The Treasure Seeker Read online

  “Why is this happening?” Kate asked in a burst of tears.

  Ry reached out a hand to console her, but her offer of comfort was rebuked as Kate stepped away. Ry tried to ignore the stab of pain the rejection caused. “I don’t know,” she said, “but he was definitely trying to kill us. Maybe we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She didn’t wait for Kate to respond. “It doesn’t make sense. He knew we didn’t see him kill this guy. Why would he take such a chance in coming after us?”

  “Maybe he planned on robbing us and he just assumed you weren’t armed.”

  “That was a pretty stupid assumption on his part. It’s Texas.” Ry shook her head. “Besides, he didn’t give up even after he saw I had the pistol. He was after something.”

  Kate waved her hands, clearly annoyed. “Oh, come on. He had no way of knowing we would be here this morning.”

  “That’s true.” Ry stared out of what had once been the window. Her brain was overly stimulated. She couldn’t concentrate. She closed her eyes. What was she was missing? There was something there just out of her reach. Her thoughts flashed around like a school of minnows in a pond. Frustrated with trying to corral them she turned back to Kate. “You said the guy in here hadn’t been dead long.” She pointed toward the dead body. They both avoided looking directly at the man lying in a pool of drying blood. “So, maybe I’m wrong. It could have been bad timing for us and we just happened to arrive as he was being killed.” She drummed her fingers against her leg and searched for a logical answer. “Maybe the guy out there had been intending to get away in the rental car.” Even as she said it, Ry wasn’t buying the idea. Where had he been when they arrived? Where had he gotten the assault rifle and the three one-hundred-round drums? He could have easily carried both weapons at once, but the fully loaded drums would have made it more difficult. He had to have a car nearby.

  “Or he might have seen my car and wanted it instead of the rental,” Kate said. “Don’t they put those tracking devices on rental cars?”

  Ry shrugged, but she had stopped listening. She had noticed what was left of the cardboard box containing the books and magazines. They had been directly in front of the window and had taken a lot of the abuse. Now, they were little more than confetti. She expressed her thoughts to Kate. “I think this all has something to do with either that box or something I bought yesterday.”

  “Why does everything have to be so over the top with you?” Kate demanded. “As usual, you’re reading too much into this,” she said as wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “This isn’t one of your fantasy treasure mysteries. None of this has anything to do with us. We were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Ry stared at the destruction around them. The front of the house looked as though it had been fed through a gigantic shredder. She and Kate were covered in dust and small pieces of debris. One knee of Kate’s slacks was ripped. She glanced down at her own jeans and absently brushed them off as she recalled the cigarette butt beneath the shop window. “Someone was by the shop window last night. I found a cigarette butt outside beneath the window.”

  Kate grew pale. Ry caught her arm as she swayed.

  “Are you telling me that someone was watching us last night?” Kate asked, as she pulled away.

  Ry shrugged. “I don’t know that we were being watched, but someone dropped that cigarette butt. I’m betting it was that same person who broke into my truck.”

  “I don’t think it was anything that sinister,” Kate said as she began to hammer at her thighs again. “Who knows how long that cigarette butt’s been there? As for the truck, it was probably kids screwing around. Saturday night in a small town with nothing much to do and they end up doing crap like that.”

  Ry shook her head. “We’ve lived there two years and never had any problems. So why now?” She thought about the raccoon knocking over the garbage can. Shortly after hearing the can fall, she had heard the sound of a car motor cranking. She decided not to mention the car. She had spouted enough wild accusations already. “What if it wasn’t kids and the raccoons scared him off?” she said instead.

  Kate looked at her as if she was skeptical of Ry’s sanity. “I seriously doubt a raccoon is going to scare a cold-blooded killer.”

  “No. I don’t mean the raccoon itself. What if he heard the racket of the can being tipped over and didn’t realize what caused it? Maybe he thought it was someone taking their garbage out and he was afraid of being seen.”

  Her speculations ended as a second county sheriff’s car rolled into the yard, immediately followed by a third one.

  “I don’t think you should start spewing your silly ideas to them,” Kate said as she stared at the cars.

  Ry’s heart pounded as the officers climbed out of their cars with their weapons drawn. “Don’t make any sudden moves,” she whispered to Kate. “I’ll go out first. You stay close behind me.”

  She felt sure they were clearly visible to the officers, but to be certain she slowly stepped closer to the gaping doorway. “We’re in the house,” she yelled out of the mangled door. “I’m going to toss the gun out the door first.” She wasn’t about to throw a loaded gun, so she quickly unloaded the pistol and dropped the clips on the floor.

  “Keep your hands where we can see them,” the first cop yelled as they all aimed their weapons toward the front door. “Toss your weapons and come out one at a time.”

  “Stay here until they tell you to come out,” Ry told Kate, “and whatever you do, don’t make any sudden movements.”

  “I’m so scared. I’m not sure I can even move,” Kate admitted.

  Ry tried to give a reassuring smile, but it wasn’t easy. “It’ll be fine.” She tossed the gun through the open door and stepped out with her hands high in the air. “That’s the only weapon we have,” she yelled.

  “Keep walking this way,” the young cop shouted.

  When Ry reached him, he motioned for her to stop. His eyes darted wildly from her face to the house. “You badly hurt?” he asked.

  Without thinking, Ry touched her cheek, causing it to start stinging again. “No. Not bad.”

  He nodded and cleared his throat.

  She could see his Adam’s apple bob as he struggled to swallow.

  “Who else is in the house?” he asked, in a voice shrill with excitement.

  “Kate Elliott. We drove out here together. There’s also a dead man inside. I don’t know his name, but I think this guy,” she nodded toward the man she had killed, “shot him.”

  The young cop’s eyes bugged at the mention of a second body. “Who shot him?” he asked, nodding to the body in the yard.

  “I did.” She remembered the warning that Mr. Elliott had given them about waiting for a lawyer, but any fool could see this was self-defense.

  The young cop licked his lips nervously before he finally waved her on back to the second cop. This guy was older and seemed to be watching the rookie.

  “Walk on over here to me,” the older officer said and motioned to Ry.

  The young cop waited until Ry had been patted down and was in handcuffs before he yelled for Kate to come out.

  Ry watched with her heart in her throat as Kate slowly made her way across the yard. It was obvious that the young guy was new to the job. He was clearly nervous. The back of his shirt was stained with sweat. His hands shook. He gripped the pistol so tightly his knuckles were white. She took some consolation in the fact that his index finger was still along the side of the weapon and not on the trigger.

  The third officer searched and handcuffed Kate. She and Kate were placed in separate cars before the three cops split into two teams. The one who had handcuffed Kate went to examine the man in the yard and the older man and the rookie carefully made their way into the house. A few seconds later, an ambulance bounced across the lawn followed by more squad cars. After several minutes of hectic activity, the car in which Kate was being held left.

  Ry tried to get Kate’s attention
as the car drove away, but Kate kept her head turned away from her. Kate’s refusal to look at her worried her more than the older officer and the Emergency Medical Technician who were approaching the car where she waited.

  The officer opened the back car door and motioned for Ry to step out. As he helped her out of the car, Ry noticed that his badge indicated he was a deputy sheriff. His nametag read Ward.

  “This is June,” he said and motioned toward a woman Ry judged to be in her late thirties. “She needs to look at your cheek.”

  “Thanks, but it’s not bad.”

  June turned Ry’s face slightly before speaking. “Sorry, but those splinters need to come out. With these older houses you never know what might have been used in the wood and paint.” She turned to the deputy. “Richard, let’s move over to the ambulance.”

  Ry and the officer quietly followed her.

  “Have a seat there on the bumper,” June said and pointed to the ambulance bumper. “The sun is bright enough for me to see by.” She reached into the back of the vehicle and removed a large case.

  Ry tried to sit down but the handcuffs made it difficult.

  “Richard, can you remove those cuffs or at least switch them to the front?” June asked. “She’s having trouble trying to sit down.”

  He eyed Ry for a moment.

  “Come on, Richard,” June said as she winked at Ry. “If she starts to run, you can always shoot her.”

  He reached for his keys and nodded. “That’s true.” He glared at Ry. “You’re not planning on trying to run, are you?”

  Without thinking, Ry glanced at the body in the yard. “I’ve never been much of a runner.”

  Richard followed her glance before slowly nodding. “I guess not,” he said as he unlocked the cuffs and refastened them with her arms to the front.

  June slipped on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses that were hanging on a cord around her neck. “This may sting a little,” June said as she started cleaning the wounds on Ry’s face.

  Ry bit her tongue against the fiery burn that the antiseptic created. It hurt but was bearable. But when June began to remove the splinters, she couldn’t stop the tears of pain. Embarrassed by the tears she squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop them.

  “Richard,” June said. “Do you remember back two or three years ago when I had to extract that double load of buckshot from Miller Jensen’s backside?”

  “Good Lord, why did you bring that up? I’ve tried to block that memory,” Richard said with a slight chuckle.

  June patted Ry’s shoulder. “Miller was about, what, seventy-three or seventy-four then?”

  “About that, I reckon,” Richard agreed.

  “Well,” June continued, “Miller was dating Ms. Emily Trousdale. She was a spry sixty-eight or so then. According to Miller, he had gone over to her house on this particular day to pop the question. What Miller didn’t know at the time was that Ms. Emily had another suitor, J. Reilly Cones, who was about the same age as Miller.

  “It seems that earlier that day when Miller was going to pop the question, J. Reilly had decided to go dove hunting and he just happened to be near Ms. Emily’s place. J. Reilly gets tired of hunting and since she’s so close by, he decides to drop in on Ms. Emily and surprise her. And to make a long story short, he gets to her house and when she doesn’t answer his knock he gets worried about her and breaks in. He gets through the front door just in time to see Miller’s bare butt disappear out the back door and there sits Ms. Emily on the couch trying to hide the gifts God gave her with the sofa doilies.”

  Ry smiled when she heard Richard’s deep chuckle.

  “Being a gentleman, J. Reilly instantly assumes Miller has taken leave of his senses and accosted Ms. Emily. So, he tears out after Miller. About halfway across the backyard J. Reilly starts to run out of steam so he stops and cuts loose with his old shotgun that was loaded with birdshot.”

  “It must have taken you an hour to pick all those pellets out of Miller’s rear end,” Richard said.

  “I can honestly say, I know Miller Jensen’s butt better than I do my own,” June said. “And all the time I was working, Ms. Emily kept crying ‘Don’t you hurt my Miller,’” June said. “Then when Richard tried to take J. Reilly in for questioning she started yelling at him, ‘Don’t hurt my J. Reilly.’”

  “So, which one did she end up marrying?” Ry asked and laughed.

  “Neither. She ran off a few weeks later with Cyrus Vancil. He was only sixty-five and still had his driver’s license.” June patted Ry’s shoulder. “That’s the last splinter. None was very deep, but you need to watch for infection. I don’t think you’ll have any problems, but keep an eye on it anyway. If you see anything unusual, make an appointment with your doctor.” She stopped suddenly.

  Ry stopped smiling. Tears again burned her eyes when she remembered where she was. She swallowed. “Thanks for taking care of this,” she said as she pointed toward her cheek. “And, thanks for making up that story to distract me.”

  June rolled her eyes. “I wish I had made it up. To this day, I can’t look at a roadmap without seeing Miller Jensen’s butt.”

  Chapter Four

  When Ry arrived at the police station she was relieved to discover that Alice Sinclair, the attorney Mr. Elliott had acquired for her, was there waiting. Alice had demanded that she be given time to talk to her client. She informed Ry that Kate was fine and was being represented by a different attorney. Ry tried not to read anything into that fact. She didn’t have long to ponder the where or why of the matter before Alice made her go through the entire events of the day. She told Alice everything that had happened, including the cigarette butt and her broken truck window. She was surprised when Alice waved the additional information off with “there’s no need to muddy the water.” She told Ry to stick to what had happened at the house that morning. Ry was to tell the police why she was there but not to expound on anything that had happened at the shop the previous night. Then she made Ry go through the events again. The second time around Ry did as she had been instructed, even though she didn’t much like the thought of doing so. After hearing the second run-through, Alice nodded and told her to stick with the theory that they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ry reluctantly agreed. She couldn’t help but wonder if Alice had heard or read Kate’s statement because it certainly sounded like Kate’s theory.

  Ry had anticipated the police questioning would be difficult, but it proved to be little more than retelling her story repeatedly. She lost track of how many times she told her story. And, of course, there was a long delay between each telling. Ry had finally been released pending further investigation. No charges had been filed against her. Alice had assured her that everything would be fine. It was an obvious case of self-defense. The police were simply going through the necessary motions to ensure they hadn’t missed anything. Ry asked about Kate, but again Alice put her off.

  It was dark when Ry finally stepped out of the police station. Alice was standing beneath a streetlight waiting for her. “Here are the keys to Kate’s car.” She handed Ry the keys. “The car is in the lot across the street.”

  “How did the car get here?” Ry asked as she looked around for Kate.

  “I believe Mr. Elliott had it picked up and left here for you.”

  “Where’s Kate?”

  Alice glanced away. “It seems she was cleared and released earlier in the day. I believe she left with her parents. They probably drove her home.”

  Ry tried not to make too much out of the fact that Kate hadn’t been waiting for her. She couldn’t imagine driving off and leaving Kate here alone. Ry focused her attention on the keys. “You have my address,” she said. “You can send the bill there or I…”

  Alice cut her off. “Mr. Elliott has taken care of everything.”

  Ry shook her head. “I’d rather you bill me direct.” She had no idea how she would pay her, but she’d find a way.

  Alice shrugged. “I can’t do anythin
g about that. You’ll have to take it up with him.” She stuck out her hand. “I’ll call as soon as I hear something. Until then don’t talk to anyone about the case, especially the press,” she warned as she shook Ry’s hand.

  Ry had no trouble finding the car. She called Kate’s cell. When she got no answer, she tried the shop and sighed when the call went directly to voice mail. She tried sending Kate a text, but still nothing.

  * * *

  The clock on the car dashboard indicated it was after nine when Ry parked Kate’s car in the lot behind the shop. The streets of Jackson City were deserted. The only light came from the dim glow of the pseudo-eighteenth century street-lamps.

  More tired than she had ever felt in her life, Ry pulled her exhausted body out of the vehicle and staggered. She grabbed the car door to steady herself before she started toward the back door of the shop. She walked past her truck and remembered she still hadn’t notified the local police of the vandalism. The mere thought of having to answer more questions was more than she could handle. It didn’t really seem worthwhile, since they would probably never know who broke the window.

  Kate was almost certainly right. It had probably been a couple of kids with too much time on their hands messing around. Her time and energy would be better spent by installing a better security light back here or putting a lock on the gate.

  She glanced toward the upstairs windows. The house was dark. Kate must already be in bed. Her stomach growled loudly to remind her she hadn’t eaten all day. She considered grabbing an apple from the kitchen, but she was too tired.

  Ry fumbled with the keys on Kate’s keychain. She knew one of them belonged to the back door of the shop. It was hard to see in the dim light emitted from the lights of the side street.

  When she finally found the right key and tried to insert it, the door swung inward. Her heart nearly stopped. This was the second time today that she had stumbled upon an unlocked door. She froze, terrified of what she would find if she made a move. This couldn’t be happening. Maybe she had forgotten to lock the door before they left, or Kate had failed to lock up when she went to bed. Her heart pounded so hard she could barely hear and her hands began to tingle. She reached inside the door and flipped on the overhead light.