“It wouldn’t have been too difficult if Wes had left the dinner first.” Mitch had never thought to ask Chad about the dinner, per se. Neither had Agent Thorne. “We can have all of these questions answered if we brought Wes in for questioning.”
“And risk tipping Wes’ hand if he truly is our unsub?” Allie shook her head in disagreement as she rested her elbow against the window. “Jay needs to handle the paperwork properly. He’s going back to the station now to hopefully get us enough evidence to hold Wesley in custody should this backfire on us. That would at least buy Jay some time in order to get a search warrant for any of the locations where Charlene could be held.”
“We should be at the station with him.”
Mitch didn’t like being told to sit on the sidelines when a big play was about to take place, but Thorne hadn’t given them a choice.
“And what if Wesley calls Chad while we’re all at dinner? One wrong word and this could blow up in our faces.” Allie looked out the window with a frown on her face. “I just don’t understand what happened Saturday night. I mean, we carefully orchestrated an argument to force the unsub’s hand. If Wesley is our unsub, why wouldn’t he have made an attempt to add me to his so-called family? He was right there with the rest of your family, hearing every word we said to one another.”
Mitch tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he went over the facts in his head one more time. Small pieces of threads were beginning to be sewn together, but it was as if the sewing machine had stopped with the needle stuck in the fabric.
“Did your dad ask why we were going to be late?”
“Dad didn’t answer his cell phone, so I left him a voicemail.” Mitch guided his vehicle onto the gravel lane that led to his childhood home. “That was for the best, because he would have asked what was causing the delay. I didn’t want to have to evade the question over the phone.”
Mitch wasn’t surprised to see the number of vehicles in the driveway after they cleared the knot of pine trees that cloaked the property from the road. The clouds from Friday hadn’t quite disappeared and there was still a fine mist hanging in the air, leaving a sheen to glisten on the trucks and one lone red Jeep.
Noah and Reese had probably already started a fire in the hearth. Lance was most likely trying to sneak a piece of pie before dinner without Brynn noticing, and Jace was no doubt talking to the rest of the Kendall clan about the mare he was set to acquire at the beginning of the year. As for Chad and Gwen, they were almost certainly going over the details for the Thanksgiving meal that would take place in a couple of weeks and making sure every single menu item was covered. Mitch hated planning the meals. He was much better at eating them.
How could Mitch look Chad in the eye today and feign that the man’s life wasn’t about to be torn in two?
He shoved the gearshift into park and then turned the key in the ignition, sitting with Allie for a moment as the engine cooled down. She hadn’t even reached for her seat belt, which told him that she was having doubts about getting through this evening, as well.
“The unsub is angry at your family, and I didn’t see that in Wesley’s mannerisms on Saturday night,” Allie said with a small shake of her head. Seeing as she’d been working on adjusting her profile this morning, she wore her hair gathered at the base of her neck. “As a matter of fact, he seemed rather content. Almost as if…”
“As if what?”
“I don’t know.” Allie was clearly frustrated. “I’m missing something.”
Maybe Mitch was way off base. Maybe Wesley had nothing to do with this investigation, and the remorse over believing someone was guilty with such close ties to his family would eventually fade. That would certainly solve a lot of issues.
“I want to eat dinner and then head to the station.” Mitch grabbed the keys and unfastened his seatbelt. “I don’t want to linger when we could be helping Thorne investigate Wes.”
Mitch opened the driver’s side door and got out of the vehicle, resigning himself to spending the next couple of hours with his family instead of working the investigation. Thorne should at least have most of the groundwork laid, meaning there was still a chance they’d get some answers tonight.
Mitch had just cleared the trunk of the car when he saw the brightest flash of light that he hadn’t witnessed since his days in the Corps.
There was no time to move, to protect his face, or most importantly—reach Allie.
The massive explosion originated from one side of the home that Gus and Mary Kendall had worked so hard to build so long ago. The windows shattered, the wood splintered, and the remaining mass of building materials were engulfed in angry orange flames that sought to scorch everything they touched, including those individuals who’d been inside and meant everything to him—his family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The continuous ringing in Allie’s ears wouldn’t stop, and she blinked several times to try and make out what had happened after Mitch stepped out of the car. She lifted a hand to the right side of her face, only to come away with blood on her fingertips.
“Mitch?”
She could only hear her voice on the inside of her head. It seemed muffled and distant.
Weren’t they parked in front of the Kendall’s family homestead? Or had they been in an accident and she’d only imagined Mitch pulling the car next to Gwen’s Jeep?
Allie shifted in the passenger seat to check on Mitch, but shards of glass covering the meat and cheese platter were scattered all around. She didn’t care and reached out for him, anyway.
He wasn’t behind the wheel.
Allie immediately shoved the plate onto the floorboard in her attempt to find Mitch, but she abruptly stopped when she saw the…carnage. There was no other way to describe what was left of a home that had stood proudly for decades.
Flames engulfed what was left of the house. Wood, drywall, and most certainly contents of the home were now scattered within a fifty-yard radius, if not more. The ring of debris nearly reached the workshop where Gus and Lance worked through the day. She and Mitch had pulled into the driveway, but it was he who had been standing outside of the vehicle when the explosion had struck.
“Mitch!”
Again, her muffled voice seemed suppressed and to be coming from a source far away.
Allie scrambled out of the damaged vehicle, ignoring the tiny chunks of safety glass that were abrading her hands. She practically spilled out from the mangled door, barely catching herself before landing on one knee. Red and black ashes was now raining down from the sky above as she virtually crawled around the back tire of the car.
Mitch was nowhere to be found.
“Mitch!” Allie yelled, using the back bumper for leverage as she got to her feet. The ringing in her ears was beginning to subside, but just barely. Her heart beat hard against her chest as movement came about eight feet in front of her. Mitch was rolling onto his side as he attempted to stand. “Mitch, don’t move. You’re bleeding and—”
“Move out of the way.”
Allie had never in all her time in the Bureau heard such desperation and pain laced between the words of such a directive. It was clear that Mitch only had one goal, and that was to reach the house.
But there was nothing left but burning pyres, and anything inside had been destroyed right along with it.
She swallowed the sob that had caught in the back of her throat, concentrating solely on the man in front of her. The heat of the blast had given Mitch’s face second degree burns, and some of the debris must have made contact with his skin. Blood was dripping down his forehead, diverting around his eyebrow and rolling down the side of his face.
“Mitch, we need to call this in—”
Nothing she said was going to stop Mitch from going inside that inferno, but that wouldn’t prevent her from trying to get him to see reason—nothing inside could have survived that explosion. He shook off her grasp as he took off running, calling out for his dad, brothers, and sister.
The anguish in his muffled, guttural screams brought her to tears, but she still ran after him. She didn’t stop until she’d managed to get in front of him and grab his shirt.
“Mitch, they’re gone.” Allie dug her boots into the gravel as Mitch continued to walk forward. He was physically stronger than she was, but she would do everything in her power to prevent him from being hurt worse. She wouldn’t lose him like they’d lost… “Stop! Just stop, Mitch. They’re gone, and you trying to get in there will only get you killed, too.”
His suffering shone bright in those blue eyes of his, telling her that he didn’t care what happened to himself at this moment. Allie did, and she wouldn’t allow him to take from her what had been stolen from him.
It all made sense now.
The unsub had taken the very thing that the Kendalls had taken from him.
An eye for an eye.
She should have seen this coming.
Mitch had come home to lead the revolt against the evil inhabiting this town. He was the guardian and defender of his family, just as the unsub was to his makeshift gravesite.
An eye for an eye.
“Let go of me, Allie,” Mitch directed in such a guttural tone that it tore her heart in two. His grip on her shoulders were tight as he moved her to the side, once again telling her that nothing she said was getting through to him. “They’re my family, and they are not gone.”
Mitch took off once again, getting as close to the flames as possible as he looked for a way into the destruction. He began calling for his dad and siblings one by one, his voice becoming hoarser with each name. Allie was truly afraid he’d somehow find a way to enter the inferno as he edged closer to the flames in hopes of saving his family, thereby taking away the one person who was now her only family.
Allie continued to try and pull him away from the red-hot blaze, denying him the chance to die along with the rest of his siblings. She followed him all the way around the porch, spotting the falling piece of wood as they rounded the corner. Using every bit of strength she had left, she rammed Mitch from the back until they were both on the ground.
“Mitch, please stop,” Allie cried out desperately as he got to his knees. Tears were running down his cheeks and blending in with the blood and soot. His pain and anguish were almost too much to bear. She managed to get to her knees and take his face into her hands, hoping he would finally focus on her instead of the destruction all around them. “Please.”
Her last word came out as a sob, but it was no match for the guttural cry that was torn from his throat. The agonizing scream wasn’t natural, and she did the only thing she could—she wrapped her arms around him and held on as tightly as she could.
“I won’t leave you, Mitch,” Allie whispered over and over again, wanting desperately to erase his pain. She clung to him. “I won’t leave you. I promise.”
Allie had no idea how long they stayed on their knees. The entire town would have heard the explosion, so help should be arriving any minute. But it wasn’t the piercing resonances of sirens from firetrucks or law enforcement that broke through the residual ringing in her ears—it was the miraculous sound of voices coming from the Kendall family.
Mitch and Allie tore themselves apart to find Lance running toward them from the back of the house. Brynn was close behind, followed by Noah, Reese, Jace, Shae, Gwen, and finally Gus. They all but converged on Mitch and Allie as they all embraced.
“How are you—”
“…it was a call from Chad.”
“He warned us to get out of the house…”
“…a bomb next to the gas meter and…”
Gus began to move everyone farther into the yard as explanations began to surface one after another. It was clear to Allie that Chad had somehow figured out that his own brother was responsible for the lives of those young girls about the same time she had. Maybe he confronted Wes or maybe Wes had even tried to stop his brother from being at the Kendall’s homestead before the bomb went off.
No matter how it had happened, Chad had managed to contact Gwen and alert them to the fact that there was an explosive device somewhere near the house and that everyone needed to get to safety. Allie couldn’t imagine the horrible realization Chad had experienced in knowing his own flesh and blood was responsible for so many deaths.
Those sirens she’d been expecting to hear finally broke through the roar of the fire, causing the close group to finally disperse as they all quickly made their way toward the damaged vehicles. There would be time to cherish their immense relief once the man responsible was brought in to answer for his crimes.
“I don’t see Jay’s car. Let me grab my cell phone out of my purse.” Allie separated herself from what would be an all too brief reunion. Mitch still had a tight grip on her hand, but he was nodding his agreement. The danger to this family and to the residents of Blyth Lake wasn’t over, and Chad’s life might very well hang in the balance. There was no way that Wesley would have allowed him to make that call without trying to stop his brother. “I’ll speak with Jay, and then we can—”
The SUV that Mitch had assigned to Byron quickly passed the firetrucks and came to an abrupt halt within ten feet from where they were standing. The window was already rolled down to deliver a message that no one was quite ready for—especially Gwen.
“Wesley Schaeffer has taken his dad and brothers hostage up at the lake,” Byron called out, waving for Mitch to get into the SUV. The deputy’s kind gaze landed on Gwen. “I’m sorry, but Wesley is holding them all prisoner at the end of one of the piers.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“I’m glad to hear that you and your family are okay, Sheriff.”
Mitch ignored the burning sensation in both eyes, as well as the all-consuming fire that had been set to his face. He would have endured the suffering from the depths of hell if it meant that his family was safe and sound. There were no words to describe the relief he’d experienced upon hearing the voices of his loved ones.
And that included Allie.
“Agent Thorne is already on the scene, and he’s called in a negotiator.” Byron’s tone indicated that the additional help wouldn’t be necessary. He took one of the turns heading up to the lake a little too wide, but he easily managed to get the SUV back under control. “At least the media hasn’t gotten wind of the situation yet.”
That’s because every damn reporter that had been waiting for a break in the case was covering the explosion at his childhood home that no longer existed. As if Allie had read his mind, her hand came out of nowhere to rest on his shoulder. She’d refused to stay at the house and had gotten into the back seat of the vehicle before Bryon had peeled out of the driveway.
Gwen and the rest of the family were no doubt seconds behind them.
Allie had done all she could to prevent him from going into the raging fire, and she’d been right to do so. He hadn’t been thinking clearly. In all honesty, he wasn’t now.
“Wesley Schaeffer has nothing left to lose,” Allie said cautiously, her bloody hand slipping from his shirt. She was bleeding in various places, just like him. Technically, they both needed to be looked over at the hospital, but there hadn’t been time. He squeezed his eyes tight, but not against the burning sensation. His chest cavity was like a vise around his heart and lungs. It was damn hard to breathe as the aftermath settled around them. “He’s ready to die, and take what little of his family he has left with him.”
“I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Wesley killed all those girls,” Byron said, finally making the last turn that would take them to the main pier at the marina. He’d been given the right location by Thorne, who’d called to ensure that the Kendall family had made it out of the inferno alive. “I mean, Wesley Schaeffer. It’s unbelievable.”
The lingering mist appeared to have morphed into a fog that went on for miles. The weather conditions certainly wouldn’t make this upcoming negotiation any easier. Mitch hated to admit that he doubted any conversation wou
ld take place, especially considering the fact that Wes hadn’t succeeded in what he’d set out to do—rob Mitch of his family.
Hell, maybe Wes had been hoping to take Mitch’s life, as well.
“How did Thorne know that Wes brought his father and brothers up to the lake?” Mitch asked, still trying to connect the pieces of today’s timeline.
“Rose was the one who called in to tell us that something was wrong with Chad. I mean, the phone literally rang the moment we heard the explosion.”
Mitch assumed that meant Wes had thought he’d been successful in taking out the Kendalls. It was by happenstance that Mitch and Allie had been delayed, but that small fact would have likely given Wes extreme pleasure in knowing that Mitch had been left behind without his family.
What had Allie muttered when they’d gotten into the SUV?
An eye for an eye.
“Apparently, Chad was limping and bleeding as he got out of Wes’ truck. Rose said she immediately went over to see what was wrong when Wes waved a gun in her direction, telling her to stay away from them.”
A firearm wasn’t in Wes’ toolbox, but the man had clearly accepted his fate. It didn’t matter what weapon he used now, as long as he was able to take his father and brothers with him.
“This is the end, Mitch,” Allie murmured as she opened the back door after Byron had brought the vehicle to a stop, alongside numerous other vehicles. Three of the unmarked cars belonged to the FBI. “The best we can hope for is that Thorne called in a SWAT team, and that the sniper has a clear headshot. Otherwise, we’re about to lose three more innocent victims.”
One of those targets being Chad Schaeffer. He was family, as far as Mitch was concerned. The man had somehow been able to warn Gwen that there was an explosive near the homestead, allowing Mitch’s father and siblings to make it to safety. Regardless, his sister loved Chad.
Mitch would do everything in his power to see to it that his sister’s happiness remained intact—even if that meant sacrificing himself. He moved to the back of the SUV and dropped the tailgate. He reached in and removed a Remington 700 with a large scope attached. He checked the breach and chambered a .308 round from the magazine well.
Unlocking Darkness (Keys to Love Series, Book Five) Page 18