Valerie Hansen - Dangerous Legacy

A twig snapped. Wolfie started to rise, but the flat of Maggie’s hand in front of his nose stopped him. It wouldn’t be long now. Truth to tell, she was looking forward to clocking the guy who had run her off the road.

She tensed. The dog was quivering beside her, as ready as she was. Another cracking sound. Heavy breathing. Almost there!

Fight-or-flight emotions gave her a needed jolt of energy. She poised and mustered her strength, waiting for just the right moment to swing.

* * *

Tracking had been part of Flint’s job training. He’d temporarily lost Maggie’s trail when she crossed a field of exposed rock, but he knew she couldn’t be far ahead.

Should he call to her? No. That might tip off anyone who was stalking her. He couldn’t chance it.

Bending low to inspect a patch of disturbed leaves, he sensed imminent danger and began to rise.

Flint’s forearm came up just in time to absorb most of the blow. Bits of rotted wood rained down like snowflakes. He shouted, “Officer of the law” as he ducked to the side to avoid further strikes and drew his sidearm.

His flashlight found its target. Someone was preparing to hit him again. “Freeze!”

In a heartbeat, he understood. Maggie had thought he was her enemy and had defended herself. Bravo for her. Too bad her aim was so good.

He raised both hands, diverting the light and the gun. “It’s me. Maggie, it’s me. You’re safe now.”

Flint holstered his pistol while she processed reality. He flicked off the flashlight in case there was danger nearby and ruffled his hair to brush away bits of wood.

“Drop the limb, Maggie,” he said, keeping his voice low. “You’re safe now. You’re safe.”

Slowly, her arms lowered. The fractured branch fell. She began to blink rapidly and her balance wavered. Flint reached out to catch her and she fell into his arms, clinging as if he were the only lifeline in a sea of hungry sharks.

What could he do? He tightened his embrace, held her close and waited for her to relax. Eternity passed. Flint was so overcome with emotional memory he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for strength. This hurt. Deeply. It was as if no time had passed; as if he and Maggie were once again in love and looking forward to a bright future together.

Reality saved him when Wolfie whined. Maggie pushed him away. The look in her eyes was unreadable. His conscience insisted he apologize. “I’m sorry. I thought you were going to faint.”

“I never...” She began to nod. “Thanks. I am woozy. I guess I ran too far and too fast.”

Flint held up a hand. “Hold on a second and you can tell me everything.” He pulled out his phone and reported that she was safe, then led her to the nearest rock outcropping so she could rest and recover, trusting the dog to alert if anyone else approached.

“Okay. What happened?”

“A big truck ran me off the road.”

“I could tell that something did. Why did you run?”

“Because he came back!” Her voice faltered. “I—I thought he was going to finish me.”

“Why? Who has it in for you?

Her shoulders sagged. “Nobody. At least not lately.”

“Explain.”

“Do you remember Abigail Dodd? She used to teach in the old rock school. My mother was one of her students.”

“What about her?”

“She’s the one who thought of starting the wildlife rescue here. I had just graduated from school to become a veterinary assistant, and when she couldn’t find a real vet to take the management job, she offered it to me.”

“Why would that make anybody shoot at you and run you off the road?”

Maggie huffed. “I testified on Abigail’s behalf. Her nephew actually threatened me after the competency hearing and her niece glared daggers. I wouldn’t put it past either of them to shoot at me. What I don’t understand is why they waited until now.”

“The sheriff mentioned something about that hearing, but he never told me you’d been threatened. He just said Ms. Dodd’s relatives were unhappy about the verdict.”

“That’s an understatement. Missy and Sonny were fit to be tied. They wanted power of attorney. I’m the reason they didn’t get it.”

Flint listened with concern. “Do you think it was one of them who ran you off the road tonight?”

“I can’t think of anybody else who’s that mad at me. Maybe they figure they’ll have a better shot at their aunt’s money if I don’t stand in their way.”

“You do realize how paranoid that sounds, don’t you?”

“It’s only paranoia if nobody is really out to get me. After two tries, including tonight, I wonder.”

* * *

By the time the sheriff’s men arrived on ATVs to take Flint and her back to the road, Maggie had regained most of her strength. The official pronouncement that her truck was still safe to drive helped even more.

“I’m fine,” she insisted to a crowd of men. “I can get to my mother’s by myself.”

Harlan seemed reluctant to allow it. Flint looked angry.

She faced them, hands on her hips. “You agree my wheels are safe and it’s only a couple more miles to town. What’s your problem?”

“You are,” Flint argued. “An hour ago you were hardly able to stand. What makes you think you’re capable of driving?”

“An hour ago I was scared to death,” she countered. “Now that nobody’s chasing me, I’m fine.”

“What about later?”

“I’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow,” Maggie said. “Consider the lilies of the field—”

“Don’t quote scripture to me.”

“You know that verse?”

“I know a lot of Bible verses.”

“Since when?”

“Since I almost got my head blown off in combat,” Flint said.

Maggie sobered. “Was that the real reason you left the marines?” She could tell by the set of his jaw and shoulders that she’d hit a nerve, but his answer was ambiguous.

“I stayed until my enlistment was up,” Flint said. “Stop trying to change the subject. You’re in no shape to drive that truck and you know it.”

“On the contrary. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I thought I proved that when I clobbered you back in the woods.”

“All you proved was that you’re no match for a gun.”

“Nonsense.” Maggie was not about to admit she’d been weak and ineffectual when she faced what she’d believed was her enemy. “If I hadn’t recognized you, I’d have hit you again.”

“With a limb so rotten it fell apart?”

It had to be pulpy in order to be light enough for her to lift, Maggie thought with chagrin. “I wasn’t helpless. I could have grabbed a rock after you went down. I was tired, that’s all.” She turned to the sheriff. “What about the truck that hit me? Have you found any clues?”

Harlan shook his head. “Not to speak of. There’s a bit of dark paint on your fender, but that’s about all. We took a scraping in case we end up having to send something to the crime lab in Little Rock.”

“Meaning, if whoever ran me off the road doesn’t bother me again nothing will be done?” Maggie folded her arms across her chest to hide a shiver.

“We’ll see. I wouldn’t worry much. Accidents happen. There’s usually nothing sinister about them.”

Beside her, Flint raised his voice. “I don’t believe you people. Did you know she was threatened by Ms. Dodd’s relatives?”

“Ah, Sonny was just blowin’ off steam. Now calm down.” The sheriff gave him a tight smile. “You’ve been away too long. You know this ain’t a big city. We don’t have serious trouble around here. Leastwise not much.”

No serious trouble? Maggie recalled tales of the days when clannishness had divided the town better than any city gang wars could have. Much of what she’d heard as a child had probably been embellished, of course. Small-town gossip was famous for that. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to look into that, too. Now that Flint was home, there was an outside chance her elderly uncle might be involved for reasons other than his poaching. He was hardheaded enough to want to nurture his hatred of the Crawfords and rekindle the generations-old family feud.