Framed For Christmas. Jaycee Bullard

Gabe exclaimed.

      “That might be an overstatement, but it shouldn’t be too bad. I have extra gear to help you stay warm. Like I said before, it’s a pretty straight shot from my dock to the sheriff’s office on the other side. When we get there, you can call your parents and let them know you’re okay. Sheriff Stanek may want to ask you a few questions, but after that, he’ll arrange to get you to the reservation in time for the ceremony.”

      “Questions about what?” Josh homed in on the million-dollar detail.

      Gideon stood and walked over to the stove to pour himself a cup of hot water from the kettle, taking his time to stir in a tablespoon of coffee granules before rejoining the group. The kids were young, but that didn’t mean that they shouldn’t know the truth. Besides, they were going to find out soon enough. “Earlier this evening, I discovered a significant quantity of cocaine in the back of your van. I discussed the situation with Miss Jones, and she was quick to assure me that no one in your group is involved with either taking or smuggling drugs. So, unless someone wants to make a confession, I’m going to operate on that assumption, but only temporarily. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your preparations for the trip. Are you all okay with that?”

      Seven heads nodded in unison. Their solemn faces reflected the seriousness of his request.

      “Good. Let’s start at the beginning, then. Miss Jones has already explained most of the details of your mission trip. But as you think about the days leading up to your departure, I’d like you to try to remember if you noticed anything out of the ordinary that caught your attention. Maybe it was something as simple as spotting someone carrying a box through the parking lot when you arrived with your gear. Or maybe it was a person you didn’t know very well who was asking too many questions about your plans. Basically, I’m interested in anything and everything you might have seen or heard that relates to your visit to the reservation.”

      There was a long silence. Josh and Gabe shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

      “Gentlemen?” Gideon asked. “Do you have something to add to the discussion?”

      Josh suddenly looked a lot less confident as he turned to meet Gideon’s eyes. “I... We...don’t really know if this is the kind of thing you’re looking for, but after Gabe and I left our stuff at the church, we thought we saw a car that looked like my mom’s at the far end of the lot. The driver was slumped down, talking on his phone. When he saw us approaching, he reached across to the passenger seat, picked up a gun and held it in front of the window.” Josh gave a nervous laugh. “We took off running and didn’t look back. At least I didn’t,” he added with a shrug.

      Dani gasped. “A gun? Boys! Did you tell Josh’s mom?”

      Josh looked at Gabe, who shrugged sheepishly.

      “We thought that if we said something, our parents might not let us go on the trip,” Gabe explained. “And when we talked about it later, we decided it was probably a toy and the guy was just trying to scare us so we’d leave him alone.”

      “Did you happen to notice the plates on the vehicle?” Gideon wanted to know.

      “No,” Josh admitted. “But it was a white Jeep.”

      A white Jeep, not a tan SUV. Interesting. “And you didn’t recognize the driver?”

      Josh’s laugh was high-pitched. “No. He was wearing a hoodie, so I didn’t get a good look at his face.”

      “How about the rest of you?” Gideon asked. “Did anyone else see or hear anything unusual?” His eyes made a loop of the circle, finally coming to rest on Dani. There was something nervous and wary in her eyes. It was a look he had seen often during his years at the DEA, although it was usually the victims, not the perpetrators, who wore that expression of panicked confusion. It was as if there was something she wanted to share but didn’t know quite how to bring it up. “Dani? Is everything okay?”

      Dani’s fingers trembled as she raised them to her lips. “I just saw a shadow of something moving outside.”

      Gideon pushed back his chair and walked over to the large picture window. “It’s probably a deer looking for food. I’m surprised Lou’s so quiet. He usually sounds the alarm when anyone gets close to the house.”

      On cue, the dog perked his ears and began to bark.

      “Like I said, there’s a good chance that it’s just a hungry animal, but it can’t hurt to check things out.” He slipped on his coat, grabbed a flashlight from the shelf and pointed at Lou. The shepherd jumped up. Clearly, he didn’t need to be asked twice.

      For a moment, no one spoke. Then Joe stood and folded his arms across his chest.

      “I’ll bet it’s a bobcat,” he said. “Don’t worry, Miss Jones. Lou will scare it away.”

      “Or maybe it’s a moose,” Gabe suggested. “Or a mountain lion?”

      “Or a gray wolf or a coyote?” Josh almost spilled his glass of juice in his excitement. “Maybe we men should help Mr. Marshall look for tracks.”

      Gideon shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, boys, but it might be best if you stay back and help with the chores.” Given the fact that the drugs were now hidden in his barn, he couldn’t discount the likelihood of a far deadlier threat.