Tempting Evil (12 page)

Hans Vigo entered the lodge. “What the fuck happened?”

Tyler quickly filled him in.

“Yes, he’ll call, but he’s not going to make a trade. He’ll want to buy time to get out of the valley.”

“We need to track them,” Mitch said.

“Agreed,” Tyler said. “But when they stop the sleds, they’ll hear us. Snowmobiles are loud and the sound echoes.”

“Forget the snowmobiles. They were sabotaged.”

“All of them?”

“Damn straight. Nash and his son are still there trying to repair them, but hell if I know how long it’s going to take.”

“We need at least two—one to take Wyatt to the hospital and one to track them.”

“I’ll go to the garage.” Stan’s voice was thick with pain.

“You need to rest,” Karl said. His eyes were watery and he stared at Tyler as if begging him to save his granddaughters.

“What about when he calls?” Tyler asked. “If I’m not here, he might do something rash.”

Hans said, “I’ll stay and patch him through to you.”

“Will that work?”

“It’ll have to. These two have proven to be very resourceful. We can’t let them get too far or they just might disappear altogether.”

TWENTY-TWO

“Absolutely not.” The group stood beside the snowmobiles as Doug Chapman shook his head slowly back and forth. He stared at the fire tower a mile off South Centennial Road.

Jo watched the exchange between the men with fearful interest. She didn’t know what Doherty had planned, but it was obvious they hadn’t agreed previously on this part of the plan.

“Once we’re up there, we’ll be able to see for miles,” said Doherty. “We’ll know when they’re coming. There’s no way they can get to us.”

“And we’ll be trapped,” Chapman said. “They’ll surround the place and we won’t be able to get out.”

“We have Joanna and her sister,” Doherty said.

Trixie whimpered. Jo wrapped her arm around Trix and whispered, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Trixie said.

Chapman glared at her. “Shut up.”

Doherty said, “We’ll radio the Sheriff and make our demands. We’re going to tell him we’re at the refuge center. I made the trail yesterday, and refreshed part of it this morning. There’s no reason to think that we’re not there.”

“Then why trap ourselves up there?” Chapman looked up.

The fire tower was no longer in use. Routine flybys by the Forest Service took care of the fire watch. But not too long ago, keeping watch had been part of Sam Nash’s job. As Jo recalled, he’d move into the fire tower at the beginning of the fire season and keep watch over the valley. Times changed. For better, and for worse.

“What about that town we passed on the road?” Chapman asked.

“Town?” Doherty frowned. “There was no one there.”

“There were new buildings. We could keep our ears open, but we won’t be a hundred feet in the air.”

Jo realized Chapman was afraid of heights.

Both Chapman and Doherty were right—if they went up the tower, they’d be trapped. But there was no way anyone could approach without being seen—unless another blizzard hit. Jo looked up at the sky. As the clouds moved northeast, it was becoming bluer.

Still—there was a steady wind, and the temperature hadn’t risen much even with the sun. Jo suspected that by nightfall another storm would move in.

This particular fire tower was sparsely furnished. When Nash had done his fire duty, he’d bring up a portable generator, a radio, and an ice chest. There was a cot and desk—whether they were still there or not, Jo didn’t know. It was a solitary job, and one of his sons would relieve him every Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. It was a life Sam Nash preferred.

Jo had been falling into the same quiet, functional despair of the Nash family, she realized. Twenty-two years ago, Emily Nash had tragically died in a skiing accident. Sam and his three sons had never fully recovered. The two oldest sons had moved from the area. Peter, who had watched his mother die, had stayed in the valley, except for his three-year stint in the military.

Is this the life Jo wanted? Living day in and day out with nothing but memories to keep her warm?

Did she really think that Jason was somehow a threat to her son’s memory?

She needed to talk to Tyler, to explain, to make things right. She needed to get out of this mess so that she could truly put the past behind her.

Jo remembered what Hans Vigo had said last night about Aaron Doherty’s personality. He was delusional; he believed she loved him. She had to play off that. Then maybe she and Trixie could get out of this alive.

She whispered in Trixie’s ear, “Trust me.”

Before her sister could respond, Jo stepped forward. Chapman and Doherty both turned to her. There was a gun in Chapman’s hand.

She put her hands up. “Aaron, can we talk? In private?”

“What—”

Chapman interrupted. “Don’t trust her.”

Doherty glared at him, then turned with suspicious eyes on Jo. “What’s wrong?”

“The town isn’t a real town, not yet. There’s a developer of sorts trying to resurrect the past glory of Lakeview, when it was a mining town nearly a hundred years ago. He’s building a western-style town and eventually will have a small motel, shops, a restaurant. He thinks.” Jo rolled her eyes. While in concept the idea was wonderful, people didn’t travel this far out for shopping and good food. They came here for peace and recreation.

“Don’t listen to her,” Chapman said.

Jo looked at Aaron. “There’s nothing inside the buildings. No heat, no food, no water. Most are incomplete. And the fire tower—I hate to agree with your friend, but he’s right—we’re no better up there. You can see for miles, but there’re not even windows up there. It’s going to be ten degrees colder and with the wind—” She glanced at Trixie. Her sister was freezing, but was doing her best not to show how cold she was.

She lowered her voice and stepped next to Aaron. Touched his arm. Looked into his eyes.

“Trix is hurting. In the cold, her leg is awfully painful. Please—we need to get her someplace warm.”

“Where?”

Jo tilted her head, watched as Doherty looked over at Trixie with concern apparent in his face. He cared. He didn’t want Trixie to suffer.

She could use that.

“Sam Nash’s house.”

Chapman interrupted. “What the fuck? You’re going to listen to this bitch? We should have taped her fucking mouth shut.”

Jo stepped partly behind Doherty, as if she were intimidated by Chapman. Okay, she
was
intimidated. Chapman was a wild card. She couldn’t predict how he would act, but she needed Aaron on her side.

“Who lives there?” Doherty asked her.

“Sam Nash and his son Peter, but they are both at the lodge right now. Their house is only two miles from here. There’s heat and food. The best thing is, it’s on a knoll. You’ll be able to see anyone who comes up the drive. I swear, Aaron. And if you get there and don’t believe me, come back here. It’s not that far.”

“No,” Chapman said. “I like the town.”

“Fine,” Jo said, glaring at Chapman. “Go to the town. It’s five miles in the opposite direction, but we’ll do it. And then you’ll see that I’m right.”

“A house would be nice,” Doherty said to Chapman.

“You can’t trust her!” Chapman exclaimed.

“We’ll know soon enough if she’s lying.” Doherty looked down at her, touched her chin. Jo used every ounce of control to not flinch.

“Aw, fuck. There better be some Jack Daniel’s or I’m going to kill someone.” He stared right at Jo.

Doherty stepped in front of her, blocking Jo from Chapman’s murderous glare.

“Let’s go,” he said.

He turned to Jo. “Are you cold?”

“I’m okay.”

He put his hands on her arms and rubbed them up and down. The friction warmed her, reminding her that she was in fact very cold. Her feet felt like ice cubes. If she was out too much longer, she would start to fade.

“I’ll get you warm,” he said.

She shivered as he wrapped his arm around her and led her back to the snowmobile. As they climbed on the Polaris, he nuzzled her neck. “I’m so sorry we didn’t have time for you to pack some clothes.”

“I’m okay,” she said.

“I’ll buy you anything you need as soon as we get away.”

“That sounds nice.”

His words chilled her more than the cold air.

Her plan better work.

TWENTY-FOUR

Tyler and Mitch rode double on one snowmobile; deputies Grossman and Duncan were on the second. They followed the fresh impressions in the snow left by the two killers who had Jo and Trixie. FBI SWAT was on their way, but they were still two hours away. Tyler couldn’t wait that long.

Hans would radio only if Jo’s Polaris changed location. Right now, it was stationary: on Sam Nash’s property. They were unlikely to take any of Nash’s other vehicles. Even Nash’s four-wheel-drive truck probably couldn’t get out of the garage with this much snow on the ground. Nash had a snowplow, but it moved slowly. Even with Chapman’s mechanical skills, if he could figure out how to operate it, would they chance taking the slow-moving truck? Tyler didn’t think so.

Either Doherty had planned on meeting at the refuge after he knew the helicopter was on its way, or he never had any intention of meeting them and was buying time. Time to escape.

Doherty and Chapman already had weapons, but at Nash’s they could have acquired an arsenal. Nash had several shotguns and rifles. Tyler had his sidearm and a shotgun Stan gave him, and Mitch and his deputies were armed, but in a standoff, Doherty and Chapman would have the upper hand.

There was more blue than gray in the sky, and even though Upper Red Rock Lake was miles from the road, Tyler could see the sun reflecting off the still water. The lake was too deep to completely freeze, but it was cold enough to turn the top inch to ice.

Though the weather seemed perfect, with a projected high of fifty, Karl Weber said he suspected another storm front would move in quickly. The NWS predicted twenty-four hours, but Tyler trusted Weber’s judgment—he’d lived through more surprise storms than most.

Two miles from Nash’s property, Tyler stopped the snowmobile and they disembarked. They’d made excellent time because visibility was good and they had the trail Chapman and Doherty left.

The four men put on cross-country skis. They each had a walkie-talkie, and Tyler had the portable radio to keep in contact with the lodge. They couldn’t move as fast as the snowmobiles, but they skied steadily about seven miles an hour. Tyler was grateful that he’d made a point of refreshing all his winter sports skills when he’d moved to Montana. Otherwise, he’d be lagging behind.

In twenty minutes, they’d be within sight of Nash’s property. They’d assess the situation and form a plan of attack. A plan that didn’t put Jo and Trixie in more danger than they already were.

Bong.

Jo jumped when the grandfather clock in Nash’s living room announced the time, the deep, guttural chime vibrating in her head. She’d been here many times, had often heard the forlorn sound, but today it seemed particularly ominous.

“Time to go,” Doherty said as he untied Jo and Trixie.

Did Tyler have enough time to track the GPS in the snowmobile and make it out here? She thought she’d heard the roar of snowmobiles far in the distance, but then they’d stopped, or perhaps they’d turned in another direction.

Bong.

“Please, please leave us alone,” Trixie said. “You can just leave, we can’t go anywhere or tell anyone. Leave us here and go.”

“We’ll only slow you down,” Jo said.

Doug Chapman laughed. “You’re hostages, babe. We’re not letting you go anytime soon.”

Aaron stared at Jo, an odd look on his face. Had she tipped her hand?

Bong.

“Everything is going to be fine,” he told her.

“No!” Trixie cried when Chapman grabbed her.

Doherty stared at Trixie with disgust. “You, we don’t need.” He pointed his gun at her.

Jo screamed, trying to put herself between Doherty and the gun, but he held on to her upper arm so tight her arm burned. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“You really don’t know what she did, do you?” Aaron said.

Bong.

“Aaron.” Jo’s eyes darted back and forth between Doherty and Trixie.

“Trixie? Are you going to tell her or am I?”

“Stop this right now, Aaron.” Jo’s voice was stronger than her frayed emotions.

Chapman leaned over and backhanded Jo. She would have fallen down if Doherty hadn’t caught her.

“Don’t touch her again.” Doherty turned his gun on Chapman.

“You’re letting the bitch make demands of you?” Chapman said, furious the gun was aimed at him. “Get that fucking gun away from me or I’ll kill you.” It sounded like an idle threat considering Doherty had the upper hand. Jo pictured them firing simultaneously and killing each other. She would have laughed at the absurd vision if she weren’t so fearful for her life.

Bong.

“Do not call her a bitch,” Doherty said. “You will treat Joanna with respect.”

“She’s playing you, Aaron. She’s been playing you all day.”

Aaron blinked rapidly. “Everything is going to be fine once we get out of here.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Chapman mocked.

“I want Trixie to tell the truth,” Doherty said, “for once in her life.”

Bong.

Trixie shook her head. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me! Leave me alone!”

“I was in the cell next to Lincoln Barnes. I know a lot about you, Trixie. More than you ever told your sister.”

“Shut up!” She lunged for him, and Chapman grabbed her and held her back.

“What are you doing, Aaron? Let’s get out of here.”

“Not until Trixie tells Joanna the truth.”

Jo looked from Doherty to her sister. There was something on Trixie’s face. Jo’s gut turned and bile rose to her throat. She didn’t want to believe anything Aaron Doherty had to say. The man was a killer. He had kidnapped her. But…

“Leave her alone,” Jo said quietly. “Please, Aaron.”

Bong.

Doherty turned to Jo, touched her face with the muzzle of his gun. His expression soft and almost loving, but his eyes were hard and distrustful. “No secrets, Joanna. Okay? No secrets between us.”

“Stop, Aaron. Let’s just go.”

A little voice scratched and clawed at the back of Jo’s mind. She wanted to know whatever secret Aaron Doherty knew about her sister. All the doubts, all the fears, came rushing back.

No, Jo, don’t go there. She’s your sister. She’s Leah’s mother. You can’t go back. You can’t have what was stolen. Just forget…

But the doubts she’d had for four years grew. She looked at Trixie, didn’t say a word.

Tears streamed down Trixie’s face. “Jo, I’m sorry.”

Bong.

“Tell her!” Doherty screamed and Jo jumped. “Tell her you married Lincoln Barnes!”

Jo stared at Trixie, but relief flooded through her body. She’d wondered for a long time whether Trixie had married him when they were in L.A., but Trixie had denied it. There were a few hints here and there, but Jo didn’t push it because it had become unimportant. When Linc called Trix his wife the day he killed Ken and Tim, Jo had thought he was delusional. Now she knew he wasn’t: Linc had told the truth.

“It’s okay, Trixie,” Jo said. “That’s water under the bridge. Linc hurt a lot of people. I don’t care that you married him. You were a different person then, and you got away from him. You protected Leah, and that’s the most important thing.”

Instead of Trixie looking relieved, she became more irate. “Why do you forgive me so easily? Why, Jo? After everything…”

“Tell her!” Doherty screamed.

Bong.

“I—I—”

Sobbing uncontrollably, Trixie sagged, and Chapman let her fall to the ground.

“Aaron, just fucking get it out,” Chapman demanded. “I want to go. Everything’s ready. We’re wasting time because you’re playing a fucking game.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jo stared wide-eyed as Doug Chapman staggered backward from Doherty’s shots. His gun went off once, into the ceiling. Plaster fell to the floor like snow. There was no blood at first, which made it more surreal to Jo—Chapman wore a thick ski jacket. As she watched, blood seeped from the bottom and dripped to the floor.

His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Chapman fell with a thud and didn’t move. Doherty didn’t show any reaction. He simply frowned and shook his head.

Bong.

“Tell her, Trixie.” Doherty’s voice was so low Jo almost didn’t hear him. Trixie shook her head back and forth.

“No, no, no!” She sobbed.

“It’s okay, Trix.” Jo’s heart raced as her eyes moved from Chapman’s dead body to her sister’s terrified, tear-drenched face. Jo didn’t know how to stop this insanity.

“Tell her, Trixie!”

“I forgive you,” Jo said, wishing she could go to her sister, but Doherty held her too tight. “The past doesn’t matter.”

“Tell her!”
Doherty screamed.

“It’s my fault,” Trixie sobbed. “It’s my fault Ken and Timmy died.”

Doherty asked Jo, “Didn’t you ever wonder how Linc found you? Didn’t you wonder how he knew where you lived?”

She had, but after Timmy died it hadn’t seemed important. It was almost ethereal, like she should ask the question but she was in a daze. And then the trial…it never came out. She didn’t think the question had ever been asked. And deep down, she hadn’t cared. Her husband and son were dead, that was all that mattered.

Jo looked at Trixie. Everything made sense now. Her sister’s self-blame. That she came back to the valley even though she hated it here. Why she resented Jo spending time with Leah, while at the same time almost forcing Leah on Jo.

Guilt.

Bong.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jo whispered, though it did matter. And now that the question had been raised, how could she forget? But that was something to deal with when she and Trixie got out of this.

Doherty just shot his partner in cold blood. He’s going to kill you. You have to get out of here, get Trixie out of here. Nothing else matters.

Trixie sobbed, looked up at Jo, her face a mask of agony and pain. “I—I called him. I told him to meet me at a restaurant on the highway. I—I wanted to go with him. I knew I couldn’t take Leah, but I had to b-b-be with Linc. He didn’t show up, and I was so mad, but he followed me. He wanted Leah more than me. He followed me to your house. I’m so sorry, Jo. I didn’t know he was going to hurt anyone.”

Hurt?
He’d killed a man and a little boy because Trixie had led him to their house.

“I’m sorry, Jo. I wish I’d died that day.”

Bang.

Jo screamed. Trixie’s mouth opened and blood flowed from the corner.
“NO!!”

Doherty let her go to her sister, hold her. “I’m glad,” Trixie whispered. “I’m glad I’m dead. Take care of Leah for me. You were always a better mother.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Jo cried, cradling her sister in her arms. The bullet had gone into Trixie’s chest, almost dead center. Jo’s head and heart hurt, she couldn’t think about what Trixie had done in the past. She loved her sister. “Please don’t die.”
Oh, God, please not again. Don’t take anyone else from me. Don’t let Trixie die!

“She’s better off dead,” Doherty said. “Now you’ve been avenged. We’re going now, just you and me.”

Bong.

It was noon. Jo’s life would never be the same.