Stop it, Audra!
Walking down this path was not going to help, at least not at this moment. What was done was done, and although I desperately wanted to, turning the clock back was not a possibility. Now was not the time to fall into the trap of rancid thoughts again. I resolved right then to make the trip back to the therapist and work on my broken soul. Gritting my teeth, I focused my thoughts elsewhere. God, when would the police arrive? How long had it been since I called? The Snow Queen didn’t need to see me cry, especially now since the possibility of forging new ground in our relationship seemed probable. There was a small glimmer of hope for the future, since working as a team would be much easier than as forced colleagues. I blinked back the tears and focused on the highway, hoping that the lights that just appeared were not an optical illusion.
It wasn’t, for as soon as I saw the blue shimmering in the distance, the faint whine of the sirens met my ears. Oh God, it was finally over! Suddenly, I was filled with adrenaline again as the excitement took over, a smile breaking free. I turned to Nicole and said, “Thank God, they’re coming!”
Nicole wasn’t leaning against the wall anymore, and it took me a second to realize that Kevin was not lying in the doorway either. He was propped up against the far wall about twenty feet from me, his body sagging against it, his head lolling at an unnatural angle, almost touching his right shoulder. A smeared trail of bright blood marked where he had been to where he was now. I tried to make sense of what I was looking at, and then I realized that Nicole was sitting on the floor next to him, her clothes completely drenched in red from dragging him. It looked like she was holding his hand, which of course, was impossible. Before I could form a word, she spoke.
“I figured out what to say,” she growled, her voice oddly low, her jaw clenched together so tightly that the veins in her thin neck were bulging. “The difference between the two of us is quite simple. You wanted revenge. I want blood. And for the balance to be zero.”
Movement caught my eye. She was not holding hands with Kevin; she was holding his wrist and using both of her arms to raise his, the gun in his hand pointed straight at me. “Get over there and sign that piece of paper, now.”
Instinctively, my hands moved to protect my elderly charge from harm as I moved my body to shield hers. Even from across the room, I could see the anger raging behind Nicole’s light eyes. What in the hell is she doing?
Dumbstruck, I could not form any words. Seconds passed as we stared at each other, the unreal scene making me dizzy. Realty came crashing back when I heard the hammer click on the gun. “I said move!”
Suddenly, I found my voice again. “Why, Nicole?”
Her words reverberated through the room as she yelled. “Why? You have to ask why? Are you fucking kidding me? You destroyed everything! Poor little Audra could not stand the heat, so she burned us all. You truly are naïve if you deluded yourself into believing that your little dramatic plan to make us all pay would not come back to bite you in the ass! This is real life, Audra, not some schoolyard grudge. What made you think you had the right to ruin us? Because Olin fucked you?” she hissed, her words like daggers slicing through me.
“Welcome to the real world, baby doll. You are just now reaping what you’ve sown. Now, enough chitchat; move your ass and sign that form! I did not spend the last nine months waiting for this day to end it empty handed!”
My body betrayed me as it shook in fright. The sirens were getting closer, but they still were far enough away that I knew I was on my own. I slowly stood up and made my way across the floor to where the papers rested. What choice did I have at this point? The only hope for salvation seemed to be fading, for I doubted I could stall for time. Nicole was too smart for that.
I bent down and picked up the agreement. Nicole’s eyes never left me. The paper lightly fluttered in my shaking hands. “I need something to write with,” I said, my voice throaty and low.
Nicole cut her eyes over to Piper’s body. “Use that.”
I followed her gaze, my stomach lurching when I saw the pen sticking out of Piper’s back; then it settled a bit when I noticed another one on the floor to my left. It must have been inside Piper’s bag that I riffled through earlier. My movements controlled, I took a few steps and squatted down to retrieve it, my eyes never leaving Nicole’s. I made my way slowly to the table and sat down, pen at the ready, trying to determine how far the sirens were now. They sounded much closer, but not close enough.
“It was you, wasn’t it? My car?” I said as I signed my name, hoping that I could tap into her vanity.
“Gee, Audra, if I could clap right now, I would give you a round of applause. Bravo! Of course it was. How else would I have insured that you would need a ride? Do you have any idea how many hours I spent making fake reservations for rental cars all over town? I can assure you, it was a lot!” she said, her eyes twinkling at the memory. “Destroying your car was just an added bonus.”
I never looked at the page as I signed my name. I had her talking now.
“You knew all along what Piper and Kevin had planned, didn’t you?”
She rolled her eyes at me like I just asked the dumbest question in history. “Ding, ding, ding! Give the twat a prize! From the moment Eric walked out of my life, I began planning my own revenge; one that ended with your death. As fate would have it, I wound up in the same downtown dive bar late one night that Kevin was at. I overheard his phone conversation, although at the time, I did not know he was talking to Piper. But I picked up enough to realize he was talking about you and the firm. Because of you, he lost his wife, and he wanted you dead; he was just too much of a whipped pussy to do it himself.
“So, I hope you don’t mind,” she said, those words spat out with emphasis, “I used a play from the ‘Audra Tanner School of Revenge’ and began my own surveillance. Once I deciphered what he was up to, and with whom, I just watched and waited.”
The sirens were closer now. God, please let them hurry!
“I am impressed, Nicole. It’s a perfect plan. You get the firm, I’m out of the way, and your hands are free of all the blood that Piper shed. Brilliant! But, what are you going to do when Kevin wakes up and starts talking?” I said, standing up slowly. She eyed me with caution but let me move.
“The dead do not speak,” she said, the words cold and calculating as they left her lips.
I swallowed hard and shifted my eyes over to Kevin. From this distance, it was impossible to tell if he was still breathing, but judging by the pallor of his skin, I took her words to heart.
“Oh, yes indeed, dear. I do believe the correct term the police will use when they write this report up will be ‘blunt force trauma’ as the cause of poor Kevin’s death. Guess your pathetically small body belies the strength within honey, because you bashed his skull in! Thank you for not making me kill him. Not that I wouldn’t have, but this is much easier on me since your fingerprints are on the weapon and not mine.”
I was about two feet from Mrs. Milligan when I heard the shift in her voice, her southern drawl dripping with sarcasm. “Ah, the cops are here. Guess I learned a lesson here today as well: revenge really is sweet.”
My peripheral vision caught the lowering of the gun, but this time, it was not aimed at me. Dear God, she was going to shoot Mrs. Milligan first. The room suddenly filled with the strobe light blue from the police cars that were careening up the drive, the sound of their tires crunching on the gritty dirt driveway. It didn’t matter though because they were too late.
I closed my eyes and launched my body in the air at the exact same time the sound of the gunshot hit my ears. The intensity of it inside the miniscule living room was deafening. The pungent aroma of the gunpowder hung in the air and filled my lungs as I inhaled a huge gulp of air. I felt my trajectory shift violently as magma hot pain shot through me, the bullet tearing through my flesh. I landed on my side by the couch, the pain rendering me motionless, my mind shutting down as the room spun, my vision blurred. I heard mu
ltitudes of footsteps on the porch and voices outside the window, but I could not speak. Please God, save her, I prayed, hoping He would answer one final plea and spare my friend.
As the door was kicked in by men in uniforms, the last thing I heard was Nicole screaming, “Oh my God! He shot her!” My final thought before darkness overtook me was I’m sorry.
NICK AND I DID not speak as I turned the car into the driveway, fishtailing slightly as I jerked the wheel hard. The yard and house were coated in a sea of blue and red lights from too many units for me to count. News vans lined the highway about sixty yards away, held at bay only by dutiful officers.
I shoved the car into park and jumped out, Nick following quickly behind me. The thumping of helicopter blades above almost drowned out the crackling of the radios. As a cop, I was used to being in the midst of this type of ruckus, but experiencing it from the other side was gut wrenching since it involved my loved one.
My throat closed shut as two assistant coroners wheeled out a gurney with a body bag that from the looks of it, held a small corpse. Oh, God, please, don’t let that be Audra!
When Sandy called me back earlier and told me that the last ping of Piper’s cell phone came from Summerset, my world changed. Like the proverbial bat out of hell, I pushed my patrol unit to its limits, at times exceeding over 120 miles per hour as Nick and I raced to Summerset. Thank God I knew the roads like the back of my hand. But when Sandy called and said that Audra called from Rosemary Milligan’s house, I thought my heart was going to burst from my chest.
Now, seeing all this chaos, my mind whirred with questions. The first one that needed answered was where was my Audra?
I spotted Rick Kensington coming out of the house, and I almost knocked down two deputies in my zeal to climb the stairs.
“Where is she?” I stammered, my eyes affixed on the body bag being loaded into the van.
“Steve, that’s not her. She’s already been transported to Mercy General,” he said, almost yelling.
“Is she...” I could not finish my question.
Rick shut the door behind him as he stepped fully onto the porch, his other arm reaching out to touch my shoulder. “She was shot in the shoulder, Steve. She lost a lot of blood. When they loaded her in the ambulance, she was unconscious.”
My shoulders stiffened at his words, my questions short and to the point.
“Piper?”
Rick cut his eyes quickly behind me to the coroner van, and as he did, I heard Nick wail behind me. “Oh, God, Piper!”
I ignored him. Even though I knew I should, I felt no pity for his loss. I was glad she was dead so at least I didn’t have to kill her.
Before I could ask anything else, the front door opened and Nicole appeared on a stretcher, only her face visible above the pile of blankets on top of her. I moved toward her, but Rick put his hand on my chest.
“Steve, don’t. She has been through a lot as well. We have this under control here. Go. Leave the investigation in the hands of the state boys and the Feebs. You know you’re too close anyway. Get your ass out of here and get to Mercy General. Audra needs you now. There is nothing here for you to do.”
I knew he was right, and had I been in his shoes, I would have said the exact same thing. But that knowledge still did not stop the anger surging through me. I nodded in silence and spun around, determined to leave before I exploded. I took the steps two at a time and noticed Nick was leaning against the van, talking to a face that looked vaguely familiar. I did not feel right just leaving him here, knowing he was dealing with his own tragedy. I shifted direction and stopped beside him, recognizing the face of his companion as Trevor Milligan, Rosemary’s nephew.
“Nick, I need to get to Mercy General. Can you catch a ride to your car with someone?”
Nick nodded, his tear-stained face betraying his pain. He looked like he just aged ten years.
Trevor said, “Don’t you worry, Detective. I’ll take care of Nick.”
The tone in his voice belied his emotionless expression, so I asked, “Trevor, is Rosemary…”
His stony face never changed as he replied, “She’s at Mercy too. Shaken up, but fine, I’spose.”
Thank you, God.
I gave a quick nod and ran to my car, nearly jerking the door off. The engine roared to life, I backed up and started down the driveway, thinking what an odd conversation must be taking place between the two of them.
And how guilty I felt for not being there to protect her.
A beautiful Arizona sunrise began to peak as I sped into town, hoping it was a sign of another new day for my Audra, my guilt-laden foot pushing hard on the accelerator.
THE THROBBING IN MY nose woke me up from the first night of sleep in what could actually pass as a bed. The prison infirmary was certainly not the Ritz, but it was much better than the dank hole I was used to.
The brightness of the room made my eyes water. Of course, my bashed nose was not helping either. I tried to reach up and touch it, but my hands were strapped to the bed. Fuck. I closed my stinging eyes and vowed to myself that once I was on the outside again, I would anonymously post Nick’s video to YouTube. I still could not believe that the little fag punched me.
Opening my eyes again, I searched around the sparse room for a clock. It was impossible to come to a conclusion since the only light was the glaring fluorescent ones above me. Thankfully, the room was fairly quiet, which was a good thing since my head was throbbing in agony.
A small television set was crammed into the corner of the ceiling so I tried to sit up, hoping I could find the controls. Moving around was nearly hopeless since I was trussed to the bed like a common criminal. Ridiculous. I mean, seriously, I was in prison for God’s sake. Where was I going to go? Another cell?
Squirming in the bed like a child that cannot sleep, I felt something push against my side. I stretched my fingers out as far as I was able and touched it. It was one of those call button controllers. Latching onto it, I raised it enough where I could see it, and noticed that there was a button that controlled the television right next to the “call” button. Well, I did not need any company right now, although some pain medication would be a welcome relief, but that would mean some grunt lowlife would come in here, and I wanted to be alone in my misery.
I pushed the “on” button, and the television came on. My God, how many months had it been since I watched television? I decided to pass my time with some mind numbing entertainment.
The only channels available were the three local stations. Of course…Why should I have expected this hellhole to indulge in anything else?
My irritation quickly fled as I settled on Channel Six. My jaw dropped, literally, as I watched that hot little dish report on the most recent news story.
In shocked silence, I stared as images of a house flashed on the screen, followed by a picture of Piper from her days as a partner, immediately followed by pictures of Gabrielle and Audra. So many thoughts raced through my head that following the mumblings of the reporter was damn near impossible, so I focused my attention on the scrolling ticker at the bottom.
Holy shit! Piper was dead. Kevin was dead. Gabrielle was dead. Audra was in the hospital, her condition unknown. The crazy bitch did it! She just wrote my ticket out of here! The best part was, now I did not have to kill her once I was free! Could this day get any better?
I think not.
ROGER CLANTON STOOD OUT like a sore thumb in his sleek, Italian suit. His outfit probably cost more than what any of the local cops made in a year. And he knew it too, evidenced by his carriage and demeanor as he waited impatiently for the jailers to bring out his client.
It was late Sunday evening, and we sat quietly next to each other in the visitor waiting area. The dummy car carrying the decoy had left about an hour ago. Roger considered it his idea that one should go out, since Olin was truly a targeted man now. Once the news in this small town spread that the kidnapping and near death of one of its most beloved citizens was tied dir
ectly to Olin, the risk of some crazed person coming after him was at an all-time high.
Even with the air conditioner blaring, the heat in the small room was almost unbearable. I noticed that small beads of sweat were beginning to form on Roger’s brow, and my armpits were saturated. Finally, the door clanged open and Olin appeared, wearing a bulletproof vest over his lovely prison orange. His face was swollen, and both of his eyes were a dark shade of blue and purple. I could barely contain the smile that wanted to burst forth. Yeah, I did that.
Roger and I rose quietly and followed the jailors out to the Sally port as they loaded Olin into the back seat of the unmarked cruiser. Olin let out a small grunt as he was forced to sit down, the jailor on his right shoving his head down a little too forcefully as he flopped into the backseat.
“Was that really necessary?” Roger said to the young jailor.
“Sorry, sir, just trying to keep him from hitting his head,” he sarcastically responded.
Roger sat in the back next to Olin, and I climbed into the front next to the burly deputy that was our driver, and I buckled my seatbelt. The windows were tinted so black that it looked like they had been painted, which probably held dual purposes— to keep the heat out and others from looking in.
The metal door rose slowly and we made our way out into the night. The drive to Summerset from here encompassed about fifty miles through nothing but sparse desert and sporadic areas of forest. I was lost in thought about the trial tomorrow, and it seemed that Roger was as well, for none of us said a word. Finally, after about two miles, Olin broke the silence.
“So, Roger, what’s the plan? I mean…is that not why you’re here, to talk about strategy?”
Roger took a deep breath and said, “Sorry Olin. I was just rehearsing tomorrow in my head. Yes, that is why we are here. There has been an incredible amount of things happen in the last forty-eight hours that we plan on addressing in court tomorrow. At this point, the prosecution is hobbled. Two of their three witnesses are dead, and the remaining one is unconscious in the hospital. That means they will have no choice but to request a continuance. We will not object; in fact, we will welcome it since your time is almost over. It has been nine months already, and by the time they sort out all this mess and construct some sort of new strategy, the speedy trial rule will be close to expiring—maybe already expired, depending upon how quickly the witness wakes up.”
Eviscerating the Snake - The Complete Trilogy Page 37