Mason Black (The Complete Collection): 6 Gripping Crime Stories: The Complete Collection + BONUS Story

by Adam Nicholls

  Before they arrived at the peak of the cliff, the engine was cut off and the killer got out, summoning Mason from the side door.

  ‘Here it is, Mr Black,’ the killer said. ‘Your final stop.’

  Quietly, Evie lowered herself from the ladder and crept around the side of the RV. From here she could stealthily evaluate the situation before making any sudden moves. She could see that the gun was pointed at her brother, and her heart began to race. Ahead of him, and closer to the cliff’s edge, was Amy. She was sobbing and clutching her bleeding hand.

  What has he done to you? Evie hated to see her own niece in pain.

  Mason was forced to tie a rope around himself, and was nudged towards the cliff’s drop.

  No. Evie dropped to a knee and took the knife from her shin-strap. She held it exactly how Mason had taught her back at Christmas after presenting her with the gift. Now, she may have to use it, whether she was prepared for that or not.

  Suddenly, the killer shoved Mason over the edge of the cliff. Amy came crashing to the ground and the rope dragged her along by her leg. It happened so fast that Evie could barely register what had happened. But her instincts kicked in and there was no need to be quiet anymore. She ran forward–not for Wendell, but for the rope.

  ‘Help!’ Amy screamed, her voice shrill with panic.

  Evie dashed forward, throwing herself onto the ground and catching hold of the rope. She buried her heel into the ground, but the downpour made the mud scoop up under her foot, slowing them to a stop. ‘I’ve got you!’

  Wendell stood watching, surprise in his expression. ‘Not exactly what I’d hoped for, but I s’pose this makes it more interesting.’ He stepped back, holding the gun by his crotch and watching with excitement.

  But Evie had to seize control. Using the knife, she sawed away at the rope. The threads came apart, liberating Amy, but Evie was stunned by the sudden increase in weight. She was dragged closer to the cliff face. ‘Run!’ she screamed, wishing she’d get to safety.

  Amy hesitated, moved a hand as if to help, then climbed to her feet and sprinted off into the distance. Within seconds, she had disappeared into the darkness.

  ‘Losing your grip?’ Wendell said, laughing. ‘I’d love to stay and watch the show, but I have a girl to catch. Adios.’ He ran after Amy without looking back.

  Evie was left alone in the dark, burying her heel into the mud as deep as she could, but it was no use. She had slowed down, but Mason was too heavy and she was sliding closer towards the edge.

  She was five yards away.

  Three.

  Two.

  The rocks gave out under her and went plummeting off the side, while the rope burned her palms. Exhausted and in agony, Evie yelled at the top of her lungs as the rope slipped from her grasp.

  84

  A second wind lent her a burst of strength, but it wasn’t enough.

  The rope was slipping, burning. Although she managed to plant her feet in hard enough to pull back by a couple of yards, her strength soon depleted to nothingness.

  ‘Mason,’ she called. ‘I can’t… hold you!’

  It was difficult to hear anything through the torrents of rain, but she could just make out what Mason was shouting at her. ‘Evie? It’s… Where’s Amy?’

  Evie bared her teeth and hoisted back. She didn’t know exactly how long she could hold on, but it wasn’t long. ‘She escaped, but Wendell went after her.’

  There was a silence, save for her grunting as she was dragged closer to the cliff’s end.

  ‘Go,’ Mason yelled, sounding resigned.

  Is he crazy? Evie pictured him hanging down there, not as the man he was now, but as the boy she had played games with on the rug as a kid. The boy who had taught her to tell time and tie her shoelaces. The brother who had saved her in every way possible after their parents had died. ‘I’m not letting you go.’

  ‘You have to!’

  ‘No…’

  ‘I’m loosening the rope now, Evie. You tried, but it’s okay.’

  Her palms were ablaze as she tried to manage Mason’s weight, but it was too much. She was throttled forward. Her chin hit the dirt as she lost her grip on the rope, and her stomach was being torn up by the dragging. ‘Don’t you dare untie it!’

  Only Mason didn’t have to because the final length of the rope slid from her hand. The end went flailing around like spaghetti being sucked up, growing shorter as it went for the cliff.

  Evie pictured her brother falling to his death. A tear appeared at her eye as she saw the last of the rope’s length disappearing in seconds. It all happened so fast, that she barely heard the rushing patter of footsteps behind her.

  Accepting their fate, she closed her eyes and waited for her heart to break.

  85

  Mason pulled out a thread of rope, loosening the knot. One more, and he would be falling to his death. How else was he supposed to convince Evie to go after Amy?

  After everything they had been through, he cared for only two things: his daughter’s safety, and bringing justice to the Lullaby Killer. If sacrificing himself was the only way to do that, then what choice did he have? Besides, it was freezing up here and he was exhausted. Letting go seemed a hell of a lot easier.

  There was a sudden jolt in the rope as the resistance weakened, and he dropped. He was falling fast towards the rocks, thinking only of Amy, and that Evie must have finally let go. But then there was a brutal jerk, sending him crashing into a jagged cliff face. It caught his arm, tearing a clean cut through his skin.

  ‘Don’t let go!’

  It was a familiar voice from above, but not Evie’s. A man’s voice.

  ‘Bill?’ Mason strained to look up.

  ‘Whatever you do, just… don’t let go. We’re going to pull you up, buddy.’

  We? As Mason was being hoisted up the side of the cliff, he wondered who would be there to thank. He prayed it wasn’t Evie, and that she had gone after Wendell.

  When he got to the top, rocks sliding out from under him while the cold wind blasted at his back, both Bill and Evie helped pull him to his feet. Evie was caked in mud, holding her arms in pain. It must have taken everything she’d had to keep hold of him for as long as she had. He couldn’t be more grateful.

  ‘Where did Amy go?’ Mason demanded, clambering to his feet and moving away from the cliff. If he was lucky, he might not suffer a fear of heights after this.

  ‘Into the trees,’ Evie said, pointing a finger and beginning to jog.

  ‘No.’ Mason stopped her. ‘You stay here. Bill, give me your gun.’

  ‘We’ll both be in a lot of trouble if you–’

  ‘Give me the damn gun!’

  Bill drew it from his hip and handed it over, not saying another word.

  ‘You got a car?’ Mason turned and began to run.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Good. Take Evie. I need to finish this.’ Stumbling along the sodden ground, Mason ran into the trees, putting the last of his energy into catching up to Amy and the Lullaby Killer.

  Before it was too late.

  86

  Mason had never run so fast in his life. While branches and thick bushes tried to slow him down, he pummelled through them with immeasurable force.

  Wendell was ahead of him, just close enough to see in the dark of the woodlands. He, too, was dashing with great speed. Only he wasn’t running away from Mason so much as he was towards Amy in a terrifying pursuit.

  Mason closed in on him, refusing to let anything halt his speed. ‘Stop right there!’ he yelled, clutching the gun tightly. He leaped over a fallen branch and aimed the gun. It was now or never–a wild shot or lose him… and Amy.

  Holding his breath and letting it out slowly, he coiled his finger round the trigger and squeezed. The gunshot echoed through the trees, startling birds and making them scatter.

  Wendell stopped dead in his tracks, raising his hands.

  Amy fell into the dirt not far beyond.

  ‘Don’t y
ou move. Don’t you dare move.’ Mason stepped forward, and Amy came into view. She was on the ground, scraped and cut from her escape of the Lullaby Killer. There was something else noticeable, too. Something missing, and soaked in blood.

  ‘Dad,’ she whined, ‘stop him.’

  ‘Yeah, Dad.’ Wendell stepped closer, his evil grin illuminated in the moonlight. ‘Stop me.’ It was an obvious taunt, and oh-so-tempting.

  Mason held the gun firmly, trembling in the cold and eager to make a move. He cautiously stepped over a pile of dead leaves and looked around him. You have no idea how much I want to kill you.

  ‘Shoot him, Dad!’ Amy cried.

  ‘He won’t, little girl. We don’t know why, but he won’t.’ Wendell sidestepped, dropping his head a little to examine Mason’s expression. ‘Is it because of his moral code? Is that it? Or is it because his daughter is watching?’

  ‘She’s seen worse things than you,’ Mason spat through clenched teeth.

  ‘I don’t doubt it. But she’s never seen anything as interesting as me, I’d wager. Ain’t that right?’ Wendell wouldn’t keep still, cowering only slightly at the sight of the gun. ‘I mean, look at this. It took you years to catch me, and now that you finally have, you can’t even bring yourself to stop me.’

  ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’ There was something wrong. Mason could feel it. Was the killer really that confident that he wouldn’t shoot? Would Mason shoot? The logical thing to do would be to bring him in for arrest. But there was something telling him he couldn’t. Something saying that it would be his worst move. All the same, he could easily bluff it. ‘Do you know what they do to kiddy-killers in prison?’

  ‘Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that I’m not even heading that way. Here you are, deciding whether to shoot me. But we both know,’ Wendell came closer and lowered his hands, ‘that doing so would make you as bad as me. You’re not a killer, are you, Mr Black?’

  Mason knew his options. They were limited, but at least he had options. He glanced at Amy, who was hurt and frightened. The idea that anybody would let his daughter feel that way only sickened him. He looked back at Wendell, the Lullaby Killer who had caused him so much trouble for all these years. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’m far worse.’

  87

  Evie was sitting quietly in Bill’s car when she saw them. The only thing was, she felt both thrilled and disappointed at the same time. Seeing Mason was a relief, and laying eyes on Amy meant she could relax a little. But where on earth was Wendell?

  Bill was first out of the car, rushing towards them. He went straight to Mason, and Evie tended to her niece, crouching to hug her tightly. ‘Are you okay? I’m so sorry.’

  Amy hugged her back, sobbing into her shoulder as they both ignored the rain.

  ‘Evie,’ Mason looked down at them, putting a hand softly on Amy’s back, ‘can you take her to the car a minute? I need to talk to Bill.’

  ‘Wha… Where’s Wendell?’

  Mason shook his head slowly. ‘He got away.’

  While they talked among themselves, Evie carried a sobbing Amy to the car and sat cradling her. The police and an ambulance were on their way, and they could tend to the wound where the killer had taken a finger.

  But she couldn’t take her eyes off her brother.

  What aren’t you telling me?

  Mason was talking as Bill ran his fingers through his hair, looking as stressed as ever. They were obviously sharing a secret and Evie wanted in. But for now, she would just have to take whatever was given to her.

  Mason returned to the car, stroking Amy’s hair.

  ‘Got away, huh?’ Evie whispered, sighing.

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘Listen, you don’t have to tell me the truth. You never have to say more than you feel comfortable with, but don’t ever lie to me. Understood?’ Evie felt horrible for putting it so bluntly. Was she being paranoid? Everything they’d been through had certainly taught her to be cautious, if nothing else.

  Mason looked hurt by her words, but then his expression turned into something more accepting. It was as if he had just accepted her threat, surrendering for the sake of peace. ‘I’m not lying. In fact, I’ve decided to drop the case.’

  ‘Drop it?’ This is definitely not like him. ‘What the hell do you mean?’

  ‘I have Amy back, although worse for wear. The only reason this happened is because I was looking too closely into things. I’ve spoken to Bill and he’s going to carry on the investigation without me.’

  ‘We’ll want the official statement,’ Bill said from the driver’s side.

  ‘Can we swing by in the morning?’ Mason hoisted Amy from the car and carried her to the approaching ambulance.

  ‘I don’t see why not.’

  Evie climbed out and went with Mason, resigning to his terrible idea of giving up. Something was definitely off, whether he was willing to admit it or not. But if she never found out, maybe it was for the best.

  For now, however, she had a niece to take care of and a brother to support. In spite of his poor choice, Mason would still need her. And who was she to refuse?

  88

  Mason had no sooner got his daughter back than had to hand her away.

  The doctors had seen to her severed finger, and she had taken it like a champ. No whining like one might expect from a thirteen-year-old. No sobbing or signs of posttraumatic stress. In fact, there was nothing but warmth inside her, and a gratitude that she had made it out of there alive.

  It was more than Evie could have handled–she had cringed at her own scrapes and gone home to get some rest after making sure that everybody was okay. Now, it was just Mason and Amy, the loving father-daughter duo.

  ‘You ready to go?’ Mason asked, picking her up like she was still five.

  Amy nodded and wrapped her arms around him as he carried her out to the Mustang.

  Mason messed with the keys. His hands were shaking wildly, but he had no idea why. Thinking it was probably just fatigue, he closed his fist tight and opened it, making it feel less tense. That’s better. He started up the engine and the headlights lit up the dark.

  ‘You’re never coming home, are you?’ Amy asked as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot. It seemed as if she knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from him.

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  They soon arrived at her house and Mason tried not to think about the divorce papers. Instead, he thought only about what to do next. Hunting down Marvin Wendell was sure as hell not on his list of priorities, but private investigating might still be an option.

  Mason climbed out of the car and opened the door for Amy, who may not have been struggling with her missing finger, but chivalry would never die. Not until he did. He took her hand and helped her out of the car, then walked her towards the house.

  ‘Wait.’ Amy stopped, halfway up the driveway.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I want to live with you.’

  Mason would have loved it, too, but it simply wasn’t possible. He knelt, brushed the stray strands of hair over her ear and looked her in the eye. ‘I don’t have anywhere to live yet, sweetheart. I’m still living with Bill.’

  ‘What about when you’re on your feet?’

  ‘Maybe.’ It depends on what the court has to say, he thought, but didn’t say it.

  Just then, the front door of the house sprung open, and Sandra came running out. She was barefoot but didn’t seem to care. She almost knocked Amy off her feet as she sped towards her and encased her in a hug.

  ‘I’m so sorry I let you go,’ said Sandra, planting firm kisses on her cheek. She looked at Mason, grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him closer, holding him, too. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Mason wasn’t sure if she was repeating her apology to Amy, or offering a fresh one to him. Whoever it was for, he hugged her back, holding her close and knowing that this was the last time he would see such warmth from his wife.

  Over her shoulder, he saw Joshua walking down
the drive. He had his head down, but his eyes were up. When he stopped, he lowered his gaze to his feet. ‘I just wanted to say–’

  ‘Shut up,’ said Mason. ‘Shut up right now.’ God knew he wanted to hit Joshua. For taking his wife. For trying to be a father to his daughter. And for ever letting her get in harm’s way in the first place.

  ‘You know what?’ Sandra whispered in Mason’s ear, still clutching him tight. ‘Maybe we should rethink things.’

  Mason felt it like a sucker punch. He knew it was probably the joy of the moment making her say that, but how was he supposed to respond? His initial reaction was to smile, to say “Great!” and that everything would be okay. But in spite of his own mistakes throughout their marriage, could he really be comfortable with how she had handled it?

  As difficult as it was, he said nothing, wiping his tired eyes and breaking the hug slowly. ‘I’d better head home.’

  ‘We’ll talk tomorrow,’ Sandra told him, nodding.

  ‘Sure.’ Mason kissed his daughter on the cheek and mussed her hair. ‘See you soon.’ He went back to his car, started up the engine and pulled out of the drive. In the rear-view mirror, he saw his wife and daughter standing and waving him off, while Joshua hung back.

  Go get some rest, he could hear Evie saying. Mason wanted to take that advice, and he certainly would. But there was somewhere else he had to go first. It was something he had started earlier that night but hadn’t quite finished.

  Now that he was alone, he could finally do it.

  89

  ‘I hate to say it, Mason, but I’m disappointed in you.’ Captain Leanne Cox pushed back from the table and went to the door, holding it open for him to leave.

  After a short night of sleep, he had returned to give the entirety of his statement and his reasons for terminating his pursuit of Marvin Wendell. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help,’ he said, shooting a look at Bill, who stood clutching a clipboard.

  The three of them left the room together. The captain headed towards her office, while Bill showed Mason to the water cooler. It felt like a cliché place to have a private discussion, but they had to talk while they had the chance.