Killer Desires

by Becca Collins

  “It’s like I said. Who knows? Maybe this shit about looking for his long lost father was just a cover. You immediately saw it as contradicting the police’s theory. Maybe he was planning on that.”

  “You don’t think he was really looking for his dad?”

  Amber let out an exasperated breath. “Who cares, Sarah? He’s not your problem. Now listen to me,” she ordered. “Brett Williams is not your problem. You are. Here,” Amber reached across the table to retrieve her purse and pulled out an envelope. “Here’s the list of defense lawyers from Jack. I want you to call somebody today and make an appointment. You need to get ahead of this thing, especially now. Call and set it up and whatever the hell you do, stay the hell away from Brett Williams. Alright? Please? For me?”

  Sarah nodded and Amber continued.

  “I’m serious, Sarah. Stay away from him. If he drops by, call the police. If he calls, hang up the phone and call the police. You need to make it very clear that you had nothing to do with this man before and you don’t want anything to do with him now. Are we clear?”

  Sarah took the piece of paper and set it on the table in front of her. “We’re clear,” she agreed.

  ****

  After Amber had returned to her office, Sarah sat looking at the list the Jack had sent over. Cameron Corbin’s name was at the top of the list, but she knew it would be a conflict of interest for him to represent her when he was representing Brett.

  Just thinking his name brought a tightness to her chest.

  God, Amber’s right. You are an idiot!

  She had to get him off of her mind. She had believed whole-heartedly that he had nothing to do with Chad’s murder. But, finding out that the gun that killed her husband once belonged to Brett’s grandfather shredded her beliefs to bits. Then again, if Brett had killed Chad, would he be stupid enough to use a gun that could be traced to him? She didn’t believe him to be stupid but the only alternative was that someone was really trying to set him up.

  Come on, Sarah! Be realistic. If it walks like a duck…

  She picked up the receiver from the phone on her desk and dialed the next number on the list. A few minutes later, she had an appointment to meet with Samantha Grayson the following Monday. Apparently, her timing was terrible since Ms. Grayson was currently vacationing in Mexico. Sarah was a bit surprised when Samantha’s secretary offered to call her in Cozumel and have her get in touch with Sarah immediately. Sarah assured her that wasn’t necessary; this could most certainly wait a week.

  The rest of her afternoon was filled with the mundane. She did a little light cleaning, ran the vacuum, rotated the laundry and started dinner. Lindsey was supposed to be home by six and Sarah wanted to have her favorite dish, Spaghetti and Meatballs, ready. Lindsey had been through a lot lately and Sarah thought the dinner would be a good end to what was, hopefully, a fun day.

  She heard a car pull into the drive as she strained the pasta and walked to the front door to greet her daughter. Lindsey was smiling and full of excitement, barely taking a breath between words as she relayed the activities of the past 24 hours. Sarah listened to her stories and laughed along as they ate dinner at the kitchen table.

  After dinner, Sarah shocked Lindsey by announcing the dishes could wait, they had better things to do. They moved to the living room where Lindsey beat her twice at checkers before they turned on a movie. Sarah watched the Disney classic until Lindsey fell asleep on the couch. Then she carried her up to bed before heading down to the kitchen to clean up the dinner dishes.

  She had just finished loading the dishwasher and had begun wiping off the table when the evening news came on the small screen in the corner of the room. The lead story caused Sarah to drop her towel and stare at the TV in earnest.

  “An arrest has been made in the murder of Chad Taylor of St. Louis. Mr. Taylor was killed by a single gunshot nearly a month ago. His body was discovered by another patron of a pub in the historic Soulard District.

  “Today, police announced they have a suspect in custody. Brett Williams, a Sheriff’s Deputy in Madison County, turned himself in early this afternoon after an arrest warrant was issued by the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s office. He was accompanied by his attorney, Cameron Corbin. Mr. Corbin declined to make a statement other than to say that his client is innocent of the charges. Bail has been set at five hundred thousand dollars.”

  Sarah picked up the remote and turned off the television set. Her heart was pounding like a sledgehammer in her chest. $500,000? Where was Brett going to come up with that kind of money? No matter how good of friends he was with this guy in Texas, most people didn’t have that kind of money lying around. Was Brett going to be in jail until he was either cleared or tried? Would he spend the rest of his life in a jail cell?

  ****

  On Friday morning, Sarah took Lindsey to Farmington as promised. After dropping her daughter off to spend the weekend with her grandparents, she spent the rest of the day at the office.

  The sun was setting when Sarah turned onto her street. She was thinking about nothing but a long hot bubble bath. The familiar red Jaguar parked in her driveway changed those plans. She pushed the button to raise the garage door and pulled in just as Amber was getting out of her car.

  “What happened to all of the reporters?” Amber asked, gesturing toward the empty street.

  “I guess they finally gave up,” Sarah answered and nodded pointedly at Amber’s hands. “What’s in the bag?”

  “I brought a peace offering!” She announced, and held up the sack. “I shouldn’t have been so hard on you the other night.”

  “What is it?” Sarah wondered.

  “Beer and tequila,” Amber laughed. “What better way is there to forget about your problems?”

  “Just what I need,” she said with sarcasm.

  “It is exactly what you need!” Amber retorted and followed Sarah into the kitchen. She pulled a fresh twelve pack out of her bag and removed two bottles before putting the rest in the fridge. She then reached into the cabinet and pulled out two small glasses, filling each with two fingers of tequila.

  The first shot went down like fire. Sarah hoped that repeated exposure would offer some resistance and took a sip of her beer. They both sat at the table and relished the silence for a minute, letting the day get behind them.

  “What took you so long to get home?” Amber broke the silence. “I’ve been waiting over an hour and you weren’t answering your cell.”

  “I was at the office and my phone died earlier today. I didn’t have my charger with me.”

  “I’m sorry I was so hard on you before. It’s just that you’re my best friend and I’m worried about you.”

  “I know and I appreciate it. I really do. But, I’m fine. Really.”

  “Fine? Really? Your husband just died and now you are all caught up in Brett drama.

  No one would be ‘fine’ in your shoes.”

  “What are you talking about? These are Jimmy Choos!” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Ooooh,” Amber admired Sarah’s outstretched foot. “Those are cute! Went for a little retail therapy, I see. Speaking of ‘therapy’, your mom called me the other day.”

  “About her trip suggestion?” Sarah speculated.

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Amber said. “You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks. Going out of town could be really good for you. I know I would like a weekend in Memphis, or even New Orleans. Hell, we could even go to Mexico for a few days.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t think I’m really up for a trip.”

  “I know. That’s exactly why you need one,” Amber argued. “You really need to get away from… here.”

  “Here?” Sarah questioned, “or Brett?”

  “Look, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about this situation with Brett, but this isn’t just about him.”

  “Why do you hate him so much?” Sarah finally asked her best friend aloud.

  “I
don’t hate him, Sarah. I just love you. I worry about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Or worse, I don’t want to see you end up on trial.”

  “I really did love him,” Sarah admitted.

  “I know you did,” Amber said. “It was written all over your face. And that’s kind of my point. For whatever reason, he’s always had this pull over you. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “Do you really think he did it?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes. It’s pretty coincidental that he showed back up after eight years and then your husband ends up dead. Add to that the surveillance tapes of him at the hotel and the fact that it was his grandfather’s gun. Oh, and he was only a block away at the time. Sarah, that’s a pretty strong case even without the...” Amber looked at Sarah and her face fell.

  “Without the what? Tell me.”

  “I wasn’t going to bring this up tonight,” Amber explained. “But the police located a witness.”

  “To the shooting?”

  “Not exactly,” Amber admitted with a sigh and Sarah could see the indecision all over her face. She braced herself for Amber’s next words. “A waitress remembered seeing Brett at the bar next door to Patrick’s.”

  “What? Are you sure?”

  “That’s what I’m hearing from my friend in the DA’s office. Sarah, the case against him is pretty cut and dried.”

  “It’s so unlike him,” Sarah argued. “I just can’t reconcile the person I knew with the one the police are describing.”

  “How well did you really know him? Besides, that was a long time ago. You’re different than you were back then. I am, too. Why do you assume he hasn’t changed at all?”

  “Yeah,” Sarah countered, “we’ve all changed, but we didn’t become cold-blooded killers.”

  “Regardless, we don’t know what he’s been doing the past few years. Who knows what’s driving him. Just stay away from him, Sarah. I know you don’t believe he’s capable of this but the evidence is overwhelming. Even you have to admit that. And give Memphis another thought.”

  “I’ll think about the trip,” Sarah promised. “And you don’t need to worry. I’m not going anywhere near Brett Williams. I couldn’t if I wanted to considering he’s in jail right now.” She rose from her chair and grabbed the bottle of tequila from the counter. “Enough about Brett, let’s have another shot!”

  They sat around the kitchen table sipping beers and gossiping about old friends from high school, purposefully avoiding any discussion of Chad or Brett.

  “Oh shit!” Sarah explained with a giggle. “I just spilled beer all over my shirt!”

  Amber snorted a laugh in response.

  “I’m going to go up and change, you get us another round,” Sarah added as she left the room and headed up the stairs.

  A faint knock at the front door had Amber drying off her hands and walking into the living room. She pulled the door open and felt her blood boil.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked through clenched teeth.

  “I need to speak to Sarah,” Brett stated softly.

  “No, you need to leave,” Amber asserted.

  “Please,” Brett begged. “You have to believe…”

  “I don’t have to believe a word that comes out of your lying mouth,” Amber interrupted. “Now get the hell out of here!” She slammed the door in his face.

  Seconds later, Sarah started down the stairs.

  “Did I just hear the door?” She called.

  “I thought I heard something out there, but false alarm.” Amber answered calmly.

  Sarah descended the stairs and rounded the corner to the kitchen. She grabbed a towel to wipe spilled beer off the table when movement caught her eye. She jerked her head and saw Brett standing at the French doors. She watched in shock as he reached for the handle and slid the door open.

  -19-

  “Sarah, wait,” he said with his hand up facing her. “Please, I didn’t do it.”

  Sarah stared at him blankly as Amber walked into the room. Seeing Brett standing there, her fury rose again.

  “I thought I told you to get the hell out of here!” She yelled.

  “Sarah,” he pleaded, ignoring Amber’s entrance, “just five minutes, please.”

  She was frozen in place, didn’t know how to respond. He looked a mess. His hair and clothes were disheveled and his eyes screamed of desperation. And sincerity. The alcohol made her mind foggy, but still she felt the now familiar tug of her heart strings and lowered her head.

  “It’s okay, Amber,” she sighed.

  “No way!” Amber argued. “We just talked about this for God’s sakes. Don’t buy into his shit!”

  “It’s okay,” she repeated. “I need to talk to him. If I don’t, I’ll just keep thinking about it. Go on home, I’ll call you in a little while.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone with this monster,” Amber protested.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Brett promised.

  “Not too convincing coming from a killer!” Amber yelled.

  “Amber, please,” Sarah whispered, still staring at the floor. “I’ll be fine. Go home.”

  “Fine, be an idiot. Never mind that he killed your fucking husband! I’d love to hear the explanation on that one. You can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.” She snatched her keys from counter and stalked over to grumble in Sarah’s ear. “Just remember what happened the last time you believed that sorry son of a bitch!” With that, she stalked out the door, effectively slamming it behind her.

  Sarah looked down at her hands twisting in her lap. Brett eyed her cautiously and took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling.

  “What?” Sarah whispered.

  In three long strides he was standing before her. He knelt between her legs and looked up at her. Her eyes pooled as she looked at him.

  “Sarah, listen to me.” He implored. “I didn’t kill him! I swear to you I didn’t.”

  “They found your gun, Brett,” she stated.

  “It’s been in storage at my grandmother’s house for years, Sarah. The night I left, I packed up everything in the house and stored it in the garage and I headed to Ft. Leonard Wood. After basic training, I drove back to town and contacted a local realtor to rent out the house. I parked my truck in the garage and rode with a buddy to Lambert International to fly out. I spent the next few years overseas.”

  When she looked down at her hands again, he curled a finger under her chin and raised her face. “Look at me.” He met her eyes and continued, “I swear to you, I didn’t do this. Please. You have to believe me.”

  Sarah pushed him away and stood up to pace the length of the kitchen. She had to think clearly. She had to stop letting her emotions get the best of her when he was near. Brett’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “You’re gonna have to work with me on this,” his voice had lost its desperation and had moved on to demanding.

  “Work with you on what?”

  “Figuring out who is setting us up.”

  “There is no us here, Brett. I don’t even know what to believe anymore. Now the police are saying they have a waitress that can put you at the scene. It doesn’t matter what I believed before, Brett. For myself and for my daughter, I have to stay out of this.”

  “You can’t do that anymore, sugar.”

  “The hell I can’t!”

  Brett ignored her mocking and continued.

  “Cameron met with the DA this afternoon. He seems to believe they are going with the theory that you and I were having an affair and we conspired to murder your husband.” The words seemed to break through her walls. Her face fell and fear shined brightly in her eyes. “Cameron seems to think they are going to be arresting you on Monday.”

  “Wh- what?” she stammered. “H-how can they think that I…?”

  Brett reached for her hand, but she pulled it away.

  “I wish I knew, darlin’ but I’m not really sure how the hell I got in this mess, much le
ss how you did.”

  “But… but… oh my God! What am I going to do?” She slumped back into her chair.

  “Well, first we have to figure out who really killed your husband. No,” he paused and she looked at him. “First, I need to convince you that it wasn’t me.”

  Sarah dropped her head into her hands and felt the sobs rock her shoulders. She thought of the media frenzy if she was actually arrested for Chad’s murder. She wondered what Lindsey’s friends and their parents would think. Would Lindsey still get invited to sleepovers if her mother was accused of murder?

  Brett said nothing, giving her time to pull herself together. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked out over the lawn.

  “I know,” she whispered.

  “You know what?” He asked.

  “I know that you didn’t kill Chad,” she answered, defeated. “No matter what everyone else says, I know you aren’t capable of that.”

  Brett stared at her in silence watching the changes in her expression as she thought through everything he’d told her. The fear was clear in her eyes and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay. He wasn’t sure anymore that everything would be. The only thing he knew for certain anymore was that, without her help, he would never figure out what the hell was going on.

  “Wait…” Sarah looked up at him as another realization hit her. “How did you get out of jail?”

  “Cameron is a damned good lawyer, I guess. He got my bail reduced and the Carters were able to pay it for me. I have four weeks until my next hearing. Four weeks for us to find out who is setting us up.”

  She stood back up, feeling stronger with a sense of purpose. She started pacing again as she ran through the next steps.

  “First we need to find out who wanted Chad dead,” she stated absolutely.

  “First, we need to stop assuming Chad was the target.” She stopped pacing and looked at him, her confusion clear. “It could have been any of us. Maybe it was just to hurt you, or maybe someone wanted me out the way. I don’t know, maybe they really just wanted Chad dead and needed a scapegoat.”