Blood Orchid (Holly Barker 3)

Shortly, they were in the shade of the big hangar, which had been built to hold many airplanes. Ginny shut down the engine, and they got out and looked around. The roof was full of holes and the floor was covered with light debris, but it sheltered the airplane from prying eyes.

Ginny took out her cellphone and tapped in a number. “Ham,” she said, “come get us, we’re on the ground. We’re okay, just a little problem with the prop. You drive north on highway one . . .” She continued with the directions. “That’s only approximate, since I’ve never been here on the ground. Just keep hunting until you find us.” She punched off. “Ham’s not too concerned,” she said.

/> “It takes a lot to concern Ham.”

“You know,” Ginny said, “I think it might have been the tip of the prop that broke the windshield. I mean, when a bullet came through your window, it made a hole but didn’t shatter.”

“You could be right,” Holly said, looking at the prop. “Looks like there’s about six inches missing, and that’s a pretty good-sized piece of metal.”

“Holly, who was shooting at us?”

Holly thought about that for a minute. “I’m not sure I know,” she said. “You think I could sleep on the sofa tonight?”

“Of course you can. Better yet, we’ll make Ham sleep on the sofa, and you and I will share the bed.”

Holly laughed. “I’ll let you break the news to him.”

Ginny walked around the airplane, inspecting it. “I think the shooting was coming from ahead of us when we were doing the touch-and-go. Then, when we made our left crosswind turn, it was coming from the side of the airplane; that’s how your window got hit. Looks like the shooter was somewhere around the end of the runway, to the north.”

“It’s good that you chose to keep flying, instead of setting her back down.”

“You know, I don’t know why I did that,” Ginny said.

“I’m real glad you did.”

54

Holly insisted on sleeping on the living room sofa. They had had dinner and talked, and Ham and Ginny respected her reluctance to talk about what had happened in the past few days. Holly’s response to any conversation was desultory, and they finally gave up and went to bed.

Holly made up her bed on the sofa and got into it, and Daisy lay down beside her. Holly was tired from the stress of the day’s events, but she did not sleep for a long time. Then, in the middle of the night, she came wide awake and sat up. Had she been dreaming, or just thinking? Somehow, she had answered a question in her sleep, then another. Pieces slid toward one another, and if they did not seamlessly interlock, at least there was a logic present. She found her cellphone in the dark and called Grant’s number.

“Hello?” He sounded sleepy.

“It’s Holly,” she said.

“What’s wrong?”

“I won’t know that until I talk to you,” she replied. “I’m at Ham’s. Do you know where that is?”

“No.”

She gave him directions. “I want you to come and get me.”

“Now?”

“Now. I think I can put this thing together, with your help.”

“What thing?”

“Come get me.” She hung up.

Holly dressed and waited for Grant at the gate, so as not to wake Ham and Ginny. When he came, she waited for him to turn around, then put Daisy in the backseat and got into the car. It was a warm Florida night, and the top was down.

Grant found his way back to the bridge before he said anything. “What’s going on?”

“Listen to me carefully,” she said, “and don’t interrupt me until I’m finished.”

“All right.”