Page 71 of Colton’s Inferno

“One of the brake lines was cut.”

A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye. It followed the contours of her face. When it reached her lips, she licked it away.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It looks like Rusty’s being targeted, too.”

Lucy shook her head. “He never drives, unless he can’t help it. He went out to take care of the cattle because I wasn’t home. If the brake line was cut, the person was trying to get to me.”

A gust of wind blew, chilling Aiden to his core. “Who wants you dead?”

Lucy lay on the ground without speaking for a moment. And then, a moment more. She turned her gaze to Aiden. “A few months ago, an old friend of my brother’s offered to buy the ranch. He said he was working for someone who was interested in the property. It was a generous offer, but I turned him down.”

Aiden knew there was more to the story. He said nothing and waited for her to talk.

She continued, “I’d never sell this land. It’s more than property. It’s my heritage. When I have kids, I want them to live here. Sure, it’s expensive to keep and hard to maintain. But so far, Rusty and I have managed. But this guy.” She shook her head. “He’s no good. He and Derek used to hang out. They’d sneak into the woods and drink. At a party, he gave my brother a pill. After that, Derek was hooked.”

Lucy mentioned that her brother had died of an overdose. What he didn’t know was the circumstances around his addiction.

“The guy, my brother’s friend, his name is Stu…”

“Stu Whittier?” Aiden asked, interrupting.

“You know him?”

“We went to high school together. But I haven’t spoken to him in years—not until yesterday.”

Had Stu come back to Red Grove to get the Five Steers Ranch? And did he want the land badly enough that he was willing to kill?

Lucy lay on the ground. Her jeans were wet and cold. The plaintive wail of a siren filled the air a moment before the ambulance came into view.

“Sounds like Emergency Services are almost here,” said Aiden.

The vehicle stopped and two EMTs emerged. She recognized them at once.

“Frank. Carol,” said Aiden as he rose to his feet. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

“It’d be best if you quit calling,” said Frank, joking. “I know I told you that we were working over the holiday weekend and we didn’t want to be bored. But this is starting to get silly.”

“He’s just giving you a hard time.” Carol knelt next to Lucy and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Aiden stopped by my house and noticed me taking a nap. When he knocked and I didn’t wake up, he got worried.”

“Did you notice anything before you laid down?” Carol lifted Lucy’s wrist and checked her pulse. “Like a headache. Were you sick to your stomach?”

The memories were surrounded by a fog. She couldn’t find anything solid or real.

Then, she remembered.

“I was tired,” she said. “And sore. I think my head hurt. I had a hard time concentrating.”

“When I pulled her out of the house,” said Aiden, “I noticed the scent of gas. That’s why we’re outside. At first, I couldn’t find a pulse. Her respiration was low. She came back on her own, though.”

Christ Almighty. Had Lucy almost died?

Carol and Frank exchanged a look. She guessed they were thinking the same thing.

Frank said, “We’re going to start an IV and get you on some oxygen. Then, we’re going to take you to the hospital. There, the doctor can look you over.”

At this point, Lucy knew the drill.