“Let’s go check out Brandy’s space again,” Harriet said and pulled a small flashlight from her purse. “Who knows what else she has hidden in there.”
She led the way down the trail.
“What was that?” Lauren asked as they reached Brandy’s space.
“What was what?” Harriet asked.
“Shhh,” Lauren said.
The two women stopped, and Harriet strained to hear what Lauren was talking about.
“If I had a drink, I know I could find it,” Brandy said in her customary slur.
The sound of a slap echoed through the woods.
“I’ll give you a drink, alright,” Ronald boomed. “You show me where Duane hid his money, and you can drown in it, for all I care.”
“It’s hard to see in the dark,” Brandy whimpered.
Harriet shone her light around the young woman’s campsite, stopping at one place where the branches that formed the backdrop of her sleeping area were broken in a regular pattern.
“Look,” she said to Lauren. “It looks like there might be a trail through here.”
They pushed their way through the brush, following the direction of the broken branches, and soon found themselves on a cleared trail that was above and parallel to a wider trail.
“That must be a branch of the main trail,” Lauren whispered.
They heard the unmistakable sound of flesh slapping flesh.
“Come on,” Harriet said then stopped suddenly and pointed.
They were directly above Ronald and Brandy-and Ronald’s gun. He poked the young woman in the ribs with the barrel.
“Okay, okay,” Brandy cried. “It’s ahead. You have to move that log to the side.”
“Oh, young lady, you don’t think I’m going to fall for such a simple ruse, do you? As soon as I bend over to move the log, you either hit me in the head or take off down the trail.”
“No, I wouldn’t lie to you, really. I promise,” Brandy whined.
“Let her go,” Detective Morse said. She and Aiden had appeared from a side trail. Morse was holding a nasty-looking black gun in her hand.
“It seems we have a standoff,” Ronald said. “Take another step closer, and I shoot the girl. Walking in the woods is not a crime, so you see, you really have no business here.”
“If you’re not doing anything wrong, let the girl go.” Morse said in a level voice.
“I think we both know I can’t do that.” He pointed the gun at Brandy’s head. “Now, step back and put your gun down, or this ends very badly for my young friend.”
Morse backed up and slowly set her gun on the trail in front of her.
Ronald had his back to Harriet and Lauren. Detective Morse was focused on Ronald. Aiden looked up and caught Harriet’s eye. He remained motionless, giving no indication that he’d seen anything.
Harriet backed up slightly, pushing Lauren backward until they were out of sight of either group below.
“What are you doing?” Lauren whispered.
“Morse doesn’t have any backup coming,” Harriet whispered back. “Even if we left here undetected-where would we go? Who would we call?”
“So, what’s the plan, Ace?”
Harriet looked around.
“We could hit him with rocks,” she suggested.
“And he could shoot Brandy as a result.”
“He’s likely to do that anyway. He’s got nothing to lose. And Aiden spotted us. He can distract Ronald, and we can hit him with a rock.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Maybe,” Harriet whispered. “But if we use a big enough rock, we don’t have to be very accurate.”
“We both know you have no backup,” Ronald said to Detective Morse. “And I’m thinking the fact you showed up at this exact location means you have some reason to believe this is, in fact, where Duane hid his money. I’ve been patient with you, but frankly I’m getting cold. So, what’s it going to be? Will I shoot you all? Or will you move this log for me and fetch the money?”
Morse looked at Aiden.
“We better move the log,” she said.
Harriet gestured at a large rock that was at the side of the trail. It took both of them to pick it up. They shuffled into position directly above Ronald.
Harriet looked at Aiden; he gave the slightest of nods.
On three, she mouthed.
They swung their rock back, forward, back again then launched it over the bank and onto Ronald.
Aiden sprang forward as the rock crashed into Ronald’s back, forcing him to his knees. The gun fell from his hand, and Aiden kicked it toward Detective Morse as he attempted to haul Ronald to his feet. Ronald’s face had gone white.
“His heart medicine is in his pocket,” Harriet said.
Aiden fished in Ronald’s pockets until he found the pills. He opened the tube with one hand and tipped one out. He pushed it between Ronald’s lips, but Ronald promptly spat it out. Aiden pulled out another one then pinched Ronald’s nose closed before pushing the second one between his lips.
Ronald gasped, and the pill disappeared.
“You’re not taking the easy way out,” Aiden said and pulled him to his feet.
Detective Morse took a pair of handcuffs from her belt and secured them around Ronald’s wrists.
Harriet and Lauren backtracked through Brandy’s sleeping space then down the trail into the woods, making several turns based on where they now knew the rest were.
“That was a risky move,” Morse said after she had finished reciting the Miranda warning to Ronald. “You’re very lucky it worked out.”
“I think you’re the lucky one,” Aiden told her.
Harriet felt the weight on her heart lift a little.
“This guy could have shot us all.”
“And would have,” Ronald said, puffing his chest out.
“Did I mention…” Morse asked, looking at Ronald, “…you have the right to remain silent? I suggest you exercise that right.”
“You want me to move the log?” Aiden asked.
Morse sighed a world-weary sigh.
“Given the resources I have at the moment, there’s little chance I can secure this crime scene, so yes, go ahead and move the log and see what’s behind it.”
“I can help,” Brandy offered.
“I think you’ve helped enough for one night,” Detective Morse said.
“I need a drink,” Brandy mumbled.
Aiden swung the log toward the clearing and pulled out several large dried fir boughs; his torso disappeared into the hillside. He backed out a moment later, a bulky leather messenger bag in his hands.
“Jackpot,” he said and handed the bag to Morse.
Jane Morse opened the bag’s flap. The bag was stuffed with stacks of bills. Harriet couldn’t see what the denomination was, but there was a lot of money in the bag, in any case.
“Harriet, could you drop us at the jail, please?” Detective Morse asked. “I want Darcy to process my vehicle as part of the crime scene.”
“Sure, but what about Brandy?”
“She’s home, isn’t she?”
“Oooh, that’s cold,” Lauren said.
“How about I take you and this guy,” Aiden said, “and Harriet can take Brandy and Lauren back to wherever they were before this all started.”
“That works,” Morse said.
Harriet and Lauren told their story to the group gathered in Harriet’s dining room at least four times before Aunt Beth finally said, “Enough.”
“I think it’s time to have that pie now,” Mavis said.
“I’ll get the dishes,” Harriet said.
“You’ll do no such thing, chiquita.” Jorge followed Mavis into the kitchen.
“Here, take this little rat,” Tom said and plopped the freshly walked Carter into Lauren’s lap. “He whined the whole time you were gone.”
“That’s a fact,” Connie said.
“Well, I’m back, and as soon as we have our pie, we’re going back to our house. We’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
Mavis and Jorge served cherry pie to everyone then helped themselves to pieces. Then, one by one, the dinner guests left, with Tom giving Brandy and Joyce a ride back to the homeless camp before heading back to the Renfros’.