by Vikki Walton
No sound.
He bent down and threw the piece of wood into the cavernous space. No attack. No response. Nothing.
Hope was now right behind him, arm raised.
Carson strode into the room. “This is Sheriff Carson. I’m going to give you three seconds to come out and then I’m going to shoot. One. Two.”
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” A young male voice squeaked. Carson pulled the flashlight from his pocket and pointed it toward where a lanky young man was exiting from the stack of boxes. He stood up with his hands in the air.
“Spencer?”
“Sheriff Carson. I can explain.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve got an explanation all right.” He motioned to the boy who turned and went back inside the box. Carson followed. “Well, well.”
Inside the boxes, Spencer had cut out the interiors so that it was long enough to lie down in and sleep. Some food wrappers, soda cans, and a dog-eared copy of The Martian were in one corner.
“Nice, huh?” Spencer remarked proudly.
“Do you know that people from social services are scouring the countryside for you? Mrs. Laurence is beside herself.”
“I’m sure she’s beside herself. Thinking about the money she’ll lose out on with me gone.”
Carson motioned for Spencer to exit the secret hideaway. They stood in the attic while Hope trained the flashlight on the pair.
“Okay, so let’s have it.” Carson stuck his hand out.
“Have what?”
“The gun.”
“Your gun?”
“The gun you found in Ms. Freemont’s office.”
“I don’t go in there. Someone is, you know, usually in there. I just get some food and I did borrow this headlight.” He held it up for their inspection.
“Borrow, huh?” Hope retorted.
Carson searched Spencer’s face for a moment, while the boy squirmed under the Sheriff’s intense gaze.
“I’m telling the truth. No way would I touch a gun. They’re dangerous.”
“Okay.” Carson grew quiet. “How long have you been up here?”
“Well . . . you know . . . ”
“Have you been here this entire weekend?” Hope questioned.
He shrugged his shoulders but said nothing.
“You’ve been in this attic the entire time?”
“Well . . . ” He shrugged his shoulders again.
Carson stared down at Spencer. “Son, a well is a deep subject. And I think you may be holding out on me.”
“No. I wouldn’t.” Spencer held his hands up. He stopped, and his mouth twisted as he fought with himself.
“Okay look, you’re probably, you know, going to find out anyway but I’m not the only one here.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Downstairs in the living room, the commotion woke up the sleeping women. Taylor held a piece of firewood as a weapon, while Lil watched the door anxiously. Liz stood behind a chair, her eyes intent on the doorway. Anne had returned to her seat, the throbbing pain from her ankle making any action improbable.
Seconds ticked by. Then minutes. Finally, they heard footsteps on the stairs. Hope appeared in the doorway.
“All’s well ladies. Nothing to worry about. An animal in the attic.” Hope looked at the dying embers in the fireplace. No one had seen to keep the fire stoked with all the uproar. The first rays of light peeked through the snow-covered windows.
Then the lights came on.
Everyone cheered. Taylor and Lil hugged one another.
“Ladies, if you would like to go get changed into some other clothes, I’d be happy to go up with you.” Hope motioned to the stairs. Everyone agreed and they all filed upstairs.
Once they had reached the landing, Hope said, “Please stay in your rooms and I’ll be back in a minute. And as a precaution, please lock your doors.” She waved to the women and then headed down the stairs.
Lil stood in the doorway to her room, glancing down the hallway toward Beth’s room. Beth came out of her room as Hope emerged from the storage closet with her hands full of clean towels. Once everyone was situated, she headed back downstairs. Lil moved into the hallway to join the others, when Liz exited her room. She was wearing a heavy sweater and boots.
“You going somewhere, Liz? It will be a while before the roads are clear,” Beth asked.
“I thought I might go out in the back for a bit. Being stuck in this house has made me yearn for some fresh air.”
“That sounds like a great plan. I’d like to get outside for a bit too.” Beth went back inside her room where she grabbed a sweater.
From outside, the sound of a snowblower started.
The group made their way downstairs until they were in the kitchen. Hope was cracking eggs in a bowl. “Anyone up for some coffee and a breakfast burrito? I think we can get that started without Kandi.”
“Count me in. I’m hungrier than a chicken on a June bug,” Taylor quipped.
“If you can fix the coffee, I’ll start on cutting up the vegetables,” Lil responded.
Anne hobbled in from the front room. “Thanks for getting this going. Not sure when Kandi will make it over.”
“At your service.” Hope winked at her. “Why don’t you grab a seat?”
After Hope helped Anne get situated, she sat down next to Lil. Taylor was passing plates around the table and Beth poured coffee. Liz continued to stand next to the back door.
The loud roar of the snowblower cut through the air. Carson must be clearing the driveway.
Anne gratefully accepted a pillow from Lil for her foot.
“Come on, Liz. I’ve got cabin fever too, but we can go out after we eat.” Beth motioned to the woman who still stood by the backdoor.
Anne glanced around the kitchen. “Hey Hope, you seen my phone? I thought I’d left it next to me in the living room, but I may have dropped it in all the craziness last night. I thought maybe it was in here, but I don’t see it.”
“Nope, but I can look for it after we eat.” Hope took some fresh orange juice and began pouring it into glasses. She handed one to Beth.
“Thanks.” Beth took a long drink of the juice.
The sound of a truck could be heard coming down the drive. Liz hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and went out the door. The ladies joined her on the back porch. Kandi waved to them from the door of her four-wheel drive truck.
“Hey you guys! Was that, like, some storm or what last night?” Kandi stepped down onto the automatic truck step.
“That was some storm all right,” Hope replied, shading her eyes from the bright snow that covered everything in a heavy layer of fondant.
Kandi took a step forward. “What’s, like, the emergency?”
“What?” Anne had limped out to join the group. She took a hop forward toward the railing.
“I got a text that said to come in the truck. That you needed help. Is it your foot?”
“I didn’t send you a text.”
Liz stepped over toward Kandi. “I did it.” She faced Anne. “I saw your phone lying on the table and I was concerned you might have broken your foot, so I texted her. I’ve seen enough broken bones to know when something’s broken.” She laughed but it came out flat.
“Stop right there,” Carson’s voice commanded. He moved quickly from the side of the house where he’d been listening to their conversation. He stood in front of the women.
But if Carson had been next to the house, who’d been using the snowblower?
Anne looked out to the figure who was had been using the snowblower to clear the driveway. He was wearing Carson’s coat and hat. He took off the sunglasses. Anne recognized the young male as the boy named Spencer. He pointed to Liz. “That’s her. That’s who I saw.”
Liz grabbed Kandi, who screamed out in terror. From her pocket, Liz pulled Carson’s Glock and swung it back and forth at the women. The women all shrieked in panic, ducking down and pressing themselves back against the porch wall.
; “Stop or I’ll shoot!” Her hand shook as she moved the gun back and forth across the group. “You.” She pointed at the boy—“You! Get over there with them.”
“Spencer to you.”
He raised his hands over his head and inched toward the porch.
“Liz, what’s going on? Have you lost your mind?” Beth implored.
“No, I’ve finally found it. Now shut up!”
Kandi whimpered. Anne moved toward her.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Liz threatened. Her voice rose hysterically.
Everything clicked in Anne’s mind. Ignoring Carson’s headshake, she responded, “You’re smart, Liz. I have to hand it to you. You had us all fooled. When did you decide to frame Beth for her husband’s death? In fact, I bet you actually wrote that note.”
“Smart thinking, Sherlock.” But you’ve got some of it wrong. Edward wasn’t the intended victim. She was.” Liz thrust out her arm and pointed the gun at Beth.
Beth cried out, “What! But, why? Why?” She clutched at her throat.
“You’re so stupid. Edward and I were lovers. He promised me he was going to leave you. Why I ever believed him . . . I should have known . . . so stupid. He used me,” She spat out. “I hated him. He thought he was so clever.” She laughed maniacally.
“As soon as Jake goes off to college,” she mimicked a male voice. “So much for promises!” Her hand shook as the gun became heavier and her palm started sweating. She released the hold on Kandi and gripped the gun with both hands. “Don’t try anything or I’ll shoot. Give me the keys.”
“I, I, like, left them in the ignition.”
“Then go start the truck. And no funny business or I shoot one of your friends.”
Kandi went over and started the truck and Liz motioned her over to join the others on the porch.
Carson kept his hands up. “I have to give it to you. I’m impressed. I’d like to hear the whole story.”
“I don’t think so. This isn’t some cop show on TV.”
“Indulge me. I can tell you must have a plan, or you would know that you can’t make it out of the city limits.”
“You’re right there. I am smart. I plan everything.” She waved the gun at the women on the porch.
The women ducked lower, flinching and afraid.
Liz spoke, “All the time we were in college, they looked down on me. They thought they were the smart ones. But my IQ beats all of theirs. Genius level!”
The thought of the line between genius and insanity sprung to Anne’s mind. She watched as Carson instructed Kandi to move behind him. Soon, Kandi had made it to the steps that led down to the yard. Anne reached over and motioned for Kandi to join her. She clutched Kandi close to her, trying to move the girl behind her and out of the line of fire.
Liz snickered. “Oh, Taylor. I played you like a fiddle. l knew you’d work your magic and get Lil to come. I also knew that would make Beth go ballistic. She’d want to leave. At that point Eddie would be off skiing and out of the way. She would take the car and sadly, she’d become ill or maybe her brakes would fail. Then she’d pull a Thelma and Louise only without Louise going along for the ride.
“But then everything changed. I overheard him telling Lil he would leave Beth for her.” She shook her head and laughed hysterically. “Can you believe it? The joke was on me. All this time. I waited, thinking he really loved me. But he only ever loved her.” She pointed the gun at Lil who fell to her knees, crying.
“I had to make him pay. He’d used all of us. All of us! No more.” She wiped her hand on her pants and then gripped the gun tighter. “It was so simple. I’d made up a tincture with foxglove. I’d been giving it to Edward in tiny doses, never too much. I wasn’t sure if he would notice the different taste. Plus, everyone needed to think his heart condition was worsening.” She laughed again. “Which it was. Helped along by me and my helpful suggestion to switch to a vape pen. Easy to replace the liquid with my own concoction.”
Beth exclaimed, “So that’s why he’d been complaining of stomach issues. Even here he was sick after we went out to eat. Plus, the hand tremors. They were becoming more pronounced. He said it was going to affect his practice.”
“I figured if you could see he wouldn’t be able to work, that you’d leave the marriage.” She shook her head at Beth. “I tried everything I could to get you to leave him.”
“Why wouldn’t you have just done what needed to be done!” Liz yelled and took a step toward Beth. “But no, you’re so weak. And greedy. You never loved him. You loved the concept of him. That’s why you put up with his horrible treatment of you and his affairs that he threw in your face. For years I’ve been trying to get you to see the truth. But you’re so stupid.”
Tears streamed down Beth’s cheeks. “But I thought we were friends.”
“You thought wrong.”
The boy spoke up, “I saw you.”
“Spencer, hush.” Carson stuck his hand out across the boy’s chest and forced Spencer behind him.
“What do you mean?” She squinted at the boy. “Spit it out, Spencer.”
“I hid in the priest hole in the hallway.”
“Priest hole?” Everyone echoed.
He nodded. “It’s a pretty cool hiding place. You can see everyone coming and going. I saw you go into their room with one of those vials in your hand. Then you came out and you still had it. After you all went for your walk I went in your room. The vial was there, but it was almost empty.”
Liz frowned. “You’re a nosey little twerp.”
“Does that mean you’ve been in the house all along?” Taylor asked Spencer.
“Yep. I ran away, you know, from the foster home and some kids told me about this old place. They used to come here, you know, after Mister Rogers died. I noticed people working on it, but they’d leave at night, so I snuck in and stayed up in the attic.”
Kandi turned to him. “That explains, like, a lot. You’re the one who’s been stealing the food?”
Spencer shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. “I was, you know, hungry.”
Liz took a step toward the truck. “Well, this has been fun, but needs must and all that.”
“Wait.” Anne moved to the steps. “What about Marie?”
“Ahhh, Marie. Collateral damage.” Liz backed toward the truck. “I knew that woman was nosey, but I couldn’t know what she’d heard from my conversation with Beth. You know the old saying about curiosity killing the cat.”
“You tried to make it look like an accident,” Spencer said. “I grabbed her right before she fell down the stairs.”
“Ahhh, that makes sense now. You’re the pesky ghost then?”
Spencer stuck his hands deep in his pockets. “Everyone kept talking about ghosts, so I thought if I went out at night and people saw the sheet, you know, they’d think I was a ghost. And it worked too, until he came along.” He pointed at Carson.
“It was a glitch, you saving that nosey woman. But you actually did me a favor because then I could point the finger at Beth by spiking my own drink. I knocked Marie’s glass over and then switched places.”
Hope finally joined the conversation. “How did you know that Marie would be sitting next to you?”
“Psychology. That’s how.” She laughed. “That was my specialty. People are creatures of habit. Once they start sitting somewhere they tend to go back to those same places. We sat at those same seats for breakfast and lunch. I had to make sure Marie didn’t take Edward’s place, so I made sure that everyone would ask Anne and Hope to join us. Of course, I acted like they might want to do something different.”
Anne thought back over the weekend. Liz was right. Everything had been one play on another with no one the wiser. Liz had even yelled at the dinner table that someone had tried to kill her, thus deflecting the suspicion away from her and onto the others.
Liz faced the group. “Now it’s time to say goodbye.”
“You’re never going to get away with it.” Anne
grabbed the rail tighter as her foot began aching. “Why don’t you just give yourself up? There’s no way you’ll go free, now that we all know your story.”
The guttural laugh from Liz caused everyone to cringe.
“Really? You don’t think I haven’t thought this through. My escape Plan A to Plan Z? I’ve plotted this six ways to Sunday. My only regret is that Edward died before I got to do what I should have done long ago.”
She pointed the gun at Lil.
Lil pleaded, “Please, no. My children.”
Carson stepped in front of Lil. “You’re not going to hurt anybody.”
“Sheriff, I appreciate all your heroics, but I’ve already killed. I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”
“That may be the case but you’re not going to hurt anybody.” Carson took a step forward.
Spencer whistled. Caught off guard by the noise, Liz swiveled toward a huge brown animal bounding across the snow. As she raised the gun, Spencer lunged from the porch and pushed her down. The gun flew from Liz’s hand.
As Liz struggled to get up from the deep snow, Spencer called off the slobbering Newfoundland. He pulled a piece of jerky out of his pocket. “Good boy. Good boy, Bear.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As Carson struggled with Liz, Hope ran down and retrieved the gun from where it had landed in the snow. Taylor bent down and helped a shaking Lil to her feet. Beth stood clutching at the post holding up the porch roof. Kandi moved beside Anne as they watched the chaos.
“That is, literally, like, something you see in a movie.”
“Get off me. Let me go!” Liz screamed as Carson pulled handcuffs from his belt.
The wail of sirens were heard approaching the house. Anne watched as a deputy’s cruiser pulled up behind Kandi’s still running truck. He flung open the door, drew his gun, and jogged over to Carson and a struggling Liz.
After assessing that Carson had Liz restrained, he holstered his weapon.
Carson spoke, “Here, Ruiz. Read this lady her rights and take her in. I’ve got a few things to finish here, then I’ll join you at headquarters.”
Deputy Ruiz recited the Miranda warning as he shuffled Liz off to the cruiser.