Page 70 of Dangerous Christmas Memories

Priscilla shook her head. “That’s what she wanted you to believe.” For a psychiatrist, he sure didn’t read his wife well. “But she had another agenda.”

“What other agenda could she possibly have?” Dr. Devins’s voice wavered.

Priscilla concentrated on breathing as the tension made the very air thick. She put into words the truth she’d pieced together. “To kill Culvert.”

Luc nodded. “To pay off her debt.”

“Isn’t that right, Laura?” Priscilla looked at the other woman, who now had beads of sweat on her forehead. “The deal was Culvert’s death in exchange for a clean slate with the people you owed money to?”

“Seemed like a fair trade.” Laura shifted her stance, raising her arms to steady her aim at Culvert’s head. “After all, he is a murderer—he killed people for a living. His death would be justice.”

“Which one of Culvert’s former clients wanted him dead?” Luc queried.

“Does it matter?” Laura snapped back. “The only thing I care about is that my gambling IOUs will be paid in full, once I finish the job.”

Priscilla took a step toward Laura.

“Don’t move.” Laura narrowed her eyes as she swung the gun back to Priscilla. “I only made attempts on your life to make everyone think Culvert was after you. That way, when you both ended up dead, everyone would blame Culvert.”

“But what about you? You can’t possibly think you’ll get away with killing all of us!” Priscilla couldn’t help pushing Laura more, even with the gun aimed at her chest. All her frustration for being on the run for so long spilled to the surface and made her taunt the other woman. “And what about Grammar? Why’d you kill him?”

“Had to have one dead witness to make it more believable.” Laura seemed unperturbed by the fact that she’d just admitted to murder.

“And Rachel?” Priscilla asked. Luc’s solid presence sparked courage in her to continue pressing Laura for answers.

“Collateral damage. I wasn’t sure how much Culvert had told her. They were friends.” Laura again aimed her Glock at Culvert, who still stood with his weapon by his side and a slight smile on his lips. “Enough talking.” Her index finger caressed the trigger.

Priscilla bit back a scream. They should make a run for it. But before she could tug Luc toward the back door, something inside the fireplace exploded with a loud bang and smoke immediately filled the room.

TWENTY-FOUR

As smoke poured into the room from the fireplace, Luc shoved Priscilla to the ground and dragged her under the table. The crack of a gunshot kept him prone over her. “Stay down!”

She coughed. “It’s hard to breathe.”

Luc angled his head to see if the way to the back door was clear. More shots whizzed above their hiding place. Shifting slightly, he leaned closer to her ear. “Is that better?”

“A little.” Priscilla pushed up against his body as more bullets flew past, spewing chunks of wood as they hit the wooden wall directly in front of them.

“We need to stay put.” Luc eased back to allow her more room, while still keeping his body between her and the bullets flying around them.

“No, the heater.” Priscilla pointed to the rickety old kerosene heater, blazing merrily away only a few feet from their table.

All at once, he understood her panic. With all the shooting, chances were a bullet would strike the heater and trigger a fiery explosion.

“Okay, we’ll make a run for it on the count of three.” Luc rose to a half crouch, wedging his body under the table as Priscilla did the same beside him. “One, two—”

The back door flew open with a bang. A SWAT team flooded the area. “FBI! Drop your weapons!”

The shooting stopped abruptly. Luc and Priscilla raised their hands. An officer grabbed Priscilla’s arm and hustled her out of the room, while another shepherded Luc.

Once outside the cabin, Luc coughed, his lungs burning from the smoke he’d inhaled. Officers moved them quickly away from the cabin to a group of agents wearing bulletproof vests, who frisked them for weapons.

A sandy-haired older man wearing an FBI vest pulled Luc aside. “Special Agent Jack Cravens,” he said as a second agent walked up. “This is Special Agent Jerry Suno.”

---