Ladd Springs

by Dianne Venetta

  Chapter Seventeen

  Delaney reached for a limb dangling down from above and hauled herself up to the next level. The bruise on her shoulder throbbed, a painful reminder that reaching the ridge would not be easy. Winded, she sank to a seat on a fallen tree, its trunk split open near the base—lightning most probably the cause. The same fate that befell most downed trees in the forest. Mother Nature had a temper. Delaney peered down the path she’d just climbed and felt a sense of accomplishment. That had been tough!

  With a heavy sigh, she dropped her head forward and breathed as deep as her lungs would allow. She knew she was wasting precious time. This hike shouldn’t have taken her but a half-hour, max, but her muscles were screaming from the battering she’d endured in recent days.

  She heard the muffled sound of her cell phone inside the backpack. It mounted in volume as she quickly unzipped the compartment and pulled it free. At the number on the screen, her heart leaped. She punched the answer key. “Hello?”

  “Mom, I forgot my permission slip for the field trip next week. Did you ever sign it?”

  Delaney raced through her memory. “I think so. You don’t have it?”

  “I don’t. And I really want to go, but they’re due today.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Could Felicity have picked a worse time?

  “Can you look for it and bring it to school? Please?”

  “Yes,” came her automatic reply, “though I don’t know where it could be. If I signed it, I would have given it back to you.”

  “Will you check my room?” Felicity requested sweetly

  “All right.” Inwardly, Delaney groaned. Just when she’d almost made it to the top and happier trails. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Thank you!”

  Delaney ended the call and stared down the steep terrain, the jagged pitch of rocks, dirt and brush. Trips down tended to be faster and messier than trips up.

  But did she have a choice? Felicity couldn’t miss her field trip to the symphony, not when she’d been looking forward to it all year. It was their last performance of the season. Delaney racked her brain. Did she sign that form?

  At the moment, nothing was registering. Replacing the phone, she donned her backpack and stood. Glaring down the nearest branch, she grunted. Time to face the music.

  Nick held back at the sharp turn, the odd-shaped boulder a dead giveaway that he was nearing the location in question. Lowering his weapon, he edged his gaze around the mass of rhododendron sticking out from the mountain above and saw what he was looking for. Clem had ventured off trail and stood in the middle of the forest inspecting a rock. He honed in on him. Inspecting a rock?

  Straightening, Nick stuffed the gun back in his pants. Odd behavior for a man, even this one. Was it possible there was something hidden in the rock? Were Clem and his friends dealing in stolen goods?

  From what Delaney said, the man was trash. Wouldn’t surprise him if he’d squirreled away his loot in the woods. Is that what Delaney had discovered? Was she onto him and now he was trying to silence her? Nick clenched his jaw. Son of a bitch. But why would she protect him?

  That was the part that didn’t make sense. Nick watched Clem for several minutes but knew he couldn’t stay. Clem, who was making a call on his cell phone, looked like he was only here to check on things. He could leave at any moment, and if he did, Nick was toast. If Clem left now, he’d be snagged. Glancing back down the trail, Nick tried to recall if he’d seen any hiding spots where he could conceal himself while Clem passed, but nothing leaped to mind.

  With one last look at Clem, he logged the rock into his memory and re-traced his steps, lengthening his strides as he hunted down for a suitable hiding place.

  After scouring the kitchen, Delaney climbed up into the loft and sifted through the papers on Felicity’s desk. Thumbing through stacks of old homework, she tossed them aside and leafed through a second pile. There—she pulled the half-sheet of paper free. Caught between Felicity’s science folder and a math test from the week prior was the permission slip. The signed permission slip. Delaney sighed. Just like she thought.

  After straightening the papers back into some semblance of order, Delaney raced down the stairway and out the front door. Flicking a gaze to the rocker recently occupied by Nick, she wondered if he was in the forest.

  If he was, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Felicity came first. Folding the paper in half, she tucked it in the outside pocket of her backpack, and with a determined step clambered down the porch steps, vowing not to let this little detour take more than an hour.

  Nick’s bootheel caught the edge of a rock, nearly tripping him. He cursed under his breath, whipped his gaze behind him, his pulse pumping in high gear. Clem wasn’t anywhere near. But Nick had no way of knowing if and when Clem left his rock. His rock. Nick was willing to bet it wasn’t the rock he was interested in. But he needed Clem gone before he could return to investigate.

  Nick stopped suddenly. Above him, a narrow crevice reached deep into the mountain. Peering up into it, he noticed it led to a ledge—a ledge that would take him out of sight. No, the space was too small. He looked up the trail. If there was one, there’d be another.

  A shout echoed through the trees. Nick froze. Was that Clem? Slashing his gaze sideways and back, he ceased his breathing and listened. When no more sounds came, he took a hesitant step forward, then paused. He scanned the surrounding area. Sunlight brightened the green overhead, the brown and gold leaves mounded at trail’s edge.

  Could be hikers. Ladd land bordered the USFS, but Nick wasn’t familiar with where one began and the other ended. Moving forward, he remained wary.

  Around the next corner, Nick found his sweet spot. The steep mountainous wall to his side opened up into a V-shaped gorge. Wide enough to accommodate his body, it offered enough rocks and branches to assist his climb. With one last glance up the trail, Nick hoisted himself up and into the mountain.

  Wedging his backside into the hillside, Nick held gun in hand, aimed at the trail. Within minutes, he heard the pounding footsteps of someone running. Clem dashed by and Nick tracked his figure until he disappeared from sight. Was it Clem who had shouted? Was someone else at the rock?

  Nick didn’t know, but he’d find out soon enough. He waited another few minutes, then eased himself down, reaching from branch to branch to prevent tumbling into a full-fledged slide. Once he hit the clay trail, he headed straight back to the site. Detouring off trail, he trekked through brush, over the forest floor matted with dead leaves, the occasional rock. The gurgle of a creek wound through the earth on the opposite side.

  Arriving in the vicinity where Clem had stood only moments before, Nick detected no signs of digging, only ferns, twigs and other foliage flattened from repeated foot traffic. At first glance, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He moved over to the large rocks, the ones Clem had been inspecting. Gray boulders of irregular shape protruded between trees and rhododendron, their surface a sheen of moss, dotted with patches of white fungus. Nick touched one of the stones, finding it cold to the touch. He flattened his palm and leaned forward, exploring fissures and cavities, up and around. He took a step to the side, ducked his head and sucked in his breath. Well I’ll be damned...

  Instinct propelled him to check for onlookers. Through the black trunks of trees, leaves of green, over rocks and plants, he was alone. Nick exhaled and quickly rubbed the dirty streak in the rock, then examined his fingertips, holding them up to the scant rays of sunlight filtering down through the canopy above. The dust glittered ever so slightly as he turned his hand to and fro.

  Son of gun—they’d found gold! Further scrutinizing the color variances, he noticed gouges in the jagged lines. He fingered them, studied them with a close eye. Definitely manmade. Someone had been chipping away at this rock, and by the looks of the damage, had walked off with quite a few chunks. Did Delaney know?

  She must, he thought instantly. It explained her reticence to share. E
xplained her confrontation with the man with the gun. Explained Clem’s high-tailing it in here, concerned his secret had been discovered, the gold gone. Nick smiled, admiring the natural wonder, the flecks of shimmery dust, the geological secret hidden away in layers of stone for millions of years... It was incredible. He didn’t recall this part of Tennessee being known for gold. He dropped his gaze back to the vein. Yet here it was.

  Nick looked around the immediate vicinity and searched for a rock, anything he could use to break off a chunk for himself. Spying one about the size of his fist, he grabbed it and struck the tip of the vein. Using the rock’s edge like an axe, he hacked away as large a piece as he could. Turning the bullet-sized piece of mineral between his fingers, he shoved it into his front pocket. Ditching his makeshift tool, he brushed his hands together and headed out. If this was really gold, the stakes for Ladd Springs had just quadrupled.

  After leaving Felicity’s permission slip with the secretary in the front office, Delaney returned home, more eager than ever to get back to the site. She replaced her jacket with a long-sleeved jersey and headed up the mountain. The cool front had petered out, making way for warmer temps. Translated: she’d most likely be sweating before all was said and done. But the long-sleeves were necessary. She had no intention of adding to the collection of marks on her arms.

  Trekking up the back side of the mountain, she made it to the ridge in forty-five minutes. Huddled between a twin pair of massive trunks, she downed the remainder of her water and slid the empty bottle into her backpack. Squatting, she peered down at the forest basin. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Would someone venture by soon?

  Anger welled. Probably. Those looters probably made daily trips in here to steal the gold. Well she was going to put an end to it, once and for all. Double-checking her phone was on vibrate, she took the path to her left and hiked down to the “golden” boulder.

  Slinking through the trees and brush, Delaney kept a watchful eye and sharp ear out for any trespassers. If she saw or heard anyone, her plan was to run to the opposite side of the basin and hide behind the clump of rhododendron. It was her best chance for eluding detection.

  But she was still alone when her discovery loomed front and center before her. She retrieved her camera and snapped off a few more pictures. Leaning close, she zoomed in on the vein of gold and snapped three pictures in rapid succession, then examined them on her small screen. The flash had washed out the impact of gold. Pulling back, she took a few more. On inspection, she judged them washed out but passable.

  Tucking the camera back in her pack, she looked around for something to collect a sample. In a burst of foresight, she had packed a plastic baggy to carry her specimen, so she could have it tested to be sure it was gold. Then, she could show it to Ernie and tell him everything. He’d probably still fight her right to title, but she was fairly confident he wouldn’t give it to Clem. Not with the knowledge the man was trying to swindle him, he wouldn’t.

  Deciding on a thick stick as a tool, Delaney scraped at the stone, a smattering a dusty brown falling free. She grunted. Not good enough. Picking up a nearby rock, she hacked away at the line in the stone and managed to chip out a small fleck. She stared at it in disappointment. Hopefully it would be enough to suffice as evidence.

  She sealed the bag and stowed it away in her backpack. Turning, she headed back for the trail. At this point, she would take her chances and hike the main trail. If she heard anything or anyone, she could dodge them by heading straight up—the way she had done last time. She hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but it was best to be prepared.

  Trudging through ground foliage, she kicked a branch with her boot and climbed up the narrow pass leading up to the main trail. Pushing up through a Y-shaped branch, she crawled up and onto the path. If Nick had meant what he said, he’d probably already come and gone. He didn’t strike her as the type to “wait and see.” And if what he said about Clem was true, she knew that greedy slime ball would have been here first thing. Her breathing labored, Delaney picked up her pace to a slow jog.

  “Dell!”

  At the familiar voice, she jerked her head up. Her heart thwacked at the sight of Clem. Standing dead center of the trail, he stared at her. “What’s a matter? Ain’t you glad to see me?”

  Her heart pummeled against her chest.

  “I see you been visiting my stone again.”

  “It’s not your stone,” she leveled, wrestling a building angst as the stakes were laid bare. Gun tucked in her boot, she couldn’t get to it. The camera was in her backpack. If Clem learned of her pictures, it was game over.

  He smirked. “I found it first.”

  “Trespassing on private property,” she spat. Mentally, Delaney raced through her options. She could turn and run, possibly outstripping Clem. She could stay and fight, though it would mean more injury to an already sore shoulder. But if she could cause him injury, it would be worth it. She’d about had about enough of his attacks.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Clem jeered. “This place is gonna be mine, too, you watch and see. I already got Ernie convinced you’re in cahoots with that hotel man trying to steal his property.”

  Delaney’s jaw dropped open. “What?”

  He smiled thinly. “Oh yeah, I told him you two was sleepin’ together.” He cocked his head. “Well, you know what? He wasn’t too happy about hearin’ them words.”

  Like a match to flame, the comment set fire to her resolve. “I will make you sorry you ever set foot on Ladd property.”

  He chuckled, mocking her. “Oh, will you now? And how you gonna do that when—” Clem lunged at her. Delaney jumped back. Managing to grab the end of her sleeve, he pulled. She yanked against him, slugging him across the side of his face.

  “Get her!” Clem yelled.

  The large stranger from the day before emerged from behind a boulder. He was on her in seconds, locking burly arms around her from behind. Delaney twisted, kicked and pulled, thrusting her heels into his shins. He lifted her from the ground, wrenched her head backward. Delaney shrieked in pain.

  “What’s a matter, tough girl?” Clem taunted. Rubbing a hand across his jaw, he spit on the ground. “You don’t seem so high and mighty now.”

  “Clem,” she bit out between gritted teeth.

  “Yes?” he asked, leering at her undulating body.

  Muscles screeched in her neck. The smell of sweaty, dirty man flared her nostrils. His panting disgusted her. Crushed between them, her backpack cut through the thin jersey of her tee, reminding her exactly what she stood to lose. “Let me down!”

  “No can do. You and me are taking a ride.” Clem gestured for the big man to follow. The third man materialized to join them, apparently lurking around the curve as the first two made their assault. He leered at her and licked his lips.

  Panic rose sharply in her chest. She was the only one who knew about the gold. Other than Clem and these men, she was the only one who could prove that he was stealing from Ernie, from her. Unless Nick found it. But if these men were lying in wait for her, they may have already had their showdown with Nick. Damn them!

  Delaney twisted against the man’s torso, kicking her legs for a shot at Clem. He leaped out of reach, and once again the big man wrenched her neck in warning.

  Delaney ceased. The fool could crack her neck without even realizing it!

  “Lets’ go,” Clem ordered his thugs, and the two men followed, dragging her with them.

  As they plodded down the trail, Delaney hung uncomfortably in the big man’s hold. “Let me walk,” she growled.

  “Nope,” Clem replied flatly. “You’ve proved you ain’t trustworthy. Jeb, here, will escort you instead.”

  She stashed the name away. It could prove useful—once she freed herself. And free herself, she would. People would start looking for her when she didn’t show up at home. Home. A horrible sinking feeling filled Delaney. As it stood, her daughter would be the one to have to report her mother missing.
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