Broom and Gloom: Squeaky Clean Mysteries, Book 9 Page 17

“What?” Evie screeched.

  “In my defense, I had no idea I’d be driving an hour and a half away, and there was no good time to stop and fill up.”

  I moaned. I’d come this far only for this?

  The car sputtered again and then rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

  All my hopes of finding Georgia and Skye disappeared faster than the fuel in Sherman’s car.

  CHAPTER 23

  We climbed out of Sherman’s car and looked around. Mountains surrounded us. Mountains complete with massive boulders, red dirt, and very few trees.

  “Don’t people die like this every year? Stranded on isolated roads with absolutely no supplies?” Evie said.

  “You’re correct. Rural roads are actually much more dangerous than—” Sherman started.

  “Enough!” Evie said, slicing her hand through the air.

  Sherman sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ll figure out something.”

  Evie stared at her cell phone. “No signal out here, either. We’re too far out. Great. It looks like we’re going to have to walk.”

  “We should be careful of snakes,” Sherman said. “There are an abundance of rattlesnakes in this area. There are also some coyotes and other predators—”

  “Okay, I’ve heard enough!” Evie said, slicing her hands through the air. “The last way I want to die is at the hands of a wild animal.”

  “Wild animals actually don’t have hands—” Sherman started.

  “I don’t care!” Evie said. “I just don’t want to die out there.”

  Sherman pushed up his glasses. “Understood.”

  I shivered, the air out here much cooler than I’d anticipated. The jacket I wore was perfect for a brisk walk, but terrible for staying warm in the arid climate here.

  Just as the thought entered my mind, the sun slipped behind a mountain to the west, leaving us in a dim gray wilderness.

  “We should walk back to the main road,” Evie said.

  “It’s twenty minutes,” I told her. “I think we should keep moving ahead and see what we can find. You never know, there could be a store or a gas station or who knows what else just a little farther up.”

  “Or we could be walking into a death trap,” Evie argued. “There could be barren roads for miles and miles, and towering mountains that will continue to block our signal.”

  “We’re definitely safer staying together than we would be splitting up, so we should come to some kind of agreement,” Sherman said. “Statistics have found that groups that stay together in a situation like this, or when lost in the woods, have a 50 percent better chance of surviving when they stick together.”

  We both turned toward him.

  “I guess you’re the deciding vote,” Evie said, crossing her arms. “What do you think we should do, Sherman?”

  “Me . . . me?” He pointed toward himself, suddenly looking even more out of sorts. “I don’t know.”

  “We should keep walking,” I told him.

  “You just want to see if you can find that red car,” Evie said.

  I shook my head. “It’s long gone. I know that. But look, daylight is fading, I’m freezing, and we need to make a decision. I’m going this way.” I started walking toward the west, on the road not yet traveled—by us, anyway.

  “Fine, but if we die, it’s your fault,” Evie said. She scrambled to keep up with me.

  I wasn’t confident at all, but I figured this was our best shot. If nothing else, maybe we could climb one of the mountains or boulders and get a cell signal. All hope wasn’t lost . . . not yet, at least.

  The area was narrow, almost making me think we were walking through something that had been a canyon at one time or carved out by powerful currents. Large rock formations rose on both sides of us, and a small river trickled by on the other side of the road.

  “You know what water means? It means wild animals,” Evie said. “Water is a commodity out here. And now it’s dusk, which also means feeding time in the animal world.”

  She traipsed behind in her heels. I kept moving forward, trying not to think about the what-ifs. There were enough uncertainties without me letting my mind go to worst-case scenarios.

  Besides, I was getting a little creeped out. This was so out of my territory, out of my comfort zone. The wind kept sweeping through the landscape, and each time my chills intensified.

  “There’s a road right here.” Sherman pointed ahead to a little lane that cut through the dirt. “I wonder where it leads.”

  It seemed like a good starting point for any horror film ever made. Walk down an abandoned road in the middle of nowhere and hope for the best. I was certain everyone else would agree with me.

  Evie bent down. “There are tire tracks turning here. They look fresh. The dirt is so powdery here that if they’d been here for too long, the wind would have swept them away.”

  “So you think that’s our best bet?” I asked.

  “I think it’s our only bet.”

  I didn’t argue, because I had no better ideas at the moment. Besides, her words were true. At least we knew someone had been down this way in the recent past.

  “Would this be a good time for a rendition of ‘Home on the Range’?” I asked, a hint of mischief in my voice.

  “No!” Evie said.

  Sherman almost looked like he was going to affirm my idea until he heard Evie’s displeasure. Then he shrugged.

  The canyon-like rock formations around us began to fade as the road opened up before us.

  “It’s the mesa,” Sherman said.

  I pointed. “Is that a house over there?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it,” Evie mumbled. “It looks abandoned.”

  “Maybe we’ll have cell reception up here,” Sherman said. He stared at his phone screen. “Bingo! I do. Who should I call?”

  All three of us looked at each other. None of us knew anyone out here, except for each other.

  Sherman looked at me. “Dr. Stone . . . ?”

  Anger rose in me. “It’s not like that—”

  Evie cut me off. “Don’t you have a stepbrother out here?”

  I took a deep breath. “That’s right. I can try him.”

  Trace answered on the first ring. “I was wondering if you were going to call today.”

  “Listen, Trace. I need your help.” I gave him a rundown on what had happened and basic directions to find us. “I hate to bother you, but I have no one else to call.”

  “It’s no problem, sis. Except we’re filming that music video.”

  I shook my head. “You know what? Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out.”

  “I’ll send Jono. How would that be?”

  “Better than no one.”

  “I’ll do that. He may be grumpy, but he’ll do it.”

  I gave the phone back to Sherman. “Someone is coming. Maybe we could wait at that house. It might block the wind.”

  “It is called Tornado Alley around here. The wind isn’t surprising in that sense. The wind truly does come sweeping down the plains. Sometimes without end, it seems.” Sherman continued to walk, talking on and on about the winds.

  I tuned him out.

  Why had Georgia been following me? Did she really think Trace and I were dating? Was she going to try and destroy me also?

  I paused as we got closer to the abandoned-looking house in the distance. It wasn’t the old plantation style that caught my eye, nor was it the peeling white paint or cracked windows, or the skeletal trees beside it.

  No, what stopped me was the peek of red I saw.

  Georgia’s car was parked behind the house.

  It looked like I’d just hit the jackpot.

  CHAPTER 24

  “What do we do?” Sherman asked.

  “We approach carefully,” I said.

  “What if she has a gun?” Evie asked.

  “Okay, first we call the police,” I conceded. “Then we carefully check out what’s happening inside. I mean, wh
at if she’s trying to kill Skye? What if she thinks we’re onto her and wants to destroy evidence? There are so many things that can go wrong here.”

  “I agree with the ‘so many things that can go wrong’ part,” Evie said.

  “Rule number one of being in the field: keep a cool head,” I reminded.

  Evie sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  I felt like we should be less conspicuous as we approached, but there was nothing but open space around us. There was no way to hide our arrival.

  Sherman called the police as we walked. Meanwhile, fire sizzled through my blood. Was this it? Could this possibly hold the answers I’d been looking for?

  We ducked under the windows as we got closer to the house. Evie motioned for us to be quiet. So we were. We listened.

  And heard nothing.

  But a strange scent filled my nostrils.

  Gasoline, I realized.

  This whole house was about to go up in flames.

  “I’ve got to see if Skye is inside,” I whispered.

  “It’s too dangerous!” Evie said.

  “What other choice do I have?”

  “You don’t even know if she’s in there!” Evie said.

  “I need to check.”

  Before I could take a step, I saw the first flame. Dread filled me. No. Not a fire.

  It came from the second floor. I knew in a house this old, the whole thing would go down fast.

  “I’m going to check. Don’t come after me.” I took off toward the front steps. I’d just check the first floor. I’d get out before the blaze could consume me. At least, that was my plan.

  The scent of smoke became stronger as soon as I stepped in the front door. I heard a crack above me.

  The ceiling could come down at any minute, I realized.

  Was it worth it to risk my life for a stranger? I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.

  I pulled my shirt up over my mouth and nose and tried to protect my lungs from the suffocating fumes and the hazy smoke. My eyes burned and my heart pounded out of control.

  I tried not to think about everything that could go wrong. But there was so much that could go wrong in here.

  I darted past the stairway and saw orange and yellow licking at the edges of the walls there. I rushed through the kitchen and dining room.

  They were empty.

  I kept pushing myself forward, knowing I couldn’t slow down. I staggered into the living room, my breaths not coming as easily anymore. It was hard to see, hard to find air.

  The house was getting hotter, and more ceiling beams cracked above me. At any minute, the entire second floor could come crashing down.

  Lord, help me. Watch over me. Protect me.

  I reached for a doorknob. Before I touched it, I pulled my sleeve over my hand and turned. Just as I’d thought—the metal was already hot. I twisted it, and plumes of smoke rushed out.

  Water ran from my eyes. If the fire didn’t kill me, the smoke inhalation would. I’d need to check this room and get out.

  An old bedroom came into view. At least, that’s what I thought it was based on the dresser beside me. I pushed inside the room, knowing my time was limited. I’d search the perimeter.

  I coughed, the sound deep and achy. I had to feel my way around the room.

  Another crack sounded above me. I glanced up and saw the wood was moving. Orange began to slither through the cracks there.

  I turned to go back when I spotted something.

  Feet.

  Could it be . . . ?

  I ran toward the opposite wall and sucked in a breath. A woman lay there, moaning and dazed. A gag was around her mouth, her legs, her arms.

  I pushed a mop of brown hair from her face.

  It was Skye. I’d found Skye!

  I helped her sit upright and pulled the gag down. “Come on. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  Before I could help her to her feet, the ceiling cracked and burning embers crashed into the room, right in front of the door.

  CHAPTER 25

  I quickly pulled at the binds around her feet. With a few tries, I got them loosened and pulled the rope off. “We need a plan B,” I told her.

  She nodded, seeming out of sorts. Her eyes were glazed and tired.

  I had to think, and fast.

  The windows. Of course.

  I ran to the nearest one and pushed on it. It was stuck.

  I pushed harder.

  It didn’t budge.

  There was more than one way to open a window.

  I grabbed a lamp from the table and swung it like a baseball bat. The window shattered. Using the edge of my sweatshirt, I brushed aside any remaining glass. As I did so, I saw Evie and Sherman standing there.

  “I found Skye!” I shouted over the roar of the fire.

  The flames came closer, licking at my heels, reminding me too much of the first case I’d ever investigated. I’d almost died in that house too. But I hadn’t. And I wasn’t going to die here either.

  “Help her out, okay?”

  Evie and Sherman nodded.

  I turned to Skye. “Legs first. They’ll catch you.”

  She nodded lethargically and did as I told her. She slipped down to the ground, down into the waiting arms of Evie and Sherman. Down to safety.

  Now it was my turn. Just as I put my leg out, an explosion sounded behind me and I was thrown outside.

  ***

  “Gabby? Gabby? Are you okay?”

  I opened my eyes and saw Evie, Sherman, and two strange men staring at me. I nodded and tried to push myself up, but my head throbbed so badly that all I wanted was to lie back down.

  Then I felt the heat.

  I blinked and spotted the house. Only, I was no longer right outside the window. I’d been moved—based on the marks in the dirt, I’d been dragged—away from it. Now, firefighters surrounded it, trying to douse the flames.

  “Skye . . . ?”

  “The other paramedics have her right now. She’s going to be fine,” Evie said. “Thanks to you. You didn’t have to go into that house, you know.”

  A paramedic stuck a stethoscope on my chest.

  “I’m fine,” I muttered, pushing him back. “How long was I out?”

  “Just for long enough for us to pull you away from the house,” Sherman said.

  “I pulled you,” Evie said. “Sherman helped Skye.”

  “Did they catch Georgia?” I asked.

  Evie and Sherman looked at each other and shook their heads. “She’s gone,” Evie said.

  “What do you mean gone? Her car was here. She set the house on fire. How can she be gone?”

  “We don’t know exactly. We think that maybe she had another car waiting in the barn back there. I have a feeling she was gone by the time we got here. It’s hard to know for sure.”

  I craned my neck, despite its ache, toward a sound in the distance. I looked over and saw another car coming down the dirt lane, kicking up clouds of dust behind it. The vehicle screeched to a stop, and Jono rushed out.

  He ran over toward me, a bundle of nervous, type A energy. “What happened? I got here as soon as I could.”

  “We found Skye,” I told him as the paramedics helped me to my feet.

  “What? That’s great. Maybe Trace can finally relax and enjoy himself. After Georgia is caught, that is.” He scowled. “You heard what she did today, right?”

  “She did something today?”

  “Smashed his guitar. Guitars are kind of like favorite sweaters—they fit just the way they’re supposed to. This is just one more setback for Trace.”

  Georgia had been downtown today. Trace had been rehearsing only fifteen minutes from the hotel. She very well could have sneaked in and wreaked some more chaos.

  The biggest question, however, was: Where had she gone, and what was she planning next?

  Jono leered at me. “By the way, what’s that on your face?”

  I touched my upper lip, knowing it was mor
e than soot and ashes he was talking about. Then I scowled. “Long story.”

  CHAPTER 26

  I ended up at the hospital, despite my protests. The doctor said I was fine, just a little bruised, which I already knew. While I was there, not only did I give my statement to the local police, but Detective Brooks also drove in and questioned me. I told officials from both police departments everything I knew, and they took notes and got my contact information.

  “May I ask a question?”

  The other detective—I thought his name was Bartowski—stared at me. “You can always ask.”

  “Did you run the plates on that car that was parked beside the house?”

  He stared at me for a moment before nodding. “I did.”

  “Were they Georgia’s? Did the car belong to her?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.”

  I frowned. I’d expected that answer, but it was still disappointing.

  “By the way, Skye would like to speak with you,” the detective said.

  I instantly perked. “Really? I’d love to talk to her.”

  He led me to another room. Skye lay in a hospital bed there with a blanket over her. Her dark hair was fanned out behind her on the pillow, and her thin frame looked like the hospital bed had swallowed it. Her skin, tanned in her pictures, now looked pale, and her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying. She had an IV and several scrapes and bruises. But she was alive and safe.

  She started to sit up when she spotted me, but I gently nudged her back down. “Please, take it easy. You’ve been through a lot.”

  She offered a weak smile. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. I would have died if you hadn’t found me.”

  “I’m just sorry that you went through everything you did.” I squeezed her arm.

  “Yeah, me too.” She frowned. “It’s been a nightmare. I thought I would never get away.”

  I shifted. “Listen, I hate to ask you this, but do you have any idea where Georgia escaped to?”

  She shook her head back and forth on the pillow. “I have no idea. She came and went. She was at the house about ten minutes before you came. She’d rushed inside, spread the gasoline, and then left. I’m pretty sure she had a motorcycle parked in the barn out back.”