Escape From the Badlands Read online

  She smiled. “I think you’re right.”

  In another hour, after the breakfast things were cleared away and race plans were tentatively rescheduled for Friday, weather permitting, Shane found himself helping Charlie into the backseat of his Jeep. Kelly’s car was still in the shop awaiting repairs, but at least Charlie’s car seat had dried out.

  She wondered aloud if it was safe to take Charlie along, but she’d decided that going to a town with lots of people and Shane by her side would pose no immediate danger. Besides, she’d said she wanted Charlie with her. When they were apart, it felt as if a piece of her was missing.

  They made their departure as casual as possible, so as not to elicit any questions. Kelly retrieved the medical backpack from her race vehicle, tucking it on the floor near her feet.

  “Habit,” she said.

  The only resistance they’d gotten was from Aunt Jean as she sat stroking the aged cat.

  “Your uncle doesn’t want you to go,” she reminded them.

  Kelly kissed her. “We’ll be back soon, I promise.”

  “And what do I tell Bill if he calls, looking for you?”

  “Tell him the truth. I don’t think he’ll be too surprised,” Kelly said with a laugh. “He always said his nieces would make his hair turn gray.”

  As he pulled out onto the highway, Shane could imagine what Uncle Bill would say to him, but there was no way he would let Kelly drive to Ash Ridge by herself, especially if she was right and Rose really was in trouble. Part of him chalked her up behavior to difficult circumstances and the devastating effects of addiction, but Kelly had entertained his belief in his brother, and he would do the same thing for her sister.

  It was one way, maybe the only way, he could stand by her after what he’d done. The rain continued to pour down on them as they drove. Kelly’s phone rang and she snatched it up.

  “Hello, Julia.” She covered the phone and mouthed to Shane. “It’s my friend who works at the clinic.” She listened intently, peppering the caller with questions until she disconnected. “She remembers when Ellen Brown was brought in.”

  Shane waited for her to put her thoughts in order.

  “Julia said the doctor first thought it was an overdose. Blurred vision, delirium, dilated pupils.”

  He frowned. “Drugs? Unusual for an endurance racer. They tend to err on the health-nut side.”

  She nodded. “But tests confirmed it was some sort of toxin. They treated her with a purgative and a mild sedative. She demanded to be released as soon as she came through the worst of it. Refused any further testing. Julia said she practically ran out the clinic doors as soon as they unhooked her IV.”

  “Why the hurry?”

  “Good question.” Kelly looked out the window at the patches of grass undulating against the pull of wind and rain.

  “What does your friend think?”

  “She told me the rest strictly off the record. The doctor was an old-timer, and he remembered a case he’d had as a young man. A couple of teens showed the same symptoms, only their condition worsened into convulsions and they both died. The final conclusion was that the kids had made tea from a toxic plant.”

  “What kind of plant?”

  “Jimsonweed.”

  Shane’s breath caught. “The kind that grows wild all over South Dakota.”

  She nodded. “It’s all poisonous, from the leaves to the seeds.”

  “Tim said Ellen was a tea drinker.”

  “Uh-huh. It wouldn’t have taken much to add a little something to her beverage.”

  Shane drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “So someone poisoned her? Maybe Ackerman did it, to convince Ellen she’d better stick by her story and not undermine his alibi.”

  “And she was too afraid to go to the cops? I’m not sure what to think.” Kelly lapsed into silence until Charlie began to wiggle, and she started up the “Old MacDonald” song.

  Shane found himself joining in, in spite of himself. He added as many funny lines as he could think of until all three of them were laughing. Shane caught a glimpse of Charlie’s face in the rearview mirror, lit from the inside with laughter. His eyes sparkled just like Kelly’s, and for a moment it nearly overwhelmed him.

  He gripped the wheel until he felt Kelly’s fingers on his wrist, bringing him back to the here and now.

  “It’s the turn,” she said, giving him an odd look. “Left here.”

  They drove into the town of Ash Ridge, population 1275, according to the sign that welcomed them. Charlie was happy to get out of the car when Shane pulled into the parking lot of a small strip mall. The mall boasted a gift shop, a weight loss clinic, an ice cream store and a dental office. Across the street was an old but well-kept hotel called the Desert Inn.

  Kelly looked up and down after she let Charlie loose under the covered walkway. “I’m not sure what to do first.”

  Uncertainty was unlike her. He realized how hard it must be for Kelly, keeping life normal and happy for Charlie while she worried relentlessly that something had happened to his mother.

  And she kept it together all by herself.

  Not today, Shane vowed. Today you’re going to help Kelly and Charlie. “Let’s try the hotel. Maybe she planned to stay the night.”

  They walked through the drizzle into the hotel. Charlie went immediately to the rack of tourist pamphlets and perused them as if they held the key to the universe. Shane approached the young man at the front desk, who greeted them with a friendly smile, his shock of red hair startling on his pale face.

  “Looking for a room, sir?”

  Shane’s cheeks warmed. “No. We’re just looking for this lady’s sister. We’re having some trouble locating her and wondered if she checked in here.”

  His smile dimmed. “I see. Well, actually I can’t tell you things like that. It’s confidential.”

  Shane nodded. “I understand, but she may be in some trouble and we need to find her.”

  He shook his head. “No, sir. I’m sorry. I suggest you contact the sheriff.”

  “Please,” Shane said, but the boy pressed his lips together.

  “Sorry, sir. I’m not going to lose my job for you.”

  With a sigh, Shane led them back outside.

  Kelly looked so discouraged and tired as they started toward the street that he picked up Charlie. To his surprise, Charlie snuggled close, his arms around Shane’s neck. He gave the boy a tentative squeeze and Charlie seemed perfectly content to lay his head on Shane’s broad shoulder, as if they had known each other forever.

  As he caught the stricken look on Kelly’s face, he knew she was surprised, too. She reached up to take him and Shane let her, feeling keenly the loss of the boy’s small arms around his neck. She didn’t say a word, but he read it all in her eyes.

  I’m not letting him get attached to you. You left us. And you’d leave again if I let you back in.

  He wished he could say it wasn’t true, that another chance with Kelly would make a new man of him, but in his heart he did not believe it.

  Bill’s words rang through his memory: “What kind of man are you now?”

  Kelly already knew what kind—the kind who let her down.

  He looked away, staring at the street, watching but not really seeing the cars roll by.

  “Excuse me,” a soft voice said.

  They both turned to find a young girl with hair caught in a tight ponytail looking at them.

  “Yes?” Kelly said.

  “I work at the Desert Inn. I heard you talking to the manager.” The girl looked closely at Kelly. “You look a lot like your sister.”

  ELEVEN

  Kelly was so surprised she gasped out loud. “My sister? You saw her? She was at the hotel?”

  The girl nodded. “I have a sister, too, and I worry about her all the time since she ran away.” Her gaze faltered. “I know what it’s like.”

  “Please,” Kelly said. “Please tell me what you know about my sister.”

&nbs
p; “She checked in yesterday morning. Didn’t have any luggage, and she paid ahead in cash. She told me she stayed in Ash Ridge for a while four years ago and the people had been nice to her. She asked me if Sheriff Rickers was still in charge at the police station.”

  “She lived here?” Kelly was unsure what question to ask next.

  Shane frowned. “Was she going to the police?”

  The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw her heading to the gift shop about an hour after she checked in. Then all of a sudden she was back, checking out, without even having spent one night here. The manager asked her if everything was okay, and she said yes but her plans had changed. She looked upset. Scared even.”

  Kelly felt a surge of frustration. “Where did she go? Do you know how she left town? The bus? A cab? Did she have her own car?”

  “I’m sorry,” the girl said with a sigh. “That’s all I know. I’ve got to get back. I could get in trouble for telling you that much.”

  Kelly reached out a hand and touched the girl’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  They both watched her walk away. Kelly didn’t know whether she should cry or rejoice. Rose had been there just a day ago. She scanned the length of the main road. It was a quiet community with nothing to hint at what had spooked her sister. She felt Shane’s hand on her back, urging her to cross the road.

  She allowed herself to be guided along, too confused to make any decisions of her own.

  On the other side, they passed a church with a small sign in the window that read Angel Heart: Help is here. Shane stopped so abruptly she almost plowed into him from behind. “What?”

  “Angel Heart. For some reason that name rings a bell.” Though he frowned at it for a while, he couldn’t figure out why the name struck a chord.

  Kelly was impatient to go forward. “Let’s start at the gift shop. They can’t have very many employees. Someone will remember her.”

  Holding Charlie firmly by the hand, Kelly pushed into the Gifts a Million store. The shelves were crowded with knickknacks, porcelain figurines and candles. It might not have had a million items, but it had enough to make her dizzy. She wondered how they kept an accurate inventory with such a hodgepodge of goods.

  Charlie spotted the shelf of boxed toy cars. He dropped to his knees to examine the selection. Kelly smiled. She pictured Rose in here, combing through the same collection, looking for the perfect birthday gift for Charlie. Nearly four-year-old Charlie, the child she hadn’t seen since she’d left him with Kelly. Kelly had assumed that Rose’s unreliability was solely the result of her drinking and drug abuse, but now she was beginning to think there was some other force at work, keeping her on the run.

  Lord, help me find her this time. Please.

  “Charlie,” Kelly said. “Your birthday is on Monday, and I haven’t gotten your present yet. Which one of these would you like?”

  Charlie’s eyes widened, considering his choices. He picked a package of ten cars in fiery reds and yellows. “This one.”

  She took it to the counter to pay. The clerk was an older lady with papery white cheeks. She peered over the counter at Charlie. “What a big man you are. Did I hear something about a birthday?”

  Charlie grinned. “Mama Kelly’s gonna get me these cars.”

  “Well, Mama Kelly is certainly nice to you, isn’t she?”

  As she rang up the sale, Kelly asked about Rose. “She came in yesterday, in the morning probably. She might have bought some toys, cars even.”

  The lady scrunched up her face in thought. “Oh, yes. I do remember a young lady about your age, and come to think of it, she looked a lot like you. And you’re right. She did buy a toy dump truck, I think.”

  Kelly’s heart sped up. “She’s my sister.”

  “Does she live around here? I just bought this place last year so I’m afraid I don’t know everyone yet.”

  “She was just passing through. When she left, did she mention where she was going? Did you see where she went?”

  “No, honey. I’m sorry. She didn’t say much. She seemed friendly at first, but then something seemed to change. She just bought her toy and left.”

  Kelly slumped. “Thanks, anyway.”

  Shane wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she turned away. “It’s okay. We know more than we did an hour ago.”

  She nodded, blinking back a sudden onslaught of tears. So close. She noticed a little battered chair and table and a selection of dog-eared books put out to distract little shoppers. Charlie slid into the chair and held out a book about fire engines. “Please read?”

  Kelly crouched next to him and read the story, all the while her thoughts racing ahead. Should they go to the police and ask about Rose? Call Uncle Bill and let him know what they’d found out? They still had no real proof that anything sinister had happened to Rose, but the terrible feeling of dread continued to build inside Kelly.

  Shane was just finishing up purchasing a small item, which he slipped into his pocket. He stopped suddenly. “Kell…”

  She followed his finger, which pointed to a glossy paper tacked to the wall behind the register. Drawing closer, she saw it was a flyer for Desert Quest. There was a series of pictures of faces she’d come to know well—Devin, Chenko, Betsy and dozens of racers.

  Shane’s blue eyes bored into hers. “Do you suppose,” he said, “that your sister saw this?”

  “She probably did, but why would it upset her?”

  Shane’s voice seemed to come from far away. “I don’t know. Your sister’s situation can’t be connected to the race. That would just be too coincidental.”

  Would it? Kelly’s mind whirled. When Charlie was done with the story, they walked outside. The ice cream store beckoned, wafting sweet fragrances onto the chilly street. Inside, they chose a battered table in the corner. Charlie and Shane licked their cones, but Kelly was too agitated to eat.

  Her sister had told the hotel clerk she’d been to Ash Ridge before, for long enough to be somewhat familiar with the town. Kelly hadn’t ever been in contact with her sister with enough consistency to know where she was staying. What was going on?

  When Charlie hopped down from the table to fetch a napkin, Kelly whispered to Shane, “Four years ago Rose would have been pregnant with Charlie.”

  Shane nodded slowly. “If she lived here, she must have stayed with somebody, or rented a place.” He looked at her. “None of my business, but who was the father? Was she with him then?”

  Kelly shrugged. “I don’t think so. She was in a bad relationship, someone she wanted to get away from. Could be that’s why she came to Ash Ridge in the first place.”

  “Pretty tough situation, pregnant and alone.”

  Kelly didn’t add, And struggling to stay clean and sober. “I wonder why she wanted to see the sheriff.”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Shane said, slam-dunking his rolled-up napkin.

  “Do you think he’ll tell us anything?”

  Shane smiled at her. “How could he refuse my charm?”

  She laughed in spite of herself. “All right, Mr. Charming. Let’s go.”

  The sheriff was away at a training. His deputy, a long lean man with bags under his eyes, greeted them at the front desk. “Anything I can help you with?”

  Shane watched as Kelly explained their search for her sister and showed him a picture her uncle forwarded to her borrowed phone.

  “We think she lived here before, and we wondered if the sheriff knew her.”

  He squinched up his eyes in thought. “I’ve only been here for four years now, but I don’t remember a gal named Rose.”

  “She might be using the name Stormy.”

  His eyebrows arched. “What kind of trouble is she in exactly?”

  “We’re not sure.” Kelly bit her lip.

  Shane wanted to put a hand out to support her, but he ignored the urge. “Can you leave a message for the sheriff to call when he gets back in town?”

  The officer nodded and gave Kel
ly a sympathetic look. “This town is close to the highway, so we get people in and out on a regular basis. Hard to know everyone.”

  She thanked him, picked up Charlie and they left.

  Back on the street, Kelly let out a sigh. “I guess there’s nothing else to do then but go back to camp and wait for the sheriff to call.”

  Shane nodded, his eyes drawn to the church and the Angel Heart sign. Why did the name strike a chord with him? He considered suggesting they check it out, but Kelly looked so downcast he changed his mind. Besides, Charlie was beginning to droop in her arms.

  They made it back to the car. Shane glanced up as he opened the door for Kelly. A white car sped by, the driver’s face in shadow. He caught only a glimpse, an impression really, of the driver.

  “Kelly, get in quickly.”

  She froze for a moment before belting Charlie into the car seat and sliding into the passenger seat. “What is it?”

  He didn’t answer, quickly backing out and heading in the direction the car had taken, away from town. For several blocks he didn’t see any sign of the white car until they passed a side street where it was idling. He continued on to the next turn and doubled back. The driver must have anticipated his maneuver because he was now heading in the other direction, toward the traffic light where they had crossed the street earlier.

  “Who is it?” Kelly demanded.

  “Not sure, but he definitely doesn’t want us to catch up, does he?”

  The car headed toward the green light. Shane pushed a little faster. The light was turning yellow, and the white car slowed.

  “See if you can get the license plate number,” he called to Kelly.

  A van pulled in front of them. “I can’t see it,” she hissed in frustration.

  The driver of the van honked at the white car, nearly stopped now at the yellow light. As soon as it turned red, the white car took off, leaving the van honking angrily.

  For a split second Shane thought about peeling around the van and running the light, but Charlie was in the back of the car. He could never risk endangering the child, or Kelly, for that matter. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he slammed a hand on the steering wheel.