"True," May said. “Let’s drive behind that bank of trees. Then it’ll be out of sight, just until we see what’s happening here. If it's the professor, and he sees us here, he might be scared off and make a run for it. And in that car, he might very well get a head start on us."

  Quickly, May started the car and drove over the bumpy ground, easing the car around the track and behind the ragged tree branches. Now, she felt grateful for the untidy state of their surroundings because at least they offered cover.

  She narrowed her eyes in surprise. It wasn’t just the one car. Close behind that SUV, she saw another one. An identical one. Powering up the hill, and now veering between the rusted gateposts and heading for the trailer.

  Through the branches, the headlights flashed in May's eyes, so bright she couldn't see who was behind the wheel in either car. But she did notice that neither had license plates.

  She watched the cars pull up directly outside the trailer with a squeal of brakes.

  The driver's door of the first car opened. Now they could get a better look at the vehicle, which May saw was a large, jet black and shiny Range Rover.

  She had no idea what was playing out here. This was very confusing to her. The passenger door swung open, and then the doors of the other vehicle opened too.

  May’s mouth literally dropped open as four men, dressed in dark leather jackets and all wearing holstered guns, climbed out and headed with aggressive purpose toward the trailer.

  May turned to Owen, seeing that he looked as shocked as she felt. This was beyond what she'd ever anticipated to find. They were outnumbered and outgunned by these four armed thugs, who May was sure had not arrived for a social visit. Nothing in their body language pointed to the fact that they were here on friendly terms.

  If Professor Bright was a drug dealer or involved in serious crime, this could go very wrong, and who knew how bad it would get?

  It was like a scene from a movie.

  "We need to radio for backup," May whispered.

  The four men were disappearing around the side of the trailer to where the door was located. As soon as they were out of sight, Owen got on the radio straight away.

  "We need reinforcements, urgently. We're at a suspect's house and four gunmen have just pulled in," he muttered. "This is top priority. Highly dangerous situation." He then gave their location and waited for a response.

  May hoped the crackle of the radio wasn't audible to these thugs, or they might storm out of the trailer and hone in on their new target.

  Was Bright even in the trailer? Or were they raiding it while he wasn’t home, and if so, why?

  She had no idea, because they’d literally just walked into a situation that had veered off course in the most unpredictable way.

  Owen got off the radio.

  "Backup can only get here in twenty minutes. That's the soonest possible timeframe. That might be too late for us to wait, May."

  She nodded. Within twenty minutes, she feared that whatever was set to happen here, whatever fuse had been lit, the explosion would already be over.

  "We're going to have to take a risk, if we can't wait," she said. The longer they sat here, the greater chance there was of the gunmen returning and maybe getting the jump on them.

  May flinched as she heard a smashing sound.

  "They must have broken down the door," Owen whispered.

  May waited, her heart pounding, wondering if she would hear shouts or gunshots, screams for help or the sound of a fight.

  She urgently needed to manage this situation. Apart from anything else, she needed to question this suspect and she couldn't do that if he was going to be lynched by these gun-wielding men.

  What had he done, who had he angered? Who were these people, and with backup so far away, how was May going to extricate herself and Owen from the situation, as well as ensure Professor Bright lived long enough to be questioned?

  She was scared, but she wasn't going to leave a man's life in the balance.

  "We have to intervene somehow," she said. "It's our duty of care as police, and as investigators, we need our suspect alive."

  "And if they're drug dealers? What are they going to do if they see us?"

  "That's the chance we'll have to take. But we need to think of the professor, Owen. And our case."

  The men were in the trailer, and she could hear raised voices, but their words were indiscernible in the distance. May knew she had to act and fast.

  At that moment, a sketchy plan came to her. It was extremely reckless, highly dangerous, but it might just work — at any rate, well enough to get these thugs out of the trailer, where even now May feared they were beating her suspect into a state where he wouldn't be fit for her to question.

  "Owen, I think I know what to do," she whispered, grabbing the car door. "Wait here, and be ready to go in and rescue the Prof."

  “Be careful, May!” Owen hissed, sounding anxious.

  May eased open the car door and ran out, bursting from behind the cover of the trees. But she wasn't heading for the trailer.

  Instead, she made a beeline for the nearest SUV, hoping that she'd be fast enough and smart enough to do what she hoped would work, without getting shot herself.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  May knew that to break up this highly illegal and most likely violent action, she herself needed to do something that was far beyond the usual scope of a police officer. That was the only choice, she reasoned. Desperate times called for desperate measures. If her crazy plan worked the way she hoped it would, nobody would be the wiser about what she’d done.

  If she did it wrong, she might end up with more holes than a colander, but there was no time to think about that now.

  She ran to the nearest SUV, crouching as she did to keep out of sight of the small trailer window, and then she climbed inside.

  The keys were in the ignition, as she’d expected. These men had seen no reason to take the keys in with them — another sign they were aiming for a speedy getaway themselves.

  She reached over and turned the ignition, and the car started with a roar.

  From this moment, May knew the clock was ticking, and the men inside would know she was there.

  She wrenched the gearshift into reverse, and hit the gas, swinging the car around.

  And then, she leaned on the horn, sending its blaring and distinctive noise resounding into the darkening night, just to hurry the men up and get them outside.

  Then May waited, breathing hard, her hands tight on the wheel.

  In a couple of heartbeats, the door to the trailer burst open again, and she saw the gunmen rushing out, looking in the direction of the car. It was now too dark to see their faces, but concern was written all over their body language.

  Now was the time for fast evasive action. May flattened her foot and sent the SUV roaring down the drive, stones spraying from under the tires as she fled from the trailer.

  They were clearly not expecting this. She saw their confusion. They were wondering how on earth this had happened. It was so far outside their frame of reference that for a moment they just stared, frozen. She saw their silhouettes in the rearview mirror, framed by the dim glow from the trailer light.

  One of the men fired a shot. The sound cracked the air apart and May ducked instinctively, but she wasn't going to lose her nerve now. Instead, she pushed even harder on the gas, reminding herself of the case, and the women who had lost their lives to a monster of a murderer.

  Accelerating to a scary speed, May sent the car flying back down the gravel road, wrenching the wheel through the twists and bends. She hoped that what she'd done was enough, and that she'd created a distraction so sudden and shocking that it would draw all four of the gunmen away.

  Behind her — quite far behind — May saw headlights blaze. They were coming after her. With any luck, all four of them were now packed into the car, chasing after the mysterious thief who was getting away with their vehicle.

  She was on a downhill slope and could now move on to the second, and equally dangerous, part of her plan.

  May hit the brakes. Gravel sprayed, and the car slowed to a stop. She didn't have much time at all and needed to get them far away.

  She pulled the handbrake, hearing the engine whine and growl as the handbrake fought the gravity of the slope. In the blaze of the headlights, she checked again that the road ahead was clear because she could not risk endangering another soul in her endeavor.

  But the road, which was not really a road, but more of a rutted path, was entirely empty, quiet, and still.

  She eased open the driver's door, knowing she had to act fast now, as fast as she could.

  Then, before the gunmen could appear over the hill, before the car following her could come into sight, May released the handbrake, and dove out of the open door.

  The car rattled and bounced down the slope, gaining speed as it went.

  May hit the sand, feeling gravel dig into her arms and head, eating dirt and getting sand in her mouth and eyes as she rolled.

  But she'd made it, she was out of the car, and now the car was speeding down the narrow, empty track, heading directly for a pool of water that May had seen at the bottom of the hill.

  By the time the gunmen got to the bottom, she hoped the car would be partially submerged.

  May had no idea if this would work or how long it would take the men to realize what had happened.

  She scrambled to her feet, shaking sand out of her hair and the back of her shirt, and sprinted for the nearby woods, knowing that if she didn't get herself out of sight, then everything she had done, all her efforts, would be wasted, and she'd end up landing herself in desperate danger.

  She burst into the cover of the trees and scrambled behind a thick, sturdy pine. There, she cowered down, gasping for air, watching the SUV speed by in pursuit of the now empty car she'd abandoned. Headlights flared, and then the car powered past. Another gunshot cracked, and she winced instinctively, even though she knew they were shooting at the other car and not at her.

  She watched the car in front picking up speed as it headed for the pond.

  May narrowed her eyes and braced herself for the sound of the car crashing into the water. Any moment now, she would hear it, above the bouncing, clattering noise of the speeding vehicle.

  And then, the moment came. With a roaring, tearing sound, it hit the small lake.

  She hoped that the men following behind would spend some time inspecting the waterlogged wreckage when it was over the rutted course, that they'd think the thief had been trapped inside —at least, for long enough for May to get back.

  She didn't have to keep reminding herself that lives depended on this.

  Now, in the darkness lit only by the scarlet glow of the taillights, she could rush back up the hill.

  May powered out from behind the tree, and ran with everything she had, her feet thumping against the hard ground, her heart pounding in her chest.

  She had no idea how long it would take the gunmen to realize that their car thief had escaped the vehicle. Or how long it would take them to decide what was more important — retrieving the car and its contents or getting back up the hill to resume their interrogation of Professor Bright.

  May sped along, her legs powering her up the steep slope, her breath burning her lungs, knowing that she needed to make the most of every precious minute that she'd bought. It was all about timing, about speed, about making the most of the covering darkness.

  She hoped that both Owen and the professor would be safe when she got back. Especially Owen. Her heart clenched as the thought that he might be in danger. Please let him be okay, she prayed.

  There ahead was the trailer. Lights glowed dimly inside. The unmarked car was empty, so Owen must be in there, but May had no idea who else was or what had played out after she'd gone on her impulsive, desperate mission.

  There was nothing for it but to race to the door and see what the results had been.

  In just a few more seconds, May realized breathlessly, she'd know if her distraction had worked.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The clock was ticking, May knew. The thugs that had arrived at Professor Bright’s trailer were down at the lake. And she had no idea what she would find as she rushed to the trailer door.

  Worst case was that two had stayed behind. If two had stayed behind, Owen could be in terrible danger now.

  May's adrenaline was surging as she pounded up to the trailer. The door was ajar, and light was filtering out.

  She breathed in, her lungs expanding as she tried to get as much oxygen as possible. And then, for a precious moment that felt like an eternity, she stayed quiet and listened.

  Always let your ears help you out when going into an unknown situation. That was wise advice that Sheriff Jack had told her when she'd started investigating serious crimes, and it had stuck with her since.

  Apart from the pounding of her own heart, and the rustle of the wind in the dark treetops, she could hear nothing. She drew her gun, holding it ready.

  She reached out a hand, knowing that she was about to find out what had happened, even if it meant getting caught up in a gun battle.

  She pulled open the door with the tips of her fingers and the door swung out.

  Owen was standing just inside it.

  "May?" he hissed.

  His sudden appearance in the doorway gave her such a fright that she gasped in shock.

  "Yes," she whispered back, quickly recovering herself.

  "Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried. They all rushed out and went after you. I saw where you were headed and radioed the backup to redirect them down the road. Then I came in here, but it’s empty."

  May stared around. The trailer was unoccupied, apart from her and Owen. It was a small, cozily furnished, one-bedroom setup, with a kitchenette in the corner, a single bed under the window, a comfortable looking couch, a desk and chair, and a wooden wardrobe. There was a bathroom in the far corner, but the door was open, and May could see nobody inside.

  “Where is he?” she asked, confused. And then, she and Owen spun around as they heard a scraping, swishing noise coming from near the window.

  Professor Bright was crawling out from under the bed.

  The professor was covered in dust. A slim, bony man, his curly, graying hair and beard were wild, and May saw a dust bunny caught in his beard and a spider web hooked on his right ear.

  His eyes were wide and panicked, but he looked unhurt and was now scrambling to his feet, seemingly ready to make a run for it.

  "Where have they gone? Did they leave?" he asked May and Owen breathlessly, staring from one to the other. And then, in a more coherent tone, "And who are you?"

  "We're police," May told him shortly. "We're here to question you regarding a series of crimes."

  At that moment they heard the racing of a car engine down the road. The professor tensed, as if ready to dive back under the bed. Owen strode to the door, looking out.

  But then, the radio crackled. May ran out, heading to the car and grabbed it out, listening anxiously to the progress update.

  "We’ve arrived at the scene. We're approaching with firearms ready. We can see a vehicle with four suspects. They're attempting to extricate another partially submerged vehicle."

  "Be careful. They are armed and dangerous."

  May held her breath, waiting for any updates. If needs be, she told herself, she'd jump in the car and drive down there herself to help out. But then, the update came again.

  "The suspects are surrounded. They are surrendering their weapons. We're taking them in. It looks like these weapons are illegal, and from a quick check, we’ve already established that at least one of these men is a felon who has violated parole conditions. We’ll be keeping them in the holding cells."

  May breathed a sigh of relief. She ran back to the trailer.

  "Those four men have been arrested. But what was that about?" Wanting to establish, first, what had happened, she turned to the Professor sternly.

  "I’m very glad you arrived." The professor sighed in relief. His hands were shaking. “I knew I was in trouble there.”

  "What were they doing here?" Owen asked.

  "People in this area know I’m very good with planting advice. I help many of the farmers improve their yields phenomenally, and they pay me well. But this is not the first time I’ve been approached by people who are growing crops that are — shall we say — not legal. They seem to think they can strongarm me into helping them. I always refuse. But I saw these men from out of the window and suspected the worst. When I noticed their guns, I hid. It was like a worst-case scenario coming true, I must say."

  “I’m very glad you thought to do that,” May said.

  “I think they were busy searching my place when you arrived. I heard the horn from outside."

  "Alright. I’m glad you stayed safe. You should probably get a more secure lock on your trailer door, though." Having established a sketchy explanation for the scenario that had played out, May decided to waste no time in exploring the professor's motives for murder.

  "We're here because of two recent crimes. Two murders. We believe both victims may be connected to you."

  "To me?" The professor looked surprised. "I heard about both deaths, of course. But I only worked with Jenna. I didn't know the other victim, rest her soul, at all."

  "You didn't?"

  "Not at all. I think she signed up for the short course, which is not administered by me. It’s done by the university assistants."

  "Why were you fired from the university?"

  The professor sighed. "I wish people wouldn't say that. It's completely incorrect. We had a difference of opinion where I chose to leave, rather than abandon my principles about growing and cultivation, and a number of other environmental issues. You see, I believe that everyone has the right to grow crops anywhere. The world is humanity’s farm. But a lot of individuals are more selfish and don't agree with that principle. I got into trouble when I tilled a portion of the local park. And farmers were angry when I said their front yards should be open to all, to farm and forage."