Slim To None (Cedar Tree #1) (23 page)

Irritated, she tried to shrug his arm off, but she must have seen the validity of his point, because she slowed down her gait.

They didn't have to wait long at the side of the road. As promised, a cab pulled up with the passenger side window rolled down. When Gus leaned down to peek in, an elderly man was at the wheel.

"You Emma Young?" He tried looking past Gus at Emma, but Gus persisted in standing in his way, glaring at him. "Look young feller, I was told to pick up an Emma Young and her companion who had some car trouble here. Now if it ain't you twos, I'm gonna hafta find em."

"It's us." Emma said from behind him, slipping around to the window. "Can you pop the trunk for my walker?"

"Sure thing missy, need my help?"

"No thanks, we've got it." Pulling his sleeve as she moved to the back of the cab. "He seems pretty clueless, Gus. I doubt he's involved." She whispered.

"Of course he is, he just may not be aware of it. He may have some answers though."

He folded her walker into the trunk, closed it and took her arm to help her in the backseat. But before he could close the door, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"Don't do anything that might endanger the girls. We don't know who's watching or listening." Well damn. There was that. For all he knew they had this cab wired for sound, or would harm the old man if he said anything. He couldn't go in demanding answers, but that didn't mean he couldn't chat a little.

"So," he started, "Did triple A contact you?"

"Hell no. That'll be the day, won't it. Nah, he said he was her brother-in-law or something. Baby-sitting her little girl?  Didn't sound too friendly, if you ask me, but what do I know. Said to drop ya'll at the Outlook's yard. Belongs to a buddy of his he says. I'm guessing they'll pick up yer truck too."

One look over his shoulder told him Emma had been listening as closely as he had to the ramblings of the old man.
Brother-in-law
? Emma mouthed at him questioningly. Apparently that one caught her attention as well, and damned if that didn't send shivers down his spine. What kind of sick perverted game was being played out here? He wasn't allowing his mind to wander in the direction it wanted. Because at this point there was no way of exploring all the possible scenarios.

"So, erm... Where is this yard you're taking us to? I'm none too familiar with the area, so I've never heard of it."

"Round the other side of Mesa Verde right where the 37 and the 38 meet. Just this side of Mancos on the river. Not too far. Pretty area. You drive down that road a ways and you've got the high cliffs on the one side, and the river on the other. Me and the missus used to drive all the way down to where the dirt road turns into a trail and you can get close to the water. We'd bring a picnic or somethin'; spend a nice afternoon every now and then. Not soul around for miles. Fun times."

The hearty cackle that accompanied the old man's trip down memory lane elicited a snort from the back seat. Gus had a hard time not to crack a smile himself.

A shove in his back from the rear seat snapped him to attention. "Look. That sign says Outlook Point Yard right at the next exit." Emma pointed out.

"Yup." Their driver confirmed, "Next exit is the 38. I purposely skipped the 37, 'cause it's full of potholes this year. The county and the town of Mancos are still bickering over who's gonna pay the bill to fix it up again. So it ain't getting fixed. 'Sides, turn in for the yard is off the 38 anyways. Coming right up."

The first hundred or so yards were paved, but after that the 38 was nothing but a packed dirt road.  Emma's heart was pounding in her chest. She thought for sure she was going to be sick. Gus was trying hard to keep a light and easy banter going with the old man. All the while she looked around her for something, anything that could prove to be helpful. Although at this point she figured it would probably be moot. They were about to find out what it would take to get her girls back. Though she knew Gus was sure their back up was solid; she had to admit her confidence had wavered over the last half hour. As it stood now, she was mentally preparing herself to hand herself over willingly. She would without hesitation, as long as Kara and Arlene were let go. That was the only thing that mattered. And Gus. Oh God, he would fight tooth and nail over her. She would have to try and...

"Put that thought right out of your head, Darlin'." Speak of the devil. He was leaning over the back of his seat, glaring at her. "Whatever it was that put that frown on your face, you can drop it right now. We're in this together. Just trust me, please." His eyes were imploring her to comply without argument, which she grudgingly did. If only not to drag the old man in any further than he already might be.

They had only passed a handful of buildings before the cab turned into a driveway on the right, which was partially obscured from the road by tall bushes. Pulling up to a closed gate, the driver turned to Gus.

"It's closed. I don't get it."

"I'm sure they probably just went to pick up our truck. You go, they'll be here soon. What do I owe ya?"

"I charge a flat fee of thirty dollars for any Mesa Verde runs, but I'll take a twenty for this here short one."

Pulling some bills from his pocket, Gus took care of the fare. Then he got out and scanned the surroundings while collecting her walker from the trunk. Only then did he come to open her door and help her out. He leaned in to the driver's window. "You might want to get yourself out of here. You're in a bit of a precarious spot. If the tow truck comes back and turns into the drive without looking too well, your pretty cab might be in the way." A few good raps on the roof, and the old man clearly took his words to heart as the cab peeled out of the driveway.

"How are you doing, Peach?" Gus checked in with her, as she tried to fight off the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. The back end of the cab disappeared behind the bushes and could be heard speeding off down the road. Left only was the occasional sound of some heavy traffic that must have been drifting down from highway 160. Other than that, only sounds of nature filled the air.

Hesitant to make any more noise than necessary, she whispered, "Kinda freaked. What now?"

"Follow me." He indicated, before turning and heading toward a smaller, man-sized gate on the far side of the chain-link fence. "We're checking that out."

The entire yard, from what she could see, was filled with cars. Mostly rusted and in various states of dismantlement, but there were some that looked in better repair off to one side. To the far left there was a large half open barn, with the makings of a car shop inside from what she could make out. Attached to that a small, rather decrepit one-story bungalow. Other smaller buildings were scattered among the piles of rusting car debris. They were obviously not used for anything particularly important, since getting to them would be virtually impossible. But the most eye-catching structure was off to their right. A large metal contraption that looked like an old-fashioned laundry press, except it held a car in its open jaw. Not a single living soul was in sight and the entire scenario scared the hell out of her.

"Emma, come over here. Stick close by me." Looking over, she could see Gus had managed to get through the gate and inside the fence. She was about to leave her walker by the gate and only take her cane through, but Gus shook his head no and folded her walker to manoeuvre through the opening. "Not leaving that behind." He stated firmly. "We are going to check the house out first. It seems the most obvious place, but also the easiest to search while staying pretty much covered." Pulling a gun from the waistband of his jeans, it suddenly hit her how real and familiar this all seemed.

"Never realized you had that on you."

"Won't leave home without it, and wasn't told to come without. So yeah. I have it on me." Draping his free arm around her shoulders, he lead her to the ugly looking bungalow. "For now, maybe leave your walker here by the door, and simply hang on to the back of my jeans. Can you do that? I feel better with you behind me. That way you're covered at all times."

"Yeah, sure. Just don't drop me when I stumble or make any sudden moves." She tried to joke.

"Not gonna let you fall, darlin'. Promise."

Leading the way with her clutching the back of his jeans, Gus entered the hallway, making sweeping motions with his gun trying to cover all the doorways that came into view. When they entered the last doorway at the end of the hall, he tried to quickly back her out again. But he was too late. She had gotten a quick glimpse of a red spattered wall and a body lying in a pool of blood.

"Don't look." He growled as he tried to press her head into his chest.

"Too late." She mumbled into the fabric of his Henley. "Just tell me it's not them."

"Not them. A man. Looks to belong here. Wearing greasy coveralls and has been dead for a bit I'm afraid. Let's get out of here."

Once outside, the shakes hit and Emma was grateful for the sense of stability her walker gave her. Feeling a little guilty for the sense of relief that it wasn't Kara or Arlene lying in that pool of blood in the kitchen, she needed to take some action.

"Do you think we should we yell their names?" She wondered.

"Sure, wouldn't hurt. Whoever is around would already know we're here anyway. I have a feeling we are pawns in a nasty little game and I don't know the rules yet."

With that, Gus cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out. "Kara. Arlene!"

She followed suit, yelling out their names over and over again. They slowly made their way into the yard, along the far left side. Suddenly, Gus motioned her to stop and be silent with his finger to his lips. Waiting to see if she could pick anything up, she heard it. It was very faint. A voice, but she couldn't make out what it was saying. It appeared to be coming from the opposite end of the yard. Spurred on, Emma started yelling again and moved toward where she thought the voice had come from. When she was held up by a strong arm around her waist. "Hold up, darlin'. You can't go walking out into the middle of the yard, unprotected. You might be walking into a trap. We have no idea who or what we're dealing with. We'll go together but let's stick to the edge and not cross over the open yard. Okay? Let's pause in between calls, so we can actually listen as well."

Rather than say anything Emma simply nodded her head and trusted Gus to take the lead once again.

Slowly making their way around the yard, Gus urged her to call again. This time they could faintly make out 'Mom. I'm here...' in response. It almost made her fall to her knees in relief - hearing Kara's voice - if Gus' quick reflexes hadn't kept her on her feet.

"Oh shit." Gus stared across the open space to what she realized must be a car crusher, and when she followed his gaze and spotted what he must have seen, all the blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Hands and what looked to be a face, were pressed to the window of the car that was clutched in the jaws of the massive machine. A small whimper left Emma's lips.

*****

"I
see you've found my surprise."

The unknown voice behind her had Emma whipping around and backing into Gus' chest, who had turned and was frozen in place.

"You like? Almost like a real family reunion, isn't it?" The man mocked.

T
his was it. That small tingle of unease that had wormed around in his gut all this time was standing in living color right in front of him. The suspicion he hadn't been willing to acknowledge for too long because it seemed too far-fetched, had been right on the fucking money. Right up to the moment he looked at the man, he had hoped the fingerprints had not been his. That there could not be any way he was here. Involved in this huge fuck up of a case. There was no mistaking the resemblance, but only on the surface. The man in front of him was hard, especially his eyes, that shone full of cold hatred directed at him. His stance appeared to be relaxed, a gun held loosely, pointing at Emma. The other hand clutched a remote device, the total picture making him look like a symbol of vengeance. Undoubtedly the image he was going for

"You're his brother." Emma gasped in front of him. He instinctively wrapped a protective arm around her midsection and pulled her back into his body. "What have you done with my daughter and Arlene? What do you want? Is it me? You can have me if you let them go. Please!"  Emma's pleading had only served to plaster a satisfied grin on the bastard's face. Determined to stay in control of his boiling emotions, he kissed Emma on her head, whispering apologies in her hair. Never once did his eyes leave those of his brother, Will.

"How very heart-warming. Both the plea and my brother's protection. But I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid you hold very little interest for me now, Ms. Young. That ship has sailed."

"I don't understand... I thought Silva ... You don't work for him?"

"Oh but I do; I guess I should say 'did'." He chuckled to himself. "Since I couldn't quite abandon this job the way I was instructed. And I'm sure Bruno is less than happy about that. But you see, it was the most serendipitous event for me, this assignment. I was supposed to keep an eye on you, Ms. Young. To see if Mr. Corbin showed his cowardly face. Then I was supposed to bring him in. Next thing I know, Bruno wants me to engage in a little B&E, snatching any type of electronic storage devices. Imagine my surprise, when my little duplicitous brother here showed up at the scene. Only a glimpse, mind you, but that traitorous face of his has been burned in my brain, there was no mistaking it. And just like that a menial little job had turned into a beautiful opportunity for some justice. A chance thrown in my lap to give karma a little... assistance. What are the odds?" He said, broadly smiling, making Gus sick to his stomach.

He did this. Kara and Arlene getting hurt had never been about Emma, it was about him. About something he was responsible for and the vaguely familiar sick feeling of carrying some kind of infectious disease slowly settled in his bones again.

Obviously pleased with himself, Will punched a button on the remote in his hand, and a loud metallic grinding noise started up, startling Emma.