by Jewel Allen
She went back to her spot and he took over his chair once again. When she was all comfortable, Madison picked up her guitar and tuned it.
“Hey,” she told the band, “would y’all like to hear a new song that I wrote?”
They all nodded enthusiastically.
She went ahead and gave them the chords to try. After a couple of runs, they had jazzed it up with several chord progressions. They were truly amazing and talented people.
“This here is dedicated to my friend Luke.”
There were wolf whistles and catcalls. Luke took off his shades and smiled.
I remember how you once were
You came to school and acted so tough
Didn’t like you at first, but it got better
And I could see the diamond in the rough
When you are polished
You will shine
You’re my rock…my diamond in the rough.
That first time you opened yourself up
to the truth that you were good enough
That you could be the hidden gem
But you were just a diamond in the rough.
When you are polished
You will shine
You’re my rock…my diamond in the rough.
She plucked the end chords and let the notes die down. She didn’t dare look at Luke. She knew that this song was the most intimate she’d ever written about him. But she wanted him to know, regardless of how things turned out between them, that she thought the world of him.
The boy you were once, is now a man
You’ve weathered life’s storms so tough
You stand before me now complete
And I’ve found the diamond in the rough
I love your polish
I love your shine
My rock…no longer a diamond in the rough
Madison glanced at Luke to see what he thought of the song. His eyes were shining and a smile hovered over his lips.
When rehearsal was done, he came over. “That was a cool song,” he said. “What an honor to be the subject of Miss Madison Kay’s songwriting.” He sobered. “Do you know, I appreciate that as much of a punk I was, you thought I was worth something.”
“Of course,” she said.
Sally came up to her afterwards. “Hon, that was a wonderful song. Why hadn’t you shared it with me before now?”
“I wasn’t sure it fit the lineup that you’d been pushing for, to be honest,” Madison admitted. “And it was impulsive on my part. I just wanted to try it out today. You like it?”
“I love it. You are so talented.” She hugged Madison.
“Thanks. I’ve been thinking that I’d like to do more of that. But it doesn’t have to all be slow and sad.”
“I didn’t think it was sad, especially if you rock it out. Get it? Rock?”
Madison smiled. “Clever.”
Sally glanced at Luke, who was chatting with some of the band members. “Luke has sure turned out to be a diamond.”
“Yeah, he sure has,” Madison admitted.
“Have you thought more about what will happen after Nashville?”
“He said he’s giving me a new bodyguard.”
“Oh.” Sally’s face fell. “You mean, he’s going away?”
She nodded. “That’s what I understand to mean.”
“Too bad. You two seem made for each other.”
It didn’t matter, did it? If he was ready to move on once again, then who was she to hold him back?
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
That night, Luke opened the door to an unexpected visitor. “Can I come in?” Sgt. Castro asked. “I have some news for Madison.”
Madison joined them in the living room, where Sgt. Castro sat on the couch, leaning forward eagerly.
“We’re closing in on him,” Sgt. Castro said.
“Close is not good enough,” Luke said.
Sgt. Castro cast a glance at his team. “We actually have a thought. Hear us out.”
“Okay,” Luke said warily. He didn’t like the sound of this.
“Frank Dell obviously has been able to track your client fairly easily. What if, we lure him to a controlled environment, and we nab him there?”
“Sure,” Luke said sarcastically. “Can I send out the invitation?”
“Seriously though,” Sgt. Castro said. “You can take Madison somewhere prearranged, where the Gatlinburg cops could catch him.”
“Wait.” Luke’s eyes narrowed. “You want to set a trap and Madison’s the bait? You’ve got to be out of your mind!”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Madison said.
Luke sprang from his chair. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Madison, “because it ain’t gonna happen under my watch.”
Madison touched his arm. “We need to do something different. I can’t imagine chalking up more days where I have to look over my shoulder. I can’t even think about putting on a concert in two days.”
“Sally would flip out,” Luke said, “and you know it.”
Madison chewed her fingernail. “Sally doesn’t have to know. I can just tell her that I wanted a breather before the concert. You can charm her. That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“What if he doesn’t show?” Luke asked. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
Desperation lurked in Madison’s eyes. “Do you really think he won’t?”
***
Madison swirled a drink in her hands. The cops had gone, and she and Luke stayed behind to talk strategy.
“The judge has issued a restraining order,” Luke said.
“Not that it would keep Frank Dell from coming to see me,” Madison said glumly.
Luke nodded. “At this point, that’s all we can do. This way, if he does do something, the cops can sink their teeth and lock him up for good.”
Madison rubbed her temple slowly. “But by then it’s going to be too late.”
“Here comes Sally,” Luke said. “Remember what we talked about.”
Madison took a deep breath and nodded. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Sally, but they had to do it so they could trap Frank Dell once and for all.
Sally entered the room, sinking into the couch and putting up her feet on the ottoman. “Ah, nice.”
“I’ve been thinking, Sally,” Madison said. “I really would like a little break before the concert. Tomorrow.”
Sally stared at her. “But hon, your concert is in a couple of days.”
“Precisely.” Madison persisted. “Luke has a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. He’s been kind enough to offer for me to stay there.”
“Smoky Mountains?” Sally sputtered. “But isn’t that far from here?”
“It’s only five hours away,” Luke said. “The perfect overnighter.”
Sally looked from one to the other. “Is there something going on between the two of you that I need to know about?”
“No.” Madison blushed. “It’s nothing like that.”
“Scout’s honor,” Luke said.
“Because just the other day, you promised…”
“And we’ll honor that promise,” Luke assured her.
“You can come, Sally,” Madison offered.
“Just make sure you bring mosquito repellent and bear spray,” Luke said.
Sally shuddered. “I wish, hon, but I have too much work to catch up on. I’m already thinking two concert venues ahead. I would imagine you don’t have wi-fi there, Luke?”
“Luckily not.”
“That cements the non-deal for me. So if you still want to do this, Madison, you have my blessing.”
When Sally left the room, Madison and Luke exchanged subdued smiles.
“So far, so good,” she said.
Luke’s eyes held a pensive expression. “Yup,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Luke felt frustrated. Never in his career had a perp been able to get through all the cordons of security that he
had put in place. He needed to make sure that this trip to the Smokies was successful. He would hire a couple of people to secure the area for when the perp were to take the bait.
A new sergeant, Sgt. Wilson, and his men had gone ahead and would set up a discreet surveillance system. Luke made a few phone calls and made sure a competent cop in Gatlinburg continued to work the case. There was so little time. He didn’t want some newbie on the case messing this up.
Once Frank Dell falls for the trap, he would be history.
Two temps from his agency arrived within the hour. They had worked for Luke’s company in other states, but didn’t want to be tied down to a specific office. One was Renny, a redhead with lots of freckles, and the other was Miko, a Japanese-American with a baby face. They convoyed in a van behind Luke and Madison in the Corvette.
Five hours later, they arrived at Gatlinburg. Luke could already feel his body relax at the sight of the Great Smoky Mountains. The sky was clear above on this sunny summer day, cleared of its usual mist, but the mountains were still beautiful.
It was a perfect getaway. How he wished they were here only to vacation. He glanced over at Madison as she took in the mountainous landscape.
“I love it,” she breathed.
“Wait till you see it all up close,” he said.
They drove up a dirt road a few minutes outside Gatlinburg. Luke’s cabin’s yellowish birch facade glowed against the green foliage. This was one of the first properties he’d acquired since he became successful with his business. He had plenty of clients always traveling to Nashville, so this had been a great tax write-off.
And his escape.
Luke parked and helped Madison unload her little suitcase and makeup kit. He watched her reaction with satisfaction as they made their way on flagstones up to the cabin’s spacious porch.
“Wow,” Madison said, as they entered the cabin. “Not too shabby.”
Luke followed her gaze onto the majestic stone fireplace in the middle of the wall, the hunting trophies of elk, deer, and bear, and the gleaming wood floors.
He led her upstairs to the second bedroom. It had a hand-carved lodgepole pine bed, a fireplace, and French doors that led to a balcony. She gasped and walked out, taking in the view.
All around was mountain and trees, air and light. Madison turned to him with her eyes all aglow.
“I want to live here forever,” she said.
Did she know what she was saying? Did she truly mean it, living here—with him—forever?
When she turned back to the view, he knew that she was just being impulsive and her words probably meant nothing.
But he liked to imagine her here in the winter, with snow covering the mountain tops, a fire going, while they snuggled under a warm throw. He would hold her close and nuzzle her neck until she would ask, in her husky voice, for a kiss…
Luke shook the image from his mind and studied the premises. He was getting distracted when the whole point of this was to take care of unresolved business. Madison’s safety hinged on his keeping his head about him at all times.
So far, he had not seen signs of police activity, though he got the text from Sgt. Wilson that they had set up and were ready.
Leaving Madison momentarily, he met with Sgt. Wilson in the back. He was a beefy copy with a neck so wide Luke was sure he could pop his buttons loose just by grunting. He asked good questions and appeared to catch on pretty quickly on the situation.
“We’re just going to wait in the wings,” Sgt. Wilson told Luke. He seemed to want to say something more, then touched Luke’s sleeve.
“No need to worry the little lady, but there are signs of activity from the suspect here already. We found some tracks in your yard.”
Luke nodded grimly. He scanned the trees.
One of these times, Frank Dell was gonna get careless.
***
Sitting on a couch, Luke watched Madison pace in the family room.
“I’m feeling restless,” she said. “I need to work out and burn some energy.”
He knew how she felt. Like a caged animal, going crazy over time.
“Good idea,” he said, tossing the paper he was reading to the side. “Wanna run? There’s a good trail up here.”
There were shadows under her eyes. “Are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“Remember how we need to lure him out?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes. “Oh goll, yes. And I hate it. My stomach’s all in knots thinking that somewhere out there, Frank is just lying in wait.”
“If he is, Sgt. Wilson and his men can help us get him,” he assured her.
***
Just like along the Appalachian Trail, there were shelters at intervals near Luke’s cabin. Each represented a distance marker with which to measure their progress up the trail.
The shelters also represented something good. They shielded one from the rays of the sun or the brisk winds of the cold seasons; yet Madison felt as though their shadows could hold dark secrets. Each time she came up to one, she half expected someone to jump out and spring upon them.
She chastised herself for her overactive imagination.
At the fourth shelter, Madison pulled up short, her face ashen.
“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.
She pointed at a piece of paper fluttering in the wind, but pinned down to the table. It read, “Welcome, Madison.”
He lowered his voice, in case the perp was listening to them. “This is what we wanted, remember? We’re setting a trap for him.”
“I can’t do it,” Madison whispered. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” Her face crumpled and tears streaked down her cheeks.
He reached for her tentatively, and she ran into his arms.
“You don’t have to,” he said, stroking her back.
“I’m sorry we drove this far for nothing.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he assured her. “It will still be good for you to take a break before the concert.”
They went back to the cabin and made contact with Sgt. Wilson, who showed up minutes later, his expression grim.
“What’s this about calling off the trap?” Sgt. Wilson said.
“Madison doesn’t want to go through this. And I can’t blame her.”
Sgt. Wilson frowned. “But wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could just take care of this?”
“Not at the expense of her mental health,” Luke said.
Sgt. Wilson turned to Madison. “Miss Kay, I need to hear it from you. Do you honestly not want to do this, even though it seems we are making inroads?”
“Correct.” Madison bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Sgt. I don’t have nerves of steel.”
“You just want to head back to Nashville then?”
She nodded mutely.
“Alright then, we’ll call it off,” Sgt. Wilson said. “Just the same, we’ve traveled all the way here, we might as well shadow you. Is there someplace you’d like to go this afternoon? Or are you just staying in?”
“I don’t really want to be all cooped up,” Madison said, “but I feel so vulnerable on the trail. How about a place where we could just be inside but still out and about?”
Luke thought for a minute. “How about the Forbidden Caverns? It’s close here and it’ll be inside. Then we can go back to Nashville and get ready for the concert.”
“Yes, that sounds nice,” Madison said. She touched his arm. “I appreciate all the effort you and the police are putting in for me, though.”
He nodded. He almost covered her hand with his to reassure her, but just let his hand fall to his side.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“The Forbidden Caverns got its name from a Cherokee Legend, about the curious Princess Nutah,” the guide said. His long, bushy beard partly obscured his name tag, which said Leroy Stodges.
Madison peered past Leroy to look further into the caverns, imagining herself as the princess with an insatiable curiosity. “What happened to her?”
His eyes glimm
ered in the early evening sun. “She got lost in the hollow mountain of two streams, which is forbidden.”
Madison grimaced. “That’s terrible. So she died here?”
Leroy nodded. “Yes. But it makes for a great story, don’t you think?”
“Actually, it’s pretty morbid,” Madison retorted.
Leroy laughed heartily.
Luke, just listening on, smiled. He was wearing a t-shirt that stretched nicely across his buff chest. It was fun to see him dress down for a change, instead of his usual bodyguard outfit of dark suit and tie. He was also wearing a pair of jeans that looked really nice on him, not that she was staring.
Madison, for her part, was a bit chilled in her summer dress and strappy sandals. “Brrr,” she said, “how cold is it down here?”
Leroy consulted his phone. “58 degrees, according to Weather Bug.”
“No wonder,” she said, rubbing her arms.
“I have a hoodie in the car,” Luke said. “Would you like to borrow it?”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s really nice of you, but it’s such a bother.”
“No problem at all.” As he left their side, Renny and Miko let him pass. They were a reassuring presence to Madison, not that Lenny looked dangerous.
Lenny folded his hands together. “And where are you from?” he asked Madison.
“Originally? Colorado. Sunnyridge, to be precise. But I live all over now, it seems.”
“Oh? What do you do?”
“I’m a singer.”
“And your name?”
“Madison Kay.”
He cocked his head. “Um, okay. Sorry, never heard of it.”
Madison actually felt relieved. It was nice to meet someone who wasn’t going to fawn all over her. Luke returned shortly and handed her a gray hoodie. It drowned Madison completely, but it was warm, and she was happy.
Luke reached for the collar and fixed it. Their faces were very close, intimate. Madison glanced at his hands self-consciously, and became aware of his scent on the fabric. If he weren’t looking, she would have sniffed it. Even the warmth of the fabric made her feel as though he were hugging her.
