Twisted Innocence

by Terri Blackstock

  CHAPTER 18

  In the dim illumination from a streetlight, Holly met Creed’s eyes in her rearview mirror—sitting in her backseat and holding her gun on her.

  “I need you to listen carefully,” he said.

  She tried to breathe. “Creed, this is crazy. What are you doing?”

  “I should ask you the same question.”

  She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell him that she was trying to find him so she could turn him over to the police. She thought of bringing up Lily, reminding him that she was a mother . . . but that didn’t seem wise. “Creed, come on. Put the gun down.”

  “Brittany told me you were asking about me. As she was leaving, I saw your cab. Are you working for them?”

  “Them who?”

  He stared at her. “I want you to give me your phone and that camera.”

  She took them off her seat, handed them to him.

  “Now you’re going to get out of the car with me and come into the camper. We’re going to drive it out of here. If you found me, the others will too.”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes, okay. Sure. Just . . . take it easy with that gun, will you? Point it somewhere else.”

  He looked down at the phone, probably checking to see if she’d called anyone about him. Then she heard him ejecting the gun’s clip, no doubt making sure it was loaded. “All right, get out. I’ll have the gun in my pocket, aimed at you as we walk. If you scream or do anything other than what I tell you, I’ll shoot. Don’t test me. I’ll do it.”

  “Right. Okay. Whatever you say.”

  Her mind raced for an escape, but she couldn’t run with a gun pointed at her back. He got out of the car, took the keys out of her hand and locked it. He prodded her. “Walk.”

  Stiffly, she crossed the street and passed several RVs, motor homes, and campers till they came to his motor home under the streetlight. He opened the door and motioned for her to go in. She stepped up and into it.

  In the dim light she could see two small beds—one above the other—a table, and a small door that led into a bathroom. The driver’s and passenger’s seats were accessible from the living area.

  “Nice place,” she said in a metallic voice. “Is it yours?”

  “Get in the driver’s seat,” he said.

  “I don’t know how to drive one of these. I’ll wreck it.”

  “Do it!”

  She slipped into the seat behind the steering wheel. Creed got into the passenger seat next to her. Now she could see that he looked pretty much the same as he had ten months ago. Dark hair a little too long, his face two or three days unshaven, those blue eyes that had done her in . . .

  “Now pull out. I’ll tell you where to go.”

  She started the engine, her hands shaking. “What about my cab?”

  “I don’t care about your cab.”

  “Well, I do. It’s the way I make a living.”

  “I know about both your jobs, Holly. That’s why I think you can help me.”

  Help him? Was he insane? “Who told you what I do?”

  “Rio.”

  She sighed as she pulled the behemoth vehicle down the drive to the campground’s exit. “He sure is chatty these days, isn’t he? Just a treasure trove of information.”

  “You might say that.”

  They were quiet for a moment as she turned out of the RV park and onto the highway. What was Juliet going to think when Holly didn’t show up to get Lily? Would she realize something had happened to her, or would she just assume that she had gone back to her old partying ways?

  Holly looked over at Creed. His eyes were wide open—on high alert—as he scanned the cars on the road. He looked tired and scared.

  Holly swallowed. “Listen, Creed. I know you’re stressed out with the police looking for you and all. I don’t know if you killed that guy or not, but I can tell you that taking me hostage right now is not going to help your situation.”

  “I’m not taking you hostage. You came here of your own free will.”

  “Well, I’m not in this motor home of my own free will! I have a baby who needs to be picked up from my sister’s house! Juliet is going to think I ditched my child to go out partying. Can’t I just call her?”

  “No. You’re not calling anybody.”

  “Creed, the baby needs to be fed soon.”

  He grew quiet, glancing from her to the highway, brooding in the darkness.

  “Where are we going?”

  “There’s another RV park across town.” He hesitated, frowning. “But that might not be a good idea. If they find me the same way you did, and they know I’m in a motor home now, then they’ll be looking at all the campgrounds. No, there’s got to be a better place.”

  The confusion and near panic in his voice gave her pause. He didn’t seem quite so hardened now.

  “Just drive. I’ll show you where they’re working on a new neighborhood. They’re clearing land. We’ll just park out there.”

  She didn’t like the idea of being in some remote place alone with him.

  “Creed,” she tried again. “They’re going to find you eventually. They’re turning over every rock. Why don’t you just turn yourself in and let the justice system sort this out?”

  “Because I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill anybody, but if I turn myself in and tell them that, they won’t believe me.”

  “Why do they consider you a suspect?”

  “Because my stuff was at the scene. I was set up, and I don’t know how strong the case against me is.”

  “If you got a lawyer, they could find out for you.”

  He gave her a glance. “If you found me, the bad guys can too. I’m a dead man.”

  Thick, heavy silence fell like a blanket over them. When her phone vibrated, she looked at him. “Creed, please. It’s probably my sister, wondering when I’ll be home.”

  He pulled it out of his pocket, read the text aloud: “When are you coming to get Lily? You said eleven. She won’t take the bottle and she’s hungry.”

  Holly felt her let-down reflex react, and she twisted her face. “Please, Creed. Let me call her.”

  He stared at the phone for a long moment. “Is that what you named her?”

  Holly hesitated. “Yes. Lily.”

  Silence for a moment. “You weren’t even gonna tell me I had a child.”

  She swallowed. “I didn’t think it would matter.”

  “You didn’t think her father would want to know about her?”

  That made Holly angry. “Excuse me for saying so, but you’re holding a gun on me right now. Sorry if I didn’t think you’d be that great an influence on her.”

  He took in a long breath, then dropped his shoulders as he exhaled. “I would have been a good dad if . . .” His voice trailed off.

  If what? she thought. If you hadn’t gone into the criminal world? If you hadn’t killed a guy? If you hadn’t taken me hostage?

  He didn’t speak again until he told her where to turn.

  CHAPTER 19

  Cathy sat at her desk in her small bedroom office, stuffing the envelopes for every news outlet she could find in the Florida, Georgia, and Alabama markets. The packet included her own plea for them to cover Michael’s story as well as multiple articles highlighting his journey. On the top page she had typed in bold letters, “Should Governor Larimore Pardon Local Hero?”

  She might be up all night getting the packages together.

  But when the phone rang and Zach passed along Juliet’s frustrated need for help, Cathy loaded the stacks of stapled papers and manila envelopes into her car and headed over. Maybe after she helped Juliet she would have time to work on this, and she could still get them in Monday’s mail.

  She found her sister’s house in a rare state of chaos, so she took over with Lily while Juliet attended to Robbie. By this time, Lily was hungry enough to take her bottle, but every so often she would let the rubber nipple go and scream out again, as if in pain. “I hope she’s not getting what
ever Robbie has,” Juliet said.

  With two crying babies and two tweens—how had Juliet been handling all this alone? “Maybe Lily just misses her mother.”

  “She’s not the only one,” Juliet muttered.

  When Robbie had finally fallen asleep and the boys were in bed, Cathy was still walking Lily from one end of the house to the other. The baby stayed quiet as long as she kept moving.

  How could Holly put Juliet in this position? “Where is she?” Cathy said as Juliet came out of Robbie’s room.

  “Probably in some bar getting drunk with her friends.”

  That didn’t sound like Juliet.

  “She lied through her teeth,” Juliet went on, “and said she wasn’t going to meet them.”

  “Do you think she was really mugged the other day?”

  “Yes, I think that part was true. I just need to figure out what to do about Lily. Do I keep babysitting her so Holly can go out and party? I was only doing it when she was trying to earn money, but I have my hands full, and I don’t want to be used.”

  “If anybody needs a night out, it’s you,” Cathy said. “I’m just surprised at her. She’s been so different lately.”

  “But those girls today, they really did a number on her. Pressuring her to go out with them.”

  “Still, she loves Lily so much. She hates being away from her.”

  Juliet checked her watch. “Well, it’s past eleven now. When she gets here, I’m gonna let her have it. She hasn’t even answered my texts yet. That’s the least she could do so I don’t imagine she’s dead on the street.”

  “She’s not dead on the street.”

  Juliet looked at her. “She could be. What if she got mugged again?”

  “She’s not working, remember? She wouldn’t have picked up any strangers if she’s not on the clock.”

  Tears escaped Juliet’s eyes. “I’m just sad for Lily, if Holly’s going back down this path. I understand her wanting some time with her friends, but I hate lying.”

  Cathy knew that lying was a knife in Juliet’s injured heart. She might never overcome her husband’s lies. Holly knew that. Why would she put Juliet through this? Even in Holly’s worst years, she wasn’t cruel. And maybe she wouldn’t do this. Maybe they had it all wrong.

  “Let’s just calm down,” Cathy said. “She’s not that late yet. Maybe she’s fine and just being inconsiderate.”

  But when midnight passed, Cathy’s denial began to seem ridiculous. Juliet had no choice but to feed Lily formula. Lily’s digestive system rejected it, and she promptly threw it up. Eventually she cried herself to sleep in the swing.

  Afraid to move the baby to the portable Pack ’n Play bed, Juliet collapsed on the couch. “How did this become my life?”

  “It’s not so bad, honey. Just a stressful night.”

  Tears blurred Juliet’s eyes, and she pulled her knees up and dabbed at her eyes. “I just sometimes think . . .”

  When Juliet’s voice trailed off, Cathy sat down next to her. “Think what?”

  “That God is punishing me for something, and he’s keeping the reason a secret.”

  So that was what Juliet had been thinking. Cathy studied her sister—she had been losing weight since Bob’s death, and she was almost skin and bones. Lines had etched themselves deeper into her complexion, and shadows seemed darker around her mouth and under her eyes. “God’s not punishing you. You’re probably one of his favorites.”

  That made the tears fall. “No, I’m not. I can’t be. All this stuff wouldn’t keep happening.”

  Cathy sighed. “Someone really wise once told me that even Christians aren’t immune to tragedy. That we can’t use this fallen world to gauge our value to God.”

  Juliet must have remembered saying those words, because she smiled, but it only lasted a moment. “I just don’t understand. Bob’s whole life was a lie, and now mine is turned upside down. My kids have to go to counseling to deal with their feelings. I’ve had to work full-time to keep a roof over our heads, after having all the money I needed for most of my adult life. I barely make enough to pay my bills. Now my kid sister who I thought was finally flying right is going back off the cliff, but this time she has a baby. Why can’t something go right?”

  “When you’re this tired and stressed, everything looks bad. Discouragement sets in. Then the devil gets a foothold.”

  “Are you going to keep quoting me all night?”

  “Yes,” Cathy said with a laugh. “You keep sounding like me and I’ll keep sounding like you. Go to bed.”

  Juliet flipped on the television, turned to a movie channel. “Let’s just watch something fun until she gets home.”

  Lily started to cry again, and Juliet drew in a deep breath. Cathy jumped up and got her out of the swing.

  “Poor little thing,” Juliet said. “She sounds miserable.”

  Cathy started walking again. It was going to be a long night if Holly didn’t come soon.

  CHAPTER 20

  When they stopped, Creed took the battery out of Holly’s phone and stuffed it into his pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure nobody tracks you.”

  She wished they could track her—but the truth was, her sisters didn’t have the ability to track her phone unless they had her computer, where she had the Find My Phone app.

  “Creed, you’re killing me here. My sister is freaking out, thinking I’m getting wasted and doing all the things I did before I had a child to think about, but none of that is true.”

  “Tell me about it. My family’s been told I’m a killer.”

  Holly leaned back in her seat, looking out the windshield into the night. “I’m not like I was when we met, you know. I don’t go home with strangers.”

  “I know you don’t.”

  “Oh really? How do you know?”

  “Your friends seemed surprised that night. If you did it all the time, they wouldn’t have been. Your family will get over it. Mine will too, if they ever learn the truth that I didn’t walk up to some guy and put a gun to the back of his head and blow his skull off.”

  She stared at him, not sure she believed him. “Okay—what happened, then?”

  “There was a big drug bust. Several dealers got arrested, and some idiot decided I was the snitch. They had to make an example of me.”

  “So I’m a sitting duck here with you, waiting for your maniac friends to come kill you if the police don’t get here first?”

  “It’s not an ideal situation.”

  “Not ideal? Are you crazy? Do you know how many years you could get for kidnapping? That’s what you’re doing here, Creed. Kidnapping!”

  “I’m not a criminal.”

  “You are now.” She saw the war being waged on his face, so she changed her strategy. Lowering her voice, she said, “Let me go, and I won’t tell the police. I can keep my mouth shut.”

  “Why would you? You don’t believe me.”

  She honestly didn’t know if she did. He seemed sincere, but criminals could be manipulators. “Creed, listen to me. When the cops came to my house looking for you, I researched you to see what was going on. There isn’t a warrant out for your arrest yet. They just want you for questioning. You’re just a person of interest. If you got a lawyer and turned yourself in, you could tell them what really happened. If you didn’t do it, you probably have an alibi, right? Some proof of where you were?”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t. They were holding me while it happened. They planned it all out from the beginning. A way to take us both down. Me and Loco, the guy who was killed. I was there.”

  “At the murder scene?”

  His mouth twitched as he seemed to struggle with his emotions. “It’s all so insane, me dealing drugs. I was waiting tables and wasn’t making enough. I could have gone to work for my dad, but I didn’t want to depend on him. I needed to pay bills, and I didn’t want to ask my parents for money, so I wound up selling weed. Then I figured I could make mor
e selling coke. Just a little here and there, to friends who were going to buy anyway. But after a few weeks, I told my supplier I wanted out. Next thing I know, the DEA drug bust happens. I guess it looked suspicious that I got out right before that happened. My suppliers suspected Loco too, because he was arrested for dealing a few days before the bust, and then the police let him go with a tiny bond. They thought he had made a deal with the police, and if you ask me, he probably did.”

  “So you saw who killed him?”

  “Yes. They shot him right in front of me.” His face glistened with sweat, and his trembling hand came up to wipe his mouth. “It’s not like in the movies. It was sick . . . worst thing I ever saw. One of the guys cut me . . . knife across the ribs.”

  He lifted his shirt, showed Holly the newly healing cut. She sucked in a breath.

  “It wasn’t a deep cut, but I was bleeding. Miller told me to take my shirt off to blot it, and when I did, he shoved the gun into my hand and put the knife into Loco’s. I realized they were staging the scene, and I dropped my shirt and the gun and made a run for it. They shot at me and chased me, but I got away.”

  Holly tried to picture the scene. “Why didn’t you go straight to the police?”

  “You don’t understand,” he said. “Those guys have people there. They have people everywhere. They’re looking for me. They want me dead.”

  “They’re not omniscient, like God. Maybe you’re overestimating them.”

  “I’m not, okay? I’m not.”

  Silence hung heavy over the motor home as Holly played out the scene in her head. Finally, Creed said, “I would have been a good father, I think. I had a great family. Good parents.”

  “Had? What are you, dead already?”

  He didn’t answer, and she realized that he didn’t expect to survive this—which meant she might not either.

  She looked down at her feet. “I followed your parents when I was looking for you.”

  “You what?”

  “I didn’t know where you were. I thought they might lead me to you. Anyway, they went to a T-ball game. Was that for your nephew?”

  “Yeah, Brock. He’s five, really a blast. Loves his Uncle Creed. I was supposed to go to that game too.”