Page 76 of A Mile of Ocean

“Will do.”

Another ten minutes ticked by before Savannah tugged his sleeve. “I see Woody turning into the driveway.”

Finally, the sound of a vehicle approaching somehow made him less nervous. Trent rushed to the window and spotted his Ford truck hauling the trailer lumbering up the private road andpulling into the barn to unload the passengers. “They still need time to get into position.”

“Uh-oh,” Tate cautioned. “Dolly just sent me a text. She said Duchess is on the move. She’s leaving the house carrying the Winchester and heading toward the haybarn. She must not have noticed that the rifle is unloaded and missing the firing pin. We need to tell Woody she’s heading their way.”

“It’s too soon,” Trent stated, his heart racing as he scanned the area for any sign of his grandmother. He quickly calculated their next move as he saw her striding across the grounds. “She looks like she means business,” he said, peering through the binoculars. He sent Woody, Birk, and Beckett a text with a heads up.

“I recognize that look. She’s all rage and fire,” Tate noted.

Trent kept his eyes on Duchess, watching her every move. “She isn’t heading to the haybarn, though. She’s on track to reach the stables in less than four minutes. We need to stall her until Beckett and Birk and the others are in position,” he said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

Savannah nodded. “I’ll go out and try to delay her. You two stay put and watch for her partner in crime.”

Without waiting for a response, Savannah hurried out of the attic and down the stairs. Trent and Tate watched from the window as she emerged between two buildings, running at full speed toward the stables.

Out of breath, she waved her arms. “Hey, Mrs. Callum! Do you have a minute?” Savannah called out, putting on a friendly smile.

Duchess turned to face Savannah, a look of annoyance crossing her face. “What do you want? I’m pretty sure we’ve finished our discussion,” she snapped.

“That’s just it, I wanted to tell you that I’m not here for Trent’s money.”

“Good. Because he doesn’t have any.”

Savannah began to babble. She tossed out anything she could think of to keep Duchess from reaching the stables until they were ready. “That last meeting of our 4-H group, why did you have us stay for lunch? I thought you were truly interested in helping the kids learn about horses. They loved being here. Will you still want to participate next semester? In the fall, the kids will be older and more able to ride. What about the riding lessons this summer? Is all that ending?”

Duchess shot Savannah a withering stare, clearly unimpressed by her attempt at small talk. Caught off guard by the unexpected conversation and barrage of questions, she quickly grew impatient, tapping her foot and glancing toward the stables with increasing irritation. Finally, she held up a hand to silence the teacher. “Enough with the nonsense, girl. I have more important things to do than stand here and listen to your trivial chitchat.”

With that, she turned on her heel and started striding purposefully toward the stable. Over her shoulder, Duchess shouted, “You’ll have to find someone else to sponsor your little horse club.”

Savannah’s brain kicked into overdrive as she watched Duchess get closer to the stables, knowing they needed more time. She wracked her brain for something else to say, some other way to keep Duchess occupied. And then it hit her.

“Wait!” Savannah called out, causing Duchess to pause and turn her head slightly. “You need to see something in the haybarn before you go. It’s about your financial documents.”

Duchess stopped in her tracks, a flicker of curiosity crossing her face. “What are you talking about?”

“We women have to stick together, right?” Savannah prompted, gesturing toward the haybarn, her mind racing with a plan forming on the spot. “Less than an hour ago, I overheardTrent talking to the lawyer about contesting your husband’s will. He plans to file a lawsuit to examine all your financial dealings.”

Savannah felt an icy chill creeping down her spine as Duchess gripped the Winchester tighter. The grande dame slowly turned back to face the teacher.

“What did you say?” she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. “Tell me everything you overheard.”

Savannah took a bold step forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she improvised, hoping to buy more time. “Trent and Tate were discussing how they suspect you of skimming assets from the estate and putting them into the Triple C. They also think you're siphoning money off to offshore accounts.”

Duchess’s expression darkened, a storm brewing in her gaze. “You’re lying,” she spat out, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “What’s in the haybarn?”

“I’m just telling you what I overheard,” Savannah said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Trent is planning to have all your financial records audited. They believe there’s evidence of embezzlement. I didn’t think you’d want to talk out here in the open.”

Duchess’s hand trembled. The mention of offshore accounts seemed to strike a nerve as anger and fear flashed across her face. She stepped toward Savannah, her voice low and now laced with a dangerous edge. “Are you trying to intimidate me?”

The tone was icy as she lowered the Winchester at Savannah’s chest. “You think you can scare me with baseless accusations? Didn’t you learn anything from my evicting Tate and Trent?”

But Savannah held her ground, trying to keep her voice steady despite the rising tension. “I’m just telling you what I heard. You might want to check any documents before Trent and his lawyer do.”

Duchess’s gaze darted around the area to see if anyone was within earshot, a calculating look in her eyes.

Before she could say anything else, Cecil appeared at the end of the stable door. “Got your message about wanting Confetti Queen ready to ride. Bad news. She came up lame. But Zorro needs exercise. I can have him ready in ten minutes.”

---