Darlene Franklin - Dressed for Death 03 - Paint Me a Murder (17 page)

27

One cannot speak of the heritage of Grace Gulch without mentioning its first inhabitants, or at least the people who claimed the land before the White Father decided to parcel it out piece by piece to others. Grace Gulch lay solidly in the Sac/Fox nation’s territory. They were actually two separate tribes who had originated near Saginaw Bay in Michigan. In 1832, their great leader Black Hawk had led the last war of native peoples against European intruders east of the Mississippi. In 1869, they moved to Oklahoma. A number of our early citizens intermarried with the local Indians, and today their descendents proudly lay claim to Indian blood.

From
A History of Grace Gulch

Monday, September 25

A deeper voice answered Dina, the words indistinguishable. Jenna plunged into the darkness. “Dina? Brad?” Untold relief colored her voice.

I went next, bending over as far as Junior would allow. Before long, I dropped to my hands and knees, the top of my head scraping against the wormy, dirty ceiling. I hoped the ceiling didn’t drop so low I would have to creep on my belly. Junior wouldn’t let me do that.

Before I had time to realize how improbable that was—who would drag a kidnap victim to a place they had to
crawl
to reach—I tumbled into an open space.

“They’re back.” A man’s voice spoke this time.

“Is that you, Brad?” Jenna called.

“Jenna?” An unbelieving voice called out of the darkness.

A flashlight snapped on, blinding me for a minute. When my eyes cleared, I made out a woman’s form, so much dirt ground into her blue hair that it almost looked like a natural color.
Dina.
I wanted to sob. Next to her, an even more disheveled Brad struggled to his feet. Two weeks’ beard filled out his face, otherwise gaunt from lack of food or exercise or sunshine, or some combination.

We were in a room about twenty-feet square, the size of a reasonable storage unit, the ceiling high enough to stand. Audie helped me to my feet.

Jenna had grabbed Dina in a python-tight embrace. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.” Then she gave Brad the same treatment—well, not quite the same. She greeted him as the long-lost lover he was, adding a kiss to the squeeze.

By now Dad had made it into the room. When Dina saw him, she gave a little cry, and dashed into his arms. “Oh, Daddy, I’ve been so scared.” My brave little sister ran to her father as if he could protect her from all harm. Dad held her loosely, but the tears falling down his face told the real story.

I chanced a glance at Brad. He studied Dad and Dina with something akin to envy, or maybe it was respect. With that, I knew that Dina had informed him of their relationship.

Gilda came next, with Frances bringing up the rear. With eight of us in the cave, things were getting crowded. The always-prepared officer flicked on a second, larger flashlight that illuminated the entire cavern. I found an upended barrel and took a seat. A couple of pillar candles with match boxes sat in the corners, congealed wax running down their sides. Empty wrappers and bottles told me the prisoners had been fed at regular intervals.

Brad yawned, a rather rude response to our rescue. He stood, but swayed on his feet, and sat back down. Maybe two weeks of forced inactivity would do that to a person. I didn’t know. His pupils remained dilated even in the bright beam of Frances’ flashlight. Drugs? I hadn’t noticed it before, but back then I didn’t know the signs. He didn’t look steady enough on his feet to climb out through the tunnel.

“Don’t suppose anyone brought some coffee.” Brad said. At least he had kept a sense of humor.

My mind flashed to Gilda and her thermos. Sure enough, she poured out some into the cup and handed it to Brad.

Dina swayed a little as well. Only her hold on Dad kept her upright. He eased her back into a sitting position.

“I’m as weak as a kitten.” A blue, spitfire kitten, but Dina spoke the truth.

“We think they’ve been giving us sleeping drafts in our food. I don’t remember a whole lot of what’s happened.” Brad managed a rueful grin, one that reminded me of his daughter. “One of Dina’s surprising revelations was how long I’d been gone. My calculations were off by a couple of days.”

“
Who
kept you here? And why?”

I didn’t think we’d go anywhere until the two captives had regained a little strength. Thank God for Gilda’s coffee and cake. Dina clawed at the honey cake as if she had never used a fork in her life. Brad broke off a corner and stuffed it in his mouth.

“The Murks.” Dina’s words came out muffled. She practically inhaled the cake and then took a deep swallow of coffee before saying any more. “I went by their place on Saturday to ask about the map—”

“Then you dropped off the face of the earth.” Jenna’s tone implied we-already-know-all-that. “What happened next?”

“They sent me packing, insisted they didn’t have time for some child’s nonsense from before they were born. But you know me, I decided to poke around a bit on my own and see if I could figure out any of the map. They didn’t say I
couldn’t
, you see?” She accepted a second piece of cake and took a normal-sized bite. “I was still near the house, trying to guess the location of the tire swing, when I saw a car full of teenagers pull up. Dustin handed them a package that definitely
wasn’t
honey. I recognized one of them. She’d come in the store a couple of times while I was there, Diane, Danielle, something like that.”

Poor Danielle.

“They’ve been dealing drugs ever since they got to Grace Gulch.” Brad looked disgusted. “I can’t abide people who deal to kids. The scum of the earth. They wanted to sell one last big shipment before they cleared out of town. I guess things have been getting too hot for them around here.”

The hayride
.
The money I had made selling Sixties casual felt like blood money, as if I had sold the youth of Grace Gulch down the drug highway.

“Well, a story about drugs is a whole lot more important than a forty-year-old map, so I tried to get close enough to hear what was going on.” Dina scrunched up her face. “Only Wilbert found me, injected me with something, and the next thing I knew, I was in here.”

“What’s your story?” Frances asked Brad. “How did you end up here?”

“Oh, me.” Brad shrugged his shoulders. “I had, uh, figured out some clues to Larry Grace’s buried treasure from his journal. I thought it would be fun if I could find it. If I did, well, then, I could figure out who it really belonged to after all these years.”

He looked so serious when he said that, and I giggled.

“I had found the cave entrance before, but I hadn’t been able to move that big old rock. I’m interested in how you managed it?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Lever.” Dad answered, never one to use two words when one would do.

“I should have thought of that. I made another attempt the day before the treasure hunt began. Only that time Dustin came across me poking around. Before I realized what was happening, Wilbert came up behind me and conked me on the head.” He fingered the back of his scalp. “The lump has finally gone down.”

“So we were right that you had hidden clues in the mural!” I confess I felt smug.

“Down to the columns of ants on the columns of City Hall.” Dina looked pleased. “He said he didn’t think anyone would guess his little puzzle.”

“I know how your mind works.” Jenna settled on the floor between father and daughter. Years slipped away as they looked at each other.

Brad reached out a finger and stroked her cheek, neither one of them caring about the streak of grime it left. “You and I have a lot to talk about.”

The moment felt sacred, the rest of us intruders on an intensely private moment. Dina reached out and hugged her parents, the three a tight unit, one that God had bonded together all those years ago.

“Sorry to break up this tender reunion.” Cord’s tone held everything but regret. “But we should get moving. Do you need us to help you carry the treasure? Did you find it?” He frowned. “Or did the Murks get to it first?”

Dina broke apart from Jenna first, then Brad. Identical smiles lifted both their faces. “Oh, we found the treasure, but it isn’t anything the Murks would touch with a ten-foot pole.” She got on her knees and scooted into a nook I hadn’t noticed before. Frances swung her flashlight to light the area and gasped. Several bags of a crystalline white powder were stacked on the floor, with indentations where the other bags had lain.

“There’s your proof about your drug dealers.” Brad said dryly. “Now maybe you’ll leave Jenna alone.”

Dina and Brad must have done a lot of talking.

One item looked out of place among the drugs, a slim volume in cracked cowhide leather. Audie extracted the book and blew dust off the cover. It read
Holy Bible
, the gold imprint still visible after all this time.

“That’s the treasure.” Brad nodded his approval. “My great-grandpappy’s Bible.”

Audie turned it over several times.

I grew impatient. “Go ahead and open it!”

He grinned at me, his face as seamed with dirt as the rest of us, and flicked open to the front page. Tiny handwriting covered the usually blank space.

“‘ To anyone who finds this hiding place.’” Audie read the first line in his clear actor’s voice. He scanned the rest of the paragraph.

“Out loud,” I insisted.

“Whatever you want.” He smiled to let me know he was joking. “‘If you have come to this place seeking earthly treasures, specifically, the money taken from the First Golden Bank of Tulsa on August 6, 1920, your search is in vain. God captured my heart after that unwise robbery, and I couldn’t live with myself until I returned the money. I am not enough of a hero to return it to the bank and announce myself the robber, but I did make an anonymous donation to a mission that does a great work in Tulsa. I trust God will do good with it among the poor, needy and destitute who need a Savior as I desperately did.’”

“He gave it away?” Cord sounded as pleased as punch at this new bit of Grace family history. Learning Larry Grace didn’t keep his ill-gotten treasure must have felt almost as good as learning that Bob Grace had won his claim fair and square. During Land Run Days three years ago, the discovery of letters Bob wrote to Mary settled the matter once and for all.

“He did.” If Brad had been wearing suspenders, he would have hooked his thumbs behind them and snapped them with pride, but then he deflated. “Of course, he didn’t return the money. The bank and its customers still lost out.”

“What else does it say?” I wanted to hear the end.

“‘I pray that you will accept this substitute, the only true treasure, for the gold you expected. God’s Word is, after all, more valuable than all the gold and silver of the world. Best yet, it’s yours forever. No one can take it from you. Sincerely, Larry Grace.’”

“
That’s
our play, don’t you think?” A grin danced across Dina’s face.

“I’d say so.” Audie agreed. “Okay, do you folks feel well enough to go out through the tunnel?”

“Not so fast.”

I whirled around. Dustin aimed a gun straight at Gilda while Wilbert climbed out of the tunnel and grabbed Frances, taking her gun at the same time. We outnumbered the couple eight to two, but the gun in Dustin’s hand more than evened the score. Especially since it was pointed at Audie’s mother and the pair of them blocked the exit.

My mouth went dry. Junior turned over.
What’s up, Mom?
Oh, baby, why did I put you in danger? I should have paid attention to the twig snapping behind me in the orchard.
If only
. . .too late for that.

Audie put his arms around me, placing his body between me and the gun. I had never seen such fear in his eyes before, not even when the murderer threatened the entire cast of
Arsenic and Old Lace
before our wedding
.
I appreciated the gesture, but I didn’t feel any safer. With the addition of the two Murks and a gun that seemed at least as large as an extra person, the cave became claustrophobic. A bullet fired in any direction would probably hit at least two people.

“Look what we have here. A family reunion, how touching.” Dustin’s pleasant façade slipped away, revealing her true character with a sneer. “Unfortunately, you chose the wrong venue.”

“What shall we do with ’em?” Wilbert asked. He cut through a rope securing the bundles of heroine, or whatever the powder was, and used it to tie Frances and Cord back to back. “Gotta keep the newlyweds together.”

I thought I heard a sound coming from the tunnel. Was it my imagination? There it was again.
Rescue—or another villain?
A shadowy figure appeared at the entrance. Dina darted forward.

“It’s about time you showed up.” Dustin welcomed the newcomer.

Noah Brodie, sunglasses propped on top of his head, stepped behind Wilbert.

Definitely a villain. My heart sank.

28

Most of the claimants in the 1891 land run came from surrounding states, Kansas to the north, Arkansas to the east, a few from Texas to the south. Several African Americans participated in the land run as well, but none of them made it to Grace Gulch. The people who settled in the Gulch were mostly of German and British descent, although over the years others have joined the mix.

From
A History of Grace Gulch

Monday, September 25

All the color drained from Dina’s face at Dustin’s greeting.

“You’re working with
them?
” She stumbled back into Jenna’s arms. My oldest sister held her as tightly as Audie held me, brushing her hand over Dina’s hair with even, smooth, strokes. “I’m so sorry, baby.” She whispered but of course we all could hear it. She sent an agonized look in my direction. Why didn’t we tell our suspicions when we had the chance?

“Sorry, love.” Noah’s smile appeared to pain him. Conflicted, at least. He turned to Brad. “You chose the wrong time to hunt down the family treasure. Yes, I’ve heard all about it. Tough luck. As for the rest of you. . .” He glanced at Dustin. “Have you decided what to do with them?” His voice sounded as impersonal as if he were discussing the disposal of a bundle of old newspapers.

“Why couldn’t you have stayed away when I warned you?” Dustin spat in my direction, her voice carrying a great deal more passion. “I liked you, you know. I never wanted to hurt you, but we need to sell this last shipment before we leave the area.”

“I told you we shoulda left after the summer.”

Neither Dustin nor Noah paid attention to Wilbert. The brawn of the outfit, his opinion didn’t count for much.

“But no, you had to stay for one last score on homecoming weekend.” Wilbert cut the string off a packet of white powder and approached Audie and me. I squirmed. Audie twisted out of his way.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.” Dustin moved the gun closer to Gilda. Gilda hadn’t said a word, but her skin grew paler. Audie stopped struggling. He let me go and held his hands at an odd angle for Wilbert to tie. Audie winked at me.
What?
I didn’t have time to figure it out before the blacksmith bound my hands.

“We can’t afford to leave witnesses.” Dustin spoke to Noah. “We need some kind of tragic accident.”

Things were going downhill fast. Maybe if I could get her talking, she would postpone a decision about the eight “problems” in the cave. Audie would need time to work whatever magic he had in mind. “You mean like the one that killed Finella?”

“Oh, Finella. That really was an accident.” Dustin dismissed the question.

“That fire was no accident. I’m careful with my supplies.” Brad rubbed his eyes. “Poor Finella.”

Of course Dina had told Brad about the fire.

“Besides, the police have arrested her husband for her murder, haven’t they?” Noah took the rope from Wilbert and tied Dina’s hands. He refused to meet her eyes.

“I saw your plans for the mural in the paper, along with the rest of the citizens of Grace Gulch. It bothered me, and I wasn’t sure why until I figured out the pattern. You were practically pointing out the path to the door.” Dustin accused Brad, as if he had done something wrong. From her perspective, I suppose he had.

“And you were afraid someone else would figure it out,” I said. Anything to keep her talking. In front of me, I could see Audie’s fingers bunching and flexing behind his back.

“And I was right, wasn’t I? Here you are. Anyone who grew up near here might know about the cave, and the mural might make them curious. How did you find it, any way?” Dustin expressed professional interest. “The plans were destroyed in the fire.”

“He left an extra set in the museum office.”
You fool
. Jenna didn’t say the words aloud but I knew her well enough to hear the unspoken words.

“And the journal survived the fire, at least most of it did. You killed Finella for nothing.” If I taunted her, maybe I could provoke her into making a mistake.

“I already told you, I didn’t know Finella was in the studio.”

Brad groaned. “That part was my fault. She told me she was coming over that morning to talk. I had told her everything was over between us, more than once, but she wouldn’t listen. When she said she was worried about Ham, I gave in and agreed to meet with her one last time.”

“The fire had already started when I realized there was a body in there.”

Did Dustin realize she had just confessed to arson?

“I didn’t stop to check for a pulse. I wanted to get back and mingle in the crowd before anyone could notice my absence.”

“Ham killed her. I have no doubts about it.” Frances spoke up as if to reassure Dustin she believed her story. “But you tried to cover it up. That makes you responsible too.”

“Oh, yes, Miss Police Officer. You didn’t figure it out, though, did you? It took the amateur detectives to find me.”

Audie’s fingers stilled. He brushed my hand with a fingernail. I froze. Had he freed his hands? Keep talking
.
If Audie had a plan, I needed to divert Dustin’s attention more than ever.

“So you lit the fire and left Finella to die.” I restated. “But what about Brad?”

“He stumbled across our secret cache the day before, and Wilbert shut him in the cave. Fate dropped a gift in our laps. He was the perfect suspect for the fire and the murder.”

A slight movement caught my attention, and I slanted my eyes in Dina’s direction. She wiggled her fingers behind her back, enough for me to see that she had freed herself from the bonds. Had Noah left the knot loose on purpose?

A light touch feathered across my wrists and I stilled. Audie’s fingers were working on the knot, but Wilbert had tied mine good and tight. Could Dina tell Audie had freed his hands? Did he know about her? We needed to coordinate our movements, but how? And what could we do? Dustin still held the gun to Gilda’s temple, and she wouldn’t hesitate to kill. I had no doubt of that. And what about Noah—was there a chance he was on our side?

“You can’t kill eight people and dump their bodies.” Noah reasoned with Dustin. “Tie ’em up until after you leave.”

Noah again. Dustin had greeted him like an ally, and he hadn’t hesitated to tie Dina’s hands. But loosely, so she could work her hands free
.
For a brief moment, I wished the powers of ESP were real, and I could communicate with Audie without opening my mouth.

There is someone you can talk to with your thoughts only. Of course. God. Not that I expected God to send an angel to the cave and rescue us, but He could rescue us one way or the other.
Lord, You say You’re always with us. Well, You can see the pickle we’re in. If You could send help our way. . . or show us a way out of this mess. . . I’d appreciate it.

Instead of an idea, I got a pang. A spasm rippled across my abdomen and shot pain up my back. I waited for Junior to react, but he remained quiescent, not moving. Maybe he hadn’t felt the contraction safe in the cocoon of my womb. If the stress of this morning brought on fake contractions. . .A more serious thought struck. No, it couldn’t be. Junior isn’t due for another month.

But the spasm gave me an idea. I wasn’t, couldn’t be, in labor, but how was Dustin to know that? I struggled to remember those recordings we had seen of live childbirth. For once I wished I had Audie’s acting skills, because I needed to give the performance of a lifetime.

Audie rubbed my wrists to let me know he had finished untying them. I squeezed his fingers, hoping he would recognize the signal. Get ready
.
I clutched the ends of the rope in my hands so Dustin wouldn’t notice I had freed myself. By the time I had remembered all I could, a second spasm hit, and I didn’t have to pretend very hard.

“Ow!” I bent over where the spasm rippled across my abdomen, hoping they wouldn’t notice the loose rope. Pain riddled my face, some of it real. Audie stiffened.

Dustin glanced at me, and the gun dipped a fraction of an inch—away from Gilda’s neck and more toward her shoulder.

“Ooowww!” I repeated, although the contraction had passed. My cry filled the chamber, magnifying my distress.

“Shut up!” Dustin commanded.

Be ready to move
,
I urged Audie. “The baby. . .” I panted like we learned in our Lamaze class. “. . .is coming.” I moaned piteously.

“I said be quiet!” Dustin swung the hand holding the pistol away from Gilda—toward me.

Do it. I mouthed the words at Dina and pushed on Audie’s hands.

The cave exploded like a football field after the snap count. Bodies surged forward, smacked together. Both flashlights went out. A shot rang out. Someone cried—not me. Audie let me go and I sank to the floor, cuddling my baby as if I could protect him with my arms alone.

“I’ve got her!” Audie called triumphantly. “Take this.” He shoved something in my direction, and I reached around for it in the dark. The gun.

“Oh, no you don’t.” That was Cord. I heard the sounds of a scuffle, and then another person joined in. He must be tackling Wilbert, a challenge, considering the blacksmith’s strong arm muscles. Bone connected with bone, and a salty, smeary smell permeated the room, as if someone’s nose was bleeding.

“Tie him up.” This came from Frances.

I couldn’t see anything. We weren’t quite in the depths of the earth, but no sunlight had penetrated this cave for some time. Hadn’t I seen a candle and matches somewhere? Before I could look for them, another contraction hit. This time the noises around me muffled my cry.

Light. Someone else had lit the candle. No, it came from the entrance to the cave, outlining shadowy forms. “What do we have here?” The light touched on my face. “You again.”

I never thought I would be so happy to hear Chief Reiner’s voice.

Someone found Frances’s flashlight and turned it on. I blinked and my eyes adjusted enough to make out our rescuers. Three armed men crowded the entrance, and more huddled behind. I recognized the Chief and a patrol officer. Next to Reiner stood a tall man with an angular face, his Cherokee blood stamped on his features. He carried himself with the unmistakable air of an officer of the law.

“Brodie. I told you to wait.”

Noah took the handcuffs the stranger offered and cuffed Wilbert and Dustin together. “The hostages were in danger, Brown..”

The man scoffed. “So you decided to become one of them? Sounds like something foolhardy you would do.”

Noah lifted an eyebrow at that. “We managed to overpower them..”

“In the dark? Anything could have happened.”

Noah shook his head. “I couldn’t take the chance of someone being hurt.” He took off his sunglasses to reveal crystal clear eyes, with no trace of redness or drug use. He slung his arm around the officer. “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my college roommate, Tom Brown of the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.”

Noah was working with the OBI?

“When Chief Reiner contacted us about the increase in drugs in Grace Gulch, I asked Noah to nose around. He’s been a great help to us.” Brown slapped Noah on the back.

Dina stepped forward and threw her arms around Noah. “I
knew
you couldn’t be one of them.” He returned her embrace, kissing her with pent up passion that made his feelings for her clear.

“Can we leave?” This came from Jenna.

“As long as you wait once you get outside. We’ll need statements from all of you.”

“Cici first.” Audie helped me to my feet and to the tunnel.

I reached the end of the tunnel when pain struck again. I panted until the spasm passed. “Sorry officers, I can’t give you my statement just now. Junior has decided to come early.”