Janet Evanovich - Love in a Nutshell

“Wh-what do you mean, Laila?”

“I know you two are an item. She was using one of your vintage lighters before Shay VanAntwerp’s party. From what I’ve learned cruising around on my computer, that crystal number is far too valuable to toss to a buddy.”

“Well, it’s none of your business. But just so you know, she had nothing to do with this. I copied her keys without her knowing.”

“Do you love her?” If she softened him up, maybe he’d let her go.

Harley nodded. “We’ve been keepin’ it quiet-like, since she’s still collecting a pension from her last husband that’ll go away if we get married. All we want are winters in Florida and good food, but I spent my savings when business dropped.”

“That’s not Matt’s fault.”

The gun shook in his hand. “The hell it’s not. I’m the victim here, not him! All I wanted was Depot Brewing down for a while so people would come back to my place. But that boy is like that battery rabbit on television. No matter what I do, he just keeps on going and going and going. And then he’s got the nerve to ask me if I need a loan. I made him-not the other way around!”

Kate kept calm, figuring it was all she had left. “I’m sorry all of this has happened. But maybe it should all just stop now. Maybe we should just walk out of here.”

“I can’t. And don’t you see? I had no choice in any of this. I’m getting too far along in years. Laila and I shoulda stayed away from the casinos. All we were looking for was some money for retirement.”

She’d been nearly boiled and now kidnapped so Bonnie and Clyde could go to dog races and jai alai and eat grouper?

Hell, no!

Harley’s hand had stopped shaking. He had made a decision. “I’m not gonna go to jail. No way!”

Kate didn’t like the calm that had replaced his anger. “Serving even more time for murder doesn’t make much sense. Think you could put that thing away?”

“At my age, murder and arson are both life sentences. Why should I go to jail for either when if I finish you off, there’s no witness left?”

She wouldn’t have thought until today that Harley had a murder in him, but then again, she also would have said that arson was out of his range, and he had already tried to drown her in the brewhouse. “Don’t get carried away, Harley,” she said. “Relax and let’s decide what to do next. Why don’t you sit down?”

“No! Shut up and let me think!”

Kate realized Harley had crossed the line into crazy land. She was going to have to find a way to run.

MATT HAD ten miles of tight road before he reached Keene’s Harbor. That was ten miles too many with a slow-moving rusty red tractor in front of him. He needed to talk to Kate while he had all this love stuff straight in his head. It had taken him damn long enough to get it that way. He spotted a break, passed the farmer, and put his foot to the floor.

Another mile down the road, Matt’s cell phone rang.

“Matt, it’s Ella.”

He smiled. He liked Ella. Hell, he loved her for being Kate’s first friend in Keene’s Harbor.

“Hey, how are you doing?”

“Are you in town?”

Something about her usually cheerful tone was off, he thought. “No, I’m just outside it, on my way back from T.C. Why?”

She paused. “I want you to pull to the side of the road, okay?”

This wasn’t going to be good.

He put the truck in park and threw on his flashers. “What’s up?”

“I’ve got some bad news. There was a fire in the main room at your house. Kate called it in, and we got it under control with as little damage as you could expect, all things considered.”

Which was the least of his worries. “But what about Kate? Did she and Chuck get out okay?”

“That’s why I asked Captain Norm if I could be the one to call you. Kate’s car is out front, but there’s no sign of her or your dog in the house.”

“Did you check the outbuildings?”

“All we found was Harley Bagger’s car parked behind your pole barn. The police, including your sister, are on the way, but I was kind of hoping you’d heard from Kate?”

“No.”

“Okay,” Ella said. “Well, let’s not worry before we have to. It could be that everything’s just fine.”

Matt’s gut was telling him otherwise.

Sunday, when he’d dropped in on Harley to offer him a loan, it had been a mess. Harley had been angry and insulted, and Matt had ended up feeling like a jerk. If Harley had come out to Matt’s place just to talk to him, he wouldn’t have parked behind the pole barn. And if he’d come to do something more, Kate might be in danger.

Again.

“Ella, I have to hang up now. I need you to find Clete and tell him I said that Harley is his man.”

“I’ll do that,” she said.

THE WIND was pushing through the woods. And Harley had taken to muttering to himself. Kate was trying to be a big, strong dog who could jump high, but she was scared. Very scared.

She needed to focus on the positive. Someone had to be looking for her by now. Her car had been right in front of Matt’s house. And she couldn’t be all that far away, either. She would be no easy drag for a man in Harley’s shape. Plus, with all her scrapes and aches, and all the grunge clinging to her, she had to have left a trail.

Harley sprang to attention, his voice shrill. “Did you hear that?”

She’d definitely liked it better when he’d been ignoring her. “Hear what?”

“That!”

Kate picked up the distant sound of underbrush crackling.

“It was a deer, maybe,” she said, though she was hoping for something better armed than Bambi. Say, like the police.

Harley moved to the blind’s doorway. He gripped his gun in two shaking hands and aimed. At what, she wasn’t sure.

“He has a gun,” Kate shouted.

Harley jumped, and a shot went off. Whatever was heading their way rolled on through the leaves.

“Woof!”

Kate laughed with relief. “It’s Chuck!”

Harley didn’t seem to have the same level of happiness. He lowered the gun and started muttering to himself again.

“Woof!”

Chuck clambered past Harley and went to Kate.

Kate wrapped her arms around the dog. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“Woof!”

Kate flinched. “I’m having sort of a headache issue. Could you keep it down?”

“Woof!”

Harley waved his gun at her. “Make that dog shut up!”

“If I could, I would,” she said.

“Woof!”

“Do it, now!”

“Woof! Woof!”

Harley swung his arm violently, waving the gun. “Get out of here, mutt!”

“Hey! Do not threaten the dog.” Kate got up on her knees and urged Chuck toward the doorway. “Just go on out there, dude. I’m right here, and pretty soon Matt will be here to take us to Stella.”

“Woof! Woof!”

Harley gave him a boot to the rear, and Chuck yelped.

Something inside Kate snapped, the same way it had when her ex admitted he’d dumped Stella.

“Nice, Harley. Kicking a three-legged dog. This is your day for proving just how low you can go, isn’t it?”

Chuck advanced on Harley. The dog’s cheerful bark had been replaced by a vicious growl. His hair stood up along his spine, and he eyed Harley as though he were a Porterhouse steak.

“Back off!” Harley screamed at the dog. He aimed the gun at Chuck.

As a former sensible city girl, Kate had taken a self-defense course. “Use your strongest weapons against his weakest targets,” her instructor had said. Kate’s strongest weapon was surprise. Or anger. It didn’t matter which, because Harley was about to get hammered by both.