When Love's Gone Country (Sequel two of the Embracing Love Trilogy) (23 page)

“I’ll call you. Be careful.”

“I will.”

They hung up their phones. It wasn’t like the ranch to feel so eerie, but with no other souls around, she felt like she was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. “What would you say, Rod Serling?”

Purity surveyed the area. What she needed was some place to hide where she could see everything. She put her ring tone on light only, then headed toward the covered area of the cow paddock.

Hay bales were stacked against one wall, but there was about a twelve-inch opening near the roof. If she could climb up and lay as flat as possible, she might be able to see out without getting noticed.

Climbing was more difficult than she thought and the hay was making her sneeze. When she was about four bales high, she looked down. “Mistake. Don’t look down. It’s all in your head. Just keep climbing.”

The hay bales became less balanced the higher she climbed. Several straps were hanging to the right. She used them to help her balance. She finally reached the top and pulled herself up and over the bales until she was in a sitting position.

She looked out to see the orchard and gazebo to her right, the cow paddock to her left, the chicken coop to her far left and the road to the main house and ranch hand quarters straight ahead. No one would get past without her knowledge.

Purity pulled her shirt up over her nose to help eliminate the sneezing and cover her face. The last thing she needed was someone realizing where she was hiding. She put her cell phone on her lap so she’d be able to see the flashing light when Brad called.

When fifteen minutes had elapsed and she hadn’t seen anyone, nor received a phone call, her worries deepened. She texted Alex, then Meg and Bobby. No one replied.

She was about to text Brad when she heard a rustling sound coming from the orchard. She scanned the area, but didn’t see anything.

There it was again. But this time it wasn’t so much rustling as a banging, like a screen door on a porch. There were no screen doors in the orchard. It didn’t make sense. What kind of door would you put in an orchard?

A cellar door. Maybe they stored bins of apples down there. It would be cool. Do they have twisters around here? She had no idea. How big was a cellar? Probably as big as you wanted to make it.

“I don’t care what you say, I’m not doin’ it,” String said.

“Don’t know why you’re gettin’ a conscience now,” Red said.

“I don’t hurt kids, women or animals. Period.”

“You’d be puttin’ the dog out of his misery. He’s hurtin’. You’d be doin’ him a favor.”

“I ain’t no dog killer. You want to put a bullet in his head, then you do it.” String quickly turned and walked toward the main house.

“Don’t you walk away from me.”

“And don’t you threaten me.” String never halted his pace.

“If you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself.” Red headed back toward the orchard.

Purity watched him closely. Past the gazebo on the left about twenty paces, he disappeared from her view. She heard the squeal of a door hinge followed by the bang of a door closing. “It is a cellar door. Ten will you give you twenty that he’s got everyone tucked away down there. How do I get ‘em out?”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Purity had a text message from Brad. Jacob was being taken to surgery to have drain tubes placed in his lungs. He inhaled too much river water. Courtney was breathing easier after two respiratory treatments.

Pure made a call, then headed toward the main house, keeping a watch out for String and Red. It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. Frank kept his guns under lock and key. The key was hidden in the Bible by his bedside. It was the first place Purity looked.

“Love God and love my guns,” she said. She gathered up six weapons, then began scouring the closets for smoke bombs. “Don’t farmers use them to keep bugs off their crops? Maybe that was just smoke. Probably a bad idea anyway. If I can’t get everyone out of the cellar, they could die of smoke inhalation.”

She’d have given anything to have at least one other person there to mull over ideas with. Time was running out. If Red meant his threat, women, children and animals were in harm’s way. Jeremy came to mind immediately. “If he touches one hair on his head, I’ll…” Pure’s hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will be bad. Really, really bad.”

She gathered up the guns and ammo and headed toward the door. A muffled sound stopped her in her tracks. She heard it again.

She followed the sound to the closet in the hall. A knife had been jammed into the space by the door handle. Purity pulled the knife out with a grunt and a gasp, then opened the door. Frank and Emma were bound and gagged. Duct tape covered their mouths. She quickly helped them get free. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Red. He’s behind it all. He wants to take the ranch from us. Doesn’t think we deserve it.”

“You’re bleeding.” Purity gathered towels from the bathroom and pressed one against Frank’s forehead.

“I’ll be fine.”

“What happened to your eye?”

“He hit me with the butt of his gun. Damn coward!” Emma said. “Is everyone okay?”

Purity shook her head. “I think they’re all in the orchard cellar.”

“How do you know about that?” Frank asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“Do you know there are two entrances?”

“That I didn’t know. Where’s the other one?”

“By the chicken coop.”

“That’s a long way from the orchard.”

“It’s a big cellar.” Emma said. “There’s electricity and everything. That’s where we make our applesauce.”

“C’mon, let’s go get that son of a bitch.”

“I called the police. They’re on their way.”

“You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t,” Frank said.

“Why?”

“Chief of Police is Red’s brother,” Emma said.

“Oh, no. I told them everything.”

“Who’d you talk to?”

“I don’t know. It was a woman.”

“That’d be Emma Lou. She and Red dated for a while. They broke up on bad terms. We might have caught a break.”

“She’d probably like to see ol’ Red get his comeuppance.”

“Let’s hope so,” Pure said. She helped Frank and Emma get to their feet. “Are you sure you feel up to this?”

“Hell yes! I don’t take kindly to someone tryin’ to steal what’s mine.”

“And neither do I,” Emma said.

Purity distributed the guns, two to Frank and two to Emma, keeping two for herself, and they headed toward the chicken coop. They kept constant vigil as they moved quickly.

“It’s around the back,” Emma said. “It just looks like a small cupboard for storing things, but it ain’t.” She pulled on the chain around her neck until a ring of keys came riding up from out of her bra. “Gotta keep these close to my heart.”

She found the key so fast, Purity had to marvel at her speed. With so many keys on the ring, she found it nigh on to impossible that Emma could remember what each and every one was for.

“You’ll have to bend over in half and put one leg in, then the other. Skooch over a bit, then you can stand upright. Watch me.”

Purity watched, then followed Emma’s movements. Frank did the same, shutting the door behind him and relocking it.

“There’s a switch here somewhere.” Emma felt around until she found the wall switch, then flipped it up. Light flooded the area.

“It’s huge!”

“Half the size of a football field,” Frank said. “And this is only about a quarter of it. There’s a hidden connecting hallway.”

“Why all the secrecy?” Pure asked.

“There’s a lot of people who want to know how we make our applesauce. People will go to extremes to get information. It’s powerful. And, it would put us out of business if anyone was successful,” Emma said.

There were machines and vats and bins that Purity couldn’t identify as well as large stainless steel tables and some kind of contraption Pure was sure must be a conveyor belt of some kind.

When they reached an area with floor-to-ceiling shelving, Frank pressed an almost invisible button and a display panel appeared. He tapped in a code and then swung the unit to the side, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

“When we get to the other side, we’ll need to be quiet. That’s where the other connecting door is. We don’t know what’s happenin’ on the other side of that door,” Emma said.

“I think we should try and take one person at a time back through the corridor. If they have everyone on the ranch down there, it will take ‘em a while to notice anyone’s even missin’,” Frank said. “The fewer people in danger, the better.”

Purity nodded.

They reached the doorway and Frank tapped in the code, then nodded to Emma to turn off the hallway light before he began to open the door. He pushed on the door gently, barely nudging it open half an inch.

“Don’t ever’body speak at once,” Red said. “No one’s leavin’ here ‘til I get answers. I got all night, but he don’t.”

Purity felt her heart seize when she saw a gun being held against Jeremy’s head. As if the boys didn’t already have enough to overcome in therapy!

Bamma, TJ and Jessica were standing close by. Frank touched Jessica on the elbow and she turned. He held his finger to his lips. Jessica nodded. Frank pointed to the group, then used his thumb to point back to the hallway. Jessica nodded again. She casually nudged Bamma, then nodded behind her. He turned, saw Frank, and edged his way toward him until he was inside the corridor.

Jessica led person after person, very slowly, back through the hallway, always making sure her body was to the right and could be seen easily by Red.

Bamma whispered to Purity that there were around thirty people in the cellar.

“What does he want?” Pure asked.

“The secret to the healin’ well.”

“Does anyone know it?”

Bamma shrugged. “I sure as heck don’t.”

“Has anyone been hurt?”

“Just that big dog. He shot him in the leg.”

Purity could feel her anger rising higher. She headed back toward Frank and Emma. “We have to take him down. We can’t get any more people out of the room or he’s going to notice.”

“How many we got?”

“There are eleven in the hall now.”

Frank nodded. “I only know one way to shoot. I’m aimin’ for his heart. Even though I don’t think he’s got one.”

“I’ll take out his knees,” Emma said.

“I’m not sure I should even shoot. I may end up hitting Jeremy,” Pure said.

“I’ll do it,” Jessica said. “I was a police officer for eight years. Top of my class at the Academy. Marksmanship was my specialty.”

Purity handed her both the guns.

“On three,” Frank whispered, then mouthed, one, two, three.

They were through the door silently in seconds. Shots rang out as people ducked. Jeremy ran toward Meg and Bobby.