The red ribbon, p.25
The Red Ribbon, page 25
“Knowing who it was ain’t gonna change—”
She hit him across the face with the pistol, pain slicing up her hand. “Who?”
“I think she’s serious, Keen.” Sid’s words came through the roaring in her ears. “And if she was smart, she’d shoot you in the stomach so you’d die slow and painful-like.”
Ava lowered the pistol a few inches at Sid’s suggestion.
“All right. Fine.” Keen growled, shoulders dropping in accession. “I got it from Casper Norris.”
Casper Norris?
“As payment for killin’ Joe Creed.”
The admission knocked breath from her in a gasp.
Casper Norris? Ava blinked against the contradiction. The deputy? He’d paid Keen to kill Joe? Casper Norris? He’d killed her daddy?
“Ava, put the gun down.” Sid’s voice emerged into her thoughts. “There ain’t no goin’ back once you pull that trigger.”
The visions of her daddy’s dyin’ face, her brother’s gasping breaths, blended into a dizzying fury through her. Keen deserved to die. He’d hurt so many. She’d carried the cost of his actions, the scars, for years.
Her fingers wrapped more tightly around the gun, the trigger cool beneath her skin.
“You are not your mother.” The phrase whispered through the murky madness in her mind. “You belong to Me.” She blinked as tears invaded her vision. “I give you a future and a hope.”
Hope. The word anchored her spinning thoughts. Jeremiah’s face came into view among the dark memories. The brick house he’d built for them. Her granny’s words of … hope. Ava released a shaky breath and lowered the pistol. No, she wasn’t her mother.
“Good girl.” Sid reached over and plucked the gun from her hand, his gaze intent upon her face. “Good girl.” He returned the gun to his pocket. “I think it’s time you find your way back home.” He turned to Wesley. “Let’s pack up. You know where we’re stayin’ tonight.”
Wesley moved to collect their supplies.
“You plan to turn me in?” Keen directed his question toward Sid, his pallor returning to normal, along with his smirk. “Because I’d like to see one outlaw turnin’ in another.”
“If the Daniels are huntin’ you, Keen, there’s nothin’ else I need to do.” Sid slung his pack on his shoulder and shrugged. “’Cause you can be sure they won’t show the mercy Miss Burcham gave you.”
Sid nudged Ava toward the crevice in the rock, Wesley following.
“Wait. You gonna just leave me here?” Keen called, struggling to stand. “With my hands tied and no way to protect myself?”
Sid looked back at Ava, as if waiting for her response. She almost smiled at the irony. Arms tied with rope? No weapon? Captive in the forest? Yes, it sounded familiar.
She cast a look at him before disappearing through the crevice. “Don’t worry, Keen, you won’t be alone too long. When I get to Hillsville, I’ll make sure to let the law know what you’ve done and where to find you.”
The sound of the river reached him long before he saw the whitecaps swelled from the recent rain. He followed the tracks toward the water, the rocky shoreline coming into view, and then he stopped. Wolf slowed his pace, doubling back to check on Jeremiah, but Jeremiah’s focus landed on a motionless shape lying among the rocks at the river’s edge. Water covered the lower half of the body, but from the man’s torso up, he lay on dry ground.
Jeremiah closed his eyes for half a second, knowing who he’d find before he even reached the man. Wolf edged closer along with Jeremiah, his nose raised, sniffing the air. Elmer Williams lay still and pale, a bloodstain down the right side of his shirt disappearing beneath his jacket. He lay on his side, no sign of life, and Jeremiah leaned closer, pulling the jacket back enough to see the extent of the blood.
At the slight jostle of his jacket, the man grunted.
Air burst from Jeremiah’s lungs. “Elmer?” He gave the man’s jacket another little tug. “You’re alive?”
“The rascal shot me in the back,” Elmer muttered as he opened his eyes. “I knew I didn’t like him for a reason, and this proves it.”
Jeremiah grabbed Elmer and pulled him out of the water to a sitting position. “He has a track record long enough to impress my granddaddy Sutphin.”
Elmer released a weak chuckle. “That’s sayin’ somethin’ for sure.”
“I think he’s on Ava’s trail too. Hold on, Elmer, let’s get you farther away from the river.” Jeremiah placed his arms around the man’s chest from behind and pulled him back toward the woods, propping him against a tree. “I think we’re about a mile from the main road, east. I can get help there.”
“You need to find Ava first, boy.” Elmer reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small flask, raising it with a grin. “I’ll just wait here till you get back.”
“Elmer—”
“No, son.” His voice softened. “You need to get that girl before somethin’ worse happens. I already thought I was left for dead.” He adjusted his body against the tree and winced. “I’ve made my peace.”
“Stay alive, Elmer. I’m coming back for you.” Jeremiah shook off his jacket and wrapped it over the man’s chest, holding his gaze. “I promise.”
Elmer’s eyes crinkled into deeper ridges at the corners. “You’re a good boy, Jeremiah Sutphin. Good boy.” He gave Jeremiah a weak shove. “Now go get your gal. Norris ain’t got more than a half hour lead on you, but you can cut the distance if you hurry.”
He gave Elmer’s shoulder a pat and scanned the area, trying to hold the landmarks in his mind for later. Wolf looked up at him, as if waiting for direction. If Ava crossed the creek, then her scent would be lost in the water. The closing dusk dimmed his clarity, but then he saw it. A red ribbon, dangling over the creek near a narrow forest path by a rock outcropping on the other side. Jeremiah almost laughed. He loved a clever woman. Not that he doubted her cleverness before, but this proved it all the more. Jeremiah looked down at the creek, then to Wolf, and marched forward into the icy water.
Elmer had said Casper was a half hour ahead. He had to move fast. With Casper’s track record, every second mattered.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Life might come with a heap o’ sour, but it only takes a teaspoon of love to sweeten up the bitterest taste.
Granny Burcham
The main road’s half a mile thata way.” Sid gestured with his hat in the direction of a more well-trodden path through the woods. “This is as far as we ought to go if we don’t want to see some trouble.”
Ava turned and gave the man a hug. “Thank you so much, Mr. Allen.”
He stiffened but gave her a little pat before nudging her back a step. “I’d want someone to take care of my girls if they were in trouble. Just doin’ the same, especially since your daddy can’t be here.”
She swiped her hand over her eyes to dry the tears and nodded. “He’d have been much obliged.”
“Luke and Laura Spence live ‘bout a half mile up the main road once you get to it.” He held her gaze. “Tell ’em I sent you. They’ll be happy to help you out.”
“Thank you again. So much.” She moved back a few steps, glancing over at the darkening path.
“Hey, don’t I get a hug too?” Wesley wiggled his brows, cocking his head in playful camaraderie.
“Act like you got some sense, boy. Look what happened the last time you went sparkin’ on the wrong girl.” Sid turned his gaze back to Ava. “This one’s a mighty fine pick, but I have a notion her heart’s already called for.”
Ava’s vision blurred with her smile. And today should have been my wedding day. “It is.”
His entire expression softened into a smile. “Well, get on your way then, Ava Burcham.”
She took a few steps. “Wait, Ava.”
She pivoted back around, and Sid walked forward. “Folks like Keen and Casper Norris ain’t the only ones to watch out for round here at night.” He placed a pistol in her palm. “For your protection.” He winked. “You gotta get home to that boy of yours.”
She looked from him to Wesley, put the pistol in her satchel, and nodded. “Thank you again. I hope … I hope y’all can find your way home again soon too.”
He hesitated, as if he was going to say something, but then touched the brim of his hat in silent salute, and the two of them disappeared into the forest. Ava stared at their shrinking frames until the darkening forest took them from view. She only had, at most, an hour of fading daylight left, and even its faint glow failed to give sufficient light to the path ahead.
Katydids and crickets competed for volume, as if they’d missed making their music all winter and were finally free to perform a full serenade. She quickened her pace through the shadowy wood. In only a few hours, she could see Jeremiah again. Her pulse skittered. If he was alive. Oh Lord, please let him be alive.
Wouldn’t she know down deep in her heart somewhere if he’d died? Wouldn’t she feel the loss to her core? He’d gotten shot trying to save her, putting her safety before his own. Then there was the whole kidnapping scheme and Martin’s death and … She sighed. Trouble truly seemed to follow her.
She was lost in thought when someone gripped her from behind, his arms like bands across her chest, squeezing until she could barely breathe.
“Did you really think I hadn’t cut my way out of ropes before?” His whiskey-laced words breathed a putrid odor against her cheek. “And you can be sure I checked to make sure your Allen friends are nowhere to be seen.”
Keen.
She reached for her satchel, but he grabbed her hand and twisted it up behind her until she cried out.
“You’ve shamed me for the last time.” He slammed her against the nearest tree, the sudden impact stealing her breath and reigniting the ache in her head.
A blast of fury shot energy through her and she thrust her knee upward with as much force as she could muster. He grunted and bent forward, but just as she began to twist loose of him, his hold tightened again, thrusting her back with added force against the tree. The impact stunned her long enough for him to tighten a rope around her chest, arms trapped at her side, her satchel hitting her at the hip. She attempted to slip her hand into the folds of her bag, but Keen hit her across the face, blurring her vision.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he murmured as he rounded the tree, likely to knot the ends of the rope together. Ava wiggled the slightest bit, her fingers barely making their way over the lip of her satchel and into its folds without him noticing. “I’d contemplated just shootin’ you outright.” He returned to face her, his spit splattering her face as he spoke and his dark eyes gleaming like two sinister orbs. “But you deserve a little more personal treatment for all the trouble you’ve caused.”
Her fingers slipped around the metal of the pistol, but with her arms pinned at her sides, she wasn’t sure how to aim to make an impact. He’d knotted the ropes so tightly, she could barely catch her breath. She pressed her back as far against the tree as possible in an attempt to draw air into her lungs. Lord, are You here? Even here?
“A little something your friends didn’t find.” He slipped his hand down into his boot and drew out a knife. “And in honor of all the trouble you’ve caused me, I’ve decided to take killin’ you nice and slow.” The knife flashed in his hand, and he slid the blade down her cheek. “One slice at a time.”
She stared back at him, holding her expression immobile. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear, of knowing he had power over her. “You think killin’ me is gonna make you feel better?”
“Sure is.” And without warning, he jabbed the knife blade into her shoulder.
She cried out and nearly dropped her hold on the pistol.
“Hmm … that seemed to make a point, didn’t it?” He chuckled at his pun and brought the knife back to her cheek, smearing her own blood against her skin. “What should I hit next? A finger? An ear?”
He lifted the blade toward her face, and with a little turn of her wrist upward, she pulled the trigger. The gun fired and shook from her hand. Keen howled and stumbled back, reaching for his knee. Ava took the distraction to struggle against the ropes, a slight give offering a little hope that Keen’s handiwork came with more speed than skill.
A string of curses rose from him and he rebrandished the knife. “So, I reckon you want me to remove your shootin’ hand then, don’t ya?”
Ava struggled against the loosening ropes when another gunshot cracked the darkness. Keen paused in midstep, his gaze wide, and reached for his side. Had the Allens returned to help her?
A figure sauntered forward from the dusk-hewn path, slowly.
Keen raised his knife toward the man, but another shot rang out, buckling Keen to the ground. Then the figure emerged into recognition, fedora at a fashionable tilt, and a grin to chill Ava to the core.
Casper Norris. What … what was happening?
“You … you’ve killed me,” Keen gasped, grasping for the pistol that had fallen to the ground a few feet away.
Casper shot at Keen’s hand, the ground near his fingers bulging from the impact of the bullet. Keen curled his fingers back. “Why?”
“I said no loose ends.” Casper kept his face forward, his profile unreadable. “No trace.”
“I’ll disappear.” Even as he spoke, Keen slipped closer to the ground. “She’s our only witness.”
“Is she?” Casper’s attention flipped to Ava, and without moving his gaze from hers, he shot two last bullets into Keen until his body slumped lifeless to the ground.
Casper stepped closer to her, searching her face. “Now, you’re our only witness.” He released a sigh and tipped the brim of his hat up slightly as he closed in. “It’s a shame we’ve come to this, Ava. A real shame.”
“Is it?” Her mind whirled, searching for a plan. She’d loosened the ropes enough that they’d slid slightly down her arms. The pistol she’d dropped lay at her feet. Not that reaching it would help her much, with a sharpshooter like Casper around.
“Sure is. I like you and Jeremiah, but you’re both too meddlesome for my good.”
How could she keep the man talking? Distracted? Buy time? “After all this time. You’re the one who killed my daddy?”
It only took a second for his expression to recover from surprise. “I didn’t figure Keen’s tongue was so loose.”
“I saw Daddy’s watch.”
He eased his way toward her, head tilted in study. “You’re a clever one, ain’t ya. Seems you’re followin’ in your daddy’s footsteps in more ways than one.” He slowly shook his head, edging nearer in the fading light. “Wrong place. Wrong time.”
“That’s what happened with Daddy? He came up on a deal gone bad?”
Casper shook his head in mock disappointment. “Puts me in an awful predicament for making tough choices.”
“If you hadn’t killed people, you wouldn’t have to make this choice.”
He grinned and wiped the back of his palm across his smile. “Point made, but it’s too late now.” He shrugged a shoulder and raised his gun. “I have to kill you. Blame it all on Keen—or the Allens, if I want—and then get back to my work without anyone knowing otherwise.”
“The truth always comes out.”
He raised a brow. “Maybe, but not soon enough for you, Ava.”
She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. The Lord is a mighty one to save. He will quiet me with His love. Oh Lord, help me.
But instead of a gunshot, the sound of a growl swelled from down the dark trail like an echoing round of thunder. The crooked deputy turned toward the eerie noise. A flash of white and gray rushed forward at high speed. Furry. Large. A coyote? Ava squinted, her breath shaking out on a sob. Wolf?
Casper aimed his gun at the approaching form.
No! Taking advantage of Casper’s distraction and her loosening bonds, Ava kicked forward, sending Casper off-balance just as his gun went off. He stumbled and nearly fell, but within seconds Wolf attacked him.
He screamed, raising his hands to struggle against the dog. Out of her periphery another movement came into view. A gait and silhouette she knew as well as her own name.
“Jeremiah!”
He rushed forward, jerking Casper’s gun from his hand and assisting Wolf in pinning the villain to the ground. Ava shook free of the rope and brought it with her to join Jeremiah.
“Use this.” She pushed the rope forward, locking eyes with him for a second. He was alive. Whole. Here.
His gaze roamed over her face, as if his thoughts weren’t too different from her own.
With a nod, he took the rope, and between the two of them, they secured Casper, who looked much the worse for wear after Wolf’s thorough defense. Ava dropped to her knees, and the dog whined against her, licking her face as if he thought she might have been a goner too.
“Good boy.” She buried her face in his fur.
Lantern light shone ahead, revealing a large group of men approaching on horseback. Ava reached down for the discarded pistol, keeping it by her side this time instead of making the mistake as she’d done before by putting it in her satchel.
Wolf released a warning growl.
“It’s okay, Wolf.” Jeremiah met Ava’s gaze as he tightened his hold on Casper. “It’s the posse.”
“The posse?”
He nodded. “The detectives out to catch the Allens, but tonight?” He looked up at them and nodded. “Tonight, we’ll give them a different outlaw to talk about with their newspaper buddies.”
It took several minutes to share the story of what had transpired over the past few days, Ava conveniently leaving out her encounter with Sid Allen and Wesley Edwards.
They learned from the posse leader that they’d come into contact with Pink and Ellis on the main road with Mooney. Pink sent them in this general direction, in hopes of catching Casper or Keen along the way.
The gunshots had alerted the posse to their location.
Jeremiah gladly gave Casper over to the posse’s authority and turned to Ava. She buried her head in his chest, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, needing Jeremiah’s warmth and presence, embracing the feel of him whole and alive.
