Page 48 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“Now, Mona,” I said softly. “You can’t think like that. It’s more likely that whoever… killed Santiago just doesn’t want anyone to call the cops. They probably wanted to buy time so they could get away, that’s all. There’s no reason to think we’re all going todie.”

“Mona,” Ezra grumbled. “Pull yourself together.”

I gave him a chiding look. “Holy smokes, Ezra? Is that the best you can do?”

He looked a bit sheepish. “Well, she’s getting all worked up. She’s going to make herself sick.”

“I’m upset because a man hasdied, Ezra. There’s a murderer running loose on our farm.” She widened her eyes. “Where’s Dakota? Is he safe? Ezra, go find him right this minute.”

“Mona, calm down,” I said. “I saw Dakota in the dining room. He’s fine.”

“Oh, thank God.” She slumped and then turned her pleading eyes on me. “What do wedo, Royce? I’m so scared.”

“Let’s use our brains and not panic, Mona.”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“The guest phones have been destroyed, but surely you or the farmhands have cell phones, right?” I was really hoping she gave me some good news.

She straightened, nodding. “God, yes, of course.” She stood and hurried to the desk. “Ezra doesn’t like cell phones, but I have one.” Hands shaking, she pulled an older-model iPhone from the desk. She pushed a few buttons but frowned. “It’s got no bars at the top.”

“Let me see.” I held out my hand.

She handed me the phone and she was right; there were no bars at the top indicating cell service. “Do you normally have a good signal here?”

“It’s not the best, but it’s good enough. Usually.” She bit her lip.

“I’m wondering if the nearest cell tower is down because of the weather,” I muttered, frustration eating at me. Panic was building inside of me, but I was trying to keep it at bay.

“What does that mean?” Mona asked, her mouth trembling.

“Unfortunately, it means even if we have a cell phone, we can’t use it at the moment.” I kept my voice even, although I felt very unnerved. “But it’s just a matter of time before they get the tower fixed. We’ll just keep an eye on that.”

“So we can’t call for help?” Mona’s voice broke.

“Hold on, let me try something.” I dialed 911, but nothing happened. I’d always heard you could still dial emergency even without service. But it wasn’t working for some reason.

“It’s still not working?” she asked softly.

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. “No. But… uh… they’ll fix the tower, Mona. That’s just a fact.”

“Okay.”

Grasping at straws, I asked, “I don’t suppose you have a satellite phone for emergencies?” I knew from the blank look on her face she had no idea what I was talking about.

“Satellite phone?” Ezra grumbled. “What’s that?”

“Never mind.” My stomach churned. Everyone was going to expect me to have all the answers, and I didn’t have them. How was I supposed to keep everyone safe when I had no team with me? I had no forensics. I had no deputies. I had no way to contact the outside world. Everything was on my shoulders, and the thought of that made me sick with worry.

“We’ll just take it one step at a time.” I made sure I didn’t sound as frazzled as I felt. If they could feel the anxiety swirling inside of me, they’d only panic more. It was imperative that I kept it together as long as possible. Eventually, the rain would stop, the cell tower would be fixed, and the outside world would come rescue us.

“How did Santiago die?” Mona asked, sniffing back tears.

“He was stabbed.”

“Oh, my God,” she wailed. “Did he suffer?”

I had no idea, but she didn’t need to know that. “Max said he probably died instantly. I doubt he suffered,” I lied.