Escape From the Badlands Read online

  Gwen shook her head. “It sounds crazy when I remember it. She was having trouble staying sober and she had a baby. She couldn’t handle it anymore, but she didn’t want Charlie to suffer.” She shot another look at Kelly. “She brought him to me and asked me to deliver him to you.”

  Kelly blew out a breath. “So you’re the one who left Charlie in my car. That’s why you’ve taken such an interest in him. I thought…” Kelly smiled. “I thought you were a child abductor or something.”

  “I could have been,” Gwen said in a voice so low, Kelly had to lean forward to hear it. “I always wanted a child but, hey, I’m in my mid-forties and I don’t even date. There’s no baby in my future so when Rose brought Charlie, I begged her to let me keep him.” Her eyes filled. “I could have been a good mother to him, but she insisted that he be delivered to you.”

  There was no malice in Gwen’s voice, only sadness. Kelly was unsure what to say next. “I appreciate your taking such good care of Charlie.”

  “He’s a good boy, and I can tell that you treat him really well.”

  “I try. Gwen, have you been in contact with my sister?”

  “Just a few phone calls here and there.”

  “When was the last one?”

  Gwen shifted in her seat. “Can’t remember.”

  “I think you can. I think there was another reason Rose went on the run. I think it had something to do with what happened at a diner in Ash Ridge. What do you know about that?”

  “Nothing.”

  They drove past eerie rock formations, needlelike against the early afternoon sun.

  “You took her baby. She trusted you implicitly. She must have told you why she was leaving. Was it because of the murder of that waitress? She witnessed the crime, didn’t she?” Kelly almost gasped out loud as the pieces fell into place. The dark-haired waitress in the photo, the one with her hands over her mouth. “You worked at that diner. I saw your face in a newspaper photo. Did you see who killed that waitress?”

  “I didn’t see anything. By the time I arrived for my shift, the whole thing was over.”

  “But Rose saw it. She saw the killer and she’s afraid. Did she tell you who it was?”

  Gwen seemed to come to some internal decision. “Listen. I know Rose is your sister, but she’s my friend. After the murder, she disappeared without a word, and two years later she contacted me about Charlie. She never told me anything except she had to keep Charlie safe and I wasn’t to tell anyone anything about her whereabouts. That’s all I know. I brought Charlie to you, and that’s all I’m going to say. I don’t even know where she is now anyway.”

  Kelly leaned back in the seat but her mind was racing. Gwen had proved their suspicions correct. Rose could ID Olivia Mason’s killer.

  The larger question still remained, though.

  Who was it?

  She had the growing feeling that Rose’s life depended on Kelly’s finding out the answer.

  SIXTEEN

  Shane finally stumbled to the rest point sometime after midnight. He skirted clumps of people sprawled out on foam mats, sleeping off their arduous day. He knew he was one of the last finishers, including the final set of canoers who had made their way down the river. The beating he’d taken in the river slowed him. He searched for Ackerman first, determined to confront him about the accident, but he didn’t see him. There was a motorcycle parked on the periphery of the lot, the one Devin used to scout out the racecourses, so Shane knew he couldn’t be too far away. A couple of vehicles sat in the moonlight. Shane wondered if Kelly’s replacement had arrived in one of them.

  Groups of people stood chatting, sipping coffee, discussing the final event that would take place at sunup: the spelunking and ropes course. Shane’s memory flew back to the beginning of the whole adventure, when he’d pulled Kelly, Charlie and Paddy Paws out of the river. He could still feel her softness in his arms. Moreover, he could picture the mirrored grief in her face when he’d babbled on about Lonnie just a few hours earlier.

  How had he lost control enough to spill his deepest anguish, his biggest failure to her? It was a good thing she was leaving.

  Somehow his heart did not seem to agree. He made his way toward the medic truck. Kelly was there, talking to an older woman dressed in jeans and a white medic T-shirt. Kelly looked up at his approach, the moonlight painting her face in silvery perfection that made his breath catch.

  “Shane. You made it,” she said, her smile wide. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded, and she introduced her replacement.

  “How is Gwen?”

  Kelly sighed. “Refusing to go to the hospital until she talks to Betsy.”

  Kelly introduced her fellow nurse to another racer and walked a few paces away with Shane, quickly telling him what she’d learned from Gwen.

  “So she’s the connection. No wonder she’s been so interested in Charlie. Does she have a way to contact Rose?”

  “I haven’t been able to get that out of her. Rose made her promise to keep quiet.”

  They fell into an awkward silence. Kelly looked off into the spangle of stars speckling the horizon. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you…before I left.”

  He bit back a sigh. “Okay. When are you taking off?”

  “At sunup. I’m going to drive back in a few minutes and get Charlie all packed up.” She put a hand on his arm. “Uncle Bill and I will keep working on this investigation until we figure out what happened to Rose and Olivia. We won’t quit until we do all we can, and maybe it will be enough to get Todd out of jail.”

  He nodded. “Kell…”

  Her eyes roved his face. He felt a pain lancing through him. “Thank you for helping me, and I’m sorry.”

  She moved closer then, circling him with her arms.

  He couldn’t resist anymore, but pulled her roughly to him, burying his face in her hair, holding her tightly to his chest. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t be the man you deserved.”

  She whispered into his ear. “We could try again.”

  The words sent electric sparks through his body. Try again. Another chance to be with Kelly. Could it be true? Another chance to build a life with the most amazing woman he’d ever known?

  He puts people here who love you, who will stay with you.

  Shane thought of Charlie, his cheerful smile, his face looking up at Shane with trust.

  Just as Lonnie had done.

  He could feel the love in her body as he held her. Kelly would give him another chance, and he would be the man in Charlie’s life.

  What kind of man are you now?

  He thought once more of Lonnie, and using all his powers of control, he let go of her.

  “You’re better off without me, and so is Charlie.”

  He could see the tears collect in her eyes like chips of diamond in the moonlight. She shook her head and sighed. “I guess I’ll go.”

  He watched her leave and this time, he knew, there would be no second chances. The car pulled away and she was gone, vanished into the darkness as quickly as Lonnie had. Feeling numb and dead inside, he lay down on an empty mat and tried to sleep. As much as his body screamed for rest, it would not come. Finally he got up, thinking a walk might help ease his stiff muscles.

  It was quiet around the makeshift camp. Only a few whispers here and there broke the stillness. He caught sight of someone emerging from the tent that served as medical headquarters. It was Gwen Falco, her face drawn.

  “Hello, Gwen,” he said quietly.

  She jumped. “Oh, Shane. You startled me.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

  She waved a hand. “I’m fine. I wanted to find Betsy. Have you seen her?”

  “No.”

  She started to say something, then stopped. After a few moments she started again. “You saved my life.”

  He shrugged. “Happened to be in the right place and all that.”

  “No. You risked your life for mine. I owe you, and I can see how much you l
ove Kelly so I’m going to tell you something I shouldn’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  She took a step closer and lowered her voice even more. “I’m glad Kelly’s leaving because I’m afraid of what Betsy will do.”

  “Betsy?”

  “She’s…unstable.” Gwen leaned close. “I think she might have poisoned Ellen Brown last year for getting too close to Devin.”

  “You think that was Betsy?”

  Gwen nodded miserably. “I love my cousin, but she has problems. I’ve seen the way she looks at Kelly when Devin is close to her.”

  Shane thought about the snake. “You think Betsy would hurt Kelly?”

  “I’ve already said too much. I just wanted to repay you for what you did for me today.”

  She turned to go, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You’ve been helping Rose stay hidden from the man who killed the waitress.”

  “As I told Kelly, I don’t know why Rose ran. All I know is she asked me to deliver Charlie to her sister and I did.”

  “When did she call you last?”

  Gwen shrugged.

  Shane stepped closer. “Listen, Gwen. You think you’re helping Rose by keeping quiet, but she’s in more trouble than she knows.”

  Gwen shifted slightly. “She called me Thursday from her satellite.”

  The same day she called Kelly from the pay phone.

  “I was about to tell her that Kelly was in camp when she suddenly hung up. I tried to call back many times, but she won’t answer. Listen, that’s all I know. I’ve got to go find Betsy.”

  Shane was startled a second later by Gleeson’s rough hand on his shoulder.

  “So Rose and Olivia both saw the killer,” he said, eyes glittering.

  “Eavesdropping? What do you care about Rose and Olivia?”

  Gleeson chewed his lip, as if weighing how much to share with Shane. “I never even heard of Olivia until you showed up here at the race, but Rose is another story. I’ve known about her for a while, but not about her being witness to a crime.”

  “We need to talk,” Shane said, “but right now I’ve got to call Kelly.”

  “Afraid Betsy is going to hurt her?”

  Shane eyed him. “You were around last year. Do you think Betsy is capable of it?”

  “Absolutely. I always thought she had something to do with Ellen Brown’s illness.”

  “Did you tell Ackerman?”

  “Yeah. He said I was crazy and I should mind my own business, but when you told me about the snake, I began to wonder if she wasn’t up to her old tricks. I’ve seen the way she’s been eyeing Kelly when Devin pays attention to her. When you told me about the snake, she’s the first person I thought of.”

  Shane’s skin prickled. If Betsy truly was unstable enough to poison Ellen…something clicked inside him. It no longer mattered about the race, or his investigations, or even his fear of opening old wounds again. He’d been blessed to share the love of a remarkable woman, even for a short while. Nothing could erase that blessing, and nothing could dull it. The feeling was strange and new, like a secret whispered in his ear.

  Nothing could undo what Kelly had accomplished in his heart.

  Unless something happened to her.

  He fumbled for his phone just in time to see it vibrate, displaying Kelly’s number on the screen.

  She spoke rapidly before he had a chance to say anything, her words tumbling out so fast he almost didn’t understand. Three words came through loud and clear.

  “Rose took Charlie? How do you know it was her?”

  “I was driving back to camp and I got a call. I don’t know the number and the voice was faint. She said it was Rose and she took Charlie to keep him safe. She asked me to meet her at the Spiral Caves. I called the trailer to talk to Aunt Jean and there’s no answer.”

  Shane caught the hint of tears in her voice. “Okay. Calm down. We’ll go…”

  Gleeson’s hand shot out and grabbed the phone, disconnecting the call.

  Shane went after Gleeson, who fended him off with a forearm. “Why did you do that?”

  Gleeson checked his own phone. “Go talk to her in person. She’s about five miles away, headed toward the caves.”

  “How do you know that?” Shane raised a fist. “Give me my phone or I’ll take it from you.”

  Gleeson braced for a blow, but didn’t back down. “I’m trying to help.”

  “Help? Why should I trust you? You’re working for Devin.”

  “I can’t explain it now, but you were right.”

  “Right about what?”

  “The bike. I found the wheel hidden in the brush beside the river. Someone really did score the spokes.”

  Shane gaped. “But why don’t you want me to call Kelly?”

  “Because,” Gleeson said as he headed away, “it’s bugged. So was her old phone, the one that got ruined in the flash flood.”

  Her phone was bugged? Shane was about to go after him. “Who bugged it?” he called as loud as he dared.

  “I did,” Gleeson said.

  Kelly’s body was stiff with fear as she drove. She didn’t understand why Shane would hang up. Calling again got no response. She was paralyzed with indecision. She’d struggled with whether she should drive all the way back to camp and find Aunt Jean or continue on toward the caves. It was foolish to drive alone to some isolated location to meet someone who may or may not be her sister, but all Kelly could think about was Charlie.

  She reached for her phone to dial the police when she was nearly blinded by a rapidly approaching headlight. It was a motorcycle, and riding it was Shane Mason. Relief surged through her body. He pulled to the side, parked the bike and got in next to her.

  “Why did you…?” she started to say.

  “Your phone is bugged. Gleeson did it.”

  Her mouth fell open. “What? Why?”

  “I don’t know, but I think he was involved in keeping tabs on Rose for Devin. He found my bike wheel, and now he’s having second thoughts about his employer. He said he would call the police and meet us at the caves.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “Not for a minute,” Shane said, taking his own phone from its waterproof case and dialing the number of the local sheriff. Afterward he asked Kelly for Uncle Bill’s number and called both his home and satellite phone. No answer, so he left messages. For good measure, he removed his GPS unit and tossed it out the window.

  “Gwen said Rose called her from her satellite phone and then hung up quickly. My guess is she got a message from Devin. She was afraid to use her phone to contact you again in case he could track the number.” Shane’s forehead creased in thought. “Hang on. Gleeson said your old phone was bugged too, the one that got ruined.”

  Kelly felt a cold shiver of fear. “The only time I saw Gleeson before I got here was the day Devin brought him to the clinic. He must have gotten it then.” Her eyes widened. “Shane, that means this whole thing—the way I was hired for the race—was all a scam, a way to bring me close to get to my sister.”

  “How could Devin be sure your sister would come?”

  Kelly fought for breath as the stark realization hit her. “Because he’d been listening to our conversations and monitoring our texts. He knew Rose was going to try to see Charlie on his birthday. We spoke about it a couple of weeks back.” She gripped the wheel until her knuckles whitened. “Oh no, Shane. I led him right to her. He’s going to try to kill her so she can’t ID him for the murder of that waitress, just like he killed Olivia.”

  Shane took her fingers and squeezed. “We won’t let him.”

  “But what if he really does have Charlie?”

  He looked at her, deadly determination in his blue eyes. “No one is going to take Charlie away.”

  She pressed the gas harder. Shane’s forehead creased in thought.

  “What is it?”

  “Are you sure the woman on the phone was Rose?”

  “I’m not sure. It was so qu
ick. But maybe she was too afraid to talk for long. She scooped Charlie up and got him away the only way she knew how. My sister has always been impulsive.”

  “But why wouldn’t Aunt Jean tell you that? Have you heard from her?”

  Kelly shook her head. “There’s no answer at the trailer. I’m so scared.”

  Shane spoke calmly. “Police are on their way by now. We’ll go to the caves and see. If it’s Rose, we’ll get her to the nearest police station.”

  “If it’s not…” She had to force out the words. “Then someone has abducted Charlie.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “As I said, no one is going to take Charlie away.”

  Fear circled in ever-widening waves through her body. Shane tried calling Aunt Jean several more times and got no answer. The police had promised to dispatch a unit to check on her, but Kelly knew the reality. It was a tiny department with many miles to cover. She swallowed hard as the cliffs loomed in the distance. Nestled at the base, shrouded by boulders, was the entrance to the cave where the racers would begin their spelunking the following morning. The whole area was shadowed by the massive corrugated cliffs that rose behind, bathing everything in darkness.

  Why would Rose have chosen this spot?

  She wouldn’t, Kelly told herself. “Do you know the caves?” she asked.

  He nodded. “A little. Spent a few hours acclimating there before I tried the ropes. Pull over there, behind those rocks.”

  She obeyed, and they got out. Shane took a pair of binoculars from the back seat and trained them around the area. “No sign of anyone. We should wait for the police.”

  “I know.” She got out of the car and peered into the darkness, arms wrapped around herself. “But I’ve got to go.”

  Shane turned her around. “That’s foolish. We know it’s likely to be a trap, and the police are on their way.”

  “I know that, too.”

  A flicker of light at the mouth of the cave entrance drew both their attention. Shane pulled her back behind the rock. “Lantern?” Shane whispered in her ear.

  “I think so.”

  They continued watching from their place of concealment behind the rock. The light showed again, illuminating two shadows in the opening. Kelly’s breath froze. One was the slight figure, which could have been man or woman, but the second was definitely a child.