She heard a muffled oomph. An instant later the explosion ripped apart the night. Glass shattered.
For a few seconds, Jake did not move. Finally he stepped back, freeing Adelaide. She realized he had been shielding her. They both turned to look at the convertible.
At first Adelaide could not see anything. The vehicle’s headlights had been knocked out by the force of the blast. The engine had stopped.
An unnatural silence descended. It did not last long.
The fire roared out of the guts of the speedster. The wildly flaring light revealed the broken hulk of the car. Adelaide gazed at the scene in disbelief and then turned to Jake. The flames glinted on the gun in his hand. Until that moment she had not realized that he had taken the pistol out of the holster.
“Dynamite?” she whispered.
“Why not?” Jake said. His voice was flat and grim. “Very handy stuff. You can get it anywhere, especially in rural communities like this one. Farmers use it to clear fields.”
“Whoever threw that stick of dynamite under your car must have assumed that we were—” She broke off. She did not want to finish the sentence.
“Yes,” Jake said. “The lights were on and the engine was running. The driver of the sedan assumed that we were still in the car.”
Chapter 36
“Car broke down, eh?” The grizzled proprietor of the auto court peered at Jake over a pair of spectacles. “Bad night to end up hitchhiking. Not surprised no one stopped to pick you up. Only a fool would be out driving in this pea soup.”
He’d introduced himself as Burt and he had seemed pleased to see a couple of customers walk through the door.
“Have you got a cabin for us?” Jake asked.
“Well, now, let me take a look,” Burt said. He lounged against the counter and gave Jake a knowing wink. “We’re a mite busy tonight, what with the fog and all.”
Jake took out his wallet. “I understand.”
He put a couple of bills down on the counter.
He sounded remarkably patient, Adelaide thought. Too patient. She’d had it with the disasters of the day. She was exhausted from the damp, miserable trek along the deserted highway. On top of that, she was struggling to cope with the fact that someone had tried to murder them with a stick of dynamite. She was very short on patience.
She gave Burt a fierce look. “When we arrived a few minutes ago, we noticed that one of the cabins is empty. There’s no car parked in front and no lights on in the windows. Also, I can see a key hanging on the wall behind you. Looks like it goes to number six.”
“Yep, you’re in luck.” Burt chuckled, scooped the money off the counter, and turned around to reach for the key. “Number six is available. Say, did you two hear a loud boom about an hour or so ago?”
“Yeah,” Jake said. “Figured it was a car crash but we didn’t pass any wreckage.”
Adelaide glanced at him, impressed with his ready answer. He ignored her slightly raised eyebrows.
“If some poor soul went off the road in this fog, they won’t find the car until morning,” Burt said.
A stern-looking woman, her gray hair pinned in tight curls, appeared from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron and peered suspiciously at Adelaide’s left hand.
“Here, now, are you two married?” she asked. “We’ve only got the one cabin. Can’t rent it to a couple that isn’t properly married. Got standards here. This isn’t some flophouse. Tell ’em, Burt.”
“Take it easy, Martha.” Burt winked at Jake as he handed over the key. “I’m sure this nice young couple is married.”
“If that’s the case, why aren’t they wearing wedding rings?” Martha demanded.
Adelaide decided she’d had enough. “For your information, we just eloped. We haven’t had a chance to buy rings.”
Jake put his arm around her shoulders. “You’ll have to forgive my bride. She’s a little upset, what with having to walk for a couple of miles after our car broke down. The flashlight died just before we got here. This is our wedding night. As you can see, things haven’t gone exactly as planned.”
“Honeymooners, eh?” Martha’s severe face abruptly softened. She smiled at Adelaide. “I can understand why you’re in a bad mood, what with having to walk all that way on a night like this. Your nerves are probably a little on edge.”
“You have no idea,” Adelaide said.
“I understand. I reckon you probably didn’t get any supper, right?”
“No,” Adelaide said.
“I’ve got some leftover stew and corn bread. Go on over to number six and get settled. I’ll send Burt over with the food in a bit.”
“Thank you,” Adelaide said. She suddenly felt guilty about her churlish behavior. “Sorry about snapping at you. It’s just that it’s been a very long day.”
“I can imagine. Weddings are always stressful—even when things go like clockwork. Run along now. I’ll get the stew and the corn bread ready. Burt will be over shortly.”
“Number six is at the end of the row,” Burt said helpfully. He handed a flashlight to Jake. “Here, take this. You’ll find a lantern in the cabin. There’s also a fireplace. Plenty of wood and kindling. Watch your step out there in the fog.”
“Thanks,” Jake said.
He kept his arm around Adelaide’s shoulder and steered her toward the door. When they were outside, he released her and switched on the flashlight. Lantern light glowed behind the curtains of the five occupied cabins. Number six was so dark it was nearly invisible in the fog.
Jake aimed the beam of the flashlight briefly at each vehicle parked in front of a cabin. Adelaide realized what he was doing and shivered.
“You’re wondering if the guy who tried to murder us ended up stopping here for the night, aren’t you?” she said.
“It was a possibility,” he said. “Not a lot of auto courts between here and Burning Cove. But none of these cars look like the one the guy with the dynamite was driving. He probably didn’t dare stop so close to the scene of an attempted murder.”
“What on earth would you have done if we had stumbled across him here?”
“I’m sure I would have figured out something,” Jake said.
They found the front steps of number six. Jake opened the door. Adelaide moved past him into the small, shadowy confines of the one-room cabin.
“I can’t believe it,” she said.
“What?” Jake closed the door and threw the bolt. “That we finally found the auto court in that fog?”
“No,” she said. “I can’t believe that for the second time in my life I’m a fake bride. What are the odds?”
“Probably not good,” Jake said.
Chapter 37
“Where do you suppose the person who tossed that stick of dynamite under your car ended up spending the night?” Adelaide asked.
She was feeling better now, she concluded. Not exactly normal—she was no longer sure how normal felt—but she was definitely calmer and more clearheaded.
The chicken stew had been hot and filling. The corn bread had been perfect—a lovely golden brown with a crispy crust on the bottom and the sides, courtesy of the cast-iron skillet in which it had been baked. There was a fire going in the brick fireplace. She and Jake were relaxing in a couple of wooden rocking chairs positioned in front of the hearth. The light from the lantern on the small table cast a warm glow over the one-room cabin.
Best of all she was not alone.
It occurred to her that she should not allow herself to get too comfortable with Jake’s companionship. He would not stick around forever. Nevertheless, she was sure that he would remain at her side until they figured out what in the world was going on. He did not doubt her story, and for now that was the most important thing. They were partners, at least for a while, bound together by a web of murder, drugs, and blackmail.
Jake lounged back in his rocker and propped his feet on a hassock. He contemplated the flames in the fireplace.
“Best guess,” he said, “is that the bastard ended up doing what we were planning to do if the fog got heavier—pulled off the highway and is now sleeping in his car. It will be interesting to see what he does when he finds out that we’re still alive.”