by Matt Juhl
“When, tonight?”
“Yes, just a little while ago.”
“Oh my God, then she’s safe. That’s why I couldn’t find her. Where is she?”
The woman frowned. “No, she’s not safe.”
“What happened, is she hurt? Was she on the stretcher?”
“No, that was her aunt.”
“What the hell’s going on?”
She lowered her voice into a hushed whisper. “They pulled her out of the house about twenty minutes ago.”
“Where is she?”
“An ambulance took her to the Silver Shores Trauma Center on the corner of—”
“I know where the hell it is. I’ve gotta get there. Please, c’mon, let me out of here right now—”
“Listen to me—”
“I don’t have time. I need to be with her.”
“You’re getting too excited, please, let me finish—”
“You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand. That’s why you need to calm down and listen. It’s too late.”
“No it’s not. I know I screwed up with that cop, but if you could just open the door or go explain the situation, they’d let me go.”
“I’m not talking about the police.” She took a deep breath. “I meant that it’s too late for Harper.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, but she’s gone. Your friend died in the fire.”
Nik couldn’t process her words. “No, that’s not possible.” His expressionless face grew pale and his heartbeat raced. “She’s just hurt. She needs me to be there with her, but I’m stuck here—”
“No, sweetie, she’s gone. I overheard the EMTs and firewomen speaking before they lifted her onto the stretcher. She was already dead when they pulled her out of the flames.”
“God, no…” he broke down in tears.
“I can’t even imagine how you feel right now.”
Nik could barely speak.
“I’ve lost someone close, recently. I know how you feel—it’s incredibly painful.”
“No, she’s not gone.” He gritted his teeth, fighting back the tears. “No…no…no…” He pounded his head against the front seat.
The stranger stepped back. “I can’t believe they wouldn’t even tell you what happened.”
Between the choking tears, Nik was inconsolable. His heart was broken. Having lost his uncle and his girlfriend, he didn’t know how much more pain he could endure.
The blonde-haired woman watched him carry on another moment before racing over to Leland.
“I know you’re busy, Officer, but I think the boy in your car needs to go.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Did he say something to you, ma’am?”
“No, but I was standing near the car and overheard him crying and acting belligerent. He’s hysterical and going crazy out of his mind. You can tell something’s upsetting him.”
“Excuse me a minute.”
He walked over to Detective Harris. They only spoke a moment before she dismissed him.
Leland jumped into the car and looked back at Nik through the inside mirror. “Pipe down, Kid. You did this to yourself. Maybe next time your ass will think before assaulting an officer.”
While they headed to the station, Nik couldn’t hear the words coming out of the man’s mouth—he couldn’t even breathe, trying to wrap his mind around the shattering news that Harper was dead.
TEN
It was the kind of crime scene that drove Detective Tonya Harris completely insane. She anxiously paced back and forth, staring at the remnants of the previous night’s devastation, feeling incredibly perplexed.
“Harris,” Leland shouted, stepping out of his patrol car.
“Hey Brown.” Tonya stared at him. “What’s going on, you all right?”
“Better than ever.”
“Nice bruise. You’re looking a little swollen.”
“Can you believe that punk ass kid tried knocking me out? That boy didn’t know who the hell he was messing with.”
“He must’ve been pretty strong to leave that big of a welt.”
“Please, he ain’t got nothing on me,” Leland retorted.
“What’s going on?”
“Just came by to check on you. They said you were down here. How’s it going?”
“Couldn’t be better.”
“That good, huh?”
“I’m beat.”
“You look like you haven’t slept.”
She wiped her tired eyes. “I haven’t. Been here all night, trying to make sense of it.”
“What’d the fire chief say?”
“Please.” Tonya slicked back the wisps from her ragged ponytail and wiped the perspiration from her dark skin. “You know how useless she is.”
Leland laughed. “That woman would see a hell of a lot better if she’d ever get her damn nose outta the air.”
“That’s about right.” Tonya cracked a smile. “Thank God for the investigator.”
“So what’s the word?”
“It’s definitely arson. Gasoline was poured all over the living room and trailed out the back door and across the deck.”
“Damn.”
“No kidding.” Tonya closed her deep brown eyes and frowned. “Do you have any idea how bad this town’s gonna freak out when they hear the word ‘homicide’?”
“There’s gonna be lots of restless nights ‘til you solve this one, but you’ve got this. We don’t call you ‘The Hunter’ for nothing.” Leland handed his coffee cup to Tonya. “So, got any hard evidence?”
“We’re still working on it. Got a few men out searching the perimeter, hoping to find a gas can or something to dust for prints. I’m retracing my steps and waiting for the fire investigator to get back. Hopefully we can begin building a profile for the arsonist.”
“You got anyone in mind?”
“Can you name one person in this town who’d wanna harm Faye Jones or her family? The woman hadn’t made an enemy a day in her life.”
“Maybe they didn’t mean to harm anyone. Who knows, the perp could’ve just been trying to cover up a robbery or something.”
“If that were the case, they wouldn’t have dowsed Faye’s body with gasoline and mangled it.”
“Mangled?”
“Her hands were severed off, and she had a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Someone wanted her dead.”
Tonya’s words gave Leland goosebumps. “Shit, now that’s messed up. Have you tried reaching her family?”
“No one’s been able to locate her kid sister, Mindi. And her niece—” She paused, distracted by the clanking sounds echoing from across the street. “Her, uh—”
“Harris?” Leland waved his hand in front of her face.
Tonya didn’t respond.
Leland followed her eyes to Gage, Old Man Winston’s muscular farmhand. He was shirtless, wearing a tight pair of faded blue jeans as he worked.
While he tinkered under the hood of Bill Winston’s truck, Gage looked over and caught the police staring at him.
“Damn, look at that hard body.” Leland politely lifted his hand in the air.
Gage slicked his dirty blond hair back and waved before continuing his work.
“Isn’t he the guy that Nik Roberts hit last night before he slugged me?”
“They’re one in the same, yes. He’s been watching me all morning, along with all the other busy bodies driving by to check things out.”
“That’s ‘cause everybody around here’s nosy as hell. People are always in everyone else’s business.”
“True, but that’s good ‘cause I’m hoping he or Old Man Winston saw something.”
“Yeah, like where the hell Faye’s sister, Mindi, disappeared to? Kinda suspicious if you ask me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Faye kicked her out a few days ago. At least, that’s what Miss Kitty told me the other
night while I was having a beer at the bowling alley.”
“And why were you keeping that information from me?”
“Dunno, didn’t seem important at the time.”
“Well, what else did she say?”
“Not much, just that Mindi ain’t got much money or no place to go. Why?”
“Did she say why Faye threw Mindi out?”
“No, she didn’t say nothing about that. Come to think of it, we’ve already had quite a few run-ins with Mindi, yet no one really knows much about her.”
Tonya raised her eyebrow. “Exactly.”
“You ain’t thinking…”
“Mindi hasn’t been a model citizen. Getting kicked out and going missing right before all this happened doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Do you think she’d do something so crazy?”
“How many times have we arrested her? The woman was desperate. Losing her place and being hard up sounds like motivation to me. I’d be interested to hear what the neighbors have to say about the sisters. Maybe they know where she went.”
“You think they’ll talk?”
“Who, the old man and the farmhand? Of course they will. That’s what small town folk like to do, talk.”
“You know everything, don’t ya, Hunter.”
“Pretty much, and stop calling me that—I hate it.”
“But that’s what you do. You sniff ‘em out and hunt ‘em down. I dunno though, I think you might be slipping.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause you don’t have many clues and you haven’t interviewed the neighbors yet. You want me to do it? I could grill ‘em real good.”
“You couldn’t grill your way through a barbeque, let alone question a witness. That’s why I’m the detective and you’re the officer.”
“Ooh, excuse me Miss Thang,” he joked.
Tonya’s eyes gleamed. It was the feeling she was desperately longing for—the thrill of the chase. “I’m very curious to learn what went down between those sisters, and where Mindi disappeared to.” She folded her arms. “I think we may have our first suspect.”
ELEVEN
“Wake up, Pretty Boy,” Leland chuckled as he arrogantly clanked his black baton across the steel bars of Nik’s holding cell. “C’mon Kid, I ain’t got all day.”
“Go away.”
Leland stopped and tapped the nightstick against the palm of his hand, locking eyes with Nik. “There’s nothing I’d love more right now than pulling your pompous little ass out back and beating you senseless.”
“I’m trembling.”
“Maybe you outta be a little more careful how you speak to an officer who has assault charges pressed against you, especially when he controls when and if you eat.”
“Let me starve, I don’t care.”
“I deal with overdramatic kids like you every day. After a few hours, you’ll be so hungry you’d eat your arm off.”
“No, I really don’t care. What’s the point?”
“You think acting like a tough guy’s gonna fool me? You’re dying to get out.”
“Wake up, I’m stuck here. In case you haven’t noticed, no one’s coming. My dad hasn’t answered my call in the last four days. The guy doesn’t give a shit about me.”
“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”
“No, you’re not supposed to feel anything. Just like the night you cuffed me.”
“You mean the night you punched me?”
“That was your fault. If you had any decency, you would’ve tried to understand what I was going through.”
“You were outta line. I had to restrain you.”
“Well hats off to you for saving a crowd from someone that wasn’t going to hurt anyone—”
“You socked that Gage fella in the face.”
“I didn’t lay a hand on that guy. I don’t even know him.”
“And then you hit me—”
Nik rubbed his chin sarcastically. “Thanks for clarifying that yet again, but I lost someone very special that night. I don’t even know why I’m talking ‘cause you don’t care. I thought maybe I’d have a chance to save her, but I couldn’t do anything, thanks to you. Now she’s gone. I don’t think you could even begin to comprehend how I feel.” Nik grumbled and sat with his back to Leland. “Why are you even here right now? I’ve been through enough, so can’t you back off? I don’t wanna eat, and I don’t need your company. Just leave me the hell alone.”
Leland looked confused. The harsh, fluorescent light reflected off his shiny forehead as he stared at Nik. Instead of opening his loud mouth, he put his baton in his holster, cleared his throat, and walked away.
Nik closed his eyes and listened to the rhythmic echo of the officer’s footsteps, filling the empty silence of the musty hallway. Then he curled up into a fetal position on the uncomfortable cot and drifted asleep.
“Hey, Kid, you awake?”
Nik rolled onto his back and rubbed his tired eyes. “Not this again. I thought I told you to leave me alone. You can’t stay away for more than five minutes?”
“Five minutes? I left over three hours ago. Someone’s here to see you,” Leland said.
“Yeah right.”
“For real, you got a visitor.”
“Who is it, the sheriff? You guys gonna take turns beating on me?”
“Look, you want me to send him back or not?”
“Depends on who it is.”
Without saying another word, Leland disappeared.
Nik’s head pounded. However, curiosity got the best of him. He sat up and scratched his weary face. All he could think about was preparing to match wits with his egotistical dad—once he rounded the corner.
“I hear you’ve been causing a raucous in here.”
“Pops?”
“Hey there, young fella.” Old Man Winston took a ragged breath on his inhaler and pressed his forehead against the bars. “You sound surprised.”
“I am. You didn’t bring that stupid worker of yours along, did you?”
“Gage? Nah he’s at home.”
“That idiot lied to the cop and said I hit him.”
“Hey now, there were a lot of punches flying around. Maybe he was mistaken. He’s a hard-working, honest man who was just trying to help out.”
“Yeah, right,” Nik scoffed.
“So how are you doing?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Yeah, you ain’t looking too good.”
“I’m miserable. I can’t think straight, I can’t eat—”
“Who could blame ya? Shit, I don’t like coming in here one bit. This place still gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I ain’t even on the other side of the bars this time.”
“You’ve been arrested?”
“Hell yes I have.”
“For what?”
“Oh it wasn’t anything serious, just some bull-shitting around when I was a boy. A few of my buddies and I were caught underage drinking down by Whispy Creek, but back in my day, that wasn’t so uncommon. What else are ya supposed to do on a Friday night when you ain’t old enough to drive anywhere or have money to go any fancy places?” He wiped his nose on his soiled handkerchief. “Sherriff tossed us in the back of that ole’ squad car and threw our sorry asses in here. Boy, when my parents heard, they wore me out.”
“How long did they leave you in here?”
“Oh, not that long, just a few hours. My dad didn’t want people getting the wrong impression about our family. Nevertheless, it was enough to scare me straight, so I wouldn’t do it again.”
“At least your dad came for you.”
“Hey, don’t get so down about it. We all know how your daddy can be.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I spoke to him just before I left.”
“So he knows I’m here, doesn’t he?”
“Of course.”
“He isn’t coming is he?”
“No, but that’s why I’m he
re. I’m getting you out. Leland’s processing the paperwork right now.”
“Really?”
“Someone had to get you outta this place. I tried giving Jett a chance to do this instead of me, but he refused. Everyone knows he ain’t good for nothing.”
“You talk about him like you know him or something.”
“Well now, I may not know the guy firsthand, but I knew your father, Patrick, pretty well, and from what I didn’t know about Jett, Patrick did a good job of filling in the blanks.”
“You were friends with my father?”
“Oh yeah, he used to come to me all the time for advice.”
“What’d he need advice for?”
“Oh you know… life and that sort of junk. He knew about my, uh, situation—and kinda sought me out.”
“What situation?”
“My living arrangements,” he muttered apprehensively.
“I don’t get it.”
Old Man Winston looked around before pulling up a chair and sitting down. “These are the sort of things that make people uncomfortable, but I’m talking about the relationship I had for forty-seven years with a woman named Gail Fall.”
Nik’s shouted, “Wait—you’re straight?”
“Well holy cripe, just cry it to the whole world why don’t ya?”
He lowered his voice. “Sorry, I’m just surprised. I don’t think anyone knows that.”
“People know. They just pretend like they don’t. If they ignore it, then it doesn’t have to be true and maybe ‘it’ will go away.”
“But I’ve never heard anyone talk about you that way.”
“People have been talking about me for years. I’ve tried ignoring the things I’ve heard and pretend like they don’t bother me, but it’s hard trying to hide your feelings, especially when so many people are against you. Why do you think my house is so far on the outskirts of town? The only close neighbor I’ve had all these years was Faye Jones. God bless her soul.”
“If people have a problem with who you are, then why does everyone come to your vegetable stand and pick through your pumpkin patch?”
“Because they want something for nothing. It’s as simple as that.” He stopped and stared down at the floor. “That’s the part that hurts the most, ‘cause I never charge anyone for my produce, just ask for a smile in return. You’d think they’d treat me with a little more respect. However, I’ve been hearing the whispers my whole life.”