The two men shook hands, and the killer nodded at the woman who was clinging tightly to Joe’s arm. “I’ve been busy, Joe,” he replied. “You know how it is. Work, work, and work some more.”
Joe introduced his date. “She’s a dispatcher with the Olman County Sheriff’s Department,” he said. “It was a rough day down there today.”
“Oh?” he responded, trying to show the appropriate interest but no more, even though his adrenaline had started flowing at the man’s words. “How so?”
“Big blow-up between the sheriff and some out-of-town detective,” the woman said. She placed her drink order, and it was all the killer could do to not scream at her to finish the story. To his relief, Joe picked up the tale.
“Yeah, apparently the guy was there questioning one of the Hudsons about a murder. Sheriff Dixon didn’t take too kindly to it, and they just about came to blows.”
His girlfriend corrected him. “It wasn’t quite like that, Joe, I told you.”
Joe shrugged dismissively. “Whatever. Point is, the Hudson family slipped out of justice’s grasp once again. Must be nice to be able to buy your own sheriff.”
His girlfriend turned on him angrily. “Damn you, Joe. I’ve had it with your attitude. The Hudsons are nice people, and nobody owns Wyatt Dixon!” Before Joe could stop her, she stalked away. “I’m going home,” she yelled back from the door. “You can go fuck yourself!”
Joe didn’t even make a token protest, and the two men watched as she stalked out the door. Joe sighed. “Plenty more where she came from. Fucking Hudsons.”
The killer gestured for a refill, hiding the fury rising inside him. “So I guess they didn’t arrest the guy?”
Joe shook his head and snorted. “Are you kidding me, man?” he asked. “The guy’s probably going to literally get away with murder. Makes me sick to watch, rich SOB.”
When his drink came, he downed most of it in one gulp, wincing at the bite of the alcohol. “I know what you mean,” he said. He pulled out his wallet and laid some cash on the bar. As he stood, he slapped Joe on the shoulder.
“You heading out?” Joe asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Long day tomorrow.” He left the bar, barely making it outside before his fury overwhelmed him. He slammed a fist into the door panel of a nearby truck, not feeling the pain as it traveled up his arm. With all the evidence he had planted, the trails he had laid, the careful planning, Chase Hudson should be rotting in jail.
More angry than he could ever remember being, the killer got in his truck. He started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot, headed for Cincinnati. He had no choice now. The demon was riding him hard. It wouldn’t be satisfied until he had blood on his hands.
~ * * * ~
Ten minutes into the drive, his headlights picked out a lone figure walking along the side of the road. It was a woman, he saw as he got closer, scantily clad in a short black skirt and tube top. She was carrying a pair of high heels in one hand and, every few steps, she would hop as her bare feet hit a gravel or rock that she didn’t see in the dark. The killer looked in his mirrors and realized just how deserted this section of the highway was. Making a split-second decision, he passed the woman and pulled over. In the glow of his taillights he saw her hesitate, but then she sped up her stride, bouncing up to the passenger-side window, which he had lowered. When she leaned in the window, the smell of alcohol drifted in. The killer smiled, and the woman smiled back.
“Where are you headed, handsome?” she asked, her voice slightly slurred.
“Depends,” he told her. “Where do you need to go?”
“Oh, up the road a little ways to a friend’s,” she said. “Think you could give me a ride, darlin’?” She licked her lips and lowered her gaze to his crotch.
A slow, wicked grin slid across his face. “Baby, I can give you a ride you’ll never forget. Hop in.” As the woman opened the door and climbed into the truck, he glanced around, hardly able to believe his luck. Not a single vehicle had come along during the time they’d been talking, and as he pulled away from the side of the road, he laughed.
“You saved me from a long drive, sweetheart,” he told his passenger. “I’ll be sure to thank you properly for that. Are you from these parts?”
She giggled. “Parts… I’ll bet you’ve got some parts, handsome. Yeah, I’m from here. Why?” The killer out held his arm, and she scooted across the seats to sit beside him. When she reached for his belt buckle straight away, he sucked in a breath.
“Where’s a good place for me to park while we have a little fun?” he asked as she laid her head in his lap. He couldn’t prevent a moan as she put her mouth to use. She lifted her head to answer his question.
“Just about a mile up the road, you’ll pass a farm house with a big, red barn. About a half-mile past that, there’s a little lane. You can pull down there.” She returned to what she had started, and he moaned again. It looked like the night wouldn’t be quite the waste he had thought it would be.
~ * * * ~
When the killer had left the bar earlier, he had been furious and angry. That wasn’t a spot on how he felt now. It hadn’t taken long for his prediction about the night improving to go horribly awry.
Things had been going well. The woman he had picked up turned out to be exactly what he thought she was. He’d followed her directions to the deserted lane, and the fun had continued. The pertinent articles of clothing had been removed, and he had been happily pounding away. He had almost decided to be generous, to just get rough with the woman and not kill her, but he found his hands closing around her throat as his climax approached. Lost in the moment, his eyes locked on hers as his hands tightened; he misread the signs of her growing panic. He didn’t react in time, and before he could stop her, she was clawing at his arms and hands with her fingernails, raking his skin into a bloody mess.
“Shit!” he yelled, and let go of her throat to grab at her hands. “Stop it, you stupid bitch. Look what you’ve done!” he howled. The woman tried to scream, but the only sound that came out of her bruised throat was a hoarse croak. The strength of her struggles was increasing, and he knew he had to regain control of the situation. He drew his arm back and slammed his fist into her face. Blood from her shattered nose spurted everywhere, and her hoarse screams turned into a sickening gurgle as the blood slid down her throat, choking her. The blow had the desired effect, and her struggles stopped. Her low moan rose through the truck’s cab as the pain from the broken nose spread across her face.
“Shit, shit, shit!” he cursed, tugging his hands through his hair as his mind raced frantically. When he realized he had just smeared blood all over himself, his rage increased beyond all reason. He felt himself go utterly still inside, as if time itself stopped. He watched from outside his own body as he dragged the woman out the door of the truck and onto the open ground. He saw his hands, his feet, his teeth, as they pummeled, kicked, and bit into her flesh, but he couldn’t feel it. On and on, the assault went, until finally, the demon riding his back let go. He slumped down on the grass beside the now lifeless body, and a peace stole over him.
After a while, he stirred and roused himself to get to his feet. He looked down at the savagely mutilated body lying on the gravel underneath his feet. A primal thrill shot down his spine, and he erupted in a climax so fierce it dimmed his vision. The spasms ended, and he reached down to fasten his pants. He suddenly realized he was covered in blood and tissue, among other things.
Now that the rage had passed, he began to understand just how big a problem he had. He glanced around and saw that the lane led down to a small pond. Deciding that getting some of the blood off was priority number one, he started in that direction. For an instant, he thought about dragging the body along, but it just seemed like too much effort. He used a booted foot to push her a little further away from the truck, not wanting to run over her corpse when he left. Dismissing the woman from his mind, he headed down the path toward the pond.
It was a clear night, the storm having passed through earlier in the evening. The half-moon lit his way as he carefully slipped into the water, stopping when it reached a level just above his waist. He rinsed off as best he could, ducking down under the water to rinse his face. The scratches on his hands and arms burned as the water hit them, and he drew in a hissing breath at the pain. When he was satisfied with the amount of blood he had removed, he climbed out and went back to his truck. He didn’t even glance at the body as he passed.
Back on the road, he pointed the truck toward home. He had a lot of clean-up to do as a result of tonight’s activities, and he wanted to get started as soon as possible.
Chapter 25
Chase and Annie were asleep when his phone rang in the middle of the night. Startled awake in an unfamiliar bed, it took him a minute to fumble the phone out of the holster on his belt.
“It’s Dad,” he told Annie as he answered. “Hello?”
“Chase? Are you okay?” Richard asked. Although the connection wasn’t great, Chase could still hear the anxiety in his father’s voice. He had a suspicion what had caused it.
“I’m fine, Dad,” Chase said. Annie reached out and turned on the lamp, and they both squinted against the light. At the foot of the bed, Murphy stretched and yawned, then got down. “Why do you ask? Are you and Mom okay?”
“Oh, no reason,” Richard replied, his voice full of sarcasm. “Just something to do with getting a phone call from one of my patients, asking me if I knew my son had been arrested for murder!”
Chase groaned. “No, Dad, I wasn’t arrested. Just questioned.”
Richard snorted. “Oh, well, if you were just questioned, that’s completely different. Never mind then.”
Richard Hudson was one of the most levelheaded people Chase had ever known. Even when Beth had been shot, his father had been the glue that held the rest of the family together, keeping them from falling apart in the middle of the chaos. That he was so obviously upset now let Chase know just how affected he was.
“Dad, please. Tell me what you heard. Who called you, anyhow?” Annie laid a hand on his back in support, and he leaned into her touch.
“Don’t worry about who called me. Why didn’t you, or Jason or Beth? Do you have any idea how upset your mother is going to be?” Richard sighed and didn’t wait for an answer. “The patient left a message telling me that you had been taken in for Kiely’s murder, and that the FBI was involved. So you’re saying it wasn’t that serious?”
Chase yawned and ran a hand over his face. “It was serious. Gordon was there, and so was a detective from Lexington.” He hesitated, unsure of whether to continue. “Actually, if Gordon hadn’t been there, I probably would have been arrested.” He gave Richard a brief rundown of what had happened. “He let me know a few days ago that this was on the horizon, and I called John. He was there with me at the interview.”
“I heard that, as well. John’s my next call.”
“Dad, you do know it’s nearly one in the morning here, right?” Chase asked. Richard didn’t answer for a minute. “Dad?”
“Yes, I realize the time difference, Chase,” his father said very slowly. “I just don’t give a rat’s behind. One of you should have called us, damn it!”
“I guess I should have, Dad. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want to disturb your vacation. I’m sorry,” he repeated.
Richard sighed. “No, I’m the one who should apologize,” he said. “I can’t imagine your day has been any picnic. Tell me you at least talked to Sampson, though.”
“Beth and Ethan stopped on their way home, and I stopped on my way out here earlier,” Chase told him. He didn’t realize what he’d given away until Richard cleared his throat.
“So you’re at the farm?” he asked, putting two and two together.
Chase groaned, embarrassed. “Well, yeah. I am at the farm.” His father coughed on the other end of the line, a sound that bore a suspicious resemblance to a quickly disguised chuckle.
“Well, when you see Annie, and I’m sure that won’t be until the morning, give her a hug and tell her hello for us,” Richard said drolly.
His cheeks flaming, Chase told him he would.
“Chase? I’m glad you’re not alone right now,” his father said. “So are you really okay? We can catch the next flight home if you need us to.”
He shook his head even though Richard couldn’t see him. “No, Dad. Please finish your vacation. I take it you haven’t told Mom yet?”
“No, she’s out shopping with a friend she made onboard the ship. I took the chance to check my messages, and figured I had better find out what was going on.”
“I didn’t think you were supposed to do that while you all were gone,” Chase reminded him with a smile.
Richard harrumphed. “Let’s not go there. I’ve done well until now.”
“I guess you have to tell Mom, don’t you?” Chase asked.
“Yes, unless I want to end up in the doghouse permanently.” Richard chuckled. “Don’t worry. I think I can manage to do it without upsetting her too much, especially when I tell her where you’re sleeping tonight. I’ll let you go, but you call if anything else happens. Do you hear me, child of mine?”
“I will, I swear it. Give Mom a hug for me, okay?” Richard told him that he would. Before they hung up, Chase said, “Dad? I love you both.”
“Love you, too, kiddo. See you in a few days.”
As he hit End, Chase fell back on the bed with a growl. “Damned nosy busybodies.” He looked at Annie, who was sitting up. “Dad says ‘hi.’”
Annie smiled as she reached out to push a lock of hair off his forehead. “I gathered as much. Feel like you’ve been caught with your pants down?”
Chase rose up to meet her, his face inches from hers. “A little bit like that, yes. And Dad is going to throw us to the wolves to keep Mom calm. He’s hoping the fact that I’m in your bed will distract her.” When Annie’s smile widened into an embarrassed grin, Chase scowled. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Oh, yes, very much,” Annie said with a laugh. “Chase, think about it. You just got caught in bed with a girl. And you aren’t able to say you were sharing body heat or deny it. You have been doing exactly what your dad thought you’ve been doing.”
“Not when the phone rang, I wasn’t,” he protested. His own mouth quivered into a smile. “Okay, it is a little funny,” he conceded.
“It’s very funny, actually,” she corrected. “And just think, I’m the one responsible for your downfall. I’m so proud.” When Chase tickled her and pulled her into his arms, she laughed again before settling in against him with a happy sigh.
“In all seriousness, what did your dad say?” she asked. “Obviously, they found out about the questioning.
“Thanks to one of his patients who can’t keep their nose out of other people’s business,” Chase said. He got out of bed and pulled his shorts on. “I’m going to make a fridge run. You need something?”
Annie shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks. Are you coming back to bed?” she asked as Murphy bounded back into the room ready to play. He jumped up on the bed and flopped onto his back at Annie’s feet, begging for attention. Chase tossed the edge of the covers up over him, quieting the cat. He leaned over to give Annie a quick kiss, but it turned into something much longer and deeper.
“I thought I’d come back to bed, yes. If that’s okay with you.” His voice was husky with arousal. “As a matter of fact, forget the fridge. I can eat tomorrow.”
Annie pulled him down into the bed. “You need some sleep before you go to work tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t you have court?”
“I do, but this takes priority,” he said. “And I need practice. I have a lot of time to make up. You can’t say this has been the smoothest evening of your life.”
“Practice is good,” she agreed. “But I don’t have any complaints so far, smooth or not. I’m enjoying teaching you things.”
; Chase slid his hand down her leg. “So far, huh? I see how it is. Like I said, food can wait. You can’t. I don’t want to give you room to complain the first night.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen, Counselor,” she said as his hand made the return trip back up the inside of her leg from her ankle. “No, I don’t think that’s going to happen at all.”
Chapter 26
Despite having spent the night at Annie’s, Chase arrived at work earlier than usual. Given that word about yesterday’s interrogation had reached his parents overseas, he didn’t hold out much hope that the day would go by peacefully. By noon his fears had been confirmed. The phone in the office had started ringing shortly after eight o’clock and hadn’t stopped. More people had walked in off the street that morning than normally came in over a two-week period, and by the time Chase walked back in from court, Nellia and Gina were looking more than a little frazzled. He took one look at their faces and turned right back around, managing to lock the door just as another lookie-lou reached for the handle.
“We’re closed,” Chase told the now indignant man, then pulled the shade down on the door and sighed.
“Thank God,” Gina said when he faced them. There had been a brief lull in the phone calls, but just as Chase started to speak, one of the lines rang. Gina reached for it with a whimper, but Chase stopped her with an upraised hand.
“Let it ring, and then roll the phones over into voicemail,” he told her. “Nellia, can you order us lunch in?”
“Be glad to, boss. Cristos’ okay?”
“Fine with me,” he said as he headed toward his office. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He went inside and shut the door. He didn’t move, just stood there and let the anger wash over him.
The morning had been an unmitigated disaster. He had been scheduled for two morning sessions in court, one for a probate settlement and the other for the finalization of a divorce decree. During both cases, the crowd in the courtroom had been so unruly the judge had repeatedly had to call for order. When the second case was finished, Judge Nguyen had called Chase into chambers.
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