One Book in the Grave: A Bibliophile Mystery

ahead somewhere,” I said, staring into the woods in hopes of catching a glimpse of red brake light. “There’s only one road up to the winery and we’re on it.”
     
    “What about the turnoff we passed?” Derek asked.
     
    “It doesn’t go anywhere as far as I know,” Gabriel said, and glanced at me.
     
    “Yeah. I think it’s another dead end.”
     
    “Then they must be up ahead somewhere,” Derek said.
     
    Gabriel slowed down and turned off the headlights. “I’ll wait for a minute until our vision acclimates to the dark.”
     
    Derek sat back and opened the left-side window.
     
    The air in the car instantly chilled and I shivered, but it was more in fear than anything else. With the headlights off, we seemed more isolated up here in the dark. But I reminded myself that I was with two fierce warriors, so I shook off my nervousness and concentrated instead on the passing landscape, looking for any kind of inlet or turnoff or light somewhere in that deep, rugged woodland. But it was difficult to see anything beyond the line of trees growing so thickly along the road.
     
    Gabriel slowed down even more to allow us to better scrutinize the interior of the woods.
     
    “There’s a dirt road,” Derek said. “Looks like a house light a few hundred yards in.”
     
    “I thought I saw a light flicker,” I said, “but I didn’t see a road.”
     
    “They’re too damn well hidden,” Gabriel muttered.
     
    “We’ll find them,” Derek vowed.
     
    And from the determined tone of his voice, I wouldn’t want to be the person standing in the way of his goal.
     
    Another minute later, Gabriel said, “We’re getting close to the winery.”
     
    “I’m not sure they’ll go onto the winery grounds,” I said, taking an educated guess. “The whole area is well lit, and there’s a family who lives on the property. I think they’ll pull off into the woods.”
     
    “Yes, I agree,” Derek said. “This is survivalist territory. They’ve got to have a place up here. They wouldn’t come up this way otherwise.”
     
    “We’re all agreed,” Gabriel said, peering into the woods as he took another curve. “And we’re clearly at a disadvantage, because they probably know every inch of this hill and these woods.”
     
    “Doesn’t matter,” Derek said grimly. “Nothing’s changed. If they’re out there, we’ll track them down.”
     
    He kept repeating that vow, as if he would make it so by simply saying it. And, frankly, knowing Derek, I wouldn’t have been the least surprised to find out he had that kind of power.
     
    So I wasn’t about to speak aloud my real worry, that we might find and rescue only Minka and not Emily. I knew the Sisters of Charity wouldn’t be pleased with me thinking that way. It wasn’t my most charitable moment, but I couldn’t help it. So I kept my mouth shut and continued searching the woods.
     
    Gabriel brought the car to an abrupt stop.
     
    We all stared at the heavy chain that barred the entrance to the long, winding tarmac drive leading up to Charity Mountain Winery.
     
    “That settles that possibility,” Gabriel muttered.
     
    I sighed. Derek squeezed my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. Bitterly, I looked at either side of the chain barrier. There was no room for a car to have gone up and around it and onto the property. So we really were at a standstill.
     
    But not for long. In silence, Gabriel made a three-point turn around the dead end, then, keeping the headlights off, drove slowly back down the road.
     
    With all the lights near the winery’s entrance, it took a minute for my eyes to readjust to the darkness. Gabriel stopped anywhere there was a break in the heavy growth of trees that might be wide enough to fit a car through.
     
    Long minutes later, we rounded the curve and drove past the point where I’d seen the light flickering.
     
    “Stop,” Derek said.
     
    “Did you see something?” Gabriel asked.
     
    “That light is still on in there,” Derek said. “And there’s just enough of an opening to squeeze through.”
     
    Gabriel turned in his seat. “I’ll drop you off and find another inlet farther down the hill to hide the car, then double back on foot.”
     
    The sound of Derek sliding the magazine into his gunmade me jump. Then he murmured, “Turn off the interior light.”
     
    “Got it.” Gabriel flicked a switch. “You’re good to go.”
     
    “I’m going with you,” I said.
     
    There was a pause.