Caroline Burnes - Babe in the Woods

“Mr. Gibson,” Dru stepped in. Now wasn’t the time to rant and rave about what should have been done. “How do you know Joey tripped and fell?”

“I don’t know for certain. Maybe Joey was trying to fly,” he said sarcastically. “Either he tripped or he jumped, officer. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt.”

“I should go to the hospital,” Rebecca said. “When he wakes up, I want him to see someone familiar.”

“I’ll drive you,” Dru offered.

“No, stay here and do what you can to find out what happened. I’ll take my own car.”

Dru didn’t like her pale complexion, but he knew it was pointless to argue with her. He’d known enough women in his day to realize that trying to stop one on a chosen path was about as effective as stepping in front of a train. “I’ll check with you as soon as I’m finished here,” he promised and watched her hurry off into the night.

With his two deputies, Dru began to look around the barn area. He found where Joey had fallen, and when he looked, it did appear as if perhaps Joey had stumbled and fallen from the loft into the center aisle of the barn. That raised several questions, one of which he asked Brett.

“What was Joey doing in the hayloft at two in the morning?” Dru didn’t mention that he’d known Joey all of his life. Joey was honest, hardworking and he slept the sleep of the innocent. He went to bed at ten and got up at dawn. He wasn’t inclined to wandering around in the dark.

“I don’t have a clue,” Brett said in a snappy tone.

The anthropologist had a sharp tongue and an acid disposition. If he’d ever been taught any manners at all, he’d forgotten them. “What were you doing wandering the premises at two in the morning?” Dru asked easily.

There was a pause as Brett considered the subtle implication that his early-morning wanderings might have some impact on Joey’s. “I heard something,” he said. “I was asleep in my tent and I heard someone rustling around in the bushes. I got up to see who it was. Then I heard this moaning sound and I went to investigate. Instead of questioning me, you should be thanking me. If I hadn’t stumbled on Joey, he’d have lain out there all night.”

Dru didn’t point out that it wasn’t his job to thank someone for acting like a civilized human. “Do you think maybe Joey heard something, too?”

Brett rolled his eyes. “Joey’s only interested in those damn horses and his plants. If the horses or plants were talking, he was probably out in the barn listening.”

“Thank you,” Dru said. He was tired and he had had just about as much of Brett Gibson as he could take. He spoke with the two deputies, and they began marking off the area. It looked like a simple accident, but where Blackthorn was concerned, Dru knew he couldn’t be too careful.

Rebecca had seen someone in the woods that very morning. It was possible someone was on the property with the intention of making trouble.

WHEN JOEY OPENED his eyes, he blinked and focused on Rebecca. “I knew you’d help me,” he said. “My head hurts.”

“I know,” Rebecca answered, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his hand. No matter that the doctors had assured her he was fine. Now, with his gentle blue eyes focused on her, she could believe it. “You scared me half to death, Joey. You’ve been asleep for nearly twelve hours.”

“Twelve hours?” he said, his forehead furrowing. “I’m sorry. I was scared.”

“What happened?” Rebecca eased back, giving him some space.

“I was in my apartment,” he said, “looking at some seed catalogues. I think snapdragons by the foundation of the house, don’t you?”

“Perfect. What happened?”

“I heard someone in the barn.”

The words chilled Rebecca so effectively that she had to remember to draw in a breath. “Who? Did you see anyone?”

Joey shook his head. “I slipped out of the apartment, hurried down the stairs, and then I thought I heard some one in the loft. So I went to the feed room and climbed the ladder there. I was afraid they’d try to hurt one of the horses, so I was really careful.”

There was only one ladder into the loft. If someone was up there and Joey went looking, he’d essentially trapped that person.

“Did you see anyone?” Rebecca asked again.

“No. Someone hit me on the head with something. I lost my balance and fell.”

Rebecca forced herself to take a deep breath. The worst thing she could do would be to frighten Joey with her own panic. “Are you sure someone hit you?” she asked gently.

Joey nodded. “Feel.” He reached for her hand and put it on a big knot on the side of his head. “There.”

“Joey, do you know who did this?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t see who it was.”

“Did you notice anything else?”

“There was a red can in the loft. It looked like the can that goes with the tractor.”

“Diesel?” Rebecca couldn’t hide her fear any longer. Was it possible someone intended to set the barn on fire and that by some fluke Joey had prevented it?

“Yeah, the diesel for the tractor. It looked like that can, but it shouldn’t have been in the barn. It belongs in the equipment shed.”

“That’s right,” Rebecca said, eager to get to the court house and check with Dru to see what he’d found.

“Did I do the right thing?” Joey asked, a frown on his face. “I don’t want to disappoint Aurelia and Marcus. They said I should watch out for the horses and all the animals at Blackthorn.”

“You did exactly right,” Rebecca reassured him, squeezing his hand. “You did perfect, Joey. Now I’m going in to talk with the sheriff. Will you be okay?”

He nodded. “Can I go home soon?”

“As soon as they release you,” Rebecca said. “I’ll be back for you.”

Before she was at the door he had closed his eyes and had drifted into sleep. She watched from the doorway for a moment, wondering just how lucky he’d been to escape with his life.

WHEN SHE ARRIVED at the courthouse, she wasn’t surprised to see that Dru was in his office. It wasn’t quite noon yet, but the courthouse was emptying out. She walked into the sheriff’s office and saw Drew, backlit by a large window in his private office.

“How’s Joey?” he asked, his gaze lingering on her.

“He’s going to be okay. He said someone hit him.”

Dru stood up and walked around, assisting Rebecca into a chair. “I wish I had better news. We found a piece of lumber with blood and hair on it that I’m positive will be Joey’s. Someone struck him with that lumber.”

“And deliberately knocked him out of the loft? They could easily have killed him.”

“I can’t speak to their intention, but they surely meant to knock him out.”

“Joey said there was a can of diesel in the loft.”

Dru’s eyebrows shot up. “We searched the loft but we didn’t find any diesel fuel.”

“Maybe Joey frightened them away.”

“If he did, he’s a very lucky man to be alive. And so are those horses.”

“What’s going on, Dru?” Rebecca asked, trying hard not to let her voice tremble.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”

BRETT AND THE rest of the crew were drinking the last of the iced tea from their lunch break when Rebecca got back to Blackthorn.

“How is Joey?” Brett asked, and there was an odd tone in his voice.

Rebecca felt a sudden chill. Brett hated Joey, but surely not enough to try and injure him.

“He’s going to be okay. He’s very lucky. The fall from the barn could have killed him.”

“I know you think I’m a hard man,” Brett said, “but Joey shouldn’t be out here. This is a dangerous place and he’s going to get hurt.”