem he posed.

  * * *

  As Jamie rolled to a stop in front of her place, Gavin surveyed the house and surrounding mountainside. The sheriff’s department didn’t have deputies stationed around. They weren’t expecting Paxton to return. Why? He noticed Miller stop a little way down, concealed by a group of trees. “We still have our tail. Let’s hope he gets bored after a while and leaves us alone, because if he doesn’t, there’s no way we can go to the mine. We’d be leading him straight to Paxton, assuming he’s hiding there.”

  Jamie was staring at the spot where he’d left his truck. “Gavin, your truck’s gone.”

  He craned his neck behind them. Miller and his men had moved Ava’s truck “I have no idea what’s going on here, but I sure don’t like it. Let’s get inside and out of sight.”

  He grabbed the backpack filled with supplies and got out of the car, followed by Jamie, and hurried up the steps to the house. The front door was blocked by crime-scene tape.

  “What should we do?” She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with worry.

  “We go inside. This is your home, and Miller didn’t try to stop us when we told him what we were doing.” Gavin ripped the tape away from the door and opened it. Jamie hesitated a second, then went inside with a final look at the deputy.

  In the light of day, the damage done there was even more alarming than what he’d seen the night before. The destruction left from the hail of bullets was shocking. Shattered glass was everywhere. Broken knickknacks littered the floor of the great room. Furniture was riddled with bullets. Gavin recalled the bloodstains in the bedroom. Someone was injured here. Gavin was positive Terry had been shot where they’d found his body. So whose blood was this? The only explanation w
as that it had to be Paxton’s. The bloodstain didn’t appear big enough to be fatal. Maybe he’d been injured by Miller and his men and managed to escape. That would explain why they were still looking for Paxton.

  Jamie peeked out the window. “He’s not leaving. We can’t risk going to the mine and leading him to Paxton.”

  Gavin joined her by the window. “We won’t be able to drive there. We’ll have to go on foot. For the time being, we’ll stay here. See if he leaves. If not, then we’ll have to go back to Ava’s and head out after dark.”

  He looked into her eyes and saw the fear she couldn’t hide. Everything inside of him wanted to protect her, but he had to know what they were facing, and Jamie was still holding something back. “I need you to tell me what you haven’t yet. Paxton’s life might depend on it. You said Miller ran you off the road last night. Are you sure?”

  She stared at him for the longest time, evidently surprised, then blew out a sigh, her voice little more than a whisper. “I’m positive. I recognized his voice.” She turned to face him fully. It was time to tell him everything. She could trust Gavin. He’d risked his life for her. “He was with someone. They were looking for something in particular. They searched the trunk. The other man said, ‘We’d better find him and the stuff before they arrive.’” She shivered, recalling the conversation. “But what was the most frightening was what the other man said next. He said, ‘We don’t need the hassle of covering up another murder.’” She looked into Gavin’s eyes and said, “I think they were talking about your father’s murder.”

  Startled, he couldn’t let himself believe what she was saying. Sure the man’s words were disturbing, but he wasn’t ready to make that leap just yet. “We don’t know that. It could mean anything.” The hurt on her face was hard to take. She would never give up on proving her father’s innocence.

  “What do you think they were looking for?” he asked gently, needing to steer the conversation back to safer ground.

  She blew out a sigh. “I have no idea, but whatever it is, they’re willing to kill for it.”

  As he looked around the place in the light of day, he saw things that he hadn’t earlier. The rooms had been ransacked, but the house looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for quite some time.

  “Was Paxton still living here?” Gavin asked.

  She obviously found the question odd. “As far as I know, yes. Why?” She looked around and saw what he had.

  Jamie tried the lights once more. “The electricity was off last night as well. I thought maybe those men had turned it off.” She went over to the desk and rummaged around. “There are several months’ worth of electricity bills here. The power has been shut off.”

  “Paxton obviously hasn’t been living here in a while. But if he’s not staying here, then where?” Their gazes locked.

  “The mine. That’s the only explanation. The only place where he’d feel safe,” Jamie insisted.

  She began roaming the small living space where she’d grown up. He wondered if being with him again had brought up any unresolved feelings for her. It certainly had for him.

  He’d practically grown up in this house, as well. Even before he and Jamie started dating, the two families had spent a great deal of time together. He remembered Sunday meals here with Noah praying over the food. Noah was like a second father to him, which made what he did that much harder to accept.

  Gavin swallowed regret and searched for something to say to fill the awkward silence. He left his spot by the window and sat down on the dusty sofa, the injury drawing down his strength.

  “Ava told me you’d become a criminal defense attorney.” Jamie shot him a surprised look, and he smiled. “We talked a lot about you,” he said in answer to her unasked question. “She was proud of the work you did. She said you were trying to help those who couldn’t help themselves...like your father.” The last part was difficult to say.

  Jamie looked away. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

  There was something he needed to say. “I never told you how sorry I was to hear about Noah’s passing, but I was. In spite of everything that happened, he was still like family, and I hated thinking about him in that place. Hated that he passed away there.”

  Jamie cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice unsteady. “I had no idea when I chose this career path how many cases there were of people being wrongfully incarcerated. It’s heartbreaking.” She told him about an elderly man by the name of Adam Sullivan whose case was similar to her father’s. As she spoke, he could see tears glistening in her eyes. Her passion for her work was obvious.

  He slowly got to his feet and went over to where she stood. He took her hand and held it. “I’m sorry,” he managed and wished he could erase the ugly past for them both.

  After a moment, she nodded and squeezed his hand, then moved away, wiping tears from her face. “It’s okay. I love the type of work I do, but it can be emotionally exhausting.”

  Jamie went back to the window and looked out. “He’s still there.” She turned back to him. “I don’t think he’s leaving.”

  “There’s no need to hang around here any longer. Let’s head back to Ava’s. I just hope we can make it until nightfall without Miller trying something.”

  He could see the thought was terrifying, and he tried to reassure her.

  “Why don’t you grab some personal things? If Miller stops us and asks why we were here, you can tell him you came to pick up a few things before heading back to Louisville.”

  While Jamie looked around the place, Gavin watched Miller’s vehicle. If the deputy stopped them, and Gavin was certain that would happen, he would search the car looking for anything that might give him the location where Paxton was hiding. His backup weapon and extra ammo for the Glock and the shotgun, along with a knife and rope might give away too much.

  Gavin quickly found a safe place to store them. They could stop back by the house to retrieve the items before heading to the mine.

  He moved the bookcase enough so that he could stuff the things behind it and prayed Miller wouldn’t grow suspicious and search the house again. He shoved the medicines and extra bandages in his jacket pocket.

  “What are you doing?” Jamie asked when she spotted him kneeling near the bookcase. She held a collection of trinkets in her hand.

  He straightened awkwardly. His injury made everything more difficult. “It wouldn’t do for Miller to find those things in the backpack, and I’m pretty sure he saw it in the back seat. I can’t leave it here. He’ll wonder where it is.” He held the now empty bag open, and she placed the few items inside.

  “There’s nothing we can do for Paxton right now. Let’s get out of here.”

  With one final look around, Jamie opened the door and stepped out into the foggy morning. Gavin followed her out to the car.

  “He’ll stop us. Once we’re on the road again, he’ll stop us and search the car and the bag. Try to appear as calm as you can.”

  Jamie got behind the wheel once more and started the car, glancing his way. He couldn’t begin to hide the toll his injury had taken on his body. He was barely hanging on.

  “Gavin, are you okay?” The worry in her voice confirmed how bad he must look.

  He managed a nod and tried to sit up straighter. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get back to the house and rest for a while. It’s going to be tough making it to the mine on foot.” He touched her hand. “You should try to rest, as well.”

  She put the car in gear and eased past the deputy’s parked patrol vehicle. They’d barely cleared the bumper when the deputy fired the engine and red and blue lights strobed behind them.

  “You were right. He’s going to stop us.” Jamie breathed the words out fearfully.

  Gavin watched Miller turn the vehicle around and come after them. “Relax. If he sees you’re nervous, he’ll suspect we’re up
to something.”

  Jamie stopped the car and drew in a shaky breath. Behind them, Miller got out of his patrol car and headed their way. Gavin prayed for strength for himself and for Jamie not to fall apart. He had a feeling that Miller was just looking for a reason to take them in.

  SIX

  Deputy Miller advanced with his weapon drawn. Horrified, Jamie whirled to Gavin. “He’s got his gun out.” She couldn’t hide the terror in her voice.

  Gavin clasped her hand and held it. “It’s going to be okay.”

  She wasn’t nearly as sure.

  “Get out of the car with your hands up,” Miller ordered when he reached the back of the car.

  Jamie couldn’t stop shaking. “What should we do?”

  Gavin turned in his seat. “We do as he asks. Get out slowly with your hands in the air. The last thing we need is another gunshot wound to deal with.”

  The damage the bullet had done to Gavin’s body was starting to show. He could barely get out of the car on his own. She was worried Miller would notice something off in his behavior and look closer. Would he arrest them? Or worse?

  Jamie stepped out of the car and put her hands in the air. Gavin slowly did the same, his face pale, pain etched there.

  “What’s this about, deputy?” Gavin asked, somehow managing to keep his voice strong.

  Miller motioned the gun at Jamie. “Get over there next to her.”

  As she watched, Gavin plastered a blank expression on his face and obliged.

  “What were you two doing back there?” Miller kept the weapon trained on Gavin.

  “I went to pick up a few things from my house,” Jamie said. “The last time I checked that wasn’t illegal. I told you where my uncle is.”

  Miller didn’t answer. “Pop the trunk and get over there.” He motioned them to the opposite side of the road.