by Gail Caban
“Alley’s clear.”
“Grab his ankles,” Eddie said as he gripped Martin’s jacket; together they hoisted his body up and dropped him onto the floor. “Careful! He might shatter!” Eddie exclaimed.
Ness jumped back. “Really?” Eddie laughed, “No, I’m just messing with you.” Ness responded by rolling her eyes.
“There’s a body bag hidden in that duffel bag over there on the shelf,” Eddie pointed. Ness grabbed the body bag and they moved the body into it, zipping it closed.
“Check the hallway and make sure no one’s around,” Eddie said. Ness popped her head out, “Coast is clear.”
“Move the body to the vehicle.”
“By myself? He must weigh well over 200 pounds.”
“I won’t always be around, Ness. Let’s see how well you can work on your own.”
Ness grabbed the ends of the bag and started dragging it toward the door. Fortunately, the bag slid easily over the tiled floor, and Ness managed to make it to the main exit door in a matter of minutes. Ness peered out of the door, and once she saw that there was still no one around, she opened the trunk of the Range Rover, dragging the body bag toward it. She managed to hoist the top half of Martin into the trunk before pivoting his legs inside.
“I’m impressed.” Eddie said, standing at the door. “I’m stronger than I look. I did grow up with a jock for a brother,” Ness replied, closing the trunk.
“Give me your keys. I’ll follow you in your car,” Ness handed him her keys and climbed into the Range Rover. Two hours later, both vehicles pulled off the road on a sheer cliff on Devil’s Head, and Ness climbed out the car and walked to Eddie who was climbing out of her Civic.
“I’m going to need your help with this next part,” Ness said. Eddie nodded. They moved to the trunk of the Range Rover and removed the body from the body bag. They turned his phone off and added several empty bottles of booze into the vehicle. That done, they carried Martin to the driver’s seat and manipulated him into a seated position. Ness folded his hands on the steering wheel and started the vehicle. She left the car in neutral and placed his foot firmly on the gas pedal. The vehicle revved noisily, and Eddie got out of the way. Ness was still in the passenger seat and put the car into drive. The Range Rover lurched forward and accelerated quickly. Ness had to jump from the vehicle before it reached the cliff’s edge.
Rolling in the dirt, she could see the red taillights of the vehicle disappear over the edge and plummet down into the dense vegetation below. A few seconds later, they heard a loud crash at the bottom of the cliff. Both Eddie and Ness walked to the cliff’s edge and peered over. They couldn’t see anything in the darkness below.
“Hopefully that goes undiscovered for a few days,” Ness said. “It ought to. Well done, grasshopper. You’ve done well,” Eddie smiled and tossed her the car keys. “Let’s head back. You’ve got to move it if you want to make it back before your dad wakes up.”
They arrived back at Eddie’s place a little before 5:00 A.M., and before Eddie climbed out of the vehicle, he pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. He handed it to Ness.
“What’s this?” Ness asked.
“Your next assignment. This is the license plate of one of the three men that approached you in my bar the other night. Word on the street is that they brutally attacked and raped a 14-year-old girl after they left the bar when she was returning from the store for her sick mother. The police don’t have anything to charge them yet. Find out what you can about them and come back here on Sunday—that gives you two days. We’ll continue then,” Eddie climbed out the car and started to walk to the house.
“Hey, Eddie!” Ness called out which made him turn around.
“King’s pawn to e6 is my move for the game inside.”
“Why to e6?”
“The French Defense is my preferred opening for when I play black,” Ness smiled and drove away. Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and smiled, “No . . . I most certainly haven’t overestimated you, Vanessa Elliott.”
8
Ness pulled into the driveway a little after six. She drove slightly faster on the freeway than she normally does because she needed to ensure that she got home before her father realized that she didn’t come home last night. She exited her vehicle and headed straight for the back door. She peered in through the window, and she could see that the coffee pot wasn’t on yet. Close call, Ness, she thought to herself.
Ness unlocked the kitchen door and walked inside. She could hear the water running upstairs, so she figured that her dad had already made it to the shower. I didn’t close my door yesterday. He would have seen my bed was still made when he walked past my room, she thought. Ness walked up to the coffee pot and started adding in the ingredients to have it ready for her dad when he came downstairs. She could hear the water turn off upstairs, so he'd be down in a few minutes. Ness waited for the coffee to brew and then poured the coffee into the mugs that she grabbed from the cupboard.
“Morning, Ness,” Heck said as he walked into the kitchen. “Did you come home last night? I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I did but it was pretty late and you were already asleep.”
Heck nodded. “Everything okay?” he asked. “Yep, just pretty tired. Went for a long drive. I made you some coffee,” Ness said, handing his mug to him. “Thanks! You’re a lifesaver. Would you mind if I poured this into my travel mug? I want to get to the station a bit earlier this morning.”
Ness grabbed his travel mug for him from the cupboard behind her, and Heck transferred the steaming hot coffee. “You’re a doll. See you later,” Heck said and headed for the door. “Hey, Dad. Wyatt actually offered me to spend a few days with him and Lindsay. Are you going to be alright here on your own?”
“I’m a big boy, Ness. Thanks for the concern though,” he smiled, grabbed his keys, sidearm, handcuffs, and left the house.
Ness could hear the old Land Rover start up and drive down the street. She took a few sips of her coffee and suddenly felt ravenous. She hadn’t eaten since she had a few bites of her sandwich at Eddie’s, and after the strenuous night, she craved food. Ness walked to the fridge and grabbed a couple of eggs and two slices of bread. She heated up some oil in a pan and cracked the eggs in. As she watched them fry, she let her mind wander. She knew that leaving her dad alone wasn’t the most prudent of ideas, but the technology in the house was practically archaic. Ness knew that Wyatt had direct access to the police database from his house, and she would be able to get all the information from there if she could crack the password.
“Ouch!” Ness pulled her hand away from the pan as hot oil sputtered and a few droplets burned her fingers. Ness walked to the faucet and ran cold water over the droplet burns. Once the sting was reduced, she walked to the toaster and dropped in her slices of bread. Once the bread was toasted and the eggs were fried, Ness sat down at the kitchen table and devoured them quickly. After washing them down with the remainder of her coffee, Ness sat back and pulled out her phone. She dialed Wyatt’s number.
“Hey, Ness. What’s up?” Wyatt asked.
“Nothing, I just wanted to find out if I could still come stay with you and Lindsay for a few days?” she said.
“Of course. I didn’t actually think that you’d take us up on the offer. Why don’t you swing by later and grab the house keys from me here at the station?”
“Will do. See you later,” Ness hung up the phone and headed straight for the bathroom. She needed to shower and wash off all of the crap that could still be on her. Once she was in the bathroom, Ness stripped and looked at herself in the mirror. She could see the scars from the surgeries on her abdomen and beneath her breasts. She had always been petite, but now she looked far too thin. Ness climbed into the shower and made it as hot as she could handle, letting the water stream over her. As the water streamed over her, Ness felt a strong buildup of emotions, and she started sobbing. Everything that was happening felt surreal, and she wasn’t sur
e what she was becoming; whatever it was, there was no turning back.
After several minutes, Ness started to calm down, and eventually she climbed out of the shower and dried herself off. That done, she walked to her room, hung her towel up, and climbed into her bed without bothering to get dressed. She had to get a few hours of sleep in before she left to get the keys from Wyatt.
Heck Elliott walked into the police station at 6:30 A.M. and was surprised to see that Wyatt was already sitting at his desk.
“Hey son. You’re in early today,” Heck said and sat down at Wyatt’s desk.
“I thought I’d get a jumpstart on the paperwork that started piling up—again. So, I decided to come in early. How are you doing?” Wyatt sat back into his chair so he could give his dad his undivided attention.
“Have you noticed a change in Ness in the last few days?” Heck asked.
“I’ve been noticing a change for the past several months, but now that you mention it, yeah I do think she’s been acting a bit weirder than normal. And she called me right before you walked in and asked if she could come and stay with us for a few days. What have you noticed?”
“Well, I caught her in a lie this morning,” Heck leaned forward in his chair.
“What happened?”
“I woke up early because I had to pee, and when I walked past her room, I could see that her bed wasn’t slept in. Right before I climbed into the shower, I heard her car pull up into the driveway. When I was finished and I went downstairs, I asked her if she had come home last night, and she said that she had. But it’s not like her to be untruthful.”
“Dad, I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe she just went out and had a fling or something and was too embarrassed to mention it,” Wyatt smiled. Heck didn’t find that comment humorous and glared at Wyatt.
“I’ll be in my office,” Heck finally responded and stood up. “Have a good day, Sheriff,” Wyatt called out as he walked away, but Wyatt’s smile quickly faded when Heck closed his door behind him. He was concerned about Ness’ behavior, and this was the second night that she was acting shady. He didn’t want to bring up any suspicions until he had more information, but there was something tickling the back of his mind. Wyatt picked up his phone and first dialed Lindsay’s number.
“Hey babe,” she answered on the second ring.
“Hey honey, I just wanted to call and let you know that Ness will be staying with us after all. She’ll be popping by the station later to grab a set of keys for the house.”
“That’s great news! I’ll organize the guest bedroom for her before I leave for work,” Lindsay already sounded busy as she spoke.
“You’re an angel,” Wyatt responded. “I know,” Lindsay replied cheekily.
They said their goodbyes and hung up. Wyatt sat for a few moments and stared at the paperwork in front of him. He knew he needed to carry on with it, but that tickle in the back of his mind was becoming a full-blown itch, and he hoped his suspicions were wrong. He picked up his phone again and dialed a number that he hadn’t used in a long time.
“CPDs Major Crime Unit, Sergeant Wilcox speaking,” the phone was answered after a few rings.
“Robert, It’s Wyatt Elliott from North Utica. How are you doin’?”
“Wyatt, you old rat bastard! haven’t heard from you in ages. I’m doing as well as can be here. But it’s pretty much the same shit on a different day. What’s up? What can I do for you?”
“Listen man, I need a favor.”
“After what you did for me, you can name it my friend. You know, everyone else left me for dead after I was shot by those hillbillies, and here, this small-town cop, hikes 20 miles with me on his shoulders to get me out of the wilderness. I’ll never forget that, Wyatt.”
“Thanks man. I need to know the whereabouts of Henry Martin and what he’s up to. But keep it on the downlow.”
“Henry Martin? The same son of a bitch that killed your mom, Henry Martin?”
“That’s the one.”
“You got it, Wyatt. You want me to take him out and make it look like an accident?” Robert Wilcox laughed, but there was no humor in it. The sound of that laugh made Wyatt’s blood run cold.
“No, my friend. Surveillance only.”
“You got it. I’ll call you when I find him,” Robert answered and hung up.
The reason why you can’t kill him, Robert, is because I fear he may be dead already, Wyatt sat back into his chair and rubbed his temples. “Please prove me wrong, Robert,” Wyatt whispered to himself.
9
Ness opened eyes, and her vision was blurry. She swallowed a few times, but her mouth felt like chalk. She blinked several times until her vision cleared, and she sat up in her bed. She didn’t think that she would sleep that deeply—she couldn’t recall dreaming. But, after everything that was going on, the lack of dreams was definitely working in Ness’ favor. The dreams that she had after the accident were terrifying, so the lack of them now was comforting.
“Time to get up, Ness. You still need to get to Wyatt’s house while you still have time to be alone,” Ness said to herself as she rolled out of bed and grabbed her phone off her bedside table: 11:56 A.M. Ness jumped out of bed and got dressed. She still had to pack a bag that would tie her over for a few days. It took Ness 30 minutes to pack everything that she needed and then she walked downstairs and locked up the house before heading to the station.
Ness parked her car and walked inside. Her skin broke out in goosebumps when she entered the doors with the air conditioners set on a remarkably low temperature.
“Hey Agatha. It’s freezing in here,” Ness said as she approached Agatha’s desk. “You know how these officers like their cold. Anything over 75 degrees and they claim to be melting,” Agatha used air quotes with her fingers and then burst out laughing. “But you and I are definitely the reptiles here: we like the heat.”
Ness laughed. “Have a great day, Agatha. I’m just popping in to see Wyatt.”
“It’s been wonderful seeing you so regularly, Nessie. I hope this becomes a habit,” she smiled broadly. Ness walked over to Wyatt’s desk who seemed to be out on a call because his chair was empty. Ness sat down and waited for him to return. Her dad’s office door was closed, and though she wasn’t sure if he was in, she wasn’t too keen on seeing him at the moment. She felt as though he knew she was lying when they were in the kitchen earlier in the morning. So, she remained at Wyatt’s desk.
20 minutes later, Wyatt returned and looked like he’d just run a marathon.
“What happened to you?”
“There was a teenager that pickpocketed an old lady at the grocery store, and he was caught by security; when I was transferring him to the vehicle, he decided to make a bolt for it,” Wyatt said.
Ness bit on her lip to suppress her building laugh. “It’s not funny, Ness.”
“It’s a little funny,” Ness giggled. “Did you catch the teenager?”
Wyatt glared at her, “Shut up.” This made Ness burst into laughter, “I’m sorry, Wyatt.”
“It’s alright, it’s good to see you laugh. We know who the kid is, so we’ll catch up with him sooner or later,” Wyatt smiled as he sat down. “Here are the keys to the house,” He took off a few keys from his keychain. “Just park outside the garage when you get there. The big oak tree is offering plenty of shade nowadays.”
“Thanks, Wyatt. Do you mind if I go there now to unpack?”
“Not at all. Just don’t wreck the house.”
“I’ll try my best,” Ness stood up and winked at her brother as she exited the station.
It only took Ness 10 minutes to drive from the station to Wyatt’s house, and although it was the house that they moved into right after they were married, it was comfortably sized. Being an up-and-coming police officer in the community and the son of the sheriff, Wyatt was able to purchase this home at a remarkable discount. The previous owners were happy to sell to someone who dedicated his life to keeping their neighborhood safe.
Ness parked her Civic in front of the garage doors under the vast shade produced by the oak tree. She climbed out and went straight for the front door. Once she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she had a quick look around the place. She hadn’t been here in a while, and she could see that the lovely couple made many improvements.
“Lindsay, are you home?” Ness called out, knowing that she most likely wouldn’t be there, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Her being there wasn’t entirely innocent, and she didn’t want to get caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Satisfied that no one was at home, she went straight into the den, dropped her bag on the floor next to the sofa, and turned on the desktop computer on the desk. The computer booted up within a few seconds, but Ness’ progress was immediately hindered by password protection.
“What would my brother use as his password?” Ness whispered and started typing in the names of his favorite teams, anagrams, and mixtures of Wyatt and Lindsay’s names; nothing seemed to be working.
“Come on, Ness. This is Wyatt you’re dealing with. He’s not always the sharpest knife in the drawer,” Ness looked around the desk and could see a picture frame close to the computer. Ness picked it up. It was a picture of Lindsay on their wedding day.