“He loved you,” Markie said continuing to engage Melanie in conversation.
“He loved sex. Just like…like…”
“Your father,” Markie finished for her. “Monika and Malcolm didn’t hurt you. It was your father.”
“Shut up!” She said and fired off another shot.
Markie had never felt such hatred as she did for anyone at that moment than she did for Mr. Daniels. This was the result of his handiwork. Melanie was a very angry and confused woman. He was supposed to be her father, her protector. Her mother did nothing to help her as well. There was no one to protect her.
“What happened when Monika visited you at the hospital? Is that when you decided to kill her?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why did you kill her? She was your sister.”
“She said we could be together, but I had to get better first. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“You killed Malcolm,” Markie said inching towards the door again.
“He deserved to die.”
“What about your sister?” Then Markie remembered what O’Malley had told her. “Monika wasn’t on the boat when you blew it up.”
“That was her idea. She wanted to get even with Dalton. We faked her death so he would be blamed for it. It would have worked, but she changed her mind wanting to go back to him. I told her it would be okay that I wouldn’t fail like the car accident.”
“You’re responsible for Beck’s hit and run?”
“Monika freaked when I told her. I couldn’t let her leave me again and go back to him. She deserved to die.”
“Why? Because she loved him?”
“She had everything and didn’t know how to keep it. That was her fault. I have everything now. I’m Monika. With you out of the way Dalton and I will be together.”
Markie had to give her head a shake. Melanie didn’t know who she was. It was as if she was Monika one minute and Melanie the next. She wasn’t going to get her hands on Beck. Not if Markie had anything to say about it and she had plenty.
“I love Beck and you can’t have him,” Markie said. “I won’t let you hurt him either.”
“No!”
Markie pushed her head up above the sofa back just as Melanie lunged towards her over the sofa. She fell backwards taking Melanie with her.
Stars, in a rainbow of colors exploded behind Markie’s eyelids. Giving her head a quick shake to clear it, she rolled to a squat on her feet, her hand sweeping the floor to find her gun.
“Did you lose something?” Melanie was pointing the gun at Markie’s head. She felt the cold steel against her forehead. The woman was quick on her feet.
Markie felt something trickling down at the corner of her mouth and wiped at it with the back of her hand. Blood. Out of the corner of her eye she scanned the floor and saw her gun sticking out from under the sofa.
“Get up! Move.” She shoved Markie towards the bedroom when she stood up slowly. “You’re going to die like the rest of them.”
Markie stumbled and turned towards Melanie. “You don’t want to do this, Melanie.”
“It’s Monika! What makes you think—”
Markie hiked up her dress swung her right leg in a semicircular motion. Striking with her foot in a roundhouse high kick, her foot connected with Melanie’s chin. Melanie went down with a thud on the floor. Before she could recover, Markie dove for her gun scraping her knees against the parquet floor. Her gun trained on Melanie.
Anyone would have stayed down with that blow, not Melanie. She grabbed her gun and sprang to her feet. Whatever drug she was on, she was higher than a kite.
“It doesn’t have to end like this, Melanie. Drop your weapon and we can both walk out of here. I can get you the help you need. I promise.”
Melanie laughed. “I don’t want your help.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Markie had seen the eyes of death before in the boy at the gas station, and they were staring at her again. She fired one shot through the heart and Melanie fell back against the bookshelf. She also saw the boy’s face again at the gas station as he cried out in pain and fell back onto the glass wall. She would now see two faces in the dark at night.
It was so quiet she could hear herself breathe. Her hand started to shake as she looked down at the gun in her hand.
Markie dropped down on the floor on her knees staring at the woman’s body, her heart still pounding in her chest. A large red stain formed on Melanie’s white T-shirt. Markie turned her heard quickly towards the door when she heard voices. She raised her gun and aimed at the door. Then it busted open.
It was O’Malley, Jamie, and Beck with a terrified look on his face.
• • •
“Are you okay?” Beck rushed to her side. He was looking at the blood smeared on her hand. He knelt down and his hand went to her face. She moved her head away from his touch.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice hoarse. Her eyes shifted to Melanie’s body.
Jamie tapped Beck on the shoulder and he got up. He whispered something in Beck’s ear and they both moved towards the door in conversation.
“She’s dead,” O’Malley said as he got up from over Melanie’s body. Six officers appeared at the front door. They were the same officers involved in the raid at Melanie’s place. One of the officers extended a hand to help her up off the floor. She looked over at O’Malley. “Booker doesn’t speak for everyone.”
She took the officer’s hand. “Thank you.”
“You haven’t been formally introduced,” O’Malley said. “Parker say hello to Marklynn Brooks.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. You alright?” Parker asked after seeing all the bullet holes in the door.
She nodded. After she’d given her statement to Parker, O’Malley said, “Go home. We don’t need you anymore. We can take it from here.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Beck volunteered. He picked up her handbag from the floor and handed it to her.
He’d stood by the door watching while she’d given her statement as if he was her protector. Markie didn’t want him to take her home. She was not in the mood for a discussion. She wanted to be alone.
“That’s not necessary.”
“I just want to take you home. That’s all. Okay?”
She nodded and walked out of the apartment praying that her legs wouldn’t buckle under her. He held out his hand for the keys she retrieved from her purse and handed them to him. Their hands touched, their eyes met. Warm kind eyes.
All she had to do was to reach out to him and he would hold her. She saw it in his eyes. She needed to be held. But she didn’t want to reach out to him. History had taught her that when you reach out you get burnt.
It was a little after one in the afternoon when they made their way from Cambridge towards Quincy. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds and it started to rain. A song by the Manhattans, Kiss and Say Goodbye played on the radio and she turned it off.
The only thing she could hear after that was the whistling noise coming from the engine caused by a crack in the drive belt. It needed to be replaced. The mechanic had told her so the last time it was in the shop.
She could do that tomorrow and started planning her schedule because she didn’t want to think about the shooting. Maybe if she dropped it off first thing in the morning she could get a rental then head over to the hospital. Sydney was being released tomorrow.
Markie didn’t want to think about Beck either, but it was hard since he kept staring at her every time he stopped at a traffic light or slowed down. What did she tell Melanie? I love him and you can’t have him.
Yes, she did love him, but she wasn’t going down that road again. No discussion required. He could go find someone who could give him a house full of babies. Did he tell her he wanted a house full of children? No, but neither had Jared. Yet that had stopped them from getting married.
Beck pulled
into her driveway. She jumped out and said, “You can take it. Let me know where to pick it up later.”
“I’m coming in with you.” He turned off the engine and got out after her.
“I didn’t invite you in.” She slammed the of the SUV door. Beck was right behind her by the time she reached the verandah.
“Dammit! You just killed someone.”
“Yes and I don’t want to talk about it.” She wanted him to go, but it didn’t look like he was planning on doing that.
“I don’t want to either. I want to be here with you, Marklynn.”
“For how long?” She flung the door open and it smashed against the front hall closet. She wrapped her arms around her body to keep from coming apart.
“What do you mean for how long?”
Looking at him she realized he didn’t know what she meant. He really did just want to be with her and she didn’t want to accept it. He would change his mind later and she couldn’t live with the hurt.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that nothing. I want to know why you said it. Talk to me.”
Silence filled the room except for the tick tick tick of the wall clock above the mantel. Funny, she’d never heard it before or had even paid any attention to it.
“Why is it so hard to get through to you?” he asked. Frustration was evident in his voice as he raked his hand through his hair. It seemed as if he wanted to shake her. “Talk to me.”
Her nerves were raw. She was hurting and not just from the shooting. They should have this conversation when they both had clear heads. But it was never going to happen. How did she protect herself from getting hurt again? She would do the pushing.
“I don’t know if I can do this again.”
“Do what, Marklynn?”
“Do you want children?”
He blinked slowly then stared at her as if he finally understood. “Is that what this is all about?”
She looked down at the floor afraid to hear his answer.
“I’m not going to lie to you and say no. Becoming a parent was something I had considered when the time was right.”
Her heart shattered in a million pieces because even though he had considered it he would eventually want children, and she couldn’t give him what he wanted. The time would never be right for them.
“Well I can’t. It’s that simple. The bullet I took in my pelvis destroyed one ovary and traumatized the other.” She swallowed back the tears. “There is something inside me that hurts when I think about it. It’s not fair to you or me to proceed with this. You’ll only end up changing your mind.”
“Since we started this I haven’t changed my mind about my feelings for you. I gave you the time you needed because I love you. You on the other hand, have been clutching onto the past. You’re terrified of letting it go and reaching out to me.” Beck paused when she turned her back to him. “Okay,” he said taking a deep breath. “This is not the time to discuss this. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”
“No, Jared we can’t.”
“It’s Dalton Beck!” With a hand on her shoulder, he spun her around to face him. “Dalton Beck,” he said again, nostrils flared.
“What?” Markie stared at him oblivious to what she had said.
“You called me Jared.”
It was the hurt that reflected in his eyes that tore at Markie’s heart. She hadn’t meant to call him Jared.
The roller coaster week…the shooting…Sydney. Everything collided together at that moment in her mind. And with that, the realization of what she’d set out to do…what she’d accomplished.
She felt a sense of loss, but the damage was done. There was nothing left to say. Tears shimmered in her eyes.
“I’m…”
“It’s okay.” Beck dropped his hand from her shoulder. “I finally get it.”
He backed away from her, turned on his heels and headed towards the door. Markie jumped when he slammed the door. She stood staring at the closed door as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Chapter Sixteen
“Look at you,” Markie said when she entered the hospital room the following afternoon.
It had taken the rest of yesterday afternoon, and a sleepless night to pull herself together after Beck had left. This morning she plastered a smile on her face as she entered the hospital. It was all about Sydney today.
Sydney was up and dressed in a red halter-top summer dress sitting on the bed applying a red lipstick shade to her lips. The doctor said she could go home today.
The marks were still visible from the rope burn around her wrist, but her honey brown coloring was back. Her eyes were brighter with full eye make up.
“I was tired of the hospital get up. Since this is my last day in this wonderful establishment, I might as well leave in style.”
“Where can I take you to lunch dressed like that?”
“Do you like it?” Sydney stood up and did the walk of a model strutting her stuff on a catwalk from the bed to the window. “Nan bought the dress for me.”
“Very nice. You look great.”
“More than I can say for you. You look like you haven’t been to bed yet.” Sydney sat down on the bed and patted a spot beside her. Tell me, were you and the dishy Dalton Beck getting it on last night?”
“How did you find out about him?”
“Pleeease. Nan keeps sprouting her proverbs and,” she pointed to the bouquet of calla lilies on the window ledge. “Who sends calla lilies?”
“Dalton Beck,” Markie replied missing him. Wanting to undo what she’d done last night but feared it was too late.
Beck was different from everyone else. Never leaving anything to chance. Knowing Beck he probably asked Nan what kind of flowers Sydney liked before he even set foot in the flower shop.
“He and I are not seeing each other anymore.”
She thought about the conversation they had last night and had convinced herself that she had made the right decision for both of them. The only problem was she wasn’t certain of that anymore, but he got the message loud and clear. Her SUV was in the driveway this morning and the key in the mailbox. He had returned it without a word.
“What happened with Beck?”
Markie didn’t want to talk about Beck and changed the conversation to a safer topic.
“Where is Carlos?”
“The threat is gone so Nan tells me and I sent him home,” Sydney said staring off into space for a moment. “He asked me out and…”
“…you turned him down. Carlos is very persistent. Trust me, he will ask you again.”
“Maybe I’ll be ready by then.” Sydney took Markie’s hand. “Tell me what happened with Beck?”
“Wasn’t meant to be.”
She looked at Sydney and it was as if she was seeing her sister for the first time. Sydney had changed. There was something more settled about her. She had told Nan that she wanted to be around more and she meant it.
Right there and then in the hospital where doctors were being paged, laughter and cries drifting into the room through the open door, Markie told Sydney everything. She began with why she left her job as a police officer, which led to her broken engagement with Jared and a life without children, and it ended with her fight with Beck.
“I’m so sorry.”
Sydney’s sorry covered a whole spectrum of things. Markie could tell and at that moment they finally connected after years of being emotionally estranged. Nothing mattered any more because they had found each other again.
“I know. What about you? Nan said Macy came to see you. There is a job offer on the table for a six-month assignment in Israel. You’re going to be a photojournalist or rather an assistant to one anyway.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Why?” Markie already knew the answer before she asked the question. Sydney was afraid. She had survived her ordeal, but she’d lost the one thing that made her Sydney…her free spirit.
“I’m not up to it.”
“It’s a great opportunity.” Markie paused for a moment. She didn’t want to push Sydney into something she wasn’t ready for. “Does your decision have anything to do with Derrick?”
Sydney looked down at the floor, her eyes watered. “I wanted to tell you about him, but when he died it didn’t matter any more.”
“Tell me about him anyway. Don’t even think about leaving out the part where you jumped out of his birthday cake wearing a string bikini.”
Sydney screamed with laughter. “How did you know about that?”
“I’m a P.I., remember?”
“It was his thirtieth,” she said still laughing.” I had been seeing him for about six months when I’d planned that. After two of his men were killed in combat, he didn’t smile any more.”
“How did you meet him?”
“He stole my parking spot at the mall and I blocked him in.” A smile settled on Syd’s face as if she was remembering that day. “He had me towed. I couldn’t believe it. Then he had the gall to ask me out and I said yes.”
“I would’ve liked him.”
Sydney closed her eyes for a moment. “Derrick was everything I wanted in my life…order…stability. He saw me at my best and worst and loved me anyway.”
“I’m sorry he died. I wish I’d known him.”
Sydney wiped her eyes with a tissue she retrieved from her makeup kit. “Can we stop all this sorry business and get out of here. My priority right now is finding a new place to live. I’m not going back to that apartment, not after all that drama.”
“You don’t have to rush into finding a place. You can stay with me as long as you like.”
“That sounds great now, but it won’t be long before we drive each other crazy.”
“Fair enough. Just promise me one thing. Think about the assignment in Israel.”
“I will.”
“My two girls are back together again,” Nan said when she breezed into the room wearing a green and yellow floral dress down to her ankles. The straw hat she’d placed strategically on her head had a big sunflower on the brim, and on her arm, a yellow sunflower straw bag to match the hat. White laced gloves covered her hands.
Hide 'N Seek Page 25