Fatal Hunt
Regrets, she had many … but nothing she regretted as much as this. She should never have gotten into the car with him. His eyes displayed a dark black soul. Lifeless eyes … like a shark … eyes that had seemed so kind at first. He had seemed so sweet when he asked her if she was hungry. So compassionate. And she fell for it. She hadn’t had a meal in days, but at least he had waited until she’d finished eating before he showed his true nature.
She held her hand to her slashed throat. Her last moments were filled with regret that her mother would never know how sorry she was, and how much she missed her.
She looked up into his face and then averted her eyes to the gently swaying willow branches above them. She didn’t want him to be the last thing she saw … those eyes … As she listened to the soft rustling of the branches, her eyes grew dim.
Pain filled her as she breathed her last breath. The rough sound filled her ears and he smiled. She would never be found and her mother would never know that her last thoughts were of her.
Alice applied her lipstick perfectly within the boundaries of her lip liner. It was a brand new tube and the color was a little sassier than she usually wore, but it was hopefully going to be a very successful evening out.
She had gone to the spa today and treated herself to a manicure, as well as a facial. Her short blond hair, which was perfectly cut, shone brilliantly from the lights in the bathroom chandelier. Her makeup was perfect … smoky eyes, flawless complexion. She walked to her closet, opened the door and walked in to search for the perfect outfit. She finally chose the thigh length black sequined dress she had worn on her 40th birthday last year. After fastening her strappy black heels, she stepped out of the dressing area, to add the final touch. She slipped the silver hoop earrings through her earlobes and tossed on a red pashmina shawl.
Alice walked to the full length mirror that was on the inside of the closet door, examining herself head to toe. She turned around, looking over her shoulder to make sure everything was just perfect. She turned back around and smiled at her reflection. Tonight was going to be a great night.
Hearing the doorbell ring, she shut the closet door and walked down the steps to the main level of her townhome. She hurried to the front door and looked through the peephole, happy to see that he was even more handsome than she had imagined. A little surprised that he looked familiar.
She closed her eyes a moment, put her smile firmly in place, and opened the door to greet the professor.
Chapter 1
Detective Kacey Yates stepped off of the cruise ship and walked towards the passenger pick up area, waving as Mike pulled up in his 1988 black Lincoln Town Car. His favorite book was ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ by John Connelly and he had snagged the car as fast as he could when it popped up on Craigslist. Kacey’s partner got out of the car, walked around and gave her a huge bear hug.
“I’ve missed you.” He said, as he opened the door for her. “You look terrific!”
“It’s good to be back.” She said with a wan smile.
She actually did look better than the last time he had seen her. Her face was fuller and it looked like she had gained a few pounds. His partner glowed with a light tan and looked very pretty in her white sundress.
She had just buried her husband before leaving on the cruise and Mike was worried about her. At the gravesite, she was as pale as a ghost and Mike was almost afraid she was going to throw herself into the grave to be with Dan.
Kacey didn’t know, but Dan had been planning the surprise of a cruise when her last case was wrapped up. His secretary, Carol, had persuaded her to go ahead and go and she was grateful.
“So, how was the cruise?” Mike gently asked.
“It was good. I spent most of my time in a deck chair just watching the world go by,” Kacey turned in her seat to look at Mike. “I’m not going to lie … I spent the first few hours crying behind my sunglasses. Then it was almost like Dan took my hand and told me to quit feeling sorry for myself and try to enjoy this trip that he worked so hard to provide. So, I spent the rest of my time enjoying the food and catching up on my reading. I forced myself to meet people and to stop feeling sorry for myself. I actually met some really great people and had a good time. I've got some great stories to tell you later, along with lots of pictures.”
“I’m proud of you, Kace.” He carefully pulled his car out of the lot which was overflowing with loud tourists reuniting with loved ones. "Can't wait to see them. I've always wanted to go."
After a few minutes of catching up, Kacey turned back to Mike.
“I’m pregnant.” She smiled.
“Kacey! That’s wonderful! How far along are you?”
“Four months. I suspected I was, but didn’t want to get our hopes up since we had been trying for so long. I finally went to the doctor and found out the morning Dan was killed. I was going to tell him when we got home from the winery. He died not knowing. That’s the hardest part for me, Mike. I wanted it to be a fun surprise. I should’ve told him.”
Kacey wiped her eyes with a napkin she had retrieved from Mike’s glove compartment.
Mike reached over and took her hand.
“There was no way you could’ve known. Just concentrate on this new little one.”
“Thanks, Mike. So tell me what’s going on around here. How are things with you and Jack?”
Mike took a left hand turn onto the interstate and Kacey rolled up her window as the wind picked up.
“Great, actually. We have been pretty much inseparable since you left. And she’s definitely more secure after all we’ve been through. You won her over.”
“I’m glad, Mike. I think you two are a great couple and she is so charming."
They rode the rest of the way chatting companionably, just catching up. When they got back into the rural setting where they lived, they both cracked their windows and Kacey lifted her face towards the sun shining through the passenger window, relaxing into the breeze. They were the only car on the road for most of their trip towards Willow Branch. When they did meet the few that passed by going towards them, Mike would wave. Chances were, that you probably knew them anyway.
When they reached Kacey’s house, Mike helped her in with her luggage, gave her another hug, and drove to pick up Jack for lunch.
Kacey walked through the house turning on lights and plugging in the appliances. Even though it was a little chilly outside, she opened a few windows. She hated that musty, closed-up house smell.
A pile of mail was waiting for her on the kitchen table. Carol had picked it up from the post office for her.
Kacey took a moment to be thankful for Carol. The woman had been an anchor for Kacey after Dan was killed. She was gentle when Kacey needed it, but firm when Kacey needed that as well.
She grabbed a pen and pad of paper and sat down at the kitchen table to make a list of things she needed to do today, including a grocery list. Sighing she put the pen down and said, “Dan, what am I supposed to do without you?”
She lay her head down on her arms, weariness flowed throughout her body. She closed her eyes, and began thinking. She wasn’t really sure where to start. Realizing that she only had 3 more days before she had to go back to work, she sat up and shook herself free of any sad thoughts.
‘OK, time to stop sulking and get busy.’ She began sorting through her mail.
Jack and Mike sat across from each other at the local diner. Both had a chef salad … extra turkey, no ham for Jack … and water with a bright yellow lemon slice bobbing around. Mike kept stabbing at it with his straw.
“How does she seem, Mike?” Jack said as she held a forkful of turkey in front of her mouth.
“She’s doing better than I thought. Really good, actually. Glowing …
“She’s pregnant.” Mike said with a laugh. “I guess that’s the perfect incentive to keep on going.”
“That’s awesome!” Jack squealed. “I can’t wait to buy baby clothes.”
Jack sobered.
"Kacey's got her work cut out for her. Widowed mother, fatherless baby. If anyone can do it, she can. But still."
"Yeah, I know. I've been thinking about that since I dropped her off at home. She has a lot of people who care and will help."
"True." Jack replied, reaching for her iced tea to take a sip. "But, she also just lost the love of her life. We need to be making sure we are taking care of her."
"We will, Jack ... we will.
Chapter 2
“BANG!” Kacey eyes sprung open and she shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. She sat there panting heavily, willing her heart to stop racing and trying to calm down. Trying to relax the fists that were clutching the sheets.
It had been the same dream that haunted her at least a couple of times a week. She kept replaying the moments surrounding her husband’s death. It felt like a nightmare that she would never be able to wake up from.
It happened the night she, Dan, Mike and Jack had finally gotten together for a double date. They had gone to their favorite winery and had an amazing time. Jack and Mike were a relatively new couple and Dan and Kacey hadn’t socialized with them yet. It didn’t take long for Kacey and Jacqueline to become fast friends.
Strangely enough, Jack was jealous of Mike and Kacey at first. Thinking there was more to their relationship than there was. Once it was clear to her that they were just partners and friends, Jack and Kacey started to become really close.
After dinner, they had walked out to their cars and were chatting in the parking lot. It was a gorgeous night, and they were content to linger awhile.
A loud ‘crack’ rent the air and when Dan said Kacey’s name they all looked at him to see blood spilling out of his chest. He died seconds later in Kacey’s arms. It was something none of them would ever quite get over.
Kacey’s heart gradually stopped racing and the sweat began to chill her body, making goosebumps. When she had finally calmed down enough to get out of her bed she went down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of cold water. She got a glass out of the cabinet, walked over to the water cooler, and filled it, gulping down the entire contents in one motion. She felt a little better so she refilled her glass and went into the living room.
She opened the slats of the mini blinds, looking out onto her street. All was quiet, as it should be. She looked up towards the brightly shining moon. It looked eery, yet beautiful shining through the bare branches. You could almost see the buds beginning to form.
She set her glass down on the table beside the couch and walked over to flip on the gas fireplace. She curled up on the couch, grabbed a pillow and afghan and wrapped herself up. She leaned into the pillow and just watched the fire crackle.
She woke early, thanks to the sunlight peeking through the blinds she had left open. The afghan fell to the floor as she stretched as far as she could and yawned. She put her feet on the floor, stood up, and went into the kitchen to start her coffee. As the smell of coffee brewing filled the air, she went back into the living room, turned off the fireplace and straightened the couch.
After she filled her cup with coffee and a dash of her favorite seasonal creamer, she went to hop into the shower.
An hour later, Kacey was ready to roll. She decided that since she only had two days left of her leave, she would run some errands, especially to the grocery store and the library. She had no food and nothing to read. A double tragedy in her book.
She stepped out into a glorious late fall day. The temperature hovered around the upper 60s and a slight breeze ruffled her hair. She impatiently ran her fingers through her wavy hair as tendrils temporarily blinded her and slid into her car.
She went to the grocery store first, since that was her least favorite thing to do. After that was done, she headed over to the library, thankful that because of the cooler temperatures, she didn’t have to run them home first.
She pulled into a spot close to the door and walked towards the front entrance. She was looking through her purse for her library card and almost tripped over a little boy sitting on the concrete steps with a box beside him.
“Hey there, buddy. I almost stepped on you. Sorry.” Kacey smiled at him. He was as cute as he could be with his curly brown hair and milk chocolate brown eyes.
“Whatcha got there?”
He tipped the box slightly towards her and she heard the faintest little whine. Kacey peeked in the box to see a litter of puppies all cuddled up together on an old towel.
Kacey gasped at how cute they were.
“My mom said I had to get rid of them today or she will take them to the shelter.” He pointed to his mother who was sitting on the bench a few feet away watching the exchange.
When Kacey looked at her, the woman smiled at Kacey and shook her head. Kacey smiled back, realizing there was no way this woman would be that cruel.
Kacey sat down by the little boy and said, “May I?”
He nodded at her and she reached in to grab a sweet little beagle puppy. She put it up by her face and it nuzzled in and fell asleep. Kacey’s heart melted.
“If I leave him with you, can I take him home with me after I get some books?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll take good care of him for you.”
Kacey reluctantly put the puppy back in the box and went inside. She greeted the librarian, who had been watching the entire exchange. “He got me too.” She said smiling as she gestured towards a basket on the counter. Kacey looked inside and a little ball of fur looked up at her with its little pink tongue hanging out. Kacey laughed and went to pick out a few books, lingering only a few minutes.
Normally she would spend at least an hour browsing, but she had groceries to get home and a puppy to adopt.
The little boy stood as Kacey came out and showed her the puppy he had been cradling in his hands. “I kept him safe for you.” He kissed the puppy on the head and reluctantly handed him to Kacey.
“Thank you.” Kacey said, insisting on giving him $20 for his dog sitting services.
“You don’t know how much I needed to have a puppy in my life.” She smiled at him, thankful that she had chosen today to run those errands. She might’ve missed out if she’d waited.
Kacey went down the street to the pet store, parked and got her puppy out. She carried him into the store and put him in a cart. She found him an adorable little collar and leash. Donuts seemed like a practical choice in pattern. She got him a bed, toys, kibble, and teething treats. She signed them up for obedience classes, making a mental note to schedule a vet visit, and after the puppy had thoroughly charmed everyone they met, Kacey and her new puppy were on their way home.
Once they were back in the car, Kacey took a picture of the dog and texted ‘Meet your new god dog’, to Mike.
Chapter 3
While Kacey was out for a month, Mike decided to take two weeks of his vacation. He needed to get away after the stress of their last case and Dan’s funeral.
As promised, he and Jack went to Ozark country for a long weekend.
“This is the most beautiful scenery!” Jack exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so pretty before. Thanks for this.”
“You’re welcome. I wanted to bring you here the first time I saw it.”
Kacey and Mike had been there a few months ago when they were trying to find Katie McAllister. The killer had begun his sorry life in this area. They had met some really nice people though, and he wanted to share it with Jack.
He'd wanted to take her here in the fall, but it just didn't happen. Late winter had it's own beauty, though.
Every turn and crest of a hill was more beautiful than the last. And the bluffs were breathtaking.
They hiked trails that were filled with early blooming wildflowers and berry bushes; meandered through
trails marked by both man and creature ... made by pilgrimages that they could only imagine tread by animals throughout the ages. They sat in front of the fireplace at the Bed and Breakfast they were staying at. They toured the local wineries and picnicked outside when the weather took an unexpected turn for the better. It soothed them after the horrendous events they had witnessed. After the terrible abductions and murders, the hanging body of Mary Walters, and worst of all, the shooting of Dan Yates, they needed a retreat.
By the time they left on the fourth day, their relationship was on solid ground. Jack bemoaned the fact that she only had a few vacation days while Mike had two solid weeks.
“Don’t you just wish we had more time, Mike?”
“Definitely, but we’ll be back.”
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