Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
E arly Monday morning, Jane wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She was sitting on the porch, observing Tanner slowly moving hay to the barn with the tractor. The cows in the pasture mooed, hopeful for a treat. The weather was crisp and cold. She rocked gently back and forth as she rehashed her date the other night with Ethan and the memory of his kisses. Oh, those kisses.
She closed her eyes and still felt his soft lips on hers, his tongue demanding entry, taking what it wanted and her giving it, then his calloused thumb caressing her face as his warm brown eyes grew dark with need.
He’d called the next day, thanking her for a wonderful evening, and asked to do it again. Of course, she said yes.
The sudden sound of tires crunching on the gravel caught her attention.
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at her watch. She wasn’t expecting anyone but hoped it was Ethan. It was too early for Bucky. He had an appointment and wouldn’t be in until later in the afternoon. Jane rose from the swing to see who it was, the blanket slipping off her shoulders.
A sleek black car rolled down the driveway. The driver’s door opened, and her hopes were dashed as Victor stepped out. Today he was casually dressed, still rocking the bad-boy vibe—black jeans, black tee, black leather jacket and black boots. He opened the back door and pulled out a bag. When he saw her, he broke out into a big smile.
“Victor,” she said as she walked toward him. “What a surprise.”
“Jane,” he said, his smile as charming as ever. “I was in the area and took a chance you’d be home.” He held up the bag. “I brought lunch.”
“It’s only nine o’clock,” she said, smiling.
He chuckled as he stepped closer, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “I’ve missed you. Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “Actually, this is a good time to visit. I was just sitting on the porch going over my chores. Bucky won’t be here until later. I have to feed the animals, then I’m all yours.”
He grinned and winked. “All mine?”
She shrugged playfully. “How about a cup of coffee first?”
“Sounds good.” He followed her inside and set the bag on the kitchen counter. The kitchen was warm and cozy after the nippy air. The sweet aroma of chocolate still lingered in the air from the bread she baked last night.
He leaned against the counter and glanced around. “Tell me about your renovations.”
Jane pointed out the new cabinets and appliances. He took the time to compliment her on her choices. “My builder made this table,” she told him.
“It’s beautiful.” Victor rubbed his hands over the wood. “He does fine work.”
He looked out the window. “Is that the pond where the body was found?”
“Yes.” Jane’s breath hitched. The memory of Thornton’s body covered in chains and muck still bothered her.
“That must have upset you a great deal.” He looked at her and raised his brows. “The pond seems to be filling in. Would you have found the body if you hadn’t dredged?”
Humph. Would they? Thornton was covered in chains, so maybe not. “Don’t know. I’m just glad it’s over. I would hate to be swimming and see a dead body beneath me.” She shuddered at the thought.
“That would be upsetting, to say the least. Has the sheriff caught whoever killed Thornton?” Victor’s eyes bored into her. “I heard he was shot.”
“Not that I know of.” She tilted her head. “How did you know he’d been shot? I don’t think it was in the paper.”
Victor smirked. “Small-town gossip. I keep my ears open.”
“Oh.” That was probably true.
Jane poured him a cup of coffee and refilled hers. She took a loaf of chocolate chip pecan bread that she made from a cabinet, cut some slices, and placed some on a plate. She put it all on a wooden tray.
“Let’s go into the living room,” she said.
“I’ll get the tray,” Victor said. They walked into the living room. Victor sat on one sofa, she on the other. If he was disappointed that she sat across from him, he didn’t show it.
He looked around the room. “I bet if these walls could talk, they’d have some interesting stories to tell,” Victor said. “Do you know any of the history of this farmhouse?”
Jane shook her head. “Not much. The farmer who owned it just turned one hundred. He probably has a lot of stories. Plus, it had been in his family for a couple of generations.”
“Have you discovered anything interesting since you moved in?”
Jane chuckled. “Only that I have drafty windows and creaky floorboards.”
He smiled and leaned forward to take a slice of the sweet bread. “Hmm, this is delicious. Did you bake it?”
“Yes. I’m turning into a regular Martha Stewart,” she said. “When we’re finished, I’ll take you down to the barn and show you around.”
“Great, I’ve been eager to see what you’ve done with it. I’ve been dying to see what secrets lie within.”
“Funny. The only secrets it’s given up are the bones of old animals.”
They chatted about mundane things over coffee. Finally, Jane stood. “Those animals won’t wait forever to be fed.” She gathered the plates and cups and carried the tray out to the kitchen. She found her barn boots and looked at Victor standing at the door.
“You know you’re going to get kinda dirty out there,” she warned. “The barn is clean, but there is animal hair around, and you need to be careful about where you step.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t have any other boots for you to put on.”
Victor laughed. “I’ve been around barns before. Thanks. But I’m good.”
They walked down to the barn, the cold air a sharp contrast to the warmth of the house. Jane pointed out the new fencing and the sheep grazing in the field. They looked at the chicken house, and she told him about Rocky, the rooster.
As they walked into the barn, Clover and Bruiser greeted them and rubbed up against Victor, leaving tufts of fur on his pants.
“Oh dear, you’re going to have a lot of cat hair on your pants.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine.” Victor looked around the barn with an intense gaze. “Did you renovate the whole barn?”
Jane shook her head. “No. We cleaned it up, added stalls, but it’s still basically the same shape it’s always been.”
“I bet this barn holds a lot of secrets,” he said with a grin. He poked his nose into a couple of stalls, then pointed at a locked room. “What’s over there?”
Jane followed his finger. “Oh, that’s where we keep grain and medicines.”
“Afraid a sheep might open it?” Victor smiled.
“Ha ha. It’s mostly to keep medicines out of the hands of kids who might be fooling around in here. Plus, animals are naturally curious. If they got into the feed, they’d get sick.”
“Makes sense,” said Victor. “What other secrets are hidden here?”
Jane furrowed her brow. What was up with Victor and secrets?
“No more secrets. Unless you call the cat house in the hayloft a secret.” Jane reached for his hand. “Come, I want to show you the best part.”
Leading Victor into the greenhouse, she looked at him and smiled. “This is my happy place.”
The earthy scent of soil filled her senses. Sunlight streamed through the windows. “I can’t wait for spring to come and start a garden.”
“This is wonderful,” Victor said, taking it all in. “I can see how special this will be when all the seeds come up.”
He walked around the room. “You have a space heater. Propane?”
“Yup. I got that at a barn sale. Saved me a lot of money.”
“I bet. That’s a smart move especially since it gets so cold here.” He glanced around. “Nice setup.”
She looked at her watch. “Why don’t we go back to the house and have a picnic on the porch? It’s warmed up enough that we shouldn’t be too cold.”
“Perfect.”
Victor followed her back to the house. As they reached the farmhouse, Jane’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Glancing at the screen, she saw a text from Ethan.
Miss you. Dinner tonight?
Jane’s heart fluttered. She hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon. She typed a quick yes and put her phone away.
“Anything important?” he asked.
“No.” She laughed. “Farm business.”
The sun was high in the sky as they made their way back to the house. Jane couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on. Victor kept asking about secrets. What secrets was he talking about?
“Is that the pond where the body was found?”
What a laugh! As if he didn’t know.
Victor stormed out of Jane’s house, seething with frustration.
The woman either had no clue as to what was going on or was lying to him. Either way, it was unacceptable.
He sat in his car. Memories of that night flooded his mind, vivid and sharp. David Thornton’s death had been necessary. He’d gotten too greedy.
Thornton should have known better than walking down dark, narrow alleyways, especially alone, but he’d taken the shortcut he usually used. The moon hung low in the night sky, casting eerie shadows along the brick path, and Victor could still picture David’s breath visible in the chilly air. Thornton hummed to himself, unaware he was being followed and tonight would be his last booty call. In fact, his last night on earth.
Victor lurked in the shadows. The weight of his Glock 19 was heavy in his hand. His heart raced in anticipation. It was time.
David was screwing him over. Kept ranting on about Jane’s farm and family honor. The man was crazy. David promised him the land and had accepted a steep fee for finding it. Then, in a fit of paranoia, David stole the cash and supposedly buried it with the ledger in the barn. Why there? Did he mention that just to taunt Victor? Did he really think he was going to get control of the farm? Keep the cash? Guess there was truth to the saying there was no honor among thieves.
As the cheating bastard passed by, still humming and oblivious, Victor sprung from his hiding place and, with one swift, powerful blow, struck David on the back of head, the sound of the impact sickening in the quiet night. David staggered forward, trying to regain his balance. Before he could take another step, Victor shot him in the back. David crashed to the ground in a heap.
Victor recalled standing over the motionless body with adrenaline coursing through his veins, then he took a moment to catch his breath. He scanned the darkened alley to make sure they were alone—no barking dogs, no sudden lights in windows. He was alone. Thankfully, the alleyway was in a more deserted part of town.
Dragging David’s body to his parked car had been a struggle, his muscles burning. The trunk lid creaked as he opened it. With a grunt, he shoved David’s body inside. He stopped and listened. Silence.
The heavy chain lay coiled underneath the body as he closed the trunk and slid into the driver’s seat as he navigated the quiet streets.
He’d thought long and hard about where to dump the traitor’s body, and he had the perfect spot. Driving out of town on darkened roads, he headed toward Jane’s farm. Parking near the pond, he dragged the body out, reached for the cold chain and wrapped it tightly around the limp body before securing it with a padlock, then dragged it to the water’s edge. Damn, David was heavy.
With a final push, he’d sent the body into the murky water. Victor stood there, relishing the moment of a job well done, as the water swallowed David into its dark depths.
Now it was crunch time. He turned the car and headed toward town. Jane had given him the tour of the barn, so he just needed to come up with a plan to find that damn ledger or scare Jane enough so she’d sell the property. That bastard Thornton thought he was so smart, hiding it in the barn, then threatening him with it.
It was rumored that Thornton worked there when he was a teenager, so he would know all the hidey-holes. But would he have buried it? Victor didn’t think so—well, he hoped not. He’d hate to dig up the whole barn floor and not find it. The greenhouse was new, so it wasn’t there.
It could be somewhere in the hayloft, although that made little sense since people were up there all the time.
The only logical spot was the storage room where the feed bin was located. Maybe it had a secret compartment. The other thing he noticed was the wall behind it was fairly new compared with the rest of the barn. New being a misnomer. The wall was at least forty years old.
Time was of the essence. His backers were getting impatient. He needed to find the ledger and cash Thornton stole. Or the next one to die would be him.
Tonight would be a perfect night for a fire.
First, though, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. It rang three times.
“Hello.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Turns out I’m free for the rest of the afternoon. Are you available?”
She was. She always was.
He nodded and hung up the phone. After this, it was time to put Plan B into effect.