The Vanishing (23 page)

“Then let’s get going. I want those coins out of the swamp before Lambert finds this place.”

Will nodded and headed into the swamp. Max gave Colette’s hand a squeeze and they fell into step behind him.

Max watched closely as Will picked his way through the swamp, but he could see no visible trail that the man was following. The foliage grew even denser the farther they traveled, to the point that it was brushing against them, scratching their arms and faces as they pushed through it. When he glanced back, he realized that the thick foliage had popped right back into place after they passed, creating a wall of branches and dying leaves behind them.

It was a smart move, hiding the coins in an area that no man would elect to traverse, even to hunt. He glanced at Colette and gave her an encouraging smile. She had been so strong through all of this, despite the fact that she had no training for such things and was completely out of her element. He could tell she was ill at ease in the swamp, but she’d refused to stay behind, and he couldn’t help but admire her for that.

He checked his watch and realized they were almost at the twenty-minute mark. He was about to ask Will if they were close when the man stopped walking and pointed to an enormous cypress tree that must have been in the swamp for hundreds of years. The roots of the tree had broken through the ground and swirled around it like tentacles.

Will stepped in between the tentacles and pushed a stone about the size of his head over on the ground. He motioned to Max. “If you don’t mind. It’s a bit heavy.”

Max stepped in between the roots and looked down into the hole. Inside was a chest, about one foot in length and covered with tattered leather. The fake chests in toy stores were modeled after this chest, but this one was the real thing. The real thing with a real bounty of gold. He reached down for the handle on one side while Will grabbed the other and they lifted the chest from the hole.

Max was momentarily surprised at the weight of the chest, but then remembered the density of gold. The chest must be full of it. “How did you manage this alone?” he asked Will as they hefted the chest over the roots and onto the ground next to Colette.

“Well, it’s a bit of effort, but I wasn’t in a hurry then, either.”

Colette reached down and tugged on one end of the chest. “Will I be able to help carry this out of the swamp?”

“You won’t have to,” Will said. “I’ll help you get the chest to Pirate’s Cove.”

The brush directly behind Colette shook, but before Max could reach for his pistol, Danny Pitre stepped through it, his shotgun pointed directly at Colette.

“Help won’t be necessary,” Danny said. “I brought a backpack, and with all of you dead, I’ll be able to take my time getting out of here.”

Colette gasped and the blood drained from her face. Will put his hands up, looking at Max for an answer he didn’t have.

“People will come looking for us,” Max said. “People who already know what’s going on here.”

“Sure they will,” Danny said. “And what they’ll find is you dead and Lambert missing, along with the coins. I should thank you for finding him. He’s a perfect cover.”

“You called him and told him you knew where Cache was,” Max said, everything becoming clear. “You lured him to Pirate’s Cove and planted your boat in the swamp to support your story.”

“Yep. He rushed right here, and the tail you put on him called you. If you thought Lambert knew where the gold was, I knew you’d try to beat him there. All I had to do was tie Lambert up, tell you he stole my boat and follow you to the gold.”

Danny laughed. “All these years living in this town with nothing to offer and there was a fortune in my backyard. It boggles the mind. If that girl hadn’t stolen those coins, I never would have known.”

“I’ll give her your thanks,” Max said.

“No, you won’t. What I want all of you to do is put down your weapons. One at a time and starting with the pretty girl.”

Colette’s hands shook as she dropped the shotgun on the ground at her feet. Her face was pale and her lip quivered. Max wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, and at the same time, he was mentally cursing himself for how all of this had played out. Once again, he had failed the woman he was supposed to protect, and this time, it meant losing everything.

“Now you, pops,” Danny said to Will, keeping his shotgun trained on Colette.

Will’s jaw flexed and Max knew he was thinking about taking a shot at Danny, but with his shotgun pointed at the ground, there was no way he could get it up and get off a shot before Danny shot Colette. Max held his breath and waited, praying that Will didn’t take that risk. Finally, Will tossed his shotgun on the ground in disgust.

“Last up is the lover boy,” Danny said. “Slow and easy with that pistol, now, or girlfriend goes first.”

Slowly, Max reached for his pistol, but he knew that dropping it was a certain death sentence. He didn’t know that he could get a shot off before Danny did, but his chances were a lot better than Will’s had been. What he knew for certain was that if he dropped his weapon, they had no chance.

Colette looked over at him and his heart broke in two. He wanted so badly to tell her he loved her, that his entire view on life had changed for the better since meeting her, but he knew he couldn’t risk talking. Her eyes met his and the fear faded away from them. It was as if she understood everything he’d been thinking without his saying a word. She moved her head downward an almost imperceptible amount, but Max knew she was telling him to go for it—to take the chance even though it might come at her expense.

Overwhelmed with her trust in him, with her willingness to sacrifice her own life for the others, he tried to focus his mind and body on the split second that was to come. He said a silent prayer that he could make the perfect shot, and hoped that Will was ready to spring into action to back him up.

Chapter Nineteen

Max eased the pistol out of his waistband, trying to put his fingers in the perfect position to make his move. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead and onto his cheek. Every second felt like an eternity as he waited for the right moment, the right second. Danny’s eyes were locked on him, his finger whitening on the trigger of the shotgun leveled at Colette.

He inched the pistol forward, waiting, waiting, waiting…and then Danny blinked.

He spun the pistol around in his hand and fired, then launched at Colette, dragging her over behind the cypress roots. Danny screamed and Max’s heart dropped. The shot hadn’t killed him.

They fell to the ground with a crash and he popped up, ready to take another shot, but Danny already had his shotgun pointed directly at him. He had no time to aim. The shot rang out and he waited for the moment where everything went black, but instead, Danny’s mouth dropped and blood began to pour out of it.

A second later he crashed to the ground. Behind him stood Tom, holding a shotgun.

Max jumped up and aimed his pistol at Tom, but he lowered his shotgun and waved a hand at him.

“You won’t be needing that,” Tom said. “Tell ’em, Will.”

Will, who’d been standing in what appeared to be a state of shock, jumped to life. “Thank God, Tom.”

Max lowered his pistol as Colette rose from the ground to stand beside him. “You know him?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Tom’s our first line of protection. The village has always had one person living in Pirate’s Cove looking out for them, directing others away.”

“The drawings I found in Cache,” Colette said. “The style was similar to the one you did. I just realized.”

“All my family was good at drawing,” Tom said. “Each generation taught the next.”

“You were the one in town keeping an eye on Rose’s mother,” Max said. “When she yelled that you were one that day, she meant you were one of the villagers.”

Tom nodded. “I swear I didn’t know it was Danny behind all this, or things wouldn’t have gotten this out of hand. When one of the old-timers told me he saw Danny take off after you two, I figured there wasn’t any good coming of it. I was hoping to be wrong.”

A million thoughts rushed through Max’s mind, but the one that kept repeating was
You’re alive.
He turned to Colette and placed his hands on her cheeks.

“I love you,” he said.

She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide.

“I thought I wouldn’t get to say that,” he continued, “so I’m saying it now when I know I have the chance. I don’t expect you to feel the same and that’s fine, but I need to start being honest with myself, and I’m starting now.”

Colette threw her arms around him and kissed him softly on the lips. “Are you crazy? Of course I love you.”

“I want a life with you, but I have to warn you that I have a lot of issues to address.”

“So do I. Maybe Alex will give us a group discount.”

Max laughed and wrapped his arms around her, feeling complete for the first time in his life.

* * *

M
AX WAS TALKING TO THE
ambulance driver in Pirate’s Cove when Holt’s truck screeched around the corner and onto Main Street. He and Alex jumped out and ran over to Max, the worry on their faces clear.

“Are you hurt?” Holt asked.

“No.”

Alex threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, then released him. “Where’s Colette?”

Max pointed across the street to the café. “Talking to Tom. He’s one of the villagers. A scout of sorts. Apparently, they have always had a lookout in Pirate’s Cove.”

Alex gave him a wave and hurried across the street to the café.

Holt glanced at the café then back at Max. “I have a feeling you’ve got a really interesting story to tell.”

“Oh, yeah, and it ends with Danny Pitre.”

“What about Lambert?”

“We found him in the walk-in cooler in the gas station, single bullet through his head. My guess is Danny intended to feed him to the gators at first opportunity. Then he would have effectively disappeared.”

“And everyone would have thought he got away with the coins,” Holt finished.

“Yep. Danny played his part well. I never took him for anything else but a gas-station owner.”

“Sir,” the ambulance driver interrupted. “If you wouldn’t mind identifying Danny’s body…”

“Sure,” Max said, and he and Holt walked over to the gurney behind the ambulance.

The driver pulled the blanket back and Max nodded. “That’s Danny Pitre.”

He started to pull the blanket back up, but Holt caught the driver’s arm.

“What’s wrong?” Max asked.

The sleeve of Danny shirt was ripped, maybe during his trip through the swamp. Holt reached over and pulled the cloth aside up close to the shoulder, revealing a nick, likely made from a bullet, and a tattoo.

“I figured I nicked him when he kidnapped Colette.”

There was no mistaking the surprised look on his brother’s face, but Holt released the shirt and walked away from the gurney.

“Thanks,” Max said to the driver, and hurried after Holt.

“You want to tell me what that was about?” Max asked.

Holt blew out a breath. “I didn’t want to at this moment, but it’s staring me straight in the face.”

“That tattoo means something to you?”

Holt nodded. “And you, too.”

“What?”

“It was the same tattoo I saw on the man who murdered our father.”

It was the last possible thing Max ever expected his brother to say. He staggered backward a couple of steps to lean against the gas-station wall. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. The guy who kidnapped Alex’s niece had it, as well. It means something. All of these men are part of something very, very wrong.”

“But we’re going to find out what?”

Holt clasped Max’s hand, and Max could see the relief and hope in his brother’s eyes.

“Count on it.”

Epilogue

Colette helped Alex transport dishes of food to the picnic table they’d set up on the dock at Holt’s cabin. It was sunny and seventy degrees, perfect weather for a Thanksgiving celebration outside. Holt and Max were on the bank frying a turkey and giving each other grief as only brothers could do.

She looked down at the glittering diamond on a platinum band and smiled at Alex. “It’s hard to believe…all of this. Sometimes I have to pinch myself so that I’m sure I’m not dreaming.”

Alex smiled. “Well, Holt and I couldn’t be happier, and Max has been beaming ever since you said yes.”

“Like there was any chance of a no. I still think it’s sweet that he was worried.” Colette looked over at him, unable to believe that so much had happened in a month.

“How did the hospital take you giving notice?” Alex asked.

“They were sad to see me leave, but excited for my new opportunity. I always wanted to pursue being a nurse-practitioner, and running the new Mystere Parish clinic not only gives me the time for school, but they’ve also agreed to pay for some of the tuition.”

“That’s great. I’m really happy for you, and even happier that you’ll be moving to Vodoun. I was outnumbered here for a while.”

“It’s amazing how it all fell into place—the villagers giving the coins to the museum and voting to let Anna return to visit her mother. She finished the semester with straight A’s, despite everything that happened.”

“She’s a fighter. Is she excited about coming to work for you at the clinic?”

“Absolutely. She’ll be closer to her mother and she says she’ll feel more comfortable in a smaller place. I think New Orleans was always a bit overwhelming for her. She can take some of her classes online and will take others at night or on weekends. I’ll work her schedule around them.”

“Did the sheriff ever find her car?”

“No. We figure Danny dumped it in the bayou somewhere, but she had insurance and it was enough to cover another used car.”

Strong arms circled around her from behind, and Colette squealed as Max lifted her off the ground, kissing her neck. He put her back down and she spun around to face him, still in his arms.

He glanced at the table behind her, filled with food. “Looks like everything’s perfect.”

Colette kissed him softly. “It certainly is.”