Holly lowered the shotgun and moved slowly toward the door. She unlocked it, and Brad stepped in.
She continued to stare at the bloody body on the floor.
Brad moved closer to her. “Honey, put down the gun.”
She stood perfectly still, watching the blood flow from Albert’s chest. It ran in rivulets down his body, pooling alongside him. There was no doubt in her mind that he was dead. She’d blown a hole the size of a grapefruit in his chest.
She barely noticed the paramedics and police officers who flooded the office.
Brad put his hand out and spoke softly. “Holly, hand me the gun.”
She looked up at her husband’s sweet face. Full of strength and caring. And she’d almost lost him if Albert had had his way. Slowly, she handed him the shotgun. He placed it on her desk and held his hands out.
Holly fell into the warmth and protection of his arms. Brad pulled her close, and she was wrapped in caring and love. She rested her throbbing forehead on his chest, and tears slid down her cheeks. “He wanted to kill me.”
Brad picked her up, oblivious to the stream of officers and paramedics that poured into the room. He walked to the chair in front of her desk and sat down with Holly on his lap. “Don’t say anything yet, Holly. Just let me hold you.”
“He’s dead,” one of the paramedics announced to the room.
Holly shuddered and barreled closer to Brad’s chest.
“Mrs. McCabe, can you give us an idea what happened here?” A police officer who Holly remembered meeting at some police affair knelt in front of her.
“Darren, I’d rather not have her talk right now about what happened here. At least, not in an official capacity,” Brad said. “But I realize you have to begin your investigation.”
Holly sat up and wiped her face. “It’s all right. There is a dead body at the back of the zoo.”
Brad squeezed her.
“My co-worker, Rebecca Spence.” Holly took a shuddering breath. “You will find her on the pathway, in front of the elephants. Her throat has been slit.”
Darren pulled out a notebook and began to write.
Brad cleared his throat. “Before we go any further, I would like to have the paramedics take a look at my wife. I can see some injuries.”
“Yes, of course,” Darren said. He stood and walked to one of the two paramedics. “Mrs. McCabe needs some assistance.”
A cheerful looking woman, somewhere in her forties moved toward her. “Mrs. McCabe, I am Maryann Jenkins. I’d like to talk to you and examine those injuries.” She looked over at Brad. “I think getting her out of the office and into the EMSA truck would work best.”
“Yes. Good idea.”
“What the hell happened here?” Richard Manning, one of the security officers on the day shift called to her from the entrance, now blocked by police tape. His eyes went directly to Holly. “Are you all right?” He glanced at the floor. “Isn’t that Albert Anderson?” He paused. “With a large hole in his chest?”
“Yes.” Holly managed to find her voice.
“Oh, my God. What happened?” Evelyn Price, the second officer on the day shift joined Richard at the door. “Are you all right?”
“She will be a lot better after she sees the paramedic,” Brad said, shifting Holly so he could stand and help her up.
“Oh, of course.” Evelyn shook her head and glanced at the body on the flood. “Isn’t that Albert?”
“Yes.” Holly followed the paramedic out the side door of the office with Brad’s arm around her.
After a thorough examination, Maryann fixed up Holly’s scratches and suggested she might want to visit with her doctor in a few days. She turned to Brad. “I don’t know what happened here tonight, but your wife might do well with seeing a counselor or therapist.”
Brad nodded and turned to Holly. “Sweetheart, if you don’t feel up to talking to Darren tonight, I can see if he will allow us to go home and speak with him tomorrow.”
Holly shook her head. “No. I don’t want this hanging over my head. I want to tell them everything and try to put it behind me.”
“Understood.”
They climbed out of the EMSA truck and made their way back into the office. Someone from the coroner’s office had arrived and was taking pictures. A rolling stretcher passed them with a black body bag. Most likely Rebecca.
Holly trembled again and looked away.
Brad took her hand and studied her. “Let’s get this over with and then we’re going home. And we’re spending a lot more than a half hour together.”
Holly smiled for the first time in hours. “Yes. That sounds wonderful.”
Epilogue
One year later
Holly rubbed her swollen belly and tried unsuccessfully to rise from the soft comfortable chair in the living room that Brad bought especially for her and now she almost hated because it was so hard to get out of.
“Brad!”
Her husband strolled into the room, looking at her over the top of his eyeglasses as he held a law book open. “What?”
“I can’t get out of this damn chair again.”
He snapped the book shut and placed it on the table alongside her. He grinned and reached out to pull her up. “Put on a little bit of weight since you graduated school, wife of mine?”
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Brad McCabe. The deal was, I would at least get to teach for a year or two before we started a family.”
“Aw, but these things happen.”
“I should have kept taking my birth control pills. That theory of not conceiving for a while after you stop the pills was not very sound advice.”
They walked toward the kitchen, Brad rubbing her back. “But you’re not sorry, are you?”
Holly shook her head. “No. Not at all. After a decent period of time I’ll be ready to look for a teaching job.”
She walked past the calendar hanging next to the refrigerator. “Brad?”
“What, honey?” His voice was muffled with his head in the refrigerator. The man ate more than she did and never gained a pound. Very annoying.
“Today is the 13th of June.”
He turned and placed a container of cheese and ham slices on the table. “Yes?”
“It’s been a year since the incident in the zoo.” She shuddered.
He studied her carefully. “Your nightmares have lessened.”
“Yes. Thanks to having you hold me when they hit.” She went to the window and stared out at the warm early summer day. The spring flowers were just coming into full bloom. It would be time soon to plant the summer flowers.
Brad walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her growing stomach. “Have I told you yet today how much I love you?”
Holly twisted, a smile on her face. “I’m not sure, but I’m always open to—” She sucked in a breath.
“What?” Brad eyed her like she was about to explode. Which was exactly how she felt.
“I think I’m going into labor.”
As Brad helped her to walk around the apartment as her midwife had suggested she do when it felt like labor starting, she thought about a year ago on this date.
She had been running for her life. Now she was ready to produce a new life. She had her teaching degree, Brad had a promising position at a distinguished law firm, and when the baby was old enough for day care, she would have a satisfying job.
She said a heartfelt prayer of thanks and gripped Brad’s hands as another pain hit.
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Thanks for reading this Friday the 13th Story!
If you enjoyed it, considering leaving a short review so other readers can enjoy the thrill.
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Check out all of the stories in the Friday the 13th series:
Links to Evil by Rolynn Anderson
Till Death by Maureen Bonatch
Blood and Breakfast by Alicia Dean
Retribution by D.J. FitzSimons
Shattered Reflections by Tamrie Foxtail
A Deadly Game by Jannine Gallant
Dead to Rights by Margo Hoornstra
In the Still of the Night by Callie Hutton
Glimpse, the Dinner Guest by Stephen B. King
Scorned by Anna Kittrell
Vanity Kills by Dianne McCartney
Fatal Legacy by Krysta Scott
Azrael’s Chosen by Leah St. James
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Callie Hutton, has penned more than 45 historical romance and cozy mystery books. She lives in Oklahoma with her very close and lively family, which includes her twin grandsons, affectionately known as “The Twinadoes.”
Callie loves to hear from readers. Contact her directly at [email protected] or find her online at www.calliehutton.com.
Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Follow her on BookBub to receive notice of new releases, preorders, and special promotions.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
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All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Author.
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Author’s website: http://calliehutton.com/
Cover design by Maria Connor, My Author Concierge
Photography by Anna Greene
Manufactured in the United States of America
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First Edition August 2020
In the Still of the Night Page 4