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Beverly handed the plastic bag with its heavy contents to Mr. X and tossed the shovel, metal detector, and her purse into his Beamer. She said with a grin. “How’s the gimp doing?”
“Better, now that you’ve returned. Would you call your mission a success?”
“I would say that I—” She turned to face the path she’d just traveled. “Did you hear something?”
“The wind. Your lovely voice.”
“I’m sure I heard something back there.”
“Maybe nothing.”
“I’m going to check it out.”
“Beverly—”
“I’ll be fine, back in a minute.”
She retraced her steps over the rotting logs and tree roots, taking pains not to end up like Mr. X and his foot. A branch whipped back and hit her in the face. She listened again—probably nothing, like Mr. X said. But it was only about twenty more feet, so she forged ahead. Pushing aside the last branch before the clearing and site of the church, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a gun pointed at her. Adam.
“I guess my long shot paid off,” he said.
“You followed me.”
“Just got lucky. I’ve been looking for you all day. Why’d you run?”
“I felt the noose tightening. What else was I to do?”
“Talk to me. Let me help.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, you and I aren’t on the same side of the law right now.”
Adam lowered his gun to his side. “I could have taken you in several times, but I didn’t. Why did you think I would now?”
“Goldie told you I masterminded your kidnapping. That’s reason enough.”
“If I believed it, yes.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” He shook his head. “Don’t give up on me. You’ve got the evidence Strudwick gave you, for one. I’ll keep working on Goldie to convince him to rat out Forsythe. We can do this. But I need your help.”
She took a couple of steps closer until a new voice stopped her cold. “It would be best if you both stayed right where you are.” The voice added, “And throw your weapon over into those bushes, Dutton. Or else I might be forced to shoot this lovely lady.”
Beverly had a twinge of fear as Adam tossed his gun under a thicket of holly bushes. She reached over to put her hand on her purse when she remembered she’d chucked it into Mr. X’s car to make it easier to put in the shovel and metal detector.
She followed the sound of the man’s voice until a figure came into view. “Miss Beverly Laborde. I’ve so been wanting to see what you look like without the disguise. Detective Dutton here has been putting all kinds of roadblocks in my way.”
“How did you find this place?” She narrowed her eyes at Adam. Had he told Forsythe where to find her? Was he going to make her the sacrificial lamb to preserve his job? She shook off the horrible idea. No, not Adam.
Forsythe walked toward the ruins near the altar and motioned for Adam and Beverly to move closer together. Adam asked, “Don’t have anyone else to play the evil fixer for you this time? No more Nagras or Hendricks or Karlstads?”
“Look how well that turned out. Idiots, all of them. Can’t do anything right.”
“You mean the kidnapping or forcing my car off the road into a pond?”
“Both.” Forsythe directed a cold smile at Adam. “Your chief called me to say you were in pursuit of Laborde and a certain silver statue I’ve been hunting. I see you found Laborde. So where is the statue?”
Beverly shot Adam a hurt look. He’d given her away to Forsythe? Adam looked at her briefly with those intense brown eyes of his, and a glint of something in those eyes made her relax.
Adam taunted, “You’ve been a busy man. My kidnapping, two murders—your father, and Strudwick. The antiques world too boring for you?”
Forsythe laughed. “I admit my life’s been more lively lately. Although that dolt Karlstad was a mistake. You know what they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself.”
Adam said, “I can see why you’d kill Strudwick after you found out he had evidence against you and was ready to do something about it. But why your own father?”
“That was unfortunate. Oh, I’d thought about doing it many times before, but the opportunity presented itself. He’d outlived his usefulness.”
“How were you originally going to explain his murder?”
“An intruder. A phantom drug dealer, to be exact.” Forsythe turned to Beverly. “Fortunately, you were a godsend, my dear. Tell me one thing—I still don’t know why you were there.”
Beverly gritted her teeth. “To avenge Guinevere Glas.”
Forsythe scowled. “I don’t understand. What does my mother have to do with this?”
“If my grandmother were alive, she’d disown you if she knew how you’d turned out.”
“Grandmother? So you’re Regina’s daughter. Oh, how delightful. My niece is a burglar and a schemer. Must take after my father and me.”
Adam spoke up, “No, she got the good genes.”
Forsythe sneered, “Now, Beverly, if you believe our family connection will play on my sympathy, think again. If I killed my father, I wouldn’t have any problem killing my niece.”
He pointed the gun toward Adam. “But not yet. I need that evidence Strudwick gave you. Do you have it with you, Miss Laborde?”
“You think I carry it around in my coat pocket? Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Then tell me where it is, or I will shoot Dutton.”
Beverly hesitated, still not knowing what to do. Mr. X was trapped in the car, unable to move around with his foot in the cast. She was without her gun, and Adam’s was too far away to reach.
She’d have to tell Forsythe where the tape was. She’d tell him anything he wanted to know, even if it meant he got away. Whatever it took to keep him from killing Adam. She opened her mouth to answer his question, but Adam interrupted her.
Adam said, “I know you’re dying for any excuse, but it’s too bad you won’t get to shoot me, Forsythe.”
Forsythe cackled. “Oh? Who’s to stop me?”
Beverly realized Adam was doing something odd with his hands that she could swear was sign language. She feared he might be losing his mind, but then Adam replied to Forsythe, “They are,” and nodded toward an African-American woman and three police officers in uniform moving toward Forsythe with their guns drawn.
Adam added, “Did you get all that, Jinks?”
The woman, who Beverly knew must be Eliot Jinks, said, “Loud and clear, Adam.” Then she barked out to Forsythe. “Put your gun down on the ground, Forsythe, nice and slow. My friends here aren’t too happy about the way your goon treated my partner. You know how cops are when one of their own is threatened. Shoot first and ask questions later.”
Forsythe looked up to the heavens as if expecting help from above, but the gun in his hand didn’t waver.
Jinks said louder this time, “Put it down. Now. I’m not going to say it again.”
Beverly had one moment of sheer terror when she realized Forsythe’s gun remained trained on Adam. What if he didn’t obey? What if he killed Adam as his last act of defiance?
Then, in one quick-as-flash move, Forsythe twisted the gun around and shot himself in the head. He was like a macabre bloodied tree falling to the ground as he came to rest on the ruins of the church altar.
Beverly was shaking as Adam came over and put his arm around her. “You okay?” he asked.
“Fine. Really.”
Adam said to the other woman, “Great timing, Jinks. I’m surprised the chief agreed to the plan.”
“He wasn’t exactly thrilled. But he trusts you, Dutton. You owe me a big case of Norwegian lutefisk for this.”
Beverly took a quick look at the man lying on the altar, as one of the uniformed cops bent over him. “Didn’t have much faith in his attorneys to get him out of this mess, did he?”
Adam said, “His attorneys likely couldn’t get him much less than thirty-five years. Guess he couldn’t stand the idea of prison food.”
Beverly punched his arm with a small smile. Unlike seeing her grandfather’s body, she didn’t feel anything at all looking down at her uncle. She didn’t know if he was alive or dead, and she really didn’t care.
Her smile faded as she imagined Grammie looking down from heaven on her son. What would she feel? Would she forgive Beverly for her part in arranging his demise?
A cold wind whipped through the trees and made her shiver. Her grandfather and Representative Strudwick all gone. Mr. X’s words came back to her, “If you desire revenge, you should dig two graves.” He’d meant hers, of course, but there were two deaths triggered by her revenge scheme, all the same. Maybe she’d avenged Grammie in part, but at what cost?
