by Leslie Wolfe
Elliot whistled. “The man had his share of cobwebs in his attic.”
Kay lowered her head for a moment. “In my original profile, I had him pegged as a mission-driven serial killer, although that didn’t really fit, because the victimology was off. I was somewhat wrong.” She looked at Logan apologetically. “He was what profilers call a visionary serial killer—mentally insane, hearing voices that guided him into what lives to take and how. At the same time, much like a mission-driven killer, he was able to function in society, establish relationships, be extremely successful, and coopt his children into following his path. He proved to be highly organized, and a cool-headed perfectionist when it came to his abductions and killings. That’s what threw me off. That’s why he wasn’t caught for so long.”
“Were his sons crazy too?” asked Logan.
She pressed her lips for a moment. “I’d have to say no, at least not to the extent Avery was. Even him—after speaking with him and seeing him interact with others—I hesitate to slap the label of clinical insanity on him, because he was so well-organized. I will have to study this further, and I’d love to invite my former Quantico mentor to take a look at this case.” She paused for a moment. “I’ll have the opportunity to interview Victor, and I’ll use it to gain more understanding into their motivations and how they evolved over three generations.” Logan nodded, while Elliot looked at her intensely. “I don’t think Mitchell and Victor had the same urge to kill. No, I believe they were coopted and coerced to follow in Avery’s footsteps.” Going through the family members in her mind, she remembered the one that stood out like a sore thumb. “How about Marleen?”
“The DA will charge her, although he said that everything we have against her is circumstantial at best. He believes we should be digging into her whereabouts some more.”
“I believe she was a key part of the cross-alibi game they were playing.”
“What cross-alibi game?” asked Logan, his hands firmly propped on his hips.
“From what I heard them saying, whenever a girl was taken, they would plan it carefully, so that most family members would have rock-solid alibis, and the others would be vouched for by one of the cleared family members.” She smiled with eager anticipation, remembering Marleen’s deceitful arrogance. “It wouldn’t be the first time we turn a perp against another, huh? She’ll break like a twig.”
“Ha,” Logan reacted, “I bet she will, Detective.” He looked at the scene swarming with cops and crime scene technicians, and she followed his gaze. Several LED lights had been installed and lit. The top of Ash Brook Hill shone like the stage of a morbid theater, but she was eager to leave. She already knew how the story ended, with years of continued investigations and mountains of reports to write. With closure for all those families who had spent decades wondering, hoping, grieving, unable to heal. With the unceremonious death of the firstborn-daughter myth.
As if reading her mind, Logan said, “Get yourself checked out, Kay. That’s an order.” Then he walked away.
She watched him leave, her gaze lingering on the scene, savoring the moment. It was over.
“How about some dinner?” Elliot asked. “I bet you’d appreciate a double cheeseburger right about now. I know I would.”
Her face lit up. “You bet. Fries too, and some beer.” Her mouth watered.
Elliot offered her his arm and she took it, glad for the support. Her legs seemed a little weak, a side effect of all the adrenaline that had flushed her muscles with energy, priming them for battle. A spell of dizziness hit her, but she clenched Elliot’s arm tighter and kept up with his enthusiastic pace, eager to get out of there. “But first, I’d love a shower.”
“You got it,” he replied, warm laughter tinting his voice. “Although, even if you’re the worst dressed, muddiest date I’ve ever had by far, I still think you look just fine.”
“Date?” she asked, realizing how much she liked the thought of that.
“Uh, I meant, like a work date, right?”
“Right,” she replied, dragging the vowel just a touch and dipping her voice in laughter.
She struggled to keep up the pace; it felt like she was hanging from his arm, being dragged away, leaning on him more and more. Where the hell was Elliot’s SUV?
That’s when everything went dark.
54
Rain Check
When Kay woke up, Julie was standing by her bedside, staring at her with fearful eyes. She wore a loose hospital gown with a small, floral pattern that hung weirdly on her thin shoulders. She held on to an IV stand on wheels she’d dragged with her from the bed next to Kay’s. An IV line ran from the bag to the needle taped to the back of her hand. Kay read the black letters on the transparent IV bag: five percent glucose.
She pushed herself up against the rustling pillows and smiled, but the fear in the girl’s eyes didn’t wane. She was pale, her skin almost translucent. Her dilated pupils didn’t budge, fixed on Kay with an unspoken question.
Kay had questions of her own. She had no recollection of getting there, what hospital it was, or what day of the week. Through the partially open window blinds, she could see a perfectly blue sky filled with sunshine, not a trace of the storm that had passed.
“What is it, Julie? Do you need anything?” she asked, reaching out for the teenager’s hand.
The girl pulled away, seemingly scared to touch her. “Are you here to watch me?” she asked.
Kay placed her hand at the back of her skull, where she felt something unusual. They’d dressed her wound, and probably stitched her scalp. It was less painful than she remembered it, maybe because it was closed now, but it still throbbed.
“No,” she replied, smiling and putting humor in her voice. “Do you think I’d go through this just to watch you?” She pointed at the back of her head, continuing to smile.
Her pupils remained dilated, but shifted toward the hallway. “Then, is he?”
Through the closed glass door, Kay saw Elliot sleeping on a couch, his hat covering his face. His badge was in plain view, hanging from his belt.
“No,” Kay replied. “I’m pretty sure he’s here for me, not you.” She couldn’t help giving a light chuckle. “What’s on your mind?”
A tear rolled down the girl’s face. “Are you going to arrest me?”
Kay pulled herself a little higher against her pillow and patted the space next to her with her hand, inviting Julie to sit. Hesitating and fidgeting as if Kay’s proximity was dangerous, she reluctantly sat on the edge of her bed.
“Why would I arrest you, sweetie?”
Julie lowered her eyes and squeezed them shut, releasing more teardrops from her lashes. “You know why,” she whispered, “you’re a cop, right?”
“Yes, I am a detective, but I can’t think of a reason why I should arrest you.”
She sniffled and looked around, panicked. “He was strangling Mom. I shot—”
Instantly, Kay’s fingers touched the girl’s lips and silenced her. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, leaving few questions unanswered. That’s why Cheryl had gone to such lengths to hide the self-defense shooting of Dan Montgomery. That’s why she never called the cops.
She was protecting her daughter.
Eyebrows raised and pupils dilated, Julie stared at Kay, a shade paler than before. Their eyes locked and held for a long moment, while Kay considered what she was about to do.
Julie would never be charged for Dan’s shooting, considering the abundance of evidence uncovered about the many killings perpetrated by the Montgomerys. That aside, her name would forever be associated with that shooting, and she would be known to anyone who’d run an internet search as the girl who shot a man, albeit in self-defense. In the age when no one had the right to be forgotten or forgiven anymore, where everything that hit the internet was out there forever, destroying lives and ruining futures, Kay was better off keeping that secret. Otherwise, Julie would never be admitted to a decent college or land a good job. Her li
fe would be wasted, forever destroyed by the same man who’d killed her mother and tortured her. Nothing was gained if this tiny piece of truth came out; absolutely nothing. It was the right thing to do.
Kay caressed Julie’s long hair with gentle fingers. “Let me tell you what the police know about what happened, all right?” The girl nodded and swallowed with difficulty. “We know that your mother shot and killed Dan Montgomery to protect you. Then she loaded him in the truck by herself and dumped him by the side of the interstate. We know for sure—based on your sister’s testimony—that you were upstairs with your sisters when it happened. The investigation into Dan Montgomery’s death is officially closed.” She smiled encouragingly, noticing how Julie’s shoulders relaxed just a little. “So, you see, there’s no reason whatsoever for me to arrest you. Clear?”
Julie nodded again, lowering her gaze and hiding a rebel tear. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Kay opened her arms and the girl settled by her side, with her head on Kay’s shoulder. “Now, can you tell me, what day is today?”
“Sunday, I think,” she whimpered, not lifting her head.
“What?” said Kay in a humorous voice. “I’ve been out of commission for two days? No wonder I’m hungry.”
Julie chuckled between silent tears.
“One thing I’d like to know, if it’s not too painful for you to tell me.” She paused, waiting for an answer, but there was none, just a long, pained breath. “Why didn’t you all leave, after Dan died? Why wait?”
Julie’s shoulders heaved as she broke down in sobs. She lifted her face from Kay’s arm but avoided her glance. “It was my fault. Mom died because of me.”
“Tell me how that happened.” She didn’t believe that to be true, but there were still a few unanswered questions. “Step by step. What happened after your mom went away in Dan’s truck?”
She whimpered and sniffled. When she spoke, her voice trembled, brittle. “We waited and waited. She didn’t come back until Sunday afternoon. I was scared someone caught her, but she just…” her voice trailed off as she sniveled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, quickly. Kay reached for the box of tissues on her side table and placed it casually on the bed, within Julie’s reach. She took one and crumpled it, then wiped her nose and held on to it, as if afraid to let it go. She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. “She walked across town, through the woods, so that no one would see her.”
It made sense. From the new postal building, where they’d found Dan’s truck, to Angel Creek Pointe, there were some twenty-five miles as the crow flies, maybe thirty or more on the road. Her heart sunk when she imagined Cheryl crossing through the woods alone in that storm, on foot in the dead of night, so that no one would be able to place her anywhere near where Dan’s body or truck were found. As far as anyone knew, she’d spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with her daughters, in the house.
“I see. Why not leave on Sunday, when she returned?” Kay asked, knowing Cheryl might’ve been too tired to stand at that point. Driving hundreds of miles in a storm must’ve been out of the question.
Julie’s eyes remained lowered, but her whimpers had eased somewhat. She looked at Kay briefly, apparently ashamed. “We didn’t have any money. Mom didn’t want to use her cards once we left, and the banks were closed. She didn’t want to ask anyone.”
“And Monday?” Victor had come to their house on Monday night, when their bags were packed, but they were still there.
A heart-wrenching sob left Julie’s chest. “Because of me… and that’s why she died, because I was stupid.” Kay caressed her hair gently and waited. “I, uh, went out on a date and, uh, I didn’t get back until it was really late, and the weather was bad.” She paused for a while, whimpering. “It was the last time I was going to see Brent. I wanted to say goodbye. But he… doesn’t care that much about me. I’ve been such an idiot.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Kay said, folding Julie into her arms. “It’s not your fault your mother died.” Somehow, her words fueled the girl’s tears, but she allowed her the time to grieve, gently holding her, reminding her she wasn’t alone. “You’re safe now, and everything will be all right.” She kept whispering soothing words, as her mind wandered, thinking of the tragedy that had struck their family.
Calvin might’ve died in an accident, or maybe he’d wanted to break free of his family’s homicidal tradition and was executed for it. Avery might’ve considered he knew too much and was a liability. That part, they’d probably never know for sure, although Victor was still alive and if he knew, she’d pry it out of him. But Cheryl’s suspicions of Avery supported that theory. It must’ve been something Calvin had told her before he died that had fueled her relentless quest for justice.
The door slid open with a muted whoosh and Lynn came in, smiling shyly, holding Heather and Erin by their hands. Behind her, Jacob, with a wide and proud grin as if the girls were his already and he’d been named father of the year.
She squeezed Julie’s hand and said, “Look who’s here, sweetie.” Then she watched the reunion, fighting to hide her own tears. Jacob approached her bed tentatively, his gait on a spring as if he were getting ready to run out of there if she as much as sneezed, and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“When are you coming home?” he asked, cutting straight to the point, like always. “You might’ve heard, things got a little bit complicated for Lynn and me.”
Kay chuckled. “Nah… you’ll be fine. All of you.”
Julie had kneeled on the floor, to bring her face closer to her sisters, and was holding them tight, sharing their tears and whispering to them.
“I knew you were okay,” Heather told Julie, pointing her hand at Kay. “She’s kind. I slept with her too.” Kay bit her lip to fight back tears. It was the first time Heather had spoken an entire phrase since the day her mother died.
Kay’s gaze wandered toward the hallway, searching for Elliot. He was standing in the doorway, hat in hand, his tousled blond hair a rare sight, his blue eyes sparkling with laughter as he heard Heather’s words, and something else too, something she couldn’t name, but would’ve loved to get lost in.
He approached her bed hesitantly, while she pulled her covers a little higher, to hide her horrible hospital gown.
“I guess we won’t be going on our—”
“Dinner date?” she asked happily, smiling. She watched him veer his eyes for a moment, then meet hers.
“Yes.” He looked at Jacob quickly, then at Lynn and the girls, huddled together and all talking at the same time. “We could take a raincheck, if you’d like.”
Her smile vanished, leaving her lips pressed in an expression of feigned disapproval. “We could take a lot of things, Detective. We could take any type of calamity check you’d like. An earthquake check or even a snow check. But I never, ever want to hear the word rain again.”
His eyes, worried for a moment or two, lit up. Leaning over the bed, he said, “Just so you know, you’re still the worst-dressed dinner date I ever had.”
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Books by Leslie Wolfe
Detective kay sharp series
1. The Girl From Silent Lake
2. Beneath Blackwater River
3. The Angel Creek Girls
Tess winnett series
Dawn Girl
The Watson Girl
Glimpse of Death
Taker of Lives
Not Really Dead
Girl With A Rose
Mile
High Death
Baxter & holt series
Las Vegas Girl
Casino Girl
Las Vegas Crime
Standalone titles
Stories Untold
Love, Lies and Murder
Alex hoffmann series
Executive
Devil’s Move
The Backup Asset
The Ghost Pattern
Operation Sunset
Available in Audio
Detective kay sharp series
1. The Girl From Silent Lake (available in the UK and in the US)
2. Beneath Blackwater River (available in the UK and in the US)
3. The Angel Creek Girls
Beneath Blackwater River
She looked alive, her hair drifting freely in the water, her red lips gently parted, as if to let her final breath escape. A small locket floated by her face, attached to her neck with a silver chain…
When Detective Kay Sharp first left Mount Chester—population 3,823—in her rear-view mirror, she promised never to look back. The town only contained bad memories and dark secrets. But when a brutal crime surfaces, she finds herself home once more, and this time she’s not going anywhere.
Kay is called to Blackwater River, where the body of a seventeen-year-old girl has been found. Surrounded by snowy peaks and a forest alive with the colors of fall, the victim floats in the water, a hand-carved locket around her neck.