Pine Lake

by Amanda Stevens

  “That’s an odd sentiment coming from you,” she said.

  He smiled. “It’s a little inconsistent, I guess.”

  “A little inconsistent? Says the man who came back to his hometown to solve a fifteen-year-old murder.”

  “Long story short, we were working undercover and he set me up.”

  “He was dirty?”

  “For years, as it turned out. The worst part was that I never saw it coming. He operated right under my nose and I didn’t have a clue.” He trailed his fingertip along the steering wheel. “His behavior was hard for me to reconcile. We weren’t just partners, we were friends. We went through the academy together. He was the best man at my wedding and I’m godfather to one of his kids. But it came down to him or me and so I took the shot.”

  “No wonder you don’t trust anyone,” Olive said. “Were you charged?”

  “No. I was exonerated and cleared for active duty, but everything changed after the shooting. I didn’t feel the same way about the department so I left.”

  “I get it,” she said softly. “You must have wondered who else might betray you. So how did you end up in private security?”

  “An acquaintance introduced me to a man named Ezra Blackthorn. He offered me a job at the Blackthorn Agency and I’ve been there ever since.”

  “Is he really ex-CIA? This Ezra Blackthorn?”

  Jack turned in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”

  “From Mona by way of Tommy Driscoll. She said the Caddo County Sheriff’s Office has been looking into your background. Jack...” Olive placed her hand on his arm. “She didn’t come right out and say it, but I got the impression that Tommy considers you a suspect.”

  “For what?”

  “Jamie Butaud’s murder.”

  “That’s absurd,” he said. “I never even met the woman.”

  “I know that, but if Tommy’s looking for a scapegoat, your arrival in Pine Lake couldn’t have been timelier.”

  “A scapegoat? You think he had something to do with Jamie’s murder?”

  Olive paused. “I never said that. I only meant he’s under pressure to make an arrest just like Sheriff Brannigan was fifteen years ago. But that’s not what you meant, is it?”

  “Nathan thinks Tommy may have been romantically involved with Jamie going all the way back to her first arrest.”

  “But she was just a kid back then,” Olive said. “She couldn’t have been more than sixteen.”

  “Which would give him a powerful motive if she threatened to expose him.”

  Olive grew pensive. “Does Nathan have any proof of this relationship?”

  “He claims he never saw them together, but Jamie supposedly has a tattoo on her shoulder that was once considered Tommy Driscoll’s mark. According to Nathan, a lot of girls who had been with Tommy in high school had that tattoo—a heart with a lightning bolt through the center. I didn’t say anything to Nathan, but Anna came back from a weekend trip with a similar tattoo on her hip.”

  Olive gasped. “You’re saying that Anna and Tommy Driscoll—”

  “It’s possible. I don’t know for certain.”

  She sat back against the seat. “This changes everything. If Tommy was involved with Anna, then he could have had a motive for her murder, too.”

  “So could I, for that matter.”

  “But you’re innocent,” she said without pause. “We don’t know about Tommy. I’ve never liked him so I may be biased. Do you think he’s capable of cold-blooded murder?”

  “I wouldn’t rule it out because he wears a badge.”

  “No, I guess you wouldn’t.”

  “Look,” Jack said. “This isn’t your fight. You should go inside, lock your door and forget we had this conversation.”

  Olive dismissed the suggestion with a careless wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing, too. Eyes wide open, remember?”

  “Olive—”

  She folded her arms. “We’re in this together. That’s what you said.”

  He sighed. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, either... Jack?”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t care what Nathan said about tattoos and marks and Tommy Driscoll’s conquests. Anna really loved you. I know she did.”

  He reached out and tucked back a strand of her hair. “That was all a long time ago. You don’t need to worry about my feelings.”

  “I know.”

  “But I like that you do.” He leaned across the console, brushing his lips against hers and then deepening the kiss the moment he felt her respond.

  “It’s getting late,” she said when they finally broke apart. “I should go in.”

  “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  “You don’t have to. I set the security system before I left.”

  “I’d feel better if I have a look around before I go.”

  “Jack?”

  “Yes?”

  “You can come in for a nightcap if you want.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack had only been gone a few minutes when a soft knock sounded on Olive’s door. She was still up working on the reports she’d neglected earlier. Wondering if he’d forgotten something, she hurried to answer, taking a glance through the peephole before disarming the alarm and opening the door to her cousin.

  “What are you doing here so late?” she asked in surprise.

  “I’m sorry for dropping in like this,” Nathan said. “I thought about calling but I didn’t want to disturb you in case you’d already gone to bed. So I drove by, saw your lights on and decided to take a chance you were still up.” He glanced past her into the foyer. “You alone? Can we talk for a minute?”

  “Sure, come on in.” She stood back so that he could enter. “What’s this about?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets as if unsure where to start. “Is that fresh coffee I smell? At this hour?”

  “I’m working and it’s going to be a long night. You want some?”

  “I was about to suggest something stronger, but coffee will do.”

  He followed her into the kitchen and she motioned him to the table as she got down another mug from the cupboard. “You want something to eat?” She poured his coffee and topped off her own, then turned back to the counter. “I’ve got cheese and crackers, some fruit.”

  “I’m fine.”

  She went back over to the table and sat down across from him. He took a drink of the coffee and grimaced. “Bitter.”

  “Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” Olive took a tentative taste. “I guess it is a little. But you didn’t come over here to critique my coffee, did you?”

  “Have you talked to Jack tonight? I was hoping I’d find him here.”

  “He left a little while ago. Why are you looking for him?” She sipped her coffee as she studied her cousin’s demeanor. “What’s going on, Nathan? You seem agitated.”

  “I don’t mean to worry you, but I’m a little concerned about his whereabouts.”

  “Why?” she asked in alarm.

  Nathan took off his glasses and wiped the lenses. His eyes looked bleary and unfocused until he put them back on. “Has he said anything to you about his blackout? Has he remembered anything about those missing hours?”

  “Not that I know of. Nathan...”

  “I’m getting to the point, I promise. He said the last thing he remembered was following Marc Waller’s truck down Commerce. Then he remembered nothing else until the next day when I found him unconscious in the cabin with bumps and bruises that he couldn’t explain.”

  “Yes, I know,” Olive said impatiently. “I was there, remember?”

  He lowered his voice. “I have contacts
all over town. You know that, too, right? Nothing happens in Pine Lake that I don’t hear about.”

  “Nathan, please—”

  “Marc Waller was found murdered in the old Masonic Lodge on Commerce.”

  She gasped. “When?”

  “The body was found earlier tonight, but he’d been dead for at least a day or two. Someone beat him up and then shot him in the back of the head.”

  Olive’s heart thudded so hard she felt light-headed. “You’re not suggesting Jack had anything to do with Marc’s murder, are you?”

  Nathan hesitated. “I don’t know what to think. Especially in light of what the police found at the crime scene.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Jack’s fingerprints were all over that place.”

  * * *

  IT WAS LATE by the time Jack got back to the cabin. His hair was still damp from Olive’s shower as he climbed out of the car and took the porch steps two at a time. Then he paused at the top, attracted by a light reflected in one of the front windows. He thought at first the glow emanated from somewhere in the woods, but then he turned and realized the flash of red and blue came from a light bar atop the police car easing down the road.

  The cruiser pulled into his driveway and parked. When the door opened and the red dome light came on, he recognized Tommy Driscoll.

  Jack could hear the intermittent static of the radio as the Caddo County sheriff communicated with his dispatcher. Then he climbed out of the car, closed the door and stood with one hand on the hilt of his gun as he surveyed his surroundings.

  His gaze lit on the porch and he drew his weapon. “Who’s up there?”

  “It’s me.” Jack moved out of the shadows to the edge of the porch. “What brings you out to the lake at this hour?” He nodded toward the gun. “I gather this isn’t a social call.”

  “We’ve serious business to discuss, Jack. Come down the steps slowly and keep your hands where I can see them.”

  Déjà vu niggled as he descended the steps. “What’s going on?”

  “You armed, Jack?”

  He felt the cold metal of his weapon at his back. “Yeah.”

  “Put it on the ground and kick it over here.”

  Jack did as he was told.

  Tommy picked up the gun and tucked it into his waistband. “I need you to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”

  “About?”

  “Marc Waller was found murdered earlier this evening. Someone worked him over good and then put a bullet in the back of his head. Could be a drug deal gone wrong, could be something else. He got crossways with the wrong guy, that’s for damn sure.”

  Jack drew a steadying breath and reminded himself to remain calm. He wasn’t seventeen anymore. He could handle Tommy Driscoll. “What’s that got to do with me?”

  “We found your fingerprints at the crime scene.”

  An image flashed behind Jack’s eyes. He didn’t remember meeting Marc Waller and yet he somehow knew what the man looked like. Tall and lanky with scraggly brown hair and a bad disposition. Jack’s scraped knuckles tingled a warning as memories started to nudge him.

  “You think I killed him?”

  “I just need you to answer a few questions.”

  “If I refuse?”

  Any hint of the old Tommy was obscured by the grim set of his mouth and the steely gleam in his eyes. “You don’t want to do that, Jack. I could shoot you where you stand and no one would fault me. A lot of people in this town still think you killed Anna.”

  “Is that so?”

  “You know it is. That’s why you came back, isn’t it? To clear your name? Instead, you’ve ended up in a real jam. You’ve already lied to me once. You and Olive both. If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll have no choice but to drag her down to the station and I promise you things won’t end well for her. What do you think the school board would do if they found out their new principal gave a false statement to the police in a murder investigation? She’ll be canned within a week and I doubt another school district will touch her. That what you want, Jack? You want to take Olive Belmont down with you?”

  Jack’s hands flexed at his sides. He took another deep breath. “I’ll cooperate.”

  “Glad to hear it. Now turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

  “Am I under arrest?”

  “No, but I don’t trust you not to try something stupid.”

  Jack turned and held out his arms, wincing when he heard the snap of the locks.

  “You never should have come back here,” Tommy said, a split second before pain exploded at the base of Jack’s skull. He staggered forward, trying to stay on his feet, but the blow felled him. He crashed to the ground as shadows swirled all around him.

  * * *

  “I’M SORRY TO spring this on you, but I have to find Jack,” Nathan said as he finished his coffee. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Tommy Driscoll is already tracking him down and I need to make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

  “Out of hand?” Olive felt sick and dazed and she couldn’t seem to focus. “Jack was here earlier...”

  “So you said.”

  “I don’t—” She tried to rise and then dropped back down to her seat as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

  Nathan rose and knelt in front of her. “What’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”

  “I feel light-headed. The room is spinning...” She put a hand on the table to steady her balance and knocked over her cup. She stared at the spilled coffee and then slowly brought her gaze back to Nathan. “What did you...”

  “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Olive. Truly I am. You’re the only person in this town I ever cared about. I tried to protect you, but once you found Anna’s necklace you became another loose end.”

  “How did...?”

  “I saw you last night. I saw you every other night that you went to the bridge, too. I’ve been watching you, Olive. Following you for weeks. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, but little things you said...the way you looked at me at times... I had a bad feeling you were starting to remember.”

  Olive tried to swallow past the bile in her throat, tried to form a coherent thought. She could barely focus, could barely utter a sound. But inside she was screaming. Someone was screaming...

  * * *

  ON SOME LEVEL, Olive knew she was dreaming. The screams weren’t real and yet she found herself reluctantly moving toward the sound, controlled by that strange mix of urgency and inertia that only a nightmare could produce. The bridge loomed over her. She could see the truss silhouetted against the night sky, a monstrous manifestation of all her deepest fears and her darkest guilt. She didn’t want to go there. She didn’t want to follow those screams. Something bad was happening on that bridge. Something she didn’t want to see.

  Wake up, Olive! Wake up now!

  But the lethargy of sleep lured her back under even as those screams pulled her toward consciousness. She floated in and out of her dream, watching figures, hearing voices...

  Let her go! We can’t do this, Nathan!

  What do you think will happen if I let her go? She’ll go straight to the cops, you idiot. Your football career will be over and no decent school will let me in. Our lives will be ruined. Don’t you get that?

  You said it was just a prank. A way to teach her a lesson. That’s what you said. If we scared her enough, she’d leave us alone. That’s what you said!

  She knows all about you and that Sutton bitch. She talks and your girlfriend goes straight to prison. That’ll be on you, Tommy. Is that what you want?

  Don’t pretend this is about me. You’re the one who planned this whole thing. You’re the one who’d be in big trouble if the school ever found out you hacked into their sy
stem and changed your grades. Your old man is just looking for an excuse to disown you. Everyone in this town knows you’d be nothing but a loser without his name and money.

  And you’re nothing but a sniveling coward. You don’t have the brains or the balls to do anything on your own. I’m the one who has to think of everything. Where do you think you’re going?

  Home. I’ve had enough of this—

  Get back here! You’re not going anywhere. You think you can just walk away from this? We’re in this together whether you like it or not. You’re the one who called Anna, remember? You’re the one who convinced her that Beth was in trouble. You lured her out of her house and into your car under false pretenses. That’s kidnapping, Tommy. And now you’re an accomplice to murder.

  She’s not dead yet.

  Then shut your stupid mouth and help me end this. She’s coming around.

  I’m not committing murder. Not for you, not for anyone.

  I swear to God, if I have to—

  What? What will you do? Kill me, too? This isn’t even about Anna, is it? You did all this just so you could get back at Jack King...

  The voices faded, replaced by an echo within Olive’s dream. Please help me, please help me, please help me.

  A part of her wanted to wake up from the nightmare even as she felt compelled to sink deeper into oblivion. Where she floated now was dark and silent, but she knew she wasn’t alone. She could still see those distant silhouettes. Every now and then she heard a grunt of exertion. And then the voices came back, one hushed with fear, the other quivering with excitement.

  Is she...?

  Yeah. You should have seen the way her eyes bulged—

  Stop it! I’m gonna be sick.

  I’d hold it if I were you. You don’t want your DNA spewed all over this bridge.

  I need to get out of here, Nathan. Please. It’s done. Can’t we just go home now?

  Help me get her clothes off first.

  What?

  Relax, I’m not a perv. We need to make it look like a sexual assault. She was with Jack earlier. They did it in his car.