Irene Brand_Yuletide_01 (20 page)

A shiver of panic swept through Janice. What had they done with Brooke? She began to shake as fearful images built in her mind, but her fears were premature. She squirmed on the cold floor until she turned on her side and saw Brooke lying a few feet away, also bound and gagged. Had they killed her? Probably not, or she wouldn’t be tied. But as she struggled to scoot across the floor, Brooke opened her eyes. It was maddening not to be able to reach her sister or even communicate with her, but she didn’t seem to have any bruises. At least Brooke was alive, but for how long?

Janice kept twisting and pushing until she achieved a more upright position against the earthen wall. The small room
opened into a tunnel to the right. Fortunately, none of the burners were active now, but a meth lab was a dangerous place to be. How could they escape?

Alert to a scuffling sound in the tunnel, she batted her eyes at Brooke, hoping she would get the message. Janice closed her eyes and pretended to be unconscious. She sensed that someone was standing over her. Her foot was nudged roughly but she didn’t move.

More than one person was in the room now, and she slitted her eyes slightly, seeing four feet and legs. Only two people so far, but there might as well have been a hundred for all she could do about it.

“Can’t I ever depend on you to do anything right? If you’ve killed her or knocked her into a coma, my patience is at an end with you,” a voice said. The shock of discovery hit Janice like a jolt of electricity, and her eyes popped open. Astonished, she stared upward into the face of Loren Santrock. Winston Goodman stood beside him.

“Oh, so you’re awake after all,” Santrock said with a sneer. All vestige of the suave, fatherly attorney had disappeared. How could this man have duped her and everyone else in Stanton? But she’d always known that somebody with brains had to be behind the drug ring.

Her opinion of him must have shown in her eyes, because he gave a bitter laugh. “Surprised you, didn’t I, as well as all the other good people in this area? Take that gag off, Winston. I want some information.”

The gag had been drawn so tight that Janice’s mouth was numb. She licked her lips trying to restore some feeling. Alarm and anger swept through her body when she realized how she’d trusted this man.

She was so furious she could hardly speak, but when the
numbness left her lips, she demanded harshly, “Is this cellar on my property?”

“Yes, right below your bedroom, in fact.”

“So that’s the reason every now and then I smelled something in my house that made me sick. If this place had exploded, Brooke and I could have been killed.”

“The ones who operate this lab are cautious—their lives depend on it. If they’re careless, they can be killed. And if the explosion didn’t kill them, they know I would.”

He wouldn’t be telling her this if he didn’t expect to kill her, too, so Janice thought she might as well learn what she could. “Like you killed Uncle John.”

“Ah, you’re wrong there, Missy. I never killed anyone…yet.”

“And why did you try to burn down the house to kill me?”

“Do you think I’m crazy? The last thing I wanted was for Mountjoy to burn. I lay those arson attempts at your uncle’s door. He’d naturally bungle any job he tried.”

“What would he gain by killing Brooke and me?” Janice said. “You’re just blaming him to hide your own crimes.”

“Believe what you will, but your father wouldn’t have been any match for Albert—who would have all of John’s money before you were cold in the grave.”

He pulled a rickety chair closer to her and sat facing Janice. “Okay, missy, I’m out of patience with you. You’ve been a thorn in my flesh since the first day you showed up in Stanton, when I had to avoid you because we hadn’t hidden everything here at Mountjoy. I’ve tried everything peaceable to get you to give up this property, and by delaying, you’ve cost me over a million dollars. But I’m going to get part of that back. You’re going to turn all of your money over to me. Thanks to you, our activities are finished at Stanton, but I’m taking your money with me when I leave.”

With a harsh laugh, Janice said, “The state police will get you sooner or later. You don’t have a chance to get away with this.”

“I’ve been getting away with it for ten years—ever since John Reid moved to town.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how John got wise to me, but he made a few remarks that made me realize he suspected something. When he came to investigate, one of my men killed him, but I made it look like suicide.”

Was there no end to this man’s wickedness?

“Where are those CDs your uncle gave you?”

“In the safety box at the bank where you told me to put them when you were giving me ‘fatherly’ advice.”

Laughing, he said, “Well, since I’m well known at the bank, I won’t have too much trouble getting them. Where’s your key to the box?”

“I won’t tell you.”

With a significant glance toward Brooke, Santrock said, “Oh, yes, you will. You’ve got a stubborn streak, so I know you wouldn’t bend to my wishes no matter what I do to
you
. But when we start breaking Brooke’s fingers one by one, I figure you’ll tell me where the key is.”

At these words, Brooke’s eyes opened, and she whimpered. Janice knew she’d heard everything, but she still played for time. “I’ll sign the CDs over to you, but not until I know Brooke is safe. You bring me a note from Lance that Brooke is with him and you can have the money.”

“You accused me of being stupid, Miss Reid, but you misjudge me. You think I’d turn her loose when she’s heard everything I said to you? I’ve stashed a lot of money in the Caribbean banks, and I’m leaving the country to live in peace and quiet the rest of my life. You’re going to stay tied up here until I’m safely away. After that, you can talk all you want to.”

Sensing a slight ray of hope, Janice said, “The key is in the black purse I carry most of the time. It’s on the dresser in my bedroom.”

Another man had entered the room, someone Janice didn’t know, and Santrock said, “I’ll wait until dark and sneak into the house by our old route and get the key. I’m trusting you to guard the prisoners. Give them something to eat and drink, and let them walk around for a bit. Then tie them up again.”

Santrock left the cellar, and without meeting her eyes, Winston removed Janice’s restraints, then set Brooke free. He pointed to a door. “A restroom—only one at a time.”

Janice’s hands itched to attack Winston, but she’d get along better if she didn’t give the men any trouble. She was disturbed to think that Chief Goodman might also be involved in this plot. She’d always liked him.

Janice and Brooke sat side by side after they went to the restroom and Winston retied their legs. The other man handed each of them a sack from a local fast-food restaurant.

“Do you think he’ll do any of those mean things he threatened to do?” Brooke whispered so fearfully that Janice was tempted to throw her food at Winston, but she couldn’t antagonize him.

Janice squeezed Brooke’s fingers. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve been in worse scrapes than this. I’ll think of some way to outsmart them.”

While they ate the cheeseburgers and fries and sipped on their large colas, Janice looked around the room for a possible escape. There were two entrances to the cellar, and as she eyed the one where her captors hadn’t entered, the man who hadn’t spoken until now said in a gutteral voice, “Don’t get any bright ideas. That entrance from the house has been
blocked off for years. You’d get about three or four yards before you’d be stopped by a cave-in.”

After they’d eaten, Winston tied their hands again, and Janice closed her eyes with little hope left. She thought of Lance. If he knew she was gone, he must be very worried and without a clue to where she was.

But refusing to believe that God had abandoned them, Janice started to pray. She recalled the time when Paul and Silas were prisoners in Philippi. When they prayed and sang, God had delivered them to safety. Janice started singing, “God Will Take Care of You,” praying the words would comfort Brooke. She expected her captors to silence her, but they had huddled in the entrance to the cellar eating their own lunch.

Lance stood beside the wall of dirt, his hands itching to start digging. He thought he heard someone singing. He turned quickly when he heard someone behind him. Two deputy sheriffs, one of them carrying a shovel, motioned him toward them.

When Lance ran to meet them, one of the deputies whispered, “Baxter said to tell you that they had captured Loren Santrock and another man when they climbed out of the tunnel and into the barn. It’s hard to believe that Santrock is the one behind this drug trafficking.”

The other officer whispered, “One of our men snuck into the tunnel and learned that there are only two guards, but the sisters are tied. I’m going back to the barn, but my buddy will stay here with you. As soon as Baxter knows you have this message, we’ll move into the tunnel and start shooting. Hopefully the two guards will race that way to see what’s going on. Start shoveling as soon as you hear our fire and get the women out as soon as possible.”

It seemed like hours before the gunfire sounded, but Lance and the deputy were poised to start digging. At the first gunshot, they dug frantically, throwing the dirt over their shoulders and soon broke through the thin layer of soil.

Lance quickly crawled into the cellar. “Thank God,” he said when he saw that Janice and Brooke were alone in the room and still alive. He picked Brooke up, still bound, and passed her through the hole to the deputy sheriff. He cut Janice’s bonds and helped her through the opening.

“Take them to safety,” the deputy said. “I’ll stay here to stop Goodman and that other guy if they try to come this way.”

Urging Janice ahead of him, Lance picked up Brooke and they ran into the safety of the house. He freed Brooke’s hands and feet. Oblivious to the shooting and the commotion going on around them, Lance held Janice’s trembling body tightly in his arms, as if he never intended to let her go, which he didn’t.

“It’s all over now, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Peace has finally come to Mountjoy. I intend to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

Janice lifted her face and smiled as Lance sealed his promise with a lingering kiss.

J
anice lay with her eyes closed for several minutes after she awakened to the roar of Niagara Falls—a sound that had greeted her ears for the past five days. Today was the last day of their honeymoon. She wished they could stay longer, but Lance needed to be home to start preparations for the opening of school.

Listening to Lance’s even breathing, she knew he was still asleep, so she slipped quietly out of bed, wrapped a robe around her and sat in a chair by the window. They had been married a week ago in a simple ceremony at Bethesda Church with only their family members and Henrietta present. Lance had encouraged her to have a more elaborate wedding, but after the trauma of her first year at Stanton, Janice didn’t want any more public exposure.

For most of the time during the past week, they’d forgotten Stanton and the events that had almost taken her life. Her narrow escape from death had enhanced their love and increased their gratefulness to be together. They’d be leaving for home in a few hours and Janice’s thoughts drifted to the past three months.

The discovery of the meth lab at Mountjoy and the treachery of one of the town’s most respected citizens had shocked the residents of Stanton. Four men had been arrested in the drug bust, but Loren Santrock escaped imprisonment when he committed suicide by taking poison. No evidence was found to implicate Albert and Bob Reid in the attempted arson at Mountjoy, so Janice was spared the embarrassment of having her family’s name besmirched any more than it already was. The authorities had finally conceded that Santrock had lied to Janice and that the Reids weren’t responsible for any of the vandalism at Mountjoy.

A Bio-Hazard unit had cleaned out the meth lab in the basement. Janice and Brooke had spent a day in the hospital undergoing tests to see if their exposure to the meth lab had damaged their health. Fortunately, they had suffered no ill effects.

Sheriff Goodman, disillusioned about his brother’s criminal activities, resigned and moved away from Stanton. Miss Banner, too, had disappeared, and no move was made to find her since there was no proof that she had been involved in Santrock’s crimes.

During the investigation of Loren Santrock, the authorities had discovered that he had been responsible for the embezzlement attributed to Dale Mallory. Even before that information became known, Dale and Linda had remarried in a private ceremony. They intended to buy Lance’s house when he moved to Mountjoy.

Although Lance and Janice had wanted to be married as soon as Janice had escaped her captors, they delayed until Cecil could finish the renovation of Mountjoy. Lance insisted on paying for the work as his wedding gift to Janice. Their wedding reception had been held in the home that looked as it had when her ancestor had built it.

If she wasn’t worried about her friend, Maddie, Janice’s happiness would be complete. Maddie hadn’t returned from Hawaii as scheduled. Her only letter indicated she was investigating the suspicious death of her father, and Janice sensed that her friend was baffled and afraid.

Lance sighed and turned in his sleep until he faced Janice, and she smiled at his disheveled appearance. His fair hair hung over his forehead and she blew a silent kiss in his direction. A year ago she’d never dreamed that she could be so happy.

Not only had she married a man that God must have ordained for her long before she’d ever met him, but she was reconciled with her parents. Leroy and Florence had exceeded her expectations in becoming good citizens and caring parents. She fully expected that in a few years, they could move out of their small apartment and into a home of their own. Now that they had aspirations to improve themselves, she and Lance were willing to help them. Brooke was a frequent visitor at their home, but she still wanted to live at Mountjoy.

Janice looked up to find Lance watching her. “How long have you been awake?” she asked.

“Long enough to realize what day this is and that our paradise is about to end.”

Her dark eyes alight with love, in a husky voice filled with emotion, Janice said, “Oh, no! Our paradise is only beginning.”