Chapter 16
Annette’s pillow buzzed. She opened her eyes just a crack and peered around the room. It was dark. She punched the mound beneath her head, trying to make the vibration stop. Her eyes closed as she prepared to ignore the annoying phenomenon. Then, the merest hint of a tune began to play, and she reared up in bed. It was her alarm. She flipped it off and the small bedside lamp on.
Soundlessly, she dressed.
Last evening, around seven, she’d pleaded a headache and retired to her bedroom. She’d laid her clothes on a chair and forced herself to sleep early. Gabrielle had done pretty much the same thing. Now, she hurried to the bathroom to braid her hair as Gabrielle always did. She couldn’t afford to get it caught in a branch again. Her scalp still ached. They needed to move quietly into a surveillance position without any major catastrophe. Plus, it had been extremely painful to leave a handful of hair behind on that tree. The whole incident caused her to doubt her ability to ride a horse that distance, but it hadn’t weakened her resolve.
Splashing cool water on her face, she patted it dry, surveying herself in the mirror. She’d been a fearsome sight after returning from the ride yesterday. It was fortunate no one but Jeff had seen her. Somehow, she’d managed to sneak into her room and tidy up first, but there was no way to disguise the long scratch across her cheek. Gabrielle was shocked when she saw it.
Hurrying back to the bed, she picked up her phone and sent a text to her sister. Are you up?It’s 1:20 am and I’m ready to go.
Gabrielle replied immediately. I’m ready and waiting. This is idiotic.
Now that the time to leave was upon them, Annette almost agreed. The plan did seem crazy, but stuff like this always worked in the movies. Why not for them? She was convinced that Danbury was guilty. They would collect evidence of some wrongdoing tonight; she was sure of it.
Stealthily, she crept outside her door and closed it softly behind her just as Gabrielle appeared from hers. Together they tiptoed down the stairs and made their way to the back door using the lights from their phones. They pulled on jackets and boots, unbolted the latch, and slipped outside.
Neither of them said a word until they were safely inside the barn.
Gabrielle slid the door shut and leaned against it with a grunt of displeasure. “It’s one thing to talk about doing this in the cold light of day, and quite another to execute it in the middle of the dark night. I’m cold, I’m sleepy, and I want to go back to bed,” she complained bitterly.
“It will all be worth it when we catch them,” Annette said with a confidence she didn’t quite feel.
It took a while to saddle the horses, since Gabrielle had to double check that Annette had done everything correctly. Though before long they were mounted, heading past the house and down the winding driveway enveloped by the inky darkness of the night.
Above, the sky was cloudless, and the breeze had stilled. Countless stars glittered in the vast emptiness of space and a full, luminescent moon hung high overhead with its pale light bathing the earth in an ethereal glow. Annette gazed up. She’d never seen the sky like this. It was amazing.
“It’s called a Strawberry Moon,” Gabrielle called softly, her voice barely audible over the rhythmic clopping of the horses’ hooves. “Sophie was telling me about it today. It’s named for the North American tradition of harvesting strawberries in June. Pretty isn’t it?”
An owl hooted in the distance, its haunting call echoing in the night and Annette jumped. However, it was nothing compared to the eerie howling of coyotes that suddenly splintered the air. Their mournful cries sent chills down her spine.
“The moon is gorgeous,” Annette murmured. “But the howling is freaking me out.”
“I’ve been on a couple of midnight rides with Andrew,” Gabrielle said. “It’s nothing to worry about.” She exhaled noisily. “Still, I wish he was with us now.”
“Have you told him?”
“If you’re talking about the Triple T and his mother, no. I will though, if Sophie doesn’t. He and Jayke need to know what’s going on.”
“I wonder how long it will take her letter to reach Jayke,” Annette pondered. She heard, rather than saw Gabrielle shrug. It was a question no one could answer.
The saddle creaked with the swaying movements of the horse, and she reached down to stroke a hand along Pearl’s neck. She really loved this horse. It would be sad to leave her behind when it was time to go home. She’d barely even noticed horses before this trip, but now found herself wondering if there were any places she could go riding near Paris. It would be a poor facsimile for this place, though, since it was magical.
They reached the main road and turned to the left. Annette looked at her phone; almost two o’clock in the morning Perhaps they shouldn’t be riding down the middle of the road like this. What if the Danbury men went roaring past on their way to pull the next stunt? She didn’t want to be seen. In fact, what if they spun past her and Gabrielle, disappearing into the night. How could they follow on horseback when she couldn’t get past a slow amble without falling off? Maybe this was even less of a good idea than she’d previously thought.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have dragged you out here like this. It is kind of crazy.”
“No,” said her sister, “it’s not kind of crazy. It’s absolutely, positively ludicrous.” She giggled. “It is an adventure, though, and a fantastic night for a ride. I’m actually enjoying myself, so don’t feel bad.”
Annette smiled to herself. Trust Gabby to find the positives. Feeling better, she looked ahead and caught the gleam of the wooden Danbury sign.
“There it is,” she hissed. Standing up in her stirrups she could see the yard light not far from the road. She reined Pearl to the right.
“Wait!” There was an urgency in Gabrielle’s voice. “I thought we just decided this was a bad idea. It’s been a lovely ride, but I think we should turn back. I don’t want to go in there.”
“We’re so close,” Annette wheedled. “Please, let’s check things out. Just because this wasn’t the best plan, doesn’t mean they aren’t guilty. Maybe we’ll see them leave or learn something incriminating that will bring them to justice. Besides,” she gestured to a field on the far side of the driveway, “there’s no fence over here. We could ride up to the house undetected.”
With an exaggerated groan, Gabrielle turned in behind Annette. They rode down the ditch and up the other side into the pasture, heading toward the dreaded Danbury ranch.
Apart from two lone lights that stood atop poles, one near the house and the other perched on a low building off to the right, the house stood completely dark. It didn’t appear as though anyone was awake and planning a rendezvous with danger.
Annette urged Pearl to come alongside Gabrielle and Panda. “See that knoll to the left? If we can lead the horses into the trees up there and maybe wait an hour to see what happens, I think we’ll have results. We came this far, so let’s spend just a little time watching.”
“Ugh!” Gabrielle replied in exasperation. “I’ll give it thirty minutes and then I’m going back.”
They turned to the side and made their way up a small embankment toward a bluff of trees. It was actually a perfect vantage point to watch the farm undetected and Annette was pleased. Before they reached the bushes, however, she stopped and slid to the ground.
It was much easier to lead Pearl on a winding path through dense brush than it was to ride her. Soon they stopped in a spot overlooking the house. She tied the horse to a tree and sank to the ground, head in hands to watch. After a moment, Gabrielle joined her.
“I’m timing this,” her sister whispered testily, dropping down beside her.
Fifteen minutes passed. The ground was littered with rocks, twigs and other debris causing them to shuffle to find a more comfortable position. The horses moved restlessly. Annette began to feel cold and damp. She was just about to suggest they leave, when a set of headlights swung onto the driveway from the road and proceeded up to the house at breakneck speed.
It slammed to a halt with a shower of gravel. After cutting the engine, someone got out and slammed the door. Suddenly, a light went on inside the house. The front door was thrown open and an enormous figure loomed in the doorway. Two men exchanged angry, unintelligible words, but they were too far away to make out.
“I’m going down to see if I can hear what they’re saying,” Annette whispered.
“Have you lost your mind?” Gabrielle grabbed her arm and shook it. “You’ll get caught.”
“Listen, if you can lead both horses out of these trees and wait for me below, we can make a fast getaway if necessary.”
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. A fast getaway…argh!” Gabrielle groaned. “Be careful.” Turning, she untied the horses and disappeared into the night.
Annette moved cautiously down the rise, staying under cover in the bushes. Fortunately, the men were shouting too loud to hear her approach. She recognized the arrogant voice of Jim Danbury and could only assume the other man was his son, Dillon.
She slipped once and sat down hard on a thistle which jabbed her bottom and legs mercilessly, but she didn’t make a sound. Her objective was to reach the arguing men and listen for incriminating evidence. As quietly as she could, she pushed herself up and continued to creep closer. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached the last few shrubs available to hide under and found she could hear the men quite easily. Mainly because as they talked their voices rose higher and higher.
“You’ve been there all evening?” Jim shouted, pacing back and forth on the porch. “Why did you insist on leaving without telling me what you’re doing?”
“Because I’m not a kid anymore, Dad. And I have a mind of my own, that’s why. And if it took me the whole night, what business is it of yours?”
“If I’m paying for it, then it damn well is my business.”
Annette felt like screaming. What business did you pay for?
“Look,” Dillon said in a calmer tone, “I got the job done didn’t I? Isn’t that what matters? Who cares how long it took, or what time I’m home.”
“Okay. Do you think it’ll work?” barked Jim. “I’ve put a lot of effort into this.”
Dillon crunched through the gravel to take the steps of the porch two at a time. He was heavyset, but not so massive as his father and appeared agitated with his father’s imperious words. “We’ve put a lot of effort into it,” he corrected. “This is my future too and I…”
At that very moment, Annette’s phone rang. She froze in horror. Louder and louder it grew as the dulcet tones of Gene Autry singing, “Home, Home on the Range” burst into strident voice. She’d added the ringtone as a joke before leaving Paris. Only now it filled the still night air with orchestra music and Gene’s crooning wish to return to where the buffalo roamed.
Both men came to a screeching halt and whirled to face Annette where she crouched in the shrubbery.
Dillon leaped from the porch to the ground hollering, “What the hell is that?”
“Someone’s in the bushes,” Jim bellowed. “Don’t just stand there, Dillon. Go get them!”
The younger man charged straight for Annette.
Her body came to life. The deer and the antelope were just warming up on Gene’s lips when she switched her phone off, scrambled to her feet, and ran for her life back up the hill. Sheer adrenaline gave her feet wings. Dillon crashed through the trees after her, cursing and swearing. She ran, heedless of branches that tore at her clothes, poked her face, and ripped her hair for the second time in the past twenty-four hours. Her breathing came in huge, wrenching gasps, and her legs felt like jelly, but fear drove her to a much greater speed than the cumbersome Dillon who followed just behind ordering her to stop.
Of course, he had no idea who he was following, or that she was a girl, evident by his word choices. Luckily for her, it took a lot of his energy to yell such curses and make so many demands while running. He was slow and it gave her an edge.
She crested the hill and flung herself down the other side, only able to hazard a guess at where Gabrielle might be since the moon had gone behind a cloud. She paused for a moment, grasping a tree for support, her chest heaving, breath dragged out of her body with every gasp. She listened. Ahead of her down the hill she heard a low whistle. It was Gabby. Thank goodness, she knew where they were.
But Dillon wasn’t far behind. Annette summoned every bit of her remaining energy and raced down the hill. The cloud moved past, and Pearl’s gleaming coat came into view. She flung herself at the horse, loving her more in this moment than ever before. Gabrielle had knotted the reins over Pearl’s neck and Annette took them, knowing she would have to guide her horse and ride as she had never done before if they were to escape. She rammed her foot in the stirrup, made a wild grab for the saddle horn and hauled herself up. Then she gave Pearl a jab with her heels, and they were off.
Fortunately, Gabrielle had gotten them out of the bluff and into a clear space where the horses could gallop. And gallop they did. Jeff’s steady voice spoke in her ear and his smiling face floated in her memory, telling her to grip with her knees and to find the rhythm of the animal. It helped only a little. Mostly she just clung on for all she was worth as both horses thundered across the meadow and back toward the road.
Annette knew it was only a matter of time before Dillon got back down the hill and came after them in his car. What to do?
Gabrielle solved it for them. As they raced off the Danbury property, down the ditch and up the other side, she crossed the road at a dead gallop, pulling her horse up short at Jeff’s gate on the opposite side.
“Take my reins,” she shouted, threw them to Annette, and hurled herself at the gate. In a moment it was down, and Annette was urging both horses through. In no time, Gabrielle fastened the gate again, leaped onto Panda, and they were off once more, headed for a small stand of trees not far away.
Annette knew what was coming and braced herself.
“Get as low as you can over Pearl’s neck and hang on,” Gabrielle called, as she herself did the same thing with Panda. And then they smashed into the first saplings and the horses stumbled through the low scrub brush. The density of the bluff pulled them up short and the animals waded through, pushing into the interior of the thick growing poplars just as headlights flashed toward them. The engine screamed as the vehicle slid from side to side along the gravelled road. Even from here Annette could hear the tires spinning as the car rushed down the road in search of the intruders.
As it hit the main road, the driver braked sharply sending the car sideways, and swung it wide into the road, so that the sweep of headlights lit up a large area. Clearly knowing the trespassers couldn’t have just vanished into thin air, Dillon stopped the car and got out to inspect first the ditch, and then the road in the powerful beams of light. The heavier man clambered out of the passenger side. They were looking for tracks, Annette thought with a sinking heart. Oh no! She and Gabrielle would be found. Back and forth the ponderous figures of both men paced, heads down, eyes searching the gravel for telltale signs.
They followed the fresh trail of hoof prints across the road and up to Jeff’s property line. Dillon shook the gate viciously. Annette held her breath. Any minute now they would open it and drive in to capture them. She and Gabrielle would be dragged off to the police and thrown in jail for trespassing. But nothing happened. Eventually, with more hollering, the men climbed back into the car, turned it around, and slowly drove back down their drive.
Neither woman said anything for a long time. They remained in the bushes, the horses puffing, their sides heaving as everyone strove to calm down.
“I can’t believe that just happened.” Gabrielle finally chanced a whisper. “Did you at least hear anything worthwhile?”
Annette nodded, then, realizing her sister couldn’t see a nod, she answered in a croaky voice. “I believe I did, yes. Nothing conclusive though. I have no idea what Dillon was doing tonight, but I’m sure he was at Sophie’s. There were no clues as to what part of the ranch he attacked. Then my phone rang, and I was chased by the son. Oh Gabby, I was so scared.” She took a shaky breath. “But they’re guilty alright. I heard them talking about it.”
“I believe you. Too bad you didn’t hear anything definite. We need evidence before we can talk to the authorities. But we can’t lurk in the shadows all night. We’d better go.”
On the ride back to the ranch, Annette considered what she’d heard. Dillon’s words, “I got the job done didn’t I?” echoed in her brain. What had he done? To what and where? She didn’t know any more than what they did when the night had started. If only her stupid phone hadn’t rung.
Fishing it out of her pocket, she flicked it to life and stared at the fluorescent blue screen as the missed call popped into view. Her arm went limp, and she almost dropped it into the dirt.
She’d been called by the Musée d”Orsay, her favourite art gallery in Paris where more than twenty-four of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were displayed. It could only mean one thing.