That did the trick. Andrea bolted upright, her eyes wildly scanning the room as she tried to focus. “Where am I?”
Stan swung around to the man in the rocking chair. “You got the keys?”
The man slowly rose to his feet and pulled the keys from his pocket. He tossed them in the air. “Catch.”
Stan studied the keys for a brief moment before whirling around to face Andrea.
Through the foggy haze, Andrea’s eyes finally began to focus. It was that precise moment two thoughts suddenly occurred to Andrea. The first thing she realized is the man closest to her was holding a gun and second, Gloria was standing at the end of the couch with an expression of sheer terror on her face.
She started to push herself off the sofa but quickly sat back down as she grabbed her head. “My brain feels like it’s going to pound right through my skull.”
Stan turned to the other man. “What’d you give her?”
He smiled smugly. “A roofie.”
Stan waved the gun in the girls’ direction. “What are we going to do with these two?”
Gloria glanced over at Andrea. The poor thing was pale as a ghost and still holding her head. She cautiously walked over to the sofa and gently sat down as she wrapped an arm around Andrea’s shoulders.
Her head snapped up as she glared at Stan. “We have no idea where the money is.”
He took a step forward, hovering menacingly above the girls. “We’re no fools. The money is hidden somewhere in that creepy old house.”
The other man was glaring down at them now. He nodded towards Andrea. “We have her keys. Why don’t we take them over to the old place? Maybe that’ll jog their memories.”
Stan nodded slowly. “Great idea, Dean. They better start prayin’ it works.” He tapped the gun lightly across the palm of his hand as he glared at Gloria. “Time to go.”
Andrea slowly rose to her feet. The drug still in her system made her knees buckle. Gloria grabbed her around the waist as she tried in vain to keep her on her feet. “Here, lean on me.”
A blast of cool evening air hit them in the face as they made their way out the door. Andrea gulped the fresh air. “That helps a little.” She stumbled her way as far as the side of the yard before clutching her stomach and heaving violently on the gravel drive. She fell back against the side of the van. It took several long moments before she finally found the strength to crawl in. By the time Gloria climbed in after her, Andrea was flat on her back, her arm flung across her face. She was softly sobbing.
Gloria felt completely helpless as she patted her arm. “We’ll get out of this one way or another.” It was the “other” that Gloria was worried about.
The unmarked police van pulled into an empty cornfield a good half a mile away from Stan Blackstone’s place. Half a dozen cops wearing bullet proof vests and carrying semi-automatic rifles poured out of the back. They hustled across the field without making a sound.
It didn’t take long for them to stumble upon the bright mercury light beaming down on the purple wood frame structure. The small house was instantly surrounded. With extreme precision, the leader of the small group kicked the front door wide open, gun drawn. Paul was right behind him.
The place was empty. Stan Blackstone, a murder suspect, and his brother, Dean Blackstone, an escaped convict, had managed to slip away.
A thorough search of the inside revealed not a single clue as to their whereabouts. Paul walked back outside. Stan’s van was gone but an old Ford truck sat parked in the driveway. Paul would bet $100 it belonged to the brother.
He ran a frazzled hand through his short hair. They could be anywhere. He slowly made his way down the front steps.
He walked to the end of the driveway and looked around. He slowly shook his head and turned to go when he took one last look back. Something across the street caught his eye. It was a tractor. He took a few steps forward and peered at the shadowy outline. It was Gloria’s tractor.
He pulled the cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed her number. It went right to voicemail. Next, he tried her house phone. Same thing.
He shouted at the men milling around the house. “We need to move! Now!”
They rushed back to the van and in no time were headed down the road in the direction of Gloria’s farm. Paul hit the ground running before the van made a complete stop. He glanced in the direction of the barn before racing to the porch door. Just as he suspected. The barn door was wide open and the tractor was gone.
He didn’t even bother knocking as he swung the porch door open. Somehow he already knew she wasn’t there and that the house was empty.
He took a quick glance in the garage to confirm her car was there before heading back to the van.
There was only one place he could think of that they could possibly be.
Gloria prayed a simple prayer as she held onto Andrea’s arm. Dear Lord, please protect us from these evil men. The Bible says if we trust and believe in you, you will protect us from all harm.
Psalm 91:14-15 popped into her head.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”
V.15 “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him.”
She squeezed Andrea’s hand. “God will take care of us.” She wasn’t quite sure if she was trying to reassure Andrea or herself.
The van door slid open and Stan silently motioned them out. He pulled the keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked the gate. With Dean in the lead and Stan bringing up the rear, the four cautiously made their way to the front door. Moments later, the door swung open and the four stepped inside.
Stan closed the door and threw the deadbolt in place. He fumbled for the light switch. Seconds later the entrance flooded with bright light.
It was then Andrea was finally able to get a good look at them. The brothers looked even more evil and sinister than before. Andrea’s stomach churned again as she swallowed hard. She faced Gloria with terror-filled eyes.
Gloria tried to give the poor thing a reassuring smile but it never quite made it. This was a scene right out of a horror movie.
Stan took a step closer, the gun glinting in his hand. “Now where’s the money?”
Andrea shook her head as she stifled a sob. “I-I have no idea.”
The men were quickly losing patience as Dean latched onto Andrea’s arm and began shaking her violently. Gloria tried in vain to break his ironclad grip as she yanked on his arm. “Leave her alone!”
Stan grabbed the back of Gloria’s neck so hard, she lost her balance and fell backwards, landing hard on the marble floor. She tried to soften the fall as she braced herself with outstretched hands. A sharp pain shot up her back. She sat there for a second in a haze of pain, her hip throbbing, before she finally managed to struggle to her feet.
“Nothing like two strong men beating up on a couple defenseless women,” she muttered. Gloria didn’t care if they really got ticked off. She knew they would keep them alive as long as they thought the girls knew where the money was stashed.
Stan turned around and spat on the ground at Gloria’s feet. A warning that Gloria needed to shut up. At least Dean finally let go of poor Andrea’s arm.
Gloria felt the cell phone in her pocket silently buzz. Someone was calling. Please let it be Paul, she prayed. He would be worried if she didn’t answer. Maybe even worried enough to come look for her. She knew she was grasping at straws but at this point, that’s all she really had…
Dean’s sharp eye noticed the vibrating lump in her jeans pocket. He held out his hand. “I’ll take that.”
Gloria reluctantly pulled the phone from her pocket and stuck it in his outstretched hand. He promptly dropped it on the ground and stomped on it with a heavy boot.
Stan raised the gun and rested the barrel on Andrea’s temple. She closed her eyes for a moment as beads of perspiration formed on her brow. She nervously wiped it away
as she swallowed hard.
“I want the money and I want it now,” he hissed.
“Drop the gun!” Stan whirled around. A thin, blonde woman emerged from the dark dining room. The gun in her hand was aimed right at Dean Blackstone’s head.
Dean’s eyes slid to the side as he caught a glimpse of the weapon pointed at the side of his temple. “You heard her, Stan. Drop the gun!”
Stan lowered his arm and let the gun fall to the ground as he stared at the woman beside Dean.
The woman’s voice sounded vaguely familiar. Gloria whirled around. Her mouth dropped open when she realized who was now holding a gun.
“Chelsea Hicks…” Andrea took the words right out of Gloria’s mouth. Chelsea Hicks, the woman who was having an affair with Andrea’s husband, was standing in front of them.
A grin of pure evil and smug satisfaction turned the beautiful face into a mask of ugliness. “Hello, Andrea.” She spat the words out of her twisted mouth.
Dean Blackstone was confused. “You two know each other?”
After the last few weeks in jail, all Chelsea could think about was getting even with Andrea Malone. It was all Andrea’s fault her boyfriend, Daniel, was dead.
Chelsea couldn’t believe her good fortune that the meddling Gloria Rutherford was here too. If not for her, Chelsea’s husband, Barry, never would’ve been charged for Daniel’s murder and Andrea would be the one in jail.
She couldn’t have worked this out any better if she’d tried. Now she could get rid of Andrea and Gloria, make it look like the two brothers killed the girls when they got the money and then turned on each other. “So where’s the money, Andrea?” Chelsea demanded.
Even though Gloria was terrified out of her mind, she had to know the truth. “I’ll tell you where the money is but first you have to answer one question.”
Chelsea tilted her head as if she was really thinking about it. She shrugged. “Go ahead. It’s not like you’ll be alive to tell anyone anyways.”
Gloria glanced from Chelsea to the two brothers. “Who killed Arthur?”
Stan began answering in riddles. “She who holds the gun, holds the answer.”
“Arthur owed us a lot of money,” Chelsea explained. “Now that Barry’s in jail, I need the cash so I can pay the money-grubbing attorneys.”
She jabbed the gun in Gloria’s chest. “This is all your fault!” She turned to Andrea. “And hers!”
Chelsea’s face turned beet red. She blamed Andrea and Gloria for everything and now they would pay with their lives. “Now where’s the money?”
Gloria had an idea. It wasn’t a solid plan yet but at least it was a start.
“Why don’t we try the master bedroom first?” She tried speaking as confidently as possible. “That would make the most sense. If I were going to hide money, I’d probably hide it in the master bedroom…”
Andrea nodded nervously, desperate to go along with whatever Gloria was concocting. “Me, too.”
They slowly crept up the stairs as they made their way to the second level. Gloria turned left and with determined steps, set off in the direction of the master bedroom. Inside the room, Gloria flipped on the lights as she made her way over to the master bed. “Maybe Arthur hid it under the mattress?” she threw out hopefully.
With a slight nod of her head and a wave of the gun, the girls pulled back the sheets and blankets before slowly feeling around the edge of the bed. Gloria stopped when she got to the far end. She grabbed Andrea’s hand underneath the mattress, tugging on it. Andrea scooched over so the two of them were standing close together.
“I feel something lumpy right about here.” Gloria pointed as the girls moved away from the bed.
The brothers stepped forward and cautiously lifted the heavy mattress. Chelsea leaned forward, still clutching the gun in a death grip.
With their attention momentarily diverted, Gloria grabbed Andrea’s arm and made a dash for the secret entrance to the bath. She swung the door open, dragged Andrea inside and slammed it shut. She wasted no time in throwing the heavy bolt in place.
“Get the chair!” Gloria yelled.
Andrea snatched the ornate metal dressing table chair from under the make-up counter and dragged it over to the door. With the door securely locked and the chair wedged tightly under the knob, Gloria raced over to the bath. There was a large picture window in front of the tub that was boarded shut. “We need to get this off.”
Just then, the girls heard a woman scream followed by a dull thud.
Seconds later, the brothers began pounding on the outside of the door. Dean’s muffled threat seeped through the door. “Open this door or we’ll start shooting.”
Gloria glanced around the room. “I remember seeing some wire hangers in one of the drawers.” Seconds later, Andrea was back with a couple heavy-duty hangers.
Gloria took one of the hangers from Andrea’s hand and began bending it into a hook. She wedged the metal between two pieces of board and began prying it off. The wood easily splintered, leaving a large gap.
She threw the hanger down and began ripping the board from the window with her bare hands.
Andrea was right next to her now, tearing away at the other flimsy piece of wood. God was surely on their side.
Moments later, the glass pane window was completely exposed. Andrea quickly unlatched the lock and threw the window open. Brisk evening air rushed in.
“Thank you, Jesus.” Gloria felt like crying.
The door was rattling hard as the men tried kicking it in. When that stopped, several gunshots rang out on the other side. The two thugs were making good on their threat to shoot their way inside.
Gloria stuck her head out the window where another miracle materialized. There was a small, sloping roof right outside the window. Andrea gingerly stepped onto the ledge.
Gloria stuck her arm out. “Wait!”
Sitting in the corner of the tub was a bottle of body lotion and it was almost full.
Gloria grabbed the bottle and headed for the window. “OK, let’s go!”
There was one minor problem with the roof. It was slanted downward at a precariously steep angle. They both clung to the wall as they carefully inched their way along the sloped metal roof.
In the distance, Gloria could hear sirens in the still of the night. They were very faint but they were there. Gloria squeezed her eyes shut and whispered a small prayer. “Hopefully, we’re about to be rescued.”
Gloria could hear the chair rattling angrily against the bathroom door. They were almost out of time!
She quickly unscrewed the lid on the body lotion and began pouring gobs of it on the slanted metal roof, right in front of the window. She finished dumping the last little bit on the roof at the exact moment the bathroom door finally gave way and the two men came crashing through.
The girls pressed their bodies tightly against the outside wall and held their breath.
Seconds later, Stan’s head popped out the window. His gaze quickly honed in on the two terrified women. He leaned forward and desperately tried grabbing the edge of Gloria’s jeans. She was just out of reach. He hoisted himself out onto the roof and took his first step. By the time he realized the surface was slicker than a greased pig, there was no turning back. His feet quickly gave way as he landed hard on the metal roof He lost his grip on the gun which flew out of his hand and disappeared over the edge of the roofline. He tried in vain to grab onto something but everything he touched was covered in thick slime.
Although their situation was more than a little precarious, Gloria couldn’t help laughing at the look on Stan’s face when he realized he was going for a little ride. Right down the side of the roof and onto the ground below. “Help!” was all he got out before he disappeared out of sight.
Dean was right behind him as the other brother climbed onto the roof. He was doing a little better job of managing to stay on his feet. But only slightly better. His arms flailed wildly in the air as he struggled to stay upright. He r
eached back to grab hold of the window frame which was now just outside his grasp. His efforts were futile. Seconds later, he landed on his rear end and followed the same path as his brother, screaming loudly all the way down.
Andrea readjusted her grip. “Maybe we should…”
Just then, floodlight filled the yard as several dark figures emerged from the overgrown hedge. “Freeze!”
The two thugs scrambled to their feet and reluctantly raised their hands high in the air. Minutes later they were surrounded by men dressed in combat gear, waving guns.
Paul Kennedy stepped out of the shadows. Gloria nearly fainted. “Up here!” With one hand, she held the side of the house in a grip of death. With the other she began waving frantically.
He glanced around before finally noticing the girls clinging to the side of the house.
A ladder quickly materialized and was propped against the side of the house. Gloria dropped to her knees and slowly crawled across the bumpy roof top to safety. Andrea followed her lead and moments later both girls were safely on the ground.
They got there just in time to see the two brothers being cuffed and led away.
Gloria’s whole body was shaking as Paul wrapped her in a hug. “How did you know we were here?”
He looked back at the men as they were loaded into the back of the cop car. “Something Stan said to me earlier today clicked in my brain. He said something about his brother but made it seem like maybe he had more than one…”
“So I went back to the hotel and asked a few more questions. That’s when I found out the person staying there was Dean Blackstone – not Arthur.”
“I got a search warrant for his house. By the time I got there, he was gone and there was a strange vehicle parked in the driveway. I knew something was up.”
He turned back to Gloria. “Then I noticed your tractor on the edge of the field.”
Gloria looked sheepishly. “Yeah, I was doing a stakeout when I saw the brother carry Andrea into the house. I tried to peek in the windows and Walking Stan caught me.”
Andrea shuddered involuntarily. “If not for Gloria, I’d be dead right now.”
Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2) Page 10
