Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (22 page)

G
ulls squawked overhead, and the wind had nearly dried Drake's clothes. The storm would be here any minute. Claire and Luke kept pace with him as they rushed down the length of the rocky beach toward the place where Kate had planned to meet her stalker. As long as he lived he'd never forget that moment he'd gone sailing toward what he'd thought was certain death in the choppy waves below. God had other plans, and he prayed God was keeping Kate safe until he could find her.

Luke reached the steps cut into the rocks and knelt to examine the thin sand. “Looks like a man's footsteps here.” He rose and began to climb the granite stairs. Drake hurried after him.

Claire started up with them. “Does Jonas have a boat? He might have taken her off that way.”

Luke's voice floated down as he continued the climb. “The sheriff says he has no boat. Danny is on his way here now. It hasn't been that long, so Kissner is probably still on Folly Shoals somewhere. The only way off is by ferry, and they've shut it down.”

Drake shook his head. “I don't buy it. Kissner has thought this all through. He's not going to get trapped here on the island. He could have chartered a boat or borrowed one. We have to think of every possible escape route.”

But what if his intentions weren't to escape? Maybe Kissner planned to kill Kate, then slip off by himself. Drake curled his hands into fists. They had to find her first—they had to. It had been an hour since he'd plummeted into the ocean. They could be anywhere by now.

“You have a point.” Luke paused on the steps and pulled out his phone, then shot off a quick text. “I'm having my crew check for boats docked offshore. We'll get more Coast Guard cutters around here. He won't get away.”

The first drops of rain began to fall when Drake stepped onto the cliff top. The forest began twenty feet away on the other side of a dirt road that circled up to Mermaid Point. He stared at the marks in the dirt. The rain would soon wash away any footprints. Tires crunched in the rocky dirt, and he looked up to see a truck sporting a Maine Warden Service emblem roll to a stop.

Kevin O'Connor got out and jogged toward them. “Any sign of her?” He wiped rain from his face. “Man, I bought his story hook, line, and sinker. He found me settled into my hiding place and told me he'd found her car abandoned with her gone from it. We all believed him. Drake, if you'd died, he wouldn't even be suspected right now. We'd all be looking for some unknown attacker without a clue. He probably still doesn't know we're on to him.”

“I bet he got Kate to go with him willingly. She wouldn't have any idea he was the man who'd been stalking her.” Drake pointed at the footprints. “You're good at following a trail?”

“Yep.” Kevin knelt in the rain and looked over the disturbed ground. “Two people came this way. One big set of shoe prints and a smaller set wearing sandals. And it looks like the guy was on his knees at some point.”

“Kate and Kissner.”

“Most likely.” Kevin rose and headed for the trees.

Claire pulled the hood up on her Windbreaker and followed with Luke. Drake gave another quick look around. “Could he have parked his truck somewhere close and maybe he's circling back around to it?”

Kevin paused by a large sycamore tree. “It's likely. He's got to have a getaway, but the tracks lead here. It looks to me like Kate was running. She may have disabled him temporarily and gotten away.”

“She's resourceful, and she had a pistol and bear spray,” Claire said. “We're wasting time. He's tracking her right now. We have to find them before he hurts her.”

Drake jogged over to join them. “Lead the way, Kevin. You're the tracker.”

The warden nodded and walked slowly through the trees. In the shadow of the forest it was harder to see, so he paused often and shone his flashlight at the moss and grass. “Looks like she tricked him for a while. She backtracked, then climbed the rocks here. He went that way”—he pointed to his right—“then came back and went up here after her.”

The rain continued to fall in a gentle patter, soaking his skin, but Drake was already chilled from his dunk in the ocean, so it made him shiver even harder. She might just be up this hillside. He could only pray they found her alive.

With Kevin leading the way, they clambered up the steep incline. Shale slid away under Drake's feet, and he fell onto his knees several times. He wanted to rush past Kevin, who moved at a steady pace, but he knew the warden was stopping often to make sure they stayed on the right trail.

Her expression set, Claire trudged along and shook off Luke's help. Drake thought some of the moisture on her face was tears, not rain, but he said nothing to comfort her. Any words of reassurance would ring false. None of them knew what Kissner planned, and it was clear he'd laid a macabre net that they'd all fallen into. They'd trusted him completely, and he fooled them.

What did he want with Kate? Rape, murder? When he'd pushed Drake off the cliff, he'd proven he was willing to do anything to get to her. And they'd been friends in school.

Now her friend planned something for her that didn't bear thinking about.

* * *

He stood hidden in the thick foliage and watched the scene in front of him through binoculars. A deputy held Kate captive. He still couldn't believe the scheme he'd watched play out ever since the guy shoved Newham over the edge. One dead that he didn't even have to take care of.

Knowing how close the sisters were, he was sure Claire would be along to look for Kate soon. This could all play out to his advantage. If the deputy killed Kate and Claire, he'd be off scot-free and would just have to take care of the kids in a realistic accident. The situation couldn't be better. Good thing he'd disabled the deputy's vehicle so there was no danger of the pair escaping the forest until Claire arrived. Or the perfect plan could all fall apart.

Dry in his slicker, the rain didn't bother him as he waited for Kissner to bring Kate down to where he'd parked his truck.
Last time he'd seen Kissner, Kate's purse still dangled from his shoulder. If Claire didn't show up soon, he'd text her from Kate's phone and end this.

He felt almost jovial as he swiped the moisture off his face. The heft of his gun in his holster reassured him of his plan. Kissner wouldn't be expecting such a rude interruption of his plans.

Muffled by the rain, the sound of voices to his left was faint. He recognized Kate's and grinned. The game was about to get interesting. He melted into the hazy fog of rain behind a large tree and waited for them to appear out of the mist. His hand settled on the butt of his gun, and he went ahead and pulled it. Holding it casually at his side under the rain slicker, he squinted toward the trail to the clearing.

Kate appeared first. Her hair hung in wet strings around her face, and she was pale. Kissner was right behind her. He was smiling as if he'd gotten everything he ever wanted in life, but he was about to be in for a rude awakening. They half slid and half walked the rest of the way down the hillside, then stepped from under the gloom of the trees into the small clearing where Kissner had left his truck.

Kissner took Kate's arm and led her to the vehicle. He opened the door and helped her inside. “Don't try to run, Kate.”

She flashed a smile up at him. “I'm not going anywhere, Jonas. We're finally together, and it's what I want.”

Smart, very smart.
Play along until the right time. Unfortunately for Kate, there would be no right time. Kissner went around to the other side and climbed under the wheel. The engine ground as Kissner tried to start it and failed.

Grinning, he stepped out from behind the tree and opened the truck door, then aimed his gun at Kissner. “You might as well
give it up. I disabled it. Hand me your gun.” He gestured with his Glock. “I'm going to let you stay in there out of the rain until Claire gets here.”

Kissner's jaw flexed, but he handed over the gun. “Who are you?”

He ignored the deputy and tucked the man's handgun into his belt.

Kate stared at him. “Claire? She's not here.”

“But she's coming. I'm sorry to say neither of you will leave this clearing, and I have the perfect patsy to take the fall for your deaths. Lover boy here took care of Drake for me, so I just have a few strings to tidy up.”

Her blue eyes widened, and she stared at Kissner. “What about Drake?”

Kissner looked back at her with an almost bored expression. “I tossed him over the cliff a little ways down from Mermaid Point. He's dead.”

Her eyes flooded with tears, and she put her hand over her mouth. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, then opened them again and dropped her hand back into her lap. “Listen, I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt Claire. She's been through so much already. Just take me and let her go.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, that's not the way I get paid.”

She stared at him. “You killed Drake's brother and sister-in-law? You're AB, aren't you? You've killed a lot of people. But why?”

His gut clenched. Good thing he'd already laid the plans for her death. She'd figured out the notebook. “Money. Lots of money.”

“Who paid you to kill Heath and Melissa? And why?”

“You wouldn't know him. And I need my notebook back before I kill you.”

Her chin came up and she held his gaze. “I have no incentive to give it to you. Let Claire live, and I'll get it for you.”

He grinned at her. “Tell me where it is, and I'll make sure her death isn't painful. If not, I've got a knife here in my belt, and I can make her scream.”

Kate shuddered, and her gaze fell to her hands. “Please, you don't have to do this.” The words were a defeated whisper.

“Sorry, but that's not true.” He leaned against the hood of the truck and tipped his head. “I think I hear voices. Claire and her husband are about to join us. Unfortunately, Luke will be a casualty as well.”

Before he could react, Kate leaned over and pressed hard on the horn. The sound made him jump, and he brought the gun around. “Stop it!”

But she pressed the horn again. “Claire, run!”

Her words sounded loud as she threw open the door and screamed, but the rain would muffle them. “The horn will just bring them quicker. Go ahead and blare it. You're just making sure she gets here faster.”

Kate's hand fell away from the horn, and she looked past his shoulder. He turned to see what she was looking at, because the voices hadn't come from that direction. Seconds later the car door squealed, and he flipped back around to see her leap from the passenger side. She stumbled on a tree limb and went down on one knee.

It slowed her just enough for him to dash around the front of the truck and grab her by the arm. As she opened her mouth to
scream, he hit her in the head with the butt of his gun, and she collapsed onto the wet ground.

He turned to face the approaching sound of voices. Let the fun begin.

T
he drizzly rain continued to fall, and mud covered Drake's boots as he moved through the misty forest with the others. Kevin had found where Kate had hidden until she'd been discovered. The sets of prints had come this way, but the rain was quickly washing away the imprints of their shoes.

Kevin paused and looked toward the tree line. Rain dripped off the edges of his hat. “They can't be far ahead of us.”

“At least she's still alive, right?” Claire voiced the question Drake contemplated.

“Looks like it. There's a woman with him, anyway.”

“Anyone hear from the sheriff?” Luke moved a branch out of the way of Claire's head. “It was bad luck he believed Kissner had left Folly Shoals.”

“I got a text from him,” Kevin said. “The ferry is down for engine repair. He's rounding up a boat to get out here on his own, but it'll be at least an hour before he reaches us.”

“That's good though,” Drake said. “That the ferry isn't running. Kissner can't get her off Folly Shoals that way.”

Luke nodded. “I heard from my team. They found a boat Kissner chartered and have it under surveillance.”

“So they're still on the island somewhere.” Kevin started forward again. “There's a clearing ahead where hunters often park. Kissner might be heading for it.”

Drake stopped and listened. “I thought I heard someone yell Claire's name. Did you hear it?”

“I thought I heard a car horn too,” Claire said. “Was it Kate calling for me?” Her voice was tight, and she leaped forward until Luke grabbed her arm.

“I couldn't tell.” Drake trotted after Kevin, who had picked up the pace.

“She needs me!” Claire tried to twist out of Luke's grasp.

“Honey, calm down. We've got to be smart about this if we want to make sure no one is hurt.”

At his gentle voice, she stopped struggling and nodded, but tears tracked down her cheeks.

Kevin halted and held up his hand. “There's a truck in the clearing.” His words were a whisper. “Luke, circle around the other way. Drake, go west and come up on the road side.”

Drake nodded and moved in what felt like the wrong direction. Every instinct told him to rush for the clearing and make sure Kate was all right. He reached the road, then circled back. He crouched under bushes lining the clearing and peeked over the tops. His blood roared in his ears.

Kate lay on the ground with blood covering her forehead.

A rag in his mouth, Kissner sat beside her with his hands bound behind him. A man in his thirties crouched next to Kate with a gun in his hand. He snugged his baseball cap over sandy-brown hair. His tall and lanky frame was outfitted in camouflage hunting gear.

The man rose and coughed weakly. “I know people are out
there in all directions. I can hear you. I need help or she's going to die. Please, I'm shot too. I managed to subdue this guy, but we are both wounded.”

The hunter must have heard Kate scream and saved her. Drake ran toward the clearing.

Claire shot out of the trees and dashed for her sister. She fell to her knees and touched Kate's head. “Oh, Kate, look at me. Open your eyes.” Luke jogged out to join his wife. He pulled his cell phone out to call for help.

Drake was moments behind Claire and dropped to Kate's other side. He touched her hand and examined her head. She seemed to be bleeding from a scalp wound. “What happened to her?”

The man coughed again. He looked vaguely familiar to Drake now that he was closer, but he couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen the guy. “Head wound. That deputy smashed her in the noggin with a rock. We need to get to the hospital. I don't think you can get a signal in here. I never can.”

Luke shook his head. “No signal. I'll have to hike out to get one.”

Kevin appeared from the tree line. “I'll call the sheriff. I know a shortcut to get out. Luke, see what you can do for their injuries. I'll be right back.” He jogged past them and pushed through the scrub to the road, then disappeared around the bend in the dirt track.

Open your eyes, honey.
Drake would give anything to see those big, beautiful eyes smile up at him. The blood pouring out of her head wound terrified him. Her skin was pasty gray and she felt so cold. He wanted to cradle her in his arms, but he was afraid to move her.

He looked over at Claire. “See if there's a blanket or something in the truck. She's freezing cold.”

Claire nodded and moved with reluctance away from her sister. She paused by the hunter. “We're lucky you were in the area. Where are you shot?”

“It was luckier than you think.” The man's voice was stronger, and his arm circled Claire's throat. He put the gun in his hand to her head. “All of you, drop your weapons.”

Drake gaped at him, then his gaze traveled to the gun. It was a Glock 22. Efficient for a shot to the head. What was going on? He couldn't figure it out, but he hovered over Kate in case he needed to be a human shield.

When Luke hesitated, the guy pressed the gun barrel against Claire's forehead hard enough to make her yelp. “Do it or she's dead.”

Drake glanced at Luke, whose face had lost all color. Luke pulled his gun out and tossed it to the ground. Drake held his hands out. “I don't have a gun.”

“I saw you go over the cliff,” the man said. “Kissner here would be upset if it weren't for the fact that you'll be dead soon enough.”

“Look, let me tend to Kate,” Luke said. “You can tell us what you want while I take care of her bleeding.”

“Patch her up so I can kill her?” The man laughed. He dragged Claire back with him closer to the pickup parked in the clearing.

Kate stirred a bit, and Drake touched her cheek. “Kate?”

Her lids fluttered and opened. Her gaze was unfocused at first, then sharpened when he spoke her name again. “Drake?” Her hand reached for his face. “He said he killed you. Am I dead too?”

“No, honey.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to the wound on her head.

“She's going to be. It would have been kinder not to make her live through all this.”

In that instant Drake recognized the man. “I've seen you in Rod Sisson's office. You're his maintenance guy or something. Austin Buckler?”

“I think it's the ‘or something' you need to worry about. I clean up Rod's messes.”

“You killed Heath and Melissa.” He clenched his fists and started to rise, but Buckler aimed the gun at Drake's head and he stopped. “Why would Rod want them dead?”

“I'd wondered the same until I took a look at the hard drive I stole this morning. Ol' Rod was taking money under the table to help send Wang away.”

Drake got it then. Rod was helping Wang's rival. “All that sympathy was phony. No wonder he gave me the name of an incompetent private investigator. He wanted me to focus on Wang too. It would be just one more nail in the guy's coffin.”

“And it's going to get me even more money.” Buckler narrowed his eyes at Drake. “Which one is going to die first? Maybe this one right here?” He dug the gun into Claire's forehead hard enough that she cried out again.

“No!” Kate sat up and reached for her sister. “Don't hurt my sister, please. You still don't have your notebook back.”

Buckler dragged Claire back a few feet.

“Please, please, don't hurt her.” Tears clogged Kate's voice.

The guy had no choice but to kill everyone who'd seen his face. Drake still couldn't accept the fact that Heath's partner was behind this.

An arrow whistled by his head, and he dove to the ground to cover Kate. “Get down!”

* * *

Drake's warm breath on Kate's neck gave her a sense of security even though bullets zipped by their heads like hailstones. She turned her head and looked around to see Claire on the ground with Luke atop her. His face pale, Jonas lay on the ground with his eyes closed. A crossbow arrow had pierced the right side of his chest, and blood stained his shirt. He looked dead.

Her brain still felt fuzzy—it was hard to think through what was happening. Who was shooting from the trees? Kevin? He might have turned around before he called and seen what was happening. But no, he wouldn't be using a crossbow.

“Are you hurt?” Drake's low voice spoke in her ear.

“My head hurts.” It was thumping like someone was repeatedly hitting her with a hammer. “Are you hit?”

“No, I'm fine. I've got to get the gun away from him.”

She clenched her hands in his shirt. “Jonas said he killed you.”

“He tried.”

Claire was only three feet away, and Kate reached out her hand toward her sister. “Claire, are you all right?” She spoke as softly as she could.

Bullets zinged into the trees about ten feet away, and she winced at the sound. Buckler was trying to hit the bowman.

Claire's pale face turned toward her. “I'm okay. Is it Paul out there?”

“Maybe. Or a hunter.”

Luke jerked his head a bit to the right. “We've got to try to crawl into the woods. Let's try rolling that way.” He eased off his wife. “You roll that way a few feet, honey. I'm right behind you.”

Before Claire had a chance to implement his plan, Buckler leaped toward them. His boot connected with Drake's side, and the impact shoved him off Kate. Buckler grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

He turned her to face the woods. “I've got Kate. Throw down your weapon, or I'll put a bullet in her head.” He pressed the gun against her temple.

The cold metal cut into Kate's skin, but she was too numb to flinch. Her head pounded with every heartbeat, and nausea roiled in her belly. Spots danced in her vision—she knew she was about to pass out. Her legs sagged under her, and her head lolled to the side no matter how hard she tried to keep it steady.

Buckler managed to hang on to her. “Stand up!”

She tried to comply and managed to force a bit of strength into her trembling legs. She stared through the thick foliage blowing in the wind. Lightning flashed with a loud crackle and shook the ground as it hit a tree in the forest. In the brief illumination, she caught a glimpse of Uncle Paul's face before he ducked down. More thunder rolled in. Had Buckler seen her uncle? And what was Paul planning?

She fought against the blackness hazing her vision and struggled to stay conscious. There had to be some way to distract this guy. Maybe if she made it harder for him to hold her up, she'd throw him off balance. She let her eyes flutter shut and sagged into a deadweight.

He cursed and struggled to hold on to her. The gun swayed a bit away from her head, and she saw something flash by her eyes
at the same time a fresh lightning bolt lit up the sky. Buckler's hand fell away, but a gunshot nearly deafened her right ear.

Kate screamed when the gun when off. “Claire! Drake!” Her lungs compressed, and she wasn't sure where she should run.

With Buckler on the ground, Luke snatched up his gun, then ran toward the motionless man.

Claire sat up. “I'm all right.” She scrambled over to Kate. “You're still bleeding.”

She also felt like she might throw up. Her vision doubled and wavered, and she swallowed. “Do Drake and Luke have him pinned yet?”

Claire's face wavered again in Kate's vision. “Kate, do you need to throw up? You look green.”

“Maybe.” She swallowed the sour taste in her mouth, then lay back on the ground. The rain fell on her face, but it helped sharpen her thoughts.

Moments later Drake was at her side. “I'll need to go get Kevin and see where the sheriff is.” He glanced over at Buckler and Jonas. “Do you know the full story of all this? I don't get how these two are connected.” He leaned close to inspect the cut on her forehead. “And how did you get this?” His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

“Buckler hit me with the butt of his gun.” She shook her head and pushed his chest when he started to lift her. “Just let me lie here for now. I get dizzy when I stand up, and I want to tell you what happened.” She launched into an explanation of everything that had occurred from the point when Jonas found her on the beach. “I'd convinced him I was going with him willingly. He planned to take the boat he'd rented to the mainland, and we'd go to Bangor to get married. Once we were in Bangor I was sure
I could get help. We had just gotten in the truck when Buckler showed up.” She swallowed and reached for her sister's hand.

Kate's head pounded like rough surf on the shore, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep, but Drake had to know the rest. “Buckler intended to kill us, then go after the girls. It would look like Jonas killed us all.”

He straightened. “The girls?” He started to rise. “I'd better check on them.”

She caught his hand. “He didn't get to them yet, so they're safe. Who is this Rod Sisson you mentioned?”

“Heath's partner. Rod was taking money from that rival crime organization Wang told me about. He knew someone had framed him for the murder charges he was facing. Heath must have figured it out.”

His voice was fading in her ears. She was cold clear through, and the thought of a hot bath and her soft bed was enticing. How soon could she get out of this rain? She glanced toward the trees. “What about Uncle Paul? It was him with the crossbow. I saw him. He saved us all.”

“He hasn't come out of the trees yet, but he's here on the island somewhere. I doubt he'll get away, not with so many officers crawling all over it. I still can't believe Kissner was the stalker or that Sisson was behind Heath and Melissa's deaths.”

Her chest hitched, and she closed her eyes. “I felt sorry for Jonas. He had a rough home life. His dad left when he was in grade school, third grade I think. The few times his mom showed up at school, she was drunk and loud. I was glad when he got a job as a deputy. I thought it would help him gain some self-respect.”