The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood up.
Jack remembered meeting Marvin and shaking his hand. And he remembered what Marvin said after: Bingo ball bit the knuckle off.
Marvin was missing a fingertip.
Jack ripped his phone from his pocket and dialed.
“Hey, baby,” Alice answered. “I just took Lady out for a walk. Do—”
“Get back to my mother now. I don’t think the burned body was Dixon’s. Dixon’s still alive.”
46
You Owe Me
Dixon stood in the shadows of the backyard, glaring at the Strattons’ house and cradling his mangled hand, which was in a crude bandage. He glanced up at the moon as it peeked out from behind the clouds and smiled. Most of these crones should be asleep.
As the moon slipped behind the clouds, his mood darkened. His focus shifted back to the Strattons’ house.
She ruined it all. It’s all her fault. Now where am I going to go? She made me kill Auntie. And she took my finger.
He’d been waiting back here forever. Waiting for his chance. The cruiser out front was gone now, but that wasn’t what he’d been waiting for. He’d been waiting for someone to get that stupid mutt out of the house.
And now, finally, the girl had taken the dog for a walk.
At last, she’s alone.
Dixon wiped his nose with his sleeve and walked across the lawn, carrying his hunting knife in his left hand. Its razor-sharp blade was a foot long, and the back of the blade had a serrated edge. He opened the kitchen screen door, popped a hole in the glass pane with the butt of the knife, then put the knife between his teeth like a pirate and opened the door with his good hand. The broken glass crunched beneath his boots as he slipped inside and closed the door behind him.
He listened to the silence. The thrill of being uninvited and undetected in someone else’s house was always empowering. The fact that it was the home of Laura Stratton, the bane of his existence, made it all the more exciting. He’d come to set things right. He would make her pay for what she had done to him, to Auntie, and to his finger.
He licked his cracked lips, but even his tongue felt dry. He walked over to the sink and pushed up the faucet. He slid the knife in his belt, pulled down a glass, and filled it.
The water felt great on his dry throat. He’d taken the last of his black-coral heroin hours ago, and the stump of his finger was starting to throb again. He’d have to go through the medicine cabinet before he left. He’d have to get the PIN for the debit card, too.
He smiled down at his knife. It shouldn’t be too hard to get her to give it up.
A door opened somewhere inside the house.
He deliberately left the water running. Then he strolled over to the kitchen table, sat down, and waited.
Someone was coming down the hallway.
Dixon quietly set his glass down and drew his knife.
“Laura Stratton, you’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed on,” Laura muttered as she flicked on the kitchen light and walked over to the sink.
Dixon was immediately on his feet. “Shhh.” He slid up behind her and held the knife to her throat.
She gasped but didn’t scream. Her whole body trembled.
He loved it.
Moving the knife to her chin, Dixon slowly turned her around to face him. He held the knife in front of her and let the light gleam off the serrated edge. “You owe me a finger.”
He should have seen the look in her eyes change from terror to determination. He should have, but he didn’t. He was too focused on enjoying his moment, too secure in his own power and control.
So he was taken completely by surprise when his victim jammed her thumbs into his eyes and her knee into his groin.
Pain shot up into Dixon’s stomach, but he managed to hold on to the knife. He raised it high, determined to drive it right into her skull.
She grabbed his bandaged hand and squeezed.
Pain unlike any he’d ever experienced ran from his severed finger to his groin. He dropped the knife and almost threw up. He screamed in pain and shoved her.
She landed hard on the kitchen tile.
Dixon’s eyes watered so badly it was hard to see, but he had spotted the butcher block on the counter earlier, and his hand found the cleaver.
That stupid woman was trying to crawl away. He stepped on her ankle, hard, and she screamed. He twisted his boot, and she howled again. But it sounded wrong. It sounded like—
The kitchen door burst open, and the dog slammed into him. Dixon was thrown back into the sink, the cleaver tumbling from his grasp. He managed to shove the dog back, but her jaws clamped down on his ankle. It felt as though his foot was in a vise. The dog thrashed him back and forth, knocking him into cabinets.
He reached for the cleaver, but the kitchen door flew open again, and the girl—the one who was responsible for this stupid dog—charged in, screaming. She grabbed clumps of his long hair in each hand and started bashing his head on the tile.
Something cracked in his mouth. He tasted blood and saw a piece of one of his teeth on the floor.
He heaved the girl back. She slid across the floor with clumps of his hair still in her hands, torn from his head. He kicked at the dog and finally pulled his leg free, losing a boot in the process. Somehow he managed to scramble to his feet.
A salt shaker hit him square in the nose. Then a fork glanced off his cheek. Laura Stratton threw everything she could get her hands on at him.
Dixon turned and bolted out the door with the dog on his heels.
“Lady! Halt!” the girl shouted behind him.
Yeah, you stupid dog, halt, Dixon thought.
He ran as fast as he could out the back door and then cut to his right. He had run two backyards over when the ground dropped out from under him and he stumbled into a little inlet to the pond. Water splashed up to his knees. He cursed.
Those rotten bitches. All three of them. Just you wait. I’ll come back. I’ll come back and I’ll kill you all.
He tried to scramble up the slippery bank, but slid back in with a splash. He looked down. The blood from his foot was turning the water red, and he could see little shapes scurrying away from him. Little shapes with long snouts. Are those…baby alligators?
Water erupted into a huge spray as the mother alligator burst through the vegetation. Dixon didn’t even have time to think before she’d grabbed him by the thigh. She dragged him down, and the water rushed into his mouth, cutting off his scream.
Then the giant gator began to roll.
47
Tuna Casserole
THREE WEEKS LATER
“Did you do that?” Jack asked his mother as he pulled the car into his parents’ driveway.
Laura looked up at the huge “Welcome Home” banner hanging over the doorway. She shook her head. “Alice must have. That girl’s a treasure, Jack.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze.
The second he parked, she slid out of the backseat and hovered at the passenger side of the car. “Just take your time, honey.”
“Yes, dear.” Ted got out of the car very slowly.
Jack and his mom walked on either side of him as he went into the house.
Alice came to greet them with Lady at her side. Ted scratched behind Lady’s ears and then wrapped an arm around Alice’s shoulders. “Here are the girls who saved my wife’s life.”
Alice blushed. “I don’t think she needed our help.”
“One thing’s for sure,” Ted said. “Don’t mess with the women in the Stratton family.”
“Or the men.” Laura kissed his cheek and squeezed Jack’s hand. “Now let’s get you settled before we talk anymore. We don’t need to stand out here in this heat to chat.”
“The doctor said I can putter.”
“Putter after you get some rest.”
“That’s all I’ve been doing for three weeks, Laura. I can rest after Jack and Alice have left. Do you two really have to leave tomorrow?”
“I have a new job that starts in a couple of weeks,” Jack said as they walked into the living room.
“He’s going undercover.” Alice beamed proudly. “On Planet Survival.”
“The TV show?”
“I’m not going to be on TV,” Jack said. “I’m doing security.”
After making sure Jack had a firm grip on Ted’s arm, Laura hurried ahead to plump up the sofa pillows. “Undercover? For a television show?” she asked.
“There’ve been some threats made against the show, so the producers decided to beef up security. But they don’t want it to be public knowledge. So don’t say anything, please.”
They all turned to look at Laura. Even Lady glanced up at her.
“Of course I won’t say anything.”
They helped Ted take a seat on the sofa, and everyone gathered around him. “Well,” he said. “Let’s see that picture.”
Alice took out her phone and pulled up a photo. It showed Bryar and Boone standing over a twelve-foot alligator.
“It’s enormous!” Ted exclaimed.
“I told you it wasn’t four feet.” Jack nudged Alice.
“I shouldn’t have teased you.” Alice slipped her arm through his.
“I can’t believe that monster was living so close,” Laura said.
“Are you talking about the alligator or Janet?” Ted joked.
“The alligator, of course. I know Janet was a wicked woman, but what a horrible way to go. Crushed to death by her own car.”
“She got what she deserved,” Ted said.
“Honey…” Laura said.
“I have earned the right to be upset about being used as a drug mule, having my wife kidnapped, and getting shot.”
“But not too upset.” Laura sat down next to him and took his hand. “How about some good news?”
“You made me some boots or a belt out of that gator?”
“No, dear. Carl and Ellie are dating.”
“I take it no one found out that Carl is the Orange Blossom Cove Bandit?”
Alice giggled. “Was. He’s officially retired, and everything was returned to its rightful owners. Anonymously.”
Ted patted Alice’s knee.
The doorbell rang, and Laura walked over to answer it. Gladys Crouse stood on the stoop with a covered casserole dish.
“Laura. I saw you pull in,” she said. “Please let Ted know that I hope he feels better real soon.”
Laura took the dish. “Thank you, Gladys.”
Gladys turned to go.
Laura started to close the door and then hesitated. “Gladys? The book club is about to start a new novel. If you’d like to discuss it, we’ll be meeting at Ruby’s on Saturday at two.”
Gladys turned around and eyed Jack’s mother for a moment, as if she were waiting for a punch line. When none came, she actually smiled. “What are you reading?”
“It’s called The Girl Who Lived. It’s a mystery thriller.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
Laura shut the door and walked back into the living room.
“I think that heart attack affected my head,” Ted said. “Did my wife just make peace with Gladys?”
“She extended an olive branch, dear. I had to accept it.”
Jack smiled. “Technically, Mom, it was a tuna casserole.”
48
Hanging with Goofy
“Are you sure she’s okay?” Alice asked as they strolled down Main Street USA in Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
“She’s fine.”
“I can’t believe Disney has a dog-sitting service.”
“They needed a stable. I can’t believe they took a dog that big.”
“She’s not that big,” Alice said.
“She is too. They probably have her subbing for the Beast, or put her in The Lion King as a wildebeest. She’d be perfect for The Jungle Book.”
“Stop it. Are you sure she’s okay?”
“She’s hanging with Goofy. That’s Mickey’s dog, right?”
“That’s Pluto.”
“Goofy’s a dog, isn’t he?”
“I think so.” Alice squeezed his hand. “I still can’t believe we’re here. Where are we going first?”
They spent the entire day at the park, and it seemed like every few feet they had to stop so Alice could take a picture of Jack in front of some landmark. Several times, she tried to buy Mickey Mouse ears, but each time Jack shot the idea down. He picked up other odds and ends along the way for her, but not a hat. Soon he was carrying several bags as they made their way through the crowds.
In the evening, Jack surprised her with dinner at Beast’s Castle. Surrounded by golden walls festooned with purple fabric, Alice chatted away in the glow of chandeliers. The flecks of gold in her green eyes sparkled and her delicate hands flew in all directions as she recounted her favorite moments of the day, but Jack spoke little.
Afterward, he walked her toward Cinderella Castle to watch the fireworks show. As they approached, he pulled Alice over to a quiet area.
“Let’s watch from here.”
“Okay.” As Alice pulled out her phone to take yet another picture of Jack, this time with the castle lights sparkling off the water behind him, she noticed the time. “Ooh, they’re going to start any minute.”
“I hope not,” Jack muttered. He checked his pocket for the hundredth time that day.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Jack smiled. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just wait here for two minutes.”
“Sure. Why?”
“I want to get something before the fireworks start.”
Jack started to jog away.
“You’d better hurry!” Alice called after him.
Jack broke into a fast jog. He didn’t need to go far, but part of him was so nervous that he wanted to keep on running. He hurried around the corner, to where an older man in a driver’s outfit, complete with top hat, stood holding open the door of a coach.
Jack jumped in, stuffed the bags in the corner, and frantically began changing his clothes as the driver moved the coach forward. Each clomp of the horses’ hooves made Jack’s heart speed up. At the rate it was beating, he’d be dead before they arrived. He checked and then double-checked that the box had made it from his jeans to his tuxedo pants pocket.
“We’re almost there,” the driver called back to him.
Jack peeked out the window of Cinderella’s coach. He had no idea how Pierce Weston had pulled this off for him, but he was so grateful he had. Being a friend of the CEO of one of the world’s biggest tech firms had its perks.
Alice was still waiting for Jack in the same quiet spot near the castle. She had her phone out and was taking pictures of the coach as it approached. From the smile on her face, Jack knew that she thought this was just more Disney magic; she had no idea he was inside.
Alice slowly lowered her phone when the carriage came to a stop in front of her. She looked back in the direction that Jack had run off to, and her mouth twisted at an odd angle. Jack imagined she was disappointed that he wasn’t there with her to see it.
The footman jumped down and extended the stairs.
Jack took three deep breaths. He looked at the door as if he were about to leap out of a plane.
The footman opened the door.
It took Alice a moment to realize that it wasn’t the park’s Prince Charming coming down the steps—it was her Prince Charming. And as she gazed at Jack in his tuxedo, the wonder in her eyes grew.
Jack stopped when his feet hit the ground. Alice was beautiful. Her bright smile made him remember Roy McCord’s wedding picture and the smiling bride. Right now, Alice looked that happy.
“She’s waiting, sir,” the footman whispered.
Jack strode forward and got down on one knee.
Tears appeared in Alice’s eyes.
The footman stepped up next to Jack. In his arms was a pillow with sparkling re
d shoes on it.
Jack took the shoes. The footman gently took Alice’s phone and began snapping pictures.
Alice’s hand went to her mouth. Her whole body was trembling.
“I was going to do the whole Cinderella thing,” Jack began. “But I thought a little twist on it was more appropriate. You told me once that your life was a little like Dorothy’s in The Wizard of Oz. And that I’m like Toto, following you around. You were right. I’d follow you anywhere.”
He slipped the ruby slippers on her feet.
“I’m no prince, Alice, but your father had it right. You’re a princess. You saved me—not the other way around. From the moment you came into my life, you’ve been watching out for me. We both know life’s not easy, and we don’t know what’s coming our way, but I do know that no matter what it is, we can get through it together. I love you, Alice, and I promise I always will.” He reached into his pocket and took out the velvet box. His hand shook slightly as he opened it. “Alice Campbell…will you make me the happiest man on earth and do me the honor of marrying me?”
She stared down at the glittering engagement ring. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stood silently before him.
Then she bent down, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Jack rose to his feet and cleared his throat. He lifted her chin, looked into her glistening green eyes, and moved in close. “I’m going to need an audible response to this question.”
“Yes. Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” She accentuated each “yes” with a kiss.
Jack gave a thumbs-up to the footman. A moment later, fireworks filled the night sky.
Alice started to cry again. Her shoulders shook. “I’ve been in love with you ever since you bumped into me on Aunt Haddie’s porch.”
Jack put everything he had into the next kiss. He was determined to give her the best kiss ever, but he wasn’t prepared for the passion that met his own. Her soft lips sent a warmth right through him, and a peace he had never felt before.
“I love you, Jack.”
Jack of Hearts Page 20