Letters in Time by Reiss Susan (i love reading books .txt) 📕

I took another step back and slipped into the shadows.

“What would you have done?” Stephani said, trying to salvage her pride.

“Physical violence is no way to treat your posse. I use finesse.” He gave a little wave of his hand, preening over the use of such a word. Then he dropped the façade. “But I must admit, you had a good idea.”

“Whacking Kid Billy in the head?” Stephani said.

“Yeah, you didn’t have the guts to carry it out the way you should. He would never have kept your secret about the treasure. He had to go.”

“So, you picked up another shovel…” Stephani stated.

Josh shrugged.

“Somebody had to finish what you started. It wasn’t my fault that he couldn’t get out of the way a second time.”

She gave her head a little shake. “Why didn’t the other guys turn you in?”

He held his hands up in the air. “Isn’t that obvious? I never used violence against any of them.”

“Until that night,” Stephani added.

"That's right. I had to teach the Kid a lesson. I had to teach them all a lesson. If I could kill once, I could do it again."

“You’re a hot mess, Joshua Collins.”

The truth of the murder was worse than I imagined. Together, who knows what they could do. I had to move.

Josh stepped closer to his sister. “None of this matters. I came to this godforsaken place for one thing, Fanny. And I will have it, Fanny. Then I’ll be happy to disappear and leave you here, all by your lonesome self, Fanny. Oh, wait! You won’t be alone, will you? Once you get ole TJ to knock you up, you’ll make it to the Big House,” he scoffed. “Imagine, my big sister Fanny, will be Miss Stephani of Waterwood.”

TJ… The Big House… Miss Stephani of Waterwood!

I almost blurted out my surprise but clamped my lips together. Keeping my balance was something else. The world gyrated as my leg decided if it was going to hold me up or collapse. Finally, the muscles engaged and I was stable again.

Josh wasn’t done with his sister. “You’ll really come up in the world, Fanny. And you’ll do it the old-fashioned way, on your back.” His laughter filled the night.

I stifled a yelp when I bumped into the fender of the Jeep. I'd worked my way around in the shadows and came up from behind on the driver's side. Strength was draining out of every muscle. All I had to do was pull myself up in the seat. I knew how to do it on the passenger side. This would be harder. I had to rely on my bad leg. I raised it into the Jeep, gripped the steering wheel, and pulled myself up and in. Thankfully, my leg didn't give way.

Josh was still lecturing Stephani. "All I want is what's coming to me, what our family should have had a long time ago. Then everything would have been different and nobody would be dead. I’ll even give you some.” He took two steps forward so they were almost touching. “Now, tell me where it is, Fanny. Then I’ll be out of your way.”

Stephani started to say something and choked. She cleared her throat and started again, trying to sound innocent. “Where is what?”

In the Jeep, I was stiff with dread. I hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car since the accident.

The sibling argument raged on. Josh declared, “I want the same thing you want, Fanny.”

“You’ll get nothing,” she pronounced.

“And who’s going to stop me?”

“I am.”

“You?” he sniffed. “That’s a joke.”

I could see the siblings clearly in the headlights. Stephani pulled something out of her coat pocket. It glinted.

A gun.

Now, I whispered to myself. 

“Give me that,” demanded Josh as he took a step toward her.

“No way!”

He grabbed for the gun. She shrieked. The night herons screeched in response.

I started the Jeep’s engine, drowning them out. My foot stabbed the accelerator. My hands pulled hard on the wheel. The tires ground through the soft dirt. The headlights swung madly. There should have been two surprised persons caught in the beams.

But there was only one standing under the Lone Oak. She was waving the gun in my direction and screaming for me to stop.

Kerrackk.

The shot sounded like the end of the world, but I couldn't let it stop me. I steered away. The wheels caught the loose dirt in a hole.

She ran and got ahead of me. The gun was pointed right at the windshield. Certain she was blinded by the lights, I kept going. But one lucky shot would end it all.

Something roared in the darkness. A waterman’s truck with no muffler like a workboat on land. Was it a savior or a threat? I couldn’t wait to find out. The only way to save myself was to do it all by myself.

I steered the Jeep right at the girl who’d lied to everybody, used everybody. Invaded my home. Threatened me.

How are you at a game of chicken, FANNY?

I pushed the pedal to the floor and ducked down in case she got off a lucky shot. She leaped out of my path. I was on my way to the road and out of this nightmare.

But not quite.

Lights flared behind me. The truck. Josh.

He was coming up on the right to bar my way to the road. I couldn't outrun him. I pushed the pedal to the floor. The Jeep shuddered as it crossed the rough ground. It was built more for fun than getting out of trouble.

I stole a look over my