Page 90 of Second Chance Savior

The studio door was unlocked. A quick sweep of the roomand its tiny bathroom confirmed that nobody was home. So, where was he?

I left the studio and made my way toward the main house. A man was visible through the kitchen window, bent over and rummaging through the fridge. He stood, biting into a piece of cheese.

“There you are, asshole,” I murmured, making sure my zip ties were handy.

I’d seen Jud Hale before on Main Street in Hartley. He’d been dressed as a wealthy rancher. Cowboy hat, shiny crocodile boots. Smarmy grin as he glad-handed Hartley residents on the street.

At the moment, Hale wore ratty gym shorts and a tank top. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week. But his hair was damp, so I assumed he was freshly showered. He wore a belt with a leather holster for his pistol. I watched him gather a few more food items in a bag, then head toward the back door of the house.

When he stepped outside, I slammed the side of my hand into his solar plexus. He collapsed instantly, gasping. I removed the gun from his holster. Then grinned as he stared up at me in horror.

“Hey there, Juddy. You picked the wrong place to hide.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Charlotte

River came backto the rock outcropping. I saw him coming through the binoculars. He waved at me, shooting a thumbs up. I packed everything and scrambled down.

“You found Jud?”

“He’s in the garage. Waiting patiently to chat with us.”

I hoped River hadn’t roughed him up too much. Wait, what was I thinking? That man deserved everything that was coming to him.

But the vengeful side of me wanted to deliver that comeuppancemyself, instead of letting River take care of it for me.

Carrying our packs, we made our way downhill toward the house. River pointed out some bootprints in the dirt, still partially visible despite the storm last night. “These aren’t Jud’s. It looks like someone else has been here. I walked the perimeter of the buildings and saw newer tire tracks on the driveway as well. No more than a day old.”

“The police.”

“Most likely. Someone made a circuit of the house, looked into the windows, and left.”

“They could come back.”

River took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “So let’s get this taken care of before they do.”

At the house, we veered right for the detached garage, where my dad kept his tools and equipment for his various hobbies. River opened the side door for me.

I gulped at what I saw.

Jud was sprawled face-up on my dad’s work table. His wrists and ankles were zip-tied, with lengths of bright blue rock-climbing rope around his stomach tying him to the table. Jud looked woozy, but his eyes cleared when he noticed I was there.

“Charlotte! Oh, thank God.” He coughed and held up his bound wrists. “That psycho attacked me! I can hardly breathe!”

“Seems like you’re doing all right to me.”

“And so are you. That’s good. What a relief. You didn’t answer my calls, and I…” He trailed off, probably realizing he was about to say something incriminating. “Look, there’s been a misunderstanding. You’ve got to let me go. I can explain everything.”

“Oh, you’re going to.”

“Please Charlotte, just untie me and we can discuss this like civilized adults.”

“Civilized?” I grabbed a hunting knife from a storage shelf and marched over to him. Jud held out his wrists. The man thought I was going to cut him free, and he tentatively smiled as I came near. Which only pissed me off more.

I held the knife to his throat instead. He yelled out a curse. “I know what you did, you bastard. Do you have any idea what I’ve gone through? I’m going to?—”

“Whoa.” River’s arm circled my waist, tugging me away from Jud. He walked me back outside and took the knife from my hand. “Aren’t you the one who was worried aboutmemurdering him earlier?”

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