Hunted Love (A Dangerous Kind of Love Book 2) (24 page)

Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll do it,” he said. He wrapped his arm around Sarah’s waist unwilling to leave her side as he spoke to the 9-1-1 operator.

“Where have you been?” Nathan snapped as Danny entered the room, his eyes wide.

“Moose and me went to run those errands for you.”

“Who told you two you could leave the grounds?” Nathan snapped.

Danny automatically pointed at Moose. “Moose said that you gave the all clear to go ahead and go.”

Moose looked surprised. “No, that ain’t right, Danny. You were the one—”

“Oh, shut up the both of you,” Nathan snapped.

Kristen moaned. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before finally opening and looking around the room. “Where’s Phoebe?”

Nathan sat down in the chair next to her. “We’re not sure yet. The police are on their way.”

Kristen tried to sit up. “I have to find her,” she said as Nathan pushed her back down. “Nathan, let me up. I have to find my sister.”

“The police will find her, Kristen,” her husband said in annoyance.

Tears spilled down her face. “I’m not waiting for them. She could be dying. Let me go.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Nathan said harshly. “What do you think you’re going to do? You’ll probably pass out before you get to the door.”

“Where’s Wade’s men?” Kristen asked. “Send them out to look for her.”

Nathan grimaced. “Wade’s men? You want to know where Wade’s men are?” he asked his voice rising. “They’re dead. Your boyfriend apparently sent only the best to protect you,” he added sarcastically. “Fat lot of good they did. Perhaps Wade doesn’t care as much for you as you think he does.” He moved to the other side of the room. “If you had listened to me in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. I told you not to go riding but you had to go. I told you not to trust Wade but you wouldn’t listen. Now, Phoebe’s probably dead and it’s all your fault.”

Sarah pulled away from Jamie to sit at Kristen’s side as the other girl began to sob hysterically.

Nathan shook his finger at his wife. “I told you—”

“Shut up, Nathan,” Jamie said striding to the fireplace. A few seconds later a bookcase slid away from the wall, revealing a small room, equipped with a bed and security monitors.

Nathan’s face reddened as Jamie gently picked Kristen up and carried her to the bed.

“Please Jamie,” she sobbed as he laid her down.

“I’ll find her, Kristen. I promise.” He pulled the blanket across her legs before returning to Sarah’s side.

The sounds of hooves hitting the veranda outside the window caught their attention. A few seconds later, Joker passed by the window.

Nathan cursed at the horse as it disappeared from view.

Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves. “Sarah, I want you to stay with Kristen until the police get here.”

“What are you going to do?” Sarah asked.

“I’m going to find Phoebe before Fletcher does.” He took the gun out of his waistband of his jeans and handed it to Sarah. “Take this. Lock yourself in and don’t let anyone in until the police arrive. And if anyone tries to enter,” he said pointedly looking at Nathan, Danny and Moose, “shoot them.”

“Jamie, maybe we should wait for the police,” Sarah said watching as he strode to the door.

“I have to go, Sarah. She could be dying,” he said adjusting the rifle hanging from his arm.

They all followed him to the veranda and watched as Jamie walked up to Joker taking his time to introduce himself to the big horse. Joker laid his nose in Jamie’s palm, inhaling deeply. Once Joker seemed at ease, he took the reins and led him down the verandah stairs. “I promise I’ll be back soon. Stay with Kristen and remember what I said, okay?”

“I will.” Sarah touched his arm. “Jamie, please be careful.”

He started to place his foot into the stirrup but stopped and turned back to Sarah. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. The desire to hold her close was too strong to resist, so he stopped fighting it for a moment and took her into his arms, enjoying the feel of her warm body pressed against his. He pulled back enough to cup her face. “I’ll be back soon. Just stay safe in the meantime.”

“I will,” she said softly, reluctantly moving away from him and back into the house.

He walked along the side of the house and peered into the window, waiting until the bookcase slid shut behind Sarah before turning to glare at Nathan, Danny and Moose. “If anything happens to either Sarah or Kristen, I’m going to hold all three of you responsible. Got it?”

Danny and Nathan scowled as Moose nodded. “Don’t worry,” Moose said, “they’ll be safe in there.”

Nathan stepped off the veranda. “If you see Fletcher out there, shoot him. We’ll back you up when the police arrive.”

“Just like last time, huh?” Jamie climbed on top of Joker. “Just watch Sarah and Kristen,” he said before turning Joker’s head toward the woods.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Sarah sat in the living room of the guesthouse, the only area besides the stables that hadn’t been cordoned off by the police. Her gaze flickered from the detective standing in front of her to the window and back again. Several hours had passed since Jamie left. Night had fallen and she was about to go out of her mind with worry. “Has anyone found Jamie or Phoebe yet? Surely by now, someone has run across them?”

“Not yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do,” Detective Henry Lewis said smoothly.

She somehow doubted that but smiled her thanks anyway as he sat down across from her. “Until then, it would help if you could give me as much information as possible.”

She stifled a groan. She knew the detective was just doing his job, but after saying the same things to five other officers including the detective in front of her more than once since they arrived, she was growing a little weary. Praying for patience, she started her story once more. “Phoebe, Kristen and I took the horses—”

He held up his hand, stopping her. “No, I got all that. I want to talk to you about Holly O’Malley.”

“Well, I wasn’t here when she was murdered, but it must have been Fletcher.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, who else could it be?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. Now, I understand you fought with Holly last night.” he said in a friendly sounding tone.

Warning bells went off in Sarah’s mind. “I wouldn’t call it a fight—”

“Okay, then, what would you call it?”

She thought for a second. “A misunderstanding. What does this have to do with Holly’s death? I certainly didn’t kill her. I was outside when she was murdered.”

“How do you know when she was murdered?”

“Well, I don’t, but it had to have been after I left.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because she was still alive when we left,” Sarah said slowly.

“According to Kristen Blake, you left the stable while they were readying the horses for the ride, supposedly to use the restroom. She says you were gone for ten minutes.”

Sarah’s eyebrows went up. “Supposedly? Do you seriously believe I came up here and killed all these people in under ten minutes?”

“No, I do not. I’m just pointing out that we don’t know what happened here yet. We don’t know who killed Ms. O’Malley or when or why. So, until we do, I need to know everything that happened to Ms. O’Malley in the last few days. Now, I’ve been told that you too had some type of argument last night and I would like to know why.”

Sarah sighed. “She was being cruel.”

“To you?”

“No,” Sarah said slowly.

“Then she was being
cruel
to someone else.” Sarah’s teeth ground together at the condescension in his voice. “So, who was she being
cruel
to?”

“Why are you questioning me? Why aren’t you questioning Nathan? Better yet, Danny Dwyer? He seems to think Holly and Nathan were having an affair. He probably knows more about what Holly’s been up to in the last few days than I do.”

“I spoke to Mr. Dwyer a few minutes ago. He told me that Nathan Blake, Mickey Mullins—otherwise known as Moose—and he were together all day. They left around three and when they returned at about five o’clock, Mr. Murphy was here in the house, all alone, surrounded by dead bodies. Now, who was Ms. O’Malley being cruel to?”

“Danny lied to you. The first thing Nathan said when Danny showed up was, ‘Where have you been?’ There are security cameras all around, why don’t you check—”

“We’ve checked. The recordings have been deleted,” he said shortly. “Now, Ms. O’Malley threatened to kill Mr. Murphy at his sentencing hearing several years ago. She swore that she would make him pay for killing Robin O’Malley. Was that who she was being cruel to last night?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Jamie didn’t kill Holly,” she said sharply. “Fletcher did. I saw him kill George and Sam and then he tried to kill Kristen and me, and he may have killed Phoebe. I don’t know when or why Holly died, but I’m pretty certain Fletcher took them out before he ambushed us out at the gorge.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Just how did he do all that and beat you there?”

“He could have taken the shortcut through the woods while we were having a picnic out there. Trust me; he had plenty of time. We weren’t exactly racing to the gorge.”

The detective frowned. “A shortcut?”

“Yeah, a shortcut. Remember I told you I took the shortcut on the way back. It’s a straight shot from here to the gorge. He could have killed Holly and the other men and then hiked to the gorge with plenty of time to spare.”

There was a shout outside drawing their attention to the window. Jamie was outside, holding Phoebe tightly to his chest.

*  *  *

“I thought for sure everyone was dead,” Phoebe said an hour later after the police had taken her statement. She had refused to go to the hospital or even let the EMTs see her, preferring to stay in the guesthouse with Sarah and wait for Brian to tend to her.

Brian kneeled at her feet, cleaning the deep cuts and scratches on her legs and arms as she described everything that had happened since Fletcher’s ambush. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t let the ambulance take you to the hospital,” he said gruffly when she paused in the middle of her story for breath.

“I’m fine,” Phoebe said. “You know how I hate hospitals.”

“Kristen’s there,” Sarah pointed out.

“Not for long I bet. Kristen hates hospitals as much as I do.” She twisted her ankle, revealing a particularly nasty cut. “Do you think I need stitches?”

“No, it’s fine,” Brian said.

“Good,” she said fidgeting.

Brian held her ankles still. “Would you please sit still for a minute?”

“I’m too wound up,” Phoebe said as he tended to her. “It’s not everyday someone tries to kill you.”

Sarah raised her eyebrows.
Well, the girl certainly recovered quickly
, she thought, as she handed Brian the bottle of antiseptic. She also bounced back from her cousin’s murder pretty quickly as well. Kristen too for that matter. When informed of Holly’s death, Kristen’s response had been a cool, “that’s a shame.”

Phoebe scratched at her cheek, smearing dirt and blood against her skin. “I’m just so relieved to be alive.”

“How did you survive?” Sarah asked.

“As soon as the reins slipped out of my hands, I knew I was going over the edge. I immediately started clutching at branches and rocks, anything I could get my hands on.”

Sarah glanced down at Phoebe’s hands, which were still red and raw, and winced.

“I thought for sure I was dead but I hit that ledge below and hung on for dear life. It took me forever to climb back up. I’m so relieved you and Kristen are okay. I was scared to death. I thought for sure you two were dead. When I saw Sam and George’s bodies I almost had a heart attack,” she said pressing her hand to her chest. “I just panicked and started running. I was too afraid to take the trail. I kept thinking Fletcher was hiding behind every tree waiting for me so I took off into the woods. I probably would still be out there if Jamie hadn’t found me.
That’s now the fourth time he’s saved my life. Where is he anyway?”

“The police are still interviewing him,” Brian said reaching for a bandage.

“Cross-examining him is more like it,” Sarah said bitterly. “I wish Jamie had let me call my sister.”

“Why?” Phoebe said kicking her feet. “They’ll let him go. He didn’t kill anyone.”

“They seem to think otherwise,” Sarah said.

Phoebe threw up her hands. “They’re morons then. Obviously, Fletcher killed her.”

“But why did he kill Holly?” Sarah asked. “I didn’t even think she was a target.”

“Fletcher’s a monster,” Brian said in disgust. “He’s never had any qualms about killing innocent people. I think he enjoys it. Holly was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Phoebe lowered her voice to a whisper, looking over each shoulder. “I bet Danny’s behind it all.”

Brian looked up sharply. “Danny been giving you trouble again?”

“Ever since Christmas,” Phoebe said with a sigh. “I don’t know what we could have done to him, but he acts like he absolutely hates us. Personally, I think he has a problem with women in general and has now snapped. I can see him being a serial killer. He’s got dead eyes.” She shuddered again. “There’s just something about him that creeps me out.”

“Guys like that don’t usually hire a hitman to do their killing for them,” Brian pointed out. “Serial killers like to be personally involved. They get a thrill from killing. Danny’s probably mad because Nathan’s not paying him enough. I heard him complaining at the Valentine’s Day party that he barely has enough money to pay rent.”

“That’s not the reason,” Sarah said. “He’s angry because of something that happened the night Robin died.”

Brian went still. “What happened?” he asked resuming his work.

“He overheard Kristen and Phoebe talking about the phone call Robin made to home that night.”

Phoebe gasped. “I knew it. I told Kristen there was someone at the door.” She scowled. “Danny’s always sticking his nose in things. Snooping on people. He just loves to cause trouble. Kristen and I have been trying to get Nathan to fire him for years but Nathan won’t do it. He’ll send Danny away for a few months when we get real mad but then a few months later he’s back again.” She shuddered. “I think—”

“What about the phone call?” Brian interrupted. “What did Robin say?”

“Kristen doesn’t want anyone to know,” Phoebe said. “She thinks it’ll make us look bad.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because we didn’t help Robin,” Phoebe said softly. “Robin called a few hours after she ran away. She was crying and begging me to pick her up.”

“Did she say why or what happened?” Sarah asked.

Phoebe lifted her blonde hair off the back of her neck and tossed it over her shoulder. She started plucking leaves out of her hair and throwing them on the table. “She only said that she changed her mind and wanted to come home. Kristen told her that she should start walking and then hung up.” She hissed in pain and glanced down at Brian. “Ow, that hurt.”

“Sorry,” Brian said.

“Anyway, Robin called again a few minutes later and I answered the phone. I told her that I would pick her up if she would promise me that she would put the money she stole from the safe back. Kristen took the phone away from me and told me to go to bed.” Her eyes began to water. “I should have gone. I knew how to drive. I could have picked her up.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Sarah said gently. “How did you know she’d be murdered?”

Phoebe’s gaze lost focus. “I think . . . I think Robin somehow knew she was going to die. I think she knew someone was after her.”

“What makes you say that?” Brian asked.

“Why else was she so desperate to run?” Phoebe responded with a shrug.

“She was running because she was being forced to marry a man she didn’t love,” Brian said. “That was all it was. If she thought someone was going to kill her, she would have told us.”

“Robin wouldn’t have confided in us. She was angry with everyone. She accused us of taking Dad’s side against her. She was miserable, and the closer the wedding came, the more unbearable she became. She and Kristen were at each other’s throats constantly. It wasn’t Kristen’s fault. I felt like killing her myself several times that last week. Ow.” She glared at Brian. “Do you have to be so rough?”

“Sorry.”

Sarah glanced at Brian out of the side of her eye. “Robin was very beautiful. I bet all the boys loved her.”

Phoebe giggled. “Not everyone.” She lightly kicked Brian with the side of her foot. “Right?” She glanced over at Sarah and whispered teasingly, “Brian hated her.”

Brian frowned. “I didn’t hate her.”

“Oh come on,” Phoebe said. “You two were constantly fighting. I remember she called you a name at her last birthday party and then you threw her into the pool—ruined her favorite dress—I had never seen her so mad. I thought she was going to kill you. Ow! Brian!”

“All done.” He sat down on the nearest chair. “I’m surprised Danny is mad at you just because you didn’t pick her up that night. If you had gone, you would probably have died with her.”

Phoebe pulled another leaf from her hair. “I’m not surprised. He always liked her better than anyone else.” She rolled her eyes. “He had some fantasy that Robin was going to fall in love with him someday.”

“That wasn’t going to happen,” Brian said with a snort. “Jamie just got off with a beating for touching Robin. Patrick would have killed Danny outright if he even thought that Danny was getting ideas about his pride and joy.”

“It wasn’t exactly Danny’s fault though,” Phoebe said.

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“Robin encouraged Danny’s obsession with her,” Phoebe said. “Anytime she snapped her fingers, Danny would come running.”