Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Six
F elicia Laverne awakened to a new day. After getting dressed she would see if Diamond needed help with Amethyst’s birthday party tomorrow.
She was about to grab her robe off the chair when her cell phone rang. Each of her grands and great-grands had their own special ringtone. “Good morning, Chancellor.”
“Mama Laverne, you need to stop meeting with Zoey.”
She raised a brow. “Why?”
“We went dancing last night and Ravena waited for her in the bathroom and told her lies. Lies that upset Zoey so much, she asked me to take her home to think about whether there was any merit to what Ravena had said.”
Felicia Laverne didn’t say anything for a minute, then she asked, “And just what were these lies?”
“She told Zoey that her great-grandfather Waylon and my great-grandaunt Victoria were involved in an affair while he was married to Deedra, and you covered for them. Not only that, but he gave Aunt Victoria that necklace while still married to Deedra.”
Felicia Laverne felt a slight kick in her gut. “None of that is true.”
“That’s what I told Zoey, but she said she needed to think about it. There’s nothing to think about, and she should know that.”
“And why should she know that, Chancellor?”
“She knows you.”
Felicia Laverne shook her head. “She is getting to know me. Put that Madaris pride aside a moment and think about it. Zoey had an aunt she trusted for twenty years, and in the end, she found out how that aunt had deceived her. Trusting someone and taking things at face value won’t be easy for Zoey. I understand that, and considering all she’s been through, I’d think you, a man who loves her, would do that, too.”
“I don’t love her.”
“Poppycock. The reason why I haven’t taken you to task for doing something I explicitly told you not to do—mainly to not get involved with Zoey—is because I realized you had fallen for her. And she’s right. There is something about that necklace that I should have told her. I’m getting dressed. Come pick me up.”
“And take you where?”
“To the cabin to meet with her.”
***
Alex Maxwell read the last of his final report. One thing he knew never to do was second-guess Mama Laverne’s gut instincts about anything. He couldn’t believe everything he had uncovered. There was one more piece of the puzzle he needed solved, and was waiting for a call from a friend he’d worked with years ago as an FBI agent, Joe Alum.
His phone rang and he quickly picked it up. “What do you have for me, Joe?”
***
Zoey awakened early that morning and went to the barn to make wine, intent on staying busy. She had tried calling Chance, but he wasn’t taking her calls, and she couldn’t blame him for not doing so. She had read a lot of Arabella’s diary, which revealed a number of things, including how her grandmother Arabella became the owner of the necklace Waylon had given Victoria.
Zoey had just finished weighing the grapes when she heard a truck pull up and knew it was Chance. Placing the grapes aside, she walked to the open barn door to see Chance and Ms. Felicia. The smile on the older woman’s face gave Zoey hope. The deep frown on Chance’s did not.
“Good morning,” she greeted both.
“Good morning,” Felicia Laverne said, reaching out to hug her. A scowling Chance said nothing. He stood with his legs braced apart, and arms folded over his chest.
“I think we should talk, dear,” Ms. Felicia said. She then turned to Chance. “Leave us, Chancellor. Come back in an hour.”
Zoey watched as Chance hesitated momentarily, and his scowl deepened before getting into his truck to leave.
“We can go inside the cabin to talk,” Zoey suggested.
“No, I don’t want to interrupt whatever you were doing in the barn.”
“I was making wine. Chance showed me how and set up a small area with the equipment for me.”
“That was kind of him.”
“Yes, it was.” She offered Ms. Felicia her arm and they walked to the barn and went inside. Zoey offered her a seat at one of the portable tables, then she asked, “Do you want anything to drink? I have bottled water in that mini fridge.”
“Yes, bottled water would be nice,” Felicia Laverne said.
Zoey got one for her and grabbed one for herself. After taking a swallow, Felicia Laverne said, “You are right, dear. There is something about your necklace that I should have told you. I spent a lot of time wondering how and when I would. There was a time I thought I wouldn’t have to, but I’ve discovered I was wrong, and I hope you will forgive me for that.” She paused for a moment and then said, “The most important thing you should know is that Waylon Satterfield was honorable. At no time was he unfaithful to Deedra, although he did love Victoria until the day he died.”
Zoey reached across the table and took Ms. Felicia’s hand in hers. “I know that now. I read Arabella’s diary last night and—”
Suddenly, the barn door slammed shut. Zoey stood, certain it couldn’t have been the wind. “That’s odd.” Walking to the door to reopen it, she discovered it was locked from the other side. “What in the world?”
“What is it, dear?” Ms. Felicia asked.
“Someone locked us in here.” Sniffing the air, she said, “And I smell kerosene.”
***
Jake Madaris picked up on the second ring. “Hello, Alex? What’s going on?”
“I was trying to reach Mama Laverne, but she’s not answering her phone.”
“She isn’t here. Chance dropped her off at Trevor’s cabin to meet with Zoey. You know how bad the reception is out there at times.”
“Jake, listen carefully. There’s a chance your mother’s and Zoey’s lives might be in danger.”
“What the hell?!” Jake said loudly.
“Uncle Jake? What’s wrong?” a number of male voices asked simultaneously.
“Alex, I’m putting you on speaker phone. Several nephews are here helping me put up this bounce house for Amethyst’s party. Why do you think Mama and Zoey’s lives might be in danger?” he asked as his long strides took him to his truck with his nephews on his heels.
“It’s something I came across in an investigation Mama Laverne asked me to do.”
“An investigation on who?”
“I can’t say right now, Jake. Just get to the cabin to make sure they’re alright.”
Jake disconnected the call as they crowded into his truck. “Corbin, call Chance. He’s a lot closer to the cabin than we are.”
Corbin nodded. “I already have.”
***
“Unlock this door!” Zoey yelled at the top of her voice.
“I won’t unlock it!” a feminine voice called back. “This is my lucky day. I’ll get rid of two birds with one stone.”
Zoey recognized the voice. Ravena. “Ravena, you have no right to be on this property.”
“I have every right. This land should have been mine, and it will be mine once I get rid of the two of you.”
Zoey frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how Waylon Satterfield let his parents banish his sister from this land. I promised my grandmother before she died that I would seek revenge.”
Zoey’s gaze slid to Ms. Felicia, who seemed just as confused by Ravena’s statement as she was. “Who was your grandmother?” Zoey then asked Ravena.
“My grandmother was Wanda Hagan, the daughter of Charlotte Satterfield. Gramma Wanda raised me when my mother died of a drug overdose. Charlotte told my grandmother everything. Namely, what the Satterfields and the Madarises had done to her.”
A shocked Zoey looked at Ms. Felicia and asked in a low voice. “Is Ravena insinuating we’re cousins?”
Before Ms. Felicia could respond, Ravena began speaking again. “I thought I had everything worked out when I got engaged to Chance according to plan. My first goal—to seek revenge for what the Satterfield and Madaris family did to my great-grandmother Charlotte when they ran her out of Texas. Once Chance and I got married and while he was away in the military, I was to get rid of his great-grandmother Felicia Laverne by making it look like an accident. But when Chance nearly got himself blown up playing soldier and returned home in a wheelchair, I decided I wasn’t so desperate for revenge that I’d marry an invalid.”
Ravena began laughing and the sound grated on Zoey’s nerves. Pulling her phone from her jeans, Zoey tried calling the police but couldn’t get a connection. Turning to Ms. Felicia, she said in a low voice, “I can’t call out on my phone. See if you can.” Zoey intended to keep Ravena talking until help arrived.
“Then, before my Gramma Wanda died last year, she found out Chance could walk again and that he had bought the Satterfield land,” Ravena said. “Can you believe that? That’s when I promised Gramma Wanda on her deathbed that I would return to Texas and rekindle my romance with Chance, get rid of both him and his great-grandmother, and as his widow, reclaim the Satterfield land. What I hadn’t counted on Zoey, was you getting in the way. When I discovered your identity and that we were related and could stand in the way of me not only getting the land but getting Chance back, I placed you at the top of my kill list.”
Ms. Felicia got Zoey’s attention to indicate that her phone wasn’t connecting either. Trying not to panic, Zoey quickly walked to the table and said, “Chance should be on his way back.”
Ms. Felicia gently patted her hand. “No worries, dear,” she said calmly. “I have this.” She showed Zoey her medical alert necklace before pressing it.
***
Chance had parked his truck a half mile from the cabin and walked while texting Corbin. When he told them of the strong smell of kerosene in the air and what he figured Ravena intended to do, Jake devised a plan. Since Ravena had been yelling at Zoey through the barn door, Chance had heard everything. All the details of her sordid plans, including the reason she’d wanted to marry him in the first place.
When he heard her say to Zoey, “I’m through talking,” and she pulled a book of matches from her shirt pocket, he knew that he had to make his presence known. He texted Corbin. Moving in.
“Ravena! What are you doing here?” he asked.
She snatched her head around. “Chance, I didn’t hear your truck.”
“I rode my horse,” he lied, approaching her slowly. “I wanted to see if Mama Laverne and Zoey wanted lunch.”
A smirk appeared on her face. “They won’t be needing lunch where they are going.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, knowing he needed to keep her talking to give Jake time to put his plan into action. “And you didn’t answer my question about why you’re here.”
“I came to take care of business,” she said.
“And what business could you possibly have here?”
“Don’t come any closer, Chance. Just so you know, I’ve doused kerosene all around this barn, and I plan to burn it down with them in it.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would you want to do something like that?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re a fool, Chance. I never loved you. Marrying you was all a part of the plan.” And then he stood there while she gleefully told him the same things she’d told Zoey earlier. He listened, hoping Jake, his brothers, and cousins were getting Zoey and Mama Laverne out of the barn.
***
“Chance is here,” Zoey whispered to Mama Laverne after placing her ear to the barn door. “Ravena is telling him what she said earlier about why she planned to marry him, and why she came back. That has to be hard for him to hear.”
Felicia Laverne stood. “Chancellor can handle it.” Checking her watch, she then said, “Jake should have arrived by now.”
No sooner had she said that, a portion of the barn’s back wall was removed, and Jake Madaris, bigger than life, stood there. Without saying anything, he rushed in with seven of his nephews. He swept his mother into his arms and instructed his nephews to bring out the Jet Skis, dirt bikes and anything else that might be filled with fuel.
Corbin took hold of Zoey’s hand. “Come on. I’m not sure how long Chance can keep Ravena talking before she torches this place.”
Everyone was a safe distance from the barn when the sound of sirens could be heard.
***
Ravena heard the sirens and glared at Chance. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.” Before he could rush over to stop her, she lit a match and tossed it on the rags she had put near the barn’s entrance. Because of the amount of kerosene she had used, the structure quickly went up in flames. He grabbed for Ravena when she stumbled back too close to the fire and part of her shirt caught fire. Chance rolled her to the ground to keep her from burning. He was glad when the police officers arrived, along with the fire truck and paramedics.
While the officers handcuffed Ravena, Chance stood and searched the crowd for Zoey and his great-grandmother. Seeing his brother Emerson, he asked, “Where are they?”
“They’re near Jake’s truck, which is parked not far from yours.”
Chance took off running. His great-grandmother was sitting in Jake’s truck and Zoey was standing in a group surrounded by his cousins. Coming up behind her, he swept her off her feet and into his arms. “Excuse us for a minute,” he said to his cousins. Then, with her in his arms, he walked over to his uncle’s truck. “You’re okay, Mama Laverne?” he asked.
“Yes, Chancellor, I’m fine. Glad to be alive.”
His gaze shifted to his uncle. “Thanks, Uncle Jake.”
“No thanks needed, Chance.”
He nodded, shifted his gaze back to Mama Laverne and said, “You were right.” He figured she knew what he was talking about. Mainly his true feelings for Zoey.
He carried Zoey a distance away from the crime scene before placing her on her feet. Before she could say anything, his mouth came down on hers.
***
Chance was kissing her hard, and Zoey kissed him back when it hit her just how close she’d come to dying—the second time in twenty years.
When Chance finally released her mouth, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “I thought I was going to lose you both.”
Zoey had thought the same and was grateful that she and Ms. Felicia Laverne had been rescued in the nick of time. Once the entire building had quickly gone up in flames, there was no way they would have survived.
She reached up and cupped Chance’s face. “And I thought I had lost you after last night. I’m so sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions, Chance. I’m also sorry Ravena wasn’t who you thought she was. I can’t believe she and I are related.”
“I can’t believe what happened all those years ago…caused so much hate to fester. That is truly sad,” he said.
He leaned in and kissed her again until the sound of someone clearing their throat intruded. They broke off the kiss and saw Corbin. He was grinning. “The police want the two of you for statements. They are talking to Mama Laverne now. Dex called Trevor to tell him about the barn and that we got most of the stuff out in time. Did you know Trev intended to sell the cabin, and Mama Laverne told him to make sure you had first dibs?”
Chance chuckled. “No, I didn’t know. But then it makes sense for me to own it since it was originally a part of the Satterfield homestead. Where’s Ravena?”
“Being checked by the paramedics for her burns, and then she’s going to jail.”
“Good.”
“And before you two get lost,” Corbin said, “Mama Laverne has called a special family meeting at Whispering Pines in an hour—as she put it—to start spilling the Madaris tea.”
“That ought to be interesting,” Chance said.
“It’s not as interesting as Jake and Uncle Jonathan trying to talk their oldest four brothers to turn over their shotguns to them. They just arrived ready to kick ass at the thought of anyone messing with their mama.”
Chance rolled his eyes. “They shouldn’t be running around with loaded shotguns.”
“If you ask me,” Corbin said, “those four will seize any opportunity to revert back to their hell-raising ways.”
Knowing his grandfather Lucas was in the mix, Chance had to agree.