Framed For Christmas. Jaycee Bullard

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СКАЧАТЬ by tomorrow, if she had anything to say about it. She had been quick to reassure Lucy, but the fact of the matter was that all of their parents would be worried sick when they found out the group hadn’t arrived as expected. And, with the phones down, there was no way to let them know that everyone was safe.

      “Hey, Miss Jones,” Josh called out. “You want a bowl of chips?” He was standing by the kitchen counter, acting like the mayor of Dagger Lake as he dispensed snacks and drinks to the rest of the kids.

      “No, thanks,” she said. Given the knot in her stomach, it was unlikely she’d have any appetite for dinner. An image flashed through her brain of the expressionless faces of the men at the gas station. Who were they, and why were they following her? She wanted to believe that any sinister thoughts she might conjure were the work of an overactive imagination. But part of her—the part that could never forget what had happened to her sister, Ali—knew that no one was ever safe.

      The door banged open and Gideon walked into the cabin, a string of cleaned perch in his hand. “Here’s today’s main course,” he said. “Caught fresh this morning from the best ice fishing hole on the lake.”

      “I hate fish,” Ellie moaned.

      “You’ll like these,” he assured her. “And if you don’t, you can close your eyes and pretend you’re eating chicken.”

      Despite the lighthearted banter, there was a marked change in Gideon’s demeanor, and Dani wondered what had happened since he left to finish his chores. His mouth was set in an anxious frown, and his eyes were wary. He placed the fish on the counter and turned to face the group.

      “Before I start to make dinner, I need to grab a few things from the barn. Maybe your leader can give me a hand. You kids can set the table while we’re gone. Paper plates are in the cupboard above the sink, and folding chairs are stacked in the closet by the door.”

      The edge to his tone made Dani suspect there was more on the agenda than retrieving supplies. As she slipped on her coat and followed him outside, she found herself wondering what could possibly have happened to explain the shift in his attitude.

      She trailed Gideon and Lou along the tramped-down path to the barn, a ramshackle building with a painted red door. Gideon pulled out a set of keys to unlatch the rusty padlock, then opened the door and flicked on a light switch, bathing the space in a shadowy glow. She detected the scent of fresh hay and a slight whiff of something that smelled like oil. In the center of the room was an aluminum boat with a shiny new motor set next to it on a tarp. Along the back wall, an old push lawn mower, some power tools and a few broken chairs shared space with a beat-up snowmobile with a black leather seat held together by duct tape.

      Gideon sat on a bale of straw and, with a curt nod, indicated that she should do the same. Lou shot her a look of supreme disillusionment as he curled into a ball beside his master’s booted feet.

      “I thought we could have a little talk without the kids around.” Gideon’s face was a mask of shadows in the dim light.

      She nodded. She couldn’t imagine what he needed to talk to her about, unless he was rethinking his decision to allow the group to stay in the cabin. Maybe he was about to suggest that they set up camp in the barn, which would be fine, though slightly chilly for those whose sleeping bags lacked extra insulation.

      But any type of shelter was better than the alternative. She smiled encouragingly, which caused him to glare back at her. He seemed to be expecting a different sort of response, and when he finally spoke, his words could not have been more surprising.

      “I just found twenty kilos of cocaine in the back of your van.”

      She blinked. Twice. And then asked him to repeat the statement.

      “I found ten bags of cocaine in the trunk of your vehicle.” Gideon enunciated each word with careful precision. “Actually, Lou did. I’d estimate its street value to be close to a million dollars.”

      She gasped. “Your dog found cocaine in our van?” This had to be a joke. “Is he some sort of super-secret-agent canine trained to sniff out drugs?”

      The muscle flexing along Gideon’s jaw and the firm set of his mouth showed that this was no laughing matter, even before his words confirmed it.

      “He is. And he’s got the medals to prove it. It took him less than five minutes to locate the stash of drugs hidden with the Bibles. Ironic, don’t you think?”

      She scrambled to make sense of this information. After all, she was a scientist who worked with DNA, trained to observe even the smallest detail, but she had neglected to examine any of the boxes before stowing them in the cargo area of the van. She supposed that, if what Gideon said about the drugs was true, it was rather ironic, but at the moment, that was the least of her concerns. “Who put them there?”

      “I was hoping you could tell me.” His cool, dark eyes lingered on her face as if searching for answers. “I’m at a loss here, trying to figure out what to think about this. You seem like a nice enough lady. And the kids in your group appear to be straightforward and friendly, as well. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that transporting drugs over state lines is a felony. I noticed that your van has Iowa plates, which makes me wonder about your reasons for visiting the reservation. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would choose to travel this distance in a raging snowstorm with a bunch of kids who are supposed to be in school.”

      She bristled at his tone, her dismay giving way to resentment at his innuendo. Who did Gideon Marshall think he was? Yes, he was allowing them to use his home and offering shelter from the storm. And yes, he did look like he could star in his own superhero movie with his broad shoulders and strong arms straining the sleeves of his red flannel shirt. But that didn’t give him the right to make those kinds of wild accusations.

      “You may find this hard to believe, Mr. Marshall, but I’m just as surprised as you are by all of this. Maybe you should start by explaining what led you to discover these so-called drugs in the first place.”

      Instead of the look of chagrin she had expected, his lips formed a satisfied smile. “Lou was acting skittish when we came upon you in the ditch, so I decided I needed to check out the situation for myself.”

      “So you broke into our vehicle and rummaged through our stuff?”

      “Exactly.” He cocked his head to one side, seeming pleased to admit he had violated their privacy. “And it turned out that Lou was correct, which isn’t surprising, since his nose is never wrong. Believe me, Miss Jones, this is not a small amount of contraband we’re dealing with. So it would behoove you to answer my question. Why bring a van full of kids from Iowa to North Dakota in the middle of a snowstorm?”

      She stared at Gideon Marshall with barely contained irritation. Okay, maybe he knew what he was talking about when he claimed to have found drugs in the van, but they didn’t belong to her or anyone in the mission group. She took a deep breath and willed herself to be civil to this man who—she needed to remind herself—had rescued them from an uncertain fate in the North Dakota wilderness.

      “We came to Dagger Lake because the new community center on the reservation is opening this weekend. The kids were here this past summer on a mission trip to help out after the flood. As a thank-you, the chief and the council of elders invited them to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday night.” She paused to cast a withering glance in his direction. “Apparently, their parents thought the experience was worthwhile enough for them to miss school.”

      Gideon’s СКАЧАТЬ