Page 50 of Six
Six let out a rueful laugh. “Great, just what we need…a man who most likely just murdered Julian Newcross headed to an abandoned quarry.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Gavin kepta discreet eye on Violetta. Not because he was worried about her, but because never in his life had he wanted a woman in the way, and with the intensity, that he wanted Violetta. They had things to do, a murderer to catch, and a massive court case to file. But watching her operate—both on her own and seamlessly with her friends—was about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Then again, watching Violetta walk into the office every day tended to do it for him, too.
He turned and looked out the window, not wanting her to catch him staring. Aside from it not being a good time to do any of the things his mind—and his body—were encouraging him to do, he still wasn’t sure where he sat with her. Clearly, she was starting to trust him, and she was attracted to him, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was ready to go in the same direction he wanted to go.
“And here we go,” Violetta said, quietly. He shifted his attention to see DePalma turning onto the road that would lead him to the entrance of the quarry. “How did Cyn figure this out?”
“There’s a gas station about a mile past the quarry on the way to Chichester. In the last two months, he’s had four credit card charges there,” he answered as she drove past the road where DePalma had turned.
“Other than the entrance DePalma will take, are there any other ways in?” She guided the car to a small pullout, then turned to him.
“Cyn didn’t say, but let’s call her. I don’t know her well, but I suspect she and the others have been researching that very question.”
Violetta nodded and hit a few buttons. A few seconds later, the car filled with the sound of the phone ringing and two rings in, Cyn answered. “He’s at the quarry, isn’t he?” she asked by way of answering.
“Presumably,” Violetta answered. “We pulled over so as not to follow right behind him. Assuming he takes the main entrance, is there another way in?”
Cyn didn’t hesitate, confirming what Gavin had suspected. “There are two other access roads. One isn’t suitable, as it’s on the other side of the quarry. The other isn’t great either but is the better of the two. Looking at the quarry from the top and like a clock, DePalma will come in at six o’clock and the entrance we think you should take will bring you in at nine o’clock. The catch is, that entrance doesn’t go all the way to the quarry, and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way. It isn’t far, maybe a mile, but it doesn’t look like there are any discernable trails. I’m sending you the data now.”
Gavin glanced down at Violetta’s shoes. She wore tennis shoes, and he had a pair of boots on. They’d be fine.
Violetta’s phone dinged, and she pulled a map up on the screen in the car. They both leaned forward to study it. The entrance Cyn had marked lay two miles past the main one. “Why build a road to nothing?” she asked as she sat back, then pulled out onto the road.
“I think the work camp was there in the twenties and thirties,” Cyn answered. “The satellite images I have are good, but not great, and we think we can see a few remnants of small buildings.”
“Anything else we should know?” Gavin asked. As they neared the turnoff to the old road, Violetta slowed the car. Chances were, it wouldn’t be easy to spot, even with the satellite images guiding them.
“Not right now,” Cyn answered. “Devil is looking into the history of the area and if she finds anything, like areas to stay away from, we’ll let you know. You guys have what you need?”
Gavin assumed she meant weapons-wise and assured her they were all set. In addition to the various items he’d grabbed from Violetta’s car, he also had his own gun.
“We’ll get back in touch once we’re done,” Violetta said. Cyn demanded they be careful, Violetta assured her they would, then they ended the call.
“It should be…”
“There,” Gavin said, pointing to a break in the woods. The weeds were nearly taller than their car, and once they drove through it would be obvious someone had taken the road. The good news was that the lush foliage appeared to be growing up through gravel, so at least they wouldn’t have to worry about a potentially muddy road. Of course, Violetta’s new cardidhave all-wheel drive, but it would be nice if they didn’t need it.
“I feel like we should start hearing a banjo pretty soon,” she said, turning onto the road and crushing several feet of greenery underneath them as they inched forward. After a minute of their snail’s pace, the thick grass and weeds gave way and the road cleared. Not completely, but they could at least see the old tire tracks.
“Banjo? FromDeliverance? Didn’t that take place in the South somewhere?” he asked.
“Yes and yes,” Violetta said, navigating around a large rock. Judging by the map, they had under a mile to go. “But remember, you’re now in a state whose motto is ‘Live Free or Die.’ New Hampshirites are not people you want to mess with.”
He hadn’t known that. The motto had a rather ominous tone to it that was a bit at odds with the beauty surrounding them, but what did he know? He’d only been in the US for five months; he’d have to take Violetta’s word for it.
They maneuvered their way to what was indeed an old work camp. Once they’d exited the car, they’d seen the remains of two wood cabins along with the old stone foundations for four more buildings. Without a word, Gavin pulled the bag of goodies out and set it on the hood of the car. The hike through a bug-infested forest wouldn’t be fun, but at least with the distance between them and DePalma, they had the freedom to prepare without worrying about being seen or heard.
He handed Violetta the gun she’d given him earlier, and she slipped it back into her ankle holster. Next came the small appliance bag, which she shoved into the left pocket of her lightweight sweatshirt. And then the switchblade, which she tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. “Need anything else?” he asked. Like her, he also carried a knife, only his was in a sheath at his waist.
She eyed the gun with the silencer on it, the debate clear in her eyes. It would be a nice weapon to have, but taking it spoke more of an intent to kill than an intent to capture. With a sigh, she reached in and grabbed the gun, but then unfastened the silencer and tossed the accessory back into the bag. Slipping the gun into the right pocket of her sweatshirt, she then zipped it up, securing the weapon for their trek.
“Ready,” she said. He nodded and tossed the bag into the trunk. The distinctivebeep beepechoed through the empty forest when she locked the car.
Taking a quick read from the GPS on his phone, he pointed southwest, and when Violetta gestured for him to lead the way, he began an easy jog through the forest. Keeping an eye on the ground to avoid rocks and roots, they made good time. Ten minutes later, he slowed to a walk a hundred meters from where the map showed DePalma would likely be parked. With Violetta at his back, they silently moved as close to the clearing as they could without leaving the woods.
DePalma’s SUV came into view first, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. What Gavincouldsee, though, was the rear bumper of a second car—a truck, more specifically. He held up a hand, and they both stopped. Turning to Violetta, he pointed to the second vehicle. She studied the scene for a beat, then pointed to her pocket that held the small bag with the GPS tracker and the bug.
