Fatal Intuition

by Makenzi Fisk

  Fuckin’ Ericsson has been yelling at me since she got here but I don’t want to hear her. I’m not even totally sure what an artery is, but that might be why there’s so much blood. Go ahead and call an ambulance if you want to, but don’t come over here. Not while I have a gun pointed at my father’s head. My dad.

  “Daddy?”

  I hadn’t really planned for him to die right away. We never talked like this before. I never told him the truth about anything, only what I figured he wanted to hear. What would I need to say to get him to give me another cigarette, or maybe twenty bucks? Finally telling him about my mom felt good. Like the very first buzz I got with T in the library of the correctional center. Before the headache hit. Before I went to the infirmary. Now the buzz is gone and here comes the awful after feeling.

  He’s the last family I have. The last person who pretended to like me, who didn’t want anything, or jam his hands down my pants when I passed out. Maybe he even loved me. “Daddy? Daddy!” I push harder, but the blood no longer flows, and I can’t stop from blubbering. “Daddydaddydaddy!”

  I raise my head when Ericsson comes. What’s her problem? I still have a gun. I could shoot her between the eyes before she grinds me into the dust, but I realize that I don’t care about her any more. I don’t care about anybody. Everyone leaves me anyway. I lean against my dad’s chest and put my mouth around the barrel of the gun.

  She digs her heels into the dirt and stops out of arm’s reach. “Lily! Don’t do it.” Her big black pistol points at me, as if I give a shit.

  I’m not going back to juvy with that pack of losers. My grandfather hates me, my parents are dead. Even T. He’s in the grass, flies buzzing around his corpse by now. My fun’s over. They’ll make a movie out of my videos and I’ll be famous forever.

  Fuckin’ Ericsson never learns. She grabs for my gun.

  I smile and squeeze the trigger.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Erin tore the sparkly gift wrap open and took the lunch box by the handle. “Wonder Woman, nice.” She unsnapped the tiny pink latches, and smiled at the fast food gift card.

  “Because you’re always hungry.” Agent Gonzales stuck out his hand and she shook it. He wore brand new shoes with oversize treads, not at all like the slippery leather-soled ones he’d cursed the entire time they’d run through the forest. Here he was, back in The Bureau’s air-conditioned Minneapolis office but now he was prepared for bush trails. He probably had a bottle of insect repellant in his briefcase.

  She laughed. “The gift card’s awesome but I’m not sure about the lunch pail.”

  Agent Lockwood chucked her on the shoulder. “Nah, he got it right. Wonder Woman is so much better than what they used to call you.” As if setting the scene, she cleared her throat and held up a hand. “You missed your official Academy graduation ceremony to come help us out. I know The Bureau did that little presentation thing for you after the fact, but this is something extra.”

  Erin shrugged. “Aw, I’m not a big fan of ceremonies. I skipped my own high school grad, and only showed up at the one for university long enough to grab the certificate and run.”

  “Shush, girl. You’re ruining my speech.” Lockwood produced an unusually wrinkled envelope and plopped it on the desk. “I bet you’re impressed with how it’s wrapped, but don’t let your admiration get in the way of your excitement. Go ahead and open it.”

  Erin grinned. “All right. At least you didn’t hire confetti throwers, or a mariachi band or something.” Lockwood had certainly grown on her. She opened the wrinkly envelope and withdrew a computer USB drive. “What’s on it?”

  “Connections. The finest contacts I’ve developed during my career, categorized by field of expertise, and if they owe me a favor. Those are gold. You need anything, mention my name and you’ll get assistance, no questions asked.”

  Gonzales adjusted his necktie. “That information carries with it a huge responsibility.”

  Erin’s fingers closed around the storage device. “Are you sure I’m the person you should entrust this to?”

  Lockwood snorted. “I was sure the day I met you. Keep it confidential. Some of these are just point people for their agencies, but others are safe houses and covert contacts. The information can boost your ability to solve challenging cases, and might be instrumental in saving lives.”

  “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means.” A lump formed in Erin’s throat.

  “I almost wish I wasn’t retiring, so I could do a few more investigations with you.” Lockwood blinked misty eyes. Was the venerable crocodile about to cry? “I’m glad you talked your way onto this task force, and I’m glad your niece is safe.”

  “Victoria’s an amazing kid. She’s going to be okay.” Erin snapped the USB drive into the lunch box. “I’m sad to see you go.” She met Lockwood’s vice-like handshake with equal pressure.

  “Tell me, did you think Lily wouldn’t shoot herself, or did you know the gun was empty?”

  “It was something Allie said.”

  Lockwood tilted her head with the unspoken query.

  “She just knew.”

  The retiring agent gave a single nod. “Well, I’m glad she did.” She put a hand on Erin’s shoulder. “I’ll be following the court case from my new villa in the Bahamas. With her own video evidence stacked against her, there’ll be no more sad-eyed sympathy crap for Lily Schmidt. They’ll be trying her as an adult, and she’s not getting out.”

  “Is Marty meeting you at your new villa?” Gonzales dodged Lockwood’s swipe in his direction.

  “Maybe he is.” She winked.

  “Marty? As in Marty the state trooper?” Erin stared at her. That was a quick romance. Hadn’t they just met at the roadblock in Utah? Lockwood was still very much an enigma.

  Gonzales eased his weight off the corner of the desk. “Your friend Zimmerman said Lily’s grandfather bought back his property by the bog, at a quarter of the price he sold it. Donated it to the state as protected wetlands, or a memorial or something.”

  Erin pursed her lips. Big city developers never should have tried to build condos that destroyed natural habitat, but they wouldn’t have solved Tiffany’s disappearance otherwise. Like Allie said, sometimes it was fate.

  “Did they officially identify the remains out there? Did Lily really kill both her parents?”

  “Yeah, autopsy report confirmed Tiffany Schmidt’s skull suffered blunt force trauma, exactly how she described,” Erin said. “Forensics lab dates the remains at around seven years. They’re working on pinning that down, but it’s close.”

  He winced. “She would have been eight at the time of her first murder. I still feel sick to my stomach after seeing the videos on her phone. I hope the evidence is sealed, so it never sees the light of day.”

  Lockwood snorted. “Me too. She might get her wish to be famous, but not how she hoped. Wait until the press gets wind of this. Killer kid destroys everyone around her. Some bloodsucker will want to make a documentary.”

  “I won’t be watching that horror flick,” Erin said.

  “No, but you’ll be keeping an eye on the whole thing from right here, won’t you?” Lockwood picked up her jacket and folded it over her arm. “I heard you actually requested this godforsaken field office.”

  “But, I like Minnesota.” Erin’s jaw tensed before she realized that Lockwood was teasing. “And it’s close to home, to my family.”

  “You’re right. The Bureau has changed from the old days when I joined. Nowadays, agents are encouraged to have a life, to be well-rounded people.” She eyed Erin. “You’d better marry your girl if you’re gonna keep her around.” She chuckled when Erin’s face flushed. “I suppose you’ll send me an invitation to the ceremony, and I’ll buy you something frilly from the Home Depot catalog.”

  Gonzales’ eyes bugged out. “Married? That’s right, that whole Supreme Court thing. You can get married anywhere in America, can’t you?” He rotated his wedding band so the inset d
iamond faced forward. “Count me in, too. I’ll come.”

  “And don’t forget to pencil me in for the position of godmother to your kids.” Lockwood was on a roll, but she wasn’t far off. Erin had been thinking about how Allie was with children, how she needed them in her life, full-time.

  “Kids!” His mouth dropped. “How would you…?”

  Erin grinned. “Turkey baster.”

  Gonzales’ Adam’s apple bobbed.

  Lockwood pounded her on the back. “That’s the spirit.”

  “Um, we might consider fostering.” Erin said, seriously. Where was this coming from? Getting married? Becoming foster parents? The words had come out so naturally that she realized it had been on her mind, but it wasn’t until this very moment that it all made sense.

  There were so many children who needed help, whether temporarily or long-term. Allie’s childhood had proven that it could work, and the two of them, together, would make a great team. She looked at her hands, at the spot on her finger where a ring could sit. “I guess I’d better call my girlfriend.”

  Lockwood nodded. “Good luck, Erin. I’ll be keeping in touch.” She ushered the stunned Gonzales out of the office and left her alone.

  Erin took a deep breath and retrieved her phone.

  Allie was cheerful when she answered, as if this was the best day of her life. “Hi Honey! When are we going apartment hunting in Minneapolis?”

  “Uh, about that…”

  “What is it?” Allie shushed the dog’s barking. “Will you be going to a different field office?”

  “No, that’s not it.” Her heart thumped as if she’d run two miles. “I think an apartment might be too small.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Jimmy held the aerial drone up to the web cam so Allie could see. “This is the brand new model! Ooh, look at the gold stripes and the advanced camera. Uncle Thomas will have a heart attack when he sees this!”

  Two hundred miles away, Allie squinted at the wiggly image. He had the same frenetic energy as his auntie Erin. “Happy birthday, Jimmy. I’m sorry it took so long to replace, but I wanted to wait until the new model came out. I hope you like it. There are some pretty cool features.”

  “I love it!”

  Sophie nudged him aside and took over the spotlight, a close-up of her nose and grinning mouth consuming the camera’s field of view. “We’re going to Disneyland.”

  “Disneyland!”

  The image tilted as Victoria picked up the laptop and looked directly into the lens. “Dad got two whole weeks off work, and we’re going to celebrate Mom. She’s all done her treatment!”

  “I’m so happy,” Allie said.

  “And there’s a drone competition,” Jimmy chimed in. “It’s on the way. I get to compete.”

  “Anyway,” Victoria continued. “We’re going to ride Space Mountain, and—”

  “No,” Sophie interjected. “Rollercoasters make me sick.”

  The image on the laptop swiveled to their mom’s face. “Hi Allie. We’re going, on one condition, if my kids do all their chores and get along. This trip will be epic.” Erin’s sister Liz smiled. Her face had regained its healthy glow after she’d finished the last grueling round of chemo. Since the doctor had declared her cancer free, it was as if she’d begun a whole new life, with energy to match.

  “Aw Mom, you can’t say epic. Nobody says that anymore,” one of the girls grumbled off-camera.

  “Mom’s going on all the rides with us!” Jimmy shouted.

  Liz smirked at the camera. “Yeah, no more nausea. I sure don’t miss chemo.”

  Victoria’s face appeared on the screen again. “I miss Doppler. Can you bring him for a visit?”

  “I promise. As soon as we can.”

  “It’s suppertime,” Liz announced and the kids said their goodbyes.

  Allie closed her laptop and Wrong-Way Rachel grumbled, hopping off the desk. Despite everything on her mind, she’d gotten a great deal of work done today. Ciara and Raphael had taken over the business, and she remained as consultant. Her hours were flexible and her stress level low. That helped a lot.

  She got up, and Doppler followed her to the kitchen where Erin sat with the newspaper. She squeezed in beside her and took a sip from her flower-painted mug.

  “Yuck. You need some cream in that, or—”

  “Sprinkles?” Erin pulled her into her arms. “Do I need candy confetti in my coffee to make you happy?”

  “I am happy.” She leaned on her shoulder and held out her hand to examine the shiny ring on her finger. “Thanks for not getting me the Cinderella diamond. These little sapphires are so much prettier.”

  Erin brushed her lips against Allie’s forehead, breathing her in. “You smell good, Baby.”

  “You’re always thinking about food! What do you think I smell like? Bacon?”

  “No. You smell like rain,” Erin murmured. She took Allie’s hand in hers, “and sometimes strawberries.”

  They kissed, soft lips brushing, energy mingling in harmony. Today was a big day. The start of something new.

  “Don’t be nervous,” Erin said. “We completed all the training. You asked your mom for every piece of advice she had. You know what to do if a baby gets sick, if a toddler flushes everything in the house, or even if a teenager sneaks out late at night. You’ll be the best mom ever.”

  “Foster mom,” she corrected.

  “A foster mom’s still a mom, sometimes the one most needed.”

  “You’re right. I learned a lot from mine. A kid can never have too many people in her life who love her.” She sprang to her feet, and then the doorbell rang.

  Erin set her mug on the table. “I love that you can do that.”

  “She’s here.”

  “She?” Erin put the dog in the yard before they answered the door.

  On the front step stood a prim young social worker with a faux-leather case, and a world-weary expression, even though she had to be still shy of thirty. She extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Cassandra, with Child Protective Services.” The social worker’s reticence made it sound like a question. “I called about placing Willow in your home.”

  Beside Cassandra, at elbow height, was a serious-faced girl with black curly hair, and a baggy dress that hung from her thin body as if it had been hastily borrowed. She gripped a plastic shopping bag with meager possessions to her chest.

  Willow needed a bath; her skin was the mottled brownish color that Allie’s foster mom had joked about when she’d called her in for an overdue bath. ‘That’s not a tan, that’s tanned-in dirt!’ she’d laugh, and send her directly to the bathtub for a good scrubbing.

  Allie met the girl’s clear, bright eyes and her breath caught. Despite her neglected appearance, there was a serene intelligence about her, as if her exterior condition mismatched her interior. Her energy was familiar, like they’d been waiting for each other. Bright and clean, it filled Allie like fresh air.

  She breathed it in and squatted to Willow’s eye level. “I’m Allie, and that’s Erin. Would you like to come in?”

  “Okay.” The girl shrugged and stepped over the threshold. She surveyed the living room as if she were an approving interior designer.

  Erin nodded to her and led Cassandra to the kitchen. “I’ll take care of the paperwork while you two get acquainted.”

  “Would you like to see your room?” Allie opened a door decorated with dancing cats wearing parkas, showed her the newly painted room, and kids’ bed they’d stayed up late to assemble the night before. New pajamas, size six, were laid out on the bed.

  “I dreamed of coming to a place like this.” Willow picked up the pajamas and nodded her approval at the elephant pattern.

  “How old are you, Willow?”

  “I turned six right before school started.” She held up the corresponding number of fingers. “This is nice, but where are they?”

  “Who do you mean?”

  “The animals.”

  “Oh,” Allie sm
iled. She must have seen the dog toys and the photo of the cat. “Would you like to meet them?”

  The little girl nodded vigorously. Allie led her to the back door where the dog bounced, each time high enough to peep through the glass. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. “This is Doppler and he’s a Chihuahua.”

  Willow smiled, and her energy flashed bright orange. She was happy to see him. That was good. Doppler missed Erin’s nieces and nephew, and he’d be a good little buddy for her. Allie opened the door and the dog bounded into the girl’s arms, him wiggling excitedly, and her struggling to hold him. She giggled and finally put him down where he raced circles around her legs. “He’s cuter than I thought.”

  “He’s adorable, isn’t he? But he isn’t really supposed to jump up. We need to work on that. Later, I can show you where his treats are and you can help him, if you like.”

  Willow nodded again, and peered into the kitchen where Erin spoke with Cassandra.

  “You’ll like Erin. She’s fun and she loves kids. She can teach you how to make a whistle out of a piece of willow branch, a tree with the same name as you.” Allie grinned and held her hand up to her mouth. “But tree bark tastes bitter.” She made a face that she’d intended to be funny.

  Willow gave an earnest nod as if she would file this information away for future use, but she was distracted. She examined the closet.

  The social worker laughed about something when Erin escorted her back to the front door. Cassandra stopped long enough to pat the child on the head, and reassure her that everything would be okay before heading off. Erin returned with a stack of documents, and an overwhelmed expression.

  She put the papers down, and forced a smile. “Your name is Willow, right? I’m Erin.” She held out her hand.

  The girl’s face clouded with confusion for a moment before she extended her own, and they shook firmly, arms swinging up and down. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She let go and laid on her belly to peek under the closet door, left open a crack. Tail wagging, Doppler wiggled in beside her. Side-by-side, they maintained vigil.