Chapter 23

"Mr. Turner?" Eliot asked, hoping Harrison took the hint that he needed some help making this old man feel at ease. "Are you related to Gabriella Kelley?"

"She's my daughter. Are you friends of hers?"

Eliot was watching the man carefully while they were talking. He wouldn't make eye contact. Instead he kept looking nervously around the room, as though he expected something bad to happen any moment.

Nodding slightly, Eliot said, "In a manner of speaking. I regret to tell you this, sir, but your daughter died almost two weeks ago."

"Yes, I know. It's sad. If that's all you came to tell me, I'll bid you good day. If you'll write down your contact information, I'll let you know the arrangements as soon as they are made."

"With respect, sir, what are you afraid of?"

"Nothing." Eliot stared at him, and he wrung his hands, and looked everywhere but at the men before him.

"Sir, my name is Eliot and this is my friend, Shelley. Through a series of events, I was with your daughter near the end of her life. So we've made it our business to find out what happened to your daughter. Anything you can tell us will help."

"If you were with her, shouldn't you know what happened to her?"

Eliot sighed. He understood the old man was afraid, but he wasn't making it any easier for them.

"While looking for a friend, I found your daughter after she was already injured. I treated her injuries as best I could, and planned to get her to a hospital, but she disappeared again before that could happen. When she reappeared, she had new injuries and she was close to death. She died before we could get her help. We're just trying to find the person who did this to her, and be sure you and the rest of your family are safe also."

The man sank to his knees as though the burden he was carrying had finally become too heavy, and said, "Two days after it happened, they came and kidnapped my younger daughter, too. They said if I involved any outside help, they would kill her. I can't lose them both."

(0o0)

Quinn swept the branches of the tree aside, and froze when he saw the woman standing there, camouflaged against the trees, and found himself staring down the barrel of a double barreled shotgun.

"Don't come any closer, Mr. Quinn."

Quinn froze, rapidly considering his choices. He had to admit, there weren't many.

"How do you know my name?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She gestured with the barrel of the gun. "Now, lower the branches. It does no good to hide if people can see us."

Quinn looked down at the branches he hadn't realized he was still holding, and back up at her. Then, it dawned on her what he was thinking.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake. I have no plans to hurt you, so long as you don't have plans to hurt me. I believe we should talk, however."

Somewhat sheepishly, he let the branches fall, covering them from the sight of any eyes that might look in their direction.

"Thank you."

"What's your business here, Mrs. _?"

"I could ask you the same question, Mr. Quinn."

"I asked first."

"And I'm the one holding the larger gun."

That was true. Very well.

"All right. I followed a target here."

"Why?"

"He's a suspect in a case I am working with a friend, and I don't want him to get away."

"I don't think you have to worry about that."

Quinn stared at the woman in front of him for a long time. He thought about rushing her for the gun, but she looked totally capable of using it, and he decided that might be a good way to get himself shot. Finally, he spoke again.

"Do you care to tell me why you are here? or even your name?"

"Name's not important. What's important is that one, possibly two very dear friends of mine are in that house, and I aim to see that they are safe. If what you say is true, it behooves you to help me."

"Help you what?"

"Help me back them up."

(0o0)

The three men who had arrived at the house in front of Quinn, circled the house, and then walked down the block, all the while looking at their phones. Finally, they determined they were in the right place, and started inside.

(0o0)

Doc had been surreptitiously watching the house, through a hole in the branches. Quinn had not been watching the house, but instead had been watching the woman in front of him, and her shotgun. Apparently, she saw or heard something, though, because she suddenly turned to him and said, "That's our cue, Mr. Quinn. Let's go."

With those words, she ducked out from under the branches where they'd been hiding, and darted for the house. She stopped behind some bushes, waiting for an opening, and Quinn moved up beside her.

Moments later, the front door burst open and the fracas exploded out into the yard. Eliot and Shelley clearly had their hands full trying to protect the two elderly people in the house and stand up to the men threatening them at the same time. Quinn rushed to join the fray.

Quietly, Doc slipped over behind the elderly couple Eliot was trying to protect, and no one noticed as she led them to her SUV and put them in the backseat. Then, she climbed into the driver's seat and pulled through the place where she had hidden her car, onto a side road, and drove back toward the brewpub.