by R. D. Brady
And sometimes you could get all the way there and find out that the inmate had done something, meaning that they weren’t eligible for a visit that week. So you just wasted all that time and money going to see them. Or the prison could be on lockdown for some other reason, which also meant you couldn’t see them.
Inmates also couldn’t make calls whenever they wanted, and mail required stamps. Some had access to email, but not many. So all in all, it was pretty difficult even in this day and age to stay in touch with someone who was locked up.
Russ sighed. “Yeah, I know how it goes. Thanks for getting back to me. I appreciate it.”
“Yeah, no problem. Take care.”
Russ disconnected the call and looked at the lightly falling snow through the big bay doors. There were two murders that they knew of so far, not including Rory’s mom. But it was all those other deaths that had Russ convinced that Jack was out. Steve’s old criminal defense attorney, the jury foreperson, Keith Hodgkins. All of them were now dead. Only Keith’s was obviously murder. The others could possibly be natural causes, or in the foreperson’s case, death by his own hand. But Russ didn’t buy it. It was too great a coincidence to think that all of those people connected to Steve’s incarceration had died within such a short time frame, which also lined up with the time that Jack had been out.
A chill crawled over Russ’s skin. He hated this. It had taken a long time for Julie and Steve to get past all of the garbage that Jack had created last time. For a short while, Russ hadn’t been sure they were going to make it. But they had. And now they had Bess. Russ didn’t want any of this in their lives again.
He didn’t want it for Declan either. Declan had been embroiled in ugly cases for decades. Russ knew that he needed a break from that, even if Declan didn’t realize how it was wearing on him. You couldn’t be mired in the ugliness of humanity for that long without it taking a toll. So he had wanted Dover to be a new start for all of them, including him and Declan.
As he stared out the window, he could see smoke in the distance, even through the snow. Apparently the fire was a little worse than he thought. He prayed that Steve wasn’t in there. And that Julie was just being paranoid.
But with everything going on, it was hard not to be paranoid.
He turned from the window and went to go find Reggie. He was feeling a little paranoid himself. Maybe he should just go check on the fire and make sure that Steve wasn’t there. Apparently paranoia is contagious.
He headed to the lounge and saw that the cleanup was well underway. He frowned when he noticed that Bess and Melanie weren’t in the room. He caught Reggie’s eye. “Where’s Bess?”
Reggie rolled a dozen crayons into an open container. “She went to go help Melanie get the snacks together. Everything good?”
Russ shook his head. “Hastings hasn’t seen Foster since he got out.”
Reggie’s face fell. “That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll go help them with the snacks.”
Russ headed down the hall. A blast of cold air wafted toward him, this time not caused by fear. He shivered. It felt like a door had been left open. He frowned. Had Melanie left the snacks in her car?
He hurried forward, propelled by an unknown need to see Bess. Ahead, the emergency door was propped open, a body lying across the threshold. Oh my God. He rushed forward. Melanie was sprawled across the entrance, lying facedown in the snow.
Russ quickly checked for a pulse, which was beating steadily under his fingers. Movement outside caught his eye. A dark figure was moving through the snow, away from the firehouse. And trapped in his arms was a small squirming figure.
Bess.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Nevaeh disconnected the call but didn’t slow down. The fire was contained. It had started in Laura’s apartment, and luckily it hadn’t spread to the hardware store below. The fire chief hadn’t been clear on exactly how it happened. Steve had been there and had somehow escaped out a back window.
Nevaeh shook her head, trying to figure out how her tiny little town had all of a sudden gone insane. She’d moved here to get away from chaos. She’d grown up in Queens. She didn’t regret that at all. She had two parents who worked hard and loved her, but they’d never had a lot of money. Her parents had tried to keep her safe from the world. But that ugliness had been all around her and was impossible to miss. She walked past homeless people on her way to school. The first time she’d seen drugs, she’d been six. She’d had a few friends overdose in high school and even once came across an overdose in an alley when she was in middle school.
But she loved the vibrancy of city life. She loved the mix of cultures. She loved the fact that you could find amazing food even at two in the morning. But as a cop, she’d seen more and more of the ugly side of life and less and less of the vibrant side. It had worn on her. All she’d ever wanted was to be a cop. She just hadn’t wanted to be one swimming in misery.
So she’d started looking for positions outside of the New York area. She wasn’t sure what it was about the Dover position that called to her. She had this vision of quiet streets, neighborly parades, old-fashioned Americana without the racism. And for the most part, that was what she’d gotten.
In fact, she’d gotten even more. She’d gotten Reggie, and then three years later she’d become pregnant with Trey. She’d made some incredible friends like Julie and Steve, who in reality were more family than just friends.
And now her little town was in the middle of something she didn’t understand. Declan thought it was Jack Kane. Auburn didn’t have him, but there were a few inmates who had been transferred or released during Jack’s time at the prison. Declan was convinced it was Foster, but apparently the people at Southport weren’t willing to sign off on that identification. Nevaeh trusted Declan. If he said it was Foster, then it was Foster. She knew people were worried about who was going to be blamed, but that was getting in the way of finding Jack, which should be the priority.
Instead of dedicating resources to that, though, both Southport and Auburn were going through a time-consuming recheck of every single prisoner. But did it really matter who had replaced Jack? The truth was, Jack Kane was out. And in all likelihood, he was the one responsible for Minnie and Laura and possibly the Tildens. She needed help. And the only additional help she had right now were two Albany detectives who thought Steve was behind the murders.
She could admit that it was still possible it was another killer, but whoever it was, they weren’t an amateur. Someone had planned those murders. And now this fire on top of it? It could be a coincidence, just like Genevieve Tilden’s death. But like most cops, Nevaeh didn’t believe in them.
She turned onto Main Street. The fire truck blocked the road, its lights spinning. It had started to snow again, although only lightly, and the fire engine lights lit up the flakes. Smoke drifted out from Laura’s apartment, the windows gone.
Nevaeh pulled in next to the fire truck. Even through the closed windows, she could smell the smoke. It reminded her of Christmas in New York with chestnut and pretzel carts on the streets. Pete caught sight of her and hurried over after directing some of his people. He caught the car door and held it open for her. “Chief.”
Nevaeh smiled back at him, despite the situation. “Chief.” It was their standard greeting. “What have you got?”
“Fire’s out. My guys are going to go through to check and make sure there’s nothing left smoldering upstairs.”
Nevaeh watched as a group of three firefighters headed into the apartment with large poles gripped in their hands. “Is the structure sound?”
Pete shrugged, his eyes betraying the nonchalance of the move. “Seems to be. It wasn’t burning long before we arrived. The stove exploded, which blew out the windows, and there was an accelerant used. There’s no two ways about it—we got lucky. If it hadn’t been contained in time, the whole block could’ve gone up.”
“And you’re sure it’s arson?”
“No doubt.” Pete hesitated. “Steve Davidson was inside. He said he was hit by someone on the back of the head and when he woke up the whole apartment was doused in gasoline, including him. He jumped out of Laura’s bedroom window.”
“He okay?”
“Looks like a sprained ankle, and his head’s going to ache for a while. But a dumpster stopped his fall. If there hadn’t been some snow and if he hadn’t aimed right …” Pete just shook his head.
Nevaeh took the information without emotion. Emotion could come later. “All right. Where is he?”
Pete nodded toward the coffee shop. “At Evelyn and Craig’s.”
“Okay. You need anything from me?”
“No. We’re good. I’ll get you the report by tomorrow morning. I’ll send some samples out for analysis. That’ll take a little longer. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to come back as basic gasoline.”
“Okay. Tell your guys good job, all right?”
“Will do.” Pete looked back at the building but made no move to leave. He lowered his voice, even though there was no one nearby. “This is related to Laura and Miss Minnie, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know for sure. But I don’t see how it can’t be.”
Pete shook his head, seeming to struggle for words for a moment. “It’s hard to imagine there’s someone in this town who could do this kind of thing. You got any ideas?”
She pictured Jack Kane in his mug shot. “I’ve got one.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Russ threw open the door and yanked Melanie into the hallway. “Reggie!”
Russ barreled outside, his feet sinking into snow that reached past his knees. Cold cut through his thermal shirt and jeans, raising goose bumps on his arms and legs almost immediately. Bess was only wearing leggings and a sweatshirt. She must be freezing.
He felt like he was running in sand. He struggled to go faster, but the snow kept him at what felt like a tortoise pace.
Ahead, the figure in black struggled just as hard. Using every ounce of his energy, Russ pushed himself forward, slowly closing the distance between them. He could not let him take Bess. He did not care what happened to him, but he could not let him take Bess.
His legs felt like he’d run a marathon when he’d only gone fifty feet. His lungs felt like they were freezing from the inside out. But he didn’t slow. He continued to close the distance until he was only a few feet away.
With one last push, he jumped forward and tackled the individual around the waist, yanking him to the side so that they didn’t land on Bess. The man let out a grunt. Bess flew from his arms.
“Run, Bess! Run!” Russ yelled as he struggled to keep a hold of the man in front of him.
Bess scrambled away, struggling in the snow. The man he held onto had on a ski mask, hiding his identity. Russ started to crawl along the man’s back, reaching for the ski mask. I need to see.
The man threw an elbow toward his face, forcing Russ to roll off. The man got to his feet. Bess let out a cry as a crack sounded through the air.
Russ’s head whirled to the side, and for the first time, he realized where they were. They were on the small duck pond behind the firehouse.
“Bess, don’t move!” Russ yelled.
The man in the ski mask didn’t wait. He turned and sprinted as fast as he could through the snow. But Russ ignored him now, making his way slowly toward Bess. He could hear the ice cracking above the blood pounding in his ears.
His whole body was shaking from the cold, from the fear, and from the adrenaline. “Bess, honey, I need you to very carefully walk toward me, okay?”
Bess nodded, her eyes impossibly large. She took a tentative step forward. A large crack boomed through the air. Bess’s eyes got even larger.
Russ held up a hand. “Stop. It’s okay. Stay right there. I’m coming to get you.”
Saying a prayer, Russ inched forward, practically feeling the ice giving way underneath him. No, no, no. He moved faster. Bess was only three feet away when a series of cracks burst through the air.
One minute she was there, almost within his grasp, and the next she disappeared under the ice.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Once again, Nevaeh found herself going to speak with Steve and Julie in Evelyn and Craig’s little office. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her oldest friends in Dover. Soot covered Steve, although some had been wiped from his face. Julie stood behind him, frowning as she inspected the back of his head. A strong scent of smoke filled the room, along with the slightest tinge of gasoline.
“Hi, you two.”
Julie looked up as Nevaeh stepped in, her face drawn. “Hey.”
Steve looked up as well but then winced and dropped his head back down.
Nevaeh frowned. “He okay?”
“He seems to have taken a really good hit to the back of the head. I’m worried he might be concussed.”
Nevaeh pulled up the other chair to sit in front of Steve. “Hey, Steve. How you doing?”
It seemed to take him a long moment to focus on her. “Nevaeh. Somebody burned down Laura’s apartment.”
“I know. I was hoping you could tell me what you were doing there.”
Julie spoke quickly before Steve had a chance. “He went to clean out her fridge and tidy up a little bit. Shayna and Todd are going to come in this weekend, and we wanted to clear out the garbage and stock the fridge a little for when they arrived.”
Nevaeh could hear the nervous energy in her voice. She couldn’t blame her for that fear. She and her daughter had just barely missed the killer at the clinic, and now her husband had barely escaped as well. Nevaeh was giving them both credit for not completely losing it.
But as much as she sympathized with what they were going through, she needed to speak with Steve alone. “I need Steve to answer a few questions. Why don’t you go get yourself some coffee and maybe some for Steve?”
Julie bit her lip, looking between Steve and Nevaeh before finally nodding. “Can I get you some too?”
Nevaeh smiled. “That would be great.”
Julie caressed Steve’s shoulder. “I’ll be in the other room. But if you start to get light-headed or dizzy, you tell Nevaeh, okay?”
He reached up and gently squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine.”
With one more worried glance at Steve, Julie left the room.
Nevaeh turned to Steve. “So how are you really feeling?”
“Like a Mack truck slammed into the back of my head. And I think I sprained my ankle jumping from the window.”
Nevaeh pulled out her notepad and pen. “I need you to take me through everything you remember.”
Steve closed his eyes, swaying a little. “Like Julie said, we wanted to tidy up Laura’s apartment a little bit before Shayna and Todd came into town. I didn’t realize anything was wrong at first. I grabbed her mail from the mailbox and headed up the stairs. I dumped the mail on the counter and took my first look around. The place was a mess.”
Nevaeh frowned, picturing Laura’s immaculate apartment. “A mess? How?”
“There were dirty dishes in the sink and on the counter. There were some over by the couch. There was trash everywhere. The garbage was overflowing. There was food left out to rot, half finished. The cupboards were open.”
“Someone’s been staying at Laura’s.”
“Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. No one who knew Laura would ever leave her apartment like that, especially…” Steve made a small gesture with his hands.
Nevaeh’s mind raced. Someone had been at Laura’s this whole time. There’d been no need to check her apartment after Laura had been found because it wasn’t part of the crime scene. Was it possible that the killer had been staying two doors down this whole time? Had they really been that close and no one had known? “Okay. So you noticed all of the mess. Then what happened?”
Steve frowned. “I think I started toward the couch? I heard a noise behind me. I started to turn and then nothing
. Someone hit me on the back of the head.” He reached up toward the back of his head and then, thinking better of it, lowered his hand.
“Okay. So you were knocked out.”
Steve nodded.
“What’s the next thing you remember?”
“I remember lying there and being confused. I thought Julie had started a fire. I thought I was home. But then I opened my eyes and saw that the apartment was on fire. There were lines of gasoline everywhere. I’d been doused with gasoline as well. I shed my jacket but saw my pants and my shoes were splashed with it as well. The door was blocked by fire. I wasn’t going to be able to get out there. I went to Laura’s bedroom and jumped out the second-story window. Then I hobbled around to the front of the building. By then the fire department was there and so was Julie.”
“Did you get a look at the guy at all? Height, race, age, anything?”
Steve shook his head and then winced. “No, nothing. I didn’t even see a shadow.”
Nevaeh pictured what Laura’s apartment would look like now. The fire would’ve burned through it, scorching most of the space, destroying any DNA evidence it touched. Whatever the fire hadn’t destroyed, the fire hoses would undeniably have taken care of. She’d speak with Mary and see if she’d seen anyone around. She’d also check with the local restaurants that delivered. Maybe she’d get lucky, but she doubted it. And she’d have one of the deputies swing by Miss Minnie’s too. He’d been forced out of one hiding spot. Maybe they’d get lucky at Minnie’s. But she wasn’t holding her breath.
“Who else has keys to Laura’s apartment?”
“Julie and I have a set. And her kids, of course. I’m not sure about Mary. She probably does because she’s the landlord and because, well, you know. But I think that’s it. Besides the set she keeps on her, I don’t think there is another.”