Chapter 18
Kneeling on the damp grass, Aiden adjusted his grip on Lucy’s wrist. She lay beside him and was eerily still.
His hands began to tremble. He swallowed down the rising grief and panic.
He was a firefighter. A professional. He’d dealt with situations like this before.
He had to push aside his emotions and focus on the job.
He inhaled. Exhaled. Lifting her wrist once more, he pressed his fingers onto her veins. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, he felt a flutter.
He moved his fingers under her chin. There he found the jugular vein and the slow thumping of her pulse. Her chest rose as she drew in a breath.
She was back.
Rocking back onto his heels, he was exhausted. His shoulders slumped and his eyes burned. Aiden blinked hard.
He needed to call 9-1-1 and reached into his pocket for the phone. It wasn’t there.
Dammit.
It was still in his car.
“Lucy.” He gripped her wrist. Her pulse was stronger. “I have to get my phone. I’ll only be gone for a second.”
He squeezed her arm once more and rose to his feet. He jogged to his car and pulled the passenger door open. The phone sat in the cup holder. He grabbed the device and entered 9-1-1.
The call rang twice.
“Emergency Services,” said an operator. “This is Trey. How may I help you?”
“Trey, it’s Aiden. I’m at the Five Steers Ranch.” He kicked the car door closed. “I have an unconscious female.” He paused. What else did he know? There’d been the faint stench of gas when he opened the door. “Possible carbon monoxide poisoning. I need an ambulance and a fire truck.”
Trey repeated everything that Aiden had said, confirming that he understood the message. “I’ve dispatched both.”
“Thanks, man,” he said.
That’s when he saw it. There were two furrows in the wet grass.
To him, they looked like tire tracks. He followed the channels with his eyes.
They led into the woods that lined the road.
Several small trees were bent. Several more had snapped in two.
Aiden wasn’t a forensic specialist, but to him, it looked like a car pulled into the tree line.
Was this another attempted murder?
Trey had said something, but Aiden hadn’t been listening.
“Say that again,” he said.
“I asked if you needed anything else.”
“Yeah,” said Aiden. “Get in touch with my brother, Callum. Tell him I think the killer is responsible for the gas leak.”
The line went silent. Had the call dropped?
“Trey, you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Did you say killer?”
He hadn’t meant to freak out the dispatch operator. But he also didn’t have time to explain. “Call Callum. Tell him what I said.”
“Okay. I can do that. The ambulance and fire truck are on their way.” He paused. “Do you want me to stay on the line until they arrive?”
Considering that someone had tried to kill either Lucy or her grandfather three times in as many days, it might be wise to keep his connection with Emergency Services.
But Aiden had figured out a thing or two about the killer.
In all three instances, the would-be killer tried to create a deadly accident.
It meant one thing. He—or she—didn’t want to look their victims in the eyes.
They just set up the circumstances and let fate take care of the rest.
Besides, whoever had parked their car in the woods wasn’t around anymore. He doubted that they’d come back. “We’ll be okay. But thanks.” He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket.
He went back to Lucy. Her breathing was regular. He placed his fingers on her wrist. Her pulse was fast. A rapid heart rate was consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning. She’d need to go to the hospital. They’d be able to treat her with oxygen and IV fluids.
Sitting back on his heels, he asked himself an important question. What if?
What if Callum hadn’t called to tell Aiden that Lucy had come home?
What if he hadn’t turned around when he did?
What if he hadn’t noticed her arm, dangling off the side of the sofa?
Each instance was a link in the thin chain that separated life from death.
He tried to focus on the fact that everything had gone right. But what if it hadn’t?
Besides, Lucy wasn’t in the clear yet. Neurological problems were common with C02 exposure.
He reached for her wrist again. Her pulse had slowed. She was improving.
“It’ll be alright,” he said. “You’re safe. I’m here.”
Lucy sucked in a deep breath. Her chest heaved. She started coughing. Her whole body was racked with the effort. Aiden rolled her to her side. If she got sick, at least she wouldn’t choke. The coughing stopped, and she opened her eyes.
“Hey.” He reached for her hand. “There you are.”
“What happened?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“You didn’t wake up when I knocked, so I kicked in the door. There was a scent of natural gas, so I brought you outside.” He didn’t add that she’d been close to death when he found her.
“Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why did you stop by?”
Oh, that. Now wasn’t the time to add to her concerns. “I can tell you later.” He changed the subject. “For now, I want you to lie here on the ground. I know the grass is damp.”
“Stop trying to protect me,” she said, her voice stronger than he expected. “I need the truth. Why are you here?”
He let out a long breath. Lucy was right, she deserved the facts. “I was worried that your grandfather’s accident wasn’t totally random. I was worried that the wreck was somehow connected to you getting locked in the barn.”
“Did you find anything?” She squeezed his hand tighter.
He paused.
She said, “Aiden, you have to tell me what you found.”
“One of the brake lines was cut.”
A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye. It followed the contours of her face. When it reached her lips, she licked it away.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It looks like Rusty’s being targeted, too.”
Lucy shook her head. “He never drives, unless he can’t help it. He went out to take care of the cattle because I wasn’t home. If the brake line was cut, the person was trying to get to me.”
A gust of wind blew, chilling Aiden to his core. “Who wants you dead?”
Lucy lay on the ground without speaking for a moment.
And then, a moment more. She turned her gaze to Aiden.
“A few months ago, an old friend of my brother’s offered to buy the ranch.
He said he was working for someone who was interested in the property.
It was a generous offer, but I turned him down. ”
Aiden knew there was more to the story. He said nothing and waited for her to talk.
She continued, “I’d never sell this land.
It’s more than property. It’s my heritage.
When I have kids, I want them to live here.
Sure, it’s expensive to keep and hard to maintain.
But so far, Rusty and I have managed. But this guy.
” She shook her head. “He’s no good. He and Derek used to hang out.
They’d sneak into the woods and drink. At a party, he gave my brother a pill. After that, Derek was hooked.”
Lucy mentioned that her brother had died of an overdose. What he didn’t know was the circumstances around his addiction.
“The guy, my brother’s friend, his name is Stu…”
“Stu Whittier?” Aiden asked, interrupting.
“You know him?”
“We went to high school together. But I haven’t spoken to him in years—not until yesterday.”
Had Stu come back to Red Grove to get the Five Steers Ranch? And did he want the land badly enough that he was willing to kill?
Lucy lay on the ground. Her jeans were wet and cold. The plaintive wail of a siren filled the air a moment before the ambulance came into view.
“Sounds like Emergency Services are almost here,” said Aiden.
The vehicle stopped and two EMTs emerged. She recognized them at once.
“Frank. Carol,” said Aiden as he rose to his feet. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
“It’d be best if you quit calling,” said Frank, joking. “I know I told you that we were working over the holiday weekend and we didn’t want to be bored. But this is starting to get silly.”
“He’s just giving you a hard time.” Carol knelt next to Lucy and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Aiden stopped by my house and noticed me taking a nap. When he knocked and I didn’t wake up, he got worried.”
“Did you notice anything before you laid down?” Carol lifted Lucy’s wrist and checked her pulse. “Like a headache. Were you sick to your stomach?”
The memories were surrounded by a fog. She couldn’t find anything solid or real.
Then, she remembered.
“I was tired,” she said. “And sore. I think my head hurt. I had a hard time concentrating.”
“When I pulled her out of the house,” said Aiden, “I noticed the scent of gas. That’s why we’re outside. At first, I couldn’t find a pulse. Her respiration was low. She came back on her own, though.”
Christ Almighty. Had Lucy almost died?
Carol and Frank exchanged a look. She guessed they were thinking the same thing.
Frank said, “We’re going to start an IV and get you on some oxygen. Then, we’re going to take you to the hospital. There, the doctor can look you over.”
At this point, Lucy knew the drill.
“You wait here,” said Carol. She patted Lucy’s shoulder. “We’ll be right back.”
“I’ve got an eye on her.” Aiden switched places with Carol.
“I didn’t know I was that bad.” The cold crept into her bones, and she started to shake.
Aiden grabbed her hand. “Just breathe. We don’t want you to go into shock.”
She inhaled. Exhaled.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Better,” she said, even though that wasn’t exactly true.
“I asked Callum to have an officer posted outside of your grandfather’s room. He’ll be safe as long as he’s at the hospital.”
“Thank you.” Her throat was tight, and the words came out as a whisper.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said. “But you aren’t safe at the ranch.” She knew what he was going to say, even before he spoke. “Someone is targeting you, and until they’ve been caught, you need to stay someplace else.”
A million different responses came to her at once.
I can’t leave my home.
I’m not going to be chased off my land.
I love the Five Steers.
It didn’t matter that all those things were true, other things were true was well.
“I know,” she said. “It’s just that I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
There was another wail from another siren. A fire truck was coming up the road. It stopped behind the ambulance, and five people emerged from the cab. Chief Kane, tall and broad shouldered, was hard to miss.
Aiden stood.
“I thought you were supposed to be on medical leave,” said the chief.
“I’m still investigating Friday night’s fire.”
“I heard this was a gas leak.”
Before Aiden could answer, Frank approached, pushing a stretcher. Carol was right behind him. She carried a large black bag with a red cross on the side.
“Let’s get out of the way so the EMTs can work,” suggested Aiden, taking a few steps back.
“The first thing we’re going to do,” said Carol, “is get you on this gurney.”
She continued to explain the aid they’d be providing, but Lucy wasn’t paying attention.
She was watching Aiden as he spoke to the chief.
Aiden counted off on his fingers as he spoke.
One. Two. Three. If she had to guess, he was telling the chief about the three times someone had tried to kill her over the weekend.
For his part, the chief didn’t agree. He shook his head and waved away the arguments.
“Is that okay with you?” Carol asked.
“I’m sorry,” said Lucy. “I didn’t hear you.”
Carol held a plastic mask by its elastic strap. A tube connected it to a small cylindrical tank. “Can I get you started with some oxygen?”
Lucy lifted her head off the ground. Carol placed the mask body over her nose and mouth.
She adjusted the strap. With a hiss, oxygen started to flow.
She was lifted onto the stretcher. Frank pushed the gurney, while Carol pulled.
Together, the two EMTs lifted Lucy, stretcher and all, into the back of the ambulance.
The wheels were locked into place. Carol sat in a small seat next to Lucy.
The walls were filled with medical equipment held by straps and webbing.
Carol wiped the back of Lucy’s hand with an alcohol pad. The astringent smell filled the back of the ambulance. “This is going to pinch.”
Lucy closed her eyes while the EMT slid a needle into her vein. When she looked up again, Aiden stood at the back of the ambulance. “Hey, Carol. Can I have a minute with Lucy?”
“So long as it’s only a minute. We need to get back to the hospital.”
After Carol jumped down, Aiden climbed up the ladder. He sat in the chair that the EMT had just vacated. “The firefighters just looked through your house. They found the source of the gas leak.”
“And?”
“A burner on the stove had been turned on but there was no flame. Any idea when the stove was used last?”
“I made pancakes for breakfast,” she said, “and used the electric griddle.”
“What about Rusty? Did he make breakfast before he left?”
She shook her head. “The only thing he made was coffee.”
“Do you remember the last time you used the stove?”
“It was Saturday morning. When you were over and we made breakfast.”
“What about dinner last night?” he asked. “Any idea what Rusty ate?”
“He had leftovers for dinner and didn’t make anything before he went out this morning.”
“I know these questions are getting deep into the weeds,” he said. “But we’re trying to figure out if the stove had been left on accidentally.”
“It wasn’t,” she said. Then again, that meant one thing. “Someone tried to kill me again.”
Her pulse started to climb. Her chest tightened. She sucked in a breath and blew it out. The mask filled with condensation.
“Hey,” said Aiden. “You are safe.”
This time, the danger wasn’t in her mind. “I’m not safe, though. Everything that’s happened has been deliberate.”
“Local law enforcement is investigating. They are good at what they do. They’ll find out who is targeting you and why.”
“Is that before or after I get murdered?”
Aiden rubbed the back of his head. “We talked about this before, but you really can’t stay here. Especially if Rusty is in the hospital.”
He was right. “My parents aren’t in the area. All my other family is gone. I lost touch with my friends after Derek’s death.” How had she let her world become so small? Then again, she didn’t trust anyone other than Rusty. And now, Aiden.
“Well,” he said. “You can stay with me. I’ll sleep on the couch, or whatever. We can figure that out later.”
“I don’t know,” she began. But what other choice did she have?
“C’mon, Colton,” said Carol. “Time to go.”
“I’ll meet you at the hospital.” He brushed his lips on her forehead. “Think about what I said.”
She liked the idea of staying with Aiden. Making breakfast with him in the morning. Sleeping in his arms at night. Being with him was a safe harbor in the middle of a stormy sea—at least for now.
Aiden jumped to the ground, and Carol climbed into the back of the ambulance. “The oxygen must be helping,” the EMT said. “Your cheeks are getting rosy again.”