“I told you to stay down.” Steven got to his feet. “You’re not as smart as you think, asshole. Our plane was landing when Sarah called. The entire force is here. You don’t have a chance, Kessler—or should I say Palmer King. Nice alias, you’re about the dumbest criminal I’ve ever met. Putting your comrade’s dead body in a cabin and burning it—yeah, we fell for that one. Idiot!”
“I fooled you, detective. I fooled you, over and over again. And, poor Brandon, he’d done his duty, and he was happy to make the sacrifice. But that’s the past. It’s the now that interests me.”
“Brandon James, your dupe, the one Sarah shot the ass off of. Sure, you’ve got the cojones, Kessler. I’m not an injured woman, or drugged. I won’t be lying still so you can stick a knife through my heart.”
“Don’t worry, detective, I’ve killed the living too. Between Brandon, and me, well, let’s just say you’ll never know the numbers. I burned the evidence, all of it.”
“But I’ve got you. I’ve caught you red-handed, and, before the day is over, I’ll have your confession.”
Sarah’s condition was distracting Steven. He needed to get her to safety, and Kessler kept moving slowly forward, toward them. Steven was trying to keep Sarah safely behind him. He wanted to pick her up and move her away from the edge, but he feared Kessler’s motive. He knew Kessler’s goal, and that death was acceptable to him, but only if Sarah accompanied him. And Steven knew Kessler would take them all over the cliff, given half a chance.
Where the hell were the rest of them? He had sent them through the woods, following Sarah’s path, but he found Kessler’s car at the house and surmised that the cliff was where he would find them. Steven saw Kessler holding Sarah like a rag doll, ready to throw her over the cliff. He had watched as Sarah tried to escape, felt her pain as Kessler twisted her arm, but her efforts gave him time to catch up, and, now that he was here, Steven was going to finish it.
Kessler charged, and Steven left the gun in its holster. Kessler wanted a fight, and Steven would provide one.
Steven hit him again, and again, backing him away from Sarah with each strike. Kessler barely put up a fight and seemed more intent on protecting his face and keeping his glasses in place. Steven had him backed up against the tree as he pummeled him. Steven made each hit count and was certain Kessler would go down, but he didn’t. Steven stepped back.to survey his work, and was certain Kessler could take no more, but Kessler just laughed, as though none of the blows had even landed. His reaction shocked Steven, but Kessler continued to laugh.
“What’s wrong detective, non-lethal weaponry not your specialty. Funny thing about addiction, I kicked alcohol, but found drugs had more of a kick. I barely felt your abuse.”
Steven decided to get his cuffs out and when he went for them, Kessler grabbed a heavy branch and brought it down over Steven’s head. The blow knocked Steven to his knees. Blood trailed from a head wound that left him dazed.
Empowered by luck, Kessler removed Steven’s gun from its holster. “Never understood guns. A knife is much cleaner, and there’s more satisfaction when the blade goes deep into soft flesh.” Holding the gun by the muzzle with two fingers, he tossed the weapon into the field. “Can’t have you trying a last minute save, detective.”
Steven was struggling to get to his feet when Kessler kicked him hard in the stomach.
“Tell me, detective, what does your gut tell you now?” Kessler laughed as Steven landed in the mud, the wind knocked out of him. “All I want you to do is watch, because I’m going to take my prize, my sweet innocent Sarah, maybe even have her one last time. Enjoy the show. See how she responds to a real man. Then I’ll take her over the cliff. Let you see what life is like without her!”
The monster stumbled toward Sarah, who was fighting to stay conscious. She’d fainted, but came to just in time to see Steven beat Kessler to a bloody pulp. Sarah hated violence, but with each blow Steven landed, she felt a sense of relief. But now Steven was hurt, and she had to get to him. She tried to get up, to move away from the cliff’s edge, but her lungs weren’t giving her enough air. She saw Kessler’s murderous desire and knew his intent. She clawed her way forward in the mud.
Despite severe injuries from the beating Steven had administered, Kessler moved toward her. He looked like a zombie. He was now the shuffling, head twisted, blood and gore monster from her nightmares that never dies. Sarah knew he would not quit, not until he had his hands on her, and not until he could take her to hell with him. She managed to crawl a few feet from the edge before he reached her, but she had not gone far enough. Gerry grabbed her arm and, barely lifting her from the ground, dragged her back to the precipice.
“You know, this time you made the right choice. Michael was too gullible, too trusting. Chase, nothing but a coward. But Quaid—” He looked back over his shoulder to make sure Steven was still on the ground. “Not bad. He’s willing to fight for you.”
Kessler pulled her to her feet. She was unsteady, but in his grasp, she belonged to him.
“Tell me, Sarah, if I hadn’t … well, for lack of a better word, raped you, would you have given me a chance after Michael died?”
“No. Never,” she rasped. “I hate stupidity, and, at your level, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day!”
He laughed. “Unbelievable. Seconds from death, and you joke. I’m impressed, Sarah. Really, your attitude is refreshing. Although I don’t blame you. I would’ve used you up. I love my sex hard, violent, a woman’s screams—that’s my pleasure. Funny thing is, I wouldn’t have known that about myself, if not for a wonderful drunken evening not so long ago. Still, you wouldn’t have lasted a year with me. Hell, you wouldn’t have lasted six months.”
“And I’m the jokester?” She coughed. “You’re hilarious.”
Sarah let her body go limp, it was her only weapon, and, because of Kessler’s injuries, she knew he no longer had the strength to hold on to her. When Sarah allowed her body to become a dead weight, Kessler struggled to keep hold, almost falling to the ground with her.
Steven, dazed but recovering, saw the threat. He took his knife from his boot and threw it, hitting the monster in the back. Kessler howled, dropped Sarah, twisted and turned, as he tried to remove the dagger. Steven was on him in seconds and removed the blade for him.
“Like you said, a knife is a much better tool.” He picked Kessler up by the waistband and the back of his shirt and threw him into the night. For a second, the monster looked as though he might actually fly. Instead, his body plummeted to the rocks below.
Steven fell to the ground beside Sarah, gathering her into his arms.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
She softly kissed his bruised knuckles.
He knew that the beating he had given Kessler had helped to heal the wounds on her soul, and a good long rest would heal the wounds of her fight. With Sarah in his arms, he walked out into the field to meet the helicopter and the police force converging on the area. Eddie and John ran to meet them.
“Where’s Kessler?”
“Swan dive,” Steven said. “His wish? I just granted it.”
ditarod race day was sunny, cold at two below, but the yearly event still brought out the crowds and everyone wore their winter best, including dark glasses to protect against the glare of the snow, as they celebrated the start of the sled dog race. From Anchorage to Nome, mushers covered almost twelve hundred miles in ten to seventeen days amidst mountain ranges, forests, barren tundra, frozen rivers, and temperatures well below zero. The “Last Great Race on Earth” was an international event televised worldwide, but, for Alaskans, the celebration meant the coming of spring—renewal. For Sarah and Steven, the celebration signified a new beginning. They toured the ice sculpture village and enjoyed a pancake breakfast with the racers in Wasilla before the ceremonial start to the race in Anchorage.
Murder, mayhem, and Gerald Kessler were far from their thoughts as they looked to the future. Sarah had resigned the chairmansh
ip, Jackson had quit his job and moved to California with his new love, and Sarah had appointed Karen Shay as the CEO for the Michael Palmer Foundation. Sarah’s physical wounds had healed. She was seeking counseling for the deeper ones, and her life finally held some semblance of normalcy.
Sarah and Steven were enjoying dinner at the Crow’s Nest in downtown Anchorage before a promised evening of dancing at the Jade Club. Their first real date alone, the Iditarod events always included others. The dessert served, Sarah took a bite and pushed her dish away.
“I thought cheesecake was your favorite?”
“It is, but for some reason I’ve no appetite for it tonight.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, not really wrong, just off. The clean-up and reconstruction at the house is going well, and while I enjoy staying with Mr. Overprotective, and don’t you dare tell John I said that.” She smiled and Steven put his hands up in surrender.
“Not a word, I promise.”
“Good. Leeann is flying home tonight, and I know he would love some time alone with her before I take her out of town again, especially for a full month in Hawaii, but when I suggested moving to a hotel, he acted insulted. Honestly, I’m feeling like I’ve asked too much of my friends, and I have this feeling of claustrophobia, the walls closing in on me again; I guess I’m anxious to get on the plane for sunnier shores.”
Steven put his dessert fork down too, and touched her hand, “I have a solution.”
Sarah leaned closer and laced her fingers through his. “I’d love a solution.”
“It’s the weekend, the Iditarod is almost over, let’s go to Big Bear Lake, watch the finale, and enjoy some alone time. Just the two of us. I have the keys to a cabin with luxury accommodations.”
“Just happen to have the keys?”
“Captain Reed gave them to me this afternoon. He was supposed to spend the weekend with his wife, but their daughter is about to give birth to their first grandchild and his wife doesn’t want to leave town. He offered, I accepted.” Steven held up the key ring as proof. “I was trying to figure out how to broach the subject. Sounds like fate intervened. So what do you say, a weekend out of town? I promise, I’ll have you back in time for your flight to Hawaii on Monday.”
“Tempting, very, very tempting,” she said and drew soft circles on the top of his hand as she considered his proposition. Her lips curled into a sly smile. “Do you think it’s proper? This is a first date.” Her wink made his heart pump faster.
He signaled the waiter, paid the check, and helped her with her coat. He leaned in and whispered. “Who cares about proper? Let’s be adventurous.”
At John’s, Sarah quickly packed a few things in an overnight bag and left her friends a quick note, Spending the weekend at Big Bear Lake. The house is yours, enjoy. See you Monday morning, Sarah.
During the sixty-mile ride to Big Bear Lake Steven noticed that Sarah relaxed with each mile away from the city.
“How are those feelings of claustrophobia?”
“Gone, thank you, this was a wonderful idea.”
The Chalet came into view. A large A-frame, its floor to ceiling windows faced the lake, now frozen and snow covered, but it didn’t matter because the Northern Lights danced in the background and made the scene breathtaking. “Wow, this is lovely.”
“Wait till you see the inside.” Steven got out of the truck and hurried to open her door. He lifted her from the truck but failed to put her down.
“Don’t want to ruin your dancing shoes. The cabin is fully stocked, fresh groceries, cut wood, and nicely heated, just waiting for our arrival,” he explained as the carried her to the front door.
“Are you sure this is a coincidence?”
“I told you its fate. Don’t you trust me?”
See put her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. Does that answer your question?”
Her answer came in the sweetness, the taste, and the openness of her desire. It was the first passion-filled kiss since that awkward night in January where he let his passions free and almost lost her. This was the kiss he’d waited for, the one that told him she had moved beyond all the obstacles and was now open to his love, but he pretended otherwise.
“I’m not sure. I don’t think I heard the answer clearly.”
She didn’t hesitate and pulled him close for another kiss, but bit his lip softly instead.
“Can you hear me now?”
He laughed and put her down at the front door and unlocked it for her. “Be right back, why don’t you pour us a brandy while I get the bags.”
Sarah lit the fire, poured them both a snifter of brandy, and turned on the stereo. Josh Groban, and When You Say the Words filled the room.
Steven put their bags in the bedroom and joined her by the fire. “I promised you a night of dancing, may I?” She happily accepted his invitation.
They danced together, and, with each turn, the horror of the past faded. When the song finished, Steven got down on one knee, took a ring from his pocket, and held her hand in his.
“Angel, my angel. From this day forward, I want you in my life. I want you for my wife, my partner, my love, always and forever. Will you marry me?”
Sarah looked genuinely shocked but nodded, and she knelt with him, watched as he slid the ring on her finger, but she had no words for the longest minute. She stared at the ring, at him, but remained mute.
“Is that a yes, a no, or a maybe?”
“I’m honestly shocked.”
He wasn’t deterred. “With all that I am, Sarah, I love you, and I meant every word. Do you doubt that?”
“No, never…” She stood up and walked to the fireplace.
Steven worried that the past had just invaded on their happiness once again, followed her, came up behind her, and circled her with his arms.
“Please, don’t let the past decide our future.”
“She turned to face him. I won’t, I promise, I love you, and I do want marriage, a family, and you, Steven. I want you. So yes, my answer is yes, forever and always, yes.”
Their kiss said what words could never voice, love, unquestionable and unconstrained by duty or circumstance had won the night.
They spent that night making love and in the early morning light Sarah rested contentedly in his arms. She awoke, and smiled. He kissed her softly.
“Good morning, angel.”
“Good morning, my warrior,” she whispered.
Although the weekend was all about love they didn’t forget the Iditarod racers and watched the finale together via Wi-Fi, and, after the winner crossed the finish line they celebrated by making love. Sarah rested in his arms while they listened to love songs and watched the snow fall outside. He was beyond delighted and eager for the future. He caught her staring at the ring on her finger.
“I forgot to ask, do you like it?”
“Yes, very much. It’s very unique. I’ve never seen gold intertwined so uniquely between the stones. It’s breathtaking.” She slipped the ring from her finger, and he took it from her.
“The gold is from my claim.” He admired his creation. “I designed this just for you. Since you’re a woman of such discriminating taste in jewelry, I wanted it to be special. Diamonds, for your birthstone, emeralds for the deep green of your eyes, and the gold represents our relationship more precious than anything on earth. But I think we should wait to announce our engagement. The press is still wrapped up in the case.”
“I agree. This is better kept between us for right now. I want to enjoy it before we allow a reporter to twist it just to sell a paper. When they find out we’re a couple, it’ll be considered news.”
She kissed him warmly, moved from his arms, and got out of the bed. She picked up her hairbrush, and walked to the window and he knew—she was troubled. He had observed her long enough to know she always sought an expansive horizon when stressed, similar to Eagle’s Nest on her property in Anchorage or the knoll at Cliff House. He got out of bed and c
ame up behind her.
He took the brush from her hand and began untangling her long tresses.
She let him run the brush through her hair until shiny and smooth, and then she took the brush from him and did the same for his long hair. When she finished, she put the brush down, and walked closer to the window.
“Now that we’re both beautifully coiffed,” he encircled her in an embrace, “are you going tell me what’s wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong. I’ve never been happier.” She turned to face him, and, on tiptoes, she kissed his doubting lips.
He kissed her deeply, his desire stronger, but his sixth sense aware. “Liar.”
“I’m trying to put the past where it belongs, but one item still haunts me. I’m trying to move beyond it, but…”
“No, it’s all right. Talk to me.”
“I’m still the black widow.” She fogged the window with her breath and drew a heart in the center.
Steven breathed a sigh of relief and enveloped her body with his once again. He then wrote their initials in the center of the heart she had drawn. “God, woman, you had me scared to death. Please. Black widow? No! I know the case is still under investigation, but Gerry and his partner Brandon are responsible for Michael’s death.”
“John told me Brandon was in rehab when Michael died. If he has an alibi, and Kessler had an alibi, who killed Michael?”
Damn it, John! Keep your thoughts to yourself. Steven understood why she was worried. They had found ample evidence of Gerry’s crimes. Everything they needed to connect him, his alias Palmer King, and Brandon James his partner, to the murders. However, the one thing they did not have, was proof he killed Michael, and the press in Seattle had already pounced on the story.
“Kessler was clever. He had unlimited funds, obviously knew forensics, and covered his tracks, but he’s responsible, and I won’t give up until I prove it. Brandon may not have been his only stooge. You’re not a black widow! Don’t pay any attention to the stories in the paper. When’ve they ever gotten anything right? It’s over, I promise.”
Murder, Madness & Love (Detective Quaid Mysteries #1) Page 29