Alpha Me Not

by Jianne Carlo

  “It was indulgent of us, I know. But we knew we were only going to have him for a short time. And he loved it so. Always doing these candid camera segments. Or filming his own magic tricks.”

  “Where’d you get the camcorder?”

  “Coach Bristow gave it to me. He does the regular teams for the area as well as the underprivileged ones. He coached Petey. They changed over their shifts today and cleaned out all the lockers. He found the camcorder stuck at the bottom of one. I can’t think how it could’ve gotten there. That camcorder was like an extension of Petey’s hand.”

  Was this a good thing? On the one hand, yes, because Barb would have more memories of her son. But would those final memories be good or bad? Susie sat up straight.

  Hen’s feathers. Petey’s last moments could be on the camcorder.

  No.

  He was taken on the way home from school. The college lockers were nowhere near Hallie Trails Elementary.

  She needed to let Joe and Kieran know what had happened before Barb viewed the contents of the camcorder. “The guys will be waiting for us. Do you feel well enough to walk?”

  Barb nodded. “It was the shock of seeing the camcorder. Yes. Let’s go. I can’t wait to get out of here.”

  Susie eyed Barb’s ghost-white complexion skeptically. When it took three tries for Barb to drop the camcorder into her purse, Susie debated suggesting they wait a few minutes before venturing into the crowds.

  Giving Susie no chance to voice the notion, Barb lurched off the sofa and started striding to the exit.

  Hastily Susie grabbed the crumpled towels and the cup, tossed them in the bin, and jog-walked to the door through which Barb had vanished.

  The crowd had thinned, and Susie spied Barb gliding across the lobby to Kieran.

  Barb slowed, halted in the middle of the room, and, after a thirty-second pause, sank to the floor in the most graceful faint Susie had ever witnessed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Consternation, confusion, and a constant speculative murmur followed Barb’s dramatic swoon. Several medical doctors had attended the Chez Pierre function, and she was at no loss for excellent attention.

  After a thorough examination the council of experts pronounced Barb exhausted and in need of rest. They also suggested a complete medical with Barb’s doctor the following day.

  Kieran declared his wife would comply with all recommendations. A flurry of activities followed.

  Kieran phoned Tate and requested he collect the prescriptions phoned in to Walmart. Joe drove Susie, Kieran, and Barb back to his house. They arrived to find Tate and Gray in the kitchen and an assortment of white prescription bags on the table.

  Grateful when Susie assumed control of the situation and insisted on drawing Barb a bath, Joe herded the men into his study. Abhorring the suggestion but reluctant to leave Barb in an unstable condition, he turned to Kieran and said, “Let’s call it off until tomorrow night.”

  “No. I want this over and done with ASAP. The sooner I can concentrate entirely on Barb, the better.”

  Susie poked her head in the room. “Joe, can I have a minute? Nothing’s wrong with Barb. She’s relaxing in the tub.”

  Her voice alerted him. Something was wrong with Barb.

  Joe hustled them into the master bedroom. “What’s up?”

  She still wore the come-suckle-me top and the dress pants but had scraped back her hair. The smudged mascara and puffy bags under her eyes meant she had succumbed to tears in between the bath drawing and coming to get him.

  He enclosed her in his arms and stroked her back. “Thank you.”

  A small sniff and she looked up. “Something happened before Barb fainted, and you should know about it.”

  When she finished describing the camcorder and Coach Bristow and Barb’s reactions, he let out a relieved sigh. “That was probably the last straw. Barb’s never fainted in her life to my knowledge. Scared the spit out of Kieran and me.”

  “I snuck the camcorder out of Barb’s purse because she wants to check it out before going to bed.” He read the concern glistening in her shimmery eyes. “What if there’s something not good on it?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. It’s the last thing she needs right now. I’m going to suggest to Kieran that you offer her a cup of tea and slip one of the sleeping pills into it. Mind doing that?” He fluffed a few stray hair strands back into place behind her ear.

  “Not at all.”

  He brushed his lips on her forehead. “Go make the tea. I’ll talk to Kieran and get back to you. I’ll give him the camcorder.”

  “It’s right there.” She pointed at the dresser.

  After giving her another quick kiss, he nabbed the camcorder and ushered her into the hallway.

  They parted ways in the kitchen.

  Joe found Tate and Gray trying to dissuade Kieran from his stubborn determination to carry out their planned investigation of the Arnold house and property. He interrupted the discussion with his news of the camcorder and the drugged tea recommendation.

  “Go for it.” Kieran accepted the camcorder from Joe. “I’m going to fast-forward through this before we leave. You never know.”

  “Attach it to the big monitor. All the cables are right there. I’ll be back in five.” Joe hurried out of the room just as the doorbell rang. He checked his watch: 9:45.

  The cavalry had arrived.

  He greeted Detectives Sands and Johnson. “Evening. Hope I didn’t throw off your duty roster with the schedule change.”

  Joe, Tate, Kieran, and Gray had decided to hire these two Hallie officers for three reasons: Detective Johnson felt indebted to Joe, and he had already demonstrated a certain loyalty by stepping over the line and informing Joe about Hugh Lee’s statement. There could be no better alibi than an off-duty cop, and if by chance anything untoward occurred at the house, trained police officers were the second-best defense available in Hallie. The best being the four friends, of course.

  “No problem, Mr. Huroq.”

  Joe couldn’t think of the red-haired cop as anything but Opie. “Come in. Anything new on Jeffrey Arnold?”

  “We haven’t been able to locate him. His mother claims he hasn’t been home in two days.” Detective Sands’s lips curled into a sneer. “We watched her ‘interview.’ She’s lying.”

  “My friends thought I was being paranoid about insisting on guards for my fiancée for the evening, but with Arnold AWOL, I’m almost tempted to cancel tonight.”

  “We got your back, Mr. Huroq. Don’t worry. Anything goes wrong, we can have the whole squad here in a heartbeat.”

  “That’s the kind of reassurance I’m after. However, we’re now running late and I need you two current.”

  “Current?” Susie’s tone had a slight edge.

  Joe about-faced.

  She stood in the kitchen doorway, one foot thrust forward, a hand on her pelvic bone. He crossed his fingers behind his back. Hopefully she hadn’t heard the fiancée bit.

  “Detective Sands and Johnson are going to be your guards tonight.” Joe traversed the room at an angle until he stood right in front of Susie. “These are the orders. No going anywhere without informing them. No closed doors of any kind, and that includes the bathroom. Leave all doors slightly ajar.”

  For once Susie’s mouth hadn’t taken on the usual mulish slant that signaled her stubborn temper at the issue of a command. Instead she simply nodded. “Gotcha. Anything else?”

  “No leaving the house unless there’s an emergency, and you’re accompanied by at least one of the detectives.”

  The kettle whistled. “Don’t worry about me or Barb, Joe. Do what you have to.”

  She walked around Joe and addressed the officers. “Detective Sands and Johnson, please make yourselves comfortable. There’s a pot of coffee in the kitchen and mugs on the counter. Help yourselves. I’m going to see to the tea.” Susie spun around and left.

  Joe motioned the detectives into the living
room. “Feel free to settle anywhere but the study. One other thing. Mr. and Mrs. Kieran Flanagan are spending the night in our guest room. Mrs. Flanagan fainted earlier, and Mr. Flanagan doesn’t want to leave her by herself. With everything that’s happened over the last little while, he’s quite frankly afraid to leave her alone.”

  “Can’t say as I blame him.” Detective Johnson shook his head.

  “He won’t hear of me cancelling the party, and I don’t want to upset him more than he already is. If there’s a need to call a doctor, all the information is clipped to the notice board by the phone in the kitchen.”

  The plan was for Kieran to make an appearance and greet the cops before announcing he was retiring for the night. Joe, Tate, and Gray would exit through the front after calling for a taxi to take them to Tate’s condo.

  Kieran would leave through the pink bedroom window and wait for the rest of them in Hallie Forest Preserve on the slope above the Arnolds’ property. After the taxi dropped them off at Tate’s condo, Gray, Joe, and Tate would double back on foot and meet Kieran.

  “Mr. Flanagan wouldn’t be handling the doctor for his wife, sir?” Detective Sands asked.

  “Mr. Flanagan’s been under severe stress over the last few days. I’m worried about him panicking if anything happens to his wife. That’s one of the other reasons I wanted you two here, besides my fiancée’s safety, of course. And I believe in multiple backups. Any questions?”

  “No, sir.”

  “You have all our contact info—don’t hesitate to phone. Thanks for accommodating the short notice.” Joe made his way to the kitchen.

  Susie emptied the kettle into an oversize mug with a couple of tea bag strings hanging over its side.

  Their gazes met, and nothing in the universe could’ve prevented him from kissing her like a starving man. She was the light against his beast’s darkness, the salve for his scarred soul.

  He tore away from the sweetness of her mouth, leaned his forehead on hers, and said, “I won’t see you again until we get back.”

  “Joe?”

  “Ask.”

  “Talk to me any way you can. I want to know you’re okay. And if you deny me a chance to help you if something’s wrong, I’ll keep you in the penalty box for the rest of your life.” She spoke the fierce words softly, but her stare was direct and searing.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too. Now go.” She shoved off him and spun around to face the counter.

  He heard the half sob on her indrawn breath and left before he lost all willpower to do so. She had said she loved him. All would soon be right with the world, if he had to sell his soul to make it so.

  The instant Joe closed the study door and saw Kieran, his wolf assumed command. “What?”

  The rage Kieran had stoppered since Petey’s death swarmed the room. “Play it.”

  Kieran had found a clue on Petey’s camcorder.

  Tate picked up the remote, and the screen filled with an image of a locker room.

  Joe frowned. “Ruffians’ B-team lockers?”

  “Yep. Watch.” Kieran’s concentration hadn’t strayed from the monitor.

  The showers came into view. Water ran in the last one on the right. The camera panned to the stall and zoomed in.

  Joe discerned two bodies, one large and heavyset, one small and slight. His gut clenched. Not Petey. If there was a God, not Petey.

  The screen went dark for a few seconds, and the sound of rhythmic inhales and exhales strummed the blackness. Light came back on, and the shower curtain parted.

  “Fuck. Fuck.” Coach Ellison and a sniffling boy who couldn’t have been older than nine exited the stall. They were both naked, and the boy was crying quietly. Joe saw red. His beast rage soared.

  “This changes everything. Ellison’s mine. I’m heading over there right now.” Kieran strapped on a shoulder holster and hefted a GLOCK 21 .45 from Joe’s armor cabinet.

  Joe walked over to Kieran and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Not alone, you’re not. His house is on College Circle, and that means it’s constantly patrolled. His wife will probably be home.”

  “Vengeance hasn’t made me stupid. Did you see how much she drank tonight? I doubt I’ll have problems there. If I do, I’ll hypnotize her.”

  Kieran’s panther eyes had the power to put a victim into a trance.

  “You’re going to use that to get everything out of Ellison first?” Tate asked.

  Kieran snarled, “You bet.”

  “We’ll stand guard until you’re done.” Joe wasn’t giving Kieran a choice.

  “What does this mean re the Arnolds?” Gray pointed at the frozen screen.

  Tate shook his head. “It sure puts a different spin on everything. Susie saw those two boys in the ravine. And she saw eyes buried in the Arnolds’ backyard. My gut’s with her visions.”

  “So’s mine.” Joe’s back-of-the-neck tingling hadn’t calmed since viewing the tape. “Let’s plan on still checking out the Arnolds but finalize that decision after Kieran’s finished with Ellison.”

  Gray’s glance swept the three of them. “I don’t believe we can dismiss Susie’s visions. Something is wrong with the Arnolds, and I’m going to check it out before I leave. Tonight’s as good a time as any.”

  “I’m with Gray,” Tate stated.

  “Agreed.” Kieran picked out a wicked curved stiletto, tested the sharpness of the blade with his finger, and his lips curved when scarlet drops stained the gleaming steel.

  “Before we leave, let’s establish your alibi. I told Sands and Johnson you and Barb are spending the night. Go make nice with them, and then we’ll head out.”

  After Kieran had left the room, Gray asked, “You don’t think you’re being a tad paranoid about this? I mean why not just have Kieran with us at the bachelor poker party we’re supposed to be having?”

  “I had an alibi for Ritchie Henderson. I was horsing around with Tate on the football field. No one believed either of us.”

  “That had a lot to do with my reputation, Joe. And the fact I had two juvie offenses on file.”

  “We’re all friends. Stands to reason we’d lie to protect one of our own. Sands and Johnson are off-duty cops with no reason to lie. I’m done with this. It’s going down my way or not at all.” Joe scanned the room, locking gazes with first Gray and then Tate. “Any arguments?”

  “Nope.”

  “Not from me, buddy.” Tate hooked a thumb. “Let’s roll.”

  * * * *

  The op went down smoother than fresh-creamed butter.

  All university professor-provided housing carried the same security system. Tate’s choice of activity when bored was hacking, and there wasn’t a system in Hallie he hadn’t successfully broken into.

  Joe, Kieran, and Gray secured the perimeter of Vance Ellison’s home while Tate neutralized the security system.

  At Tate’s signal, Kieran stalked to the back of the house. Tate took Kieran’s spot on the back left of the property. Gray prowled the opposite corner.

  Joe sprinted to the driveway and crouched behind a mulberry shrub, a position that afforded him a clear view of the entire front area.

  One of the frat houses on a nearby road reverberated with the exaggerated bass of a rap song. Joe figured the campus cops would be too busy keeping an eye on the frat party to focus much on College Circle.

  Campus security was a mixed beat comprising both a regular patrol car and golf cart surveillance. Fifteen minutes later a golf cart hummed its way past Ellison’s house. Joe hoped Kieran could obtain Ellison’s full confession before the cart made its second round.

  Kieran appeared not eleven seconds later. He nodded at Joe and gave him a thumbs-up.

  All had gone according to plan.

  On the way to Vance’s house, the men had all agreed on how the story would unfold. In the morning Coach Ellison would be discovered dead by his own hand.

  Tate would leak the shower scene Petey had somehow taped on the Inter
net, but blur the young victim’s face. Kieran had volunteered to contact Detective Taunton once they had identified the boy and the team had decided to let the Hallie special victims professionals in the police department handle informing his parents about the abuse.

  After the fanfare of tonight’s ceremony, the reasons for Vance Ellison’s suicide would be apparent: fear of exposure of his horrific secret life.

  Tate had assured Kieran there was no way the tape could be traced back to Petey.

  Joe signaled, and they all moved out. When they reached the incline behind the Arnolds’ house, he motioned for a conference. They gathered in a tight circle.

  “Ellison did it?”

  “Yeah. Petey was hiding in a locker. The kid who was in the shower with him is one Ryan Wood. Ellison and the boy left the lockers, and Petey came out of his hiding place. Ellison forgot something, went back to the locker room, and bumped into Petey. He said he offered Petey a ride home. I’m guessing Petey somehow managed to hide the camcorder in a locker. Ellison knew nothing about the camcorder.

  “He questioned Petey and panicked. Stashed him in the cave under the rock. Ellison said he took Petey food and water. He said he didn’t want to kill Petey, but he couldn’t take a chance on letting him go. My boy was in that fucking cave for three days. I can’t fucking imagine how scared he must have been.” Tears streamed down Kieran’s cheeks. He shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “Barb never knows this. Petey fell and broke his neck. That’s the official story.”

  The anguish in Kieran’s voice raked Joe’s heart. But he forced himself to focus on the operation and what they needed to know. “How’d Ellison know about the cave?”

  Kieran’s abrasive half laugh, half jeer rent the silence. “Swampy and Ellison occasionally hunted together. Swampy let it slip once.”

  “What about the other boys? Eric? The dead kid from the ravine?”

  “Not Ellison. Don’t get me wrong. Ellison molested God knows how many over the years, but Petey’s the only one…” Kieran shuttered his eyes and bowed his head.

  Joe could see all the pent-up rage fizzing like a dart-popped balloon out of Kieran, and he felt for him. That Kieran hadn’t taken the ultimate revenge and set Ellison free only to hunt him down and kill him like the vermin he was spoke volumes of the grief still buried. “You’re positive Ellison told the truth?”