Chapter Fifty-Four

Dix whimpered as Cleg lifted the butcher knife, apparently aiming the blade at her chest. With an intensity she’d rarely seen, even in her most disturbed clients, he stared into her eyes. But at the last instant, instead of following through with a thrust into her abdomen, he arched the knife blade down toward her hands and severed the orange-colored nylon rope with which they were bound.

Her hands shaking so badly she could hardly control them, Dix threw the segments of cord onto the floor. “Thank you, Cleg.”

The man reached into his pocket, pulled out his pickup keys, and dropped them into Dix’s open palm. “It’s the old brown banger.” Then, before Dix could stop him, he pushed the knife blade into the meaty part of his forearm.

As if mesmerized, he cocked his head and stared at the trickle of blood oozing from the wound. Moving in slow motion, he withdrew the blade and pointed it toward his chest, a far-away look in his eyes.

Dix instinctively grabbed Cleg’s hands. Gripping them as tightly as she could, she pulled them down until the knife blade pointed away from the man’s body. “This isn’t the only way to freedom, Cleg.” Gently, she removed the knife from his hands. “Untie me from this chair; you’ve been hurt enough.”

Tears pouring down his cheeks, Cleg fumbled with the cord. “I’ve lost my chance. Now I’ll never get shut of her.”

Dix shifted the knife to her left hand and put her right on Cleg’s unhurt forearm. “You’ve already taken the first step.” Dix stood. Hurriedly, she scooted the chair to which she’d been tied across the floor and positioned it next to the still-open drawer. “This will make it look like I managed to drag myself to the cabinet for the knife.”

Cleg nodded once.

Dix studied the man’s wound. “You managed to miss everything major, by the looks of it.” She found a dishtowel in one of the drawers and held it toward Cleg. “There’s not a great deal of blood, but enough to back up your story.”

Cleg surprised her with a shy smile. “You mean I did something right?”

“Oh, you didn’t just do something right, you did something truly wonderful. I meant what I said. As soon as Jillie and I get away, I’ll call the police and tell them how you helped us.”

Once Cleg had dabbed a convincing amount of blood onto the towel, Dix laid the knife on the counter. She was taking a chance by leaving it where Cleg could get to it, but it would offer credence to his story. And the hopeful light in the man’s eyes told her he’d moved beyond his self-destructive impulse.

“After I’ve gone, knock over the chair and yell for help. When they come running, tell them I said I was taking Jillie to stay with an elderly family member.” Dix smiled. “Thank you, Cleg. You’re saving our lives, you know.”

Cleg’s face lit up, and he squared his shoulders. “Yeah, I know.”

Dix hurried through the house and out the front door. Sticking close to the stuccoed walls, she sneaked around toward the back where the three pickups were parked and peered around the corner of the house.

Beyond the driveway, the group of adults surrounded Jillie. Voices floated on the light autumn breeze.

“What are we going to do with her?” Mort said.

Margo’s lips pulled themselves into a smile. “We’re going to make a deal, that’s what.” She jerked her head toward Jillie. “You either give us the treasure, or we’ll throw you and the old lady into the septic tank.” She waved her hand in an arc. “All the way out here, no one’ll hear you scream. And no one will ever find you. For a day or two, the news will be filled with the story of a poor little lost orphan and an old woman who disappeared. But pretty soon, you’ll be forgotten.” She looked at Toby. “How long you reckon it’ll take them to die in there?”

Toby looked thoughtful. “I’m thinking they’d die of thirst before starving to death, so maybe two or three days.” He looked at Jillie. “Three days of standing in all that wet, smelly stuff up to your armpits…not a pretty way to go.”

“How do I know you’ll let her go if I tell you about the treasure?” Inside the circle of angry adults, Jillie stood like the Biblical David facing down Goliath.

“You really don’t have a choice.” Margo said.

“I’ll only show you where it is after you’ve let Miss Dixie go.” Jillie folded her arms across her chest, lifted her head, and jutted out her lower jaw.

Mort moved closer to Jillie. “Come on, kid. All you have to do is—”

Suddenly Cleg let loose a war whoop from inside the house. “Help, someone help. She’s stabbed me.”

All heads swiveled toward the sound. Then, after an instant of indecision, the three adults rushed toward the house, leaving Jillie behind.

From the corner of the house, Dix waved her arms above her head to get the child’s attention then sprinted toward Cleg’s vehicle. No sooner had she climbed into the driver’s seat than Jillie vaulted into the passenger’s side. Jubilant, Dix jammed the keys into the ignition, fired the thing up, pointed its nose toward the open road, and stomped on the gas pedal.

The vehicle had only gone a few yards before it coughed and died. Frantically, Dix turned the key over and over, but the engine only sputtered in response.

“Out of gas,” Dix said.

“Miss Dixie, Toby’s—”

Jillie’s warning was interrupted by the sudden tap of metal against the driver’s window. Dix whipped her head toward the sound just as Toby yanked her door open.

“So predictable.” Toby made a tsk, tsk sound. “But then, how could you know Uncle Clot’s gas gauge is busted?” He moved the pistol’s barrel until it pointed at Dix’s right eye. “Out of the pickup, ladies.”

“Wait,” Jillie twisted in her seat and leaned forward to peer at Toby. “I’ll show you where the treasure is if you let us go.” She nodded toward the house. “More for you if we leave before the rest of them get back.”

Toby cocked his head. “You take me to the treasure first, then I let you go.” He glanced toward the house and licked his lips. “Make it fast.”

Jillie rapidly nodded her head. “I can show you a sample of the stuff Pop found. He gave me a few things, just in case I ever needed some fast money. He said the best place to hide things is in plain sight.”

Sample of the stuff? Dix’s stomach did a pirouette.

“I’m listening,” Toby said.

“It’s in my backpack.”

“Ah, and here was me thinking you only insisted on bringing the thing because you couldn’t be separated from your teddy bear.”

And you’ve bought her story, hook, line, and sinker. Dix shook her head as Lil’s words blasted through her mind. Could she have so completely misread the child?

“Let’s get moving,” Toby said.

With Dix leading the way, the three hurried to Toby’s pickup.

“You drive again, Granny. I want to be long gone before Team Elliott discovers they’ve been had.”

Dix climbed behind the steering wheel as Jillie jumped into the passenger’s seat. Toby again took up his position in the back, his pistol aimed at Dix’s head.

Barely able to control her shaking hands, Dix fired the engine, backed up, then whipped the steering wheel toward the open road.

They’d traveled only about a quarter of a mile when Toby jabbed the pistol barrel into Dix’s neck. “Turn right here.” He motioned to a dirt, farm-to-market road. “Pull around behind that group of juniper trees. We wouldn’t want anyone to interrupt our discussion, now would we?”

Dix did as she was told.

“Stop the engine.” Toby retrieved Jillie’s backpack from the seat beside him and shoved it over the seat toward her. “We’re not going any further until I see what you have.”

Refusing to look at Dix, Jillie opened the backpack and pulled out a small wooden box engraved with tiny roses. She opened the lid, took out a couple of stones, and held them toward Toby in her open palm.

“What’re those supposed to be?” Toby said. “They look like clear white rocks to me.”

“They’re what my pop called rough diamonds. That’s what they look like before they’ve been cut and polished.”

Toby’s gaze riveted on the stones. He nodded and smiled. “I knew it. I knew your old man found treasure. I read about the lost diamond mine at Encino. That must be where these came from.” He blew air through his open mouth, then whipped his head back around to Jillie. “Where’s the rest?”

“I don’t know.”

Toby’s face contorted into a mask. He raised his hand with the obvious intention of backhanding Jillie, but Dix threw her hand up and blocked the blow.

“Oh, now, you oughtn’t have done that.” Toby snarled and lifted the pistol toward Dixie.

“Stop,” Jillie cried. “I said I don’t know where the rest of the treasure is. Pops only brought home a few stones at a time; he said some of them are big as walnuts.”

Toby licked his lips, his eyes bright. “So, if the treasure’s not at your place, where is it?”

“Pop left a map.”

“A map.” Toby chuckled. “Okay then. You got that in there, too?”

Jillie shook her head. “Pop left it with my godmother for safe keeping. She’s our neighbor just up the road.”

Toby nodded, a crooked smile creasing his face. “Now it’s all making sense. You ever see the map? You know where the mine is?”

“I’ve never actually seen it, and I haven’t been to the mine. But Pops said there were enough of these just lying on the ground to take care of us in style for the rest of our lives.” Again, she lifted the stones toward Toby.

Toby smirked, grabbed the stones and dropped them into his shirt pocket. “Let’s go. The quicker I get the map, the quicker you and Granny can get on with your useless lives.”

At Dix’s hesitation, Toby prodded her neck with the pistol barrel. “Quit stalling. I said, let’s go.”

Her insides screaming for her to do something, anything, Dix started the engine. If she were going to make a play, it had to be soon. Contrary to Toby’s words, she had no doubt his plans didn’t include allowing the two of them to go free.