Irene smiled as she popped up behind Hazel, her revolver pointed at the young lady’s forehead. “Yes,” Irene said, moving to the bottom of the stairs. “Close the door behind you. I don’t want any more interruptions tonight.”
“Irene.” Nora shook her head. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I do wish I didn’t,” Irene said. “The clean-up is always such a mess. But if you two cooperate, maybe I can spare Hazel. She hasn’t seen my face, after all.”
“It was you all along?” Harvey stared at her. “How? I mean…how could you?”
Irene shook her head. “Oh, I’m not playing that game. Long-winded explanations are for idiots and losers. We’ve got work to do right now. Nora, tie Harvey up to that chair there. No sudden moves, okay? Or little Hazel here will have quite the headache.” Irene’s giggle sounded almost obscene. There was a light in her eyes that Nora had never seen before.
“You figured out it was me, didn’t you?” Irene asked as Nora tied Harvey to a chair. “You didn’t look surprised to see me here at all. Same as Mason.”
Nora picked her words carefully, knowing she had to bait Irene to keep talking. “It was the stupidest thing that alerted me to you,” Nora said. “Tucker said that you were washing your hair the night Mason died. It occurred to me that when I visited you the morning after, you’d just come out of the bath, and had just used that peppermint shampoo of yours. Why would you need to shampoo your hair once at night and then again the next morning? Unless you hadn’t been in the bath that night. You slipped out without Tucker noticing and killed Mason. Which meant that you were the one who took the gun Austin had left behind. But why? I couldn’t figure it out…until I thought back to the first clue we’d ever found: Lori’s diary entry.”
Irene’s laugh was like a vicious bark. “That witch did me a favor. She didn’t name names. Thank goodness.”
“You found out that Tucker had given those diamond earrings to Lori,” Nora said. “You were at Johnny’s house when she confessed to him.”
Irene’s neutral expression slipped for the first time and Nora could see the madness and hate lurking underneath. The woman was a shark in human disguise. Her teeth looked predatory as she spread her lips into a smile.
“I was such a ninny back then. A sweet, law-abiding, little girl. I’d gone over to Johnny’s to see if he needed any help bringing things to the cabin. I saw Lori’s car parked out front and heard a crash - I couldn’t help but eavesdrop.” Irene bit her lip so hard that blood began to pool around her tooth. “That—that—harlot was talking about my man. She was planning to take him from me without so much as a please or a thank you. I always knew she had an eye on Tucker. I knew, but I acted nice. She sensed it, though. We women always can, can’t we? She knew I hated her, I knew she hated me. I didn’t care if Tucker flirted with other girls as long as he came home to me. That’s just in his nature - you can’t tame him. As long as he knows who his master is, ultimately, what does it matter who he fools around with? But when I heard Lori tell Johnny of their plans to publicly humiliate us at the cabin, I saw red. I got into the back of her little minivan and I waited. I wanted to obliterate her. Then…I did.”
“Her body,” Nora asked. “Where did you hide her body?”
Irene grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She still had an arm around Hazel’s throat and her gun hand was steady, even as she advanced further into the living room. Irene’s back was to the kitchen, however, and Nora’s heart leapt when she saw Austin peering in from a window behind her. His lips were pressed tight and his eyes were drawn together in fury.
Keep her talking, Nora thought. “And Mason?” Nora asked. “He figured you out?”
Irene nodded. “Never thought he would. Do you want to guess how?”
“He ruled out Anita,” Nora said. “Because Lori’s minivan is a manual and Anita can’t drive manuals. But you, Johnny and Tucker all can. Am I right? You and Tucker own manuals and Johnny has his truck. That’s why Mason checked out an old Autocar from the library - to see the specifications on Lori’s car model. Whoever killed Lori had to have driven her car, at least to get rid of it.”
“Good guess.” Irene grinned. “But there’s more. Something you would never know. See, I didn’t have much time to dispose of Lori that evening. When I did, my hands were a mess. I managed to dust off my clothes, but my fingernails were filthy. Mason never really noticed or remembered. Until you jogged his memory again recently, and he started thinking hard about it. Then he recalled how I’d kept my hands hidden and washed them as soon as I could, and as thoroughly as I could. It’s really strange what sticks with you twenty years later. It was like some subconscious part of him always knew, and it took twenty years for it to bubble out.” Irene shook her head. “I honestly had no hard feelings towards Mason. It was a pity that I had to kill him, but I just had to. What I regret is that I didn’t kill you that night. You caught me while I was rooting around to see what he’d written down. I was so terrified I’d be caught. I nearly was.”
“But you’ve always been lucky,” Nora said.
“True. But I’ve always been clever, too.” Irene grinned.
“And Sean?” Nora asked.
“Another miss.” Irene sighed. “He didn’t see me, so I’ll figure out how to get him later. Once you three are disposed of.”
“You got desperate once you realized we’d cornered Tucker, is that it?”
Irene nodded. “I love Tucker. Anyone who harms him, harms me. That’s what love is about. Isn’t it, Nora? It’s about territory. Tucker’s mine. You two had to be put in your place.”
“I still don’t get it,” Nora said. “All this, just for Tucker? Tucker who never even loved you? Tucker, who only cares about his own looks, his own money, his own comfort? What did it ever get you?”
“What did it ever get me?” Irene laughed. “I’m a queen in Milburn now, Nora. I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and I fought my way up to the cream of Milburn’s society. That’s what it got me. As for Tucker, he’s mine, isn’t he? I own him now. I’ve owned him body and soul for the last twenty years. Sure, I kept him happy. I let him have his little flings, I let him act macho. But we both know I wear the pants in our household. That’s what I killed Lori for. I killed her and gained a life. Those are the prices you pay for what you want, Nora. Not that you’d ever understand.”
“I don’t,” Nora said. “Because none of it is real, none of it ever was. Tucker didn’t love you, Irene. Not like you loved him. He doesn’t even respect you. You’re no different to him than his latest car. Sooner or later, he’d have replaced you with a newer model.”
“Shut up. Now.” Irene was furious. She pointed her gun away from Hazel and at Nora for the first time. It was the move Nora had been waiting for. Immediately, Nora dropped to the ground. From behind Irene, Austin leaped forward and tackled her around the waist. He pushed Hazel aside and wrestled with Irene. There was a brief struggle, and then the gun came skidding on the floor towards Nora. Irene screamed like a desperate animal and scratched Austin’s face. He shrank back and Irene leapt up. Without hesitation, she ran towards Nora, her eyes burning with hatred, her hands extending like claws.
Nora didn’t hesitate. She didn’t bother to warn Irene. She just pulled the trigger.
*****
Chapter 22
The Hospital
The first signs of spring were starting to peek through winter’s snowy curtain. Nora smiled as she looked through the window of St. Paul’s Hospital. A bare-branched tree stood outside but, right on top, a single triumphant leaf had somehow managed to find life even among the frost.
Behind Nora, Sean groaned as he woke up. “Someone hit me with a truck,” he said.
Karen hugged him tight and Sean yelped. “Ouch. Careful, lady, I’m not the brawler I once was.”
“You’re a delicate little thing, alright,” Karen said sarcastically. Then she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “The doctor said a lesser man wouldn’t ha
ve survived that gunshot, after losing all the blood you did. Oh, Sean, I was so terrified!”
“So were we,” Harvey said. “I got to say, I never really had a soft spot for you, Sean, but it was hard seeing you laid out like that.”
“I’m just glad the ambulance got to you in time,” Nora said. “I’m sorry, Sean. We took it too far, didn’t we? We should never have cornered Tucker the way we did.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense any longer,” Sean said. “What happened between you guys and Irene? I heard you shot her, Nora!”
Nora shuddered. She still felt a little nauseated when she thought of pulling the trigger on Irene. But it had been an act of survival, not revenge. Irene had looked demented, as though she were ready to claw Nora’s eyes out. “She survived, too. She’s threatening to sue, but our lawyer said it would get laughed out of court.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s actually right here at St. Paul’s for the time being,” Nora said. “They’re patching up her wound and keeping her under observation.”
“How did you even figure out it was her?” Sean asked. “I was in the dark, pretty much.”
“We almost figured it out too late,” Nora said. “I only really put it together when Johnny told us someone had eavesdropped on his conversation with Lori. Right then, it became obvious that Anita could not have killed Lori. After all, she would have been overjoyed that Lori and Johnny were breaking up. So she would have no motive. So who did that leave? Irene.”
“It could have been Tucker, too.”
“Not Tucker,” Nora said. “Tucker’s too fond of his own skin to ever risk it by murdering someone. He’s heartless, alright, but he doesn’t take big risks. No. It had to be someone who had a lot to lose.”
“But Tucker never really intended to marry Lori, did he?” Sean asked. “I mean, he was just playing with her.”
“Yes,” Nora said. “Poor, innocent Lori really believed he meant to marry her. Which is the most tragic thing of all, to me. If Lori had known the truth about Tucker’s intentions, none of this would have happened. If Lori had not developed a conscience and gone to tell Johnny at his home, none of this would have happened. But she had real bad luck that day. Lori spoke to Johnny with complete conviction when she said that she and Tucker were planning to get married. Irene, overhearing this, was furious. She wouldn’t have cared if Tucker was playing games, but the idea of him marrying a girl other than her spun her out of control.”
“So, what then? Did she confess the rest of it?”
“Eventually, yes,” Nora said. “She confessed to hiding in the minivan. She had a knife and put it to Lori’s throat. She made Lori drive up the dirt track to the abandoned mine behind Tucker’s house. There, she murdered Lori and hid her body. Then she drove the car back, dropped it off on the side of the road and snuck through the forest till she reached Tucker’s house.”
“Of course! And then Tucker gave Irene a lift to the cabin. I can’t believe I never put that together.” Sean sighed.
“The diary entry should have told us everything, really,” Nora said. “Even though it didn’t name any names, Lori specifically said that when she and ‘her man’ got together, they’d be upsetting a few people. Obviously, she couldn’t have been referring to Johnny, then. After all, the whole town knew they were dating - nobody would have been upset with their engagement.”
“Of course. And if Tucker was ‘her man’ then Irene was the jealous woman Lori was talking about.” Sean sighed once again. “We could have solved the entire case with that alone.”
“Instead, Nora was helped along by some peppermint shampoo.” Harvey grinned.
“Huh?” Sean looked confused.
Nora colored a little. “It’s another stupid little thing I never pieced together. Tucker claimed Irene had been taking a bath and shampooing her hair the night Mason was murdered. Yet, when I went to see Irene the very next day, she was just out of the bath, and had shampooed her hair.”
“So?” Sean shrugged. “I shampoo my hair two days in a row all the time.”
Karen caught Nora’s eye and shook her head. “I’d never do that.”
“No woman I know would,” Nora said. “Unless maybe she’d worked up a really good sweat in between.”
“Well, murdering someone is a tough job. Maybe she did work up that sweat,” Sean said. “Poor Mason.” He groaned and closed his eyes.
“Alright. Time for Sean’s medicine,” Karen said, her voice firm.
“Wait, I just had one more question,” Sean said.
“What’s that?” Nora asked.
“Tucker,” Sean said. “Did he know? Did he know his wife was a murderer?”
Nora shook her head. “He’s absolutely innocent in that regard. Personally, I think he’s a heartless brute but, legally, he’s in the clear. Like I said, if he’d ever suspected that Irene could harm his social image, he’d have dropped her like a hot potato. Tucker’s selfish to his core.”
“A far cry from Johnny,” Harvey added, “who loves his wife so much that he was willing to be with her for twenty years, even though he suspected she’d murdered Lori.”
“And vice versa,” Nora said. “Anita loved him, too, even though she suspected he’d murdered Lori in a fit of anger.”
Sean shook his head. “I don’t get it. People are weird.”
“You said it,” Karen agreed. “For example, some grown men can take a bullet to the arm without a single whimper but then they act like little toddlers when it’s time to take their medicine.”
“I don’t act like a toddler,” Sean said with great dignity. “I just hate how sleepy they make me.” He grinned at Harvey and Nora. “I guess you better come back another time.”
“Thank you,” Karen said, clasping Nora’s hands. “Really. It’s such a relief to know that psycho is safe in custody.”
Nora gave her a squeeze and walked out of the hospital room, closing the door gently behind her. Up ahead, in the last room along the corridor, Nora could see Sheriff Ellerton talking to the two deputies posted in front of Irene’s room.
Nora turned away, knowing he’d probably not really want to speak to them, but the sheriff surprised her.
“Listen, Nora. Harvey…” He had his hat in his hands and was twirling it round and round. “I just want to say…I know we’ve had our differences, but Sean is an amazing man, and I’m really thankful nothing serious happened to him.”
“Same here.” Nora smiled at the sincerity in the sheriff’s voice. He could be a bit thick-headed at times but, right now, Nora felt benevolent about all of Dave Ellerton’s flaws. Apparently, he’d raced Sean down to the hospital himself and guarded his room all night to make sure he was safe.
“No hard feelings, okay?” he said now.
“No hard feelings,” Harvey agreed, shaking his hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got to go see our daughter.”
“Hazel. Right.” Dave nodded. “Is she doing ok?”
“She’s fine. Just a little bump on her head,” Harvey said. “Luckily she inherited my thick skull, so she’s unhurt.”
“Alright. Take care.” Dave nodded. “I’m going to get back to Irene. I’ve got more questions for her.”
“How is she?” Nora asked, feeling suddenly unhappy. “I mean, her wound, it isn’t too serious, is it?”
“Not really,” Dave said. “Though she’s milking it all she can to avoid going to jail. Do you know, Tucker hasn’t visited her at all?”
“Really?” Nora stared at Dave. “Not even to ask questions?”
“Nope.” Dave shook his head. “Last I heard he’s talking to a lawyer and trying to fast-track a divorce. I don’t normally feel bad for murderers, but Irene looked pretty heartbroken about it.”
“Twenty years she thought she had him, and now she knows it was all a lie.” Nora shrugged. “I do feel bad for her. Whatever punishment the courts hand out, nothing’s going to hurt as much as knowing that Tucker never really cared.�
�
*****
Chapter 23
Holding Hands
“I wish I remembered,” Hazel said. She was sitting in her hospital bed, a large bandage wrapped around her head. Austin sat in a chair next to the bed, looking exhausted. He had small stitches on his face where Irene had scratched him, and a few bruises on his body, but was otherwise unharmed.
“All I remember is waking up convinced someone was in the house, and then seeing stars,” Hazel said. “The rest of it is all a blank. The next thing I know, I’m waking up in this hospital bed and, well, the police are asking me all kinds of questions.”
“Don’t stress about it.” Austin put his hand on hers and gave her a little squeeze. “It’s all over now. That’s what matters.”
“True,” Hazel said. “Mom said my discharge papers should be ready any time and we can all go home. We’ll give you a ride, obviously.”
“That’d be nice,” Austin said. His hand was still linked with Hazel’s and that was all he cared about. As for her, if she minded, she certainly wasn’t showing it.
The door opened and Nora and Harvey stepped in. Austin immediately dropped his hand back into his lap, leaning away from Hazel.
Nora gave him a big grin as she entered. “Good news,” she said. “The doctors cleared you, Hazel. We can take you home now.”
“Great!” Hazel said, sitting up. “I hate hospitals. They’re so sterile and…depressing. I’d rather sleep at home where I’ll be all cozy. Though I think I’ll double check the locks tonight.”
“I’ve had new ones installed already,” Harvey said. “There’s nothing more to worry about.
“As long as she’s in custody, I’m happy.” Hazel said. “So are you, right Austin?”
Austin bit his lip and nodded. “I mean…it’s weird. I can’t believe we actually did it. We caught my mom’s killer. All these years, I’ve never had any closure. Now, I’ll finally get to say goodbye. Irene confessed where the body was, and the police already found it. We’re going to have a burial once they’re done with the forensics.”
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 152