Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
CASEY – FRIDAY, EARLY. UP THE VALLEY
Etienne and Paul had beaten them to Denny Pritchard’s place, of course.
But after much back and forth on the sat phone, they’d agreed to keep their eyes out and wait for Casey to arrive.
While Casey drove like a man possessed, the couple scouted the property and discovered Gabe and friends in Denny’s massive storage unit.
“The action is in Denny’s storage structure back of the house. There’s a lot of talking, but we can’t hear everything clearly. The older woman has a gun and doesn’t look afraid to use it. She shot one of the accomplices, looks like she got him in the arm. How far out are you?”
“Under ten minutes.”
“In that case, we’ll hold before we go check on Denny. If things go sideways ahead of your arrival, we’re going in,” Paul said. “To be honest, Etienne and I are kind of enjoying being flies on the wall. We’ve been listening to—Gabriel, is it?”
“Yes, Gabriel.” Casey confirmed.
“We’re listening to him verbally torture his kidnappers. He’s quite impressive. Oh, hang on, the other one is making a run for it. We’re going to intercept him.”
The connection ended so all they heard over the speaker now was fuzz. Casey pressed the gas down, pushing the Wagoneer as hard as he dared. Behind them, the headlights of Shay’s Lincoln bounced. At least the rain had finally stopped, for now anyway.
“I think we’ll learn that Althea was a Pritchard before she married Fred Mortine,” Elton said to Casey as they bumped over another exposed rock and forded a small river created by the storm. He sounded disappointed and Casey couldn’t blame him.
Casey grunted his agreement; they’d started this conversation a few miles back, going over as many different scenarios as they could using the puzzle pieces they had. It all came back to who knew Gabe had Heidi’s stuff, and process of elimination had led to Althea.
The only explanation was that Althea was a Pritchard and wanted whatever she thought Heidi had taken. Ahead he finally spotted the access road to Denny’s property. Slowing to a crawl, he turned off the headlights in case there was someone keeping an eye out. Behind him, Shay did the same.
He pulled to a stop about fifty yards from Denny’s house and turned off the engine. Shay parked as well.
“No lights on,” said Elton.
“Nope. I need you to wait here or in the Navigator with Claribel.”
Elton opened his mouth to argue, but Casey shut him down. “Nope. I’m not having it. This is as close to the action as you get.”
The last thing, the VERY last thing he needed by the time they all arrived at Denny Pritchard’s property, was Elton or Claribel getting caught in any possible crossfire. Or Shay, Casey supposed. Shay’s strengths were presumably in the courtroom, not at the crime scene.
He led the way to the Navigator, where Shay had his window open and was looking at him expectantly.
“Elton is waiting here with you and Claribel. I’m going around back where Paul and Etienne are.” He did not have time to explain his theory about the couple being ex-secret spy types.
With that, Casey pulled up his hood and jogged toward Denny Pritchard’s storage building, and less than five minutes later, Gabe was making jokes about being tied up.
Maybe someday he’d look back and think that maybe this wasn’t the most romantic scenario, place, or situation to tell Gabe he’d fallen in love with him. But Casey wasn’t able to stop the words from spilling out.
“God, I love you, Gabriel Karne,” he said, kneeling down to cut through the zip ties.
“Randy has the key to the cuffs in his pocket,” Gabe informed him. “Unlock me, dammit, because I love you right back.”
As Ranger Casey Lundin, he represented the acting law enforcement agency on the scene until the Sheriff’s Office arrived. William and Althea had already been restrained by the Allard-Clarks, so he settled both of them near the door.
An ambulance arrived before TCSO, having taken the long, bumpy trip up Crystal Creek Road, and was about to drive away again with Randy Witherspoon in the back. He was going to live thanks to Paul’s quick work with his first aid kit. Gabe refused to go.
“I just need a good rubdown,” he insisted, pairing his statement with a suggestive grin and eyebrow waggle.
Casey stared at him, noting the red welts on his wrists. He probably had them on his ankles too. “At least let the EMT check you over.”
“The only person I want checking me over is you. I’m fine. Just cold and stiff.”
At that moment, Paul and Etienne reappeared, forestalling Casey’s retort.
“We found Denny in his kitchen, zip-tied and spitting mad,” Paul told them. “Etienne talked him out of coming out here with his shotgun.”
“Denny claims no knowledge of stolen art or any such thing. Althea paid him to use the storage unit, and that was the extent of their relationship. He’s an old man, the cash was handy, and Denny’s not the type to ask questions.
She’s a cousin, maybe an in-law, he wasn’t even sure about how they were related.
Denny’s a prepper, which explains the supplies,” Paul said.
“The storage unit is stuffed with everything he’d need to survive the end times.
I’m pretty sure that’s what he was using the extra cash for, more prep. ”
“We believe he’s telling the truth. Not that Denny’s blameless, but he didn’t give a shit what his cousin Althea was up to. He just wanted the money she offered,” Etienne added.
The deputies arrived a few minutes later, squeezing past the rest of the vehicles already there, the tires bearing witness to at least one battle with mud during the drive up.
A stone-silent Althea Mortine was read her rights as official handcuffs replaced the zip ties, and a deputy helped her into the back of Eagan’s cruiser.
But they weren’t transporting her to her former place of employment. The Westfort police would be taking custody and were likely going to need to run the entire case against her. Considering her involvement with Rizzi, Casey wouldn’t be surprised if state investigator Lane Boyd showed up again.
Casey didn’t fail to notice that Elton, Claribel, and Shay had found their way to the sidelines of the action. At least they’d stayed away until all perpetrators were taken into custody.
“She has her fingers in too many pies at the station,” Eagan told them grimly.
“I think she panicked because we brought in an outside auditor to go through pretty much everything. I won’t be surprised if, in addition to Rizzi’s and Stevens’s crimes, we find that Althea was influencing the outcomes of investigations too. ”
“What about Mia Witherspoon?” Gabe asked.
“Believe me, Althea will be questioned further. Just not by me. But we will need a statement from you, Gabriel, and sooner rather than later.”
Deputy Eagan moved away from them, toward the cruiser where Althea was pointedly not looking in their direction. Minutes later, she drove away, Deputy Wycoff following in her wake.
“So? Where’s this damn missing art?” asked Elton, his eyes on the sheriff’s car disappearing around a bend in Denny’s driveway.
Casey wondered how he felt about Althea playing him. As far as Casey could tell though, he was angry, not hurt.
Gabe spoke before Casey could broach the sensitive subject. “Can we have this confab elsewhere? Someplace warm? I need to take a shower and change clothes. And bathe in coffee, a fucking vat of it. That sounds glorious.”
There was some discussion, but in reality, no one place was large enough for everyone. In the end, they agreed to convene at the house Shay and Claribel had rented—after Casey took Gabe back to his house for a few much-needed minutes of peace and quiet.
“Etienne, Paul”—Claribel batted her eyelids, and Gabe covered a snort with a cough—“do come along and join us. These family gatherings are always a good time.”
Paul shot Casey a look, but Casey shrugged in response. They were adults and the Claribel Delacombe warning label was too long for a silent conversation.
“We would be happy to,” responded Etienne, entirely too chipper at the prospect of time in Claribel’s company. “Paul and I also must freshen up first. We will bring croissants. I prepared the dough two days ago.”
Casey sent Elton along with Shay. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Elton harrumphed but didn’t argue.
Casey’d just maneuvered the Wagoneer out onto the ravaged dirt road when his cell phone pinged.
Mickie: Do you want to cash in that rain check? Lunch today?
“Your place is still a mess,” he warned Gabe, yet again.
Casey didn’t think Gabe was particularly attached to the mobile home. His gleaming espresso machine and Keith were probably the two most important things to him. And the espresso machine could be replaced. He’d have to ask Etienne what brand his machine was.
“Shower with you, sex with you, in that order. I need to wash the stench of Dirty Socks Randy and Sidekick William down the drain. My clothes are at my house, so my place it is,” Gabe said.
Casey had offered to grab his clothes and head back to The Barbara, but Gabe had quickly nixed that.
“Shower together, I believe I said. Not happening on the damn boat.”
“So, what you’re saying is we’re gonna need a bigger boat?” Casey teased.
Gabe turned his head slowly in Casey’s direction. Casey could feel his eyes on the side of his face and let himself smile.
“Did you just make a joke, Ranger Man? A Jaws reference? I think there may be hope for you yet.”
“Maybe I did. But seriously, I want you to be prepared for what you’re about to see.”
“I’m prepared. Who gives a fuck about stuff? Things can be replaced. You said you took Keith to Elton’s last night.”
“I did.”
“Well then, nothing else fucking matters. I suppose I might be a bit pissed off if they damaged my espresso machine.”
Casey stayed quiet, focusing on the road. He wasn’t turning his head and looking at Gabe.
Gabe gasped. “They did, didn’t they! Those assholes.”
“I think you may need a new one.”