A Carol for Kent

by Hallee Bridgeman

  Why did she have to mess it up so completely? She deserved to die. She didn’t deserve the death I gave her. She deserved far worse.

  But nothing about it was right. It was wrong. I wish I could kill her again and again. She didn’t suffer enough for how badly she messed up my plans.

  Wednesday, May 2nd

  “CINDY Brooks, twenty-seven years old. Single. Straight. Freelance journalist and blogger. Last seen yesterday evening at a coffee shop a block from here. She works there every day from two until eight, but the barista on duty yesterday said she clocked out and left with a guy around six.” Jack held his notebook, but did not read from it. Instead, he stared intently at Carol until she shifted and turned to try to block it.

  Carol studied the redhead with the open, staring green eyes. A violin string, the G chord, cut into her neck, going deep. Her hands were clawed and, caught up in a topaz ring, Carol spotted black strands of hair. She wore a Kelly green and white chevron striped skirt and a green blouse, a white belt cinching her waist. Around her neck lay a silver necklace made out of several strands of silver chains. Green shoes completed what would be the perfect look if the stockings weren’t ripped and run. Her makeup looked clownish, and her hair brushed but not styled. The candles had been carefully placed, but not lit.

  “Think it’s the same guy?” Jack stood off to her side. She could feel him staring at her even though she couldn’t see it anymore.

  “Yes. But something’s different. I feel like he’s angry.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You feel like that?” He leaned toward her and whispered conspiratorially. “Do tell.”

  “Are you actually flirting with me over a dead body?” She demanded, turning to face him.

  “I’d flirt with you anywhere I could, Carol Mabry.” He looked her up and down. “You’re beautiful, and you dress like you know it. If a crime scene’s the only place I get to see you, then this is where I guess I have to flirt with you.”

  With a snarl, she replied, “No, you won’t.”

  She left him standing there and marched up to Mitch. “Your new partner is a jerk, Mitchell.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t really seen that. He’s quite observant.”

  “Trust me. And tell him I’m seeing someone.”

  Mitch cocked his head. “You’re seeing someone?”

  Carol felt her eyes close and let out a huge sigh. “Let’s not go there right now.”

  Mitch shrugged. “Okay.”

  Shaking her head, she gestured at the body. “Brooks made our killer angry.”

  “Yes, she did,” Mitch said, sounding hopeful. “There’s no telling what we’ll find on her body. Did you see the hair in the ring?”

  “I did. Any physical marks?”

  “Yeah. He really violently struck her with the hypodermic needle. Don’t yet know if that’s where the drug went in, or if there’s another spot. He also punched her in the face more than once. ”

  Carol crossed her arms and watched the crime scene technician assigned to photograph the scene as he zoomed in for a close-up of the hair on the ring. “This may cause him to decompensate.”

  “We can only pray it won’t,” Mitch said, agreeing with her.

  Friday, May 4

  “I’M waiting on the rest of the reports, but from what I saw this morning, the hair on the ring is definitely from a wig,” Carol explained to Maurice, holding the phone up to her ear and turning her car engine off.

  “Does that mean the photo we released to the press won’t be useful?”

  “No, I think it just gives us that much more information.” She looked at her watch.

  “True. Where are you?”

  “At the church waiting for Lisa and her father. The rest of the family’s already here, and the two of them should be here any minute.”

  “I’ll try to keep anyone from bothering you.”

  “Thanks, Maurice,” Carol said. She saw Bobby’s truck turn the corner and come down the street. “I appreciate it.”

  Maurice continued. “I need to warn you about something. About half the questions tossed at me as I passed through our throng this morning were about your daughter and Bobby Kent.”

  “I kind of guessed that. The police have them barricaded off here, but someone dug the story up, and they’ve been screaming questions to me all morning.”

  “You’re holding up well, Carol. I’ll see you Monday.”

  “Thanks, Maurice.” Carol stepped out of her car and walked up to greet the truck. An unusually solemn Lisa got out of the passenger’s side and dusted off her navy dress, then walked around and took Carol’s hand.

  “How are you doing, babe?” Carol asked.

  Lisa shrugged. “Daddy said after some time goes by, my stomach won’t hurt so much anymore. I guess I just have to wait.”

  “He’s right, you know. Come on. Let’s go inside and find grandma.”

  Lisa pulled on her hand. “I don’t want to see grandma. She’s acting weird.”

  “She’s upset about grandpa too, babe. She just shows it in a different way.” Carol sighed.

  Bobby said, “Lisa, honey, you’re probably the only person that can make your grandma feel better. Why don’t you come in with me, and we’ll go talk to her for just a minute, if that’s what you want to do.” He could hear the cameras going off behind the barricade, and knew that they’d just provided about sixty seconds, an eternity for the paparazzi, to take pictures of the three of them together. He took Lisa by one hand, and Carol took Lisa by the other, and the three of them walked into the church together.

  The instant they stepped in the door the scent of flowers was so overwhelming Carol thought she might gag. When they entered the sanctuary, she could see why. There were so many bouquets inside, they lined the walls and covered the entire platform. She couldn’t see where they were going to put another one, yet funeral home staff still carried them in.

  “Where are all of those flowers coming from?” she asked, turning in a circle as the men from the funeral home started arranging them in the choir loft.

  Bobby raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Nashville, more than likely.” After that sunk in, he said, “Let’s go find out what we need to do and where we need to do it.” She saw him look over her shoulder and say, “What in the world? That girl is plain crazy sometimes.”

  Carol turned, not knowing what to expect, and saw Melody Mason Montgomery holding onto her husband’s arm and walking their way. Well, waddling their way. Carol knew she was more than eight months pregnant with twins and the doctors thought they could come at any time, which is why they hadn’t expected her. But Carol could hear the warmth in his voice and was glad his friends came.

  She watched Bobby walk up to them and pull her to him and hug her. “What are you doing here?” he asked when she finally let go of his neck.

  She brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes and waved a hand at him. “I’m perfectly fine, Bobby. Besides, the plane is standing ready, and the flight back is just a little over an hour.”

  Bobby turned to the tall, thin man standing next to her and held out his hand. “James. I’d put some blame for this on you if I didn’t know better.”

  James laughed and shook his hand. “It was with me or without me. I figured at least if they came on the plane, I get to be there.”

  “Carol, this is Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. Melody, James, this is Carol Mabry,” he said, putting a hand on the small of her back and guiding her forward. Then he put a hand on top of Lisa’s head. “And this is our daughter, Lisa.”

  Melody smiled at Lisa then bent forward. “You sure are. I can’t believe how much you look like your daddy,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about you.” She stood up again and held her hand out to Carol. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “And you. You’re the first person to say that about her,” Carol said with a smile, then she shook James’s hand.

  “Excuse us,” Melody said. She hooked an arm throug
h Bobby’s. “I’m sorry about your dad, Bobby. Come sit with me for a minute,” she said as the two walked away.

  “You’ve had a pretty busy few weeks,” James said to Carol, watching his wife and Bobby.

  Carol looked up at him. “They’ve certainly been interesting.” Whether his pregnant wife was in the room with him or not, she couldn’t help noticing how handsome he looked. He was as tall as Bobby, with dark hair. His glasses couldn’t disguise his powerful green eyes. She finally remembered where she knew his name. “James Montgomery,” she said thoughtfully. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue. “I knew I had heard your name someplace other than the news. You helped out some friends of mine a little over a year ago,” she said.

  “Who?”

  “The Suarez family and a friend of theirs. Jen Thorne,” she said.

  James shook his head. “More like they helped me out. I owe Jen Thorne a lot, Carol. John Suarez too, for that matter.”

  “Oh?”

  “A debt I can never repay,” he began before her phone vibrated.

  “What a small world.” She looked at the number, recognizing Mitch’s cell phone. “Please excuse me, James. I have to take this call,” she said.

  BOBBY sat next to Melody and put an arm around her shoulders. “How ya holding up, Darlin’?” he asked with an accentuated drawl.

  “I feel great. I look more uncomfortable than I really am.” She turned so that she could look at him and took his face in her hands. “I’m sorry, Bobby. The last few weeks have been so hard on you.”

  “They have, but I’ll hang in there. The up side is Lisa,” he said.

  Melody stared into his eyes for several seconds. “And Carol.”

  Bobby grinned and winked at her. “And Carol.”

  Melody let go of his face and shifted, putting a hand on her belly. “So, you’re in love with her?”

  “I don’t know. Enamored, definitely. But love? Time will tell.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Melody looked over her shoulder at Carol. “You’ve always been such a romantic. Carol is a lucky woman to be the recipient. Looks like she’s getting some bad news right now, though.”

  Bobby followed the direction of her gaze and saw Carol’s face as she spoke on her phone. “I wish she could let it go for just a day.”

  Melody accepted Bobby’s hand as she wedged herself into a standing position. “Keep in mind the things about her that make you so enamored. I’m lucky if I see James three days a week because of our schedules, but I wouldn’t ask him to slow down any more than he’d ask me.” She looked back at Carol. “Some vaguely familiar looking extremely handsome man is kissing your girl, cowboy. If I were you, I’d go defend her honor.”

  Bobby saw Henry kiss Carol’s cheek while she still held the phone to her ear, then lift Lisa into his arms. “That’s another thing I wish she’d let go,” he said under his breath.

  Melody laughed and started to walk back toward Carol. She stopped and turned around. She held her hand out and waited until he took it. “James thought the same thing about you for about five minutes, Bobby.” When she saw the words sink in, she kept walking.

  “Melody, this is Doctor Henry Suarez, John’s brother,” James introduced with a genuine smile.

  Melody stepped forward and gripped Henry’s hand. “What a pleasure to finally meet you. John is always bragging about his doctor brother,” she said with a grin.

  Bobby froze, as memories of the night he met John Suarez assaulted him. Melody with a gun to her head, a madman, a high speed chase. He shook his head and refocused on the conversation.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Melody,” Henry said. “I’ve heard a lot about you from John.”

  “Your brother is John Suarez?” Bobby asked. Henry nodded, and Bobby sought further clarification. “Atlanta Detective John Suarez?” Henry smiled and nodded again, sticking his hands in his pockets. Bobby felt his opinion of Henry do a radical turn. “Your brother is one of the bravest men I’ve ever met.”

  Henry nodded and dryly offered, “Runs in the family.”

  James barked a laugh.

  Bobby watched Carol put her phone away, then rub her temple. He noticed the lack of color in her complexion, the tightness around her lips. “Excuse us a moment please,” he said as he took Carol’s arm and pulled her out of easy hearing distance. He took her chin and tilted her face up, studying it. “You look like you’re about to break down. What was that phone call about?”

  Carol shrugged. “Work.”

  “Another –?”

  “No. Bank robbers. A sibling team. One died during the serving of the arrest warrant. A female police officer is in the hospital with gunshot wounds.” She cleared her throat. “She’s a friend. We have lunch together two Thursdays a month when our schedules mesh.”

  Bobby pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Carol.”

  “Thank you,” she said against his chest. He realized his arms felt good around her. They felt too good. He kept holding her as long as he could, drawing strength from her touch. Finally, he let her go and they rejoined the group.

  Harriet Kent entered the sanctuary where they all stood, looked at the small group, then looked away. Carol touched Bobby’s arm, and though he clenched his jaw, he took Lisa’s hand and they walked over to see his mother.

  CHAPTER 20

  “HOW was it at the ranch, Bobby?” Carol asked, stepping onto his back porch. She helped herself to a chair that flanked the swing he occupied and set her cell phones on the ground next to her.

  “It was hard. Every person there helped keep the secret, and then they all sat back and bragged to their friends that their son, nephew, or cousin was the Bobby Kent.” He could hear the bitterness in his voice. When he felt his jaw clench, he took a deep breath and forced it to relax. “I’ve forgiven my father. Now I’m working on forgiving others.”

  Carol knew he was right and her heart broke for him. She had been betrayed too, but not by her own family. While she knew they’d never do that to her, she didn’t know how she would respond if they ever did.

  She had told her parents about Bobby Kent when she first found out she was pregnant. For a few years, her father had wanted to intervene and go speak to Bobby on her behalf. Every time, she begged him not to. Why, she wondered now, had she done that? Maybe she just couldn’t stand the idea of even more rejection.

  But at least she’d dealt with the issue honestly with them and now didn’t have to face any lies or misdirections. Bobby’s family had broken his heart, and she hated that for him.

  They sat quietly as the world turned pink and orange from the setting sun.

  “I’m really, really impressed with how you forgave your father.” She spoke before she could talk herself out of it. “That was an amazing show of faith.”

  “God forgave me. How can I accept that without offering it in return?” He said it so matter-of-factly that she knew there was no doubt in his mind.

  “Then, why are you working on forgiving others? Should it not just be so?”

  He stared at her without speaking for several heartbeats. “Probably. You’re probably right. That’s clearly an area where I need to spend some time praying.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “Where’s Lisa?” he finally asked.

  “Over at Amy’s. I figured Amy would be better for her than we would be right now,” she said.

  “She spending the night over there?”

  “I told Lori it was up to her. She’s supposed to call me and let me know,” Carol said as the phone rang. She smiled at Bobby as she answered. She and Lori spoke briefly, then she hung up. “I guess she is,” she said.

  Bobby turned until he was lying on the swing with his head cradled in his arm. His feet hung over the other side. “You know what I need right now?” he asked. Carol just raised an eyebrow and waited. “Music,” he said.

  “Where’s that radio you had out here the other night?” she asked.


  “No. I need your music.” He lifted his head up. “Will you play for me?”

  Carol shrugged. “I have to go get my violin.”

  “Mine’s just inside the door,” he told her with a smile.

  “Well, my oh my. What kind of fiddle must Bobby Kent own? Is it a Strad?” Carol smiled and set her drink down, then went inside and found the case propped against the wall. She brought it back outside and sat back down, gasping in surprise when she opened it. “This is the exact same violin you had in college,” she said, running her hands over the curves.

  “Now just how do you remember that?”

  She was so wrapped up in remembering, and so loose from the stress of the day, that she didn’t realize that she was speaking out loud. “I think I fell in love with your violin before I fell in love with you,” she said wistfully.

  Bobby sat up. “Is that a fact?”

  Carol gasped, put a hand to her mouth, and shook her head. “I didn’t mean to say that,” she said.

  “But you said it.”

  “Pretend I didn’t say it.”

  “I’m not so good at pretending on subjects of this consequence, Carol.”

  Carol shook her head again. “That was over nine years ago, Bobby. I was very young.”

  “What difference does that make?” he asked, leaning forward, very interested in her answer.

  “There’s been so much between then and now. Even if I wanted to go back, I don’t think I could.”

  “You can’t control feelings, Carol. Time doesn’t necessarily change them.”

  “I know I can’t control feelings, Bobby. I did a radical switch from loving you to loathing you back then. How am I supposed to gauge my feelings now? Do I go back to the mindset of that young virgin, or an exhausted mother of a toddler who’s trying to pass the bar, or the cool professional who has her life straight? You can’t take the feelings I had way back then and use them to advantage now.”