They quickly found the familiar dirt road leading to Independents and settled into a relaxed cruise. They left their headlights off, searching the darkness for signs of Jolanda. Soon the single light from another bike bounced towards them and they stopped, waiting patiently to ambush her on the other side of a small rise in the road.
“Get ready with the lights,” Hunter said. Scout nodded grimfaced. Their fingers hovered over the switches.
The light of the oncoming bike swept down on them and they flared their own lights in return, washing over Jolanda on a red Honda. She wobbled with her concentration broken and Hunter smiled because he guessed right—Jolanda was not an accomplished rider. She traveled off-road, miscalculating the sudden change in terrain and fell off the bike. The Honda rolled another ten yards without her and crashed.
Hunter steered over to where Jolanda lay sprawled on the grassy ground. He silenced his engine and laughed. Scout rode up beside him, cutting his engine also, but without sharing in the laughter.
“Hey, Scout, do you know this chick from somewhere?”
“I thought I did,” Scout said, ignoring the humor.
“So how did your little meeting go?” Hunter asked her. “Does Chase have the place mapped out yet? Did he find the hidden treasure chest?”
“No, but the way I hear it, you boys are going to have a nice little homecoming when you get back. Apparently somebody’s girlfriend is unhappy.”
Hunter looked at Scout and they both groaned. The images of the various scenarios that Molly was capable of flittered through Hunter’s mind. The one good thing—he was still alive, so whatever she did couldn’t be that bad.
“I hope she didn’t touch my stuff,” Scout said.
“Oh, she touched it,” Jolanda said. “Wait and see.”
“Whatever,” Scout said. “How ’bout you tell us what your crew has planned and maybe I won’t drag you back to town behind my bike, Jolanda.”
Jolanda sprang from the grass like a lipstick crazed Tasmanian she-devil, knocking Scout from his bike and raking her fingernails across his face.
Her scream filled the surrounding prairie. “My name is Raven!”
Scout grabbed her arms, holding her tight until she bit his wrist and then head-butted him between the eyes. Wrestling with her on the ground, he defended himself from a flurry of punches and kicks.
“Hit her back!” Hunter yelled from his bike. “She’s beating the crap out of you.”
“She’s a girl! Come get her off me!”
Hunter dropped his kickstand and struggled swinging his leg over and off the big bike. He glided up to where the scuffle was rolling around in full swing. “Hey, Jolanda!”
Full of rage, Jolanda tilted her face toward Hunter, who popped her in the nose. When she staggered but didn’t fall, he followed with a punch to the jaw that sent her to the ground.
Scout looked up with blood seeping from three separate claw marks, his displeasure with Hunter’s actions clearly evident.
Hunter shrugged. “Chivalry died with our parents, dude. Besides, she was kicking your ass.”
“Still, hitting a girl isn’t right.” Scout retrieved the rope from his backpack as Jolanda rolled on the ground, holding her face and groaning. Before she could recover, he tied her hands and feet with the most elaborate knots Hunter had ever witnessed.
“I would agree to that, most of the time,” Hunter said. “But I think Jolanda would appreciate the equality of the situation.”
“My name is Raven,” Jolanda mumbled angrily. She sounded like she had cotton balls stuffed up her nose.
“Shut up,” the boys said together.
“Let’s take her back to Jimmy and figure a way out of this mess,” Scout said.
“Chase’s going to think they still have us captured.”
“Won’t he be surprised?”
Hunter helped Scout load Jolanda onto the Suzuki. They explained to her what would happen if she jacked around on the ride back to Independents. When she hawked a loogie at them, they decided to tie her more securely to the bike using more rope and duct tape from Scout’s well-stocked supplies, restricting all of her movements and eliminating the danger.
Then Hunter gagged her with a red bandanna from his own bag to keep her quiet. He patted her on the head. “Nice, Jolanda.”
“I don’t like this,” Scout said.
“Yeah, me neither.” Hunter smiled. “Let’s go.”
TWENTY-TWO
Jimmy’s hands were still shaking. He shoved them deep into his pockets, not wanting to alarm Ginger. Maybe she’d think he was just cold. The shaking started the moment he saw the fire and thought his brother might be inside, burning to death. Ginger’s arm around his waist gave him a level of comfort he was not used too. It was nice.
Mark shuffled out of the sheriff’s office on Main Street, looking like he might start bawling any second. Locking up your sister will do that.
The smell of the house fire from three streets away permeated the night air. Luckily the houses in Independents were built on such large lots that the fear of the fire spreading throughout the town was nonexistent. Still, the kids in the volunteer fire department cranked up the old fire truck and brought it over for safety and practice. They doused the flames, but the smoldering continued.
In a funny way, the smell of smoke reminded Jimmy of family campouts and his knees rattled with tremors. Everyone in Independents suffered from losses. When the parents died along with all the other grownups, losses became the acceptable norm. But when Jimmy thought he’d lost his little brother, it was all he could do to keep from rushing inside that blazing inferno to make certain Hunter wasn’t in there.
“Did Vanessa go home?” Mark spoke the way people did late at night while telling stories around a campfire, his voice distant and eerie.
“Yeah,” Jimmy said. “She left to give the babysitter a break. Sounds like you two have been tied up all day with the group from Iowa.”
Mark shook his head wearily. “Damn! I forgot about them. Molly picked a great time to lose her freaking mind. I wonder what they’re thinking.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I could care less right now. Hunter and Scout haven’t returned yet. Something’s wrong and I’m betting Chase from Iowa is somehow responsible.”
“You want me to watch the house they’re staying in?”
“No, I’ll have Samuel do it. You go home to Vanessa. She probably needs you right now.” Jimmy didn’t bother to say Mark probably needed her just as much. He shivered as the cold wind picked up, but he felt warmth radiating from Ginger and pulled her closer.
“Did Molly say anything?”
Eyeing Ginger and Jimmy, Mark paused with a slight smile, as though something just occurred to him. “No, she didn’t.” His smile vanished. “She fell on the cot and faced the wall. I tried asking her why she did it, but she ignored me. I don’t know what to do, Jimmy. I mean, I’m the sheriff and all, but she’s my sister.”
“I know it’s tough right now, but we’ll figure something out tomorrow.”
Mark shook his head again. “I don’t understand how Molly could set a house on fire. Something must have happened for her to go off like that; something with your brother.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Jimmy said.
Mark folded his arms over his chest. “I didn’t like it when they started seeing each other. It all happened too quickly.”
“I didn’t encourage it. Hunter doesn’t listen to me anyways.”
“Molly doesn’t listen to me either, but I never expected her to cause trouble like this.”