by Joyce Lavene
Sarah wasn’t surprised at Kathy’s quick table arrangements that put him beside her. Again, his hand kept wandering across her knee. It seemed rude to mention something that probably shouldn’t have bothered her.
“What about Jack?” Ben asked. “Is he still gonna go to jail for the murders?”
“Because we all know there’s no way he was responsible,” Cindy added. “I’ve never known a nicer, more respectful man in my life.”
“That’s because you’ve never gone over to dig for gold,” Ben’s young helper declared. “He’s like a demon if he doesn’t want you there. Half the kids at school are terrified of him.”
Ben slapped the back of his head. “I told you not to go over there.”
“Sorry.” He shrugged. “Everybody does it. You play the lottery. It’s the same thing.”
“Trespassing and digging holes in someone else’s property is not the same thing as the lottery,” Cindy told him. “I keep hearing that the new generation has it all figured out. But they sound as stupid as we ever did.”
The boy held his head down but continued eating.
“Let’s talk about something else—like Christmas.” Cindy smiled. “Now that’s a pleasant thought.”
The conversation turned to local tree farms and who had the best trees. Kathy talked about wishing she had more land so she could grow grapes for wine as well as fir trees.
“Sounds like Sarah’s place is still for sale,” Ben said. “We talked about buying her property.”
“That’s a great idea,” Sarah said. “Ron suggested that I leave a manager here if I couldn’t sell it. Why don’t you two just plant whatever you want? I’ll leave something legal in case Mace can sell it. But in the meantime, it would be extra space for you.”
Ben and Kathy exchanged interested glances across the table.
“That sounds like it could work,” she said. “I’d need some kind of warning time so I could harvest whatever I’d planted.”
“Not fir trees,” Ben said. “But maybe we could move some of the short term crops over there and you could plant some trees here.”
“You don’t have to decide tonight,” Sarah said. “Think about it. We can talk tomorrow.”
“That would give Jack a home too,” Cindy said. “I’ve been worried what would happen to him if the land was sold.”
“That way no matter if he worked for me or not, he’d be on my land,” Kathy said. “Maybe I could still convince him that I’d be a good boss.”
It seemed like a reasonable solution.
Sarah thought Ron would be pleased that she’d taken his suggestion, but he was staring across the kitchen with a scowl on his face. Her cell phone rang before she had a chance to ask him what was wrong. She excused herself and went to answer it on the back porch.
“Is this Sarah Tucker?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“This is Robert Glossom from over at the historical museum in town. You had a question about the three men that might have taken the Confederate gold.”
“Oh. Yes.”
“Mind you, I still don’t believe that gold is buried on your property—or in Misty River—this is for the sake of argument and historic fact.”
“That’s fine.” She smiled at the qualifier.
“The three men were big Mike Denning, Edward Broadwell, and Barton Clapp.”
Sarah gulped and her hands started shaking. She sat on one of the old rocking chairs. There was a dim porch light above her. “Thank you, Mr. Glossom. I appreciate your research.”
“Think nothing of it. Thank you for visiting the museum.”
She felt a little sick to her stomach after she’d put away her phone. Why hadn’t Ron mentioned that their ancestors were in cahoots on the gold? He probably knew. It wasn’t like they hadn’t talked about the history behind it.
There was this terrible feeling that something was very wrong. But just because one of Ron’s relatives was involved with stealing the gold, or whatever happened to it, didn’t mean anything today. Her relative was part of it too.
Ron was a deputy—respected in the community. Why was she even thinking that he could be part of George and Leland’s murders?
It was crazy, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just learned something important.
Sarah went back to the kitchen. Everyone was clearing the table. She thought about telling them what the research had brought up, but one look at Ron changed her mind.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, coming to her side.
“Yes. Mace has another buyer who’s interested in the land.” She smiled. “I’m going to talk to him tomorrow.”
“Good news,” Ron agreed, putting his arm around her and giving her a quick squeeze.
“Darn!” Kathy added. “Just as I was starting to consider the possibilities of using your land. That’s not fair.”
As Ben promised Kathy that they’d find an alternative to planting short-term crops on the acreage next door, Sarah excused herself, taking her handbag with her to the bathroom. She turned on the light and took out the deed to her land. With her heart beating fast, she read through the list of previous owners.
Close to the top was Edward Broadwell. The land had changed hands quickly—in less than a year Mike Denning was listed as the new owner.
Could that be it? She stared at her pale face in the bathroom mirror. Did Ron feel that he owned the land and the gold? Did he really believe the gold was still on the property?
Kathy’s curt knock on the door made her jump. “You okay in there?”
“Yeah. Fine. Thanks.”
What should she do now? She’d already jumped the gun telling the sheriff that she thought Mace had killed the two men. She couldn’t tell him that she suddenly had a weird idea that his deputy had done it. He’d think she really was insane.
Kathy suggested board games, but Sarah was exhausted again. She could understand why people went to bed early when they got up at dawn—around six p.m. she was already tired.
Besides, she was anxious to tell Jack about her thoughts. She hoped he’d take it seriously.
“I’d like to, but I’d probably fall asleep,” Sarah said with a yawn. “I’ll be glad to get back to easier work and later mornings.”
“When are you going?” Ben asked.
“I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to leave Kathy as the steward of my property.” She glanced at Ron, wanting him to know that he wouldn’t have free rein with it. “There’s the issue with using the land as collateral for Jack’s bond, but I’m sure that will pass.”
“Or we’ll track him down,” Ben promised.
Kathy nudged him with her elbow. “Of course Jack’s not going to run. He might look like a wild mountain man most of the time, but he has integrity. He knows what he’s doing.”
Ben offered to take Sarah home—she still hadn’t heard from the rental car company.
“I have to leave anyway,” Ron quickly volunteered. “I’ll be glad to see her home.”
Sarah wanted to insist that she go home with Ben, but that could tip Ron off about what she was thinking. If he was guilty of killing the two men, she didn’t want him to get away. She had to stay cool and calm, thanking Ron with a polite smile.
After saying goodnight all around, Sarah went out to Ron’s car. She tried to keep the conversation light, probably laughing too much and worrying if he would get suspicious. He pulled into the drive and she took a deep breath.
Just let me get out of here and find Jack.
“I’m glad you were able to get the deed for the property today.” Ron turned to her.
It was dark and hard to see his face once the car’s interior lights were off.
“Yes. And thanks for the idea of finding a manager for it. I feel much better knowing I can leave Kathy in charge. That was such a good suggestion.”
“Glad I could help.” He reached under his seat and pulled out a large handgun. “Now where’s Jack? Out looking for my gold?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What’s that for?” Her heart thudded in her chest. Cool and calm. She tried to take a deep breath but it wouldn’t come.
“Let’s go inside, Sarah.”
“I don’t understand.” She tried to bluff. “What’s wrong?”
“Come off it. I know you went to the museum today, and you got the deed. You’ve put two and two together by now. That’s fine. I’m done playing games. I know you and Jack have been looking for the gold. Don’t bother denying it.”
“Ron, I—”
“Once I frame Jack for your murder too, he’ll be gone for a real long time. Kathy and Ben won’t think anything of me coming around to help out. Once I get the gold maybe I’ll buy this land—even though by right it should already belong to me. You see, Big Mike killed my great-great uncle, Edward, and took the land and gold for himself.”
“Look, you don’t have to do this,” she said. “It’s all ancient history. You can find the gold and take it for all I care. How much do you think is left after people have been searching for two hundred years?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” He nudged her with the gun. “Out of the car.”
Sarah felt like she had to comply. He got out right behind her, sliding across the seat, and pushed the gun in her side.
“You know, I really like you,” Ron said, touching her hair. “You’re pretty and smart. I’ve tried to think of ways to get rid of you without actually hurting you, but you’re still here, still in my way.”
“I’m not in your way at all,” she disagreed. “I just told you that you can have the gold. I don’t want it.”
“Sure you don’t.” He sneered. “You want it just like George and Leland did.”
Trying to distract him, she went after his actions. “I don’t understand why you killed George. I’m guessing Leland was also in your way because he wanted to buy the land.”
“George would’ve told you everything if he’d lived. He was Barton Clapp’s great-grandson—Big Mike killed him too. Our ancestors were supposed to share the property so they could split the gold they’d buried here.”
“That was a long time ago. But I’m willing to honor that partnership.” She had her cell phone in her pocket and was trying to manipulate it so she could call 911. It wasn’t easy to do inconspicuously.
“Too late to make new deals, Sarah.” He pushed the gun into her ribs. “Start walking.”
She walked toward the house, thinking that this would be an awesome time for Jack to do one of his popping up tricks. She might still get shot since the gun was slammed into her side, but she’d have a better chance of survival than she had otherwise.
“It won’t do any good to kill me,” she argued. “The deed will just go to my mother and brother. They’ll come to see what happened and figure out everything I did.”
“I thought about that when I killed George. I meant to kill you, too, but Jack was out here playing the hero as usual. I was glad he did after I’d thought about it. Don’t worry. I have a better answer to your death now.”
He kept pushing her toward the house. Sarah kept talking, hoping Jack would hear them. Of course this would be the time he wasn’t out looking for treasure hunters. He was probably too busy hunting in the river for the gold himself.
“Kathy and Ben know you took me home,” she argued. “I think they’ll figure it out if I’m dead tomorrow morning. I don’t know what your plan is, but it won’t work.”
“Shut up and get in the house.” He pushed her up the front steps and opened the door. “Don’t worry. You have company.”
“Jack?” she asked with a catch in her voice. That was why he wasn’t here. Ron had already taken care of him.
He laughed as he switched on the living room light. “Not this time. But he’s gonna be sorry he missed the party. Even Sheriff Morgan is going to believe that he killed you.”
“Mace?” Sarah saw the real estate agent and went quickly to his side. He was unconscious on the floor. He’d obviously made it to the hospital to have his foot treated. There was a bandage on it that was tinged with some blood. “Why did you bring him here?”
“Because he’s my solution,” Ron said. “First he witnesses you signing the deed over to me, its rightful owner. He’s a notary, so he can make that transaction official. The sheriff will think Jack was so enraged when he saw you give me the property that he killed you and poor Nash. I was lucky to have survived his rampage with only a few minor wounds.”
“I guess you’ve thought of everything.” She moved away from Mace. If Ron wanted him conscious, he could do it himself. “But you know Jack is your wild card, right?”
“I’ll take care of Jack. Everyone will know I had to defend myself with lethal force to stop him.”
“Too bad you have no idea where he is or when he’ll show up,” she taunted him. “That must make you kind of nervous.”
He glanced uneasily across his shoulder at the living room window and moved to the right of it. “He’ll show up. I’ll be ready for him. Get Nash on his feet. Let’s get this going.”
Sarah tried to think of something else to say. She moved slowly toward the unconscious realtor, wondering what she could do to keep this from happening in case Jack didn’t show up. There had to be something she could use as a weapon.
Despite not wanting to help him, she had to stall for time. She leaned over Mace and called his name. He didn’t stir. “I think I need some water.”
“Fine. We’ll both go in the kitchen. Don’t get any stupid ideas. It doesn’t matter to me what order everyone dies in. You could be first.”
“I guess you hadn’t figured this out yet when you killed Leland and tried to make it look like Jack did it.” She walked in front of him toward the kitchen and switched on the light.
“You’re right. I thought you’d go away and I could get Jack to take the blame for the two deaths. It would make sense why he’d done it. And what do you mean, trying to make it look like it? Even the sheriff half believes Jack killed those two because he doesn’t want you to sell the land.”
It was unnerving knowing he’d been thinking this through since she’d met him. It was worse with him standing right behind her preparing to execute his plan. She wished Jack would sneak up on him. But he could be killed, too, if he showed his face. Maybe there was some way she could warn him.
Before she could think of that way, the lights in the house went off. The water had started to trickle out of the faucet, but with the power off, the pump couldn’t come on either. The cloth she was holding was barely damp.
“Jack!” Ron pushed the gun into her back. “Mess with me, and she loses a kidney.”
There was no response.
“Get back in the living room and wake Nash.” He shoved her in that direction.
But when they got in the other room, the realtor was gone. Ron made her sit in one of the chairs while he used a flashlight to search behind the furniture in case his prisoner had crawled away.
Sarah could hear him getting angrier from his heavy breathing and frequent curses. She realized, as he probably did too, that Jack had taken Mace out of the house while they were in the kitchen.
“This doesn’t matter,” Ron yelled in frustration. “I still have the girl. I can kill her and then look for you and Nash. Remember how I killed George? I don’t have the Ruger anymore, but it won’t take a rifle to kill Sarah. It’ll be like killing Leland and leading you into the trap in the barn. I could’ve killed you then, Jack. I’ll do it tonight and make up for that mistake.”
He was whirling around the living room, glaring at the ceiling as though Jack was up there watching him. Sarah realized that she wouldn’t get a better opportunity to escape before he made good on his threats.
She slithered off the chair to the floor and crawled around the back of the sofa. Ron was still yelling crazy threats at Jack. She kept crawling until her knees told her that she was in the kitchen. It would only take him a minute to realize
she was gone once he stopped ranting. She had to make sure she was in a safe place by then.
Which way would he think she’d go? She could reach the back door and run outside in the darkness of the yard. It would be hard to find her there. But wouldn’t he expect her to do that?
She could crawl up the stairs and hide in one of the bedrooms. That seemed like the least expected action, but it might be easier for him to find her.
The choice was made for her when Ron stopped yelling and realized she wasn’t in the living room. He swore and ran for the back door, throwing it wide open as he started screaming her name while he hunted for her.
Sarah ran up the stairs, heart pounding. She gulped for breath as she hid in her grandparents’ bedroom.
Ron would never be able to search everywhere outside, especially not in the dark. On the other hand, there weren’t enough places in the bedroom to hide if he decided to come looking for her here.
She listened but didn’t hear anything. Finally realizing she could call for help even if it took a while to get there, she reached for her cell phone.
It was gone. She’d dropped it somewhere, maybe in the house. She’d had it, trying to call without looking as she’d walked inside. It had to be in the living room or coming up the stairs.
She didn’t hear any footsteps or heavy breathing—Ron must still be outside. She crept back downstairs, carefully running her hand along the wood, searching for her phone.
No one was ever going to convince her that she didn’t need a gun for protection. In fact, she planned to buy another one if she survived this.
Sarah was on her knees in the area between the kitchen and the living room when she heard footsteps coming from the back porch. She pushed herself flat against the wall.
“Are you in here?” Ron whispered. “Jack? Where are you? Did you take Sarah too? You can’t play these little games with me the way you do with the kids. I’ve got specialized training that you’ve never dreamed about.”
He brushed by the table, and she went quickly to the other side. But she didn’t move fast enough. He reached out and grabbed her hair as she inched by.
