Authors: Ribbon of Rain
Chapter1 (9 page)
Red growled low in his throat at the same time Kat and Jude heard a boat motor approaching on the lake.
Kat jumped out of her chair and grabbed the .308.
“Go upstairs and get your Beretta.
It’s in my…”
“I know where it is.”
Jude grinned, and then his expression turned serious.
“No more unilateral decisions.
Understood?
Wait for me.”
Kat saluted.
“Understood.”
Before Jude’s foot hit the top stair, she walked out the door and headed down to the dock, the rifle slung over her shoulder.
Chapter 4
“Hey, Brian.”
Kat hurried toward the lake, yelling to be heard over the boat’s motor.
She shouldered her rifle and waved.
“Any luck fishing?”
Brian held up four good-sized brook trout, a huge grin on his face.
With his reddish hair tousled by the wind and the freckles spattered across his nose, he looked like the proverbial boy next door.
Squatting on the wharf, Kat reached out and caught the boat as it drifted in.
Brian tossed her a rope, and she deftly secured the sixteen foot Alaskan
He climbed out of the boat and handed her
-inch brookies.
“These are for me?”
“Yeah.
You love brook trout, and I knew you’d enjoy some fresh ones.”
He grinned, his brown eyes full of mischief.
“What’s with the rifle?”
Kat ignored his question.
“Hmmm…the daily limit is two fish and you have four.
Would that have anything to do with your generosity?
Thanks, we’ll enjoy them.
Come up and have a cup of coffee,” she invited.
“You missed supper.
You should have come earlier.”
Brian’s smile faded.
“So the story I heard is true?”
“What story is that?”
“Hazen and
Asking questions about you.
They were worried and wanted me to stop by to make sure you were okay.”
Kat stiffened.
“That’s a crock of shit.
They aren’t worried about me.
They’re just nosy.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I hope you’re not turning into one of the old codgers… sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Kat, I…”
“You listen to me, Brian Richardson.
My business is my business.”
She poked her finger into his chest.
“It’s not Chester’s business.
It’s not Hazen’s business.
And it sure as hell isn’t your business.
Got it?”
He nodded and turned away, but not before Kat saw the cold fury in his face.
In all the years she’d known Brian, she’d never seen him angry about anything.
What the hell was going on?
He walked with her toward the lodge.
He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Jude leaning against the porch rail.
Kat climbed the stairs.
“Brian gave us some trout.”
Kat held the fish up for Jude to see, before turning back to Brian.
“Want something cold to drink or a cup of coffee?”.
“No, thanks.
I can’t stay.”
“Oh.
I’ll put the fish in the refrigerator.
Be right back.”
*****
Jude’s eyes stayed on Kat until she disappeared inside.
Then he faced their guest.
“Jude Callahan.
You must be Brian Richardson.
Hazen and his friends mentioned you.”
A flush crept across Brian’s face.
“That’s right.”
He shook Jude’s hand.
“Planning on staying long?”
“Depends.”
Jude shrugged and slipped into a chair.
He gestured toward an empty chair.
“Have a seat.”
“No, thanks.”
Brian remained standing.
“Kat and I have been friends for a long time.
It’s natural for me to worry about her.
You know, here alone with a stranger.”
Jude smiled.
“What makes you think I’m a stranger?
Besides, Kat knows how to protect herself.
If you’re a friend, you know that.”
“Right you are, Callahan.”
Jude looked up, and his smile widened.
Kat stood in the door entrance, hands on her hips.
“While you’re here Brian, we want to pick your brain.
See if you have any information about Kat’s parents’ deaths.”
Brian’s shoulders tensed, and a slight tic jerked in his cheek.
“I’ve already told Kat everything I know.
Who are you anyway?
A cop?”
He pivoted toward Kat.
“Why is he here?”
Kat touched Brian’s arm.
Her touch seemed gentle, but Jude saw the warning in her eyes.
“Calm down.
All you need to know is that he’s here, and he’s my friend.”
The pleasure Jude felt at Kat’s cooperation died a quick death when she turned her gaze to him–her eyes gave him the same warning.
“Brian’s right.
He told me everything he knows.
And if he hadn’t been fishing and heard Red barking that morning, my parents might not have been found for a long time.”
Brian’s shoulders slumped.
“That’s not true, Kat.”
He appeared uncomfortable at her praise.
“I checked on them at least once or twice a week.”
“Have you noticed anything strange happening around here recently?”
Jude tossed the question at Brian, ignoring Kat’s second warning glare.
“Anything out of the ordinary?”
Brian’s eyes shifted between Kat and Jude, his fists clenched.
“No, not really.
I haven’t been on the lake since Kat got back.”
“How about before she came home?”
Jude persisted.
“Times when you were on the lake fishing.
Did you notice if Bill and Mary had any visitors?”
Brian’s hesitation told Jude all he needed to know.
He’d questioned enough perps in his life to know when someone was hiding something.
“I wasn’t on the lake every day, but about a week before Mary and Bill died, I was fishing down in the deep hole.”
He gestured down the lake.
“A seaplane landed and taxied up to the dock.
I know most of the planes that fly in this area, and I didn’t recognize this one, so I watched it through my binoculars.
“And?”
Kat prompted, impatient for the rest of the story.
“Who was it?”
“Elizabeth and some guy I’d never seen before.”
“
Kat’s brows furrowed together.
“You must be mistaken.
At the funeral she told me she hadn’t been back to the lodge in years.
Why would
“Well, it was her.”
Brian’s voice turned defensive.
“She’s as beautiful as ever.
The guy with her must be rolling in dough.
Had on an expensive looking suit.
They stayed about an hour and then took off.”
“Who piloted the plane?”
Jude interrupted.
“The guy with
It was just the two of them.”
Brian was on edge now, his eyes darting back and forth between Jude and Kat like a mouse caught between two cats.
“Look I have to go.
I want to get home before dark.”
“Did you see anything else?”
Jude ignored Brian’s uneasiness.
“Not that day.”
Brian started to back away.
“I’ve got to run.”
Before either Kat or Jude could say another word, he was gone.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Kat hollered as the motor started.
Brian waved, and the boat took off down the lake.
“That’s weird,” Kat commented, worry laced with suspicion clouding her green eyes.
“Brian couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”
Jude didn’t flinch at the mistrustful look that Kat cast his way.
“Don’t blame me for your friend’s rude manners,” he replied innocently.
*****
Kat wound a strand of hair around her finger.
“Brian was nervous.
You interrogated him as if he were guilty of a crime, for God’s sake.
But I know him, and there’s something wrong…something he’s not telling us.
I’ve never seen him act so nervous.”
“How well do you know him?
Do you think it’s possible that he is involved in what’s going on?”
Kat plunked her butt in a chair and leaned back.
“I’ve known Brian practically all my life.
We were inseparable through high school.
He’s not capable of hurting anyone.
I’d bet my life on that.”
“Were you two lovers?”
Kat’s back straightened, her cheeks heating up.
“Not exactly.”
Jude grinned, one of those devastating smiles that left her legs as weak as two wet noodles.
“This, I’ve got to hear.
Exactly what does ‘not exactly’ mean?”
“Look, Callahan.
We’ve been down this trail.
My sex life is none of your damn business.”
Jude sighed.
“Sorry.”
He didn’t look sorry.
“I detest insincere apologies.”
“Well, you can’t blame me for being curious.”
He changed the subject.
“Let’s go over the facts one more time.
There’s Willie Card, who admits he’s looking for the gems, but has no clue where they are.
He denies murdering your parents, and you and I tend to believe him.
Right?”
Kat nodded.
“There are the men in the plane who shot at me, and the ones that climbed into the helicopter.
Why were those two men hiding in the woods when the plane first flew over?”
“How many men did you see?”
“I couldn’t tell if they were men or women,” Kat admitted.
“The sun was in my eyes.
At the least, the pilot and the sniper in the plane.
I’m positive only two came out of the woods and climbed into the helicopter.
That makes four, plus the one flying the helicopter.
So at least five.
Could have been more in the plane and copter.
I don’t understand where they fit into the puzzle.”
“What are your thoughts about Elizabeth and the guy she was with?”
Kat’s head snapped up.
She saw only sympathy in his expression, and shrugged.
“
I would guess the man with her was Carl Winter.”
“Kat.”
Something in his voice turned her stomach.
“I haven’t been totally honest with you.
He paused and took a deep breath.
Instinct told her she wasn’t going to like what he said.
“The Bureau has proof that Carl Winter and Willie Card have met several times since Willie’s release from prison.
Two of those meetings took place at your sister’s apartment.”
Kat struggled to keep the surprise from her face.
It wasn’t that difficult.
She’d been doing it her entire life.
Her heart skipped a few beats, and the familiar feeling of dread filtered through her body.
“What else have you kept from me?”
“Nothing that comes to mind.”
“And that answer should make me feel all warm and cozy inside because…?”
“Look, Kat.”
Jude rubbed his eyes.
“We’re getting to know one another, and we’ve been thrust into a riled hornet’s nest.
Let’s cut each other some slack.”
His eyes looked bleary with fatigue.
Kat yielded to his plea, but added a warning.
“We’ll try it your way.
If, at any time, I discover you’re not being up front with me, you’d best watch your back.”