The Westport Mysteries Boxed Set

by Beth Prentice

  The scream that emerged from Joe will be a noise I will never forget. He dropped to the floor, powerless to even swat Harper away.

  Suddenly noise filled the room, as the back door was kicked in and the room filled with police officers, including Officer Wilkins and Helms, and Riley’s brother Jared.

  I stood frozen as they rushed in, guns first and descended on Joe. I have to admit breathing was difficult with all the spray in the air and I succumbed to the fumes, dropping to my hands and knees. From this position I looked over and noticed Harper had latched onto Joe’s privates and even with a room full of people with guns, he was not letting go.

  “Harper! Come here, boy,” I called, coughing.

  I figured the police had this under control now and didn’t like the idea of Harper being in the line of fire. He immediately came running to me, tongue out, licking my face in his attempt to make sure I was okay.

  Once Joe was secured and no longer a threat, and the guns were holstered, Officer Wilkins stepped over to me.

  “Lizzie, can you stand?” she asked.

  I looked up at her and nodded my head. Holding out her hand, she helped me to my feet.

  Watching as Joe was handcuffed and almost dragged out of the room, I saw the blood seeping through his pants, leaving a big red stain as it soaked into the fabric. I should be feeling elation, but honestly, I wasn’t feeling anything.

  Sure, relief was in there somewhere, but all I felt was numb. It was as if I was having an out of body experience, where my soul floated somewhere around the ceiling, observing everything from a third party point of view.

  “Lizzie, this is Tom, a paramedic. He’s going to help you,” said Officer Wilkins as another man in uniform approached me.

  Tom sat me down on a chair he’d pulled towards me and wrapped a silver foil blanket around my shoulders. He took my pulse and my blood pressure, hooked me up to various mobile machines and determined I would live. Apparently though, my wrist needed an x-ray and it was probably a good idea to have a brain scan, as it appeared my head had taken a few knocks. Humph, he was telling me.

  A gurney was wheeled in and another paramedic tried to help me onto it. Harper however, was not leaving my side. A younger officer stepped up and reached out to Harper, the trepidation showing on his face. I looked down at Harper and gave him a reassuring pat.

  “Good boy, Harpie. You’re a good dog.” I smiled. This seemed to be enough for Harper as I could see his body physically relax. A lead miraculously appeared from somewhere and was clipped onto his collar, as he was led out of the room. Watching Harper’s disappearing back, I felt the numbness start to wear off. The void was now being filled with that many different emotions, I didn’t know what would surface first.

  “I don’t want to go to hospital,” I said, turning back to Tom. “Can’t it wait till morning and I’ll go to the x-ray place? Please?” Okay, anxiety seemed to be topping the list. This would have to have been the worst day of my life, and to finish it off I had to go to hospital?

  “Sorry love. It’s for the best. They’ll get you through nice and quickly and then you can go home for a good sleep.” Tom seemed like a nice man, but honestly, he had no idea.

  “This is my home and I’m not sure I ever want to come back here again,” I whispered.

  “Well then, let’s get you sorted and see how you feel tomorrow.”

  Looking around the room, I recognized no-one. Even Jared, who I’d only met once, had disappeared. I felt desperate, and lonely. I knew if I started to cry, I would never stop, so I tried my hardest to bite the tears down. Slowly climbing onto the gurney, I felt about a hundred years old as the paramedics then wheeled me outside.

  Outside, blue and red lights flashed, casting strange shadows over my neighbors who filled the street, eager to know what was going on. Police tape was strung across my driveway, preventing any unauthorized entry. I could see Joe being wheeled into another ambulance, closely followed by two police officers.

  Lying back, I closed my eyes and wished for this to all be over. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

  A hand touched mine. I briefly opened my eyes and came face to face with Riley. He was the one person I really wanted to see and suddenly, everything seemed all right.

  I was safe.

  I could no longer hold them back. The tears ran down my cheeks and I struggled to keep control of my emotions as the shock registered on his face.

  God only knows what I looked like. I’d had countless hits across the face, dried blood on my throat, congealed blood oozing from my swollen lip, my left eye was swelling shut and I had stubble rash on my chin from where Joe had kissed me. Oh, and my wrist could possibly be broken and I’m sure I had tufts of hair missing. Holding my breath for the thousandth time tonight, I waited for his reaction.

  The paramedics had stopped my gurney just short of the vehicle and were running around doing goodness knows what, but I was completely unaware of any of them as I waited. Riley’s face was illuminated from the light coming from the inside of the ambulance and I could see the torture in those beautiful blue eyes.

  “What did he do to you?” he whispered as tears wet those gorgeous lashes.

  That was all it took. Sobs escaped me and I no longer had control over my emotions whatsoever. Riley leaned closer as I sat up and he held me against his chest.

  Geez I loved this man. I clung to his shirt as I felt him start to shake. I don’t know how long the paramedics allowed us to sit like that, but before long Riley’s shirt was soaking and I struggled to control my breathing. The sobbing would not subside.

  Riley only let go when the paramedic forced the oxygen mask over my face and patiently told me to try to take deep breaths and slow my breathing. Within a few minutes, I’d regained some control. Let me tell you, if I looked bad before, now both eyes were swollen from all the crying and my nose was pouring snot by the barrel load. Riley was obviously a very brave man, as he seemed undeterred by it all.

  * * * *

  The paramedics kindly allowed Riley to stay with me on the way to the hospital along with a uniformed police officer. On the ride, I’d tried to recount the events of the day with as much clarity as I could find. I had a monster headache and IV catheters poked into both arms, so my ability to recall events were not at its best, but I tried. Trying does not however, imply succeeding so by the time we got to emergency, I’d merely confused the poor rookie police officer who was taking my statement.

  “Why don’t you allow Lizzie some time to be looked after and when she’s feeling better, I’m sure she’ll be able to give a statement,” Paramedic Tom suggested.

  Sighing, I watched the young officer close his notebook.

  “Okay. I’ll be staying close though. Don’t worry, you’re safe now, Lizzie. Joe Woods has been brought to the same hospital, but he is heavily guarded.” He smiled reassuringly, his voice official.

  Inside, Riley never left my side, except when I was taken to x-ray and imaging when I was accompanied by Officer Rookie who, even though he looked too young to be a police officer, the sight of his gun did reassure me quite a bit. By the time I was wheeled back to emergency, my family had arrived.

  Oh dear God, would this night never end? I know I should be grateful for their love and concern, but all I wanted was some sleeping tablets and a comfy bed where I would be safe and could forget everything that had happened.

  Looking at the clock as I was pushed back into my cubicle, I saw it was two thirty in the morning and everyone looked exhausted. Mum was the first with the hugs, holding on tightly as everybody else looked too shocked by the sight of me. I still didn’t have the bravery to look in a mirror, but judging by how white they’d all turned, I must look horrific.

  Wiping her eyes, Mum stepped back and allowed Dad near. I heard the sob in his throat as he pulled me towards him and even though I thought I was all cried out, the tears started all over again. Cradled in his arms, I held on tight, feeling like a child. Maybe Mum was right. I w
ould always need someone to look out for me.

  Danny was next to step up once Dad let go and as he held me, he whispered, “You’ve got to have one serious make-over when you get out of here, girl.” Laughing, I punched him playfully in the arm.

  As I looked at Grandma Mabel, I noticed how for the first time, she actually looked her eighty-two years. Emotion burned bright in her eyes as she swished her teeth backwards and forwards.

  Molly was the last to approach. Andrew had been holding her, her eyes swollen from crying, she looked like the one who’d been punched.

  “I missed my big job in Loganville because of you,” she scolded. I knew this was just a cover. Sometimes Molly acts brave to cover her vulnerability.

  “Love you, Moll.” I smiled.

  Officer Rookie was standing back carefully watching to make sure nobody hurt me, when Danny finally noticed him. He took one look at him in his perfectly pressed uniform and asked, “Well, honey. Do I look like a bad guy? Because you can frisk me if you like.”

  The color drained from Officer Rookie’s face. He either took his job way too seriously or it was too early in the morning for jokes.

  “Daniel, have some respect for the law!” scolded Mum.

  “I do have respect and I’m just saying I’m not as good as I look, if you know what I mean.” Looking over at Andrew, I saw him roll his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Andrew. You know how bad I can be.” Danny laughed.

  Dad groaned.

  Grandma just kept rolling her teeth around.

  It certainly seemed like everyone was back to normal.

  After the doctor had given me the all clear—no, my wrist wasn’t broken and my brain was still intact—I was patched up as best they could and sent on my way. There was a small kafuffle as everyone argued over who I was staying with until Riley said I was staying with him. Officer Rookie was to stand guard until David Thornton had been arrested for his part in the crimes.

  Honestly, I didn’t care. The lovely doctor had given me something pretty strong for my headache and to help me sleep. Apparently counseling was a good place to start, but until then denial and sleeping tablets seemed the way to go.

  * * * *

  The next day arrived bright and sunny. I stretched luxuriously in Riley’s bed—he disappointingly seemed to be absent—then lay back with my head on the pillow, relaxed and content. Looking at the clock, I saw it was already twelve thirty in the afternoon. Crap, those tablets must have been good. I’d slept like a log without any dreams.

  A few things had to be sorted today, like my statement I still had to give to the police. I also had to look in the mirror. When we got back here last night, I walked straight to the shower, stripped off naked and scrubbed every inch of my body, avoiding the mirror altogether. I needed to be strong before I could do that. Caffeine would be a good help. I moved to get out of bed, wincing at my sore body.

  Riley was already up and sitting at his computer by the time I made it down that stairs.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Sore. And still a bit groggy. I’m hoping coffee will help.” I forgot my wrist was weak as I picked up the coffee pot and winced.

  Riley, not missing a beat, jumped up and poured the cup for me. “You just need to give it time. The doctor said it would be sore for a few days, maybe even a week.” His hand had brushed mine as he handed me my cup and I felt the jolt of electricity run up my arm. I looked up at him and smiled.

  “What are you up to?” I asked, nodding in the direction of the computer.

  “Just sending a few emails and finishing off a few quotes.”

  Damn, that’s right. I’d forgotten about that.

  “Did you get the job in Loganville?” I asked, turning away and walking to the table so he couldn’t see how this thought upset me.

  “Yeah. That’s the email I’m sending now,” he said, with a sheepish smile. “The police officer has gone. They arrested David Thornton this morning and are holding him until he gets in front of a judge for his bail hearing.”

  I let out a sigh. “That’s good. Hopefully they will take a very careful look at that family and uncover all the evil things they’ve done. I’m sure Avis isn’t the only person they’ve hurt to cover up indiscretions.”

  “When you’re ready, I’ll take you to the station and you can give your statement,” said Riley, walking to the table and placing his cup on it.

  “How did the police know to come to the house last night?”

  “Jared called them. When I got out of the hospital from visiting Mia, I got your messages. I gave the license plate to Jared and he phoned it in. As soon as I heard who the car belonged to, I tried to call you but it kept going to message bank. You were supposed to be at your mum’s, so I called her. She told me how you’d picked Mabel up from the Church and left. The fact that you wouldn’t answer your phone made me panic, so I spoke to Jared and we came straight to the house. Seeing the black sedan and the lights on, we knew he was there but I didn’t know you were there until I crept up to the window and looked in.” Riley looked down at me, the intensity in his eye blazing. “When I saw you handcuffed to the refrigerator I wanted to break the door down and get you out. Jared convinced me to wait two minutes while back up arrived.”

  “So you overheard what was happening inside?” I asked, uncertainty causing my stomach to clench.

  “Yes. The first thing I saw was him kissing you.” I saw the muscles in Riley’s jaw tensed at the memory.

  “Yeah, that reminds me, I need to get some acid to rinse my mouth out with.” I tried to smile to lighten the mood and show Riley I was okay, but it was harder than I thought. I was desperately shoving the emotions from last night into the To Be Sorted file in the back of my mind. Hopefully, they would soon be buried by all the other To Be Sorted crap and I would never have to actually visit them again.

  “Lizzie, when you’re feeling better, we really need to talk,” said Riley, in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “We can talk now,” I suggested, hoping against hope he was going to say the words I desperately wanted to hear. Of course, we didn’t get to talk because as it always is with Murphy’s Law, my phone started to ring.

  “Why don’t you go and get dressed and I’ll answer that,” nodded Riley.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Damn, I hate phones. I think I might take it and drown it. Better yet, maybe smashing it with a very big hammer would be better.

  Stomping my way to the bathroom door, I took a deep breath, opened it and approached the mirror with my eyes closed. You can do this, Lizzie. Everybody else had seen my face, it was time to man up and look for myself. Slowly I opened my eyes.

  Okay, internally, I was screaming the house down, but all that could come out of my mouth was a quiet little eek. My throat constricted. What looked back at me from the mirror was a black and purple face I hardly recognized. My eye and lip were swollen and a clump of hair missing from the back of my scalp. No amount of make-up in the world would cover this.

  I decided the only thing I could do was have a shower and wash my hair, styling it as best I could to cover my face. Thankfully I always have some make up in my handbag, so I gently brushed on mineral foundation and sprayed myself with perfume. Finding some clothes I’d left in Riley’s laundry pile, I pushed my D-cups up as far as they would go, hoping that with this distraction, nobody would be paying too much attention to my face. With my best heels on, I was ready to face the world. It wasn’t great, but I did feel a whole lot better than I had thirty minutes ago.

  Riley smiled when I got back downstairs, his eyes only momentarily lingering on my cleavage. “It was your mum on the phone. She wants us all there for dinner tonight. She’s celebrating Harper’s heroism.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  After spending the rest of the afternoon at the police station recounting every detail I could remember from the events of the day before, I drove with Riley to Mum’s. I felt a familiar tug on my heartstrings as I watch
ed him concentrating on the road, deep in thought.

  I knew I’d fallen in love with him and I kind of had a feeling he felt something for me, but there was no use kidding myself. He was leaving soon.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern causing his eyebrows to knit together.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “You just groaned.” Oops. I really need a filter between my brain and my mouth.

  “I have to go back to Ackwood and get my car,” I said, quickly thinking on my feet. “I remember having the keys in my hand as I walked through the carpark yesterday, but I honestly don’t know if I dropped them or put them back in my bag. I hope my car’s still there,” I said, crossing my fingers.

  “I’ll get Molly to drive with me and I’ll go and pick it up,” said Riley.

  “Oh?” Jealousy rolled and clenched my stomach. “Why Molly?”

  “Because you probably shouldn’t be driving just yet and I don’t want it to stay there another night.” Riley looked at me, a look of amusement in his eyes.

  “What’s so funny?” I snapped.

  “Nothing. It’s just, even with all those bruises, you look really cute when you’re jealous.” This earned me the megawatt smile.

  “Who says I’m jealous? Maybe I just don’t like Molly driving my car,” I sulked. Gee, I really need to work on my poker face a bit more.

  Pulling up outside Mum’s, Riley turned to me. “Lizzie, I have to drive to Loganville in the morning to prepare for a job and I’m going to be gone for a while, but when I get back I want to sort a few things out with you.”

  “Can’t we sort it out before you go?”

  “I’d like to, but I have to get your car tonight and I’m leaving early in the morning, so I don’t think I’ll have enough time,” he said, a look of sorrow clouding his eyes.

  “Oh, okay.” I felt my heart sink.

  Sitting there in Mum’s driveway looking out at the darkening sky, I wondered what it was he wanted to talk about. I mean, if he was going to tell me he loved me, was crazy about me, couldn’t live without me etcetera, then why couldn’t he just say it? The only answer I could come up with was that he didn’t feel any of these things and wanted to let me down gently. Shit, that was an emotion that hurt. Hearing Riley open his door, I blinked several times to try to clear any lingering feelings and followed him into Mum’s.