Until the rain still hadn’t stopped and I could hear a boat motor in the distance.
Chapter Six
The noise forced me from my chair and I hurried to the window to find a little boat at the end of the drive. The water had risen another two feet, almost reaching my porch.
My wedding escort, Deputy Jimbo Jones had arrived wearing a bright orange life jacket.
I yanked the door open just as I felt the bite of metal shoved into my side. Hugh stood behind the door, holding it from opening any further and keeping out of sight. “Get rid of him unless you want to make him a target too.”
“Hey, Jimbo,” I called out and leaned against the doorframe.
“Hey, Honor, you doing okay?” he called out, trying to stand and almost tipping over in the boat.
“I’m fine, but you look like you need to dry off,” I called back.
Hugh cursed beneath his breath, something about being a crappy friend.
“Wish I could, but gunshots were called in a couple of hours ago, and we found a car that had been shot up about three miles from here with blood in the drivers seat. You haven’t seen anyone injured or unusual around this place, have you?”
“No, but maybe you should ask Mercy to help you track the guy, from the sounds of there being gunshots involved, you might want to bring Gwen with you if Mercy can get a bead on the guy’s location.”
“Smart thinking,” Jimbo called back and tilted his head. “You sure you’re okay?”
“They’ll kill him and won’t think twice,” Hugh whispered, and I almost turned my head to look at him.
“I’m good for now,” I called back. My heart sank while I watched Jimbo ease back down into his seat and lower the trolling motor back into the water.
“I’ll check on you again after we find the injured guy and figure out what’s going on. We have other officers searching through some rubble from where a tornado touched down. Stay safe, Honor. We’re in for a long day,” Jimbo said with a wave and turned in the driveway heading farther into the woods toward the lake.
Even though my house wasn’t on the lowest land near the lake, the rising water told me there were downed trees holding the water in like a dam somewhere nearby. The window for evacuating was nearly shut. As it was, we’d probably need to swim and wade through waist-deep water.
The water was still rising and had almost reached my porch even though my house was built higher than any flood zone in case the lake was every breached.
I eased the door closed.
Hugh shut it the rest of the way and flicked the lock. “You did good.”
“Let me guess, your car is the one Jimbo said was all shot up?”
“Yeah. I think I left it far enough away that if Victor’s guys do find it, they won’t come in this direction and they’ll follow the rest of the decoy trail I left,” he said, walking back into the kitchen.
He grabbed his bowl and fixed himself a second helping while I watched.
“What makes you think they haven’t already looked up my address and are headed here? That’s the logical thing, right?”
“Teddy told them his girlfriend’s name was Lizzie.”
Tension gripped my neck and shoulders like a vise. I gave a slow nod. Teddy had called me by Lizzie since my middle name was Elizabeth. I’d thought it was endearing at the time. Now it just sounded dirty.
“But he gave you my full name and address?” I asked.
“Well, yeah. He trusted me, and he knew his time was running out.”
My heart thundered against my rib cage. “Are you saying…”
Hugh glanced up, and his eyes softened as if realizing what he’d implied.
“Teddy is dead, Honor. They got to him in jail and killed him.”
The wind was knocked out me as if I’d been sucker-punched. I slowly slid down to my knees, unable to hold myself up anymore. Everything tunneled around me as my thoughts clouded with visions of the past. Teddy couldn’t be dead, could he?
I shook my head. I’d have known if he was dead, right? I’d feel him, or one of my sisters would have seen him. Something. Right?
I swallowed around the knot in my throat as tears formed in my eyes. No. He wasn’t dead. I’d know it.
I swiped hard at my tears and lifted my gaze to Hugh’s. It would be to his advantage if I believed the lie. I’d be less worried about giving away Teddy’s ledger. Still…was there a chance?
“You’re lying.” My statement came out with bitter and bite as I dared him to contradict me.
“I wish I were,” Hugh said, sipping his tea. “They found him dead in the laundry room the morning after he told me about the ledger and gave me your name.”
I narrowed my eyes and shoved off the ground. “That’s convenient. He told you about me before he died. Are you sure you didn’t beat it out of him?”
“Wait….” Hugh set his fork down. “I didn’t have anything to do with his death, but I do think there might be some prison guards on the take. After they found him, I got sprung from jail, and it wasn’t long after that I was being followed by some of Victor’s guys. Apparently, the crime boss is desperate to get the money.”
“They think you know where the book is? Maybe you’re the one that brought trouble to my doorstep and not Teddy. If you’d just stayed away, they wouldn’t be looking for me.”
“Relax, Lizzie. They don’t know where I’m holed up,” Hugh said.
How did I know this guy wasn’t one of Victor’s guys and playing me from the start?
“I only allowed Teddy called me Lizzie. You can call me Honor.”
Chapter Seven
There comes a time in life when you can’t expect anyone to be your savior, instead, you have to save yourself. And that time was now.
“How do I know you aren’t one of Victor’s guys?”
He shrugged and kept eating. “You don’t. That’s the smartest question you’ve asked yet.” He chewed and swallowed, wiping the spaghetti sauce from his chin with the back of his hand, then lifted a fork in my direction. “Thinking like that just might keep you alive.”
Imposter or not, I didn’t trust him. If Teddy and this ledger detailing the laundered money were the only reason Hugh was sitting at my table eating my leftovers for tomorrow, then there was no reason not to give him what he was after. What did I care if he got his hands on the hypothetical ledger? It was stolen money, after all.
I dug my fingernails into my palms as anger stirred in my gut. The devil on my shoulder nudged a little deeper. Not giving this guy the ledger might just be the only thing keeping me alive, assuming I could actually find it.
“I’m going to go see if I have one of Teddy’s shirts packed up.”
“You need any help?” Hugh asked, wincing while trying to stand.
“Nope. You keep eating, and we’ll rewrap your wound when I’m done.”
Hugh eased back down into the chair. “He told me you were beautiful, but he didn’t tell me you had a kind soul.”
“I don’t,” I said, leaving him in the kitchen. I jogged upstairs and pulled down the ceiling stairs that led to the attic. Climbing up the steps, I paused inside the room overrun with cobwebs.