Vendetta

by Jennifer Moulton

  “They sure as hell didn’t know what we were trying to do! I’m telling you the truth. I didn‘t mean to kill her, I swear!” Nick yelled.

  Julie was shaking uncontrollably. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Nick fell onto the floor and crawled over to Julie, grabbing at her hands.

  “Do you believe me, Jules? Please say you believe me! I didn’t mean to kill that girl!” Nick was begging her to believe him.

  “Yes. Yes, I do,” she whispered in a raspy voice. Her salty tears flowed into the corners of her pursed mouth.

  “I was just so sick and tired, of every little thing I worked so hard for, to just be HANDED on over to Mark on a silver fucking platter! All my time, all my hard work, that I put into that restaurant was all for nothing!” Nick stood and angrily stomped his foot.

  “I decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore. When was I supposed to get my big break? Where was my big promotion? I was tired of waiting. No one was just going to GIVE it to me! So, that’s why I did, what I did! I wish I would‘ve killed Mark instead,” Nick felt like his actions were justified somehow.

  Julie was devastated by what she heard come out of his mouth. He wasn’t remorseful for the murder. He was upset that he hadn’t killed the right person. He was a monster.

  “Now, you know everything. So, you can go on and live your perfect life. I’m not going to fight you on anything, the house, the car, my truck, the money in our account…it’s all yours. Okay? The divorce papers are signed. They’re on the desk in the den,” he smiled at her and nodded. He had said what he needed to and was satisfied.

  Nick walked over to the bed and sat down again.

  Julie nodded as the tears fell down her cheeks.

  “I told Lucy, that you overheard us, and you called me out on it. So, I told her, as soon as this thing with you was over, we could take the money and go away together, just like we had planned. But, you know what she told me?” Nick asked.

  “What?” Julie wept. “What did she say?”

  “That the deal and our little arrangement we made, was off! She didn’t think things were working out between us after all! She says I’ll probably be implicated in the murder, and she’ll be long gone by then. No more money for Nick, no nothing! She just used me,” he was crying now.

  “I have two choices, Jule’s. I can either run or just end it all right now,” he smirked.

  Nick reached under the foot of the bed where he was sitting, and pulled out his 45 revolver.

  “Oh, my dear, God!” Julie gasped and fell back into the closet door. “Put the gun away Nick…please?” she begged. “Please! We can go to the police, and we can tell them your side of the story. Nick, it doesn’t have to be like this. It was an accident, right?” Julie pleaded with him.

  Julie slowly straightened herself up and began to inch her way to the door. She saw shadows in the hallway moving along the staircase, out of the corner of her eye. She focused her blurry eyes on Nicks and made her way towards the door.

  “The police? Are YOU on fucking drugs? Just get out of here Julie, go! Move on with your life! I just wanted you know that I’m sorry, and I didn’t mean to kill Allie! So, GO!” Nick put the gun to his head.

  She stood in the door way and whispered, “Once upon a time, I loved you. Good bye, Nick.”

  Julie’s left arm was pulled abruptly, yanking her into the hallway. Someone had grabbed a hold of her and picked her up, cradling her in his strong arms. He now carried her swiftly down the stairs. She didn’t have to guess who it was. She knew it was Mark.

  The muffled sounds of the police rushed into the room and their voices yelled, “Drop the gun, get down, and show us your hands!” The shouting echoed through the house. The blast of cold air on her face, made Julie open her eyes. She wasn’t even aware that she had closed them. She saw a black SUV and realized that Mark was taking her there. He opened the door, helped her in and slammed the door shut.

  CHAPTER 12

  BAIT AND SWITCH

  Julie was lying down in the back seat of the SUV. The cool leather felt good on her cheek. She lay there listening to all the commotion outside. She knew that they had Nick and were taking him to jail. She didn‘t want to look, for fear of laying eyes on him. She never wanted to see his face again. She thought she heard someone say something about having a search warrant.

  This was all very surreal for her. Julie couldn’t believe that this was all happening, even though she had watched it with her own eyes. She was hoping that for the most part, the worst of it was over. At least she hadn’t watched Nick blow his head off.

  Mark opened the door and stood there staring at her. He waited for her to sit up and move over, before getting in. He still hadn’t said a word to her. She was going to say something to him, but before she could get a word out, Mark grabbed the front of her sweater wrap, jerked it open and began to unbutton her shirt.

  Her eyes were wide with confusion. “Wha-What are you doing?” she stammered. Her heart pounded.

  Mark slid his hand inside her unbuttoned shirt, grazing the soft skin above her belly button, and pulled on the microphone wire, releasing it from the clip that attached it to her bra. He held it up in front of her face so she would understand.

  “Oh, yeah… thanks,” she fumbled with fastening the buttons on her shirt and wrapped her sweater back around her, extra tight.

  “I’ll be right back. Don‘t get out unless I tell you to,” Mark said sternly.

  Julie had never seen him act so completely mechanical. She watched him give the wire to Captain Haddock, and then walk into the house.

  Julie looked around at the neighborhood, buzzing with activity. Many people were trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening, standing in groups of three or more in their yards, gossiping. She didn’t care what they thought in the slightest. She didn’t like this neighborhood anyway.

  Captain Haddock suddenly knocked on the window, startling her. He opened the door.

  “Hello there, Ms. Butler,” he smiled and nodded politely. “I mean, Miss Allen. We’re going to leave your vehicle here for now, okay? We’re taking you to a hotel tonight, where there will be officers patrolling the area, checking in with you and keeping an eye on your house. You will be perfectly safe, but we need you to call in to work for a couple of days, alright?” he said.

  “Oh, that actually won’t be necessary. I have the next couple of days off anyway. Will it be any longer than that?” Julie asked.

  “We’ll see. After the next couple of days, we’ll hopefully know more, and then be able to make a decision on what’s best for you at that time,” he smiled impatiently.

  He gestured toward the police car that was parked in the driveway.

  “Is this like, local witness protection?” she asked.

  “Yeah, kind of like that,” he nodded.

  “I need to wait for Mark, he said he’d be right back,” Julie was looking over his shoulder trying to spot him, but he wasn‘t there.

  “He’ll be right along, Miss Allen. He’s speaking with Detective Williams at the moment.”

  “I know, he just told me not to go anyplace unless he was here,” Julie felt rushed.

  Julie was staying in that SUV. She wasn’t going anywhere without Mark’s say so.

  “It‘s okay, I assure you. Let’s just get you in that car over there. I‘ll help you out,” Captain Haddock held the car door open all the way now, and took a step back.

  Julie began to panic. “Why is he making me leave without Mark? Mark said not to get out of the car” she thought. She didn’t know who to trust anymore, and the stress was starting to get to her. She was more than a little cautious at this point, she was flat out paranoid!

  “Look, Cpt. Haddock! Mark told me not to get out unless HE told me too. I hope you understand…but I have had a HELL of a day, and I‘m waiting for the ONE person that I know I can trust right now. Do you understand that? Is that OKAY with you?” Julie reached out and grabbed the door, slamming it in the Capt
ains face.

  Captain Haddock backed away raising the palms of his hands, showing he had no problem with that, whatsoever.

  “Uncle,” he said as he turned around and headed back into the house, shaking his head.

  Mark was in Julie’s bedroom gathering a few things for her and putting them in a bag. He planned on taking her to the hotel where she would be hiding out for a couple days. Soon, the detectives would be picking up Lucy for questioning.

  “If they can find her,” Mark thought.

  All signs seemed to be pointing at something happening the following day. Mark didn’t want to take any chances with Julie’s safety, so he would be the only one knowing where he was actually taking her. He went back downstairs to look for anything else he thought she might need.

  Grabbing Julie’s purse from the kitchen counter, Mark overheard Captain Haddock speaking to Williams on the front stoop.

  “She’s not getting out unless Mark is right there, so good luck getting her to budge,” Captain Haddock was rubbing his temples out of exhaustion, glancing back at the SUV.

  “Awe, don’t take it too personally, Captain. She HAS been through a lot. I can’t blame her for being on edge. So, if Mark told her to wait for him, then she’s not going to go anywhere unless Mark HIMSELF escorts her,” Williams said.

  Mark smiled to himself and walked over to them to say goodbye.

  “Thanks for all your help tonight, guys,” Mark shook their hands. “We’ll talk first thing in the morning, and uh… text or call me if there’s any new developments between now and then,” he looked at Williams.

  “I’ll be taking Julie to the Hotel, and getting her settled in the room,” he stated. “I’ve been briefed on the room number.”

  Captain Haddock nodded. “Good night, Mark.”

  Mark took the keys out of Julie’s purse and went out to start her car. He put the bag of her things in the back seat, and went to get Julie. Dusk was setting in.

  When Mark opened the door, he noticed how frazzled she really was. She looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. “Come on, let’s go,” he helped her out.

  “Captain Haddock wanted me to go get in that other car, but you said not to,” she was watching the police come out with bags of evidence. She nervously glanced at everyone.

  “It’s alright. I just didn’t want you walking around, getting in the way or taking off, all vigilante style, like you did at the restaurant.”

  Mark, still stone faced, helped her into the car.

  “Oh,” she looked puzzled. “I guess… I was just a little jumpy, and maybe a little paranoid. I told him I had had one hell of a day. I hope he excuses my snapping at him.”

  Julie knew she was rambling, but didn’t care. “I just want to get somewhere I feel safe and relax, you know? Like, take a nice hot shower and go to bed. Not that I would be able to sleep…but it’s the thought that counts right?” she laughed nervously.

  Mark tried not to look at her. “Being careful or cautious isn’t the same as being paranoid. But, don’t worry about it. You did fine,” he said.

  “I swapped your hotel for another one that they don‘t know about. They had you all set up and I made a last minute change to the reservation. Maybe I’m a little paranoid, too, but at least I‘ll know your safe,” he focused on the road.

  “Thanks for looking out for me,” Julie said, searching his stoic face for a human reaction. But there was nothing. She didn’t even know what to say to him to make small talk. It seemed weird and awkward. “I appreciate it,” she said.

  No… “You’re welcome”, or “No problem”… That would have been a good response, she thought.

  She had never known until now, that stress and grief like what he’s experienced lately, could actually change the way a person’s face looked. He looked so uncaring, unfeeling. His eyes were hardened and dark. She had never imagined that he would ever look like this.

  She also wondered if he blamed her for any of this. That’s what bothered her the most. But he had heard Nick’s confession, hadn’t he? He had to know that she didn’t have anything to do with this, let alone betray his friendship in any way.

  What she didn‘t understand, if he knew all of this, why was he so cold and distant towards her? They were still friends, weren‘t they? But everything has changed now, she could tell. Maybe it was all too weird for him, to be friends with the wife of the man who killed his daughter, whether Nick had meant to do it or not. Who knows?

  Was Nick telling the truth? Maybe he really WAS trying to kill Mark. She felt suddenly empty when she thought of that…of not having Mark in her life at all. As a friend or not, the idea of not having him there… was scary. What if Nick had succeeded? A sudden panic seized her stomach and knotted up in her gut. She couldn’t even fathom the possibility. Her deep thought was interrupted by the car jerking to a stop in a The Comfort Plus parking lot.

  “I‘m going to walk up there with you and get you settled. No one knows what hotel or what room you’ll really be staying in. I used an alias to book your reservation. It’s under Mrs. Kadi Brown. Okay, Kadi?” Mark grabbed the bag that he had brought for her. “This is for you,” he shoved it towards her.

  “Oh, thank you,” she said quickly.

  She got out and tried to keep up with Marks pace. “Thanks for packing my things, and for the room…thanks for everything you’ve done for me,” Julie stuttered as they speed walked down the quiet hallway trying to find the room number. Mark stopped.

  “Try your key,” Mark handed her the room key and stepped aside.

  She swiped it and opened the door. Mark put his arm across her when she tried to go in. “What?” Julie asked.

  “Hold on a second,” he whispered sternly. He drew his gun from the left side of his jacket.

  Mark flicked on the table lamp and glanced around the little room, waving her in.

  She walked into the darkened room, dropped her purse and fell on her back, onto the bed.

  Mark walked over to the window and moved the curtain, letting in a stream of moon light.

  “Everything’s fine Mark, don’t worry,” she rubbed her eyes.

  “Don’t worry?” Mark repeated her.

  “Is he searching the bathroom?” Julie thought to herself.

  “You said it yourself. No one knows I’m here, but you,” she said lazily.

  “Nick told Lucy that you overheard them talking in the office. Don’t you get it? You’re now a target. But you think you’re safe and you can just relax now, right? Seriously, what do you think is going on here? Some sort of High school bullshit? He said, she said?” he asked sarcastically. Mark put his gun away.

  Julie sat up from the bed and propped herself up onto her elbows.

  “Umm… I don’t really know, Mark! Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? It’s a messed up situation. But excuse me, if I don’t have the mental capacity for all of this shit like you do! Oh, and for the record, you’re handling it like a PRO!” Julie shot him a dirty look and gave him a “thumbs up”.

  Mark glared at her. “You have NO idea what kind of people we are dealing with here! They’re killers, who have tracked me down and managed to infiltrate my life for YEARS, just to get to me and revenge Lucy’s piece of shit brother.”

  Mark was fuming. He hated that she acted so clueless.

  “Lucy is Leo’s sister?” Julie was surprised. “I had no idea.”

  “There’s a lot going on here that you have no idea about. No one is safe, and that’s why I’m taking a little extra precaution with you. If they think you mean something to me, they will try to hurt you, or kill you. They‘ve already gotten to my daughter, what makes you think you’re so special?” Mark’s dark, icy glare burned into her.

  Julie had reached her boiling point, and whether he deserved it or not… she was about to blow up on him.

  “You know, you’re right. Your completely right, Mark! What the hell makes me so damn special, huh?” Her eyes flashed with hurt and anger. S
he felt her face and ears grow hotter. She stood up and faced him now. She didn’t care if her face was red and she was shaking like a leaf.

  “Why are you even here? Why are you packing my bags and acting like my personal body guard, when you can’t stand to be around me? Yet, I’m supposed to sympathize with your bad attitude. This hasn’t exactly been a vacation for me either, you know! My friend’s daughter dies, at her birthday party of all days, a young girl that I LOVE dearly and thought of as my OWN! Then I find out, my “friend” has this crazy secret life, and that we’re all in danger!” Her breathing was short and gasping.

  Julie began to frantically pace the floor. “To top it all off…I find out my estranged husband has been sleeping with another woman for damn near close to a year, and dumps me like yesterday’s garbage… oh and let’s not forget, that before he attempts to blow his head off in our bedroom…he tells me that he’s the one that killed Allie!” Julie yelled.

  She threw her hands up in the air, like two white flags surrendering… to GOD.

  Mark stood at the door with his hand on the knob looking at her, his face still emotionless.

  “So, yeah…thanks to you, I now know how completely UN special I am!” she stated.

  “YOU, the only friend I can trust right now, acts like I‘m a damn stranger, and won’t even look at me or talk to me unless you’re ordering me around or you absolutely have to! Don’t get me wrong…I completely sympathize with your entire state of mind, but damn it, Mark! Why do you have to blame me?” Julie cried.

  “What? I never said anything like that. I don‘t blame you for any of this,” he stared intensely at her.

  “I know that you do, Mark. I know that you blame me, on some weird level… for all of this. Ever since you found out about Nick’s involvement, you’ve been nothing but distant and cold. I know that our “friendship” has taken a huge blow. I can feel it,” she tapped her chest hard, directly over her heart.

  “I don‘t blame you for what Nick has done. Just get that idea out of your head,” Mark said quieter.