Pecked to Death

by Vanessa Gray Bartal

  “Sadie, I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right.”

  Her eyes filled with what he knew to be real tears because she was trying desperately to push them back. “I’ve made mistakes, but I’m not a bad person; I’m not,” she whispered and rubbed her fists against her eyes.

  “I know,” Luke said. “I know you’re not.” He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug in the middle of the sidewalk. “Don’t cry, okay? You’ll make me cry.”

  She hiccupped a laugh and pressed her face to his shirt. She clutched tight and took deep breaths to try and get her teetering emotions back under control. Back in the day, Luke had often been the soother of her worries and fears; she had forgotten how well he did it and how good it felt. Now he was bigger, stronger, more capable, trustworthy, and steady. And he was rubbing her back.

  “Your technique has improved,” she muttered.

  “What?” he said.

  “Nothing,” she mumbled and sniffed again. “I think I’m okay, thanks.” She tried to ease away, but Luke wouldn’t let her go.

  “I’m not,” he said. For so long, Sadie had been cast as the villain in his life. Now he saw that it was a defense mechanism against her. If he chose to take the good with the bad, to realize she had made mistakes but was still the friend he loved, then how was he to protect himself?

  “Well, this is more like it.”

  Sadie and Luke were so involved in their own little world that they hadn’t noticed the Warrens and the Robbins approach. Penelope and Misty led the way with their husbands bringing up the rear. Penelope had been the speaker, and she smiled her approval at them.

  Sadie and Luke let go of each other and took a step apart. “Nice night for a walk,” Sadie said. “Thank goodness that awful heat is finally gone.”

  “Aren’t you the master of changing the subject?” Misty said. If she could have gotten away with a nudge and a wink, then she would have. It was clear that the women thought Luke and Sadie were in the middle of some sort of tryst, causing Luke to wonder what they had looked like to the outside observer.

  Sadie laughed and shook her head. “It’s not like that. We’re sort of saying goodbye, I guess.”

  Luke frowned even though it was what he wanted to hear. Sadie was going soon, and that was a good thing, right?

  “You’re leaving?” Penelope Warren asked the question so he didn’t have to.

  Sadie nodded. “Soon.”

  “So you satisfied yourself that no one killed Abby?” Rex said. Luke didn’t like his mocking tone, and neither did Sadie, apparently.

  “Almost. I have a friend tracing her accounts. As soon as he gets back with me I can put the matter to rest and move on.”

  “No more clucking?” Rex said, again with the derogatory tone.

  “No more clucking,” Luke said. He moved closer and put a protective arm around Sadie’s shoulders. It was one thing for him to make fun of her and quite another for someone as smarmy as Rex Warren to do so. “Sadie’s moving on—probably to a bigger television venue.” He assumed it was so. Sadie was one of those people who always landed on her feet, and he realized that not only was he pulling for her, but he was proud of her, too.

  “I can’t wait to see you on television again, Sadie,” Rex said. By his lascivious tone, he left no doubt that he was referencing her on-air flashing debacle. Though he was years older than Luke and had always retained the place of a respected neighbor, Luke had never wanted to punch someone so badly. He was clearly ogling Sadie as if she were a piece of meat at market.

  “I’m sure we all want to see Sadie do well,” Misty said. She shot Rex a quelling look. Penelope stood staring off into the distance as if her husband’s behavior had forced her to retreat to some unknown happy place.

  “Yes, Sadie, we wish you much luck and success. Don’t forget us when you get rich and famous,” Johnny added. He winked at her, but it felt more fatherly than creepy. “We should let you kids get where you’re going.” He began herding his group away with an apologetic air. Luke wondered how he and Rex had remained friends for so long.

  Sadie shuddered. “I always feel like I need a shower after talking to that guy.”

  “You want some help with that?” Luke asked.

  Sadie looked up at him, mouth ajar. “Luke, did you just flirt with me?”

  He shrugged. “You’re leaving—I might as well get my kicks in while I can.”

  They reached her house. He dropped his arm from her shoulders and they leaned against the bricks facing each other. “You want to come in for a while?” she asked.

  He did, but he shouldn’t. Sadie Cooper was a constant temptation, apparently. One that left him weak and addlebrained. She sensed his hesitation and inched closer, resting her hand on his chest.

  “Please, just for a bit? We’ll watch television with Gideon or something equally mundane.”

  His brows drew together in puzzlement. “What is up with you and Gideon?”

  “What do you mean? What’s new about us not getting along?”

  “It’s not that. It’s almost like you’re afraid to be alone with him.”

  How could she tell him that she thought her father might be a double murderer? She couldn’t. He would think she was insane or being dramatic or trying to get attention or any of the myriad things he had accused her of over the years. “I’m leaving. Can’t I want to spend time with you before I go?”

  His heart flipped because he wanted it to be true. Even though he knew it wasn’t, even though he knew there was something more going on with her, he found himself following her inside and sitting on the couch while she rooted around in the television cupboard for VHS tapes of some of their old favorite movies.

  “Gideon isn’t home,” he observed.

  She held up a well-loved copy of Toy Story. “He isn’t, but I found this. Remember we saw this in the theater for my birthday?”

  “I remember that you were mad because you wanted to see that Bruce Willis movie, but it was rated R.”

  “And so you dragged me to this one, and I loved it. And then you bought it for me the next Christmas. Did you ever think we’re like Woody and Buzz?”

  “No, never, not even a little,” he said. She sat close beside him and drew her feet up so that they were practically sharing a cushion. Sadie had never observed the rules of personal space, but the last time they watched a movie together, he hadn’t been quite so aware of her. Back then he had considered her as an extra pillow. Now, not so much.

  “C’mon, you’re like Woody—the staid and serious sheriff who follows all the rules. And I’m Buzz Lightyear—the interesting and fun-loving newcomer who throws his world into a tailspin.”

  She had definitely thrown his world into a tailspin. “No, I’m not buying it. In no way are we like cartoon characters.”

  “Okay, Captain Literal,” she said as she fast forwarded through the previews, stopping when the feature presentation came into view. “I love this movie,” she whispered.

  “So do I,” he admitted. “Have you seen the last one they made?”

  She shook her head and almost laughed as she imaged trying to get Rick to watch a cartoon with her. “Have you?”

  “No. Too bad you’re going away; we could have watched it together.”

  “Did you just say ‘too bad you’re going away’?” She turned to look at him, a teasing glint in her eye.

  “You must have heard me wrong,” he said.

  “Mm, hmm.” She nudged his arm aside as she snuggled up to him. He didn’t protest. Instead he reminded himself that it was just Sadie. They had once shared crib space when their mothers traded babysitting ventures. Everything about her was familiar to him—her touch, her scent, her voice. And yet she was brand new. It was the new parts of her he was trying hard not to think about.

  Soon he lost himself in the movie. They had watched it together a hundred times, but not for the last two decades. Sadie was curled into an impossibly small ball, her ear resting over his heart. His hand
trailed slowly over her back like flint over steel. Eventually a fire was going to start. Luke knew, and yet he couldn’t seem to care.

  The movie ended and they let it play until a blue screen filled the TV. “I should go,” he said.

  “Or you could stay awhile,” Sadie said.

  “And do what?” Luke asked.

  She sat up. “Play a game?”

  Her hair was slightly mashed on the side that had been pressed to his chest, and her makeup had long since worn away. Luke wished those things detracted from her allure. Instead they added to her appeal. “Isn’t that what we’re already doing, Sade?”

  His hand brushed at her hair and lingered, his palm skimming her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, and everything went black.

  “Is there a storm?” Luke asked. He twisted to try and see out the window. Sadie was unnaturally still which was odd; he didn’t remember her being afraid of the dark. She inched forward until she found his ear, and then she whispered.

  “I think someone’s in the house.”

  “Maybe it’s Gideon,” he whispered.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she replied. She took his hand and dragged him to the ground. “The back.” She spoke so softly against his ear that hardly any sound emerged, but he understood. Thankfully he knew her house as well as he knew his own and had no trouble navigating on his hands and knees in the darkness.

  They were inches from the back door. Luke put out his hand to reach for the screen and encountered instead a pair of finely polished black shoes.

  Chapter 20

  “Going somewhere, kids?”

  “Dad?” Sadie said, and Luke was confused. Even in the darkness he knew it wasn’t Gideon who had spoken. How did Sadie not know what her father’s voice sounded like? Then again, she had been acting strange lately when it came to him. Perhaps their relationship was in even worse trouble than he realized.

  “In your wildest dreams, sweetheart.” The speaker chuckled and now Luke was confused. He knew who it was, but he had never heard him sound so odd before.

  “Johnny?” Sadie tried again.

  “Bingo, but then you must have known I was coming, Sadie. Your bluff about the forensic accountant was a little much, don’t you think?”

  “Um,” Sadie said. Luke could tell by the nearness of her voice that she was looking at him. He looked back as if to tell her he also had no idea what was going on, but she couldn’t see.

  “You couldn’t figure anything out on your own. Obviously you’re not smart enough to find your way out of a paper bag, but I hadn’t counted on Luke to help you. It’s so nice that you two have made up just in time to die.”

  Sadie squeezed Luke’s hand and began inching away. Instinctively he knew she would head toward Gideon’s room and his guns. Gideon had given both of them a few lessons on weapon safety. Luke would never forget the day he took them out to the country, set a watermelon on a ledge, and told Luke to shoot it. Now imagine that’s someone’s head, and you know what a gun can do. Never, ever, ever touch my guns. The lesson had stuck, not just for Luke, but for Sadie, too. Neither of them had ever been tempted to reach for one of his guns. Until now. Now they both began crawling toward Gideon’s room.

  “Whoa, looks like I’m losing my audience,” Johnny said. His words were followed by the ominous sound of a cocking gun.

  Sadie froze and Luke bumped into her. “Is this going to be one of those things where you confess all your evil deeds while we sit still and listen like helpless idiots?” Sadie asked.

  “Or I could kill you now and get it over with,” Johnny said.

  “Proceed,” Sadie said.

  Johnny extracted something from his pocket and pressed it toward Luke. “Tie her up,” he commanded. “And do it well, or else.”

  “I’ll do the best I can,” Luke said. “Put your hands behind your back, Sadie,” he commanded, and Sadie did as she was bidden.

  “Did you kill Abby?” Sadie asked.

  “I thought you didn’t want to hear the gory details,” Johnny said.

  “We might as well make conversation while you tie us up and drag us to the middle of nowhere,” she said.

  “How did you know I’m going to take you to the middle of nowhere?” he asked.

  “Because you couldn’t possibly get away with a gunshot in this neighborhood after dark.”

  “Hmm, maybe you’re not as dumb as you look. To answer your question, no, I did not kill Abby. I planned to, and I think she knew that. I guess maybe the fear, dread, and anxiety drove her to an early grave.”

  He sounded so gleeful Sadie wanted to kick him. Luke gave her shoulder a squeeze, and she reined in her boiling temper.

  “You’re the one who shot at us,” she guessed.

  “Apparently I’m getting old. When I was younger, I could have hit you without any trouble.”

  “And Doc Jones?” she pressed.

  “Ah, well, Doc Jones had it coming, now didn’t he?” Johnny said.

  “That makes no sense. What did Doc Jones do to you?”

  “He had a change of heart,” Johnny said. “See, what I told you earlier was true. Abby accused me of cleaning out her accounts. The dingy old bat unknowingly gave me access when she had me set up that Shady Acres account. So I skimmed some. It’s not like she didn’t have plenty to share. Only it turned out that she was one of those types who kept track of every penny, and she noticed. But I know how to cover my tracks, and I was careful. She called me on it, and I showed her the paper trail I created to hide what I was doing. She pretended to buy it, but we both knew she didn’t. She confessed to Doc Jones. He asked me about it, and it was sort of funny the way he approached me, all apologetic as if he knew he had been sent on some sort of fool’s errand. I showed him the paper trail, and he was satisfied.”

  “That’s why he and Abby argued,” Sadie said.

  “Who knows? And who cares? The point is he took my side. And so did Gideon when she tried to tell him. After that, she thought no one else would believe her, but I decided to make sure. I was in the middle of planning for her to have a really believable accident when she kicked it, saving me the trouble.” He reached down to check the knots that bound her hands. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Luke and began tying him up.

  “How much did you take?” Sadie asked.

  “In the beginning? Twenty grand. After I realized I was in the clear and no one believed her, I took it all, about a million. That’s when I think she knew for sure I was going to kill her.”

  “My friend is going to find it,” Sadie said. “And when he realizes I’m missing, he’ll alert the authorities.”

  “I know a thing or two about offshore accounts, okay? That money is tied up so tight in the Cayman’s that no one could find it.”

  “How about the CIA?” Sadie asked. “Because that’s where he works.”

  Johnny stared at her nonplussed a second before he burst into amused laughter. “Wow, you’re as crazy as Abby, Sadie. Your hacker friend at the CIA. Good one.”

  “And what about my dad? You think he’s just going to disregard my mysterious disappearance?”

  “I think he’ll be relieved, if you want the truth, Sadie,” Johnny said. “I’ve never seen a father and daughter have a harder time getting along. That’s a shame, if you ask me. I think old Gideon is going to have a lot of regrets when this is over, but I don’t think he’ll wonder about you. And you’re not going to disappear. You know that accident I had planned for Abby? With a little tweaking, it’s perfect for you two. Here’s how it’s going to play out: you were being chased by those pesky reporters again. Everyone knows how these rural Virginia roads are. Luke hit some gravel, spun out and went over a ravine. It’s all very sad, but at least you’ll have died together. There’s something sort of poetic about that. I barely remember one of you without the other when you were kids.” He hauled Luke to his feet and faced Sadie again. “What, no comment?”

  “What do you prefer? A comment
about how brilliant your plan is or a sarcastic and disparaging remark about what a psycho you are? Oh, I know, maybe I could remind you that you have a wife who loves you. Don’t you think you owe it to Misty to behave a little better than this?”