Rena eventually complied. ‘I played dead, and he dragged me inside. Had to lie there while he cut up Sweeting.’ Her words were sluggish.
Were they really alone? Hazel didn’t want to stay there a second longer than was necessary. Especially with Jacob Huber and Griff Needham unaccounted for. But perhaps their bodies had been displayed elsewhere. She painfully pushed Rena to the main entrance and avoided glass shards with her bare feet as she tried to prevent the chair from listing.
They reached the smashed doors, and a hard rain blew in at them from the darkness. Hazel quickly shoved Rena over the threshold and blinked against the spray. As she drove her towards the ramp, they both shot a nervous sideways glance to the spot where the driver had waited for them before.
There was nobody there so Hazel returned her focus to the rows of empty parking spaces ahead. She froze when she heard an engine. A car was accelerating up the ramp.
Hazel recognised the battered orange Toyota and relief trickled through her. ‘It’s Lucas.’ He was in the driving seat with Weiss beside him.
A patrol car was behind it.
She gently squeezed Rena’s shoulder. ‘They’ve brought the cops.’
Rena’s body sagged as if she couldn’t hold her exhaustion at bay a second longer.
The Toyota halted in front of them, and Lucas got out. ‘What happened?’
Weiss quickly followed.
‘Jesus… ’ Lucas reacted to both their injuries.
Officers Soles and Drake joined them.
Hazel could barely summon any anger. ‘Where the hell were you, Soles?’
‘I’m sorry. I was organising a search party for a missing girl.’
‘The cab driver killed Sweeting, Keeler and Henrik. And tried to kill us… ’
‘There’s dead people in there?’ Soles was incredulous.
‘In the kart arena. There could be more.’ Hazel felt suddenly faint. ‘Rena needs a medic.’
‘I’m calling for backup and an ambulance.’ Drake relayed the situation via his radio.
‘You mean the guy ferrying everyone from the motel?’ Lucas eyed the busted Chrysler.
‘Rena stabbed him. He’s dead.’
‘Any sign of Jacob or Griff?’ Weiss crouched and studied Rena’s pupils.
‘Didn’t see them but we got out as quickly as we could.’ Hazel leaned heavily against Rena’s chair.
‘Rena? Are you OK?’ Weiss touched her hand. ‘I think she’s gone into shock.’
‘Ambulance on its way.’ Drake stepped back into the group.
Lucas wiped rain droplets from his shaved head. ‘We should take a look in there.’
Soles walked backwards over the threshold. ‘This is a crime scene again.’ He gestured for Drake to accompany him. ‘Don’t any of you move from there.’
Soles and Drake headed for Speed Zone.
‘Rena?’ Weiss passed his fingers in front of her face. ‘When did she come back?’
‘Let’s get her out of the rain.’ Hazel tried to move the chair but flinched.
‘Here.’ Lucas pushed Rena inside.
Weiss helped Hazel get under cover.
Another engine was gunned.
Everyone turned. A blue Tacoma pickup towing Hazel’s battered silver Mazda appeared and parked thirty feet from the entrance.
Hazel squinted against the headlights.
Leaving the engine running, Wade Hickman got out and strode in their direction.
122
‘I don’t like this.’ Lucas sidled closer to Hazel.
Wade took in Hazel and Rena’s injuries and hesitated as he saw Soles and Drake hurrying to intercept him. ‘So, what have I missed?’
‘What’s your business here?’ Soles reached the entrance.
Wade started walking again. ‘Delivering this lady’s car, like I promised.’
‘Is this correct?’ Drake had joined Soles.
Hazel nodded.
‘Just hold it right there.’ Soles held up his palm.
Wade didn’t obey.
‘I said hold it right there.’ Soles drew his handgun. ‘This is a crime scene. People are lying dead in there. I’ll give you two seconds to tell me why you happened to roll up now.’ Wade slowed but kept coming. ‘No need to pull that on me, officer.’
Drake brandished his. ‘Not another step.’
Wade halted and raised his hands theatrically. ‘You two arresting me?’
‘Not just yet,’ Soles sniffed, as if he didn’t like Wade’s scent.
‘Mind if I come out the rain while you make your minds up?’ His eyes darted between Soles and Drake before he covered the few feet separating them so he was under shelter.
‘Stay where you are!’ Drake extended his arm so the gun was only a few inches from Wade’s face.
Wade circled towards the Chrysler. ‘Shouldn’t point that thing unless you’re gonna use it.’
‘If he doesn’t, I will.’ Soles followed him with his.
He stopped with his back to the Chrysler. ‘Look, I’m just returning the car.’
Soles nodded to Drake. ‘Cuff him.’
Wade raised an eyebrow at Drake. ‘You heard him. Cuff me. For no good reason.’
‘Put your hands behind your head!’ Soles barked.
Hazel could see his finger start to squeeze the trigger. ‘Officer Soles, what are you doing?’
‘Somebody tell me what’s going on here.’
Everyone turned to the figure that had just appeared at the entrance. It was Tamara Hickman, illuminated by the headlights and holding a double-barrelled shotgun.
123
‘I told you to wait in the pickup.’ Wade dropped his hands.
Tamara’s eyes flitted from Soles to Drake.
‘I advise you to get back in your truck. This is a murder scene.’ Drake didn’t move his gun from Wade.
‘Who’s dead?’ she demanded.
‘You’re pointing a weapon at police officers,’ Soles cautioned. ‘We’ve already had one psycho die tonight after going nuts. Let’s not make it two.’
Tamara tightened her lips. ‘We both know you don’t have the balls to pull that trigger,’ she goaded him.
Soles kept his pistol on Wade. ‘Put the gun down, Tam. You don’t want to be part of this.’
‘It’s a misunderstanding.’ Hazel watched Soles’s finger. ‘Everybody just take a breath.’
‘Lower your weapon,’ Drake snapped at Tamara.
But Wade’s gaze was now locked on his wife. ‘What did Soles just call you?’
Tamara shot an ireful glance at the officer.
‘Answer my question.’ Wade took a pace towards her.
‘Another step and this is going in the back of your skull, Wade.’ Soles was losing control of the situation.
‘You always told me you hated Soles. Now you two are on first-name terms?’ Wade narrowed his eyes at Tamara.
‘Ancient history,’ Soles eventually said with some satisfaction. ‘Now step back from her.’
Wade swallowed audibly but didn’t move.
‘How does that sit with you, Wade?’ Soles bared his teeth. ‘It was me Tam wanted, but I was already married to a better woman so she had to make do with your sorry ass,’ the officer scoffed.
‘You son of a bitch,’ Tamara spat at Soles.
Soles continued: ‘pleaded with me to leave Laurel, even though my wife was sick. I realised what a piece of work she was then. At least Laurel died not knowing how stupid I’d been.’
Wade rolled his tongue slowly around his cheek.
‘Oh she did know.’ Tamara glowered at Soles. ‘I told her, Gene. In 2014. Paid her a little visit after you’d been getting too close to Meredith. Told her you had a daughter she didn’t know about. Knew you two could never have kids. Laurel drank that weedkiller a few weeks later.’
Soles went rigid.
Tamara fixed her husband. ‘That’s why he was always hauling Meredith in, Wade. He wasn’t victimising her, just trying to keep her
out of trouble.’
‘Growing up with you two freaks, she didn’t have a chance.’ Soles swung the barrel of his revolver to Tamara.
Wade looked down at Tamara’s feet. ‘Tell me this is bullshit, Tam.’
Tamara sighed. ‘I did the math. Meredith is Gene Soles’s child,’ she admitted coldly and briefly rolled her eyes to Hazel and Lucas. ‘This juicy enough for you? Don’t want the cameras recording this? Told you taking part was a bad idea, Wade. But you couldn’t pass up your chance of fame.’
Drake was eager to reassert his authority. ‘Let’s deal with one thing at a time. Everybody take a step outside.’
But Soles clenched his pistol tighter and kept it trained on Tamara. ‘I still want to know how come you two breezed in now.’
‘Better ask her.’ Wade jabbed his finger at Tamara. ‘I tried Miss Salter’s mobile, but she didn’t pick up. Wanted to leave it till morning, but Tamara insisted we head over now.’
She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. ‘She needed the car, and I didn’t want it cluttering up my yard.’
‘You were desperate for me to drive it over and come with me,’ Wade said contemptuously.
Tamara saw nobody else was buying her explanation. ‘I wanted it off my property, and Wade’s better at driving the pickup.’
‘That’s a lot of crap.’ Wade scowled. ‘You drive it more than me. And why the hell did you pack my shotgun?’
‘I found it in the truck.’
‘It was locked in my cabinet. You must have thrown that in back.’
She didn’t respond.
Wade studied her intently. ‘You knew something was going down, didn’t you?’
‘You’re talking crazy, Wade. You know I hate guns.’
‘That’s not what Meredith told me,’ Hazel declared.
Everyone turned to her.
She couldn’t conceal their connection any longer. ‘I used to live in Broomfield. Knew Meredith when I was a child. Twenty years ago.’
Lucas’s reaction was the most conspicuous.
‘She told me about your secret target practice in Holtwood Forest.’
Tamara was momentarily stunned.
‘“Target practice”? What else you been hiding from me? I repeat: why the fuck did you have me drive over here?’ Wade barked at his wife.
Tamara gritted her teeth and briefly closed her eyes, as if coming to an inward decision. ‘I told Wade not to get involved in this documentary, but he wouldn’t listen.’
Hazel forgot the weapons that were poised and ready to fire. ‘Tell us what’s going on, Tamara.’
She dipped the barrels of her shotgun and inhaled. ‘I knew you people weren’t safe here.’
‘Yeah?’ Weiss said scornfully. ‘How?’
‘Spit it out, Tam. These people are waiting,’ Wade pressed her.
‘Or we could do this down at the station,’ Soles threatened.
Tamara blinked rapidly as she arranged her thoughts. ‘Last year, a guy came to the turkey farm. Really fucked-up. While he was going through withdrawal he did a lot of talking. He’d killed a bunch of people in the line of duty. Ex Black Ops, dishonourably discharged. Then he started ranting about civilian casualties. It sounded like the people I’d heard about on the TV news. Said they’d gone online and asked for death. He couldn’t believe they were making jokes about what had put him in therapy. Said if they really wanted to be executed he’d be more than happy to oblige. When he was rational, I didn’t let on. But he knew he’d said too much. I saw the way he looked at Meredith. Tried to keep her away from him after that.’
There was silence as everyone absorbed the implications.
Wade grimaced. ‘What happened?’
‘He called me the night she died. Said he’d forced her to send a tweet from her account before he took her to Fun Central. Said if I breathed a word about him, Wade would be next.’
‘You expect me to believe that?’ Wade sneered. ‘That you were protecting me? And you only ever tolerated Meredith. Wasn’t she just a reminder of a life with Soles you never had? Hanging around you like a bad smell?’
‘Fuck you.’
Hazel wondered if Meredith’s killer had been chained up in the shack. ‘Who was he?’
‘Ryan Kirby. I had a cell number for him. Called it and told him I was worried about the movie you were making because Wade agreed to take part. Said I’d tried to talk Wade out of it. Kirby told me he was going to come back to Broomfield when the movie was being shot. I begged him to stay away.’
‘Jesus.’ Soles’s gun hand was trembling.
‘He’s dead back there.’ Hazel clenched her hands, and they were still sticky with Sweeting’s blood. ‘And there’s three other bodies lying with him around that track.’
‘Sir?’ Drake looked uncertainly to Soles for an order.
‘You fucking liar.’ Wade sprang forward and grabbed Tamara by the throat.
124
Officer Soles watched Wade strangling Tamara but did nothing.
Hazel took a step forward to help her.
‘Stay back!’ Soles halted her with his weapon.
‘Give it to me, Tam!’ Wade grabbed hold of Tamara’s shotgun muzzle.
‘I’ll pull the trigger.’ Tamara waited for him to meet the intent in her eyes.
He didn’t and started prising her hands away.
‘Wade,’ she warned.
He twisted and jerked it from her. ‘Now… ’, he turned, the gun aimed at Soles, ‘still smug about screwing my wife?’
The first barrel blew a hole out of Soles. He staggered backwards several paces, the force almost toppling him. His chest was black and bloody; shirt and flesh hanging in tatters. He looked at Wade with incomprehension then sank to his knees.
Drake fired, and Wade’s shoulder was obliterated. He spun away but didn’t relinquish the firearm. He discharged the other barrel at Drake.
The blast caught him in the neck and he crumpled.
‘And this is for you.’ Wade started butting Tamara in the face with the stock of the gun.
She screamed and collapsed to the floor and, despite his injury, Wade bent to her and kept pummelling.
Hazel threw herself onto Wade, crooking her arm around his neck and trying to tip him back with the weight of her body. Wade kept striking Tamara and busted her nose.
Lucas tried to wrench the shotgun from Wade’s fingers.
Hazel crushed his throat and felt his Adam’s apple solid against her bicep.
‘Get the fuck off me.’ Wade bent forward, flipped Hazel over his head and against Lucas.
They both went down, and Hazel bit her tongue as her scalp slammed into the tiled floor. Wade remained upright and raised the weapon to strike Tamara again. He froze there, and the report seemed to come after.
Hazel could see Drake had weakly lifted his gun arm and shot Wade from behind.
Wade keeled hard onto his face, and Tamara scuttled out of the way. He didn’t get up again.
The sound of grunting returned their attention to Soles. He was still on his knees, his hands hanging uselessly at his sides. He hinged backwards, the impact splaying out one of his arms while the other came to rest on his stomach.
‘Jesus Christ… ’ Weiss was standing motionless, uncertain if all the bullets had whizzed by him.
Hazel got to her feet but could barely hear. Her eardrums were deadened by gunfire.
‘Wade?’ Tamara crawled over to where he lay, blood and mucous pouring from her nose.
Hazel helped Lucas up.
‘Wade.’ Tamara rolled her husband over but his features were expressionless.
‘Weiss, make sure Rena’s OK.’ Hazel rushed to Drake and put her fingers to his bloody neck. ‘Weiss!’
He snapped out of it and checked her over. Rena was still seated in the same position, her head bowed.
Drake didn’t have a pulse. Hazel glanced over to Soles. He was staring up at the ceiling with vacant eyes. She stood. ‘Call more police.’
/> ‘On it.’ Lucas already had a phone to his ear. ‘I don’t think Rena even knows what just happened.’
‘There’s a first aid kit in Neptune’s. I’ll get it.’ Hazel limped sorely back along the concourse; before she passed through the doorway into the party room she saw the corpses shimmering under the green and blue lights.
125
There were four.
‘Hazel, you shouldn’t be – fuck—’ Lucas was behind her.
On the yellow coral table, where she’d clothed Rena earlier, the hulking form of Jacob Huber had been deposited in a sitting position; his buttocks on the edge, feet on the floor and his head bowed. He’d been disembowelled, and his glistening intestines were heaped between his boots.
Hazel choked and took a step back, recalling Eve Huber telling her which message Jacob had tweeted to the killer the night they’d all been fooling around online.
Ain’t got the guts? #BeMyKiller
Then she recognised Griff Needham. He was lying on the carpet in front of Jacob, a length of Huber’s intestines wrapped around his bicep like an addict’s belt. Three syringes were stabbed into his blackened forearm.
Wishing you a lethal injection. #BeMyKiller
There was little left of Eve Huber but Hazel knew the dismembered trunk of gnawed flesh was hers because the exposed bones and sinew remnants had been arranged over her mobility scooter.
Bite me. #BeMyKiller
‘Cox—’
Her location manager was propped up on a pink shell chair. He’d never made it to his next gig. She swallowed against nausea. His mouth was just a jagged hole; his lips torn away, and his expression blackened by fumes. She remembered what he’d suggested to the crew WhatsApp group.
Blow me.
Rapid footsteps followed them in. It was Weiss.
‘Hazel—’ Whatever panic had driven him into the room briefly drained from his face as he took in the mutilated bodies.
Be My Killer: A completely UNPUTDOWNABLE crime thriller with nail-biting mystery and suspense Page 25