Losing Ladd (16 page)

“
But they didn’t give you
a name?”

“
They don’t give you
names. The routing number indicated the wire transfer originated
from here, but the sender’s name was blocked.”

“
Blocked?”

“
Yeah, like someone didn’t
want anyone to know they were sending the money.”

“
So it could have been
anyone,” she said, her eyes filling with disappointment.

“
Anyone,” he repeated,
though he had a feeling Mr. Harris would be able to track the
information further than he could. He and Mr. Ward seemed to have
their ways. Hopefully, their methods were legal. In the past he’d
believed them capable of crossing that line. Until Ernie Ladd
confessed to hiring a couple of thugs to beat up his son and leave
him for dead in the streets of town, rumor had it Mr. Harris and
Mr. Ward were the responsible party. It’d been an easy rumor to
digest.

“
Do you think Mr. Foster
can help?”

“
Cal?”

Felicity nodded. “His daddy owns a
bank in town. Maybe he could look into it for us.”

“
And break half a dozen
privacy laws in the process? No thanks.” Travis wanted the
information but not at the expense of jail time. Kicking a stone
from the trail, he picked up the scent of wood smoke. The green
landscape was drenched in hazy shadows, the sky a heavy purple and
gold. Nips of misty air signaled that festivities would begin soon.
“I’m gonna talk to Mr. Harris about it later. Maybe one of his
people can find out.”

“
Will he be at the
bonfire?”

“
Not sure. The girl at the
front desk didn’t seem to know where he was.”

Rounding a bend in the trail, the
clearing for the bonfire was visible about twenty yards in the
distance. A few hotel guests were mingling near the fire pit, the
glow of flame lighting up their figures. A niggle of impatience
pulled at him. Sitting around for the next two hours listening to
nightscapes was going to be a challenge. Maybe Mr. Harris and Miss
Delaney would be here. It would at least give the evening some
purpose.

But as Felicity and Travis emerged
from the trail, his spirits sank. There was no sign of them. Travis
searched faces of the people gathered around a considerable fire in
full flame. Those in attendance were comprised mostly of guests.
Makeshift log benches were assembled around fire. Casey and Troy
had taken up residence while Cal Foster and his wife Annie stood
nearby with a young girl, presumably his daughter. Circling the
perimeter, Travis spotted Casey’s Aunt Lacy. She married Mr. Ward
last summer and now the two had a baby. On the opposite side of the
fire, she was carrying her baby and pointing at flames, her face
aglow as she spoke near the child’s ear. Lingering on her, Travis
always thought it weird how much she looked like Casey’s mom
without being a twin. Both women had the exact same blue eyes and
white skin. Both had the exact same black hair, kinda like Casey,
but Miss Lacy was always dressed pretty fancy, even though tonight
she wore a short skirt and boots. He guessed the women were
attractive enough, except he preferred blondes.

“
There she is,” Felicity
said excitedly, tugging Travis to look as she pointed. “C’mon,
let’s go say hi.”

Groaning inwardly, Travis obliged.
Where was Mr. Ward? Travis doubted Mr. Foster would be working the
event, not with his daughter in town. Who was officially in
charge?

“
Hi, Felicity!” Casey
waved with one hand, the other cradling her sleeping infant, the
baby wrapped in a lightweight flannel blanket. A plaid mix of blues
and reds, the material blended in with Casey’s jeans and denim
button-down as she held the baby close to her breast, the ends of
her dark hair brushing over the kid’s body. Sporting his usual
T-shirt and jeans, Troy flanked her side. From beneath his black
hat, Troy’s eyes made a bead on him and Felicity.

Walking over, Felicity greeted them
happily. “Hi, Casey. Hi, Troy.”

“
Hey, Felicity,” Troy
replied, more nod of his head. There was no similar greeting
extended to his brother.

Whatever. Travis could care less. He
was only here because he had to be.

Bending at the waist, Felicity touched
the bundled baby in Casey’s arms. “How’s Cassidy Jo?”

“
She’s good. I was hoping
she’d be awake to hear the music.”

Felicity laughed. “Oh, there’s time.
When the fiddle player starts playing, I doubt she’ll be able to
sleep through it!”

Casey smiled. “You’re probably
right.”

“
Where’s Mr. Ward?” Travis
asked. “Isn’t he supposed to be here?”

“
He’s coming,” Casey
replied, absently tucking the corner of her daughter’s blanket
beneath a fold. “Aunt Lacy said he was held up at the hotel but
he’s on his way.”

Good. Travis would get his opportunity
after all. While it wasn’t Mr. Harris, Mr. Ward would surely
do.

“
So when do we get to meet
your new sister?” Felicity asked, stealing a glance toward the trio
standing several yards away. Mr. Foster was casual tonight in jeans
and boots, while Annie’s mom wore a bright blue dress with frilly
layers of material hanging down the front. Beside them the girl was
sporting a brand new pair of cowboy boots and skinny jeans, a
summer plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up her forearms. Of
average height for her age with stick-straight hair, she looked the
same as most girls her age. Travis assumed she bought the outfit
specifically for tonight since he doubted they wore plaid and boots
in the city.

Casey rose from the bench, Troy
mirroring her movements with a hand to assist his wife. “How about
right now? I’ll introduce you.”

Following Casey over, Travis noted the
girl perk up as the four of them approached. He was struck by an
intelligence dancing within her brown eyes. It was a maturity that
seemed beyond her years.

“
Emily, I want you to meet
my cousin, Felicity.”

The girl was quick with a smile as she
reached out a hand. “Hi.”

“
Hi,” Felicity replied.
“It’s nice to meet you.”

“
Nice to meet you, too,”
she said, a curious eye darted his way.

“
This is my boyfriend,
Travis. He’s Troy’s brother—if you couldn’t already guess,”
Felicity teased.

“
Wow... You look exactly
like him.”

Not exactly. Anyone who knew them
could easily tell them apart, but Travis merely replied, “Nice to
meet you.”

Emily giggled, erasing any maturity
her gaze might have bestowed.

“
Glad you could come out
for the event,” Cal said to the two of them. “It should be a lively
evening. I’ve heard these fellas play before, and they really know
their instruments.”

From her studies, Felicity had learned
that although the fiddle had been around the mountains for
centuries, it had its roots in Scotland, Ireland, even France. And
Mr. Foster was right—when the fiddles broke in, the fun broke out.
Actually a violin, the difference came in how you played the
instrument. Folks in the country played the violin with
high-energy, and lots of movement. Symphony players worked the
strings more methodically, resulting in sweeping notes that
lingered and carried. Felicity figured that’s where the name
originated. Someone “fiddling around” with a violin gave birth to a
brand new genre of play. Certainly a great first concert for a girl
of Emily’s age.

“
So,” Felicity began,
interested in getting to know more about Casey’s new kid sister,
“what have you been doing since you’ve been in town? Have you had a
chance to ride horses?”

“
We’re going tomorrow,”
she said. “My dad and Annie are taking me for a trail
ride.”

Felicity looked to Cal and asked, “Do
you mind if I join you?”

“
Not at all. We’d love
it.” He turned to Emily and said, “Felicity is an excellent rider.
Been riding since she was a little girl.”

“
You weren’t afraid to get
on a horse?” Emily asked.

Felicity laughed. “Not a bit! When you
grow up around horses, they’re no scarier than a puppy
dog.”

Catching sight of Mr. Ward, Cal
excused himself. “I need to speak with Malcolm. Ya’ll get seated
and I’ll join you in a minute.” Annie and Emily took their seats,
Casey and Troy beside them. Felicity lowered into place, tugging
Travis to do likewise. “Aren’t you sitting?”

Staring after Mr. Foster and Mr. Ward,
he replied, “Yeah. But first, I want to grab a word with Mr.
Ward.

“
What for?” Felicity
asked. “The show is about to begin.”

The two musicians were placing a pair
of stools beyond the circle of logs, an open area designated for
performers. Another fellow had joined the two fiddlers, a
surfboard-shaped piece of wood in his hand along with what looked
like a drumstick. “It won’t take long,” Travis said and headed for
the men before Felicity could stop him.

“
Travis!” she called after
him.

Ignoring her, he exited the seating
area and slowed to a stop near the men.

Casey leaned close. “Is everything
okay?”

“
No,” Felicity snapped,
staring at the backside of her boyfriend. “Actually, it’s
not.”

“
What’s up?”

Watching Travis as he stood idle near
Mr. Foster and Mr. Ward, one of the musicians joined them. What did
Travis have to do with them? He didn’t work at the hotel. He was
over there, because he didn’t want to be here, with her, with Casey
and the Fosters. With Troy. “I don’t get him. It’s like he’s so
detached these days, like he doesn’t care about the stuff I care
about.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
I
mean
, coming here...hanging out with
family.” Felicity slapped her palms to her jean-clad knees. “He
acts like it’s a chore, like I’m forcing him to come.” And she
didn’t appreciate it. If he had better things to do, then say
so.

“
Are you?”

Felicity drew back. “No,
I’m not
forcing
him. I
invited
him to take part.” Glancing back to Travis, his body rigid in
the dark of night, reflected shades of golden light swaying over
the black of his shirt, she added, “He can do whatever he wants,
for all I care. Including stay home.”

“
That doesn’t sound
good.”

“
Because it isn’t.” A cold
certainty of decision tunneled into Felicity’s heart. It had been
something she’d been considering of late, ever since Troy spent the
night in jail. Travis had approved his parents’ decision. He knew
his brother was innocent of the charges, yet he agreed they should
let him sit in jail to teach him a lesson. The way Felicity saw it,
Troy wasn’t the one in need of a lesson. Travis was. He was so
arrogant these days, as though he knew better than anyone what was
right, what was wrong. Felicity was sick of it. It was fine to be
rational and logical but quite another to be rude and judgmental.
“I think I’m going to ask him for a break when we go back to
school.”

“
You are?” Casey asked,
her tone of disbelief echoing in her gaze.

“
I think it’s for the
better. If Travis can’t share in the things I think are important,
what’s the point?”

Casey followed Felicity’s gaze to
Travis and the other men. The musician was excusing himself, but
Travis remained. With them, Felicity mused, not her. Summer break
flashed in her mind’s eye as she drifted in thought. She’d been so
happy to see him at Ashley’s Memorial Day party, their ride the
next day...the private time they spent hanging at Zack’s Falls. It
had been wonderful, amazing. They’d caught up on school, planned
the entire summer together, talked about their upcoming sophomore
year... But now?

Felicity’s heart pitched,
then burst as a loud boom thundered across the quiet of night. The
calm had evaporated. Shock seized hold as they stared at one
another in question.
What just
happened
?

Chapter Fourteen

Travis whirled at the
noise. For a second he thought he’d imagined the sound. But every
expression around him registered the hit. In the distant sky, a
golden red glowed above the tree line.
Oh
no
...

It was the direction of the stables.
Travis took off running.

“
Travis!”

Someone yelled his name,
but he didn’t stop. He had to get to the source of the glow.
Fire!
There was no
longer a question in his mind as to what had happened. That sound
had been an explosion. Images of a lighter flashed in his mind.
Lost horses. Paid markers.

A meeting in the slum of
town.

“
That’s coming from the
stables!” Troy shouted, running to catch up with him.

Jeremiah Ladd. Jack Foster. Felicity.
Her mother—

Pumping his arms and legs, Travis
pushed himself through the darkened trail. Shadows swallowed the
woods, can lights the only illumination on their path. The stables
were on the other side of the forest. This trail would take them
there. Both knew the way by heart. Both knew what was at stake.
Travis’ heart beat wildly as he powered over the gravelly trail. He
could hear his brother’s breathing, could feel the pound of their
boots as they raced toward the stables.