by Alexa Verde
“Faster!” she yelled, overcoming the roar of the motor.
He sped up. The bike flew over the road. If he’d been by himself, he’d go at a higher speed. But he couldn’t risk Mari’s life.
Granted, he’d been mad when he’d found the hotel room empty and Mari gone. After looking through the envelope and understanding her reasons, he’d been scared out of his mind something had happened to her. He couldn’t lose her. It didn’t make sense to get attached to someone in only a few days, but then lots of things about Mari didn’t make sense.
One thing he knew for sure. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
So far, they’d made it without a ticket. What a shocker. He went faster and passed two cars.
“Yes!” Mari screamed behind him.
He glanced back at her and concentrated on the road. Something was bugging him about Aidan’s arrest.
As Mari had said, what could be the possible motive?
Was he taking Mari right into the smack of danger?
Chapter Thirteen
With a trembling hand, Mari knocked on the door of River’s house. Dark clouds hung close to the ground, heavy with rain, and reflected Mari’s mood. Even the flowers were withering, as if they’d lost any hope for sunshine.
But there will be sunshine in the morning, she wanted to promise the flowers and herself. It all would be better tomorrow if they survived the night. No, when they survived the night.
Luke placed his hand around her shoulder and squeezed it lightly for support.
Mari leaned into him, craving reassurance from the man who’d been a stranger to her only several days ago. How had she let him enter her life so easily? Apparently even a strong-willed, independent woman like her couldn’t resist a caring man with a kind heart. Liking Luke had become as natural as breathing to her. She didn’t think why she breathed or how she breathed. She just did.
She had to remind herself she wasn’t the clingy type.
“You don’t have to stay here,” she said.
“I’ll stay as long as you need me. Do you need me?”
“Yes,” Mari answered without thinking. She glanced at him, and it was enough to make her heart flutter.
River opened the door. Reluctantly, Mari eased out of Luke’s embrace and immediately missed the warmness of his skin. Nowa met them with cheerful barking but then stopped, as if sensing the sadness that hung in the air like smog. Mari stepped inside while Luke stayed outside as if to give them some privacy.
“No, come on in,” River said, her voice hollow. “If you’re part of Mari’s life, you’re part of ours, too.”
Several people were already in the living room, and Mari quickly introduced Luke to Aidan’s family and friends.
Mari gave Aidan’s mother a hug. “I’d never think it was Aidan.”
In fact, she suspected a totally different person. Was it because she didn’t want to believe it was Aidan? He’d been a close friend to her for so long. But then, it’d taken her years to realize who Tony had really been. Tony had hidden well his psychopathic nature. Could Aidan have done the same? Mari swallowed a hard lump in her throat.
“I know, mi hija. He’s been like a brother to you. I always thought he loved you.” The woman broke down in sobs. “How could he plan to… to kill you?” She dropped onto the couch. Nowa crawled to the woman and silently placed her head on her knees.
“Maybe it was a mistake,” Mari offered. “It will clear up soon.”
“The police found a knife in his desk at the station,” River said, not looking at anyone. “Chief Dawson thinks it was used to inflict wounds on those girls.”
Mari jerked back as if from a slap. Luke’s hand slipped to the small of her back, and it gave her a bit of strength.
“A knife wound isn’t a GSW.” Luke frowned. “I mean, gunshot wound. How can it be an exact match? Was a piece of the knife broken and left in the body of one of the victims? Or was there DNA evidence on the knife that matched one or several of the victims?”
“It’s not an exact match. No blood was found on the knife, but… the handle imprint found on June Stephenson’s body is similar to that on the knife,” River said. “One of my friends is Chief Dawson’s niece. She said Aidan’s fingerprints matched those found on the note in Josie Smith’s pocket. There’s also suspicion someone in RAPD contaminated the evidence in Josie’s murder. Aidan had access to the trace evidence.”
Mari stepped back. First Tony, now Aidan? How could it be? Again, innocent people had suffered because she couldn’t face the truth in time. Mari gasped for air, suffocating, as if there wasn’t enough air in the room.
Luke stroked her back, and she forced herself to take a calming breath. She looked around. Lydia was missing from the small crowd. Mari squeezed into a tiny space on the couch close to River.
“Is Lydia with her grandmother?” Mari whispered into River’s ear.
River sighed. “No. Lydia’s holed up at her place. She’s taking it badly. She didn’t open when I knocked on the door. She said she didn’t want to see anyone when I called.”
Mari rose to her feet and hugged several members of Aidan’s family. “I’ll pray for Aidan.”
Indeed she whispered a fervent prayer for Aidan and poured her heart and soul into every word.
She said farewell to everyone, including Nowa. The German shepherd looked at her as if she understood, but a growl rose deep in her throat and her ears stood at high alert.
When Mari walked to the door, Nowa ran to her, barking as if she didn’t want Mari to go. Mari stroked the German shepherd’s back, trying to calm the dog down. “I’ll be back. I’ll take you home as soon as this is over.”
Nowa placed her body in front of the door, as if to block the exit, lowered her shoulders, and growled again.
Mari pointed to the couch. “Nowa, bleib,” she said in a stern voice. Usually, she didn’t have to repeat her commands twice.
But this time Nowa didn’t move.
Mari leaned over and hugged her dog. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
The growl stopped, and Nowa licked her face, the rough, moist texture of the dog’s tongue familiar on her skin. Then Nowa moved aside, allowing just enough space to open the door.
With a final glance at the small gathering, Mari turned around and left, Luke’s hand placed firmly on her shoulder. A simple gesture caused her pulse to triple, and she found herself leaning into him again. The wall she’d constructed around her heart was finally broken. Maybe it was about time she’d let a good, honest man into her life and into her heart. He didn’t talk about leaving yet, and it gave her hope.
Should she give them a chance?
Would he ask for one?
As soon as Luke and Mari stepped outside, his phone rang. He answered it. “Hi, James.”
He hung up several minutes later. “James tracked down several people who used to work at the dentist’s office at the time Antonio was a patient there. So far, James thinks there was nothing wrong with the dental records.”
His phone rang again. He answered it, and his expression became grim. Mari tensed.
“What hospital?” Luke asked. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”
He disconnected. “Mari, I have to go. The nurse called. My father suffered a heart attack.”
“I’m so sorry. I hope he’ll make it.” She hesitated. “Would you like me to go with you?”
He drew her close and held her for several precious moments. “I do, but you said yourself, you’re needed here.”
As much as she didn’t want to, she eased out of his embrace. “Go.” She pulled up the airport’s website on her phone. “The drive from here to Dallas is too long. It’ll take you an hour to get to the airport, but you might catch the next flight.”
“I’ll drop you off at your place so you can pick up your motorcycle.”
She slid the phone back into her pocket. “Don’t worry about it. River will give me a ride. You need to take care of your father.” Sh
e paused, eager to tell him that the call sounded suspicious. Maybe he should check with his mother or another family member? But she didn’t want to look as if she didn’t care about his father’s condition. Mari looked down.
“It’s not farewell. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He brushed her bangs away from her eyes.
She wanted to believe him. “I’ll pray for your father.” Every cell in her body screamed for him to stay. But she knew he had to be with his family. Would he come back as he promised?
“It’s difficult to accept that your friend tried to murder you,” Luke said. “But at least you’re safe now.”
Her throat constricted. “I can—”
“I know. You can take care of yourself. I’ll miss you, Mari. More than you can imagine.”
She swallowed hard. She could imagine because she already missed him tremendously. “You have to go.”
She gave him a sad smile and, minutes later, watched him disappear in the distance.
She had to force herself not to run after him, screaming for him to stop. The feeling was unfamiliar, unexpected, and she fought it fiercely.
After he was gone, she turned around slowly. It was so much easier to walk away herself than to see him go. She forced the thoughts about Luke out of her head. She needed to comfort Lydia.
Her head held high, Mari walked back to River’s place to ask for a ride.
She couldn’t be wrong about Aidan. Aidan was kind and hardworking, well-liked by Rios Azules people, and about to become the chief of police when Dawson retired. And why would he try to hurt her? Even their breakup wasn’t a breakup at all but a mutual agreement. Granted, he knew about the shark’s tooth and could easily get the keys to her apartment and The Café from her purse. It wouldn’t be a problem to make duplicates. And June would open the door to a policeman. That explained the lack of tampering with her lock.
Mari’s heart ached as new betrayal caused a fresh wound inside her.
She stopped in her tracks.
Wounds.
Of course. How hadn’t she seen it earlier?
Combined with everything else, it made sense. Now she knew why Aidan had been arrested.
* * *
After River dropped Mari off, Mari made a quick check of the house, found it empty, and sat down on her old sofa. She needed to collect her thoughts before heading to Lydia.
It was getting dark, but she didn’t turn on the lights.
Dear Lord, please help Luke’s father. Please keep Luke safe. Amen.
Mari called Chief Dawson’s phone but received only voice mail.
Frowning, she left a lengthy message for the chief. She had to make a plan, but first, she had to take care of her friend. Maybe they could figure out something together.
Mari closed her eyes. She should be able to ask for forgiveness. If not now, then when? “Dear Lord, please forgive me my sins. Please keep my loved ones safe in Your care. Luke, Lydia, Aidan, River. I’ve made many mistakes, but please help me make them right. Amen.”
She opened her eyes and considered calling Luke. No, his father was Luke’s top priority. She wanted to call James, but she didn’t have his number. She glanced at her phone. Chief Dawson didn’t call her back, so she sent him an e-mail. Even if she wasn’t his favorite person in the world, the matter would be too serious for him to ignore her.
Her phone pinged. She pushed the button and saw an incoming text from Luke. Her heartbeat increased.
“I’m at the airport, waiting for the flight. It would be you.”
What? She wrinkled her forehead.
Then the second and third texts came in. “If I had one day to live, I’d want to spend it with you. It’s you, Mari. It’ll always be you. Today. Tomorrow. The last day of my life.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she slid her phone in her pocket to stop herself from calling him. If she did, if she heard his voice, she’d take off to the airport and follow him anywhere in the world.
No, first she had to help Lydia and Aidan and find a way for the real culprit to be caught.
She walked to the door, scanned the street, and, minutes later, walked across the road to Lydia’s house.
Soon she was knocking on Lydia’s door.
There was silence inside, then some movement, somebody’s steps against the hardwood floor. Lydia appeared in the doorframe. Mari’s heart fell. Lydia’s eyes were swollen, probably from crying. Her usually lustrous blonde hair hung around her gaunt face in dirty strands.
“Hi. May I come in?” Mari asked.
Lydia’s pale mouth twisted. “Of course.”
Mari walked inside and sat on the couch. “Lydia, we’re going to find a way to fix this.” She remembered Luke’s words. “With God, everything is possible.”
There was a knock on the door, and Mari’s instincts went on high alert. “Don’t answer.”
But Lydia was already opening the door.
Derek stepped inside. “How are you holding up? I can’t believe we didn’t see it coming.”
Lydia’s shoulders slumped forward. “Thank you for coming. But if you guys don’t mind, I want to be alone right now.”
“We totally understand.” Derek gestured for Mari to join him on his way out.
“I’d rather stay.” Mari slid her hand inside her purse.
Derek shook his head. “You care about Lydia, don’t you?”
Mari froze. “I do.”
“Then you’ll do what she asked you to do.” His eyes narrowed.
Her heart plummeted. She realized Derek was going to hurt Lydia if Mari disobeyed. Her muscles tense, Mari followed him.
As soon as the door behind them closed, the barrel of a gun pressed into her side. He grabbed her purse and jerked it out of her hands.
“If you fight me, I’ll shoot you,” he said. “Then I’ll go back inside and shoot Lydia. Am I clear?”
“Perfectly.” Mari’s thoughts whirled in her head. If she could get him away from Lydia’s place, she could still do some damage. But she couldn’t risk her friend’s life.
“You have the passcode to the chief’s voice mail, don’t you?” she asked as he led her to the patrol car.
“Almost everybody at the station does. You figured it all out, didn’t you? It’s not going to help you.” He scowled. “Aidan was arrested a bit too soon. You were supposed to be his final murder. Now your death will have to look like suicide. Either way, you’ll have to die.”
Chills ran down her spine. “I’ve known you all my life. What are you doing? It doesn’t have to end like this.”
“It’s too late now. Step forward and walk in front of me.”
“I have proof you killed June and Josie,” she said quickly. “I left it with a person I trust. If something happens to me, that person will go to the police.”
“You’re bluffing. I said, step forward and walk in front of me.”
She moved forward, desperately trying to find a way out.
The pressure of the gun against her side eased.
Then the darkness came.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke dialed his mother, knowing she must be going crazy with worry.
“Mom, are you all right?” he asked when she picked up.
“Yes, Luke, I’m fine. Great to hear from you.”
“Are you at the hospital? How is Dad?” He pressed his phone close to his ear to hear his mother’s voice in spite of the airport noise.
“No, we’re both at home. What hospital?”
“Did the doctors release him already?” Luke’s heart skipped a beat as suspicion crawled inside his mind.
“What are you talking about?”
“Dad didn’t have a heart attack, did he?”
“No. What’s going on, Luke?”
“I’ll talk to you later. Give my love to Dad.”
Luke raced through the terminal to the parking lot and was on the road in record time. He couldn’t believe he’d swallowed the bait so easily.
If somebody had
needed him to be away from Mari this badly, it meant that she was in grave danger. He had to make it to Rios Azules in time to protect her. He wouldn’t fail her like he’d failed Cynthia. He wasn’t going to lose Mari.
She meant too much to him.
* * *
Mari’s eyelids were heavy like boulders when she came to. Her instinct was to not open her eyes before she figured out what to do next. Her head ached as if a million hammers were beating on her skull, and her hands and legs were extremely weak. She might have a concussion, but maybe she’d been drugged as well. A quick injection would be all it took so she wouldn’t be able to move much when she came to her senses.
The motor combined with the movement told her she was in a car. Her nostrils flared at the faint scent of leather, probably from the seats, and a fainter one of gasoline. She opened her eyelids a tiny fraction and glanced at the driver through her eyelashes, without moving her head.
It was dark, but she distinguished Derek’s profile. Nausea came to her throat, but she fought it off. If he’d kept her alive so far, he probably believed her bluff. One could hope.
She tried to wiggle her hands. Of course, they were tied behind her back and were starting to go numb. She moved her fingers carefully, as much as the rope allowed, to bring blood supply to them.
The car stopped.
The next moment, she was dragged out of the car and thrown to the ground. The scent of grass and earth filled her nostrils.
“Open your eyes. Stop pretending.”
Mari did as told and took in her surroundings. Derek had brought her to the forest surrounding the burned log cabin where Tony had died.
“Why?” She didn’t recognize her own voice. It came out in a raspy whisper. “Why did you bring me here?”
Lying on her back, she kept working on untying her hands in spite of dizziness. She wouldn’t be able to call for help, and there was nobody for miles anyway.
“Simple. It’s secluded. And this place has many bad memories for you. Let’s say I believe you. Who’s the person you left the evidence with?”