When Love's Gone Country

Chapter Twenty-Eight



Purity had a text message from Brad. Jacob was being taken to surgery to have drain tubes placed in his lungs. He inhaled too much river water. Courtney was breathing easier after two respiratory treatments.

Pure made a call, then headed toward the main house, keeping a watch out for String and Red. It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. Frank kept his guns under lock and key. The key was hidden in the Bible by his bedside. It was the first place Purity looked.

“Love God and love my guns,” she said. She gathered up six weapons, then began scouring the closets for smoke bombs. “Don’t farmers use them to keep bugs off their crops? Maybe that was just smoke. Probably a bad idea anyway. If I can’t get everyone out of the cellar, they could die of smoke inhalation.”

She’d have given anything to have at least one other person there to mull over ideas with. Time was running out. If Red meant his threat, women, children and animals were in harm’s way. Jeremy came to mind immediately. “If he touches one hair on his head, I’ll…” Pure’s hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will be bad. Really, really bad.”

She gathered up the guns and ammo and headed toward the door. A muffled sound stopped her in her tracks. She heard it again.

She followed the sound to the closet in the hall. A knife had been jammed into the space by the door handle. Purity pulled the knife out with a grunt and a gasp, then opened the door. Frank and Emma were bound and gagged. Duct tape covered their mouths. She quickly helped them get free. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Red. He’s behind it all. He wants to take the ranch from us. Doesn’t think we deserve it.”

“You’re bleeding.” Purity gathered towels from the bathroom and pressed one against Frank’s forehead.

“I’ll be fine.”

“What happened to your eye?”

“He hit me with the butt of his gun. Damn coward!” Emma said. “Is everyone okay?”

Purity shook her head. “I think they’re all in the orchard cellar.”

“How do you know about that?” Frank asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“Do you know there are two entrances?”

“That I didn’t know. Where’s the other one?”

“By the chicken coop.”

“That’s a long way from the orchard.”

“It’s a big cellar.” Emma said. “There’s electricity and everything. That’s where we make our applesauce.”

“C’mon, let’s go get that son of a bitch.”

“I called the police. They’re on their way.”

“You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t,” Frank said.

“Why?”

“Chief of Police is Red’s brother,” Emma said.

“Oh, no. I told them everything.”

“Who’d you talk to?”

“I don’t know. It was a woman.”

“That’d be Emma Lou. She and Red dated for a while. They broke up on bad terms. We might have caught a break.”

“She’d probably like to see ol’ Red get his comeuppance.”

“Let’s hope so,” Pure said. She helped Frank and Emma get to their feet. “Are you sure you feel up to this?”

“Hell yes! I don’t take kindly to someone tryin’ to steal what’s mine.”

“And neither do I,” Emma said.

Purity distributed the guns, two to Frank and two to Emma, keeping two for herself, and they headed toward the chicken coop. They kept constant vigil as they moved quickly.

“It’s around the back,” Emma said. “It just looks like a small cupboard for storing things, but it ain’t.” She pulled on the chain around her neck until a ring of keys came riding up from out of her bra. “Gotta keep these close to my heart.”

She found the key so fast, Purity had to marvel at her speed. With so many keys on the ring, she found it nigh on to impossible that Emma could remember what each and every one was for.

“You’ll have to bend over in half and put one leg in, then the other. Skooch over a bit, then you can stand upright. Watch me.”

Purity watched, then followed Emma’s movements. Frank did the same, shutting the door behind him and relocking it.

“There’s a switch here somewhere.” Emma felt around until she found the wall switch, then flipped it up. Light flooded the area.

“It’s huge!”

“Half the size of a football field,” Frank said. “And this is only about a quarter of it. There’s a hidden connecting hallway.”

“Why all the secrecy?” Pure asked.

“There’s a lot of people who want to know how we make our applesauce. People will go to extremes to get information. It’s powerful. And, it would put us out of business if anyone was successful,” Emma said.

There were machines and vats and bins that Purity couldn’t identify as well as large stainless steel tables and some kind of contraption Pure was sure must be a conveyor belt of some kind.

When they reached an area with floor-to-ceiling shelving, Frank pressed an almost invisible button and a display panel appeared. He tapped in a code and then swung the unit to the side, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

“When we get to the other side, we’ll need to be quiet. That’s where the other connecting door is. We don’t know what’s happenin’ on the other side of that door,” Emma said.

“I think we should try and take one person at a time back through the corridor. If they have everyone on the ranch down there, it will take ‘em a while to notice anyone’s even missin’,” Frank said. “The fewer people in danger, the better.”

Purity nodded.

They reached the doorway and Frank tapped in the code, then nodded to Emma to turn off the hallway light before he began to open the door. He pushed on the door gently, barely nudging it open half an inch.

“Don’t ever’body speak at once,” Red said. “No one’s leavin’ here ‘til I get answers. I got all night, but he don’t.”

Purity felt her heart seize when she saw a gun being held against Jeremy’s head. As if the boys didn’t already have enough to overcome in therapy!

Bamma, TJ and Jessica were standing close by. Frank touched Jessica on the elbow and she turned. He held his finger to his lips. Jessica nodded. Frank pointed to the group, then used his thumb to point back to the hallway. Jessica nodded again. She casually nudged Bamma, then nodded behind her. He turned, saw Frank, and edged his way toward him until he was inside the corridor.

Jessica led person after person, very slowly, back through the hallway, always making sure her body was to the right and could be seen easily by Red.

Bamma whispered to Purity that there were around thirty people in the cellar.

“What does he want?” Pure asked.

“The secret to the healin’ well.”

“Does anyone know it?”

Bamma shrugged. “I sure as heck don’t.”

“Has anyone been hurt?”

“Just that big dog. He shot him in the leg.”

Purity could feel her anger rising higher. She headed back toward Frank and Emma. “We have to take him down. We can’t get any more people out of the room or he’s going to notice.”

“How many we got?”

“There are eleven in the hall now.”

Frank nodded. “I only know one way to shoot. I’m aimin’ for his heart. Even though I don’t think he’s got one.”

“I’ll take out his knees,” Emma said.

“I’m not sure I should even shoot. I may end up hitting Jeremy,” Pure said.

“I’ll do it,” Jessica said. “I was a police officer for eight years. Top of my class at the Academy. Marksmanship was my specialty.”

Purity handed her both the guns.

“On three,” Frank whispered, then mouthed, one, two, three.

They were through the door silently in seconds. Shots rang out as people ducked. Jeremy ran toward Meg and Bobby.

Red received direct hits to his chest and knees, and two shots right between the eyes, courtesy of Jessica.

Purity ran forward, wrapping her arms around Alex, Bobby, Meg and Jeremy. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, yes, we’re okay,” Meg said.

“I was so worried,” Pure said.

“We were worried about you! Where have you been? Where’s Jacob?”

“You didn’t tell them?”

“I couldn’t. Red had us on lockdown. Jacob’s at the hospital in Milton.”

“Charlie flew him there in Frank’s helicopter. He’s having surgery right now. They’re putting drain tubes in. He’s going to be okay. So’s Courtney,” Pure said.

“What about Diego?” Jeremy asked.

“We need to get him to a vet,” Bobby said.

“Hold it right there!” The cellar doors burst open and six police officers with guns drawn entered the cellar. They eyed Red’s body, then holstered their guns. “Are you folks all right?” the man in front asked.

“Now,” Meg said.

“Who’s Purity?”

“Me. I’m the one who called you.”

“You did right to call us. What happened here?”

“Justice,” Alex said with a hard edge in his voice.

Purity searched his eyes. They were filled with pain for Jacob.

“Start takin’ witness testimonies. We’re gonna be here a while, the man said to the officers behind him.

“We need to get our dog to the vet,” Bobby said.

The police officer bent down and looked at Diego’s leg. “It’s just a surface wound. He’ll be okay. My brother’s a vet. I’ll have him come take a look.” He flipped open his cell phone and made the call. When he was done, he said, “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“Thanks,” Meg said.

Jeremy was clinging to Meg.

“You’re okay, honey. Are you feeling scared still?”

Jeremy shook his head.

“I am, too,” Purity said.

“Is Jacob gonna be okay?” Jeremy asked.

“Yes,” Bob said. “The doctors are taking really good care of him.”

“Can I see him?”

“We’re all going to go see him as soon as we give our reports to the officers.”