by R. D. Brady
“Yes, sir,” Steve said, feeling relief as he watched Mr. Griffith walk into the house. He turned back to Mrs. Griffith. “Thank you.”
“Well, as a Christian I couldn’t in good conscience let him shoot you.” She looked down her nose at him. “Some of us take the Bible seriously.”
“Yes ma’am. Uh, do you want me to finish?”
She looked around, her face tight. “Yes, thank you.”
Steve could tell it pained her to be kind to him. “Sure, no problem.”
He adjusted the burden in his arms and headed toward the curb. Made it through ten years locked up to be nearly taken out by a born-again geriatric.
Steve dumped the pile of branches by the edge of the road and headed to the Griffiths’ back yard. It was time to tackle the tree that had come down near their garage, and that meant he’d need the chainsaw. Hopefully the sound of it wouldn’t send Harold into a shooting spree.
As he want back to his grandmother’s porch to fetch the chainsaw, he saw an old, dark green Ford F150 drive slowly by. The same truck had driven by at least twice before. There were three guys in the front seat, all with ball caps and scruff. Steve didn’t need to be psychic to know they were watching him.
But he’d had enough of pretending he didn’t see them. He stepped to the edge of his gran’s porch, crossed his arms, and stared at the truck as it passed.
The window rolled down. “Murderer!” one of the men yelled before peeling down the street. Steve watched them go, not bothering to try and get the license plate. He knew no one would go out of their way to track those guys down.
As he headed back to the Griffiths’ yard, he thought about Jack’s comment from earlier about winning the town over.
Yup—Jack is definitely too optimistic to be a politician.
CHAPTER 64
Declan nodded at Edgar Fundley as Russ pushed the stretcher into the funeral home. “Mr. Fundley.”
Edgar looked at the body bag on the stretcher and pressed a handkerchief to his mouth. “Oh my.”
After discovering Dee’s body, Declan had processed the scene as quickly as possible. The last thing they needed was the town learning there was another murder—especially right before the whole town was gathered together. Crowds tended to whip emotions up, not calm them down.
So he and Russ had loaded Dee into a body bag as quickly and quietly as possible outside the police department. Luckily, no one had been seen them. Then they’d loaded the bag into Russ’s cruiser and headed straight to the funeral home. By some miracle, no one had seen them. Thank God for the town meeting.
“Russ,” Declan said, “can you push that down to the end of the hall?”
“Sure thing.” Russ headed down the hallway with the stretcher.
Declan turned to Edgar. “Mr. Fundley, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you stay quiet about this.”
“But someone’s been murdered—”
Declan cut him off. “Yes. And we will find that someone. But right now we need to keep the town calm. Announcing another death will only make people panic.”
Edgar nodded, but his eyes were following Russ and the body bag.
“Mr. Fundley,” Declan said.
Edgar jerked his eyes to Declan. “Yes, yes, I understand.”
Declan studied the funeral director for a minute. The man looked paler than normal—as if he might pass out if someone breathed heavily near him.
Declan sighed. He would have to trust the man to stay quiet. He had no choice. With a nod at Edgar, he headed down the hall to Russ.
“We sure this is the right course of action?” Russ asked, not looking at Declan.
Declan jabbed the elevator button. “Russ, you had to disarm a lynch mob last night. Announcing Dee’s death is not going to do anything but work the town up. We need to keep this quiet until the bridge is open.”
“But why kill Dee? Why now?” Russ asked.
Declan thought back to his conversation with Dee last night. As far as Declan could tell, the only people who knew that Keith had taken the evidence were Dee and Keith, and now him.
And what about Keith? Declan thought. It was Keith who had found the bloody clothes in the first place—after two other searches of Steve’s house hadn’t turned up anything. Had there even been an anonymous report, as Keith had claimed, or had Keith put the clothes there? And if he’d put them there, where the hell had he gotten them from?
Did that have anything to do with Dee’s death? He didn’t see how. No one could have known about it. “I don’t know.”
“She was killed the same way as Elise,” Russ said.
“I know,” Declan said as the doors opened. “Listen, why don’t you head back? I’ll take Dee. You’re going to be missed soon, and it’s getting close to the meeting time.”
Russ nodded. “Okay.” He started to head away, then turned back. “What do I say about Dee if anyone asks?”
Declan pushed the stretcher into the elevator. “Tell them you haven’t spoken with her.”
Russ clamped his jaw shut and nodded before striding back toward the entrance.
When the elevator doors opened onto the basement, Declan wheeled Dee down to the embalming room and shifted the body bag from the stretcher to the table. He paused for a moment, then unzipped the body bag.
Dee’s pale face stared back at him, her eyes and mouth open in horror.
She’d had such a tough life. And just like Elise and Mel, she deserved so much better than this.
“I’m so sorry, Dee.”
CHAPTER 65
Ninety minutes later, Declan pulled into the parking lot of the elementary school. It was packed. He had to circle a few times before finally giving up and parking on the cement playground. He hopped out of the car, jumping over puddles as he made his way to the entrance.
He’d gotten Dee situated. He’d only had time for a cursory examination. He’d bagged her hands, but he wasn’t hopeful about getting anything from them. Dee only had one wound—at the neck. She’d bled out within seconds. Most of the blood was on her clothes and her car.
And she had only been dead for a little while when they found her—her body wasn’t even cold yet. He figured her time of death was sometime between seven and eight. Dee had been scheduled to start at eight, so she was probably killed as soon as she arrived. And the lack of defensive wounds meant she knew her killer. She hadn’t seen it coming—just like Mel and Elise.
That fact kept repeating in his brain. This killer was someone who raised no red flags—who all three victims knew. Which meant it was probably someone that Declan knew, too. And Declan had no idea who it was.
Declan pulled open the school’s main doors and hurried down the hall. He was running late. The meeting had begun a half hour ago.
It looked like everyone from town was here. Even before he reached the gymnasium he could hear the crowd.
And they weren’t happy.
Declan ducked in the back door of the gymnasium and stopped just inside the entrance. Tall windows lined each side of the room, providing light. Folding chairs had been lined up into rows. All of the seats were taken, and more people were lined up along the sides and in the aisles.
Keith stood on the stage, a few deputies lined up behind him. Russ stood at the end of the deputies, his eyes downcast.
Declan searched the crowd and found Jack standing against the wall on the left. His arms were crossed over his chest, a frown on his face. He spotted Julie as well. She didn’t look any happier.
He recognized another dozen people from town who seemed to be experiencing a range of emotions—confusion, anger, fear, annoyance, and a host of others, none of them good.
Up on the stage, Keith waved for people to quiet down. He spoke through a bullhorn. “I realize people are upset, but things are under control.”
“Under control?” a man in the front row yelled back. “Two people have been killed. And Micah Donaldson was almost killed.”
“When are you goin
g to arrest Steve Kane?” another man yelled.
“As I’ve said, we know who the perpetrator is,” Keith said. “It’s just a matter of time until we find him. If you see Steve Kane, do not approach him. Call us, and protect yourself however you deem necessary.”
However you deem necessary? Keith had practically just given the town a shoot-on-sight proclamation. Declan watched in growing disbelief. His mouth hung open and his anger grew with every word Keith uttered.
“Chief, have you questioned Steve Kane?”
“Yes, we’ve questioned him.”
“Why isn’t he locked up?”
“State authorities intervened to prevent it. I wanted him locked up,” Keith said.
Son of a bitch, Declan thought.
As the questions continued, Keith did absolutely nothing to suggest that anyone other than Steve was responsible for the murders and attempted abduction. By the time Keith was done, Declan was seething.
Finally Keith called an end to the questioning, and the meeting was over. Keith handed the bullhorn to a deputy and stepped off the stage, surrounded by his deputies. Some of the people started to make their way out of the gymnasium, but many of them stayed in their seats, talking with each other or shouting questions at the chief.
Declan made his way down the main aisle, noticing more than one glare as he passed.
One man stepped in his way. “Why the hell are you defending that murderer?”
Declan glanced up at the man. It was Andy Hanover, one of Keith’s buddies from high school. The man easily outweighed Declan by fifty pounds, and he had a good few inches on him as well.
Declan began to step around him. “Excuse me.”
Andy grabbed Declan’s sleeve. “I’m talking to you.”
Declan grabbed Andy’s hand and twisted it to a ninety-degree angle. Andy’s arm contorted, his elbow facing the wrong direction. He bent at the waist with a yell, trying to relieve the pressure on his arm.
Not much of a height issue now, Declan thought. He leaned down so Andy could hear him clearly. “What you just did is called assaulting a police officer. Now, I’m willing to forgive and forget, but only if you take yourself home right now. Do we have a deal?”
“I’m not going to—”
Declan twisted Andy’s hand in one direction and pulled lightly on his elbow in the other—as if he were wringing a towel.
Andy winced, his face growing redder. “Okay, okay.”
Declan released him and stepped back.
Andy stood. “Screw you, Declan.”
“Go home, Andy, before I have you arrested.”
Andy’s wife put her hand on his arm and pulled him down the aisle.
Declan shook his head and turned back for Keith. All the idiots are out today. Ahead, the chief was still surrounded by townspeople peppering him with questions.
Declan pushed through them and stood right in front of Keith. “I need to speak with you.”
The man Keith had been speaking with turned to Declan. “Hey, I was—”
Declan glared at the man, who wisely shut up. In fact, most of the townspeople took a step back.
Keith smirked. “I’m a little busy right now. It’ll have to wait.”
Declan grabbed Keith’s arm and pulled him to the side. “Right now.”
“Get your hands off me,” Keith said.
One of Keith’s deputies stepped forward. Declan didn’t blink. He was about done with the Millners Kill police force. He turned to the deputies. “Unless you want to be arrested for interfering with police business, you’ll back the hell off. This is state business. All of you need to leave.”
The deputies looked at Keith, whose face was turning a bright shade of red.
“Now,” Declan barked.
The townspeople backed off first. The deputies took a little longer to move away, as if to make sure Declan knew he wasn’t the boss of them.
Keith shook Declan free. “How dare you. You just—”
Declan gritted his teeth and stepped toward Keith, his anger barely contained. “Shut up.”
Keith took a quick step back.
Declan kept walking and Keith kept backpedaling until Keith bumped up against a wall. “You just put a shoot-to-kill order out on Steve,” Declan growled.
“He’s killed two people.”
“You have no proof of that. In fact, you have proof of the exact opposite. He has alibis for both killings. You’ve done zero investigating. You have two bodies, and you’ve just assumed it’s Steve.”
Keith smirked, some of his attitude returning. “He’s the only murderer we have in town. Anyone with a half a brain—”
“Well, that rules you out.” Declan took a breath, but it didn’t reduce his anger. “What happened to the clothes from the Granger case? You took them, didn’t you?”
Keith’s jaw dropped. His lips moved but no sound coming out. “What? No, I—”
Keith shifted his eyes away. And the truth hit Declan like a ton of bricks.
“You weren’t sure it was Steve,” Declan said, pointing. “You took the evidence to make sure that even if he was innocent, he still went to prison.”
Keith paled and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You made sure he went away because Steve’s case made your career. And you weren’t going to let a little thing like his innocence get in the way of that.”
“Even if that were true, it wouldn’t matter. The courts found him guilty, even without the clothes.”
Disgust rose up in Declan. He stepped forward. “At a minimum, you obstructed justice. And when we establish communication with the mainland, I’m bringing you up on charges.”
Keith seemed to be regaining his confidence. He smirked. “You have no proof.”
“I have an affidavit sworn out by a witness. It says you were in the police station the night the evidence disappeared.”
Keith narrowed his eyes. “Who?”
“Guess you’ll find out when I file charges.”
Keith pulled up his belt and hitched it over his stomach. “You mean after I bring in Steve Kane for the second time? It’ll be a shame if something happens to him before he can be brought to trial.”
Declan tried to calm himself down, but he was still envisioning beating Keith bloody when he counted to ten, and he didn’t have time to count to a million. “I swear, Keith, if anything happens to him, I’m coming for you.”
“Ooh, I’m shaking. Little Declan Reed’s coming after me.”
Declan had to keep himself from punching the smug bastard through to the next room. He moved even closer to Keith and dropped his voice. “You forget, Keith. I’m not that little kid you pushed around in high school. And remember, Steve isn’t the only one in town who’s killed people. Don’t forget that.”
He shoved Keith back against the wall and then forced himself to walk away. Because if he was in the man’s sight for even one more minute, he wasn’t sure he would be able to control himself.
But he was sure he’d enjoy it.
CHAPTER 66
He looked around the gymnasium. People were agitated. Then Declan walked in. The state policeman looked upset.
He struggled to keep the smile off his face, waiting. He listened as Keith finished up the question-and-answer session. He forced himself to frown, but it was so hard, when all he wanted to do was laugh. Keith had just declared Steve enemy number one. No mention was made of anyone else possibly being the murderer. Oh, sometimes it’s just too easy.
But his frown turned real when Keith ended the meeting. Where was the announcement of Dee’s death?
Disappointment and annoyance washed over him. Here he was, carefully making all of these plans, and no one was following them. He knew Dee’s death was discovered. He’d driven past the parking lot and seen her car; she was no longer in it. So what had happened?
He scanned the room. It appeared that no one was in a hurry to leave. His gaze skimmed past the groups of people u
ntil it came back to the only person who could have messed up all his perfectly laid plans: Declan. He was the only one in this town who would be able to hide Dee’s death. And the only one who would even consider doing so. Damn it.
He scanned the room again. There must be a way…
He spotted a woman in her sixties, sitting in an aisle seat, her hair a shade of yellow not found in nature. He watched her for a moment as she spoke with someone behind her, her red lipstick standing out even in the dim light. Yes, she’ll do.
A disturbance at the front of the hall pulled his attention. Declan had a man in an arm lock. He had to keep from laughing. Declan Reed pushed to violence. Things are definitely heading in the right direction.
He pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket and jotted something down, careful to write only in block print. He ripped the paper from the pad and folded it carefully.
His target was involved in an animated conversation with the couple seated behind her. He walked toward her, keeping a pensive look on his face. When he reached his target, he pretended to check his watch while he surreptitiously dropped the note in her lap. She never turned. Never even saw him.
Then he made his way back to his spot. He stood there, watching her, with his arms crossed. After a moment the woman turned around and picked up the note from her lap with a frown. She opened it—and her mouth dropped open. She looked around frantically and then nudged the person next to her, gesturing to the note. Her neighbor shook her head and looked around as well.
He bit back his smile and watched an angry Declan back Keith up against the wall. A minute later, Declan marched away from Keith.
He swallowed his grin. Who knew Declan was such a badass?
The woman was now striding toward Keith. He settled back. Showtime.
CHAPTER 67
Declan stormed down the side of the gymnasium, his blood boiling. People quickly got out of his way. It took him a moment to realize people had stopped chatting among themselves and were turning back toward the front of the room.