Chapter 107

Chapter 107
Clive’s POV

I can hear his footsteps coming up the stairs, the man is not light on his feet. Except of course when he needs to be. My heart is banging hard against my chest. He will want an explanation if he catches me in Claire’s room. More to the point, he will want to know where she is and then the shit will really hit the fan.

I know originally, I wanted to be part of his plan, now, however, I want nothing more than to be out of this shit. Only, he is in my cabin and getting him to leave is going to be a challenge.

“Clive,” he calls out. I can tell just from the one word that he has been drinking. It comes out sounding like Cliwve. He will never be able to leave that shit alone and maybe that will be his downfall and the drugs he is taking that he promised he had given up once and for all.

An idea forms in my head as I close the door and lock myself in the room as quiet as a church mouse. For extra measure I use the chair by the door and place the tall back underneath the handle.

If he tries it, he will only surmise that Claire has barricaded herself in.

He calls out again and stops in front of the door. I hold my breath not daring to even breathe.

Where the hell has she gone? It’s a blizzard out there, a forceful snow storm. She won’t be able to get far, unless. No, it isn’t possible. Surely not. There is a snow mobile in the back barn. Would Claire have the sense to go and look for some kind of transport? I mean, she isn’t a stupid woman; she has smarts about her. She would have need to, to get away from Jonathan. He wouldn’t have been easy to fool.

And yet, she did. Fair play to her.

This has all gone horribly wrong way too quickly for my liking. Jake tries the door handle. “Ha, I see you’ve locked yourself completely in there you scared little mouse. Don’t worry, Claire I’m not ready for you yet,” he says in a tone of malice and drunkenness. My instinct is to throw the door open and punch him in the gut and wind the motherfucker, but I can’t otherwise I will be giving Claire away. She needs a head start.

Tracking her won’t be too difficult, I’ll easily be able to see her footprints in the snow. They won’t have been covered up just yet, if I am quick enough to get out that is.

What I need to do is ensure that Jake has no inkling that Claire is missing otherwise he will be all over it like a hot rash.

Thankfully, I hear Jake’s footstep moving away down the hall and hear him opening and closing the door to the room he is using. Part of me always knew I shouldn’t have become involved in his plans to harm the woman that got to Jonathan and not only ruined his business but eventually was the reason for his death.

Anxiousness floods my body, I feel like I can’t breathe and am heading for some kind of coronary episode. Trying to calm my breathing, to no avail, I hasten to add is not an easy feat.

As I turn around to assess the room, I notice that her clothes we recently purchased are strewn messily on the bed. The boots are missing; the heavy winter coat is missing as are the scarf and the gloves. Good, at least she has wrapped up warm.

Now for the dilemma that is playing overtime in my mind.

If I save Claire and get her to safety, will she put this all behind her? Or will she go to the police? Will this implicate me? Or can I persuade her that I had no part of this plan and protect myself?

I rake my fingers through my hair and try to decide what the best course of action to take.

Then it smacks me in the face like a tidal wave crashing. I have to take care of Jake. Do I handle him first? Or do I get Claire to safety first? And where is she heading? She will know by now that she can’t go back into town. You’d have to be an idiot once you’ve figured this all out, to not realize that the town is close knit, we support each other and that everyone loved Jonathan.

Of course they would, wouldn’t they? What was there not to like? He would breeze into town supporting local businesses, events and always donating cash to the town hall. He was the super star, millionaire who rode into town on his white horse like a knight in shining armor. Then there were his charming personality and those debonair good looks that had women flocking at his feet.

If they had known the rea Jonathan, it would perhaps be a different story.

And then we have our police chief and his team. All in the pocket of Jonathan, owned by him and by Jake who has the chief over a barrel for an attempted act against a female minor. How he even kept that under the carpet to become police chief is beyond me.

The window is slightly ajar, I wondered why there was a draft. I head for it and look out, seeing skid marks on the porch roof where Claire has obviously slid down. At least with all the snow on the ground her landing would have been broken and softened somewhat.

The footprints run from the side of the cabin into the wood land area. Dammit, she is on foot. Even easier to track and slower for her to get anywhere.

But why is she heading in that direction when the main road is in the other direction? Unless…. Does she know somehow there is a gap in the boundary line that leads to the old, hardly used mountain pass road?

I shake my head. How on earth would she even guess that?

Softly, I close the window not wanting to alert Jake to the fact that I am hiding out in Claire’s room. I wait by the door for a couple of minutes to ensure I don’t hear him. Then I remove the chair and unlock the door mindful to take the key from the lock as I step outside and pull the door closed quietly and lock it. I pocket the key and tread as carefully as possible to head downstairs.

At the bottom, I see Hector has snuggled up in front of the fire that is now beginning to dwindle from lack of attention. I go towards him and crouch down to ruffle the curls on his head.

“Hey boy, you want to come out and find Claire with me?” At the mere mention of her name his ears prick and move like antenna. “Come on then, fella. Let’s go out whilst Jake is passed out.”

He gets up and does a downward dog movement then stretches one leg behind him, then the other. I wait patiently for him to finish and head into the kitchen.

I need to make a flask of coffee, something to keep us warm when I find her.

As I open the kitchen door, I hold my breath when it squeaks. Dammit. I wait for a few seconds and hear nothing. Jake has obviously passed out with all the drink in his belly and his coma inducing drugs. This part of my plan and handling Jake, could be easier than I thought.