Shallow River

by H. D. Carlton

  “I’m going to find River. Alive. And then I’m going to take her home and give her the life she deserves. But you will never see her again. So, if you give any fucks about your daughter, then take comfort in the fact that she will live like a fucking queen while you rot here and waste away.”

  She blows out a cloud of smoke and ashes her cigarette. She doesn’t look affected by my words, but she does bring her gaze to mine, an unnamed emotion glittering in the depths of her dead eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  She stands, drops the cigarette butt into a soda can, the cherry extinguishing in whatever liquid is in there. And then calmly walks past me and disappears down a hallway, shutting a door gently behind her.

  Unsettled by her reaction, I turn towards the exit, push open the crooked door and slam it behind me. Right outside of her house, about a hundred feet away, is the river where River was born. It’s murky and lifeless, just like the rest of this town.

  The complete opposite of the woman named after this body of water.

  Because if River is as lifeless as the water before me, I will take great pleasure ripping Billy apart piece by fucking piece.

  HAWK’S RESTAURANT IS PROBABLY the nicest building I’ve come across in Shallow Hill yet. Which is pretty fucking sad considering it looks like the building is starting to collapse in on itself. A twenty-four-hour Waffle House sits across the street, looking just as pathetic as its competition. I parked in the very back of the parking lot, closest to the street and in direct view of Hawk’s. The lack of foot traffic and the window spanning the front of the building provides me with a perfect view inside. Though I have to concentrate to see past the handprints and thin layer of grime coating the window.

  If Billy is inside, storming in the restaurant like a Hellion is nipping at my ass wouldn’t get me anywhere except shot. All I’m waiting on is a warrant for Billy.

  Billy knows my face. He’d only been giving me false leads and attempting to fuck with my case. And he would rather attempt homicide in front of Shallow Hill residents dining than let me cart his ass off to prison. After all, he owns Shallow Hill and if he succeeded in shooting me dead, no one would tell a soul. They’d probably even offer to help him hide my body.

  My fist curls tight, my knuckles bleaching white. It takes all my strength not to send my fist flying through the windshield. My knee bounces, restless energy coursing through me. More seconds go by. Minutes. Hours. Until eventually, the restaurant closes and the lights go out. I’ve seen every type of person go in and out of that restaurant. Sex workers, pimps, drug users and dealers, and even some average joes who look like they work a nine-to-five job.

  So many faces, but none the one that I need to see.

  I throw my head back on my headrest and loose a harsh breath.

  I need to go home and catch a few hours of sleep before I come back out. By then, I’ll have my warrant. Because when I do, I will hunt for my girl in every house in this shitty town if I have to.

  “HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY sleep?” Amar asks from beside me.

  My fingers tick on my thigh as I continue to stare at the restaurant. It’s only ten in the morning and it’s been a week since River has been taken. A week of her going through god-knows-what abuse at the hands of a walking dead man. He’s been elusive. No leads. No tags. Nothing. I refrained from banging on random doors. Only because I know Billy runs this town and if word gets out that a detective is looking for him or River, he’d go into hiding like a groundhog that just saw his shadow.

  Amelia reported River missing, and I let my sergeant know my suspicions of who the Ghost Killer is and showed him the video of River being kidnapped. Finding River isn’t a solo job, I have several undercover cops patrolling every block in Shallow Hill, keeping themselves elusive. I’ve no idea how much Billy knows about my relationship with River, or if he knows we have one at all. The less Billy suspects about any cops coming for him, the more comfortable he’ll feel walking outside and showing his face around town.

  I got a warrant, which allowed us to search any of Billy’s property. He owns one house in Shallow Hill under Benedict Davis. The house was completely barren, devoid of any signs that the house is being used. I’m sure he owns property under false alias’, but that does me no good when I don’t know the names he’s using.

  Amar sits next to me, watching Hawk’s closely, waiting for Billy to appear. Amar showed up a few hours ago, walking into the restaurant himself, questioning the owner and eventually getting the stubborn man to admit Billy frequents the restaurant often, with only a single nod. He refused to say anything more than that, and Amar let him be for now.

  After going through the surveillance at Ryan’s house again, we caught on one of the cameras a black SUV parked behind the house, where Billy eventually dragged River into. With a partial license plate, we were able to track down the car and confirm its registration to Benedict Davis. We tagged the make, model and license plate across the board. Anytime the street cams tag the car, we’ll get an immediate alert as to where and when.

  “Mako?” Amar pushes. I glance at him for a second, before my eyes involuntarily slide back to Hawk’s.

  “Barely,” I admit. Amar doesn’t say anything for a moment. I know he won’t berate me. Not when he’d be doing the same exact thing had his wife ever gotten kidnapped.

  “He’s going to show up.” While I appreciate his encouraging words, they do nothing to make me feel better. I won’t be able to breathe properly until I have River in my arms, alive and safe. And if there’s one hair out of place on her pretty little head, I’m going to lose my shit.

  “Am I going to be held accountable for what I do to him when I find him?” I ask. I’m not asking because I’m worried, nor is his answer going to change anything. I’m asking to get an idea where Amar’s head is.

  He’s silent for a few moments. “As long as no one else is around… no. No, you won’t be.” If Amar were anything but a man in love, I don’t know if he’d feel the same way. I’ve never been more grateful for his wife in my entire life. “She’s going to be okay, man. She’s a tough girl.”

  That, I know. River McAllister is perfectly capable of grabbing her prey by the throat and tearing them to pieces. She’s the strongest fucking person I know, and no matter what Billy puts her through, my girl will come out the other side stronger than before.

  I drag my eyes to his, shooting him a brief look of gratitude before turning my focus back to Hawk’s. Right as I do, my phone buzzes in the cupholder next me. Snatching it up, I look to see that we got a hit. Billy’s car is down the road, heading towards Hawk’s. I angle the phone to Amar, showing him the alert. A slow, sinister smile builds on his face, matching the one on my face.

  We got him.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “We’re going to wait until he leaves and then tail him.” Adrenaline releases into my bloodstream steadily. He’s here. And he’s going to lead me back to where I need to be. I’m so fucking close, I can taste the bloodshed on my tongue.

  And fuck, does it taste sweet.

  “HE’S LEAVING,” I SAY aloud, perking up from my hunched over position. Billy parked his car in the back, hidden away from street view. It took a few drive-by’s, but Amar and I managed to find a little alleyway to park in, close enough to get an unobscured view but far enough away that Billy shouldn’t notice us.

  Billy revs his engine and takes off down the street. I wait until he makes a turn until I pull out behind him.

  Eventually, Billy turns into a trailer park—Towner’s Park. The trailers are placed sporadically, each house sporting a different design of rust and rot in the paneling. Overgrown, brittle grass lick at the sides of the trailers, with more rusted items cluttering the beds of grass. Cars, trinkets, kid toys. Everything about this place looks rundown and beaten.

  Five minutes. River was five minutes away from me this entire time.

  Ahead of me, Billy speeds up and whips around a corner. Not wanting to seem ob
vious, I force myself to keep the same pace. Turns out, this park is more elaborate than I gave credit for. Once I turn down the road, Billy’s car is no longer in sight. Various roads and dead ends break off from the street.

  “Fuck me,” I spit, stepping on the gas harder. I no longer care if Billy sees me coming. The last thing the fucker will see is my headlights before he turns into a mangled mess beneath my tires if I have it my way.

  “Do you see him?” I bark, my voice nearly rising hysterically. My heart is pounding so hard, it’s all I can hear. I barely hear the words come out of Amar’s mouth.

  “He can’t be too far. Turn here,” he directs.

  I follow his directions a little too eagerly, jerking the car roughly to the left and squealing the tires. I speed past several homes, searching down every side road, desperate to find even a glimpse of Billy’s car. In the streets or parked by any of the homes. But his car has completely vanished. The tension in my body rises until all my body can process is unfiltered hysteria.

  “FUCK!” I roar, banging my fist on my steering wheel several times, causing the car to swerve. Amar grabs my hand before I put my first through the wheel and engage the airbag or run us straight into a trailer. Whichever comes first. Straightening the car, I force myself to calm down as I take more turns, getting lost in the maze of this shitty ass trailer park.

  “Turn here,” Amar says again, his voice barely penetrating the blood rushing through my ears. I follow his directions and will myself to calm down. Losing my shit isn’t going to find her any faster. I need to fucking focus.

  I’m searching every yard and driveway, my eyes sweeping one side of the road while Amar inspects the other side. For another hundred feet, I don’t see anything. Just as I’m casting my eyes forward to see which way to turn, I notice off in the distance a lone, dilapidated house. It doesn’t look like it’s part of the trailer park, but it appears to be on the land. I see a car poking out from behind the house, but it’s not revealed enough for me to tell if it’s Billy’s car or not.

  “Do you see that?” I ask. Amar directs his eyes towards where my finger is pointing.

  “Let’s check it out.”

  I’m already driving towards the house before Amar can say so. Billy is not anywhere in this park. What other reason would he have to drive through here? A gut feeling settles in my stomach. I just know this is where River is. I can feel it.

  My hands threaten to tremble, but I force them steady. The adrenaline is becoming more potent in my bloodstream as I drive up towards the house. I see a flash of movement through one of the first-floor windows. The movement was too quick and I hadn’t been close enough to make out who it was to be sure, but it looked like a flash of black hair.

  My car crests the driveway and Billy’s car comes into view. My foot is slamming on the brakes and just barely do I shift the car into park before the door is open and my ass is off the seat. I round my car and charge towards the front door, just as said door is flung open and my girl comes barreling through, her eyes wide with panic.

  “River!” Her eyes fix on me, and when they do, tears flood them. She nearly tackles me, throwing all her weight into my body.

  “Mako! Watch out!” The last thing I see is the barrel of a gun being pointed directly at my head.

  Twenty Eight

  River

  THE SHOT FIRES, THE loud, abrasive sound echoing. I feel Mako jerk beneath me, right before we both topple to the ground. Another shot rings out. I squeeze my eyes shut tight, waiting to feel the burn in my back, but all I feel is Mako’s still weight beneath me.

  “Don’t move another fucking inch!” a voice screams from behind me. I turn my head and see Mako’s partner pointing a gun at Billy, with the latter pointing his right back, holding onto his bloody shoulder.

  Whipping my head back around, I lift up and inspect Mako. Blood is pooling beneath him, but his eyes are open and lively, and his teeth gritted in pain.

  “Mako! Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth as I carefully scramble off of him. He wheezes from the movement.

  “I’m fine,” he grits.

  Liar. He’s not. He’s been shot and is bleeding.

  “Where are you shot?” I ask. He’s wearing a black shirt, which is concealing the bullet wound too well for my panicked eyes. All I can see is blood. Blood everywhere.

  “My chest,” he gasps.

  No, no, no. Before I can raise my hands to apply pressure, he’s lifting himself up. A long groan hurdles past his tightened lips.

  “Stop it!” I gasp, attempting to push him back down. He evades me, though, and is on his feet before I can process that this man has just been shot in the chest and is standing up. And not just that but lifting his own gun and pointing it at Billy.

  Billy is also bleeding, his injured arm dangling and now holding the gun with his left hand. Amar must’ve shot in retaliation once Billy shot off his round.

  Billy dares to take his eyes from Amar, watching Mako rise and point a gun at him with an evil smile on his face. “Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” he taunts from the porch.

  I growl, charging back towards my captor, but Mako’s free arm scoops around my waist and shoves me behind him. I’d send a fist into his back in defiance if a bullet didn’t just pass through it. Or did it?

  Oh, God, it could be lodged in there for all I know.

  “I know, baby, you don’t need me to save you,” Mako placates, his eyes still on Billy. “I’m only going to murder him, that’s all.”

  Billy tips his head back and laughs at Mako’s words.

  “You think you can kill a god?” he asks, his blue eyes bright with excitement and pure incarnate evil. He’s enjoying this stand-off. Even being completely outnumbered and already shot, he’s getting a sick pleasure out of it. Billy always did love the thrill of his life hanging precariously close on the edge of death.

  I step aside, still keeping the majority of my body behind Mako’s, only if it means to keep him from stressing further. “You’re not a god, Billy. You’re just a washed-up old man that has no loyalty. That’s why you keep killing everyone, right? You can’t trust a single soul in this world because everyone despises you.” I spit the words with every ounce of hatred I can.

  Billy’s lip curls. My words eat at him because he knows it’s true. The drugs have crippled what little sanity he had left. He’s too paranoid now. Too nervous. That’s why he inserted himself into Mako’s investigation. He thought if he could pull strings on the inside as well, no one would catch onto him. The last thing he expected was for me to have a relationship with a detective and get close enough to spill the truth. Billy has killed so many people. Hurt so many families. He has an enemy within ten feet of him at all times, and he fucking knows it.

  “I gave you life, bitch. I will take it away,” he growls. I laugh at his words. At his audacity to think that killing me is the worst thing he could do to me. He’s already done his worst. He’s already ruined me for life. I’ll never be normal because of him. Killing me would be a mercy.

  “The fuck you will,” Mako intervenes before I can say anything else. In one quick movement, Mako flips the gun in the air, catching hold of it by the barrel, lifts his arm and throws the gun directly at Billy’s head. His aim strikes true, the butt of the gun smacking Billy directly in the forehead before he can process what’s happening.

  The moment the gun left Mako’s hand, he charged towards Billy, seemingly confident the gun would hit. Billy’s head knocks back, and he falls to the ground.

  “Fuck!” Billy shouts, his hand whipping to head, now spilling blood profusely from where he was hit. “You motherfucki—” He doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Mako’s upon him, lifting Billy up despite his own gunshot wound.

  “Mako! Be careful, you idiot!” I shout, my legs finally unlocking and carrying me towards the couple. Mako ignores me and drags Billy back inside the house. My legs stutter. I don’t want to go back ins
ide that house. I worked so hard to come out of it.

  Amar runs up to me. “River, please go sit in the car. I’ll make sure Mako is okay.” I don’t look at him. Not when Mako is disappearing around the corner, dragging a fighting Billy into the kitchen and out of view.

  “I… I can’t leave him alone,” I say. But yet my legs still won’t move. Why won’t they fucking move? Why now, does my body decide to process the trauma?

  Move, River.

  “Sweetheart, I got him. Just go sit inside the car.” The end of Amar’s sentence is drowned out by a loud scream, filled with agony. It sounded like Billy.

  “No,” I say, the sound finally spurring me into action. Mako didn’t run away when I got my revenge on Ryan. I’m not going to do the same to him. Plus, it’s only fair I get a few of my own punches in before Billy meets his death. Billy was my abuser far longer than Ryan ever was and has done much worse to me over the years. I want in on this, too.

  I scramble into the house, fighting the chill that wants to overtake my body at being back inside this house. It took months before I could walk inside Barbie’s house without wanting to vomit and have a mental breakdown.

  I just need to remind myself—I’m safe now. Mako is here. Amar is here. Billy is going to die, whether he wants to or not. I’m safe.

  Just as I’m rushing into the kitchen, I see a knife plunge into Billy’s chest. Mako is bleeding profusely and looking more ashen by the second. He’s not doing good and that knowledge instantly takes anything else I’m feeling and tosses it into flames. All I can think about is Mako’s declining health.

  “Amar, take him to the hospital.”

  “Fuck that—”

  “—I’d be glad to.” Amar and Mako both speak at the same time. “But I’m not leaving you alone with him. I’m taking Mako to the car, and I’m coming right back.”