by Ann Mullen
“The boys made me come home. They said I shouldn’t be out there in the cold. What’s wrong with them? I plowed these roads for the last forty some years. I don’t know why they expect me to stop now.”
“I can’t say a word. If it was my father, I wouldn’t want him out there either.”
“I must admit it’s a lot nicer sitting inside by the fireplace.”
“How’s Sarah holding up?”
“When she’s not crying, she’s sleeping. It’s her way of dealing with Daniel’s death. She can hardly talk. She’s so distraught.”
“How are you doing?”
“I’ll be better when they catch my son’s killer. I just can’t believe a teenager did this to our family. It’s hard to hate one so young.”
“I felt the same way at first. You know he confronted me at the hospital and swore that he didn’t mean to kill Daniel. He said it was an accident. I almost felt sorry for him. Can you believe that? It didn’t take long for me to realize that even someone so young could be dangerous. It seems that killers get younger every day. It’s a crying shame!”
“I’ve been saying that for years. Some of the stuff that I see on television and read in the newspaper makes me sick. I say we stop blaming the parents and make these kids pay for what they do.”
“I totally agree. A parent can only do so much. You raise your kids the best you can, and how they turn out is up to them.”
“Ah, Sarah’s up. Would you like to talk to her, Jesse?”
“Yes, I would. And Chief Sam, if there’s anything you want me to do, you just say so… anything at all.”
“You’re a good squaw.” He handed the phone to Sarah.
“How are you doing?” Sarah asked, speaking softly. “I’m sorry that I haven’t called you.”
“No, Sarah. It’s me who should be apologizing. I should’ve called, but I thought you might need some time to yourself. I knew you’d call if you needed anything.”
“I need my son back, but that’s not going to happen.” She started to cry.
“I wish I could fix this, but I can’t. I hate to see you hurt like this.”
“We can’t control what happens to our children,” she said, sniffling. “We give them life and that’s all we can do.”
“That’s what the chief just said.”
“He’s a good man… stubborn… but good.”
“Have you talked with Billy this morning?”
“No, I haven’t. He called, but I was still in bed. Sam talked to him. Why? What’s going on? Have they caught the kid who killed my boy?”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, I started to cry. Unable to talk, the two us cried over the phone.
“We’re going to catch this kid and put him behind bars for a long time.”
“Jail is too good for that criminal!” she shouted into my ear. “I want him dead!”
“You don’t mean that, Sarah. You’re upset.”
“I do mean it, Jesse. He killed my son. I want him to pay!” Her sobbing became uncontrollable. “And I want my son back!”
Chief Sam took the phone from her and I could hear him trying to calm her down.
“Jesse, she can’t talk anymore. This has been too much for her to handle. She’s falling apart. It’s going to take some time for her to come to terms with Daniel’s death.”
“I understand. Please tell her that I love her and all she has to do is call if she wants me to come over. I can sit with her, if you want me to. Maybe talking would help.”
“She’ll be okay,” he said. “Jenny is here with us.”
“Good.”
“The doctor gave me some pills to help calm her down, and it’s about time for another one. She’ll be asleep before you know it. When the soul is shaken to its core, rest is the only thing that will help.”
“Call us if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Jesse.”
“Thank you for being my family. I love you all so much.”
“We will see you tomorrow.” The chief hung up the phone without saying good-bye, but that didn’t bother me. That’s his way.
I hung up the phone, walked over to the front window, and looked outside.
Snow covered everything except the driveway. It looked so cold. I went to the front door and opened it. The cold air rushed in.
Athena got up from the fireplace and limped over to me. She let out a sad bark as if she was begging me to close the door.
“What’s the matter, girl?” I asked as I bent down and rubbed her coat. “Are you cold? I am, too.”
Without as much as a word, or in her case, a bark, she limped her way out on to the porch and stood there, her nose pointed in the direction of the woods.
Thor lazily pulled himself to his feet, stretched, and then abandoned his warm spot by the fire. He ambled over to where Athena was standing, circled her, and then sat down beside her.
I heard a meow and looked down to see that Spice Cat had joined them. “Hail, hail! The gang’s all here!”
A second later, Spice Cat took off down the steps heading in the direction of the woods. His fluffy coat was barely visible in the snow
“Spice Cat, get back here!” I screamed. “You’re going to drive me nuts!” I looked down at Athena and asked, “Where’s he going, girl?”
I could hear Spice Cat’s meow and see his long tail wagging as he continued his trek to the woods. I worried that he too would get hurt, but I wasn’t about to leave my kids alone to go after him.
“I don’t know what the three of you have cooking, but I’m staying right here. You better get back here, you crazy cat!” I yelled one last time.
Between the blowing wind and the roar of the bulldozer, I was sure that my voice had gotten lost. Spice Cat probably couldn’t hear me, but even if he could, he was not coming back until he had accomplished his mission, whatever that was.
This I was sure of because Athena and Thor had acted the same way on a few other occasions—like the time Thor snatched a plastic bag containing Billy’s bloody shirt from a cop’s hand and sprinted out of the house, not to be seen for several hours. That was funny.
But what was Spice Cat up to? Was he out in the woods searching for something incriminating?
Mom always said that the two dogs were pretty smart, so what about Spice Cat? Did he have an uncanny knack for digging up something like my two canines, or was he just on a jaunt through the woods?
Most cats don’t like to get their paws wet, but not Spice Cat. He proved early on that he liked the snow and all the playful things he could do in it as long as he could come back inside when he finished playing, and dry his coat by the fire.
My pets know the difference between good people and bad. They also know where the bodies are buried—at least Athena and Thor do. That was Mom’s little joke after Thor dragged up a severed hand onto her front porch.
Oh, Lord! Is that what Spice Cat’s going to do? Is there a body out there somewhere in our woods? I sure hope not. One incident of a dead body in the backyard was enough for me.
I ushered Athena and Thor back inside, against their wishes. They wanted to wait for Spice Cat’s return, but I wouldn’t let them.
Actually, I was afraid they would take off after him and then I’d have to go out hunting for them all. As long as one was alone, I was sure that one would come back. If all three of them were together, I’d be knee-deep in the frigid snow looking for them.
“Not today,” I said as I closed the door. “I’m not going out there. If you want to freeze to death, help yourself!”
Athena and Thor sat by the door and wouldn’t move. They both whimpered as if they expected me to run right out in the snow and look for that cat. Silly dogs.
“Suit yourself,” I said. “But I am not going after him. I mean it.”
I walked to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and saw the piece of paper with Savannah Kelley’s phone number on it lying on the counter.
I was going to call her as soon a
s Billy got back, but that could take a while. Maybe I should call her now and find out for myself if she’s genuine. I had my doubts.
Even if she had written a book that a copycat killer was using as a guide for his killings, things never do go as planned.
He has to trip up somewhere. Isn’t that what they all do? They think they’re never going to get caught, but as the saying goes, no one commits the perfect murder. It’s just not possible.
Killers always leave something behind, however small.
That’s it! The killer left something behind, and Spice Cat has gone after it! Yeah—right.
“I must be losing my mind,” I said, looking over at the dogs. “You might as well go lay by the fire where it’s warm. There’s no telling when he’ll drag his butt home.”
Ten minutes later, I heard a loud meow outside the front door. I walked to the door and opened it to see Spice Cat standing there, covered with snow. The flakes flew as he shook them from his coat.
I heard a jingle and looked down to see something shiny caught up in his collar. I reached down and untangled a set of keys.
“How did you get these stuck in there, silly cat?”
Spice Cat sprinted past me to the fireplace.
“Good boy,” I said as I held the cold set of keys. “Who do you think these belong to?”
Chapter 18
I walked over to the kitchen counter and lay the set of keys on it. I wondered about the pickup truck I saw last night parked on the side of the road. Was it still there? Was one of these keys a key to that truck? I fixed a cup of coffee and headed to the kids’ room to have a look at them. I peeked in and saw that they were still napping, so I headed to the family room to sit down and rest while I still could. When I walked into the room, I saw the tree that Billy had cut down standing in the corner. It had been put in a stand. I looked closer and noticed that it had water in it. Billy must’ve put up the tree this morning while I was still asleep. I had forgotten about it until now. Maybe this afternoon we could decorate it if Billy was in the mood, but then I realized that we didn’t have any decorations. We got married on Christmas Eve last year, so having a real Christmas tree at the time was the last thing on my mind. This year, we were going to have one. As soon as Billy got back, we’d discuss what to do about the decorations.
Another thought crossed my mind. Tomorrow was Daniel’s funeral. It would be hard to enjoy decorating a Christmas tree tonight knowing that in the morning, Billy’s brother would be laid to rest. A tear slid down my cheeks. When I went to wipe it away, I caught a glimpse of something outside the window. I turned quickly, walked over, and stared out. Nothing was there. It must be my imagination. I must be seeing things. Then I heard a thump by the back door. I spun around and saw Billy standing in the doorway.
“God, you scared me half to death! What are you doing out back?”
“I’m sorry, `ge ya. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was checking the perimeter.” He took off his coat, laid it in a chair, and then kissed me on the cheek. “You’ve been crying. Don’t you like the tree?”
“I love the tree,” I said, sniffling. “It’s beautiful, but we don’t have any decorations.”
“No problem,” he replied. “When Helene gets here she can stay with the kids while you and I go shopping for ornaments. Speaking of shopping, do you have something to wear tomorrow?”
“I have a nice pair of black wool slacks and a sweater to match. Will that be okay?”
“I remember that outfit. It’ll be perfect.”
“What about you? Do you have something to wear?”
“I thought I’d wear the suit I wore to our wedding. Do you think that’s all right?”
I smiled and then kissed him on the cheek. I put my arm around his waist and said, “I think that would be nice. You look so handsome in that suit. You took my breath away when I saw you in it standing by the altar. You were the best looking man in the room. I was so glad I was marrying you.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me, `ge ya, or I’ll be crying right along with you.”
We stood there and held each other as we stared at the tree. The scent of pine filled the air and for me it brought back pleasant childhood memories. However, the moment was brief. The phone rang and Billy scrambled over to the table in the corner of the room to answer it before it woke the kids. He picked up the receiver after the first ring.
“It’s your sister,” he said as he handed the phone to me. “I’m going to get a cup of hot apple cider. I’m chilled to the bone.” He turned, grabbed his coat from the chair, and walked out of the room.
I talked with Claire for a few minutes before excusing myself. “I have to go. Billy and I are going to buy decorations for the tree after my nanny gets here.”
“Mom says she’s real smart when it comes to kids,” Claire responded. “Mom likes her, so she has to be a nice person.”
“We’ll see,” was all I said before I ended the call. I put the phone back in the cradle and headed to the kitchen.
When I walked into the room, Billy was standing by the sink examining the set of keys. “Whose keys are these?”
“You’re never going to believe this, but the cat dragged them up.”
Billy chucked and said, “Why does this not surprise me? Now our cat has turned into a detective.”
“He does come by it naturally. I guess he’s been hanging out with Athena and Thor too long.”
We both got a good laugh out of that one.
“They haven’t been out there for long,” Billy said as he looked at the keys. “They don’t have any rust on them, and look at this.” He held the keys out for me to see. “It has a keyless remote on it. I wonder if it got wet inside.”
“I though that maybe one of those keys might belong to that truck out by the road.”
“That truck’s gone.”
“Did the police tow it away?”
“I don’t know, but it was gone when I went out this morning. I just assumed the cops towed it to the impound lot. They probably wanted to go through it to check for evidence.”
“Can you find out?”
“I can do anything, dear.”
“I know you can, heap big warrior.”
“Ah, you say the nicest things.”
“When Helene gets here, we could take a ride over to Octonia Road and look for Wayne Avery’s house. I think these might be his keys. Who else could they belong to? I mean, how many people have been wandering around in our woods lately?”
“You have a point, Jesse. It won’t take us a minute to find out if these are his keys. The remote will give him away.”
“Call and see if Helene has left yet.”
“She has. I already called.”
I smiled. “You’re getting excited about having a nanny aren’t you?”
“I think it would be good for our family.”
“Are you going back out to help with the plowing?”
“Yes, but I wanted to check on you before I did.”
“If you’re worried about me, don’t. I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, I know. You’ve proven that many times. And when it comes to our children, you’re like a psychopath. You’d shoot first and ask questions later if anyone threatened them. I count on you to be the other half of Blackhawk & Blackhawk. That’s what being partners is all about. You have to be able to count on your partner.”
“You sound like my mother.”
“I just have this nagging feeling that he’s still out there watching us.”
“I do, too. I thought I was just being crazy!”
“Trust your instincts, Jesse. They’ve worked for you before. While I’m outside, I want you to keep a gun close by at all times, and keep the doors locked. Nobody is getting through these doors, if they’re locked. That way I can leave without fear that someone will break in.”
“You know I’m not going to let anyone near our children. They’ll have to go through me first.”
“Oh, I called Col
e on my cell phone while you were talking to your sister. He said they have a deputy watching Wayne Avery’s house, but so far, he’s been a no-show. It’s as if he’s disappeared off the face of the planet. Even Captain Waverly’s men lost him. Now how slippery can one kid be?”
“He’s not a kid, Billy. I see that now. I had to get past the fact that just because he looked like a kid, he isn’t. If he’s eighteen, he’s an adult.”
“And when they catch him, he’ll be tried as one. Sheriff Hudson says the D.A. will seek the death penalty once they can get enough concrete evidence to prosecute. They’re convinced he’s the killer. That kid’s pretty sly. They haven’t found a thing that proves he’s guilty, except his confession to you concerning the arson, which won’t hold water in a court of law, and there’s nothing linking him to the murders in Ruckersville. No, they need something substantial. They need fingerprints or some sort of forensic evidence that proves he was at the scene of both crimes. Finding the gun he used to kill those two people in Ruckersville would cinch his fate.”
“All they have to go on is his confession to me. I guess that’s not enough to make an arrest. Are they looking for anyone else?”
“Right now, he’s their only suspect, but I’m sure they’re not ruling out others. This is an ongoing investigation.”
“They could arrest Avery for shooting Officer Whalen.”
“They have to catch him first.”
“That’s so sad. How could one’s life go so terribly wrong at such a young age? Do you think there’s any truth to what he said about someone else being the killer? He did say that he didn’t do it, but he knows who did. That makes me wonder. Is he a cold-bloodied killer, or is he in the middle of something that he can’t get out of? If he’s innocent, then who’s the guilty one? And if he is guilty, I’m curious to know what triggered his rampage. Did he snap and then turn into a killer? He has a history of trouble. Some kids grow out of that stage after a while.”
“His parents moved around a lot, staying in one place for only a few years at a time because his father kept changing jobs. Their last address was in Bumpass, Virginia, and before that it was Niceville, Florida, and before that it was Round Rock, Texas, where Wayne was born. Sheriff Hudson had one of his men do a thorough background check on the entire family. His family moved to their new home in Stanardsville, and then everything went sour.”