“We're at Gold Peak,” Rita told Brad in an uneasy voice. “We're sitting in a dirt parking lot. Ron Bufford ordered us to stay in my SUV until morning. He's still claiming he has people watching us...I don't believe him, but I also can't risk Rhonda's life.”

  “Rita, Ron Bufford no longer has Rhonda,” Brad announced in a police voice filled with relief.

  “What?” Rita exclaimed, feeling panic strike her heart. “Brad, what do you mean? Talk to me!”

  “Rita, Rhonda is at a small hospital in Kansas,” Brad explained and then told Rita everything that Jessie and Zach had both relayed to him. “The nurse said Rhonda is really out of it due to all the pain medication in her system.”

  “But my sister is okay, right?” Rita begged.

  “The nurse assured me Rhonda is going to be fine,” Brad quickly replied. “You can call the hospital and talk to the nurse yourself. Her name is Jessie. The man watching over your sister, the guy who used his brains to find me, is Zach Adleson.” Brad gave Rita the number.

  “I'm calling now.”

  “Wait...wait,” Brad pleaded. “What about Ron Bufford?”

  Rita bit down hard on her lip. “My sister comes first,” she said, brought her SUV to life, backed away from the parking area, and began speeding away.

  “What are you doing?” Billy declared. “We can't leave. That skunk will start killing innocent folk. We have to go toe to toe with him right here.”

  “You heard me say my sister comes first,” Rita told Billy in a voice that let Billy know that any future objections would be met with resistance. “I played by the rules, Billy. I drove to Gold Peak...but Ron Bufford slipped up. Now he's going to pay...big time.”

  Brad knew talking Rita of staying in Gold Peak was out of the question. In a way, he was relieved even though his gut knew the truth. “Ron Bufford will come back to Clovedale Falls for Billy,” he warned Rita.

  “Brad, I'm not letting Ron Bufford get anywhere near Clovedale Falls,” Rita promised. “I'm still a cop, for crying out loud. I still have brains in my head...I just need time to think, okay.” Rita felt a tear slip from her eye. “My sister is alive, Brad...and once I get to her…Ron Bufford...we'll get him...somehow.”

  “I'm on my way to Kansas,” Brad informed Rita. “I shouldn't have let you go at this alone to begin with. It was stupid of me to leave town and take my wife to see her family.”

  “No it wasn't,” Rita objected, racing around sharp curves and over bad cracks in the road she had eased over driving in to Gold Peak.

  “You're going to bust a tire,” Billy warned, holding on for dear life.

  Rita groaned, slowed down, and focused back on Brad. “I'll be in Kansas when you arrive, Brad. I...we...need you, okay. We need to be a team.”

  “You bet we do,” Brad confirmed, clearly knowing that Rita needed a new partner. Billy, as great as he, just wasn't a cop. “I'm leaving now and driving straight through. I don't know how long the drive will be but I'll only stop for gas.”

  “I'll be waiting,” Rita said in a relieved voice. “And Brad...thank you.”

  “Anytime,” Brad replied truly meaning it, ended the call, jumped from his desk, and ran out of his office. “Hey Andy, call my wife and tell her on my way to Kansas,” he yelled. “And tell the mayor if he wants to fire me then so be it!”

  As Brad ran outside in a cool autumn night, Rita called the hospital. “Yes, please, I want to speak to Nurse...uh...Jessie is her first name.”

  “This is Jessie,” Jessie said standing behind the nurses’ station. “You must be Rhonda Knight's sister.”

  “Yes,” Rita said taking a sharp curve way too fast. Billy let out a loud yell, braced himself for a terrible rollover, and then sighed a breath of relief when the SUV managed to stay on all four wheels.

  “That's it, pull over!”

  Rita slammed on the brakes. “You drive then,” she told Billy, jumped out of the SUV, ran around to the front passenger's door through cold desert air—expecting a rifle shot to take her down at any second—and waited for Billy to crawl over into the driver's seat.

  “If you ain't risking a busted tire you're risking killing us,” Billy fussed under his breath. “I sure do like you but you ain't one for driving on bad roads.”

  Rita hurried inside. “Get us moving, Billy,” she begged and quickly buckled her seat belt. “Ron Bufford is probably lying about having people watching us, but if he isn't I don't want to stick around and find out.”

  “Aw, this place is as empty as a lonely road,” Billy said and carefully got the SUV moving.

  “Ms. Knight?” Jessie asked.

  “I'm here,” Rita said, breathing hard. “How is my sister?”

  “Rhonda is going to be up and walking in no time,” Jessie assured Rita. “She took a nasty fall out of the back of a truck going at a very high speed. She's blessed to be alive.”

  Rita bit down on her lip. “Is my sister awake? Can I speak to her?”

  “I'm afraid not,” Jessie frowned. “Rhonda has been in and out of consciousness all night. Also,” Jessie added, “she can't remember who she is right now.”

  Rita closed her eyes. “Amnesia?” she asked.

  “We won't know until later, I'm afraid.

  Rita fought back tears. “I'm on my way to Kansas right now,” she explained.

  “Good,” Jessie said. “The sheriff Mr. Adleson spoke to is contacting the state police. I've already placed in a call myself just for safe measures. The hospital will be secure in no time. I promise.”

  Rita felt relief wash through her worried heart. “Thank you for all you're doing for my sister.”

  Jessie looked down at a brown folder. “Ms. Knight, besides your sister, I have one other patient to take care of. That patient is an old man who likes to visit this hospital for a weekly stay at least one time a month. I'm not exactly doing anything special. I'm only doing my job.”

  Rita heard a humility in Jessie's voice that she respected. “All the same,” she said, “thank you.”

  “You're welcome.”

  “Will you please ring me into Rhonda's room? I would like to speak to Mr. Adleson,” Rita asked.

  “One second.” Jessie transferred Rita's call to Rhonda's room.

  Zach heard an old fashioned landline phone sitting on a wooden nightstand ring. He looked down at Rhonda, studied her sweet, sleeping face, and answered the call. “Ms. Knight? Ms. Rita Knight?”

  “Yes,” Rita said hearing a strong voice. “Are you Mr. Adleson?”

  “Call me Zach...Mr. Adleson...is an old name.”

  Rita found Zach's response strange but didn't have time to question him. “Thank you for saving my sister, Mr. Adleson.”

  “I was just in the right place at the right time,” Zach told Rita. “I'm no hero.”

  “Can you please go into more detail for me?” Rita asked Zach as Billy reached the end of the long, lonely road leading to Gold Peak. “That way, Billy, keep going north. If Bufford is behind us I don't want to risk a fight with him. Not tonight anyway.”

  Billy hesitated and then turned north and hit the gas once he felt the wheels on the SUV touch stable pavement. He sped north and vanished into the night. Ten minutes later the headlights on the Dodge Charger appeared. The Dodge Charger slowed to a crawl, turned onto the lonely road leading to Gold Peak, and came to a full stop. “I better see what's down the road,” Ron whispered and carefully drove the car, while easing out into the dark desert landscape. A few minutes later he drove the car behind a large boulder. He parked and then reached into the black duffel bag and pulled out a black box. The small screen on the box held a map, roads, and a little dot. The little red dot represented Rita's SUV. “What is this?” he asked spotting the dot speeding away from Gold Peak.

  Rita heard Rhonda's cell phone ring just as Zach began explaining how Rhonda had escaped out of the back of Ron's black truck. “Zach, I have to call you back,” she said in a quick voice, ended the call, and then grabbed Rhonda's cell phone off the dashboard. “Hello?”

  “You're not in position!” Ron yelled and stepped out into the cold desert air like a poisonous spider crawling out of a dark hole.

  Rita closed her eyes. It was time to play chess. “There's been a change in plans,” she told Ron.

  Ron narrowed his eyes. “We play by my rules,” he hissed. “Your sister will die if you disobey.”

  “I was playing by your rules,” Rita informed Ron. “So was Billy. Our concern for the lives of innocent people forced us to. But now the rules have changed.”

  “I don't think so,” Ron growled. “You will play by my rules because you're weak and believe that protecting the lives of bottom feeders matters. But it doesn't!” he yelled and hit the hood with a hard fist. “You better be in the parking area or your sister will die.”

  Rita felt her cheeks turn red but quickly took control of her anger. “So be it,” she said in a fierce voice. “You see, you filthy skunk, it occurred to me that your main goal is to win this sick game you are playing. Without Billy...no matter how many people you kill...you'll never win. And while it may be true what we agreed in the beginning...not anymore. The only way you're going to know real justice is by losing the game.”

  Ron felt his eyes explode in rage. “Your sister will die!”

  “And you will lose.” Rita snapped, feeling a beautiful freedom stream from her mouth. Yes, she had known all along that Ron's ultimate goal was to win the deadly game he had set in motion--one that allowed the winner to show the world he was the smartest player to ever have lived; a game of ego, pride, and revenge. But with the lives of innocent people at stake—and then her sister—the rules had become restricted and suffocating, forcing the other players to obey or suffer a moral punishment; a punishment that would pin the death of innocent people to their conscience for life. But now that Rhonda was okay...well, maybe she could change the rules a little and force the black widow spider that was chasing Billy into a trap? “Without Billy you have nothing to gain.”

  “I'll go back to Clovedale Falls and kill--”

  “Do it,” Rita dared to say. Billy didn't say a word. Whatever scheme Rita was coming up with was worth listening out before he made up his mind about what to do. “You can kill and keep killing...but you'll never get Billy. Not on my watch.”

  Ron began beating the hood of the vehicle like a spoiled brat. Billy was the queen on the chessboard. “I'll find you,” he barked. “I'll find you and make you suffer for this and then I'll find Billy! Do you hear me!”

  “You're not ever going to find Billy,” Rita promised. She looked into Billy's tired, sweet, worried face. The man driving her SUV was brave, gentle, courageous, and selfless. What more could a woman ask for in a man? “Billy will wipe the floor with you.”

  Ron gritted his teeth. “Billy will suffer for taking my girl away from me. He'll suffer for hurting me. He'll suffer for humiliating me. He'll suffer...for his crimes,” he yelled. “I'll never give up, do you hear me?”

  Rita could hear Ron falling apart—not much, but just enough to throw a quick punch at him; a stinging blow that would force him to change the rules of his game. But she had to be careful. “No...Billy...turn east...we have to get back to Kansas.” Billy gave Rita a strange look. Why there wasn't nothing on either side of the SUV but open desert.

  Ron narrowed his eyes. “Kansas?” he whispered.

  “Billy, turn east,” Rita yelled, “my sister is in a hospital in Kansas...you're turning west.” Billy shrugged his shoulders and began driving east, straight out in the desert. Rita quickly grabbed the steering wheel. “No...play along,” she whispered in a desperate voice.

  “Oh,” Billy blushed and got the SUV back on the road.

  “Hospital...Kansas,” Ron whispered again.

  “Listen,” Rita snapped at Ron, hoping he had taken the bait, “every cop in the country is going to be searching for you. If you were wise you would let my sister go and turn yourself in.”

  Ron narrowed his eyes. So Rita was trying to outsmart him, was she? Well, he would show her who was truly the best chess player. “Billy is a dead man,” he hissed. “I'm driving back to Georgia...and wait. I'll get him...I'll get all of you.” Ron ended the call, looked up into a dark sky, and grinned. “I'll get all of you.” he sharply said and then jumped back in the Dodge Charger and sped away, throwing desert sand into the cold night air. “I'm right behind you.”

  Chapter Eight

  Rita pulled into a small parking lot filled with autumn trees dripping with leaves. The parking lot, with only a few vehicles—mostly farm trucks—faced a single one story brick building that reminded Rita of the library in the town she had grown up in. Behind the brick building stood brown fields littered with trees and dry bushes that were settling down for the approaching winter. “I feel like I've been run over a million times,” Rita yawned, rubbed her face, and then took a sip of coffee. “How about you?”

  Billy felt fine. Sure, he was running off very little sleep, but he was used to that. “Oh, I'm good,” he assured Rita, took a drink of coffee, and looked around. “I reckon we best get inside. Chester, you stay put.” Chester didn't say a word. He was hard and fast asleep.

  Rita spotted a state troopers car parked in front of the hospital. Two uniformed men were standing next to the car staring straight at her SUV. “I guess we should,” she said, put down her coffee, and exited the SUV. Billy followed. “Air feels good,” she yawned and stretched her arms.

  “Colder than yesterday,” Billy said, tasted the air, and nodded his head. “Going to be rough winter out here for these folks. Going to be rough winter in Georgia, too.”

  The two troopers continued to stare at Rita. Rita waved her right hand at them and called out: “I'm Rita Knight. My sister, Rhonda Knight, is inside.”

  “Reckon we best go over and say hello,” Billy told Rita. He gently touched her hand, nodded, and walked over to the lawmen. Both of them looked identical to Billy. Both men had a 'Drill Sergeant' type face that seemed sour and stone like. Billy didn't have anything against the law, but he always wondered why men and women in uniform looked so blasted constipated all the time? Maybe it was the donuts or coffee? Billy didn't know.

  “We need to see some identification,” one of the troopers informed Rita in a tough voice. He looked no older than twenty-years-old to Rita—a rookie kid who had been assigned 'Babysitting' patrol with another rookie kid.

  Rita reached into her purse, pulled out her license and presented it. “There.”

  Billy pulled his license out of a worn down brown wallet. “Billy Northfield is my name.”

  The two troopers, pretending they were experienced investigators, studied Rita and Billy's license with keen eagle eyes, pretending they were studying a bomb that was preparing to go off. “Your sister is in room--”

  “I know what room my sister is in,” Rita told them and shook her head. “I was a cop for twenty years before I retired,” she said, “and I must say you two are doing a messy job.”

  “Excuse me?” one asked in an offended voice.

  “The entrance to the hospital should be blocked off,” Rita explained. “I pulled into the guest parking lot as easy as could be. I could have been heavily armed for crying out loud.” Rita shook her head again. “One of you should be on constant patrol instead of making yourselves easy targets.”

  “We know how to do our job,” he told Rita in a rough voice. “You just go on inside, you hear me.”

  Rita grabbed Billy's hand. “Loud and clear,” she said in a sarcastic voice and hurried through a set of sliding glass doors, stepped in a medium sized lobby lined with glossy hardwood floors and a row of sitting chairs. A little old woman wearing a pink sweater greeted Rita. “Room 109?”, Rita asked.

  “That way, dear,” the old woman said and pointed to a hallway. “Follow the hallway down and then take a right. If you turn left you'll go straight to the emergency room.”

  “Thank you much,” Billy smiled at the old woman and walked away with Rita. Moments later they entered Rhonda's hospital room. Rhonda was wide awake. “Well howdy,” Billy smiled.

  “Oh, honey,” Rita burst out into tears, dashed to the bed, and wrapped her arms around Rhonda. Rhonda broke down into tears. “Oh...don't cry...don't cry...”

  “I can't help it,” Rhonda said in a trembling voice. “I...never thought I would see you again.”

  Zach stood up and eased close to Billy. “She woke up about two hours ago and began asking for her sister,” he explained and fought back a yawn. “Her mind seems to have cleared up.”

  Rhonda held on to Rita. “My mind was pretty mushy...but when the medicine began wearing off the haze began to lift...some. I'm afraid I still can't remember too much….I do remember falling out of the back of that truck, however.”

  Rita kissed Rhonda's head. “We're going home and never leaving our bakery,” she promised. “Right now you need to rest.”

  “Bakery?” Rhonda asked and rubbed the bandage wrapped around her head. “Bakery...bakery...oh...we do own a bakery, don't we? I remember now...kinda.”

  Rita smiled into her sister’s eyes, kissed her head again, and leaned up. “Later I'll wash and comb your hair for you.”

  Rhonda wiped at her tears. “I want to go home,” she said, “but...” she shook her head. “Why was I in the back of someone’s truck?”

  “I tried to explain what happened to her a few times but she wasn't able to remember. I thought I'd wait and let you try,” Zach explained and then rubbed his back. “I need to call about my truck, okay? I'm already in trouble with my boss.”

  “Thank you for taking care of my sister,” Rita told Zach and gently hugged his neck. “You've been very wonderful.”

  Zach looked into Rita's sweet face. “I'm no hero,” he shyly responded. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Now...if you'll excuse me.” Zach nodded his head at Billy and left the room.

  Rhonda held her hand out to Rita. “Sis, what is going on?” she asked. “I can't...I can't remember much.”