Dustin walked over to Aaron and moved his head forward, studying it with intensity. He frowned suddenly, feeling something in his hair.
“Smarts there a little,” Aaron said.
Dustin pulled out his penlight and inspected Aaron’s scalp. He nodded at Frank, who walked over.
“Looks like an insect bite,” Frank said.
“Except it isn’t.” Dustin stepped back. “Aaron, I believe someone shot you with a dart gun. There was enough of a drug cocktail on the arrow tip to knock you out. It wouldn’t have killed you. But since you were standing by the water, you fell in and nearly died.”
“What?” Aaron demanded incredulously.
“I believe Marcus Danby was murdered, struck with a like dart laced with a similar cocktail of drugs. When he was unconscious, he was injected with the heroin and ‘helped’ to fall into the ravine.”
“Uh—” Aaron said, staring from one to the other. “Why?”
“I don’t know the answer to that yet,” Dustin said.
Aaron turned to Frank Vine. “That’s crazy,” he said. “Why kill Marcus? Why kill me? All he had, really, was the Horse Farm and it’s tied up in trusts and it’s nonprofit, so...”
He broke off. His eyes fell on Olivia—not with accusation but with confusion. “Why?” he asked again.
“I don’t know,” Dustin said. “We were hoping you might’ve seen someone, heard someone... Been able to help.”
“I—I’m sorry. The thing on my head must be a bite. Not a prick from a dart gun. Dart gun! Come on! Who the hell runs around the hills of Tennessee with a dart gun?”
“That’s what we have to find out,” Dustin said.
“And you’re sure?” Aaron asked in a trembling voice.
Olivia glanced at Dustin, then turned back to Aaron. “I can’t believe Marcus suddenly went mad in the woods and started shooting up. You knew him. Did you believe that when you heard it?”
Aaron swallowed. “No,” he admitted. “But...dart guns?”
“Whatever the exact composition of the poison, it causes an instant knockout,” Dustin said. “But it doesn’t remain in the system. Or it’s difficult to identify—and requires special tests at autopsy. The kind that aren’t usually done unless poisoning is suspected. I think that same person tried to attack Olivia in the woods, and then went after you at the stream.”
Aaron looked at Frank Vine. “This is crazy—crazy,” he said.
Frank shrugged. “You wanna live, Aaron? Crazy or not, you might want to listen to him.”
“So what do I do? How the hell do you hide from a dart gun?”
“You watch your step,” Frank told him. “Stay with people at all times. It’s hard for someone to pull off an ‘accident’ when you’re in a group.”
“How close are you to catching whoever is doing this?” Aaron asked.
“Not very close, I have to admit,” Dustin said.
Aaron let his eyes drift shut. “May I please see Sandra? I figure most of you realize by now that we’re seeing each other. Olivia, you know how to manage the Horse Farm. You take over. I’ll do my twenty-four hours in here. After that, I’ll rest at my place for another twenty-four. Then we’ll see where we are.”
Olivia inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Aaron, there may not be a lot to manage. We’re starting to lose clients—guests.” Aaron stared at her.
“What do we do?” he asked thickly.
“Find whoever is doing this,” Dustin said.
“There had to be someone else in the woods with us,” Aaron insisted.
“That is a possibility,” Frank said.
“Will you let Sandra come in now? Please?”
“Yes, fine, we can do that,” Frank told him.
Olivia gave Aaron a kiss on the forehead. He looked up at her and smiled. “You’ll fix it, kid. I know you will.”
I don’t know, Aaron! I don’t know.
She didn’t say the words out loud. She offered him what she hoped was an encouraging smile and followed Dustin and Frank out of the room. As Frank spoke to the deputy who’d been assigned to watch the room, Dustin told Sandra she could go in.
She walked by Olivia, looking as if she’d like to scratch her eyes out. Olivia didn’t believe Sandra would harm Aaron in any way. But, at that moment, she thought the woman would have gladly strangled her.
12
“We’re going to reschedule all our weekend appointments,” Olivia said.
They’d returned to the Horse Farm and she was speaking to Mason, Mariah, Sydney and Drew. Dustin leaned against the wall, watching as she spoke.
Sammy had taken up a position at her feet.
She’d announced that the police suspected the situation that plagued them might have nothing to do with a relapse and an accident.
The room had already buzzed with protests and disbelief. But now, the group was subdued and concerned.