Die Before Nightfall Page 20

  Raven bent down, looking for footprints, but the ground was soaked, water puddling near the base of the tree. She straightened, turned and saw what she’d been looking for. Two crosses carved into the wood of the old oak. Raven’s heart skipped a beat. This was it, then. But where was Abby?

  She pushed back through the thick brush and ran down the slope that led to the lake, praying she would find Abby there on the dock where she’d been the day they’d met. Thunder crashed around her and the wind whipped into a wild fury. Raven’s foot slipped and she fell, sliding down the steep hill, losing her grip on the flashlight. Lightning flashed as she struggled to her feet, and she saw a figure on the dock, too tall to be Abby, but someone…Perhaps a searcher, looking for signs of the missing woman. The image was gone as quickly as the lightning. She opened her mouth to call out, but the wind tore the words from her lips.

  She didn’t try again—just ran the rest of the way down the slope, heedless of the rain and wind and mud. Another flash of lightning revealed an empty dock and, to the right, the figure she’d seen moved toward the Montgomery property. She planned to follow, but something pulled her toward the dock and the seething black water that surrounded it. Each flash of lightning brought her closer, until her feet pounded on slick wood.

  Her heart raced in her chest as she slid to a stop at the edge of the dock. “Abby!” This time her voice flew out, strong, firm, carrying across the water and back to her. “Abby!”

  Lightning slashed across the darkness of the lake, and there, just yards from the dock, a still, white figure floated in the water.

  “Dear God!” The words were a prayer shouted into the wind as Raven dove into the water, grabbed Abby and turned her over, dragging her toward shore, where she carried her up onto dirt and grass.

  “Breathe! Breathe!” She shouted the words as she pumped water from Abby’s lungs, felt for a pulse. She found it, thready, weak, but there. Heard the first coughing gasp of Abby’s breath.

  It was only then that Raven realized she and Abby weren’t alone. Someone stood beside her, a dark shadow, tall and thin in the gray night.

  “She alive?”

  Adam. The other half of the secret Abby had kept.

  “Yes. We’ll need to get help. It would be best for us to take her out on a backboard.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “We don’t have a choice. Carrying her out might worsen any injuries she sustained.”

  “Like I said. It won’t be necessary. Poor Aunt Abby didn’t survive and I’m afraid you didn’t, either.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Fear made Raven cold and she shivered as she stood, putting herself between Abby’s inert form and the man who should have been no threat, but seemed one.

  “That isn’t funny, Adam.”

  “Neither is your interference. This could have been over days ago if not for you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She edged to the side, leading him away from Abby, desperately hoping someone would come.

  “Don’t act stupid. You know. Why else would you be here? Everyone else assumed Abby would be near the cottage—she’s been so fixated on Thea lately. They’re searching the woods and fields on both sides of the road. And here you are, just come from the cemetery. What did you find there, Raven? Anything interesting? Anything you might want to tell people about?”

  “I thought Abby might visit Daniel’s grave.”

  “You don’t lie well, you know. Not that it matters. I can’t let you go now. Abby has to die tonight, before someone else starts making connections. The sheriff’s already questioning people about Thea’s disappearance. Can you believe it? A black woman, gone thirty-five years, and he’s nosing at the story, trying to find clues.”

  “Clues to what? She left town. Everyone knows that.” Raven took another step back, leading him farther away from Abby as thunder again shook the world.

  “You know what happened to Thea. I don’t know how, but you do. And that makes you as dangerous to me as my dear, softhearted aunt.”

  “It was an accident, Adam. Your father didn’t mean to kill Thea. What harm will it do for people to know what happened? For Thea to get a proper burial? For her family to have closure.”

  His laughter filled the air around them, vying with the storm for control of the night. “So Abby really believed me. I always wondered. Always worried that one day she’d realize how unlikely my story was and go to the police.”

  “What do you mean?” But Raven knew. Lightning flashed and she saw the evil in his eyes. She shuddered and took another step back, hoping to buy time.

  “I mean, I should have killed her thirty-five years ago. Should have made it look like my father went crazy. Instead I let her live, afraid the police might see through my story. Abby was soft—she didn’t want to hurt Thea’s family or mine—but I always worried she’d crack under the pressure of keeping the secret. I was right.”

  “She didn’t tell anyone.”

  “No, but she will. Even if it is just the ramblings of an old lady. I thought I’d have her put away somewhere, in a place where no one knew about Thea Trebain. Shane wouldn’t hear of it. So I had no choice. It was Abby or me. You should have stayed out of it.”

  Suddenly he lunged for her, his shadow moving in the darkness, and then his hands were grasping her arms, tugging her forward, pulling her toward the lake.

  She struggled and fought against his hold, twisting until he pulled her arm up behind her back.

  “Stop fighting. It won’t do any good. The end will be the same.”

  “You killed Thea, didn’t you? That’s why you’re doing this.”

  He laughed again, the sound bitter and filled with hate. “That’s the only part of the story that was true. Her death was an accident. I was home alone, Mom and my sisters gone for a week. Dad out on a walk. My bags were packed, ready for my trip back to college. Thea came to the door, said she needed to speak to my father. One look at her and I knew she was pregnant. Didn’t take a genius to know whose baby it was. I told her to get out. She refused.”

  “So you shot her.”

  “I took out my father’s gun, waved it around, threatened her. That would have been it, but she grabbed the gun. It went off. She was dead before she hit the floor. Next thing I knew Dad was in the room, screaming, accusing me of murder. He reached for the phone and I did what I had to do—put the gun up against his head and pulled the trigger.”

  “No.”

  “It was Dad’s fault. He saw Thea at her mother’s funeral and couldn’t resist, started sneaking off to see her every few days. Not that I blame him. Mom was a cold fish. Still, can you imagine what people would have thought if Dad had done the right thing and acknowledged that baby?” He shoved Raven forward as he spoke, his hold still tight on her arm.

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I’m smart. No way was I going to pay for something my father caused. So I called Abby, told her Thea had planned to leave town, that Dad had threatened to kill himself if she did. Told her they’d struggled over the gun, that I’d run in just as the gun went off, that when Dad saw what he’d done, he killed himself. She bought it, hook, line and sinker.”

  “And you convinced her to help you hide what happened.”

  “Exactly. She loved them both too much to let their names be dragged through the mud. Worked out nicely. Until now.”

  They were on the dock, water seething on either side, rain slashing from the sky, making the wood slippery. Raven used it to her advantage and pretended to fall, twisting as Adam’s grip loosened. She turned, shoving hard against his hold, hearing rather than seeing him go down. His fingers grazed her ankle, grasping for a hold as she leaped away, off the dock and into the churning water.

  Streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, but it wasn’t that Raven feared. Adam was up, a dark shadow leaping off the dock and into the water toward her. She dove below the surface and did the one thing she thought he wouldn’t exp
ect, swimming back toward the dock, grasping slick, wet wood and pulling herself up.

  He’d seen her. She could hear his shouted curse. Then she was on the dock, feet flying, her one thought, Abby. A hundred yards. Fifty. She could see Abby’s still form lying abandoned on the sandy ground.

  “Abby! Get up! Run!”

  Abby stirred, shifted, opened her eyes.

  “Hurry!”

  Something caught at Raven’s hair, dragging her backward, and Adam was there, his teeth flashing white in the darkness.

  “A hero’s death for a wonderful and caring nurse. Dying in the line of duty. Seems fitting, don’t you think?” He shouted the words above the sound of the storm, above the pounding of Raven’s heart, and her terrified gasping.

  She screamed, tried to loosen his hold as he dragged her back into the water and shoved her head beneath the surface. She forced herself to go limp, forced herself not to struggle. Her fingers brushed the bottom of the lake, searched the mud and muck, found something hard. She pulled it up, waited, her lungs burning, until the moment she knew would come, the moment Adam thought he’d won.

  His hold relaxed, and she lunged, slamming the rock into his face. He howled and fell back, and she whirled away, water and mud trying to hold her back, screaming for Abby. She knew it was only a matter of time before Adam had her again. And then he was on her, slamming her onto the ground, dragging her backward.

  Someone was screaming. Shane could hear the sound above the pounding storm around him. “You hear that?”

  “What?” Jake paused, looked around at the gravestones. “All I hear is rain and thunder.”

  “Someone’s screaming. I’m sure of it.” The sound came again, this time louder, as if someone were racing toward them from the lake.

  “Let’s go!”

  They ran down the hill, their lights illuminating the darkness, and then saw a figure, stumbling along the path. “It’s Abby!”

  All the worry, all the fear Shane had been carrying with him for the past hour disappeared. He sprinted forward, pulling her into a hug. “Abby, thank goodness, I’ve been worried sick. Let’s get you home.”

  “No. He’s got her. Hurry. Hurry.”

  And that’s when Shane heard another scream.

  He didn’t stop to ask, didn’t bother trying to think about what it meant. Just raced down the slope, sliding, slipping in the mud and grass, rain and wind beating at his face, stinging his eyes. Blinding him.

  He heard a grunt, a muted scream, and then turned his light in the direction of the sounds. Two people were struggling near the edge of the lake. One larger, stronger, dragging the other into the water. The smaller figure, fighting, pushing with arms and legs—long, wet hair trailing into the black water.

  Shane dropped the light and sprinted across the space that separated them, then pulled at the man, jerking him back from Raven, tackling him to the ground and holding him there.

  “You got him?” Jake shouted through the darkness, his light bobbing close, then landing on the face of the man Shane held.

  “Adam?”

  His cousin bucked, tried to free himself, but he was years older and pounds lighter, and Shane held him still.

  “You murdering—” Shane began.

  “Cool it.” Jake grabbed Shane’s shoulder, urging him up. Then he pulled Adam to his feet. “Seems we’ve got some things to discuss, Mr. Meade.”

  “I want a lawyer.”

  “You’ll get one. But let’s make sure you know your rights first.”

  Shane didn’t bother listening—just turned away and knelt on the sand near Raven, bracing her shoulders as she coughed lake water onto the ground. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  “I—I’m fine. Where’s Abby?” She gasped the words out, her teeth chattering, her body shaking so hard Shane didn’t know how she’d managed to speak.

  “I’m here.”

  And to Shane’s surprise, Abby knelt beside Raven and put a frail arm around her waist.

  “I’m here,” she repeated.

  “Oh, Abby. I was so worried.”

  “Why? Didn’t you know the gallant knight would rescue us? That’s the way it should always happen.”

  Raven’s laughter was watery, but real, and Shane started to pull his hands away, knowing she’d be fine, knowing it was time to move away.

  She caught his hand. “Don’t go.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” And he settled back down, still holding her hand, knowing that everything he’d hoped for was encompassed in those two simple words.

  “Everyone okay?” Jake’s light bobbed across the ground.

  “Looks like it.” Shane stood and helped Raven and Abby to their feet, putting an arm around each.

  “Good. I’ve got an ambulance coming just in case. Let’s get back to the house. See if we can make head or tail of what’s going on.” He stepped past them, pulling Adam along.

  Raven stumbled a little as Shane urged her forward. Her legs felt shaky, her body trembled, but it felt good to have his arm around her shoulders, guiding her as they moved up the hill.

  As they crested the rise the sound of voices rose above the storm. She could see lights moving toward them, and shadowy figures rushing through the rain.

  “Mom!” Mark appeared, his face illuminated by the flashlight he held, worry creasing his forehead as he pulled Abby into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

  “No thanks to Adam.” Shane’s arm tightened around Raven as he spoke, and she leaned her head against his chest, too tired to do more than listen.

  “I know. Officer Marshal just brought word that they found Renee. She said she was paid to sedate Abby. That Adam brought her the pill, told her to make sure the alarm system wasn’t set. He said he wanted to bring Abby outside, make it look like she was wandering again—that it was the only way to get Abby the care she obviously needed.”

  “It’s more likely he wanted to take her outside, put her in the garage and make it look like she set fire to the place.”

  Raven shuddered at the thought, and Shane rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

  “You’re freezing. Come on, let’s get back to the house. We can talk there.”

  Then, before she realized what he was going to do, he lifted her into his arms and began walking.

  “Shane, put me down. I’m too heavy.”

  “You’re light as a feather.”

  “I can walk. You don’t have to carry me.”

  “Sure I do. It’s in the job description.”

  “Gallant knight?”

  “No, good friend. More…if you’ll let me.”

  She shifted, looping her arms around his neck, enjoying the strength of his shoulders, the heat of his skin beneath her hands—and the knowledge that with Shane she would always be safe, always be loved.

  “How could I resist?”

  Epilogue

  “I’m telling you, this soup is poisoned.”

  “It isn’t soup, Mom. It’s mashed potatoes. And it isn’t poisoned.”

  Raven smiled as she walked into the house and heard Mark’s voice drifting down the hall.

  She took off her coat, tapped snow off her boots and rubbed Merry behind her ears, calming the dog’s happy dancing. “Where’s Shane, girl? Still in his office? Or has he finally come up for air?”

  Merry barked and raced toward the kitchen.

  If he wasn’t done, Shane should be finishing soon, and Raven was prepared. She lifted the grocery bags and headed for the kitchen.

  The room was warm and bright, a welcome after the snowy grayness of the February day. Even more welcome were the people who filled the kitchen—not just Abby and Mark, but Ben and Shane. Raven smiled and stepped into the room.

  “Looks like I’m late for the party.”

  “You’re back. I’ve been waiting for hours.” Shane jumped up from his chair and hurried toward her, a grin on his face.

  “Sorry. It was snowing, so everyone in Lakeview was buying grocerie
s.”

  “Don’t let him fool you, sis. I’ve been here for an hour and can tell you for sure that Shane walked in the door less than fifteen minutes ago.” Ben pulled out a chair. “Sit down and eat. It’s still warm.”

  “Cooking again, Ben? You’ll spoil us.” But she moved toward the table anyway and slid into the seat, placing the bags on the floor near her feet.

  “Gives me someone to cook for besides myself. I’ve got to run—meeting tonight. I’ll see you all Sunday.” He kissed Abby’s head and Raven’s cheek before he left.

  “What a nice young man.”

  “Yes, he is,” Raven answered, but her attention was on Shane as he slid into the chair next to her.

  “I finished. Finally.”

  “I knew it would be today.”

  “Did you? You’re not just gorgeous, you’re a mind reader.”

  “And bearer of gifts.” She reached into the bag and pulled out two cartons of ice cream. “Chocolate for Abby. Butter pecan for you.”

  “Then it’s time to celebrate. But first I need to talk to you. Out in the hall.”

  Something serious—Raven could tell by the hardness in his eyes. She stood and followed him into the hall. “What is it?”

  “Jake called. Adam’s appealing.”

  “That isn’t a surprise.”

  “I know, but I wanted to tell you anyway.”

  Raven nodded, lost in thought. The discovery of Thea’s body. Her funeral. The press and media that had bled the story. Adam’s trial and conviction. The hate and fire she’d seen in his eyes as she testified.

  She shuddered and Shane wrapped his arms around her, speaking against her hair.

  “He won’t win.”

  “I hope not.”

  “He won’t. The evidence is compelling even without your testimony and Renee’s.”

  “I still worry.”

  “Don’t. It’s over. Adam’s going to pay for what he did.”