Grave Lies: A Psychic Investigator Mystery (Mercury Mediums Book 1), page 24
But without a car, she had no way to get to Davenport Ranch.
She threw on her coat, raising the hood over her damp hair. She headed for the motel’s front office. Lester was reading a book behind the desk, and his face fell when he saw her expression. “Something wrong?”
“Maybe. First, can you call the police?”
The book dropped with a clatter. “My goodness, what for?”
She wasn’t sure about dialing 911 since she didn’t know that Zandra was in danger, or even exactly where she was. But asking the police to get involved seemed like the wisest choice. They could probably get to Heather’s quickly to pick up Zandra’s trail. At least, she hoped.
“Just call the station and let me do the talking.”
Lester picked up his landline, dialed, then handed it over.
“Coldwater Police Department, can you please hold?”
“No, I need—” The line made a clicking sound. “They put me on hold,” Penny muttered.
Lester opened his hands. “Things tend to get a bit hairy when there’s a storm like this. Would you please tell me what’s going on? I’m dying, here.”
Penny kept the handset against her ear. “Zandra tried to call me. Or maybe it was a mistake, I don’t know. But I heard her talking to a ‘Kathleen,’ who I assume is Kathleen Rainier. Zandra sounded upset. Now I can’t reach her."
“That does seem strange.”
“She texted me that she’d left her phone at Davenport Ranch, which obviously means she has it now. But when I call, she’s not answering.”
On the motel phone, the line clicked again. “Coldwater Police Department, how may I help you?”
“Yes, my name’s Penny Wright. Chief Novak knows me. My friend Zandra Mendes may be in trouble, and she’s not answering her phone. Could you send someone to Davenport Ranch to check on her?”
“Do you have reason to suspect she’s in distress?” the dispatcher asked.
“I heard shouting when she tried to call me. I don’t know for sure if there’s a problem yet, but—”
“We’ll see what we can do, but all of our available units are occupied at the moment. Let me take your number.”
Penny recited it, and the dispatcher hung up.
“They’re not sending anyone.” She dropped the handset roughly on the desk. What now?
She replayed what she’d heard when Zandra called her: Something’s come up. What could it mean?
And then the shouting. There had been deeper voices present. Men.
Jason Rainier?
Sam Krauss?
She thought about trying Jason’s phone, but something made her stop. A creeping feeling sent tingles across her skin as she recalled his odd demeanor when they’d spoken last night. But Sam had behaved oddly as well. He’d been angry enough to slam his fist into his SUV.
Lester glanced at the window, biting his lip. “I could drive you out there. I’d rather not be on the road with the storm picking up, but if Zandra needs help, we can’t leave her in the lurch.”
“Would you?” Relief flooded her. “Thank you.”
In the parking lot, Lester went for the massive off-road truck with the oversized tires. Penny had smiled at its Ramble On bumper sticker, wondering who at the motel it belonged to. “That’s yours?” she asked, stunned.
“Why not? Comes in handy in all kinds of situations. And it sure is fun during mud season.”
Penny climbed up into the cab, and Lester revved the engine.
Chapter Forty-Four
Jason would’ve followed Zandra when she ran, but his mother stopped him. Kathleen latched on to his arm, sobbing.
“I didn’t mean to. I thought she could help us. Please, Jason.”
He shoved her away. His mother sprawled on the road, arms and legs flailing like she was making a snow angel. “You thought she could help you.”
Zandra had disappeared around the side of the house. Sam Krauss was still lying unconscious in the road.
This was so bad. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
Zandra knew Kathleen wasn’t his birth mother. He squeezed his fingers into a fist.
Mother.
The word was a curse inside his head. He’d already had to do so much for her. Lying for her, spying. Shielding her from others’ judgments. When would it be enough?
Jason spotted the shiny black rectangle of a cell phone lying in the snow. Zandra’s.
He had to talk to her. Reason with her. But he needed to buy time.
Jason brought his boot heel down on it several times, then pried the plastic apart until he’d separated its battery. All these pieces he stuck in his pockets.
Next, he hefted Sam’s heavy form into Zandra’s trunk. The guy had come after them. Lunged at Jason. He was dangerous. This was justified, right? Either way, Jason had no choice.
“Get up, Mama. You have to hide the car behind the barn before someone comes looking for them. Hurry.”
“What’re you going to do?”
“Try to solve this. If it’s even possible.”
He pulled his mother upright and shoved her toward the open driver’s-side door. Snow was blowing into the cab. She got in and started the engine. The car pulled onto the driveway.
There were tire tracks in the snow, both Sam’s and Zandra’s…and Sam’s police vehicle was parked somewhere down the road.
There was too much. Just too much to figure out all at once. Jason’s whole body was trembling from the stress. But he’d already wasted precious minutes, and there was no telling how far Zandra had gone.
He picked up her tracks and followed them around the side of the house.
The footsteps clearly led to the barn.
What if she won’t listen?
The side door opened silently, and he stepped inside the cavernous space. The horses were shuffling around, snorting. His eyes scanned everywhere for some sign of her. She had to be here, trying to hide.
His mother had asked what he intended to do. He still didn’t know the answer. Zandra was someone he liked. But Zandra had come to Davenport Ranch to investigate the bride and groom murders, so she’d probably made the connection between his birth and the old killings, even if his mom had been circumspect.
He broke out into a cold sweat. He didn’t want to hurt her.
But if he had to…
No. He wasn’t going to think about it.
Jason walked slowly between the stalls, keeping his arms out beside him. Zandra wasn’t a real law enforcement officer. He’d never seen her with a gun, and she certainly hadn’t seemed to have one when she ran a few minutes ago.
Jason’s father had guns in the house, but they seemed foreign to him. It was another source of embarrassment, being a country boy who’d never learned to shoot. The one time his father had tried to show him, Jason had performed so poorly that his dad had laughed.
Nothing but a sissy, which I reckon shouldn’t be a surprise. Worthless.
He shook his head to force the memory away.
A couple of horses whinnied at him as he passed. He studied each animal. There were five of them, and Jason had grown to know and love them dearly. They were some of his only real friends.
Given the disturbance of a new person here, he expected all of them to be nervous. Yet Gretchen was shockingly calm. Usually, she was one of the feistiest.
He quietly retraced his steps, edging toward her stall. Then he shot forward, wrenching open the door. Gretchen backed up.
There was nobody else inside.
A scream came from behind him. Jason had only turned halfway when Zandra leaped at him out of the shadows. She hit him in the shoulder with something, and he fell to one knee, reeling from the blow.
She ran for the door, a piece of wood dangling from her hand.
“I’ll just follow you again,” he shouted after her. “I’ll see your footprints in the snow.”
He still expected her to flee. Who in their right mind wouldn’t seek freedom if they had any choice in the matter? But Zandra spun around, still clutching the plank she’d hit him with.
“Heather and Penny both know I’m here.”
“Do they?” It was possible. But they weren’t here yet, and Zandra’s phone was gone.
“If you let me go now, we can work this out.”
He wanted to believe that was possible.
“But if you hurt me, there’s no going back for you. Your parents are the ones with the secret. Right? Don’t let it destroy your life.”
“You think it hasn’t already?” Jason got up, rubbing at his shoulder before he thought better of it. He winced at the pain. “So you know where I really came from. Nobody but Everett and Kathleen have ever known.”
“Is that a relief?”
“A bit.” Since the first day he’d understood the truth about his origins, Jason had been dreading this moment. It wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined. “The bride and groom were my parents.” He’d never said those words aloud before.
He latched Gretchen’s stall before she could get out.
Relief…maybe that’s what it was. That strange, languid feeling in his limbs.
This was the first time he’d ever been himself with another person, aside from his parents. But even as he had that thought, he knew it wasn’t really true. Zandra didn’t know him. Not deep down.
“How long ago did you find out?” she asked.
“I was a teenager. My mother told me.”
Zandra’s face pinched with sympathy. She held the plank of wood in front of her. “Isn’t that long enough to keep their secret? Kathleen wanted to tell me. She can’t hide it anymore, but even if she doesn’t tell, other people are going to figure it out. It’s just a matter of time.” Zandra’s words were soothing, though her body remained tense. “We don’t have to be enemies. You can choose to trust me.”
He took a step forward. She flinched, raising the plank.
“Trust you how?” he asked.
“I’ll talk to Chief Novak. Explain that none of this is your fault.”
“And then what?”
“There’ll be an investigation. Everett and Kathleen will be able to defend themselves in court. Don’t you want your real parents to have justice for what they suffered? Tabitha and Wes?”
He screwed up his mouth at their names. The names were new to him—his mother had never mentioned them—and made those people seem far more real. Like they’d had hopes and dreams and might have loved him. Those names made his agony all the more acute.
“Their ghosts are still at Davenport Ranch,” Zandra said.
“I’ve seen them.” How many times had he wondered what kind of man he’d be if he were their son instead? If Everett Rainier hadn’t beaten him into shameful submission and Kathleen hadn’t driven him to despise her? Despise himself?
“Penny and I are going to help them find peace. But you have to do your part. Please, Jason. Nobody will blame you for any of this.”
Won’t they?
The more he contemplated being exposed, the tighter his body got, as if invisible bands had wound around him and were pressing, pressing.
“Jason,” Zandra said. “What are you thinking about?” Her eyes were too sharp. He cringed under her gaze.
His lungs weren’t working. He had to get out of here so he could breathe. He couldn’t stand her looking at him that way. “I’ll let you go. All right? But I need to talk to my parents.”
Zandra shook her head like she didn’t believe him. “No. You and I will walk back to my car, and we’ll drive into town. We’ll take Sam to a hospital on the way. That’s what has to happen.”
The blood was pounding in his head. If he stayed in here much longer, he was going to hyperventilate. He started advancing toward her.
She raised the plank of wood. “Jason…I’m warning you…”
He ran at her, raising his arm to block the blow that he could already see coming. Jason used his forearm to push her away. Zandra stumbled backward into one of the stall doors. The horses stamped and protested.
Jason ran past the stalls until he’d reached the side door. Snow blew in the moment he opened it. He stepped through and yanked it closed, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. The bolt slid home. He knew firsthand there was no way out. Not with the larger barn doors latched from the outside.
How many times had his father locked him out here, forcing him to sleep with the horses? No way to count. Those nights blurred together. Then there were the nights spent walking the pastures, climbing the fence and watching those moonlit figures run across the Davenport land…visions from the past, mocking him for what would never be.
Zandra would just have to wait here until he knew what to do.
Chapter Forty-Five
Lester’s truck tore down the highway. Wet snow splattered the windshield. “Shouldn’t we slow down?” Penny asked, gripping the dashboard.
“We’re fine. I’ve got my winter tires.”
He had his fists at ten and two on the wheel, his collared shirt and bow tie peeking out beneath his coat. The road was so far below them she could barely see it.
Penny kept checking her phone, hoping Zandra would respond to her calls and texts. No luck yet. Assuming her device was even cooperating. As soon as they reached Davenport Ranch, Penny was going to ask Lester to try calling with his, but at the moment, she didn’t want him taking his eyes off the road.
Finally, they pulled into Heather’s driveway and approached the house. Zandra’s car wasn’t here, but she saw tire tracks. Lester stopped, and Penny jumped out.
Nobody responded when she knocked on the door, not that she’d expected it. Those tire tracks made it look like a car had arrived, parked, then left. But were those Zandra’s tires? Penny wished she’d paid more attention to the treads.
She got back into the truck. “Okay, pretty sure Zandra was here. But she’s not anymore. Let’s head to the Rainiers’ place. She was with Kathleen, so maybe she’ll still be there.”
Penny still had that sick, unsettled feeling, like her gut knew things weren’t all right. Not at all. Zandra didn’t just run off and disappear. That wasn’t like her.
And what did they even know about Jason and his family? Next to nothing.
“Wait,” she said, grabbing Lester’s shoulder. His brakes screeched, and the tires slid on the slick driveway. “Hold on. Try to call Heather Davenport, and if you can’t get through, try the police station again. Okay?” The police dispatcher hadn’t called back.
“Yeah. I’ll try. What do I tell them?”
“To head to the Rainier property.”
She pulled up Heather’s number in her contacts and gave it to him. Then Penny jumped out of the truck again.
Back at the front door, she debated what to do. She didn’t want to damage Heather’s house, but she also doubted Heather would mind once Penny had a chance to explain.
She took off her coat, wrapped it around her arm, and smashed in the window of the front door. Once she’d cleared the shards, she reached inside and unlocked the door. Thank goodness it had a latch on the inside instead of another keyed lock.
Penny ran into the front room and dug in the closet. Heather’s shotgun was propped on the floor. A quick check confirmed the gun held two shells. She found two more shells on a nearby shelf and stowed them in her pocket.
Panting, she ran back outside to meet Lester and climbed into the passenger seat. His eyebrows barely rose at the gun she now held across her lap, aimed away from him.
“So you think it’s that serious?”
“I’m not taking chances.” She’d been shooting with her older brother a few times, just trap and skeet. She’d never in her life carried a defensive weapon. They weren’t much use against ghosts. But a living killer was stalking Coldwater right now, and Penny wasn’t going to be caught unaware.
“Did you reach Heather?” she asked.
“Yes. She said she got your message and has important news for you. She was already set to leave for the Rainier property, but wanted you to call back.” Lester handed Penny his phone.
She hit redial on his most recent call. “Heather? It’s me.”
“Penny? Are you still at my place? You haven’t found Zandra?”
“Lester’s pulling out now. And no, I haven’t found Z.”
Heather cursed. “Okay. You’re on speaker with me and Chief Novak. Listen. If Zandra’s with the Rainiers, we need to be careful. Wes Crenshaw was Everett Rainier’s stepson.”
“What?”
“My FBI friend confirmed it. Then there’s this—I questioned Lena further today, and she said Kathleen left the church around the same time as Tabitha. Kathleen moved in with Everett right away. So she would’ve known Wes, or at least have heard about him. Then she and Everett had a child not long after. You following what I’m thinking?”
“But Jason showed me his driver’s license. Born in 1983.”
Lester turned back onto the highway. Penny didn’t see any cars ahead, but there couldn’t be more than a hundred yards of visibility. The truck was crawling forward now, even Lester unwilling to risk hitting someone or something on the road. Every minute, the storm was only getting worse.
On the phone, Chief Novak spoke. “I’ve got someone trying to confirm the date of Jason’s birth. But if he was born at home, there wouldn’t be any hospital records. It wouldn’t be that hard to conceal when he was actually born. Kids grow at different rates. One kid who is ten can look the same as another who’s seven.”
And that could mean Zandra was in real danger if she’d read any of this in Kathleen’s mind. Penny gripped the cold metal of the shotgun.
They passed a snow-covered vehicle on the side of the road, but it was a large SUV. It couldn’t have been Zandra’s car.
“Where are you now?” Heather asked. “We’ve only just left downtown, and I have no idea how long it’s going to take us to get to the Rainiers. I feel like I could be walking faster.”
“Doing the best I can,” the chief muttered. “Won’t make it at all if we end up in the ditch.”
