medication ground into powder in Grace’s bathroom.”
Steve looked perplexed.
Lucy realized why the thyroid meds were also ground up. “I think she was giving him her own thyroid medicine instead of his blood pressure meds.”
“I don’t understand. What would that do?”
“Thyroid medicine can increase the heart rate. Since your father already had high blood pressure, if he wasn’t taking his meds and then was given something to make his heart work harder, the combination could bring on a heart attack or stroke. It’s not predictable-Grace couldn’t have known when it would happen, just that it would eventually. Then when she found out she couldn’t sell the land, she took all the money she could from your accounts. Maybe she took the money before he died, I don’t know.”
“But
Lucy had some ideas on what had motivated Grace, but didn’t want to share them now, not with Steve so volatile. She glanced at Patrick and nodded to Steve. Patrick stepped next to him and said, “Let go inside. The sheriff will take over.”
As they stepped through the door, they all heard an engine start. A half minute later, the barn doors were nudged open by Patrick’s truck. Grace was at the wheel.
Beth walked into the foyer. “Close the door! You’re letting the heat out!”
Steve turned on her, pushed her back. Her eyes were wide in fear, and Steve shouted. “Did you know? Did you know your sister killed my father?”
The shock on Beth’s face was palpable. Without waiting for an answer, Steve pushed Patrick and stomped out the door, grabbing cross country skis from the rack.
“Steve, wait for the sheriff-”
“No! She killed my dad. It all makes sense. Everything makes sense now.”
Lucy tried to stop Steve, but she couldn’t move fast through the snow, and Steve was on the skis before she reached him.
“Patrick!” she called out. “The snowmobiles.”
Patrick said to Kyle, “Call the sheriff now. Give him my truck description, license plate 5K55567. Tell them Grace may be armed and dangerous. There’s only one road out of this mountain-they need to meet up with her before she hits the highway.”
“That doesn’t give them much time-twenty, maybe thirty minutes.”
“Then tell them to haul ass.”
Beth looked shell-shocked. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“We can’t explain now,” Lucy said, “but your sister is a killer. I’m sorry.”
“I thought-” she hesitated. “I thought we’d finally become close. I was wrong.
Patrick said to Lucy, “Get everyone in the library and stay there. I’ll get Steve.”
“You’re not going out there alone,” she countered.
“Dammit, you’re not a cop!”
“Are you going to argue with me or cooperate? You were drugged last night, Patrick. Grace is a killer and Steve’s emotions are running high. You need backup. Let’s go.”
She gave Patrick no opportunity to argue. She started toward the garage where the snowmobiles were stored. Without snowshoes, it took longer. Patrick waved her over to the tracks his truck had made; walking on the pressed snow was definitely easier.
By the time they reached the garage, Grace and Steve had a six-minute lead and the steadily falling snow was covering up their tracks. Patrick uncovered the snowmobiles. “Why don’t we take Steve’s truck?” Lucy asked.
“We need to make up time, and we’ll never catch up to her before Steve. Trust me, snowmobiles are faster.”
He started one up, then motioned for Lucy to take it before he started the next. This was only the second time Lucy had rode one of these vehicles-the first time being two days ago when they first arrived.
Patrick led the way. As they passed the lodge, Kyle came out and gave them a thumbs-up. Hopefully that meant he had spoken to the sheriff. With that, Patrick rode off and Lucy followed.
They stayed on the path left by the truck. Lucy noticed that Steve’s skis had diverged from the road, leaving a clear trail through the trees.
She sped up and motioned for Patrick to stop.
“What?” he shouted.
“Steve went that way,” she pointed down the mountainside. “We should split up.”
“Hell no.”
“He’s going to cut her off. He knows these woods better than anyone.”
“I don’t care, we’re not splitting up.”
“We may not catch up with her in time, and I’m worried for Steve. Please-I’ll follow him.”
“And what if you get lost?”
“I’ll stick to his trail. I can catch up with him and stop him from doing anything stupid. You focus on Grace. We’re wasting time.”
It was clear Patrick didn’t want to agree, but Lucy took his silence as assent. She rode back to where she’d seen Steve’s ski trail, worried that the heavy snowfall would cover his tracks faster than she could follow them. But he’d been traveling fast, leaving deep gouges in the snow, and Lucy easily found the path he’d left.
Lucy started slowly because she was at a dangerous downhill angle. But it leveled off a bit and she picked up speed. The trees started far apart, but the more she went down, the closer they got. She paid close attention to the tracks, because if she lost them, she would have to backtrack, and she might not be able to find his path again. Worse, the snow was making it difficult to see more than twenty or so feet ahead of her, and she had to slow when Steve’s tracks started swerving between trees.
Several minutes later, she saw a green figure in the distance. It had to be Steve, in his bright green jacket, and he was moving at a rapid pace. She sped up a bit, but stayed tense and focused on his trail. She didn’t know this area, and didn’t know if there was a deep gulley or drop-off.
She made good time. Just as she was getting closer to Steve, he suddenly turned sharply to the right and disappeared from view.
Lucy sped up, and spotted him. Steve lay unmoving in the snow.
She stopped the snowmobile and jumped off. Steve was trying to get up. One ski had come off.
“What happened?” she called.
“A rock. I wasn’t paying attention.”
She didn’t know if she believed him. She thought he might have gotten dizzy and collapsed, or lost his balance. “Steve, Grace has been drugging you, too. You can’t do this-”
“Why are you trying to stop me?”
“The police are on their way to Kit Carson. They have a description of Patrick’s truck and Grace. She’s not going to get away.”
“This is between me and that woman.”
“Steve-please, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“She killed my father!”
He pushed Lucy down and stomped toward the snowmobile.
“Steve!”
He jumped on. Lucy scrambled up. “Don’t leave!” She suddenly grew terrified that he’d go and she’d never find her way out. She was in the middle of the forest with no visible paths and the snow was making her trail down the mountain disappear.
Steve said, “Get on the back. You have ten seconds or I’m leaving without you.”
Lucy had no choice-Steve was distraught and determined. She jumped on the seat behind him. He started off so fast she nearly fell off, so she grabbed him around the waist, holding tight. He drove the snowmobile much faster than she did, but he had more experience and knew where he was going.
He swerved, then sped up, driving far faster than could possibly be safe. Lucy closed her eyes and held on
