In Harm’s Way - Ch. 49

From rough draft of In Harm’s Way by Pat Otterness ??Pat Otterness 2022

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

????????????We gathered back at my house, all of us in disarray. Even the beautiful Mallory looked somewhat worse for wear. We had to walk back, because deputies never arrived. It was almost dawn, and I saw Hiram looking hard at the gravel driveway as we approached the house. I wondered what he thought he saw there.

????????????In the growing light, I finally got a good look at our killer. Sure enough, it was Barr’s bearded friend. I still didn’t know his name. I didn’t bother to ask. It was enough that he was in custody. I was wiped out, and Hiram looked dead on his feet. We stumbled into the kitchen, where a cheerful Hope sat waiting.

????????????“Where’s Charlie?” I asked.

????????????“Who?” said Hope.

????????????“The old man, the one calling the dog.” I said.

????????????“Oh, him. He came to the door yelling something, but I didn’t let him in,” said Hope. “Hiram went out to see what he wanted.”??Belatedly, she noticed our prisoner. “Why do you have John’s friend tied up?” she asked.

????????????I just stared at her. We were sisters, but we might as well have come from two different planets. “He was a bad boy,” I said.

????????????“A bad boy, indeed,” said Jordan. “Smuggling diamonds in from Venezuela is bad. Killing to keep them is worse.”

????????????“Who is this guy?” asked Hiram. He looked with tired eyes at the bearded prisoner, who glared back at him silently.

????????????“ His name is Buford Wilkes,” said Jordan. “The FBI has had its eyes on him for quite a while. “The agent following him ended up in your compost heap, Chat. That’s the kind of guy we’re talking about.

????????????“But how did Carmen get mixed up in this?” I asked. “Surely she wasn’t involved.”

????????????“Do you want to answer that, Wilkes, or shall I guess?” said Jordan. “Was your partner’s??name really Carmen?”

????????????Buford Wilkes turned his icy glare on Jordan and finally broke his silence. “She was Carmen, all right. She picked the name Ruiz because it was a common name. That’s where she screwed up.”

????????????“What went wrong?” asked Hope.

????????????“The name was?too?common,” said Wilkes. “Carmen had the diamonds mailed to General Delivery. When a box arrived in her name, she picked it up, and found a locket instead of diamonds. Then she got scared and started looking for whichever Carmen Ruiz she thought must have gotten her diamonds by mistake. She wasn’t sure, though, if the locket was a clue, so she took it to Barr and found the key and the inscription. The Fed followed her out here, when

?she was looking for Crazy Betty, and she killed him. I didn’t do it.”

????????????“So how did you get involved with Barr?” I asked. Answers were coming at last, and I wanted all of my questions answered.

????????????“Barr is a jeweler,” said Wilkes. “He knows how to cut rough diamonds for tremendous profit. I decided to cultivate his friendship. “He was open to sharing a partnership if we could find those diamonds. The problem was, there was one Carmen Ruiz we couldn’t find.”

????????????“Somehow you must have tracked her to Fletch Fox‘s house,” I said.

????????????“Yes, but she wasn’t there. We didn’t know if she’d skipped with the diamonds or if they were hidden in the house.” Wilkes looked around my kitchen. “Could I have something to drink?” he asked. “I’m parched.”

????????????My ever-helpful sister leaped to her feet to serve a killer. I did a mental head shake.?

“We could all use a drink,” I said, envisioning a frosty glass of tea. What I got instead was a frosty glass of lemonade, loaded with ice.?Uh-oh!

????????????Soon we were all sipping the cold deliciousness of lemonade, and I was wracking my brain. The ice was going to melt pretty soon. I was ready to grab everyone’s glasses and take them away, but Hope was pouring out refills. Jordan was looking at me intently. Something must show on my face.?

“Don’t chew that ice, guys,” I said. “You could break a tooth.”

????????????Jordan quickly swallowed the rest of his lemonade. He carried his glass to the sink and began running hot water over the remaining ice. Some of it didn’t melt. He pulled out a piece of gravelly crystal and held it up. “I wonder how this got here?” he said in a mock-serious tone, but I could see the laughter in his eyes.

????????????“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” I said.

????????????“Holy crap!” said Wilkes.

????????????“What was that stuff you threw in the driveway, then?” asked Hiram

????????????“Gravel,” I said, grinning.

????????????Jordan waited until all the glasses were empty and removed them to the sink. Soon he had a nice little stack of stones, clean and shining. “I have a new respect for you,” he said to me. “Cut, these diamonds will be worth a fortune.”

????????????“But were they really worth killing for?” I asked Wilkes. “Why did you kill Carmen?”

????????????“The stupid bitch wanted to return the locket to the other Carmen,” he said. “She was trying to find her to return the damn locket, not to help find the diamonds. She wanted out after she killed the Fed. She said the diamonds weren’t worth the price. I didn’t trust her not to rat me out.”

????????????“Why did you bury her in that place?” I said. “How did you even know it was there?”

????????????“ I didn’t bury her at all. I sent Tony and Marcus to take care of it. Tony said he knew about a place where some deputy had the Sheriff digging a while back. Turned out to only be the grave of a dead dog. Big embarrassment for the Sheriff. Tony figured the??soil would be easier to move there. Lazy son-of-a-gun.”

????????????We heard a car outside, and Jordan went to the door. A pair of deputies stood there. “You need us, sir?” said one of them, glancing inside at the rope-bound prisoner.

????????????“What took you so long?” said Jordan.

????????????“Eight miles is a long walk for an old man,“ said the deputy. “Everybody was in bed and no one would come to the door. He had to walk all the way.”

????????????“Is Charlie okay?” I asked. He was a nice old man and he was trying to help us.

????????????“Alan’s taking care of him,” said the deputy. “He’s a tough old bird. He’ll be fine.”

????????????Jordan handed his prisoner over to the deputies. “I’ll be along soon,” he told them. “Lock him up tight and let the Feds know we have him.” He handed Mallory the diamonds, back in their box, and told her to put them in the safe. She climbed in the back seat of the cruiser with the prisoner. For once she was keeping her mouth shut.

????????????Hope and Chance prepared to leave. Hiram went with them, needing to get some much-needed sleep. Finally, Jordan and I were alone. I sat slumped, exhausted, in my chair. Jordan was slumped in his. We locked eyes.

????????????“ You’re not taking your Benadryl,” I said.

????????????“No,” he replied, “I’ve started taking shots for my cat allergy. I see you’ve replaced your furniture.”

????????????“It seemed like a good idea,” I said.

????????????“It looks nice.” Jordan sighed.

????????????“ I don’t clean, though, “ I said. “That’s all Hope and Hiram. I don’t think I can ever keep a home like yours.??Dust happens. Clutter happens.”

????????????“ I can’t be a helpmeet like Hiram,” said Jordan.

????????????Jordan was jealous of Hiram??“ I will never be beautiful like Mallory,” I said. “Or even very clean, most of the time.”

????????????“She IS very beautiful, isn’t she?” said Jordan.??Then, before I could respond, he continued. “Do you have any idea what a pain she was to deal with in that shed? That woman really has a mouth on her. All she did was complain nonstop until Wilkes threatened to shoot her. She was using language that would make a sailor blush.”

????????????“That’s what I like about her,” I said.

????????????Jordan grinned. “I thought it might be.”

????????????“Do you think there’s any hope for us as a couple?” I asked. “I mean, there’s still lots of dust and in the spring, pollen everywhere.”?????

????????????“And you’re still going to be risking your life every time I leave you unsupervised,” said Jordan. “Doing crazy, impulsive, spur-of-the-moment things. That scares me.”

As we talked, we got up and moved to the couch in the living room. Such luxurious leather. So comfortable. Jordan put his arm around my shoulder, and I rested my head against his chest. “Maybe we could try,” he said. “Maybe see each other occasionally. Without a murder,” he added.

“That could work,” I said. “Go on dates. Get to know each other.”

We sat sleepily holding each other, too tired even for romance, and drifted off to dreamland in the safety of each other’s arms.

THE END

Or maybe only the beginning.