Page 120 of Cougar Point

The clearing around the cabin is hemmed with giant western red cedars, Douglas firs, hemlock, and ponderosa pines, some as tall as three hundred feet. It’s as if the trees deliberately surrounded the cabin. We look all around for Lucas but he could be anywhere. Behind a tree. A large boulder. Or the rotted cords of wood stacked near the cabin.

“I don’t like this, Megan.”

“We’re here now. Either way this goes it doesn’t end well for him.”

We draw our weapons and approach the cabin. I’m liking this setup less and less. I had hoped Lucas would meet us out in the open. Forcing us to walk through a door just makes it more likely that someone is going to get shot.

I try the door. It’s unlocked. I push it and step back quickly, letting it swing open. Glancing inside, I can see it opens on what looks like a living room. There’s nobody visible, but I can see a doorway to a small kitchen beyond.

“Come on out, Lucas. We made a deal,” I call.

No response. I exchange a glance with Ronnie, then point at the ground, motioning,Stay here. I want to see what’s inside, but I don’t want anybody coming in behind us suddenly.

I step inside and look around. There’s a couch and a television and a coffee table and nothing else. A floorboard creaks as I move into the center of the room.

Just then, there’s a sudden cry and the sound of a scuffle.

I rush back to the door, where I’m greeted by the last thing I wanted to see.

Lucas has one arm around Ronnie’s neck; with his other hand he’s pressing his gun to her temple. Stupid. I expected an ambush inside the cabin, not out here. He waited for us to separate, then got the jump on Ronnie.

“You two made a big mistake,” he says, looking a little too pleased with himself.

“Tell me about it. I thought we could trust you to stab us in the back sooner or later. You know, Lucas, you’re not as quick as I thought you’d be. I wouldn’t go so far as saying you’re a dumbass, but I’ve been wrong before. Put your gun away and let’s talk. You give us our share and we can make most of the evidence go away. We’ll even say we messed up the crime scene.None of us wants to go to prison. And no one here wants to get dead. So how about it?”

“You have nothing to offer me.”

“Oh yeah? How are you going to explain everything without our help? How are you going to explain the gun in Missy’s weak hand? The clean floor where the money bag was? Face it, Lucas, you’re the only one who walked out of there alive, and therefore you’re the only suspect.”

Lucas’s voice sounds like he’s telling a story. One he’s making up as he goes. “Duke was in my car. I’d found him right before all this happened and made him tell me where Victoria was and who was holding her. I didn’t search him as thoroughly as I should have, and he had a gun. He showed me where they were keeping Victoria. I told him to go inside to verify she was still there and still alive.”

I make a face that says,Not bad. “And you heard Jack’s car was shot up and figured Thundercloud was on his way back here. You decided to wait and catch them all at once. Of course the sheriff will want to know why you didn’t call in the troops.”

Lucas picks up the story. “I was afraid if Thundercloud saw police or heard sirens, he would just run with the money. Missy and Duke would kill Victoria.”

Ronnie says, “And how will you explain my uncle Vinnie being in there in the bunker? Are you going to say he was part of the kidnapping?”

“It was always going to be blamed on him. He wasn’t supposed to be there at the end, but maybe it worked out better that way.”

“And Missy’s weak hand?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe she was ambidextrous.”

I roll my eyes. “Seriously?”

“You in a hurry to die?” he asks me.

“Not necessarily, but I want to get to the meaty part where you tell us how we die and what we did to deserve it.”

“I’m surprised you want the details. But you’re not normal.”

And you are?

Ronnie says, “Let me take a stab at the next part of your story. Megan and I were working with Vinnie. We kidnapped my mom and drew Thundercloud, Duke, and Missy into the scheme, promising them a big share, but never intending anything but killing them.”

“That would never work. Too many people were at the scene and saw the bodies. You two showed up later. But I’ll say you two had Vinnie go ahead to kill Missy, Thundercloud, and Duke. He would be a hero. Jack would have to give him a big reward. Meantime you two would have the ten million just waiting to split three ways. Not with me. You two and Vinnie. Victoria would go home thinking you’d saved her life. But you didn’t. I did.”

Ronnie says, “Good story. So now you have the money for yourself and my dad will probably give you a big reward. You retire to some nice island where there is no extradition with the United States and live the life.”

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