Crashed in Oasis Read online

  Dottie held her breath. He wants to come back to Oasis with me?

  He continued, "Of course, if you prefer to return home alone, I understand. I don't want–"

  "I think that's a wonderful idea!" Dottie interrupted. We could finish researching the Manfred Schneider Gold Heist."

  A grin lit Collin's face. "And our worst fear would be a meddlesome reporter."

  Dottie returned his grin and made a dismissive motion. "Media…piece of cake."

  Collin's smile dampened somewhat. "I have to let you know they'll be relentless when attempted murder is added to our resume that already includes a plane crash, search for stolen gold, sunken treasure in the Devil's triangle, and kidnapping of a beautiful woman who just happens to be the rescuer of the pilot in the plane crash." He lifted his hands in surrender. "What reporter could resist that? We're both destined for months of fame and relentless journalism."

  Dottie sighed. "I know."

  Collin said, "There is an alternative, though."

  Dottie questioned him with her eyes.

  "I could secret us away for a few months to a secluded island. You know, sun, beaches, aqua ocean."

  "And the media would still be there when we returned."

  He shrugged. "Yes, unfortunately."

  "Well, I say, let's face them and…" She grinned mischievously. Collin's eyes searched hers. "…continue our search for the stolen ingots in Oasis."

  Collin's grin made Dottie's heart turn into mush.

  Chapter 33: Irony

  Spending over two weeks in the hospital had tested Collin's patience to the maximum. Dottie had been released after three days into Oliver and Sandy's care. Even now he smiled at the irony of the situation. Jake and the hospital personnel had been creative in secreting Dottie out of the hospital because the entrance and parking lot had been saturated by reporters. As Collin had known, their close call with a villain who was now in custody without bail and linked to his plane crash in Oasis, along with all the other tantalizing aspects of a kidnapping, stolen gold, and sunken treasure, was too much for the media. They were positively giddy with excitement. Knowledge of Dottie's near drowning while on the Vittoria dive had yet to be discovered, but he had no doubt it would be, and the circus would get even bigger.

  Now, sitting beside him on the Lear that Zack was piloting, with a co-pilot highly recommended by the Pilot's Union, Dottie touched his arm and asked, "What are you grinning about?"

  His grin widened. He couldn't help it. "I was imagining you being shuffled into a laundry truck for your escape from the hospital two weeks ago."

  She laughed. "Yeah, well that's nothing compared to your transfer into a hearse from a gurney."

  He patted her knee. "But it worked. While Jake diverted news media with an update outside the hospital, I made my great escape."

  Dottie lifted an eyebrow. "You may be smug about fooling the reporters, but you're forgetting one thing."

  Collin scratched behind his ear. "And what's that, Dottie—my lovely partner in escapes."

  She placed a finger on his chest. "We still have to escape the media when we land in Arizona."

  "And what makes you think I haven't already thought of that?"

  Chapter 34: Home Sweet Home

  Dottie couldn't wait to get home. Rather than land in Oasis, they flew to a small airstrip outside of Prescott. A car owned by a friend of Zack's had been loaned to Collin and was gassed up and waiting for them.

  In a wheelchair, Collin stretched out his hand to shake Zack's. "Thanks Zack, I owe you one."

  "You don't owe me anything, boss."

  Dottie, who had graduated from her wheelchair to crutches and now a cane, said warmly, "I want you to promise to visit when you're in the area or passing through."

  Zack grinned. "I promise. In fact, I'd join you now except for the fact that there's a helluva lot of treasure waiting for us on the Vittoria." He winked.

  Collin chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that."

  While Zack helped Collin into the passenger seat and stowed his wheelchair in the trunk, their friendly co-pilot said a polite goodbye and loaded their backpacks and carryons into the backseat, and Dottie climbed behind the wheel of the nondescript, older model, Buick LeSabre. It had taken some doing but she'd finally convinced Collin she was capable of driving.

  Her own car had finally been retrieved from long-term parking at the Phoenix airport after Dottie contacted Max, Jr. and overnighted the key. He said he'd drive to the airport with his brother-in-law Kade and take care of everything.

  Zack closed Collin's door, gave it a slap, and said, "Go find that treasure in Oasis!"

  Collin laughed and waved a hand out the window as Dottie pressed the accelerator.

  The drive time to Oasis was about the same as Phoenix would have been and passed quickly. It seemed Dottie and Collin never ran out of interesting topics to hash over. Late in the afternoon she turned onto the street beside Kade's Garage and followed the back roads home.

  She heard Collin sigh and glanced at him. He said, "God, it's good to be back."

  Her heart tripped at the thought of him loving her town. "I know what you mean." She sounded breathless.

  Since the night of their romantic encounter, she had wondered if he would bring the topic up, but he never did. She'd decided he was sorry for what had happened and wanted to forget it. That hurt, of course, but it was preferable to him apologizing. An apology would have been the ultimate embarrassment.

  She turned onto Gold Nugget Drive and then Schneider Way. Tears pricked her eyes when she pulled onto the long driveway leading to her garage. Before she could activate the garage door opener in her purse, the door rolled upward. She gasped, "How is that possible? I didn't open it." She glanced at Collin and saw a fob in his hand.

  "Ah, well, I took the liberty of having a new opener installed by handyman Hank. It's the least I could do after all your hospitality."

  "I need to repay you."

  Collin shook his head, opened his door, and said softly, "Please let me do this for you."

  In that moment, Dottie suddenly understood something about Collin, something basic to his nature—he truly had a giving heart. She wouldn't deny him. "Okay. I'll not say another word," she promised.

  Collin turned to face her, studied her eyes, and something in his flickered. "Thank you."

  The intensity of the moment lay like a blanket upon them and she quickly opened her door. "I'll get your wheelchair from the trunk."

  Using her cane she walked behind the car. Collin asked, "Are you sure you're up to it. Maybe we should call your neighbor to help."

  "I'm up to it. In fact…" she gave a little heave and lifted the wheelchair to the ground, "it's already done." Unfolding the chair only took seconds and then she was pushing it toward Collin. Using the top of the car for leverage, he maneuvered into his current mode of transportation.

  As soon as he was settled, Dottie rushed to unlock the garage door. She pushed a potted plant a few feet over to clear the breezeway and then unlocked the door into the kitchen before returning to grab their backpacks. Collin rolled into the kitchen and Dottie rushed to put their packs in their rooms. When she returned, Collin was already making a pot of coffee. Dottie said, "I'll get the carryons from the car."

  Collin lifted a hand. "Why don't you leave that for later and sit with me for a few minutes?"

  Dottie grinned. "Okay. Sitting here with you is a pleasant déjà vu."

  Collin glanced around the kitchen. "Yeah, it is."

  Their coffee break turned into an hour while they discussed the gold heist and their next step. Dottie said, "Since we're both housebound for the present, we can start going through the trunks that were brought down from the attic."

  "Good idea. Let's start tomorrow."

  After unpacking their belongings they microwaved frozen dinners and then talked some more. By eight o'clock Dottie could hardly keep her head upright she was so tired. She'd called Lucy to update her and
just as she'd hung up, her cell phone rang. It was her neighbor Minerva. Although Minerva's voice was ripe with curiosity, Dottie didn't have the energy to go into the happenings of the past weeks. Minerva said, "I know you must be tired so I won't keep you. Would you like me and Joe to check up on you periodically? We want to help, but we don't want to intrude in your business."

  Dottie replied, "Hon, I would never consider you an intruder. Why don't you and Joe come over tomorrow so we can catch you up on things?"

  "Oh, yes. We'll do that. In fact, I'll bring lasagna so you won't have to cook tomorrow night. And the next day I'll bring macaroni casserole. I'll call before we come over."

  "Thank you, Minerva. You're a dear heart."

  Chapter 35: A Real Clue

  Dottie and Collin spent the next week sorting through the first of two family trunks. Although it was revealing of her family history, with photos and letters, they didn't find anything to shed light on the stolen gold shipment.

  By the end of the week, Dottie no longer needed to use a cane. Collin's recovery was slower, of course, but he was able to graduate to crutches once again.

  They were in the bedroom sorting through the old trunks and placing letters and photos into different piles, when Dottie's cell phone rang. She sat Indian style on the floor while Collin perched on the bed. She reached into her T-shirt pocket for her phone.

  During the past week she had received numerous calls from numbers she didn't recognize and she always let them go to voicemail. Several reporters had called wanting to interview her, but she'd deleted their messages. A reporter from the Hollywood Tattler had left a message promising her a fortune if she gave the rag mag an exclusive. He'd said she'd become rich beyond her wildest dreams. After replaying the message on speaker phone for Collin, she'd teased, "Do you think I should take him up on it and become rich beyond my wildest dreams?"

  He'd responded, "Honey, I have all the money we need."

  Unsure of how to respond, she'd made a dismissive motion and quickly returned to sorting old letters. Privately, she'd been stricken by his response. Surely he didn't think she wanted anything to do with his wealth.

  Her caller ID now showed Skye Rutherford was on the line. Dottie answered. "Hello."

  "Hi, Dottie. This is Skye." She sounded out of breath. "I just got back from a family vacation and heard about your heroism."

  "I only did what anyone else would do." She turned the topic around. "I hope you had a great vacation."

  "I did."

  "I can't wait to hear about it. After all this hullabaloo settles down we should get together at Desert Princess Diner for lunch."

  "I'd love that."

  There was something in Skye's tone that Dottie couldn't quite place.

  Skye said, "Oh, Dottie, I've just got to tell you something."

  Dottie decided the tone was excitement. "I'm all ears, Skye."

  Her friend gave a little squeal. "Okay, here goes. Shiloh was telling me about you and Collin Banks visiting to ask about her remembrances of anything having to do with the Manfred Schneider Gold Heist. She said she mentioned hearing her grandfather talk about a young boy accusing the company doctor of something dishonest, but she didn't know what it was."

  Dottie glanced at Collin. He had been perusing an old photo, but now he watched her.

  Skye's enthusiastic voice rose in volume. "I had to ask Desi at the trailer park if it was okay for me to tell you this, and he gave his permission. Wait 'til you hear it. Desi knows all about the boy and his accusation because he met the kid—well, the man—back in the 60s. He was a client of Desi's!"

  Dottie jumped to her feet. "What!"

  Skye's voice had carried so loudly over the phone that Collin must have heard because he also said, "What!"

  Dottie punched speaker phone so he wouldn't miss anything.

  "And that's not all," Skye shrieked. "But I'll let him share the rest!"

  Dottie was speechless, but quickly found her voice. "Skye, will Desi talk to us soon?"

  "Oh, yeah. He wants me to bring you to his place so he can tell you everything he knows."

  Dottie mouthed to Collin, "When do you want to go?"

  He vocalized, "Now!"

  "Skye, should I call Desi or do you want to. We can meet with him anytime."

  "I'll call him and set it up because I'd like to be there." She hesitated and added, "If that's okay?"

  Dottie looked at Collin and he nodded. "It's fine with Collin. Skye, this is phenomenal! Your news is the first big break we've gotten. How did you know about the boy?"

  "Desi confided in me before I married Kade. It was when I was taking his pictures to make him a supermodel." She giggled and added, "I'm sure glad he put a stop to that."

  Dottie also giggled. "Your husband almost put Oasis on the map."

  Skye said, "Yeah, no thanks to me. He would have hated all that attention. We'll just let Collin Banks put Oasis on the map by finding Schneider's treasure."

  Dottie hung up and rushed to kneel in front of Collin. "Maybe you'll solve this riddle and put another notch on your treasure hunter's belt."

  He smiled. "Don't you mean we'll solve this riddle? You've been the catalyst of this whole thing." He reached to cup her cheek.

  Dottie wanted to lift up until her lips touched his—not a good thing for her heart—so she jumped to her feet. "This wouldn't be happening if not for you." She stepped toward the door. "Why don't I bring us something cold to drink while we wait for Skye's call? Tea?"

  "Yeah, sounds good. Maybe we'll soon be opening a bottle of champagne."

  Dottie rushed to the kitchen, poured two iced teas, and returned to the bedroom. Half-heartedly she continued organizing memorabilia but she couldn't concentrate. The phone rang and she jumped. Collin chuckled and she grinned sheepishly at him. "Hello," she said with excitement.

  Skye responded, "It's all set up. He said to come over in an hour and he'll have refreshments ready for us."

  "Perfect. We'll be there. Do you want us to pick you up, or will you meet us there."

  "Shiloh said she'll watch the baby so I can drive over. I'll meet you there. See you soon!"

  Dottie relayed the information to Collin and his smile released all kinds of delicious sensations in her heart and body. His blue gaze roamed her face with a questioning look and she quickly turned toward the door. "I'm going to change clothes. Should we bring a tape recorder? Do you want to use your crutches? It's no problem bringing the wheelchair. I think I'll bring those cookies I baked yesterday." She was rambling.

  Collin said softly, "The crutches will be fine."

  Dottie rushed from the room.

  Chapter 36: Desi's Recollection

  Collin watched Dottie dart out the door. The woman was killing him. If he hadn't been in a cast, he would have swept her into his arms and dropped her on the bed, and the afternoon would have been spent making love. The Schneider Gold Heist information would have had to wait.

  The fact that Dottie had feelings for him was evident, but did they run as deep as his? He loved her. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to give her everything. But fear of rejection held him back. It was better to keep his feelings to himself until he knew the extent of her commitment. His heart couldn't take her rejection if he spilled the truth of his love and she didn't reciprocate.

  Collin continued sorting through the cache of Dottie's keepsakes until it was time to go. He had never been to Desert Princess Trailer and RV Park, but had passed by with Dottie during their travels to and from Oasis.

  Before leaving for the trailer park, Dottie made a couple of phone calls to be sure there were no reporters lurking, then drove one of the wilderness roads that came out near the park. So far, the media updates Jake had been releasing about their recuperation in the Mediterranean had kept reporters at bay.

  The trailer park proved to be nicely kept and Dottie pointed to a fabulous clubhouse. "The clubhouse was built about a year ago and there's a committee to plan monthly events. Occasiona
lly, they invite the town. I attended a bash not long ago. It was called Gamblers Anonymous and instead of not gambling, we were given play money and encouraged to gamble the night away. There were blackjack and poker tables and even a roulette wheel. The place was packed. The committee members were also the dealers. You should have seen Lilac dealing cards. She's over seventy and always has a purple streak dashed through her snowy white hair. She was dressed to the nines in a woman's tux. Sometimes she had to count the cards using her fingers. And when she hit a blackjack, you'd think she was the player. As for Goody, he was dressed like an Old West riverboat gambler and ran the roulette wheel." She laughed. "I won over $10,000."

  Collin asked with a grin, "And could you buy anything with your money?"

  "Oh, yes. Several businesses donated prizes. My winnings were nothing compared to Gator's and Sally Sue's. Actually, I think Gator won all the money and split it with Sally Sue. She's his girlfriend. Gator bought dinner for two for a week from Desert Princess Diner and Sally Sue bought Pizzas for a week from Porky's Pizza. I guess they like to eat. I was able to buy a manicure from Myrtle's Salon."

  By the time Dottie finished her story Collin was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. He loved this woman and this town.

  Dottie pulled her car behind a Range Rover SUV already in front of a doublewide that was definitely a throwback to the 70s. An old man and pretty young woman sat in deck chairs under a rusty awning. A couple of fans had been positioned to blow on them. Although warm, the weather had a couple of weeks before temperatures hit triple digits.

  Collin opened his door and levered himself outside the car. He reached into the back seat for his crutches. He appreciated the fact that Dottie didn't suffocate him trying to be helpful.

  The woman in the deck chair jumped to her feet and rushed to hug Dottie.

  The man called a greeting. "Hello, Dottie. Good to see you. Looks like you’ve had one helluva year so far. Them reporters tried to fish information out of the residents in the park, but we all banded together and led them on wild goose chases. I said you was in Canada. Goody said you was in Hawaii. Pinky said you was in the Fiji Islands, and Lilac said you was in the Outback of Australia." The old man shifted his gaze to Collin. "Welcome, young man."