Coming Home (Crystal Lake Series Book 3)

by Laura Scott

  The moment Blake’s attention was diverted, Merry slid her injured arm from the sling and rushed toward him, grabbing his gun hand and pushing it upward towards the sky. As if reading her mind, Zack charged forward at almost the exact same time, hitting Blake in the back of the head.

  The sound of a gunshot echoed through the night, but then Blake crumpled to the ground. Zack quickly disarmed him.

  “Are you okay?” Zack asked harshly.

  “I’m fine,” she murmured her ears still ringing from the sharp retort of the gun. She could barely hear Ace barking madly from inside the house.

  “Can you find something to tie him up with?” Zack asked, turning Blake onto his stomach and yanking his arms behind his back. Blake groaned and tried to struggle. “See if Armbruster has his handcuffs with him.”

  Deputy Armbruster! She ran towards the prone figure. She pulled off the handcuffs from his belt and handed them to Zack before going back to kneel beside the deputy to feel for his pulse.

  Please be alive, she whispered as she placed her fingers along the side of his neck. At first she was worried she was feeling her own racing heartbeat, but then realized the reassuring slower beat belonged to the deputy.

  “Zack, he’s alive!” she called out. “We need an ambulance, stat!”

  “Just give me a minute,” Zack said. She could hear him phoning for an ambulance. She couldn’t see much, but felt along the deputy’s arms and legs, searching for some sort of wound.

  “Devon? Can you hear me?” She hoped using his first name would get through to him.

  Deputy Armbruster began to groan seconds before two additional deputies arrived on the scene.

  “Where’s Caruthers?” Deputy Thomas asked.

  “Zack has him handcuffed. Devon is hurt and I’m afraid to move him.”

  “The ambulance should be here any minute,” Deputy Thomas assured her. “Ian, shine your flashlight over here,” he called out to the other deputy.

  She couldn’t see Deputy Ian Kramer as he was holding the flashlight, but at least now she could do a better job of examining Devon. Her fingers stumbled across a huge knot on the back of his head, and she winced in sympathy knowing he was going to have a concussion or worse.

  “I don’t see any bullet wounds,” she said half under her breath.

  Devon groaned again and she decided that maybe they could log roll him onto his back. “Tuck his arm along his side,” she told Deputy Thomas. “I’ll support his head and his neck as we roll him over.”

  “You’re injured,” Zack said, coming over to kneel beside her. “I’ll do it.”

  She’d been ignoring the ache in her broken collarbone, knowing that Deputy Armbruster was hurt far worse. Besides, it was worth it to get Blake under control.

  “I’m alright,” she protested, but sat on her heels to let Zack and Jason Thomas roll Devon over onto his back.

  “What happened?” Devon asked hoarsely. “Where am I?”

  “You’re at Julie and Derek’s townhouse,” she said. “Where do you hurt the most?”

  “My head,” Devon whispered. “I was following Caruthers, or at least the guy I thought was Caruthers, but I should have called for backup right away. I wanted to be sure he was our guy, first, but I underestimated him.”

  “It’s all over, we have Blake in handcuffs,” she assured him. “Do you hear the ambulance? Help is on the way.”

  Devon Armbruster’s eyes slid shut as if the light from Ian Kramer’s flashlight was too much. She knew just how he felt. As soon as the paramedics arrived, she gave them a brief summary.

  “Hi, Sam,” she greeted the young man who was Sheriff Torretti’s son. “I’m fairly certain Deputy Armbruster has a concussion, and so far I haven’t found any other injuries.”

  “Good to know,” Sam said as he deftly started a peripheral IV. He glanced over at Deputy Thomas. “You better let my dad know about this.”

  Deputy Thomas nodded. “I know. The sheriff isn’t going to be happy at losing another deputy, even temporarily.”

  Sam grimaced. “That’s for sure.”

  Within moments Sam and his partner had the deputy bundled onto the gurney. As they whisked Devon away, Deputy Thomas and Deputy Kramer went over to take Blake into custody.

  “Make them stop yelling at me!” Blake shrilled as they hauled him to his feet. “Make them stop!”

  “Who’s yelling at you?” Deputy Thomas asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “He needs psychiatric care,” Merry said as Blake continued to talk nonsense. “You’ll need to take him to the hospital.”

  “I hit him in the back of the head, too, so you might need to rule out a concussion,” Zack added. “And here’s the gun he was pointing at Merry.”

  “We’ll drop him off at the hospital first, but then we’re going to need statements from both of you,” Deputy Thomas said. “I know we’ve been looking for his vehicle, too. Any idea where it might be?”

  “He claimed he was staying at the empty house a few doors down that’s for sale,” Merry informed them. “It could be that he’s been hiding the Jeep inside the garage.”

  “Very clever,” Ian Kramer muttered. “How is it that someone who hears voices screaming at him can manage to be so deviously smart by breaking into an empty house?”

  “I don’t know,” Deputy Thomas acknowledged. “Blake Caruthers, you’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer, identity theft, and violating your no contact restraining order.”

  Merry felt the warmth of Zack’s arm around her shoulder and leaned into him as she listened to Deputy Thomas giving Blake his Miranda rights. She didn’t bother to point out that since Blake wasn’t psychologically stable, reading him his Miranda rights was useless.

  “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Zack asked.

  “I’m fine. Thank you for not shooting him.”

  “I couldn’t believe you rushed at him like that,” Zack muttered. “You nearly took ten years off my life with that stunt. And I wasn’t going to shoot him except as a last resort. It’s not his fault he’s ill.”

  She sighed. “If only he’d take his medication.”

  “You can’t fix him, Merry.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t believe the nightmare was finally over. At least for now. “Do you know how long he’ll be in jail this time?” she asked.

  “I think we can make a case that he needs a court order to force him to take his meds,” Zack said. “He needs help, not jail.”

  She agreed, although she feared she’d never feel safe knowing Blake was out of jail and able to come and find her.

  Loud yelling coming from the front of the house startled her. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know,” Zack said grimly.

  She followed as Zack took off running in the direction that the deputies had taken Blake. When they reached the street, she stopped when she saw Deputy Thomas kneeling beside Blake’s body.

  “What happened?” Zack asked.

  “He started fighting and head-butting us,” Deputy Thomas said. “He broke free, and when Ian tackled him, Caruthers hit his head on the ground. Now he’s not moving.”

  Merry rushed forward and felt for a pulse. “We need to start CPR!”

  Both deputies worked together to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation while Zack called for another ambulance. When they got tired, she and Zack took a turn.

  They worked continuously until the ambulance got there, and once the paramedics gave him some meds, his pulse returned.

  When the ambulance took off with red lights and sirens blaring, she turned to Zack. “We need to get to the hospital.”

  “I’ll drive.”

  She prayed for Blake’s well-being as Zack drove, regretting her earlier negative thoughts. Granted, she didn’t want to have the threat of Blake coming after her hanging over her head, but she never wanted him to die, either.

  Zack parked as close to the ER as possible, and when they rushed in, she couldn’t tell
by their serious expressions if the news was good or bad.

  “Are they still working on him?” she asked.

  Deputy Thomas slowly nodded. “Yeah, he’s better, although they’re still worried about a potential head injury.

  She nodded, knowing firsthand how a concussion felt. “Why do you think he tried to run away?”

  “I don’t know,” Deputy Kramer admitted. “Maybe the voices in his head told him to?”

  “Or maybe he tried to run because he’d committed other crimes,” Zack pointed out.

  Dr. Gabe Allen came into the waiting room, his eyes widening when he recognized Merry. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  She couldn’t seem to dredge up a smile. “The man you’re working on, Blake Caruthers, was a former friend of mine. How is he?”

  Gabe nodded. “He’s okay. We’ve stabilized him. We’ll need to keep an eye on him for the next few days but I think he’ll be fine.”

  Despite her fear of Blake, she was glad he hadn’t died. She hoped and prayed that this time he’d get the help he needed.

  “But hitting his head shouldn’t have caused a heart attack. Why do you think caused his heart trouble?” she asked.

  Gabe hesitated. “We don’t know for sure,” he hedged. “We’re checking all options.”

  “Likely drugs, right?” Merry knew by the look on Gabe’s face that she’d guessed right. “Cocaine is known to cause heart problems, and I’m pretty sure Blake used drugs in the past.”

  Gabe shrugged, neither confirming nor denying her statement.

  “I’m glad to hear he’s okay,” Ian muttered. “At least now I won’t have to be accused of purposefully trying to get rid of the guy.”

  “You were only doing your job,” Zack assured him. “He was mentally unstable and armed. We all did our best tonight.”

  Merry nodded her agreement, knowing they were right. She didn’t know how long Blake would be jailed this time, but hopefully long enough that she wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder and worry about him coming after her for a long time.

  Still, she couldn’t help wishing he’d go back on his medication. She missed the young Blake she’d idolized in high school. The one who’d been like a big brother to her.

  Please, Lord, please take care of Blake. Bring him peace.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Zack blinked at the sunlight pouring into the bedroom and shot bolt upright, afraid he’d overslept.

  He peered at the clock, relieved to note that it was still early. Merry planned on going to church and he’d promised to go along.

  They hadn’t gotten home from the police department until late, and then he’d gotten a call from Cole telling him they found Calvin Reynolds dead body at Caruthers’ place. It seemed that Reynolds hadn’t given up his identity without a struggle. He was secretly glad to know that Blake would spend a long time behind bars once the police had proved he’d murdered Reynolds.

  He wasn’t sure how Merry had felt about hearing the news that Blake likely killed a man. She’d been unusually quiet last night on the way home.

  Still, knowing Merry, she wouldn’t take the excuse of fighting with her stalker, doing CPR on him, and being up late in order to give her statement to the police to beg off from singing in the church choir.

  Zack quickly showered and changed his clothes, wishing he’d brought something nicer than a simple pair of tan Dockers and a polo shirt. Still, anything was better than jeans.

  He ate a quick bowl of instant oatmeal before heading outside on the patio to see if Merry was up. She was just finishing her own breakfast, and when Ace whined at the door, she looked surprised to see him. “Good morning, Zack.”

  “Good morning.” He opened the door to let Ace outside. “Did you manage to get some sleep?”

  She grimaced and nodded. “Yes. One minute I was praying for Blake and the next my alarm was going off.”

  He smiled, thinking it was a good thing that God was watching over her. “I’m ready to leave anytime you are.”

  “Are you sure? I’d like to be there early if you don’t mind.”

  “I figured as much. You and the rest of the choir have to warm up first, right?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Just give me a minute to get my purse.”

  “Come on, Ace,” he called. The dog watered a tree, and then came bounding back to the patio. Zack rubbed Ace behind the ears while he waited for Merry.

  “Back inside, Ace,” he said, opening the patio door and urging the dog inside.

  “Come on in. We’ll go out the front door,” Merry said.

  He stepped inside, making sure to lock the screen door behind him. When he saw Merry dressed in a pretty blue flowered dress, he had to remind himself to breathe.

  “You look great,” he managed.

  “Thank you,” she murmured. As inappropriate as it was, he couldn’t help thinking about their kiss as he followed her outside to his truck.

  He couldn’t think of a single intelligent thing to say as he drove to church, not wanting to remind Merry about the events from last night. He couldn’t help wondering how her collarbone was feeling, since she’d insisted on doing CPR while they’d worked on Blake.

  “Thanks for coming to church with me,” she said, breaking into his thoughts.

  “I don’t mind,” he said, somewhat surprised to realize it was true. When he’d prayed last night for Merry’s safety, he realized that maybe she’d been right. God hadn’t given up on him after all.

  He regretted the fact that he only had one more day off work. He didn’t want to leave Merry and return to Madison. But he also didn’t think he could give her what she deserved.

  Maybe he needed to pray for God’s guidance?

  “I’ll drop you off, and then find a place to park,” he said, pulling up to the church.

  “Okay, I’ll see you after the service.” When she climbed out of the truck he realized she was wearing her sling again. No doubt because her collarbone was hurting.

  He parked his truck and walked toward the front door, trying to think of a way to convince Merry to go back to the hospital for another X-ray. What if she’d dislocated the fracture? What if she needed surgery?

  He stayed outside near a group of church members who’d gathered to chat. Seeing everyone greeting each other reminded him how much he’d once liked being a part of the church community.

  “Daddy,” a little girl grabbed onto his pants leg, and he glanced down at her in surprise. She was a cute toddler, and when she saw him her tiny face puckered into a frown.

  “Hey Kayla, that’s the wrong daddy,” a woman said, coming over to the rescue. “Sorry about that,” she said with a gentle smile. “My husband, Gabe, is wearing the same pants, and Kayla must have gotten a little confused.”

  “No problem,” he said, glad to see that the little girl was smiling again. When a tall man came over to join them, he recognized him as Dr. Allen.

  “Hi,” Gabe greeted him. “Didn’t I just see you last night?”

  “Yes, you did. I’m Zack Crain,” he introduced himself.

  “Oh, you’re Julie’s brother, aren’t you?” Gabe exclaimed with a smile. “Of course, I should have noticed the resemblance. This is my wife, Larissa and our one year old, Kayla.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Zack usually avoided little kids, especially those who reminded him of Amelia, but for some reason, being close to Kayla wasn’t too bad. “Your daughter is adorable.”

  “Thanks,” Gabe said.

  “Let’s hope she likes being a big sister,” Larissa said, putting her hand on her stomach.

  It wasn’t until then that Zack realized Larissa and Gabe were expecting another baby. “Are you hoping for a boy this time?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t matter one way or the other,” Gabe said. “We’ll love every child we bring into the world, no matter what.”

  Zack nodded, and when the church bells rang they all filed inside.

  As he sat through the churc
h service, listening to Merry’s beautiful voice and the pastor’s sermon, he couldn’t get Gabe Allen’s comment out of his mind.

  Why had he thought that having another child would replace Amelia in his heart? Gabe was right, each child deserved to be loved for his or herself. Loving Suz and Amelia didn’t mean he couldn’t love anyone else.

  What an idiot he’d been. All this time he’d held onto his grief and his anger, turning his back on God and the church.

  He bowed his head and prayed for forgiveness as Merry began to sing her solo.

  And, finally, he embraced an overwhelming sense of peace.

  ____________

  Merry couldn’t help staring at Zack during the service, even though she should have been paying attention to Pastor John’s message.

  Zack looked so handsome dressed in his nice clothes, seated in the pew behind Gabe, Larissa and little Kayla. Merry was surprised that Zack kept smiling at Kayla and told herself not to read too much into his actions.

  She couldn’t deny she didn’t want the weekend to come to an end. Zack would head back to Madison tomorrow, and Julie and Derek would return home the following day.

  And she’d be alone, again.

  Enough. She really needed to stop feeling sorry for herself, right now. So many others had it far worse. Poor Blake was going to jail for a long time. And Zack was finding his way back to God and the church. How could she be sad about that?

  Very simply, she couldn’t. So what if she was alone? She’d ask Julie and Derek if she could move in next door and maybe she’d get a dog. A black lab, just like Ace. Or maybe a golden retriever.

  She was blessed to have a good job, working with great people. She was also blessed to live in a town that felt like home in a way that Minneapolis never had. And she didn’t have to run any more.

  Feeling better, she led the choir in the closing hymn and couldn’t help but smile when she noticed Zack was singing along.

  After the service was over, she expected Zack to be anxious to leave, but found him chatting again with Gabe and Larissa while Kayla climbed up on the pew. She walked over to join them.

  “How are you feeling, Merry?” Larissa asked. “I heard you did CPR last night.”