Cooper's Deale Part 19

"Get your a.s.s back to Deale," her handler yelled. "There's a new lead, and Cheatham and Gra.s.sley are on the move. They did a background check on the Gripp family. Seems Francis James Gripp is former Special Forces with more than a grudge against the military."

"That can't be. They're crazy. It's the Cooper woman, I tell you. I'm sure of it."

"Then go on to Oakland if you want. But the two agents just paid a visit to the Gripps, who apparently cleaned house and left. No one knows where they went."

"s.h.i.t. I'm on my way."

Liberty ran out of the terminal to the median, where she managed to hop on a shuttle leaving for the rental-car agency. If Cheatham and Gra.s.sley got the collar and it turned out that the Gripps were involved, she'd wind up with egg on her face. That couldn't happen. This was her case and n.o.body was taking it away from her.

The Gripps were probably Addy's means to an end-in on it to help her achieve her goals. Liberty just knew Addy was the brains behind this whole mess.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

Addy marveled at Karen lying next to her, the light from the hallway streaming through the cracks around the door. The window was slightly open and the breeze rocked the blinds in and out. The impending storm had stirred up a damp, dank odor from the vegetation and made the salt air heavy and thick.

But Karen commanded her attention, and for the first time in a long while, Addy felt at peace. Karen was still as beautiful as she remembered, with only a few minor lines around her eyes, signs of the sun rather than of age. And if Addy concentrated very hard, she could almost imagine that it was six years earlier and Karen was her entire world.

"What are you thinking?" Karen murmured.

Addy had believed Karen was asleep and that she observed her unknowingly. Should she tell Karen the truth, or were her feelings too new even for her to completely understand?

"I've been thinking about how much my life has changed so quickly. I'm back home in Deale, with this house and Tommy, and a new life. I thought things were going so well, and then this whole mess with the reporter and Liberty and G.o.d knows what else happened. Sometimes I can't imagine ever getting my life on track, and then something miraculous occurs. You step in and make everything all right again."

She gestured to the two of them in bed together. Never had she dreamed this would happen again, yet it felt as natural to be with Karen as if time had never pa.s.sed. She sighed, wishing she could close out the rest of the world and not move from this warmth and tranquility.

"I didn't always come to your support," Karen said.

"But you always believed in my innocence, and you never gave up on me. Not many people did."

"Fern and Chauncey were always there. And Dee-Dee has been too. She misses you and would love to see you again. But she's afraid you don't want her around."

Addy averted her eyes. "I know. I was hard on her. It wasn't fair of me to judge what happened in the past. It's over and done with. We all need to move on. I'll go see her tomorrow and try to make amends."

Frank cut the engines on the small fishing boat and let it glide close to sh.o.r.e. After Abel quietly lowered the anchor in about fifteen feet of water they prepared to go ash.o.r.e. Frank wanted to search the tree house for the film, and if they found it, they'd get rid of the crazy guy. If not, they'd take him with them and force him to tell them where it was. Either way, they'd eliminate the only witness. Frank had done it before, and he'd do it again. He wasn't about to give up now that he was so close to getting his revenge on the government.

"Let's go," he said.

He slipped into the water first and Clarence and Abel quickly followed.

"Holy s.h.i.t, this water's cold." Clarence's teeth were chattering.

"Shut up. I told you, no talking until this is over. Sound carries over water."

"Oh, oh, I think I've got a leg cramp." Abel splashed noisily.

"Jesus Christ."

Frank grabbed Abel by the collar and dragged him to shallow water.

"Stand up, you idiot. Now everybody shut up and let's get this thing done."

They waded to dry land and squished their way toward the Cooper house. A fl ash of lightning made them duck and drop to their knees. When a crack of thunder followed, they used the noise as cover to race inland to the safety of the woods. Following the tree line, they approached the red oak tree thirty yards away.

Frank led the way up the tree and, to his surprise, found the door to the tree house unlocked. Signaling them to silence, he slowly turned the k.n.o.b and went in. It was even darker inside, but he didn't dare turn on a light. Anyone could be watching from the main house, and he didn't want to draw attention. Feeling his way toward the back of the room, he was almost where he remembered the bed to be when something crashed behind him.

He spun around, but as he did, he knocked over a floor lamp that also clunked to the floor. Somebody shouted, and Frank began to run.

A m.u.f.fled crash from outside distracted Addy from Karen's tongue, lazily tracing a line from the inside of her thigh upward.

She didn't want Karen to stop, but perhaps she should find out what had caused the sound.

"Karen."

"Hmm?" Karen didn't slow in her path to victory. "Too fast?"

Her tongue came dangerously close to the point of no return, but more noises from outside concerned Addy. She gently pushed Karen's head out of the way and sat up.

"What was that?"

"What was what? I didn't hear a thing. Come on, baby, we're so close." Karen was reaching for Addy when a definite yelp sounded from the tree house.

"Something's wrong with Tommy." Addy crawled out of bed and reached for her robe.

They raced into the living room as Fern came stomping down the stairs, wire curlers in her hair and a baseball bat in her hand.

Right behind her was Chauncey, clad only in an undershirt and boxer shorts. Fern wore a revealing nightgown that left nothing to the imagination, and Addy had to look away.

"What in Sam Hill is going on?" Fern shouted.

"It's Tommy," Addy tossed over her shoulder as she ran out the back door.

Before Karen could add anything, a loud pounding at the front door caused them all to jump. Karen flung the door open, not really caring who it was in her hurry to get to the backyard.

She was shocked to see Liberty on the front porch, whereas Liberty seemed to be surprised that the entire household was up and awake, but she stepped into the house anyway.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing here?" Karen said.

"I need to talk to Tommy again."

"Come on, then," Karen called as she ran to the back of the house.

"What's going on?"

"I think it's burglars." Fern tapped the baseball bat in her open palm. "But I've dealt with my share of scoundrels before."

"The Gripps," Liberty said.

"What?"

"Come on, Fern." Liberty ran toward the back of the house, and Fern and Chauncey followed her. They burst into the yard just as several dark figures scrambled down the tree.

"There," Fern shouted, then tripped over her nightgown, sending her headlong into Chauncey.

Liberty and Karen ran after the intruders while Addy headed for the tree. She raced up and into the house, flipping on a light.

The room was in shambles, with broken gla.s.s and a lamp strewn across the floor.

"Tommy," Addy yelled, beginning to sift through the wreckage. "Tommy, where are you?"

She panicked as she tossed objects out of her way. The place was too small to hide anyone, and when she finally looked under the bed and still couldn't find him, she collapsed on the floor in desperation.

Chauncey entered the kitchen. "Tommy?" he asked, his face betraying his bewilderment.

Addy shook her head, unable to speak for the choking sensation in her throat. But she didn't have time to cry. She had to find him. She struggled from her place on the floor and stumbled to the door. Fern waited below, baseball bat still in hand.

"Is Tommy okay?" she asked.

"He's gone."

Liberty flew through the woods, trying to keep the intruders in sight, and periodic flashes of lightning helped. She vaguely recollected the layout of the Cooper property, recalling the path that wound to the sh.o.r.e. But racing through the unknown terrain left her uneasy. She had no backup save the deputy, who wasn't even armed, and she didn't know for certain how many bad guys they were chasing. At any moment, one of them could circle around behind them and take them down. Karen was stumbling along behind her, barefoot and barely dressed, and Liberty realized she would be no help whatsoever. What a hick.

The thunderclaps covered the intruders' escape, and after several minutes of running, Liberty lost them in the darkness.

She stopped behind a stand of pines and motioned the deputy to her side. Panting, she gestured that she wanted to sweep around the last spot she'd seen them, trying to encircle them and flush them out of hiding. Karen nodded and fanned out toward the water while Liberty headed deeper into the woods.

Clarence was on his knees, his arm flung around a fallen tree trunk, trying to catch his breath. Frank stared at him, disgusted.

If he had his druthers, he'd leave the moron behind. But his half-baked cousin wouldn't last two seconds in the hands of an interrogator, and Frank wasn't about to let any of them be captured. Abel was no better, gasping against an oak tree. His two-pack-a-day habit had left him badly out of shape.

"Get up. We've got to get back to the boat."

"They'll see us in the water without the trees to hide us," Abel protested.

"It's our ticket out of here," Frank said. "We can't run in the woods forever. We don't know how many of them there are. If you want to stay here, fine. But I'm getting on that boat."

Clarence and Abel peeked at one another, then followed Frank toward the water. At the same time, the skies opened and a deluge began. Soaked and miserable, Frank was actually glad that it had finally started raining. It would decrease visibility and cover the sound of their movement. Once in the boat, they were home free.

"Tommy," Addy shouted, running as fast as she could toward the water. She had no clue where he could be, but she stumbled blindly in the direction of the only place she guessed he might go.

What if he wasn't alone, if he was hurt or being hurt by someone involved in the Vinson murder. If she hadn't been so determined to find him, she would have fl own apart in a million pieces. She ran faster, her legs burning with the effort, but she refused to stop.

She was approaching the spot where Tommy had tried to bury the reporter when someone tackled her from behind. Screaming, she fell headlong into the tall gra.s.s, the damp ground cushioning her fall. Tight arms held on to her waist, and she struggled to escape her attacker's grip.

"Shh, Addy, it's me," Karen rasped.

Addy was so relieved it wasn't a criminal but rather someone she could trust that she sobbed and clutched at Karen's shoulders.

"Tommy's missing," she wailed. "Where is he, Karen? Help me. I've got to find him."

She started to get up, but Karen pinned her to the ground.

"Stay down. We don't know how many of them there are, and they could be armed."

"But I've got to help Tommy. Please, don't let them take him."

"I won't, but you have to stay put."

Karen held on to Addy, not wanting to release her. She was afraid Addy might get hurt, and the possibility tortured her. Now that she had Addy back, she couldn't lose her again. Knowing she had to get up and help Liberty, she reluctantly climbed to her feet.

"I'll be back," she said.

As she disappeared into the weeds and gra.s.s, Addy's anxiety increased. She couldn't bear for Karen to expose herself to danger.

She had finally rediscovered her love for the one person who had ever meant anything to her, and the possibility of losing Karen overwhelmed her. For a few heartbeats Addy lay in the wet gra.s.s, the moisture from below and the pelting rain from above chilling her.

She was frustrated that she couldn't do anything and impatient to be merely waiting. Surely she could help. Rising to a crouched position, she peeked over the tops of the weedy gra.s.s but couldn't see or hear anything. With a burst of adrenaline, she ran toward the water.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

Tommy wandered around in the cabin of the boat, enjoying the gentle rocking motion that the waves created. All the dials and controls in the c.o.c.kpit fascinated him, and he sat in the captain's chair, playing with the wheel. The rain drummed on the roof and deck around him, but he felt warm and safe. In some ways, the boat reminded him of his house, nice and cozy, with everything he needed close at hand. But the boat reminded him of something else, something far away in his memory. Another boat during another time, his father smiling down at him.

It was a day much like this one, warm but rainy, and Tommy had been afraid out on the open water. His father had handled the boat like he knew what he was doing, though, slicing through the waves and laughing. Curious why his father wasn't afraid, Tommy crawled up from below deck to stand timidly by his side.

Gradually, Tommy stopped quivering and the spray hit his face.

He looked up at his father, who laughed again to see him soaking wet, like it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Encouraged by his father's laughter, Tommy smiled and relaxed. If his father was happy, everything must be all right, and the angry sky and choppy water no longer frightened him.

Now Tommy looked down at the console and discovered that the keys were still in the ignition. He remembered how his father had started the engine in their boat, so he turned the key and the engines roared. The sound startled him at first, but when the lights on the console lit up, it was like Christmas, full of red and green.

Frank heard a noise like a car, no, a truck, but not quite. As he hobbled to the sh.o.r.e, his leg screaming with pain, he realized that it was the twin diesels on his boat. He had turned them off before they disembarked, so how could they possibly be on now? Where were the cops who were chasing them? They couldn't possibly have gotten in front of them and made it to the boat first.

They didn't even know it was there.

"What the h.e.l.l?" he shouted.

Fortunately, a crack of thunder disguised his voice, but his anger remained.