Cold Trail (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Cold Trail - Chapter Ten

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Ten black machine guns?

Nine cases of chocolate milk? ?

Eight noisy cowbells?

Seven sugar sticks?

Six soft, cuddly cows?

Five chocolate chip cookies?

Four stainless steel milk barrels?

Three days to live?

Two flutes of champagne?

And a Christmas card in a snowflake envelope?

~ * ~

Rudolph paced the barn like a frightened hen in the presence of a fox. His lips moved in every direction, and while Sue couldn't read most of what he said or mumbled, she thought she caught two important words. Coming and Dead. And those were enough for her to spring in action.

She grabbed Rudolph's arm, and yanked. "Come with me."

To her relief, he didn't fight her. The barn had only one entrance, an entrance leading directly into Vixen's claws. Since going out wasn't an option, going up was the alternative. She led him to the ladder. Hot on her heels, Rudolph climbed behind her. A wooden trap blocked the opening at the top of the ladder. She pushed, and cringed. She didn't know if it squeaked or squealed, but the thought that she was making noises made her wary. Below her, Rudolph tapped her running shoes.

The trap flipped up, and she slid through the opening. Moments later, Rudolph emerged from the gap, and quickly closed it behind.

"That was close," he mouthed as a sigh deflated his chest.

He looked around, and she followed his gaze. The attic of the barn was filled with bales and haystack, and at the end was an open window large enough to accommodate a bale of hay.

Rudolph tapped her shoulder. "You do get lost in your own world. Listen, I have a plan."

Somehow she doubted she would like it.

"We hide in a hay stack until they leave, then we get the heck out of here."

If she tumbled in the hay with someone, it wouldn't be with Santa's helper, though the latest part of the plan appealed to her.

Without waiting for her endorsement, he'd started digging into a stack, then stopped abruptly. His mouth formed an O when he looked at her with eyes as big as a deer caught in the headlight of a truck.

"What is it?" she murmured.

With his finger, he pointed inside the hay.

If that were a mouse, she would smack him out of stupor. She approached, and tripped over a rope coiled on the floor. Her hands broke her fall, and for a few seconds she stayed still, afraid her tumble gave away their location.

Rudolph's head slowly tilted back and forth. "It's okay," he mouthed. "But I think we're in big trouble."

Weren't they already in big trouble before the rope entangled her legs? She freed her legs from the rope, which had knots twisted in it every eighteen inches or so, and tossed it aside.

She didn't see what he'd uncovered until she stared directly inside the hay at the corner of a wooden crate. Curious as what a crate was doing hidden in the middle of a stack, she kept digging.