He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

by LENA DIAZ,

  She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After hearing that horrible music, she’d panicked and run upstairs to escape the images running through her mind. By the time she’d calmed down, Pierce and Logan were gone. A few minutes later, Karen had ushered her into an unmarked car. Now Karen was driving Amanda down Interstate 10 with two more policemen following in the car behind them.

  “Logan will explain everything later,” Karen assured her. “He said he had an important lead and Pierce insisted on going with him.” She glanced over at Amanda. “Don’t worry. We’re almost there. Once we get to the motel, the officers will continue on so they don’t bring attention to us. An FBI agent is waiting in the motel room.”

  Worried? Was she worried? Yes, but not about the safe house. She was worried about Logan. He’d looked so devastated right before she ran from the room. She shouldn’t have run— wouldn’t have—except she’d been so scared she hadn’t stopped to think about what running out of the room would do to him.

  She knew how it must have looked: as if she blamed him for not capturing the killer when he’d had the chance, the same one who’d attacked her years later. His guilt over what he thought of as his rookie mistake had haunted him for a decade. She couldn’t imagine how he must be hurting, now that he realized the same killer he’d let go was the one who’d attacked her, the same one after her now.

  She had to tell him she didn’t blame him. Because she didn’t, not even for a second. He’d had no way of knowing who was in that van, or the consequences of letting the driver go. The only person to blame for everything that had happened was the driver of that van, and the choices he’d made.

  “I have to speak to Logan. Can I borrow your phone?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Why don’t you give me a message, and I’ll see that he gets it once I’m back in Shadow Falls.”

  “I just need to talk to him for a few seconds. Please.”

  Karen’s brow furrowed and she shook her head as she checked her mirrors. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t let you do that. Logan left me strict instructions to make sure you were safe. One of those instructions was to avoid using my cell phone while I was transporting you.”

  “And you always do what Logan tells you to do?” Amanda said, frustration and sarcasm heavy in her voice.

  “Always.”

  Amanda fisted her hands beside her as Karen turned the car down the next exit. A few turns later and they were in the parking lot of what appeared to be an exclusive condominium complex. Each condo had a separate entrance, with decorative wrought-iron gates.

  The two officers in the patrol car behind them waved as they turned around and headed back toward the interstate, back toward Shadow Falls.

  Karen slowed the car and rolled her window down. “This place is huge. Help me find building ten.”

  Amanda looked out her window trying to find the numbers that would tell them which building was which. She felt a rush of relief as she saw the one-zero painted on the side of the building to their right. “Over here, Karen. I think we just passed it.”

  Karen leaned over to look out Amanda’s window. “Damn. They never put addresses where they’re easy to find, do they?” She pulled into a parking spot to turn around.

  Amanda glanced over at her. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw a man running toward the car with a short metal pipe in his hand. “Karen, look out!”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Logan shook his head as he stared at the ragtag collection of rotting hovels that called themselves Summerville. There wasn’t even a courthouse, and from what he’d seen driving in, the only stores were a Piggly Wiggly grocery store and a gas station.

  Even Walmart hadn’t discovered this part of the world yet.

  As Logan pulled the car to a stop in front of the address he was looking for, Pierce whistled long and low next to him. “I see why the Northwood family left. What on earth would make anyone want to stay in a place like this?”

  “Low crime?”

  Pierce grimaced. “Good point.”

  They got out of Logan’s Mustang and strode up the tired path of cracked concrete and patches of weeds to the front porch. Before they braved the sagging boards, an elderly woman opened the screen door and stepped outside.

  Her white hair was neatly pulled back into a tight bun. A clean, white apron covered the faded blue dress she wore. From the delicious aroma wafting through the screen, Logan guessed she was baking an apple pie. He couldn’t help but smile. She reminded him of his own grandmother.

  “What brings two handsome young men like yourselves out my way today. You lost?”

  “No, ma’am,” Logan said. “If you’re Mrs. Whitman, then we’re at the right place. I’m Police Chief Logan Richards from Shadow Falls, and this is FBI Special Agent Pierce Buchanan.”

  She shook Pierce’s hand first. “What’s so special about you, Agent Buchanan?” His eyes opened wide and he looked like he was trying to think of something to say. “I’m teasing, Mr. Buchanan. I know what a special agent is. I watch TV.” She winked before turning to Logan.

  When she shook his hand she didn’t let go. Instead, she held on as she descended the two steps to the yard. “I can’t imagine why you’d want to talk to me, but it’s time for my daily walk so you’ll have to come along.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Logan started to pull back his hand but she steadfastly held on. Pierce hid his grin with a cough. Logan elbowed him in the ribs. If Mrs. Whitman wanted to hold onto him, he’d let her—anything to find out the information he needed.

  He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and she beamed her approval.

  “Now, what do you young men want to know?”

  “Well, ma’am—”

  “Call me Sadie.”

  “Sadie, we’re here to find some information on a family that lived in this town a long time ago. We were told you were the best person to ask.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “The manager of the Piggly Wiggly.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Simmons. It’s a wonder he can even dress himself in the morning without help. But he was right this time. I’ve been here longer than anybody, and I imagine I can tell you whatever you need to know.”

  “I appreciate it. We don’t have a lot of time—”

  “Then why aren’t you asking me your questions?”

  Pierce coughed again and Logan shot him a glare. “The family’s name was Northwood. We’re specifically interested in Anna Northwood.”

  “You mean Kate.”

  A frisson of excitement shot through him. “Yes, Kate.”

  “How’s she doing? I haven’t heard a whisper of gossip about that family for the longest time.”

  “I’m sorry, Sadie. Kate died several years ago.”

  She stopped and looked up at him. “And how did that happen?”

  “She was murdered.”

  “Well, can’t say that I’m surprised. It’s a shame, though. She was a good girl. A little willful—”

  “Why aren’t you surprised, Sadie?”

  “My, my, you are in a hurry. I suppose I’ve shown you off long enough.” She turned back toward her house, pulling him with her, Pierce following behind.

  As a suddenly spry Sadie Whitman hustled him back to her front porch, he looked around and only then realized they were the center of attention. Residents of various ages sat on nearly every porch, trying to pretend they weren’t staring at him. He guessed Sadie didn’t get many visitors.

  “You’ve got your own fan club,” Pierce teased. He backed away before Logan could elbow him again.

  “Well? Are you going to ask me some questions or not, young man? I’d offer you some apple pie, but I can see you’re in an all-fired hurry.”

  He looked up and realized she’d climbed her front steps, with no assistance, and was standing by the front door watching him.

  He shook his head and couldn’t help but grin. Sadie had fooled him into thinking she was
a feeble old woman.

  She winked and returned his smile.

  “You said you weren’t surprised Kate was murdered. Why is that?”

  “Because of that boy that lived next door to her. I always worried he’d go after her again someday.”

  “Again?”

  She nodded. “He was sweet on her and she tolerated him because he was her boyfriend’s brother. I guess she felt sorry for him, too. He was never quite right in the head, got teased horribly by the other kids. Didn’t have many friends.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Tom. Tom Bennett.”

  The name didn’t sound familiar to Logan. He turned to ask Pierce to call in the name, but Pierce was already walking to the car with his cell phone to his ear.

  “What happened, Sadie, that made you think Tom might go after Kate someday?”

  “The last summer she was here, she and her boyfriend, David, took a walk in the woods and Tom tagged along without them knowing. They disappeared for three whole days. Everybody was looking for them.”

  Three days. The same amount of time the killer always kept his victims before killing them. When Sadie paused, Logan encouraged her to continue her story.

  “Tom’s father found them. They’d gone exploring, got lost. Apparently they didn’t get along too well, everybody being scared and upset and trying to find their way home. Kate got mad at her boyfriend, blamed him for getting them lost. She told him she didn’t want to see him anymore. I guess he tried to change her mind. He gave her a wild rose he found growing in the woods, but one of the thorns cut Kate and she threw the flower at him. That’s what set Tom off.”

  “Set him off? What did he do?”

  “I guess he had a crush on Kate, and when she broke up with David, Tom got this crazy notion in his head that she’d want him. He tried to kiss her and touch her where he had no business touching. I guess he scared her. She hit him with a rock. When the boys’ daddy found them, he had to take Tom into town and get him stitched up. Kate had laid open his face from here,” she touched her right temple, “to here.” She ran her finger down the side of her face to her chin.

  The same cut the killer left on his victim’s faces.

  The same jagged scar that marred Amanda’s face.

  “Hey, pipe down, everybody. I can’t hear Pierce.” Special Agent Nelson waved at the other officers and detectives in the squad room until he was satisfied with the noise level before cradling the phone back to his ear.

  Riley paused, his fingers curled over the keys of his computer, where he was typing up his handwritten notes from another interview he’d conducted that morning. He looked over at Nelson, two desks away.

  “Yeah, I got it,” Nelson said into the phone. “Bennett. Tom Bennett. I’m keying the name in now.”

  One of the uniformed officers called across the room. “I know a Tom Bennett. He’s one of the mechanics in the garage. Is that the guy Pierce is looking for?”

  A sick feeling settled in the pit of Riley’s stomach. His fingers curled into fists and he cursed beneath his breath. He shoved back from his desk and hurried across the room to the bank of elevators.

  “Hey Riley? Where ya going? Pierce has a hot lead to follow up on,” Nelson called out.

  “I’ve got a hunch,” Riley called out.

  The elevator door opened and he stepped inside.

  Excitement pulsed through Logan, and he was impatient to hear what, if anything, Pierce’s men could come up with on a search for Tom Bennett in the FBI databases.

  “You’ve been a tremendous help, Sadie. One more question. Did Kate wear her hair long when she lived here?”

  “I can do better than answer that question. I’ve got a picture of little Kate. Come on in and I’ll show you.”

  Logan motioned to Pierce to let him know he was going inside. Pierce waved back, still on the cell phone, pacing back and forth beside the Mustang.

  Though small, the inside of the house was as neat and tidy as Sadie herself. She led the way through the living room to an upright piano tucked into the corner. Both the top of the piano and the wall above it were full of pictures in varying sizes. She lifted an eight by ten silver framed picture from the piano and handed it to him.

  “That’s a picture of a church picnic back when the Northwoods still lived here. This is Tom.” She pointed to a tall, freckle-faced teenager standing off by himself. “And this is Kate.” She ran her finger across the photo, following the direction where Tom was looking, toward the right side of the picture. She tapped the young girl who was standing in a white cotton dress with a group of other girls her age.

  She had blue eyes.

  And hip-length brown hair.

  Anna Kate Northwood could have been Amanda’s twin.

  He leaned down and kissed Sadie’s cheek. “Thank you, Sadie. You may have saved several lives today.”

  “Well.” She looked nonplussed and a rosy blush spread across her weathered cheeks. “Then you’re very welcome. I do hope you’ll come back and see me when you have more time to visit.”

  “Count on it.” He started to turn away when another picture captured his attention. It was a picture of Kate standing in front of a white house, holding hands with a boy who looked vaguely familiar. Logan picked the picture up and held it out for Sadie. “Who is this boy standing next to Kate?”

  “That was her boyfriend. It’s such a shame, what happened that day in the woods. David was crazy about her. I always thought they’d end up married. But even if she could have gotten over what happened, he couldn’t. I think he hated her for what she’d done to his brother, scarred him for life. He didn’t see Tom try to kiss Kate, and he never believed her that she’d hit Tom in self-defense.”

  “What do you mean he didn’t believe her? He was there.”

  “After Kate got mad at him, he took off, left her and Tom behind.”

  Pierce leaned in around the screen door. “Logan, we have to leave. Now.”

  “Just a minute.” Logan studied the boy in the picture. The face was so familiar. “Sadie, what did you say the boyfriend’s name was?”

  “David, his name was David Riley Bennett.”

  David Riley. Logan’s gut clenched and he looked up at Pierce. Alarm coursed through him when he saw how pale he was. “What is it?” Logan asked. “What’s happened?”

  Pierce glanced pointedly at Sadie. “Outside. I’ll tell you in the car.”

  Logan quickly thanked Sadie again and rushed outside.

  Standing in the opening of the driver’s door, his face tight and drawn, Pierce said, “Toss me the keys. I’m driving.”

  Logan didn’t waste time arguing. Whatever Pierce had found out had completely rattled him. Logan had never seen Pierce rattled before. He dug the keys out of his pocket and tossed them over the roof of his car. As soon as the doors closed, Pierce gunned the engine and punched the gas, throwing Logan back against the seat.

  “Damn it, Pierce, what’s going on?”

  Pierce’s knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. “When I gave Bennett’s name to one of my men, he repeated it out loud as he wrote it down. One of your officers overheard him and mentioned that he knew someone named Tom Bennett. He’s a mechanic at your police garage.”

  A mechanic? Riley had argued with a mechanic outside the police garage. Cold fear settled in Logan’s gut as the pieces of the puzzle snapped into place. “Have they found Bennett yet?”

  “No, but they will. I’ve put out a BOLO. Every cop in the state will be on the lookout for him. We’ll get him.”

  “I want Riley picked up immediately and put in a holding cell until we get back to the station.”

  “Riley?” Pierce’s voice held a note of shock. “Why?”

  “He’s Bennett’s brother.”

  Pierce’s face went white. “Oh, shit.”

  Dread coiled in Logan’s stomach. “Riley’s missing, isn’t he? That’s what you wanted to tell me, that Bennett and Riley are in on this together.
”

  Pierce shook his head. “No, that’s not what I wanted to tell you, but you’re right. No one knows where Riley is right now. He said he had a hunch and he took off. But he’s not the killer. He doesn’t fit the description the witnesses gave.”

  “What witnesses? What happened? Damn it, Pierce. Spit it out.”

  “Man, I’m so sorry,” Pierce said. “Karen was transferring Amanda to the safe house. Tom Bennett attacked them before they could get inside.”

  Logan paused in the doorway of the hospital waiting room. He spotted Madison sitting near a bank of windows, cradling a paper cup between her hands. Her eyes looked bleak as she watched him approach.

  “Hey, trouble,” he said, trying not to let his despair show in his voice. He kissed her on the cheek and gave her a tight hug before sitting beside her. “Heard anything?”

  She shook her head. “Karen’s been in surgery for over two hours. No updates yet. Mike is getting another cup of coffee. I would have gotten it for him but I think he needed a few minutes alone.”

  “I’m surprised you’re the only one here.”

  “Oh, plenty of officers have been here, trust me. But every time someone tries to stay, Mike tells them they need to be out there catching the man who did this to Karen. I’m sure he’ll tell you the same thing.”

  “I had to come check on her.”

  “I know.”

  “I heard you were out of town when Karen and Amanda were attacked,” Madison said. “Mind sharing some details with your baby sister? All of your police officers are tight-lipped. They don’t like to share information with us civilians and I’m not about to ask Mike.”

  He glanced at her, noted the worry lines etched on her face. He took her hand and tucked it beneath his elbow. “I was tracking down a lead, a very good lead, as it turns out. We know who the killer is.” He realized he was crushing her hand and he forced himself to ease up on the pressure. He gave her a sanitized version of the attack, that a man ran up to the car and hit Karen over the head. “From what I hear, Amanda tried to warn Karen. She put up a good fight. But she was no match for a taser and a lead pipe.” His voice broke on the last word.