Killer Beach Reads Read online

  I tossed and turned for twenty more minutes before getting up and quietly dressing. There'd be no sleep tonight if I didn't go out to that damned bridge to see what was going on. In my head, Kelly and Rex argued that I had no business doing so, and if there were bad guys there, I was only putting myself in danger.

  So I promised them, in my head, that if I did see something, I wouldn't jump into the fray (because I'm awesome like that). With that settled, I slid out of the cabin, switched on my flashlight, and headed out.

  The moon was bright overhead, casting the shadows of branches on the road beneath my feet. Good weather for seeing things you aren't supposed to see. I stuck to the road for as long as I could. Once I went off of it I'd be making noise and would have to move slower. Knowing myself the way I did, with the adrenaline pumping that would be very hard to do.

  The road ahead made a quick right turn, and I knew it was time to plunge into the foliage. I'd like to say I soundlessly slid into the woods, but unfortunately, I was a little clumsier than that. I stopped and took a couple of deep breaths to slow down my beating heart before continuing—and turned and ran smack into Lauren, one of my girls.

  "What are you doing here?" I hissed. She was also fully dressed, holding a flashlight that was dimmer than mine. I silently gave her points for sneaking up on me all this way, but telling her would just encourage the kid.

  "I wanted to see what you were up to," Lauren whispered. "Are we going to bust Cookie out and rescue him?"

  "No!" I whispered back. "Where would we hide a horse until we left?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "I wanted to get one last look at Ghost Badger Bridge."

  "Okay," she said. "I'll go with you." Lauren stated it as if I'd invited her.

  "No," I started, "you are going back to the campsite."

  She shook her head and started creeping through the forest. She was quieter than me, which made me a little jealous.

  "Okay," I hissed. "But you stay with me and don't say a word. If I say run, you run! Got it?"

  Lauren's eyes glowed with excitement, and she nodded. Together we worked our way through the darkened woods until we were at the edge of the foliage by the bridge.

  There was nothing there. No people, no voices, no activity of any kind. That was disappointing. I signaled to Lauren that we were going to stay here for a little bit. She nodded. The girl had patience. She'd make a great spy.

  We waited for thirty minutes. It felt like two days. Nothing happened. I guessed that everyone had been right. There was no weird conspiracy. I motioned for Lauren to head back, and we walked to the road without worrying if we made noise.

  The whole walk back I wondered if something was wrong with me. All those years of action, followed by one year of retirement, had taken some sort of toll. Was I going mad? Seeing threats behind every bush and tree?

  If that was true (and it looked like it was) then I had just ruined a perfectly good camping trip with my troop. Instead of spending time with them and bonding, I'd been obsessed with threats that weren't there.

  I felt guilty. Lauren walked quietly beside me, not saying a word. This in and of itself was a small miracle. My girls were noisy. Here I had had time to bond a little with one of them, and I'd spent it brooding.

  Lauren gave me a hug when we hit Raccoon Fork before racing off to her bed. That hug took the wind out of me, and I felt ashamed as I slinked off to my cot. We'd been here four days, and all I'd done was focus on something that didn't exist.

  As I climbed into my sleeping bag, I looked at Kelly. In a few months she'd be a mother. She'd be totally preoccupied with a baby. Any time we spent together would be limited for the next eighteen years. And I'd blown it.

  I fell asleep hating myself. It was the least I could do.

  * * *

  At breakfast the next morning, Surf and Reef were chatting with the girls about the final campfire. The girls were excited. It was a ritual that would take place right after breakfast. Then we'd all go to our campsites and pack up before heading to the parking lot and leaving.

  The girls loved these Australian counselors, and this was probably the last time they'd ever see them. After cleaning up, I suggested we get a group photo with them before hiking down to the campfire site.

  Kelly handed her camera to Pony, and we all posed outside under a huge elm tree. Everyone was laughing. At least they'd had a good time and didn't realize what an ass I'd been, I thought as Pony snapped the picture.

  The final campfire was a simple affair. Pony had the fire blazing, and the counselors did some cute skits. Each troop stood up and said what they loved the most about camp. Nearly every single one said the horses were their favorite, and my troop was no exception.

  "Our favorite was Cookie!" one of the Kaitlins said when she spoke for our girls. She sat down, leaving the rest of camp to wonder when we'd had cookies so good that they were better than the horses or the pool.

  "I've got an idea," I said to my troop once the campfire was over. Kelly frowned. She was probably ready to go home, take a long shower, and fall into bed.

  "Instead of hiking back to Raccoon Fork to pack, why don't we go visit Cookie one more time?" I suggested

  The girls erupted in a very loud cheer. It was decided. Once Kelly and I got our hearing back, we'd sneak off to the corral.

  "I don't think I can do that long of a hike," Kelly said.

  I nodded. "You go back and rest. I'll take the girls."

  "Why go at all?" she asked.

  "I'm going to have Dot tell them that Cookie is going to a nice home with little girls who'll love him forever."

  Kelly arched her right eyebrow. "Is that what's happening?"

  I shook my head. "No idea. But that's what she's going to tell the girls." I still had a few torture skills from the CIA up my sleeve that I could use if the woman fought me on it.

  Which is how I found myself alone, leading ten squealing little girls on a hike to the horse barn. Yes, we should've followed the rules and gone to the campsite to get ready to leave. But maybe this was my one chance to redeem the way I'd been acting and have a little quality time with the girls—while making the head of the horse program lie to them. It was a win-win.

  We sang songs all the way there. The day wasn't as hot as the previous ones, and for once, I enjoyed the birds and flowers as we traipsed past them all. I'd already decided that we'd come out here in the spring for a short weekend. And I promised myself that we'd have fun that didn't include me worrying about saving the world. Or at least, this little corner of it.

  I shushed the girls as we got close, remembering that loud noises spooked the horses. The girls instantly obeyed, which surprised me. They were learning. This was a big moment!

  As we got closer to the barn, I noticed some trucks and horse trailers. Maybe the horses were going to get a break too. Surf had told me that the horses participate in parades in the summer. I hoped we'd get to see Cookie before he was loaded into a trailer.

  "Let's check the barn for Dot," I said softly. "I want to see her first." I led the kids to the main entrance, and we stepped inside.

  I was completely unprepared for what we saw.

  Dot was tied to a chair, gagged, and unconscious. Her forehead was bleeding. This wasn't good.

  "Girls!" I whisked them into a corner of the barn. "You stay here! Do not move! Understand?"

  All ten girls spotted Dot's limp body at once. They turned their wide eyes on me and nodded.

  After making sure the coast was clear, I ran over to the unconscious woman and untied her. She was too heavy to carry, but the floor was covered with straw, so after making sure she didn't have a neck injury, I dragged her carefully over to the girls.

  We'd worked on the first aid badge a month ago, so the girls huddled around the woman, checking her out. Ava started cleaning the gash on Dot's head as the other girls made sure she was comfortable.

  I worked my way through the barn, checking for assailants. No one was there. Who had done this and why?
It couldn't be a robbery. Any money would've been kept by Pony at the administration office. Why knock Dot out and tie her to a chair?

  A shout came from the corral. After motioning to my girls to stay put, I grabbed the first weapon I found—a pitchfork, and slipped out of the barn. The noise was coming from the paddocks where we'd fed the horses. The tack house was between me and whoever it was talking, so I used it as cover. Getting low to the ground, I looked around the corner.

  Three men were busy putting reins on horses. Once they had secured a horse, they tied it to a railing. They were working fast.

  "We should've waited for camp to end," a skinny man with dark hair snapped.

  "There's no time!" A short, heavyset blond man was struggling to reach high enough to slip the bridle on Princess—the palomino I'd ridden.

  "Work faster!" a large, muscle-bound bald man ordered.

  I'd heard all of these voices before. On the trail ride near Ghost Badger Bridge. I was right. Something was going on. They were here to steal the horses. I swung back around the tack house and, pulling out my cell, dialed the sheriff.

  Tackling this on my own was not going to work here. They probably had guns. I had a pitchfork. And while I could probably take out Skinny and Shorty, the big guy was going to be a problem. He moved in a way that told me he knew how to handle himself in a fight.

  A woman's voice answered, and I gave her the information, and she assured me she'd send someone. There wasn't much time, and I had to get the girls and Dot to safety. That was my priority. Let the sheriff handle it. If they couldn't get here before the horse rustlers left, they could at least track the slow-moving animal trailers on the road.

  The troop came first. I couldn't let anything happen to them. As I made my way back to the barn, I wondered about the pickup trucks. If the keys were inside, I could probably pile everyone in the back and drive it to safety before the thieves knew it was gone. If Dot were conscious and able, we could drive two trucks, but I wasn't going to count on her being okay.

  I checked the first pickup. Yup. The keys were sitting on the dash. Very slowly, I uncoupled the trailer from the hitch on the truck and gave it a slight shove to move it a few inches out of the way.

  "What are you doing?" Venus was right behind me, and I jumped at the sound of her voice. Oh right! The arts and crafts boathouse was nearby. She probably heard my troop singing and knew we weren't supposed to be here. I shoved the girl into the barn and out of sight of the doorway. I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe she could drive the other truck.

  "Quiet!" I whispered. "There are three men over there getting ready to steal the horses! They hurt Dot. You've got to help me get the girls out of here!"

  Venus frowned. I knew she probably didn't believe me. It sounded ridiculous.

  "What do they want?" Venus asked. "Are they stealing them for the semen? I just saw a show on that."

  I shook my head. "No, that's racehorse semen. I'm pretty sure no one wants Girl Scout Camp horse semen." This kid was from Chicago and knew nothing about horses. It wouldn't be worth telling her that these horses had been gelded.

  "My guess is some of the younger horses are going to be sold for cash, and the older ones are going to a rendering plant." It was the only theory I had, but I was pretty sure it was right. There were twenty horses. The note I'd found at the bridge had said $10,000 for twenty. That came to five hundred dollars per horse—which was a pretty good deal.

  "We've got to get my troop out of here before those men find us," I whispered.

  "Oh. I really liked your troop," she said, cocking her head to one side. She stared at me for a moment, which I thought was a waste of time. But still, I needed her to believe me so that she'd help. However, the clock was ticking, and we were running out of time.

  "But since the jig is up, I guess I'll have to shoot you," Venus said as she pulled a Glock nine millimeter pistol from behind her.

  Damn. I didn't see that coming.

  There was a cry from my left. The girls were still huddled in the corner with the still unconscious Dot. They looked from Venus to me.

  "Benson! Hichtens! Karloff!" Venus called out.

  I brought my pitchfork up handle first and, swinging it hard, knocked the gun from her grip. I plunged the dull end deep into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She fell backwards, gasping for air as I retrieved the gun and held it on her.

  The three men arrived in the doorway of the barn, each holding a gun in their hands. Great. Just great.

  "Drop it!" the big guy snarled. "Drop the gun or I'll shoot."

  From where they were standing, the three men hadn't seen my girls yet. Their eyes were focused on Venus and me. I had to find a way to get me and the traitorous art teacher out of the barn.

  "I'll put it down outside," I said, reaching down and grabbing Venus's arm. I started toward the men, gun still in my right hand as I dragged Venus with my left. The men backed up, and I made it out into the sunshine, dropping the girl's arm.

  Now what? I'd gotten them out of the barn, much to my surprise. But at any second, Venus would be able to speak and tell them about the kids inside. This would be an excellent time for the sheriff to arrive. But I heard no sirens in the distance.

  "Okay, drop the gun," the big man repeated.

  Various scenarios ran through my head. I could shoot them. I'd probably get two shots off before they gunned me down, though. I could shoot Venus—but that was just because I wanted to. I toyed with running back into the barn and trying to close the doors. Maybe they'd take the horses and leave.

  "I've called the sheriff," I said. "He's on his way."

  "You're lying!" Venus shouted.

  I tossed her my cell phone. "See for yourself."

  Venus grimaced. "I need your screen lock code."

  "It's four threes," I said, not taking my eyes off the men with guns.

  "You know," the fat one said, "you shouldn't go around giving your personal info out like that."

  "Shut up!" the big man snarled.

  "Why do you have a picture of a cat that looks like Hitler on your wallpaper?" Venus asked. "Did you design that yourself?" She sounded a little impressed.

  "That's my cat," I answered.

  "Wow. It really looks photoshopped." Venus whistled.

  "Will you just look at the recent activity and see if she called the damn sheriff!" Big Guy shouted.

  Venus glared at him before focusing her attention back to my phone. It kept her busy, giving me a few moments to think before she told these guys that there were ten little hostages in the barn. I walked around Venus, and the men turned, their backs now facing the barn. That was something at least.

  "Why did you do it?" I asked Venus as she tossed back my phone. She looked pissed. Could I get her talking in order to stall?

  "Shoot her!" she shrieked.

  The men lifted their guns. I was a dead woman if I didn't do something.

  "I'll call them off!" I said quickly. "I'll call the sheriff back and cancel. Say I made a mistake!"

  "Do it," the big man answered.

  I dialed with shaky fingers. The same woman answered.

  "I just called a few minutes ago, remember me?" I said, my mind racing. I didn't want to call off the sheriff. We needed a rescue.

  "Yes," the woman said. "The deputies are on their way. Are you under duress?"

  I sighed with real relief, making a big show of it so that the bad guys would think she'd agreed to call them back. "Yes! I made a mistake. Please call them off."

  The big man looked at Venus, but her eyes were set on me.

  "Got it. They'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up.

  "Thank you! It was silly of me, I know. I mistook the veterinarian's staff as horse thieves. Don't know what I was thinking…" I nodded at the men. "I'm so sorry. I understand if there'll be charges filed against me."

  The longer I talked the more time I had, but to do what? I still didn't hear sirens. And when they got here, the deputies would have
a hard time barreling through two hundred girls all walking on the road to the parking lot.

  "Oh good. Again, so sorry," I continued saying to the silent phone.

  "Enough. Hang up," Venus growled.

  "Okay, thanks again for your understanding…"

  "Hang. Up. Now," Venus insisted as she got to her feet.

  I hung up. "Well, that's bought you some time. I'll just go lock myself in the barn with Dot and wait for you to take the horses and leave." I held the gun to my side and walked toward the barn.

  "Hold on!" the big man shouted. "She's seen us. She can't be allowed to go!"

  The skinny man spoke up. "Let's just take the horses and get out of here, Benson."

  "Yeah," the fat guy said. "I don't want to go down for murder."

  Venus glared at me. Was she going to say anything about my girls? I pleaded with my eyes.

  "Give me your gun," she said, holding out her hand. "Give me the gun, and I'll let you go into the barn."

  Benson snapped, "We have to kill her!"

  "We didn't kill Dot," Venus said.

  I gave her the gun. No way could I win a gunfight against these three anyway. And Venus hadn't mentioned the kids hiding in the barn. She'd liked them, so maybe she would let them go. It was a thin hope, but what else did I have?

  "Go! Get the horses loaded, and get out of here!" Venus barked at the men.

  Benson lowered his gun, stuffed it into his waistband, and left with the other two.

  "Go on, into the barn," Venus said.

  But she followed me. Why? She could leave with the men, but she wasn't. And by not killing us, she was definitely screwing up her life. We all knew she lived in Chicago. The police would find her. She'd have to go on the lamb permanently. None of these things I minded, I just wondered why she hadn't thought of them.

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked once we were inside.

  "Art school is expensive." Venus frowned. "And I hate these damn horses! Nobody appreciates arts and crafts! Nobody! No one ever puts that down as their favorite thing at camp. It's always the horses. Stupid nags."

  She looked at the girls, who were still in the corner. Dot was stirring.