K.J. Emrick - Darcy Sweet 11 - Resorting to Murder

by K. J. Emrick

  “It made you more comfortable. It made me feel very uncomfortable not to have it, so I took it back.” For a woman who had just shot a man to death, JoEllen’s voice was very calm. Her eyes, however, sparked with a fury that boiled just below the surface. “Now where is my son?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Jon used the dispatch radio to call the cars back to the station. Three Deputies, all of them standing with wide eyes at their dead Sheriff, made for a very uncomfortable scene. Two of them settled their hands on their weapons as Jon explained the situation. Darcy could tell they weren’t buying it. It was only after Deputy Travis reviewed the security recordings on the monitors that the Bear Ridge officers believed their story. Only then did Darcy dare to breathe deeply again.

  There were still a lot of questions to be answered, but there was something more important to do first.

  The first place they searched for Connor was the Sheriff’s Office itself. The building wasn’t big, Travis explained as they went room to room, but it had a basement that was hardly ever used and a crawlspace over the roof tiles. One of the other Deputies did a search of the crawlspace and came up empty.

  A search of the basement turned up the same. Connor wasn’t here.

  Next, Travis brought Jon and Darcy and JoEllen to the Sheriff’s house. The other two deputies were left behind to start processing the crime scene. One of them, a portly guy with freckles and red hair, looked down at the blood pooling around the man who had been his boss only an hour earlier, and promptly threw up into a waste basket. He came up for air muttering that he was okay, and then promptly threw up some more.

  Ben Rockwood’s home turned out to be a small doublewide on the outskirts of the town. It sat on the very end of a dead end street, away from all the other houses, huddled low to the ground. In the wash of the patrol car’s headlights it looked to Darcy like a dog huddled over a bone it didn’t want to give up.

  There were no lights on. Curtains were drawn over all of the windows. Travis told them that Rockwood lived alone. No pets, no family, just him. The Sheriff had brought him out here once to pick up a packet to deliver to the court but hadn’t let him step inside. Sheepishly, he admitted how suspicious that looked in hindsight.

  “He was my boss,” Travis told them, almost defensively. “How was I supposed to know?”

  Jon put a hand on JoEllen’s arm, holding her back from whatever she had been about to do to the young deputy. Travis turned pale and looked away.

  Up on the front patio, the four of them made a quick search of the bushes and any loose stones looking for a hide-a-key. JoEllen lost her patience quickly. With two quick steps she brought her foot up and slammed it down on the door right next to the knob. Wood splintered with a sound like thunder, and they were in.

  Travis clicked on his duty flashlight. Jon found the lightswitch. Each room they went to was more austere than the last, with minimal furniture and walls painted a stark white with bare floors under their feet. Rockwood lived a very simple lifestyle.

  In one closet sized room they found articles from the local newspaper spread out across a worktable. Several of them were about missing person cases here in Bear Ridge, each with a picture of someone circled in red. Darcy picked one up and scanned it, then set it back down with the others. Five people, all declared missing, all dead at Rockwood’s hands. Including the former Sheriff. That was a lot of blood just for one man to get to the top.

  Other articles were on the proposed arena, with parts of sentences underlined or circled and little notes made in the margins. Rockwood had kept a close eye on the land use debate here in town. Reading over a few of the clippings quickly Darcy saw that Mayor Wasson had been right. Without his influence the arena never would have been approved. No wonder Rockwood needed him gone.

  JoEllen slammed her fist into a wall. “Connor!” she called out, very loudly. “Connor!”

  No answer.

  The last room at the end of the home was a bedroom. They hadn’t found any stairs leading down to a basement, no ceiling panels leading up to a crawlspace here either.

  And there didn’t look like there was anything to find in the bedroom, either.

  A single bed with a white sheet and a single pillow stood up against the far wall. A dresser stood at the foot of the bed with an old bulky television set perched on top of it. A heavy braided rug the color of mud and spoiled cream spread over most of the floor. The closet had no doors. It was full of clothes neatly folded and hung. There was nothing else.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jon muttered. JoEllen glared at him sharply. “I know, I know. We’ll find Connor. We won’t give up until we do.”

  “I killed that man to save you,” she growled at him. “Don’t make me regret it.”

  “Hey, wait,” Darcy said, stepping in between the two of them before their argument got out of hand. She’d clued in on the one thing that didn’t belong in the room. Everything about the rest of the house was completely Spartan.

  So why the throw rug?

  Kicking the edge over with her feet she saw the black line of a seam that had been cut into the floorboards. The rug had been hiding it.

  JoEllen was on her hands and knees in the space of a breath, throwing the rug aside and feeling across the revealed hinged panel until she found the rope handle and hauled the square door back. Underneath was a deep hole with hard packed black earth for sides. The bottom was too dark to see into.

  Until Deputy Travis aimed his flashlight beam down into it.

  “Mom?” a weak voice called up. There, huddled with his knees up to his chest, was a dirty towheaded boy with dried tears on his cheeks. There was no mistaking whose son he was.

  Jon took the flashlight from Travis and told him to go outside and radio for help. A ladder, and the rescue squad. The boy was obviously dehydrated and possibly in shock. So much for Sheriff Rockwood’s promises that Connor was all right.

  “I’m here,” JoEllen said to him, leaning over to reach in. She was too far up to reach her son, but it didn’t keep her from trying. “I’m here, Connor. Everything will be all right now. Everything will be all right.”

  ***

  Like Darcy had figured, most of Sunday was taken up by making sure Connor was all right, by endless paperwork from both the Bear Ridge Sheriff’s Office and the State Police, and by endless waiting in between. At one point, sitting in an uncomfortable orange plastic chair inside the Sheriff’s Office, she checked her watch to find it was just after two in the afternoon.

  She looked at Jon sitting in an identical chair next to her. He looked like she felt. “Is it bad that I just want to go to bed and sleep for the rest of the day?” he asked.

  “No,” Darcy said with a chuckle. “Because I want to do the same. I guess almost being shot and then helping to save a boy’s life will do that to you.”

  “We would know,” he joked.

  Darcy took his hand in hers and rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you, Jon Tinker.”

  “I love you, Darcy Sweet,” he said back to her.

  It might not have happened the way they had planned, but the weekend had definitely brought them closer together. She let the emotions she was feeling wash over and through her. Her eyes closed, and she knew in another minute she could fall asleep on him.

  “So, I have a question to ask you,” he said.

  “Hmm?” she asked him sleepily.

  “It’s about us.”

  Instantly she was awake again, her eyes snapping open, her mind alert again. “Oh. Really?”

  He studied her hand in his. “Yes. See, I had a lot of time to think when I was, you know… staying away from you.”

  “When you were being stupid and moved out of Misty Hollow, you mean.” She couldn’t help getting in one last dig about that. Maybe she had forgiven him for doing what he did. That didn’t mean he was off the hook completely. She expected to get at least a few hour long back massages out of this.

  Rolling his eyes and smiling
at her, he kissed her knuckles. “Yes. That. Well, this weekend has really shown me that I need to be with you. I mean, I knew that before, but I really know it now. And what with your mother getting married and your sister having a baby, and everything else…”

  Darcy found herself on the edge of the seat, waiting for what came next.

  She’d have to wait a while longer.

  “There’s my two most favorite people in the world,” said a familiar, smooth voice. Mayor Donnie Wasson walked up to them, rubbing his hands and smiling broadly. “Darcy. Jon. We sure are lucky you came to town.”

  Jon raised an eyebrow at him. “Three men have died since we’ve been here, Mister Mayor. One of them was your own Sheriff. You have a different idea of what lucky means than I do, I think.”

  Donnie’s smile faded just a bit. “Well, I suppose that’s so. Five people dead, one of them the previous Sheriff, one of them the man who was mayor after my pops. No way to make that sound anything other than horrible. On the other hand, you helped us get rid of a serial killer that had been living in our midst. You helped find that poor boy and rescue him. We owe you a lot.”

  Around them, officers in different uniforms rushed back and forth. News vans had been parked out on the street for hours. This was a big deal for a sleepy little town, and Darcy had to admit that Donnie was right. Without Jon and Darcy’s interference none of it would have happened. JoEllen’s son might have died as well. Other people might have fallen victim to the Sheriff’s insane killing spree. Probably worst of all, from Donnie’s viewpoint at least, one of the victims might have been him.

  “Anyway, the Town Board wants to say thank you,” Donnie continued. “We want to extend the use of our ski lodge to you for the rest of the year. Any weekend you want to stay here, just call and let us know. You two are always welcome.”

  “Three of us, don’t you mean?” Jon asked him. “JoEllen saved my life, sir. You owe as much to her as you do to us.”

  “Right. About that.” Donnie scrubbed at the back of his neck. “Weird thing. We had the State Police run her name through their system. Now, don’t be upset by that. It was just routine as far as their Captain told me. Some interesting things came back, though. Seems JoEllen Meyers is suspected in some very bad things. There’s more than a few deaths around her. You two wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  Darcy shrugged and looked away. Jon’s gaze didn’t waiver. Both of them wanted to protect JoEllen’ssecret. They owed her a lot. “You’d have to ask her,” was Jon’s response.

  “I’d love to ask her.” Donnie nodded to himself with an uncertain smile. “If I knew where she was. Seems her and her son have both disappeared. They’re gone. Can’t imagine why they would have up and run away. Considering what your official written statements say, it doesn’t seem like she did anything wrong. I did read them correctly, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, sir,” Darcy and Jon both said at the same time.

  “Hmm.” The mayor smiled at them again and lifted his hands in a that’s-it-then motion. “Guess we’ll never know, then. If you guys happen to hear from her can you give her my personal thanks? I doubt this town will ever be the same again. Just hope it changes for the better. You know, Jon, we’ll be looking for a new Sheriff. Bear Ridge is a great place to live. Nicer, now that we’re rid of that psychopath Rockwood. Maybe you’d consider moving here?”

  Letting go of Darcy’s hand, Jon stood up. Darcy watched him with a moment’s panic. It wouldn’t be the first job offer he’d accepted where a promotion was involved. And Sheriff of an entire department, even one this small, would be a great temptation.

  He extended his hand out to Mayor Wasson, and they shook.

  Darcy sucked in a breath.

  “Thanks, Mister Mayor,” Jon said, “but I’ve got a home. Misty Hollow has been good to me. I’ve got a job there I love, and friends, and I’m going to stay there. With Darcy.”

  He reached back for her, and she took his hand again to stand up next to him. She felt like killing him for making her worry like that. At the same time, she couldn’t love him any more than she did in that moment.

  “I understand,” Donnie said to them. “Well. I’ve got to get back to it. The news people can’t get enough of this story, and the Town Board is clamoring for answers, and I’ve still got to call my wife and tell her it’s time to come home.” He winked at Jon. “Nothing like the love of a good woman. Am I right?”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Jon said to him. They shook hands again, sharing some secret guy moment that Darcy only sort of understood.

  After the mayor walked away Darcy turned Jon toward her, looking up into his blue eyes. “So, what were you going to ask me? It seemed kind of important.”

  “It did?” he teased.

  “Well, you mentioned my mother and my sister, so yes it seemed kind of important. Come on, don’t leave me in suspense.”

  He pulled her to him, held her close, and buried his face into her long hair close to her ear. “Darcy Sweet,” he whispered, “will you marry me?”

  Later, she wouldn’t be able to remember what her answer was. Really. She knew she said something clever and witty, and she knew that her heart had never beat so fast in her life. Whatever she said, it came from her heart and her soul, and it meant one simple thing.

  Yes.

  ***

  Jon took them out by the back door to avoid the news cameras. A few minutes after that, they were back on the road to the ski lodge and their cabin. They didn’t have to leave until tonight to make it back to Misty Hollow by morning and that meant a little more time in the cabin for them.

  In the trunk of the car was the box of the books Carson Middlemiss had given Darcy, including the ones he had autographed. It made Darcy sad to think he had died. She was going to fulfil her promise to him and sell the books. She’d set up a display in her bookstore and make sure everyone knew what an amazing author he had been. She’d be sure the money went to a worthwhile charity.

  When Jon parked the car in the parking lot, they took a moment to hold each other and share a few gentle kisses. “We have our whole life to look forward to now,” Jon said to her. “What should we do first?”

  “Take a nap,” she suggested with a tired smile.

  “I second that.” He reached for the doorhandle and went to open the door.

  His cell phone rang, startling them both. He fished it out of his pocket with a long sigh. “Naptime has to wait, I guess. Hello?” he said as he put the phone up to his ear.

  Darcy watched him as he listened to the caller. Then he was handing the phone over to her. “She wants to talk to you.”

  “Who?” she wondered.

  He didn’t answer. He just waved the phone at her.

  Taking it from him, eyeing him suspiciously, Darcy looked at the smartphone’s display. The number was blocked. When she put it up to her ear, she hesitated before saying, “Who is this?”

  “Darcy. It’s me.”

  JoEllen didn’t say her name. She didn’t have to. Darcy recognized her voice easily, and she understood immediately why she didn’t want to give her name. You never knew who was listening.

  “Hi,” Darcy said. “It’s good to hear your voice. You know there’s people looking for you.”

  “I do. Kind of the reason I left like I did. Why don’t you have a cell phone of your own?”

  Some time ago Darcy had gotten rid of her cell phone and never gotten another. It turned out spirits could text message people from the other side. Once they got Darcy’s number, they never stopped. Her overage charges had been insane.

  “It’s a long story,” she told JoEllen. “Are we going to see you guys again?”

  “Probably not,” was the quick answer. “But you never know. Life’s funny that way. Right now, we have some things to figure out. Some grief to work through.”

  Darcy understood that by “we,” JoEllen meant her and Connor. The poor kid would have to come to terms with the sad fact that
his dad had been killed. It was a lot for anyone to handle. Probably even more so for a ten year old who had been kidnapped and held in a hole.

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Darcy asked her.

  There was a sound like laughter mixed with a sigh from the other end of the call. “You don’t think you and Jon have done enough?”

  “It was you who saved our lives. We owe you.”

  “Let’s call it even, then. I just wanted to call and say, you know. Thanks.”

  The call ended before Darcy could say anything more. Still, it left her with a smile and a good feeling inside. Would they ever see JoEllen and Connor again? Only God knew the answer to that one. Darcy had enough to keep herself busy.

  For now, she was just looking forward to getting some sleep, and then getting back to Misty Hollow. Back home with Jon.

  ***

  Hi everyone. This is Darcy Sweet.

  I hope you enjoyed this story, as well as the other stories in my series. As you can see, ghost stories are a large part of my life.

  How about yours?

  The e-mail address I gave Carson Middlemiss in this story really does belong to me. If you have a ghost story to share, I’d like to invite you to send it to me. I’d love to read about your experiences with the other side.

  Spirits can be funny, scary, sad, amazing. I’ve had more than a few brushes with ghosts and the dearly departed. Now it’s your turn to tell me what you’ve seen. You might even see your stories used in one of my books…with your permission, of course.

  Anyway, send me an e-mail. I’d love to hear from you.

  darcy@sweetreadbookstore.com

  —End—

  More of K.J. Emrick’s Books

  Don’t miss another book by K.J. Emrick!

  Subscribe to the mailing list here to be notified when the next books in the Darcy Sweet Mysteries by K.J. Emrick are available.

  We promise not to spam you or chit-chat, and only make occasional book release announcements.