6 Maple Leaf Hunter (14 page)

“Is there any word on Ramsey?” Mick asked.

“They caught him attempting to cross the border into Washington last Tuesday,” he said.

Alex asked, “What’s going to happen to him?”

The detective contemplated the question and said, “I’m not sure anything is going to happen to him,” he said. “Not as far as law enforcement is concerned. He was taken into custody for questioning, but as far as I know, they haven’t charged him with anything. Dan and Emily have a civil case against Richard Rice for their loss of income, and Ramsey will likely testify against Richard, but when you think about it, he didn’t break any laws. Ralph didn’t die from the blow to his head, and Ramsey thought he was saving Susan by running off with her, so the police don’t have anything to charge him with other than trespassing, and only if Dan and Emily want to press charges.”

Darby hadn’t said much all evening. I think his emotions were similar to Mick’s, and my disappearance had taken a big toll on him, too. At that moment, I was overwhelmed with feelings of love for my family and friends.

“Hey,” I said, sitting up taller. “How did Ramsey make those horrible screaming noises?”

The guys looked at each other and shook their heads. No one knew.

“I’ve got the answer to that one,” Chuck said. “When Ramsey was in college, he went on a basketball scholarship, but he was a whiz when it came to electronics. Have you ever seen those old, hand-held air raid sirens from the forties?”

Darby and Mick nodded their heads.

“He reworked one of those to emit the screaming sound,” he said. “He could make the scream as short or as long as he wanted. He kept it in the abandoned cabin on Dan and Emily’s property, so it would be close by when he frightened their guests.”

That explained the clean table and chairs. He was probably in the cabin often.

Everyone lapsed into silence again. I glanced at my watch. It was shortly after nine. My stomach jumped. I would have to think of a way to get out of the house before too long. Ralph’s son wouldn’t be happy if I was late.

Darby stood and asked, “Is everyone ready for dessert now? I made a tiramisu.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “If Ralph didn’t turn himself in at Silver Run, how did you all know I was at the lodge?”

Even Mick laughed at the question.

Nate answered. “Between family, friends, guests, and business associates, Dan and Emily have over a thousand email addresses in their computer. An email blast went out, and every one of the contacts received the same two-word message.
Susan here
.”

“Who sent it?” I asked.

Mick gave me a hug and a quick kiss before saying, “Beau.”

I couldn’t help laughing. Bless his heart. What a shock he must have had to wake and find me sleeping on the sofa. For him to manage to use the computer, let alone send an email, was nothing short of a miracle.

Darby and Nate went to the kitchen to cut the tiramisu. I looked to Alex and said, “Go get your coins from the Pirata exhibit and show Chuck. He can see what started all this.”

“You don’t have the real coins, do you?” the detective asked with a grin. “You know there are ten missing from the exhibit, right? No one knows who took them or where they went.”

This was news to me. Because the gold bars had been the focus of everything in Canada, I had no idea the authorities here were looking for the coins.

I suddenly felt hot and flushed. “Of course Alex’s coins aren’t real,” I said. “They look and feel real, but they’re souvenir coins Mick bought for him when we went to the exhibit.” Alex left the room, and I asked, “Why don’t you have camera footage of the theft of the coins or the gold bars?” I raised my voice, “Or the food court, so you could see when Ralph ran into me?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Security at the mall said all of their cameras were down for almost two hours that day. It had been happening off and on for over a week, but only for a minute or two at a time. Unfortunately, they didn’t place a service call until it was too late.”

I knew that would be Ralph’s handiwork.

Alex came into the room and set a handful of coins on the coffee table in front of the detective. There were exactly ten, so I assumed he grabbed the coins I had put on his dresser. I watched the detective carefully, and he seemed to be eyeing me in return. I couldn’t help the guilty flush that rushed into my face, and I averted my eyes.

Darby and Nate returned with dessert. Detective Bentley placed the coins back on the table without comment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I cut the lights before coming to a complete stop in front of the construction office. My guilt over the coins and ducking out of the house registered off the charts, but I was determined to see this through.

Before everyone finished dessert, I excused myself to use the bathroom. When Mick tried to accompany me, I assured him I was fine and could walk on my own. I picked up the coins without looking at the detective and told Alex I would put them back in his room. I wouldn’t normally go to this end of the house to use a bathroom, but no eyebrows were raised, and I continued on my way.

I turned the light on in the half bath off the kitchen and reached around to lock the door before closing it. I felt for the car key in my pocket, and with coins in hand, I slipped outside through the breakfast nook to walk around the house to the driveway. I was thankful to see Chuck hadn’t blocked me in.

I knew they would eventually figure out I was gone, but I hoped to be back soon. I would tell them something lame, like I had to run out for personal hygiene items.

Five minutes went by, but there was still no sign of Ralph’s son. At ten minutes after, I was starting to get nervous and scared. Was I in the right place? I double-checked the address, but there was no mistake.
Ralph’s Construction
was plastered on everything.

Maybe he had parked out back and was waiting inside the office. I slipped out of my car and pushed the door softly until it latched and distinguished the interior light.

A lone security light hung from the end of the building and was expected to be sufficient for the entire property. My eyes adjusted to the darkness around the front door. I reached out and turned the handle. It was unlocked, and I tiptoed inside.

There was no adjusting to this darkness. There wasn’t even a glimmer of light coming in through a window. I felt the walls on either side of the door, but there was no light switch. I scooted my feet forward in small increments, hoping to eventually come to a desk. The big toe of my good foot hit the leg of a chair, and I let out a soft, “ouch,” under my breath. My injured right foot brushed what felt like a bag of powder. It was softer than cement, but cement was the image conjured up in my mind.

My thigh finally bumped into a desk. I felt around until my hands found a lamp. I pulled the chain. The light illuminated the desk while throwing a greenish glow around the room. It took a second for my eyes to adjust, and I looked to see what the bag was on the floor.

It wasn’t a bag. It was Ralph’s son. He had fallen clutching his midsection. Blood pooled around his torso. There was blood on my foot and sandal from having shoved it into him. My shoe then left a blood smear across the floor from the man to the desk.

I gasped and turned to run for the door. I wanted to scream, but I held the sound in as best I could. My side ached, and I could only limp toward the door, rather than to run.

A man stepped out from the shadows. He held a bloody letter opener in a gloved hand. The scream came out easily now, and I backed up against the desk. I looked around frantically for something to use as a weapon, but the only thing to pick up was the lamp, and I was too afraid of being in the dark with him to use it.

He came into the light, and I realized the nightmare was continuing. It was the construction worker who had asked Alex where we were staying in Niagara Falls. This couldn’t be happening. I didn’t really feel threatened by Ralph’s son. I truly believed he would take the coins and be on his way. I was terrified of this man.

I whimpered and asked, “What do you want?”

“The coins,” he said. “Hand ‘em over.”

I reached into my pocket and grasped the coins. I slowly pulled my hand out. I almost threw them on the floor, but reason ruled, and I knew not to anger him. I held the coins out.

He rushed forward and wrenched them from my hand. Pain shot through my wrist. He counted them before shoving them into his jeans pocket. He grabbed my hand that had held the coins and squeezed it tightly. He leaned his face down to mine.

“Thirty minutes,” he said. “You don’t leave here for thirty minutes.”

Any words I might have spoken stuck in my throat. I nodded my head. Relief flooded my body knowing he wasn’t going to kill me. My knees went weak.

He turned and ran out the back. I heard the door close. I took a step forward and stared down at the body.

The front door flew open and Detective Bentley rushed in followed by two uniformed officers. I stood with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open.

“Susan,” he said cautiously as he slowly held his hand out to me. “Give me the letter opener.”

I looked down. The bloody object was firmly grasped in my left hand.

An officer took my elbow to give me assistance as we jaywalked across the street toward the police station.

I had somehow managed to smear the blood from my hand onto my blouse, and I was pretty sure I had it on my face, too. The blood on my foot and shoe weren’t my fault.

Mick, Darby, Nate, and Alex would be waiting for me in the lobby. Detective Bentley hadn’t yet spoken with them, and the officer warned me they would be seeing me without knowing what had happened. I braced myself as he opened the doors, and we stepped inside.

I didn’t know if I would ever forgive myself when I saw the look that crossed Mick’s face. I deeply regretted not telling him about the coins or the gold bars from the beginning. He had long ago stopped thinking my ideas were hare-brained, but it had been so long since there had been any trouble, I had reverted to my old ways and tried to protect him instead of allowing him to help me. I was worried this would have a lasting negative impact on our marriage.

I ran to him and threw myself into his arms. The act hurt my side and my ankle, but I didn’t care. “Mick,” I said as I squeezed him tightly. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all.”

My heart wrenched further when I saw the look on Darby’s face. Both loved me deeply, and I had frightened both beyond measure in the past two weeks. Nate had tears running down his face. Alex was first to ask, “Where did you go? What happened?”

Detective Bentley strode into the lobby and said to all of us, “Walk this way.” He never broke stride as he headed for an interview room.

Commotion at the front door caused me to turn around and look. The construction worker who had just taken the coins from me was in handcuffs and shoved onto a bench by a police officer. The door opened again, and the second construction worker was pushed through the doorway. I was surprised they were still working together. With the murder of Ralph’s son, their lives were ruined. It was all so senseless.

I followed Detective Bentley down the hall.

After everyone sat down, the detective slammed all ten coins on the table. “What in the world did you think you were doing with these?” he asked me.

I shrunk in my seat and said feebly, “When I went to the deli today, Ralph’s son was there, and he shoved me into his car.” I looked at Mick and said, “That’s how I got the knot on my forehead and twisted my ankle again. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you”

I looked back to Detective Bentley. I sat taller and said loudly, “But he said he would hurt Lizzie if I didn’t do what he said.”

“And what was that?” he asked.

“He told me to bring the coins to the construction office at ten o’clock,” I said. “And I had to come alone, or I was going to have to watch Lizzie very closely from now on.”

Mick flinched beside me. I glanced at him and saw the muscles in his jaw twitch.

“Why did he want these fake coins?” Detective Bentley asked.

“Because they’re not fake,” I said. “The day Ralph ran over me, two of his construction workers stole five coins each from the exhibit and slipped them into my purse. Ralph wasn’t supposed to run into me, he was supposed to steal my purse to get the coins and leave the country right away. But he got greedy and stole four gold bars for his share instead of just five gold coins. He had some kind of panic attack and heart malfunction, and he ran over me. The construction workers didn’t take my purse, but they grabbed the gold bars and left.”

The detective appeared confused. “Why didn’t you say anything about the coins earlier?” he asked.

“Until I ran into Ralph’s son this afternoon, I thought they had been recovered. I forgot I lied to Ralph and told him they were in Darby and Nate’s living room. That was when he had the gun on me, and I was in pain and afraid. I wasn’t thinking straight, but I knew I couldn’t tell him the coins were in our house.” I looked over at Darby and Nate and said, “I’m sorry. I know those guys messed your place up pretty bad.”

Alex howled, “You mean I’ve had real gold coins in my room?”

I nodded my head.

Detective Bentley shook his head. “No, you haven’t,” he said. “These coins aren’t real.”

I frowned. I was the confused one now.

“Do you have more coins in your room?” Mick asked Alex.

“No,” he said. “I put these in a box and put them up on a shelf so Lizzie couldn’t get them. I didn’t want her getting sick from the metals.”

“I’m one hundred percent positive the stolen coins were put in my purse,” I said. “Ralph told me exactly how it happened, and I believe him.” I looked at Mick and asked, “Do you remember how heavy my purse was when I came here from the mall? I had all that change in there. It weighed a ton.”

He nodded his head.

“Before dinner, Lizzie and Joe dragged my purse into the living room, and she dumped everything out to get the money and play with it. She put all of the change in her favorite plastic bowls.”

“I remember that,” Darby said. “You put everything back in your purse before we left to go to the store, but you left the change in the bowls on the coffee table.”

I nodded in agreement. “That’s right,” I said. “I didn’t know at that time I had been given any gold coins, and just like Alex, I assumed Lizzie was playing with his.”

“Lizzie had real pirate treasure,” Mick said softly under his breath.

It was a bizarre moment when a thought flashed through my mind, and I suddenly knew there was a future children’s book in his statement. I forced myself to focus again. “The coins were on the sofa next to Joe. I put them in my pocket, so I would remember to put them on Alex’s dresser when I got home.”

“You didn’t put any coins on my dresser,” he said.

“Yes, I did,” I said.

“No, you didn’t,” he said emphatically.

I felt Mick tense up, and I was afraid he was going to chastise Alex for arguing. I slipped my hand over onto his knee and gave it a squeeze.

“When you were getting ready to leave the next morning, you didn’t find any coins on your dresser?” I asked him. “I was sure I put them there.”

“I promise,” he said. “I made my bed and put everything away in my room. There weren’t any coins.”

“Do you think you lost them in the store?” Darby asked.

I shook my head no. “I had them in my pocket, and I remember thinking they were kind of heavy.”

My eyes lit up, and I couldn’t contain a huge smile as it spread across my face. I gave Detective Bentley a little shove on his arm. My hand left a trace of dried blood behind on his shirt. “I know where the coins are,” I told him.

It was Darby’s turn to yelp a few minutes later. “You mean to tell me I’ve been driving around with fifty thousand dollars worth of coins in my car?”

I laughed hard enough it hurt my side, but I was relieved to have the final piece of the puzzle fall into place. “When you parked the car at the market, I was looking through the glove box to see if I had left anything behind. You jumped out right away, and I knew I didn’t want to take the coins into the store, so I tossed them into the glove box. I never gave them another thought. When Ralph asked about the coins later, I still had it in my mind that I put them on Alex’s dresser.” I added for emphasis, “Like I do
every
time I find Lizzie playing with them.”

“Ok, folks,” Detective Bentley said. “It’s getting late. Susan, you’re going to have to write a statement, so plan on coming down tomorrow. Don’t forget to stop off at the courthouse first and pay that jaywalking ticket. Your ten days is up and a bench warrant will be issued soon.”

My mouth fell open. A bench warrant? For jaywalking?

Mick grabbed my arm before I could complain. He shook the detective’s hand and said he would see him tomorrow when he brought me to the station.

Before leaving the interview room, I asked the detective, “How did you know I was at the construction office?”

He shook his head in amazement. “Susan, you might have a poker face when you’re playing cards, but your face gives you away every time when you’re hiding something. There wasn’t anything on the news about Ralph being caught with the gold bars, and just the way you were handling those coins let me know you were up to something. When you were supposed to be in the bathroom, I took a look out the front window and saw you pulling out of the driveway. It was easy to follow you and watch to see what you were doing, but when you got out of your car and went into that dark building, I knew it was time to call for backup.”

Mick thanked the detective and shook his hand again. Darby came around the table to put his arms around me and hug me tight. I knew he was letting me know how much he loved me and how glad he was that I was safe. I returned his hug.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My hair was damp against the pillowcase. The clean sheets on the bed smelled wonderful and felt even better against my skin. Mick finally smiled a smile that melted my heart.

His countenance the entire time we were in the shower had been one of sorrow and seriousness. I watched his hands work steadily and carefully as he gently scrubbed blood from my skin.

Now, with both of us settled on the bed, he leaned up on one elbow and ran his fingertips along my hip and down my thigh.

“Mick,” I said softly. An apologetic sound filled his name.

“No,” he said. “You don’t have to apologize, Susan. I’ve told you before that I know you. I understand how you think and why you do the things you do. With that man threatening Lizzie, I probably would have done the same thing.”

“I wasn’t afraid of him,” I said. “I wasn’t afraid to take the coins to him, and I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about Lizzie if I did. Now he’s dead.”

He slid closer to me and pulled me tight against his body. “He is,” he acknowledged. He nibbled on my ear and sent excited chills down my spine. “And with the other two men behind bars, we won’t have anything to worry about.”

I never wanted to keep anything from him again. I had to tell him about the upcoming trip with Darby. He had moved on to kissing my neck, and his hands were starting to explore. I was breathless as I said in short bursts, “Darby’s going … to Beverly Hills … in November. He’s getting another award … for web design.”

He continued to pepper kisses along my neck. “I know,” he said.

“You do?” I asked dreamily. He was quickly pulling me under his spell.

“I do,” he said as he shifted his body to partly cover mine. “I already have our tickets and a pair of handcuffs.”

“We’re going?” I squealed, effectively breaking the spell. “And we’re trying something new with handcuffs?”

His eyes flashed with mischief. “Oh yeah,” he said. “We’re trying something new.”

My mouth fell open. He had never ever hinted at anything kinky before.

“I’m handcuffing you to me the minute we get on the plane,” he said, “and they’re not coming off until we land back home in Carbide City.”

I couldn’t help giggling and squirming farther beneath him. I realized he didn’t really have handcuffs, but I didn’t mind at all that he wanted to keep me by his side.

“Mick,” I whispered.

“Hmmm?” he noised as he slowly kissed his way down my stomach.

“Let’s take the handcuffs.”

He laughed, and I saw amusement in his eyes as he reached up to turn off the light.

###