Page 59 of Cold Case Murder Mystery

Something he was grateful to have in his past. Not necessarily something he wanted to go back to. And that was... new.

But he didn’t have time to think about that, to consider what it really meant, because a little prickle started at the base of his neck and he heard something... off in the trees around them.

Zeke held up a hand. Something or someone was out there. Rescue personnel headed for the back cave entrance? Or a threat—to them or to Brooke? He had never heard of any cave-ins at this cave, and if Jen Rogers had lived there for years, undetected like they’d claimed, he doubted any cave-in wasnatural.

Both Royal and Carlyle stopped on a dime, everyone holding up their guns and surveying the area. Carlyle, knowing the drill, moved back-to-back with Zeke.

Royal caught on quick and moved so they stood in a defensive position, facing out, backs protected.

Zeke heard it again. The crack of a twig. Could be an animal but...

A man stepped out from behind a few trees. He wore jeans and a hoodie and hiking boots. He didn’t appear to be carrying a weapon, but he grinned. Right at Royal.

“Long time no see.”

He didn’t carry a gun, and now had three trained on him, but was far too cheerful to not have a trick up his sleeve.

“Vince,” Royal returned, acting as relaxed and belligerent as he had when Zeke had first met him, even with a gun pointed at the new arrival. “Fancy meeting you in Wyoming. Didn’t think you ever climbed out of the sludge in South Dakota.”

“You’ve recruited some friends, Royal.” The man shook his head. “Too bad for them.”

Another former member of the Sons. Clearly. No doubt part of the threat against Brooke, thanks to Royal. Had he caused the cave-in? Was this reallyallabout Royal and the Sons? It didn’t add up, but Zeke wouldn’t put anything past a bunch of embittered criminals.

“You’d be surprised who it’ll be too bad for,” Carlyle returned, always running her mouth.

“So would you, babe.” The man took his gaze from Carlyle to Royal. “You made a lot of enemies that day.” As if that was the cue, three other men—all with guns—stepped out from around the cave entrance they’d been heading for. “Time to pay up.”

“You guys don’t have an independent thought of your own. Always have to be following some vindictive leader. What do you think my father is going to do for you while he’s locked up?” Royal demanded.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, traitor.”

“There’s nothing to betray,” Royal responded with an impressive amount of calm Zeke had to give him credit for. “Y’all were held together by a psychopath, and he’s dead. Everything else is blown to hell. Why don’t you just go live your lives? Why concern yourself with old pointless business?”

For a moment, the ringleader simply blinked, like that had never occurred to him. Then he scoffed. “We’re our own group now. Stronger than anything Wyatt ever did. Loyal to Jeremiah Campbell.”

Zeke laughed. Couldn’t help himself. Ace Wyatt had been a psychopath, albeit a brilliant one. He’d wielded his brand of sadism and cunning to form a powerful gang fordecades. Whatever these four were involved in, it was nothing like the Sons.

“I’ve never evenheardof Jeremiah Campbell,” Zeke offered. “And I’ve personally taken down more Sons members than some low-level lackey like you have probably ever met.”

This ticked off all four of the men, based on their expressions, but the three with guns didn’t start shooting. So they stood in a ridiculous standoff here in the middle of a nature preserve.

“You’ll see,” the unarmed guy offered with a sneer.

“Yeah, I bet,” Royal said. “So, what? You’re just going to have a shootout here? And then what? Disappear?”

“Disappearing is our specialty.”

“Imagine this guy thinking he has a specialty,” Carlyle said, pretending she was making a throwaway comment to Zeke and Royal rather than addressing the guy specifically.

“You know cops are crawling all over this preserve, right? One shot fired and you’ll be done for in no time,” Royal said.

“No Sons to wriggle you out of jail time now, is there?” Zeke added. “Your ‘better’ group got a passel of lawyers and paid-off cops lined up? Because that was Ace Wyatt’s real specialty, as I recall.”

“Don’t you know about this cave?” Vince said, jerking a thumb behind him where the back entrance to the cave was not too far away. “People who disappear here don’t come out, and hey, if you and your friends here were looking for your sister, why wouldn’t you get turned around and just...poof.” He made a little hand gesture to go with the sound effect.

“Guess you better start shooting then,” Carlyle said. “See who winds up on top.” She dramatically flicked the safety off her gun.

Hell. She never did have any patience. So Zeke followed suit, wondering how he was going to keep all three of them from getting shot.

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