Once Removed, page 19
“That was our plan,” Lainey said. “I’ll have them call you about Larsen’s status. If he’s in jail, he won’t be able to get to Phoebe. And it should make the guardianship process simpler.”
“You shouldn’t have any trouble getting a judge to award you custody,” Jacobs said. “Not with what Larsen’ll be facing.”
“Next thing on our agenda,” Lainey assured him.
Brody hated that it was, but Lainey was right. He might want to focus on his and Lainey’s issues, but they needed to protect Phoebe, and this was the best way to do it. The last thing Larsen would be thinking about was his daughter. He had far too many other things to worry about.
But he didn’t want to take any chances with Phoebe. He slid his gaze to Lainey, whose determination was obvious in her narrowed gaze and stubborn chin.
Jacobs went out to his car to get an evidence envelope, then he slid in the file folder containing the photos, sealed it, signed and dated it. “I’m going to put this in the evidence safe. I’m the only one with the combination, and it’s going to stay there until we have Larsen in custody.” He drew a deep breath. “Thank God you found those photos.” He looked from Brody to Lainey and back to Brody. “The three of you should stay holed up here at the ranch until we have Larsen in custody.”
“We will, as soon as we fetch her from her friend’s house in Helena,” Lainey said. “She had a sleepover last night.”
Jacobs nodded. “Probably safest place for her besides the Flying J. Larsen would have no idea where to look for her.”
“I’ll have my hands keep an eye on things when we leave to pick up Phoebe,” Brody said.
“Good idea. If they see Larsen, tell them to stay away from him and call me. He’s probably desperate to get his hands on those pictures.”
“Will do.” Brody walked out to the porch with Jacobs, and said, “You’ll let us know when Larsen is in custody, won’t you?”
“Count on it,” he said as he slid into his car. He drove carefully down the driveway, waited for the gate to open, then turned toward Helena. He disappeared around the curve, just as Larsen had early this morning.
Brody had no doubt it had been Larsen. He’d been looking for the photos, or possibly a hostage he could exchange for them.
Once Jacobs had disappeared, Brody turned back toward the house. He wasn’t eager to resume the argument he’d been having with Lainey, but now it was just the two of them again. Bracing himself, he walked in the door. Headed for the office, where he found Lainey finishing looking through her banker’s box.
She looked up when he entered the room. “I’m looking to make sure we haven’t missed anything in Ron’s papers,” she said, her voice cool. Impersonal. “If there’s something else incriminating, we need to get it to Jacobs.”
“You’re right,” Brody said, taking another handful of file folders out of his box. Neither of them spoke as they worked, the only sound in the room the crackle of paper being handled.
They finished all four boxes without finding anything else incriminating. Or at least nothing obvious. As Brody set the boxes back in the corner, Lainey cleared her throat. “Once Larsen is in custody, I’ll give these boxes to Jacobs. He can go through them again and see if there’s anything else he needs.”
“I don’t think there will be,” Brody said. “But you never know.”
“No, we don’t,” Lainey said. She pulled out her phone and glanced at it. “It’s almost noon. Maybe I should call Ashley’s mother to see when we should pick Phoebe up.”
“Probably a good idea,” Brody said. He hated this stiffness between them. The formality. But it was his own fault. He drew a deep breath to tell Lainey he understood that, but she’d already typed a number into her phone.
“Hey, Karen,” she said, turning away from Brody and walking out of the office. “How’s everything going?”
Silence while Lainey listened to Karen’s reply. Then she said, “What time should we pick Phoebe up?”
Silence again. “Okay, thanks,” Lainey said. “We’ll see you then.”
She’d gone into the living room to make the call, and Brody waited for her to return to the office. After a few moments, he realized she wasn’t coming back. Her footsteps echoed on the stairs to the second floor, and a few moments later, her bedroom door closed with a click that sounded far too final.
Brody closed his eyes and inhaled. Then he turned and headed for Brett’s house. He needed to fill his foreman in on what had happened last night, and what he and Lainey had found this morning. Set up a plan to keep watch at the ranch.
As he walked out the front door, he glanced up the stairs toward Lainey’s room. He wondered what she was doing. What she was thinking.
And he wondered if he’d lost the right to know.
* * *
Up in her room, Lainey picked up her Kindle and sat in the chair. Opened it to the book she’d been reading, but after a couple of pages, she had no idea what she’d read. Couldn’t even remember the character’s names.
Sighing, she closed her Kindle and set it on the desk. Stood and began pacing the room. It was a generous-sized bedroom, but it felt tiny and confining when she wanted to move. To take long strides and walk off her hurt. Her anger. Her desolation.
Any other time, she’d walk outside. But she couldn’t do that today. Couldn’t leave the house, in case Art Larsen was watching. Looking for an opportunity to take a hostage to exchange for those damning photographs.
Finally, she slid onto the floor and leaned against the bed. Rested her head against the mattress, rehashing the harsh words she and Brody had exchanged earlier.
Her heart was still bruised after absorbing the blow from Brody’s words. She’d bared her soul to him, but he’d told her nothing about his earlier life. Yeah, he’d said he’d been married. But even when he’d said it, she’d seen that it hadn’t left any long-term scars. It had been a brief, misguided marriage. Nothing more.
But he’d said nothing about his time with DCFS, even though it had been the most life-changing two years of his life. Not even after they’d talked about contacting the agency about Phoebe. He’d dismissed his mistaken, short-lived marriage, but he’d never mentioned the deep wounds inflicted in a DCFS group home.
Part of her understood. She had no desire to dig into her marriage and lay bare all the mistakes she’d made. All the times when she should have walked away but didn’t. But she’d done it anyway, because she wanted Brody to know everything about her, even the ugly, unflattering parts.
Maybe she’d taken this relationship far more seriously than Brody had.
Lainey dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. But they leaked out anyway, dripping down her face in a steady stream of regret and sorrow.
She’d thought Brody was the one. That they’d have their happily ever after.
Now she wasn’t so sure.
After what felt like hours, Lainey struggled to her feet, stiff and sore from sitting on the floor for too long. She stumbled into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face until it didn’t feel so swollen, then reached for a towel and blotted it dry. Stared at herself in the mirror.
She looked like she’d just had her heart handed to her in pieces, the edges ragged and sharp.
Drawing a deep, shuddery breath, she let it out slowly. Took another. Three more, until she felt steadier. Like she’d put on her armor and was ready to face Brody again.
Glancing at the bedside clock, she realized they’d need to get going soon to pick up Phoebe. If he still wanted to go with her.
Taking one more steadying breath, she collected her purse and headed down the stairs.
Brody stepped out of his office as she reached the first floor. He searched her gaze, but during her marriage, Lainey had become an expert at hiding her emotions. She stared back at Brody, and he finally sighed. Looked at his hands, then asked, “Time to go get Phoebe?”
“Yeah. We should leave within the next fifteen minutes. But you don’t have to come if you’d rather stay here and work on… whatever you were doing.”
She’d kept her voice cool. Even. She didn’t want to make a scene. Make Brody uncomfortable. She’d done that already, and it had accomplished nothing.
“No,” he said. “I want to go with you. Let me get my keys.”
He hurried through the kitchen and into the mudroom, returning a few seconds later with his keys jangling in his hand. “Ready to go?”
“I’m set,” she said.
When they reached the truck, Lainey opened the door and began to climb in, then noticed the neat coil of rope on the seat. “Sorry,” he said from behind her. He grabbed it and stuffed it behind her seat. “I got that in town and forgot to put it away yesterday.” He set his hand on the seat, and she turned to look at him.
“I was in too much of a hurry to find you,” he said quietly. He cupped her elbow and helped her climb in, then closed the door once she was settled. Then Brody walked around the truck and swung into his own seat. As the truck rumbled down the driveway, Lainey stared at her lap, thinking of Brody yesterday, so anxious to see her that he’d forgotten his rope. She bit her lip, determined not to cry.
As they approached the compound, Brody swore beneath his breath, then pulled over to the side of the road. “There’s someone here,” he said, nodding at the silver SUV on the shoulder.
Lainey stared at it. Swallowed. “Larsen?”
“That’s not his truck,” Brody said.
“There’s a sticker on the window.” Lainey craned her neck, trying to get a better look at it. “Looks like a rental. Maybe Larsen rented another vehicle and stashed his somewhere out of sight.” Her gaze roamed over the compound, but she didn’t see a thing. “Like in the compound.”
“That’s possible,” Brody said slowly. “I’m going to take a look. You lock the doors behind me and stay in the truck.”
“Maybe you should call the sheriff instead,” she said. “Let him take a look.”
“I’m not going far. Just going to step inside the gate and look over the grounds. See if I see any sign of Larsen.” He glanced at her, pinning her to the seat with serious eyes. “Promise you’ll stay in the truck with the doors locked.”
“I promise,” she said. “You couldn’t pay me enough to explore that compound right now.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Lainey…” he began.
She shook her head. “Go. Take a look, then come right back. I want to get Phoebe and get back to the ranch.”
He flinched a little, as if he hated hearing her describe it as ‘the ranch’ instead of ‘home’. Then he nodded and slid out of the truck. Slammed the door. Waited until she’d locked it, then strode toward the gate.
Lainey watched him until he disappeared around a building, then studied the surrounding area, not sure what she was looking for. Edgy and nervous, she turned toward the compound, wondering what Brody was doing. What was taking him so long? The minutes dragged past unbearably slowly.
She was just about to climb out of the truck to find him when a movement from the hillside across from the compound caught her eye. A man burst out of the undergrowth and rushed toward the truck.
She couldn’t see his features as he crossed the road, but when he ran in front of the truck, she got a good look at him.
Art Larsen.
Holding a shotgun. He lifted it and pointed it at her window, his hands rock steady. “Get out of the truck. Now.”
Chapter 21
Glancing behind him again, Brody studied Lainey in the truck. She was watching him walk into the compound, and he wondered if she was worried about him.
Of course she was. She’d be worried about anyone walking into the compound with Larsen on the loose. Brody patted the left side of his jacket, running his hand over the familiar shape of his holstered Sig Sauer. With Larsen still loose and looking for Lainey, Brody would carry this gun everywhere until Larsen was behind bars.
He’d heard the truck doors lock, so he knew she was safe. Her eyes were fixed on him, and even from fifteen feet away, he saw the fear in her gaze. He wiggled his hand, trying to reassure her he’d be fine.
She nodded. But didn’t take her eyes off him.
Brody turned and hurried down the driveway and through the slightly ajar gate. He heard voices ahead of him and stopped. Listened.
A woman. And a man. The man sounded nothing like Larsen, and Brody relaxed. The two of them made no effort to speak quietly, and it sounded as if the woman was upset. Her voice rose, and Brody frowned. There was something familiar about her voice.
He hurried the rest of the way into the compound and found a tall, red-haired woman standing beside a taller man with dark hair. They were staring at the burned buildings as they talked.
“Hey,” he called, and both of them turned around. The woman was the same one who’d been stuck on the road a few weeks ago. Brody frowned. “Mel?”
“Jones?” The woman jerked her head toward the wreckage of the mess hall. “What the hell happened here?”
“No time to fill you in. You need to get the hell out of here,” Brody said. “Right now.” He waited, uneasiness rising as they studied him for a long moment. Didn’t move.
Brody’s gaze flicked between Mel and the guy. “Who’s your friend?” he asked.
Mel studied him coolly. “My partner. Devlin. We came to look the place over again before we made an offer to the owner.”
“Now that you’ve seen it, the two of you need to get your asses in gear. Leave.” As he spoke, Brody kept his eyes moving. Scanning each building. Watching for movement. A flash of light. Anything that could pinpoint Larsen’s location.
Mel and Devlin didn’t budge. Simply stared at him, not speaking. Finally Mel said, “Decide you want the place yourself, Jones?”
“Why would I want this place?” Brody asked. “You need to pay attention to what I’m saying.” Brody’s voice was sharp. Impatient. He didn’t care that he sounded rude. This pair needed to get a clue.
“The guy who burned down those buildings killed a lot of people, and he’s desperate. He’s been hiding here, and he might be watching us right now. Get moving!”
As Mel and the man ran toward him, Brody gave them the short version of the fire and the events that had happened the day Brody had met Mel. “The sheriff is looking for Larsen, but no luck so far. He and his deputies will be here later to search all the buildings.”
As the three of them rushed up the hill toward the road, Brody heard the sharp crack of a gun. Shotgun, it sounded like. He pushed harder, running toward the truck and Lainey. He heard Mel and the guy right behind him.
When they reached the road, Brody saw Larsen yanking Lainey out of the truck. Brody’s windshield was missing -- the result of a shotgun blast at close range.
Lainey was resisting, but Larsen tossed the shotgun aside and pulled a knife out of his belt. He held it to her throat, and Lainey froze. Stared at it, her eyes wide. Terrified.
“Walk,” Larsen growled. “Or I’ll use it on you.” He leaned close to Lainey, who flinched away from him. “Used it on Ron. It’s easier the second time.” He smiled, and Lainey swallowed. “I know from experience.”
“What… what do you want, Larsen?”
“I think you know what I want,” the guy retorted.
“I have no idea,” Lainey said.
As he spoke, Lainey stumbled backward across the street, staring at the knife in Larsen’s hand. Behind her, the tree and scrub-covered hillside loomed above her. If Larsen got her among those trees, it would be more difficult to find them.
Brody turned to glance at Mel and the man, motioning them to get behind her car. “Brought a satellite phone. Calling 911,” Mel mouthed
Brody nodded and crouched behind his truck. He didn’t want Larson to see him. Not when he held a knife at Lainey’s throat. Who the hell knew what the guy would do? He was desperate. Had nothing to lose at this point.
Brody didn’t want to shoot at him, because Larsen was too close to Lainey. Any sudden movement could put Lainey in front of a bullet.
How could he stop Larson without using his gun?
He glanced around wildly, looking for a weapon. Saw it on the second pass.
The rope he’d tossed behind Lainey’s seat trailed out of the truck’s open door, coiling on the pavement. Had she tried to grab it to use against Larsen?
Didn’t matter. He could use that rope.
Brody duck-walked to the door, reached inside and curled his hand around the coiled rope. His hands shaking, he tied a small noose at one end, then slid the other end through it. Coiled it the way he’d done so many times.
Even though it had been at least a year since he’d swung a rope at a running calf, his hands steadied with the muscle memory of his movements.
Glancing toward the silver SUV, he was relieved that Mel and Devlin had stayed down behind the vehicle. He nodded at them, hoping they understood they needed to stay where they were.
Drawing a deep breath, then another, he slid toward the front of the truck, his boots crunching on the broken glass that covered the asphalt. Finally, his hands settling on the right positions on the rope, he reached the front of the truck and stood up.
Lainey’s eyes flickered when she saw him, but otherwise she didn’t react. Larsen had moved closer to Lainey and he turned her around, shoving her toward the trees.
Brody would only have one chance. If he missed, Larsen would be spooked. He might even use that knife on Lainey. But Brody didn’t have a choice. If Larsen got her into those trees, it would be very difficult to get her away from him.
Brody took a deep breath. Let it out. Took another and squared his shoulders. Swinging the rope the way he always did, he sent the noose sailing silently toward Larsen.
Brody held his breath as the rope flew through the air and settled over Larsen’s head. As soon as it slid past his shoulders, Brody yanked on the rope. It tightened around Larsen’s arms and yanked him backward, his arms pinned to his sides. He stumbled a few steps, and Brody yanked on the rope again.
