Czytaj książkę: «Lone Wolf Standing»

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

The Prince of Philly

Jimmy Carmani was halfway from the police station to his apartment when his radio crackled and dispatcher Erin Taylor’s melodic voice filled his car. “Jimmy, where are you?” she asked.

“Just about home. Why? What’s up?”

“I just got a call from Travis Brooks and he says he’s being held at gunpoint by Sheri Marcoli at her place. You want to check it out?”

“On my way,” Jimmy replied, wondering if his voice held the utter shock that swept through him. The idea of Sheri Marcoli holding Travis at gunpoint was stunning. The idea of Sheri holding anyone at gunpoint was ludicrous. It had to be a mistake.

He remembered a year ago when somebody had called into the station to say that Sarah Fisher, one of the women from the nearby Amish community, was beating a man to death with a hoe.

Jimmy and his partners Frank Delaney and Steve Kincaid had sped to the scene where they found Sarah using a hoe to beat a rug hanging on a clothesline.

This had to be something similar. There was no way that Jimmy would believe that sweet, caring, petite Sheri Marcoli even owned a gun.

His apartment was just off the main drag of the small town of Wolf Creek, Pennsylvania, but he headed in the opposite direction, turning onto a road that would take him up into the mountains where Sheri’s small house was located on five acres of thick woods.

Jimmy had only been there once about two months ago and that had been because of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Sheri’s aunt. It had been a little over three months since Liz Marcoli had disappeared from her home. She’d just vanished and while the case was being investigated as a criminal one, there had been no real clues and it was on its way to becoming a very cold case.

Liz Marcoli was the last thing on Jimmy’s mind as he veered onto a narrow gravel road. It was far more likely that Travis Brooks, the owner of the Wolf’s Head Tavern, had gotten himself liquored up and was holding a gun on Sheri for some unknown reason.

This thought forced his foot down harder on the gas pedal, making rocks ping against the underside of his car. Of the three Marcoli sisters, Sheri was the youngest and the smallest and although Travis rarely got a snoutful of his own products, it wasn’t unheard of.

Jimmy gripped the steering wheel tighter, his Italian blood heating as he thought of Sheri defenseless against a drunk with a gun. He turned right onto a lane that he knew would carry him directly to the front of Sheri’s cabin.

Sheri’s bright yellow pickup was parked in front of the charming cabin, but there weren’t any other vehicles in sight. Jimmy parked and got out of his car, his hand on the butt of his gun as he approached the front door.

He knocked and when there was no answer he called out. “Sheri Marcoli? It’s Detective Carmani.”

“Around back, Jimmy,” her voice came faintly from behind the house. He didn’t hear any stress in her tone, but he didn’t remove his hand from his gun as he went around the side of the house and toward her backyard.

When he stepped around the corner he froze, stunned at the sight of Sheri with a shotgun to her shoulder and pointed toward the wooded area where in the distance Travis Brooks stood with his hands over his head and a panicked look on his face.

“Thank God you’re finally here,” Travis exclaimed. “She’s gone plumb crazy. She’s had that shotgun aimed at me for the last twenty minutes and told me if I moved an inch she’d shoot me.”

Although Jimmy gave a faint nod in Travis’s direction, his entire focus was on the miniature Annie Oakley. Tight jeans hugged her slender legs and she wore a black T-shirt with Roadside Stop, the name of the store she owned, in gold lettering across her small breasts.

She held the gun with a familiar ease that was both intriguing and appalling, for it was so far out of line with who he’d believed her to be. At her side was a dog, a black mix of breeds that was the size of a small Shetland pony.

“He’s got a crossbow at his feet,” Sheri said, as if that explained everything. “I warned him the last time he was hunting on my property that the next time I caught him I’d shoot him.”

“I was on the trail of a feral pig, the biggest damn piece of pork I’ve ever seen,” Travis replied. “That swine has been tearing up crops and some of the locals want it killed. I didn’t realize I’d crossed onto your property, Sheri.”

She kept holding the gun steady. “I’ve got No Hunting signs posted everywhere. How can you see a big pig and not see one of my big signs?”

“Sheri, you need to put the gun down,” Jimmy said softly. “You know you aren’t going to shoot Travis.”

“Why shouldn’t I? He’s trespassing and he knows how I feel about hunting. My land is a sanctuary for animals.”

“Sheri, I was on my way home from the station when I caught this call. If you shoot him then I’m going to have to arrest you and there will be tons of paperwork and I won’t get home until after midnight and I do need my beauty sleep,” Jimmy replied.

A hint of a smile curved her lips. The late evening sun sparkled in her chestnut-brown hair and when she looked at him her amber eyes held a hint of amusement that let him know she’d never intended to use the weapon.

She turned her gaze back to Travis and her eyes narrowed. “This is your last warning, Travis Brooks. Stay off my property with that crossbow of yours.”

“I promise I’ll be more careful in the future and the next time you come into the tavern your tab is on me,” Travis answered.

Sheri lowered the shotgun so it pointed to the ground. “I wouldn’t want to mess up your beauty sleep,” she said to Jimmy.

“I appreciate that.” Jimmy waved at Travis. “Get your crossbow and get out of here fast in case the lady changes her mind.”

Before the words were completely out of Jimmy’s mouth Travis had grabbed his crossbow and vanished from his shadowed spot in the woods. Jimmy turned back to Sheri, this time the smile gone from his face.

“Are you crazy?” he asked. “Do you have any idea how dangerous a gun can be? It might have accidentally gone off. You could have killed Travis or yourself.”

“No, I couldn’t have.” Sheri stepped back toward the concrete patio and leaned the shotgun next to the back door. “It isn’t loaded.”

She moved to one of the patio chairs, the dog following at her side and sitting next to her as she sat. She motioned Jimmy to a chair as he continued to stare at her in surprise.

He walked to the chair next to hers and sank down. She pointed to the small patch of mowed lawn before them and the woods that surrounded it.

“These five acres are not just my sanctuary, but a safe home to any wild creatures that come here,” she said.

He’d never been in her backyard and now he found himself studying it with interest. It was common knowledge that Sheri loved animals, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things.

Bird and squirrel feeders hung from trees limbs; a blooming flower garden surrounded a big birdbath. A salt lick was mounted on a post to attract deer and a tin tub at the very edge of the yard he assumed was used to put food scraps to feed bear, raccoon and any other scavenger in the vicinity. It was definitely an animal’s paradise.

There was also a brightly striped hammock and a wrought-iron table next to it...a perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon or lounge for a while before bedtime.

“No hunters allowed,” she said firmly.

“Sheri, it’s a dangerous practice to threaten a man with an unloaded gun,” he said, and tried not to notice the heady floral scent that wafted from her and rode the light breeze to tease his nose.

“Would it be better to threaten a man with a loaded gun?” she asked.

“It would be better if you got rid of that gun altogether,” he replied. He eyed the dog who sat like a statue next to her. “He’s a big guy and very well behaved.”

“His name is Highway and he’s very well trained,” she said as she stroked the top of the dog’s head. “Highway, make nice,” she said.

Jimmy tensed as the behemoth dog got up and approached where he sat. Highway opened his mouth, appearing to grin when he sat down and offered his paw.

A surprised laugh escaped Jimmy as he shook the dog’s paw, and then Highway returned to sit at Sheri’s side. “Did Jed train him?”

Sheri nodded. “I found him on the side of the highway between Wolf Creek and Hershey a little over a year ago. There were two of them, puppies about four weeks old, tossed out and abandoned. I picked them up, brought them home and tried to keep them alive. I lost one, but Highway was a fighter. Once he was old enough I took him to Jed for some special training. Highway would kill somebody if they threatened me. All I’d have to do was give the right command.”

Jed Wilson was a talented dog trainer who lived in Wolf Creek and worked with search and rescue and cadaver dogs. He also trained tiny poodles not to piddle on the rug and apparently big dogs to protect and defend.

“I’d prefer you not give that command right now,” Jimmy said drily.

Sheri smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re no threat to me. Highway is the main man in my life until my prince comes along.”

“Prince?” Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, her shoulder-length thick hair swaying with her head motion. “You know, my golden-haired, blue-eyed prince who will share this enchanted cottage in the woods with me for the rest of my life.”

“And when, exactly, are you expecting this prince to show up?” Jimmy asked, his mind working to keep up with the conversation that had gone from guns, to killer dogs and now to a prince with blond hair who would provide her with her happy-ever-after ending.

She shrugged her slender shoulders. “Could be tomorrow, could be in a year. Who knows, but I’m a patient woman and I’m only twenty-six. I have time. I’m willing to wait until fate blows him in my direction. Forgive me, I’m being a bad hostess. Would you like something to drink? Maybe some iced tea or a cold beer?”

What he’d like to do was to sit here and talk to her forever, to get to know the woman who had captured his attention from the moment she and her two sisters had walked into the police station three months ago to file a missing-persons report for their aunt.

Instead he stood and shook his head. “Thanks, but I should probably head on home.” He had a feeling if he spent too much time with Sheri he might like her even more than he already did, and one of the few things Jimmy was certain of was that he wasn’t any kind of a golden-haired prince.

Sheri stood, the dog rising to all fours, as well. “Thanks for coming so quickly, Jimmy. I really just wanted to scare Travis. This is my property, not his personal hunting grounds and he needed to be reminded of that fact.”

“I’ll remind him again the next time I’m in the tavern,” he replied. On impulse he reached into his pocket and took out a pad and pen. He scribbled down his personal cell phone number and handed it to her. “Just in case you get the urge to hold somebody at gunpoint again. Call me first and I’ll see if I can talk you down.”

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Night, Jimmy.”

She headed inside the house as he walked around the side and back to his car. Minutes later as he made the drive to his apartment, he thought of what Sheri hadn’t asked. She hadn’t asked for any updates on her aunt Liz’s case.

That indicated to Jimmy that she’d already given up hope of the woman ever being found and that was a tragedy. Jimmy couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have a missing loved one.

Of course, Jimmy had no loved ones in his life. Despite the fact that she’d just held a man at gunpoint, Sheri Marcoli was a caring and gentle woman who deserved a prince and a happy ever after.

No matter how attracted he was to Sheri, he knew he was the antithesis of that prince. Black-haired and dark-eyed, Jimmy also sported two tattoos, had literally fought his way through life and had only known love for a brief period of time when he’d been eight years old.

As he pulled into the parking space in front of the small apartment he rented, he dismissed thoughts of Sheri Marcoli. He was a man apparently built to be alone, as he had been through most of his life.

What he needed to concentrate on was the mystery of Liz’s continued disappearance and the most recent case of an armed robbery at a local convenience store.

Work. That’s what Jimmy did best. Solving crimes was his talent, his passion. He was good at it and he had a feeling he’d be very bad at loving and being loved.

* * *

“Okay, Highway, you be a good boy while I’m gone today,” Sheri said as she opened the oversize doggie door that had been cut into a side wall of the kitchen. The door led into a large fenced area where Highway could enjoy coming and going from the inside to the outside, without having the full run of the backyard and the woods.

When she was home all day she allowed him the freedom of the yard, but when she was gone, he spent his time using the doggie door and was confined to the large pen or inside the house.

As he ambled out into the mid-June sunshine, Sheri grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and headed toward the front door.

Minutes later she was in her pickup headed for the roadside store she ran along with her sister Marlene. Unfortunately, she had a feeling the days of her sister working there were limited.

Marlene was in the process of realizing her own dream of owning a bakery on Main Street. She’d already found the perfect storefront and with Detective Frank Delaney’s love and support, her dream was slowly becoming a reality.

Sheri couldn’t be happier for both of her sisters, who had found the men of their dreams and were working to build a future filled with love and commitment.

Sheri’s one foray into a relationship with a man had been a disaster. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she thought of Eric Richards. They’d dated for three months before he’d shown his true colors.

She hadn’t realized at the time they were dating that Eric was just like the kids who used to bully her at school. He’d only shown that side of himself to her when he’d gotten angry and once had been enough.

A sudden vision of Jimmy Carmani filled her head. He was definitely a hot piece of work with his thick black hair and dark chocolate-colored eyes. Nobody in the entire town of Wolf Creek wore a pair of black slacks and a tailored white shirt quite as well as Jimmy.

She didn’t know much about him except that he was one of three detectives that served the small town of Wolf Creek. She also knew he had a reputation for being brilliant and devoted to the job and she had to admit feeling a small tug of attraction toward him.

She dismissed thoughts of Jimmy as she pulled in front of the store where signs advertised Amish cheese and furniture, fresh produce and nuts, and a variety of other items that would appeal to the tourists that came through the area on their way to the bigger, more popular tourist city of Hershey.

This was the kind of place Sheri had always envisioned working. She loved doing business with the nearby Amish community and visiting with travelers who passed through the store on their way to new adventures and family fun.

She was always the first to arrive and open the doors for the day. She’d work alone until ten at which time Jennifer Fletcher would come in to help out. Marlene would arrive between noon and one along with Sheri’s other part-time help, Abe Winslow.

Sheri wasn’t planning on replacing Marlene when she stopped working at the store and instead devoted all her time to her bakery. Sheri, Jennifer and Abe were a good team and would hopefully be able to manage the store during the hours it was open.

They were like a little family and since Aunt Liz had gone missing and her sisters had become romantically involved with their men, a sense of family had been missing for Sheri.

Her evenings were quiet with just Highway and her woodland creatures for company, and yet she knew there was somebody special fate had in store for her...her prince who would banish her loneliness and love her as nobody ever had before.

Once inside the store all thoughts of princes and loneliness vanished as she got to work stocking shelves, checking the produce to make sure it was still fresh and attending to all the duties to be ready for a day of business.

She hadn’t been open long when seventeen-year-old Jason King walked in carrying one of his mother’s handmade quilts. “Good morning, Jason,” she greeted him with a gentle smile. She had a special soft spot for the young Amish man. His mother, Mary, had died six months ago, leaving Jason and his father, William, the burden of caretaking for five little Kings ranging between the ages of seven and two.

Jason cast her a tired smile as he set the quilt on the counter. “Good morning to you, too.”

“I see you’ve brought me another of your mother’s treasures.” Sheri placed a hand on the lovely, close-stitched patchwork quilt. “We sold the wedding ring quilt almost the same day you brought it in. What design is on this one?”

“Mom always called it her field of flowers.” Jason’s gaze lingered on the quilt, as if remembering special moments with his mother.

Sheri’s heart squeezed tight. She wished she had any memories of her own mother, but her mother had dropped her off for her aunt Liz to raise when she’d been a couple months old.

“Same price as we put on the other one?”

Jason lifted his gaze back on her. “Yes, that would be good.” He leaned against the counter as if reluctant to leave. He was a good-looking kid with dark hair beneath his requisite straw hat. But his eyes held concern and dark circles rode beneath, making him appear much older than his age.

“Everything all right?” Sheri asked softly.

Jason shrugged slender shoulders. “Okay, I guess, although I’m worried a bit about my da.”

“Worried about what?” It wasn’t right for a child to worry about his father, she thought.

Once again Jason shrugged, a faint pink stain coloring his cheeks. “He’s just not been himself the last couple of months. He leaves the fieldwork and disappears and I don’t know where he goes. He’s distant and isn’t part of the family like he used to be.” Jason flushed again. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.”

Sheri reached out and covered his hand with hers. “Don’t worry, Jason. You know I’m not a gossiper. Maybe your father is still grieving and he’s dealing with it by isolating himself.” She pulled her hand from his.

“I know he misses my mother a lot, and dealing with the younger ones is difficult. Thankfully, Sarah Fisher is watching them for me this morning for a couple of hours.” He gave her a small smile. “I love my family but sometimes a little break away from them all is not a bad thing.”

“You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, Jason. Just try to find some time for a little fun, too,” Sheri replied.

At that moment Jennifer arrived and the private conversation between Sheri and Jason halted. With a wave of his hand he left the store as Jennifer came around the counter to stand next to Sheri.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Sheri nodded. “Jason brought in another of his mother’s quilts to sell. I feel so sorry for him. Since Mary died he’s had so much to deal with.”

“You know the old saying, ‘What doesn’t break you makes you strong,’” Jennifer replied.

Sheri eyed her wryly. “Ah, words of wisdom from a twenty-two-year-old who still lives at home with her parents who treat her like a princess.”

Jennifer laughed. “I’m the first to admit that I’m hopelessly spoiled.”

“Now that we agree on that, take thy spoiled bottom into the storage room and unpack the boxes of Wolf Creek souvenirs that came in yesterday,” Sheri said.

Jennifer gave her a saucy salute and then disappeared into the big back room that provided storage space and a picnic table for lunch breaks.

The morning seemed to fly by, with more business than usual for a Wednesday. She hoped it was a portent of a busy tourist season. Spring and summer business was great, but when the snow flew she shortened her hours and lived mostly on what she’d made during the busy season.

There were only three places where Sheri was happy—here at the store, at her cottage with the surrounding woods, and at her aunt’s home that had always smelled of cinnamon and apples or rich chocolate and dough.

Liz Marcoli was a talent in the kitchen when it came to baking sweets and desserts. Marlene had inherited her natural talent for baking. Roxy also had a genuine talent in the kitchen, but Sheri was hopeless when it came to cooking anything but the simplest of dishes.

A blur of tears misted her eyes as she thought of her missing aunt. She knew the law enforcement in Wolf Creek had done everything in their power in an attempt to find Liz, but there had been no leads to follow, no breadcrumbs of clues.

Three and a half months had passed and the hole in the fabric of their little family had been ripped right from the center. Aunt Liz had been their mother-figure, their support system, their snuggle buddy on dark stormy nights when they’d been children.

And now she was gone...vanished from her home, seemingly vanished from the entire world.

The tears that had been about to fall as grief attempted to take hold of her vanished when a car pulled up to the front door and a family of five tumbled from the doors.

It was one o’clock when Sheri’s cell phone rang and she saw Marlene’s number light up. “Hey, sis, what’s up?”

“I feel really, really bad calling at the last minute like this, but can you get by without me today? I’ve got an appointment at three to meet an electrician at the store and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long meeting.”

“It’s not a problem,” Sheri assured her sister. “In fact, if it’s time for you to stop working here to focus solely on the bakery, it’s all right. Jenny, Abe and I can handle things here and if I find myself shorthanded, I can always hire a new part-timer.”

There was a long silence from Marlene. “Are you sure?” she finally asked. “I really am excited to get the bakery up and running as soon as possible.”

Sheri smiled into the phone. She knew between the work on the bakery and her relationship with Detective Frank Delaney, Marlene had finally found all the pieces she needed for her happiness. Working in the store had never really been part of Marlene’s dreams.

“I’m positive,” Sheri replied. “I don’t want to see you here unless you’re shopping for something you need to create culinary magic.”

“Sheri, you’re the best,” Marlene said, her relief evident in her tone.

Sheri laughed. “Just build that bakery and invite me as a special guest on opening day.”

“You know that goes without saying.”

The two spoke for another few minutes, talking about their eldest sister, Roxy, who had moved in with Detective Steve Kincaid and his seven-year-old son. Roxy ran a successful restaurant called the Dollhouse and specialized in hearty breakfasts and delightfully fresh and original lunch fare.

Neither of them mentioned Aunt Liz or the stalled case that had all three sisters barely clinging to any hope that she would be found alive.

When the call finally ended, the rest of the day remained busy. Thankfully when it was time for Jennifer to leave, Abe Winslow had arrived to take up the slack.

The two of them stayed busy with customers until seven. By eight Sheri decided it was time to close up shop. She locked up the front door and then together she and Abe left through the back.

“Busy day,” he said as they stepped outside into the warm night.

“Hopefully we’re just going to get busier.”

“I could work more hours if you needed me to,” Abe said.

Sheri smiled at the older man. He’d taken the job of working here in the late afternoon and evenings after his wife had died. He’d told Sheri that the silence of their cabin had been overwhelming after she was gone.

“I might need you to work more hours. Marlene isn’t going to be working here anymore. We’ll see how things go. Good night, Abe.”

“See you tomorrow,” he said and headed toward his old Chevy parked in the lot next to her pickup.

As she pulled out of the lot, she thought about Abe. He’d initially been a suspect in Liz’s disappearance when he’d told Sheri and Marlene that he’d asked Liz out and she’d turned him down.

But he’d quickly been cleared of any wrongdoing. At the time Liz had disappeared Abe had been spending the night at his brother’s home in Hershey. The brother and several other family members had confirmed his alibi.

Thoughts of Abe halted as Sheri noticed car lights behind hers. She slowed to allow the car to pass, but the car slowed, as well. She sped up and the vehicle behind her mirrored the action.

No reason to believe anyone is following me, she thought. And yet when she turned off the highway and onto the narrow gravel road that would eventually lead to the lane that was her driveway into her cottage, the car made the turn right behind her.

An edge of apprehension crept up her spine. There were few people who used this road and she couldn’t remember the last time any vehicle had shadowed her from the shop to her home.

Stop being silly, she told herself. There were other people who lived in this area. She didn’t own the road that continued past her driveway and on up the mountain. It was probably just the thought of somebody kidnapping Aunt Liz that had her unusually on edge.

She couldn’t tell the make or color of the car that was behind her. Darkness had fallen and all she could discern was the brilliance of the headlights.

As she turned into the lane that led to her cottage, she could have sworn that the car behind her came to a near halt, and then zoomed on and disappeared from sight.