“Nora?” Garth Green was walking by and stopped when he saw her.
“Garth? What are you doing here?” Nora asked.
“I heard about Jake’s house, so I came down to see what’s happening.” Garth shook his head. “Terrible, right? The killer’s growing more fearless, it seems. Who knows who he’ll target next.”
Kurt and Tim looked at each other and gulped.
“Guys, go talk to the sheriff. Tell him everything you’ve just told me,” Nora said, pointing them towards the squad cars. “I’m sure the sheriff will be very interested.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Nathaniel.” Tim and Kurt ran off.
Garth looked very interested, too. “Find a clue?” he asked.
“Hopefully,” Nora said with a sigh. “Garth, by any chance have you spoken to Michelle in the last few hours?”
“No,” Garth said. “I called her twice but she wasn’t picking up her phone. Any idea what that’s about?”
“I’m trying to find her.” Nora tried not to look worried and failed. “The sheriff’s trying, too. Nobody has any idea where she is and it doesn’t look good. Sheriff will try and pin this arson on her.”
“But I just heard those boys. They said it was a guy carrying a gas can, right?” Garth asked. Nora stared at him and Garth flushed. “I guess I might as well admit it — I was eavesdropping.”
“I guess we both share a nasty habit, then.” Nora grinned.
Garth relaxed, seeing that she wasn’t going to chastise him. Then, he asked, “But if it was a man with a gas can who did it, that means Michelle is innocent, right?”
“I know Ellerton. The sheriff will discard it as circumstantial. He’s got it into his head that Michelle’s the killer, and it’ll take a lot of proof before he believes otherwise,” Nora said. “We really need to find Michelle fast.”
“Maybe she’s just asleep?” Garth said hopefully. “We can try her house again.”
Nora shook her head. “The sheriff’s probably got two men posted there. It’s really a mystery. She’s just vanished into the night. She’s not in any motel or any hospital — the sheriff’s checked already. I tried calling Flint and Betty, then I tried driving over to their place, but they’re not at home, either. Nobody is.”
“Did you go to Kenny Muir’s?” Garth asked, suddenly pale. “Do you think he’s done something to Michelle?”
“Kenny! Of course!” Nora exclaimed, cursing herself for not figuring it out sooner. She ran to her car, Garth running behind her.
“I’ve been an idiot. I should have thought of Kenny the second the sheriff mentioned Michelle was missing,” Nora said. “I hope she’s alright. I hope nothing’s happened.”
“If there’s a chance she’s in danger, I’m coming with you,” Garth insisted, getting into the passenger seat.
Nora gunned the engine, hoping she wouldn’t need him but glad he was along anyway.
*****
Chapter 14
Madmen and Their Fancies
Nora drove as fast as she dared. The roads were still icy in patches and, as much as she wanted to gun her engine and go all out, she knew she had to keep her wits about her. Beside her, in the passenger seat, Garth was drumming his fingers impatiently on the dashboard. Every once in a while, he’d look over at Nora as though he wanted to say something.
“Spit it out,” Nora said finally.
“Just…we’re probably being very silly, right?” Garth sounded nervous. “I mean, we’ll probably reach Kenny’s house and find that we were just being stupid, right?”
“I hope so,” Nora said, taking a turn. “I really hope so.”
“But…but suppose we’re right,” Garth said. “Suppose Kenny’s kidnapped Michelle or something. Then what? We’ve got no weapons, we’re just walking into his house barehanded.”
“Call the sheriff,” Nora said. “We need backup.”
“I’m ahead of you on that. I texted Deputy Jamie. He’s on his way, too,” Garth said. “Actually, he might reach there before us, seeing our speed.” He grinned at her. “Do you always drive this slowly or is it just the situation?”
“Hey, no cracks. I take my road safety seriously,” Nora said. She took a deep breath. “I just hope we are wrong. I hope Michelle is fine and that we all feel really silly about this tomorrow. But right now my nerves are jangled and my heart is racing. I can’t help but feel she’s in danger.”
“Hey,” Garth said. “She’s going to be fine. I promise.” But he didn’t sound like he quite believed himself.
They pulled up outside Kenny’s house soon after and jumped out of the car. Instantly, Nora saw Michelle’s car parked in the driveway of Kenny’s house. The car was ominously empty, with no sign of Michelle. Garth noticed, too, because he had already walked up to the door and was banging on it furiously.
“Not there,” Nora said. “Out back — his grandma said Kenny has a trailer in the backyard and keeps to himself.”
“Let’s find him.” Garth was only a few steps behind Nora as she strode forward. Behind her, she could hear the front door open and a puzzled Grandma call out into the night. With no time to explain, Nora ignored the cry and rounded the corner into the backyard.
Yellow lights were flickering in the trailer and Nora could see shadows inside. With her heart in her throat, she slowly approached. The door was slightly ajar.
Why was the door ajar? Something was wrong. Very wrong. With her hands curled into fists, Nora pushed it open and stepped inside. The trailer was surprisingly neat and well-kept. On one side was a small, metal, folding chair and table, on the other a pull-out couch with pink floral bedsheets. Michelle lay on the couch with a blanket covering her from chin to toe and Bubbles protectively curled on her chest. Kenny was sitting cross-legged next to her, a rifle in his hand, pressed to his chest. He gave a cry as Nora entered and pointed the rifle right at her.
“You!”
“Kenny!” Nora held up a hand and fought to keep her voice from shaking. “Kenny, what are you doing?”
“Michelle needs me,” he said, his eyes blank. “I need to keep her safe.”
“What happened to her?” Nora looked carefully at Michelle’s face for the first time and felt a lurch in her stomach as she saw how pale her skin was. “Kenny, what did you do?”
“Get out! I’m keeping her safe!” Kenny brandished the rifle at Nora and leapt to his feet. Nora blinked, her mind racing, trying to figure out what to do.
“Kenny, we can talk about this,” Nora said. “I’m her friend, remember? I want to help you.”
“You’re her enemy! The police are her enemy! I’m the only one who can keep her safe!” Kenny screamed. “Leave!”
“I know you love her, Kenny, but this isn’t the right way to show it.”
Kenny cocked the hammer of the gun. “No more,” he said. His eyes were wild with emotion and it was plain to Nora that he wasn’t quite there. He was muttering under his breath to himself. Nora tensed, preparing to jump on him.
The next few seconds were chaos. From behind her, Garth pressed forward, pushing Nora out of the way. He moved with surprising speed, rushing into the trailer with his hands spread wide. He tackled Kenny and the rifle boomed as its trigger was pulled.
For a moment, Nora felt as though the entire world was shaking. There was a ringing in her ears. She felt tin and glass rain down on her. Fearful that Garth was dead, Nora looked up and saw with delight that the rifle had been diverted somehow.
Kenny and Garth were now wrestling on the floor furiously. Bubbles, still crouched on Michelle’s chest, was screaming loudly, his tail looking like an exclamation point behind him.
“Stop!” Nora cried out.
“I’ll kill you!” Kenny shouted. He’d managed to get on top of Garth and was sitting on his chest, choking him. The rifle lay forgotten, its nose sticking out from under the bed. Nora scrambled for it even as Garth choked and flailed.
Kenny’s teeth were bared in a smile and his biceps were straining a
s he exerted pressure on Garth’s neck. The vein in his forehead was throbbing and his eyes were narrowed. A few more seconds, Nora knew, and Garth would be dead.
Garth, whose hands were desperately moving about, suddenly grew still as his right hand touched the polished smoothness of a vase. Gripping it desperately, he swung it in an arc till it connected with the side of Kenny’s head. Once more, glass flew everywhere. One piece struck Nora on the cheek, but she barely noticed the blood dripping down her face as she tried to extract the rifle from under the bed.
For a second, Kenny froze when the vase hit him. Then he attacked Garth with renewed rage. He gave out a bellow of fury as his hands tightened. Garth grew still.
Fear blossomed through Nora’s insides, racing down her veins. Adrenaline mixed with it, creating a potent mixture. As though in slow motion, she saw herself bring out the rifle, grip it like a bat and swing at Kenny’s head. It connected, and Kenny collapsed immediately, almost comically. He slumped forward, falling onto Garth.
“Garth!” Nora rushed to make sure Garth was alright. She pushed Kenny off him and shook him by the shoulders. “Garth! Are you okay? Answer me!”
Her answer was a series of hoarse coughs, followed by one weak hand forming a thumbs-up. “I’m fine,” Garth whispered, barely able to form a sentence. “Michelle? Where’s Michelle?”
Nora handed Garth the rifle as he stood up and then moved to the bed. Outside, she could hear loud sirens as the police approached. She could also hear Kenny’s grandmother clomping down the path towards them. Bubbles hadn’t stopped screaming, either, and his cries were piercing through the night, sure to wake anybody in a five-mile radius.
Nora ignored it all, focusing only on Michelle. She leaned down and tried to feel her friend’s pulse. It was weak. Nora checked Michelle’s head for injuries and froze as she felt a swelling on the back. For the first time, she noticed the clumsy bandage someone had placed on the back of Michelle’s head — once white, the cloth was now stained red with blood.
Nora was still trying to piece together what had happened when the police burst in.
“Why does trouble follow you everywhere?” Sheriff Ellerton groaned as he entered.
“Sheriff.” Garth relaxed. “It’s all okay now. I think we’ve found the killer. It’s Kenny here. He kidnapped Michelle.”
“She’s got a wound on the back of her head,” Nora said. “We need to call an ambulance immediately.”
“Let me see.” The sheriff moved to Michelle and gave a surprisingly wimpy squeal as Bubbles swiped at him. He stepped away immediately, nursing his forearm. Blood seeped between his fingers.
“Nasty cut,” Nora commented. “Don’t take Bubbles’ behavior personally, Sheriff. He’s just protective.”
“Well, get him out of here, will you? I’m trained in first aid and I need to make sure she’s fine without a cat scratching my face off.” The sheriff grumbled. Looking behind his shoulder, he added, “Deputy, call an ambulance, and then get Kenny into handcuffs.”
“He’s not going anywhere for now.” Garth still had the rifle pointed at Kenny, but he didn’t need it. Kenny was out like a light. “Nora, you really clocked him. I thought I was a goner for sure.”
“You’re going to have some nasty bruises in the morning,” Nora said.
“You’re a hero.” Sheriff Ellerton clapped a hand on Garth’s shoulder. “Well done, Garth. We’ll get you a medal.”
Garth gave a smile that was halfway between relief and pain. “Keep your medal. I could do with a painkiller, actually.” He touched his throat gingerly and winced. Then, seeing Michelle, he asked, “Is she going to be okay?”
“We’ll see. She’ll need to go to the hospital to find out,” Sheriff Ellerton said. Looking at the ground, he touched Kenny with the toe of his boot and gave a little shove. “So it was him all along? An obsessive, love-struck lunatic? Should have guessed.”
“Why did he do it?” Garth looked mystified. “What could have possessed him?”
“Love’s a dangerous force,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “I’ve seen far too many good men go crazy over it. I guess he was one of them.”
Nora was having a difficult time restraining Bubbles in her arms. The cat was screaming and scratching and doing everything he could to get back to Michelle. It took her a long time to communicate to the cat that his owner was safe. When he finally quietened down, Nora asked the sheriff, “Do you really think he did it single-handed?”
Irritation flashed across Sheriff Ellerton’s face. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” Nora said. “Just a thought.”
“I know you,” Sheriff Ellerton groaned. “You’re coming up with a new theory already, aren’t you? Out with it!”
“It’s nothing,” Nora said. “I’m sorry. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you tonight. I don’t want to get in the way. Right now I just hope Michelle will be alright.”
Another siren was heard coming down the street. The sheriff smiled. “There’s the ambulance now. She’ll be just fine. Don’t you worry. In fact, why don’t you get on home? I’ll call in the morning. We’ll need an official statement from you. You too, Garth.”
“I think Garth had better show the medics his throat,” Nora said. “Make sure there’s no harm done.”
“I’ll be fine.” Garth winced again and rubbed his throat. “Then again, no harm in being safe and showing it to some professionals.”
As the medics swarmed in around Michelle and Garth, Nora found herself edged out of the trailer and into the cold backyard. She shivered as the aftermath of the excitement hit her. Was it finally over? Had they caught the killer after all?
Nora wished she could say “yes”. She wished she could feel joy. But, instead, she only felt heavy and tired. Her shoulders drooped low and her head ached. More than anything, she needed some rest. Right now, her mind was too confused to think straight. She looked up at the sky and saw snowflakes drifting down. One landed on her nose and another on the edge of her shoulder. It was a gray night, with only a few inches of black, velvet sky showing through the clouds above. Ahead of Nora, police cars were parked haphazardly and the ambulance sat with its lights still flashing. Behind her, she could hear the paramedics shouting orders as they loaded Michelle onto a stretcher.
Tomorrow. She’d make sense of it all tomorrow, Nora promised herself.
“You!” A voice cried out. Nora looked up to see Deputy Jamie sitting on a bench with Kenny’s grandmother next to him. Grandma Muir raised a shaking hand, pointing a finger at Nora. “You trapped my little boy!” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “He’s innocent and you trapped him!”
“Ma’am—” Deputy Jamie looked very uncomfortable. Looking at Nora, he said, “You better go. I’ll calm her down.”
“I’m telling you the truth!” Grandma cried. “My little Kenny wouldn’t hurt a fly!”
“Michelle had a restraining order on him, didn’t she?” Deputy Jamie asked. “Ma’am, I understand this is a shock to you, but we need—”
“Oh, my Kenny!” Grandma screamed as two paramedics walked by with Kenny on a stretcher between them. She broke free from Deputy Jamie’s hold and ran surprisingly quickly to the stretcher to stroke Kenny’s face. Looking behind, she shot Nora a look of pure hate. “If anything happens to my little Kenny, you’re responsible. Remember that!”
Standing in the cold with Bubbles in her arms and snowflakes forming a small pile on her shoulders, Nora suddenly felt very responsible — and very wrong.
*****
Chapter 15
Scrambled Eggs and Second Thoughts
In her dream, Nora stood on the edge of the trailer, afraid to go in. A tiger was prowling inside. That’s silly, she told herself. That’s no tiger, it’s just Bubbles. But, nevertheless, she felt frozen in place, unable to move. She knew, vaguely, that she was dreaming, but it did not matter. She saw the shadow of the tiger pace up and down the somehow-transparent trailer. Behind it, snow fell, covering th
e landscape. Suddenly, there was a loud scream, tearing her from her sleep and into consciousness.
The scream echoed across the house and Nora shot up, sitting straight in her bed. For a moment, sleep still had its grip on her, and the word “tiger” echoed in her mind. Then she blinked as Kaylee came running into the room, screaming with happiness.
“Bubbles is back!” she shouted, holding him aloft as she jumped on the bed next to Nora. “Look, Grandma! Bubbles is back!!”
Bubbles rolled over on his back rather like a king waiting to be massaged by a slave. Obliging him, Nora scratched his belly. He purred benevolently. Kaylee hugged Nora, kissed her, then stared at her cheek.
“Grandma, you’ve got a cut on your cheek.”
“Oh, that…” She’d gotten it yesterday, when a stray glass shard had hit her face. Nora touched it gently and then shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, dear.”
“Should I tell Mom to put a band-aid on it?” Kaylee asked. “Look, I’ve got a neon-pink one on my knee. I can get you a matching one.”
“It’s very sweet, but…” Nora froze. A jumble of thoughts were suddenly rampaging through her brain.
“Bubbles was so happy to see me, he came and woke me up,” Kaylee said, taking the cat in her arms and kissing him on the head. “I think he and I are best friends now.”
“Kaylee, sweetie! Come on down for breakfast!” a voice called out.
“Ok, Mom!” Kaylee yelled back. “Make something for Bubbles, too!”
Nora shot up out of bed, suddenly sure of what she wanted to do. She got ready in record time and raced downstairs. Grace met her at the foot of the stairs, wearing the blue apron that she’d given Nora on her 50th birthday.
“Hold it right there,” Grace said. “Where are you off to?”
“Michelle is in the hospital, and I need to see her,” Nora said. “I’ve got a lot of questions to—”
“You’re not going anywhere till you’ve got a good breakfast in you, Mom.”
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 161