“Shut up and just keep walking. You want to know why you have to die? Because Vance comes from a long line of idiots. Men who’d rather gamble their savings and land away rather than take care of their families. Thankfully, his grandmother knew this about her husband and worked around his gambling and wicked ways after he lost the land. She rebuilt their fortune through investments and wise business practices, never letting on she had done so. But she left that money to Vance’s mother with a note about how your grandfather took advantage of Vance’s grandfather in the poker game.”
The light was beginning to come on. “My grandparents’ land, the land my grandfather left to me, used to belong to Vance’s grandfather.”
“It did. And as soon as you write your note of regret, how you learned the land belonged to Vance’s grandfather before your thieving grandfather cheated him out of it in the poker game and you have to do the right thing in turning the land back over to Vance ... Do that, then all will be well.”
All would be well for whom? Not Maya, that was for sure. “Even if that would stand up in court,” she said, “my grandmother isstill alive. She’ll never believe that. She and I have had too many conversations about that land and what my grandfather wanted for it.”
“I know. Too bad she’ll soon die of a broken heart after hearing of your demise at the resort. She’ll never know about the letter or that you signed the bill of sale over to Vance.”
Chills and panic skittered up Maya’s spine. No. This couldn’t be happening. “Ellie, my grandfather went to Vance’s grandfather—what was his name? Charlie?”
“Yes.”
“My grandfather paid Charlie for the land.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Yes, he really did. I have the receipts, the deed, everything. My grandfather felt horrible about the way he got the land and did his best to make it right.”
The woman fell silent. “I don’t believe you. Vance told me everything his grandmother told him. Lying won’t get you out of this.”
“His grandmother was the one lying if she said any different.”
“Shut up and stop here.”
Maya stopped. “Why have we stopped? Where are we?”
“This wasn’t the original plan, but it will have to do for the moment. This is a place for you to hang out and sign the bill of sale I’ve had drafted.”
The gun shoved against her back and Maya stumbled forward. Caught her balance just before she fell into a hole in the ground. She turned. “Ellie—”
“Go down. Now. Walk and remain unhurt or I’ll shove you. Your choice.”
Maya started down the stone steps backward, keeping her eyes on Ellie. She wouldn’t let the woman shoot her in the back. Then again, Ellie still needed her alive. Her right foot slipped midway down, and she landed hard with a pained cry, then rolled to the bottom with a hard thud.
The air left her lungs, and she lay still while she struggled tocatch a breath. Finally, she dragged in a ragged one. Now ... what hurt?
She moved and her knee ached, but after another moment she decided it was just bruised, not broken. And the shoulder she’d injured with her jump from the snowmobile probably had another bruise or two added to it. Other than that, she seemed to be in one piece. She looked up to see Ellie’s emotionless face staring down at her from six feet up. Maya stayed put since the woman still aimed the weapon at her.
“Think about your situation,” Ellie said. “I have to get back to the cabin before someone realizes I’m missing. I’m sure Gideon has raised the alarm about your disappearance by now. No doubt he’ll be knocking on my door asking if you’ve been by.”
“I left a note telling him I was going with Vance to check on you.”
A rustling sound reached her and then Ellie held up a piece of paper. “This note? Yeah, we don’t need any connection between your disappearance and Vance or me.”
So Vance had grabbed it on his way out. But when had he gotten it to Ellie? There’d been no time—
Unless he was up there now and had followed them from the cabin.
“Vance? Are you up there? Vance! You can’t be okay with this!”
“Shut up,” Ellie snapped.
Maya wanted to bang her head on the ground and wail out her frustration. Instead, she said, “I don’t understand. If you need me alive, why try to kill me?”
Ellie’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”
“By sabotaging my snowmobile and trying to push me into the firepit, for starters.”
