Wild Blue Mysteries Boxed Set

by Diane Bator

  Laura started to wheeze. “I think. I need. To sit down.”

  “Suck it up, princess.” Al turned back to Katie. “Why’d you stop running? You had the keys to the kingdom.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Half a million dollars to disappear into the sunset and enough info to put the big guys away for life? I’d be out of the country before anyone could blink. Brazil, Tahiti, the south of France…But no, not you. You hop a bus and buy a bookstore in some backwoods town an hour away. I always thought you were the smart one.”

  An insult sat on her dry lips, but Katie bit it back. “I like it here.”

  “I like lots of places, babe.” Al shook his head and picked up one of her business cards. “If I was gonna disappear with half a million dollars and a price on my head, I’d learn to like farther away places. You’re not so good at this witness relocation thing.”

  Maddox had put a price on her head? Is that what they were doing in her store? “What do you care?”

  He ignored her, flicking the business card with his finger before he stuck it in his jacket pocket. “I always thought you were the smart one. I liked you better than Dunnsforth. You’ve got brains, beauty and a body that won’t quit. Coming to this dump, you blew my image of you.”

  She wasn’t sure how to respond. “You want me to be sorry?”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Laura patted her shoulder. “He’s trying to guilt you into going with him.”

  “And killing you,” Ray added.

  Katie didn’t need the reminder. “What do you suggest?”

  “I’ve heard enough.” When Ray reached for the gun, she moved away.

  Chevy sighed. “You know Al and I can’t kill you yet. Not until we get you back to the boss. We kind of like you. We want to give you a chance to plead your case before we blow you away.”

  “That’s nice,” Laura said. “I think.”

  “Not to mention,” Al glared at Chevy, “it’s a pain in the ass to clean blood out of the carpets in the trunk of the car. You know, if we ever get busted, they’re gonna get a car with a few stories to tell. We have a place that’s already set up. No muss, no fuss.”

  “That would be interesting to hear more about.” Katie tried to stall the inevitable while seeking a path out of harm’s way.

  “Whaddaya mean?” Al narrowed his eyes.

  Katie took as deep a breath as her lungs allowed. “I mean, you guys have had an interesting career. You should write a book. I’ve met a lot of writers and—”

  “A book is a great idea.” Ray motioned for her to pull the gun out then muttered, “Either you do it or I will.”

  “Give me a—”

  “Write a book?” Chevy’s round face reddened beneath the bushy beard. “Us? You’re joking. Tie her up.”

  She reached behind her back to touch the gun and swat Ray’s hand away. “Why not? Writers make up stuff you guys have actually done. And done well, I might add. No one’s testified against you yet.”

  “True.” Al grinned at his cousin.

  Katie hoped she’d piqued their interest. “You guys know stuff most people don’t. Not everyone can be a bodyguard to someone like Maddox.”

  “Yeah. I’ll bet you guys have dozens of stories you can tell,” Laura said.

  Chevy grinned, a gleam in his eye. “You got that right. Hey, Al, remember that guy from New York? The one that wouldn’t fit in the trunk so we had to—”

  “Shut up, moron.” Al’s eyes widened. “She’d never help us do anything. They’re stalling.”

  Time had run out.

  Katie’s expression turned somber. “So, what’re you gonna do with me? Are you going to shoot me like you did Dunnsforth?”

  “We didn’t shoot him. Somebody else got to him first and saved us the trouble. From what I heard, it was a woman.” Al glanced at Chevy who shrugged. “We’ll put you in the trunk and drive around until you suffocate. No blood.”

  “You’re sick.” Laura’s face paled.

  “Yeah, but she’ll yell a lot.” Al looked skeptical. “Some of those back roads are rough. She’ll be banged up by the time we get her to the boss.”

  “I’ll be quiet if it means not getting shot,” Katie said. “You can wrap something around me so I don’t bruise. There’s probably an old blanket or a tarp in the back room.”

  Al shook his head. “I dunno. After my divorce, I don’t believe a word that comes out of any woman’s mouth. Especially yours.”

  “What have I ever done to you?”

  “You say you won’t scream.” Chevy shrugged, “but as soon as it gets dark in there and we start driving, you’ll pop open the trunk and jump out.”

  “You can pop the trunk from the inside?” Katie asked.

  “Yeah, of course you can. It’s one of those child safety features my wife liked. It’s great to keep kids safe, but it sucks for transporting people.” Chevy spoke casually as one would about the weather. “We’ll have to tie her hands behind her back.”

  A shiver slid like an ice cube down Katie’s back and she wished someone would enter the store. Anyone. Being tied up wouldn’t be a new experience. Maddox dabbled in sadistic pastimes. She’d been trussed up and had ridden in the trunk of the Town Car before. That time hadn’t been voluntary either. Maddox simply needed to show her who was boss.

  “Where’s Danny when you need him?” Ray whispered. “We need help.”

  Katie’s nostrils flared. “You got rid of him, remember?”

  Al glanced at his Rolex. When he looked back up, his eyes bored into her. “Time to go, pretty lady. The boss is waiting. Can these losers lock up?”

  “What do you mean?” Katie glanced at Ray and Laura.

  “You don’t wanna leave the store unattended, do you?” Al asked. “Anyone could help themselves to your books or your cash register. Maybe we should take the money as a precaution. We need to gas up on the way back, and it’s always better to pay in cash. No paper trail.”

  “No!” Katie regained her indignation. “You know what? You guys aren’t taking me anywhere. If Maddox wants to talk to me, he can come here. Make him ride in the trunk.”

  Chevy raised his eyebrows, apparently amused. “You don’t get it, do you? You don’t know—”

  “Yeah, right.” Al nudged him. “We’re gonna drive back to Newville and stuff the boss in the trunk? You’re the one who owes us money, you mouthy little slut.” The back of his thin hand caught Katie on the cheek.

  “Hey! Don’t do that!” Laura stepped forward then retreated when Al glowered.

  Ray grabbed the gun from Katie’s waistband. “This thing better be loaded.”

  After Laura startled her in the back room, she’d lost track of which gun she’d ended up with. She had no idea if there were bullets in it or not. “Are you kidding me? Put the gun down.” Chevy’s mouth dropped open. His expression grew solemn.

  “Hey, we just want her to come peacefully. We don’t want to have to hurt anyone. I mean, we will but—”

  “Shut up.” Al reached for Katie, but she kicked him in the crotch. He fell to his knees on the floor.

  Katie hadn’t caught either of them at the top of their game. They must have been up all night looking for her.

  Chevy lunged toward her, but Ray waved the gun in his face. “I’ve got you covered, Katie. Get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving. They’ll kill you.”

  He snorted. “I’ll deal with them. Go.”

  “Okay.” Katie walked into the back room and kicked the door shut on her way past. She raced out the back door and shielded her eyes from the emerging sun.

  Al and Chevy let out yells when the back door slammed.

  Laura and Ray let out cries as well, but Katie forced herself to run, hoping Maddox’s men would give up and let them go.

  She flew over the retaining wall and landed head first in a hydrangea bush in a lush garden. When she rolled across the grass and stood, one foot landed in a fish pond
full of koi. With a gasp, she hopped out then glanced around the yard for an escape route. While she searched, gunshots cracked and two people ran past. Ray and Laura had escaped out the back door and were headed for the open back door of the bakery two doors down.

  Seconds later, Al shouted from the other side of the trees, “They got away. You jerk. If you hadn’t believed the old man had a loaded gun, none of them would’ve gotten away.”

  Katie crept through the shrubs toward them. The gun wasn’t loaded? She patted the pocket of her jeans and winced. She’d kept Father Sam’s empty hand gun and put hers back in the jar. Luckily, no one had been killed. Yet.

  “Me? You were the one she nailed. I was keeping an eye on her friends.” Chevy roared. “I should just—”

  “You should what?” Al lunged at his cousin. His face was a foot away from the bigger man’s nose when he stopped. “The boss is going to be livid, she’ll—”

  “Shut up before you make a scene and we have even more witnesses.” Chevy growled. “What do we do about those two?”

  Katie gasped. She? Last she checked, Maddox was a man. What had happened at DMR since she left? Had Dunnsforth’s wife made a play for power? Margaret Maddox was a more likely candidate.

  There was a wary silence. Al waved his gun and cursed. “Let them go. If we take them now, Paulina will run. Her friends live here. They have to come back sometime. Where do you think Paulina would go?”

  “No idea, but if she’s got ties here, it won’t be far. No matter. She’ll be back and so will we.”

  Katie flattened herself against the grass and crawled closer to keep tabs on things. She hoped the rhododendrons and lilac trees gave her enough cover. Between the leaves, she could watch Al and Chevy pace the alley.

  “That bitch,” Al said. “She’s going to get us killed yet. She must be sober. She was a lot easier to catch when she was drunk.”

  “Shit,” Al groaned. “If we don’t get the boss’ money back, none of our lives will have a happy ending.”

  “At least we know where she works and where she lives. She’ll think very hard about that sweet old lady who could get hurt.”

  Hilda. Katie covered her mouth to keep the scream inside. A wave of nausea threatened.

  Chevy straightened his jacket. “Let’s call the boss. We’ll catch Paulina and her friends when they least expect us. Wild’s going to be the next one in line for cement shoes if he doesn’t get his hands on her soon anyway. Of course, we can get a tidy bonus if we bring them back together.”

  “Wild.” Al snorted. “That rat-faced punk. I’m telling you, if we find him before she does, forget bringing him to the boss. They’re both dead.”

  Chevy folded his arms across his wide chest. “Did I miss something? I thought we were on the same team?”

  “Yeah, well, sometimes things get a little fuzzy and the wrong people get hurt and you know our boss. She won’t care who.” Al walked toward the store. “Paulina’s risking a lot of lives being here. ”

  When the chimes jingled from the front of the store, Katie waited to make sure they didn’t return. “Are they gone?” Laura peered around the bakery door and emerged with a doughnut in one hand. “Those guys are psychopaths. How did you put up with them for so long?”

  “Brute force.” Katie crawled out from behind the bushes and sat on the wall. She shook her wet foot. Her ruined shoes would go in the trash later. For now, she had bigger concerns. What did they mean their boss is a woman?

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had a gun?” Laura stepped back.

  “Didn’t seem important at the time.”

  Ray’s shoulders slumped. He leaned against the retaining wall as the squeal of tires peeled away from in front of the store. “I’m glad they only left a message.”

  “You knew too? Why was I the only one not to know about the gun? Did they say something about a guy named Wild?”

  “Yeah. If my hunch is right, it’s Danny.” She searched Ray’s face for a reaction. “I think he’s been undercover at DMR for months. Maybe he knows who’s really in charge.”

  “I knew he was up to something. If that’s the case, now they’re after both of you.” Ray hitched up his pants. “This is war. Those guys won’t be content to take you or the money and leave. They’ll want everything, including my nephew. I wanna know how he’s mixed up in all this nonsense.”

  Katie draped an arm across his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “That, my friend, is why we need to find Danny before they do. Any idea where he could be?”

  Ray went inside and picked up the phone.

  Chapter 28

  Katie

  They went back inside and Ray called Hilda. Hilda promised to call Mimsy and ask to borrow Mark and his car. When both Hilda and Mark showed up twenty minutes later, Hilda read Katie the riot act for not telling her the truth while Mark drove them out to the Diggly farm.

  “I didn’t want you to be in danger,” Katie insisted.

  Hilda scowled. “Well, here I am. Right in the middle of it with the lot of you.”

  “You might want to stay out here. It might be safer.” Ray pointed to a spot near the garage near the car. “Besides, we need someone to look out for the black Town Car or Hannah.”

  “Aw come on. I want to help too,” Mark said.

  “Why would a louse like you want to help us?” Ray folded his arms.

  Mark shuffled his feet. “Katie’s cute in a weird sort of way.”

  “Well, gee, thanks for that.” She snorted. “Stay by the car in case we need a fast getaway. Things may get out of hand.”

  “Why would that happen?”

  Katie brushed past him. “Because if Danny doesn’t tell me what I need to hear, I’m going to kill him.”

  Ray shrugged. “So much for nice. You don’t still have the gun, do you?”

  “Lucky for him. No.” She’d left Father Sam’s gun at the store in the safest place she could think of. The vegetable crisper in the fridge. She hoped no one would think to look in there.

  “Good thing.” Hilda wore a green and purple track suit with running shoes. “Wait a minute, since when do you have a gun?”

  “It’s a long story.” Katie winced.

  Danny was right where Ray had sent him. Beneath the Honda in Nate’s garage.

  “Ray? What are you doing here? I said I’d pick you up when your car was ready.” His words echoed off the metal walls of the Quonset as he slid out from beneath the rusty Honda on a wooden board with wheels. Grease was splattered on his hands and T-shirt. “How did you get out here, anyway?”

  “I caught a ride with a couple friends who’d like a word with you.”

  Katie stepped into his view, arms folded across her chest. “We’d like some answers.”

  Danny, his expression wary, took a deep breath and slid back under the car. The three uninvited guests frowned as Danny tinkered, seemingly unconcerned by their presence. “Then you need to ask them while I work. I have to go back to the city tonight. There’s not a whole lot I can tell you.”

  “Oh, I’ll bet there is.” Katie cleared her throat and wished she could see him through the car’s metal body. “You can start by telling me who the hell you really are and why Al and Chevy Duvall were in my store today.”

  The tool noises beneath the car paused and a deafening silence filled its wake. Danny cursed. His voice was low. “I can’t answer that.”

  Ray hitched up his pants. “Then tell us what you were thinking getting mixed up with the likes of Maddox.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Then tell me you aren’t Donovan Wild,” Katie said.

  Another muttered curse.

  “Then it’s true?” Katie’s voice was louder than she meant it to be. She took a step forward, but someone grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t do anything yet.” Hilda held her back. “Get more information before you hurt him.”

  “Who’s that?” Danny asked. “Did you bring the whole damn town with you or what?”
>
  “Just Hilda Clayton. Oh, and Mark Lexington drove.” Ray bent over to look at the top of his nephew’s dusty head. “We need to know whose side you’re on. Are you looking out for Katie’s interests or Maddox’s?”

  There was another pause beneath the Honda. He blew out a tired breath but still didn’t face them. “I can’t answer that.”

  Ray snorted then kicked the car’s tire. When the whole vehicle shook on the ramps, Katie and Hilda jumped back. Danny’s feet twitched.

  “Standard undercover answer. I thought you trusted me more than that,” Ray growled. “You really are Donovan Wild, aren’t you? Are you still working for the police department or did you go rogue? Are you lying to all of us?”

  Katie jerked her arm out of Hilda’s grip. She stormed around the car, grabbed Danny’s pant legs above his black work boots and pulled him out from beneath the car. The wheels of the mechanic creeper squealed.

  His face paled. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Getting some answers.” Katie sat on his chest. She hoped he’d argue so she’d be justified to punch him in the face and make herself feel better.

  A slow grin crumpled the corner of his mouth. “If you keep this up, other people will start to ask questions.”

  “I’m asking questions.” Her eyes narrowed. “You need to start talking fast or I’m gonna make sure you’re in way more trouble than I am.”

  He laid his wrench on the concrete floor. “How are you gonna do that?”

  She hesitated. She had no idea.

  Danny laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You have no clue.”

  “I do so.” This time Katie managed to steel herself with anger so his mesmerizing gaze had no effect, other than to tick her off. “I’ll tell Maddox who you really are.”

  “Liar. You don’t even know who I am.” He slid her down to his thighs and sat up with his hands on the edge of the creeper. “Honey, you may be tough, but you’re no match for me. I play with the big boys.”