“Dolores is packing up and coming over. She’ll be here twenty-four hours a day from now on. Hospice offers that service toward the end.” His voice broke on the last.
Of course she went to him, as if by the simple act of human contact she could ward off the despair and pain that was to come. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, clinging to him.
“Me, too.” And he kissed her, the movement of his mouth on hers that of a drowning man desperate for air.
Though heat immediately zinged through her, she tried only to give comfort, knowing that was what he needed in this particular instant in time.
When he finally released her, they both were breathing hard. “If you only knew how badly I want you right now,” he said.
The low-voiced declaration made her go weak in the knees. “Bad timing.” She managed to keep her voice light. “Right now, Gus needs all your attention.”
Though she didn’t want to, Hailey left at her usual time. She picked up the kids, the older twins first. Tara seemed quieter than normal, but Tom’s exuberance more than made up for his sister’s glumness.
“Guess what?” Tom asked, the instant he got in the car. “I made the basketball team! We have practice almost every night for an hour after school.”
All Hailey could think about was the cost. Even though the team was a school-sponsored activity, parents were required to pay for uniforms and things like that. And the fact that his practice would mean another trip back to the school, using precious gasoline.
But she couldn’t tell him no. Tom had never complained, all through the years when he’d asked to be on various leagues and she’d had to deny him because they couldn’t afford it.
As if he’d read her mind, Tom continued, “And it doesn’t cost anything. Maybe a little for the uniform, but that’s it. I can’t wait until you all can come watch me in my first official game!”
His excitement seemed contagious. Even Tara grinned, offering him a high five. As soon as they picked up Eli, Tom repeated his news. Eli appeared thrilled for his big brother and, she thought, a little envious.
“When’s the first game?” Hailey asked.
“Friday,” Tom answered promptly. “That gives us two nights of practice before we play.”
“Is that long enough?” asked Hailey, even though she knew absolutely nothing about middle-school basketball.
“Coach says it has to be. It’s more of a scrimmage than a full-on game. We’re a pretty tight-knit team, so I think we’ll do great!”
That night, Hailey fried the fish the kids had caught to celebrate. She was proud of her brother and overjoyed to see the way the rest of the kids supported him.
While she was cooking, she overheard Eli ask Tom if he planned to tell Aaron.
“I don’t think so,” Tom said. “I’m still not real sure about him. Right now, at least for my first couple of games, I just want my regular family there. Maybe I’ll invite him later, maybe I won’t.”
His regular family. Some of the sadness she’d felt since Gus had taken a turn for the worse lifted.
Over the next two days, Gus appeared to get better. Whatever the reason, he seemed tremendously improved. He sat up, talked and laughed, made his usual attempts to choke down a bite or two and had Dolores grinning. By Friday afternoon, she declared he’d rallied.
Mac and Hailey exchanged relieved glances. Maybe, just maybe, they’d have a little more time.
In the kitchen gathering up her things to get ready to go, Hailey asked Mac how the police investigation was coming along.
“I talked to Logan earlier,” he answered. “They’re still rounding up janitors. Apparently that particular company rotates their workers between different school campuses. Also, they apparently have several workers who are on parole.”
“What?” Hailey recoiled. “Why would the school distract let them do that? Don’t they vet all their employees, even those from another service?”
“They’re supposed to. My guess is that this either slipped through the cracks or someone was bribed to look the other way. If so, I imagine someone’s head will roll.”
“I’d hope so.” She shook her head, her mind on everything she needed to do in order to get ready for that evening. “I wonder if Aaron gets moved around. From the way he talks, he’s only worked at Eli’s school.”
“I don’t know, but if he’s ever worked at the middle school, he’ll be getting called in.”
“I’d better get going,” she said, still on the fence about whether or not to invite him. She knew Tom had said he wanted his regular family only, but she took that more of a comment on his uncertainty about Aaron. If Mac was going to be in her life, even for a little while, she really needed to see where he stood on things like attending the kids’ sporting activities.
“You don’t want to be late picking up the kids,” Mac commented, glancing at his watch. “What are you doing later? It’s Friday night, and I thought we might grab a bite to eat or something. Dolores will be here with Gus.”
“Normally, I’d love to,” Hailey responded. “But tonight, Tom has a basketball game after school.”
“He made the team?” Mac sounded pleased.
“Yes, he did,” she said. “Anyway, I’m not sure if you like this sort of thing, but I was wondering if you’d like to go. Of course, if you don’t, I totally understand...”
Feeling slightly foolish, she let her words trail off.
Mac cocked his head, eyeing her. “I’d love to. What time should I be there?”
Giddy with happiness, she grinned. “The game starts at seven. But this is really important to Tom, so I’m planning to be there a little earlier. Tara and one of her friends are riding there together—her mom is picking Tara up after school. And Eli asked if he could spend the night with one of his little buddies. I told him yes, as long as they come to the game. Of course Eli said they would.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?” Mac asked. “I can swing by around six thirty.”
She didn’t even have to think. “I’d love that.” Impulsively, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
When she got home, the house seemed eerily quiet without the kids. As usual, Aaron’s door was closed. Since she didn’t want to alert him that anything out of the ordinary was occurring, she hurried to her room and shut her own door. She had a little time before she needed to get ready and, since tomorrow was Saturday, she didn’t have to get ingredients ready for the kids to make lunches to take school the next day. Given that they wouldn’t be eating dinner together, she’d made sure all the kids had a five in case they needed to buy food. She planned to make a quick sandwich a few minutes before Mac picked her up.
Right now, all she wanted was a nap. She could rest for an hour or two, then shower and have plenty of time to get ready.
With a heartfelt sigh of relief, she pulled back her comforter and slipped between the sheets. Head on the pillow, she sighed again and closed her eyes.
* * *
Touched and honored that Hailey had asked him to attend her baby brother’s first basketball game, Mac spent the next several hours trying to preplan the evening. He should have asked her to go to an early dinner before the game. Kicking himself, he debated calling her, but decided he’d simply show up early and surprise her. She was always so busy cooking for her siblings, she deserved to let someone else prepare her a meal. Nothing too heavy, so he ruled out Italian. A steak house sounded too formal, as did seafood. There were a few of the larger chain restaurants up on the interstate, but he wanted something a little more intimate. Sushi? Did Hailey even eat sushi?
Then he remembered a little mom-and-pop café he and Hailey had gone to a few times back in high school. It had been located on Main Street downtown. Was it still there?
A quick internet search on his
phone revealed it was.
Once that was settled, he went to check on Gus. Dolores winked when he came in. Gus was sitting up in bed, watching television. He smiled when Mac walked in.
“Dolores tells me you and Hailey have a date tonight,” Gus said, beaming. His color looked good, and his eyes even had a bit of a sparkle. Immensely cheered, Mac privately thought they’d all been wrong. Gus wasn’t quite done with this earth just yet.
“We do. Hailey’s kid brother made the middle school basketball team. We’re going to grab a bite to eat and then watch his first game.”
“Way to go!” In a gesture reminiscent of the old Gus, Mac’s father raised his hand for a high five. Smiling, Mac complied.
They talked for a few minutes longer, about trivial things, since both men knew there hadn’t been any news on the case. The custodial pool was apparently large, and workers were still being interviewed, according to Logan. He’d promised to call if they had any changes.
After visiting with his dad, Mac hurried to shower and get ready. He decided ninety minutes early would give them enough time to have a meal and still arrive at the game on time.
He couldn’t get over how happy he felt. Not only was he going to spend the night with Hailey and her little family, but Gus had visibly improved.
Once he’d dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans, boots and a button-down shirt, Mac told his dad—who was still awake—and Dolores goodbye. He drove to the large grocery store and headed to their floral department, where he selected a beautiful, multicolored arrangement of daisies and carnations and roses.
Then, with his step light, Mac got in his truck and drove to Hailey’s house, full of hope about the evening ahead.
* * *
The pressure of a body on the edge of her mattress woke Hailey from a particularly pleasant dream. At first, slightly confused and still groggy, she thought it must be one of the kids, before she remembered they were all with friends.
“Mac?” she said, delighted. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up to look.
Aaron sat on the edge of her bed.
She recoiled. And then, aware this might not be the best reaction to reveal, she managed what she hoped was a friendly smile. “Wow. What’s up, Aaron? You startled me.”
He didn’t smile back. “Where’s Tara?”
Though having Aaron in her bedroom creeped her out, something in his voice as he asked about his daughter sent a chill up her spine.
Her first reaction was to panic. She pushed herself up and out of bed, and away from him. Standing near her dresser, she eyed him, trying not to glance at the doorway. “What do you mean? Have you heard something? Is she all right?”
“I haven’t heard anything.” His dismissive tone along with his flat, unblinking stare sent off every warning instinct she possessed.
“Oh. All right.” Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin. “Do you mind meeting me in the kitchen? I need to shower and change.”
He didn’t move. “I do mind, actually. Until Tara gets here, you’ll have to do.”
Okay, now every instinct was screaming. Time to put some distance between her and him. Leaping away, she sprinted for the door.
Not quickly enough. He stuck out his leg, tripping her. As she went down, she tried to grab hold of the dresser or the door—anything. Instead, she only connected with Aaron as he moved to intercept her.
Instead of helping her, he pushed her down, hard. So hard her chin hit the floor. She cried out in pain, realizing for the first time she could be in actual physical danger.
Then, as he climbed on top of her, she had the horrifying thought that he meant to rape her.
“Stop,” she cried out. “Aaron, just stop. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but let me up. Right this instant.”
“You’re done ordering me around,” he sneered. “As of right now, that’s over.” He used his knee to press down in the middle of her back. At any moment she fully expected one of her bones to snap in half.
In pain and stunned, she tried to process the situation. “What do you want from me?” she finally asked quietly, aware she might be opening up an entirely different and unwelcome can of worms.
To her relief, he got off her and hauled her up. One hand tight on her upper arm, he warned her not to try again to run away.
“The cops are calling in all the custodial staff for questioning,” he told her. “Did you have something to do with that?”
“Of course not. How could I?”
He bared his teeth. Exactly like a rabid dog, she thought dimly. “What does that have to do with you?” she asked, aware pretending bravery would be better than cowering in abject fear.
“Are you really this stupid?” The contempt in his voice made her stomach clench. “I’m a janitor, remember. The FBI is talking to every janitor I work with. Luckily for me, several of the other guys are on parole, too. Otherwise, they’d have noticed me right away. I imagine they’ll figure it out soon enough.”
She struggled to process his words. “You mean... But you work at Eli’s school. I thought they were only interviewing the ones from the middle school.”
“They rotate us,” he gestured, an obscene move involving his middle finger. Who he was flipping off, she didn’t know. “I’ve worked there, too.”
“Oh. But I still don’t understand.” Except she was starting to. Hopefully her sudden suspicion would turn out to be wrong.
“Sit,” he ordered, motioning toward the bed. “You and I have a lot to talk about, I think.”
Limping, trying like hell not to clutch her aching side, she made it to her bed. She perched on the edge, afraid to take her eyes off him.
“I killed Brenda,” he told her, his tone as casual as if he was discussing the weather. “I was driving home from the bar, and I saw her walking along the side of the road. She was happy to see me, your sister. Relieved that she wouldn’t have to walk the four miles to make it home.”
Hailey froze, unable to fully process what she was hearing. “No one ever suspected you,” she whispered. “I don’t believe this.”
“Yeah, no one ever thought the grieving stepfather could do such a thing. Especially when I was able to provide enough evidence to implicate Gus Morrison.”
“You?” Her voice shook. “You implicated Gus?”
Clearly pleased with himself, he chuckled. “Yes. It was pretty damn easy to do.”
Heaven help her, but she had to know. “How?”
“Oh, it was genius, if I do say so myself.” The lilt in his voice told her how much he enjoyed telling her what he’d done. More than distaste, she felt a quiet, simmering fury. Aaron didn’t seem to care that he’d ruined an innocent man’s life or that of his family.
At least now, she thought, she could finally clear Gus’s name. Then she realized if Aaron was telling her the truth, he didn’t intend to let her live long enough to do anything of the sort.
“I took pictures of Brenda. Lots of pictures, all without her knowing. And then I printed them off and put them in Gus Morrison’s glove box. Man never did lock his car.”
“That shouldn’t be enough to get anyone arrested,” she protested, without thinking.
Luckily, her words didn’t appear to have an impact on Aaron. “Oh, there’s more. I grabbed a pair of her panties from the clothes hamper and put those in his car, under the driver’s seat. I grabbed one of his empty beer bottles out of his trash—Guinness, I think it was—and put it with her body. I used gloves, and I was careful not to erase his fingerprints. And then, after I killed her, I phoned in an anonymous tip that she’d been seen riding in his car.”
Hiding her growing horror, Hailey nodded. “But why?” she asked. “Why would you kill Brenda?”
“Because I wanted to,” he said, anger deepening his voice. “She rejected me, cold littl
e bitch. I offered her my love. We were meant to be together. But she said no. Not only that, but she threatened to tell her mother. So she had to die.”
June. Mouth dry, Hailey swallowed. “Did June know about any of this?”
“Of course not.” Again, he looked at her as if he found her question idiotic. “Poor woman mourned the loss of her daughter. Once she started hitting the bottle, she wouldn’t have noticed if I’d have started bringing dead girls’ bodies here.”
“Did you kill the others?” Hailey asked, trying to sound admiring but probably only sounding as ill as she felt. “Lola Lundgren and Aimee Westerfield?”
“What do you think?” He leered at her, and then broke into a spine-tingling laugh. “I look at them and think I see my Brenda, but I’m always wrong. And then...” Tilting his head, he let his gaze roam all over her, making her feel violated. “I realized Brenda would be just a few years younger than you right now. Odd how I never noticed the resemblance before. I bet if she’d lived, you and Brenda could have passed for twins. Tara, too.”
What did that mean? Was he going to try to force himself on her? Kill her? Eyeing her nightstand clock, she realized Tom would think she’d skipped his game. And Mac. He’d be showing up soon to pick her up. Maybe she could signal him somehow, let him know she was in trouble.
Buoyed by the prospect of rescue, she and Aaron both froze as they heard the rumble of a truck’s powerful engine. Mac. Way too early. She tensed, ready to spring for the door and begin screaming.
“Expecting someone?” he asked, grabbing her in a choke hold and covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream. He held her tight while reaching around him and brandishing a cord of thick rope. Grabbing her, he deftly tied her hands together and then her feet. After he’d trussed her up like a deer on the way to the slaughterhouse, he tied her to one of her own bedposts. When he finished with that, he stuffed a rag into her mouth and tied it behind her head with a flourish. “I really am good at this,” he said, his voice cheerful. “I’ll be back once I get rid of our visitor.”
When he left, he closed her bedroom door behind him. Wildly, she glanced around, wishing she hadn’t closed her blinds. Aaron had tied the rope too tight, and she was already losing circulation in her hands and feet. She tried to wiggle her wrists, like she’d seen people do on TV, but all that accomplished was giving her painful rope burn.
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