Demon's Stand

by Dahlen, K. J.

  “So my father was guilty until he could prove his innocence?” Shiloh asked. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

  Charlie nodded and pushed himself away from the counter. “Yes, it is and had he turned the gems over to the police before he died he would have been totally free of charges. Unfortunately, he took the gems with him that day and he died before we could get back to him.”

  “Did you ever find the diamonds?”

  “No, we never found them. Your father said there were four more packages in the crate. We didn’t find any trace of any of the packages.”

  Shiloh studied him for a moment before she asked, “Were you and Donna ever an item?”

  Charlie choked on his coffee. He swung his face to hers and blushed. “What makes you ask something like that? And no we were not. I am happily married to a woman I’ve loved for a very long time. Donna was just a friend.”

  Shiloh grinned. “I remember seeing you a time or two during my life with her. You were always leaving as I was coming home.”

  “Did she ever tell you about me?”

  Shiloh’s grin deepened. “No all she would say was you were a friend.”

  “And now she’s gone too,” Charlie said quietly.

  Fresh pain hit Shiloh as she remembered her aunt. She was quiet for a moment then remembered a conversation from earlier in the day. “Her accident might not have been an accident.”

  “What do you mean?” Charlie asked as he sat back with a thud.

  “The Seattle police were here after the funeral today. They told me they recovered Donna’s car and while they were looking at it, they noticed several things that could have contributed to the accident. They are still checking but what they found suggested someone tampered with her vehicle in order to cause the accident. If that’s the case, her accident could be murder.”

  “If that is the case, then you might very well be next.” Charlie looked troubled.

  “But who would murder Donna? And more importantly… why?”

  “The same person or persons that murdered your parents.”

  “Again, why?”

  Charlie looked at the floor for a moment before he cast his gaze back to Shiloh. “Donna never wanted you to be afraid of the past. She knew you witnessed the murders of your parents. Your nightmares told her that much. She moved from place to place to keep you safe. That’s also why she changed your name and her own. She didn’t want Simon to know where you were. She told me once she wouldn’t put anything past him.”

  Shiloh glanced at the package her aunt left for her. Charlie had given her so much new and frightening information, she felt it was time to find out the truth. She ripped open the package and found yellowed newspaper clippings and several legal forms. Shiloh picked up one of the newspaper articles and was shocked at the headlines.

  Local couple found beaten to death; four-year-old child spared.

  Another article recalled the grizzly details reported by the police of the beating deaths of Mike and Dana Corbin. Not one of the articles mentioned a reason behind the beatings.

  Shiloh found a letter in Donna’s handwriting with her name on it. Ripping open the envelope, she read:

  Shiloh,

  I know if you are reading this letter, I’ll already be dead. I know you have questions and I’ll try to answer them the best I can. The other person that knows and remembers the truth is a cop from Whiskey Bend named Charlie Boone. You need to find him and talk to him about what I’m going to tell you. You can trust Charlie. He’ll see you through what you must do. He’s always been there for me since this nightmare began.

  You know your real name is Georgia Corbin and you were the only child of my sister Dana and her husband Mike. Charlie will tell you stories about your parents being involved with a smuggling ring but please don’t believe the stories. Mike was the most honest man I ever knew. His business partner Simon is another story. He would lie and steal from his own mother.

  If I’m dead, it’s because Simon finally caught up with us. We’ve moved so many times to avoid him finding us. I know it wasn’t fair to you growing up the way you did but I had to protect you. I promised your mom that I would. You see she was still alive when I got there. She made me promise I would protect you. When I said I would, she died in my arms.

  The house is in your name and I set up a trust for you. If you go back to Whiskey Bend, contact my attorney there and he’ll give you the paperwork you need. His name is Joshua Larken.

  I tried my best to give you what your own parents would have. I loved them both so much and when you came along, I loved you too. Before your mom died, she wanted me to tell you that she loved you with all her heart. She also said the answers could be found in the safe room. When I asked her what safe room, she said you would remember it. I hope you can remember the safe room, it holds the answers the police need and will point to Simon as the brutal killer he really is.

  I ran into Simon about ten years ago in Phoenix. He was as surprised to see me, as I was to see him. He was very interested in where you were. I told him you were safe and someday, he would atone for what he did. He just laughed at me. He said there was no evidence that he did anything. He had an alibi for the night your parents died. I told him I didn’t believe he was innocent and he told me your dad took something that didn’t belong to him.

  He asked me where his diamonds were and when I told him I didn’t know he told me he’d be back. He told me not to go to the police if I did, he would make sure the police found evidence that Mike was the real smuggler.

  We left Phoenix that same night because I didn’t want him to find you. Staying here in Seattle was the hardest thing I ever did. I knew if we were here too long, he would find us. But I stayed because you asked me to.

  I love you kiddo,

  Donna

  Shiloh caught her breath as guilt slammed in her heart. She got up and walked over to the window. She glanced outside but didn’t see the city of Seattle. She saw her aunt’s face in a thousand different poses. As her mind flipped back over the years, she couldn’t remember even once feeling the type of fear Donna spoke of in the letter.

  Shiloh turned back to face Charlie. “You said you didn’t think my father was the smuggler, did you mean that?”

  Charlie sat back and nodded. “When he brought in the package of diamonds he seemed surprised by it. In fact, I think he was shocked more than surprised. He didn’t open it until he was in our office, so he hadn’t known what was in the package until he was with us.”

  “Why didn’t he just leave the diamonds with you?”

  Charlie hesitated then told her, “He said it was because he had a wife and child to protect. He told us if Simon knew he found the gems the two of you might not be safe. We told him we could protect the three of you but he didn’t want that. He said he could keep you safe. Then he said something about removing you and your mother from the danger. He said he would take the two of you out of the equation by taking you out of the city before Simon realized the gems were missing.”

  Shiloh tried to remember the night her parents died, but she couldn’t. It was like there was a wall up in her mind around that time in her life. Every time she tried to remember that night, she got a sudden rush of pain that almost blinded her in its intensity. She could feel the intensity building as the fear rushed through her body. Her head began throbbing and she raised her hands to her temples.

  She had to try and tamp down the fear somehow. She turned to look at Charlie and knew in her heart what she had to do. “I have to go back don’t I? I have to go back to Whiskey Bend and find out what really happened that night and who killed my parents.”

  Charlie hesitated d for a long moment, then finally nodded. “I think it’s time you did. Only two people know what really happened that night, you and the killer. It’s time the rest of us understood what happened. It’s time for whoever murdered your parents to face justice.”

  Shiloh took a deep breath. The butterflies in her sto
mach fluttered wildly as she nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  Chapter Three

  Shiloh was alone later that evening when she went through more of the package her aunt left for her. She was going back to Whiskey Bend in the morning with Charlie and after arrangements were made, Charlie had left her alone.

  When she asked, Charlie told her Whiskey Bend was a small town in Wisconsin, population 1040. At least that’s what the marker said as you entered town. The only big-time employers in town was the power plant and Dam, but the residents worked in the neighboring state of Minnesota and the commute was about a half hour give or take either way.

  She fixed herself a sandwich but after taking one bite, she found she couldn’t finish it. Sipping a glass of red wine, she sat down at the table and began going through the bundle of paperwork Donna left with her attorney.

  Among the newspaper clippings, faded with age, were reports of the murders. They all said pretty much the same thing and Shiloh skimmed over them quickly. She found a copy of her parent’s will, giving over all their worldly goods to their daughter Georgia. The will named Dana’s sister, Donna as Georgia’s guardian should anything happen to them.

  Donna had paid off the house and set up a trust with the money from her father’s insurance policy, over the last twenty years or so that trust had grown and when Shiloh read the bank statements, she felt surprised by the amount in the trust. Donna hadn’t touched the trust money to help raise her. She had supported them with her own jobs over the years and Shiloh’s social security payments. Plus, Shiloh owned a house that she couldn’t even remember.

  Amongst the papers were a packet of photos. Shiloh’s hands shook as she opened the packet. The first picture was of a young man and woman. Shiloh knew in her heart the people in the picture were her parents. They both seemed so happy. Her dad had dark hair and blue eyes, while her mom had her own almond brown colored hair. Her mom had green eyes and Shiloh had her dad’s blue eyes. She also had his dimples and high forehead.

  Flipping through the rest of the photos, Shiloh found her missing family history. Her parent’s wedding photo as well as her birth announcement and baby picture were in the packet. She could see from the pieces of her past that her parents had truly been in love and that they had loved her.

  Shiloh felt tears roll down her cheeks as she viewed the past she couldn’t remember. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to find it was almost midnight. The day was over but what a day it had been. She had buried her aunt, but she had also found an important piece of her past.

  Shiloh bundled up the papers and carried them into her bedroom. Shutting off the kitchen light, she walked through her darkened home to her bedroom. A few minutes later, her bedroom light went off too.

  The man standing outside waited in the shadows as the lights went off. He’d been sitting down the block for most of the day. He had been there when Shiloh buried Donna, then he’d watched as Shiloh came home and Charlie joined her. He’d been patient as the sun had gone down. He waited while Shiloh discovered her past, but now his patience was gone. This bitch had led him a merry chase over the past twenty years and he was so done now.

  He stepped out of his car and made his way to the back door of the house. Looking in through the glass, he saw the layout of the house but there was no sign of Shiloh. He reached for the handle and tested it. It was locked. Squatting down, he saw it was a simple lock and it didn’t take much time to pick it. He slid the door open silently and as he stepped inside the house, he pulled the door closed behind him.

  He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark and when he was ready, he began walking through the house. He checked the kitchen table but found it empty. He had been watching her for days now, always keeping just out of sight. He’d seen her leaving for the funeral this morning and when he got to the cemetery, he purposely stayed out of her sight. He saw Charlie Boone speak to Shiloh after the service. He knew eventually she would be going back to her aunt’s house, so he left. He couldn’t risk being seen by Charlie Boone. Charlie knew him personally and he didn’t want Charlie to connect him to Donna’s accident even by chance.

  Before Charlie spoke to her though, he’d seen someone hand Shiloh a package and he hoped she would have left the package scattered out on the table. But the material he hoped to get wasn’t there. He’d watched earlier as she carried the bundle into the house. He hadn’t known what the bundle was but knowing Donna it probably contained the very information he had been looking for all this time.

  Snapping his head toward where he knew the bedroom was he glared at the closed door. He had planned things so carefully over the last few weeks. When he had found Donna Weston, he knew what he had to do. She had evaded him a number of times over the last two decades but now he knew where she and the girl were, his plans had fallen into place.

  He had watched them for a few days before he made his move. Tampering with Donna’s car had been the easy part. He had followed her to work every day for a week.

  He knew which road she would take and sooner or later, he knew the car parts he’d tampered with would cause an accident. He hadn’t had to wait as long as he’d thought.

  Two days after he’d tampered with her car, the car had plunged down into the ravine. He had stood at the top of the ravine and listened to Donna screaming for help. He quickly repaired the break in the guard rail so no one would find the accident for a day or two. By the time Donna was found, her injuries had become fatal and that suited him. He knew the girl wouldn’t know who he was, and it would be to his advantage.

  He went to the closed door and was tempted to open the door and confront her but he didn’t. He knew he had to wait. He needed her to find the safe room. He had searched the house for two decades when he could but hadn’t found the place where Mike had hidden his bounty.

  Twenty years ago, Simon Pratt had retained his services to hunt down these two. Simon had spent two years looking for these women and hadn’t found a trace of them. It had taken him four months to find them. They had led him a merry chase but now the chase was over. Now he was reaching the age where he wanted to sit back and let the rest of the world go by. He needed to recover the gems Simon told him about. Simon said the bonus he would give him would set him up for the rest of his life and he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way.

  He turned and retraced his steps to the back door. Letting himself out of the house, he made his way to his car. He knew the girl was coming back to Whiskey Bend and he would wait for her there. His own stomping grounds.

  He reached for his phone to call in the results of the past few days. He was sure Simon would want to know the girl was coming back to Whiskey Bend.

  Leroy Younger had done his job.

  Shiloh tossed and turned in the wee hours of the morning. The distress of the day had been too much for her fragile mind and the nightmares she had as a child crept back into her conscious mind. Flashes of her past came and went as she slipped deeper and deeper into the nightmare.

  She remembered hearing loud voices that night. She was supposed to be in bed already on her way to sleep but she had known that company was coming and she wanted to see the party her parents were having. Her mother had checked on her a little while before and she pretended being asleep. But now she opened her door a crack and heard angry voices. She couldn’t hear the actual words but she could tell that her father was mad at someone. She had opened the door a little further and slipped through it. Creeping down the hall, she peeked around the corner and saw her father facing another man. She couldn’t see the other man’s face but she saw him strike out at her father. She saw him strike him again and again then she heard her mother scream. The man turned and struck out at her mother. Shiloh watched as the man hit her mother time and time again. When he finished the statue he held in his hand was bloody and he dropped it to the floor.

  She watched as he began going through her father’s pockets. He was looking for something but he never found it. The man stood and
turned around. His face was blood spattered and twisted in rage. Shiloh hadn’t recognized him then. He had become the monster of her dreams. She watched as he went to the bathroom and a few minutes later, she heard the water running. She went over to her dad and looked at him. She was too young to know about death yet but when she leaned over him and he didn’t move she knew something was terribly wrong. She leaned over and kissed his face then went over to where her mother laid.

  Her mother groaned softly and Shiloh wanted to shake her awake. She whispered her mom’s name and watched as her mother tried to open her eyes. When Shiloh heard the water stop in the bathroom, she scrambled to the hall closet and hid.

  It was one of her favorite places to hide. She could see through the slats but no one could see her hiding there. The terrified little girl watched as the man came back into the room. She watched as he viciously kicked her father before he walked out the front door as if nothing had happened.

  When the house was quiet, she reached for the handle of the door. She was going to go to her mother but just as she did, she heard a noise from the front hall. It was the door opening. Shiloh slid back into the corner of the closet and waited. She thought it was the man coming back.

  She heard someone scream and thought the man was hurting her mother again. Shock was setting in and all the girl could do was wait for the man to come and find her. Her mind was closing in on her and she felt nothing more than overwhelming panic.

  Shiloh sat up in bed and screamed. Sweat ran down her face as she grimaced in fear. When she opened her eyes, Shiloh was comforted at the site of her own bedroom. She took a deep breath and allowed her heart to calm to a steady pace.

  She pushed the tangled covers off her legs and stood up. She was weak from reliving her nightmare but now she remembered the night her parents died. She reached for the lamp on her bedside table and as the room flooded with a gentle light, she reached for the packet of papers her aunt left for her. Pulling out the picture of her parents, she gazed at the couple that gave her life.