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"What if they aren't there?” Lauren asked.
Harriet looked at her. “I can't think that far ahead. You go back up to the park and call the police and tell them we found Carla's car. Bring them back here. If I haven't found Carla or Aiden by then, the police can figure out what comes next."
"I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone,” Lauren said in a rare show of concern. “Someone must have overpowered Aiden, and he's a lot bigger and stronger than you are."
"If you bring the police here quick enough it won't be a problem."
Lauren sighed but didn't say anything. She turned and disappeared into the woods in the direction they'd come from.
Harriet left the clearing in the opposite direction. As Lauren had predicted, Carla's car had cut a pretty wide swath through the trees and underbrush. As she got closer to the outer edge of the woods, it became obvious some attempt had been made to conceal the car's passage.
Aiden's car was visible as she reached the edge of the trees. She paused and studied the car and then the outbuilding beyond it. Birds were singing, and a slight breeze rustled the treetops, but no other sound disturbed the quiet.
She slowly approached the Bronco, both anxious to look inside and afraid at the same time. She circled the vehicle. There was no apparent damage. She went to the driver's side door and rose onto her tiptoes to peer inside. Aiden's cell phone sat in the console under the radio. His keys were on the driver's seat. She reached for the door handle.
"Let's just stop right there,” said a female voice from behind her. A hand dug into her injured shoulder and pulled her around.
"Bebe,” she said. “What are you doing here?
"Well, I was coming to move Aiden's car, but I guess there's no point now."
"Where is Aiden? And where is Carla?"
"Oh, they're all in the garden shed getting ready for a barbecue. Here,” she said, and yanked Harriet by her bad arm again. “You can go join them."
Harriet pulled her arm painfully out of Bebe's surprisingly strong grip. “I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I have nine millimeters here that say you're going anywhere I want you to.” She pulled an ugly-looking black gun from behind her back. “And right now, it's saying you're joining your friends in the shed."
She pushed the gun into Harriet's side and shoved her forward.
At the door of the outbuilding, Harriet tried to break away, but Bebe was quick.
"Don't make me shoot you,” she said. “I really want you all to be bullet-free. According to my calculations, there will only be ash left behind when the fire cools, but these things aren't always exact. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now, just go in here.” She pulled a key from her pocket with her free hand and quickly unlocked the door and shoved Harriet inside.
The room was dark and smelled like earth and cut grass. It took a moment, but when Harriet's eyes had adjusted to the dark she could see Aiden and Carla sitting on bags of fertilizer and Terry lying at their feet on the cement floor, apparently unconscious. She started toward them, but Bebe pulled her back.
"Not so fast, sister,” she said. “I don't trust you."
"What's going on, Bebe? Why are you doing this?"
"I think it's obvious what's going on.” The little girl voice that had been so a
Harriet looked at Aiden; he was intently looking at her feet. Coils of hose were neatly stacked in a pile beside her.
"Why do you have to kill Aiden and Carla?” Harriet asked, wondering if Lauren was back to her car yet. “Carla has a baby."
"And I do feel really bad about that,” Bebe said.
"Wendy,” Carla whimpered. “My baby.” She started quietly sobbing.
"I said I'm sorry, didn't I? I'm not a monster. I feel really bad about all this. You three have always been really nice to me. It's not my fault, though. It's his.” She pointed the barrel of the gun toward the prone form of Terry. “ Carlton and I are leaving this horrible place this afternoon, but Terry couldn't wait for us to be gone. He had to keep asking questions and causing trouble among our night workers. Do you realize he caused us to miss our final shipment?"
"Shipment of what?” Aiden asked, speaking for the first time.
"None of your business,” Bebe snapped.
"If we're all going to die, could I at least hug Harriet one last time?” he asked. “If you feel so bad, this could make up for it."
He had a plan. Harriet couldn't see where he was going yet, though.
"Come on,” he pleaded. “I promise I won't do anything."
Bebe looked uncertain. Aiden looked at the hoses again.
"Harriet and I haven't even known each other a year yet. Barely six months. Remember when we first met?” he asked her.
Harriet thought back, quickly sca
Then she knew what he wanted.
"You can leave my hands tied,” he said. “Come on, we're going to be dead in a few minutes and you can go on your way. What difference will it make if Harriet and I are together when we die or not.” He gave Bebe his best puppy dog look.
"Okay,” she said slowly. Harriet was amazed again at how Aiden could charm the ladies-even the crazy ones, apparently. “But Carla has to move.” She turned away from Harriet and grabbed for Carla. The young woman refused to move from Aiden's side.
Carla was stronger than she looked. Bebe had to turn her back to Harriet and use both hands to push Carla away from Aiden. The minute she turned, Harriet grabbed the end of the top hose stacked by her feet. The end with the industrial-size oscillating sprinkler still attached. In a blur, she swung the hose once around her head and let centrifugal force carry the heavy sprinkler into the back of Bebe's head.
Bebe crumpled to her knees, and Terry suddenly came alive, delivering a scissor kick to her body and twisting his body over hers, pi
"Find something sharp to cut our ties with,” Aiden said, but Harriet was already rummaging around on Max's tool bench. She found a pair of wire cutters and made quick work of the plastic straps on Aiden's and Carla's wrists. Carla then snipped Terry's.
"He's unconscious again,” she said in a worried voice.
"Lauren went for help. Our phones didn't get reception, so she was going to Miller Hill and then driving toward town if needed. I told her to send the police."
"How did you know we were in here?” Aiden asked. He found some garden twine on the workbench and tied Bebe's hands behind her back.
"We didn't. Lauren has a friend who has access to real-time satellite imagery. She searched Foggy Point for Carla's missing car. We figured if we found the car, we'd have a starting point for our search.” She gently bumped her good arm into his shoulder. “We weren't even sure you were missing, actually. You said you had to work in the morning, and when you didn't show up for the funeral I thought you'd had an emergency. Until I saw your Bronco in the picture Lauren had of Carla's car."