Page 27 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

“She has to go,” Curly said. “What’s so wrong with pulling over at the next gas station?”

“She’ll yell for help,” Jep said, not giving away any names.

Could she get Curly to crack? Offer up one of their names?

This time, she squirmed. “If you don’t stop, I’ll pee on the seat. Is that what you want—for these two men to sit in a puddle for the rest of the ride?”

Moe scooched over toward the door. Could she reach over him and open it? No. She remembered hearing the doors lock. Safety features on most vehicles made it impossible to open a door while the engine was running. Plus, they might have the kid lock on the ones serving the backseat. She didn’t want to give away her intention until she had to.

“I won’t scream for help,” she said. “How about that?”

Jep took the next highway exit onto the service road. Then, he put his emergency blinkers on as he pulled onto the shoulder. “Go with her.”

Curly opened the door and exited first. “Come on, and don’t do anything that’ll make me regret helping you.”

She was about to not only burn a bridge but set the whole town on fire.

“Fine,” she said to him as she walked past. Bales of hay dotted the open field. A ranch house sat a football field’s length away. Could she get enough of a head start to make it to the house before being caught?

Nikki was about to find out.

“Staythe hell away from my daughter,” Heath said through gritted teeth.

Conrad turned to shout for the guard, but he hadn’t returned to the area yet. With his hands cuffed to the table, there wasn’t a whole helluva lot he could do to escape.

Heath walked around the room, positioning himself behind Conrad. The next thing Conrad knew, an arm came around his neck to choke him. Conrad ducked, dropping down to his knees to avoid Heath’s grip. In the process, he managed to kick his chair back. The metal foldup did very little to slow Heath down, buying a few seconds at best.

“The guard is coming back,” Conrad managed to say as he swung a foot around to trip Heath. The man stumbled a step, caught his balance, and then threw a punch that caused Conrad’s head to snap to the side. The fist landed on his cheekbone, which felt like a grenade exploded on his face. He bit out a curse as his attacker grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of Conrad’s head, then slammed him against the metal table. Just before impact, Conrad managed to sweep Heath’s feet out from underneath him, causing the middle-aged man to fall backwards. He took a couple of steps but couldn’t regain his balance. He flew against the back wall with a loud crack.

Conrad shot up to his feet, half hunched over due to the handcuffs chaining him to the table’s leg that had been anchored into the flooring. “Guard!” He repeated the chant a couple more times.

Heath got to his feet before walking around the table to the opposite side. The man was asstrong as an ox. Nikki had said her stepfather owned a construction business. From the looks of it, he still knew how to swing a hammer.

“You stay away from her,” the older man said through sharp breaths.

“Or what?” Conrad shouldn’t bait Heath. The man had already proved that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw a punch while Conrad was at a disadvantage. “She’s a grown woman, capable of making the decision for herself.”

“I’ll press charges if you so much as step within ten feet of Nikki,” Heath spit out as the jailer returned.

“What the hell is going on?” the jailer asked, glancing around the room, taking in the scene.

“Nothing,” Heath said. “Mr. Sturgess slipped off his chair, and I tried to retrieve it for him. Got too close.”

“Liar,” Conrad said. “This man assaulted me.”

Heath shot a go-to-hell look as the jailer admonished Conrad. The smug look on the man’s face said there was no way a jailer would believe a man accused of murder over an upstanding citizen. “My lawyer will be in contact.”

With that, Heath walked out the door. His freedom caused Conrad’s hands to ball into fists. He forced them to relax when he realized he was digging a bigger hole.

“What happened to your face?” the jailer asked.

“Accident,” Conrad said, realizing it would do no good to tell the truth.

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again, or I’ll have to file an incident report,” the jailer said.

While being walked back to the holding cell, the jailer received a call. “Against the wall,” he said to Conrad.

He complied, not eager to have any more “accidents” while in jail. His history of violence played against him even though he’d been in the right in Colorado. People like Heath burned Conrad to the core. They thought they could get away with anything, and they were right. Throw a little money at a re-election campaign, and the favors started pouring in. He’d grown up witnessing Beaumont use his considerable wealth to get his way or gain favor with politicians.

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