If You Ever Tell

by Carlene Thompson

  3

  Carmen flipped on the upstairs hall light so Teresa could clearly see the way to her room, but she ordered Teri not to turn on the bedroom light and startle both the boy and the dog. “Tell him to get dressed or you dress him if he can’t do it himself.”

  “Why does he have to be dressed?”

  “Because we’re leaving. Anyone could come here at any time.”

  “So you’re not just going to shoot us here?” Teri asked.

  “That would be simpler, but not so much fun for me. And not so frightening for the kid. And as for you… well, I have another reason for not wanting to kill you here. Now go wake him up and remember that I’m standing right here with a gun pointed at the boy. Don’t let him see me, though. I don’t want him throwing a fit.”

  Awash with chills that her jeans and long-sleeved blouse did nothing to help, Teresa quietly opened the bedroom door. In the light from the hall, she saw Sierra immediately raise her head, big ears standing alert and tall. Teresa held her finger up to her lips, a sign Sierra knew meant “quiet,” and crept toward the bed. Daniel lay curled in a fetal position, his strawberry blond hair rumpled, his little face round and vulnerable.

  Teresa felt as if someone were squeezing her heart. She was supposed to wake up this innocent child and lead him into the night at gunpoint. How could she do it? But what else could she do? If she refused, Carmen would simply shoot both her and Daniel in the bedroom. Carmen was fond of killing people in bedrooms, Teresa thought in dry contempt. The bitch. Besides, if Carmen was determined to make this execution more complicated than it had to be, she might be giving Teri a chance to do something, to save Daniel, she thought. Please let me come up with some brilliant idea, she begged silently.

  “Daniel?” Teresa whispered. She reached out and softly placed her hand on his arm. “Daniel, honey, you have to wake up now.”

  The child muttered fretfully and tightened his grip on Sierra. The dog’s amber eyes searched the doorway. She knew someone lurked there, Teresa thought. Sierra didn’t bark because beneath the perfume, she picked up a familiar scent—Carmen’s scent—but she knew something was wrong.

  Teresa tried again. “Daniel, you must wake up.” She tugged on him. “I need for you to wake up now.”

  Daniel rubbed his eyes. Then they immediately snapped open. “Is Mommy home?”

  “Not yet, I’m afraid, but we have to go somewhere.”

  “Where?”

  “Well, that’s a secret. We’re going to play a game, Daniel.”

  “A game? I’m too sleepy to play a game.”

  “I know it’s late, but this game is going to be worth waking up to play. You’ll need to get dressed and then we’ll be on our way.”

  “On our way where?”

  “That’s part of the secret. Do you want me to help you dress?”

  “No,” Daniel replied promptly. “I’m a big boy. You wait outside,” he said with prim dignity.

  Teresa retreated. Before Carmen had a chance to protest, Teresa said, “He’s not going to use the phone because he doesn’t think anything is wrong. If I insist on staying in the room, he’ll get cranky and move more slowly. Certainly you can contain yourself for five minutes, Carmen. After all, you have the rest of the night to do away with Daniel and me.”

  As the two women stood in the hall, listening to Daniel chatter fussily to Sierra about people making you go to sleep, then waking you up and telling you to get dressed and go outside when it was still dark, for gosh sakes, Teresa felt a sudden red-hot rage when she thought of Sharon. If it hadn’t been for her, there wouldn’t have been the terrible scene downtown, Carmen probably wouldn’t have cracked at this moment, Daniel would not be staying in this house, and he would be in no danger from Carmen, whose anger Teresa believed was directed at her as well as the child. Being able to get both of them at once was a bonus for Carmen.

  “Carmen, just take me,” Teresa said desperately. “Daniel hasn’t even seen you. He’s no danger to you.”

  “I want him to die.”

  “To hurt Gabriel, the man you say you truly love. That’s not love, Carmen.”

  “Shut up,” Carmen snapped. “You don’t know anything about love.”

  “Apparently I don’t know anything about what you call love.” Teresa peeked into the bedroom to see Daniel struggling to pull his socks right side out and put them back on his feet. “You say you want to kill Daniel to get back at Gabe and Sharon. Why do you want to kill me? Certainly not to get back at my father.”

  “No, I took care of him directly. Besides, getting rid of you would have been doing him a favor.”

  “Thanks,” Teresa said flatly.

  “You know it’s true.” Carmen sighed. “My reasons for wanting to kill you are more complex than my reason for wanting to kill Daniel. They have to do mostly with who you are and what you are.”

  “How fascinating. Would you like to explain?”

  Carmen’s pale, black-smudged face turned querulous. “How much longer is it going to take for that kid to dress?”

  “Just a minute. Tell me why you want to kill me.”

  “Oh, Teri, you can be so tiresome.” Carmen paused. “You grew up with all the things I didn’t have—money, position, a doting mother.”

  “But you must have seen that having a family with money and an inherited position, as you put it, in the community isn’t necessarily a recipe for happiness. I was miserable. So was Mom.”

  “Oh yes, dear Marielle. Beautiful, wealthy, showered with so many blessings and completely oblivious to all of them except her two overprivileged, ungrateful children. She had everything, but all she could do was drift around being frail and sad. I would have detested her even if she hadn’t stood between me and Hugh.”

  “My mother was a wonderful woman, a gentle and loving woman,” Teresa returned through clenched teeth, knowing how ridiculous it was to argue with this crazy woman who saw the world through the funhouse mirror of her mind. “I want to know if you hurt my mother—”

  “I’m ready, Aunt Teri.” Daniel’s voice sounded tired and put-upon. “Can Sierra come with us on this secret mission?”

  “No, honey.” Teresa tried to sound light. “She’ll make too much noise. Just slip out of the bedroom and close the door behind you. She’ll whine for a few minutes, then settle down and go back to sleep. Hurry!”

  In a moment, Daniel sped through the doorway, and closed the door just a second before Sierra reached it. She immediately began to bark. Daniel looked up at Teresa, flashing his grin with the missing front tooth. Then he caught sight of Carmen looming in her dirty clothes and grotesquely smeared makeup, and he let out a shriek. At that point, Sierra went wild, throwing herself against the door.

  “Go,” Carmen ordered, pointing the gun at Teresa. Daniel let out a whimper.

  “Daniel, we have to do just what the lady says,” Teri said calmly. “I know it seems strange, but you’ll understand later.”

  Carmen let out a burst of scratchy laughter and Teresa would have loved to slap her, gun or no gun. But Teresa held on to her composure and firmly held Daniel’s hand as they dutifully trooped downstairs to the living room, Carmen following close behind. Carmen then directed them to the kitchen and out the back door. “And now what?” Teresa asked as they walked the narrow stone path next to the tall shrubbery at the rear of the house.

  “I parked my car on that little isolated road to the north of your property,” Carmen said. “We’re going out the back door to avoid all those damned lights on your porch, walk to my car, and drive to one of your mother’s favorite spots—McClintic Wildlife Preserve, better known as the TNT Area. You remember it, don’t you, Teri?”

  “TNT Area?” Daniel repeated with a catch in his voice. He turned to look at Carmen. “It’s creepy there! I’m scared of that place!”

  “I know you’re scared of it. Your grandfather told me. We’re going, though.”

  Daniel’s voice had already begun to quiver with fear. “
But there’s a monster named Mothman up there and hidden tunnels and little huts that hold things that explode and Timmy Rollins says there’s even places for vampires to live and—”

  Carmen cut him off with a harsh laugh. “That’s right, Daniel. The TNT Area has all of those awful things. Every single one of them.” She flashed him a bizarre, lopsided, shadow-eyed smile. “We sure are going to have a really good time up there tonight.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-THREE

  1

  CELESTE WAITED UNTIL C ARMEN’S and Teri’s voices had faded in the darkness—at least five minutes, she thought—and crawled out from behind the shrubbery at the back of Teri’s house. She kept low in case anyone looking back could see her in the light still glowing through the kitchen window, and scuttled to the door, fiercely hoping it had not locked when Carmen slammed it behind her. The knob turned easily in Celeste’s hand. She opened the door no more than absolutely necessary, slipped in, shut the door behind her, and locked it. Only then did she realize she’d been holding her breath.

  Once inside the kitchen, though, she stayed quiet so she could better hear if anything else was going on in the house. When chatter burst from the police scanner, she involuntarily opened her mouth in a silent scream. She was still mute, she thought in despair. She was still unable to call anyone for help.

  And that awful Carmen—that murderer—had said she was taking Teri and Daniel to the TNT Area. Celeste knew about the TNT Area. Grandma had never taken her there, and when she’d once let Daddy know she wanted to go, he’d explained that it was a really big, scary place where even he didn’t want to go. That had settled the matter for Celeste. Grandma had tried to convince her that everywhere except home was scary, but if Daddy thought this place was scary and he didn’t want to go, either, she’d known it must be true.

  And yet Carmen with her gun was making Teri and Daniel go to a place where even Daddy would have been scared to go. Celeste knew what Carmen was going to do to them. The same thing she’d done to Mommy and Hugh so long ago, the same thing she’d done to Grandma and Daddy just a little while ago.

  Celeste suddenly felt dizzy and sat down on a kitchen chair, trying to control her breathing, trying to stop the tears running down her face for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore and stood.

  After two steps, Celeste paused and lifted her face, her nose twitching like some night animal’s trying to pick up the scent of danger. But she smelled only one thing—the smell, the scent she’d detected in Bennigan’s less than a week ago, the scent Carmen Norris had worn when she’d killed Mommy.

  Gathering her courage, Celeste eased out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and into the living room, where only one lamp near a recliner remained shining. From upstairs came the sound of a dog alternately barking and whining while frantically scratching at a door. Sierra, Celeste thought. Teri’s cute brown dog that made so much noise but wouldn’t bite was trapped in a bedroom and probably scared silly, wondering what had happened to Teri and the little boy. Celeste couldn’t allow Teri’s dog to be upset.

  Celeste barely hesitated before darting up the stairs and running to the room at the end of the hall. She opened the door and the brown dog flung herself forward, barking and snarling as if she were going to kill Celeste. In a moment of panic, Celeste backed away from the dog, then opened her arms rather than taking a defensive posture. If only I could talk, Celeste thought. If only I could calm the dog with gentle tones. Instead, Celeste kneeled and smiled, then held out her hand. The dog snarled some more, eyed her warily, then slunk forward and sniffed her hand. In a moment, Sierra was burrowing against Celeste, who rubbed her comfortingly behind the ears.

  Celeste didn’t like staying upstairs and feeling cut off from the rest of the house. When she stood and began descending the stairs, she was glad Sierra followed her closely. Both stopped when they reached the living room. Celeste’s gaze darted to every shadowy corner, then at Sierra, who stood rock-still, the hair along her backbone raised. She feels okay with me, Celeste thought, but she’s ready for danger.

  Danger that seemed to descend immediately when someone pounded on the door. Celeste instinctively dropped to the floor. Sierra ran to the door in another frenzy of barking and snarling.

  Another strike on the door with a fist. Then a man yelled, “Teri! Are you awake?” Sierra continued to raise the roof, sounding like a hundred-pound Doberman. “Sierra?” the man shouted. “Sierra, it’s me—Mac. Teri? Sierra, get Teri!”

  Mac? Celeste frowned. The Mac who loved Teri? Could Mac MacKenzie actually have turned up at just the right time? Had her wish to Snowflake really had any effect on this situation?

  “Teri!” he yelled again, now ringing the doorbell along with knocking. “Teri, I’m sorry I didn’t call. Let me explain—”

  When Celeste threw open the door, he jumped. He squinted at the girl standing in the dim light of the living room. Finally he asked, “Celeste?” She nodded. “Celeste, what are you doing here?”

  Celeste pointed at her throat and shook her head. Mac frowned. She tapped her mouth and shook her head again. Mac frowned. Meanwhile, Sierra jumped around, barking, whining, squeaking, as if trying to explain the problem. At last, Celeste opened her mouth, pointed to it, then raised her hands in helplessness.

  “My God, you can’t speak!” Mac shouted as if she were deaf. She nodded. “What’s wrong? Why are you here? Where’s Teri?”

  Celeste shook her head again. She motioned for him to come in, then ran to the end table beside the recliner. She picked up a notepad and began to write.

  2

  Carmen walked behind Teresa and Daniel as they tramped across the back of Teri’s property until they came to the narrow, rutted lane where Carmen had left her car. She ordered Teresa to drive while she sat in the backseat, clutching Daniel against her until he cried out in protest. “Be quiet, little boy,” Carmen hissed. Then to Teri, “I’m holding the gun. If you try anything, Teresa, and I mean anything, I will shoot you and then the kid. Do you understand me?”

  “I understand,” Teri said evenly. “I’ll do exactly as you say. Just don’t hurt Daniel.”

  “Don’t make me hurt Daniel. If I have to blow off his head in this car, it will be your fault.”

  Daniel whimpered, and Teresa briefly closed her eyes. How could this be happening? How could Carmen—her friend—have so quickly turned into such a monster?

  But the woman hadn’t abruptly changed character tonight. For years, something dark, ugly, and deadly had coiled beneath her lovely face, her beautiful eyes, her warm and protective manner. Teri asked herself why she hadn’t seen it. Why hadn’t her mother seen it? Why hadn’t Gabe seen it?

  Daniel made small mewling sounds and twice Carmen had told him to shut up, the second time with an intensity that frightened Teri. If Daniel didn’t be quiet, the woman was going to lose control and kill him, Teri thought. She had to do something to distract Carmen. “I suppose this is going to be my last night on earth,” Teresa said almost casually, “so would you mind answering a few questions for me? It seems only sporting.”

  Carmen let out a bray of laughter. “Sporting. How quaint! All right, as long as you concentrate on your driving. You haven’t forgotten your way to the TNT Area, have you?”

  “Not a chance.” Teresa had reached the end of the rutted lane. Unnecessarily, she put on her blinker, and turned onto the highway. “First of all, I’d like to know how you got into our house that night eight years ago. Dad had the locks changed after the divorce.”

  “And he had to give the housekeeper one of the new keys because she came in so early. I dropped by every few weeks to see you—usually when Wendy was out. Emma always left her purse in the laundry room. One morning I simply removed the house key from Emma’s key ring, had a copy made, and stopped in again that afternoon. I had an excuse ready for visiting a second time the same day, but I didn’t need one. The back door was usually left unlocked during the day
, so I came in quietly and replaced Emma’s key with no one the wiser. No harm done.”

  “Except the police suspected Emma because she had a key to the house—a key that either she or Mac could have used.”

  “Yes, well, the more red herrings the merrier. Nothing happened to either of them.”

  “Not that you would have cared if it did.”

  “No, I didn’t care. As your father always said, they were just the hired help, and no one cares what happens to the hired help.”

  Teresa glanced at the speedometer. The last thing she wanted was to be stopped by the police. Carmen would shoot both of her hostages before the cop even made it to the car door. “I know on the night of my birthday you made an excuse to go to the restroom at Club Rendezvous, then slipped out and left that note in my car. It wasn’t a spontaneous move. You’d even brought a newspaper clipping along, which means you’d planned on leaving the note. That’s probably why you insisted we go to the club in the first place. I also know you must have sent the fax the next morning, the one supposedly from my father. Why did you feel it necessary to start tormenting me after eight years?”

  “If you’re smart enough to figure out that I lured you to Mac’s club so I could leave the note and clipping for you, you should be smart enough to figure out the reason. But I guess not. Try Celeste. Celeste, after eight years of glorious silence, started blabbing her head off in Bennigan’s right after I’d passed her table. I was afraid she’d recognized me then. I thought if she hadn’t definitely recognized me, she at least had the glimmer of an idea I’d been the one who’d killed her mother. She looked right at me before I stabbed her. I’ve been trying to get at her for ages, but Fay and Jason kept her so well protected I never got a chance.

  “After a few years, I didn’t think I needed a chance. But then she started talking. Most people thought she was nuts, so I didn’t believe she’d be considered a reliable witness, but just in case anyone took her halfway seriously, I needed to throw suspicion back onto you, just as I’d originally planned. The first step was to have you start acting jittery, scared, right after Celeste began to talk. You had to act as if her talking really shook you because it put you in danger. After all, not everyone believed Roscoe Lee Byrnes killed Hugh and Wendy.”