Chapter Twenty-One
Jaxon swung into the sheriff’s office on his crutches and told the deputy on duty that he was there to talk to the sheriff.
Landon came out a few minutes later and shook his hand. “So, tell me about this idea of yours, Jaxon.”
“When you were looking at the cabins at the Jameson ranch today, I don’t suppose Henry told you about the one way out in the boonies, did he?”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “No, he did not. That sorry SOB. He’s obstructed this search for the last damn time.”
“That’s what I thought. It’s about four miles from the ranch house, and it’s a bit hard to find, but I can take you to it.”
Landon gestured to a deputy standing nearby. “Come on, Abel. Get Jerry and follow us.”
Jaxon rode with the sheriff, which was so much easier on his ankle than driving his truck.
When they arrived at the Jameson ranch, Landon pulled up to the ranch house and called Henry outside.
He told him where they were headed. “I’d like to know why you didn’t tell us about this place this morning, Henry. ”
“I’m sorry, Landon, but she’s my girl. I just can’t turn her in. If you’re going out there now, I’d like to go with you. She left the keys in her car.”
“If you come, you’ll ride with us and follow my instructions. You’re not going to warn her,” Landon said.
“Yes, sir.”
Landon spoke into his shoulder microphone. “Jerry, I put in a call for ambulances before I left the office. I want you to wait here for them. Call when they get here, and Abel will give you directions.” He glanced at Jaxon. “Since we know she’s armed, I wanted to be prepared.”
Jaxon directed the sheriff down the main ranch drive, where they continued for a mile before going through a gate on the right.
“We go through this pasture and then another one, then we’ll be in the right area.
We’ll follow a very faint track to the cabin.
It has water and a septic tank, but it’s too far out for electricity.
That’s why it’s seldom used. Maria stays there from time to time when she wants to be by herself.
She took me there once. That’s why I know about it. ”
“I’m really pissed off that you didn’t tell us about this place while we were out here. This manhunt could have been over by now,” the sheriff said, looking in the rearview mirror at Henry. “I’m glad we have backup. There’s no telling what that woman will do.”
Jaxon guided the sheriff until the cabin came into view in the distance. As the wraparound front porch gradually became clearer, he noticed Henry’s old Chevy truck out front.
Landon and Abel parked their cars a little way from the house. Landon motioned to Abel to come forward as Jaxon got his crutches under him.
“Does the cabin have a back door?” the sheriff asked Jaxon.
“Yes, it does.”
Glancing at Abel, he said, “You go around back and make sure she doesn’t get out that way.”
As the man jogged in that direction, Landon looked at Jaxon. “I want you to stay right here. I’m going up to the door, and I’ll ask her to surrender. I hope she does, but if she doesn’t, I’ll handle that too.”
“But I—”
“No buts,” the sheriff said. “You’re injured. You stay put.” He turned and headed toward the porch steps.
Stepping to the side of the door, he called out, “Maria, this is the sheriff. I know you’re armed. Come out with your hands in the air.” He stood beside the door for a full minute, but nothing happened.
His heart beating hard, Jaxon waited for Landon’s next move. A curtain twitched in the window by the front door.
“Maria, come out now. We don’t want to hurt you,” Landon called.
“I won’t come out, but Jaxon can come in,” she yelled.
“That’s not going to happen,” Landon called.
Maria fired off a shot inside the cabin.
Furious that she’d used the gun, Jaxon moved toward the porch.
The sheriff waved him off. “Maria, you come out with your hands in the air and leave that gun behind.”
Echoing Landon’s words, she said, “That’s not going to happen.”
Henry shouted, “Honey, please come out. Just give yourself up. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I want to talk to Jaxon,” she called.
“Hold on,” Landon yelled and waved Jaxon up to the porch. When Jaxon came up the steps, the sheriff said quietly, “Stand behind me.” Then he called out, “Jaxon’s here. Say what you want to say, Maria.”
“No, he has to come inside!”
“He won’t be doing that, and you know why. Be reasonable, Maria. Let’s resolve this peaceably,” Landon said. “Now talk.”
She fired off a shot and shouted, “The next one’s in my head! If I can’t talk to Jaxon, I don’t have any reason to live.”
Jaxon looked at Landon and sighed. The woman was clearly unstable, and he honestly didn’t want her to kill herself. “Get her to hand the gun out, and I’ll go in.”
Landon shook his head. “No, she’s too dangerous.”
“You come in with me, then.”
“You pass out your gun, and we’ll talk about it, Maria,” the sheriff called out.
There was silence for several seconds. Jaxon took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his nerves. Then the cabin’s front window opened, and Maria tossed the revolver out.
“Dammit! That could have gone off!” Landon said, moving over to pick up the gun.
“Now you send Jaxon in,” she yelled.
Jaxon heard a clicking sound. She must have unlocked the door.
“We’re coming in,” Landon called out, moving to the door.
“That’s not the deal!” she shouted.
“It’s the only deal you’re going to get,” Landon yelled as he slowly opened the door, his gun in his hand.
Jaxon entered the cabin—and immediately froze. Maria stood near the couch, a large kitchen knife in her hand.
She moved it to her throat. “Get out, sheriff, or I’ll use it.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Landon said.
She pressed the knife into her skin, and a drop of blood appeared. She pushed harder, and several more dripped down the blade.
Dammit! “Stop it, Maria. You’ve got me in here. Say what you want to say.” Jaxon sighed and gripped his crutches harder. “I did love you, but it was never enough. No matter what I said or did, it never satisfied you. You need too much. You want too much.”
Her face instantly went from sad to furious. “That’s not true! You didn’t try hard enough! You just gave up!”
Jaxon shook his head. “A person can only take so much, Maria. I took all I could bear, and then I had to step away.”
“Liar!” She pointed the knife at him. “You quit trying—quit loving me—even though I loved you with all my heart!”
“Put the knife down, Maria!” Landon said and leveled his gun at her.
“No!” With lightning speed, she slashed at her wrist. Blood spurted as the knife dropped to the floor. Maria fell to her knees, blood pumping from her deep wound.
Jaxon gasped. “Maria!” He took a step toward her.
Landon spoke into his shoulder microphone. “Where’s that ambulance, dammit?” He kicked the knife away from her and untied his bandanna, wrapping it tightly over her wound.
Shocked by Maria’s actions, Jaxon went to the door and peered out. “Henry, you’d better come in.”
Maria’s father raced up the steps as a siren sounded nearby. “What’s happened?”
Jaxon stepped aside as the man strode into the cabin, followed by Abel.
“Oh my God, honey, what have you done?” Henry cried, sinking to his knees beside Maria.
“Daddy, help me,” Maria choked out between sobs.
Henry wrapped her in his arms and rocked her.
“You can meet us at the hospital, Henry, but she’s under arrest for what she’s done to Jaxon and to Destiny Vaughn, and for violating the restraining order,” the sheriff said.
Maria’s sobs increased, and Jaxon noticed blood dripping from the saturated bandanna over her wound.
Two EMTs entered the room and took over the scene.
Landon nodded at Abel to follow him as he walked out to the porch.
Jaxon followed.
“Abel, you wait here and ride in the ambulance with her. I don’t want anything crazy happening on the way to the hospital,” Landon said. “I’ll send someone to go over the scene right away. Right now, I’m going to take Jaxon home. This has been a hell of a day.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Jaxon followed the sheriff out to the car, he took a deep breath. Maria was finally going to be behind bars. She’d be prosecuted for everything she’d done and would be out of their lives for a long time to come.