Strange Medicine (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #1)(58)

“It’s too late.” His voice was grim.

“You’re wrong. You’re wrong, honey.” Her voice trembled. “Look, we tie him up, and we wait for the cops to clear out of that house. Then we go in, and we grab the gold. It has to be in kitchen. We just have to keep our wits about us.”

“And if Rocky talks, then what?” He shook his head. “No way I’m just sitting here and waiting for the cops to come knocking on our fucking door.”

“Liam…” Her voice was anguished. “Please, listen to me.”

He pushed her, and she stumbled, looking shocked. “Be quiet,” he growled.

Her lower lip trembled, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I don’t even recognize you anymore,” she whispered. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“When we’re lying on a beach in the Caribbean, you can thank me then.” He moved closer to me, pointing the gun at my chest.

My heart banged so loud I almost couldn’t hear them speaking. My muscles were tensed and ready, but I was too scared to make a move. He could easily shoot me from where he stood, but if he came closer, maybe, maybe I’d have a fighting chance.

I was surprised when Hanna moved in front of me again. “Liam, this isn’t right.”

His face was red, and he looked furious. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m not a murderer. I can’t just let this happen. If I’d known you were going to hurt Ned—” A sob broke from her. “I’d… I’d never have left you alone with him.”

“Move out of the way, Hanna,” he growled, his eyes dark and angry.

“No. Not unless you promise you won’t hurt him.”

He lunged toward her, grabbing her arm. “You stupid bitch.”

She screamed and pulled away, her eyes wide. “Are you gonna kill me too, Liam? Is that what you’ve become?” Her voice shook, and another sob came from her. “This whole thing was just supposed to be a chance of getting a nest egg. This is out of control. We aren’t animals.”

“It’s gone too far.” He clenched his jaw. “There’s no turning back.”

“No. No. No.” She started crying in earnest, her frail shoulders shaking. I felt sick to my stomach as his icy gaze latched onto me again. I had no doubt he was going to kill me. She’d tried to stop him, but he was beyond reason. I straightened my spine and closed my eyes, waiting for the bullet to tear through my flesh. I regretted not living life more fully. I’d done what everyone did—assumed I had more time. Royce’s smiling face came to me, and a sad pang hit me. I’d been happier lately than ever before in my life, but I’d still held back way more than I’d have liked. If I had it to do all over again… if I had it to do all over again.

But now it was too late.

There was a loud crashing sound, and I opened my eyes. Royce and two other cops were storming through the front entrance where the door had once been. Liam tried to turn and shoot them, but one of the cops took him down to the ground. Hanna screamed and covered her face, falling to her knees. I stood where I was, frozen and almost afraid I was hallucinating.

Royce approached me, his face stony and emotionless. “You okay?”

I nodded automatically, but I was anything but okay. I was shaking uncontrollably, and I felt like puking. “I thought I was going to die,” I whispered.

His controlled expression flickered, and he put his hand on my shoulder. “When are you going to learn to trust me?”

My eyes stung, and I struggled to keep my composure. “Any day now. I’m sure of it.”





Chapter Sixteen


Royce

Once I had Hanna in custody, she started singing like a canary. It was obvious she was shocked and horrified by her husband’s violent behavior. I had her placed in a holding room, and I let Maxwell stand on the other side of a two-way mirror so he could hear what the hell the point of all of this had been.

When I entered the small room, Hanna was sitting slumped in a chair, her face puffy from crying. I sat across from her and leaned on my elbows. “I’ll be honest, Hanna. I never expected to see you sitting across from me like this.”

She hung her head. “None of that was supposed to happen.”

I sighed and leaned back in my squeaky chair. “Why don’t you begin with what the hell was so special about Dr. Thornton’s house.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She licked her lips. “It all started when Ned found a diary at a garage sale last spring.”

“What kind of diary?”

Grimacing, she said, “It was an old filthy thing, but Ned brought it to me to see if it was worth anything.” She sighed. “I knew right away it was definitely old. It was supposedly Sam Bass’s diary.”

“Sam Bass? You mean the outlaw?”

“Yes.” She flicked her tired gaze to mine. “Apparently he spent some time in this part of Texas in 1878, robbing stagecoaches.”

“And you thought it was legitimately his diary?”

“It certainly seemed possible. The paper was old enough.” She lifted one shoulder. “Growing up, my granddad always talked about how Sam Bass had supposedly hidden gold around these parts.”