Jackson kept staring at her intently while she talked. He turned away and looked in his jacket pocket for a cigarette and lit it. He smoked for a minute then sat down and gave her that psycho grin again.
“I can’t believe you’re a cook. You should have been a cop. You would have been better than anyone in that ragtag department in this crummy little town.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she retorted. “Thompson and his crew are good people. He has a lot of other things to think about all day. Other crimes to solve. I have more time to think about this because it involves my family and I go over things in my head while I’m cooking. Besides, Comfortville isn’t a crummy little town.”
He laughed hard and slapped his knee. “Well, maybe you’re just good at puzzles, then. I don’t know. But you just about figured everything out, Missy. So good for you. I still think you should be a cop, but you’re probably right to just keep cooking. It’s less trouble, and you’ll probably make more money in the long run.”
He took out another cigarette and lit it.
“Do you know how much I made as a cop back in Philly?” Jackson asked. “I started out as a young kid, putting my life on the line for real, every day. Working with goons, dealing with an administrative staff that was always putting me down, other cops bullying me, and scumbag criminals trying to kill me. For what? For a puny little paycheck—that’s what!” he snorted.
He started to pace the floor again. His jaw was tense, and his fist was balled up.
“So when Robert Anderson found me and offered me a bump up in life, I took it. I took care of that Anderson woman, and no one ever found out I did it. Now here I am, on the cusp of being right where I want. This last payout will bring me a comfortable retirement.”
Ashley gave him a disgusted look.
He lashed out at her. “Don’t look at me like that. What would you know about being desperate? You have a family, a partner, and a nice life. I never had anything. I was a foster kid. Bounced between homes and then out on my own at eighteen. The closest anyone ever came to loving me is this dog.”
Jackson spat on the floor. His pit bull, Jake, walked over to him and licked his hand. Jackson petted him and rubbed behind his ears.
Ashley tried to reason with him. “Then you understand love, at least. You did something horrible years ago, but you don’t have to repeat it. You can stop now and walk away.”
“Don’t try to sweet-talk me. I’ve made a promise to old man Anderson, and after I collect the rest of my jackpot, I will walk away. More like fly away. I’ll be sitting on a beach and finishing out my crummy life with a few good years.”
Jackson sat down, and Jake put his head in his lap. Jackson kept stroking the dog and petting him.
“Are you taking Jake?” she asked.
Jackson looked surprised. “What?”
“Jake. Your dog. Are you taking him to that faraway beach?”
“What the hell has that got to do with anything?”
“Since he’s the only one who has ever loved you, you’re not leaving him behind when you skip out of the country, are you?”
Jackson’s face twisted in fury. “What kind of mind games are you playing with me? I can’t take a dog his size when…”
Jackson stopped talking and looked down at his dog. Jake was sitting obediently, his head still in Jackson’s lap, looking up at his master and thumping his tail on the ground. Ashley saw the detective’s eyes welling up. A small tear ran from the corner of his eye. He jumped up from the chair and pointed his finger and growled at her.
“Shut up! You’re not saying one more word.”
Jackson picked up a gag and stuffed it in her mouth. Then he leaned in to her face, and she saw his pure unadulterated rage.
“Don’t you think I know Red would rat on me in a moment if he got caught? He and that dimwitted patsy aren’t making it out of here alive. And neither is that Caitlin bimbo or your uncle. Nor are you. No one’s going to get in my way anymore.”
He walked to a drawer and put on some gloves. Then he pulled out a bottle and some cloth. He shook the substance all over the cloth and walked back to her.
“I can’t afford to leave ballistics behind as evidence. You’re going to go to sleep, and that will be it. Sorry.”
Ashley looked straight into his eyes as he leaned over her. She wanted him to face her as he did it.
“Shut your eyes,” he said.
She didn’t even blink.
“Shut your eyes!” he yelled.
She kept looking at him.
He reached over and grabbed the blindfold and tied it on her.
For a moment, everything stood still.
Visions of a dream came into her mind. Ashley saw herself high on a hill with Sean as they exchanged wedding vows. Her family and friends were there as they watched her tie the knot.
If she was going to die, that was the way she wanted to go out. Her last thoughts full of the celebration of her life and those she cared for.
The smell of the chloroform was overpowering. Her mind began to see colors and images, then everything began to fade. It wouldn’t be long now.
Before she lost consciousness, she heard voices off in the distance and a dull thud as the door was kicked in.
A male voice shouted, “Drop it, or we’ll shoot!”
Ashley felt a flutter as the cloth suddenly dropped to the floor.
A moment later, someone was picking her up off the ground.
The mysterious person ripped off her blindfold, rushed her to the sink, and began splashing water on her face.
Ashley gasped and tried to open her eyes.
Behind her, there were yells and sounds of fighting as the cops fought to subdue Jackson.
The sound of loud barks and growls followed. Jake had charged the policemen to protect his master.
A shot rang out.
Jackson let out a long howl. “Jake!”
Chapter Forty-Four
A few seconds later, Ashley felt a slap on her face.
“Ashley!” a male voice said.
Ashley’s eyes opened wide. She saw Detective Thompson’s anxious face in front of her.
His hand gently reached up and pulled the gag out of her mouth.
“It’s okay now, Ashley. It’s okay.”
Ashley began to cough, then she screamed. “Oh my God! Turn around!”
Thompson whirled around to see Detective Jackson charging at him.
The helpless police officers had been shaken off like rag dolls trying to subdue him.
Thompson tried to pull his gun up fast, but Jackson quickly pressed his pistol against Thompson’s head.
“Drop it!” Jackson yelled. Thompson lowered his gun.
For a moment, there was a standoff as the cops stood tensely with their guns drawn. Thompson lowered his voice.
“Steady, Jackson. Stop this now. Don’t make it worse.”
“It’s already worse, Thompson. I killed Melissa Anderson, and you’ll get me on attempted murder of George Crane. I’m not sitting in a cell at this stage of my life.”
“We’ll work with you,” Thompson said. “You’ll have a fair trial. We found out it was Anderson pulling the strings.”
“You know that won’t save me. I was the lackey. I did the dirty work.” He looked at his dog lying motionless on the floor. “You killed Jake,” he whispered.
Thompson felt Jackson’s grip loosen for a second, so he reached up and quickly tried to grab the gun pressed to his temple. Jackson jumped back just in time and frantically waved the pistol at the entire room. “Nobody move!”
Then he stood perfectly straight and glanced upwards. “It’s over!” he cried. He put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Ashley watched the towering figure fall as if in slow motion.
“Nate, take me outside. Please,” she whispered.
***
Thompson walked her to the door, away from the melee. Ashley glanced quickly at Jackson lying next to his dog be
fore turning away then squeezed her eyes shut as if to drive the image out.
Once they were outside, Ashley caught her breath and looked out at the beautiful forest. How peaceful and lovely it was. But she would never come up here again.
“I’ve got to get back in there. Sit down and rest. I’ll send someone out to take care of you. An ambulance will be up here shortly.”
“I don’t need an ambul—” she started to say.
He cut her off. “It’s on the way,” he said as he headed back in.
She could hear the police inside on their radios, including Thompson giving orders. Soon, there would be more cars up here, and the coroner.
A few moments later, Red and Sonny were led out of the shed by two more officers. They were loaded into the back of a squad car.
Ashley saw Red staring at her. She turned her head away.
The whole time, Sonny was squealing, “Girl, girl.”
The officers shut the squad car door.
As soon as the ambulance arrived, Thompson walked back outside.
“Ashley,” he said. There was a look of profound sadness in his eyes. “Sorry you had to be there for that. I have to get a report from you later. In the meantime, get checked out, and I’ll see you later.”
Ashley nodded at him. She could barely speak as they loaded her in.
“Thanks for everything. Will you call my parents and Sean?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be fine, you know,” she said.
“I know,” he said quietly.
Chapter Forty-Five
The ride down the hill was surreal. As she looked out of the back windows of the ambulance, the forest seemed never-ending. The trees were so tall and a testament to the force of nature. Gradually, they began to thin out as they neared the bottom and returned to civilization. Ashley hadn’t spoken the whole time. They unloaded her at the hospital and wheeled her into the emergency room. Her parents and Sean were already there.
“Ashley!” her mother cried. Suddenly, there was a flurry of arms and concerned faces all around her.
“Sorry, folks, we have to get her in to be checked out pronto. We’ll have her out soon,” a doctor said. Ashley waved as they rolled her in behind the waiting room doors. She saw Sean smiling weakly at her.
After she was thoroughly checked out, the doctor allowed her to be released to her family.
“Let us know if you have any dizziness in the next few days,” he said.
“No chance, doctor. She has that legendary Crane hard head,” Burt said. The doctor laughed. Burt turned to his daughter. “Let’s get you home.”
As they walked to the car, Sean held onto her tightly.
“I’m so sorry, Ash,” Sean said. “What this all means, I don’t know. How could a guy who supposedly worked to stop crime be so bad himself? What screwed him up so much to do this?”
“He told me some of his life story. He seems to have had a miserable life,” Ashley said.
“Still, that’s no excuse to do what he did—” Sean started to say.
“I know, Sean. Believe me, I know. There’s no excuse for what he did.”
Burt drove in silence, and April kept squeezing her daughter’s hand. Ashley looked out the window as the normal signs of life in the town came into view. Even in the dark, she could see families walking into the front doors of their homes. People were leaving cafes and laughing as they walked to their cars. A dog on an evening walk was sniffing at the end of its leash.
Ashley closed her eyes and saw an image in her mind’s eye. A massive pit bull lay motionless on the floor next to the still form of his master.
Ashley quoted softly from Macbeth. “The instruments of darkness tell us truths.”
“What?” Sean asked.
“No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.”
April whispered under her breath, “Richard the Third.”
Sean nodded in agreement.
Ashley straightened up in the seat and addressed her dad. “I have to get to the station and give my report to Thompson.”
“Tonight?” Burt asked.
“I’d rather get it over with before we go home. Please,” she said.
“Okay, let’s go.” He turned the car toward the station. April turned around and smiled at Ashley.
“By the way, Sandy called and said the doctors told her George is showing signs of improvement. He’s finally getting better.”
Burt piped up. “Like I said. It’s that hard Crane head. Makes it hard to take us out.”
***
When they arrived at the station, Ashley left her parents in the waiting room and went into Thompson’s office and gave him a full report of everything that had happened from when she stopped at the playground to talk to the little boy until Thompson had found her in the cabin up on the mountain. It was difficult for Ashley to recount all the trauma, but she struggled through.
“How did you know where to find me?” Ashley asked.
Thompson held up Caitlin’s red phone. “They checked all the call records on it, and then the cops found Caitlin right after you went missing. They got her to confess how she was being manipulated by Jackson and gave them the whereabouts of the cabin where you were. Turns out that Jackson had taken her there too and tried to scare her into revealing more about what she may have known.”
“Jackson said he was going to get rid of Caitlin before he skipped town,” Ashley said.
“Of course he would’ve. He just wanted to leave her around long enough until he could finish all the business,” Thompson replied.
“Amazing to think Anderson masterminded this after all these years,” she said.
“Money talks. And he had lots of it.”
“You are going to get Anderson now, aren’t you?”
Thompson nodded. “Absolutely. With Jackson’s confession and Red and Sonny in custody, we have all the evidence we need. The police are already on the way to his place. He can end his life rotting in prison.”
“Who was that other red-haired guy that was brought in for the lineup?” Ashley asked.
“Just an unfortunate guy Jackson rounded up and questioned. Another ploy to throw us off the trail,” Thompson said.
“And to take the heat off Red so he had more time to try and get Jackson’s work done.”
“Right again.” Thompson sighed. “It sure is a waste—all of this.”
Ashley got up and walked around. She looked up at the ceiling. “Here we had a guy who could have just stayed a good cop. But greed and bitterness drove him to kill. Anderson had the perfect puppet in Jackson.”
She sighed.
Thompson saw that her eyes were wet.
Ashley continued. “He really loved his dog. And he must’ve had Red leave food and water for my cat after he kidnapped her. But he had no problem killing people. Crazy.”
“By the way, Officer Cromwell is going to take the dog,” Thompson said.
“What dog?” Ashley asked.
“Jackson’s pit bull.”
Ashley stared at him. “I thought he was shot.”
Thompson nodded. “He was. With a tranquilizer gun. He could’ve killed someone. He’s going to be just fine now. Cromwell will give him a good home.”
Ashley let out a long sigh. “How wonderful.”
Thompson smacked his desk and jumped up. “Well, it’s done now. I said this before. I hope we have some peace around here. Enough trouble. Come on. I’ll walk you out to your family.”
Ashley paused at the door. “By the way, did you find out who the little kid alone in the park belonged to?”
“Yep. He lives on Huxley Street with his sister. Foster kids. Turns out Jackson was helping support them. The foster family said he dropped off some money for them every now and then.”
Ashley smiled ruefully. “A murderer with a soft spot for animals and kids. That’s one for the psychology books.”
“I can’t even begin to think about it,” Thompson said. “Hey, does S
ean have any pastries in his car?”
“Don’t think so at this hour. Are you getting a yen for sugar again?” Ashley asked.
“I may look like a perfect specimen, but I’ve got weaknesses too,” he said.
Ashley laughed. “Good night, Detective Thompson.”
“Remember, I said to call me—”
“Nate,” Ashley replied. “I know. But you were a formidable detective during this whole ordeal. Great job, sir.”
“The same goes for you, Miss Crane. Good night. Get some rest. And again, thank you.”
She smiled and walked out to the waiting room. Thompson called out to her.
“Ashley?”
She turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Stay out of it next time. If there’s a next time. I hope not. But I really mean that. Really,” he said.
“Yeah. Of course you do.”
Chapter Forty-Six
The drive to Ashley’s parents’ house was like a dream. Ashley put her head back on the seat and occasionally turned it to look outside. Sean reached over and patted her leg.
“Okay?” Sean asked.
“Well, I’m alive. I’m with you and Mom and Dad. My uncle George is getting better. Not to mention the cats are in one piece. So I guess, yeah, I’m okay.”
He smiled. “Good.”
“Hey Dad, can we stop first and see Charlie and Susie Q?”
“Sure. They’re going to be fighting mad that they’re getting dinner late.”
She laughed. “I’ll open that can of gourmet tuna I use for catering. That’ll appease them.”
They pulled up out front, and Sean and Ashley ran into their apartment.
“We’ll be right back,” she said to her parents.
The minute Ashley entered the front door, Charlie bounded up to her, and Susie Q followed, meowing away and twirling herself around their ankles.
Charlie gave Ashley a look that said, “You know you can hire a pet sitter to show up on time to feed us if you can’t,” and then he strutted into the kitchen. He batted at the cabinet where their food was kept and stared at them both.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 47