“Yeah. I saw you do it.”
“Too much too little too late. Hey, there’s the tree. I think I see the mailbox. Stop. I want to get out to look at the tracks. Two sets, Tom. One set is almost filled in, but you can still see them. The trees serve as an umbrella, and the snow isn’t as deep. Three sets total. What the hell does that mean? Three different sets at three different times. You can tell by how much snow is in the tracks. Who is the third person?”
Tom’s voice was grim. “Let’s find out.”
Sara’s heart thundered in her chest. For one brief second she thought she was going to pass out. “Dallas? You’re supposed to be dead. Is this a dream?” Blind anger roared through her. “You’re alive!” she screeched. “You let me and the whole world think you were dead! That’s despicable! You are a son of a bitch! What are you doing here? You want the song back, right? Everyone wants that damn song. Get away from me. Do you hear me, get away from me.”
“It’s me, Sara. I’ll explain everything later. We have to get out of here. Hold on to my arm so we don’t get separated.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. You can’t possibly have any explanation I want to hear. Do you have any idea how many tears I shed for you? How could you do that to all of us? It’s Sandi Sims, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Sara, I don’t want the song. I’ll explain later. You need to trust me. All the way, Sara. I will not let anything happen to you. We need to go faster and don’t talk. Voices carry on the wind. She’s like a mountain goat, and she’s dressed for this weather. We aren’t. Move, move. Go as fast as you can. I know a little bit about this area. Sandi brought me up here a few times. She said the cabin belonged to an uncle. I believed her at the time.”
Sara stopped and tugged on Dallas’s arm. He was alive. Standing here in deep snow, talking to her. Her anger disappeared as suddenly as it had come. He was alive. “Let her see you, Dallas. If she sees you, then it’s all over. You can tell the authorities the truth.”
“She’ll kill us both. You have to trust me. Now move and no more talking. I mean it.”
“I have Nellie’s truck. That relic can get us out of here.”
“Sara, pay attention to me. We have to go on foot. Sandi took the distributor cap out of the truck and tossed it. I came up here in a rented Honda. The wiper blades broke off when I hit that Mexican restaurant. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s sleeting. Everything is freezing. For God’s sake, will you just listen and follow me.”
“God, Dallas, why didn’t you call the police?”
“I did. They thought I was a nutcase. You have to stop talking and move, Sara. If we can make it to the community of houses, we’ll be okay. It’s a long way to go, but we can do it. Hold on to me and move! If you don’t listen to me, I’m going to slug you and drag you. Goddamn it, move!”
Sara’s mind whirled. How could all of this be happening? “I need to know one thing and then I’ll do everything you say. Is your brother in on this scheme with Sandi?”
“No.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Out from under the overhang of pungent pines, the wind was sharper than her father’s old straight razor. Sleet whipped her across her face, forcing her to let go of Dallas’s arm so that she could try to shield her head. When she reached out for his arm, it was nowhere to be found. Did she dare call his name? No. As Dallas said, voices carried on the wind. Her eyes half-closed, arms straight out in front of her, Sara trudged forward. Six steps into the crusty frozen snow that was almost to mid-thigh, and she was exhausted. She was going to die out here in this frozen place and all because of a song. When some nameless faceless person found her, would they try to remove the ice from her eyelashes and eyebrows? Would that person try to break off the ice? Would she look like a hairless wonder when they laid her out in the mortuary? She’d never been vain. Where were these thoughts coming from now?
Don’t think about how tired you are. Dallas is alive. Don’t think about anything except putting one foot in front of the other. Think about a safe house in the Alpine development and how good it’s going to feel when a stranger opens their door to you. Think about spring and warm breezes and how pretty the first tulips and daffodils are going to look when they bloom. When you’re done thinking about the flowers think about what you felt when you saw Dallas. She wondered if her brain would freeze inside her head. She should know the answer, she was a doctor for God’s sake. She was saved from exploring the possibilities in her mind when she found herself facedown on the crusty snow. She felt a warm stickiness on her cheek. Thank God her eyes were closed. If she could only go to sleep. Just for a little while. She crawled forward because she knew it was the wise thing to do. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about. How long could she keep this up? Where was Dallas? More important, where was Sandi Sims? Behind you, behind you, her mind shrieked as she struggled to her feet. “I can’t do this,” she whimpered.
Wind and sleet rushed at her, driving her backward until she toppled into a snowdrift under a giant pine tree whose limbs were heavily loaded with snow. It took every ounce of energy in her body to crawl out of the snowdrift, to get on her feet. She cried then. She wanted to pray to God. She wanted to promise all kinds of things if He would just let her walk away safely from this nightmare. She’d always hated people who made promises like that because they were frightened of the unknown. Hadn’t she done just that a while ago? She couldn’t remember. Would God remember? One thing she did know for certain was that her eyeballs weren’t frozen. Yet.
Sara struggled on. Time lost all meaning as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. More often than not she was on the ground, crab-walking. At some point she must have decided that crab-walking was faster than slogging through the crusty, crunchy snow.
Where was she? Was she on the road leading to the community of houses or was she just bumbling around blind? The latter, she decided. She stumbled, tried to right herself, but failed. Once again she felt the warm stickiness on her cheeks. She started to cry when she thought her teeth were frozen to her lips.
She was sitting like a fat Buddha in the snow, sleet and snow slashing at her like some evil monster. She realized at that moment she couldn’t feel her feet or her hands. She also realized she wasn’t thinking clearly. What part of the body was the last to give out? She must not be a very good doctor. Any doctor worth his salt would know the answer.
The sound she heard behind her forced her to her feet. Dallas or Sandi Sims? Her adrenaline pumping, Sara surged ahead, her lungs protesting each step she took. The sounds she’d heard minutes ago were louder now, someone thrashing through the icy snow. Damn it, Sara, move. Faster. Her heartbeat speeded up. That was strange. Her heart should be barely beating. Fear. Fear did strange things to a person. She knew what little body heat she had left was fast leaving her body. She was so groggy, so tired and sleepy, she could barely remember what her name was. “I-am-Dr.-Sara-Killian.” Over and over she repeated her name. If she were going to die out here in the snow, she wanted her name to be on her lips. DIE! You only die when all hope is gone. You were never one to give in, Sara. You were never a quitter. So what if you didn’t win medals. You persevered, and you prevailed. You have to prevail now. She stumbled and fell again, but this time she couldn’t force her numb legs to obey the command to get up. Breathing like a tired racehorse, Sara crawled forward. The sounds behind her seemed to be getting closer. It was then she heard voices. Adam? Tom Silk? Where are you, Dallas? She had no intention of opening her mouth, much less shouting to give away her position, but she did it anyway. “Help!”
The sounds were closer. The voices farther away. She cried out again. This time her plea was louder, more forceful. She was slipping into that state where nothing mattered. She knew she was giving up. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered.
“Sara! Sara, are you all right?”
“Of course I’m not all right. I’m dying. Can’t you see that? I’m a doctor, and there’s nothing I ca
n do to save myself. My eyelashes are going to break off. It takes forever to grow eyelashes. My face is all cut up. Dallas told me to hold his arm, and I lost him. I tried to do what he said. I didn’t call out until now. She’s out there. I heard her. She’s been following me. Dallas got lost. You have to find him. Maybe she got to him first. I don’t know how I lost him.’”
“It’s all right, Sara. We’re going to take you to the cabin as soon as we figure out where it is.”
“Don’t ask me. I’ve been out here for hours. She was in the house. I had a small head start. I have to go to sleep.”
“No! Listen to me, Sara. Forget that stuff about Dallas and pay attention. Tom is going to take one of your arms and I’ll take the other. We’ll be dragging you most of the way. It’s the best we can do. The snow is too deep for us to carry you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I’m not stupid, Mr. Lord. Sandi has my gun. It was my father’s. She’ll kill all of us unless Dallas stops her. She tried to kill me this afternoon. How did you know where to find me?”
“It’s a long story. Sandi shot Judge Iverson. We heard it on the news. We think the judge gave Sandi the tape you gave him to safeguard. We’re assuming you gave him the tape. Are we right about that?”
“I only gave him a copy. The master copy is still in my safe deposit box. You have to find Dallas.” Later she would think about what Adam had just said. Much later, when she was warm and more alive.
Adam’s shoulders slumped. “It’s not much farther. I can see a faint light from the cabin, and I can smell the woodsmoke. You’re going to be okay, Sara.”
Sara sighed. “Damn it, stop humoring me. Dallas said it was all a long story, too. He’s out there with Sandi Sims. I told you we got separated. She has a gun. He doesn’t have any kind of weapon, and he isn’t dressed warmly enough. Damn it, don’t you care?”
“Of course I care. Right now my first priority is to get you to the cabin. We’re going to let Sandi come to us.”
The cabin door opened and Sara felt herself propelled forward. The blast of intense heat from the fireplace slammed into her. She would have fallen if Tom hadn’t grabbed her. She was alive and safe. For the moment. God hadn’t forsaken her. She was glad now that she hadn’t made any bargains with the Supreme Being. She turned around to find both men staring at her. She knew exactly what they were thinking and she couldn’t blame them.
“I have to get out of these clothes. Parts of them are frozen to my body. I’d appreciate it if you’d put some more logs on the fire.” Adam nodded.
Her body tingling from head to toe, Sara shed her wet clothes in the dark bedroom. She discovered a supply of winter clothing in one of the dresser drawers. An oversize woolly robe hung on the back of the bathroom door.
Still tingling all over, Sara marched out to the main room of the cabin wearing the judge’s thermal underwear, battery-operated socks, and the thick robe. She sat down on the hearth, her hands outstretched to the fire. “We’re sitting ducks in here.”
“I know,” Adam said. “As much as you want to sit by the fire, you’re going to have to move across the room.” Sara obeyed. The storm outside continued to rage. “How long can she stay out there?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on how prepared she was. I would imagine the cold will be getting to her by now. At some point she’s got to seek some kind of relief. For all we know she might have gone to her car to warm up. The drive from the road to the cabin isn’t all that far. God only knows where she parked. The only vehicle Tom and I saw was yours. We left our truck on the road. With trees on both sides she can’t pass our truck. Of course I have no idea where the road we came in on leads. However, she might know. It’s entirely possible she heard us when we found you. If she was smart, she would have split right then. Are you feeling better now?”
“Do you mean am I more with it? Dallas is out there. He’s alive, Adam. I touched him. I talked to him. He’s been following me for days. You said yourself you felt like someone was watching you. It was Dallas. Why won’t you believe me? We didn’t talk much because there was no time, and voices carry on the wind. He said he tried calling the police to tell them what was going on, but they thought he was a nutcase.”
“Look, Sara, I know you believe you saw Dallas, but Dallas is dead. No matter how much you or I want to believe, and Jesus, I want to believe, you cannot bring someone back from the dead. I understand what you’ve been through and if thinking you saw Dallas kept you alive out there, then I’m all for it.”
“Goddamn it, don’t patronize me, Adam. Dallas is alive. I don’t know who died in that crash, but it wasn’t Dallas. I am not hallucinating. I have my wits about me. The person who took my hand and talked to me was a flesh-and-blood person. After the initial shock, I felt safe. He’s been watching over all of us. Over you, too, Adam. It isn’t his fault he was always one step behind Sandi. You didn’t catch on to her either. You can apologize to me later when he shows up.”
Sara crouched in the corner, her legs drawn up to her chin. She fingered her eyelashes and eyebrows. They seemed to be intact. She felt like crying all over again.
Adam and Tom leaned against the wall, then Adam slid to his haunches. The gun was steady in Adam’s hand. He wondered if he had the guts to shoot a woman.
Tom’s voice was a harsh whisper. “She could be anywhere, Adam. She could shoot through any one of those windows. She’ll never try for the door. I don’t think we have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out of this. She can’t let us live. You know that. She knows we know what she did. Sara was her target in the beginning, but it’s a new ball game now. And she doesn’t know the judge is still alive.”
“We don’t know that for a fact, Tom. At some point she had to go back to her car to get warm. If nothing else, she’d check the weather station. This is just a guess on my part, but I think if she knew the judge was alive, she’d give it up and get the hell out of here. She thinks she has the original of the song. What she thinks she’s doing is tying up loose ends. Kill Sara, kill the judge, and no one knows she was the one pulling the trigger. We suspected, but we didn’t know for certain. We still can’t prove a thing. Police go by facts and hard evidence. We have squat.”
“So we just sit here and wait?”
“We just sit here and wait.”
“I’d like something hot to drink,” Sara said.
“This isn’t a hotel, Doctor. We can’t risk showing ourselves by crossing the room.”
“You’re right. It was a stupid thing to say,” Sara said.
“Almost as stupid as saying Adam’s brother is alive,” Tom Silk muttered under his breath.
“I heard that,” Sara challenged. A devil perched itself on her shoulder. “May I take this time to tell you both how lovely you look?” She focused on Adam. “Burnt orange or are they calling it tangerine this year? You should wear it more often. The color brings out the amber in your eyes.” To Tom she said, “I had you down for a navy blue guy. Pale pink? With matching mittens?”
“That’s enough,” Adam said harshly. “This is no time for such nonsense. We had to use what was at hand. I left a check in the kitchen for your friend, listing the items we took. It’s too quiet. We’ve been here about twenty-five minutes. If Sandi is going to make a move, it should be soon.”
Tom slid to the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him. “My guess would be a fire. There’s only one door to this place. She’ll pop us as we run out. She can’t let any of us live. She thinks she killed once, so what do three more killings matter?”
“Four. Dallas is out there.”
Adam rubbed at his throbbing temples. “Why in the hell would someone build a cabin like this and only put in one door? There must be a building code of some kind.”
“There’s a window in the kitchen,” Tom volunteered. “She can’t watch the front and the back at the same time. I say we douse the fire and let the house grow dark. Let’s make her fight for our bodies.”
“If you have another opinion, I’d like to hear it,” Tom said.
“Watch my lips. My opinion is Dallas will come through for us. We have to sit and wait it out.”
“Is it Christmas?” Adam asked of no one in particular.
“If it was Christmas Eve a few hours ago, then it must be Christmas. A time of miracles. We could sure use one about now.”
“Dallas is our miracle. I can’t understand why you won’t believe me.” Sara sighed as she watched the dancing shadows on the walls. “I need to warn you, Adam, this is a different Dallas. Be prepared.”
“Okay.”
“You’re humoring me again.”
“People simply do not rise from the dead. I really don’t want to talk about my brother. Let his soul rest in peace.”
“He’s not dead, Adam.”
“He’s dead. Now let’s drop it.”
“Would you care to make a wager?”
“What kind of wager?” Adam’s voice sounded suspicious.
“You told me you promised Dallas Six to Dallas. If I’m right, I get the pup. I’ll leave the explanations up to you. In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than breaking a promise.”
Adam stared at Sara in the dim light. Was it possible? Could Dallas really be alive? His head started to pound. Miracles happened to other people, not people like him and Dallas. It was Christmas. Christmas for as long as he could remember was a time of miracles. Make the bet or not? What if by some chance she was right. “I can’t part with any of the dogs, especially Dallas Six.”
“That’s what I thought.” Sara huddled deeper into the woolly robe. “He’s out there. Waiting and watching.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time for him to make a move?” Tom asked.
Sara's Song Page 31
