TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8)

by Willow Rose

  Lynn stared at her secretary, who bore a nervous smile.

  “They’re in the waiting room.”

  Lynn nodded. “Give me a minute to get myself ready, then send them in.”

  Lynn rushed to her office and put down her briefcase, heart bouncing in her chest. Why were they here? Did they know about her and Jeff? What they had done was dangerous, especially for her. Having sex with a client was a third-degree felony, and she risked losing her license and maybe even jail time. Was that why they were here?

  “Can we come in?” Detective Fraser said as he peeked in the door.

  Lynn composed herself and straightened her shirt. She tried to smile, even though she knew it would come off as awkward.

  “Of course, come on in.”

  It was the same two as the last time they had been there—Detective Fraser and Detective Harder. The first one had grown a beard since the last time she saw him. It made him look sloppy. Lynn had never liked men with beards. She preferred them clean-shaven.

  Like Jeff.

  “What can I do for you today, Detectives?” she asked when they sat down. She felt how shaky her hands were and placed them in her lap so they wouldn’t see.

  Detective Fraser cleared his throat. “We’re here about Jeffrey Johnson, your patient. Again.”

  She tilted her head. “You know I can’t discuss my patients.”

  “Yes, yes, we do know. But the thing is…” Fraser looked at Harder before continuing. “Well, the thing is…that it is now officially a murder case.”

  Lynn stopped breathing. “A…a murder case?”

  Harder nodded, then took over. “We found Joanna Harry’s body in a lake behind Jeffrey Johnson’s house.”

  “We believe your client, Jeff Johnson, had kept her locked up somewhere, then later killed her. She was kept in a place with little to no sunlight and was terribly malnourished before her death, the autopsy showed.”

  Lynn stared at them, barely able to breathe.

  “Excuse me?”

  “We think she might have been kept in a basement or something like it for quite some time. And then he decided to kill her.”

  “I…I’m not sure I understand.”

  “Her body was bruised, especially on the wrists, telling us she was kept in chains. She was found with blunt force trauma to the back of her head. She suffered several fractures to the skull, and we believe that is the cause of her death.”

  “And you think my client…did all this to her?”

  Fraser nodded. “Yes. He’s officially our main suspect, and we want to talk to him.”

  “But he’s disappeared,” Harder said. “We haven’t been able to locate him. We went to his house with a warrant and didn’t find him or the basement.”

  “But that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it,” Fraser said. “He might have had another place he kept her, and we were wondering if he ever spoke of another place, a summer house, a cabin in the mountains up north, or maybe a beach shack? Did he go anywhere to unwind?”

  Lynn barely blinked. “I…not that I recall right now, but I will go through his file and all my notes and look, of course.”

  They stood. Fraser handed her a card. “And then, we’d, of course, ask you to let us know if he shows his face here again. If he shows up to his next appointment, then please call this number. Keep him here until we can get here.”

  Lynn nodded nervously while images of them on her patio table rushed through her mind—his hands on her breasts, his lips on her neck. She could still hear his heavy breathing in her ear, and it made her shiver.

  “N-naturally, of course.”

  Chapter 62

  “I can’t really think of what exactly could have made her leave,” Bryan said and leaned back on the couch in his living room. We had been through all her childhood, her school friends, then later her co-workers from the hardware store where she worked, and all her close friends. Nothing seemed to stand out, and now the coffee pot was empty.

  I leaned forward, rubbing my forehead while looking at my notes. “Wasn’t there anything that would give her a reason to want to disappear—anything at all? Did something happen to her? Her boyfriend Tommy died, but that wasn’t until after she had left, right?”

  “It was six months after, actually.”

  “I just have this feeling that it is somehow related to him,” I said, knowing we had been down this path before. “What’s happening now—I just can’t seem to connect the dots.”

  Bryan’s gaze became distant, and he turned his head away. “There were days when I wondered if she had killed him. If she had come back to do it, or maybe stayed close by all the time.”

  “Would Sarah be capable of something like that?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not the Sarah I knew, but…”

  “But what?”

  “She wasn’t completely herself before she disappeared. I got the feeling she wasn’t well.”

  “And why do you think you had that feeling?”

  He shrugged, then lowered his head. “No reason. It’s just a feeling; that’s all. She was different somehow.”

  “How so?”

  “She became introverted, pulled back and into herself. She wouldn’t talk to me or Tommy about it. Tommy came to me and said he was worried too.”

  “Okay, okay, this is good,” I said. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

  He looked at me. “As I said, it was just a feeling. I wasn’t even sure it was important, or if I just imagined things.”

  “Was there anything else different about her?” I asked.

  “She seemed angrier. She got upset easier, and she spent a lot of time on her phone, texting. Tommy feared she was seeing someone else, but that isn’t like my sister. She’s very loyal. Our dad cheated on our mom, and she hated him for it. But Tommy did say they never had sex anymore, that she didn’t want to. He also said she was often awake at night, unable to sleep.”

  “She had a lot on her mind, maybe,” I said.

  I wondered for a minute if she had already met Scott at this point and just didn’t know how to tell Tommy. Had Scott then persuaded her to leave everyone behind and then killed Tommy? He could be very charming and charismatic when he wanted to. I had felt how persuasive he was on myself lately. And then, when Sarah wanted to leave Scott, he locked her up and made up the story of her disappearing because he thought it would be believable since she had done so before? He alerted the police, filled out a missing person’s report. Then he came to me to make sure it seemed legit? He engaged me in finding her so it would seem like he was truly looking for her and help him get the police off his back? But then, things didn’t entirely go as planned. Sarah escaped somehow, and he didn’t know where she was? Was that why I didn’t hear from him for quite some time? Because he was looking for her? And then, I helped him find her again? Had I helped him do that? The thought was devastating. But it would explain why she stuck the gun in our faces.

  “Did she know this guy?” I asked. I found a picture I had kept from my research online. It was taken from his Instagram account. “His name is Jeffrey Johnson.”

  Bryan looked at it, then shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him before.”

  I put the phone back. “Okay. And you have no idea if she was seeing someone else then, or who it was?”

  Bryan shook his head. “I just don’t get it, though. She would never betray Tommy. It simply wasn’t her.”

  Chapter 63

  She snuck around the house and found the back door. She grabbed the handle and pulled it, but it was locked. Gun clutched in hand, Sarah turned to the window next to the door and realized it was unlocked. She pulled it open, then slid inside on the floor, landing with a thud, making too much noise for her liking.

  She hurried to her feet, then rushed to the kitchen, where she found her target sitting in a chair, back turned to her. Holding her breath, tiptoeing closer, sweat springing to her forehead, Sarah crept closer until she could almos
t smell this person. She placed the gun on their neck.

  “Took you long enough,” the voice said.

  The person spun their head like an owl and looked directly at her. Hands shaking, Sarah placed the gun on the person’s forehead and cocked it.

  “Don’t you dare move. I will shoot.”

  A smile spread across the target’s face. Sarah shivered when seeing it. So many times, she had looked at that smile while in the hole.

  “No, you won’t, Sarah.” A hand was reached out toward her and caressed her cheek gently. The hand was placed on her neck, and her head pulled closer, so she could smell the breath of the person speaking. “You want to know why you won’t?”

  Their eyes locked, and Sarah felt herself soften. She exhaled and bit her lip. Then she shook her head, pulling back.

  “I don’t want you to speak at all.”

  The person sighed. “You won’t kill me, Sarah, because you love me. Do you remember that? Do you recall how much you love me?”

  Sarah felt her heart rate go up as she pressed the gun against the person’s forehead. “I will kill you if I have to.”

  That made the person smile.

  “Really?”

  “Really. I don’t love you anymore.”

  “Is that what you’ve been telling yourself? You don’t know yourself very well, Sarah. I do. I knew you’d come back. That’s how well I know you.”

  “You don’t know me at all.”

  A patronizing head tilt made Sarah almost lose it in anger. She pressed the gun hard into the skin and panted as she considered pulling the trigger.

  “I would have done anything for you,” the voice said. “But you hurt me.”

  “I hate you,” Sarah said, spitting the words. “I hate you so much!”

  “Tsk, tsk, Sarah. Just put the gun down, and let’s have a real talk. I know you’re angry that I trapped you in the basement, but what did you want me to do? You were going to run away again. I couldn’t let you run. You need to learn how to face your demons. You can’t run every time anything gets tough.”

  Sarah stared at the face in front of her, nostrils flaring. She wanted so badly to pull the trigger, to finish it here and now—end of story.

  But could she?

  Another smile spread across the person’s face. “See? I told you so.”

  The person placed a hand on her arm, and she felt herself melt. Her feelings for this person were still so deep, so profound, even after all that had happened. It was like a spell. The softness in the other person’s eyes got to her, made her a prisoner, almost paralyzed her.

  She lowered the gun.

  I should never have come back. I should have known this would happen.

  “There you go,” the person said, still looking into her eyes, stripping her of all will and strength. “Put the gun down, and then we’ll talk. Come. Give it to me. There you go.”

  Sarah was about to hand over the gun when she hesitated.

  It’ll never stop. If you don’t fight it now, then you’ll never be able to free yourself.

  “That’s it; hand me the gun. Sarah?”

  Sarah shook her head and took a step back, tears springing to her eyes.

  “No,” she said and lifted the gun again. “I can’t do this anymore. It has to end now.”

  Tears welling up in her eyes, making it hard to see properly, she pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 64

  The sun was beginning to set behind the tall trees on Bryan’s property. I watched it from the window at his house, a worrying sensation nagging in the pit of my stomach. Sarah was in trouble, whether or not she had left this house willingly. I had to find her somehow. I simply had to.

  Before it was too late.

  I called my dad back home and asked how the babies were doing. I felt so guilty for leaving them this long.

  “They’re great,” he answered, much to my relief. I had been worried for no reason. “We’re having a blast with them.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. Right now, they’re down for another nap, so that gives us time to cook dinner for tonight, or rather your grandmother is doing that. Adam and I are just hanging out. I’m doing some work. Olivia and Christine are helping granny in the kitchen while Alex is watching TV with us. Elijah is in his room, probably playing computer games. All the kids are alive and breathing, so that’s good, right?”

  Good? It sounded like he was way better at taking care of my family than I was. I exhaled, suddenly feeling exhausted.

  “You sound troubled,” he said. “Still no news about Sarah Abbey?”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes briefly. “No. I’m concerned about her.”

  I wanted to tell him that I worried Scott had played me, but I didn’t want him to know what a fool I had been for trusting him. I had let myself be blinded by my infatuation and not listened to the alarm signals going off in my head.

  “Where does the trace end?”

  “We were talking about her boyfriend, the one who was killed. And that’s where we got stuck. If only I knew if it really was Jeffrey Johnson’s truck that hit him. But it was destroyed in the fire.”

  My dad went quiet for a few seconds. “Let me check something.”

  I could hear him tapping on the keyboard. “Yup. Just as I suspected.”

  “What?”

  “According to the fire investigation report, there was no car in the garage at the time of the fire.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It could still be out there somewhere.”

  “But…but his sister said it had been destroyed in the fire,” I said, rubbing my forehead.

  My dad became silent again.

  “Sister? What sister? I researched this guy for you, and no sister was mentioned anywhere. No, I just checked again. It says here he was an only child.”

  My eyes grew wide, and I clenched the phone against my skin while a million thoughts rushed through my mind. I hung up without saying goodbye, then looked at Bryan, sitting next to me.

  “Can I borrow your computer for a second?” I asked. “There’s something I need to check.”

  Chapter 65

  THEN:

  “Jeff is here.”

  The secretary was as pale as the wall behind her when she peeked inside Lynn’s office. “Do you want me to call the police?”

  Lynn stared at her, holding her breath. He was here? He had come? She had genuinely believed he wouldn’t show up for his appointment while being on the run from the police and all that. Why had he come?

  He might tell on you. He might tell the police you two had sex, and then you’ll go down with him.

  Lynn barely blinked, then said, “Not yet. Wait for my signal. Let him in.”

  “O-okay.”

  Pretend like you don’t know. When he steps in, make sure he doesn’t suspect you have been talking to the police.

  “Doc!”

  Lynn looked up from her notepad, then smiled. “Jeffrey. How wonderful to see you. How are you today? Take your time to answer.”

  Slow down. You’re speaking too fast. He’ll notice.

  He sat down with a deep exhale. His hair was tousled, and he hadn’t shaved. “A lot has happened, Doc. You won’t believe it.”

  Lynn nodded. “Try me.”

  He exhaled again, got himself comfortable on the couch, then lifted his gaze and met hers. “They…they think I killed Joanna. They found her body in the lake, and…they’re after me, Doc. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been staying at a friend’s house, but they’ll come for me there too. I just know they will.”

  Lynn nodded, trying to act surprised. “Now, I want you to calm down, Jeff. Take a few deep breaths and make sure you’re feeling calm, okay? Let’s talk about this.”

  Jeff leaned back. His nostrils were flaring, but he seemed calmer. “I knew you’d understand, Doc. I knew you’d listen to me. No one else will.”

  She nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “The thi
ng is, Doc, I don’t know how to get out of this. I’ve tried to tell them I didn’t touch her, that I never would.”

  Lynn looked at him, eyes narrowing. “But you did say to me that you sometimes fantasized about locking her up in your basement. Do you remember that?”

  He paused. He sat there, staring at her. Had she gone too far?

  “Do you remember saying that to me?” she asked.

  “Well…yes…but…could you stop writing for a second there, Doc?”

  Lynn stopped and looked up from her pad again.

  “Okay.”

  “Do you write everything I say down?” he then asked. “I mean that thing about the basement; it would look really bad if the police got ahold of that.”

  Lynn stared at him, not answering. “I see.”

  “What have you been writing on that pad, Doc?” he asked, his eyes lingering on Lynn’s hand holding the pen. “Can I see it?”

  Lynn shook her head. “No, Jeff, you can’t.”

  Before she could react, he stood to his feet, walked to her, and pulled the notepad out from between her hands. She tried to grab it back from him, but he was too fast, and soon his eyes were scanning the paper. Then he looked at her, a deep furrow growing between his eyes.

  “What’s this? Why haven’t you written anything I said on the notepad?” he turned the pad to show her. “All it says here is I killed her. I killed Joanna?” He stared at her, mouth gaping.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Chapter 66

  The gun went off, and the blast pushed Sarah back. Meanwhile, her target ducked down, jumped for her, and grabbed around her legs, making her fall. Her back hit the tiles below with a thud. The bullet had missed and hit the cabinet at the other end of the kitchen.

  She had missed.

  The person was soon on top of her, punching her face and knocking the gun out of her hand, so it slid across the tiles. More punches followed and excruciating pain, and soon Sarah saw nothing but stars in a sea of blackness.