Chapter 35
Luke
Of all the dumb luck, why did we have to stumble into the middle of the power struggle between Sarah Cole and her co-conspirators?
I kept hoping some distraction would occur, so Mina and I could make a run for it, but no bears popped out from behind a tree, and no moose startled us as it dashed through the undergrowth.
There was nothing but the whisper of the wind and an occasional falcon calling overhead.
For two hours, we walked east in what would be an aimless hike if not for the GPS device Sarah kept consulting.
When the cabin finally appeared, I almost thought it was a mirage. One moment, we were surrounded by pine trees and rocks, the next, a small log cabin appeared just yards away.
Marching up the two steps, her hiking shoes making a clomp-clomp as she crossed the worn wooden planks, Sarah kept one eye on us as she unlocked the front door.
Pushing it inward, she stepped back. “Everyone inside.”
Sticking close to Mina’s side, I followed Miranda and Walter into the dim interior.
Sarah brought up the rear and shut the door, adding to the gloom.
But it was still light enough I could see her face. She speared me with a look, then gestured to the dusty couch. “You two—sit.”
Hanging onto Betty with one hand, I took Mina’s with my other and led her to the couch. We sat down and set the dogs on the floor, but kept their leads on so they couldn’t explore. I didn’t trust Sarah not to hurt one or both if they got in the way.
Sarah barked orders at Walter and Miranda, and the three of them roamed the room, gathering candles and dusting off oil lamps, bringing them down off shelves so they could be lit.
“Do we have a plan?” Mina asked, her voice barely a whisper. She stared straight ahead, keeping attention off of us as she spoke.
“Maybe. Does that GPS device transmit coordinates?”
“Yes.” The word was little more than a hiss.
I glanced up, holding my next words for a moment as Walter walked past.
“We need to push our—”
“No talking.” Sarah stopped in front of us. “I will not hesitate to separate you two if you can’t keep your mouths shut. I’m not an idiot.” She held out a hand. “Give me your phones.”
Deep in my gut, white-hot fury simmered. I held her gaze and tugged open the pocket on the strap of my pack to remove my phone. Never breaking eye contact, I handed it over. She stuffed it into her back pocket.
A glimmer of unease flickered in her eyes as she took the device. I bit back a smile at the knowledge I made her uneasy.
Good.
She needed to be scared of me. Because if she laid a finger on Mina or the dogs, she wouldn’t like the man who emerged.
Mina wiggled out of her backpack, setting it on the floor by her feet. She dug into the front pocket and produced her phone, passing it to Sarah, who pocketed it. I took mine off as well, then sat back, watching our three captors move about the room.
Walter seemed pensive, but mostly unbothered, which, honestly, boggled my mind. He either knew something the rest of us didn’t, or he genuinely was not scared of either woman. Whether that was because he didn’t see them as threats or because he was certain Sarah wouldn’t hurt him, I didn’t know.
Miranda, though, she held herself with a rigidity born of nervousness. I think she could sense that Sarah had a plan she wasn’t sharing. I know I could, and I doubted the plan ended well for anyone except Sarah.
I decided to prod her a little.
“So, what are you going to do with us?”
“Shut up!” she barked.
I raised an eyebrow, unphased by her outburst.
“He asks a valid question, Sarah,” Miranda said. “They weren’t part of our plan.” Her brows twitched in a small frown. “What is the plan? You just told me to get Walter and bring him here. You weren’t supposed to meet us at the beach.” She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you trust us?”
Sarah scoffed. “Of course not. Do you trust me?”
Miranda looked away, not answering.
“That’s what I thought.” Sarah lit a match and set it to the wick in an oil lamp on the peninsula separating the small kitchen from the living room.
She pulled out the rough wooden stool and sat down, facing them.
“I asked you to meet me because that detective is getting too close to the truth.” She aimed a smile at me and Mina.
“It’s actually rather convenient that you two happened upon our rendezvous. You can tell us what you know.”
“Probably not a lot more than you,” Mina said. “Ozzie plays things close to the vest. We only know what we’ve uncovered in the building.”
“Oh, please,” Miranda said, jumping into the conversation.
“I know Claire Holmes. She could convince the devil to repent and ascend to heaven. There’s no way she hasn’t gotten information out of Detective Quartermaine.
They live together.” She jabbed a finger at Mina.
“And if she knows something, you know something, because you two are best friends.”
“If Ozzie swears her to secrecy, she doesn’t tell me. She wouldn’t betray his trust like that.”
Miranda hummed a non-answer.
“We know she’s told you something, so tell us.” Sarah’s gaze traveled to the rifle she’d rested against the wall behind her, out of our reach, then back to us. “I don’t have to keep you two around.”
I held up a hand. “All we know is how she was identified and that she was pregnant at the time of her death.”
Walter stilled at that. Miranda blinked in surprise.
Sarah, however, didn’t bat an eye.
“Really? That’s all you know?” She arched an eyebrow. “Then why is the detective’s brother asking questions about the Myers Mansion and other property Edna Myers owned down at the docks?”
Mina quickly jumped in. “The body was found in a building Walter owned.” She gestured to him. “It’s only natural that the police would look into other property associated with him.”
I wanted to smile and high-five her for thinking so fast, but that would only raise suspicion, so I kept my expression neutral and my gaze fixed on Sarah.
The woman narrowed her eyes but didn’t disagree with Mina’s statement. A moment later, she hopped off her stool. “Walter.”
The man’s attention snapped to her.
“You need to stay here and watch these two. Miranda and I need to go back to town and make sure Ellis Quartermaine doesn’t find out anything he shouldn’t. Preferably before his brother returns.” She picked up her rifle, then turned to Miranda. “Wait here for a moment.”
Before any of us could respond, she walked to the back door and went outside. It slammed shut, then we heard hammering.
“What is she doing?” Mina looked at Miranda.
The other woman shrugged. “Probably keeping you from escaping while we’re gone.”
Walter frowned, moving toward the window when it went dark. “I’m here too. Who does she think I’m going to run to and tell? I’m in as deep as you two.”
“Maybe she’s just worried you’ll ditch us,” Miranda said.
“Does it really matter? We’re all on the run. Who cares if we’re together?”
He continued to frown as the window on the other side of the small cabin went dark as well.
With each hammer blow cementing the board in place, more trepidation skittered through my system. Unless there was something in here to help us pry off the boards, we could very well be stuck.
Once the windows were boarded up, a few seconds later, the front door swung in. Sarah had her rifle ready but not aimed.
She fixed her gaze on Miranda. “Let’s go.”
Miranda huffed and didn’t budge. “Are we really walking all the way back to Juneau? It’s getting late.”
Sarah cocked a hip and rolled her eyes. “No. There’s an ATV stored in the shed. We’re taking that. Let’s go.”
Giving Walter one last look, Miranda moved toward the door. “We’ll be back.” She moved out the door past Sarah.
“There’s plenty of food in the cupboards. You won’t starve.” With that, Sarah yanked the door shut. More banging erupted moments later.
I waited. Until the footsteps on the wooden porch faded and the ATV rumbled to life and sped away, I waited. As soon as I was sure they weren’t coming back, I sprang off the couch.
Walter moved toward me, a wary look on his face. “What are you doing?”
“Getting us the hell out of here.” I reached the front door and grasped the handle, but the door refused to open.
Dammit. She’d either locked it or nailed it shut.
Spinning around, I marched to the window and unlocked it. The sash lifted easily, giving me access to the board covering the opening. I pushed on it, probing to see how solid it was. The piece of plywood barely moved.
“You can’t do that. We need to stay here.” Moving from foot to foot, Walter stood a few feet away.
“You can stay, but Mina and I are leaving.” I looked at him. “Unless you have some plan to stop us? Sarah didn’t leave you a weapon, did she?”
Walter’s already pinched expression grew more so. “No. I don’t have a phone, either, before you ask. Miranda took my sat phone when she found me.”
I grunted and went back to probing the board. “Sounds like they planned to hold you hostage all along.” I pushed on the board again, this time putting all my weight into it, but it still didn’t move.
“Let me guess,” I said, turning to look at him once more. “They were the masterminds behind killing Moira all those years ago, and you were just the patsy who got in over his head.”
The old man’s grizzled jaw worked, and he glanced away. “I didn’t kill her. I never wanted her to die. I just wanted my land back.”