He flashes me a questioning look and I nod my agreement. I have no idea what he needs me to do but whatever it is, I’ll do it. My adrenaline levels are sky rocketing. I want to be involved and help catch Spencer. Charlie’s words from the airport flash into my head. He believes in me. I have to believe in me. I can do this.
“Amber will follow you in such a way as it looks as though she’s trying to keep out of sight but she will allow Spencer to catch glimpses of her. That should hopefully distract him and stop him looking for anybody else. He’ll be focused on you and Amber.”
“And then what?” Ty asks. “I don’t know. I don’t want Amelia being put in danger by doing this.”
“We’ll ensure Amelia is safe, I promise you,” Dan reassures him. “We need to catch him in the act and this way we’ll be out on the mountain, out of the way of other people. It will minimise the risk to the general public and also give us the best opportunity to track Amelia and Spencer, corner them and get this case closed. Amelia, what do you say? It’s your call. I’ve got this worked out, but if you don’t want to do this then we can go to Plan B instead.”
“I’m doing it,” Amelia replies, raising her chin defiantly. “If I don’t go then goodness knows what he’ll do next.”
“But Amelia the…” Ty starts to say.
She shakes her head and holds up a hand to silence him. “I’ll be fine. Dan, what do you need me to do?”
“We need you to go and walk this trail. Alone. But, like I say, he may well suspect somebody will be following you. Which is where Amber puts in a planned appearance. If he finds her following you then hopefully he’ll think he’s got the upper hand. But I’ll be following both of you, out of sight. Amelia and Amber, you’ll both be wired so we can hear and record everything said. If you two can get him talking, get the truth out of him, what he’s been doing and why, it will all help solve the case and get him prosecuted.”
“OK, let’s do this,” Amelia says, striding for the door and pulling on a jacket.
Ty is by her side in a second. “Amelia, sweetheart, I don’t want you to do this.”
She stops, gently touches his cheek, and says, “I’ll be fine and I’m going to do this. I want to put it all behind me so we can move on with our future together.”
Tom leads us to the start of the trail. It’s another bitingly cold morning, the air heavy, making it difficult to breathe. Does the weather ever warm up properly in this part of the world, I wonder, as I huddle deeper into my coat?
“Right, this is the place,” Tom says. “And I guess that’s our sign about being on the right trail that he mentioned.” He points to a red balloon tied to a tree. The Red Balloon Trail.
“I take it this trail doesn’t usually have balloons marking out the route?” Dan asks Tom who shakes his head.
Up ahead, through the trees I spot another balloon and point it out.
“OK, I’m ready,” Amelia says. “You’re sure this is safe?”
“Yes. Trust me. He isn’t going to shoot you,” Dan replies. “He’s playing games, trying to scare you, getting you to do what he wants. OK?”
She nods and starts off up the steep trail. I hang back until Dan instructs me to follow her. I need to be semi-discreet he said. Make it look as though I’m following her, wanting to keep out of sight but not doing so very successfully, so that Spencer spots me. Which will hopefully distract him from Amelia and give us a chance to get him talking and forget his plan of action. I cross my fingers in my jacket pocket as I dodge behind trees here and there, playing my role.
We’re a good ten minutes into walking the trail and the ground is getting much steeper. I can see Amelia up ahead. She’s surprised me with her bravery in agreeing to do this. I’m sure the people she’s committed to doing films for wouldn’t be very happy if they knew their star actress is putting herself at risk like this. She stops for a breather, looking all around, senses on full alert. I can see the fear in her eyes.
But her senses clearly aren’t alert enough. In a split second she’s grabbed from behind a tree. Her blood-curdling scream echoes up the mountainside as she’s hauled out of sight into the surrounding forest.
Immediately panic leaps inside of me. What are we doing? I hope and pray Dan’s plan is going to work. He knows what he’s doing right? She will be safe?
Dan’s deep and very calm voice hums in my ear via the comms device. “Stay calm, Amber. Stick to the plan. Amelia is going to be fine. I’m right behind you. OK?”
“OK.” I take a second, trying to get my breathing and my thoughts back under control.
Time to put this plan into action. I stumble, trip on a tree root and fall forward, out into the open where Spencer can spot me. Just like I was told to do by Dan. I leap to my feet and dive back behind a tree. A sliver of icy snow falls from a branch and finds its way between my hat and coat, sliding down my neck, chilling me to the bone. Was it really only last night Dan and I shared a sleigh ride in the snow? It seems like a lifetime ago, so much has happened since then.
Focus, I chastise myself. You need to keep your mind on the job.
I peer around a tree at the sound of movement.
Amelia appears, walking out into the open, Spencer is right behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist holding her tight to him, the other hand is holding what looks like some kind of metal shaft with a pointed end. What is that? Whatever it is it looks deadly.
“I know you’re there and I know what you’re doing,” Spencer shouts from behind Amelia. “So you guys think I’m stupid? Like I’m going to accept you sent Amber to tackle me. Yeah, right. I know there are more of you. Why don’t you all come out of hiding and follow me to the edge of this trail for a little viewpoint rendezvous?”
He starts to back up the trail, pulling Amelia along as a human shield.
“Do as he says,” Dan instructs in my ear. “I’ll join you. Looks as though he’s smarter than we gave him credit for. Go, keep your hands up where he can see them. Don’t do or say anything to wind him up even more. He’s volatile. I’ve got your back. You’ll be fine.”
I walk out, hands up, the snow crunching beneath my feet.
“Follow me and no funny business!” Spencer shouts, still dragging Amelia along. “And your friends can come along too, don’t forget!”
We’ve walked barely twenty feet when the trees part and I see we’ve reached a viewpoint. The resort lies below us and more mountains stretch into the distance. He yanks Amelia along to the edge where there’s what must easily be a drop of a few hundred feet off the side of the mountain. My breath catches. She looks terrified, her eyes wide with fear, and this is all our fault. Maybe Dan called this wrong and it’s all going to end in disaster.
“Spencer, don’t do anything you’ll regret for the rest of your life,” I say, keeping my voice steady, attempting to calm him.
“I knew there was something odd about you and that Charlie guy,” he shouts, brandishing the metal pole at me. “But he left so you can’t be working this alone. There’s somebody else. Your partner. I want him out here as well. Now.”
Dan appears from the edge of the forest, hands in the air.
“Stand next to her!” Spencer instructs and Dan walks slowly over to join me.
Now what do we do? I wish I was telepathic so I could get into Dan’s head and read his thoughts. See what his Plan B actually is. I had a Plan B myself but it looks as though that isn’t going to work out either.
“So I’m thinking you’re probably keen to know why I’ve been targeting Amelia,” Spencer shouts. “Well, where shall we start? The fact she stole a role that should have gone to my Fran is as good a place to start as any. You remember right, Amelia? When the two of you were both back at drama school. How you slept with the casting director to get that role? You knew you weren’t talented enough to get it from your acting alone right?” He waves the metal pole around again. “What next? The fact you’ve never lifted a finger to try and help Fran get any acting jobs. You ma
de it big thanks to that role you stole from her in drama school. Don’t you have a conscience? You could have put in a good word with any number of casting directors since then. You could have helped her. You took everything offered to you and kept it all for yourself, you selfish bitch. Then, once a year, you invite us to join you on some fancy holiday so you can show off, rub our noses in your success, flaunt your career and your money. Without so much as a thought for how much it hurts those around you who are struggling with their lives.”
I need to engage him in conversation, distract him, do something, like in the original plan. “So why now, Spencer?” I ask. “What triggered your anger so much this time around when all of this has been going on for years?”
“Because now she has something else my wife wants. And for her, it wasn’t even intentional.”
“Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.” What other thing does Amelia have that Fran wants besides a career as a Hollywood actress?
“A baby,” he shouts, wielding the pipe dangerously close to Amelia’s stomach. “When she rang to invite us out here she told Fran she was expecting. Said it was unplanned but her and Ty were very happy about it. Asked us to keep quiet until she makes a formal announcement via her manager next week. Fran and I have been trying for a family for years. Endless fertility treatments, it’s bankrupted us.”
Beside me Dan swears under his breath. “She’s pregnant? Did you know about this?” he hisses at me. “I’d never have put her in this situation if I’d known.”
“Of course I didn’t know,” I hiss back at him. “I’d have told you if I did.”
“But the stress could…”
“Dan, calm down. She’s young and healthy and, in the circumstances, surprisingly calm, she’ll be fine.”
“I know Fran doesn’t want to try anymore,” Amelia surprises him by saying. “She told me so. She’s had enough. She said she was trying to persuade you to adopt.”
Spencer shakes his head. “No! I don’t want somebody else’s kid. I want my own.” He draws back the metal object as though he’s going to hit Amelia with it.
In a split second Dan moves his hand inside his jacket and reaches for his gun. Eager to resolve the matter right away and get Amelia safe.
Maybe too eager.
Spencer spots the movement too, drops the metal weapon and hauls Amelia toward the edge of the mountain as though he’s about to push her off and probably throw himself off the ledge after her as well.
My already crazy heartbeat goes off the charts. Fear prickles down my spine at the same time as I break out in hot and cold sweats. I don’t have time to freak out. I need to get myself under control so I can talk to Spencer, try to calm him down again and stop him doing something drastic.
Something tragic.
Dan draws his gun and aims at Spencer. But if he shoots him he’s standing so close to the edge he could fall anyway and drag Amelia with him. I want to scream at him to put the gun away but I know shouting isn’t going to help anyone.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Dan pull another gun from his jacket and wave it in my direction, not taking his eyes or his aim off of Spencer as he does so. He has a spare gun? I stare at it horrified. I’m not trained to use a gun. I can’t do this.
“Just take the bloody thing will you?!” Dan whisper-shouts, thrusting the gun in my direction again, still focused on Spencer and Amelia who are now perilously close to the edge.
The words of the fortune teller burst into my head. A man, with two guns, handing one of them to you. When she’d said it I’d thought she meant Charlie and the time when he’d handed me the water pistol after our last assignment, when we were fooling around. It was the only explanation that fitted the scene she described.
Until now.
I stare at the gun Dan is pushing into my hands. Confusion and fear and terror all bubble and mingle inside of me. Now her fortune telling scene could refer to Charlie or Dan. I don’t want either of them risking their lives for me.
I step towards Spencer, avoiding the black handgun Dan is still thrusting at me and shake my head. “No.”
“Amber!” Dan hisses, making a grab for my arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I pull from his grasp. “Spencer, I’m so sorry. I can only guess at the pain you and your wife are going through with trying for a child of your own. I spoke to Fran this morning and she was so worried about you. About your relationship and the stress the two of you are under. She loves you and she told me that so long as you’ve got each other you’ll be fine. If you do anything stupid, she’ll be devastated. She wants to try and rebuild a life with you. Maybe try to make a family together, by whatever means you both agree on.”
His gaze meets mine and I see a flicker of something in his eyes. Understanding? Common sense? Love? He’s listening isn’t he? Considering.
This might actually be working.
“Spencer, think of your wife. You say you’re doing this to avenge the way Amelia has treated her. Think what she would want though. You know it isn’t this. Yes, you’re angry about all that Amelia has while Fran is struggling with a career and with trying for a child. Do you also want her to be a grieving widow though? Is your pain greater than hers? Shouldn’t you be trying to help her, not destroy her by killing her friend, or trying to end your own life? You’re accusing Amelia of being selfish but all of this, the things you’re doing, aren’t you just as bad?”
Dan is right beside me, gun in hand, still trained on Spencer.
Spencer looks from me to Dan. Then, all of a sudden, as though the life has gone out of him, he releases Amelia, pushing her forward so harshly she stumbles and falls to the ground. Dan swears and, gun still trained on Spencer, rushes forward to help her up.
Spencer steps closer to the edge of the viewpoint. He’s just millimetres from death. If there’s a sudden gust of wind to blow him off balance...
“Don’t!” I shout. “Please, Spencer, don’t! You’ll destroy Fran if you kill yourself.”
“I’m going to end up in jail for this anyway,” he yells, with the air of a man close to giving up. “That’ll destroy her as well. Maybe she’d be better off with somebody else. Perhaps with another guy she might manage to get pregnant.”
I gingerly take a step closer. Dan has helped Amelia up and she’s hiding behind him as he holds his gun steady, still aimed on Spencer.
“No! Don’t say that, Spencer. She loves you. It’s you she wants to spend her life with. It’s you she wants a family with.”
Spencer steps towards me and relief that he’s moved away from the edge surges through me. He’s going to give himself up.
Wrong.
Suddenly he pulls at my arm, yanks me across to him and back towards the edge of the cliff. He’s traded Amelia for me. Off balance I struggle to stay on my feet as he grips me tightly around the waist. I can hardly go into self-defence mode to try to fight him off or we’ll both end up plunging to our deaths off this mountain. My mind flashes back to the last time I was attacked, on a different case, by the guy we were trying to catch. This time there’s no cold metal blade at my throat. Instead there’s a cliff edge and oblivion.
The wind swirls all around us and I force myself not to look at the terrifying view of the resort stretching far below us, the other mountains across the valley or the jagged rocks which would rip us to pieces as we fell.
No. I need to keep my thoughts and attention on Spencer so I don’t freak out and totally lose it. “Drop the gun, Dan!” I shout. “You know you can’t shoot him, not with me like this.”
Dan doesn’t drop his gun. He says nothing. His face is a mask, showing no emotion, no weakness, just calm determination. Just like we’re supposed to, though I’ve always struggled with that side of agency training. How do you stop all those emotions and frightening thoughts which churn away inside of you from showing in your eyes, on your face, in your voice?
So, stalemate. What do we do now? I need to somehow break through to Spencer, get him
to listen, try to defuse the situation before it’s too late for both of us. My mind scrambles for answers. I have to do something. Say something. I open my mouth to speak but the eerie silence is broken by a female yelling “Spencer!” at the top of her voice.
My head jolts round, Spencer’s does too, and we see Fran running towards us from the edge of the forest, calling to Spencer as she does so. Fran’s here? I risk a quick look at Dan, irritation flashes in his eyes but then it’s gone and he’s back to focussed special agent, eyes and gun trained on all three of us.
“Fran!” Spencer shouts as she draws closer and I can’t figure out if he’s pleased or distraught at her appearing like this. I hope Fran is our way out of this without anyone getting shot or plunging off a cliff to certain death.
“What are doing here, Fran? Go back to the chalet!” Spencer shouts, tightening his grip even further on me.
“She’s here because I told her about you and the stalking,” I manage to gasp against his rib crushing grip. “She was worried about you!” I know I probably shouldn’t have contacted Fran to tell her what was going on but I did. This is my Plan B. I’ll probably get told off about it big time but right now, that’s the least of my worries.
“Why, Spencer? Why would you do all of this?” Fran asks him. She’s only a few feet away from us now. “I don’t understand.”
“Because I wanted to make Amelia suffer, like we’ve suffered over the years. I wanted to scare her, teach her a lesson,” he replies, loosening his death grip on me just a fraction.
Fran shakes her head, tears falling down her cheeks. “This is stupid! Do you think I need you in prison for the rest of your life? How is that going to help me? How is that going to fix us and give us a family?”
“I… I…” Spencer stammers and I feel his hands slowly drop away from me, releasing me.
I seize the moment, darting forward, away from Spencer and across to Dan’s side where I place a hand over his and gently get him to lower the gun. He shoots me a look I take to mean he’s not happy about my input in resolving this case but he says nothing.
Forever Mine: A Fun and Flirty Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery Book 3) Page 20
