ROOT OF
ALL EVIL
JENNIFER
HAYDEN
ISBN: 978-1466365292
ISBN-13: 1466365293
eBook ISBN: 978-1-63002-956-2
ROOT OF ALL EVIL
Copyright © 2013 Jennifer Anne Hayden
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now or known hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording is forbidden without the written consent of the author.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, situations and places in the book are purely from the imagination of the author and have no relation to anyone either living or deceased.
This one is for my dad, who grew up in the small town of Ritzville, Washington. It is quaint little towns like this one that I love to bring new life to in my books.
Special thanks to Linda Krumbah for all the help with editing.
CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
Ritzville, Washington
The rain pelted against the car window almost with a vengeance, its droplets sliding along and disappearing into the unknown below the door. The night was cold—colder than usual for Ritzville, Washington in April. The season in between winter and summer was usually rather mild. El Nino was playing tricks on them again.
Kate Garrison could hear the squalling in the backseat of the Jeep. She had fed and changed her daughter, Hallie, only a few minutes earlier. The seven-month-old was most likely upset by the thunder outside. It was loud and resounding, its bright flashes of light seeming to come closer and closer to the car they rode in.
Hallie was normally a happy baby, always smiling. Her deep blue eyes were always bright and full of typical baby curiosity. The light coat of black hair on her head was like that of her father’s. In fact, her facial features mirrored those of Luke Garrison too. She was definitely her daddy’s little girl.
Over the past three days, Hallie had been a good girl. She had taken the strange environment of the hotel room she’d shared with her parents in stride. She’d behaved herself when they had gone out for meals and she’d occupied herself comfortably when Kate and Luke had been busy taking care of the details that had brought them to Ritzville in the first place—the funerals of Kate’s parents.
Their deaths had been unexpected. Emily and Carl Fitz had been youthful as far as age went. Neither were a day over fifty-five. To Kate’s knowledge, they had no serious health problems. Her mother had smoked, she remembered. Her father had been a drinker. Those were two vices that probably would have affected them long term, but not as suddenly as this.
The shock that her parents had been violently murdered was still eating at her. They had been private people, keeping to themselves for the most part. Ritzville was a small town. Everyone knew everyone. A stranger was not likely to go unnoticed. So how had someone come into a house and bludgeoned two people to death without a single person seeing or hearing anything?
Kate hadn’t been close with her parents. She’d left her small hometown after graduating high school and never looked back. A letter or a card now and then had been the only communication she’d had with them in the last two years. She hadn’t seen them since her wedding to Luke, two years before.
Over time, Kate had gotten used to her rather self-centered parents. It wasn’t that they hadn’t cared about their children, it was that they had focused more on their own needs. They’d had a life plan that consisted of making money and traveling the world. Two small children tended to get in the way of that kind of dream. Kate had known that every day of her childhood.
Thinking back to her conversation with the county sheriff, she grimaced. Sheriff Cudahy had nothing to go on. He’d as much as told her that when he’d phoned her a week ago and informed her of the murder. There was no forced entry, no motive. There were no suspects. No one heard or saw a thing. It was a tragic mystery.
Looking over at her husband, she felt an overwhelming calm. That was Luke, her calm in the storm. The only word she could think of to describe her husband was stunning. She’d thought that of him the moment she’d laid eyes on him. He was tall and lean, well over six feet—six three if she remembered correctly. His black hair was neatly trimmed; his blue eyes a stark contrast to it. His olive skin made all his features that much more striking. When he smiled, he could melt even the coldest heart. He was just one of those guys that made every girl’s mouth water—the whole package.
She smiled as she remembered the first time he’d asked her out. They had met at Washington State University. He’d been a star football player at the time, destined for the pros—and a frat boy to boot. She’d been an ever-studious business major. They hadn’t had a whole lot in common, or so they’d thought.
The first time she’d actually talked to him had been at a frat party. Feeling uncomfortable and out of place, she’d had far too much to drink and ended up, of all things, puking on Luke’s shoes. She’d been humiliated, of course. She’d apologized a million times, figuring Luke Garrison to be the type who would laugh his ass off and then go tell all of his football buddies what a ditzy dork she was. But he hadn’t. Instead, he had given her a place to sleep it off and when she’d woken up the next morning, she’d looked up into those miraculous blue eyes of his and fallen hook, line and sinker.
They’d dated for four years after that. They had both finished college, he a couple of years ahead of her. They had dealt with separation when he’d been drafted into the NFL and sent off to a team in California. Eventually he’d come back and played for the Seahawks for a while, until a shoulder injury cost him his career. Now at twenty-eight, he was an offensive coach for the team.
Kate hadn’t worked since Hallie was born. Originally, she had gotten her teaching certificate and taught elementary school in Kirkland, not far from Seattle. She loved kids. Working with them and teaching them had given her a deep satisfaction. Having Hallie had given her even more. She adored her daughter. Some mothers complained about the day in and day out chores of taking care of the kids. Not Kate. She lived for the time she spent with her daughter. Each new day brought a new experience for Hallie. Smiling, crawling, standing—and this was only the beginning. She wanted to see all of Hallie’s firsts. Every smile, every step.
Hearing another cry from the backseat, she turned and looked at Hallie. The baby was fidgeting unhappily, her tiny fists in the air. She began to second-guess her idea to head back home tonight, rather than wait until morning like Luke had wanted. It had seemed so important to get out of this place—to leave it and its memories behin
d. As she glanced out the window, she realized how lonely the place seemed now. It was dark, wet and dreary. There was no one out on the streets because of the weather. It was almost like a ghost town.
Turning back to her daughter, she smiled. “It’s okay, baby. It will stop soon. It’s just a little thunder.”
“I don’t know about that,” Luke said, shifting the transmission as he steered the Jeep off the gravel road and onto the highway. At least the bumpiness was over. He reached over and turned on the defrost. “We should find a motel up ahead, Kate. This is really bad. It doesn’t look like it’s letting up either.”
“Just drive,” she said, firmly. “Or I can.” She looked nervously out the window. As far as the eye could see, there was wheat. It swayed back and forth in the wind, fighting a battle with the abusive rain that pummeled it. It made her shiver, though she wasn’t sure quite why.
“Kate, it’s late. Hallie’s tired, I’m tired. Let’s just drive until we find the next motel. There’s no reason to put our lives in danger.” He glanced at her a moment, obviously sensing the tension in her body. “Katie Blue, there’s nothing here but memories. I know it’s hard for you to let go and I know the way your parents were killed has been hard on you but it’s done. We’re going home, okay? By tomorrow night you’ll be in your own bed.”
For once, his affectionate nickname for her did no good at calming her nerves. “I just want to get as far away from here as possible. Please?” Her eyes pleaded with his to understand.
He studied her expression for several seconds, his brow furrowed in worry. Finally admitting defeat, he shrugged. “Okay. I’ll drive for a while anyway.”
Relief settling in, she folded her hands in her lap and stared at the road before them. Her eyelids began to droop and she forced them open. He was right. It was late. A check at her watch told her it was now after midnight. The only good thing about that was that the highway was deserted and they had the road to themselves. Not that this stretch of road had all that many traffic jams anyway. Glancing at a road sign, she noted that the nearest motel was almost fifty miles away. They would be driving for a while, whether they wanted to or not.
“You really hate this place, huh?”
Startled, she met Luke’s concerned gaze. She shrugged her shoulders. She’d never really told him much about her past, or her parents for that matter. He knew she’d never been close to them, but that was about it.
“They were your parents, Katie. Talking about them might help.”
“I doubt it.”
“It might help me. I might understand you better.” He pulled the zipper on his black windbreaker down and shrugged the jacket off, exposing a clean, white t-shirt. He propped an elbow against the door and rested a tanned hand deftly on the steering wheel. She watched his eyes search her face for a moment, before finally turning back to the road. “You know everything there is to know about me.”
Of course she did. He came from a well to do, Italian/Irish family. Born and raised in California, he’d grown up with two brothers and a sister, two of which still lived there near their parents. Nate and Ethan were older, Nate by two years and Ethan by three. Julia was a year younger. Luke’s parents were a white-collar couple, both lawyers who ran their own law firm outside of San Diego.
“Don’t zone off like that,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Just forget about it, okay? They’re gone and they’re not coming back.” The realization made her feel a little sick momentarily. She guessed it was because she had always intended to salvage the relationship she’d had with them. At some point in her life, she’d hoped to take Hallie to see them and have her get to know her grandparents, even if deep down she figured they didn’t deserve the opportunity. She had planned to do it for her daughter’s sake. Now that chance was gone.
“Blue, stop. It’s better off left in the past, leave it there.”
This time the nickname did warm her. It brought her back to her happy place. She could still remember the first time he’d called her Blue. Unfortunately, the reasons behind the nickname were none too flattering. Mixing tequila and blue raspberry punch had proved to be more than her stomach could handle. His shoes had been permanently stained and so had her name.
Thinking back to her parents, she shivered. “I wasn’t close to them, but the way they died…”
“It would bother anyone, Kate. I guess what I don’t understand is why your relationship with them has always been so bad. I mean even when they came to the wedding you were aloof with them.”
She shrugged, knowing she’d never really talked to him about her childhood. “They had their own agenda. Michelle and I got caught in the middle,” she said, referring to her older sister. “When I think about it now, now that they’re gone, I guess it doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal as I made it when I was a kid. I just wanted them to be parents. I wanted them to care more. I didn‘t want to feel like I was on my own.”
“To a kid, things seem different.”
“I guess.” She was thoughtful for a moment. “They never let a day go by when Michelle and I didn’t know we were in the way, y’know?” She looked over at him. His expression held sympathy. “I just didn’t have that bond with them that you have with your parents. All I have to do is look at your mom when she’s with you guys and it’s all over her face how much she loves you. I got more of the “you’re my cross to bear” stuff. And when my father drank it got really bad.”
“He drank a lot, I take it?”
“Quite a bit.”
“I’m sorry, Blue.”
“Yeah, me too. All the same, they didn’t deserve to die the way they did.”
“No, they didn’t.” He glanced at her. “What about Michelle?”
Michelle. Her sister. Older by five years, Michelle had lived on her own for a long time before Kate had gone away to college. Michelle hadn’t needed anyone. She still didn’t. She’d pretty much told Kate that when she’d let her know their parents were dead. She was living in Montana now. The only way Kate had even found her sister at all was by digging through her mother’s address book. Michelle lived in a place called Blue Creek. It was another hole in the ground town with a population of three thousand. From what Kate had gathered in the short time she’d talked to Michelle, her sister had an abusive husband and several crying children. The husband had been screaming at her in the background almost as much as the children had. The conversation had been short but Kate knew her sister was in bad shape.
“She’s your sister, Kate,” Luke said, startling her.
“She doesn’t want to be. She could care less. She didn’t even want to come to the funerals.”
“She’s probably in shock.”
“We’re all in shock, Luke. They were bludgeoned.”
“I’m just saying, maybe you can give her some time and then call her again. We can try to help her out of her marriage if she needs it.”
“I’m not calling her again,” Kate said stubbornly. “We were never that close. She’s never wanted a relationship with any of us.”
Luke dropped the subject. “Look, you’ve had a long few days. Why don’t you lean back and try to sleep? I’ve got the driving for now.”
“I’m too wound up to go to sleep.”
“Think about something else. We’re almost out of bad territory. The rain seems to be letting up.”
Kate followed his gaze to the dark sky. To her, it looked just as bad up ahead as it did right in front of them. The clouds were still ominous. They were making good time though. Ritzville and its fields of wheat were now far off behind them. She glanced at the river flowing roughly along the side of the highway. The mighty Columbia.
“We’ve got company,” Luke said absently, his eyes checking the rearview mirror at the approach of bright lights from behind. “They need to turn their brights off,” he muttered, switching lanes.
Hallie began to fuss as the bright lights drew closer. Without thinking about it, Kate undid her seatbelt
and turned around to console her daughter.
“This is ridiculous,” Luke snapped. “What’s with this asshole? He can’t see taillights?”
Kate looked out the back window. The lights came closer and closer, growing brighter as they approached. She ran her hand over Hallie’s tiny forehead, doing her best to comfort the child. The baby gurgled slightly as her crying fit slowed down.
“Kate, get your seatbelt on.”
Luke’s abrupt tone startled her and she looked up and out the back window again. The headlights seemed to be barreling straight for them.
“Damn it, get your seatbelt on now!” This time he raised his voice, stepping on the gas some.
“Just let me cover her up,” she began, turning around and making sure Hallie was fully covered. Hallie began crying again as the headlights behind them seemed to illuminate the entire Jeep. “God, Luke, just pull over and let them pass!”
Luke mumbled something then reached over and jerked the gearshift. “Just get your damned belt on, would you? You’re making me nervous.”
Kate reached for her seatbelt. She never got the chance to secure it. The car behind them reared into the back of the Jeep, sending it skidding sideways. Luke managed to straighten it out once, but the next hit to their backend sent them sprawling over the side of the highway and down into the deep, murky waters of the river.
ONE
Seattle, Washington
Three years later……
Luke Garrison looked up from the notebook he was scribbling in. The hot, mid-morning sunshine nearly blinded him. He liked it though. It was nice to have some good weather for a change. Seattle had suffered through a hard winter of rain and snow. Finally, summer was here.
He felt his face breaking into a smile as he watched his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter swinging on her swing set. Bentley, the family’s golden retriever, jumped at her feet, his chubby tail wagging a hundred miles per hour. Hallie would be four in a couple of months. Every time he thought about that it didn’t seem possible. Just yesterday, she had been a tiny baby. A little person who had spent most of her time in a car seat or baby swing. Now she was walking, running, and talking. She had started going to daycare/pre-school several times a week, which had proved to be harder on him than on her. She could write her letters and numbers and recite the alphabet. She was no baby anymore. At least in her eyes, she wasn’t. She was always telling him that. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Before long, she would be starting real school. Then she would be going to the mall with her friends, and God forbid, dating. He pictured his daughter at sixteen, showing up at the door with a greasy guy named Biff and a motorcycle helmet in her hand. He shivered involuntarily.
Root of All Evil Page 1