by CeeCee James
* * *
A short while later she was driving up the side of Mt. Treacle, keeping a sharp eye out for any white crosses. The road twisted up in tight curves with a narrow shoulder that accentuated the steep cliff on one side, and a sheer bank rising upwards on the other. She shivered, imagining how devastating it would be to lose the ability to brake on this road.
There! She saw a white blur as she passed.
Elise slowed around the bend and finally found a place to pull off. Cautiously, she walked back on the nearly nonexistent shoulder, hoping there wouldn’t come a car flying around the bend to smash her over the bluff.
As she approached the white cross, she looked over the railing at the scene of the old accident.
Spread out below in reds and blues and yellows, like a grandmother’s nine-patch quilt, was a bed of flowers.
Delphinium.
Just like that, she knew who killed Cameron.
And the killer was about to strike again.
CHAPTER 29
The wind whipped her dark hair in her face. She ducked behind the guard rail and twisted it tightly against her scalp. Palming her phone, she pulled up her list of contacts and stabbed Brad’s name.
The connection wheel spun without ringing. No service.
For a second she wanted to give up and run back to town so someone else could handle this. Let someone else lead the rescue.
Something she’d always done in the past. Never the leader, always the watcher.
She peeked down into the gully. There was no time to watch now.
As silently as she could, she climbed over the guard rail and crouched among the brush on the other side. There was a thin trail among the undergrowth that led steeply down the embankment. Her hand gripped the base of a bush for support as her foot slid looking for stability. She reached for the next scrub, and the next, slowly skating her way to the bottom. Once there, she ducked low among the delphinium which had crept right to the edge of the bowl of the basin.
Her pulse pounded in her throat. If she could just sneak around, she would have the advantage of surprise.
“Hello, Elise.”
Every hair rose on her neck. Elise slowly stood up with her heart hammering, already knowing what she would see.
A barrel of a gun pointing straight at her.
“You thought you were so clever. Always snooping around asking your silly questions. And here you are now, making things so easy for me.”
Elise lifted her gaze from the end of the barrel to the face behind it.
“Estelle.”
“Let me see your hands.”
Over Estelle’s shoulder, Elise could see a crying Sylvia bound and gagged sitting among the flowers.
“What are you doing?” Elise asked as she raised her hands. “Why are you doing this? You could have easily gotten away with this.”
“Gotten away with it.” Estelle shook her head in mock pity. “Oh, you poor thing. Do you think that’s why I did any of this? To ‘get away with it’?” She stepped back, motioning with the gun to have Elise move forward. “Careful. Careful,” she warned.
Elise walked through the flowers to stand next to Sylvia. Her brain frantically tried to come up with a plan. “Is this about revenging Mr. Davis? Aren’t you his niece?”
Estelle’s lips twisted into a sardonic grin. “His niece….”
“You’re not his niece?” Elise’s tone fell flat at the knowledge.
“Of course, I’m not his niece. I met him at the Wellness Center. I was his nurse.”
“You fell in love.”
“I fell in love.” Estelle’s face softened as her voice trailed away. A wistful expression flitted around her eyes as she gazed out at the horizon. She looked back at Elise sharply. “But, he was too damaged. The loss of his son ruined the best man that ever existed. So, you can see, I wasn’t about to let Cameron enjoy his new son. And I can’t allow his son to inherit a good life now.” She motioned again. “Sit down. Keep your hands in the air.”
Elise awkwardly got to her knees next to Sylvia. The pregnant woman had mascara dripping down her face from her tears. She moaned around the sodden gag in her mouth.
“Hang in there. You’re going to be okay,” Elise whispered.
“Okay?” Estelle laughed. “That’s one way to look at it, I suppose. Or dead. I prefer dead.”
“How did you get Cameron in the car?” Elise needed to keep her talking. Talking was time.
“That was the easiest part of all. He was always about a hook up. After a few Facebook messages and some half-nude photos, he was raring to meet me for a little tête-à-tête.”
“How’d you knock him out?”
“A little poetic justice. Did you know if you ingest delphinium you will suffer from seizures, and eventually death?” She looked out again at the flowers being tussled by the breeze.
“You got him to eat flowers?” Maybe not the wisest way to word it, but Elise was desperate to keep her talking. She could feel time was running out.
“Oh, you’re feeling funny, aren’t you? No. Although that would have been the perfect ending, it was too impractical. Instead, I had to use something I’d swiped from the clinic. A heavy barbiturate that was a part of Mr. Davis’s treatment for his insomnia. Poor man still suffers terrors every night stemming from the accident.”
Estelle’s gaze darted over to Sylvia sniffling behind her gag. “You know, it made Cameron quite talkative and cooperative those first few minutes. He was quite happy about having a son. Quite giggly about everything really, until the full dose hit. Then….” Estelle drew her thumb across her neck.
“So, why did you write the suicide note then? Uncovering Lavina as his daughter?” Elise purposely tried to make her body appear limp, even as her toe wormed into the ground searching for leverage.
Estelle frowned and flushed slightly with either anger or frustration. “By exposing her, Lavina became a suspect. A rare opportunity really, knowing one of Cameron’s kids would be jailed for his death—either his daughter or his son within the womb. I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.”
“You were the one who canceled Sylvia’s dental appointment.”
She grinned. “I was. After scheduling an emergency one for Mr. Davis, it just seemed timely that Sylvia have the one right before it. It was perfect serendipity.” She shook her head. “But the police didn’t follow either lead like they should have. So here we are. Let’s call this Plan B, shall we?” Her finger tapped gently against the trigger in warning.
“Sylvia, how did you feel when you saw all your stuff sitting in the middle of your lawn?” Elise asked. “What did you want to do to Frank?”
“Leave her alone. You want her to be first?” Estelle’s eyes narrowed. She raised the gun.
“You ready to see something sweet?” Elise licked her lips. She had just managed to wiggle one foot under her.
“Mmmfff.” Sylvia muffled out, capturing Estelle’s attention for a millisecond.
That moment was all Elise needed. She sprung upward, her other leg already swinging forward in a kick.
In the same instant, Sylvia launched herself headfirst at Estelle. Estelle instinctively leaped back. But not out of range of Elise’s foot landing on the side of her knee. Without a pause, Elise’s right forearm came under the hand holding the gun, while her left fist dove into Estelle’s throat.
Estelle’s scream was silenced into a gurgle. Elise pounced on top of her and flipped her over onto her stomach. She wrenched the gun away and flung it as far as she could.
Sylvia inched over and half lay across Estelle’s back. Quickly, Elise untied her gag and arms. As soon as her arms were free, Sylvia grabbed the back of Estelle’s hair and pounded her face into the dirt. “You sick, sick woman!”
“Sylvia! Calm down! For the baby’s sake! You have to calm down. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
The pregnant woman broke down in tears but finally released Estelle’s hair. She looked at her hands as if sh
ocked at what they’d just done. Blinking back tears, she stared at Elise. “What are we going to do now?”
“We’ll figure out how to tie her up. I can stay with her while you get to my car.”
“Her car is over there.” Sylvia pointed to a dirt trail about a hundred feet away.
“Baby? Baby, you okay?”
Startled, both women looked up at the top of the embankment at the sound of a man yelling.
“Frank?”
Frank came sliding down the hill in a cloud of dust. Sylvia pushed herself up. Tears sprung to her eyes as she staggered toward him. “Frank!”
“Oh, baby!” They stumbled into each other’s arms and held each other as tight as two people could. When they separated, he bent down and ran his hand along her belly. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, honey. We’re fine. What are you doing here?”
He looked around still dazed. “Painting those darn crosses. I heard voices….” His voice trailed away. Spotting Elise, he yelled, “You okay?”
“Could use a little help here.”
Frank hurried over and quickly tied Estelle up using Sylvia’s old bonds. “I called the police. They should be here soon.”
“How? I didn’t have any service?”
“CB radio in my truck. I’m old school, I guess.” He took Sylvia’s face in his hands and kissed her. “Baby, my life flashed before my eyes seeing you down there. I don’t care, I don’t care anymore. We’ve both made mistakes. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I can’t lose you. We’ve got to work this out. Life is too short. I know we can fix this.”
She kissed him back before wiping under her eyes. “I’ve barely been able to breathe knowing what I screwed up. I’m so sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes, honey.” They hugged again and their words dissolved into quiet murmurs. Finally, pulling away, Sylvia turned back to Elise, “You were right. That really was sweet.”
CHAPTER 30
Three days later, Elise panted hard as she entered her driveway. Her heart thumped inside her chest and her lungs were on fire, but she felt strong. Pulling up her sleeve, she glanced down at her Fitbit. A laugh erupted from her throat. YES! Three minutes faster than the last run. Her best time yet.
She headed up the porch steps and flopped into one of the wicker chairs. Her long legs stretched out in front of her feeling a mixture of both rubbery and powerful. She checked the time again and smiled. Never did she think she could do it, but here she was. Making her dreams come true.
And a confirmation in her email for the completed registration for the half-marathon proved it.
But, as usual, she was late. With a groan, she jumped back to her feet and stumbled into the house. Max gave his welcome meow from on top of the china cabinet.
“Get down from there.”
He yawned in response.
Too tired to care, Elise walked into her room, quickly chose a sundress off the hanger and hit the shower. Lavina was coming to pick her up in thirty minutes, and it was time to celebrate.
Out of the shower, she slipped into her sundress and dragged a comb through her wet hair.
A car turned into the driveway. Elise walked to the window to peek out. Not Lavina, but Brad’s black jeep.
She hurried outside to meet him. “Hey there.”
“How’s my favorite trouble maker?” His gaze took in her tan legs under the dress, and he smiled appreciatively.
“It’s a good day. On my run this morning I finally figured out why there were twenty-nine vases.”
“Oh yeah? Let’s hear it.”
“That’s how old Mr. Davis’s son would have been this year. And the flowers were for where he died.”
“You really are a detective.” Brad grinned, as he reached into his pocket to pull something out. It stuck for a second, and he frowned as he tried to extricate it.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I have something for you.”
A squeal of tires heralded Lavina’s Camaro racing around the corner. They both turned to watch, one in disbelief and the other with a wry grin.
Lavina pulled in next to Brad with her blue silk scarf blowing and one hand in the air waving like a princess in a parade. “Halloo. The party can start now.”
Brad just shook his head. “No seatbelt? Speeding? That was like five driving violations right there.”
“Will I always be under your radar?” Lavina batted her eyes at him.
Color rose in his cheeks. “Not on my radar. No, not anymore.”
“So, what are you doing here?” Lavina asked before turning to Elise. “Is he invited to our girl’s night out?”
“He said he has something for me.” Elise pointed. “You know I’m all about the gifts.”
“Well, he better have a pretty impressive goody.” Lavina sniffed. “You practically accomplished the whole Angel Lake Police Department’s job for them. And saved my butt. So, let’s see it, Brad.”
Brad’s smile fell as he caught sight of Elise’s left hand. A diamond sparkled on her ring finger.
She caught him staring and rubbed at it subconsciously. “Yeah. Mark and I talked last night. He sent a package a week ago, and I only just now looked at it. Our old wedding album. We’re going to maybe… maybe try to give it one more go. I mean, if Sylvia and Frank can do it.” She half-heartedly grinned.
Brad winced and swallowed hard. “That’s great.” He shifted uneasily on his feet.
“I know. It’s weird. But, my parents were so heart broken when they found out I was divorcing Mark. His parent’s too. He says he’s changed. I feel like I owe it to everyone to try it one more time.”
“What about you? What do you owe yourself?” His eyes searched hers demanding an answer.
Sadness twisted her core. “We were married ten years, Brad.”
He nodded. “Yeah, okay. You have to do what you have to do. I just care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
Lavina sighed. “Well, I feel the same way, compadre. What is our girl thinking, I just do not know? And to leave Angel Lake and move back to that unrefined state.”
Elise turned between them, trying to lighten the mood. “Just look at your faces! I feel like I’m leaving a couple puppies at the pound. I’ll be back for a visit. I promise. Anyway, you still have Mr. G to comfort you.”
Lavina smiled and looked at her nails.
“You ever plan on telling me who he is?” Elise asked.
Brad cleared his voice. “Who are you talking about? Lavina’s boyfriend?”
Elise arched an eyebrow in his direction. “Oh, you better not know, and keep me still in the dark.”
“I don’t know, but I have my suspicions.”
Lavina smoothly laughed before putting one manicured nail over her lips. “I’ll never tell.”
“Brad! You know! I can tell you know! And you’re just going to tease me with that secret forever, aren’t you?” Elise reached over to grab his arm but froze half-way there. She let it drop.
Brad watched the movement with a sad smile. “Secret’s safe with me. Anyway, I just came by to see how you were doing.”
“What? Did you come all the way here just for that? Wasn’t there anything else?” Elise watched him earnestly, her cheeks still feeling flushed from her morning jog.
He looked down at his hand and seemed to remember. “Oh yeah, I wanted to give you these. We. A gift from the police department as a thank you. Maybe you and Lavina can go.” He handed over two tickets.
Elise took the tickets and read the name. “The Lion King? Lavina, it’s for next weekend. How fun! Tell them all thank you for me!”
Lavina made appropriate noises, but her eyes were soft with sympathy as she contemplated Brad. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, Brad. Elise, darlin’, I’ll wait for you in the house. I have to use the little girl’s room,” Lavina sauntered indoors with hips swinging.
Brad glanced at Elise again, and his mouth moved like he wanted to say something
more. He cleared his throat and ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Yeah, that was it. Anyway, I’ve got to get going. I’m helping the church set up their rummage sale and barbecue.”
Elise didn’t want him to go. “Need extra hands?”
He backed away at her offer and shook his head. “No. Not this time. Sounds like I’ll be crawling around in someone’s basement pulling out some unwanted crap to sell.”
“Okay. Take care then, Brad.” As he walked away, she was surprised by the sharp pain in her heart.
He half-heartedly raised his hand before slamming the car door. He backed out onto the road and beeped his horn as he drove away.
Elise watched him go. As she turned back to the house she paused and took a long look.
Just a single story, with wide, chunky shutters and a fat porch that stuck out like the front of a boot. This was the place where she’d finally grown into her own.
She was going to miss this.
With a sigh, she shut the screen door softly behind her. Max immediately hopped down from the buffet to curl around her ankles.
“Come here, boo,” she whispered and scooped up the orange fuzz ball. “You aren’t going anywhere. Mark’s just going to have to learn to like cats.” Cuddling him close, she wandered into the kitchen.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced at it a second, and her eyebrow flickered at the sight of Mark’s picture on the screen. Ignoring the call, she kissed the cat on the head and carried him over to the window seat.
On the right side of the picture window hung a painting. Mrs. Campbell had insisted Elise take it the last time she was there.
Nearly all of the canvas was a serene blue. A painting of her own precious Angel Lake.
Her home.
Elise slumped into the seat and buried her face in the cat’s fur. What was she doing?
Max purred deeply in her lap, his eyes closing to tiny slits. She stroked around his ears and he rubbed his cheek against her fingers. She thought about who she was when she’d only had herself to rely on.