Digging Up Death (A Mari Duggins Mystery) (32 page)

Henderson shoved me toward the back door. Like a mummy, I staggered on, resigned to my fate. My children would end up orphans like me. Just like me.

Death hovered, and I welcomed the numbness. But when I stepped into the darkness, the shadow before me shocked me back from the grave.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

9:25 p.m.

“MARI?”

I blinked several times, thinking he was a mirage standing before me, that this endless night had warped my reality. But there he was. He wasn’t dead. He’d come for me. And my body resurrected as it welcomed new life.

Leaping into his embrace, I threw my bound arms over his head. My purse knocked against him. I drank in his presence like downing a cool cup of water after an endless trek through the desert. The sweet scent of his sweat mixed with peppermint made me … gag. “Jack, how could you?” I pulled myself off, catching the nape of his neck with my wrists.

“Youch, nice to see you, too.” Jack’s green eyes retreated under a furrowed brow, then darted to Henderson, then back to me.

“What an unexpected, but touching reunion.” Henderson stroked his smooth chin, his jaw tensing.

“Theron, what’s going on?”

“I think the question of the hour is what are
you
doing here?” Henderson tugged my leash. I stumbled back, the gun pressing against my head. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Whoa.” Jack held up his hands and pushed in front of me. I turned, my limbs shaking as I peered over Jack’s shoulder into the eyes of the man who held our fate.

“Sorry, Jack, you’re not needed on this one. Mari has been sticking her pretty little nose where it doesn’t belong. But I can work with this.”

“Theron, think this through.” Jack’s voice quivered. “You need me. I can still make it happen.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Henderson wasn’t lying about Jack.

Henderson shoved Jack into me. I stumbled, and Jack steadied me. “I’m so sorry to get you involved in this,” he whispered, his breath tickling my neck as he squeezed my shoulders. “Mari, I’ve never stopped loving you.”

My body stiffened at his touch. His deception. Numbness besieged me. I had been dreaming of this moment for two years but never imagined it like this. As I stood there next to my ex, all I could think about was Fletcher and how I wished he were here holding me instead of Jack. That he’d been the one to come to my rescue and that maybe it would have been better if Jack was dead.

“You had your chance, Jack. It didn’t pan out. You’re lucky to have lived this long in the business. Now at least you and Mari will be together … in death.” Henderson nudged Jack forward. “Walk.”

Jack grabbed my shoulders, caressed my arms. “Trust me, babe.”

Babe? We were way past “babe.” How could I trust a man after he left and betrayed his family? Someone who wasn’t who he claimed to be? I searched through the past, trying to pinpoint the exact moment he turned. But there was nothing indicating a change, except when he left two years ago. Could that have been the time Jack hooked up with Henderson and this smuggling ring? Jack had always been a loving father and an attentive husband until then. Lying and stealing, forgery and smuggling. That was unforgivable.

My gut wrenched at my own hypocrisy. Hadn’t I lied and destroyed evidence? Wasn’t I forgiven? I even preached to Danny about forgiving his father, this madman.

I slipped into the cart first. Jack sat behind the wheel. Henderson ducked in the rear seat, the gun going from Jack’s head to mine. The barrel pressed against my skull.

“Jack, don’t think about playing the hero. I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.” From the hitch in Henderson’s voice, I knew he wasn’t bluffing.

Elizabeth said God would hear my prayers. But he hadn’t. I’d like to see Elizabeth try to explain the good in all this at my funeral. A raw heaviness weighed on my soul. I glimpsed the man next to me, the man behind me. Two men I thought I knew. Whom I now despised.

God, if any good can come out of this…
“Whatever you do to us, they’ll find out the truth.” I didn’t know whether I was trying to convince Henderson or myself.

“Oh, I don’t think they’ll question your conspiracy when they find both of your bodies in the ravine with stolen artifacts in your possession.”

Jack glanced at his right side, then at me. The cart swerved, just missing a sandpit.

“Easy, Jack. You won’t want me to mess up Mari’s pretty, little face.” Henderson bounced in the rear seat as if he were a kid enjoying a carnival ride. “Just to make sure you stay dead, I have a little insurance.” He pulled a small bottle from his satchel and waved it between Jack and me.

Jack clutched the wheel. “What’s that?”

“You’re as inquisitive as your lovely ex.” He turned to me. “Hope you’re not afraid of needles. It’s a little succinylcholine to make sure you stay dead. Unlike me.”

I inhaled deeply. “Whatever you inject in us will show up in the blood work. It will be traced to Susan, then to you.”

“Wrong again, Mari. This drug only stays in the body five minutes. It paralyzes your muscles until you suffocate.”

“How could you?” I tried to wiggle free. He jerked the leash. The wires bit my wrists. “We’ve worked side by side for years.”

Jack turned and stared at me, his eyes telling me to back down and trust him. Trust him?

“Maybe if you’re lucky the crash will kill you before you suffocate.”

Breath squeezed from my lungs. If he tormented me much longer, I wouldn’t need the injection.

“So you see, I thought this all out. By the time they find you the drug will be gone from your system. Now relax and enjoy the ride. We’re almost there.”

The endless moments of silence that passed unnerved me more than the gun pressed against my head. The cougar crying just beyond the trees didn’t help either.

Henderson led us through a putting green. “Stop the cart.”

The trickle of a brook in the distance accelerated my anxiety. I guess this was my green pastures and still waters. Some answer to prayer.

“Tie him to the wheel.” Henderson threw me the excess wire, the gun still at my head.

He had to be crazy if he thought I could do what he asked with my own hands tied up. I held the wire and looked at Jack. The man who saved me and won my heart all those years ago, then betrayed our love. We were no longer joined in marriage, but we would be bound in death. I gazed into his eyes. So full of sorrow and regret and—wait—something else. Hope and determination? My spirit recharged. Something was brewing inside his head.

“Time’s wasting, Mari.” Henderson growled. “Tie him up tight. And don’t think I won’t know the difference.”

Jack’s hand inched toward his pocket. “Not a smart move, Jack. Now remove whatever is in your pocket and do it slowly.”

With eyes fixed on me, Jack slipped out a dagger with an etched-out cartouche on the pommel handle. My gut wrenched. It was the same gold Egyptian dagger Fletcher had on the set.

“It truly is exquisite. Thanks, Jack, for retrieving this for me.”

I licked my lips. Was this Jack’s plan? To use a priceless, dulled artifact against Henderson? I surely hoped—no, prayed—Jack had a backup plan. The sparkle in his green eyes told me he hadn’t given up hope yet. Neither could I. “Detective Lopez won’t believe I was involved. He’s already on your trail.”

“Oh, Mari, I didn’t leave a trail.” He grabbed the dagger with his right hand and cocked the gun. “Now tie him up or I’ll kill you.”

I wet my lips and swallowed. “If you didn’t leave a trail, then how did I find you?”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

9:45 p.m.

HENDERSON GLARED AT ME, speechless, his mouth pursed. I must have touched a nerve. Did he actually expect me to lie down and surrender my life without a struggle? He blinked rapidly, then his eyes narrowed. Yes, I definitely touched a nerve. Good. I lifted my chin, daring him to shoot, knowing full well he wouldn’t. He couldn’t if he wanted my death to look like an accident.

“Even if they do catch on, I’ll be long gone, out of the country.” Henderson’s crimson cheeks turned ashen. “Susan can take the fall. Now you’re trying what little patience I have left. Tie. Him. Up.”

I’m not sure what made me do it, but when I threw the wire to the floor, Jack leapt over the seat. A crack sounded against my head. Pain tore through my skull, spots peppered my vision. Jack tumbled from the cart with Henderson on top of him. I couldn’t tell who grunted and who groaned. Staring at them struggle, I reached for the wound on my head, where it throbbed with blinding intensity. How could I still be alive? I examined my hands. Shaky. No blood.

“Mari! Catch!” Jack tossed me a cell phone, but Henderson caught it before he pinned Jack to the ground.

“Nice try,” Henderson grunted, then threw the phone under the cart.

I dodged flailing arms and legs trying to reach it, but it was no use.

“Run … get help!” Jack’s wide eyes sparked more fear in me than his words as he held Henderson’s hands inches from his throat, but I couldn’t move.

“Mari, get out of here. Run and don’t look back. No matter what.” Jack’s desperation ignited my legs. I kicked off my heels and ran aimlessly through the grass into the darkness, away from danger.

A blast of air beat against me, chilling my dampened sweater. Though most of my body ached and burned, I sprinted awkwardly with my hands still bound. A cramp pricked my side. I slowed to a power walk. Suddenly aware of my exhaustion, I peered over my shoulder into the black night. Nothing. Not that I would’ve seen anyone coming or could detect them above the rustle of the trees, howling wind, or my hysterical heart rate.

A hideous rock song played in the night. Some teenagers having a wild party. But there were no houses around for miles. The tune sounded familiar, close. Matt’s iPhone. I forgot I still had it. I dug through my purse and answered. “Mari, where are you? Are you okay?”

“Fletcher?” My heart thrilled at his voice. “You’re alive?” I quickened my pace.

“Can’t get rid of me … that easily.”

“I thought you were dead. All that blood.”

“Head wound … didn’t see it coming … hurts like mad. I need to find you. You’re not safe … Someone—”

“I know. It was Henderson. He’s alive.”

“What? Where are you?”

“At his estate … somewhere. I’m not sure. It’s dark.” Sobs blocked my throat. “Henderson almost killed us. Jack … I went to get help.”

“Hold on, I’m coming for you. Awww …” Something crashed in the background.

“Fletcher? Are you okay? Call the police. Tell Detective Lopez where I am… Fletcher? Fletcher?” No answer.

God, no! I ended the call, dialed Detective Lopez’s number, and left a message telling him where I was and to send an ambulance for Fletcher. I broke into a jog, sobbing. I was tired of people dying on me. Tired of the pain. Of being left alone.

Fervent prayers flowed from desperation for Fletcher. For Jack. Despite all the deception, I still cared for Jack. I didn’t want any harm to come to him, but I also knew I couldn’t protect him any longer. He would have to live with the consequences of his decisions and so would I, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice both our lives. Better our children have one parent than none.

Trying to remember the number on Ms. Bomani’s business card, I heard a cougar’s cry, much closer than before, penetrating the blare of the windstorm. I froze, my hair whipping my face. Where was it coming from? In front of me? Behind me? I turned three hundred and sixty degrees, squinting into the darkness. With heightened senses, I saw the silhouette of the trees in the distance, heard the squawking of a traumatized bird, felt the pulse in my neck.

I tried to recall everything I knew about cougars, but the only thing I remembered was the terrifying scene from the
Wilderness Family.
Someone running from the cougars. Someone falling … being attacked. All at once, the wind settled. A drumming louder than the beat of my heart thundered closer and closer. That’s when I knew I wasn’t coming out of the storm. I was headed straight into its fury.

The cougar’s cry shrieked louder, more intense. My chest tightened, then opened up. I gulped in a breath. That’s when I saw them. Glowing eyes like fireflies in the distance coming quickly at me. I tore off, sucking in air, barely able to mutter a prayer. Feeling a kick of adrenaline, I actually thought I could outrun this predator.

I fought the wire restraints, trying to break free to use my limbs to propel me forward. Instead, I ran like a penguin from a polar bear. The animal padded louder across the grass. All my energy focused on staying alive, seeing my children again. I ran fast. Very fast. Screams from the cougar grew more anxious. Tears welled. I knew at any moment it would pounce—and I was powerless to stop it.

Light flooded the golf course. Glancing over my shoulder, I twisted my ankle and fell into a pile of dirt. Eyes wide, I watched the cougar bound toward me. I shuffled backward, sand sticking to my sweaty limbs as I drew them close, wishing I was already dead and buried.

The cougar leapt. His flight graceful and serene. I remembered the prayer I prayed with Elizabeth. How one day I would be with Jesus. And in that moment, the peace of God shrouded me and somehow I knew death was nothing to be feared.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

10:03 p.m.

A THUNDEROUS CLAP PIERCED the air. The cougar dropped mid-flight, landing six inches to my right. I heaved, hugging my knees, watching, waiting for it to rise and strike, but it lay motionless. Dead.

“Mari?”

Something blanketed my shoulders.

“Mari, are you all right?” That voice. That sweet, wonderful voice.

I turned and threw my arms up, trying to hug Detective Lopez, but knocked him in the nose instead. “Sorry.”

He rubbed his schnaz. “That’s okay.” With a small knife, he cut my restraints and rubbed my wrist.

My body trembled, my teeth chattering like Ben’s toy mouth from the dentist’s treasure chest.

“You’re safe, Mari.” His Spanish lilt warmed me from head to toe. “You’re in shock, but you’re going to be fine.”