“This stops today,” Bill states firmly.
“How?” Nicole chuckles. “How can you stop me?”
He moves to his bookshelf, away from the top drawer of his desk, towards his mobile phone.
“Don’t touch that phone,” she states coldly.
“I’m making a call, Nicole.” Picking up the phone, he unlocks the screen.
“Are you?” Nicole smoothly pulls out a Glock handgun from her handbag.
It takes him a moment to register the movement.
“I’m making a call,” Bill states confidently, staring at the gun.
“I don’t think you will.”
Studying the weapon, he sees that it sits steady in her hand.
Firm.
Unflinching.
He’s made the wrong decision. He’s too far away from his desk now.
Nicole has a dark look in her eyes, an evil stare, one that leaves Bill with no doubt that she will pull the trigger.
And he doesn’t want to be victim number nine.
Chapter 34
“I’m not a drunk. I’m not part of your bigger plan.”
Nicole Cowan stares at Bill, then looks across to the numerous whiskey bottles that sit on the edge of his bookshelf.
“Maybe, maybe not.” She shrugs. “But I’m not going to court either. Although I’ve planned for self-defense, I’m not going to take the risk. Prison is not the life I want. I’m not going to be locked away for the rest of my days. I’m a champion of the people, a savior. I deserve better than that. So I’m afraid, you won’t be making a phone call.”
“If you shoot me, that’s not something that you can just cover up. If you shoot me here, the whole city will be looking for you. You will be fugitive number one. You can’t hide from that sort of crime. There is no possibility that you can make this look like self-defense.”
“I have a backup plan.”
“A backup plan?”
“When you have done what I have done, you need to think about the future. You need to plan for every possible scenario. Ever since that first murder, ever since I first took that drunk’s life, I’ve had a backup plan. I just need to get to the border. Once I’m over the border, I have a house, savings, and life ready to go. Nobody can touch me over there.”
“Mexico?”
She nods, the gun still holding firm. “If I think I need to run, I can be there in under a day and then disappear for good. I’ve got another life waiting for me. And who knows, it might be easier to kill the drunks in Mexico.”
“Then why haven’t you pulled the trigger already? Why are we still standing here talking?”
“Come with me. I have always liked you, Bill. A lot. You’re a real man in a world of beta males. You’re strong, dominant and sexy. I like that a lot.” Nicole licks her lips. “And it would be a real pity to have to kill you. I would much rather that you came with me on this heroic journey. Let’s save the world together. That’s all you have to do. Let’s save the world together.”
“You’re a murderer, Nicole. You’re a cold-blooded murderer.”
She sighs, looking away for a brief moment. “I must say I’m disappointed. I always thought we would make a great team. You and me. Together. Making the world a better place. I must admit that I have dreamt about it.”
“You’re a psychopath.”
She shakes her head. “I’m a good person. I’m saving people. Nobody else is cleaning up the streets. Nobody else is doing the right thing.”
“Gerard was a good person,” Bill states solidly, buying time as he takes a step towards his desk. “He didn’t deserve to die. He needed help.”
“He was beyond help. They all are. They’ve had their chances in life. Life was given to Gerard on a platter. He had every chance. His life was gold-plated, and he threw it away for the sake of a drink. He deserved to die. He had his chances in life.”
“I saw hope in his eyes, Nicole. I saw a future.” Another step towards the desk. “All he needed was help. Life had dealt him major blows, and all he needed was a chance. He needed someone to offer a hand to help him. Someone needed to give him a hand.”
“Major blows? Do you really want to talk to me about major blows? How about seeing your mother being beaten every week at the hands of a drunken father? How about seeing the same thing happen to your little sister? How about seeing your sister die at the hands of a drunk? Where was their help? Whose hands were there for them?”
“I’m sorry that there was nobody to help them, Nicole. I really am.” Closer to the desk. “But Gerard didn’t beat his wife. He didn’t hurt anyone. He—”
“Didn’t hurt anyone?! He had the potential to hurt everyone. That’s what drunks do. They hurt everyone in their wake.”
“No, they don’t.” Bill’s at the corner of his desk, still too far away to lunge for the top drawer. Another step. “They’re people who have turned to alcohol because of the stresses in their lives. They’re escaping their pain through alcohol. They need help, not punishment. They need help for their underlying mental issues. They need help to be able to deal with the pain.”
“But I saw it, Bill. I saw the future in his eyes. I saw the pain that he was going to give to the rest of the world. That man was evil. Evil. He was going to spread that evil to the rest of the world.”
“What do you see in my eyes?”
Nicole walks slowly towards Bill, around the chairs to the edge of his desk, gun still hovering around her hip height, pointed upwards towards his torso.
He steps backward.
Closer to the drawer.
She seductively bites her bottom lip, staring at the man opposite her.
His heart feels like it’s pounding on the walls of his chest, his skin tingling with anticipation.
He moves another step backward. Almost there.
She stops in front of Bill, only a few inches away, gun between them.
In a moment of tense seduction, in a moment of heightened reality, she heaves her knee into Bill’s groin.
He buckles.
Falling to the floor, he is bent over in the intense pain of being smashed unexpectedly.
“Oh, Bill, I hoped for so much more than this for us.”
Smash.
She cracks the handle of the gun against the back of Bill’s head, and he struggles to keep his eyes open. The pain covers his entire skull, pulsating through his head.
Smash.
Again.
This time she connects with the edge of his jaw.
His head falls to the floor, tasting blood in his mouth.
“I’m sorry I have to do this. I really am. I like spending time with your over-sexualized, strong character. You’re a man. In every sense of the word, you’re a man. I like that. I like that a lot.”
“You don’t have to do it,” Bill utters as blood drips from his mouth.
The cold, harsh barrel of the gun presses against the back of his head.
He takes a slow breath, thinking it may be his last.
This is the finish.
The end of the road.
This is his day.
The day it ends…
Chapter 35
“No!”
“Penny?” Nicole turns to the door. “Caleb? I told you to wait in the car!”
“What’s happening here?” Caleb, the strong former Marine, steps in front of Penny Pearson, standing at the door in shock.
“Nothing is happening. Go back to the car.”
“What? What are you doing to Bill?”
Penny looks at the gun resting on the back of Bill’s skull, poised, ready to fire.
“Put the gun down, Nicole.” Caleb is firm. His muscles clench. It reminds him of a forgotten war. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“What would you know!” Nicole snaps. “What would you know!”
“I know that this isn’t the right answer.” His voice is measured. Controlled.
“Why did you have to ruin this, Penny,” Nicole whines. �
��Why? Why couldn’t you have waited in the car like I told you.”
“Because we found Gerard West’s wallet in your car. It was under the front seat. What was it doing there?”
Nicole shrugs, unable to answer.
“What was it doing there?” Penny pleads.
She doesn’t want the truth to be real. Even with the gun, even with the evidence, she doesn’t want to believe.
“That’s none of your business, Penny. Now go. Both of you. Leave.”
“Not without that gun.” Caleb is firmer.
“Always the hero, eh? You, the big tough man. The hero.” Nicole moves the cold piece from the back of Bill’s skull, lifting it towards Caleb.
Now is the time.
Slam.
Bill takes his chance, crashing his shoulder into Nicole’s hip, driving her into the bookshelf. The impact is heavy, but the gun is firmly in her hand.
Quickly she points it down towards her attacker.
“No!”
Caleb charges.
Bill’s hands move for the gun.
Caleb dives.
Nicole moves.
Bang.
Chapter 36
The loud echoing of a gunshot rings in Bill’s ears.
It’s all he can hear.
Pain blurs his eyes, but it’s the ringing that has his attention.
He doesn’t feel the impact of a bullet.
He doesn’t feel the pain of a gunshot wound.
Slowly, he begins to move his body.
Nothing.
No entry wound.
No blood other than what he can taste in his mouth.
Slowly, his eyes look up, scanning the room.
Nicole lies next to him, her head tilted to the side.
Her eyes are vacant.
Empty.
Soulless.
Her face doesn’t move. Doesn’t twitch.
Gradually, Bill’s eyes begin to drift down her body, scanning her clothes.
The fabric of her shirt absorbs a fast flow of red, quickly drenching it. The gun sits next to her hand, lying on its side, still pointing towards Bill.
The smell of a gunshot overpowers his senses, and it starts to bring Bill’s mind back to reality.
Nicole is dead.
An act of self-defense killed her.
Her lifeless body is slumped on the floor of his office.
Blood starts to drip onto his carpet.
He starts to get his breath back, and then his head turns sharply at a noise over his desk.
She pulled the trigger.
She shot the gun.
But with the impact of Caleb attacking them, he had moved Nicole’s hand in time, pointing it towards her chest.
One split second, one moment of life, was it all it took to take one.
“Are you ok?” Despite the terror, Caleb’s voice is calm.
He has seen this trouble before.
“I’m…” Bill rubs his head. “I’m fine.”
“Penny?” Caleb moves towards his girlfriend. “Penny?”
She doesn’t respond.
Her face is white.
Her eyes are wide.
Shock has taken her.
Caleb places his caring arm around her, holding her tight. “It’s ok. It’s ok. I’m here.”
He turns her away from the scene of blood and death.
“I…” Penny begins to shake.
“Shhh, it’s ok. It’s ok.”
“I… I found Gerard West’s wallet in her car,” Penny stammers, her eyes still wide open. “I found it in her car… It was under the front seat…”
“It’s ok.” Caleb comforts her.
“There was blood on it. I thought… It just all made sense. I just… I just… I mean… I didn’t…”
“It’s ok. Everything is ok,” Caleb whispers. “Everything is going to be ok.”
Chapter 37
Four weeks later
“So what’s next for Penny Pearson?” Bill asks as Penny sits opposite him in his office.
“Life just keeps going on, I suppose.”
“Did you talk to the services? The phone numbers the police provided?”
“I did.” Penny nods. “I know that I haven’t had an easy run. I know that. But I’ve learned to get through these things by talking to the right people. There are always people willing to help. I have spoken with a lot of professionals, and they’ve all been amazing.”
“Help is always there if you ask for it.”
“That’s so true. But you have to be brave enough to ask for it. People don’t understand what you are going through just by looking at you. And we all have our demons to deal with at some point in life – all it takes is the bravery to ask for help. Life has taught me that. And people have helped me through some very hard times, and I want to be there to help others when they need it.”
Penny’s sweet, innocent exterior hides the pain that life has thrown at her. She has seen more agony than most, but her pretty appearance covers it all, washes it all under a cloak of beauty.
After Nicole’s death, Detective Pitt was able to link all the murders back to her DNA.
She left small traces of evidence at each scene; however, there was no way to connect them previously. Once Nicole was proven to be the murderer, the case against Jonathon Harvey was withdrawn.
And Lachlan Shaw, once convicted of murder, is to be released in the coming days. He sent Bill a handwritten letter, thanking him for his assistance. He wrote that upon his release he ‘will spend the rest of his life preaching the good word of the Lord to the people.’ He was not bitter about his wrongful conviction, rather he was thankful that life had given him the opportunity to discover his authentic purpose.
“They’ve done a good job cleaning up the office,” Penny comments, looking around the room for any sign of blood or death. “You wouldn’t even know what happened here. You can’t even tell.” She sighs. “But I guess that’s like most things in life – from the exterior, you can’t tell what pain has happened behind the scenes. We give it a clean, a wash, and then keep going, never forgetting, but moving on from the past. It’s all hidden under the façade.”
Sitting in Bill’s office for the first time since the shooting, Penny seems remarkably calm about the situation.
Bill looks across to the area of his office where Nicole’s body lay only four weeks ago. There is not a trace of the moment that Nicole Cowan lost her life.
“They’re very skilled at cleaning crime scenes.” He looks back to Penny. “Are you sure that you are ok?”
Penny nods again. “She killed a lot of people, Bill. I always knew she was a little loose in the head, but she killed people just because they were alcoholics. She killed them. I started to blame myself, but the psychologist helped me understand that it had nothing to do with me. It was her choice. It was nothing to do with me.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Penny.”
“I’ve got a lot to deal with yet, but I’m coping. It feels strange losing someone you love, but it is for best that she is no longer here. She was evil but nice to me. That’s very confusing. Very confusing. It’s going to be a long hard road dealing with this, but I think I can do it.”
“You’ve seen more bereavement in your life than most.”
“And I hope not to see that sort of death again. I have seen too much. It will affect me for a long time, but I’ll cope.” Penny shrugs. “What happens to your brother?”
“He’s been released. He’ll try and rebuild his life, and I’m going to be there to help him do that. My sister… she hasn’t been as forgiving, but she’ll come around one day. I’m sure of it.”
“Well, at least, this case has brought you two back together. That’s a positive, right?”
“It is.” Bill nods. “Life is a strange journey, but we have to be ready for the adventure.”
She shrugs. Life has a dealt her a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, but with the help of others, she has worked through
it, accepted it, and kept going.
“I’ve decided to help out Caleb’s mother and volunteer at the Wells Community Center for Mental Health for a while. Valerie has been really great to me, and after all this, I’ve started to understand that people need help, not persecution. We all have different struggles, and people have always been there for me. I want to return that love. I’m going to volunteer to help them.” She runs her hand through her hair. “I was the only family Nicole had left, so she left me everything in the will, but I feel bad about that. I’ve received the proceeds of a serial killer. So I’ve donated most of it to the center. I’ll sell Nicole’s apartment, and that should keep me out of trouble for a few years.”
“You still want to help people after all that? At your core, you’re a good person, Penny. Despite all that you’ve been through, you’re a good person.”
“No, Bill. I’m not a good person despite what I have been through. I’m a good person because of what I’ve been through.”
Chapter 38
The early morning sun sparkles off the grass in the spacious park.
Bill Harvey, dressed in a fitted Italian suit, sits on a swing, gently rocking back and forth. It’s a place where he spent most of his childhood, just across the road, playing with his younger brother and sister.
“Need a push?” Ella asks with a smile as she walks up behind him.
“Not today,” Bill replies, the childhood memories almost overwhelming him.
“We had a lot of good times here,” Ella sits on the swing next to him, brushing the hair from her face. “It almost feels like a different lifetime. I feel like I was a different person here.”
He hasn’t been back to the small farming community, three hours from L.A., for more than a decade. He thought this would be a pleasant trip, a chance to reconnect, and he didn’t expect to be overwhelmed by the feelings of melancholy.
Fire and Justice_A Legal Thriller Page 15