The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  She hung up and saw that Harvey was already at the door, coat on and car keys in hand. He held out her coat. “Let’s go.”

  They drove as fast as they could, considering the conditions of the road. Nora had her fists pressed against her thighs the entire ride. If something happened to Sean she’d never forgive herself. He’d been against the idea of waiting 24 hours. She was the one who’d given in. Why? Why had she been such an idiot?

  Was it Tucker who had attacked Sean? If not, who? More importantly, would Sean survive?

  “It’s going to be fine,” Harvey said, though she wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. “Nothing’s going to happen to Sean. He’s a tough old son of a gun. Nothing’s ever happened to him in thirty years of service, and it won’t happen now.”

  They reached Sean’s house in record time. They raced in to find Karen crouched on the floor, her shirt patchy with dried blood. Sean lay next to her, half-conscious, and Karen was weeping as she pressed a towel to his shoulder.

  Nora felt the air rush out of her. She’d never seen Sean like this before. He looked so old all of a sudden. Frail.

  “Nora!” Sean tried to sit up and nearly fainted.

  “Don’t move.” Harvey crouched next to Sean. “Who got you, buddy? What happened?”

  “Didn’t…see…” Sean said through gritted teeth. “You have to…Tucker…the killer…”

  “He’s right.” Nora realized with horror. “Harvey, I hate to do this but I have to go. I have to make sure the killer doesn’t target Tucker next.”

  “No way,” Harvey said. “The killer might be Tucker. He asked for 24 hours and tried to finish you two off. I’m not letting you go alone.”

  “Go,” Sean said, his voice full of urgency. His eyes slid shut and Karen shook him awake. In the distance, Nora could hear police sirens.

  “Go,” Karen said, looking up with glittering eyes. “I don’t trust Ellerton not to mess up. It’s up to you two. I’ll take care of Sean. But you…you make sure this killer is behind bars before the sun is up tomorrow.”

  Hating to leave but seeing no other choice, Nora gave Karen a kiss on the forehead and then rushed out of the door.

  “Where to?” Harvey asked as they slid into the car.

  “Tucker’s house. Willow Street,” Nora said. “He’d better talk now.”

  “Oh, he will,” Harvey said. There was an edge to his voice that Nora recognized and respected. She knew Harvey was burning with anger right now.

  “The killer’s getting desperate,” Nora said. “It means we’ve got him backed into a corner.”

  “That’s when they’re most dangerous,” Harvey replied, as they shot off down the street.

  *****

  Chapter 19

  The Secret

  Tucker looked bleary-eyed as he opened the door. He looked from Nora to Harvey, confused. “What—” he began, but was cut off as Harvey caught him by the lapels of his robe.

  “You. Talk. Now,” Harvey said.

  Tucker looked terrified. “Something’s happened. What is it?”

  “Sean was attacked tonight,” Nora said. “So time’s up for you. What’s this secret you haven’t told anyone?”

  Tucker turned white.

  “You have to talk, Tucker, or you’re going to end up in jail,” Nora said. “This is your last chance to save yourself.”

  “Fine,” Tucker said. “Just let me go. I’ll talk.”

  Harvey pushed him aside roughly. Tucker stumbled a little, then caught himself and straightened up. He pushed a hand through his hair and looked around desperately. “I need a drink.”

  “You need to speak,” Nora said. “No more stalling.”

  “Fine.” Tucker collapsed on a chair. “It’s Johnny. He killed Lori.”

  Nora stood still, completely stunned. She’d suspected so herself, but to hear it said out loud - and by Johnny’s own brother - that was something else. “How are you so sure?”

  Tucker shrugged. “I know it. You won’t know this, but we were all supposed to meet at the cabin at 8pm that Friday night. Irene came over to my place and we reached the cabin around 7:30. Johnny wasn’t there.”

  “Oh,” Nora said. She remembered what Mason had said to her: Tucker and Irene reached the cabin at around 7:30 and they were both irritated that Johnny hadn’t arrived. Johnny had the keys, you see. Tucker immediately drove off to find Johnny, and came back with him half an hour later. Johnny said he’d fallen asleep at home.

  “Yeah, I drove off to his house to find him, and Johnny was lying on the couch, cradling a bottle of whisky.” Tucker sighed. “I slapped him awake and asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me. He just whispered ‘Lori’. He refused to talk to me on the entire drive up. I had no idea what had happened. When we were near the cabin, Johnny told me not to ask him any questions and to just pretend to be normal this weekend. We’d talk later.”

  “What then?”

  “Well, Johnny was grumpy and weird all of Friday night but, then, that was Johnny. He was often grumpy and weird. The rest of us had a blast. The next morning, we noticed Lori had never showed up, and raised an alarm. You know all this. The thing is, Lori had visited Johnny. So he claims. She visited and broke up with him. That’s why he was hugging the bottle of whisky when I found him.”

  “Oh,” Nora said. It was all she could say. Things were suddenly clicking into place for her.

  “Yeah. It was a really bad situation for me. I knew at once how it would look to the cops. All of a sudden, being Lori’s secret lover seemed like a dangerous game to play. I mean, I didn’t want to end up arrested. I wanted to protect Johnny, too, of course. So I told him to lie. I told him to tell the cops he’d never seen her that day.”

  “You lied to Sean. You made Johnny lie, too.”

  “I had to!” Tucker exclaimed. “As for Johnny, well, he just looked dazed and shocked. He followed my orders, basically. At the time, you have to understand, I didn’t suspect Johnny of anything. Initially, I thought Lori had just gone off and committed suicide or something. I didn’t really think of murder. Later on, though…I began to wonder if Johnny had done it. Only, you see, I’d already lied to the police, and I didn’t think there was any point in raking all that up. I never cared if he’d killed her or not. As long as me and my brother were ok, none of it mattered.”

  “But now that you’re in the line of fire, you’re happily throwing Johnny up as a shield,” Harvey said, his voice full of disgust. “You’re a piece of work, Tucker. Better to be an only child than have a brother like you.”

  “I helped Johnny,” Tucker said. “I’ve always loved him.”

  “I don’t think you ever did,” Nora said quietly. “Harvey, let’s go. We need to talk to Johnny. And fast.”

  *****

  Chapter 20

  The Confession

  Johnny was waiting for them when Nora rang the doorbell. Clearly, Tucker had called to warn him that they were on their way over. He opened the door, and Nora noticed he was dressed in a dark t-shirt and jeans.

  “I thought I’d find it easier to talk in this than pajamas,” Johnny said, letting them in. “Come to my study, will you? I don’t want to wake Anita.” He had a resigned look on his face. Sinking into his chair, he poured a measure of whisky into a glass and downed it.

  “You’ve been drinking,” Harvey said.

  “Had to kill the time while you two drove over.” Johnny shrugged. He sighed. His hair was uncombed and stuck out in different directions. His eyes looked heavy with grief. “I suppose it’s inevitable. The secret is finally out. Twenty years I held it in. Do you know what that does to a man? I never felt free. Never. Now I feel relieved.”

  Harvey gave Nora a nervous look. Johnny was incoherent, almost out of his mind. It scared Harvey in a way that nothing else would have. There’s no way to predict the actions of a madman, after all. Nora squeezed his hand, giving him strength.

  “Johnny, is it true that Lori visited you
that Friday?” Nora asked.

  Johnny nodded. “She did. I’m ready to confess everything.” He poured another shot of whisky into the glass before Harvey snatched the bottle away from him.

  “I need that,” Johnny whined, but Harvey shook his head.

  “Talk to us,” Nora said. “What did Lori say to you?”

  “Lori said that she wanted to break up with me,” Johnny said. “She apologized profusely. She said she didn’t mean to play with me, that this other man had just walked into her life. She said it was Tucker.” Johnny shut his eyes and laughed. “Ah, my own brother. Always after what’s mine.” He shrugged. “Well, what could I say? I was weak, so I begged her not to break my heart. I begged her to stay. She gently refused. She said that Tucker had originally planned to break the news at the cabin, but that she thought it over and realized that it might be cruel to do it in front of others. She was more considerate of me than my own brother. Lori was…she was sweet. Even though I hated her for doing what she did, I couldn’t quite hate her enough. She was still sweet. I could tell she was trying to be as gentle as possible, to let me down easy. But I really loved her. I was furious. I told her to get out of my house. She did.”

  Harvey stared at Johnny. “I thought you were going to confess to killing her.”

  “Yeah. Sure,” Johnny said. “Fine. I killed her. I killed Mason, too. You’re both witnesses to my confession. I’ve written it on this piece of paper here, too.” He thrust a paper at them.

  “No.” Nora’s eyes were wide. “Johnny. Stop. Don’t do it.”

  Johnny was fumbling in the drawer next to him. A second later, he’d drawn out a gun. He placed it next to his head. With a cry, Harvey jumped forward and wrestled Johnny to the ground. In no time, he’d overpowered him. Johnny was strangely placid, rather like a lamb. Then, he broke down, sobbing.

  Nora put a hand on his shoulder as Harvey watched him from a distance, gun in hand.

  “You didn’t kill anybody,” Nora said. “You’re lying, aren’t you? You’re lying to protect Anita.”

  Johnny shook his head furiously then, in between sobs, nodded.

  “Here, drink some water.” Nora handed him a glass. “Calm down. Then talk to us. Tell us what you’re hiding.”

  It took him five minutes, but Johnny finally calmed down. Now that he’d had his breakdown, he seemed almost ashamed to look them in the eyes.

  “Everything I said about Lori coming over is true,” Johnny said. “I was a broken man at that point. I wasn’t thinking clearly. When Lori vanished the next day, it was an even bigger shock to me. I was walking around with my head in the clouds. The only thing that saved me was Anita. She took care of me. She was there for me in a way nobody else had ever been. I know it sounds dumb, but I realized that what I felt for Lori was nothing compared to what I’d always felt for Anita. I mean, I was an idiot not to realize it before. I’d always ignored her because she was younger, and not my type. But…I fell in love with her. You have to understand, I tried to forget Lori completely. I told the policemen a lie like Tucker asked me to, and I tried to move on.”

  “But then?”

  “But then, I remembered something,” Johnny said. “While I was losing my cool at Lori, I threw a lamp to the floor. I remember hearing a little gasp, like someone was at my door listening. A woman. I had an eavesdropper.”

  “Anita?” Harvey asked.

  “Who else could it have been?” Johnny sighed. “Looking back, I didn’t want to believe it. But it all fit. Anita got rid of Lori, so that she could be with me. My head was in such a fog that the significance of that eavesdropper didn’t come to me until about six months later. By then…well, I didn’t want to turn her in.”

  “So you married her,” Nora said.

  Johnny nodded. “She’s always been the love of my life, and always will be. There’s no point in living without her. She completes me, Nora. She makes me the man I am. I tried to protect her.”

  “By killing Mason?” Harvey asked.

  “I didn’t kill Mason.” Johnny shook his head.

  “Of course not. You think Anita did. That’s why you wrote those fake confessions,” Nora said.

  Johnny nodded. “I thought it was the easiest way out. I’d confess, Anita would escape and I’d be gone anyway. I couldn’t bear to sit and watch while they threw her in jail. I had to do it. There’s still time. Please, if you have any pity, let me do this.”

  “No,” Nora said, her voice firm.

  Johnny crumbled.

  “Is that why you tried to bribe Austin into leaving town?” Harvey asked. “You were afraid he’d uncover Anita?”

  Johnny nodded. “Yes. I was terrified that my life was falling apart. I thought if I could just get Austin to leave, maybe Mason would forget his little project and we’d go back to normal.”

  “You’re an idiot, Johnny,” Nora said. “But I won’t say more just yet. We have an eavesdropper once again.” She pulled open the door and Anita stumbled in, her eyes wet.

  “Oh, Johnny,” she said. “You silly little fool.” She ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

  “You’ve got to make a run for it, Anita,” Johnny said. “That’s the only way.”

  “Oh, no,” Nora said. “She’s not going anywhere. Why would she? She isn’t the killer.”

  “What?!” Johnny looked up at Nora, shocked. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you’re an idiot, Johnny,” Nora said. “But kind of sweet and sentimental. Did you really love Anita for twenty years, even though you suspected she’d killed to get you?”

  Johnny nodded. “I told you. It never made sense to me. All I knew is that the life I have with Anita is the only life I want. I didn’t care what she’d done. I loved her.”

  “Oh, Johnny.” Anita’s voice was soft as she kissed him. “And all this time I thought you had killed her.”

  “What?” Johnny stared at her.

  “I mean, when she first disappeared I didn’t think anything of the sort. But then this terrible suspicion took over me. Who else could the killer be, if not her boyfriend?” Anita sighed. “So I tried to make the town think she was just an irresponsible mother who’d run away. I was so in love with you that I didn’t care if you were a murderer, either. I just wanted you. But I thought you’d never love me. Not like you had loved her. All those times I tried to make you jealous with Mason, I just wanted proof that you loved me, too. I thought you only married me because I was a consolation prize. Because I was there when nobody else was.”

  “You really thought I didn’t love you?”

  “You’re not the most demonstrative man,” Anita said. “You just keep it all inside, brooding all the time. How was I supposed to know? I thought that, for you, this was just a marriage of convenience.”

  “Anita—”

  “Hold it,” Harvey held up a hand. “Your little lover’s reunion has got to stop for a second. Nora, are you sure of what you’re saying? If it wasn’t Anita who killed Lori, then that must mean—” He was cut off by the insistent buzz of Nora’s phone. Once more, Nora felt a tightening in her stomach. A phone call this late at night was never good news.

  “It’s Hazel,” Nora said, looking surprised. Then, her eyes widened as she remembered. “She’s alone at home.” Ominously, the phone fell silent just as Nora tried to pick it up.

  It buzzed again as she received a text.

  “There’s someone inside the house.”

  *****

  Chapter 21

  The First Clue

  Hazel had been fast asleep in her room upstairs when Nora and Harvey had sped off to help Sean. Although she didn’t live at home anymore, more often than not, she’d end up having dinner with her parents and staying over in the same room she’d slept in as a little girl.

  She’d been stretched out on the little twin bed surrounded by posters of unicorns and astronauts, when some instinct woke her up. She blinked awake, confused for a second, and realized that she was cold. Icy wind
was blowing through her door.

  In her sleep, she groped around for the blanket that had fallen off her and then, very faintly, she heard the dull thud of flesh banging against furniture. Instantly, she was wide awake. The draft could only be coming in from the front door - and her parents would never ever leave the door open for more than a second. There was someone in the house.

  Getting up as quietly as she could, Hazel crouched to the floor. She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and began calling her mother. After just three rings she cut the call, realizing that a text was better. She didn’t want to risk being heard.

  Where were Mom and Dad? They weren’t at home, she was sure of it. She could normally hear the sound of the humidifier from their bedroom when they were asleep, which meant she was alone with a potential psycho. The same psycho who had tried to kill Nora earlier.

  Hazel’s phone lit up with a buzz. She looked down. It was Austin.

  Want to play a round of Fortnite online? I can’t sleep.

  Help. Someone in the house. Call the cops. She managed to text back, before freezing again. She could hear the tread of footsteps coming up the stairs.

  She crawled to her door and peeked out. On the landing, she could make out a shadow. The shadow shifted and Hazel could now see a glint of light shining off the metallic surface of a revolver. She felt her heartbeat triple at the sight, and a cold sweat broke out over her body.

  As the figure slipped into her parents’ bedroom, Hazel took her chance and ran for the stairs. As she descended, she saw the front door open and the lights switch on.

  “Hazel!” Nora and Harvey cried out as they burst in.

  “Mom!” Hazel laughed in relief. She ran down the rest of the stairs. It was all going to be ok now. They were here, and they had surely brought back-up. It was all going to be—

  Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a blow to her head. Her world tilted, and darkness took over.

  “No!” Nora shouted.