“No, not on the way home,” Ashley said, cutting Drew off. She pointed towards the ceiling as if Drew who was miles away and driving. “He started to sneeze like mad the moment he went upstairs. Why is that?”
There was a moment of silence and Ashley sent Lilly a smug smile.
“Am I on speaker?” Drew said.
Ashley rolled her eyes. “What difference does that—?”
“Take me off,” Drew ordered. There was a high-pitched sound in the background from Drew side of the phone that Ashley couldn’t identify. “Now.”
With a sigh, Ashley deactivated the speaker function and put the phone to her ear. “Afraid Cole will hear how you fucked up?”
“Listen to me very carefully,” Drew said. His tone was angry and yet controlled. “Is Ollie still there?”
“What?” Ashley shook her head in confusion. “No, he’s at the store getting—”
“Ashley,” Drew cut in. “Listen to me. Stay calm, but get Cole and Lilly and get out of that house.”
Ashley blinked, the anger from her eyes pushed out by confusion. She looked over to Lilly who was starting to look worried, something that made her start to sweat. “What are you—?”
“Ashley.” Drew kept his voice calm, yet firm. “You’re not alone in that house.”
Chapter 18
Don’t Step On the Flowers
“Ashley, are you hearing what I’m saying?”
At first, Ashley stood in place, nodding as if her brother could see her from the other side of the phone. Her eyes slowly glanced up to study the ceiling, but it looked like the same ceiling as always.
“Ashley!” Drew’s voice was sharper. Angry with a tinge of terror mixed in.
“Yeah…” Ashley responded. “Um… I don’t think that…”
“Ashley, don’t repeat what I’m saying out loud,” Drew said. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I haven’t smoked once in that house so you need to trust me. If there’s someone there, they haven’t made a move yet. Is Cole and Lilly with you?”
“Cole’s upstairs,” Ashley said, her words coming out a little slower than she normally spoke. She headed towards the stairs slowly, nearly tip toeing the entire way. “Here, tell Lilly what you told me. I’ve got to make sure the kid brushes his teeth.” Handing the phone to Lilly, she started up the stairs. She ignored Lilly’s ‘uh huhs’ and her gasp when Drew explained his suspicions.
Lilly started to come up, when Ashley waved her away. They didn’t both need to go upstairs.
The floor from upstairs creaked and Ashley’s eyes were drawn to the source. It was the ceiling over the living room. Ashley imagined whatever made that noise. It sounded big, too big to be a little eight-year-old boy.
“Cole, sweetie, are you okay?”
There was a flush from the upstairs bathroom, which had Ashley trying to determine if the noise she’d just heard could have been from Cole, but they seemed several feet away from each other.
Different rooms. It was an old house. It makes noise, it could just be settling. It still might be nothing.
Please, let it be nothing.
Ashley slowly climbed the stairs as quietly as possible. Lilly was by her side in an instant.
“Cole,” Ashley called out again. “Are you feeling any better?”
She was answered with silence. As she approached the top of the staircase, Ashley the bathroom door closed, but the light was on. The sound of running water reached their ears as they stepped onto the top of the landing. “Cole?”
The water stopped and the light turned off. Ashley held her breath and reached for the door. If there was someone here hurting Cole, she didn’t care what kind of weapon they had. She’d rip them to pieces.
Just as Ashley’s hand was about the grasp the handle, the bathroom door swung open.
Cole blinked in surprise, seeing both Ashley and Lilly. Standing in his Spiderman pajamas, he sneezed three times in rapid succession and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “I think I’m feeling a little better.” Cole said as he stepped out of the bathroom. “My mouth tasted bad so I brushed my teeth, but now I want a new toothbrush. I know it’s too late to go back to the fair for the fireworks, but I don’t want to go to bed. Can we watch a movie or…” Another two sneezes, “something?”
Ashley forced herself to smile, holding her hand out to Cole. Another creak echoed from the left, and she glanced in its direction. Cole’s door was ajar.
“Anything you want,” Ashley said. “Let’s go down and see what movies are available.”
Cole nodded and started to move towards Ashley, then stopped and turned around, heading back into the bathroom. He flipped on the lights and sneezed yet again as he looked down at the pile of clothes on the floor. “Sorry, Lilly,” he said as he bent down to get them. “I’ll put them in my hamper.”
“Just leave them, sweetie,” Lilly said as she moved up to the landing next to Ashley. “We’ll get them later.”
Cole paused, frowning. “Why?” Cole edged into the hallway slowly, sneezing again into his dirty clothes. “I’ll forget later and you’ll get upset. Just give me…” Cole’s eyes glanced down the hall at his bedroom door and froze. He squinted his eyes.
Ashley and Lilly followed his gaze. There was a shadow in the space where his bedroom door was open, which moved and looked like someone staring out at them.
Not waiting any longer, Ashley and Lilly reached out, each grabbing one of Cole’s hands, forcing him to drop his clothes, and pulling him towards the stairs. As they did, Cole’s bedroom door slammed shut.
Cole screamed as they rushed him down the stairs. The sound of tires squealing to a sharp turn filled the living room as they crossed to the front door. Drew and Sam burst in, each with a weapon in their hand.
“Are you alright?” Drew said.
Lilly and Ashley started to both talk at the same time, screaming about seeing someone and grabbing Cole to run. They stopped at the sound of heavy footfalls from someone running upstairs, followed by something crashing to the floor.
Drew pointed to Sam. “Stay with them,” he ordered and ran upstairs. He didn’t slow down when Sam started to yell at him that she was the cop.
Ashley yelled out to her brother to kill the bastard, just before Drew disappeared.
Racing to the top of the stairs as silently as possible, Drew came in low and swept the hallway, his Glock gripped tightly in both hands. He checked the bathroom first since it was the closest, but wasn’t surprised to find it empty. That left the bedrooms.
Right or left? Front or back of the house?
Before Drew could move, something crashed from down the hall to the rear.
Ashley’s room!
Drew smashed into the back bedroom and scanned the room. Ashley’s flat-screen TV had crashed to the floor, knocked over as somebody rushed to the open window.
Approaching the window, a figure of a man was hidden in the shadows as he rushed across the back lawn. The intruder, and Drew was sure it was a man, was wearing something over his face and dressed in black, but he was Caucasian, fit and stood close to six feet tall. He wore black sweat pants, a dark shirt and his right hand gripped a silver gun that he aimed at the house.
Drew withdrew from the window and hugged the wall as two shots were fired; the first one hit the window, sending shards of glass exploding onto the bedroom floor. The second shot hit the mirror that stood on a dresser against the wall opposite Drew. The image of his reflection shattering had him chained to the wall.
A picture on the dresser of Ashley with both Kelli and Cole when they’d first moved in was knocked to the hardwood floor, the glass frame breaking.
With his heart pounding in his chest, Drew tightened his grip on his weapon, took one solid breathe and moved back to the window. He lowered himself onto one knee to give the shooter less of a target and scanned for him, ready to shoot.
Where was he? He couldn’t have disappeared that quickly.
Drew’s eyes scanned the back yard. There was a
trail of trampled flowers leading to the back fence which could easily have been scaled. Those few moments Drew pulled back had given him the chance to get out of the yard. Whoever was in that house could be serious trouble.
Drew pushed himself through the window and ran down the sloped roof. Once on the edge, he was low enough to jump into the grass. He followed where the intruder landed and aimed towards the right to avoid destroying any evidence. He landed with a roll and came up with his gun at the ready.
Launching himself towards the back, Drew knew he’d catch hell from Lilly for each and every flower he trampled as he made his way to the fence. The wooden enclosure was only chest high and the yard was empty, so he hoisted himself up and over. Or at least he tried to.
The wood was old, cracked and an entire section broke and fell forward as he tried to climb over, making an awful racket and announcing his presence. His fingers smashed into the rocked on bottom of the fence, scrapping the skin off of his knuckles.
“Drew!”
Sam burst from the backdoor, gun drawn and closing the distance as Drew struggled to get up. The tightness in her chest eased as she realized he hadn’t been shot.
“Ollie’s with Cole and the others,” Sam said before he could ask, knowing he wouldn’t have wanted them left alone. “It’s been called in.”
Drew nodded. “Bastard took a couple of shots at me before making it over the fence, which he managed to do without breaking it like I did.” He moved carefully into the yard of the house directly behind Lilly’s. He swept the yard to the left, Sam to the right.
The grass was much taller here, reaching as high as their knees. There were large piles of brown leaves scattered about, while several pieces of junk littered the yard. The house’s dark paint was peeling and there were no lights. The yard was large and speared out towards both sides of the house. The gate on the right side was swinging open. Drew took off with Sam on his tail.
As they reached the front, the sound of sirens started to fill the crisp night air. The lights to a home across the street turned on and an elderly woman came out to investigate the noise, holding a small yapping dog under one arm.
Seeing the alarm in her eyes, Sam shoved her gun into her pocket and pulled out her shield. “Police, ma’am. Did you see anyone come out from the back yard before us?”
The woman shook her head as she used her free hand to try and calm down the little ball of fur that was letting out high pitched barks. “I heard bangs. Thought some kid had set off fireworks and came out to give them a talking to. There was some foul language, but when I opened the door, I didn’t see anything at first until you came running out.” She took a small step forward, scowled as she jutted her chin at Drew’s direction. “He’s no cop. I never forget a face. I remember him from a few years ago. You better not try anything with me. I’ve called the police. You’re not them.”
Drew, who had been looking for any sign of which direction the intruder had gone, turned towards the old lady. With a sigh, he dropped his own gun to his side. “No, ma’am. I’m working with them.”
Sam could tell she didn’t believe Drew for a moment. Her eyes narrowed as she clutched her little dog tighter. “Go away or I’m going to call the police.” The Chihuahua barked at Drew and the woman scratched its head, sending Drew a scathing look before she disappeared back into her house.
“I thought you already said you did,” Drew muttered under his breath as he shoved his weapon into the back of his jeans and scowled at the house.
Sam turned towards Drew. She placed her hand on his arm. “Forget about her. Are you okay?”
Pulling away, Drew’s hand went to his front pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes that weren’t there. He cursed, remembering that he didn’t smoke anymore. “No, I’m not okay. Half this town looks at me like I got away with murder. Meanwhile, that piece of shit was in the house. He was in my sister’s room.”
He started to walk towards the house, with Sam following. He made his way towards the same gate they’d come through on their way out here. “God knows how close he came to Cole. I came back to this town to keep him safe and I can’t even do that right.”
He kicked the gate on the house open and watched with no small amount of satisfaction as it separated from its hinges and fell to the ground. “Now I’ll probably get sued by the homeowners.”
Sam looked up at the house, with its cracked windows and missing shutters. “Relax. I’m pretty sure nobody lives here.”
Drew laughed to himself. “Sounds like a good idea.”
“What is?”
Drew gave the old house a hard look. “Not living here. I should pack up Cole and my sister and move them out of this town. Anywhere has to be better than here.” He headed back through the yard, not looking back as Sam stood by the gate.
Upon arriving back into Lilly’s yard, Drew was greeted by Ollie and two uniformed officers, all of whom had their weapons drawn and raised towards him. As Drew came to a stop and raised his hands, Ollie recognized him and motioned for the other cops to lower their weapons.
“He’s Ashley’s brother,” Ollie said. “Not the intruder. Drew, where’s… Oh, there she is.”
Ollie’s eyes looked over Drew’s shoulder to see Sam running towards them, both hands up, her shield displayed in one. “Where’s Nana? She stayed in the car when we pulled up.”
Ollie jabbed his thumb towards the house. “She came in when the second squad car arrived. There are two uniforms inside with everyone. McKinley and Brown. Good guys.”
“God, your poor grandmother,” Drew said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “She must be terrified, I completely forgot—”
“I’m sure she understands,” Sam said as she started towards the house. “I’m going to go check on her.”
Before Drew had a chance to say anything else, Ollie was pressing him for details. Drew quickly explained what happened, giving the best description he could of the intruder. Ollie listened intently before turning to the two men with him, ordering them to get the word out and have patrols in the area keep an eye out for anyone who might fit the description.
As the two officers headed around the side of the house towards the front, Ollie looked Drew up and down, taking note of his dirty jeans and bloody fingers. “You okay? You need medical attention?”
Drew looked down at his fingers, noticing the blood for the first time. “I’m fine. Happened when I tried to get over the fence and it collapsed.”
Ollie smirked. “Really? Now who’s the fat ass?”
Drew shoved a bloody finger towards Ollie’s face as his own flushed red. “You think this is fucking funny? That son of a bitch was in the house near Cole, Ashley and Lilly! He fucking tried to shoot my head off and all you can do is yuk it up, Deputy Do-Right?”
Ollie took a step back, holding up his hands. “Whoa. I’m sorry. I promise you, I’m not taking this lightly. When I got the text from Sam I swear I thought my heart was going to explode from my chest. I dropped my basket in the middle of the dairy aisle in the twenty-four-hour mart and broke every speed record on the way here.”
For a moment, Ollie was sure Drew was going to repay him for the sucker punch from the other night, until Drew dropped his hand and stalked away, cursing himself. He’d been under fire dozens of times. Why was he terrified now?
Slowly, Ollie approached his side. “You alright?”
Drew shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m scared down to my bones, Ollie. And I’m sorry. I fell right back into taking it out on you.”
Ollie ran his hand over his head. “Yeah, well. I probably deserved it this time. Look, I know you’re scared of something happening to them. So am I. I already told Ashley I’m spending the night on the sofa.”
The two men stood side by side for a few moments, looking out at the yard where the intruder escaped. How long they stood like this, Drew wondered. Both men wanted to be there for Ashley for entirely different reasons. Back when they were kids, Drew should have been happy
Ashley had a kid like Ollie hanging around. He was so much of what Drew wasn’t. While Drew had gone wild in high school, getting drunk and screwing around, Ollie had been the nice guy who always stood by Ashley no matter how horrible things had gotten, and he’d caught hell for it from Drew.
The amazing thing to Drew was that after years of abuse, he seemed not only willing to put it all behind them, but eager to be friends, which just made him feel even shittier.
“We should go in,” Drew said finally. “I’m sure you’ve got reports to file and Cole must be terrified.”
Ollie nodded. “He’s a tough kid. He’ll be alright. We’ll make sure of it. It’s really you I’m worried about.”
Drew’s face grew hot. Did Ollie realize how terrified he’d been earlier that night? Drew thought the one thing he had going for him was the tough guy act, but maybe Ollie had seen right through it.
Smiling, Ollie gestured to the crushed chrysanthemums by the collapsed fence. “Once Lilly calms down, she’s gonna have your head for crushing her flowers.”
Sliding a glance from the destroyed perennials to Ollie, Drew shook his head and laughed. The sad part was Ollie was probably right.
Chapter 19
Don’t Forget About Me
When Sam’s cell rang, she picked it up. Drew’s name appeared on the display. She hesitated a moment, before hitting the decline button and placing the phone in her back pocket, then opened the dishwasher to start emptying it.
“Is there a reason you’re avoiding his phone calls?” Rose said as she came into the kitchen.
Sam hesitated, looking closely at the small mug and noticing it still had coffee stains inside. She placed it back in the rack and reached for another, seeing the same thing. “What makes you think I’m avoiding him?”
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