We All Fall Down (Of Love and Madness Book 2)

by Karen Cimms

  “Oh God, Katie. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” The words stuck in his throat like bits of broken glass.

  “Take me home,” she mumbled into his chest. “I don’t want to be here.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Wrapped in a blanket and held tightly in his arms, she was unable to move. She angled her head toward the building. “They’re dead.”

  He relaxed his grip, but only a little. She squirmed until a hand slipped free.

  “Eileen’s dead. There was a lot of blood.” She choked on a sob. “And the pickles. Lora’s pickles were all over the floor.”

  It was hard to understand her, but there was no mistaking the anguish on her face.

  “Mrs. Donaldson?” A small woman with a soft voice, a paramedic, approached Kate. “Can I check you out? We want to make sure you’re okay.”

  Kate grabbed a handful of Billy’s T-shirt.

  “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Billy guided Kate into the back of the rig, then climbed in and sat in the captain’s chair behind the litter after she lay down. She immediately reached up and laced her fingers with his.

  “My name’s Joni,” the paramedic said as she slipped a blood pressure cuff over Kate’s upper arm. She checked her pulse, her oxygen level, and when she seemed satisfied that Kate was physically unharmed, she instructed her to rest. “I want to make sure you aren’t going to pass out again, okay?”

  “You passed out?” Billy asked.

  Kate rolled her head back so she could see him and shrugged. “I guess.”

  “You don’t remember?” He looked at the paramedic.

  “She fainted a little while ago while Detective Butler was speaking to her. He caught her before she hit the ground.”

  Fainted. She only fainted. It could have been worse. He cupped his hand under her chin and bent to kiss her forehead.

  “Kate? Can I speak with your husband outside for a second?” Joni asked.

  Kate’s grip on his hand tightened.

  “I’m not leaving you. I’m just going to move to the end of the gurney, okay?”

  It wasn’t easy navigating inside the back of the rig at six foot four, but he did his best, never breaking physical contact. When he reached the end of the litter, he sat and tucked his hand around Kate’s knee. An EMT climbed into the seat he’d just vacated and did her best to distract her.

  “Your wife’s been through a horrible shock. Physically she’s fine, but there’s no telling how this will affect her psychologically. She might want to see a counselor to help her process what she’s been through. I don’t think we need to take her to the hospital unless she wants to go.”

  “She wants to go home.”

  “That might be best. But if she becomes hysterical or does anything out of the ordinary, you may either want to take her in or call 911. She might need a sedative if she starts to get worked up.”

  “I’m pretty sure we have something at the house.” He glanced at Kate. The EMT was telling her a story about going to school with Devin. “Her best friend was killed a few weeks ago. The doctor gave her something then.”

  “Oh, man.” Joni shook her head and sighed. “She may have a rough time ahead of her. Be prepared.” She slipped the stethoscope from around her neck and stood. “I think Detective Butler still wants to speak with her. I’ll let him know I gave her the all clear. Oh, and you may want to put some ice on her lip to bring down the swelling.”

  Billy ran his hand up and down Kate’s calf while she listened to the EMT. Usually, when someone spoke to her about one of their kids she would practically gush with pride. Now, she stared up at the girl as if she didn’t recognize the language she was speaking.

  “Mr. Donaldson?”

  Billy assumed the man standing outside the rig was Detective Butler.

  “We’re going to let your wife go, but we’ll need to talk with her again tomorrow. We’ll have someone call you in the morning to arrange a time for the investigators to come to your house. She’s been through enough tonight.”

  “Ya think?” Billy didn’t know who to be angry with, but he wanted to hurt somebody. This cop was as good as anyone.

  “We believe she’s safe,” he continued, ignoring Billy’s comment. “Township police neutralized the shooter, and we’re almost one hundred percent certain he acted alone.”

  “Neutralized? What the fuck does that mean?”

  The detective gave him a sharp look. “It means he’s no longer a threat—to anyone.”

  “Who? Who did this?”

  “The suspect’s name is Sedge Stevens. Apparently he’s been in some kind of confrontation with township officials.” He lowered his voice. “We also think it’s possible he was looking for Mrs. Donaldson, in addition to the committee members he shot.”

  Billy gripped the gurney so hard his knuckles turned white. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. Why the hell would this guy be after Katie?”

  “She claims she didn’t know him. Said she only wrote about him. He must’ve known her, though, because he shot the hell out of her car.”

  The sautéed squash and tomato salad he’d had for dinner was threatening a comeback.

  “We don’t have many answers yet,” the detective continued. “Unfortunately, we won’t have a lot of help here. We’ll do what we can. We’ll be talking with the editors at the Examiner as well, see if Stevens made any threats toward Mrs. Donaldson or the newspaper.”

  Billy gripped the edge of the gurney. That fucking job.

  “Try to keep quiet around her. She may or may not want to talk about it. I think it would be a good idea if she didn’t make any statements to her colleagues right now.”

  “She won’t be talking to any members of the press. That’s for damn sure.”

  “I’ll have the ambulance bring you to your vehicle. It’s best if she doesn’t walk through this.”

  Billy raised a hand to his forehead. “Shit, I don’t have a car. The Belleville chief brought me. Digger—hell, I don’t even know his real name.”

  “Dave.” Kate had obviously been listening. “Dave Johnson.”

  The detective nodded. “I’ll see if Chief Johnson is still here. If not, one of my officers will take you.”

  He took a step closer to Billy and motioned for him to do the same.

  “And Mr. Donaldson?” He lowered his voice. “You ever walk onto a crime scene of mine again, I will personally see to it that you find yourself behind bars right quick. You understand?”

  He stared down at the detective. “Yes, sir. And as long as my wife isn’t on the other side of your yellow tape, you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

  The ambulance pulled up to the end of the secured area, but they would still have to walk a short distance past a horde of photographers, cameramen, and reporters in order to get to Digger’s squad car.

  Billy settled his sunglasses on the bridge of Kate’s nose. “Keep these on. No matter what.”

  She nodded, her face somber.

  The doors of the rig swung open. Lights blinded them, and cameras and microphones swiveled in their direction. In some sick way, it reminded him of climbing out of a limo at an awards show.

  Billy jumped from the rig and reached for Kate. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, but she didn’t move. He plucked her out, then held his arm up to shield her from the cameras.

  “Keep your head down and hide your face,” he said, covering her as best he could. Digger protected her on the other side.

  Someone called her name from the pool of reporters. They already knew who she was? Billy looked up to see a man waving frantically.

  “Ignore him,” Billy said, feeling her hesitate. “Just keep moving.”

  When they reached the squad car, he helped her into the back and climbed in beside her.

  “C’mere.” He held up his arm and she slipped beneath it. Where she belonged. He brought his other arm around, encircling her.

  “You’re s
afe now,” he whispered into her hair. Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips to the top of her head and breathed in her citrusy scent.

  In the back of a cop car, on a night of such mayhem, and with Katie in his arms, it felt like he was finally going home.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The house was dark except for the porch light over the back door. Digger climbed out, scanned the back yard, then motioned for them to get out.

  “Do you want me to check the house?” he asked Billy.

  “I don’t think it’s necessary, do you?”

  “Nah. They’re pretty certain Sedge acted alone. He wasn’t smart enough or friendly enough to have a conspirator. He was just a crazy old bastard who’d been pushed into a corner. Sad thing is, I don’t think anyone believed he was this crazy.”

  Billy helped Kate from the car. He was unlocking the back door when he heard the crunch of gravel. Someone was coming up the driveway, and they were clearly in a hurry.

  “Get inside, and stay there,” Billy said as he opened the door.

  Digger activated the lights in his squad car and stood beside it. The driver pulled his compact car behind Digger’s cruiser and opened the door.

  “Stay in the car,” Digger ordered.

  The driver rolled down his window. “It’s okay. I’m a friend of Kate’s. I just need a quick statement. Tell her it’s Danny.”

  Billy recognized the guy who’d been calling to Kate at the scene.

  “Get him the fuck out of here.” he told Digger.

  “Move along, buddy. Kate’s not talking to anyone tonight,” Digger said.

  “Just tell her it’s me. She’ll talk to me.”

  “Not tonight,” Digger said.

  “I have a deadline. I need to talk to her now. She should know that.” One foot hit the driveway.

  “Unless you want to be arrested for trespassing, I suggest you close that door and back yourself right down this driveway.”

  The dude didn’t budge. “Look. You tell Kate she needs to give me some kind of statement. I was ordered by our editor—her boss—to get something for tomorrow’s edition. She can give the rest of her story to them tomorrow, but I’m not leaving without a comment.”

  Fists curled, Billy started toward the car. He was going to bust this clown’s head open. Kate called to him, but he was too far gone.

  “I’m gonna give you two seconds to get the hell off my property!”

  “I got this, Billy,” Digger said firmly. “Go take care of Kate.”

  The little shit grabbed a camera off the front seat and snapped a photo of Billy coming toward him. “You let me talk to her for one minute, or I’ll run this photo and the story we buried about you and your latest arrest, pal.”

  The guy looked smug right up until Billy grabbed one of the bricks that edged Kate’s herb garden and threw it at his back window, shattering the glass.

  “You sonofabitch!” Danny cried.

  “Get in the house!” Digger ordered.

  The only voice that registered was Kate’s, calling from the doorway. “Billy, please.”

  He wanted to yank this chubby, snot-nosed kid right through his broken window, to take out all the anger and frustration of the past few hours and beat him to a bloody pulp.

  Instead, he took a few deep breaths to let his heart rate return to normal, and crossed the patio toward the house. Digger radioed for backup, pulled out his ticket book, and wrote out a citation for trespassing. Billy stood in the doorway while Danny argued with Digger about pressing charges for damages until the punk finally got into his car and drove away.

  “I’m going to post an officer at the end of the driveway so no one else tries to bother Kate,” Digger said.

  “Thank you.”

  “You okay?”

  Billy pressed his hand against his neck and rubbed his fingers against the knotted muscles. “I’m fine, but you can just arrest me when the next maggot shows up, because I’m likely to kill him.”

  “Calm down. You’ll be no help to anyone in prison. Lock the doors and take the phone off the hook. You got it?”

  There were two ways Billy knew to calm down, and he’d been trying hard not to do either of them. Actually, three—although he was pretty sure sex was off the table now as well.

  “I’ll check back in the morning. Anybody shows up, just call 911. There’ll be an officer nearby.”

  Billy stood in the kitchen after Digger left. He’d walked the dog and made sure the doors and windows were locked.

  “How about some tea?” he asked. “Sleepytime, right?”

  Kate nodded.

  “Go sit. I’ll bring it to you.”

  She took a step toward the dining room but then chose a kitchen stool not far from where he was filling the kettle.

  “I’ll have some, too,” he said, although what he really wanted was a big glass of Jack Daniels. Maybe a whole bottle. “Sleepytime all around.”

  He forced a smile. Kate just stared.

  He pulled two cups from the cupboard and dropped a tea bag into each one. Then he plucked a lemon from a bowl on the counter and held it up. She shook her head, and he put it back.

  “Sugar or honey?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Honey, it is.”

  When the kettle began to whistle, he poured boiling water into the cups and placed Kate’s in front of her. She looked at it as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

  “I need to call Rhiannon,” he said. “I’m sure she’s worried sick.”

  “Yes, please,” Kate said, strangely polite. “And Devin.”

  He couldn’t say much to Rhiannon or Devin with Kate sitting there. And while they both wanted to talk to her, he promised them tomorrow would be better. She wasn’t herself. Clearly. There was no reason to worry them any more than they already were.

  He hung up and noticed Kate hadn’t touched her tea.

  “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Let me bring it upstairs. You can drink it in bed.” He didn’t wait for a response, since he really didn’t expect one. He picked up the mug and guided her to the stairs, then followed her to their bedroom.

  Kate turned on the overhead light, the table lamps, and the light in the bathroom. Then she stood in the middle of the room as if not sure what to do next. Her face was blank, but every now and then she winced.

  He could only imagine what was going on inside her head.

  “Do you want me to help you get ready for bed?”

  Her brows furrowed, and she nodded. He set the mug on the nightstand and led her into the bathroom.

  The first thing he did was find the tranquilizers the doctor had prescribed when Joey died, and was immediately filled with guilt. There were only three pills left. He’d taken more than half of them himself, and now Kate needed them. He filled a glass with water and handed her the pill. She didn’t even ask what he was giving her.

  He closed the lid on the toilet and guided her down. Then he took a cotton ball from the jar on the counter and soaked it with makeup remover.

  “Close your eyes.” He lifted her chin and gently removed what was left of her eyeliner and mascara, first one eye and then the other. He ran a washcloth under warm water, pumped some of her face cleanser onto it. He lifted her chin. At least a dozen freckles were scattered across the tops of her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She hated them, but he loved every single one.

  He stared at her for so long, she opened her eyes. He smiled down at her. “I was just thinking how beautiful you are.”

  She watched him, unblinking, until he lifted the washcloth and washed her face.

  When he finished, he pulled her blouse over her head and placed it on the edge of the tub. He removed each of her shoes and placed them by the door. Then he helped her stand and unbuttoned her pants, holding onto her as she raised each leg so he could remove them.

  She was like a little girl, and it frightened him. He unbuckled h
er bra and gently slipped it off. He trailed his fingers over her shoulders. She shivered. He had taken her clothes off hundreds of times, but never like this. There was passion, but it wasn’t the white-hot, sexually charged kind he was used to. An angry, murderous rage filled him now, tempered with fear.

  He reached behind the door where Kate usually kept a nightgown, but all he could find was one of his old chambray shirts. He held it over her shoulders, and she slipped her arms into the sleeves.

  As he buttoned the shirt, their eyes met again. The bright gray-green had dulled, as if someone had slammed and bolted the doors to her soul. He circled his arms around her and held her close. Her arms dangled by her side.

  “C’mon. Let me brush your hair.”

  He guided her to the side of the bed and reached for the brush she kept on the nightstand. With each stroke, a tear rolled down his cheeks. He’d long passed one hundred, but he kept brushing until her shoulders curled forward and her body tilted. The tranquilizer was working. He lifted the covers, and she obediently climbed into bed.

  “Do you want more tea?”

  “No. Thank you.”

  “Okay. I’m going to get ready for bed.”

  He hurried through his bathroom routine and was glad to see his toothbrush still in the holder next to hers. The face staring back at him in the mirror had aged ten years since morning, and that was after fighting to stay sober for two weeks.

  Kate was still awake when he came out. He turned off the bathroom light and sat beside her.

  “Do you want me to stay with you?”

  “No. I’ll be fine.” She was struggling to keep her eyes open.

  It hurt, but he hadn’t expected her to say anything different.

  “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.” He kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered, but she was already more asleep than awake.

  It was the first time he was ever thankful for a drug that didn’t have anything to do with him.

  Pulling the futon out required more energy than Billy could spare. Instead, he threw a sheet over the cover and grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet. When he turned out the light, there were so many images going through his head about a story he knew so little of, he couldn’t sleep. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV.