Montana Midwife (22 page)

Tab sat on the bed beside Misty and held her. Sobbing loudly, Misty leaned against her. “I thought I was helping Clinton.”

“Get her to shut up,” Aspen Jim growled. “I can’t stand the noise.”

“Misty, look at me.” Tab spoke quietly and held Misty so she had to look into her face. “You’re going to be all right. Now, I want you to take a deep breath.”

Misty shook her head. Her cheeks were wet with tears. “I never should have come here, should have known better. He sent me a text. Said I could help Clinton. He lied.”

Luring Misty to this place had been as simple as getting a puppy to fetch a tennis ball. But now wasn’t the time for recriminations.

“Deep breath,” Tab said. “Come on, now. Do it. Breathe.”

Her shoulders trembled violently as she inhaled.

“Good. Do it again.”

After another breath, Misty was beginning to calm down. At least, she wasn’t hyperventilating.

Standing beside her, Aiden straightened his shoulders and spoke to Jim. “What do you want?”

“You’re going to take me for a ride in that shiny chopper of yours, and I’m going to get as far away from this godforsaken country as I can.”

“You can’t run far enough,” Aiden said. “You’d be smart to cooperate, turn yourself in and—”

“Shut up,” he yelled. Agitated, he paced forward and back. “A guy like me can always start over. I’m a cat. I land on my feet.”

“Don’t run. I’ll help you with the cops.”

“I said shut up.” He leveled his gun at the center of Aiden’s chest. “I’m not taking the rap for this. I know what they found in that cave. He showed me.”

Though concentrating on Misty, Tab couldn’t help listening. Aspen Jim was saying that he didn’t kill the women they found in the cave. Right now, she couldn’t think of a single reason why he’d lie about his guilt or innocence.

“You’re not the serial killer,” Aiden said. “Those were old bones, and you’ve only lived in this area for a couple of months. The sheriff doesn’t suspect you.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“The state police and forensic teams are on their way right now. They’ll prove that those remains are from years ago.” Aiden’s voice sounded completely rational. “Why don’t you tell me who showed you those bodies? The sheriff will arrest him, and you’ll be free and clear.”

Tab felt Misty’s body beginning to tense. Another contraction was coming. She wished that she’d checked the time between this one and the last. It was ten minutes, maybe more. Misty was still in the early phase of labor.

“Here we go,” Tab said. “This time, I want you to concentrate on your breathing. You said you went to a pregnancy class, right? They talked about breathing.”

“I don’t remember.” Misty grasped her hand and gripped hard. “I can’t think.”

“Not again.” Aspen Jim started his pacing again. “I don’t want to hear the moaning. Make her stop.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Tab said. “This baby is coming whether you like it or not.”

“I don’t like it,” he snapped.

“And I hate you,” Misty yelled at him. “You’re never going to get away free and clear. You’re going to jail because you’re a murderer. You killed David.”

Tab had been focused on the serial killer; she hadn’t expected this new revelation. Without thinking, she asked, “Did you see him? Did you see Jim fire the rifle?”

Glaring at him, Misty said, “Damn right, I did.”

“You didn’t,” Aspen Jim said. “I got away too fast. You couldn’t have seen me.”

“Gotcha,” Misty said.

Jim winced and shook his head. “Damn.”

“Good job,” Aiden said to his sister. “That sounded like a confession to me.”

“Cut me some slack,” Jim said. “I had to do it. If I hadn’t shot David, my partner would have killed me.”

“Why did he want David dead?” Aiden asked.

“The little dipstick got scared. He wasn’t totally innocent, you know. He had a damn good idea what my partner was doing, and it didn’t bother him much until he thought Misty might be in danger. David followed the Jeep out of town to warn her. He was going to betray my partner and me.”

“And you couldn’t let that happen.”

“I didn’t kill those girls.” Aspen Jim was trembling. “I’m not going to jail for something I didn’t do.”

“What about the Buffalo Man?” Aiden asked. “Were you the two-face monster that went after him?”

“That crazy old coot deserved to be put out of his misery.”

“But Clinton saved him.”

Misty reacted to her boyfriend’s name. “Clinton? Did you hurt him, too?”

“He came looking for me, but I got away. Hitched a ride out of town and rode the mountain bike here.”

Misty let out a fierce groan, and Tab coached her through the pain. This was going to be a difficult labor.

Chapter Twenty-One

Strapped into the pilot’s seat, there was nothing Aiden could do about what was happening in the rear of the chopper where Aspen Jim held his gun on Misty and Tab. The women had constructed a sort of nest for Misty using the quilt from the cabin and emergency supplies on board. Given that Misty was in labor, she seemed to be fairly comfortable. Her contractions were coming more frequently.

But Aiden really couldn’t see what was going on behind his back. Nor could he hear over the
thwap-thwap
of the rotors and the loud hum of the engine. Aspen Jim refused to let them use the headset intercom that made normal conversation possible and blanked out the noise.

By taking away the headsets, Jim figured he’d eliminate any possibility of calling for help; they wouldn’t be able to communicate with Air Traffic Control. He’d also destroyed their cell phones. Aiden’s only chance for an SOS was to open the line on the communication panel and broadcast the ambient noise in the chopper. A long shot, at best.

The direction they were headed—south toward the Big Horn Mountains—was sparsely populated and regular ATC surveillance was limited to the few regional airports. Aiden’s only hope for summoning help was that somebody at an airstrip happened to be randomly monitoring communications and got the message.

When Misty let out another wail, Aiden craned his neck to look over his shoulder. He hated that his sister was in pain. Again, there was nothing he could do. The baby was coming. Thank God Tab was here.

Thus far, she’d been rock steady. Only once had her fear surfaced. When they were boarding the helicopter, she’d gotten close enough to grasp his hand. He’d felt the tremble in her touch, and it made him angry. He needed all his self-restraint to keep himself from lashing out at Aspen Jim. He couldn’t risk a fight. Not while Jim had the gun.

He had tried to reassure her. “I’ll get us out of this.”

“We’ll do it together. You and me.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“But not what you said.”

Damn, she was stubborn. Even now, when he could see the panic shimmering in her blue eyes, she wouldn’t let him shoulder all the responsibility. This was
their
problem. Together, they would fight it.

Being together, it sounded right. He wanted to be with her in every way. Not just making love, although he treasured those sweet, intimate moments with her above all else. He wanted to go riding with her, to wake up beside her in the morning, to watch the sunset from the porch of his cabin.

They’d get through this. They had to. No weak-willed murderer like Aspen Jim was going to destroy his chance at true happiness with Tab.

Through the front window of the chopper, the snowy peaks of the Big Horn Mountains came clearly into view. There wasn’t much time for Aiden to make his move. Though Jim hadn’t stated a specific destination, Aiden was pretty sure he wouldn’t like what he found when they were on the ground. He wanted to gain control of the situation before they landed.

Jim still hadn’t given up the name of his partner—the serial killer who had been operating in Henley and on the rez area for years. It was clear that Aspen Jim feared this man and was desperate to do his bidding—so desperate that he’d betrayed his natural con man leanings and become a killer. Murder didn’t come easily to Aspen Jim. His planning was overcomplicated with a bizarre element of showmanship, similar to his idea of a river rafting company that included actors on the banks of the river.

He’d admitted that luring Misty to the hideaway had been the first step in his escape. Getting access to the chopper had been his real goal, and he’d known Aiden would respond to a hostage situation involving his sister.

At Maria Spotted Bear’s house, Jim could have shot poor old Wally and left the body to be found. Instead, he’d chased the old man and pretended to be a two-face monster.

When Aspen Jim shot David, he’d managed to pull off a mysterious escape by swimming the river, riding a mountain bike and fleeing back toward town. One complication had led to another and another. He should have gotten away with it.

But Jim had made a mistake. That error told Aiden the identity of Jim’s so-called partner. He’d used Bert Welling as his alibi, and Bert had backed him up.

Bert had lied. Why? Bert had to keep his own secrets, to hide a lifetime of cruelty. Aiden remembered the autopsy report that indicated signs of abuse on David’s body. They’d assumed his father had hurt the boy, but it was more likely his uncle. Bert Welling enjoyed inflicting pain on others, especially young women.

As soon as Aiden had sorted out the logic, he thought it was obvious that two killers had been involved. The handsome, sun-bleached blond Jim had attracted the women. Bert had killed them. Their problem came when Bert escalated his timetable and grabbed too many victims. The disappearances attracted attention. His reign of cruelty would soon be over.

Aspen Jim lurched forward and grabbed onto the copilot’s seat. “I have instructions.” He had to yell over the whirr of the rotors. “Go to Jackrabbit Lake. To the campground.”

Though Aiden knew the location, he didn’t admit it. “I don’t know where it is. I need to turn on the GPS for directions.”

“So you can call your cop buddies? No way. You’ll figure it out.”

They were already over the foothills. The landscape transformed from rolling hills to jagged granite formations and forests of lodgepole pine, fir and aspen. A light dusting of snow covered the ground. At this time of year, there were no rangers posted in the National Forest. Officially, the campgrounds were closed.

Hoping to buy time, Aiden said, “I’m running low on fuel. I might have to land before we get to the lake.”

“Show me the gauge.”

Aspen Jim leaned forward to see the instrument panel. If he moved a little closer, just six inches closer, Aiden could reach back and grab the gun. He subtly unfastened his seat belt as he pointed to the fuel gauge. “It’s right here.”

“You’ve got a quarter of a tank.”

“This isn’t like a car. I’m running low.” A blatant lie—the chopper could cover another seventy-five to a hundred miles on the fuel he had left.

“You’ll make it. You don’t want anything to happen to the precious cargo you’re carrying in the back of this chopper. Your sister and your girlfriend? You’d better fly right.”

Adrenaline rushed through Aiden’s veins, urging him to take action. He had to be careful, couldn’t lose control. “Are we meeting up with your partner?”

“That’s right.”

Bad news.
The way Aiden figured, Aspen Jim might be convinced not to kill them all. The same wasn’t true for Bert Welling. He’d take pleasure in watching them die.

“Hey,” Jim pointed with the barrel of his gun. “What’s that red light?”

“Nothing important.”

“The panel says intercom. That’s a communication device.” His shout got louder. “You’re calling for help.”

“I can’t talk to anybody without the headset.”

“We’ll see about that.”

He pointed the nose of his gun at the control panel as though preparing to shoot. What the hell? Was he crazy enough to fire a bullet into the instruments? There wasn’t time to argue with Aspen Jim. He had to be stopped.

Bolting from the pilot’s seat, Aiden flung out his arm, making a frantic grab for the weapon. He almost had it. The gun was mere inches from his grasp.

Jim reacted with a yelp. He yanked his arm backwards and fired a bullet straight up, through the ceiling. The gunshot reverberated inside the plane.

Though Jim pointed the gun at his chest, Aiden couldn’t stop now. He had only seconds to take control. It was now or never. He lunged.

In a panic, Jim pulled the trigger. The bullet missed Aiden and went into the cockpit. A burst of sparks exploded from the instrument panel. The chopper swerved wildly.

If Aiden didn’t get back to the controls, they would surely crash. He wheeled around on his opponent. He couldn’t balance, couldn’t get his feet under him. Finally, Aiden landed a heavy blow to Jim’s chin. His head snapped back. His knees folded under him.

Tab scrambled from the back, picked up the gun and aimed it at Jim. “The controls,” she yelled. “Aiden, get us down.”

In an instant, he was back in the pilot’s seat. He knew the procedure for emergency landing, but he’d never had to do anything like this before. Juggling the directional stick, regaining equilibrium and decelerating simultaneously, he scanned the ground below, looking for a safe place to put down amid rock formations and forest. He’d lost control of the rudder. The rotors sputtered. They were coming down fast.

With a heavy thud, the chopper hit the ground.

A spark danced across the panel and ignited into a flame.

If the chopper had been carrying a full tank of fuel, they might have already exploded. Disaster was imminent. Aiden had to get Tab and Misty to safety.

He scooped his sister into his arms and carried her uphill. His feet slipped in the thin coating of snow. Tab came behind him. Her arms were full of blankets and supplies. She still held the gun in her hand.

A safe distance away from the chopper, he ducked behind a rock formation and lowered Misty to the ground. She clung to his neck and gave him a weak smile. “You’re a superhero.”

“About time you realized that.”

“I’ve always known. My big brother can do anything.”

Tab dropped her load of supplies and knelt beside them. “You scared me, Aiden. For a minute there, I didn’t think we were going to make it.”